Three minutes into the match, Tong Yao’s blatant intent to kill Jin Yuguang was written all over her face as she began aggressively trading blows—initially with some success. Jin Yuguang was indeed harassed into missing a few minions, even prompting the casters to repeatedly exclaim, “Crazy!”... Yet, in ZGDX’s team comms, Lu Sicheng’s shot-calling remained calm: “Little Fatty, pull the minion wave back. Don’t push, seriously don’t. If you push, their jungler will come—”
Old Cat: “Their jungler’s lurking in the top lane brush. This time, it’s feline intuition. Also, Old K, come here. I’m scared.”
Lu Sicheng coolly amended: “Stop, fatty… If you push, their top laner will TP down.”
Old Cat immediately chimed in: “Push fast. If their top laner leaves, I can have fun solo.”
Harassed beyond endurance, Little Fatty ducked into the brush: “Screw this, I’m recalling. You two can keep bickering.”
Old Cat, Lu Sicheng: “…”
Unable to nag Little Fatty further, Lu Sicheng shifted focus, swiveling his camera mid-recall to check mid lane: “Someone go drag that rabid dog back. She’s pushed so far up—do you wanna die? OP Team won’t just let you bully Jin Yuguang like this… Your mana’s almost empty, yet you’re still—”
Before he could finish the word “aggressive,” the enemy jungler—previously “guaranteed” by feline intuition—suddenly emerged from the river brush. Thankfully, Tong Yao reacted swiftly, flashing away the moment Kindred’s head peeked out. But Jin Yuguang was just as quick, flashing in with a bomb to root her. By the time the stun wore off, Tong Yao’s health was critically low!
She retreated under tower, but a wave of OP Team minions advanced. Jin Yuguang followed them into turret range, biding his time until he was in range before unleashing a combo to secure the kill—First Blood!
As Tong Yao slammed her mouse and muttered a frustrated “Damn it,” she saw traces of Ai Jia in Jin Yuguang—a player exceptionally skilled at defensive counterplays.
Before the Summer Split finals, Tong Yao had no answer for such players. But during the finals, she’d learned through blood and tears how to handle such pressure. Even after giving up First Blood, she gritted her teeth and adapted. Her early CS lead vanished, the small advantage from her aggressive playstyle erased—no, perhaps it never existed. This was all part of Jin Yuguang’s strategy!
“I told you they wouldn’t let you bully their star carry,” Lu Sicheng’s lazy voice drawled. “Didn’t listen, and now look—got wrecked, huh?”
His tone was like a parent scolding a child: I told you that path was uneven, but you insisted on jumping around. See? Fell, didn’t you?
Ironically, his unhurried tone steadied her. Regaining her composure, she rubbed her chin. “No more aggression. I’ll play nice, behave—”
Before she could finish, the enemy jungler was back, diving her again!After another round of maneuvers and health depletion, Tong Yao instinctively pushed him away with her ball, stunning him while pulling herself back, narrowly escaping death—she missed a few minions, but at least she was still alive. Thankfully, Zilean and Kindred's ultimates weren't burst-damage skills, or she would've been dead by now!
"This damn jungler! Why does he keep targeting me?!"
"You just burned your Flash. Who else would he target? OP Team's tactics are flexible, but their core strategy boils down to four words: mid-jungle synergy," Lu Sicheng said calmly. "Just play safe. Don’t get cocky."
Meanwhile, although OP Team’s bot lane had forced Lu Sicheng to burn his Summoner Spells early, once they came off cooldown, OP’s bot lane gradually fell behind. The enemy successfully initiated a lane swap, forcing both teams to switch their top and bot lanes… Old Cat had no choice but to recall and head bot, only to get rooted by Maokai the moment he showed his face. Kindred, who had just finished harassing Tong Yao, lurked in the tri-brush near bot lane, ready to tower dive—
"Where’s our jungler?! Is our jungler just a corpse?!"
Old Cat frantically pinged with his voice—in-game pings? Nonexistent.
Fortunately, Old Cat was playing Rumble, whose damage was high enough to 1v2. He pulled them under the turret and managed to kill Maokai just before Kindred hit level six and could activate Lamb’s Respite! Kindred popped their ultimate, barely dodging the turret shots and retreating to safety—but not for long. With a sliver of health left, they ran straight into Old K, the "corpse jungler" who had finally arrived bot, and Old K effortlessly secured the kill.
"Nice!"
"See? We have a jungler too."
"A sneaky jungler who only gets kills by scavenging off his teammates’ corpses."
"Alright, score’s now 2:2. Crisis averted. Old Cat’s the MVP, Tong Yao’s the scapegoat. After today’s match, she’s on dishwashing duty."
Thanks to OP Team’s top and jungle underestimating Old Cat’s damage and recklessly diving, ZGDX clawed back two kills, and the team’s morale instantly lifted—
"You’re already assigning blame less than eight minutes into the game?" Tong Yao muttered without looking up. "Don’t talk to me. I’m living in constant fear of getting solo-killed by Jin Yuguang—all because of Lu Sicheng, always singing his praises like it’s his damn job. Just boosting the enemy’s morale!"
Lu Sicheng scoffed. "My fault again?"
