“Vayne learned Silver Bolts at Level 2. If she had picked Condemn instead, she would’ve survived,” Lin Feng analyzed.

Vayne had three basic skills. Her first skill was Tumble, which was a short range dash that empowered her next basic attack; the second was Silver Bolts, which dealt bonus true damage on every third consecutive hit on a target; and the third was Condemn, which knocked a target back and stunned them if they collided with terrain.

“She was too careless,” Lin Feng concluded.

“Mhm.” Tang Bingyao nodded. She knew just as well as Lin Feng that against an aggressive champion like Draven, Vayne had an easier time in lane if she learned Condemn at Level 2. This left her an escape tool when the opponent reached Level 3 early or tried to hard engage.

Tang Bingyao pushed out the wave before recalling back to base, where she bought two long swords before rushing back to lane.

“You want to build a Sword of the Occult?” Lin Feng asked in surprise.

“Yeah.” Tang Bingyao nodded.

“Wow, so confident!” Lin Feng gasped in admiration.

The Sword of the Occult was a special item. Its base stats were nothing special. However, for every assist or kill, you would gain one or two stacks respectively, up to a maximum of 20 stacks. Every stack increased attack damage by five. So, the more you killed, the stronger you became.

However, there was one major drawback. You would lose half your stacks after dying. So, building this kind of item was a risky gamble. Only those who were really confident in their skills would dare to. In this case, not only did Tang Bingyao have the confidence in herself, but the item was also quite compatible with Draven.

Lin Feng rubbed his chin. “Hmm. That’s fine too. Vayne seems pretty so-so. Building a Sword of the Occult is a pretty good choice in my opinion.”

Based on the Vayne’s gameplay, Lin Feng estimated they were probably a low Diamond player, which was honestly pretty high up there in terms of rank. However, he rated Tang Bingyao higher.

Ouyang believed Tang Bingyao was only Platinum 1. But the account he looked up didn’t belong to Tang Bingyao. She was just boosting it. Lin Feng didn’t know what Tang Bingyao’s actual rank was. However, he had already seen enough to get a rough gauge of her skill level. Purely in terms of game mechanics, she was probably around Diamond 3, maybe even Diamond 2.

Tang Bingyao’s reaction speed and control with her mouse were impeccable. Combined with a mechanic-heavy champion like Draven, it was a match made in heaven. So, as long as she played Draven, she could easily carry her way from Platinum to Diamond. This match was likely also in the bag.

By the time Tang Bingyao returned to lane, Vayne was already back and farming the minion wave. Seeing the Draven return with two long swords, Nightsong couldn’t help but chuckle. “Looks like I’m being looked down on.”

Nightsong easily guessed what item the Draven was going to build. But he didn’t take offense. He had been a bit absent-minded earlier, which led to him giving away first blood. Now, however, he was planning to play a bit more seriously.

In all of China, only a handful of players could stand up to him when he played seriously. This was quite the arrogant proclamation, but he had the qualifications to back these words up. He was Nightsong, Bleakwinter Nightsong, one of the top three professional ad-carry-players in all of China.

✹

As the battle in bot lane resumed, Lin Feng noticed something off. “Huh?” The Vayne’s movement and playstyle had completely changed! She now played much better, nearly flawlessly!

Tang Bingyao also knitted her brows. “I can’t find any openings.” She had encountered this kind of situation before when she 1v1’d Lin Feng earlier. But that was against a Caitlyn who held an attack range advantage, allowing for much more leeway in positioning. In contrast, Vayne had one of the shortest ranges amongst all ad-carries. So, for Nightsong to pull the same feat as Lin Feng was an incredible achievement.

Lin Feng narrowed his eyes. “This Vayne really upped her game…!”

Tang Bingyao nodded. “It’s like a completely different person is playing.”

Having secured first blood with her Draven, Tang Bingyao still held the advantage in the lane. Slowly, the minion wave started pushing towards the red team’s tower. As they pushed beyond the halfway line, danger reared its head. The enemy Lee Sin came from the river for a gank!

Lee Sin popped out of the river entrance brush and threw a Sonic Wave at Draven. Tang Bingyao was a step too late and got hit.

Lin Feng shook his head. “You misplayed there. You could’ve sidestepped that.”

Activating the second part of Sonic Wave, Lee Sin came flying towards Draven. This time, Tang Bingyao did react quickly. She threw out her spinning axes with Stand Aside and knocked Lee Sin out of the air mid-dash.

Tang Bingyao’s reaction speed and reflexes were outstanding. However, with Stand Aside on cooldown, the enemy Leona seized the opportunity to engage with Zenith Blade. A ray of light shot out of her blade as she flew toward Draven. Then, she struck him with her Shield of Daybreak, stunning him.

Tang Bingyao’s Flash was still on cooldown from the previous kill on Vayne. She had no way of escaping. So, she tried to trade a kill for a kill. But Leona targeted her with Exhaust, neutering her damage. Her health quickly depleted before Vayne landed the final hit.

《You have been slain!》

Tang Bingyao’s screen went gray.

“You should’ve backed away earlier. Lee showed up on the minimap before entering that brush,” Lin Feng advised from the side.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Tang Bingyao asked in slight annoyance.

“Because you weren’t paying me to?” Lin Feng countered with a bright smile.

Tang Bingyao thought for a moment before agreeing she had this coming.

Lin Feng stared at the Vayne with a pensive look on his face. It looked like Vayne had the kill delivered to her on a silver platter, with Leona and Lee Sin having done most of the work. However, the reality was much more complex, notably with how the minion wave stopped close to the enemy tower.

Over the next few minutes, the situation in bot lane settled down, with neither side getting any more kills. However, Tang Bingyao wasn’t content with simply farming evenly with the Vayne. She was playing Draven, a hyper-aggressive laner who was supposed to be getting kills left and right in the early game! Yet, this Vayne didn’t give her a single opportunity to engage.

Tang Bingyao pursed her lips. Even though she didn’t voice it, she was slowly starting to feel the pressure. Vayne hadn’t started going off yet, but she still felt a weird sense of urgency creeping in on her, like she was gradually losing control. She couldn’t shake off this suffocating feeling. It was the same pressure she felt in her 1v1 against Lin Feng.

Tang Bingyao naturally didn’t have the ¥1 million to pay Lin Feng his answer fee. But a bet was a bet, and so she let Lin Feng sit next to her and watch her play. After queuing up for a match, she turned to him and asked, “Why did it feel like I could never hit you during our 1v1?”

In the match against Class 8, Tang Bingyao had crushed their Caitlyn with her Draven. However, when she faced Lin Feng’s Caitlyn, the outcome was completely different. She’d learned Spinning Axe at level 1 and tried to get in some early harass on him. Draven’s empowered auto-attacks with Spinning Axe dealt a ton of damage. Even if she traded blow for blow with Caitlyn, he’d still come out on top. But, no matter how she tried, she never found an opportunity to attack Lin Feng. If this were only once or twice, she could brush it off as mere coincidence. But from the moment she arrived in lane to when her tower was destroyed, she could count with her fingers the number of times she managed to land a hit on him. More often than not, she would end up taking a hit or two from Caitlyn while out of range to counterattack.

It was almost as if Lin Feng could tell what she was going to do in advance. Tang Bingyao had never encountered this kind of situation before, even against Diamond 1 players. Complete suppression. She had no clue how he did it.

Lin Feng rubbed his chin with a thoughtful expression, then replied, “It’s because I’m really good!”

Tang Bingyao was taken aback as a dazed expression surfaced on her face. She was not expecting this kind of answer. However, it wasn’t that Lin Feng wasn’t willing to answer, but rather that it was too troublesome to explain.

There were many variables that decided the outcome of a 1v1 between ad-carries. When merely taking the two champions in consideration, the main goal was to land hits without being hit in return. This was done by catching the enemy out of position or when they were focused on last hitting minions. The best way to find these opportunities was to dive into the opponent’s mind and read their next move. Of course, this explanation only began to scratch the surface, so Lin Feng chose to give the easy answer. “The better player wins.”

Tang Bingyao entered champion select. She no longer questioned Lin Feng, turning her full attention to the game. The third and fourth pick on the enemy team locked in Vayne and Leona as their bottom lane duo. In response, she chose her pocket pick, Draven[mfn]A pocket pick refers to a player’s go-to champion that they play very well.[/mfn].

“Draven again?” Lin Feng exclaimed in surprise. Then, he curiously stared at her. “Why do you like playing him so much?” From his experience, most girls liked to play ad-carries like Caitlyn and Jinx, or even Teemo every now and then. He rarely ever saw girls picking aggressive champions like Draven.

“Because it’s easier to win with him,” Tang Bingyao replied.

Tang Bingyao had a valid point here. A good Draven player could easily solo carry games in low elo.

“Do you not play other champions like Caitlyn or Jinx at all?” Lin Feng asked.

“No. They take too long to scale. So, it’s harder to carry with them.”

“But doesn’t playing the same champion all the time get boring?”

Tang Bingyao shook her head. “Not really. As long as I can get kills, it’s fine. Plus, you climb faster this way.”

“Oh, you like to climb?”

“No. It means I can move onto the next order.”

Huh? Next order? Slowly, the dots started connecting together for Lin Feng. He stared at Tang Bingyao and exclaimed in surprise, “You’re elo boosting?”

Tang Bingyao nodded nonchallantly.　

“Why?” Lin Feng asked in bewilderment.

“Because it pays well,” Tang Bingyao answered matter-of-factly.

Lin Feng recalled the appearance fee, viewer fee, and 1v1 fee. It all made sense now. He couldn’t help but sigh. “Wow, you really do like money.”

✹

When Tang Bingyao’s Draven spawned in the fountain, she bought her starting items and then headed toward bottom lane.

“The enemy ad-carry is a Vayne. It’s a fairly easy match-up for you. You can easily bully her early game,” Lin Feng analyzed.

Tang Bingyao nodded in agreement.

