Falling into Your Smile

Ten minutes later.

YQCB's third match was lost as expected—this time it was truly due to the substitute Mid Laner's lack of skill. As a result, many who had initially clamored with comments like "Ai Jia is trash," "team poison," "this Mid Laner is useless," and "the team would be better with someone else" finally shut their damn mouths—

At most, they feebly protested with something like: "But wasn't that Lulu pick in the last game completely unjustifiable? Surely that’s worth criticizing, right?"

Tong Yao read these comments with an expressionless face and thought: Wrong.

She didn’t know whether Ai Jia had refused to play the third match out of stubbornness or if the club had arranged it this way intentionally. Regardless, right up until the moment ZGDX’s match began, she was still anxiously texting Jin Yang—

【Midnight Angler-Crazy Fisherman: Shivering in fear. Thought this silly kid’s long-dormant wolf spirit had been awakened… After years of taming this wild wolf into a goofy husky, it almost got ruined by some bratty girl.】

【ZGDX、smiling: Uh… How is he? He won’t get punished, right? What about you?】

【Midnight Angler-Crazy Fisherman: It’s fine. He didn’t even do much to that girl—what’s there to punish? They can’t just suspend someone for having a slightly bad attitude, right? Otherwise, how would Cheng Ge survive?】

【ZGDX、smiling: ……………… Throwing shade at my captain out of nowhere. Seems like you guys are fine (｀_′)】

【Midnight Angler-Crazy Fisherman: Yeah, focus on your match now!】

Seeing Jin Yang’s response, Tong Yao felt slightly relieved… She put away her phone and glanced at her teammates, who were standing up to leave. Little Fatty and the others were discussing what lineup to use for today’s match. Tong Yao trailed behind them and, just as she stepped out of the break room, suddenly muttered quietly, "Can we try the four-protect-one comp again?"

Lu Sicheng, walking at the front, heard her and turned to look at her. After a pause, he asked, "Reason?"

Under Lu Sicheng’s serious gaze, Tong Yao realized that at this moment, the man was no longer the boyfriend who had let her cling to him in the empty hallway—he was now ZGDX’s captain. She straightened her back, tensed up, and said nervously, "No real reason. The four-protect-one comp is super controversial right now. Everyone says teams still stubbornly using it this season can’t win… But we played really well with it in the second match against HUAWEI last time. So I just want to try it again—see if it really works or not. As someone once said, practice is the sole criterion for testing truth."

"You want to pick Lulu."

"…………"

Being seen through after rambling a bunch of nonsense was honestly a little embarrassing.

Tong Yao’s face flushed slightly as she stared at her toes, unwilling to admit that aside from genuinely wanting to test whether the four-protect-one comp was still viable, she might have had ulterior motives… But before she could say anything, Lu Sicheng suddenly added, "But I think it could work."

…Huh?

Wait.

Tong Yao froze, looking up in shock.

"Pope’s got plot armor—no matter how badly he plays, someone will always white-knight for him," Lu Sicheng cracked his knuckles and said flatly, "Let him see what a real four-protect-one comp looks like. Maybe losing sleep over it for a couple of days will do him some good. So, I agree."

Tong Yao: "..."After speaking, Lu Sicheng turned and walked toward the competition area—the remaining members of the team were the support, top laner, and jungler. Although China Telecom was a triple-core team where all three lanes (top, mid, and bot) could carry, it was generally more common for mid and bot to take over the game. Old Cat often played tanky top laners, so now that Tong Yao had voluntarily given up the chance to carry, he wouldn’t say anything more.

Old K: "Alright, alright, good, good. I’ll pick Kindred later, and we’ll relive the Spring Split."

Little Fatty: "Ignoring the meta to pick outdated champions, ignoring the meta to use outdated strategies—you guys are really getting cocky. How did I end up in such a chaotic team?"

Old Cat: "You can mess around too. Pick Lux, girl."

Lu Sicheng: "Well said, Old Cat. Later, let Fatty take Lux to the top lane and support you. I’ll solo bot this game."

Old Cat: "..."

Amidst the back-and-forth banter, the team stepped onto the stage and took their positions. Tong Yao sat down in the seat next to Lu Sicheng, took a deep breath, and put on her headphones. As the outside noise was cut off, she focused entirely on the first Ban & Pick Phase of the Group Stage match against Doom Orc.