Tong Yao: "Isn’t it?"
Lu Sicheng: "Fine, my bad, my bad."
Amid the banter, ZGDX launched their first offensive—Little Fatty’s Alistar and Lu Sicheng’s Sivir rotated bot, joining jungler Old K to gank Maokai. But as if anticipating their move, Kindred was already waiting in the brush behind the turret for a counter-gank!
At Lu Sicheng’s simple command, "Group up," Tong Yao immediately abandoned her lane and headed bot. Jin Yuguang and Old Cat both TP’d in, while OP Team’s bot lane had already moved near the Elemental Drake pit. OP Team retreated, dragging the fight toward their bot side—all ten players converged bot lane!
Caster D: ["Teamfight!!! From ZGDX’s decision to engage to OP Team’s response and full assembly, it took less than four seconds in total!"]Commentator F: [OP Team is pulling back their formation, trying to regroup with their Double Carry, but it's too late! Zilean in the front line has already been poked down by Chessman and can only ult himself! Rumble has also unleashed his ultimate—what a terrain! A five-man flame grill! A perfect ultimate! OP Team mispositioned!]
Commentator D: [But Kindred also pops her ultimate, saving all five teammates from Rumble’s flames! Tahm Kench swallows the AD Carry and shields away, while Kindred and Zilean’s comp allows them to escape with slivers of health! This team comp—survivability is off the charts!]
Commentator F: [Both sides have exchanged countless abilities, yet no casualties! But despite ZGDX’s flawless engage, OP Team retreats without losing a single member!]
Commentator D: [This coordination! This rotation speed! Other teams can only watch and learn! Brothers, pay close attention and take notes!]
A battle between masters, a clash of gods—victory or defeat hangs on a single moment.
The tug-of-war dragged into the mid-to-late game. ZGDX held a three-kill lead and a slight 2k gold advantage, but OP Team, with a Mountain Drake and a Cloud Drake, knew how to maximize their strengths. Seizing an unexpected opportunity, they swiftly rotated to sneak Baron!
By the time Lu Sicheng sensed something was wrong and sent Little Fatty to check, it was too late. OP Team had exploited that brief window to sound the counterattack, pushing down ZGDX’s top, mid, and bot Tier 2 Turrets with Baron Buff, erasing the gold deficit and even pulling ahead… The match reached the 40-minute mark.
Another engage initiated by OP Team after their item spikes. ZGDX defended their High Ground, but Kindred, now fed with most of the team’s kills, dealt insane damage. Paired with Tahm Kench, they took down Old Cat. Tong Yao flashed away with a sliver of health, only for Zilean’s bomb to finish her off—even chipping away at Lu Sicheng’s HP beside her!
ZGDX lost their mid High Ground.
OP Team took the bot Inhibitor Turret and wisely backed off.
ZGDX didn’t even get a chance to counterattack.
At 43 minutes, OP Team regrouped for another push, chipping away bit by bit—by 47 minutes, ZGDX was left with only a naked Nexus. In the final teamfight, OP Team executed flawless ability combos, protecting their Carries flawlessly, and finally secured Game 1!
…
The red glow of defeat washed over them. Tong Yao stood up, removed her headphones, her mind a chaotic mess filled with the maddening "tick-tock" of Zilean’s bombs. Rubbing her temples, she was about to suggest banning Zilean next game—never wanting to face that unkillable comp of Tahm Kench, Zilean, and Kindred again—when Ming Shen announced that Lu Yue would replace her as Mid Laner for the next match.
Tong Yao froze, then understood: ZGDX’s mid lane rotation was always meant for the S-World Championship. As long as the team advanced, who played didn’t matter.
"Perfect timing for a break. Watching Jin Yuguang from the sidelines might help me find a weakness."Tong Yao smiled reassuringly at her teammate, showing she no longer resisted being substituted like before. She walked over and high-fived Lu Yue as their exchange signal, adding a playful warning: "Don't get solo-killed."
Lu Yue raised an eyebrow with a triumphant grin. "You think I'm you?"
Standing on tiptoes to pat his shoulder, Tong Yao took a deep breath and settled into her chair, rubbing her stiff fingers. When she turned, she noticed Lu Sicheng watching her intently from nearby—as if trying to discern whether her acceptance of substitution was genuine or an act.
Understanding his concern and unwilling to let it affect the next match, Tong Yao strode over, cupped his face, and planted a loud kiss on his forehead. "Next game's your carry. Don't give your little brother any chance to shine and bench me forever."
The man blinked, then relaxed with a soft "Mm."
His large hand caught her wrist, pulling her back onto his lap. "No more holding back in quarterfinals. Study Jin Yuguang's playstyle carefully—you might only have one game to break through this challenge."
Tong Yao nodded with crescent-moon eyes, smiling brightly.
"Captain, don't worry," she said. "How could I let you fight alone on the battlefield?"
Author's Note: Here we go!
Ugh, matches are so hard to write. Gotta research actual games + improvise some adaptations... Tough stuff.
PS: New contemporary romance "Moonlight Serenade" is up! Sweet story about a legendary author and his editor who transforms from sheep to wolf!
OpenNovel