Tang Bingyao’s partner in bottom lane was Nami, the Tidecaller. This mermaid champion was an excellent support, with great sustain and crowd control. With just this, she was already a beloved support of any aggressive ad-carry. But to make it even better, she could also help her ad-carry deal additional damage and slow the enemy.

Two minutes into the game, the minion waves clashed in bottom lane. Tang Bingyao prepped her two spinning axes and started to look for opportunities to harass the enemy bot lane duo.

Lin Feng nodded in approval.

The Vayne appeared to be pretty good. She maintained a safe distance from the Draven and steadily farmed the minions. That said, Vayne’s attack range was simply too short. Every time she went up to last-hit a minion, she would end up eating an auto attack or two from Draven. Even if Vayne tried trading back, Draven would still come out ahead.

After both sides reached Level 2, Tang Bingyao started harassing the Vayne more aggressively, steadily building up a health advantage. Then, when she hit Level 3, she activated Blood Rush and engaged on Vayne.

Leona tried to intercept Draven with Zenith Blade. A solar ray shot out of her sword, straight at her target.

Not showing even a ripple of panic on her face, Tang Bingyao immediately pressed down on the E key on her keyboard.

BANG! Two spinning axes whistled forward and knocked Leona out of her Zenith Blade!

Tang Bingyao chased after the Vayne, continuously moving between her attacks to catch her spinning axes.

Lin Feng’s face lit up the more he watched. “Awesome! You’re really good!”

Vayne was forced to blow her Flash to escape. However, Tang Bingyao followed after her with a Flash of her own and finished off the Vayne with one last auto attack.

“Nice play!” Lin Feng exclaimed in admiration.

Tang Bingyao cheerfully accepted the praise.

✹

In the gaming house of a professional esports team in central Shanghai, a young man stared at his screen in slight shock. It was greyed out. “Wow…” he mumbled.

A teammate sitting next to him couldn’t help but laugh, “Hey, hey. How did a top 3 ad-carry in China get solo-killed by a Platinum 1 scrub? Haha! Imagine if this got posted online Nightsong!”

Nightsong brushed it off with a chuckle. “I got distracted there, and a little careless.” He turned his attention back to the Draven as his lips curved into a smile. “Watch me. I just need to get a little serious.

When the game reached the 20-minute mark, Class 8 unanimously voted to surrender. The complexion of their five players were pale-white, traces of fear still lingering in their eyes. When they had started the surrender vote, Tang Bingyao’s 17-kill Draven was already on the verge of slaughtering her way into the fountain.

A moment later, the aura surrounding the red nexus warped violently before exploding into a flurry of brilliance. A large blue victory screen appeared over the ruins of the enemy nexus.

“We won!” The students from Class 7 broke out into cheers. Tang Bingyao’s four teammates were also all smiles. Ouyang shot up from his seat and basked in the cheers of his classmates as if he were a hero returning home from a glorious victory. “Haha! That was too easy! I didn’t even get a chance to show off my skills, and they already surrendered!”

Yang Fan adjusted his glasses and gave Ouyang the side eye. “Yeah, that’s because you didn’t do anything. We got hard-carried by Tang Bingyao.”

“Hey! How can you say that! I ganked bottom lane a bunch of times! She got so fed partly thanks to me!” Ouyang unhappily countered.

Ren Rou rolled her eyes. “Even if you didn’t go bot, Tang Tang would’ve still easily won her lane.” She turned to Tang Bingyao with a smile. “Right?”

Tang Bingyao nodded. “Mhm, he didn’t need to come gank bot lane.”

“Gghhh!” Ouyang nearly choked. He then scratched his head in embarrassment. “Come on, Tang Tang. You didn’t have to say it so bluntly…”

With this easy win, the students from Class 7 were in high spirits. Watching the students from Class 8 leave the internet cafe in dejection, Ren Rou suggested, “How about we celebrate? There’s a barbecue stand around the corner!”

This friendly match against Class 8 was just an excuse to hang out after class. The fact that they won was a bonus. So, even though most of the students had already eaten dinner, of course they would still go celebrate.

While everyone else was cheering, the MVP of this competition shook her head. “You guys go on ahead. I’ll stay here a little longer.”

“How can you not come? You’re the reason we’re celebrating in the first place! It won’t be the same without you!” Ren Rou persuaded.

But Tang Bingyao adamantly declined. “No need. Just pay me my appearance fee.”

This was the second time Tang Bingyao mentioned something about an appearance fee. Ren Rou instantly turned to Ouyang, practically shooting daggers at him. “Tell me! Just what is this about?”

Ouyang immediately broke out in a cold sweat as he gave a hollow chuckle. “Ahaha… Rou Rou, no need to glare at me like that, I might start thinking you have the hots for me. H-haahaha…. Listen, I’ll explain it to you later. Yeah, for sure, later!”

The students from Class 7 gradually left the internet cafe, still in hot discussion about the match. Ouyang’s voice reached over all as he proudly stated how his ganks were the reason Tang Bingyao dominated her lane, and the game.

Meanwhile, Tang Bingyao stayed behind, as did Lin Feng. This was because his interest in the barbeque couldn’t compare to his interest in this girl. He watched her sit back down in front of her computer. It looked like she planned to continue playing. So, he plopped down in the chair next to her and enthusiastically greeted, “Hi! You were really good!”

Tang Bingyao looked at Lin Feng, slightly confused, before saying, “Oh, you’re the new transfer student.” Finding his eyes locked onto her, she stared back at him and asked, “Can I help you with something?”

“Are you going to play another game? Ranked?”

“Yes.” Tang Bingyao nodded.

“Can I watch?” Lin Feng asked, his voice bubbling over with excitement.

Tang Bingyao shook her head. “No. I don’t like it when people watch me play.”

“But, just now…” Lin Feng frowned.

“That’s because I was being paid,” Tang Bingyao patiently explained.

“Oh! So if I pay you a viewing fee, does that mean I can watch you play ranked?”

Tang Bingyao thought for a moment before sticking up two fingers. “¥20.”

“¥20…?” Lin Feng rummaged through his pockets, but he only pulled out a ¥5 note and a few ¥1 coins. He frowned. “I forgot to bring money with me…”

Tang Bingyao nodded. Then, she stared at Lin Feng, patiently waiting for him to leave.

However, Lin Feng’s butt showed no signs of moving. He suddenly thought of something and happily suggested, “How about we 1v1? If I win, you let me watch!”

Tang Bingyao wrinkled her brows. “¥40 fee.”

“If I lose, I’ll pay you ¥40. If I win, you’ll let me watch. How does that sound?”

Tang Bingyao frowned. “But you don’t have ¥40.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t lose!” Lin Feng pounded his chest.

Tang Bingyao kindly reminded him, “I’m really good at this game.”

Lin Feng laughed. “I am too!”

✹

After some more back and forth, the two came to an agreement. They created a lobby and both picked an ad-carry. Tang Bingyao played on the blue team. She chose Draven again, while Lin Feng went with Caitlyn.

According to the standard rules of a 1v1, the winner was the player who got first blood, reached 100 creep score first, or destroyed the enemy’s tower. Lin Feng fulfilled the third condition seven minutes into the game. He achieved his victory through slow and methodical pushing.

“I won!” Lin Feng exclaimed in delight as the enemy’s tower collapsed into a pile of rubble.

Tang Bingyao stared at the ruined tower in a daze. She rubbed her eyes, not sure she could believe them. It felt like the match ended before it had even started.

“Hey, hey! I won the bet! That means I can watch you play, right?” Lin Feng happily exclaimed.

Tang Bingyao snapped out of her daze. She stared at Lin Feng, looking him up and down. “You’re really good,” she finally said.

“Of course I am! Didn’t I tell you?” Lin Feng proudly harrumphed.

“No, you’re really good. Like, way better than I am.” Tang Bingyao shook her head. “Since you’re already so good, why do you want to watch me play?”

This was a reasonable question. Lin Feng rubbed his chin for a bit, then replied with a smile, “That’ll cost you an answer fee!”

“Answer fee…?” Tang Bingyao asked in a daze. “How much?”

Lin Feng stuck out one finger with a solemn expression. “¥1 million!”

Draven! The spectators stared at Tang Bingyao in shock. The Glorious Executioner was a frightening champion that relied on his two spinning axes to slaughter his enemies. Among all the ad-carries in League of Legends, he was the most aggressive and bloodthirsty.

The students from Class 8 also looked at Tang Bingyao like they’d seen a ghost. Did this girl have what it took to play such a domineering champion?

Lin Feng felt a deep admiration for Tang Bingyao. After all, Draven required a lot of skill to play. He wasn’t like an ordinary ad-carry where all you needed to do was auto attack. Most of his damage came from his first skill, Spinning Axe, which greatly empowered his auto attacks. The spinning axes would bounce off any enemies it hit before falling back to the ground. The player needed to catch the spinning axes to continue the activation of the skill.

A skilled Draven player could easily catch all their spinning axes, empowering their every auto attack. This meant his damage output could potentially be more than double that of any other ad-carry! In other words, by the time an enemy got you down to half health, you would’ve already killed them! However, those that could play Draven well were few and far between. Lin Feng curiously gazed at Tang Bingyao. He wanted to find out just how skilled this earnest-looking girl was at Draven.

The five players from Class 8 instantly stirred when they saw the Draven locked in. As they loaded into the game, one of them couldn’t help but sneer, “Draven? Is this a joke? Does she think she’s some kind of pro?”

The ad-carry from Class 8 confidently chuckled. “Well, I guess it’s up to me to put her in her place.” He had picked Caitlyn, who had one of the longest attack ranges among all the ad-carries. This allowed her to easily bully her opponents in the early laning phase.

The spectators from Class 8 started heckling.

“Maybe she meant to go support but forgot to trade? Go easy on her, haha!”

“Yeah. Don’t wanna make her cry.”

“Show her we’re true gentlemen, guys!”

Over on the side of Class 7, Ren Rou frowned. She glared at the guys from Class 8. “So what if she’s a girl? Are you saying that girls can’t play ad-carry? That all we’re good for is support? Who made that rule? Just watch! Tang Bingyao is going to wipe the floor with your bot lane!”

