Yu Ping squeezed his mouse in frustration. Tendrils of corruption clung to his Ahri and rooted her to the ground. A blight-tipped arrow pierced her. Varus was an attack damage Champion, making his auto attacks far more potent than hers. That alone wasn’t enough to kill Yu Ping’s Ahri though. That also wasn’t why Yu Ping was grinding his teeth and punching his keyboard. It was An Xin’s Evelynn. She was there the whole time, wasn’t she? That’s why he didn’t hit Level 6 on the last wave. She was soaking up half of the experience! I should’ve seen something was up, but… But… But I was too busy trying to bait him!

An Xin’s Evelynn ran up to Ahri and slashed with her two razor sharp claws. She followed up with Hate Spike, a thorn of malice that penetrated through Ahri’s chest! Her claws then lit up with a baleful, purple aura. They defied physics as the skill Ravage moved them up again and across Ahri’s chest!

“Break already!” Yu Ping cursed at his screen. He was frantically clicking next to his outer tower and smashing his R key for the third and final cast of Spirit Rush. The tendrils of corruption glued to his Ahri started dissipating. His Ahri still had a bit of health remaining. Hope reignited. He saw on his minimap that Gragas was almost in the mid lane to help him escape. I’m gonna get out! SPIRIT RUSH!

Lin Feng’s Varus hadn’t stood still after rooting Ahri. He’d started walking at her and past her, only stopping to hit another auto attack. When Ahri dashed past him and back towards her out tower, he laughed and said over the team’s voice chat, “See how obvious?”

“Yeah, yeah,” An Xin replied. She followed after Ahri with Flash and auto attacked her another time before stopping. She added, “You finish it. I’m going to block Gragas.”

“I will!” Lin Feng exclaimed. He clicked on Ahri again. Varus pulled back the string on his bow and then let go. A blight-tipped arrow pierced Ahri and killed her.

《First Blood!》

On the casters desk, FourEyesChan pushed his glasses up the rim of his nose and grabbed his microphone. He shouted, “WHAT A DIRTY TRICK! DISGUSTING! … But fuck me if that wasn’t a beautiful kill. Don’t you think, Cherry?”

Cherry was the female co-caster for the Winter Collegiate Cup Finals. She smiled and replied, “Woooo! Nice trap!”

“Come on, Yu Ping! Show them the Beijing way!”

“What the fuck? SO DIRTY! YUCK!”

“Can’t cheer for this crap. DIRTY TRICKS! DIRTY TRICKS!”

“Beijingers don’t need cheap tricks!”

“WOOOOO YU PING!”

Zou Cheng from Zhejiang University looked behind them at the audience. People were up from their seats, jeering Team Shanghai. He shook his head and said to his teammates, “Those guys are in for a rough awakening.”

“Yeah,” Zhejiang University’s Jungler added, laughing. “I still get goosebumps when I think back to that game we played against them. Yu Ping is going to be in for a bad fucking time. Lin Feng’s Varus is insane!”

Sun Runian nodded and chimed in, “Shi Hang kept him down for quite a bit in the early game. But then… Well, you guys were there. You know.”

“Yeah…” Zhejiang University’s Toplaner muttered.

✹

Su Xue sat on the edge of her seat. Each movement from Lin Feng got an excited response from her. And when he killed Ahri for first blood, she jumped to her feet and struck his trademark victory pose. It was this genuine joy that saw close to a hundred thousand people tuning into her stream. She lifted their days.

The game reached the 9th minute and Su Xue was hopping around on her gaming chair. “Look. Look!” she shouted, pointing at her screen. “Our lil bro is at 84 CS and that stupid Ahri is stuck at 71! He’s got such a big lead in only 9 minutes!”

「thats our lil bro for you!!!! BEST PLAYER EVAAHHHHH」

「hed be further ahead if it wasnt for the gragas coming mid 24/7/365!!」

「Can’t believe Li’l’ Bro didn’t even kill the Gragas yet. He’s definitely underperforming today.」

「THIS SERIES IS GONNA BE SIIIIIICKK! LOOK AT LIL BRO KICKIN ASS!!!」

“No. No!” Su Xue screamed. She put her hands over her face and pulled down, stretching her skin. “NO! GET OUT, LIN FENG! GET OUT!” She stared at her screen in horror. Varus was an immobile Champion and Team Beijing knew this. Their Gragas snuck towards the mid lane again, this time evading Team Shanghai’s ward coverage by sneaking into their Jungle. Lin Feng was pushing his wave when Gragas appeared behind him. Ahri jumped at him and Charmed him.

“CLEANSE! FLASH! DO SOMETHING!” Su Xue screeched. But Lin Feng did neither. He instead had his Varus last hit a few more minions while dodging skillshots until a final Spirit Rush dash from Ahri slew him.

“Why? Why–y–y?” Su Xue weeped. She flung her arm at the screen and cried out, “Why didn’t he just Fla—”

「coz he was dead anyway…」

「varus has low health. He got the most out of that…」

“SHHHH!” Su Xue interrupted. She pointed at her screen and continued, “Look. Look! They’re fighting in bot! Looks like BunBun came for the gank and HaoBro teleported down from top!

“Darius is following after HaoBro, but Tang Tang’s Jinx put down her Flame Chompers! That’s a stun on Darius!

“They’re killing Lucian! It’s everyone on Lucian!

“NICE! BRAUM HIT THE GLACIAL FISSURE! HE KNOCKED UP LUCIAN AND LEONA! THEY’VE GOT NOWHERE TO GO!

“TANG TANG GOT THE KILL! TANG TANG’S GOT THE KILL! WOOOOOOO!”

