The host of the Semifinals announced the individual players of High School 13 and Shanghai International as they made their way up the stage. Lin Feng basked in the cheers from the crowd, waving to them and laughing as he walked up. The rest of his team was a little bit more nervous, focused on their rivals on the other side of the stage. Those rivals, the players from Shanghai International, weren’t smiling or laughing. They were calm, aloof. High School 13 wasn’t their opponent. There was no reason to get excited for this series. They would blitzkrieg their way to the Finals.

High School 13 was a fairly average school. Their clubs never made it far in the big tournaments, regardless of the sport. The recent achievements by the esports club were an exception. That made it so much more remarkable. The students had been talking about it all week, and a large number of them had come to cheer their team on. They wanted to be that 6th member of the team and give their club that extra boost of motivation by cheering as loudly as they could.

“High School 13! High School 13! It’s all skill! No luck! Skill!”
“We’re going to the Finals! We’re going to the Finals!”
“I love you, Lin Feng!”
“Tang Bingyao is the best ad-carry! Liu Zhengjie is a noob!”
“We’re the best! Rock on, Ouyang!”
“Show those guys from Shanghai International who’s Boss!”

The students from High School 13 kept cheering at the top of their lungs, uncaring of the looks and glances from the people in the crowd. They didn’t care what others thought about them. They were here to support their team, and supporting them was exactly what they would do! In stark contrast, the students from Shanghai International were much more reserved. They believed that their team was far superior to High School 13. There was no need to cheer, or show their support. Their team would win. They were just here to watch it happen. And in that frame of mind, the cheers from High School 13’s students were more than a little annoying.

“What is wrong with those idiots? Can’t they shut up?”
“I don’t know, man. Fucking country bumpkins.”
“So excited over making it to the Semifinals. I’d almost feel bad for them…”
“Haha. Can you imagine? Losing to them? What a joke!”
“Right? You know, if they win, I’ll eat my shoe!”
“Haha! How did these idiots even make it to the Semifinals? Did they get an easy draw or something?”
“It’s all luck. They’ve got the easy opponent in every round. I’m thinking it might be rigged.”
“None of that matters. Now we have an easy way to the Finals.”

✹

The players from Shanghai High School found their seats in the special viewing area right below the stage. They sat down and watched High School 13 and Shanghai International get ready for the match. The ad-carry turned to his teammates sitting next to him and said, “Shanghai International is winning this one, right?”

“Probably, yeah…” the Jungler said. Then he thought of something and added, “So that’s another repeat of last year. It’s gonna be us versus them in the Finals again… Kinda  boring to be honest.” He relaxed back in his chair, putting his feet up on the railing in front of him.

“Does it really matter?” the Toplaner asked. He shook his head and grinned, apathetic about the outcome. “We’re going to win regardless of who we play against. Neither team has anything on us.”

Zeng Rui listened to his teammates talk, but didn’t join in. It was a pointless discussion, in his opinion. He’d watched both teams play and analyzed them. Shanghai International was the better team. They would make it to the Finals and High School 13 would lose. He looked up at the stage and the players on both teams. Shanghai International has the same team as always. As expected. High School 13 has… He blinked his eyes and took a second look. Who is she? He hadn’t even seen who the players were before his eyes were drawn to the girl pacing back and forth behind the team. Did they get a coach?

✹

“On the Blue Team, we have High School 13! And on the Red Team, we have Shanghai International!”

The host riled up the crowd one more time as the two teams entered Champion Select. It was the start of the game! First was the banning phase. Both teams could ban three Champions. There were no big surprises here. They banned six Champions who were very strong in the current meta, like Darius and Hecarim. Then High School 13 was the first to lock in a Champion. They chose Jarvan IV. He was a strong Jungler and a relatively safe choice. There were no Champions who could completely shut him down purely based on their kits. It would come down to skill.

Shanghai International picked the next two Champions. They went with the same tactic as High School 13 by picking two safe choices. Their Champions were Lee Sin, a great Jungler, and Leona who was a strong Support.

The next two Champions would be selected by High School 13. There was a brief discussion going on, leaving the crowd waiting. Then, they locked in Annie and Draven. This pick provoked gasps from the crowd. Draven was an aggressive Champion. He was very strong once he got going, but until then, Shanghai International had every chance to shut him down, especially when he got picked so early in Champion Select. But that wasn’t how the lively crowd from High School 13 saw it. They knew about Tang Bingyao’s Draven. The video of her match against Senior Class 8 had been passed around the school all week. Her Draven was phenomenal! She was going to carry the team to a win!

Yan Liang was Shanghai International’s Midlaner and team captain. He’d done his research and wasn’t the least bit surprised when he saw the Draven pick. But there was still a frown on his face. “Annie?” he muttered. That pick had caught him off guard. He’d done his research. He knew which player favoured which Champions. But Annie wasn’t on that list. Where is she going? Annie could be played almost everywhere. But in the current meta, she was mostly played in Support and sometimes in the top lane. That didn’t change the fact she was a mage who could go into mid lane or even jungle.

“It’s going to be Support Annie for sure,” Liu Zhengjie said, distracting Yan Liang from his thoughts. He sneered, condescendingly, and said, “Annie and Draven, huh? That’s some big damage early game. I can see what they’re trying to go for. But it won’t work. Not against me.” He grinned, confident. It doesn’t matter what they try. I’m half a pro. They can’t beat me.

Yan Liang glanced over at Liu Zhengjie and nodded. “You’re right. That should be it. Sivir has a spellshield, pick her. Let’s make that Annie useless.”

Shanghai International locked in Sivir and Twisted Fate. Sivir was an ad-carry with a Spell Shield. This was a barrier that blocked damage, but also crowd control. Annie was a Champion with powerful crowd control, so Sivir was the obvious pick. As for Twisted Fate. He was a mage with a lot of map pressure. That could only work in Shanghai International’s favour. His map-wide teleports could change the dynamic of any teamfight! Yan Liang had thought of all of this and then some more. If I team up with Lee, we can get a few early ganks in bot and make the Annie and Draven useless, hehe.

However, all the plans that Shanghai International had made in the last couple of seconds were thrown right out the window again. It turned out that the Annie wasn’t a Support, not in this game at least. High School 13 locked in their fourth and fifth Champion. Braum and Malphite. Braum was a Support and Malphite was a Toplaner. That could only mean that Annie was going in the mid lane.

Right below the stage, Shanghai High School was watching the Champion Select. Including Zeng Rui. The initial disinterest from his face disappeared without a trace, replaced by a hint of surprise. He looked at the girl who was still pacing back and forth behind High School 13’s team. Did she plan this? He tried to read the expression on her face. But she wasn’t looking in his direction, so he couldn’t tell. “That was clever,” he mumbled.

“Shit,” Yan Liang cursed. They were wrong. Their whole plan had collapsed. And worst of all, Annie was really strong against Twisted Fate. Shit! How did we not see this coming? He grinded his teeth, looking at the Champion icon of his Twisted Fate. No one plays her in mid anymore. Why… It made no sense to him. Annie was a powerful Support and she paired well together with Draven. She was supposed to go Support! “Shit!”

In stark contrast to the frustrated Yan Liang, Lin Feng had that familiar wide grin on his face. It was a combination of confidence and joy. This was the outcome he’d been hoping for. It felt so good when Yan Liang locked in that Twisted Fate. It secured his win. He looked over his shoulder at An Xin and said, “This is fun!”

An Xin smiled and replied, “Yep. They fell for it. Hook, line, and sinker.” The strategy she’d come up with was a simple and straightforward one. She played Shanghai International a fool in the Champion Select, forcing a favourable match-up for the Annie. Lin Feng would play her in mid. He was good, and a fed Annie was really strong. Together with Tang Bingyao’s Draven, they’d be a menace in the early game, while the other three Champions would shine in the mid game. This was because of the intense crowd control that came from their ultimates. That would give Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao enough time to ace Shanghai International. As for the late game, well, as An Xin had put it, “We don’t need to worry about that.”

Shanghai International hesitated with their fifth pick. Their whole team composition didn’t make sense anymore, and they were trying to come up with an alternative method. But they had already committed. It was too late to make any substantial changes. So they ended up going with Fiora, a strong top lane Champion.

An Xin was happy. Her plan had worked. Now it was up to the team to win. She walked towards the steps leading down the stage, then paused. She turned around and looked at her team. “You can do it, guys. Crush them!” she said.

“Yeah! No worries! We’ll win this, easy!” Lin Feng laughed, confident.

Tang Bingyao nodded, smiling, and said, “Mhm, leave bot to us.”

✹

《Welcome to Summoner’s Rift!》

Lin Feng took a deep, long breath. The grin disappeared from his face. It was replaced by an expression that looked calm, yet determined. He placed his right hand on the mouse and his left on the keyboard. His eighth grader syndrome flared. He mumbled in a voice only audible to him, “You wanna play too? It’ll be fun!” There was no more rut. No more frustrations at his own inabilities. No more struggling. An Xin had taken care of all of that with her arrival. He was free. Right now, there was only him and Annie. Everything else around him disappeared. The venue. The crowd and the noise they made. The teammates sitting next to him. He smiled and made his best Annie imitation, saying, “Play time!”

“For our first match in the Semifinals of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament, we have Tonji Affiliated High versus Shanghai High School!”

The first Shanghai 16 School Tournament Semifinal was about to begin. Both teams stepped up onto stage, while the host announced the individual players. Shouts and cheers came from a quarter of the crowd, while the rest were booing. It was a fun contest to see which school had brought with them the biggest crowd. The players from both teams sat down behind their computers, waving at the crowd and preparing for the upcoming best of five series. They were only three games from making it to the Finals!

The esports team from High School 13 was backstage, looking out onto the crowd. Ren Rou scanned over the students from High School 13 who’d come to watch and smiled. “That’s a nice crowd,” she said. “I recognize some people from our school. I think more will come after this first series is finished. There should be more room then.”

Yang Fan adjusted his glasses and said, “Tonji and Shanghai High School are both really strong teams. They should both be able to take this series. I’m thinking this will be a very close match-up. I wonder who’ll win it.”

“Probably Shanghai High School,” Ouyang answered, almost bored. “They won last year and their individual members are just better. Watch them destroy Tonji.”

Wei Dong nodded and added, “Yeah. Shanghai High School has Zeng Rui. A top 10 Challenger who specializes in strategies and shotcalling. It’s almost unfair that he’s allowed to participate. I wish I could be anywhere near as good…” He’d been there last year, watching the Finals between Shanghai High School and Shanghai International. More specifically, he watched the two Supports. As a Support himself, he hoped to learn a thing or two from them and improve his own game. But he wasn’t prepared for what came to pass. Zeng Rui carried his team with perfect strategies and even better shotcalling. Every ward placed by him proved useful. Every play initiated by him ended in a win. Everything he did helped his team get closer to victory, until they won.

Lin Feng waved his hand dismissively and said, “Oh, that’s fine. BunBun is a way better strategist than that Zeng Rui! And she’s also a better shotcaller! BunBun is better in every way!”

Perhaps for the first time, An Xin didn’t glare at Lin Feng. She didn’t hit him on the head with a book or pulled him by the ear. She smiled, kindly, and brushed her hair behind her ear. “Yup! I’m better than whoever that guy is. Our strategy will be a lot better. You guys don’t have to worry about that. Just play your best!”

✹

It all happened so fast. The crowd was stunned speechless, as were the organizers. Tonji Affiliated High versus Shanghai High School was supposed to be a thriller of a series. Both teams were highly regarded and strong rivals. But the games weren’t all that fun to watch for the neutral fan. Shanghai High School won easily. They showed everyone just how much better they were than their direct competition. It was a clean sweep. 3 – 0. The longest game lasted for 28 minutes, while the shortest only took 21 minutes. There was no flair to it, no amazing or beautiful skills. It was the raw skill of a master strategist. Zeng Rui had completely outplayed Tonji Affiliated High before the games even started.

