Returning to the team headquarters around 7:30 PM, they had scheduled scrims with the neighboring group of noobs at 8:30. After dropping their bags, freshening up, and taking a short break, everyone settled in front of their computers. Since Lu Yue would be playing in tomorrow's match against Red Arrow, he was also the one participating in today's scrims—naturally. Tong Yao and Ming Shen stood behind him, observing.
...And occasionally offering unsolicited advice.
Tong Yao: "It's either Ekko or Azir. Can you pick something else, dude? My roommate wants to see your Orianna, Lux, or Fizz before she dies..."
Ming Shen: "He only knows those two."
Lu Yue: "The suspended edgelord and the retired old man should shut up."
No sooner had he spoken than Ming Shen smacked him on the head with a clipboard. Lu Yue raised his hand to block it. "Seriously, Tong Yao, no one uses those champions in matches. Why bother practicing them?"
"Just because no one uses them doesn’t mean you can’t. Sometimes strategy matters more than the game’s meta." Tong Yao leaned over Lu Yue’s chair and noticed Ai Jia had picked Syndra on the opposing side. She raised an eyebrow. "Weren’t you practicing Syndra earlier? Think about it—what champion annoys you the most when you play her?"
"Fizz," Lu Yue answered.
"Then pick it!" Ming Shen shoved Lu Yue’s head. "Are you stupid? Even as a substitute, you’re a pro who played two full seasons last year. You shouldn’t need Tong Yao to tell you what to pick. Pathetic."
Lu Yue whined a couple of times, transforming from a feisty little wolf into a whimpering puppy.
He shot Tong Yao a resentful look before reluctantly asking Lu Sicheng to lock in Fizz for him. By then, the Ban & Pick phase was nearly over. When Lu Yue called for Lu Sicheng, Tong Yao also turned to glance at him. From Lu Yue’s seat, she could only see Lu Sicheng’s back, leaving her clueless about his current expression.
Tong Yao scratched her head, messing up her neatly styled hair.
Once the game started and the team dove into the scrims, Tong Yao and Ming Shen hovered behind Lu Yue, chatting idly. Ming Shen asked, "Is our captain still ignoring you?"
"Yeah."
"He’s worried about you," Ming Shen said. "Don’t think he’s just being cold-hearted. On the plane today, I sat next to him and saw him delete that event schedule photo from his phone. He even told me not to mention it..."
"...Huh? Wait, what?" Tong Yao lifted her chin from the back of Lu Yue’s chair, turning to blink at Ming Shen. "What did you just say?"
Ming Shen shrugged, as if to say, Exactly what you heard.
Tong Yao then recalled how Lu Sicheng had inexplicably insisted that Little Fatty and the others participate in the event arranged by the organizers earlier that afternoon. That decision had led to fans recording and uploading the footage, sparking a massive backlash on the official Weibo and forum threads...
Tong Yao: "..."
She cleared her throat and pinched her earlobe, just as Ming Shen added, "No matter what you think, remember that Lu Sicheng is the team captain. It’s his responsibility to look after every one of you and ensure the team stays out of trouble. When this kid"—he pointed at Lu Yue’s head—"got into trouble last year, Lu Sicheng ran himself ragged to keep things under control. He managed to get the punishment reduced to a one-season suspension. Otherwise, it could’ve easily escalated to a lifetime ban."
Tong Yao: "Oh, okay."Ming Shen: "But there are some things he can't help you with or teach you. Don't rely too much on him. Understanding things for yourself is what truly matters."
Ming Shen: "A bunch of troublesome kids."
Tong Yao: "..."
Tong Yao's face flushed slightly with embarrassment. Just as she was about to say something, Lu Yue started yelling, "Will you guys shut up? Stop talking behind me! Can't you see I've missed several last hits?! Aaaaaah, my cannon minion!" Tong Yao and Ming Shen simultaneously rolled their eyes and stepped back.
This scrim against a team of noobs was incredibly painful. With Pope's presence, the neighboring relegation team's playstyle had undergone a significant transformation—this magical chemistry now made all three lanes evenly matched against ZGDX... The game dragged on for fifty minutes, with both sides taking turns throwing team fights, harmoniously farming for the late game. Everyone was on the verge of losing their minds playing a scrim like this.
"Hold on, hold on. Damn it, Old Cat, stop feeding, bro," Little Fatty was almost crying by the 53-minute mark. "I'm starving to death. Can we just finish this already?"
In the final team fight, it was actually Lu Yue, the melon skin, who stepped up—though he had been missing last hits like crazy early on and got pounded into oblivion by Ai Jia, by this ultra-late game stage, everyone was fully equipped with six items, maxed out, and swimming in gold. Those early lane advantages were long gone... Lu Yue's mechanics were sharp, his reactions lightning-fast. His Fizz, sporting the Bunny skin, hopped around like an actual rabbit during the fight, and before they knew it, they had won the team fight!