The banned champions were Twisted Fate, Syndra, Viktor, LeBlanc, Vladimir, and Ryze—all six were meta picks. When the Ban Phase ended, Tong Yao glanced at the screen and couldn’t help but laugh, while the team’s voice channel erupted in chatter—

Little Fatty: "Damn, six mid laners banned! LeBlanc, Syndra, Twisted Fate—none spared. They’re really trying to screw you over, girl."

Ming Shen: "We also banned three strong meta mid laners. There aren’t many viable mid picks left now. Doom Orc’s mid laner doesn’t have a deep champion pool. Let’s see who screws who this time."

Tong Yao glanced at the opposing team and, sure enough, saw their mid laner already frowning and biting his fingers.

Tong Yao withdrew her gaze: "The live comments on the stream must be lively right now."

Lu Sicheng: "You still care about that?"

Tong Yao: "Of course I do."

Lu Sicheng: "It’ll get even livelier after you pick your champion."

Tong Yao: "..."

As they spoke, the opposing team hesitated for a long time before locking in Lissandra and Karma—Lissandra could be played top or mid, while Karma could be played as support or, in this meta, was also a decent mid pick. With Doom Orc taking these two popular mid lane champions, it was unclear how they’d assign roles, but it was clearly an attempt to corner Tong Yao...

Doom Orc had put some thought and tricks into this Ban & Pick Phase... but unfortunately, Tong Yao’s team hadn’t planned to pick a conventional mid laner in the first place. So when it was their turn to pick, Old Cat immediately locked in Lulu for Tong Yao—

Tong Yao and her team couldn’t hear the audience’s reaction at that moment, but if they had taken off their headphones, they would’ve realized the uproar in the venue was loud enough to lift the roof—

Caster A: "Lulu again?! My god, what’s going on with the teams today?!"

Caster B: "Hahaha, maybe Smiling was influenced by YQCB’s last match—‘Oh, you want to play mid Lulu? Can’t make it work? Let me show you how to play Lulu properly!’"Commentator A: "Your speculation makes no sense. Smiling isn't as good as Ai Jia when it comes to utility-type Mid Laner Champions. If she really thinks that way, she's definitely getting overconfident."

Commentator B: "I was just casually mentioning it! Hmm, looking at the current lineup, Old Cat picked Trundle—oh, the Operator Team is also going for a four protect one strategy!!"

Commentator A: "What's wrong with four protect one?"

Commentator B: "YQCB just failed with a four protect one strategy for Pope earlier. What do you think? That was Pope we're talking about—no worse than Cheng Ge."

Commentator A: "...You can eat whatever you want, but don't spout nonsense. Hey, don't say I didn't warn you to cut down on these provocative remarks. After the match, just take a look at your Weibo and you'll know what's up."

Commentator B: "………………"

At this moment, Commentator B imagined the glorious scene of his Weibo being bombarded by fans of both ZGDX and YQCB. His butt clenched, and he quickly laughed it off to steer the conversation away—meanwhile, the exchange between the two commentators inadvertently revealed that they couldn't guess the real reason why Tong Yao picked Lulu and why ZGDX opted for the four protect one strategy.

Until the match officially began.

...

In the first game, the bot lane duo of Doomsday Orcs was no match for Lu Sicheng and Little Fatty—Lu Sicheng, playing Sivir with Bard, aggressively traded blows from the start. At level one, he pressured the enemy Kalista's health so low that they had to retreat, not daring to even farm or gain experience. The first wave of minions saw them miss four or five last hits, making it utterly miserable.

For Lu Sicheng, such an opening meant the enemy bot lane's game was already over.

After losing some experience in the first wave, Lu Sicheng hit level two first. At this point, Tong Yao signaled spotting their Jungler in mid lane. Lu Sicheng decisively cleared the minion wave and pushed forward, forcing the enemy support and AD back under their tower. The opponents could only cower under turret to farm, constantly harassed, their farming rhythm completely thrown into disarray.

Lu Sicheng and Little Fatty dominated the enemy bot lane. In the first ten minutes, Jungler Old K fully committed to the "four protect one" strategy, frequently passing through bot lane. As a result, Doomsday Orcs' AD only managed forty-something last hits in ten minutes, and along with their support, died twice—with Lu Sicheng and Old K each securing two kills...

