The next day marked the opening of the Demacia Cup. China Telecom's second team was participating under the first team's LPL slot, so both the audience and commentators unanimously dubbed this mixed squad—led by substitute Mid Laner Lu Yue and composed of second-team members—as "ZGDX.BLUE."
—This was an inside joke everyone was in on.
Back in the Korean league, Samsung Industries once simultaneously fielded two professional League of Legends teams: SAMSUNG.WHITE and SAMSUNG.BLUE. The ten players from these two teams dominated the Korean scene with absolute prowess, and SAMSUNG.WHITE even went on to win the World Championship that year.
The unprecedented dominance of the Samsung Blue and White teams remains a legendary tale to this day, with that year humorously referred to as the "Samsung Dynasty." Riot Games was so impacted by the "Samsung phenomenon" that they promptly revised team regulations the following year: a single club could no longer field two teams of the same tier in the Professional League.
—"Overwhelming strength" might just be a vague concept, but when a game company is forced to patch the rules like fixing a bug just to curb your dominance, it speaks volumes about your reputation and far-reaching influence.
At this moment.
The second-team members seemed amused rather than offended by the "ZGDX.BLUE" moniker. At least on their way to the venue, Po Jun, who had been scrolling through his phone, suddenly exclaimed, "Holy shit, they're calling us China Telecom Blue, lololololol?!"
The van instantly erupted with laughter—"LOLs" and "hehehes" filled the air—
Little Fatty: "Nice, that's savage."
Old K: "Hinting that the first team's gonna win it all this year?"
Po Jun: "Back then, even though Samsung White won Worlds, Samsung Blue absolutely stomped White in their domestic league—right, Cheng Ge? I remember White only beat Blue once in the entire season?"
"Yeah," the man lounging in the back row replied lazily, smirking at the excited second-team support. "What's up, kid? You wanna stomp the first team too? Ambitious, aren't we..."
Despite his words.
His tone carried an unmistakable hint of amusement.
As Little Fatty grabbed Po Jun and playfully wrestled him, yelling, "This old man's still got it, and you brats are already scheming to overthrow us?", Tong Yao leaned over her seat to grin at Lu Sicheng. The man glanced up at her: "What's so funny?"
"Didn't expect you to be so nurturing."
"..." Lu Sicheng replied flatly, "Oh. Always have been."
Tong Yao rolled her eyes and settled back into her seat. After a moment, she tugged one earbud out of the boy sitting beside her and nudged him with her shoulder. "Hey, Greedy Wolf, did you hear what they were saying earlier?"
Greedy Wolf had been resting against the window with his eyes closed, listening to music. Now shaken awake, he didn't get angry—just blinked drowsily and sat up. "Hear what?"
"Everyone's calling the second team 'China Telecom.BLUE' now. They're all hoping you'll crush the first-team old-timers someday, just like how Samsung Blue dominated White back in their domestic league."
"..." Greedy Wolf's eyes flickered with a brief spark, but it dimmed just as quickly. "Too bad Samsung Blue never won it all in the end. In people's eyes, Blue will always be White's losers."
"...""The Blue team's AD was even reduced to tears on the match stage by the White team's AD."
"......"
Greedy Wolf rolled his eyes, tossed out a "whatever" before putting his headphones back on and turning away... Tong Yao stared at him awkwardly for a moment until she felt her phone vibrate, receiving a mocking message from her boyfriend—
[fhdjwhdb2333: Getting the cold shoulder after being all enthusiastic, enjoying it?]
Tong Yao: "......"
This guy.
[ZGDX、smiling: Go away! I'm enjoying it just fine!]
[fhdjwhdb2333: That edgy kid won't listen to reason. Trying to win him over with love is pointless—better use that love on me instead.]
[ZGDX、smiling: Win you over how?]
[fhdjwhdb2333: Lose to him on purpose during scrims. Boost his confidence, break his mental block.]
[ZGDX、smiling: How am I supposed to lose?]
[fhdjwhdb2333: How about playing with just your left hand? If he still can't beat me like that, he might as well go home and raise pigs.]
[ZGDX、smiling:………………He's just a kid, why do you have such a grudge against him?]
[fhdjwhdb2333: Hearing him call you "Sister Tong Yao" pisses me off.]
