Chapter 350 – No One Saw It Coming

 

Chu Fang ground his teeth in annoyance. Yin Wei was the exact type of person he disliked. I spent years searching high schools and universities for talented players. Those I found I trained. I gave them opportunities and I helped them find each other! I did everything I could to help raise the Chinese esports scene! And then you’ve got these people like Yin Wei who care nothing about actually improving the Chinese esports scene. All he cares about are his personal victories, and there isn’t a length he won’t go for them! Recruiting those Koreans and defending Seo is just another instance of that. It’s everything that’s wrong with the Guangzhou branch!

Lin Feng took a long, deep breath and said, “I get that a coach wants to defend his players. But isn’t there a line up to which they defend their players? What Seo did…” He shook his head in frustration and continued, “There’s no excuse for it!”

“He is a real piece of work, that Seo,” Chu Fang said, frowning. “We’re not blind. His expression had guilt written all over it, yet he kept denying it! Such a nasty personality… Sure doesn’t help that he’s got Yin Wei and probably the entire Guangzhou Esports Association behind him, enabling this behaviour. Who cares that he’s a guest from Korea? That doesn’t mean you’ve got a free pass to being an asshole! If all Koreans were like that…”

Lin Feng shook his head and replied, “I’ve met quite a few professional players from Korea back in Season 1. None of them were like Seo. They were easy to get along with and down to Earth. Even Han Seho…” He briefly paused, pushing down the powerful emotions intertwined with this name, and continued, “Even he isn’t a bad person. People see him and they think he’s an asshole because of the way he looks at others. But that’s not true at all. It’s just that he knows he’s better than everyone else and has pride in that. That’s perfectly normal! But beyond that? The person behind the player? He’s a cool dude! When I lost… When I lost to him, we shook hands and he told me that I was the first person who really pushed him. What I’m trying to say is that he showed respect, something these two Koreans from Team Guangzhou are clearly lacking.”

Chu Fang chuckled and said, “It’s like with dogs. When a small one sees a big one, they start barking. They jump up and try to look big and scary. But in the end, they’re small and weak. All they’ve got is their big mouths–” He suddenly laughed and added, “Which reminds me of Season 1 Worlds. Remember that European Midlaner? What was his name again… Well, anyway, remember how he was trash talking you to everyone who would listen? And then you gave him the option to apologize or the ‘I’ve remembered your face, and I’ll make sure no one else will after I’m done with you’! Just like today!”

“And then I beat him the next day!” Lin Feng chimed in, laughing.

Chu Fang laughed loudly and said, “You completely stomped him! I still remember that sour look on his face by the end of it all. Oh, right! You were gone so soon after that that you might’ve missed the fallout. So, his teammates were actually really upset with him, as was the management. They kicked him off the team and no other team has accepted him since. You really made sure no one recognizes him anymore!”

Lin Feng scratched the back of his eyes and asked, “Did I really do that…?” He squinted his eyes and tried to think really hard, but the memory wouldn’t come back to him. He then shrugged and said, “Anyway, I really do hope we get to play against Team Guangzhou in the Round of 16!”

“FUCK!” Seo yelled. He squished a plastic cup in his hand and then threw it against the wall of their practice room at the Guangzhou Esports Association headquarters. “FUCK!” He glared at the people around him, his teammates, the interpreter and coach Yin Wei and cursed in Korean, “These fucking Chinese donkeys! How dare that ugly ass demand me to apologize! And in front of so many people! I DIDN’T EVEN DO ANYTHING! FUCK HIM!”

Seo heaved in loud bursts, infuriated. He slammed his fist down on the dark leather of the couch and continued, “People were pushing into me and I was just pushing back! I never even touched that girl! I NEVER EVEN TOUCHED HER! How can they blame me for that? I didn’t do anything! And what were they even bitching about? There was nothing wrong with her! Just a few scrapes! Who the fuck cares! She probably didn’t even feel it!”

The Chinese players from Team Guangzhou looked at the interpreter, trying to figure out what Seo was saying. But the interpreter just shook his head and mouthed, “Please don’t ask. Please don’t ask.”

Seo narrowed his eyes and said with a chuckle, “That ugly kid will remember my face, huh? Of course he will! Look at me!” He ground his teeth in anger and continued, “And then he said he’ll make sure no one else will remember my face? Ha! As if! Screw him! Fuck! I really wanna play against him now! If we do get matched up against him, I’ll smash that stupid whiny bitch in bot and then go mid and camp his ugly ass until he’s 0/20!”

Goalie didn’t hear Seo’s outburst. He was stuck in his own head, listening to Lin Feng’s voice echoing in his mind. And you are? And you are? And you are? He gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes. You really had to go and pretend you don’t know who I am, huh? I’m the best Midlaner in this entire tournament! There is not a single worthy opponent here! YOU KNOW THAT! But that’s alright too. You want to play it like this? Okay. Okay. I’ll show you the vast chasm that separates scrub like you with first rate talents like me!

Yin Wei sat behind his desk, playing with his phone. He’d made several calls and sent a couple of texts to employees working on the Winter Collegiate Cup. Now he had to wait, patiently, something he wasn’t great at. Those rude, snot nosed brats! And the biggest brat is that Brat Fang! Just because he’s a little bit more important than me, because for some stupid reason the Shanghai Esports Association is ‘better’, he thinks he can shove me around! He clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. I’ll show him! No one pushes me around! I really hope the draw is a success! We’ll play your stupid Shanghai team and beat them! And on the back of that I’ll become more important than you! I’ll have you fired and make sure you never do more than making coffee ever again!

The phone buzzed in Yin Wei’s hands. He slammed his thumb on the device and unlocked it. He then opened the message and read it. His lips curved up. Followed by laughter. The others in the room all turned to him, but he didn’t notice. He was laughing until tears ran down his face. It wasn’t until a few minutes later that he pointed at his phone and shouted, “Now that’s what I call sweet karma! We’re playing them! We’re playing them!”

Chu Fang was watching Lin Feng play on his CN•HOOK2 account when his phone buzzed. He felt around inside his pockets, trying to find the device without missing a moment of what was happening on screen. Lin Feng was playing Yasuo in the mid lane against Twisted Fate. The game was still relatively. The lag is really a big handicap! I don’t think I could play at half my normal skill with it, yet he’s still playing in Challenger! It’s insane! He glanced at his phone before looking back at the laptop screen, then turned back to look at his phone.

“The brackets are out!” Chu Fang exclaimed a brief moment later. “And we’re playing Team Guangzhou! It really happened!”

Lin Feng briefly paused; he stopped breathing, his hands stopped moving and every thought stopped. Then he moved. He flicked his mouse over a minion and cast Sweeping Blade on it. His Yasuo dashed through it and then also through the next minion Lin Feng clicked on. He followed up by thrusting his katana forward, cutting through two minions! Wind particles gathered at the top of his blade, a storm brewing. He needed one more Steel Tempest before he could unleash the storm.

Twisted Fate ran back towards his outer tower and activated Pick a Card. He then chose the Gold Card, a single target stun. When Yasuo was almost upon him, he turned back around and threw the card.

Lin Feng’s Yasuo swept his blade up in front of him. The wind gathered around it and burst upwards to form a wall! The Gold Card slammed into the wind wall and lost its power, fluttering up and then falling down to the ground. Yasuo then thrust out with Steel Tempest again. The storm brewed at the top of his blade. STEEL TEMPEST! He swept his blade forward. A tornado appeared in front of him and carved a path through Summoner’s Rift!

Twisted Fate couldn’t escape in time. The wind lifted him off his feet, after which Yasuo blinked on top of him with Last Stand and kept him suspended in midair. A flurry of strikes cut away at his health bar, until the last one–powered by the winds–slammed him down to the ground! All the while, the unquenchable fires from Ignite burned on his skin. When his feet touched the ground, his knees buckled and he collapsed. Dead.

Lin Feng chuckled and mumbled, “Good.”

The players from Team Beijing also received the news that Team Guangzhou and Team Shanghai were playing against each other in the Round of 16. The Winter Collegiate Cup was a tournament for the best university team, but this time it was also a contest between the three main branches from the China Esports Association to see who had the best players. This was going to be the first showdown for that. And Team Beijing was skipping straight to the finals of that contest.

Yu Ping, Team Beijing’s main Midlaner, sneered and said, “What luck. Now we don’t have to take the trash out ourselves! Team Shanghai is better than I expected, but it would’ve still been a waste of my time to play against them.”

Coach Fan Yuan chuckled and added, “It’s quite a coincidence. I wasn’t expecting this matchup until the quarters or even semifinals.” He then turned to look at Zhang Hongyi and continued, “You must be disappointed, though. Didn’t you want to face that Zeng Rui yourself?”

