Lu Sicheng noticed Tong Yao's unnatural expression as she stepped out of the door. Walking toward her, he inevitably spotted A Tai standing by the window. The latter gave a lazy smile upon seeing Lu Sicheng and called out, "Bro."
Then he asked if Lu Sicheng had come out for a smoke.
Lu Sicheng glanced at Tong Yao, shook his head, and adjusted her coat before leaving a casual remark, "Smoke less." Then he guided Tong Yao away by the shoulder... The two began conversing in hushed Chinese afterward, their words unintelligible to A Tai—though he didn’t particularly care. He merely glanced at the cigarette he’d tossed into the trash earlier, smirked to himself, and shifted into a more comfortable lean against the window, idly flicking his lighter open and shut.
"What did he say to you?"
"He asked if I came out to smoke."
"Why can’t that kid teach you anything decent? Did you tell him you quit?"
"I did... Why do you sound like such a nag? Weren’t you hungry? You seem full of energy to me."
"Just got provoked by him, that’s all."
"...Tsk, you two actually talked? I told you to stay away from him. What did he say? Are you okay? Let me see—"
"Talking isn’t fighting, what’s there to see? Where are you—ugh, you pervert, get lost! He told us to make sure we win against OP Team tomorrow... Speaking of which, is this how all Korean teams are? Back then, I secretly hoped CK Team would place second in the Group Stage and still felt guilty about it. Never thought they’d openly cheer for their opponents like this?"
"Tearing up while telling players from other teams in the same region to 'avenge us'—that kind of thing doesn’t happen in LCK. They’re more about fighting their own battles."
"………………………………Who are you mocking now?"
"What else did he say?"
"He issued me a Challenge—to see who’s the World's Best LeBlanc when we meet in the semifinals. I accepted it, that’s all!"
"Pfft, hmph."
"What’s with that toothache-like laugh?"
"Two little pups learning to bare their fangs and yap out Challenges—adorable."
"..."
...
The next day.
The quarterfinals were already a direct clash between the strongest teams of each region. Every eliminated squad left behind a trail of heartbroken fans who would lose sleep over it—so, with the idea of squeezing in as much extra drama as possible, the S6 quarterfinals drew the two teams with the most fans and the fiercest rivalry, setting up a special segment... And among the quarterfinal matches, the most highly anticipated was naturally the showdown between the Chinese and Korean Operator Teams.
Before the match, as players took their seats, warming up their wrists and chatting to steady their nerves, the four massive screens above the stage played the Highlight Reels from each team’s Group Stage performances at the World Championship, as usual... Normally, this was just a routine recap before every match, something to hype up the crowd before the real action began. But just as the reels ended and the audience assumed the match was about to start, commentator D suddenly let out a strange chuckle—
Commentator D: ["We’ve got a surprise today."]
Commentator F: ["I know what it is—utterly breathtaking."]
Commentator G: ["Hahahaha, I’ll be honest—after seeing it, I insisted on commentating today’s match. It’s too shocking. I couldn’t let myself miss it!"]As the three commentators spoke, the four large screens suddenly darkened just as they were supposed to enter the Ban & Pick Phase. Instead, the familiar pre-match trash talk VCR appeared, with the first shot showing ZGDX Team's Little Fatty looking utterly bewildered in front of the camera as he asked, "Huh? Trash talk? Right now?"
—This was unprecedented in history. Once the audience realized what was happening, they quickly got excited!
On the players' stage, Little Fatty immediately raised his hands and slapped them over his eyes in despair upon seeing his own dumbfounded face on screen: "That damn editor promised to cut this part out!!! Not only did they leave it in, but they gave me a close-up too!!!"
Tong Yao patted Little Fatty reassuringly, looking relieved: "...Good thing the Mid Laner wasn’t the first to record, or I’d be the one getting forced into a close-up."
As the two most image-conscious members of ZGDX Team grumbled, the VCR continued playing. Unlike domestic leagues where both sides held back for the sake of politeness, these foreigners were known for their unrestrained, no-holds-barred style. Coupled with the long-standing tension between the LPL and LCK regions, this pre-match trash talk segment could more accurately be described as a full-on "verbal brawl"—[SUPPORT GROUP]
ZGDX, PANG: "What should I say? Ah... this is so sudden. I’m actually a bit shy. Anyway, the world only needs to remember one Operator Team, and its name is ZGDX."