[ZGDX、smiling: Oh, so jealous. You can call me that too.]
After sending this, Tong Yao put down her phone and climbed up, leaning over the seat back to stare expectantly at Lu Sicheng. He lifted his eyelids to glance at her before mouthing silently: No respect. Get lost.
Tong Yao's head instantly ducked back down.
......
Half an hour later.
The team bus arrived at the competition venue. The second-string players were led backstage by staff, while Tong Yao and the others who were just there to spectate were guided to special seating by other staff members—
Lu Sicheng truly lived up to his reputation as a highly popular player. Even in the dim lighting where only vague outlines were visible, the moment he stepped into the spectator area, someone immediately recognized him and shrieked, "Oh my god, it's Chessman!" "Cheng Ge? My husband? Where? Where?" causing a commotion...
Tong Yao: "Superstar Lu, if you ever quit esports, you could consider joining the entertainment industry."
Lu Sicheng: "Shut up."
Tong Yao patted her seat and settled comfortably into the officially arranged spot. Looking up, she could see the live broadcast screen of the match. She thought the organizers had given them the best viewing position, so she tilted her head back and began watching intently—
After the opening ceremony, the first match was China Telecom's second team versus Storm. The highlight of this opener was that both teams fielded full All-Chinese lineups, with no Korean Aids involved.
When the match started, the second-string kids all looked nervous: after all, LSPL matches weren't regularly open for fan attendance like LPL matches, so they probably weren't used to having people cheering for them in the audience.
"The first time I watched a pro match live was this year's Spring Split finals," Tong Yao remarked nostalgically from her seat. "It was really lively then too. I was sitting with China Telecom fans... Back then I thought: The captain of China Telecom Team looks just as handsome in person as in his promo photos!"
Lu Sicheng: "Like you actually thought that."
Tong Yao: "......"Accidentally exposed.
That’s right.
At the time, she thought someone like Lu Sicheng—a god among men—would never care for mere mortals, so what he looked like was none of her damn business… Now, trying to butter him up felt a bit difficult. Tong Yao tilted her body slightly and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, “You knowing me so well makes me scared enough to want to break up.”
Lu Sicheng raised his hand and patted her head in warning—
Then the match began.
Greedy Wolf picked Jinx today—Tong Yao greatly admired his spirit of getting back up where he fell. At the very least, if it were her, after being tormented by A Tai, she would’ve abandoned Leblanc for a long time…
The Ban & Pick Phase went smoothly. China Telecom’s second team’s final lineup was Maokai, Kha’Zix, Leblanc, Jinx, and Braum; Team Storm’s lineup was Trundle, Hecarim, Malzahar, Sivir, and Thresh.
Neither side had a clear advantage in the draft—
Four minutes into the game, both teams played standard laning in the early game. Today, Greedy Wolf was in good form. At level one, he took advantage of Braum’s strength to poke the enemy duo, gaining a slight lead in CS over Team Storm’s AD.
At around level two and a half, China Telecom’s second team’s jungler arrived in the bot lane bushes. Jinx wasn’t impatient, her acting flawless, showing no signs of “I’ve got backup.” When Jinx hit level three first, Kha’Zix leaped out of the bushes, and with their bot lane’s three-versus-two advantage, they successfully killed Team Storm’s bot duo!
The crowd erupted in cheers!
Tong Yao clapped along: “Niice!”
With low health left, the support recalled first. Jinx calmly cleared the wave, pushed past the enemy, and positioned herself slightly farther from the turret to recall—
At that moment, the audience stirred. Those with the god’s-eye view could already see Team Storm’s jungler Hecarim charging in. Hecarim was fast and agile, and with Jinx at low health, a tower dive was highly possible!
As the audience held their breath, eyes wide, convinced Jinx was already Hecarim’s prey, they saw Jinx react the instant Hecarim appeared in vision—dropping her traps to root him, forcing him to eat two turret shots while she kited around the turret. Under everyone’s watchful eyes, the full-health Hecarim, due to slightly clumsy movement, took several turret hits, managing only one auto-attack on Jinx. Around the fourth second, realizing the gank was doomed, Hecarim already thought of retreating. But then, the Jinx who had been “running for her life” suddenly turned the tables, using the last of her mana to slow Hecarim with her W, followed by two auto-attacks!