Zhang Hongyi shrugged and replied, “Doesn’t matter to me. I just want to see that bastard lose.” Though it would’ve been great if I could be the one slapping that bastard out of the tourney. I’ll have to settle for watching him get slapped.

Chu Fang gathered everyone from Team Shanghai while Lin Feng completed his game of League. When everyone, including Su Xue, was in the room, he shared the news. Team Shanghai was going to play against Team Guangzhou in the Round of 16.

“That’s… awesome!” Zhang Hao cried out. He grinned and continued, “We actually drew them! This is perfect! We can teach them a lesson for what they did! Shit! I’m still so angry for what they did to Tang Tang!”

Zeng Rui smiled and said, “Good. Good. It’s about time we go all out. We’re going to teach them some humility.”

Chu Fang noted, “You’re all pretty pumped up, huh?”

Tang Bingyao nodded and replied, “Mhm! I hate them! I’ll do my best at bot! My hand doesn’t really hurt too much anymore either!”

An Xin smiled and said, “Seo is their ad-carry. You better show him what real skill looks like!”

Tang Bingyao nodded and replied, “Mhm! I will!”

Lin Feng grinned and shouted, “That’s the right attitude! We’re going to give it our all tomorrow and crush Team Guangzhou!”

The initial burst of excitement from learning about their next opponents died down a bit. Su Xue spotted this and coughed to get everyone’s attention. She then said, “I’ve got something to report too. Huya got back to me and informed me I’m casting two matches in the Round of 16. One of them is yours.”

“No way!” Lin Feng exclaimed. “Today is full of coincidences!”

The sun had yet to rise above Guangzhou’s skyline when a long line of people gathered outside the Tianhe Stadium. The Round of 16 was starting a little later and no one wanted to miss out on this. They pushed through the six entrances, bought breakfast at the concession stands, and found a place high up in the stands. Down on the field were the more expensive seats, but even those were filled well before the first game started, as was the player seating area.

When the sun finally rose over the rim of the Tianhe Stadium, bathing the field in golden rays, the Guangzhou Esports Association posted the brackets for the Round of 16 online. Most of the biggest names didn’t play each other, though there were still several matchups that promised an exciting fight. One of them in particular. Team Guangzhou versus Team Shanghai.

A buzz went through the Tianhe Stadium. Scattered voices grew in power and number. Everyone discussed this matchup. Not just because of the fact these were two high school teams that both looked like they could become the first high school team to win a university tournament, but also because of what happened the day before. The incident between Seo and Tang Bingyao itself hadn’t been filmed, but the fallout afterwards had been. And most fans in the stadium had watched the replay of it at least half a dozen times by now.

“First they have that whole thing yesterday and now they’re playing each other?”

“Looks like a lot of coincidence! But all the better! We get a real match!”

“They’re both pissed, so they’ll both really want this win! It won’t just be tactics, it’ll also be that something extra!”

“I wonder who’s going to win this one…”

“Who cares? It’s gonna be a real show! We’re getting a real show!”

“I’m so happy I bought tickets for today! This is going to be one of the best series all tournament!”

The discussions leaked from the audience to the other competing teams in the player seating area. All of them looked in the direction of Team Shanghai and Team Guangzhou, whispering amongst each other about which team they believed would win. Or rather, which team they wouldn’t have to prepare for in the next round.

After a lot of arguing and going back and forth, most teams reached the same conclusion. They really wanted to see Team Guangzhou getting knocked off their high horses. But at the same time, Team Guangzhou clearly had the skill to sit on their high horses. Odds were they were going to win and Team Shanghai would go home early.

The deciding argument for a lot of teams went: “Team Guangzhou’s got Goalie and Seo. Who does Team Shanghai have?”

Chapter 349 – The Greatest Injustice at the Winter Collegiate Cup

Zeng Rui gritted his teeth in anger. Those fucking assholes! He looked at Lin Feng who was seething with rage. Su Xue had stepped forward and was holding him back. I was already losing my temper! And I’m the calm one! He noticed Chu Fang stepping forward and stepped towards him. This is gonna spiral out of control if something doesn’t happen soon! Keep your cool, Zeng Rui! Come on! Be the leader! He exhaled sharply and then said, “Tang Tang is right. He…” he pointed at Seo, “… pushed the guy behind Tang Tang on purpose. Look at Tang Tang! This isn’t normal! And all we asked for was an apology! But that’s already too much for that asshole!”

Chu Fang knitted his brows. He looked at Team Guangzhou’s coach and said, “Coach Yin, right? What’s going on here?” He then turned his head to look at Tang Bingyao. There were four people huddled around her, blocking him from seeing the full extent of her injuries. But he judged by their reaction that she wasn’t too hurt. Still, this isn’t great. Far from it! We’ve got to play the Round of 16 tomorrow! If nothing else, the shock of this might hamper her! How could it have gotten this far!?

“Vice President Chu,” Coach Yin said, smiling. Keep smiling. Keep smiling. Seo made a mistake, but that’s besides the point right now. We’re playing tomorrow and the team needs to be in optimal shape for that. Take the pressure away from him. Let him focus. I’ll let Chu Fang be mad at me. Just need to be a bit careful. I need to show him some respect. He briefly grimaced before pushing forth an apologetic smile. He explained, “You saw how busy it got here. The organizers really didn’t think it through. We were all just trying not to get shoved to the ground and fighting for our own spot. Seo just got caught by someone else, lost his balance and that’s how all of this happened. Now let’s not make a big fuzz out of it. We’ve both got games to play tomorrow, let’s focus on that instead.”

Chu Fang scratched his head and replied, “You heard what my players are saying. They seem to think Seo did it on purpose, and I don’t know them as liars.” He nodded at Seo and continued, “Plus, he does look guilty.”

The smile disappeared from Coach Yin’s face. He pushed his chest forward and narrowed his eyes. Nice approach won’t work, huh? Go figure. Idiots from Shanghai! But this needs to end here. We’re not going to bow down in front of so many people! He said through gritted teeth, “You just got here. You haven’t the faintest idea what happened! Stop listening to those damn kids trying to act like something happened here. I’m telling you, my team members didn’t do anything wrong. I’m done with this charade.” He turned to his team members and ordered, “We’re going.”

“Wait, wait, one more thing,” Zeng Rui interjected. He looked at Coach Yin and chuckled in rage. You piece of shit! He took a deep breath and said, “You didn’t see it either. You weren’t here. All you know is what Seo told you–”

Chu Fang put his hand on Zeng Rui’s shoulder and shook his head. He whispered, “Enough.” He then looked back at Coach Yin and said, “You’re right. I wasn’t here. I didn’t see it happen. Fortunately, we’ve got CCTV recording everything happening here. Let’s go to the backroom and watch back the footage of what happened. We’ll take it from there. Sound acceptable?”

Coach Yin narrowed his eyes further and tried to come up with an argument, but couldn’t think of one. He then turned to look at Seo, who was following the conversation through the interpreter, and asked with his eyes if he really had pushed Tang Bingyao. Seo’s violent reaction to the mention of the CCTV footage said it all. Shit. SHIT! Why does this have to happen? Dammit! I can’t let this go on. We can’t have this show in front of so many people! Dammit Seo! Why did you… He took a deep breath to calm himself down. Then he smiled at Chu Fang and said, “There’s no need to review the footage for something so small. Seo here didn’t mean for any of this to happen. He was just feeling anxious and he might’ve–in his panic–pushed the people around him away. Claustrophobia is a serious issue. We shouldn’t take it lightly. Now, please, drop it. This isn’t helping any of us.”

“Look at her,” Chu Fang said, pointing at Tang Bingyao. “Look at her! You tell me, does that look normal to you? Is that something that just happens? You want me to drop this? How? We’re going to have to take her to a doctor most likely!”

Coach Yin raised both his eyebrows and asked, “What do you want me to say? I just told you. It was an accident, and accidents happen. It is very unfortunate for your player that this happened to her, but that’s really not one of my concerns. What else do you want me to say?”

“That you’re sorry!” Zeng Rui interrupted. “I want your ad-carry to say that he’s sorry for what he did to my teammate!” He turned to look at Seo and added in English, “Tell her you’re sorry!”

Seo glared at Zeng Rui and shouted back, “FUCK YOU! I told you it was an accident! Fuck off, whiny bitch!”

Coach Yin reached out to Seo and shook his head. He mouthed, “Quiet.” He then turned his head to look at Zeng Rui and glared at him before saying to Chu Fang, “Let this go, Chu Fang. The Guangzhou Esports Association invited Seo to play for us. He’s from Korea and our guest here in China. If you’re going to keep forcing this issue, there’ll be a lot more people unhappy with you than just me. Nothing happened here. Now stop making a scene. It reflects poorly on all of us.” He waved around him, showing that all of us included the fans who’d gathered around them.