OP, DOGE: "Hahahahahaha, why does this feel kinda awkward? Both PANG and I are chubby, and chubby people are merciful. So I’ll go easy on him—I’ll hold back our AD and only kill him once or twice less."
...
Tong Yao: "How did you come up with such a savage line on the spot?"
Little Fatty: "........................What 'on the spot'? I spent over ten hours on the flight to the U.S. thinking about using this line if we faced a Korean Operator Team in the finals. Never thought I’d get to use it in the quarterfinals."
Everyone: "..."
[JUNGLE GROUP]
OP, SKY: "Back home, I’ve always been called the team’s weak link... Maybe that’s true, because I lacked confidence? But against LPL players, I’ve always had confidence. The LCK has always been the best region—I’m not afraid of LPL’s local players."
ZGDX, K (smiling): "He said that? There’s an old Chinese saying: 'Newborn calves aren’t afraid of tigers.' Not sure if Koreans have heard it, though—aren’t they learning Chinese too?... A calf is a calf, and a tiger is a tiger. Not being afraid won’t save you from death."
...
The entire ZGDX Team turned their heads in unison to stare at their Jungler.
Tong Yao: "Wow."
Old Cat: "Korea’s been trying to purge Chinese cultural influence these past few years... You’re about to start an international incident."
Old K blew non-existent dust off his keyboard expressionlessly: "He’s the one who kept saying 'LPL’s local players.' Who does he think he’s looking down on?"
[TOP LANE GROUP]
OP, GG (puzzled): "I specialize in aggressive Top Laners. I heard Cat is an all-rounder Blue-collar Top Laner. Does 'Blue-collar' mean he can’t carry the team?"ZGDX, CAT (aloof): "Whether they can carry the team starts with taking his (*referring to GG) head—let's wait and see."
Old K: "Judging by context, what you actually meant was 'Dog Head.'"
Old Cat: "China is a land of propriety. We emphasize civility and courtesy."
Lu Sicheng: "The reason esports still can't be included as an official Olympic event might just be because of uncultured people like you."
Tong Yao, Little Fatty: "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
【MID LANE GROUP】
ZGDX, Smiling (laughing): "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA, this—Player Jin Yuguang, I’ve truly heard so much about you. Whenever our captain criticizes my Champion pool, he always brings you up. The first time was when he said I couldn’t play Cassiopeia... You’re like that outstanding kid next door, you know? Player Jin Yuguang is a towering mountain in front of many excellent Mid Laners. If I can solo-kill him even once, it’ll shut a lot of people up. So yeah, I absolutely have to solo-kill him."
OP, LULUTIA: "Player Smiling? Quite fresh. I never imagined I’d face off against a little girl on the international stage, so I’m also very much looking forward to it... Wanting to solo-kill me is many people’s dream. I just hope she doesn’t cry when I solo-kill her—that would be quite awkward."
"...Ah, of course, for the sake of the team’s victory, I can’t afford to go easy either."
...
Tong Yao: "I have a feeling our Mid Laner’s exchange is the most civilized, the most sportsmanlike."
Lu Sicheng: "You guessed right."
Tong Yao: "..."
【AD CARRY GROUP】
OP, BUNNY (rubbing hands nervously): "Player Lu Sicheng, ah, he’s a senior. He has a lot of fans in Korea too, because he’s handsome and incredibly skilled—I wouldn’t dare offend him! That said, if Player Lu Sicheng hadn’t returned to the LPL, he probably would’ve had a few skins of his own by now (*referring to Riot Games’ custom skins for S-series championship teams)... Shouldn’t have gone back. Just like this time, you’ll still lose to us, right? I really feel sorry for him."
ZGDX, Chessman: "Sorry for what? Win first before talking... Truly living in a dream."
...
ZGDX team: "..."
Lu Sicheng: "I didn’t originally plan to add those last few words."
ZGDX team: "..."
Lu Sicheng: "Didn’t expect I’d lose my cool too. Guess I’m still young after all."
Amid Lu Sicheng’s sigh, the VCR ended. The live audience was hyped beyond belief, with endless waves of "HAHAHAHAHAHA" and "WOW!" Everyone couldn’t help but marvel: Regardless of how the match plays out or its outcome, at least the Pre-match Trash Talk segment alone was already worth the ticket price!
The war between LPL and LCK...
Truly an eternal topic.
