Tong Yao and Lu Sicheng returned to their room, their heads bumping together as they sprawled on the bed, turning into a genuine case of "sharing a quilt to discuss serious matters." Lu Sicheng was deeply resigned to this but truly had no other choice.
Because he wasn’t blind—he had clearly seen the expressions on the faces of his teammates and their coach when he carried his team’s Mid Laner back to the room. Their faces might as well have been emblazoned with a bright red slogan: "No home runs allowed in this team headquarters. Don’t even think about it."
Lu Sicheng: "..."
He lowered his gaze, his large hand resting on the shoulder of the person in his arms, rubbing absentmindedly. After a while, unsatisfied, he slid it down to stroke her arm, then felt like he was genuinely acting a bit like a pervert.
Meanwhile, Tong Yao remained oblivious to his rich inner turmoil. She was too busy seriously pulling out the small notebook where she had recorded the current standings of all teams in the Summer Split so far. A quick glance revealed that, apart from their China Telecom Team holding the top spot in Group A with an undefeated record, the situation in Group B was much more intense—
CK Team, with only one loss, held first place in Group B.
Meanwhile, YQCB, with two losses, was temporarily in second place in Group B.
CK Team’s sole loss had been their revenge match against ZGDX on the opening day of the Summer Split.
As for YQCB’s two losses—one was an early-season defeat against CK Team, and the other was when they had experimented with the "Four protect one" strategy and failed. Coincidentally, that match had also been when Ai Jia and Jin Yang were being targeted by drama, so the club had deliberately benched Ai Jia for the decisive third game, leading to their loss against Huawei Team.
But anyone with eyes could see that YQCB was like a dry sponge, growing at an astonishing rate since the start of the season—absorbing experience from every match and improving in the fastest, most solid way possible...
"Netizen A says: If they hadn’t messed around with the 'Four protect one' strategy against Huawei Team and Ai Jia had played the third game, they might not have lost." Tong Yao tossed aside her notebook and started reading comments from her phone. "By the time the league enters the third phase and returns to intra-group matches, YQCB might not necessarily lose to CK Team again."
Lu Sicheng let out an "Oh," propping his head up with one hand as he half-leaned on the bed, his gaze dropping to the girl nestled against him, who was now earnestly reading from her phone—
"Media A says: For most people, tomorrow’s match between YQCB and ZGDX will be the pinnacle battle of the LPL. The true depth of the LPL’s competitive waters will be revealed in this clash… Coincidentally, the LCK (*League of Legends Champions Korea) will also have its own peak showdown tomorrow—between TAT Meme Team and OP Korea Operator Team. The gap between the two regions may become clear after tomorrow."
"Makes sense." Lu Sicheng’s long eyelashes fluttered slightly. "Let’s wish ZGDX Team and OP Team the best. Long live the Operator Teams."
"...Why are you wishing OP Team anything? TAT Team was your old team, at least."
"But A Tai bullied you," Lu Sicheng said, patting her butt with a long arm, half-serious and half-teasing. "So I’m not playing nice with them."
Tong Yao rolled her eyes."Netizen B: The relegation team fans are getting more and more delusional these days." Tong Yao continued reading aloud, "The whole world owes your relegation team a Summer Split trophy lolololol..."
Lu Sicheng: "..."
Tong Yao looked up from her phone: "You can use 'lolololol' like this?"
Lu Sicheng: "Like what?"
Tong Yao: "To express sarcasm."
Lu Sicheng didn't respond, instead lowering his head to kiss her.
Tong Yao: "??????"
Lu Sicheng: "Expressing my hope that you'd shut up soon."
Tong Yao: "..."
Lu Sicheng: "What kind of girl lies on her man's bed scrolling through Weibo, huh? Reading one post is enough, but you just keep going. Do you think I'm dead? Show some respect."
"How am I disrespecting you? Can't even scroll Weibo on your bed," Tong Yao retorted without thinking, "I saw a midnight forum post where the OP's girlfriend was still browsing Weibo while they were having sex."
Lu Sicheng paused at this, briefly imagining the scene, then pulled her closer into his embrace: "Really yearning for that, aren't you? Want to give it a try?"