The fans weren’t expecting to be pulled in like that. Nor did they like it. It was very obvious that Coach Yin insinuated that forcing this issue would reflect poorly on all Chinese people. They started voicing their disagreements.

“My big fat ass! What the fuck is wrong with you? All we want is an apology!”

“I’ve seen people getting protected before, but this? Holy shit! You guys are cunts!”

“Who the fuck cares if he’s Chinese, Korean or Dutch? He fucking shoved that girl to the ground! He needs to apologize for that! Stop fucking acting like nothing happened! WE ALL SAW IT HAPPEN!”

“Are you trying to give him immunity or something? What’s next? Are you going to say he needs to get a free win each series because he’s special like that?”

“STOP BUTTFUCKING YOUR PLAYERS!”

“Coach Yin, Coach Yin, his heart is a trash bin!”

“COACH YIN, COACH YIN, HIS HEART IS A TRASH BIN!”

Su Xue had redirected Lin Feng’s anger into care. Care for Tang Bingyao. He held her hand and lightly pushed to see where it hurt the most. She kept a straight face until he touched her pinky finger on her right hand. She grimaced and recoiled. He then inched closer to her face and searched for where the blood was coming from. It was a small cut just above her eyebrow and it had already stopped bleeding. He wiped away the blood with his shirt and then turned his head to look at Seo. His anger came rushing forth again. He slowly asked, “Are you really not going to apologize?”

Tang Bingyao tugged on Lin Feng’s arm and said, “Please, Lin Feng… I-I’m fine. I just want to go home. Let’s go back to the hotel…”

An Xin held Tang Bingyao and added, “Don’t do anything rash, Lin Feng. Please.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t,” Lin Feng assured. He let go of Tang Bingyao and walked up to Coach Yin and asked, “Your guest?”

Coach Yin frowned and replied, “Yes. He’s our guest. Treat him with some respec–”

“I’ve traveled to quite a few countries myself. The people there? They never gave me any kind of special treatment,” Lin Feng interrupted. He turned his head to look at Seo and said, “You think being a guest means the rules don’t apply to you? That you can just do whatever you want and not face the consequences? What’s next? Do we need to fall on our knees and thank you for your presence? Of course we won’t!”

Lin Feng bit on his lips and closed his eyes for a brief moment. He then opened them again and looked at Coach Yin. He continued, “Relationships aren’t one way streets! Yes, he’s a guest here and we’re the host. You’re completely right! We should be polite and welcoming. But him? That piece of shit over there?” he pointed at Seo “He should be respectful. He should be everything he’s not. And nothing of what he is. I’ve met many foreigners and I’ve become good friends with plenty of them, including Koreans. You know what they all have in common? They’re decent, better than decent human beings who know how to show each other respect. But you were talking about something reflecting poorly on us. Please, enlighten me. What exactly is reflecting poorly on us, all of us? The fact that you’re being a Class A asshole, or that he’s a Triple S-hole?”

“Y-y-you little brat!” Coach Yin yelled. His jaw trembled in rage. He pointed at Lin Feng and shouted, “Who taught you your manners!? You need to learn to respect your elders! This is no way to talk to me!”

“My parents taught me my manners,” Lin Feng countered. He looked Coach Yin in the eyes and said, “They taught me to only show respect to those who deserve it. You? You don’t. I will ask you again. Will you, both of you, apologize to my friend?”

Coach Yin was caught completely off guard by Lin Feng’s eruption. His mouth moved but there weren’t any words coming out. This gave the interpreter enough time to translate the exchange to Seo, whose expression turned progressively venomous. He glared at Lin Feng and said in English, “Fuck off! I don’t apologize to trash like her or you!”

“Alright. So be it,” Lin Feng said. He then suddenly looked Seo straight in the eyes and added, “You better hope you don’t draw us in this tournament. I’ve remembered your face, and I’ll make sure no one else will after I’m done with you.”

Chu Fang’s eyes went round. Oh crap! Don’t start threatening them! I know you mean inside the game, but not everyone knows you only think about League! He hurriedly said, “Come, come, let’s go! They’re not worth it.” He then turned around and started walking away.

“Wait,” Goalie said. He stepped out from behind Coach Yin and looked at Lin Feng. He then said through his interpreter, “You’re Team Shanghai’s Midlaner? I hope you have the skill to back up those big words.” He licked his rose lips and added, “Plus, you’ll be playing me, not Seo.”

Everyone recognized Goalie. The fans started whispering about who he was and about how high he’d climbed the Korean Challenger ladder. Even Zhang Hao couldn’t stop himself from taking a step back. Goalie was a legend at the Winter Collegiate Cup, the Guangzhou Esports Association had made sure of that. But all of this went lost on Lin Feng. He looked at Goalie, raised an eyebrow and asked, “And you are?”

Goalie’s pale face looked even paler than normal. His eyelids twitched and he clenched his fists in anger. He moved his lips, trying to fire back at Lin Feng but failing to come up with the words to do so. The silence was painful. It thundered in Goalie’s mind. He felt the stares from the fans around him. They were burning on his skin. And still no words would come from his mouth. Coach Yin eventually put a hand on his shoulder and pushed him towards the exit. He walked away with the rest of his team, still furious, still thinking about a rebuttal.

“Ooooooooh snap!”

“Holy damn! And here I thought Goalie was cocky! Hahaha!”

“What a burn! Oh my god! That must’ve hurt so bad! Oh my god!”

“Fucking satisfying as fuck! Did you see his expression!? Haha!”

“He’s still going to feel those burns tomorrow!”

Team Shanghai returned to the hotel and took the elevator up to their rooms. Tang Bingyao and An Xin went to their room while the rest gathered in Lin Feng’s room. There they discussed what they were going to do the rest of the day. Chu Fang promised to lodge a complaint against Seo but warned them that the Guangzhou Esports Association was hosting the event and that odds were that nothing would come from it, and Zeng Rui briefly went into possible training sessions which all depended on how Tang Bingyao felt.

It was half an hour later that Tang Bingyao opened the hotel room door and walked in. Five pairs of eyes focused on her and everyone in the room asked, “How are you?”

Tang Bingyao smiled and said, “Mhm, I’m okay. Thanks”

An Xin frowned and interjected, “You’re not fine. The scrapes aren’t a big deal and it doesn’t look like you’ve got a concussion. But your pinky finger is not alright. That’s definitely going to affect your gameplay! You should really see a doctor for it!”

Tang Bingyao shook her head and argued, “I-it’s fine. Really! It won’t affect my gameplay too much! It’s just my right hand! I don’t need to use that finger–”

“But it will affect your gameplay,” Zeng Rui interjected. He took a deep breath, going over their options, and finally decided, “Tang Tang, you’re going to take it easy during practice tonight. I want you to rest your hand as much as possible. Hopefully it’s just a scare and you’ll feel better in the morning.”

Zhang Hao banged his fist on the table and cursed, “Fuck! It’s all Seo’s fault! That asshole wouldn’t even apologize! Tang Tang said she was fine, so I didn’t worry too much. But if I’d known this…” He raised his fist and continued, “I would’ve given him the same handicap!”

Su Xue nodded and added, “And it’s not just Seo! It’s their entire team! Their coach, interpreter, that kid that looks way too pale, all of them are scumbags!” She then turned to Lin Feng and continued, “You really got through to them at the end there, though. That was nice to see.”

Lin Feng nodded and glared at the wall. He said, “It’s nothing. I just told them the truth. If we draw them, I’ll make them regret everything they’ve done!”

“What Lin Feng says,” Zeng Rui agreed. He nodded and said, “We’ll teach them a lesson they’ll never forget.”

Zeng Rui decided that Team Shanghai was going to take the afternoon off to give Tang Bingyao some time to rest. He explained to the others that a little bit of rest could do wonders and that if it didn’t, she could still go and see a doctor then. Either way, practice was off. Everyone returned to their own rooms leaving Lin Feng and Chu Fang behind.

Chu Fang closed the door and then turned around to look at Lin Feng. He frowned and said, “The Guangzhou Esports Association is always like this. They’re the most competitive out of all three main branches from the Chinese Esports Association. But they’re also unscrupulous. Winning is the only thing they care about, and it doesn’t matter how many toes they have to step on to get there. That’s also why they bought those Korean players rather than nurturing their own talents. It’s a terrible habit.” He briefly paused before adding, “That coach we met earlier? His name is Yin Wei. He’s one of the worst when it comes to that. I heard he’s also the one who went to Korea to convince both Seo and Goalie to move to China just to help him win this tournament.”