The players from Tonji Affiliated High sat in their chairs, staring at the post game lobby. Three losses. They hadn’t stood a chance. The players from Shanghai High School walked up to them for the customary shaking of hands at the end of a game. The crowd started cheering in the background, a painful reminder of all the students from their school who’d watched them play just now. They felt numb. This wasn’t how they pictured this night would go. They could hear the players from Shanghai High School laughing and joking. Those guys were happy…

Shanghai High School’s team gathered at the center of the stage. The crowd was clapping and cheering for them. They recognized classmates and friends and waved in their direction. They started clapping themselves and then made a bow towards the audience, thanking them for their support. Then they walked down the stage, laughing and congratulating each other on a game well played. Except for Zeng Rui. He didn’t join in with the rest of this team. Rather, he trailed behind them, calm as ever. Tonji Affiliated High was never their opponent. He knew that. This win meant nothing to him.

Chu Fang welcomed both teams backstage and congratulated Shanghai High School on their stellar performance. He said some pleasantries to them and didn’t  forget to add that he felt they were even better than last year. This last part was especially true. The Shanghai High School of this year looked almost unbeatable. Zeng Rui had taken that next step since last year, and was looking more and more like a real professional player. He was exactly the kind of talent that the LPL desperately needed. If this was last week, I would’ve said you guys would win… Chu Fang looked at High School 13’s team that sat below the stage some distance away. But with those two here… He smiled and mumbled under his breath, “With those two here, I’m not so sure anymore.”

✹

The mood in High School 13’s team had dampened some. An Xin’s arrival had given them the confidence that they could take on Shanghai International. This was an opponent who went toe-to-toe with Shanghai High School last year. But that was then and this was now. They’d just watched Shanghai High School. That team was good. It was far better than they’d ever expected. That pressure that they’d escaped from came back, weighing down on them. Their confidence took a nosedive.

Chen Ze muttered, dazed, “So that’s Shanghai High School… Damn.”

Tang Bingyao nodded and said, “Mhm. Their bot lane is really good. I don’t think we’re strong enough to take them on.” She wasn’t talking down on herself, or lacking confidence. She knew how good she was, and she’d just seen how good Zeng Rui and his ad-carry were. They were better. It was that simple. She became better every day, both individually and in her synergy with Wei Dong, but it was far from enough to beat Shanghai High School. Zeng Rui was really good.

An Xin looked in the direction of the backstage area, where Shanghai High School had just disappeared to, thinking. Then she looked at the others and said, “Yup. They’re better than I expected. I’ll have to go over my strategy for the Finals again and make some changes.”

Lin Feng laughed, unconcerned, and said, “It’s fine! We’ll win anyway! It doesn’t matter how good their Support guy is, you’re better at strategizing! We’re going to win!”

An Xin glared at Lin Feng, her lips curving up into that terrifying smile. “You idiot,” she said, raising her arm, scaring Lin Feng. “It’s not that simple!” Then she rubbed her chin, thinking. But a few moments later she shook her head. “That’s for later. Our game is starting soon. Let’s get ready for that.”

“For our second match in the Semifinals of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament, we have High School 13 versus Shanghai International!”

As if on cue, the host announced the second match. The players from High School 13 stood up from their seats and were about to walk towards the stage, when they noticed something from the corners of their eyes. Further down the row, the players from Shanghai International also got up from their seats. They looked at Ouyang and Ren Rou, recalling what happened a week ago. They’d exchanged some banter, until Chu Fang came running over. Against all their expectations, Chu Fang didn’t come for them.

Liu Zhengjie glared at the kid behind Ouyang. He couldn’t even remember the name. But he did remember how Chu Fang greeted that kid. How Chu Fang pushed him aside to get to that kid. How Chu Fang had dared to ignore him! That god fucking shithead! I’ll fucking strangle him! He felt the anger coming right back to him. I’ll show you how shit they are! They’re trash! I’ll kick them down! He sneered at the players from High School 13, then put his finger on his neck and drew a sharp line, mouthing, “You’re dead.”

Ren Rou put her arm around Ouyang, holding him back before he could try anything. Which he did. He raised his fists and shouted, “Let me go, Rou Rou! That fucker! We need to teach him a lesson! Last week clearly wasn’t enough for him! He wants some more! Just let me punch that stupid grin off his face!”

“Calm down, Ouyang. It’s not worth it. Let’s beat him in the game,” Ren Rou said, trying desperately to calm him down, but to little success.

“They do seem a bit full of themselves,” An Xin mumbled. “Well, since that’s the case…” She turned to the team with that same smile on her face that she had when Lin Feng said something stupid again. That smile that looked like anything but a smile. That smile that sent a shiver running up and down the spine. She said, “I expect a clean sweep. Kick them down! And then kick some more! Don’t let them get back up.”

“Yeah! Let’s win this game! It’s going to be super easy!” Lin Feng cheered, striking his victory pose.

The day of redemption had arrived. It was Friday. Tonight, High School 13 would face off against Shanghai International for the first time since the incident. Ouyang still had flashbacks of what happened last year, as did Yang Fan and the others involved. But this year was different. They’d upgraded several key positions, most notably mid and ad-carry. On top of that, they now had a real coach. They were nothing like the team that participated in the tournament last year, and they were eager to show how far they’d come. Tonight would be the night of Shanghai International’s demise!

The Semifinals of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament on Friday were only the start of a weekend packed with action. As early as the next day were the Finals. The trophy that Ouyang wanted so badly was up for grabs. They just had to get there and take it. And then, later on that very same day, were the Grand Finals for the League of Legends World Championships! They would get to watch the best teams in the world, featuring the best players in the world, face off against each other in an epic best of 5 series! It promised to be an exciting weekend full of League of Legends and fans everywhere were counting down the hours and minutes until the action would start.

News of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament buzzed through the hallways of High School 13.  Their school had made it to the Semifinals and it looked like they could go the distance! Everyone was suddenly a League of Legends fan and expert. And they were all looking forward to supporting their team! It was just unfortunate that the governing body of the school didn’t share in this enthusiasm. Ren Rou had asked for their help in advertising for the event. The principal had responded through Mr. Zhou. He was impressed with the team’s performance, he said. He also claimed that he wanted to help the team. But, only if they made it to the Finals. There was just one small problem with that. The Finals were on Saturday, a day after the Semifinals. There was no school on Saturday. So the esports team wasn’t going to get any help. Fortunately, word of mouth was a powerful tool and the news eventually made its way around the whole school.

The classroom that was most excited about the tournament was Senior Class 7. This was because most of the team members were in this class. Six to be exact, including Ren Rou. They were currently enjoying their break together in the back of the classroom, chatting about the upcoming series against Shanghai International.

“Just this morning there were like at least 10 people who came to ask me about the tournament!” Ouyang said, just about jumping from his chair in excitement. “Can you guys imagine it already? There’s going to be hundreds of people from our school coming to cheer us on tonight! It’s going to be epic!”

Yang Fan adjusted his glasses and said, “Everybody’s looking really excited about our Semifinals match. Then again, we’ve never gotten this far before. That really helps build up the hype. I also think there’ll be a lot of people coming to cheer us on tonight.”

“They’ll come to watch us win! And then tomorrow we’re getting the trophy!” Lin Feng shouted, grinning. Then a thick, heavy book landed on his head. “OW! What the…” He painfully rubbed his head, glaring at An Xin.

An Xin put the book back down on her desk, ignoring Lin Feng’s pitiful glare as though he didn’t exist. She then turned to the others and smiled, sweet and innocent. “Of course we’re going to win. But it won’t be easy. We have to really go for it. We need that want-to-win mentality. Shanghai International is a strong team. Don’t relax. Don’t get sloppy. Stick to the plan and win.”

✹

The morning turned into afternoon. There was only an hour until the dismissal bell, but the students of High School 13 had long since clocked out. They were thinking about the weekend and all the things they wanted to do over the next two days. Excited conversations spilled out of every classroom and the teachers had a hard time getting any information across. There was one subject that kept coming back up, the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. It wasn’t every day that a school club made it to the Semifinals of a big tournament. Everyone was excited to see if the esports team could also make it to the Finals. There were even students who decided to make it a fun night out. They’d first cheer on their school, and then go out with their friends for a drink and some food.

DING DONG DING DONG!

It was the weekend! The students jumped up from their seats, most already having packed their bags, and raced out of the classrooms and down the hallways. Every second counted! They had two whole days without any obligations! Among them were many who’d decided to watch the esports team take on Shanghai International. They ran for the bus to make it to Pudong in time. There were only 800 seats in the venue and there was nothing worse than standing in the back too far away from the large screen to tell what was going on.

The esports team also rushed out of their classrooms and gathered near the exit of the school. They weren’t in as much a hurry as the other students. Their seats at the tournament were reserved. It didn’t matter if they were 10 minutes earlier or later. They only had to make sure that they were in the optimal condition to play, both physically and mentally.

An Xin looked over the seven members of the team, with Ren Rou standing next to her. She smiled and said, “The game is in a few hours. Put all your other worries aside. Right now, all we care about is the game. If there’s anything, tell me. Besides that, let’s win!”

“WOOT WOOT! We’re going to send those losers packin’!” 

“It’s going to be so satisfying to watch them cry! Hahah!” 

“Watch me kick their asses! I’m going to show them just how shit they really are!” 

“Mhm! Let’s win!” 

“Don’t worry, guys. It’s easy. I got this.”

✹

It took longer than expected to arrive at the tournament venue in Pudong. The High School 13 esports team even had to hurry the last bit. They only had 10 minutes to spare when they finally arrived in the large hall at 6:20 PM. Here, they were briefly dazed by the turn-out.  It was crowded. Packed with students, many of whom they recognized.

Ren Rou led the esports team into the backstage area to sign in. There they met with a familiar figure. Chu Fang was personally welcoming the teams. Well, that was the excuse that he gave. In reality, he was here just to see Lin Feng again. Lin Feng was the most talented player he’d ever met and he wanted to grab every opportunity to build up his relationship with Lin Feng. “Hey! Lin F—” Chu Fang fell silent. He stared at the girl standing next to Lin Feng. She had grown up and her hair was different, but he recognized her instantly. His mouth fell open, then he mumbled, “BunBun?”

An Xin gave a small bow and said, smiling, “Hey, Chu Fang. It’s nice to see you again.”

Chu Fang remembered An Xin as the short girl with the pigtails and glasses. She didn’t look anything like that anymore. But she unmistakingly looked like BunBun. He smiled and asked, “It’s good to see you too. How are you? Last I heard you were going to school in Hangzhou. When did you come to Shanghai?”

“I moved here with my parents last week,” An Xin explained.

“I see… I guess that makes sense. And you transferred to High School 13?” Chu Fang said, grinning. Then he looked over at Lin Feng and shook his head. “You two really are inseparable.”

“What do you mean?” Lin Feng asked. “She only came earlier this week. I hadn’t seen her in months!”

An Xin did understand what Chu Fang meant. Her face flushed red and she fired back, “Haha. Very funny!” She paused, looked at him, and then said, “Don’t joke around like that or I’ll tell Jingyi.”

Chu Fang stopped laughing at the mention of that name. He stepped back, almost looking afraid. Then he put his hands up and said, “Sorry, sorry! I won’t joke around like that again, haha. It was in poor taste. I’m sorry. Please don’t tell Jingyi.”

“That’s what I thought,” An Xin said.

Chu Fang looked at her again and at the people around her, then asked, “You also joined High School 13’s team?”

An Xin nodded and said, “Yep! I’m their coach!”

“Hah.” Chu Fang shook his head, laughing at the absurdity of the situation. Lin Feng and BunBun are on the same team again… She was the coach back then too. And he was Maple. It’s been a few years, but if she’s half as good as she was back then, then she’s basically just as good as a coach on any professional team. Between the two of them, I doubt Shanghai International stands a chance… He sighed and said, “In that case, it seems like you guys have a pretty good shot at making the Finals.”