"Try what?" Tong Yao's wrist was pinned by his large hand, her face half-hidden under the blanket flushing slightly.
Lu Sicheng scoffed, his tone full of inexplicable confidence and mockery: "Try whether you'd actually have the capacity to browse Weibo while we're having sex, or if you'd just be trembling and sniffling in my arms."
Dragged onto the man's solid chest, Tong Yao threw off the blanket, her hair slightly disheveled, only her dark eyes serious and bright: "Stop taking advantage to act all high and mighty. Who are you trying to trap here? I won't try it, you pervert!"
Then she couldn't help laughing herself.
Her first genuine, radiant smile of the day.
The tension around Lu Sicheng's eyes eased slightly as he hugged her tighter, kissing her forehead: "Finally got you to smile. I've been waiting like hoping for an iron tree to bloom... Can't you relax? Getting this nervous over playing a relegation team tomorrow."
"..........................." It took Tong Yao a while to realize he was cracking dirty jokes to lighten her mood. After a pause, she reached up to touch his face, "It's because you kept saying we might lose."
"Because it's a real possibility. I'm afraid you can't handle it. My delicate little girl who's been winning all along—what if you get scared and cry?"
"I've cried before," Tong Yao lifted her head slightly, "When that psycho Mid Laner A Tai from your old meme team bullied me into complete helplessness."
"Back then I wasn't your man, didn't have to care if you cried." Lu Sicheng pressed her head back against his chest, "But now I do."
"Then carry me hard tomorrow for the win."
"...Their mid is Li Junhe. How exactly am I supposed to hard carry you? Break his hands before the match?"
"..." Tong Yao pinched his face, "Can't you even paint me a nice big lie to make me feel better?"
"If you like big lies so much, go hug your fat cat tonight. That's over ten pounds of lie—big enough for you?"
"..."
Lu Sicheng was too dull.Gloominess was another way of saying maturity—this kind of person was just too realistic. If they weren’t certain, they couldn’t utter a single sweet word to make others happy. They would never paint even a stroke of a grand promise they weren’t mentally prepared for, even if they knew their casual reassurances could bring others much comfort.
...But perhaps precisely because of this, the words and actions of such people always carried immense persuasiveness. When they appeared utterly calm and indifferent about winning or losing, they could successfully influence those around them.
Tong Yao wrapped her arms around the man’s waist, curling up like a shrimp, her face buried in his chest—
Just thinking about tomorrow’s battle still made her heart pound, but it was much calmer than before.
...
That night, as she slept, Tong Yao dreamed of Old K and Old Cat arguing during a match over a measly jungle monster on the top lane. The fight started because Old Cat had been whittling down the monster’s health for ages, only for Old K to swoop in at the last moment with Smite (*a Summoner spell that deals massive damage to jungle monsters, exclusive to the Jungler) and mercilessly steal it. Their teammates were stunned, Old Cat exploded in rage, and the two argued louder and louder until Old K completely lost his temper. He stood up, threw his headphones, and slapped Old Cat several times—
Slap slap slap! The sound was deafeningly loud!
Tong Yao winced just watching—it genuinely hurt—as if those slaps had landed on her own face... Then the pain jolted her awake.
When she opened her eyes, she found Da Bing crouched on her pillow, bent over and gleefully swatting her face with his paws. Just as Tong Yao’s eyes fluttered open, a fresh paw smacked her right on the nose—so hard it brought tears to her eyes. She scrambled up and shoved the cat off the bed, then glared at Little Fatty, who was sitting nearby watching the spectacle. She thought to herself, Thank goodness I never impulsively got a nose job—otherwise, that one hit would’ve had me dialing 120 for emergency services.
Clutching her nose and wiping her tears, she dragged herself to the bathroom to shower and change into her team uniform. When Tong Yao walked downstairs from her room, the two cats were curled up on the sofa, lovingly grooming each other—a stark contrast to her teammates, Mr. Old Cat and Mr. Old K, who each occupied one end of the sofa, ignoring each other while scrolling on their phones.
The cats’ affection did nothing to inspire any love between them.
Nor did it make them feel the slightest bit ashamed of their childish behavior.