Now, the match officially entered the Ban & Pick Phase.Ming Shen stepped onto the stage with his data notebook in hand—since both teams had deep champion pools, even ten ban slots wouldn't make much of a difference. As expected, everyone seemed quite casual about the banning phase, only targeting the most overpowered meta picks and the opponents' signature champions... For the first game, OP Team was on the blue side, while ZGDX was on the red side.
OP Team Bans: Nidalee, Leblanc, Ryze.
ZGDX Bans: Gnar, Fiora, Azir.
The banning phase concluded. Old K and Tong Yao received the respect they deserved, with two of their standout World Championship champions being banned. Ryze was simply too strong in the current meta, and it seemed Jin Yuguang didn’t want to play it either, so it was banned... The game moved into the picking phase.
OP Team Picks: Maokai, Kindred, Zilean, Lucian, Tahm Kench.
ZGDX Team Picks: Rumble, Rek'Sai, Syndra, Sivir, Alistar.
OP Team locked in Zilean and the River King Catfish (Tahm Kench) first. The Chrono comp was a signature strategy of the LCK region towards the end of Season 6—Zilean's ultimate provided a second life, while the catfish could swallow and protect the carry, making the team's damage dealers incredibly resilient and capable of surviving to clean up fights. It was frustrating to play against, often dragging out team fights for dozens of extra seconds... The LPL region, which favored fast-paced aggression, rarely used this tactic, so teams had little practice countering it—though it wasn't unbeatable.
Old Cat countered with Rumble, whose ultimate could split the battlefield, preventing the enemy from engaging and rendering their tricks useless.
The casters praised ZGDX's Rumble pick... though Old Cat himself sighed wryly: "Everyone calls me a blue-collar top laner, so of course I get no respect. I've carried you melon skins so many times with this Rumble, from the regular season all the way to Worlds, and still no one bans it. They'd rather ban Twisted Fate or Leblanc..."
Tong Yao: "That’s a good thing. You could play this champion with your eyes closed by now."
Game start.
Right from the beginning, something dramatic happened.
Everyone bought their starting items and left the fountain to head to their lanes. Little Fatty followed slightly behind Lu Sicheng—human intuition is a strange thing. Even in a game made of cold data, you could somehow sense something off from the slightest movement in Summoner's Rift. As they neared the bot lane brush, Lu Sicheng suddenly paused and, before anyone could react, leveled his Q and fired it into the brush. Little Fatty: "Cheng Ge, what are you—"
Before he could finish, four enemies jumped out of the brush, startling Little Fatty so badly he nearly threw his mouse. He watched helplessly as the enemy Tahm Kench first cast Exhaust, then swallowed Lu Sicheng whole. Little Fatty's Alistar, having taken E (Heal) at level one, could only try to sustain what little he could. Meanwhile, Lu Sicheng was spat out by the catfish with a "bleh," immediately flashing and using Heal to escape with a sliver of health.
Little Fatty clutched his chest: "Scared me to death, scared me to death... Screw you guys, even Bronze Tier players don’t pull this crap! Bunch of scheming old foxes!"
Lu Sicheng recalled to base before the minions even spawned, calmly remarking, "If I had taken half a step further, I wouldn’t have made it back."
Tong Yao: "Nice. A man’s intuition is strong."Lu Sicheng: "A man's sixth sense tells me they'll force out my Summoner Spells with this gank, but they won't follow conventional play and come bot lane again. You're on your own now."
Tong Yao, Old Cat: "..."
ZGDX Team vs OP Team, the showdown between Chinese and Korean operator teams, kicked off with an exciting bronze-tier Level One Teamfight moment as its opening gift—and thus the match officially began.
Author's Note: This side story's ending is ZGDX winning the Season 6 Championship trophy. If you think all the descriptions before knowing the outcome are just filler, then you can stop reading now... Seriously, don't come at me saying I'm dragging things out or not putting effort into this just because I started a new story. It's frustrating to hear.
The new story has twenty chapters in drafts. Even with daily double updates, it doesn't affect my updates for this side story. I've been sick since Qingming and still haven't taken a sick leave. I promised two days of updates followed by one day off, and that's exactly what I've been doing. I don't know why it's suddenly not good enough or why people are disappointed. Honestly, I think this update frequency is more than reasonable. Is it because every other author on JJWXC is updating daily, making me the odd one out or something?
That's all.
Continuing to promote the new story.
New contemporary romance novel: "Moonlight Serenade"
OpenNovel