Chapter 5 — Guess, MVP Heiress Has Returned

Monday morning, the entire Bach Ung Gaming team gathered in the tactical meeting room to hear the official announcement about the new management personnel. Yen Chi sat in the second row, arms crossed over his chest, observing the man standing in front of the strategy board with head coach Tong Viet Hung.

That person was tall, standing straight as if he still maintained the disciplined habits of a professional athlete. His face was calm with sharp eyes scanning each member in the room as if he were analyzing a chessboard. Yen Chi didn't need to be introduced to immediately realize: this was exactly the type of person a professional stadium needed - not a manager who only cared about foreign affairs and pleasing sponsors.

"Hello everyone," the man said, his voice low and clear. "I am Chu Bach Khang, the new manager of Bach Ung Gaming. Before becoming a manager, I was a professional player playing the jungle position for five years, forced to retire early due to a wrist injury. I understand the feeling of standing on stage under the lights, and I also understand the feeling of being forced to leave it for unexpected reasons. Therefore, my working principle is very simple: every decision about the lineup, I will rely entirely on data and performance, no exceptions, no bias."

That statement made Yen Chi frown slightly, not out of suspicion but out of surprise. In her previous life, she had never had the opportunity to hear such a statement from anyone in the team management. Dinh Quoc Vuong, his predecessor, always prioritized peaceful relations over professional fairness.

The meeting ended, the whole team moved to the gym area to begin the first practice session under the supervision of the new manager. Bach Khang stood behind the machine, holding a tablet to record data, observing each practice match between players. When it was Yen Chi's turn to compete against Y Nhi in a simulated internal match - an unofficial test that the head coach arranged to evaluate the performance of the two sisters before the qualifying round - the whole gym suddenly fell silent, everyone knew that this was a "duel" whose results could directly affect the official lineup decision.

The match lasted for forty minutes. Yen Chi played with absolute concentration, read the opponent accurately, and controlled the pace of the match from the first minutes. Y Nhi, despite her efforts, still revealed clear gaps in her ability to read maps and make decisions under pressure - gaps that people had deliberately ignored in her previous life for non-professional reasons.

When the match ended with an overwhelming victory for Yen Chi, Bach Khang typed a few final notes into the tablet, then looked up at her with a look of clear approval - a look that Yen Chi had never received from anyone in the management team in her previous life.

"Your map control index is twenty percent higher than the tournament average," Bach Khang said, his tone objective but unable to hide his appreciation. "The way you read the fight at twenty-two minutes, when the opponent was just out of control, was an extremely accurate decision. I looked at your game data for the past six months before accepting the job here — you're one of the most consistent mid laners I've seen in the domestic league."

Yen Chi was a bit stunned by such a straightforward and detailed comment. "Thank you," she replied, trying to keep her voice calm even though a strange feeling arose in her heart - the feeling of being recognized for her true value for the first time, not through the lens of any family pressure or public opinion.

Y Nhi stood nearby, her face darkened when she heard the compliments for her sister. She tried to force a forced smile. "Yen Chi is really good, I guess I'll have to give in again this time."

"No one needs to give in to anyone," Bach Khang replied, his voice calm but decisive, his eyes looking straight at Y Nhi. "On this team, playing position is determined by data, not by concessions. If you want to improve, I am willing to design a separate training curriculum for you to improve your ability to read the map and make decisions under pressure. But I will not propose any changes to the squad that are not based on actual performance."

That sentence made Y Nhi silent, a hint of discomfort flashed through her eyes before she could hide it with a familiar resigned expression. "Yes, I understand," she replied, her voice soft, but Yen Chi — who was familiar with the way her sister reacted — recognized right under that appearance that a dissatisfaction was silently accumulating.

After practice, Yen Chi happened to meet Bach Khang in the hallway on her way to the dressing room. He stopped, looked at her for a moment, then spoke, his voice a bit more serious than usual.

"I heard rumors that your family is pressuring you to give up your position to your sister. I don't want to interfere in your personal matters, but as the team manager, I want you to know one thing clearly: I will not let any non-professional pressure affect this team's lineup decisions, even if that pressure comes from a player's own family."

Yen Chi looked at him, with a feeling of gratitude that was hard to describe in words. This was the first time, in both lifetimes, that she had met a decision-maker on the team who was willing to stand for the truth so openly and unequivocally.

"Thank you for being so blunt," she replied. "To be honest, I was mentally prepared to fight this alone."

"You don't have to fight alone," Bach Khang said, his eyes softening slightly. "I was hired here to build a team based on ability, not to please anyone. If you deserve that position — and based on what I saw today, you absolutely do — I will make sure you play."

Yen Chi nodded, a rare gentle smile appeared on her lips - the first smile since being reborn that was not forced or stiff and defensive. "Well then, I also hope you will see me prove it with actual results, not just words."

"I believe so," Bach Khang replied, then nodded slightly in greeting before turning and walking away.

Yen Chi stood alone in the hallway, looking at the straight back of the new manager, a feeling arose in her heart that she had never had in her previous life: the feeling of no longer being alone in the fight to protect herself. She knew the road ahead was still full of thorns - her family had not given up, Y Nhi still had plans that had not yet surfaced - but at least, this time, she had an ally who truly believes in her value, not because of love, not because of obligation, but simply because he saw the truth and respects it.

She returned to her room, feeling much more relieved than the previous days. That evening, while watching the recording of the recent practice match, Yen Chi told herself that, no matter how tumultuous the road ahead was, she would no longer have to shoulder everything alone like in her previous life.

While reviewing each frame, she noticed that Bach Khang had meticulously noted not only her excellent moves, but also the rare small mistakes she made - a sign that he did not look at her through the lens of blind idolization, but with the objective analytical eyes of someone who had once stood on that stage. That, to Yen Chi, is more precious than any empty compliment. She opened a new document on her laptop, started writing down the points he pointed out, telling herself she would fix it before the upcoming qualifying round.

Nearly ten o'clock in the evening, head coach Tong Viet Hung called her to his office and briefly informed her: based on the results of the practice match and the new manager's proposal, the coaching staff officially confirmed that Yen Chi will be the official mid laner for the upcoming VCC tournament qualifiers. He also did not hide his relief when adding: "In the past, I had to give in to pressure outside my expertise many times, and you know the results. This time, with Bach Khang standing up to be accountable to the board of directors, I can rest assured to make decisions based entirely on data."

Yen Chi bowed her head in thanks and walked out of the office with an unprecedented feeling of stability. She knew this was just the first step in a long journey, but for the first time in two lifetimes, she felt that justice, sometimes, could be built not by suffering, but by daring to stand up and demand it.

That night, before going to sleep, she texted Trinh Gia Linh a few short lines to announce the good news. Gia Linh immediately texted back, along with a series of celebratory emoticons: "I told you you deserved it! The whole team must celebrate for you tomorrow." Yen Chi smiled, put down the phone, closed her eyes, letting that rare feeling of peace lull her into her first deep sleep since the day she was reborn.