Lin Feng grinned. This was his cue. He stepped forward and patted his chest. “Hell yeah! We’re winning tonight, and then we’re winning tomorrow, and then that trophy is ours! Just you watch!”

The rest of the esports team took a step back. An Xin took a step towards Lin Feng. She then grabbed him by his ear and yanked him backwards, “You big idiot! We haven’t even played yet. You can dream all about the trophy after we win it. Until then, you focus.”

“OW! But we’ll win! I know it! Watch— Owow! Bunbun! Why do you have to— Ow!” Lin Feng cried out as he followed after An Xin while trying to pull free from her iron grasp.

The clock struck 6:30 PM. An Xin let go of Lin Feng. They had to focus. The other members of the esports team looked into the venue. The stands were packed. There were more people than there were seats, so many of them had to stand in the isles or at the far back, too far away to get a good look at the large screen above the stage. People were talking excitedly about the games, while some would occasionally shout their team’s name through the venue. This was quickly drowned out by the rival school chanting their own name. The venue came to life. The Semifinals of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament was officially beginning!

“Ah!” Tang Bingyao cried out. Her eyes were round and wide and her face red as she looked over at Ouyang and the other guys. They weren’t paying attention to her. She turned back towards Ren Rou and shook her head, hushed-shouting, “N-no! No! Me liking him? No way! Don’t joke around like that! I’d never like someone like him!”

Ren Rou observed Tang Bingyao. The red tint painting her face. The fidgeting with her fingers. The constant glances towards Lin Feng. The signs were everywhere. It was so obvious that Tang Bingyao was crushing hard on Lin Feng. Ren Rou could see it from a mile away. But despite it being so obvious, Tang Bingyao was clueless. She really didn’t know what it was that she felt for Lin Feng. They were feelings unlike any she’d ever had before. She bit on her lips, looking down at her shoes, then said, “R-really… I’m telling you the truth. I don’t like him. I think…” She glanced over at Lin Feng, who was still arguing with An Xin, and whispered. “I… I don’t know…” 

She likes him. Ren Rou sighed and looked at her friend, worried. Aww, Tang Tang. She knew how much Tang Bingyao and Lin Feng hung out together. The whole esports team knew, and they’d all supported the two. The two seemed like they’d make a great couple. But that was then and this was now. She looked over at An Xin, who was raging at Lin Feng, only short of getting ready to beat him to a pulp. Those two… Why did it have to turn out like this? There was a chemistry between Lin Feng and An Xin that wasn’t there between Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao. They could all see it, even Tang Bingyao. Ren Rou turned back to Tang Bingyao and asked, whispering, “Did you tell him? Does he know that you like him?”

Tang Bingyao glanced over at Lin Feng again. He was still talking with An Xin. I didn’t tell him. I wanted to tell him… She looked back down at her shoes and shook her head. “I don’t know…”

Ren Rou nodded. Tang Bingyao is quiet and Lin Feng is oblivious. Go figure. She would have to somehow get herself to spell the words out for him, or he won’t get it. He won’t get it, will he… She looked at Tang Bingyao. She looks so nervous. Ren Rou smiled and put her hand on Tang Bingyao’s shoulder. “So, what are you going to do now?”

“I don’t know,” Tang Bingyao said. “She’s just… better.” She pursed her lips and shook her head. Bunbun is prettier, a better coach, has more of a personality… She has everything I don’t have. How can Lin Feng ever like me when she’s around? She’s so much better than me… The last few words came out of nowhere. She hadn’t thought of them before, not that bluntly anyways. But now she had. And it tore her heart apart. They hurt so much that she felt like crying, only she didn’t. She bit down hard on her lips and then said, again, “I don’t know.”

Ren Rou didn’t say anything. She didn’t know what to say. So she hugged her friend. She took Tang Bingyao in her embrace and pulled her as close as she could. There was nothing else she could think of to comfort Tang Bingyao. They’d been good friends for the last two years. She knew Tang Bingyao better than most. She knew how simple and pure Tang Bingyao was, and how she’d never shown more than a moment of interest in a guy. Until Lin Feng. She was different around him. A little more alive. Her first real crush. It’s going to break her… Ren Rou pulled Tang Bingyao even closer, a deep frown on her face as she glanced over at Lin Feng. Does he feel the same for her? It doesn’t look like it…

✹

Ren Rou had been worried for Tang Bingyao, but it seemed there was nothing to worry about. Tang Bingyao wasn’t suffering from a broken heart. At least, it didn’t look like that. She came to school the same as always, and she trained with the esports team, again, the same as always. In fact, she was playing with more focus than before and it was showing. She was making large strides forward and becoming a better player every session. So much so, that An Xin lacked the superlatives for her.

“Tang Tang is damn good! She’s improving the fastest out of all of you!”
“Look how hard Tang Tang is working! You guys need to be more like her!”
“Great job, Tang Tang! I’m damn impressed!”

The guys were tired of hearing this from An Xin. She sounded like a broken record, though she was completely right. Tang Bingyao was doing better than them, much better. They weren’t blind. They saw it too! But that just made it that much worse. They shook their heads and half-heartedly answered back, “Yeah, yeah. We get it…”

That, of course, was the wrong answer. An Xin smiled that smile of hers. Her lips curved up and almost seemed to reach her ears. Yet her eyes weren’t joyful. There was pleasure in them, but then there was also something else. It wasn’t anger. She wasn’t angry, she was strict. And she didn’t allow any laziness. “Hmm? Did I mishear? You guys didn’t sound like you took my words seriously jutt now.”

Be it Yang Fan or Ouyang, all the boys on the team straightened their backs and nodded, hastily. “Yes, you’re right. We were wrong. It won’t happen again. Sorry, BunBun.” They were scared of her. Genuinely scared. So they did as she asked. They watched Tang Bingyao practice and tried their best to imitate her.

An Xin smiled, satisfied, and said, “That’s what I like to hear.”

✹

It wasn’t only High School 13 that was quickly improving. Su Xue was seeing similar successes, though hers were in the direction of recording gameplay. Lin Feng had been busy with the Semifinals match coming up, so he hadn’t had as much free time to spare for her. So, she ended up playing some games by herself on the Korean server. It was a huge success. She played ad-carry, like she always did. One game in particular stood out. She played Jinx and got two triple kills and even scored a quadra kill! Her score was just short of Legendary! This was more than enough for a good video.

“This is it!” Su Xue cried out, slapping down on her desk in excitement. It was only a game in Gold. There were many commentary videos featuring Gold games. It only had one quadra kill. There were many commentary videos featuring quadra kills and even pentakills. But this was her work. She’d given it her all and created something that she could be proud of! Besides, the gameplay was only one aspect of a commentary video. Perhaps the more important aspect was the commentary itself. That was where she could really set herself apart from the rest.

Su Xue had made several videos by now and tried to make a good and enjoyable commentary for them. But she always felt that something wasn’t quite right. Something felt wrong, or missing. She didn’t know what it was, until this video. This was her own gameplay. She knew exactly what she intended to do in every play, and she was excited to share that with everyone who wanted to listen to it. That was that missing factor. The excitement in her voice as she gave the commentary. It brought her videos alive and to that next level. Lin Feng agreed with her as did the few viewers she showed an early cut of her video to. Now, it was all up to Zuo You to work her magic and make this video really good.

✹

Early on Thursday, during one of the breaks, Ren Rou got called to Mr. Zhou’s office. He was in charge of the school’s clubs. Ren Rou had gone to him before to talk about the Shanghai 16 School Tournament and if they could get the school’s help to invite students to come and cheer them on. Back then, he promised to discuss it with the principal. Now he had good news to share with her. The principal was very impressed with the recent achievements and promised that if the esports club made it to the Finals, he would make a school-wide announcement encouraging students to go and cheer the team on.

“An esports tournament is still a tournament. We don’t care that it starts with an ‘e’,”
“You’re representing our school, and we’re proud of how far you’ve come already.”
“Do your best and I hope to see you guys make it to the Finals.”
“Let’s get that trophy!”

The school officials could help get more students to go and watch the games, but that didn’t mean no one knew about it. In fact, there was a constant buzz in the hallways of High School 13. Everyone was talking about the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. They were one of the top four esports schools in all of Shanghai! This was a massive achievement, something they never knew they cared so much about until now. But they did! The team members became overnight celebrities. Students pointed them out and some even approached them, congratulating them and wishing them all the luck in their next game.

“Aren’t you Ouyang? You’re on the esports team, right? Good luck man! We’re rooting for you!”
“Hey! Liu Yue! I heard about the esports tournament! Good job man! You’re playing Friday, right?”
“Look, look! That’s Tang Bingyao. She’s on the esports team! Good luck, Tang Bingyao! Do your best!”
“Wow! That’s Chen Ze! He’s the Toplaner! You can win this, Chen Ze! We’re cheering for you!”

It was a little strange and difficult to get used to this new fame for the members of the esports team. But beyond the cringe and added pressure, they felt happy and proud. They’d done something great and were getting the recognition for it! Their peers were looking up to them! This was an incredible feeling. It ignited their already strong desire to make it to the Finals as every minute of their day became occupied with League of Legends. They trained and practiced and theorized and did everything they possibly could to prepare for the match, right up until the last moment.

The team trained until later than normal on Thursday. This was their last chance to get some practice in before the game. But they also needed to sleep, or they wouldn’t be in the optimal mental state for the series against Shanghai International. So they eventually ended practice and went home to get a good night’s rest.

Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao walked home together, as they always did. They walked in silence, listening to the sounds of the cars and the passersby. Then Lin Feng looked up at the starry sky. He smiled. He laughed. And then he screamed out, “WE’LL WIN FOR SUUUUUUURREEEEE!”

Tang Bingyao recoiled, caught off guard by the sudden scream. Then she smiled and balled her fist. She pumped the air, imitating Lin Feng’s victory pose, and said, “Yeah! We’ll win!”

✹

An Xin walked out onto the balcony of her apartment in Pudong. She put her arms on the railing and rested her head on them. The sounds of cars and the buzz of people sounded out in the background, with the occasional police siren. She looked up at the sky, though the lights around her made it hard to make out the stars. Her hair fluttered in the wind as a cold wind blew past. This fall was cold. Hmm…

An Xin stood up straight and hugged her jacket tightly, looking over in a particular direction. She smiled a happy smile. It almost looked wrong on her. Hmm. She thought of thoughts that were her thoughts, and hers alone. They would never leave her mind. But these thoughts made her happy. Content. Excited for what was to come.

Lin Feng sat behind his desk in his bedroom. There was a big, thick studybook in front of him, and he was scribbling in a notebook to the side. He was writing down the most important bits of each page and disregarded the rest, not even checking what it was he wrote. That was a worry for when the next test was announced. This was his patented study method; Fast and Furious. Chinese literature, done. Mathematics, done. English, done. In only a short few hours, he finished his homework. He then let go of his pen and leaned back in his chair. “Phew! Done!”

It was only 9 PM, still too early to go to bed. So Lin Feng, almost out of habit, opened the League of Legends client and logged into his Korean account. I’ll just play a couple of games before bed, he thought while queuing up for a game. They were his practiced motions, as was the message he flung into the Champion Select team chat. “Mid plz.” Because that was the role he wanted to play tonight. Slowly, Lin Feng got into the zone.

Game 1: Lin Feng picked Fizz in the mid lane. He bullied his lane opponent and got an early kill at Level 3. From there on out, it was an easy game for him. He brute-forced his way to a 20-minute win.

Game 2: Lin Feng picked Syndra in the mid lane. He bullied his lane opponent and forced them to recall back to base after the first minion wave. The advantage he built up from that was large enough for the opponent to never get back into the game. He carried his team to a 26-minute win.