Mid-game, the enemy's well-defended Top Laner Ekko tried to dive Lu Sicheng in the backline. But the moment he engaged, Tong Yao polymorphed and silenced him. Even if he managed to hit Lu Sicheng, Lulu's ultimate would immediately restore some of the AD's low health, followed by a barrage of protective skills thrown his way without hesitation—

Lu Sicheng was fed beyond belief and protected flawlessly.

At the 24-minute mark, ZGDX pushed straight to the High Ground. Facing a Lu Sicheng with 10 kills, 0 deaths, and 2 assists, the enemy clearly had no intention of fighting and simply let them take the Team Headquarters, preparing for the next game.

When Tong Yao took off her headphones, her palms were drenched in sweat.

At the same time, she heard the commentators say—

"Honestly, this Lulu pick is viable."

"And it seems to work pretty well..."

"So the four protect one strategy isn't unplayable after all."

"The real question is—is the team called China Telecom or not?"

"Hahahaha, so we actually wronged Ai Jia earlier. Their Lulu really is usable—and hey, no one said you have to blindly follow the meta, right? Team composition synergy matters more."Tong Yao stood up, a faint trace of a smile flickering across her face.

After a ten-minute break.

The second match began.

It was the same six mid-lane bans, the same protect-the-carry composition, and the same Lulu pick—Tong Yao was initially surprised why the Doom Orcs were so stubbornly forcing them into this strategy. But once the match started, she realized their opponents had come prepared with brains too.

This time, the Doom Orcs picked Nidalee, Lucian, and Alistar. Three minutes into the game, they executed a brutal gank bot lane, decapitating Lu Sicheng and Little Fatty. At nine minutes, they tower dove to kill Lu Sicheng again. Fifteen minutes in, they came for a third time—this time bringing their top laner along—

By the fifteen-minute mark, Lu Sicheng’s stats were 0/3/0, with a CS deficit of over twenty. The broadcast displayed the gold differentials for each role, clearly showing Lu Sicheng trailing the Doom Orcs’ AD Carry by roughly a thousand gold—

A thousand gold meant half a major item. In an ordinary Ranked Game, Lu Sicheng might as well AFK at this point.

It was downright tragic.

In this situation, Tong Yao—a mid-laner without reliable burst damage—began showing the same helplessness Ai Jia had displayed earlier. She could only focus on farming and building damage items to compensate for Lu Sicheng’s potential lack of damage. But since they’d committed to the protect-the-carry strategy from the start, these efforts were barely impactful—

On the Rift, ZGDX trailed 3-9 in kills, and for Lu Sicheng, the situation was even more dire than what his team faced overall!

Watching Lu Sicheng get relentlessly targeted—something she’d never seen him suffer so severely before—Tong Yao grew anxious. Her mechanics turned sloppy, causing her to miss several minions under tower.

"Don’t panic," Lu Sicheng’s calm voice came through the headset. "We can still win. Just give me time to farm."

"You’re down half an item on their ADC."

"If we avoid direct fights, even if he’s full build, he can’t do anything to me," Lu Sicheng said coolly. "Can you guys stall?"

"...I don’t know," Tong Yao hesitated. "I’ll try. Little Fatty, Old K, you’re up."

Meanwhile.

Unaware of what was being said in ZGDX’s comms, just as all spectators assumed Lu Sicheng was about to suffer a humiliating defeat, they suddenly noticed ZGDX making a different choice compared to YQCB in the same situation—

Back then, YQCB had opted to force teamfights head-on.

This time, however, ZGDX didn’t. After building some damage items, Tong Yao roamed the jungle with her support and jungler, eventually clashing with the enemy bot duo and jungler near the Elemental Drake pit in a skirmish!

With Old K on Kindred and Little Fatty’s Bard holding ultimate, the fight dragged on endlessly. Through sheer mechanical outplays, they barely secured two kills on the Doom Orcs—while all this chaos unfolded, Lu Sicheng, their primary damage source, was quietly farming mid and top waves to recover.

This pattern repeated through several small skirmishes, though Lu Sicheng got caught and killed twice more.

By the thirty-two-minute mark...Lu Sicheng, with a score of 0/5/0, managed to solo kill the jungler of Doom Orcs while clearing the minion wave in the bottom lane—

The entire arena erupted in shock.

Everyone wore expressions of utter confusion, thinking, "What the hell?" Only then did they shift their attention to the ADC, who had been practically invisible from the start of the match until now. Upon closer inspection, they realized his equipment had somehow almost fully come together, and his CS count… from being behind by 30 or 40 minions earlier, he had now overtaken his opponent by more than 30!