The guys from Class 8 erupted into boisterous laughter. No matter how they looked at it, they couldn’t take Ren Rou’s words seriously. As far as they knew, girls weren’t particularly good at League. Most stuck to the support role, and even then, they chose easy-to-play champions and relied on their ad-carries to win them the game. So how was this possibly a fair matchup? A random girl versus their class legend, a platinum 3 ad-carry on the Ionia server!

Infuriated, Ren Rou gnashed her teeth. She lowered her head next to Tang Bingyao’s ear and whispered, “You can do it! I believe in you! Make those boys from Class 8 eat their words!”

Tang Bingyao wasn’t even the least bit bothered. She looked at Ren Rou and gave her a nod, completely focused and serious. “Okay, I’ll do my best.”

✹

How formidable was a girl who approached everything she faced with such intensity? Tang Bingyao reminded Lin Feng of another female League of Legends player, someone he knew from way back in Season 1. Under today’s ranking system, she would’ve been at least Diamond 3.

That girl, she was determined, always focused on the bigger goal, and a very tolerant personality. Whenever she ended up in a game with toxic teammates or people who tilted easily and then tried to tilt the others, she would always proactively mediate. She always managed to help turn her team back into a team, and then turned a losing game around.

There was only one instance that Lin Feng could remember where a teammate managed to push her over the edge. This particular teammate, they were feeding more than anyone else on the team but still blamed everyone else on the team for losing the game. This continued on and on. Then it finally got to the point where the girl had enough. This teammate was going off on another teammate yet again, and she decided it was time to tell him to shut up. “I know you think you’re helping. But if you really want to help us win this game, leave. Just leave. The four of us can win this without you.” The toxic player ended up leaving the game, which proved to be a blessing for the team. The girl’s intensity blazed as she shifted her focus to winning. That’s when she popped off with her LeBlanc, caught the enemy team’s backline off-guard multiple times and hard-carried her team to a victory. This girl taught Lin Feng a valuable lesson. He would never underestimate a female player again, nor would he look down on them.

Single-minded intensity, that’s what made the girl special and more than just a skilled player. Everyone focused while playing the game, it was an essential part of playing. But most people, even skilled players, had bursts of focus. Not that girl, though. The same thing was true of Tang Bingyao, which is what reminded Lin Feng of the other girl. She gave every single action and minute of gameplay her full attention.

✹

Lin Feng watched Tang Bingyao with rapt attention as she bought her starting items and left the fountain. He rubbed his chin. Hmm. I kinda feel bad for Class 8’s bot lane.

His analysis soon proved correct. Before the game even reached the three-minute mark, the game announcer’s voice rang out.

《First blood!》

Tang Bingyao prepped two spinning axes on the first minion wave. Then, as soon as she hit Level 2, she activated Blood Rush[mfn]Draven gains increased Movement Speed and Attack Speed. The Movement Speed bonus decreases rapidly over its duration. Catching a Spinning Axe will refresh the cooldown of Blood Rush.[/mfn] and went in on the Caitlyn. As soon as her first spinning axe hit the enemy and bounced into the air, she pressed down on her Q key, allowing her to briefly juggle three spinning axes at once as she melted away the Caitlyn’s health.

The students from Class 8 were stupefied.

Ren Rou was the first to break the silence as she erupted in cheers. “Oh my god! Tang Tang, that was amazing!”

Lin Feng nodded. Ah, I hate to admit it, but that is ¥80 well spent. He’d been paying close attention to Tang Bingyao’s gameplay. At Level 1, she didn’t bother trying to trade. However, as soon as she hit Level 2, she went in on the Caitlyn. From catching every single spinning axe to making full use of the movement speed and attack speed boost from Blood Rush, she played it perfectly. And she made short work of the Caitlyn.

While the students from Class 7 erupted into cheers, Tang Bingyao didn’t so much as smile. Her focus was wholly on the game.

The ad-carry from Class 8 gnashed his teeth. “I made a small misplay! It won’t happen again!” A promise he would break within minutes.

The game was barely five minutes old when Draven led her team to another kill on the enemy ad-carry as well as the support.

《An enemy has been slain!》

《Double kill!》

The guys from Class 8 shut their mouths. Their ad-carry’s face was flushed red with anger and embarrassment.

None of this affected Tang Bingyao as she was completely focused on the game. Her gaze remained unwavering, almost as if she’d completely tuned out everything going on around her. She continued controlling her Draven to carry out a slaughter in bot lane.

At the eight-minute mark, Draven’s KDA was 6/0/2! Even the students from Class 7 were dumbstruck, pinching their arms in doubt. Who could’ve thought the normally calm and quiet bookworm was such an amazing Draven!?

At the 12-minute mark, Draven picked up a quadra kill! None of the enemy champions could stand in his way. Even their tanky top lane Darius melted away in a few auto attacks.

At the 15-minute mark, Draven’s slaughter path still showed no signs of slowing down. Tang Bingyao had picked up 14 kills in total! The spectators were speechless, their mouths hanging down. Class 8’s bottom lane had completely collapsed.

The more Lin Feng watched, the more his expression lit up. Rubbing his chin, he made a decision, a wonderful and the only logical decision! Ah, I really want to play with you! Just this once, I’ll forgive you for snatching away my chance to play!

As Ouyang and Lin Feng returned to their desks, Yang Fan turned around and asked, “So, did she agree?”

Ouyang patted his chest with a smug smile on his face. “Of course! I worked my charms on her, and she agreed immediately! Easy peasy! We have our ad-carry!” Then, his expression quickly crumpled. “Ah, but she wants ¥80. How about we submit it as a class expense?”

Yang Fan was speechless. “¥80? We need to pay her? You’ve got to be kidding. Isn’t that a little ridiculous? This is a group activity! She shouldn’t be asking to be paid.”

Ouyang waved his hand. “Eh, it’s just a little bit of money. It’s our fault for failing to find someone else. Plus, she’s an amazing ad-carry! I saw her play with my own eyes! We pay her that ¥80 and she crushes Class 8. How is that not worth it? I say it’s worth every penny. Isn’t that right, Lin Feng?”

But Ouyang didn’t get the reply he was waiting for. Instead, Lin Feng kept his lips tightly sealed.

“Hm? What’s with you?” Ouyang asked, bewildered.

“I told you I’d be your ad-carry, and for free. I’m good. Whatever, pay her her appearance fee,” Lin Feng grumbled.

Ouyang was left speechless. He couldn’t believe Lin Feng was still going on about this. He patted Lin Feng on the shoulder and consoled, “Hey man. Even if I said you could play, it really wouldn’t be up to me. This match is super important. We can’t afford to send out just anyone. Tang Bingyao is Platinum 1! With her in the team, we will easily beat Class 8!”

“But I’m a Challenger,” Lin Feng argued.

Ouyang half-heartedly nodded. “Fine, sure, you’re a Challenger. Why would you care about a kiddy league match like this? Listen, there’ll be plenty of games. I’ll get you into one, I promise. How does that sound?”

Lin Feng stared at Ouyang, not at all convinced. “Word?”

Ouyang pounded his chest. “My word is as good as gold!”

“Okay. I get to play the next match!” Lin Feng happily agreed, gullible as ever.

Yang Fan interjected, “Hey, Ouyang. Let me confirm with you again. Tang Bingyao really is Platinum 1, right? I don’t want to see her suddenly go zero for two. You know, I won’t let you live it down if that happens.”

Ouyang showed a mysterious smile. “Don’t worry. Seeing is believing. You’ll see how good she is tonight!”

Lin Feng started grumbling again, “Oh, so you give her the chance to show off her skills, but not me…! I see how it is.”

✹

The rest of his first school day quickly passed by. After the final period bell rang, Lin Feng grabbed his bag, bid his friends farewell, and cheerfully returned home. He didn’t have homework, so other than the League match tonight, he was free. After taking out his key and unlocking the door, he shouted inside, “Su Xue, I’m home!”

An annoyed voice rang out from Su Xue’s room. “Alright, alright! I got it! No need to yell! I’m still streaming here!”

A few moments later, as Lin Feng was taking off his shoes, he heard Su Xue pound her desk. “Hey, hey, hey! Whose fucking viewers are you? Move aside maid? You want to watch the lil bro play? Fuck you! I’m your host, not him!”

Five minutes later, Su Xue walked out of her bedroom, steam coming from her nose and ears. “You went to class today?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“How was it? Did you make any new friends?”

“Yeah, I did. It was good. I even got invited to a friendly League match tonight at the internet cafe across from the school. It’s my new class versus the class next door! I’ll be going there after dinner.”

Su Xue raised an eyebrow in interest. “A friendly match? Are you playing?”

Lin Feng shook his head with a sullen expression. “No. They won’t let me play. I told them I’m a Challenger, but they won’t believe me.”

Su Xue couldn’t stifle her laughter. “Hahaha. Of course they won’t believe you if you say you’re a Challenger! But dang, even high schoolers like you are playing League of Legends. The game is getting more and more popular. Looks like I made the right choice in becoming a streamer…”

Lin Feng rubbed his stomach. “Su Xue, I’m hungry.”

Having her fantasies of her future career ignored, Su Xue unhappily glanced at Lin Feng. “Hungry already? Fine, go watch some TV or something. I’ll start making dinner in a bit.”

“Can you make the stir-fried eggplants you made last night again?” Lin Feng asked.

“Hmph! You’re full of requests, aren’t you? Hehe! At least you now know I’m a great cook, right? Gotcha, stir-fried eggplants. But first, go wash your hands.”

✹

Half an hour later, a smorgasbord of dishes was set on the table. Lin Feng couldn’t stop himself from drooling. “Hoh… wow! C-can I start? I’m going to start!”

Lin Feng started gorging himself, shoving food in his mouth like a starved beast. Su Xue couldn’t help but be annoyed and amused at the same time. “Hey hey! The food isn’t going anywhere. Aren’t you afraid you’re going to eat your own tongue? Oi, don’t focus on one dish! Drink the soup too! Don’t eat so fast! I’m not going to call the ambulance for you if you choke, you fool!”