“I see,” Lin Feng said. He shook his head and chuckled. “So he’s one of those people, huh?”

Chapter 348 – She’s on the Ground; Maiden in Distress

Screams and shouts rang out at Exit #1 at the Tianhe Stadium. That day, there weren’t enough fans to fill the stands. But the Guangzhou Esports Association still had a broadcast to air. So they’d gathered everyone together in one section, right between Exits #1 and #2. The former was the fastest way to reach the car park and also to get to public transit, and it was also the exit through which the players left. So when the day’s matches came to an end, everyone coalesced here.

Fans hurried off the grass into the exit hallway. From up the stairs, the second group of fans flooded Exit #1. And then there were also the players from 18 teams looking to leave. They pushed into the hallway and crowded it. People couldn’t walk normally anymore. They had to slow down, speed up, jump aside. Their discomfort quickly grew into annoyance, small outbursts of aggravation happening left and right.

“Hey! Watch where you’re walking!”

“Stop pushing me!”

“Coming through! Coming through!”

“Calm down dude! Can’t you see how busy it is? Just stop shoving me!”

“My bus is leaving in five! Let me through please!”

“STOP PUSHING ME!”

Chu Fang looked over his shoulder at Tang Bingyao and Zeng Rui, then back ahead at Lin Feng and An Xin. Fuck! We’re getting split up! This is going to be annoying! He shook his head and rushed after Lin Feng, shouting, “LIN FENG! LIN FENG!”

Lin Feng scrunched his eyebrows and stopped. Two people bumped into him from behind, cursed at him and pushed past him. He ignored them and looked over his shoulder. Who’s calling my name?– Oh! Chu Fang!

“What a mess!” Chu Fang complained. He reached Lin Feng and An Xin and said, “Come, let’s go back and find the others. I don’t want to lose anyone in this big mess and we’ve already lost them! Whose brilliant idea was it to lead everyone to the same exit?”

“Yeah, there really are so many people!” Lin Feng exclaimed. “And they all look so annoyed! At us?”

An Xin rolled her eyes and replied, “Because we’re standing still in the middle of the exit. How about we do what Chu Fang says and find the others?”

“There you guys are!” Zhang Hao exclaimed. He pushed past a few more fans and then stopped next to Lin Feng before he continued, “You two were suddenly gone! It was impossible to keep up! I saw Lin Feng’s birdnest hair stick out here and…” He paused to breathe and then concluded, “that’s how I found you!”

“Hey!” Lin Feng blurted. He ruffled his hair and said, “This isn’t birdnest hair! It’s fresh out of bed!”

An Xin looked at Lin Feng and raised her eyebrow, smiling. She said, “Really? Huh, who knew! Anyway, it’s really packed here. Zhang Hao, do you know where the others are?”

Zhang Hao nodded and replied, “Yeah, they’re a bit back there.” He waved in the direction he came from.

Chu Fang looked at the trio and said, “Let’s go find them.” He then took the lead, pushing against the flow of people.

The members from Team Guangzhou were also trying to leave the stadium through Exit #1. But just like everyone else, they were caught up in the jam. The coach yelled that they were the players from Team Guangzhou and to please give them some space. But everyone was screaming and complaining and no one was listening.

Goalie looked at all the people around him. I hate this. There’s too many people! He tapped on his interpreter’s shoulder and told him to walk in front of him, and to have his other teammates walk around him. They did what he asked of them, creating a small space in the crowded exit where he could walk freely. Good. This is more like it.

While the three Chinese players from Team Guangzhou were helping Goalie, Seo was off on his own grumbling. He hated it that random strangers were touching him and were bumping into him. After a particular hard shove in his back, he cursed in broken Chinese, “Get the hell out my way! Assholes!”

“Piss off, idiot!”

“You move away!”

“Hurry up already! My god! So fucking slow!”

Seo shook his head in frustration. Everywhere he looked people looked mad and annoyed. And the more he looked, the more it felt they were mad and annoyed with him. As if they were all glaring at him. The hell is wrong with all these people!? Can’t they tell it’s too busy? They should let the teams leave first and the fans come after! What idiot came up with the idea to let the teams exit with the normal people? We’re better than them! Fuck it! Fuck it all! I don’t care anymore! If they wanna shove me, I’ll shove them! He picked up his speed, broadening his shoulders and preparing for impact, and yelled, “Move! Walk faster! Legless!”

A couple of people in front of Seo were the trio Tang Bingyao, Zeng Rui and Su Xue. They were struggling to keep their feet on the ground, the wave of fans nearly lifting them off their feet and carrying them through the exit. Tang Bingyao was struggling the most with this. Everyone around her was taller and bigger. She wasn’t anywhere near strong enough to stand up to them. The best she could do was expect the push or shove and react to it in advance.

Zeng Rui glanced at Tang Bingyao every couple of seconds and asked, “Tang Tang, are you okay? Is there something I can do to help?”

Tang Bingyao looked up at Zeng Rui and nodded. She said, “Mhm! It’s fi–” A sudden shout rang out from behind her. Then she felt two hands firmly press against her back and push her forward. Huh!? Her upper body moved but her legs didn’t follow. The ground was getting closer. She reached out with her hands and they hit the stone tiles. They scraped over it as her elbows buckled and she fell. Her head banged on the ground, but it was a burning sensation on her palms that she felt first. Then came a sudden shock from her pinky finger–first from a foot standing on it and then from that foot pushing off of it.

Tears appeared in Tang Bingyao’s eyes. She pulled her hand back and caressed it closely to her chest. Another foot hit her, this time against her shoulder. I’m going to die! This is it! I’m going to die! They’re… I’ve seen this on television! People fall in a crowd and they get trampled! She instinctively wrapped her hands around her head as thick, large teardrops rolled down the side of her face onto the stone tiles on the ground. I never did tell Lin Feng…

Zeng Rui jerked his head to the side when he heard the screams. He saw a push and Tang Bingyao falling to the ground. He stopped dead in his tracks, three people bumping into him. They cursed at him, but he didn’t hear it. He pushed them aside and forced his way back to where Tang Bingyao was lying on the ground. “TANG TANG!” He reached down and grabbed her by her arm, then lifted her straight up. He said, “Tang Tang! Come on! Help me here! Stand up!”

“WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ALL OF YOU!?” Su Xue screamed. People finally paused. They looked at her and then at Tang Bingyao. It was as if they only now realized someone had fallen. Su Xue pushed her way to Tang Bingyao and yelled, “Are you all fucking blind? Can’t you see she fell? What the fuck are you all doing? Help her up! Jesus! What’s wrong with you people?” She then turned to look at Tang Bingyao and asked, “Are you okay, Tang Tang?”

Tang Bingyao wiped away the tears from her eyes and mumbled, “I-I’m fine.”

Su Xue looked Tang Bingyao up and down and said, “How is this fine? Your knees are open, there is blood all over your face, your hands are a mess… This isn’t fine!” She grabbed Tang Bingyao and felt around her face. The blood came from a small cut on her eyebrow. She then moved down to the hands and knees, checking everything and making sure Tang Bingyao really was fine.

Zeng Rui let go of Tang Bingyao and turned his attention to the crowd that was gathering around them. He shouted, “Who did that? What idiot pushed her? Where did he go?”

“Sorry. I’m sorry,” a man apologized. He rubbed his back and continued, “Someone hit me in the back and I stumbled on my feet. I didn’t mean to shove her to the ground. It was an accident, I swear! It was the guy behind me. He shoved me!”

Zeng Rui knitted his brows. I did hear someone scream before Tang Tang did. That could be… He looked past the guy who’d just apologized and narrowed his eyes. There he spotted someone who was looking around with wide, round eyes and trying to push his way through the crowd and away from Tang Bingyao. That’s him! Zeng Rui shouted, “Hold it! Don’t even think about slipping away after what you did!”

Seo met Zeng Rui’s eyes and bit on his teeth. Dammit! SHIT! I just got a bit annoyed! It was just a little shove! This was nothing! I didn’t do anything wrong! It was just that stupid bitch’s fault for being so tiny! Fuck it! FUCK THEM ALL! I don’t deserve this! I did nothing wrong! Right. I did nothing wrong. He straightened his back and broadened his shoulders. Then he snorted. Stupid Team Shanghai. They got what they deserve.

Zeng Rui had locked onto Seo and recognized him right away. He narrowed his eyes and he said in English, “So it was you, Seo.”

“What do you want?” Seo asked in English.

“What do I want? What do I want!?” Zeng Rui said. He looked at Seo and continued, “You just pushed someone! Tang Tang here could’ve been seriously hurt! And you just want to leave?”