Little Fatty howled with joy as they destroyed the noobs' team headquarters, turning to look at Lu Yue with an expression that screamed he wanted to kiss him right then and there.
Tong Yao patted Lu Yue on the back. "Ignoring your Platinum-level last-hitting during laning phase, your Fizz was actually decent!" Her tone was that of a proud parent finally seeing their child grow up.
Lu Yue snorted.
Meanwhile, Ming Shen jotted down the final notes on his clipboard and calmly remarked, "First time, we crushed them. Second time, it was easy. Third time, we felt a bit of resistance. Fourth time, it got difficult—and now it's an even match. Wake up, guys. Next time we face this team in the league, we might not actually win."
Old Cat: "Say something nice for once."
Ming Shen: "Something nice? Sure. From now on, anyone caught playing matching games, reading comics, or watching cartoons during training hours—outside of break time—will have their salary docked."
Old Cat: "..."
Old K: "What about mahjong?"
Ming Shen: "Mahjong is also off-limits."
Old K: "That's our national treasure!"
Ming Shen: "National treasure or not, no mahjong."
Old K glanced at Tong Yao, who stuck out her tongue. "I usually watch match replays while waiting in queue. Occasionally, I play Minesweeper."
Old K: "You're not a proper chuunibyou at all."
While the team's top and jungle duo were busy negotiating with their data analyst/supporter, Little Fatty started clamoring about being hungry and wanting to grab late-night snacks. The guys had only eaten the measly airplane meal during their flight and were genuinely starving, so Little Fatty's suggestion was met with unanimous agreement. Everyone tossed aside their mice and stood up, swarming toward the door... As Lu Sicheng got up to leave, Tong Yao walked over to her own seat beside him and bent down to turn on her computer.
"Tong Yao, what are you doing?" Little Fatty asked.
Lu Sicheng paused mid-motion as he bent to put on his shoes.Tong Yao wasn’t sure if he had glanced her way—she thought he had, but by the time she looked over, Lu Sicheng had already lowered his head again, seemingly focused on tying his shoes.
“You guys go ahead, I’ll pass. Not hungry,” Tong Yao mumbled, waving vaguely. “I’ll just stream for a bit. My salary’s already been docked so much I can’t afford to splurge…”
Lu Sicheng straightened up after putting on his shoes.
“Kicking a chair worth over a hundred grand—was that worth it? With that money, you could’ve bought a few bags or dresses and had some fun, huh? Fine, go ahead and stream. We’ll bring you something to eat later,” Little Fatty said. “Behave on stream and don’t say anything reckless.”
Amid Tong Yao’s half-hearted mutters of “Got it, got it,” the noisy group filed out of the team headquarters, leaving the place eerily quiet again. Tong Yao sat at her computer, zoning out for a moment before suddenly remembering something and turning to glance at Lu Yue’s seat.
Staring at the empty chair, she spaced out again—for some reason, she felt a hollow emptiness inside, as if something wasn’t quite right.
But before she could fully process this sudden and somewhat unhealthy wave of negativity, her phone on the desk lit up—
[A Mao’s Mom: My guy just told me he played a super drawn-out game against your team earlier. You weren’t there—was it that substitute guy?]
[ZGDX、Smiling: He’s playing tomorrow, so of course he’s in the scrims.]
[A Mao’s Mom: He ended up carrying the team fight and won the scrim.]
[ZGDX、Smiling: Uh-huh.]
[A Mao’s Mom: You okay?]
[ZGDX、Smiling: …It’s just scrims. A win’s a win—why wouldn’t I be okay? Lu Yue’s improving fast. He used to be a ‘hero spoon,’ but now his Syndra’s decent, and he can even play Fizz. Not bad, right? I’m a great teacher, after all.]
[A Mao’s Mom: ………………Oh, come on. You’re really putting on an act with me?]
Tong Yao: “…”
After staring at her phone for a moment, she typed back a “Piss off” and tossed it aside. Frowning at her own reflection in the dark computer screen, she reluctantly started her stream after a pause. The chat immediately exploded, with most live comments discussing the day’s events.
Whether they were supporting her or criticizing her, the comments only made Tong Yao more irritable. She greeted her viewers briefly before diving into a Ranked Game without another word, barely interacting with the chat.
It wasn’t until she finished two games and checked the chat again that she spotted one particular comment amidst the sea of gameplay discussions and idle chatter—
[Random Viewer: I don’t get why you fangirls are cheering. Smiling straight-up hit someone—what’s there to defend? So what if she was standing up for her teammate? These players make hundreds of thousands a year. Is it really that hard to suck it up for a dumb interactive game? So dramatic and fragile.]