"Still fighting?" Little Fatty asked Tong Yao as he came downstairs.
Tong Yao nodded and shrugged, then turned to the two on the sofa and said, "Today’s jungle monster is mine. Neither of you gets to touch it."
Old K: "?"
Old Cat: "Team Tyrant much? First, you take the mid-lane F4, and now you’re reserving the top-lane monster too?"
Lu Sicheng descended the stairs: "Who’s the Team Tyrant?"
At the arrival of the real Team Tyrant, everyone chose silence.
...
The match between ZGDX and YQCB was scheduled for Sunday at 5 PM, the first game of the day.
When Tong Yao and the others arrived at the venue and peeked from backstage, they saw the entire arena packed—not a single seat empty. If there was ever a day ticket prices could be raised, the organizers would undoubtedly have doubled them from 120 yuan to 240 per ticket... In the stands, ZGDX Team fans and YQCB Team fans each claimed half the space, their numbers perfectly split down the middle.Tong Yao took a deep breath and pushed open the door to the player tunnel—stepping into the cheers of fans and the slightly blinding stage lights as she walked step by step toward the competition seats belonging to the ZGDX Team.
The buzzing voices of the commentators filled her ears—
Commentator A: ["From the day Pope confirmed his arrival in the LPL, we've been waiting, waiting—the entire league has been waiting! Finally, the battle of the titans is here. Today, we will witness the clash of light and shadow, the battle of the century!"]
The audience erupted in laughter and cheers.
Commentator B: ["You're so dramatic."]
Commentator A: ["Hahahaha, come on, don’t tell me you’re not excited to see Pope face off against Chessman? I’ve been waiting for this since I first watched the LCK three years ago—waiting until today!"]
Commentator B: ["Alright, alright, of course I want to see it. Honestly, today’s bot lane matchup is truly something to look forward to—in a meta where the ADC role isn’t as dominant as it once was, where it seems impossible for one player to single-handedly turn the tide, the LPL still has two teams whose ADCs carry half the sky on their shoulders!"]
The audience below began shouting the names of their favorite teams!
And the in-game IDs of both ADCs!
When Lu Sicheng and Li Junhe walked out of the player tunnel one after another, then parted ways to take their respective seats, moving in sync as they pulled out their chairs and sat down, the venue erupted once more in screams loud enough to lift the roof!
"This is insane. I can’t tell if we’re here for a match or a European concert," Tong Yao muttered as she watched the man sit down beside her. "Also, I feel like there’s a green prairie growing on my head."
Lu Sicheng glanced at her, noticing she wasn’t wearing her headphones and that her face was pale—he knew she was nervous. The corner of his lips twitched, but he didn’t mention it, choosing instead to change the subject: "Earlier backstage, I asked Li Junhe what he was planning to play today. He said he’s picking Jhin."
Tong Yao: ["……………………According to my little notebook, Pope’s been practicing this Champion a lot lately. There’s a real chance he’s actually planning to pick Jhin today."]
Lu Sicheng: ["Yeah."]
Tong Yao: ["And he just told you that? Call the police!"]
Lu Sicheng: ["Anyway, remember to ban Jhin later."]
Tong Yao: ["……"]
At that moment, the commentators up front must have said something else, because the audience below burst into another frenzy—the atmosphere was so electric, it felt like the Summer Split finals had arrived early…
"Didn’t expect the other team to have so many fans too," Tong Yao said as she put on her headphones, blocking out the cheers outside. Her heart was still racing, her fingers fidgeting unconsciously with her mouse.
"They’re a traditional esports powerhouse! They’ve always had a lot of loyal fans. And then they got Pope," Little Fatty chimed in absentmindedly. "Pope—the man who goes toe-to-toe with our Cheng Ge."
Tong Yao fell silent.
No one else spoke either.
Then, the hand she’d been nervously fiddling with the mouse was suddenly covered by a larger one. She froze, looking up to meet the gaze of the man who was "rumored to be evenly matched with Pope." He hadn’t put on his headphones yet, just held them loosely while adjusting his mic. "Your hands are so cold," he said.
…Nervous.
Tong Yao answered him silently.