Game 3: Lin Feng picked Yasuo in the mid lane. He crushed his lane opponent into submission at Level 1. His opponent’s teammates came to help, but he killed them all. That happened only 12 minutes into the game. They gave up and didn’t leave the fountain again. So Lin Feng and his team destroyed the towers in mid lane, then the inhibitor, and finally the nexus. It took them all of 16 minutes.

That’s enough for tonight. Lin Feng looked at his screen, waiting, hesitating. Then he opened his browser and clicked on Favourites. At the top was a link to the Semifinals match between KG and SSK. He opened it and watched it. More specifically, he watched the mid lane, and how Rake and KG’s Midlaner were playing. He watched every small move and studied its effects on the game.

I’ve seen this. I know it. Lin Feng shook his head. The results were no different from last time. Rake gameplay was, as always, perfect. Even KG’s Midlaner was better than he was right now. But it didn’t hit him as hard as it had over the last week. Something had changed. He managed to take that step back and look at the big picture. It painted a different perspective. Sure, he wasn’t anywhere near good enough to step onto the world stage right now. But he shouldn’t want to either. This process he had set into motion took time. It couldn’t be rushed. He had to take on the challenges in front of him, of which there were plenty, and focus only on them. Lin Feng smiled, balling his hand into a fist. Watch me come back to the top, Rake. I’ll get back up there. We’ll have our rematch. And I’ll beat you. This time, I will win! “YES!”

✹

Something had changed in the training sessions of the High School 13 esports team. They still went to the NetCow Cafe everyday and from an outside perspective everything looked the same, but something intrinsic had changed. It was the addition of a real coach. Lin Feng was a phenomenally talented player and far better than the rest of the esports team combined. But at the end of it all, he was a player and not a coach. An Xin was different. She was more of a coach than a player.

Lin Feng didn’t like to overcomplicate things. When it came to playing the game, his first strategy was to bruteforce his way to victory. Only if that really didn’t work, after repeated attempts, would he pivot to something different. That held true for his coaching as well. He tried to bruteforce information into the minds of his trainees. When they made a mistake, he badgered them with it. He told them when they screwed up. How they screwed up. And what they had to change. But a vital point was missing here. He didn’t help them understand how to not repeat the same mistakes. He could point them out, but he had trouble thinking on their level and explaining solutions in a way that they could understand.

An Xin had a different training method. She didn’t walk behind the team like a drill sergeant, barking at them. Instead, she sat behind her own computer, spectating and recording the game. She didn’t say a word while the team was playing. They had free reign to play in whatever way they felt was best. But every mistake they made, no matter how small or big, was written down by her. Then after the game finished, she had everyone gather around her computer. She opened the replay and grabbed her notebook. Next up, she started going over the game, pointing out everything that required attention; from laning phase to teamfighting and from broader map-wide plays to individual details, nothing was left untouched.

“Tang Tang and Wei Dong, I really liked what I saw there. You two were really playing the game together. It’s just that you two seem to only have one mode. Attack. Attack. Attack. It’s okay to play a bit more defensively. Vayne is a late game Champion. Play to her strength..”

“Liu Yue, I love the prediction game. Where is the other Jungler? How should I path through the Jungle? When can I gank? But when you play like that, it has to be perfect. Because if you fail, you fall behind. You need to know what to look for and what to do and you need the right Champion. You played Sejuani. She doesn’t get strong until Level 6. Don’t try and gank with her until then.”

“Alright, the mid lane. Yang Fan, your laning was good. Props for that. But you need to do so much more as a Midlaner. Help your team. Play together with your Jungle to make ganks. Roam. Do anything but sit in mid and farm minions. Because more often than not, that’s not going to help the team.”

“Chen Ze, solid work on your island in the top lane. Just that you brought a teleport so you could get off of your island. You really need to learn how to use it. Your first goal will be to get better at using your teleport. That first teleport, you want to use it for the first teamfight. One good play there can win you the game. Use that knowledge.”

“I’m really happy with what I saw. There are just a couple more things I want you all to pay attention to. Most importantly right now, that is vision. Just placing wards for placing wards isn’t good enough. There needs to be a reason why you’re placing that ward. A ward is an investment. Use it wisely… Like here, look at the video. Let me pause it… Here. See where the opponents are? They’re all in their lanes and the Jungler is near the top lane. That means you have an opening at bot lane to go into their Jungle and place a ward as close to their Jungle entrances as possible… So here, here, here… Those wards will give you the intel you need to make more aggressive plays. Those are the wards that really matter.”

Beyond the more general information that could be of value for the entire team, An Xin also took the time to talk with each team member individually. She’d prepared a video clip of their plays, so she could point out their shortcomings and give them tips on how to improve on them. This especially won everyone over. They nodded and listened and sometimes asked questions for clarification. They believed in what she said and applied the knowledge she shared with them in their games. It almost directly started showing results. The reason for this was simple. They understood what An Xin explained to them. And with that, they had something concrete they could apply to their games beyond Lin Feng’s usual, “You suck. Get good.”

There was, however, one team member who wasn’t improving as quickly as the others were. That was Lin Feng. An Xin tried to coach him the same as she did with the others. But it didn’t matter how she tried to explain the most simple concepts to him, nothing seemed to get through his thick skull. All she could do was stare at him, exasperated. He was sitting across from her right now. She shook her head. One more time. Then she let out a long sigh and repeated herself again, “Lin Feng, you have to stop being so wasteful. Stop wasting your Flash!”

“Huh? What do you mean? I never…” Lin Feng replied, confused.

“What do you mean you never?” An Xin countered. “Last game at 13 minutes. You didn’t need to blow your Flash. You forced the Orianna to use her Summoner Spells already. There was nothing more to be gained there. But you still wasted your Flash. Then the teamfight began and your Flash was on cooldown. That was terrible. You could’ve dove into their backline so much easier with Flash. If you still had it.”

Lin Feng wouldn’t hear it, though. He argued, “But I got their ad-carry in that teamfight, so what does it matter? It doesn’t! I killed their carry!”

“You killed their ad-carry because he mispositioned. He made a mistake that made up for your mistake. If he didn’t screw up, you wouldn’t have killed him,” An Xin stated, coldly.

“You’re wrong!” Lin Feng laughed, patting his chest. “I would’ve gotten the kill anyway!”

“How?” An Xin asked. “Explain to me! How would you have gotten the kill?”

Lin Feng paused for a moment. He didn’t expect to get called out like this. But then he grinned and said, “It doesn’t matter how! I know I would’ve gotten the kill! I’m just really good at Fizz!”

An Xin rubbed her temples, annoyed and frustrated. “Forget it. Just remember from now on that if you know that a teamfight is coming up, you shouldn’t blow your Flash. Keep it! Alright?”

Lin Feng shook his head and said, “I mean, I guess. It’s just… I don’t see what the point is. It won’t make a difference anyway!”

An Xin finally had had enough. That smile that looked anything but a smile crept on her face and she said, “Hmm? What did you say? I thought I heard you disagree. But I’m not sure. Say it again. Say it.”

Standing a few steps away, pretending to mind their own business, the other members of the esports team were listening to everything Lin Feng and An Xin were saying. They cringed when Lin Feng disregarded An Xin’s advice. They wanted to walk out of the internet cafe when they saw the expression on An Xin’s face. And then, when Lin Feng had really gone and done it, they stood nailed to the ground.

Ouyang shook his head and said, “Man. That Lin Feng. What in the world? Is this his kink or something? Does he get off on making BunBun upset? Oh boy. Maybe that’s the way to her heart? I could also…”

Yang Fan adjusted his glasses and smiled. “I don’t know. I think Lin Feng has always been like this. It’s just that no one has called him out on it before. It’s kind of nice to see BunBun do that.”

The other guys nodded. They agreed wholeheartedly with Yang Fan, but felt it was better to keep their mouths shut. The further away they stayed from Lin Feng and An Xin, the safer they would be. That was how they saw it, anyways.

As for the girls, Ren Rou was talking to Tang Bingyao. Well, it was more accurate to call it gossiping. “Did you hear about those two from Senior Class 8? They’re saying that they came out of the toilet together. Those stalls are so small! What do you think they were doing there? If you ask me…” She went on and on, stringing one tidbit of gossip to the next. “Oh, oh! And did you hear what happened on the toilet on the second floor? This girl started attacking her friend with a curling iron! She was mad that her friend wouldn’t break up with her boyfriend. It was crazy! I think someone even taped it. Let me see if I can find it for you…”

Tang Bingyao wasn’t really listening to Ren Rou. She was looking at Lin Feng and An Xin. Watching the easy rapport between the two as they talked. It was effortless, like they belong together. She just stared at it, thinking… Long enough for Ren Rou to notice. Which she obviously did, and gently patted Tang Bingyao on the shoulder before asking, “Hey, girl? You okay? You look really distracted and distant right now. Something on your mind? Something bothering you? Or… someone…?”

Tang Bingyao snapped out of her daze, blinking her eyes and turning her head to look at Ren Rou. The words Ren Rou had said registered in her mind half a second later and she replied, “H-huh? Am I? Really?”

Ren Rou didn’t respond at first. She looked over towards Ouyang and the other guys, just to make sure they weren’t trying to listen in on them. Only when she was sure that no one was trying to eavesdrop on them, did she whisper, “Hey, can I ask you something? Do you like Lin Feng?”

“Whuh?” Lin Feng blurted out. He blinked, keeping his eyes closed for a second longer than he normally would. Then he looked at Tang Bingyao. He looked at her defensive posture as she scrunched back, trying to hide the red tint on her face. “You want to treat me? To milk tea? You?” He looked at her, incredulous. “Are you feeling ok?” She never spends any money. She likes making money and she likes having money. Why would she… He reached out towards her, wanting to feel her temperature. Maybe she is sick… But she recoiled, moving far away from him and shaking her arms in front of her. “Uhh?”

“No! Don’t! If you don’t want to, just say it. That’s fine. I understand. Let’s just go home, ok?” Tang Bingyao said, hurried. Then she turned around and started walking and then running away towards the intersection where they always split up.

“Wait! Waitwait!” Lin Feng called out after the now running Tang Bingyao. She paused, turned around. He smiled at her and said, “I would love some milk tea! This is great! This is the best day ever! I can’t wait to tell Ouyang about this tomorrow! He’ll be crazy jealous!”

“N-no. No! Don’t tell him,” Tang Bingyao said, lowering her head.

“Uh… Why not?” Lin Feng asked. Then his eyes widened. It was the exact moment where you could almost see the lightbulb light up. “OH! I know! Ouyang will come begging you for some milk tea too!” Lin Feng stood up tall and smiled. He patted his own shoulder, complimenting himself for his quick thinking, and winked at Tang Bingyao. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell them. Your wallet is safe with me.”

Tang Bingyao started at Lin Feng, dazed. Of everything he could’ve said, this wasn’t something she’d ever considered. Why don’t you get that I want to buy you a milk tea, not Ouyang or anyone else? But I guess he said yes… We’re going to have a drink together. Just the two of us. She smiled at him and nodded. “Mhm. Don’t tell him or our other classmates.” Then she waited, until he nodded, before walking back towards him and going into the fast food place together.

Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao walked up to the register together and ordered two milk teas and a chicken cutlet. The employee gave the price. She took the money that she was already firmly holding out from her jacket pocket and handed it to the employee. It felt strange, especially with those large eyes from Lin Feng looking over her shoulder. She could feel him staring at her. Then she turned around and nodded at him and he smiled right back at her. It was that same smile he always had, bright and innocent.

Tang Bingyao nodded at Lin Feng and tried talking with him. “It was a good practice earlier…” She trailed off. Lin Feng wasn’t looking at her anymore. He mumbled a reply as he stared at something behind her. She followed his gaze beyond the registry, where their order was being prepared. The chicken was being fried. She turned back to him and tried again, “You did really well on…” She could see that he was more focused on the food than on her. She started fidgeting with her fingers. What do I say? What do people say? What… She wanted to talk, but the otherwise so natural conversations with Lin Feng suddenly took a lot more effort. I have to say something. She looked up at Lin Feng and tugged at his arm. “Uhm, that… Your friend, BunBun, she’s really an amazing Jungler.”