Some 10 minutes later, Lin Feng rubbed his stomach in satisfaction. “Whew… that was good. Thanks.” He then checked his phone and immediately stood up. “Shit! The game starts in 20 minutes! I’m going!”

Su Xue also got up. “Hey! What are you so anxious about? You’re not even playing… Go brush your teeth first!”

Lin Feng halted his steps and turned around. “You really are a nag, aren’t you?”

Su Xue was dumbstruck for a moment before her temper immediately flared. “The hell! You little shit! Calling me a nag? If it wasn’t for your aunt telling me to take care of you, I wouldn’t give a rat’s ass about you! You think I want to hover over you like some old maid? Fine! I don’t care anymore! Scram, y—”

Lin Feng waved goodbye. “Oh, alright. Then I’ll be going! Bye!”

Su Xue unhappily stomped to the kitchen, empty plates in hand. “Thankless brat! Cook him a nice meal, and this is what I get! Hmph! Next time, I’ll just feed him some rice gruel! Who wants to nanny someone else’s kid anyw…” Still grumbling as she walked back to the dining table, her eyes fell on a certain item. She grabbed it and rushed out the door after Lin Feng. “Hey, little fool! You forgot your keys—Fuck! I really have become your nanny!”

✹

Lin Feng arrived at the NetCow Cafe a minute after the match with Class 8 was scheduled to start. A large group of high schoolers were gathered around several computers. Lin Feng recognized some of them as his new classmates. Brushing past them, he could finally see the 10 representatives from both classes. They had rented two rows of five computers that were opposite each other. Over on Class 7’s side, Yang Fan and Ouyang were both getting ready to go into the match. Next to them sat the thief who’d snatched away his opportunity to play in this game.

“Freaking ¥80 appearance fee! I said I’d do it for free, and they still won’t let me play!” Lin Feng prattled on like a broken record.

Ouyang happened to overhear this voice and turned around. “Lin Feng, you’re here! Damn, I told you it was 7 o’clock, and you’re still late! You were almost gonna miss seeing me carry with my jungle!”

An angry female voice rang out from the crowd. “Hey, Ouyang! Focus on the damn game! We’re already in champion select!”

Catching Ren Rou’s sharp glare, Ouyang gulped and immediately turned back to face the monitor. Ren Rou then glanced at Lin Feng and instructed, “We can’t let anyone get distracted during the match. So, hush.”

“O-oh, alright.” Lin Feng obediently nodded.

Ren Rou looked at Tang Bingyao and spoke with incomparable intimacy, “Tang Bingyao, you can do it! I get to see you carrying with your ad-carry first-hand today!”

Tang Bingyao earnestly nodded. “Mhm! I won’t let the ¥80 go to waste!”

“Huh? What ¥80?” Ren Rou blurted out.

Tang Bingyao glanced over at Ouyang, who immediately broke into nervous laughter. “Ahahaha… Rou Rou, I-i’ll explain it to you later. Right right right! We should focus on the match!”

The banning phase came to an end. One by one, the 10 representatives started picking their champions. Ren Rou, Lin Feng, and the other students turned their full attention to the game.

Lin Feng looked over at Tang Bingyao. At the very least, she appeared to be taking this match seriously. Though given his first impression of her, that came as no surprise. He wondered what champion she was going to play. She was third in pick order.

A moment later, Lin Feng received his answer. Tang Bingyao moved her mouse over a champion and the corresponding champion icon appeared next to her summoner. Then, she locked him in. Draven, The Glorious Executioner!

color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);

Yang Fan snapped back to his senses. He stared at Ouyang in disbelief. “Hey, hey, Ouyang. I didn’t mishear just now, did I? Did you really say Tang Bingyao?”

Ren Rou also quickly regained her wits, her eyes narrowing into a sharp glare. “Ouyang, what are you trying to pull here?”

Lin Feng curiously interrupted, “Who’s Tang Bingyao? And what game?” But he was completely ignored.

“N-n-nothing! I’m not pulling anything! Rou Rou, think about it. Even if I had a thousand more guts, I wouldn’t dare! I’m serious!”

Yang Fan adjusted his glasses and asked with a frown, “Does she even play League of Legends?”

Ouyang vigorously nodded. “Yeah! She’s an ad-carry main, and she’s really good! I’m not lying!”

Ren Rou’s eyes were filled with skepticism. “Really? How is it that I’ve never heard of her playing League? How did you find this out?”

“Hehe. You guys are really looking down on me here. Don’t forget, I’m the great Ouyang Decai!” Ouyang flashed a smug smile. “Anyway, when I went to the internet cafe a few days ago, I ran into her. She was playing a game of League. So, I watched her play for a bit, and you won’t believe this. She was hard carrying that match with her Jinx, getting triple kills and quadra kills everywhere! Before I knew it, the enemy nexus exploded!” Ouyang looked at everyone and paused for dramatic suspense. “I ended writing down her summoner name. Guess what rank she was.”

Ren Rou stared at Ouyang with an expressionless face. “Cut the theatrics, or do you want me to force it out of you?”

Ouyang shrunk back in fear. He obediently replied, “She’s Platinum 1 in the Ionia server!”

Yang Fan sucked in a breath of cold air. Ren Rou’s eyes went wide, disbelief plastered over her face. “You’re serious? If I find out you’re lying…!”

Ouyang pounded his chest. “I swear I’m speaking the truth. If I’m lying, may I never find a wife in this life!”

“Hmph! As if you ever could find one…” Ren Rou snorted. However, she finally started believing Ouyang. It would be a huge jackpot if they could add a Platinum 1 ad-carry to their roster. But she couldn’t help but worry. “Knowing Tang Bingyao’s personality… are you sure she’ll agree to join us?”

Ouyang pounded his chest again. “Leave it to me, Rou Rou! I’ll get it done!”

Ren Rou stared at Ouyang before reluctantly nodding. “Alright, I’ll leave it to you. Don’t screw this up! The game is tonight! If you manage to convince her to join, I’ll count it as a contribution to the class.”

✹

After Ren Rou left, Lin Feng finally found an opportunity to interject, “So, what were you guys talking about? What game?”

“Oh right! I suppose you don’t know!” Ouyang realized. “We’re having a friendly match with the class next door tonight. At the NetCow Cafe across the street.” Ouyang clenched his fist. “The honour of our class is at stake here! We have to win!”

Lin Feng’s eyes lit up. “Can I join?” Anything League related made his blood pump.

“Uh, you…?” Ouyang looked Lin Feng up and down with a skeptical gaze. “What rank are you?”

Lin Feng patted his chest with a proud look. “I’m pretty much a Challenger in the Ionia server!” If his elo back in season 1 were to be converted to a ranking today, he would be placed in Challenger, and at the very top of the leaderboards to boot. So, even though it sounded like he was bragging, he actually spoke the truth.

Ouyang immediately burst out laughing. “Haha! You really are bad at bullshitting, man. If you’re Challenger, then I’m a pro!”

Yang Fan also bursted out into laughter. “You really need to work on your bragging skills. Even if you told us you were diamond, we wouldn’t believe you.”

Lin Feng furrowed his brows. “I’m serious. I really am! If you guys don’t believe me, just let me play a round tonight, and I’ll show you.”

“Ahhh! You crafty kid! I see what game you’re playing at. Nice try.” Ouyang patted Lin Feng’s shoulder with a look of appreciation. Then, his expression turned serious. “However, this match is just too important. We can’t afford to fool around! We have to play our five best players!”

Yang Fan glanced at Ouyang. “Correct. We can’t afford to fool around. Now, back to the main topic, are you sure we can rely on Tang Bingyao?”

Ouyang’s expression soured. “Hey, I already said she was reliable. You still don’t believe me? Oh, right! Lin Feng, next break we’ll go find Tang Bingyao. We’re going to convince her to join the team.”

Lin Feng scratched his head. “Eh…? Why do you need me?”

“Enough with the whys, just come! This is about our class’ honour!” Ouyang replied.

✹

Second period was English. A dull 45 minutes later, the bell rang announcing the start of a 25-minute break. The students of Class 7 scattered into their own cliques and started chatting, some of them walking out into the hallway.

Ouyang grabbed Lin Feng by his arm and dragged him along to the front of the class. Only girls sat in this row, and aside from one lone girl, they’d all left for the ladies’ room. This lone girl sat right next to the wall, earnestly studying her English textbook.

Ouyang walked up to her with a bright smile. “Tang Bingyao, are you studying? You’re so hardworking!”

The girl raised her head and looked up at Ouyang and Lin Feng. “Do you two need something?”

Lin Feng looked at Tang Bingyao. Be it her looks or figure, she was no doubt very pretty. Her hair was neatly tied in a ponytail with her bangs flowing down in front of her forehead. But most striking of all was the unique air about her. At a glance, you could tell she approached life in earnest.

It sounded strange as it was incredibly difficult to describe things like ‘air’ and ‘temperament’ with words. But this was the feeling Lin Feng got from Tang Bingyao. She had a very unique and earnest air about her. In everything she did, from reading her textbook to talking with Ouyang, she appeared earnest. He couldn’t help but have a good impression of her.

Ouyang chuckled. “You see, it’s like this. Tonight, we’re going to play a game of League against Class 8. But we’re still missing an ad-carry. You’re a very good ad-carry, so I was hoping that you might be interested.”

Tang Bingyao thought seriously before shaking her head. “No, I’m not interested.”

Ouyang’s smile froze, which he quickly replaced with a sincere and meaningful expression. “Tang Bingyao, our class’ honour is at stake here! I saw you play League the other day at the internet cafe! You’re a Platinum 1 ad-carry on the Ionia server! With you, we will crush those guys from Class 8!”

Tang Bingyao shook her head again and flatly refused, “I’m really not interested.”

Lin Feng poked Ouyang in the side. “Hey, hey. I’m interested. How about you let me play?”

Ouyang shot Lin Feng a sharp glance. “Shush you! Stop messing things up!”

With a shake of his head, Lin Feng reluctantly closed his mouth.

