Powerful Investment Chapter 42: Concealment

Chapter 42: Concealment

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

 

Out of the three of them, the most confused was actually Jiao Yue. He knew that the IKW team was supposed to be in G City preparing for the competition, so Lu Yao shouldn’t have been here.

Yet, he just happened to have asked Ji Jin out for dinner today, and now he had learned about the unclear relationship between these two. It made him… feel like the third wheel. Although he had been tempted to steal Ji Jin away, he hadn’t planned to actually become a homewrecker.

“Brother, what are you doing here?” Lu Yao ran over, looking innocently confused, as if he truly knew nothing. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere and couldn’t find you. Turns out you’re having dinner with Senior Jiao Yue.”

Ji Jin suddenly choked, as if something had gotten caught in his throat. There wasn’t really anything going on between him and Jiao Yue—it could be easily explained. But the way Lu Yao said it made it sound like he was caught cheating.

Jiao Yue didn’t say anything either, his expression awkward to the extreme.

The three of them stared at each other, until finally, the thinnest-skinned of them—Jiao Yue—spoke first.

“Well… God Ji, you two should head back. I’ll go too,” Jiao Yue said dryly, his face betraying his discomfort.

“Okay, goodbye, Senior Jiao Yue. Do you want me to give you a ride?” Lu Yao smiled brightly, but there was a faint hint of menace behind it—at least, that’s how Ji Jin felt.

Jiao Yue also picked up on Lu Yao’s tone and sensibly declined the offer before leaving, leaving Ji Jin and Lu Yao staring at each other.

“Brother should go back. It’s hot outside,” Lu Yao said, still maintaining his innocent act, even with Jiao Yue gone. That realization made Ji Jin even more uneasy.

Lu Yao had come by taxi, so the two of them rode back together. Ji Jin tried several times to start a conversation, but Lu Yao dodged each attempt with vague replies.

Ji Jin felt more and more unsure. He lowered his head, pretending to look at his phone casually. It was full of messages from Zhao Ze.

“God Ji, Lu Yao came! I didn’t mean to tell him where you were—he forced it out of me!”

“He’s on his way to you! Maybe take Jiao Yue and sneak out now?”

“God Ji? God Ji? God Ji!!! Look at your phone!”

“Fine, you must be busy eating and not looking at your phone. Don’t you know that Omegas shouldn’t overeat during pregnancy? Too much food and the baby could grow too big! Eat less!”

Ji Jin couldn’t help but clutch his belly and snicker quietly. Well, the food was already in his stomach—he wasn’t about to throw it up. He kept reading with a smile, until his expression froze.

“God Ji!!! An internal message just leaked—IKW’s investors are planning to… pull out.”

Pull out?

Those two words made Ji Jin’s heart skip a beat.

The way esports teams worked these days was that investors formed the teams, then hired executives and managers to run them. The teams themselves were run by these managers, who also hired coaches and oversaw the players.

So a withdrawal of investment meant the boss behind IKW was pulling the plug. Teams didn’t actually have money—the income all went to upper management. Even endorsement deals and livestream revenue were shared, not owned by the players. The money all came from the top.

So if the investor pulled out, it essentially meant the IKW team would dissolve. Supporting a team was incredibly expensive—especially a top-tier team. Sure, they made money, but they also burned through it fast. Maintenance for the training facilities, travel expenses for tournaments, and player salaries all added up.

As far as Ji Jin knew, Lu Yao’s salary and revenue share alone could probably fund a smaller team—let alone the rest of IKW’s star players.

“Why are they suddenly pulling out?” Ji Jin messaged quickly.

“Apparently the boss’s other investments tanked and they don’t have the liquidity. They weren’t really that into esports in the first place. They couldn’t find a buyer, so now they’re planning to just walk away,” Zhao Ze responded quickly.

“IKW’s been reaching out to people, but no one’s biting. The news hasn’t been made public yet, but it’s basically certain.”

Ji Jin responded with a simple “Mm,” and didn’t message back again, staring down at his phone.

The pullout was too big of a deal. No wonder IKW lost today. If no one bought them out, the team would likely disband entirely. The substitute players probably wouldn’t have anywhere to go, and the official players… would most likely be transferred at a discount.

The esports pie was only so big—only a limited number of people could have a slice. Even though IKW was filled with star players, few teams would actually take them. Most teams already had stable lineups and had honed their playstyles. Bringing in an outside star might actually disrupt their rhythm.

Smaller teams might be interested, but the price tags were too high. And most star players, after experiencing glory, weren’t willing to settle for a lower-tier team.

Most importantly, the IKW players had always been close. They had fallen from grace together, endured mockery and hardship, and climbed their way back to the top—together.

Wherever they ended up in the future, it wouldn’t be the IKW they knew in their hearts.

Ji Jin sighed, and when he looked at Lu Yao, there was a trace of helplessness in his eyes. Lu Yao must be deeply troubled right now, trying to figure out what to do.

The hotpot restaurant wasn’t far from Ji Jin’s hotel. The taxi got them there quickly. They got out and walked inside—Lu Yao in front, Ji Jin behind. Neither of them spoke on the way up.