Lin Feng finally looked at Tang Bingyao. He laughed and said, “Yeah! She’s good! But she isn’t as good as I am! I’m way better!”

Tang Bingyao nodded and asked, “Did she follow you around when you were playing as a pro back in Season 1?” She thought for a moment, barely a second, and added, “Like, to the tournaments?”

“Yeah! She always came with us,” Lin Feng replied. “You know what she did today? She also did that for my team in Season 1. She always came up with our gameplans and strategies.” He paused for a moment, taking his time to ball his fist and throw it up into the air, then said, “That’s why beating Shanghai International is going to be easy now! With her on our team, we’re unstoppable!”

“Oh. I see…” Tang Bingyao nodded, her gaze falling down to her shoes. She sounds really good. She’s probably better than I am. And she’s also really pretty…

“Thanks for waiting! Here’s your order,” the shop employee said, tearing Tang Bingyao away from her thoughts. The shop employee handed the two cups of milk tea and the chicken cutlet Tang Bingyao had specially ordered for Lin Feng. “Enjoy!”

“Yeeeeeeesss! Chicken cutlet! You’re the best, Tang Tang!” Lin Feng cheered. He hurried towards the counter and grabbed the chicken cutlet, treasuring it in his embrace, then also picked up his milk tea. His hands were full, so he used his teeth to get a taste. “Ahh!” came his scream as he dropped the chicken back in the bucket. “HotHotHot! Ahh, so hot!” he wailed, hurrying towards an empty table and sitting down, so that he could cool his tongue down.

“A-are you ok?” Tang Bingyao asked as she hurried after Lin Feng. “Isn’t that really hot? Did you burn yourself?”

“I’m fine. I’m fine. I’m really good at eating hot food too!” Lin Feng brushed her worries off. He grabbed the piece of chicken he’d just dropped and took another bite. He was a little more careful this time, making sure only his teeth touched the meat. Then he took slow bites, letting the heat escape his mouth every few seconds. He swallowed the first bite and exclaimed, “Ahhh, delicious! Hot food is so good! Tang Tang, you’re the best!”

Lin Feng blew on his chicken cutlet and took another bite. Then he stopped. He didn’t chew the meat but instead turned towards Tang Bingyao. “Hrey…” He placed his hand before his mouth and quickly swallowed the chicken down. “Uch, uch. Tang Tang, do you want to try? It tastes better when you eat together!” He offered his half-eaten chicken cutlet to Tang Bingyao and said, “Here, try it! Take a bit. It’s really good. I’m the expert here! I eat this every night. Su Xue orders it for me!”

Tang Bingyao looked at the chicken cutlet, at the bites Lin Feng had taken from it. Uhh, do I… She didn’t know what to do. This whole situation was different from what she knew and expected. Finally, she shook her head and pushed it away. “No, it’s fine. You eat it. I know how much you like it.”

“More for me it is!” Lin Feng laughed, taking another big bite of the chicken cutlet.

Tang Bingyao leaned on the table, watching Lin Feng eat. He looks happy. Maybe I should tell him now… N-no. I should let him eat first. He looks so happy. She smiled and asked, “Do you like it?”

“Like it? I love it!” Lin Feng replied.

“Mhm. Good,” Tang Bingyao said, a hint of red returning to her face. She took a sip from her milk tea and continued watching him. Maybe I should say it now. If I keep pushing it back… She took a deep breath and forced a brighter smile on her face. “U-umm… Lin Feng? Well, I can keep tr—”

RING! RING! RING!

Lin Feng looked down at his phone to see who was calling and his eyes widened. He dropped the chicken cutlet in his hand and picked up. “Hey! Sorry I’m late!” He then listened to someone talk on the other end before replying, “Okay, got it! I’ll come home right away. See you in a few!” He hung up and turned to Tang Bingyao. “Hey, sorry. That was Su Xue. She’s calling me home for dinner. I have to go right now. But you live right around the corner from this place, right? So that’s fine. I have to go.” He jumped up from his seat and was already on his way towards the exit. Then he stopped, thought, and turned around. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Tang Tang! Thanks again for buying me the milk tea and chicken cutlet! Bye!”

Tang Bingyao watched Lin Feng bolt out of the door, dazed. She had finally mustered up the courage to tell him something she’d been wanting to tell him. She was already halfway through saying it. And then, then his phone went and he left. She had no chance to get in between! Well, that’s what she told herself. She looked at the empty plate on which the chicken cutlet was served. Lin Feng had taken the food with him. I’m such a coward… I couldn’t even tell him. She shook her head, frustrated. She’d never felt like this before for anyone. It was all new to her. Should I text him? She quickly shook her head. That didn’t feel right either. Maybe I can call him? She shook her head again. This was something she wanted to say in person. That was the only way that felt right. It was just… How do I tell him?

✹

Lin Feng pushed the front door open and shouted, “I’m home!”

“Why are you home so late?” Su Xue asked from the kitchen. Then she poked her head around the corner and looked at Lin Feng, and at the milk tea and chicken cutlet in his hands. She raised an eyebrow, unimpressed, and said, “I cook dinner for you every day at the same time! Why would you go and buy food?”

“I didn’t! Tang Tang treated me!” Lin Feng explained, excited as always.

“She did?” Su Xue asked in surprise. Didn’t he say how she liked her money? Su Xue looked at Lin Feng, looking for something but not finding it, and then said, “Sounds like you two have made some real progress in your relationship, huh?”

Lin Feng scratched his hair and asked, “What do you mean?”

Su Xue sighed and shook her head. “Nevermind. Go wash your hands. Dinner is almost ready.”

“Okay!” Lin Feng replied, after which he pushed past Su Xue into the kitchen. The food was still on the fire, its strong aroma causing his stomach to rumble. He washed his hands, while watching Su Xue bring the food to the dining table. A few moments later, barely long enough to get his hands clean, he ran after her and sat down at the dining table. He was hungry.

Su Xue sat down across Lin Feng, who was already gobbling up the food he put in his bowl. She stared at him, shocked, and said, “Eat a little slower, please. The food isn’t going to grow legs and run away… How are you still so hungry anyway? Didn’t you just have chicken cutlet? And milk tea is also kind of filling. Do you ever get full?”

“Only when the food is bad!” Lin Feng replied in a brief moment between bites. Then he chewed away another mouthful and said, “Your food is really good!”

Su Xue smiled as she put her elbows on the table and supported her head with her hands. “Oh? Is that so? Hmm… You didn’t look this happy in the morning. Did something happen?”

“Yrep!” Lin Feng said with a full mouth, nodding.”

“What happened? Did you ace a test?” Su Xue continued her interrogation.

Lin Feng waved his chopsticks in the air, swallowing down a too big bite, then said, “No. It isn’t that. You know the Semifinals for the 16 School Tournament? Well, we’re going to win it! We’re going to crush them!”

Su Xue looked at Lin Feng, surprised, and asked, “Really now? Where’s all that confidence coming from so suddenly?”

Lin Feng chuckled and looked at Su Xue, attempting to look as mysterious as he could. The exhaustion and stress were gone from his face. He was full of confidence for his game against Shanghai International. For the first time in a week, everything was looking up. And that was all thanks to An Xin. With her coaching the team, he didn’t need to worry anymore. BunBun, it’s good to have you back. He was still looking at Su Xue and spotted the slight annoyance in her expression. Then he laughed and said, “You’ll know when the time comes!”

The Red Team was just like High School 13’s esports team in the sense that they were a group of friends who played the game together. But the similarities didn’t stop there. They also had a strong Mid-Jungle pair. The Ahri and Evelynn were the players usually carrying the team to a win. Just last game they went Legendary and the game before that they were Unstoppable! They’d been on a winning streak, rising up the ranks, until this game. This game was different. There was no settling in here. There was no scaling to a point where they could comfortably fight. They were getting crushed. Ahri was losing badly to the Yasuo in mid lane, while in the Jungle… From the first minute of the game, the Lee Sin seemed to know exactly where the Evelynn was and where she was going, even when she didn’t know it herself. And he was there, waiting for her and then killing her.

The Ahri was fortunate that she could huddle near her outer tower and soak up some experience from the minions that died in lane. But the Evelynn wasn’t so fortunate. She needed to kill the Jungle monsters to get experience. To do that, she had to go into the Jungle where the Lee Sin was waiting for her. No matter from what side she entered the jungle, he was always right there. The Evelynn was lost. She didn’t know what to do. So she hovered around her jungle, searching desperately for a hint of Lee Sin before ever so carefully threading between the walls of trees.

At 9 minutes, the Evelynn had spent a good 30 seconds searching for any hint of the Lee Sin near her bottom jungle. Only when she was absolutely sure that it was safe to go in, did she walk in. Her Blue Buff Camp was empty, taken by the Lee Sin. But the Gromp was alive. So she went up to it and started attacking it. And there he was, as if on cue. “Shit! Not again!” the Evelynn cursed while flashing away.

“Want to run?” An Xin mumbled, smiling. She moved her mouse over towards the Evelynn and pressed down on the Q key–Sonic Wave! Her Lee Sin punched out with his fist, sending out a blast of air. It connected with the Evelynn and revealed her. Then he dashed towards her with the second part of his Q skill–Resonating Strike! He followed up by placing a ward behind the Evelynn, Safeguarding towards it, then turning around with a powerful roundhouse kick and sending the Evelynn flying back–Dragon’s Rage!

All the while, the Ahri had been farming in mid lane. The Yasuo was gone for a couple of seconds and she was going to get the most out of it. She figured he went back to base to spend his gold. But he hadn’t. The Yasuo had followed after the Lee Sin into the Red Team’s bottom jungle. When the Evelynn was kicked up into the air, he dashed towards her with his ultimate, suspending her in mid-air–Last Breath! Then he smacked her down to the ground and hit her with an auto attack.

《Killing Spree!》

In the NetCow Cafe, Ouyang and Liu Yue stared at An Xin, shocked, while Yang Fan stared at Lin Feng with that same look in his eyes. There was no vision of the Evelynn before they went into the jungle. But it seemed like An Xin had information the others didn’t, and that Lin Feng knew she had this information. They worked together like they’d been doing it every day for the last five years. It looked so smooth and easy, but the three spectators knew that it was anything but easy. This was an incredibly impressive play that they couldn’t hope to imitate. They simply weren’t anywhere near good enough to pull something like this off.

Lin Feng wasn’t impressed. He shook his head and said, “Bunbun, what was that? It looked like a granny playing Lee Sin!”

“Got the kill, didn’t you? My kill,” An Xin replied, glaring at Lin Feng. “Give me my kill back!”

“What? No way. That was my kill,” Lin Feng said. Then he smiled and added, “Can’t give away kills if you want to win.”

The two kept bickering back and forth, a never ending stream of words flowing from their mouths, but their hands never left their mouse and keyboard. They moved their sights to bot lane. There was no need to talk about it. They were near bot lane already, only one brush away, and Red Team’s Botlaners were having a hard time facing Tang Bingyao and Wei Dong. They were being pushed back into their tower. But they didn’t recall back to the fountain. Even after seeing the Evelynn die, they stayed in lane. Lin Feng and An Xin were going to punish that mistake. They ran through the brush and into bot lane, then towerdove.

《Double Kill!》

“AAHHHH! WHY! Why would you do that, Tang Tang?” Lin Feng wailed, grabbing his hair and pulling on it. “Why! You could’ve left a kill for me!”

An Xin laughed, carefree, “Good job, Tang Bingyao! Don’t give that idiot any kills! Killsteal from him whenever you can! Oh, right, you should leave a kill or two for me and help me win.”