Seo briefly paused, considered his options, then shrugged and replied, “Did you see me push anyone? I didn’t. It was busy, very crowded here. I was just trying to stay my ground, like everyone else. Are you telling me I can’t do that?”

The man who bumped into Tang Bingyao glared at Seo and shouted, “Dude! You were literally just behind me! You fucking pushed me! What are you lying about? It was clearly you! Everyone here saw you do it!”

There was a growing group of people who’d stopped trying to leave the Tianhe Stadium and had gathered in a circle around Tang Bingyao and the others. They started whispering, murmuring, growing louder and louder as they tried for their voices to be heard.

“Isn’t that guy they’re pointing at the ad-carry from Team Guangzhou?”

“He definitely is. I think he’s the only one with that colour hair!”

“Can’t you see? He’s obviously Korean. There are like only two in the entire tournament!”

“And he shoved that girl? Jesus! What a fucking asshole!”

“Some people…”

“Can’t believe he won’t even admit it. What a piece of shit!”

“It not my fault!” Seo shouted in his broken Chinese. He didn’t understand the language perfectly. But the fingers pointing at him and the tone in which the people were talking said plenty. He knew they were blaming him. He shook his head and said in broken Chinese, “Someone push me! From behind. Not my fault. Accident!”

Zeng Rui snorted and replied, “That’s why you were trying to run away, right? Because you are innocent. That’s what all innocent people do. They run away from the crime.”

Seo glared at Zeng Rui and said in English, “I told you, it was an accident. I can’t help it if you don’t believe me. That’s very much a you problem. Now piss off!” He flicked his hair and smiled at the people who’d gathered around him in what he believed to be a show of his innocence. Why does this guy have to make such a big deal out of it? Nothing happened! Plus it’s her own fault for not eating enough. If she had just a bit more meat to her bone, she wouldn’t have fallen there! Or she could’ve gone after the initial group of people left! Yeah, this isn’t my fault! It’s her fault! She shouldn’t have been there!

Zeng Rui took a long, deep breath. He then looked Seo in the eyes and said, “I want you to apologize to my friend.”

Seo snorted. He asked, “Apologize? For what? I didn’t do anything! It was an accident! I told you that! Or is your English so bad that I need to repeat it for you? Maybe you’re just deaf! Go back to school or something!”

“Seo,” Goalie said. He’d finally arrived with the rest from Team Guangzhou. He continued in Korean, “What’s going on?”

Seo nodded at Zeng Rui and replied in Korean, “This idiot is bitching about an accident. Says he wants me to apologize. I told him I didn’t do anything wrong, but he just keeps bitching about it!”

Goalie listened and then shrugged. He turned to his interpreter and said, “Tell the coach he can handle this. It’s not worth our time.” He then looked at Seo and added, “Those kids are just scared of how good we are. They know they can’t beat us on the Rift, so they’re trying to get us disqualified. Don’t let it get to you.”

Team Guangzhou’s coach listened to a quick explanation from the interpreter and then turned to look at Zeng Rui. He said, “Seo explained to us that it was an accident. It was crowded. Things happen. No one meant it. How about we just drop this and move on?”

“An accident?” Zeng Rui asked, laughing incredulously. He continued, “Did you see it happen? It’s like me punching you in the face right now and then calling it an ‘accident’!”

“Hey, that’s not how you talk to me,” Team Guangzhou’s coach interjected. He said, “Seo explained what happened. He wouldn’t lie. I say we put an end to this charade and move on with our day.”

Su Xue had been standing to the side, tending to Tang Bingyao rather than arguing with Seo. But she’d heard it all, and she’d had enough. She pointed at Team Guangzhou’s coach and yelled, “Put an end to it? What’s wrong with you! Your guy screwed up! He pushed her to the ground! All we asked for is an apology and that’s too much?”

Team Guangzhou’s coach looked at Su Xue and said, “Seo is a special guest from Korea. Are you really going to do this? Make his first experience in China terrible by accusing him of something he didn’t even do? He got pushed, lost his balance, and in the process your little girl fell. Boohoo. Now let’s all be civil here and stop making a scene.”

Zeng Rui stared at Team Guangzhou’s coach, incredulous. Boohoo, be civil? What…? Anger was bubbling within him, metaphorical steam rising from his head. He was about to explode when a voice sounded out behind him.

“Sorry! Make way! Make way! Coming through! Let me through!” Lin Feng yelled as he pushed through the crowd, leading An Xin, Chu Fang and Zhang Hao to Tang Bingyao.

When they got inside the circle that had formed around Tang Bingyao, An Xin rushed up to her friend and asked, “Tang Tang, what happened?”

Tang Bingyao wiped her eyes with her sleeve again and took a deep breath. She then pointed at Seo and said, “He pushed the guy behind me who then bumped into me and I fell to the ground…”

Lin Feng looked around at the situation, half-listening to Tang Bingyao until she said she’d fallen on the ground. He finally turned to look at her and noticed everything that was wrong. The scrapes on her knees, the blood on her face and hands, and the way that she was holding her pinky finger. A jolt went through him. Like the shock of being stabbed–or the feeling of suddenly coming awake in an unfamiliar place, frightened by a sudden noise. A visceral clenching of the stomach. A sudden racing of the heart. Every piece of you alert, looking for justice. He said in a voice unlike his own, cold and forced, “What did he do?”

Chapter 347 – Return of the Cleaver

Lin Feng flicked his mouse and pressed a quick combination of keys on the laptop’s keyboard. An Xin’s question barely registered in his mind, and the hesitation in her voice escaped him entirely. He had his Ryze kill another minion while also dodging a skillshot from Ezreal and then said, “Yeah. Didn’t you say you liked the Ashe plushy? That’s why I wanted to get you it.”

An Xin stared at Lin Feng, her eyes round and wide. She chewed on her lips, hesitating, and eventually mumbled, “I just kinda said it…”

“But I promised you I’d get it, so I have to get it,” Lin Feng replied, his gaze locked on his monitor.

An Xin felt the corners of her lips tugging upwards. She put her hand on Lin Feng’s shoulder and rested her head on it, her heart racing in her chest. You idiot. Only when you’re playing League do you not have the spare space of mind to think of something stupid to say. She took a deep breath and said, “I would’ve really liked it–”

“Ah! So close! Damn delay!” Lin Feng exclaimed. His Ryze had just hit Level 6. He’d activated his ultimate and engaged on the Ezreal. But there was a short delay between each of his skill activations. He got the initial root on Ezreal, but the subsequent gap meant that he couldn’t complete his usual damage combo before the root broke and Ezreal flashed away. Lin Feng shook his head and focused back on farming minions. He then replied to An Xin, “Yeah. I really tried too. Just isn’t my day I think. Look at how I’m playing! It’s so bad…”

“You big idiot,” An Xin said, her voice soft.

Lin Feng glanced at An Xin and he yelped, “Hey! What are you doing!? Why are you leaning on me! And why am I an idiot? What did I do!?”

An Xin sat up straight again and narrowed her eyes a bit. She replied, “You’re a big idiot because I say you are. What? Are you going to tell me I can’t call you a big idiot?”

“You’re bullying me! You’re a bully!” Lin Feng exclaimed.

“So what? Are you gonna stop me?” An Xin asked.

Lin Feng looked at An Xin and suddenly chuckled. He nodded at his laptop and said, “Want to duo with me? The net here is so bad… It’d be way easier to carry these games together!”

“No way!” An Xin replied. She shook her head and added, “I already took a shower. I’m going to bed soon.”

Lin Feng recoiled in surprise. He mumbled, “Showering? What does that have to do with League? Can you only play it dirty?”

“It’s got everything to do with League and with everything!” An Xin replied. She wagged her finger at Lin Feng and continued, “After I shower I go to bed! That’s just how it works! Speaking of which, you should also go to bed. We still have to get up early tomorrow to watch the two games!”

“I’m fine, I’m fine!” Lin Feng said, waving An Xin’s suggestions away. He looked at her, searched her body, then scratched the back of his head and asked, “I thought you brought your laptop? Where is it? Go and get it! Let’s play a game! Just the one!”

“Nope!” An Xin said. She crossed her arms and added, “Don’t wanna!”

Zhang Hao looked at the wall separating his room from Lin Feng’s room and chuckled. He turned to look at Zeng Rui and Chu Fang and said, “Wow! Those two are really going at it.” He briefly paused before adding, “Again.”

Zeng Rui knitted his brows and noted, “Are they talking about duo queuing? Are they playing League? Why?”

“They always remind me of a married couple…” Zhang Hao mumbled. He looked at Chu Fang and asked, “They’re childhood friends, right? Have they always been like this?”