Ouyang turned back to Tang Bingyao and gritted his teeth. “We’ll pay you ¥50 if you play with us!”

Tang Bingyao raised an eyebrow in surprise. She then started seriously considering the offer before finally shaking her head. She stuck out both her hands and raised eight fingers. “¥80.”

It felt like a knife slowly carving his heart out to Ouyang. He gnashed his teeth to bite away the pain. “Fine.”

Tang Bingyao cheerfully nodded. “Just tell me the time and place.”

Huh? ¥50? ¥80? Question marks filled Lin Feng’s head. However, even a dimwit like him quickly figured out what was going on. He immediately shouted in protest, “You’re paying her? Hey! I’ll play for free! Let me play!”

“I gotta say, Four Emperors and Seven Kings really does have a nice ring to it,” Ouyang excitedly droned on. “It’s perfect too since the guys in the Seven Kings are actually noticeably worse than the Four Emperors.”

“Just the name Four Emperors screams hella cool!” Ouyang clicked his tongue. “If I could become one of them, then I’d be drowning in female fans. Haha! How awesome would that be!?”

“That’s right!” Lin Feng sat up straight, his face lighting up with a brilliant smile. “If you want to achieve your dreams, you have to keep working hard for it! So what if you fail? You just have to keep getting back up! Even if it’s something as crazy as becoming the best in the world, you won’t know unless you try!”

Ouyang was caught off-guard by Lin Feng’s outburst, but his words struck a chord. “Damn, bro! Are you reading my mind? I was thinking the exact same thing!”

Lin Feng shook his fist, trembling with excitement. “Life without a dream is no better than not living at all!”

Startled, Ouyang shot Lin Feng a meaningful look and reminded him, “Hey hey hey! Keep it down! We’re still in class!”

“O-oh, right! My bad, my bad…”

The two sneakily looked over at the front of the classroom. The teacher’s back was still facing them as he wrote on the blackboard. He didn’t appear to take notice of their little outburst. Only then did they continue quietly chatting.

Ouyang said with a hint of disappointment, “Out of the Four Emperors and Seven Kings, only one of them is Chinese. That really is a bit of a letdown.” But excitement quickly returned to his face a moment later. “But it’s fine! Worlds is only a few weeks away, and the three Chinese teams are all super strong! We’ll definitely get another king! Or emperor!”

Lin Feng clenched his fist. “Right! Go China!”

“Go China!” Ouyang shook his fist.

The two idiots looked like they were about to swear an oath.

A male student a row in front of them had caught a few of their words. He turned around and asked, “Are you two talking about Worlds?”

Lin Feng stared at the male student. He had a fairly handsome face with frameless glasses that hung over the ridge of his sharp nose. He gave off a gentle and refined air that left a good impression.

“Hehe, yeah. Were we that loud?” Ouyang chuckled. He turned to Lin Feng and introduced, “This is Yang Fan. He also plays league.”

“Nice to meet you,” Lin Feng greeted.

“Lin Feng, right? Nice to meet you too.” Yang Fan politely nodded before turning his attention back to Ouyang. He pushed his glasses up with a frown and said, “Ouyang, you know, I don’t agree with what you said just now. I read a post on Tieba of people giving their analysis. Our LPL teams are too focused on the domestic scene. Simply speaking, their vision is too narrow. They’re not bothering to research the metas and tactics of the top teams in other regions. If they don’t prepare better, our chances at winning Worlds aren’t going to look so good.”

“Hey, why do you have to be so negative? Worlds hasn’t even started yet, but you’re already being pessimistic.” Ouyang knitted his brows.

Yang Fan habitually adjusted his glasses, then shook his head and explained, “I’m just giving my objective analysis.”

“Fine, whatever. You’re the most rational, most objective.” Ouyang rolled his eyes. “In any case, I have full faith that we’ll take the cup home this year! Right, Lin Feng?”

“Exactly!” Lin Feng passionately exclaimed.

Yang Fan helplessly shook his head. “You two are really like peas in a pod.”

✹

The period bell rang, signalling the end of math class. The stern-faced math teacher concluded the lesson as he picked up his textbook and teaching materials before leaving the classroom. From the start of class until the end, the three students in the back had missed everything. While the teacher was busy explaining formulas on the blackboard, they were busy discussing Worlds and their shared love for League of Legends. Both Ouyang and Yang Fan played on the Ionia server, where the former was a Gold 3 jungle main and the latter a Platinum 5 mid main. After 45 minutes of non-stop chatter, Lin Feng had struck up a friendship with both of them. They were his first friends at his new school.

“Wow, you’re pretty good,” Lin Feng sighed in admiration.

Ouyang shot Yang Fan an envious look, then exclaimed in an angry tone, “Hmph, what’s so amazing about Platinum? If it weren’t for the fact I’ve been getting crappy teammates lately, I’d be Platinum too!”

Yang Fan gave Ouyang the side eye. “But excuses don’t change anything, right? You’re still Gold 3.”

“You smug son of a bitch!”

Just as the two were about to go at it, a pleasant voice rang out, “Ouyang Decai!”

Ouyang jolted up from his seat in surprise. He raised his head in a flurry to a cute female student aggressively walking up to his desk with her hands on her hips. He immediately put on a flattering smile. “U-uhh… Rou Rou, w-what’s up? Hahaha…”

“Hmph! Who said you can call me that? You think we’re that close?” The girl swept her gaze over to Lin Feng. Her face lit up and she greeted with a smile, “Oh, if it isn’t the new transfer student! Lin Feng, right? I’m Ren Rou, the class president. Welcome to Class 7.”

Lin Feng nodded repeatedly. “Nice to meet you, Ren Rou.”

Yang Fan adjusted his glasses, then quietly whispered, “Her name really doesn’t fit her temper…”

Indeed. Though her name contained “Soft (柔)”, her chilli-pepper like personality was anything but soft.

“Dare to say that again!” Ren Rou shot a death glare at Yang Fan.

“Hehehe… N-nothing. You’re the prettiest and most gentle.” Yang Fan raised his hands in surrender.

“Hmph! That’s more like it!” Ren Rou recalled her original reason for coming here and shifted her attention back to Ouyang. “We’re facing off against Class 8 tonight. Did you do what I asked you to? Do we have a team?”

“Ehh…?” Ouyang blanked.

“You’re our jungler, Yang Fan is our top laner, Wu Hai is our mid, and Sun Ming is our support. We’re missing an ad-carry. I told you a few days ago to help me find one! Did you forget?” Ren Rou reminded, looking like she was about to eat Ouyang alive.

“No no no. Rou Rou, you’re wrong… Don’t worry, I’ve already found the perfect person!”

Ren Rou withdrew her anger, but continued gazing at Ouyang with a wooden expression. “So, who is it?”

Ouyang cleared his throat, mustering up his courage, and declared, “It’s Tang Bingyao!”

Tang Bingyao? Ren Rou was stunned. Yang Fan also put on a puzzled expression. Lin Feng, who was the most lost in this conversation, scratched his head in bewilderment. Who’s that…? It sounds like a girl’s name. Also, what’s this about facing off against Class 8 tonight?

A bet was a bet. Su Xue begrudgingly headed to the kitchen and started busying herself. Even though she was an enchanting beauty, she was quite high spec in other areas too. Her skills with a knife were superb. As soon as she stepped into the kitchen, the air around her changed completely, transforming into something akin to the beloved big sister next door.

Of course, the most beloved thing for Lin Feng was the savory, steaming-hot dishes Su Xue brought over to the table half an hour later. There were braised eggplants, stir fried chicken, squash soup, and tomato and scrambled eggs just to name a few.

Lin Feng widened his eyes. “Wow, amazing!”

Su Xue proudly harrumphed. “Of course. I told you I was a Challenger cook!”

Lin Feng nodded vigorously as his hands greedily reached out to the bowl with squash soup.

After eating about half the rice, Su Xue placed down her bowl. Resting her palm under her chin, she stared in amusement at Lin Feng wolfing down her food with gusto. “Tasty, right?”

“Ryesh, bery tashty!” Lin Feng answered with his mouth full of food.

“How about you take your time and enjoy it? The food isn’t going anywhere.” Su Xue couldn’t help but break into a smile. “Hey, can I ask you something. How did you get so good at League? How long have you been playing?”

Lin Feng swallowed a mouthful of rice before replying, “Oh, I started playing way back in season one, but I took a break from it for around three years. I only recently started getting back into it again.”

“Oh, wow. You started playing in season one? You must’ve been in middle school back then, right?” Su Xue exclaimed in shock. “No wonder you’re so good. You’re a veteran!” She paused for a moment, then looked to Lin Feng with keen interest. “Hey, tell me. What do you think of my play?”

“Nothing special,” Lin Feng replied without a second thought.

“H-hey, hey, hey! You don’t need to be that blunt, alright!?” Su Xue exclaimed. Then, she slumped back down dejectedly. “But you’re right… I’m just a Gold player.”

After a moment of silence, Su Xue looked up at Lin Feng and asked curiously, “Then what rank are you? Don’t tell me you’re really a Challenger?”

Lin Feng shook his head before calmly replying, “No, I’ve never actually reached Challenger. But that’s because back when I played, Challenger didn’t exist. If I were to convert my elo back in season one to the current system, I’d be Challenger.”

“Sure, keep bragging.” Su Xue turned her lips, not really believing him.

Lin Feng scratched his head. “Really, I’m serious here. Not bragging.”

Su Xue sighed. “Damn, if I had the skills of a Challenger, how great would that be? I’d easily sweep away all those famous female streamers!”

“So, you want to become a full time streamer?”

Su Xue nodded before letting out a deep sigh. “Yeah, but things aren’t looking so hot right now. It’s going to be difficult.”

“That’s no problem. It’s good that you have a dream. As long as you persevere, you’ll succeed,” Lin Feng said.

Su Xue couldn’t help but giggle. “Thank you. Hey, what about you then, mister oh so great Challenger? With how good you are, are you planning to become a pro?”