“Win what?” Tang Bingyao asked, tilting her head in confusion. She’d been so focused on bot lane that she hadn’t really noticed what these two were talking about. They were more of a background noise to her.

“Didn’t you hear?” Lin Feng asked. “We’re having a little competition! Most kills wins! You should join!”

Tang Bingyao thought about it for a moment and then asked, “Is there a prize?”

An Xin smiled and said, “Of course there is! The loser treats the winner to food!”

Treating the winner to food? If Lin Feng wins, then… Tang Bingyao started smiling without even noticing it. She nodded and said, “Mhm, sure!”

This game was never going to be interesting. The skill difference was just too big. Lin Feng and An Xin were toying around with the Red Team from the start of the game and now Tang Bingyao had joined in too. They were running around the map, searching for whoever was still alive and killing them. The two who had the least kills were dragging the game out, trying to get that kill that would get them to the top, while the current winner was pushing to end the game. But even through this individual focused gamestyle, there was still nothing the Red Team could do to even pick up a single kill. The game announcer talked a one-sided conversation in kill messages.

《An enemy has been slain!》

《Double kill!》

《You have slain an enemy!》

The Red Team suffered through 20 minutes of this, though they did discuss quitting the game early. But that would get them a warning for unsportsmanlike behaviour, so they stuck around. They tried to play and win for most of the 20 minutes, at which point they could finally surrender and move on to the next game. And that was exactly what they did. It was a unanimous surrender vote.

An Xin jumped up from her chair and pointed at Lin Feng with both hands. “Ha! YES! I won! Suck that! You’re treating me and Tang Tang!”

Lin Feng scratched the back of his head and said, “Ah… I was almost second…”

“Your competition aside,” Yang Fan interrupted. He waited for everyone to look at him. Then he adjusted his glasses and said, “An Xin, you’re a really good Jungler! That was a strong performance.”

Chen Ze nodded at An Xin and said, “Yes, you’re really good. Your synergy with Lin Feng was next level. If you play against Shanghai International, we might actually win. We probably will win.”

The rest of the team nodded in agreement. Chen Ze was right. She was good. She did play great together with Lin Feng. And with her on the team, their chances of beating Shanghai International were substantially higher than with Ouyang or Liu Yue. It wasn’t that Liu Yue was worse than her on an individual level, but he couldn’t compete when it came to shotcalling and the Mid-Jungle synergy between Lin Feng and An Xin. Liu Yue wanted to play the game, but more than that, he wanted for his team to win. Right now, An Xin looked like the answer to achieve that. So he was more than willing to take a step back and let her help them.

“Thanks! But let’s not do that quite yet. That was actually my backup plan,” An Xin said. She nodded at Liu Yue and then continued, “I’m not here to be on the roster. My role is to be your coach. That’s what I’m best at.”

✹

High School 13’s esports team played a couple more games before calling it a day. It was nearing dinnertime and they were all hungry. An Xin called a cab, while the others all walked home. Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao lived in a different direction from the rest, so they walked together, like they did nearly every day. The cold autumn breeze was in the air and the sun was starting to set early. Street lamps illuminated the sidewalk, and Tang Bingyao was hopping from one tile to the next, never letting her feet touch the cracks. She always played this game that she called, ‘Don’t Step on the Cracks’. It was just that today she wasn’t quite as good at it as she normally was. She touched the cracks several times before almost stumbling over her own feet.

Tang Bingyao felt her ears heat up. Fortunately, it was already quite dark outside. H-he can’t see it, right? She glanced over her shoulder, sheepishly, to look at Lin Feng. He was watching her and grinning. But he looked like he was grinning about her almost tripping, and not about her burning ears. She felt the tension in her body relax a little, until she put her hand in the pocket of her jacket. The cash she had counted out earlier was there. I should ask him. She twirled around and looked at Lin Feng, then opened her mouth. H-hey, Lin Feng. Want to go for some milk tea? My treat! She spoke the words in her mind, but they wouldn’t come out of her mouth. They just wouldn’t.

“Uh, are you okay?” Lin Feng asked.

“Mhm,” Tang Bingyao nodded. Stupid. Stupid. Just ask him! She bit on her lips as they kept walking. Now she walked by his side. She could feel the warmth radiating from him. Do you want to get some milk tea? The words were spoken in her mind, again. She moved her mouth, testing that it still worked, and then tried it again. But no matter how she pushed herself, she couldn’t get herself to say the words. They walked past an intersection and in the distance, she could see a couple of shops. One of them was a fast food place. This is my last chance! I gotta ask him RIGHT now!

Tang Bingyao took a deep breath, clutching the money in her hand. Then she stopped walking and grabbed Lin Feng by his jacket. He stopped and looked back at her. She looked at him and could see the confusion in his eyes. I have to say it now. Her heart started pounding, racing faster and faster until it started slamming into her ribcage. NOW! Her hands felt sweaty and her face got hot, and then it started burning. NOW TANG TANG! Tang Bingyao started panicking a little bit. She forgot how she wanted to start this conversation, forgot what to do next. Oh no! What was I going to say to him? I don’t remember. No..no..no DO SOMETHING TANG TANG! So she quickly reached into her pocket and pulled out some money. Which she then showed to Lin Feng. And then stood there awkwardly for a minute before saying, “Um… Lin Feng? Look! Money! Wait. No, not that. What I wanted to ask was… Do you want… to go get milk tea…” Then the world started spinning a little, and she felt faint. But she was also Tang Bingyao, and she wouldn’t back down! “… withme?” She did it! She managed to get the question out. But she forgot the most important part, the one that would make her actions make sense. She was still standing there, holding money in her hand out to him. “M-my treat. I have money!”

All hope was not lost! High School 13 could still beat Shanghai International! Those were the words that An Xin told the esports team. She’d watched them play. Analyzed their individual and team skills. And she’d also looked into Shanghai International. If they came up with a real strategy for this next matchup, including a well thought out draft, when to make in-game rotations, which spots on the map to focus vision on, and so on, they could win. They had a real shot at making it to the Finals! An Xin needed to sit down and work it all out, but she felt strongly that it was possible.

“I’ll have it ready tomorrow,” An Xin promised. “I’ll watch a few of Shanghai International’s games from earlier in the tournament and work out the best way for us to beat them. It shouldn’t be too difficult. We can start practicing with the game plan tomorrow.”

Her declaration was met with a stunned silence. The members of the esports team had all watched Lin Feng torture himself searching for the answer. On top of that, they knew Shanghai International. They’d played against them before and watched them play in this tournament. Beating them was impossible, this was fact. Until An Xin came along. She said that they could beat them with so much confidence that they had no choice but to believe her! Ouyang was the first to buy in and start cheering, and then Liu Yue joined in. Before long, all of them were cheering and laughing and thanking An Xin for showing up just when they needed her the most.

Liu Yue was awestruck by An Xin, “Amazing… You’re amazing. How can you come up with an entire game plan in a single day? That’s insane! So cool!”

An Xin chuckled and said, “Well, I could make it better if I had more time, but the game is scheduled for this weekend. We need to come up with something fast and test it out. See if it works. That way, even if it doesn’t, we’ll still have time to adapt and pivot. Come up with a backup plan.”

“See, guys? I told you An Xin is a great coach! With her here, we don’t have to worry about a thing. Just  play ‘em like she calls ‘em, and we win!” Lin Feng laughed.

“Lin Feng! Stop! This won’t be a perfect plan. I’m going to do my best, but you guys are the ones that’ll have to make it work,” An Xin said. Then she looked at Lin Feng and gave him a coy smirk. “But I think I already have Plan B in mind. Just in case.” Then she winked at him. 

✹

With two games down and the team still revved up for a third, Ouyang stood up from his seat and BroSnapped at An Xin. “Hey babygurl! How about you play a game? I want to see your moooovveeess! You know that I know that what I really want to see is how a Diamond Jungler pushes it on everyone else!”

This suggestion was a good one that everyone approved. The way Ouyang phrased it, not so much. After a few strong glares and some facepalms, the rest of the esports team also joined in on asking An Xin to play a game with them. They all wanted to see her play. She’d talked so much, but she hadn’t actually shown them any real skill yet. All they knew was what she said. It wasn’t that they didn’t believe her. They absolutely did believe her, especially with Lin Feng vouching for her! But they were curious to see a good female Jungler. Those were very rare. Most girls played Support, and if they played another role, it was Midlaner or ad-carry. As for those who did play in the jungle, they were generally kind of terrible at it. This was just how it was. Players and analysts alike came with all kinds of reasons as to why this was. Some claimed that a lane was just a lane and they could focus on that, whereas the Jungle tied the whole map together. It required quick thinking and perfect decision making. Many believed girls weren’t good at those snap judgement calls. Others called this ridiculous and said there was another very logical reason. There just weren’t enough girls who played the game. Either way, regardless of what the real explanation was, the fact of the matter remained that there were very few good female Junglers.

Yang Fan adjusted his glasses. He knew this bit of information. He’d even done some research into the matter, “Most girls are pretty terrible Junglers,” he said.

Lin Feng waved his hand and smiled. “Don’t worry about that! Bunbun isn’t a normal girl!”

Wei Dong and Chen Ze already took a step back when Lin Feng opened his mouth. They remembered the last few times that he did. Ouyang and the others leaned back half a second later. Just in time to create some distance from Lin Feng and An Xin. An Xin who’d tilted her head, a smile that looked incredibly creepy spreading wider and wider on her face. “Hmm? Did I just hear you say something weird again?”

Liu Yue nudged Ouyang, covering his mouth with one hand and reaching the other out towards Ouyang, and whispered, “Look at these goosebumps. She scary.”

Ouyang nodded, though he never actually looked at Liu Yue or his arm. His eyes were on Lin Feng. Admiration, that was what he felt. Undisguised admiration. He mumbled to no one in particular, “I have to give it to him, he’s got some massive cajones. No clue how he managed to live this long with her. But damn, she fire when she gets mad. Holy shit, how can someone be that hot? I’m feeling it.”

An Xin suddenly turned towards Ouyang and looked him in the eyes. He shrunk back, terrified she’d heard what he just said. But it seemed like she hadn’t as she only said, “Sounds good. I’ll play!” Then she turned back towards Lin Feng and said, “You’re going to play Mid.”

Lin Feng smiled and said, “Sure! We haven’t played together in forever!”

The esports team queued up for another ranked game. They quickly found an opponent and went into Champion Select. A few bans and a couple of Champion lock ins later, they moved into the loading screen, ready to play their next game. This was the game where An Xin could show off her skills, or fail spectacularly! Either way, they were all eager to watch her play.

Blue Team Line-up:
Chen Ze (Top): Rumble
An Xin (Jungle): Lee Sin
Lin Feng (Mid): Yasuo
Tang Bingyao (AD-carry): Jinx
Wei Dong (Support): Alistar

Lee Sin was a mechanic heavy Jungler. An Xin had nothing to hide behind. Regardless of their opponents, everyone would be able to tell how good she was at the end of this game. But it didn’t take that long. An Xin wouldn’t let that happen. She took the game in her own hands almost from the start. She cleared her Red Buff Camp in the bottom left jungle, then pathed all the way to the top right jungle where Red Team’s Red Buff Camp was. When she got there, the Evelynn was taking her Red Buff, unaware of the looming danger. Her health was low, and dropping lower. An Xin waited, patiently, then pressed her Q key. Her Lee Sin sent out a Sonic Wave that struck the Evelynn. Then he dashed towards her and killed her.

《First Blood!》

“WOOT WOOT!” Liu Yue cheered. “You’re awesome Bunbun!”

Ouyang shouted at almost the same time, “That was great! Did you guys see that? Woooo!”

Ren Rou smiled and said, “Go go, Bunbun! You’re the best!”

Yang Fan adjusted his glasses, smiling, and said, “Great play. The Evelynn never even saw it coming. Now she’s far behind and Bunbun should have an easy game.”

