Rise

Lin Feng stepped out into the hallway and looked around for a quiet corner. School was out and there were students laughing and shouting everywhere. He pushed against the flow of students, glancing at his phone to make sure that it was still ringing. Why would Chu Fang call me anyway? The Shanghai 16 School Tournament has ended and doesn’t he have work to do? It’s a normal work day... He searched around for some privacy, but couldn’t really find it. His phone was still ringing, but wouldn’t for much longer. So he accepted the call and placed the phone next to his ear, using his free hand to plug his other ear. “Heya, Chu Fang! Why are you calling? What’s going on?”

“Hey, Lin Feng,” Chu Fang said. “You should be done with school by now, right? Do you have a minute to chat?”

“Yeah, school is out. I was about to head home,” Lin Feng replied. “Why? What’s up? Are you calling to buy me dinner? If so, then yes! I’d really like some chicken cutlet!”

Chu Fang chuckled and said, “Oh, you can come over and I’ll treat you to some food. But I live pretty far away. It’s going to be way past dinnertime by the time you get here. Are you sure you can wait that long?”

“Oh. Yeah… Guess I can’t...” Lin Feng replied, dejected.

“But I called today about something else,” Chu Fang continued. “Have you heard about the Winter Collegiate Cup? It’s basically the big brother of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. Or the Shanghai 16 School Tournament for universities. It’s a big tournament. Anyway, it’s taking place next month. Would you be interested in participating?”

“Me?” Lin Feng blurted out. The Winter Collegiate Cup? I was talking with Fatty about that just the other day! He grinned and said, “Fatty made the same mistake the other day. I can’t play in the Winter Collegiate Cup! I’m still in high school, remember?” He paused for a brief moment, then added, “But you knew that. We spoke at the Shanghai 16 School Tournament! Wait, is this one of those hypothetical questions? Then my answer is yes! It sounds like a really cool tournament with so many great players! Of course I want to play in it!”

Chu Fang laughed and said, “Never change, Lin Feng. Never change. And yes, I know you’re still in high school. But no, this isn’t some hypothetical situation. The Collegiate Cup used to be exclusive to university teams. But there were some changes made to the format of the tournament this year. One of those changes is that we’re inviting three high school teams to join. One from each of the three big esports associations: Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai. It’s basically an opportunity for our most talented players to get some early experience at the university level. So, are you interested?”

“Are you asking me if I want to play in the Collegiate Cup?” Lin Feng asked, ecstatic. “Yes! YES! I’ll be the best at the university level too! This is going to be awesome! We’re going to beat everyone and become the best high school team and the best university team too!”