Tong Yao: “…This ‘Random Viewer’—uh, hold on, mods, don’t ban him. Let him speak—since when do these players’ six- or seven-figure salaries come out of your pocket? Pro gaming isn’t some circus act. If an activity isn’t physically suitable, why can’t we call it off?”【A passerby: A bunch of Internet addicts, earning so much money just by playing a few games and still being so delicate!】
Tong Yao: "If it's so easy to make money, why don’t you come do it too? Hurry up, don’t delay! All the major clubs are still recruiting for their youth training programs. Who’s stopping you?"
【A passerby: What’s the big deal about doing an event? Others can do it, why can’t you?】
Tong Yao: "If you had a heart condition, would your PE teacher make you run 1,500 meters? Others can run it, so why can’t you?"
【A passerby: I saw Little Fatty and the others doing it in the end, hugging those showgirls with big smiles on their faces?】
Tong Yao: "Should they have cried instead?"
【A passerby: If you really didn’t want to do it, why didn’t the League of Legends division staff speak up? Letting a player take the heat—don’t be a pawn and still help count the money. Had enough fun being in the spotlight and getting punished today?】
"Happy? Super happy," Tong Yao said expressionlessly. "Honestly, I don’t regret insisting on not doing this game at all. If it’s not suitable, it’s just not suitable, so what? We only found out about this when we got there—last-minute notice. Rui Ge had no say in it, so it’s not his fault. The only thing I regret is that this whole mess has thrown my teammates and the club into chaos, dragging everyone down to get scolded along with me. Yes, yes, I really shouldn’t have kicked that b*tch’s chair. So many people were watching—if I wanted to hit her, why didn’t I just—"
Before Tong Yao could finish, the door to the team headquarters suddenly opened behind her.
She froze, turning her head to see her captain had inexplicably returned two hours early... She twisted back around, staring at the flood of Live Comments: "LOLOLOLOL," "Well fought," "Respect for standing your ground," "I agree, people who talk sh*t deserve to get hit." Her face paled as she quickly opened a game to cover most of the screen—
As Lu Sicheng walked into the headquarters, Tong Yao cleared her throat, turned back, and continued without batting an eye: "I was wrong, really. I should’ve calmly discussed the situation with the organizers. Some of our team members just had physiotherapy on their hands and really couldn’t handle such strenuous activities... If we’d explained properly, everyone could’ve talked it out reasonably, right? We’re all civilized people here—yes, yes, Moderator, give that 'A passerby' a Little Red Flower. He’s right to scold me; I was too impulsive. Yes, yes, totally like a shrew, wasn’t I? Really a shrew! So inappropriate! A thousand regrets—oh, there’s no Little Red Flower? Never mind then."
While Tong Yao was earnestly reflecting to the Live Comments—
Lu Sicheng passed behind her and casually placed a takeout box on her desk. Tong Yao glanced at it—seemed to be seafood porridge. She muttered a quiet "thanks," but Lu Sicheng said nothing, just turned and headed upstairs...
Tong Yao: "…………………………"
The first floor of the headquarters was left with only Tong Yao again.
She minimized the game window, revealing the Live Comments once more, only to find the screen flooded with waves of "66666"—
【Streamer, your eyes were practically glued to him...】
【6666666666666】
【6666666666】
【Putting on a show? Your mood swings faster than flipping a page.】
【66666666666666】
【Dumbass.】【Stop looking, oh my god hahahahahahahahahahaha I'm dying—did Cheng Ge whip you or something? Why so scared?】
【If you quit pro gaming, you could always join the opera. I think you’d have a bright future in that field!】
【HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA I could laugh at that look on your face all day—did anyone record it? Post it on Weibo and tag @OptimismAndSaltyFish, thanks!】
Millions of people witnessed her cowardice and laughed mercilessly.
Tong Yao rubbed her temples in frustration. Too afraid to say it out loud, she opened a notepad and started typing:
【Stop f*cking egging me on.】
【Lu Sicheng—】
She paused, then deleted “Lu Sicheng” and replaced it with “Captain”—
【The Captain hasn’t spoken to me all day.】
【It’s like living in Frozen Hell.】
【Haven’t found a way to save myself yet. Still stuck in hell.】
【Apologize to him? Like he’s some three-year-old? No way.】
【Yeah yeah yeah 233333333 his Ashe is god-tier, sniping me from a mile away and making me shiver in fear.】
【To those saying you’ll go to the Captain’s stream to troll me—Moderators, do your job, ban them! Any mods from the Captain’s room here? Get to work! These pests disrupting team harmony must be made an example of.】
Tong Yao buried herself in typing.
Just as she was happily hammering away, her phone vibrated. She glanced at it and saw a new message from “A Mao’s Mom”:
【A Mao’s Mom: Stop talking, you idiot. The system notified us five minutes ago that Lu Sicheng’s account entered your stream, and you’re still yapping away like there’s no tomorrow. You wanna die?】
Tong Yao: “…………………………………………”
She froze in place, staring at her phone.
As if her soul had left her body.
Right now.
All she wanted was to scream and throw a time bomb at her computer.
OpenNovel