An Xin clapped in her hands, laughing. “Yep! This is a good start to the game. Now to keep it going!”

An Xin was far more direct with her idea of keeping it going than the others had expected. Instead of recalling and spending the Gold she’d gotten for the kill on Evelynn, she stayed in the brush next to the Red Buff Camp. There she waited for the Evelynn to respawn and make her way back to the Red Buff Camp. That was exactly what the Evelynn did. And when she found her Red Buff still alive, she attacked it, forgetting to check the brush right next to her. An Xin happily abused this, waiting for the Evelynn’s health to drop and then using her one-level advantage to kill her again.

《You have slain an enemy!》

Liu Yue laughed, loudly so, and said, “Damn, she cheesed that hard—WaitWaitWait! I meant that that was amazing! Great play!”

“Yeah yeah, it looks great and all. It’s just…” Ouyang rubbed his chin, watching An Xin’s every move. Something felt off, but he wasn’t sure what. “Why does it feel like deja vu? Did we play before, Bunbun? No, I wouldn’t forget you.”

Yang Fan adjusted his glasses and said, “It probably feels familiar because that’s the exact same move Lin Feng likes to pull.”

Lin Feng moved his mouse, clicking constantly, while his other hand glided over his keyboard. All the while, he was also listening to the others and even interjecting, “Yeah! She taught me how to do that move! Most of my Jungle pathing I learned from her!” Then he pressed on his W key–Wind Wall! His Yasuo swept a wall of wind up in front of him, blocking Ahri’s Charm. Her health was low, so he dashed through a minion to close the gap and then dashed through her, hitting her with his Sweeping Blade. He followed up with a straight attack of his blade–Steel Tempest–and an Ignite. The Ahri flashed away. She tried to get to safety. But her health was already too low. The last tick of Ignite took away the last of her health.

《You have slain an enemy!》

“Not bad,” An Xin commented on Lin Feng’s kill.

Lin Feng winked at her and said, “Thanks. I’m really good at Yasuo too!”

An Xin curled her hair behind her ear and smirked. “Oh, is that so? Alright, let’s have a competition. Whoever gets more kills wins.”

Everyone expected Lin Feng to start picking up kills. He was really good and they’d seen him be even better on more than a few occasions. But they didn’t know what to expect from An Xin. They were only hoping to get a show. And that was exactly what they got. An Xin was taking this friendly competition very seriously and started hunting the Evelynn in the Red Team’s Jungle. At five minutes, she found her at the Krugs in the top side of the Jungle. From there it was a quick and easy kill. She was just too far ahead and the Evelynn wasn’t getting any experience to catch back up.

《Killing Spree!》

An Xin pathed to mid lane and helped Lin Feng pick up a kill on the Ahri, who’d just returned to lane, before heading straight back into the Red Team’s Jungle. That was where she lived this game. She walked through the bottom side Jungle, from the Blue Buff Camp to the Wolves. There, she found the Evelynn at low health trying to get some experience. An Xin killed the Evelynn and then also the Wolves for some extra experience.

《Rampage!》

Be it the spectators or the people playing the game themselves, they all just kind of watched in shock. There was nothing special about An Xin’s Lee Sin mechanics. She didn’t pull off any fancy moves. All she did was predict exactly where the Evelynn would be and kill her. This happened over and over again. From the start of the game to now, the Evelynn had only managed to clear a single Jungle Camp unmolested. That was the very first, the Blue Buff Camp. From that point onwards, the game went downhill for her. Every single time she entered her Jungle, Lee Sin would already be there and waiting for her. He’d kill her and send her back to the fountain. It felt as if the Lee Sin could see through the fog of war and locate the Evelynn wherever she was.

Ouyang and Liu Yue stared at An Xin. They were Junglers themselves and knew just how difficult it was to predict an opposing Jungler’s pathing. But An Xin was doing just that, perfectly. She knew exactly where the Evelynn would go. Ouyang and Liu Yue watched on, both awestruck and shocked as they quickly realized that An Xin was a better Jungler than both of them put together. If they had to play against her, she would slaughter them. They wouldn’t even know what hit them. Her Jungling style relied entirely on predicting what the opposing champions would do next. 

“Holy shit. Her Lee Sin is amazing…” Liu Yue muttered.

Lin Feng looked away from his screen and towards Liu Yue. “Eh, she’s alright. But she lacks the mechanics. What good is a Lee that can’t even R-Flash?”

“HMM?” An Xin turned her head towards Lin Feng, her lips curving into that dangerous smile again. That smile that made everyone around her want to run away. There was a fire in her eyes when she smiled that smile. Something changed in her demeanor. It was almost palpable. She asked, “What did you say? Say that again.”

The first thing after the dismissal bell for High School 13’s esports team was a training session at the NetCow Cafe. Eight members of the main team, including Ren Rou, found their way across the street to the internet cafe, like they did every day. It’d become a habit. Even on days that they weren’t coached by Lin Feng, they would still find themselves walking into the internet cafe without even thinking about it. But today was different from other days. That was because there was a ninth member who’d joined the team. She was An Xin.

“So you’re Bunbun?” Liu Yue asked, surprised. Then he extended his hand to An Xin and said, “Hi! Nice to meet you! I’m Liu Yue, the Jungler!” He looked An Xin up and down and then up again, a smirk appearing on his face. He turned to Lin Feng and winked. “Damn! Ouyang is right! You know all the pretty girls!”

Wei Dong and Chen Ze weren’t as straightforward as Liu Yue was. The Ouyang hadn’t rubbed off on them quite as much as it had on Liu Yue. Or perhaps it was a Jungler ailment. They extended their hands and welcomed An Xin to the group, introducing themselves.

An Xin smiled and said, “It’s nice to meet all of you too. Now let’s play some games!” She took half a step towards the computers when she was stopped in her tracks by Lin Feng being Lin Feng.

“I brought her here to help us! She’s very good at shotcalling and she comes up with some of the best strategies. I would almost say that she’s as good as me. But I’m really good at being better than her too!” Lin Feng laughed.

An Xin didn’t laugh. She curled her lips and said, “I see. Running your mouth again…” She shook her head, disappointed. “You got all this big talk, but I don’t remember you ever using that little brain in your head to shotcall or strategize. You’re the kind to run around the map doing whatever you feel like and letting your team face the consequences.”

“Oh, uhh… I don’t remember that, well… Maybe?” Lin Feng mumbled, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. Then he waved his hand and smiled. “Ah, whatever! That’s not important. We have you now, that’s all that matters!”

Liu Yue looked over at An Xin and asked, “You played with Lin Feng back in Season 1, right? You must be really good at the game then! What role do you play? Are you also an ad-carry like Tang Tang?”

An Xin smiled and shook her head. “No, I’m not an ad-carry main. I’m a Jungler.”

Ouyang walked up to Liu Yue and fistbumped his shoulder. “Ha! Did you hear that? She’s a Jungler. And it gets better. She’s Diamond! Just like you! You’re both Diamond! Isn’t that great? Our team now has two Diamond Junglers! We’re finally starting to get a real team together! And if you get lazy, she’ll just take your spot. Haha!”

“Uh…” Liu Yue looked at Ouyang, rubbing his painful shoulder, then asked, “Aren’t you also a Jungler? If I become the substitute, do you become the waterboy?”

Ouyang felt his stomach drop. This was a variable he hadn’t thought about. Then the gears in his mind started spinning, searching for an answer. I’m no background character! I’m the Broman! The smile that had disappeared for a second reappeared, brighter than before. He said, grinning, “I might be Plat now. But just you wait! I’ll be Diamond in no time! And then I’ll beat both of you and become the best Jungler!”

Chen Ze grinned and said, “Right, with the help of Lin Feng. But Bunbun here got to Diamond all by herself. That’s pretty awesome if you ask me.”

Liu Yue raised his hand, impatient to get a word in, and shouted, “Tang Tang is also awesome! She can beat Diamond 1s and Masters! If you compare her to those Huya streamers or other famous female players, she’s definitely the best ad-carry out of all of them!”

“They’re both really good because I coached them!” Lin Feng interrupted, patting himself proudly on his shoulder. He then turned to Tang Bingyao and asked, smiling brightly, “Isn’t that right, Tang Tang?”

Tang Bingyao tilted her head, thought for a moment, and then replied, “Mhm. Yes.”

Yang Fan chuckled, adjusting his glasses in his usual fashion, and said, “The main point here is that we got two really good League players who are also girls. That’s pretty rare. I think there isn’t another team out there who can compare to us on that front.”

Ren Rou listened to the boys fawning over Tang Bingyao and An Xin, her expression faltering. She mumbled just loud enough for everyone to hear her, “Then what about me? I’m feeling pretty left out here. I know I’m only Gold, but still…”

Ouyang’s eyes lit up. A woman in distress! He moved with an agility rarely seen from him as he suddenly stood next to Ren Rou. He nudged her and said, “Don’t worry, Rou Rou. We can duo queue after practice. I’ll carry you to Plat! You can always count on me.”

Ren Rou rolled her eyes and snorted. “Please. I’d much rather play with Tang Tang or Bunbun.” She then turned to the girls and smiled. “Don’t you two feel the same? Wanna play with me later?”

“Of course we do!” An Xin agreed. She stopped for a moment, then added, “It’s so much more fun playing with friends.”

Tang Bingyao nodded to this statement and to Ren Rou. She also didn’t mind helping Ren Rou out and carry her to Platinum, and maybe past Ouyang, just because they could.

Lin Feng stepped forward, making the others go quiet. The discussion was shifting away from introducing An Xin to the group. This was the moment to move on with the training. He looked around the members of the team, one at a time, until his eyes landed on An Xin. He smiled and said, “Bunbun will be our new coach.”

An Xin nodded towards Lin Feng and then turned to the others and said, “Yup. I’ll be the new coach. You guys play a game for me first. I want to see where we’re at, so I can come up with a good plan for the series against Shanghai International.”

“Wait. Wait. Hold on. Woah! You’re not just Diamond, but also a good coach?” Ouyang asked, his mouth falling open in surprise.

Lin Feng laughed and said, “She’s a great coach!” The best. But that last part he kept to himself. He thought back to Season 1. We didn’t have a coach back then. Not a real one, anyways. We would’ve been lost if it wasn’t for her. She always came up with the best strategies. Without her drafts and gameplans, we would’ve never made it so far… He looked over toward the girl. Though she’d never been given the name, the whole team had accepted her as her coach back then. And it didn’t look like it would be any different this time around. How she was introduced… Two images merged together.

“Hmph! Just a great coach? I’m also a pretty great Jungler, thank you very much!” An Xin added, smiling. Right now she was only Diamond 5, but it hadn’t always been like that. Back before the ranks got introduced and players climbed the ELO ladder, she’d hit 2,700. When converted to today’s rankings, that would put her at the top of Master. She was really good at the game.

“You were pretty great yeah! Until you fell off hard,” Lin Feng said, enjoying every word of that sentence. Then he waved his hand and said, “But it’s fine. You’re just a girl. Getting to Diamond is already really impressive for you!”

“Excuse me? Just a girl?” Ren Rou raised an eyebrow in surprised shock. A shock that quickly warped to anger. She narrowed her eyes and said, “What’s that supposed to mean? Trying to say girls aren’t as good as guys?”

“He’s playing the sexism card,” Tang Bingyao chimed in.

An Xin didn’t say anything, not at first. She just looked at Lin Feng and waited for his eyes to meet hers. When they did, she lifted the corners of her lips but there was no joy in her eyes. They were steady, staring at him. “HMM? Did you say something? Say it again.”

Everyone went silent. The guys in the room shrunk away. They took a step back, trying desperately not to draw any attention to them. But Ouyang failed. He stumbled into the chair behind him, making enough noise for all the eyes to draw towards him. His face went pale as he tried to make himself small.

