While Yu Ming was walking out, Tong Yao was busy looking for the restroom.
The Spring Split finals used a best-of-five format, with about fifteen minutes of break time between each match for players and the audience to rest.
So after the first match ended, seeing her teammates all head backstage to rest, Tong Yao didn’t think much of it and stood up to leave—the girl who had handed out cheering slogans earlier was sitting next to her. Seeing Tong Yao about to leave, she obediently tucked in her legs to let her pass and casually asked, "Going to the bathroom?"
"Yeah," Tong Yao replied just as casually, "Bad kidneys."
As soon as the words left her mouth, she caught the girls in front turning their heads to glance at her and giggling… Their laughter made Tong Yao’s face flush red, as if she was the only one in the world who could be so blunt. She quickly tucked her tail between her legs and fled in a hurry… darting out of the stadium and into the open air outside, where she took a deep breath and looked around for the restroom sign—
But instead of finding the restroom, she found her ex-boyfriend.
The ex-boyfriend seemed to have been standing at the entrance for a while. When Tong Yao walked out, he was surrounded by a few female fans, their faces lit up with excitement as they clamored for photos and autographs: the players’ lounge had its own restroom, so they probably never expected to catch Yang Shen just by stepping out to use the bathroom…
Looking at the layers of fans encircling him…
Tsk tsk.
He might as well have been blooming like a flower.
Tong Yao sighed inwardly, pulling out her phone to send a quick WeChat message to her friend Jin Yang: [Hey, I just saw Yang Shen. He’s surrounded by fans, drowning in a sea of happiness.]
Jin Yang replied almost instantly: [So what’s your plan?]
Tong Yao: [Walk past him expressionless, without even a glance. But here’s the question—how do I make it look extra proud and domineering? How about marching like a soldier?]
"—Tong Yao!"
Her finger hovered over the send button. The girl, who had been typing with her head down, froze for a moment before slowly looking up—only to see about a dozen pairs of eyes staring straight at her.
Among them were Jian Yang’s pitiful puppy eyes, right in the center.
But the pity in them did nothing to soften Tong Yao’s heart. Silently cursing "Damn it" in her mind, she lowered her phone and forced a stiff smile. "What a coincidence. What are you doing here?"
Her tone was so calm it was as if she had just bumped into a random stranger on the street.
Jian Yang frowned slightly but quickly smoothed his expression. He pushed his way out of the circle of fans, muttering things like "Excuse me, let me through," "My friend," "No more autographs for now," and "Photos later…" Then, under the watchful eyes of his fans, he stopped in front of Tong Yao, wearing a conflicted expression. After a pause, he asked, "Why are you in Shanghai? Shouldn’t you be back at school by now?"
"I took a year off."
"A year off? What happened? Why did you suddenly decide to—" Jian Yang’s frown deepened, and his mouth fell open. "Are you sick?"
This guy was still as clueless as ever.
"You’re the one who’s sick," Tong Yao rolled her eyes. "What are you doing here?"
"P-playing in the match, obviously."
"……"
Tong Yao gave him a look reserved for the intellectually challenged.Jian Yang blinked as if just realizing what she was asking, then quickly added, "I saw you earlier—on the big screen. I thought maybe I could wait here to catch you if you came to the restroom..."
"You just stood here waiting? What if I have great kidneys? Couldn’t you just call me? Are you living in the Stone Age?"
"......"
An awkward expression crossed Jian Yang’s face. Tong Yao smacked her forehead—it suddenly dawned on her that she had long since blocked his phone number, WeChat, and every other possible means of contact. She hadn’t even forgotten to blacklist his email address, ensuring anything he sent would be filtered straight to the trash and automatically deleted after seven days...
Yet here she was, shamelessly asking why he hadn’t called her after blocking him. That was definitely her bad. Tong Yao gave an embarrassed chuckle, her tone softening slightly. "What did you want to talk about?"
"Just... just wanted to ask how you’ve been lately."
Jian Yang seemed nervous, rubbing his hands together, his team jersey wrinkling under his grip—the confident esports star who had stood on stage during the opening ceremony was gone. Now, he just looked like an ordinary, slightly anxious young man... Seeing Tong Yao staring at him with a teasing "Are you kidding me?" expression but saying nothing, he hurriedly added, "Really! After that, I didn’t just abandon you! I wanted to know how you were doing, but Chen Jinyang wouldn’t let me ask. When I tried asking Ai Jia, she scolded him too. Ugh, I had no idea how you were after—"
"How was I? Absolutely thrilled. Dating is so boring—way happier spending that time gaming."
Tong Yao rolled her eyes. Over Jian Yang’s shoulder, she could see fans craning their necks, clearly trying to eavesdrop on their conversation... Considering she had bigger plans to stir up later, she really didn’t have time to get tangled in rumors with an ex. She reached out and patted Jian Yang’s shoulder, cutting straight to the point: "It’s all in the past. No need to dwell on it... Everyone’s been happy since then. That’s all you need to know."
"......"
Jian Yang raised his eyebrows, clearly not expecting her to say that—
But just then, a commotion erupted from inside the stadium!
Everyone around them—including Tong Yao and Jian Yang—turned to look. From their angle, they could see ZGDX Team’s Mid Laner Yu Ming stepping out alone from the backstage rest area. The moment he appeared, the lights in the venue dimmed, leaving only Yu Ming standing on the stage, illuminated by a single spotlight...
"......"
Tong Yao’s stomach twisted. She had a feeling she knew what was coming next—
Sure enough, Yu Ming stood on stage and delivered a long speech into the microphone.