Chu Fang nodded and replied, “Yes. They met in kindergarten or something. But I only met them back in Season 1. Lin Feng was, well, Maple. Team captain and Midlaner of his team. BunBun was the coach.” Chu Fang chuckled as he thought back to those times. He continued, “Those two would argue like this all the time back then. We always joked about how they were like a married couple. I guess some things never change.”

Zhang Hao laughed and said, “I know right! When we first met them, well like met them, you know? Not when we played them in the school tournament but when we got onto the same team. When we met them then, Zeng Rui and I both thought that they were a couple!” He scratched his head and added, “And then we’ve got Tang Tang added into the mix…”

Zeng Rui nodded, staring at the wall. Those three and their weird love triangle… I just hope there won’t be any broken hearts during this tournament. I don’t want them suddenly playing poorly. But it’s been going well so far. I’m sure they can keep going for a bit longer. All they have to do is not fight! Like they are… He chewed on his lips. It’s so hard to tell if they’re actually mad with each other or just messing around! BunBun slaps him all the time too… So annoying! I wish they would just make a decision already.

Chu Fang chuckled and replied, “Tang Tang is also falling for Lin Feng? That boy sure is lucky. I wonder who he’s going to choose. Or if he ends up marrying the game.” He laughed for a bit before adding, “Probably the last one.”

It was early the next morning. Su Xue walked out of her hotel room and took the elevator down to the floor where Lin Feng and them were. When the doors opened, she heard screams coming from the far end of the hallway. She scrunched her eyebrows and followed the sounds. Is that… Lin Feng? What’s gotten into him?

“I don’t wanna get up! Why do we have to get up so early to watch these matches? Can’t we just watch the replays later? We aren’t even playing! I’m tired! Let me sleep! I just wanna sleep for another 15 minutes! I’ll join you guys later!” Lin Feng cried out. He grabbed his covers and pulled them over his head before continuing to shout, “Just go without me! It won’t make a difference anyway! I’ll carry you guys to the next round!”

Su Xue walked into the room and saw everyone gathered around Lin Feng’s bed. An Xin was trying to pull the sheets off and telling Tang Bingyao to go get a basin filled with cold water. Tang Bingyao in turn stood there, stuck in place, hesitating. Su Xue looked at Zhang Hao and asked, “What’s going on…?”

“He won’t get up,” Zeng Rui replied. “Played League all night and now…” He shook his head.

“Oh! Here, let me,” Su Xue said. She brushed past Tang Bingyao and stopped next to Lin Feng. His head pushed against the blanket. She tapped there and asked, “Hey, Lin Feng? Do you want me to go and get a cleaver from the kitchen?”

“I’m up! I’M UP!” Lin Feng shouted. He let go of the blanket, causing An Xin to lose her balance. But he ignored her curses as he jumped out of bed and pushed past Tang Bingyao to the bathroom. “I’ll be ready in a minute! Just a minute!”

The others from Team Shanghai turned to look at Su Xue, surprised. She scratched her head in response and explained, “He doesn’t like to go to school either…”

Team Shanghai ran up the walkway to the Tianhe Stadium half an hour later. Zeng Rui took the lead, yelling over his shoulder that they were going to be late and that the first game was starting in only a couple of minutes. At the back, lagging a good bit behind the rest, Lin Feng complained that he was still tired and that he wanted to go back to bed.

Su Xue paused and waited for Lin Feng to catch up to her. She then walked next to him and said, “Who told you to stay up so late? I keep telling you you have to go to bed earlier! It’s like this every morning! Here.” She gave Lin Feng a steamed meat bun and added, “You always forget to eat in the morning, somehow. You’re lucky you’ve got me.”

Lin Feng grabbed the bun from Su Xue and sunk his teeth into it. He chewed on it and swallowed it, letting everyone hear his satisfaction. When he’d worked away the food, he looked at Su Xue and grumbled, “I still don’t get what’s so important about these matches. Why do we have to watch them? I won’t learn anything from watching them play! It’s a waste of time!”

Zeng Rui stopped at the entrance to the stadium and turned around to look at Lin Feng. He said, “We will learn from watching them play. We’ll know their tactics, which we can use in later rounds. Now hurry up.” He then walked into the stadium straight to their seats in the player seating area.

The Tianhe Stadium wasn’t even half-filled. Lin Feng looked around the stands and complained, “Even the fans aren’t here! No one cares about these two matches! They’re between four bad teams!”

“There are no bad teams. Now sit down and shut up. We’re going to watch,” Zeng Rui concluded. He sat down and looked up at the large LCD screen. It was showing the Champion Select for the first game.

The player seating area was almost entirely full. Every team competing had come to watch this ‘in-between’ round in which the remaining 18 teams were reduced to 16. More specifically, they’d come to find out who they might play in the next round. Any and every bit of information could help them find the perfect tactic and strategy to beat their next opponent. So too Zhejiang University.

Zuo Cheng looked at his teammates and said, “I just hope we don’t end up facing Team Shanghai. That Lin Feng…” He shook his head and continued, “Anyone else and we’ll be fine. But them? No.”

“Yep,” Sun Ruinian replied. He nodded and added, “It’d be some really bad luck if we have to play them. Our scrimmages against them were plenty proof of that.”

“I know!” Zuo Cheng exclaimed. “That Lin Feng! I don’t think I even went even against him in a single match! Even when I got help, I still lost! The way he plays… I don’t know. There’s just something about it that makes it impossible to play against! And it looks so easy, right? It doesn’t look all that special! Until you have to play against him. Then you suddenly realize that it’s impossible to beat him…”

“You think he’s better than Goalie and Yu Ping? Those two from Team Guangzhou and Team Beijing?” Zhejiang’s Jungler asked.

Zuo Cheng nodded and replied, “Definitely. 1,000,000 per cent!”

Sun Ruinian smiled bitterly and chimed in, “He did beat Shi Hang… Honestly, I’d rather face U-Tech Beijing or one of the other big ones than any of the three high school teams. Those kids are just insane!”

The players from Fudan University were also watching the games at the Tianhe Stadium. They were in quiet discussion about the teams they could draw for the next round and which ones they wanted to play against. Their team captain, Qiu Yijie, didn’t participate in this discussion. He wasn’t even listening. He stared past his teammates at the group from Team Shanghai. At their Midlaner. Lin Feng.

Qiu Yijie had received a call from Aurous a couple of days ago. Aurous was also a student at Fudan University and had played on the university’s esports team before going professional. He told me to be careful about Team Shanghai. That we should pray that we don’t meet them and that if we do that we have to give it our all… And that the rest depends on luck… What was that about? We beat Team Shanghai in the East China Regionals finals. I know they didn’t look quite on their game, and their Midlaner was sniffing, maybe sick, but that can’t make that much of a difference, right?

“Yo, Captain, what do you think? You wanna play Team Shanghai?” Fudan’s Toplaner asked.

Qiu Yijie looked at his teammates and shook his head. He replied, “No. Aurous sounded serious. He wouldn’t tell me why, or rather he said that he didn’t know either. But he did say that Shi Hang knows something and that it has to do with Team Shanghai’s Midlaner. There is something about that kid. I’m not sure if we want to find out what that is by playing against them. Let’s just hope we don’t see them again until we reach the finals.” He turned his head to look back at Lin Feng again. Aurous said that Shi Hang values the kid higher than he does Aurous! That’s just… What’s so special about that kid? He glanced at the players from Team Guangzhou and then the players from Team Beijing. I thought those two teams were going to be strongest at this tournament, but from the way Aurous was talking… I don’t know what to think anymore. He took a long, deep breath. If Aurous takes the effort to call me just to warn me about this Lin Feng… Yeah. That’s serious. I’ll take him seriously. We’re going to be watching Team Shanghai.

The other university teams still competing didn’t have the information the players from Zhejiang University and Fudan University had. They judged Team Shanghai on the games they’d seen and concluded that Team Guangzhou and Team Beijing were simply better. But there was one thing everyone agreed on. The high school teams weren’t here to gain experience, they’d come to win.

Fan Yuan was the coach for Team Beijing. He looked at his players and said, “It’s best if we don’t meet Team Guangzhou this early on in the tournament. We’re a strong team, true. But with their two Korean imports, they’re really strong too. I rate them at at least A grade. They’ve also got the home field advantage. The crowd basically counts as the 6th man on their roster.” He paused briefly and then continued, “But if we do end up drawing them, I want you guys to be careful. Any other team, you guys can do whatever. But against Team Guangzhou, I want you guys to be careful.”

Zhang Hongyi, Support for Team Beijing, nodded and replied, “There’s no way they’ll make the real finals match happen this early. I just hope we get matched up against Team Shanghai.” He looked towards Team Shanghai’s section in the player seating area. He then sneered and added, “I’m itching to knock those noobs out.”

