Chapter 16: Good Reasons before Christmas

"Are you here again to convince me to join you team?" Geng Lei said with a sigh. Tan Zexian had come to visit her. the two of them were standing at the front door.

"What do you mean again?" Tan Zexian said. "I have not brought that up in two weeks."

"Then why have you invited me to play with you today?"

"The same reason we played together last week, and every other time. And the Christmas event starts today, so why not?"

When Geng Lei thought about it she realized that she was being foolish. Tan Zenxian really had not brought up the subject of her joining the team recently. He had not even talked about it with her for the last two weeks.

"Did you see Ye Qui retired?" Tan Zenxian asked as they walked to the room where they normally played Glory.

"Not immediately, only found out about it the next morning. Family party went late. The video was nice though."

"Agreed. I wonder if I'll ever have something like that to my name."

"I would like that to." Geng Lei said and sighed. She was wonder where Tan Zexian was going with the conversation.

"Well you're out of the running. I might still be able though. Imagine, Glory's number one Knight, Tan Zexian!"

"And who are you going to have coordinate with you?"

"Easy, just train the entire team and make me the core."

"Like that is going to happen."Geng Lei said. She took a deep breath "You know that no grass roots team has ever emerged out of the Challenger League?"

"There is a first time for everything." Tan Zexian said and a smile appeared on his face.

"And what make you certain that you are part of that grass roots team?"

"We have a training program, silver equipment development, a full team of reasonably competent people and hopefully we'll have a supporting guild."

"You have a full team of six?"

"Seven." Tan Zexian said proudly as he sat down at a computer. "One Tree Less joined the group."

"He never told me anything." Geng Lei said in surprise.

"We asked him to keep quite." Tan Zexian said. "We even have a full budget and schedule worked out for that entire year and several other are working on extra training programs."

"Do you have a place to stay?"

"We are still debating that. There are three place we are looking at, one of them happens to be Qin Kun's house."

"And for things after that, like a stadium and so?"

"There is a place we can rent and if we make it through we have decided on a main building. There is a small building near the sport center."

"Isn't that slated for demolition?"

"It has been slated for demolition for almost five years now. The Qin family owns it and might be willing to sell. And renovation will not really cost that much."

"Well everything seems good. Whose is the Captain?"

"We have not decided yet. Once we get together for the challenger league we will have a small challenge to see who will be the captain and vice-captain."

"Any idea what that challenge entails?"

"Nope, but something to do with strategy. You would probably win hands down." Tan Zenxian said.

"So are we going to start playing?"

The two of them had been talking but had not logged into Glory yet. Normally they would talk while playing.

"Not yet, I want to know more about your team." Geng Lei said.

"Interested in joining?" Tan Zexian asked.

"No, just interested in the team you'll be joining. You turned away from a chance at the training camp, so I was wondering why you would be interested in a grass roots team."

"Well this is a once in a life time opportunity. Being able to play Glory professionally is already limited to only the next few years, but bringing a team out of the challenger league that never started in the pro league is already big. And the original members will be glorified for years to come."

"But how long do you think you are going to last in the pro leagues after that?"

"I don't really care about that. If we just finish the Challenger League, the following year can go as bad as it wants, we would already have done something incredible."

"And if you don't make it?"

"Will just treat it like a gap year."Tan Zexian said with a smile on is face.

"Didn't you already have one?"

"I was working. A bit more than you were."

Geng Lei felt Tan Zexian's response was too casual. But he had never left anything half done. And once he saw something he considered 'do-able', he would take it up.

Now Geng Lei was starting to reconsider her choice. She had a good job, something that was going to be hard for her to come by. But when Tan Zexian mention that they only had these few years to play Glory, she realised she herself might be throwing away a good opportunity. From what she was told all the people in the team seemed to have thought this through. The only difference between them and a pro-team might now only be the riches and in what league they play.

"Hello Geng Lei, Helloooo." Tan Zexian said. Geng Lei realized she was staring at him.

"Sorry did you say something?" Geng Lei said shaking her head.

"Nothing important, but you were staring at me for a while now. Are you all right?"

"Yes, I am. Was just think about something."

"Ok. So are we going to play or not."

"Yip."

For the next few hour Geng Lei and Tan Zexian played Glory. There was a Chrismas event going on where enemies called Chrismas thieves were roaming the servers, and if killed would drop a present, which could be used to get some special item or buff, or could be turned in for other rewards.

Very few of their friends were online, and it was mostly an everyman for himself scenario. The two of them hunted thieves for a while and then was called to help out Samsara.

When they stopped playing, Tan Zexian was invited by Geng Lei's mother to join them for dinner, which he accepted.

After dinner tan Zexian headed home. As he walked out the door Geng Lei stopped him.

"I have changed my mind." Geng Lei said, looking Tan Zexian in the eyes.

"About what?"

"Joining your team, it looks fun."

"Great, I'll tell the others tomorrow."

'Tomorrow' turned out to be three days later.