He spoke about how he first discovered the game, the resistance from his parents, and how he ultimately chose to pursue a career in esports despite their disapproval... At first, his family hadn’t supported him at all, leading to a prolonged cold war. He had struggled alone in Shanghai, chasing a dream that others dismissed as unrealistic...At that time, Chinese esports was still in its infancy. League of Legends had just become popular, and the treatment of so-called professional players was worlds apart from what it is today. Relying on a meager monthly salary of three thousand yuan, he gritted his teeth and persisted in this big city for a dream only he truly understood—
Until he won his first Professional League championship with ZGDX Team.
Until he watched his old teammates retire, transfer, and welcomed new teammates in turn.
Until his family finally understood and supported him. Now, whenever ZGDX Team has a match, his parents—who don’t even play games—would put on their glasses and crowd in front of the computer to watch.
Yu Ming was like a living microcosm of Chinese esports’ journey from nothing to something. He had witnessed so, so much—
“I always dreamed that one day, my teammates and I would win the World Championship, stand on that final battlefield, hold up the trophy, and tell everyone who supported me, everyone who followed the Chinese League of Legends scene: We did it.”
Facing the silent crowd below, Yu Ming bowed deeply—
“I’m sorry. I didn’t fulfill my promise. In the end, I couldn’t realize this dream… And now, I realize it might be time to let go of this stubbornness that perhaps only moved myself—to make way for new blood.”
Straightening up, his eyes reddened, his voice low as if suppressing a sob, he continued—
“Once, we in the Chinese region were so close to lifting that dream trophy. Yet now, that final step remains just out of reach… I hope that one day, when the LPL (*League of Legends Pro League China) brings home that cup, I’ll still be here, and you’ll still be here…”
“But for now, it’s time to say goodbye—temporarily.”
“I, Yu Ming, Mid Laner of ZGDX Team, will officially register for retirement after this Spring Split finals.”
After speaking, Yu Ming gripped the microphone tightly and bowed deeply again to the utterly silent crowd.
—It’s rare in life to witness such a scene: tens of thousands gathered in an open space, yet no one spoke, as if even the sound of breathing had vanished…
The people below, regardless of which team they supported, seemed unable to process what was happening. They gaped, wide-eyed, staring dumbfounded at the familiar player on stage. Perhaps they didn’t like him, held no particular fondness for him, or had even mocked and cursed him anonymously online. But in this moment, it was as if they’d suddenly forgotten Chinese altogether, unable to comprehend the absurdity of what he was saying…
Why would Yu Ming leave?
How could this person possibly retire?
How could the ID “ZGDX、Ming” one day vanish from the competitive stage?
…
Then, from the sea of dark silhouettes, someone in the front row suddenly raised a cheering banner lit with fluorescent lights, spelling out the name “Yu Ming”—
It was a silent gesture.
But then, a woman’s voice, sounding as if her teeth were clenched, rang out: “Ming Shen! Jiayou!”
This cry, shattering the silence, finally jolted the stunned crowd awake!"——Ming Shen! Ming Shen! Ming Shen!"
One person.
"——Ming Shen! Go for it!"
Two people.
"——Ming Shen! We'll always support you!"
Three people...
"We'll definitely win S6 (the 6th World Championship)! One day that trophy will belong to LPL!"
"Go ZGDX Team!"
"Go Ming Shen! Go ZGDX Team! Go LPL!"
As the waves of cheers eventually filled the entire stadium, growing louder and louder as if to lift the roof off the building... Inside the venue, people waved cheering banners and hand signs, while those who brought nothing clapped with all their might—
...For a professional player, this was probably the best retirement ceremony one could ask for?
No flowers, no exaggerated process—just a person standing on the competition stage he once owned, holding a microphone, calmly bidding farewell to others.
"......"
The vibration of her phone snapped Tong Yao out of her thoughts. She lowered her gaze to check the message from the team manager, Rui Ge, which contained just five words: 【Post the announcement on Weibo.】
Tong Yao put her phone away and looked up, unsurprised to see some ZGDX Team fans outside the venue already tearing up. The boys lowered their heads, unwilling to speak, while the girls openly cried...
"Ming Shen is retiring too," Jian Yang scratched his head, unable to hide his surprise. "That means almost none of the old-generation players are left... I did hear rumors about Ming Shen retiring, but they never mentioned which domestic Mid Laner would transfer to ZGDX. Did they buy a Korean Aid?"
"ZGDX has always been an All-Chinese Team," Tong Yao reminded him with a glance.
"Oh, right. But domestic top-tier Mid Laners are in desperately short supply—where are they going to find a replacement—"
"Me."
"......" Jian Yang froze mid-scratch. He turned his gaze away from Yu Ming and frowned slightly at Tong Yao. "What did you say?"
"You asked me before why I took a leave of absence from school, right?" Tong Yao bent slightly, shoving her hands into the pockets of her oversized shorts. "It's because I came to Shanghai to go pro."
Jian Yang let out a nervous laugh, clearly startled. "What? Don't joke around, Tong Yao. How could a girl possibly—"
"Whether it's possible or not, we'll find out by trying."
"……………………………………………………"
Jian Yang stood rooted to the spot.
Behind him, the bystanders who had accidentally overheard this explosive news were equally dumbfounded, their expressions identical in shock.
Meanwhile, Tong Yao simply checked the time on her phone before looking back up at Jian Yang. "The next match is about to start. You should head back—adjust your mindset and don't play as poorly as you did earlier. That triple-lane feeding was seriously hard to watch..."
She took a few steps toward the venue, then paused as if remembering something. Turning back, she smiled faintly at the still-stunned guy behind her and waved casually. "Oh, and see you on the Summer Split stage."
OpenNovel