Lin Feng looked at his friend, surprised and confused, and asked, “Huh? Why are you looking so pale all of a sudden? Did you not have enough to eat? Get a banana.”

Liu Yue mouthed for Lin Feng to shut up, he begged him, trying to connect through the BroForce. But that was Ouyang’s power. Lin Feng had no idea what Liu Yue was getting at. So with no other option left to him, Liu Yue shouted, “Lin Feng! Shut up! Are you trying to get us all killed?”

✹

The esports team played two games. One with the normal line up, with Ouyang and Lin Feng watching on from the sidelines, and one with Ouyang in the Jungle and Lin Feng in Mid. An Xin walked back and forth along the computers, paying close attention to how everyone played and how the games were unfolding. Ren Rou followed a step behind An Xin, unable to stand still and wait. Then, after the second game ended, she tugged on An Xin’s arm and asked, “What do you think? What do you think?”

An Xin was quiet for a moment, thinking, then said, “Not bad, really. You guys are better than I expected. Everyone did pretty decent. I especially liked what I saw in bot lane. Tang Tang is a super good ad-carry! I was really impressed with her!”

“Mhm, I’m ok. I think I can still improve. I have to keep working hard,” Tang Bingyao argued, hiding away her flushed cheeks behind her hands.

“You don’t have to be so modest! Bunbun only gives compliments when people really deserve it! You’re really good!” Lin Feng said, smiling. Then that smiled turned into a wide grin as he added, “Just don’t  forget. I’m the one who taught you! If it—”

“But,” An Xin said, cutting Lin Feng off. “You guys are too focused on the individual skill. There is some synergy, but no real teamplay and your objective focus is completely out of sync. No one really knows what to do and when. You need a goal before the game even starts and work towards achieving that. The lanes aren’t independent arms, they are part of one big structure. You need to work together and make the lanes become part of that bigger structure. More specifically, that means that you don’t team up for just a Dragon, but for all map based plays.” An Xin let out a long, deep sigh. She shook her head and looked around the team members. “The more I’m thinking about it, the stupider it looks. Who even came up with this strategy?”

Everyone turned towards Lin Feng, who was already proudly patting his chest. “That was all me! I came up with their strategies! They’re great, right?”

“Of course it was you,” An Xin said, shaking her head. She chuckled at herself and then said, “I should’ve expected as much. You like to bruteforce your way through everything. It’s easier than using your head, right? You’re hopeless. I’m happy I got here when I did. If this had gone on for another month…” Then she turned towards the others, her disappointment and exhaustion disappearing from her voice and whole demeanor. She looked full of life. She looked excited and happy and ready to get to work. “But you guys don’t have to worry! I’ll take care of your strategy and gameplans from now on! I’ll show you all what a real game plan looks like.”

There was a cool breeze in the air. Standing on the rooftop of High School 13, An Xin looked at Lin Feng. She’d been with Lin Feng since they were young. They’d grown up together, through the good and the bad. She knew that he was Maple. She knew of how he found his joy and happiness in life, and how he shared that with those around him. But she also knew his demons, and how he would withdraw into himself to deal with them. How he never asked for help from anyone when things got difficult. She looked at him, worried, and said, “I know about Tian Tian, Lin Feng. I do. And I know about Rake and what happened back then. It’s not your fault.” She waited for a response, only to see him hang his head lower in defeat. “It’s not your fault.” She took one step forward and repeated again, “It’s not your fault. It’s not your fault.”

Lin Feng stared at the ground of the roof, though it was hard to see through the tears in his eyes. He blinked, one large droplet falling to the ground. It splashed apart. He sniffed back the tears. “It’s not your fault.” She said it again. He felt a lump in his throat and he bit on his lips. B-but… He sunk through his knees and took a deep, long breath. Then he swallowed and wiped his eyes clean with the sleeve of his jacket. He didn’t look up at An Xin, still staring to the ground, but he did start talking, slowly at first.

“T-that day, Fatty called me. R-right after the… the game. H-he was crying. He was crying, Bunbun. T-then he started apologizing… saying how useless he was… He… he said how he broke his promise to me…” Lin Feng wiped the tears from his eyes again and sniffed his nose empty. He bit his lips, fighting back everything that he’d kept in for so long. “I-i didn’t know what to say. He did amazing. He did so much better than I could’ve ever expected. They were up against SSK. It was lost before it even started… But… but he tried his best. He did so well. And then he called, crying… I didn’t care that you lost, Fatty, I only cared that you did your best!”

Lin Feng closed his eyes and turned his head away from An Xin. He scratched his forehead, his mouth moving without making a sound. Then he sniffed and continued, “F-fatty kept repeating how he failed everyone. He said it was all his fault. He… He…” Lin Feng tried to get the words over his lips, but they wouldn’t come. He sniffed and took several hasted breaths, then said, “He said that he let me down. H-he said… that he let me down. He didn’t. Fatty, you didn’t let me down. It wasn’t your fault. I know that! You can’t do it all on your own. You did your best! I know!”

Lin Feng shook his head and grinned, self-deprecatingly. “After the call with Fatty, I went and rewatched the games. I was just curious to know what might’ve happened if I was up there, playing alongside him. Like back then… I watched the game like six times in a row… I asked myself how I would’ve played the game if I was KG’s Midlaner. How would I have played against Rake? I wouldn’t, Bunbun. That’s the answer. I wouldn’t, because I would’ve never gotten that far into the tournament. KG’s Midlaner is better than I am right now. I wouldn’t have made a difference. No. That’s not quite right. I would’ve made the game even harder for Fatty… Doesn’t that make me useless? It does… I’m useless. Useless…” Lin Feng stared at the ground, anger at his own inability masking the pain, making the tears disappear. “It’s not even that I can’t help Fatty. I can’t even help my friends at school. A stupid high school League tournament and I can’t carry them to a win. A stupid school tournament! I’ve played at Worlds, and look at me now. I’m losing in a high school tournament. I’ve been trying to think of ways to carry the game. But I can’t think of any. However I look at it, I can’t win. I’m not good enough… See? I told you that I’m useless. I can’t do anything right…”

Lin Feng pushed himself to stand up and looked at An Xin. There were streaks of tears on his face, and his nose was runny. He smiled, bitterly, and said, “See? I told you that I’m useless. I’m useless. Absolutely useless…”

An Xin stared at Lin Feng, listening to his words. Her eyes went from concern to anger, but Lin Feng was so consumed in his own misery that he failed to notice. He continued, “Let’s not talk about Worlds anymore, or Rake. It’s pointless. I can’t even win some stupid high school tournament. Why am I even trying to become the best player in the world? I’m useless—OW!” Lin Feng rubbed his cheek, fresh tears in his eyes. “Ow!” he said, again. “What the fuck.” He looked up at An Xin, confused, and asked, “What was that for?”

An Xin glared at Lin Feng and said, “Well, someone has to knock some sense into you! Idiot. Useless? How dare you call yourself useless? You were the best Midlaner in China! You carried your team to the Finals of Worlds. The Finals! That’s not what constitutes useless. You are not useless.”

“You’re right. I was…” Lin Feng mumbled.

An Xin looked at Lin Feng, waited a moment, and then said with crystal clear pronunciation, “You’re going to zip your mouth and keep it zipped until I’m done talking. Understood?”

Lin Feng’s eyes widened. He nodded, slowly, very slowly, and kept his mouth shut.

“Who told you that you have to solo-carry the game in this high school tournament?” An Xin asked, pausing for a brief moment. Then she continued, “League of Legends is a team game. It is and always has been a team game. Your whole team is trying their best. All in their own role. Why do you keep thinking that you have to shoulder everything yourself? Stop putting so much pressure on yourself. You’ve hit a wall. Shit, that happens. You take a step back, evaluate, then go around it. Or tear it down. But that’s not what you’re doing, is it? You see that wall and you, for some godforsaken reason, feel the urge to ram your head into it, repeatedly. It’s what you did back then. It’s what you’re doing right now again. It’s idiotic and a terrible habit.”

Lin Feng let his head hang low. Lower. He swallowed and opened his mouth, uncertain. A short hesitation, then he mumbled, barely audible, “But I—”

“No buts. Zip it,” An Xin said, striking Lin Feng on his cheek again with her flat palm. It left a clear, red mark and Lin Feng yelped in pain, but she didn’t seem to care. She looked at him, waiting for him to shut up, then continued, “What? Think you’re so big and strong? Think putting all the pressure on yourself makes you look cool? It doesn’t. It looks pathetic. Those friends of yours in class, did you see them? Did you see how they looked at you? They were worried. I could tell. Everyone can. They are worried about you and they want to help you. You’re not alone. Stop shutting everyone out. Let people in, Lin Feng. All they want to do is help you.”

Lin Feng waited for An Xin to continue talking. She didn’t. She kept her mouth closed and looked at him. She just looked at him. Then she raised her arms. His eyes went wide. He’d seen this before. He then closed his eyes, turning his cheek towards her, ready for another slap. I’ve probably deserved it… But the slap he was expecting didn’t come. Huh? The scent of Jasmine suddenly became very strong. He opened his eyes just as An Xin wrapped her arms around him and took him in her embrace. She hugged him tightly, his muscles tensing in reflex. Then they relaxed. He relaxed. He hugged An Xin, tightly, burying his head in her neck.

“You big idiot. I know you’re in pain,” An Xin whispered into Lin Feng’s ear. “You can’t do everything yourself. You’re only human. If you keep going like this, you’ll only end up hurting yourself and everyone you care about.” An Xin paused, waited, hesitated, then ruffled Lin Feng’s hair. She smiled a smile that sounded through in her voice. “Besides, don’t you still have me?”

Those words thundered in Lin Feng’s mind. “Don’t you still have me?” He smiled. For a single moment in time, the pain disappeared. There was no anxiety, no disappointment in himself, no frustration at his own inability. There was only the warm embrace of his best friend. He hugged her as tightly as he could. He breathed in through his nose and realized the Jasmine scent came from her. Then he closed his eyes and breathed out. Feeling her soft hair brush against his face, he asked, “Bunbun?”

“Yeah?” An Xin replied.

Lin Feng let go of her and looked her in the eyes, an innocent curiosity in his own. He scratched the back of his head and asked, “Did you put on some pounds?”

An Xin’s face dropped. Her eyes went wide and her hand moved on instinct. She slapped Lin Feng harder than she ever had, and then she hit him. Again. The second time her fist connected with his chest, causing him to stumble backwards. “You asshole! Do you want to die? I lost weight! Alright? Fucking unbelievable.” She threw her hands up in the air and then turned around and walked away.

✹

An Xin didn’t stay mad for long. Lin Feng caught up to her halfway down the first flight of stairs, and after a few words of apology from him, she asked him about the High School 13 versus Shanghai International series. He told her that they had two Master rank players and three in high Diamond. Then he went on about how they came in second last year and that their style heavily leaned on the early game. She quietly listened. When he’d given her the general idea of the situation, she nodded and said, “Ok. I think I got it.”

“Oh, right,” Lin Feng said. “They’re also pretty full of themselves.”

“That’s fine. That just makes it so much more satisfying to defeat them. I already can’t wait to see their expressions,” An Xin said, smirking. Then she turned to Lin Feng and asked, “I heard our team practices right after school?”

“Yeah, we do,” Lin Feng nodded, missing out on one small, but very big detail. Then it hit him. He paused and asked, “Wait. What do you mean, ours?”

“Didn’t Ren Rou tell you? I already joined the team,” An Xin said, matter-of-factly. She looked over towards Lin Feng, who didn’t directly reply, and asked, “What? You’re not happy?”

Lin Feng quickly shook his head and said, “No, no no! I was just surprised. I’m very happy.”

“That’s what I thought,” An Xin said. She then jabbed her chest and said, smiling brightly, “Don’t forget, you might be better at the game, but I’m still the best when it comes to making strategies and shotcalling!”