There was a similar conversation happening in Team Guangzhou’s camp. Team Guangzhou’s coach got the attention of the players and said, “Your only real opponent in this tournament is Team Beijing. They’ve been hiding their best players, so we don’t even know just how strong they are. I don’t want you guys to hold anything back against them!” He then chuckled and added, “I, of course, have complete confidence in our team. I don’t think Goalie and Seo won’t have any problems carrying us to an easy win. Still, I’d rather we draw a weak opponent for the next round.”

Goalie grinned and replied, “No need to worry. All teams here are weak.”

Seo nodded and mumbled, “Yeah.” He then looked in the direction of Team Shanghai, narrowing his eyes. He slowly said, “I just hope that the weak opponent is Team Shanghai. Getting rid of a high school team will be great for the Guangzhou Esports Association, and that team is the obvious first target. I’ll stomp them! Easy win for us!”

Lin Feng listened to Zeng Rui explaining to the rest of the team that they didn’t want to face Team Guangzhou or Team Beijing in the next round. He scratched the back of his head, confused. A few minutes later, he couldn’t keep listening any longer. He asked, “Why are you worrying so much about playing them in the next round? We’re going to win the whole tournament, so we’ll play them at some point anyway. Why not just get them out of the way?”

Zeng Rui sighed loudly and explained, “Because if we play against an easier opponent now, we can hide more of our tactics for stronger opponents at a later stage of the tournament. For example, if Team Beijing and Team Guangzhou get matches against each other, we only have to beat one of them. That’s one less opponent for us to make a specialized tactic for. Then there’s also–”

“Who cares! We’ll win anyway!” Lin Feng interrupted. He pumped his fist in the air and added, “You guys have got me!”

An Xin giggled and said, “When you talk like that, we only start to worry more.”

Tang Bingyao nodded and said, “Mhm! What BunBun says.”

“Hey! What does that mean!?” Lin Feng exclaimed.

Su Xue rolled her eyes and explained, “That whenever you go off on one of your rants, you end up screwing up something. That’s the joke… and the truth. God, this really isn’t any fun when you’ve got to explain it. Just laugh next time!”

The two matches finished at noon. Lin Feng was already itching on the edge of his seat, rubbing his stomach and shouting, “Let’s go! It’s lunch time! I’m hungry! There’s this restaurant that Fatty and I talked about that has the perfect lunch for when you’re really hungry! Their sizes are the biggest in all of Guangzhou!”

Su Xue looked at Lin Feng, speechless, and finally muttered, “But I got you several meat buns already… How are you hungry again?”

“I just am!” Lin Feng exclaimed. He got up from his seat and started walking towards the exit, just like everyone else in the stadium. Su Xue got up in practiced motion and followed closely behind him, as did Chu Fang. But the others weren’t as fast. Chu Fang looked over his shoulder and saw them mixed with several other teams. He then turned to look at the other seats on the grass and the stands above. Everyone was being led to the same exit. Shit! It’s going to get way too crowded! He shouted after Lin Feng, “Hey! LIN FENG! Slow down! Wait for the others! It’s going to get really crowded! Let’s go as a group!”

Chapter 346 – Taking a Break From League by Playing League

Seo trailed behind his teammates as he walked down the stage at the Tianhe Stadium. His gaze was locked on Tang Bingyao and An Xin. He slowly went down the steps while scratching his throat and smiling. I’ll get you two bitches! You’re dead! Both of you! When we play, I’ma show you what it means to be a Korean Challenger! You’re gonna learn why everyone says we’re the best! And then… His smile grew wider. Then I’ll have you beg on your knees for me to take you!

Lin Feng sat with his teammates in the player seating area. He’d been looking at Goalie’s pale face, excited. Now he glanced behind Team Guangzhou’s Midlaner at the rest of their team, until he finally noticed Seo. He scrunched his eyebrows and said, “What’s that guy doing? Does he have an itch or something? And why’s he smiling like that at us? He looks like a creep!”

Tang Bingyao nodded and mumbled, “Mhm!”

“He’s Team Guangzhou’s ad-carry. Seo,” An Xin explained, smiling. She then turned her head to look at Lin Feng and added, “But don’t worry about him. You just focus on Goalie.”

Lin Feng nodded slowly. Then he clenched his fist and pumped it up in the air. He shouted, “No need! He’s clearly challenging us! I’ll take his challenge! I’m going to stomp Goalie and him both! Actually…” he ruffled his hair. “… I can play ad-carry too. There’s something about his face… I just wanna stomp him!”

“No,” Zeng Rui interjected.

“What Zeng Rui says,” An Xin said. She then turned her head to look at Tang Bingyao and asked, “You want to beat him, right?”

“MHM!” Tang Bingyao replied, nodding fervently. She stared at Seo and narrowed her eyes. I’ll show him! Mhm! His Korean Challenger status doesn’t mean anything! I’m better than that!

Zeng Rui massaged his temples and sighed. That Seo is definitely better than Tang Tang. But not by much, and Tang Tang is getting better. If she has a good game, anything is possible! More importantly, their Support is B+ at best judging from these two games. That’s far worse than me. Worst case, we go even in lane. Best case, BunBun comes around for a gank and we carry the entire game before the thundering dumbass can! He took a long, deep breath and said, “Bot is for me and Tang Tang to worry about. You stay away from it.”

Lin Feng scratched the back of his head and mumbled, “Are you guys sure? I mean… I can ad-carry a game. I’m really good at–”

“SHUT IT!” An Xin yelped. She glared at Lin Feng and lectured, “Goalie is Team Guangzhou’s best player. By far! You’re going to focus on the mid lane and beat him! I don’t want to hear another word about bot coming from you! Mid! MID!”

“Ok, ok!” Lin Feng replied.

Team Shanghai had dinner at the third ranked restaurant on the list Lin Feng and Fatty had created. The main reason for this high ranking was the chicken cutlet, a must have dish for any restaurant Lin Feng visited. He ordered it as hors d’oeuvre, appetizer, salad, main course and dessert. And when the waiter came around to ask if they were enjoying the food, he asked if his main course portion could be bigger and if they could add a scoop of chicken cutlet flavoured ice with the chicken cutlet.

No one else was especially hungry watching Lin Feng eat. They prodded their food with their chopsticks and took a couple of small bits. When Chu Fang’s phone vibrated, he gladfully grabbed it and checked it. His eyes lit up as he read the message. He then looked up at the team members from Team Shanghai and said, “I just got a message from the organizers. We are not drawn for the next round, which means we get to skip straight to the Round of 16!”

Zeng Rui nodded and said, “The four teams that got drawn will play tomorrow–”

“AWESOME!” Lin Feng exclaimed. He grinned and said, “That means we’re free the whole day tomorrow! We can go and explore Guangzhou! I can get the Ashe plushy! And there’s still so many restaurants I have to visit! You know this is only the second best chicken cutlet place!?”

Zeng Rui’s eyes grew wide. Calm, calm. He said through gritted teeth, “Stop. Even if we don’t play, we’re still going to watch the teams that do. And I also want to get in some practice. There won’t be much free time.”

Su Xue’s phone started buzzing and flashing with lights, pulling everyone’s attention towards it. She grabbed it from the table and looked at the message. She then sighed and complained, “That was a message from Huya… They’re saying that I have to wait another day. They’ll tell me when the match ups for the next round are announced. So tomorrow afternoon I think?” She groaned. Just get it over with! Make this suffering end! If you’re going to make me cast some game between two teams I don’t know, just tell me so I can start cramming! I’ll learn their players and their champions and the way they play and with Lin Feng I can ask him questions and then maybe I won’t… Argh!

Lin Feng dragged everyone out of the restaurant and down a busy street. He’d spent the last 10 minutes convincing them that they could take a night off and that they could continue practicing the next day. He argued that a rest day was just as important, if not more important than a training day. It was when An Xin nodded to this argument that Zeng Rui accepted that they wouldn’t go practice with Zhejiang University again.

Lin Feng looked around him at the buildings rising high up into the sky. I think it was left here, or right? Uhm… He glanced over his shoulder at An Xin, who smiled and pointed right with her head. He grinned and shouted, “We’re turning right here! It’s right over here!”

The group walked into the commercial district of Guangzhou. There were shops on both sides of the street. Vendors were announcing their goods and flashy boards drew many eyes. But Lin Feng ignored all of this. He walked straight towards a small shop at the far end of the street. Outside of the shop stood a claw machine with League of Legends plushies inside.

Zeng Rui shook his head and asked, “Did we really skip training so that you could get a plushy…?”

“Wow…” Su Xue mumbled. She looked at Lin Feng and asked, “How old are you? Are you really this excited about a claw machine…?”