A clutch outplay with a sliver of health!
The entire sequence of precise mechanics lasted only about seven seconds!
The crowd roared again, and even the casters couldn’t stay seated—
[That play was all about mechanics and mind games!]
[This Jinx is legit—hey, looks like the Operator Team’s AD position has a worthy successor, hahahaha!]
[Let’s be real, how many skill units separate that play from Chessman’s level?]
Amid the casters’ excited praise, Tong Yao turned to look at Lu Sicheng. The man sat with his legs crossed, chin slightly raised as he watched the match, his expression calm.
Tong Yao: “Not nervous? That play just now was practically on par with you.”Lu Sicheng: "If anyone dares to pull off moves like this against me in a match, I could outplay ten of them with eleven tricks. Only when this kid performs such plays so often that people can't even be bothered to praise him anymore will he truly make me nervous."
Tong Yao: "..."
People always say youth is reckless, but their veteran AD was equally full of wild boasts.
Thanks to the two kills and one assist at the start, Greedy Wolf had a smooth game this round. By around the nine-minute mark, his first core item, Infinity Edge, was almost complete—
Tong Yao: "Just a few dozen gold short for Infinity Edge. If it were you at this point..."
Lu Sicheng: "One F4 camp's worth."
Tong Yao: "But what if I were also short by those few dozen gold from F4?"
Lu Sicheng: "I'd let you take it. I'd wait for the next minion wave."
Tong Yao: "No, mid lane has longer waves. I should let you have it."
Old K: "..."
Old K, who had been listening to the AD and Mid Laner's unusually harmonious and considerate back-and-forth, suddenly spoke up gloomily after some thought: "You do know I'm the Jungler, right?"
Tong Yao, Lu Sicheng: "?"
Old K: "Do you know what a Jungler is—someone who kills jungle monsters—someone who survives on jungle monsters as their spiritual sustenance and dignity."
Tong Yao, Lu Sicheng: "..."
Old K: "The jungle belongs to me."
Old K: "F4 is a jungle camp."
Old K: "Therefore, F4 is also mine. You two have been debating its ownership back and forth—have you ever considered my opinion?"
Tong Yao: "........................Sorry about that."
Lu Sicheng: "What's wrong with taking your F4? What if that tiny bit of gold is exactly what we need to complete a major item, win the teamfight, and secure victory?"
Old K: "Is that tiny bit of gold so crucial that you'll die without it?"
Lu Sicheng: "Yes."
Old K: "Then why were you willing to give it to the Mid Laner?"
"..." Lu Sicheng fell silent for a second before slinging an arm around Tong Yao's shoulders. "Isn't it natural for a father to be good to his daughter? If you won't even spare F4 for her and stunt her growth, does that make you the evil stepdad?"
"........................" Tong Yao slapped away the heavy paw on her shoulder. "Both of you, focus on the match."
Lu Sicheng shifted positions, continuing to lounge lazily in his chair while watching the match—today, Greedy Wolf was performing exceptionally well. After his stunning low-health outplay against the full-health Hecarim at the start, it was as if he'd activated hacks. His precise, detail-rich gameplay allowed him to dominate Storm's veteran LPL AD, even securing a Penta Kill in the mid-to-late game to seal the victory!
"Penta Kill ahhhhhhh!"
When the "PENTAKILL" notification flashed across the screen, Tong Yao leaped from her seat, clapping wildly—
All the way until China Telecom's second team pushed through to the High Ground, swiftly demolished the towers and the Nexus, and the red team's crystal exploded, prompting another round of cheers from the audience!
First victory secured!
The members of China Telecom's second team also removed their headsets, standing up with bright smiles to hug their teammates, clearly very pleased with their opening match win.
"Let's meet backstage! We're eating well tonight—second team's coach is treating!" Xiao Rui came running over excitedly to gather the first team members.Tong Yao and the others responded and headed toward the backstage. However, halfway there, Tong Yao suddenly stopped, feeling bloated and needing to pee. Grabbing Lu Sicheng, who was walking at the back, she tossed out a quick "I gotta pee" before turning and sprinting toward the players' restroom at the rear.
...