When they reached the hotel room, Ji Jin hurried forward to unlock the door first.

But just as he stepped inside and hadn’t even inserted the room card yet, Lu Yao squeezed in after him, trapping him against the door and quickly locking it.

Lu Yao was taller than Ji Jin, and as an Alpha, it was easy for him to pin Ji Jin in place. The faint scent of plum wine filled the air, cutting off any route of escape.

The room was pitch black, though the air-conditioning from earlier kept it cool.

With everything suddenly dark, Ji Jin couldn’t see a thing. He could only feel Lu Yao hugging him, his soft, fuzzy head buried in the crook of Ji Jin’s shoulder, and his lips brushing against Ji Jin’s collarbone like he was about to bite down.

“Brother…” Lu Yao whispered, “Did you miss me?”

Ji Jin nearly rolled his eyes in the darkness. He knew Lu Yao was upset, but even Ji Xingxing probably wouldn’t say something like that. Lu Yao, a grown man, was still acting so clingy.

“Nope.” Ji Jin snorted coldly, out of spite.

“Did the baby miss me?” Lu Yao lifted his head and kissed Ji Jin’s cheek in the dark.

“No.” Ji Jin replied coldly, pretending to be indifferent. He thought to himself, You even wanted to abort the baby, and now you’re asking if it missed you? Isn’t that a bit hypocritical?

“But I really missed brother.” Lu Yao’s voice was soft and sticky-sweet, but not annoying—more like a little puppy begging for affection. “But brother didn’t miss me at all, and even went on a date with another man. Brother, touch the top of my head…” As he spoke, he grabbed Ji Jin’s hand and placed it on his head.

Ji Jin paused slightly as he felt Lu Yao’s hair.

“That’s not hair,” Lu Yao whined. “That’s green grass.”

Even though Lu Yao sounded dead serious, Ji Jin couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

“Oh? It really is so green.” Ji Jin laughed as he ruffled Lu Yao’s hair, making it even messier.

“How can I make it not green anymore?” Lu Yao whispered hoarsely by Ji Jin’s ear. The faint scent of plum wine suddenly intensified. Ji Jin, caught off guard, choked slightly, and heat flushed through his entire body.

“Brother… be with me, okay?” Lu Yao’s voice was low and a little raspy. “I’ve liked you since four years ago. If you even like me a little, be with me, okay?”

“I—” Ji Jin had just started to speak when Lu Yao covered his mouth.

“Brother, don’t talk yet.” Lu Yao said softly. “Let’s keep the baby. I actually… really like it. I was just afraid you’d be too exhausted. I agree now to keep the baby—so will you agree to… officially be with me?”

Ji Jin hadn’t expected Lu Yao to suddenly confess again at a time like this—and to also agree to keeping the baby.

“Why all of a sudden…” Ji Jin was momentarily stunned.

“Brother always hides so many things from me.” Lu Yao’s voice turned dangerous. “Even now, you’re still not going to be honest?”

The tone of Lu Yao’s voice made it sound like he really did know something. Ji Jin’s heart skipped a beat. The first thing that came to mind was Ji Xingxing’s Alpha father.

Back then, Lu Yao had been drunk. Ji Jin was sure his alcohol tolerance was terrible and he’d blacked out, likely forgetting everything. But what if he remembered something after all…?

Just as Ji Jin was debating how to explain things, Lu Yao suddenly yanked the keycard from his hand and shoved it into the slot by the door. Instantly, the room lit up, the air conditioning hummed to life, and a cool breeze swept through, making Ji Jin shiver instinctively.

The room wasn’t too brightly lit, but Ji Jin still reflexively closed his eyes.

“Still not going to talk?” Lu Yao narrowed his eyes and reached out to lift Ji Jin’s chin, forcing him to open his eyes. “I talked to IKW’s upper management last night. I know why brother… retired.”

At that sentence, Ji Jin involuntarily let out a breath of relief. Thank god—it wasn’t about Ji Xingxing’s Alpha dad. Now that things had come to this, talking about his retirement wasn’t impossible.

Back then, his retirement wasn’t just because he was an Omega or because he was pregnant. The main reason was actually Lu Yao.

From the youth training camp onward, the higher-ups had already noticed Lu Yao’s potential. At the time, IKW was strong, but Ji Jin was still an Omega. In the long term, developing an Alpha was more sustainable. And the upper management had started to see the bigger picture.

IKW had been able to keep winning largely because other teams hadn’t caught up yet, and Ji Jin’s skills were too dominant—he led the team to victory. But wins alone weren’t enough; Ji Jin’s Omega body wouldn’t last under constant strain.

At just the right time, Lu Yao appeared—a player with a similar style and comparable skill level. He fit exactly what the team needed.

So Ji Jin’s early attention toward Lu Yao and his personal guidance in helping him grow had all been orchestrated by management. Their goal was to groom Lu Yao to eventually replace him. When they later pressured Ji Jin into retirement, the main reason wasn’t the pregnancy—it was to make way for Lu Yao.

Lu Yao had joined IKW because he idolized Ji Jin. But his arrival… had just so happened to push Ji Jin out of his position.

He worshipped his god—

But his god had fallen because of him.

 

 

 

 

 

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