Lin Feng wasn’t listening to what the others said. He grabbed a bill from his pocket and waved it in the air. He said, “I came prepared! I brought enough for 10 tries! That Ashe is mine!”

The group gathered around the claw machine and watched Lin Feng operate the machine. They watched him grab nothing, grab one of the few plushies that wasn’t League of Legends themed and grab two League of Legends themed plushies. But neither was Ashe. They then saw his shoulders drop, his smile turning upside down.

Lin Feng let his head drop forward and quietly asked, “Any of you guys got some spare change?”

Zhang Hao shook his head, Zeng Rui ignored Lin Feng and walked over to Chu Fang to discuss something related to the Winter Collegiate Cup and An Xin just shook her head. Su Xue pulled out some money and smiled. But she didn’t let Lin Feng play. She pushed him aside and gave the machine a try herself. She failed at both her attempts and gave up. Finally, there was just Tang Bingyao left. Lin Feng looked at her, expectantly.

Tang Bingyao looked at Lin Feng and pushed her lips together. He really seems to want this. And I’ve got… She grabbed her purse and checked how much money she had left. I still have a bit. Should I…? She glanced at Lin Feng and saw the hope in his eyes. She bit on her lips, something swirling in her stomach. Mhm. For him. She took out the money and said, “Here. This is all I have.”

“Thanks!” Lin Feng exclaimed. He grabbed the money and added, “I’ll get you one!”

Lin Feng failed the first time. And the second time. But on his third attempt he got a League of Legends themed plushy. It was a small Lulu. He grabbed it, frowning. Sulking. He gave it to Tang Bingyao and muttered, “Here…”

Su Xue looked at Lin Feng with large eyes and said, “Woah! Nice! You got four of them! I never get any from these stupid machines! Those claws are rigged!”

Lin Feng frowned and complained, “But I didn’t get the Ashe. I really wanted the Ashe…”

Zhang Hao leaned in for a closer look and said, “You were trying to get the Ashe? Dude… She’s in the corner! Those are impossible to grab! You’re never going to get that one!”

Tang Bingyao stepped closer and looked through the glass panels into the claw machine and nodded. She said, “Mhm. Zhang Hao is right. You can’t get that one.”

“Really?” Lin Feng asked. He kicked against the machine and complained, “That’s the only one I wanted…”

An Xin shook her head. That idiot. Why is he still thinking about that? I told him it’s fine! She breathed out loudly and said, “Let’s look around some more! There is so much to do here!”

Lin Feng had forgotten about the Ashe plushy shortly after leaving the claw machine behind and spent the next hour having fun with his teammates. Now, back at the hotel, he was entering his gaming mode. He looked at Chu Fang and asked, “Do you have a laptop for me? I need to rank.”

“Rank? Now? Isn’t it about time to go to bed?” Chu Fang replied, confused. He added, “Weren’t you the one saying you guys needed a rest day? You were whining about it every second you didn’t have food in your mouth during dinner!”

“For the team, yeah,” Lin Feng said. He shrugged and added, “But I made a promise to One and I will keep it. If I don’t, he’ll get mad at me again.”

“One?” Chu Fang blurted. He stared at Lin Feng and repeated, “One?”

Lin Feng nodded and said, “Yeah, One! I promised to climb the Korean ladder. Do you have a laptop for me?”

“Yeah, yeah I do,” Chu Fang replied. He walked over to his suitcase and retrieved a laptop from it. Promised to climb the Korean ladder? What does he want Lin Feng to do? Get to Challenger? No, that’s too easy, right? This is One! The best player ever! He won’t be satisfied with Challenger. How high does he want Lin Feng to go…?

Lin Feng grabbed the laptop from Chu Fang and sat it down on the table. He then sat down behind it and booted it up. The screen flashed to life and he was already moving the mouse to start the League of Legends client.

Chu Fang sat down next to Lin Feng and looked at the screen. At the username Lin Feng typed out. CN•HOOK2? Oh shit! That’s… He said, “That’s One’s account!”

“Yup!” Lin Feng replied. He glanced at Chu Fang and continued, “One is lending me his account. But he told me the account is mine if I can get it to top 5 in Korean Challenger!”

“Top 5?” Chu Fang muttered, his eyes wide in shock. “That’s insane! I don’t think there’s a single Chinese player who’s ever managed to get to the Top 5 yet! We’ve had a few who got high up there, but Top 5? That’s right next to… next to him.”

Lin Feng scratched the back of his head and said, “I think it’s doable. The only big constraint is time. There isn’t much time left.”

“Is that so…” Chu Fang replied. He chuckled and shook his head. Other Chinese players are all talking about their skill and how it’s too hard to get to the Top 5, yet this kid here is talking like it’s just a matter of time… Well, then again he is Maple. If anyone is good enough to get that high, it’s him. And with how far he’s already come… He might really get up there! How amazing would that be!? We can finally make those Koreans shut up for once! Show them that we’ve also got some really good players!

Lin Feng played on the Korean server from China. From a hotel. The internet wasn’t great and the distance meant that the connection was always going to be worse. He played with a rather high latency. But he didn’t let that get to him. He played Ryze, a Champion that didn’t rely on skillshots, and won the first game with great ease. He mumbled, “Not great, but I can make this work. Just a bit of lag. I’ll just ignore it.” He then clicked on the Play button and queued up for a second game.

A soft knocking sound came from the door. Lin Feng glanced over and said, “Chu Fang, can you check who it is?”

Chu Fang grinned. Delegating, huh? He said, “Yes, sir!” Then got up from his chair and opened the door to An Xin.

An Xin had just gotten out of the shower. Her hair was still damp and she smelled of lavender. She wore the hotel’s bathrobe and a pair of slippers. She smiled at Chu Fang and said, “Hi!”

“BunBun?” Chu Fang said, surprised. “You’re not sleeping either?”

An Xin giggled and replied, “I just got out of the shower. Tang Tang is already sleeping and I’m not feeling tired yet, so I figured I’d come and see if you guys were still up.” She pointed past Chu Fang at Lin Feng and added, “That guy never sleeps.”

Chu Fang chuckled and said, “That sounds about right.” He then nodded at Lin Feng and continued, “He just got into another game. You join him. I’ll go walk down the hallways for a bit.”

An Xin’s eyes went round and her cheeks burned red hot. She yelped, “Chu Fang!”

Chu Fang just grinned and brushed past An Xin. He said over his shoulder, “You two have fun. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”

“Yeah, See you,” Lin Feng said, absentmindedly. His focus was on his monitor, which was displaying Champion Select.

An Xin closed the door of the room behind her and walked up to Lin Feng. She looked over his shoulder at the screen and asked, “What are you doing? Playing ranked?”

Lin Feng nodded and replied, “Yeah. Getting into my second game.”

“Oh?” An Xin mumbled. She pointed at the Korean characters on the client and asked, “Is this the Korean server? And that name… Wait, this is One’s account! You’re still doing that?”

“Yeah,” Lin Feng replied. He then shook his head and grumbled, “The internet here sucks though. It’s almost impossible to play with this ping!”

An Xin sat down next to Lin Feng and replied, “Take it as a handicap. It’ll be good training for you.”

“But it makes climbing so much harder,” Lin Feng argued.

“But it’s good for you,” An Xin argued back.

Lin Feng glanced at her and started, “But–” But stopped when he saw her shaking her head. He bit on his lips, holding back the arguments that were appearing in his mind, and finally asked, “Right, didn’t Five give you her account? Did you play on it yet? I’ve checked it a few times, but I never see you on it. I think I’ve got you on my friendslist too!”

“Uhh…” An Xin muttered, caught off guard. I still didn’t tell him about my… condition. It’s been okay lately, but I really can’t do anything extra, like playing on that account. Do I… She closed her eyes and said, “The internet at home is pretty bad lately. I can’t play with that much ping.”

“Damn internet,” Lin Feng replied. He shook his head and continued, “If only it would work like it should for once! If it wasn’t for my promise to One, I wouldn’t be forcing through this damn ping either! Like, look at that! It’s over a hundred!”

“Are you going to complain about that all game long?” An Xin asked.

Lin Feng nodded and said, “Probably, yeah. Look at that ping! Would you not? I’m telling you, I can stomp this Ezreal without this latency. But now? Now I’ll have to actually try to stomp him!”

An Xin watched Lin Feng’s Ryze walk from the fountain to the lane. Watched him land every single last hit, despite the high latency, and saw how he was forcing the Ezreal back. He’s still too good. Except earlier… She turned her head to look at Lin Feng and paused. He was trying so hard for that Ashe… She finally said, “Lin Feng?”

“Hmm?” Lin Feng replied.

An Xin took a deep breath and then asked, “At the claw machine earlier, were you doing that for me? Getting the Ashe, I mean.”