Su Xue said this more as a joke than an honest question. There were already so many famous and godly players out there. Those who truly had what it took to become a pro could be counted on her fingers. So, it wasn’t strange she never considered that Lin Feng actually had such grand and lofty ambitions.

“Mhm. Yeah. I want to become a pro.” Lin Feng nodded seriously. Then, he clenched his fist and solemnly vowed, “I want to become the number one player in the world!”

Su Xue gasped. “Jeez! Don’t you think that’s a bit out there?”

Lin Feng lowered his head back to the bowl and shovelled some more food into his mouth. He then raised his head back up again and said, “I don’t think so. Any pro should strive to be the best, or else what’s the difference between them and anyone else?”

✹

The next day, the 9th of September, the first day of the new school year. Lin Feng had already woken up and gotten dressed while Su Xue was still fast asleep in her room. He grabbed his bag and headed off to Shanghai High School 13. He wanted to get there a little early and get the lay of the land before he started, since he was a transfer student.

Once Lin Feng arrived at the school, he wandered around until he finally found the office of the Head Teacher. It took him a little bit longer than he’d expected. The Head Teacher gave Lin Feng a small orientation and then guided him to the classroom he’d be spending the next year in before handing him off to the homeroom teacher for Senior Class 7. The homeroom teacher beckoned Lin Feng inside the classroom and asked him to briefly introduce himself to his new classmates. This was met with a smattering of politely welcoming applause.

“Right. Lin Feng, is it? Welcome. Hm. A bit late to swap around seats again. How about you just find an empty seat and sit…” The homeroom teacher scanned the room quickly and pointed at the corner desk in the fourth row, at the back of the classroom, “… that one should be good.” The only other student in that row was a guy who had the desk next to the empty one the teacher was pointing at. Lin Feng nodded, walked over to his desk with his bag in hand, and sat down.

Before long, the first lesson of the day began, which happened to be mathematics, and the students of Class 7 returned to their regular drowsy selves. What was the most boring subject in high school? More than two thirds of students wouldn’t hesitate to cast their ballot for mathematics.

Lin Feng earnestly paid attention in the beginning, but he quickly noticed his neighbour one desk over secretly fiddling around with something. He curiously glanced over. His deskmate was secretly looking at his iPhone, browsing some kind of webpage. It looked like a Baidu page about the season 5 world championship for League of Legends.

Oh, right. Worlds is soon. Lin Feng had read the announcement from Riot Games before falling asleep last night. It would officially begin on National Day, the 1st of October, exactly 22 days from today. All of the professional League of Legends players from around the world would gather to compete in the most hyped esports tournament of the year. First, they’d play through the best of a double round-robin group stage. The top two teams from each group would advance to the single elimination knockout bracket until it culminated in a thrilling final round between the top two teams, where a new world champion would be crowned. The whole thing was a grand spectacle, one that set hearts on fire and pounding with excitement.

Lin Feng’s eyes lit up, but then he quickly realized something as a trace of regret surfaced on his face. Even that was fleeting as his expression returned to normal.

At this moment, the deskmate sensed someone’s gaze on him. Startled, he quickly shoved his phone into his desk and whipped his head around.

Lin Feng cracked a friendly smile. “Ah, hello!”

“Oh! It’s you! I thought you were the teacher… Damn, you nearly scared the piss out of me!” The student breathed a sigh of relief, a trace of fear still lingering on his face. He took his phone back out, but held it carefully low so the teacher wouldn’t notice it. He cast a side glance at Lin Feng. “Hey dude. What’s your name?”

“Lin Feng.”

“Hehehe. Right right right! I remember now. Lin Feng, I’m Ouyang Decai. Just call me Ouyang.”

“Oh wow. Your family must really want you make it big and get rich…”[mfn]Ouyang’s first name Decai (得财) means obtaining riches. So, Lin Feng references that.[/mfn] Lin Feng quietly exclaimed.

Ouyang helplessly curled his lips and sighed. “It can’t be helped. What more can you expect from parents obsessed with running their business? I’m just thanking the heavens they didn’t name me Ouyang Moneybags…”

Lin Feng chuckled at his amusing deskmate. He then switched the topic back to before and asked, “What were you looking at? Something about worlds?”

“Yeah!” Ouyang’s eyes lit up. “You also play League? Only a few more weeks until Worlds! Exciting, right? Best of all, it starts on National Day, so we have no school! I’m definitely going to stay up all night to watch it! I was just looking at this post on Tieba. It was talking about the line-up. Supposedly, it’s the best yet! The three teams that qualified in the LPL are amazing! But I heard the teams from the other regions are also really strong!”

His excitement reaching a crescendo, Ouyang added, “Oh right, you know about the Four Emperors and Seven Kings, right? Nine out of eleven of them will be in Worlds this year!”

Lin Feng scratched his head. “Errm… Yeah, I’ve heard a bit.”

The Four Emperors and Seven Kings, better known as the “Yonko” and “Shichibukai”, was a reference taken straight out of the popular Japanese series “One Piece”. Specifically in this context, it referred to the 11 best professional League of Legends players in the world. They were voted on by the fans for their fame and skill. Of course, this ranking wasn’t official, but a community endeavor.

Among the Seven Kings, there were two players from Europe, two from Korea, one from North America, one from Taiwan, and one from China. As for the Four Emperors, who ranked above the Seven Kings, two were from Korea, one from North America, one from Europe, and… none from China.

This kind of naming sense reeked of eighth-grader syndrome, but Lin Feng didn’t mind. In fact, he was quite fond of it. Back in season 1, there was a similar ranking in the global esports circle, though it went by a different name and had different players on it; most of the players of today had yet to touch the game back then.

On the old list, there were 10 professional players that were lauded as standing at the very apex. However, there was one title that stood far above the rest and left the deepest impression on everyone. Sovereign. The Sovereign of the League of Legends competitive scene.

Recalling these memories from what felt like a lifetime ago, Lin Feng lowered his head, allowing his messy bangs to drape over his eyes and cover his face. In the past, he’d been infinitely close to obtaining that supreme honor. However, he faltered at the very last step

Chapter 5 – So, What’s for Dinner?

After his second double kill, Lin Feng’s KDA was now 5/3/2. Any advantage the red team’s bottom lane duo had from the start of the game was completely neutralized. Lin Feng smashed that snowball before it could turn into an avalanche. And since he was such an overachiever, he didn’t just stop there. He’d also managed to get full control of bottom lane.

The cool thing about what Lin Feng had done was that Caitlyn would normally abuse her long attack range to get an early game advantage and snowball that through into the late game. That’s exactly what this Caitlyn was doing while Su Xue was playing. But this game was the story of how the Caitlyn’s life got flip turned upside down. While Su Xue was playing, Caitlyn was just chillin’ in lane, shooting some minions and farming up kills. Then Lin Feng started playing and a Vayne who was up to no good started making trouble in her neighborhood. Caitlyn got in one little fight and the next thing she knew, she’d been killed four times. Her entire lead was lost to Lin Feng’s Vayne in a matter of minutes, her KDA now 2/4/1. Vayne quickly surpassed her in items. 

Lin Feng had managed to build out The Blade of the Ruined King, which clearly put his Vayne ahead. But after he’d gotten his 5th kill he used the gold to build out a Statikk Shiv. Having two fully built out items allowed him to completely dominate the lane.

By the time the first teamfight at the dragon pit broke out, Lin Feng’s summoner spells were back off cooldown, giving him even more tools to work with. He grasped the opportunity to cut through to the enemy’s back line and let loose.

《Triple kill!》

The triple kill announcement was too much for Su Xue. She was now jealous. Absolutely jealous. In all her time playing League of Legends, she’d gotten a couple of double kills. It was one of those rare things that happened every dozen games or so when everything just happened to line up perfectly for her. But a triple kill? She’d never gotten a triple kill in a game! She’d never heard the game announce a triple kill for her! She went to the bathroom for a couple of minutes, and this random kid who moved in with her suddenly managed to get two double kills and a triple kill. It was too much!

Su Xue watched the kid sitting next to her playing the game instead of watching the game. He made it look so easy. Natural. Playing league, getting double kills, all of that was so simple for him. Like breathing. Or walking. She wondered why she couldn’t play like that. Vayne wasn’t even a mechanically challenging champion to play, not like Riven. She didn’t need hours of practice to master Vayne. So why did Vayne seem like a killing machine in the hands of this kid, steamrolling through the enemy team like it was nothing? She couldn’t figure it out.

✹

Once the game hit the 20-minute mark, the red team unanimously voted to surrender. One of the rules of League of Legends was that a surrender vote could not be initiated before 20 minutes into the game. From how quickly the red team decided to end the game, it looked like they were just waiting for it. Lin Feng was just too scary of a player for all five of them to deal with. It also looked like the stomping that Lin Feng gave their bottom lane duo completely broke their team cohesion. Salty comments from the other three players on the red team started popping up on general in-game chat. 

「GG! our bot lane could’ve solved world hunger with their feeding」

Lin Feng looked at Su Xue and said, “I made that same joke about you when the game started! You remember that? Looks like this game hasn’t changed all that much. Old jokes are the best ones, right?” If there was ever a glare that could stop a heart, it was the one that Su Xue was giving Lin Feng right now. 

Whatever the rest of the players on the red team in this game thought, the Thresh and Caitlyn honestly could not be blamed for what happened. No one could be reasonably expected to think that a Vayne who was losing 0/3/2 to them would pull a sudden 180 and pop off. If Lin Feng hadn’t started playing, then they probably would have won this game. But if Lin Feng didn’t play, there would be no reason to read this novel. Lin Feng is the main character, and this story follows him. Obviously he had to take over. The real question here, the one that everyone should have been thinking about, is far more profound. Did Su Xue really have to go to the washroom? Or was that merely just a convenient plot device that allowed for Lin Feng to take over? Just food for thought. 

All profound thoughts, expectations, mild regrets and missed opportunities aside, most people playing League would think that there was no point continuing a game with a Vayne who was 11/3/2 and grabbing double kills on triple kills 20 minutes into the game. 