WTF?!

Just as the audience began to wonder if they had even been watching the same game, the broadcast director switched to the economy panel again. To everyone’s astonishment, Lu Sicheng, who had been trailing by 1,000 gold earlier, was now nearly on par with the enemy ADC, who had three kills under his belt—even slightly ahead!

From then on, Lu Sicheng started joining team fights.

The difference between him now and the Lu Sicheng from 15 minutes ago was like night and day—he finally unleashed the terrifying late-game burst potential of Sivir, prioritizing damage items early on. With the protection of Lulu, who had seemed powerless and ineffective in the early game, he emerged ahead of schedule, securing two crucial team fights in a row, equalizing the gold deficit, and ultimately pulling off a reverse sweep!

They took down Doom Orcs 2:0!

When Tong Yao and her team destroyed the enemy Nexus, took off their headsets, and stood up, everyone looked genuinely happy—

Caster A: "Are we the jinx here? We just said Lulu could actually be viable, and then this game happened—zero impact again when things went south."

Caster B: "Zero impact? Without Lulu in the late game, how could Sivir have come online early? She would’ve needed more time to farm before joining fights. But in a match, anything can change in an instant… So no, we’re not the jinx—we were just wrong earlier. In a protect-the-AD comp, everything hinges on the ADC. If your ADC is weak, the mid laner becomes useless. But if your ADC pops off, the mid laner turns into an unstoppable menace…"

Caster A: "So what you’re saying is—"

Caster B: "Ai Jia deserves redemption. The one who should’ve taken the blame rationally in YQCB’s last game was, ahem."

Caster A: "I can tell you really don’t care about your Weibo account anymore."

Caster B: "……………"

Meanwhile, Tong Yao paid no attention to the casters’ reflections. All she knew was that the cheers from the audience today were louder than ever, thunderous and overwhelming!

"That last game was incredible!" the captain and ADC of Doom Orcs exclaimed while shaking hands with Lu Sicheng. "A textbook example of how an ADC turns a losing game around, Cheng Ge!"

"Not at all," Lu Sicheng replied with a smile. "Our mid laner basically played like a support. How could I not step up and carry in the late game?"

As he spoke, he glanced back at the shorty trailing behind him.

Pausing for a moment, he suppressed his grin and couldn’t resist teasing her: "I wasn’t complimenting you. Why are you blushing?"

Tong Yao: "..."

She raised her hand and smacked the tall figure blocking her path on the back… but as she lowered it, the person walking ahead suddenly grabbed her hand in his!

Tong Yao’s back prickled with goosebumps, and she frantically checked if anyone had noticed. Fortunately, the handshake line had just ended—the Doom Orcs players were busy packing up their gear, while the rest of the ZGDX team crowded together to bow in gratitude.

No one was paying attention to them.Tong Yao tried hard to pull her hand free, but to no avail. The other party even took advantage by shaking it twice. When their path was blocked by the support chair of the Doomsday Orcs team, forcing them to stop, he slightly turned and leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Without my brilliant demonstration of the correct way to execute a four-protect-one strategy in both favorable and unfavorable situations these two games, Ai Jia wouldn’t have been able to clear his name."

Tong Yao: "Oh."

Lu Sicheng: "How will you thank me?"

Tong Yao: "...I’ll kneel and kowtow to you."

Lu Sicheng: "Not good enough."

Tong Yao: "..."

Lu Sicheng: "You’re brushing me off again."

Tong Yao: "I’m not."

Lu Sicheng: "You are."

At that moment, the Doomsday Orcs’ support, who had been bending over to pack up his peripherals, noticed his chair was in the way and quickly apologized while moving it aside. With the path now clear, Lu Sicheng straightened up from Tong Yao’s ear as if nothing had happened, releasing her hand the moment their little interaction risked being exposed to others.

Even if people had been watching them from the start, they would have assumed the two were merely discussing the match in hushed tones.

No one knew.

Even after reaching the stage and bowing, Tong Yao’s heart was still racing. As she bowed, she cautiously glanced at the man beside her, who seemed to sense it and turned his head as well, giving her a lazy smile.

Under the bright lights above the stage, his eyes seemed to glow, reflecting her silhouette—

Some say the meaning of love lies in the sudden appearance of someone in your life who can give you everything you desire, everything within their power... unhesitatingly, anytime, anywhere.