Ten minutes later, Tong Yao emerged from the restroom stall, physically and mentally relaxed.
Outside, the excited chatter of the audience and commentators discussing "ZGDX.BLUE" could still be heard. After washing her hands and shaking off the water, she was just pondering what delicious food the second team's coach would take them to eat later when she stepped out of the restroom. Across the way, she noticed the manager of an LSPL team hurriedly exiting the men's restroom—
His hands were dry.
No sound of the hand dryer had been heard.
Either he didn’t wash his hands after using the toilet, or he hadn’t gone there to use the toilet at all.
Tong Yao paused mid-step, raising an eyebrow in confusion. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Greedy Wolf emerge from the restroom as well, looking preoccupied—his hands equally clean...
Something immediately felt off to her. Before she could even process what to do, the words slipped out of her mouth: "Hey, Xiao Lang?"
Greedy Wolf visibly startled at her voice. When he looked up, his dark eyes flickered with unease—it was practically a neon sign of guilt.
Tong Yao’s earlier suspicions seemed confirmed. Her heart sank, but she forced a calm expression, stepping forward to grab Greedy Wolf’s arm with a strained smile. "Congrats on your first victory! You played so well today—even Cheng Ge admitted you were evenly matched with him... Uh, uh, we’re gonna grab some good food later. Was that the HF team’s manager just now? What a coincidence, him being here to use the restroom too—"
The transition was painfully awkward. Tong Yao felt like she was barely holding the conversation together.
Greedy Wolf lifted his eyelids to glance at her, his tone flat and indifferent. "Guess so."
Tong Yao’s smile nearly faltered. Her grip on his wrist tightened slightly. "You didn’t say much to him, right? Off-season transfer period or not, non-listed players privately contacting other team managers is a serious violation..."
"What could I even say to him? It’s not like it’s transfer season," Greedy Wolf tugged his wrist free, his lips quirking as he gave her a dismissive look. "Stop overthinking it."
"Good, good." Tong Yao nodded. "The higher-ups saw how well you played today. The Demacia Cup is the main pathway for selecting next year’s first-team roster, so as long as you keep performing—"
"—No matter how well I perform, as long as Chessman’s around, the rest of us are just benchwarmers."
"..." Tong Yao’s words caught in her throat.
"He’s that good. Even in a meta where AD carries are struggling, he can still carry games. Popular, great image—practically the living mascot of the LPL. Even when you guys praise me, it’s always in the tone of 'almost as good as Chessman'..."
His voice had taken on a darker edge.
Tong Yao was stunned—she swore her earlier compliment hadn’t carried that implication at all. "...Huh? No, I didn’t mean—""So until the day he can no longer carry and retires on his own, no other AD will ever have a chance to rise to the top!!!" Greedy Wolf suddenly exploded with emotion, violently yanking his hand back from Tong Yao's grip, his tone turning fierce. "But goddammit, when the hell is he going to retire?!!"
Greedy Wolf used so much force.
Tong Yao, caught off guard, stumbled back two steps from the momentum—
Greedy Wolf glimpsed her about to fall and froze for a second, just as he was about to reach out to steady her. At that moment, a tall figure emerged from around the corner and firmly caught Tong Yao.
"I'll retire when I can no longer carry the team. I won't shamelessly cling to the roster and block the path of newcomers."
A deep, authoritative voice rang out.
The voice was calm, yet it sent chills down everyone's spine.
Tong Yao looked up at the man supporting her from behind. His hand rested on her waist, his jaw tense, his dark brown eyes locked onto the kid not far away—
"I admire your refusal to accept defeat, but as a junior, you should at least mind your tone. Do you need a lesson in basic manners?"
"..."
"You're not wrong. The AD of Samsung Blue was once reduced to tears by his teammate AD from Samsung White in a major tournament. If you'd like to experience that feeling firsthand, I can arrange it for you—"
A large hand landed on Tong Yao's head.
The man spoke slowly, enunciating every word.
"If you dare speak to your seniors like that again, I promise I'll make good on my word."
...
The atmosphere froze solid, as if ice could shatter and drop to the ground at any moment.
Tong Yao had no idea what Greedy Wolf was thinking right now.
All she knew was that despite having just peed, she was now terrified enough by the person behind her to feel the urge again.
OpenNovel