This ranked match was an easy win for the blue team. An easy win for Lin Feng. In the end-game lobby, the players on blue team showered Lin Feng, who was playing on the Evening Snowfall account, with praise and honored him. The player who was playing Janna, his support in the bottom lane duo, even added him as a friend and asked him if he wanted to duo queue together. Probably someone who was looking to main the support role and wanted a good ad-carry to play with. Or maybe there was something more. It’s always been understood that duo queue in League held all the promise and spark of potential dual cultivation IRL. 

The random strangers that Lin Feng was playing with on blue team weren’t the only ones losing their minds. The people watching the stream were just as hyped. The chat exploded as 70-something people lost their shit. 

「again again again again」 
「You’re amazing, lil bro! Are you diamond? 」
「Who knew we’d see a pro in action! I’m a gold noob, but please add me!」
「queue up! Gogogogoog!」

Even Su Xue was caught up in the excitement. “Quick, quick, start another game! That one ended too quickly!” She’d completely forgotten she was supposed to be the streamer here. Watching Lin Feng’s Vayne was simply that entertaining. She was at the edge of her seat the whole time. And at the end, during that last team fight? She wanted to jump up and applaud when he single handedly won that last team fight. But she managed to hold herself down. 

Lin Feng scratched his hair, “Don’t you, uh, want to play now? It is your stream and, hm… your account, ya know?”

“U-uh, huh?” Su Xue muttered in a daze, recalling that fact as well. A hint of red spanned across her cheeks. Right! This is my stream! How could I let this kid take over so easily? I even told him to play some more! What is wrong with me? This is so embarrassing! But she really did want to see Lin Feng play again. That desire burned so bright that she couldn’t lie to herself about it. The gears in her mindhole started grinding, and she quickly came up with a plan that would get her everything she wanted. Salve the sting to her ego while still letting her watch Lin Feng. “You only started playing half-way into this last game. And then I was in the washroom. By the time I got back, there wasn’t much of the game left to see before it ended. Did I really get to see those skills you were going on about Mr. Challenger? I don’t think so! Play a full game this time!”

“Hm. I, uh… Wait. Why do you want to see my skills?” Lin Feng asked. Su Xue got real intense out of nowhere, and he didn’t understand what was happening. 

“Uhhh…” Su Xue choked. She struggled to find an answer, she couldn’t explain how much her soul burned when she watched him play. She didn’t want to. Time was running out. She had nothing to say. She had to say something. Not enough time. He’d know something was up if she just stayed quiet for too long. The stream was still on too. How long had it been? Was it a minute? The silence was crushing down on her, she had to say something. “IF I TELL YOU TO PLAY, YOU PLAY! There is no why! Don’t question me!”

Lin Feng nodded. Then he scratched the back of his head and cautiously asked, “Okay, okay. I have a question. Not questioning you. Just a question, okay? I play another match. I’ll play. But if I do, what’s in it for me?”

Su Xue was still worked up from yelling at him to play so she replied without thinking, “What’s in it for you? What do you want?” Wait, wait, wait! NO! That was the wrong thing to say! Oh-please-god-no! He’s in high school and I’m a beautiful young woman! In the prime of my youth and the height of my beauty. He probably thinks he has a shot here. Omg! He’s probably thinking ‘kami-sama arigatooo’ in his head right now. I’m not that kind of girl or streamer! Need to put a stop to this right now. She paused while this monologue continued in her head and then she said, “Alright, How about this. Play another match. If you carry that hard again, I’ll make dinner for you tonight! I’m a really good cook. Stir-fried tomatoes, scrambled eggs, kung pao chicken, red-braised carp… my cooking will knock the socks off your tastebuds!” Safe. Good thing I can cook and came up with that. Who knows where this could have gone? 

“Really?” Lin Feng started to drool

Su Xue proudly declared, “Listen here, I’ve never met anyone who can match me in the kitchen!”

“Deal!” Lin Feng agreed without hesitation.

The people watching the stream also caught this entire exchange on the webcam feed. They had their own input to add in.

「Hey, miss streamer! Make us some red braised carp and kung pao chicken too!」
「i also want stir fried eggplants!」
「do you do takeout?」
「she can cook! bonus waifu points!」
「When is your next cooking stream?」

Oh, now I’m the streamer again, huh? You shameless bastards! Su Xue couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Hmph! A lady like myself doesn’t just cook for anyone and everyone. Definitely not for you NEETs! Just because you guys want to sit there imagining what it would be like to have me as a wife doesn’t mean I’m going to go out of my way to make it easier for you! 

✹

Before long, Lin Feng entered champion select. While they waited for the ban phase to end, there was something Su Xue was curious about. “Hey, what role do you main? Ad-carry?” 

Lin Feng shook his head. “Nah, I main mid.” But when it was his turn to pick a champion, Lin Feng locked in Jarvan IV and picked Flash and Smite as summoner spells. Jarvan IV was a champion built to play the Jungle role, and picking Smite was confirmation that Lin Feng intended to be the Jungler for his team this game. Smite only dealt damage to jungle monsters and was useless against enemy champions. The summoner spell was designed for the Jungle role.

“Hey! You just said you’re a mid main!” Su Xue yelled out while pointing at the screen. 

Lin Feng rubbed his nose and confidently smiled, “Oh, I’m a pretty good jungler too!”

Most of Su Xue, like 97% of her, thought that Lin Feng was trying to show off now. The praise from his team in the last game, all the people watching the stream, and the exquisitely beautiful, fully bloomed woman sitting next to him was too much for him to handle. His head had exploded. But 3% of her thought there might be something more to it. Something that would blow her mind, rock her world. 

Lin Feng was blissfully unaware that she thought he was showing off and was just confident that he could hard carry the game as the jungler. 

《Welcome to Summoner’s Rift!》

The game had started. By the time the game hit the three minute mark, Lin Feng had already cleared all of the jungle monsters on his side of the Rift and gotten both the Blue Buff and the Red Buff. It was time to start whacking the red team around. He decided to go in for a gank at top lane first. The Riven saw him coming and engaged the red team’s top lane champion Olaf. Lin Feng jumped in with his Jarvan IV…

《First Blood!》

After that smooth first kill, Lin Feng waited until the five-minute mark to go gank mid lane. The red team’s midlane champion Syndra was wary that he might show up. When his Jarvan IV popped out of the top-side river brush, she reacted instantly. The Syndra started retreating towards the safety of her tower while conjuring a Dark Sphere and sending it flying towards him with Scatter the Weak. That would stun Lin Feng’s Jarvan IV and allow her to escape. She was quick. But not quick enough. 

Jarvan IV had already thrown down a Demacian Flag and started flying towards it. Then, Lin Feng pressed D for Flash. Jarvan IV disappeared mid-animation as he travelled toward Syndra and appeared right over her. Even though her Scatter the Weak had managed to stun him, he still succeeded in knocking her up.

Lin Feng’s teammate in midlane was Yasuo. A unique champion who specialized in combination attacks. Yasuo’s ultimate could only be used on enemy champions who were knocked up. Which is just what Lin Feng’s Jarvan IV had done to Syndra. Yasuo reacted to the knockup in time and activated his ultimate, jumping up onto the knocked-up Syndra in the air and slashing down with his katana. Another quick and easy kill.

Su Xue was dumbstruck.

The viewers on the stream also reacted with amazement.

「holy dammmnnnn!!! that comboooo!!!!!」 
「that’s some skill bro」
「WOW So smooth! Lil bro, that was cool as hell!」

As the rest of the game played out, Lin Feng basically became the king of the jungle. He made plays left and right and carried his team to an easy victory.

At 25 minutes into the game, Lin Feng was 8/0/11. A perfect KDA! One that showcased exactly how perfect his jungling was. Lin Feng hard-carried all three lanes on his back and set the tempo of the entire game like a conductor in front of an orchestra! And he did it all in 25 minutes!

Lin Feng had helped Su Xue’s account score another ranked win. This time around, Su Xue was finally convinced. T-this kid… is really good! No, he’s freaking amazing!

Lin Feng more or less satisfied his itch to play and handed back the position of stream host to Su Xue. After which she continued her climb up the ranked ladder by herself. She was pumped up after seeing Lin Feng win two games in a row.

When Su Xue got in the ranked lobby, she directly called jungle. And when it was her pick, she instantly locked in Jarvan IV.

The result… She succeeded! …In losing all three lanes for her teammates. Honestly, her feeding had become a form of art. At the 15-minute mark, Su Xue stared at her 1/7/5 KDA wide-eyed and dazed. She slumped back into her seat and rubbed her temples. Glancing at all the ellipses flooding her chat, she said in a defeated tone, “Alright, I deserve it. Roast away.”

✹

As the clock struck six, Su Xue gloomily ended her stream after a fantastic three-game losing streak.

The viewers seemed a bit reluctant to see the stream end.

「are you going to stream again later tonight?」
「Lil bro, we’ll be waiting for you to come back!」
「don’t let the washingboard maid play anymore. just have her pour you tea and bring you snacks」

Su Xue’s eyes twitched in irritation. These fickle viewers of hers… their reluctance to see the stream end wasn’t even aimed at her! After the three-game loss streak, she’d gone from being the stream host back to being the maid. Lin Feng didn’t find the situation the least bit awkward either. He cheerfully interacted with the viewers and bid them farewell.

As the stream turned black and Su Xue slumped back in her chair, Lin Feng turned to her and asked, “Su Xue, I’m hungry. What’s for dinner?”

Su Xue sarcastically replied, “You little shit. You can’t even remember to pour yourself a glass of water. But your memory is suddenly perfect when it comes to this, huh…?”

Su Xue couldn’t believe what her eyes were telling her. She’d left for the washroom not two minutes ago. In that short period of time, a losing game suddenly didn’t look all that lost anymore. Lin Feng picked up three kills! She rubbed her eyes and stared at the screen again. The kills, deaths, and assists tally still read the same: 3/3/2.

Su Xue had unconsciously moved in front of the monitor. Lin Feng could only see a little of the screen and a lot of the back of Su Xue’s head. So, he leaned to the side and tried to see what was going on in the game. Su Xue’s face also blocked in front of the webcam, which was now zoomed in on her forehead. The people watching the stream were quick to voice their displeasure.