Lu Sicheng gave her a helpless look.He reached out and patted her head, swapping his still-warm cup of tea with her iced coffee before tossing out a "Warm your hands" and turning to put on his headphones, adjusting them—by now all team members were in position, and the match entered the Ban & Pick phase.
Right off the bat, Tong Yao was in the third position and without hesitation banned Jhin.
The outsiders must have said something, because Tong Yao only saw the YQCB team members collectively turn their heads with bewildered expressions toward Pope, especially their captain and support Liang Sheng, who directly grabbed his arm—but Pope ignored them, simply turning his head to stare intently at Lu Sicheng across the aisle.
That gaze couldn't have been more complicated.
But to sum it up succinctly, it was probably just five words: You damn liar.
Tong Yao could tell that YQCB's current state of collective confusion seemed genuine—they must have practiced a strategy around Jhin, only to have it mercilessly banned. She was speechless: "…………………………Captain, you heartless scoundrel."
Lu Sicheng: "All's fair in war. Consider it a lesson. It's not like he has no other Champions to pick. We'll release Sivir first later and let him have it."
Tong Yao: "..."
Lu Sicheng: "Isn't that magnanimous enough?"
Tong Yao: "…………………………"
After this little interlude, the Ban & Pick phase continued as usual—just as Lu Sicheng had said, both ADCs had deep hero pools and could play almost anything (*except Lu Sicheng wasn't very good at Draven), so YQCB quickly snapped out of their "collective confusion" and swiftly banned Old K's Nidalee, followed by Azir.
Azir was strong in the current meta and countered Ryze, so the opponent's ban likely meant they were preparing to pick Ryze. Thus, when it was Lu Sicheng's turn, he didn't hesitate and banned Ryze as well. Tong Yao couldn't help but glance at the opposing team: most of them looked like they wanted to jump up and beat the ever-calm Lu Sicheng to a pulp.
YQCB's final ban took out Tong Yao's Leblanc.
Little Fatty banned Rek'Sai.
With that, the banning phase concluded.
Next was the picking phase.
Just as Lu Sicheng had predicted, after ZGDX first-picked the meta-strong Vladimir for Tong Yao, YQCB quickly locked in Sivir and Braum for their bot lane—a strong early-game support to protect the ADC's farm, and later Sivir's Q would cleave through teams like butter...
Lu Sicheng wasn't in a hurry and picked Ashe, while Little Fatty took Janna.
Then Old K had Little Fatty lock in Kindred for him.
At this point, ZGDX's lineup seemed to be ignoring the meta and just having fun, leaving both commentators and the audience scratching their heads—and because ZGDX's unexpected Janna pick threw a wrench in YQCB's plans, they had no choice but to abandon any attempt to outmaneuver ZGDX in the draft and just pick what they wanted to play.
Finally, both teams' lineups were set—
YQCB Team.
Bans: Nidalee, Azir, Leblanc.
Picks: Ekko, Kha'Zix, Viktor, Sivir, Braum.
ZGDX Team.
Bans: Jhin, Ryze, Rek'Sai.
Picks: Maokai, Kindred, Vladimir, Ashe, Janna.As the game loaded and the match began, all ten players from both teams appeared with a "pop" sound at the fountain of their team headquarters... Tong Yao released her mouse and keyboard, stretched her fingers, took a deep breath, and raised her eyes to look through the computer screen. Under the glow of the monitor, she could see everyone lifting their heads, eagerly watching the big screen—
When all the players left the fountain, controlling their Champions and sprinting toward their designated paths on Summoner’s Rift, each of them couldn’t help but focus with absolute intensity.
Their eyes widened.
Breaths held.
Anticipating an exhilarating showdown.
Commentator A: [—Hello, everyone! Welcome to the final match day of Week 5 in the League of Legends Pro League’s mainland division. Up next, we have the first game of the cross-group best-of-three series between ZGDX Team and YQCB Team! Will it be the undefeated traditional powerhouse ZGDX continuing their flawless streak, or will the dark horse YQCB, reborn like a phoenix in the Summer Split, put an end to ZGDX’s godlike dominance? Let’s. Wait. And. See!]
OpenNovel