「get out of the way! stupid maid..」
「Stop blocking the streamer from playing the game!」
「You damn maid! You’re in the way of our handsome lil bro’s face!」

The fresh string of messages drew Su Xue’s attention. She read them from the corner of her eyes before pulling back her head. “S-sorry! My bad! I didn’t mean to…” It had become somewhat of a habit for her as of late, to start apologizing frantically the moment chat was the slightest bit displeased with her. But then the absurdity of the situation hit her. “Hey! Wait. Hold on!” she shouted. “What the fuck! The maid? I am your streamer, not him. Got it?”

With Su Xue back and screaming, Lin Feng pressed the B key and recalled back to base. Then he took his hands off the mouse and keyboard and asked, “So, are you taking back over? Or… do you want me to keep playing?”

Su Xue didn’t get to reply, the streamers ‘tactfully’ did that for her.

「lil bro, don’t go!」
「we want to see your vayne!」
「have the flat-chested maid step down!」

Su Xue couldn’t even hear herself think anymore with the figurative din of 10,000 people collectively screaming ‘fuck you’ bouncing around in her mind. I finally understand what people mean when they say they’ve been trampled by a herd of 10,000 grass-mud-horses! What a stupid meme! She remained paralyzed though, unable to make a decision. She never expected this jackass to turn into the comeback kid, nor did she ever expect that her viewers would turn against her for three kills.

From streamer to maid in a single bathroom break, and these unwarranted accusations of being flat chested, Su Xue felt like boulders were dropping down and crushing her. I’m NOT flat chested, you jackass! This is just a baggy shirt! I’m not one of those streamers who thinks they can only get viewers by highlighting their femininity! Su Xue gnawed on her lips as she felt a burning hatred coursing through her veins. You rotten, unloyal bastards! Just who is your streamer here!

Su Xue took a deep breath. She was still upset with her viewers, very much so. But there was something else that played on her mind. So she came to a decision. “Fine. You play for a bit longer. I would like to see how you win this game.” This wasn’t a snarky comment. She was honestly curious to see Lin Feng play. He had to be doing something special to get three kills and win over her viewers in a few short minutes. Though he was still just a high schooler, she couldn’t help but wonder if maybe, just maybe, this high school kid was some kind of league of legends prodigy.

Lin Feng flashed a bright smile as he quickly placed his hands on the mouse and keyboard again. “Alright!” He then paused for a brief moment, unmoving, before looking up at Su Xue. “Uh, mhmm, I…”

“What is it now?” Su Xue asked.

“I’m a bit thirsty… I forgot to pour myself some water earlier.”

“Then go and pour yourself a glass of water? Didn’t I just tell you that the water dispenser is…” Su Xue’s eyes narrowed into a glare. “Hey hey hey! Don’t tell me you want me to pour you a glass of water! I’m not your maid!”

Lin Feng scratched his head. “Uhh… it’s fine. Nevermind. I’ll get myself a glass after this game.”

Su Xue snorted. “That’s what I thought.”

When the viewers saw Su Xue’s reaction from behind their monitors, they weren’t all too happy.

「OI! why isn’t the maid getting our lil bro streamer his water!?」
「hey yeah! How about you make yourself useful!?!?!」
「Yeah, get him his water, or we’ll riot!」
「fellas, get ready! let’s mass unfollow and unsubscribe!」

It only took a few seconds for the chat to be blanketed with messages attacking Su Xue. She started blankly at them before forcing herself up from her chair and slumping to the living room. These viewers held more power over her than she would like to admit. She grabbed a clean glass from the table and poured in some water before returning to her bedroom—the streaming room. A break in her step. Just an extra moment before she walked back into the room. Enough time to force back the tears that were welling up in her eyes.

Su Xue wanted to curse and scream but was terrified the viewers would kick up another fuss. So, after walking into the room, she placed the glass on the desk and weakly said to Lin Feng, “Here, your water…” Then her eyes shifted to the stream chat before falling back on Lin Feng again.

After sitting down in the sidekick’s chair, Su Xue’s fears subsided a little and hatred started coursing through her veins again. You motherfuckers! I’m the streamer! Not this kid! But no matter the thoughts clouding her mind, she didn’t let out a peep. She would wait. Patiently. She believed her chance would come. That her new roommate would make a mistake. It was only a single misplay away. And then… Hmph! I’ll have them begging for me to take over! I’m Daenerys here, and that’s my iron throne! You’re not going to usurp it!

✹

13 minutes into the game, Lin Feng pushed the minion wave to the red team’s outer tower in bot lane.

Evening Snowfall (Vayne):「shield plz janna」

Vayne wasn’t a specialist at taking down towers. Her kit simply wasn’t built for it. But with the support from Janna’s Eye of the Storm, which boosted attack damage and granted a shield to the target, she could deal considerable damage to them.

Lin Feng had his Vayne go in and fire off two bolts at the outer tower before retreating back. In the process, he ate a shot to the face from Caitlyn, which failed to even break through his shield. Several moments later, when Eye of the Storm was back off cooldown, Lin Feng repeated this method and slowly chipped away at the health of the enemy tower.

“Aren’t you playing too scared? Only going up to hit the tower when you have a shield?” Su Xue jabbed.

Lin Feng turned his head to look at Su Xue and said, “Oh, don’t worry. I’m going to tower dive and take out that Caitlyn in a few minutes.”

“H-huh?” Su Xue looked from Lin Feng to the screen and back at him. Then, as if to confirm she had understood him correctly, she asked, “Tower dive?” Even in the best of situations, tower diving was dangerous. The towers did a lot of damage, especially to the glass cannons that all ad-carries were. On top of that, Lin Feng couldn’t count on any of his teammates showing up to help. Top and mid lane were currently engaged in their own battles against their opponents. Rek’Sai, the jungler, had returned to base to buy items. There was no way he would make it in time.

Su Xue analyzed the situation and came to the conclusion that tower diving had a zero percent chance of succeeding. There were too many variables stacked against Lin Feng. His own team couldn’t come to his help; the enemy jungler was unaccounted for and could pop out of a brush at any time; and last but not least, Caitlyn’s support was the high-health champion Thresh. Lin Feng’s support was a Janna, who had about as little health as his Vayne. She threw Lin Feng a suspicious look before shaking her head. You stupid brat. Don’t let your ego get to your head just because you picked up a few kills.

Lin Feng was completely unaware of Su Xue’s thoughts, not that he would care even if he knew. Right now, his focus was only on finding opportunities to do damage to the enemy tower. Its health slowly went down. He started mumbling to himself, “Four more hits. Three more hits. Two more…”

Only a single blue minion remained within the red tower’s range. Once it died, the tower would start attacking Vayne. The Thresh noticed and decided that all he had to do was keep Vayne within the tower’s range, and he’d get the kill. This was all about timing, and the Thresh believed that Lin Feng was too focused on bringing down the tower to notice him. Thresh lined up the skillshot for Death Sentence and waited. This was all about patience and timing. Just as the tower took out that lone minion, Thresh threw his hook out at Vayne.

Lin Feng easily sidestepped it, then nodded. “Perfect.”

The chat exploded with praise.

「sick dodging skills, lil bro!」
「That’s some great reaction speed right there!」

Su Xue frowned as she read the last block of messages in chat. Her viewers, they were hateful loathsome beings! When Lin Feng did something simple, like dodging a hook from Thresh, they jumped up and down with glee! They showered him with so much praise that she wouldn’t have been surprised if they had wet spots in their shorts from that simple juke. But when she did it? They didn’t even notice! She’d done the same thing a couple of times at the start of the game and no one even said a word.

✹

The minions in bottom lane had just died. The tower was only a single attack away from being destroyed. Lin Feng pressed forward and ignored the tower, though it locked onto him, to attack the Caitlyn. This was a tower dive. He shot a silver bolt at her before pushing down on the R key and activating Vayne’s ultimate skill—Final Hour. All the while the Janna trailed behind him, throwing an auto attack at the tower and destroying it before it could deal any damage to her ad-carry.

An aura of darkness wrapped around Vayne’s figure. She tumbled forward, disappearing into the shadows, and raised her crossbow. A silver bolt came shooting out of nowhere and pierced the Caitlyn. Vayne appeared from stealth in the same moment, running up to the Caitlyn and past her. Far enough that the Caitlyn found herself in the same awkward position as before. A wall was behind her and Vayne stood in front of her. Vayne raised the large crossbow on her back and fired a giant bolt at the Caitlyn.

The Caitlyn had no time to react. Vayne had used Condemn to pin her to a wall, and a third silver ring had appeared around her and exploded. This was deja vu, a callback to Lin Feng’s very first kill in this game. The Caitlyn was stunned, pinned to a wall as Vayne let loose a steady stream of silver bolts that ate away at the last of her health.

Meanwhile, the supports were also having a battle of sorts. Though their damage was low, they both had powerful crowd control skills. While the Thresh tried to engage the Vayne and pull her off his ad-carry, Janna sent a Howling Gale at him, the tornado knocking him up high into the air from where he had to watch his ad-carry die.

Lin Feng only needed to land four auto attacks to kill the Caitlyn. She broke free from the stun after the second bolt, but the third was already flying her way. The three silver rings around her exploded, dealing bonus damage and leaving her with health in the single digits. There was no skill in her kit that could help her escape. Lin Feng didn’t even have to chase her as she stood still and accepted her fate.

《You have slain an enemy!》

Lin Feng didn’t take a single moment to enjoy this kill. He quickly switched to the Thresh, who was attempting to run away. But the Janna wouldn’t just let him leave. After knocking him up into the air, she cursed him with her Zephyr, a skill which slowed the target down. That combined with Vayne’s passive which increased her movement speed while chasing enemy champions effectively ended the Thresh’s plan to escape. Lin Feng quickly caught up to him and unloaded a flurry of bolts.

《Double kill!》

Su Xue slumped back into her seat with a look of shock and disbelief on her face. …Another double kill? He’s actually this good at the game!?