「NICELAAAAAA!!!」

Su Xue pressed her finger to her mouth and shouted, “They’re still going! Shhhh! They’re still going!

“Look! Darius gave up! He’s running away and they’re letting him… BECAUSE THEY’RE ON THE LEONA!

“LEONA’S HEALTH IS GOIN— TANG TANG WITH THE DOUBLE KILL! OH MY GOD! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, TANG TANG! WOOOOOOOOOO!”

「WOOOOOO TANG TANG AND BUNBUN POWUUUUR!!!!」

「GRILLLLLZZZZZ FOR THE WINNZZZZZZZZ」

「lil bro was just keeping gragas busy. 300iq play right there!」

「did ya guys see the braum ultie? Holy hot diggity damn! Crazy sexy!!!!!」

「LPL SUMMER SPLIT CHAMPIONS! CALLING IT NOW!!!」

「people dont r3sp3ct haobro enough. the dude never complains and always supports」

「HAOBRO FOR THE WIN!!!!」

「IZ A T34MG4M3!!!! TEAM SHANGPIONS!!!!!」

✹

Zhejiang University and Fudan University were sitting next to each other in the stands. Both their Junglers were staring at the large LCD screen above the two soundproof booths and shaking their heads. After the previous bout of action, the game calmed down a bit. More specifically, the Jungler from Team Beijing and An Xin returned to farming their Jungle. But An Xin played the invisible Evelynn. Even when she was farming in the Jungle, Team Beijing didn’t know where she was. For all they knew, she was sitting in one of the lanes like she’d done in the mid lane before.

“My god. This is brutal,” Zhejiang University’s Jungler mumbled.

Fudan University’s Jungler nodded and said, “Don’t get me started on it. Gragas not showing himself in lane means he’s not in lane. Probably just farming minions. But that Eve not being in lane? She’s putting as much pressure on Team Beijing as she would when ganking. It’s that psychological warfare-thing here. And Team Shanghai is running away with it!”

Zhejiang University’s Jungler chuckled and replied, “BunBun is playing Eve to her full potential. Hella impressive!”

Sun Ruinian listened to the conversation with a half ear, most of his attention focused on the game. He suddenly scrunched his eyebrows and asked, “Do you guys think Team Shanghai is going to drag this game out? They’ve got the early lead and the stronger late game team. It’d make sense. But we’ve seen Lin Feng. He doesn’t really enjoy dragging a game out.”

“They’re not going to drag. They won’t have to,” Qiu Yijie replied. He pointed at the large LCD screen and continued, “See how Gragas just walked over a ward there? It’s pretty obvious he’s going to take his Wraith Camp.” He briefly paused, watching the developments on the screen, and then said, “Yep. Like I said. See An Xin and Lin Feng moving there?”

Inside Team Shanghai’s soundproof booth, Lin Feng laughed and said over the team’s voice chat, “See? Told you guys that Gragas was gonna screw up! I knew it the moment he started ganking mid! Come on, BunBun! Hurry up already!”

“I’m there,” An Xin replied. “Engage.”

Lin Feng took a deep breath and then pressed down on the R key! Chains of Corruption shot from Varus’ bow and rooted Gragas to the ground. An Xin’s Evelynn ran past Varus and engaged Gragas with a Hate Spike! A dark crimson spike manifested in the air and pierced Gragas’ heart!

Team Beijing’s Jungler yelped in surprise when the Chains of Corruption hit him and cursed when the Hate Spike pierced him. He hadn’t expected the gank at all. But he played Jungle Gragas, and Jungle Gragas had a ton of health. The blight-tipped arrows from Varus and slashes from Evelynn tore through his health bar, but he remained calm. He knew the root would wear off before he died. His fingers rested on the keys for Explosive Cask and Body Slam. The first skill was to knock Evelynn away and the second was to get away himself.

The root from Chains of Corruption wore off. Team Beijing’s Gragas hurled the Explosive Cask and sent An Xin’s Evelynn flying away. He then Body Slammed away, deeper into his Jungler. Suckers! Wasted all your damned abilities to kill me. Look at me now! I’m still alive! Hahaha! SUCKER—

The audience cheered when they saw Gragas make his escape. They cheered louder when An Xin’s Evelynn was knocked away too far to catch back up. But then the camera zoomed in on Lin Feng’s Varus. A purple halo pulsed around his hand as he pulled on the string of his bow. The Piercing Arrow grew thicker and larger. The audience fell silent. They leaned forward, their hearts beating loudly. Varus released the string. The arrow shot forward! It pierced through a wall of boulders and trees, flew through Team Shanghai’s fog of war, and finally connected with Gragas.

《The Blue Team has slain an enemy!》

Cherry put her hands before her mouth and exclaimed, “Oh my god! Oh my god!”

FourEyesChan adjusted his glasses and nodded. He forgot for a couple of breaths about his job as a caster, just like how the crowd forgot to cheer. But then it all came back to him. He grabbed his microphone and shouted, “WOOOOOOOO! WHAT A SNIPE! THAT’S SOME CRAZY ACCURACY! AND HE DID IT THROUGH THE FOG OF WAR!”

“WOOOOOOOOO! WIN FENG! WIN FENG!”

“HE HIT GRAGAS THROUGH THE FOG OF WAR!”

“9000IQ PLAY RIGHT THERE! What am I saying… OVER 9000!”

“HOOOOOOLY SHITE!”

Sun Ruinian felt a shiver run up and down his spine. He shook his head and mumbled, “I’m going to get PTSD from this guy. Just when you think you got away, he’s there with a perfect arrow. How does he keep hitting them like that? It’s like he’s got an aimbot? Is he hacking? Is that it? Is that how he’s hitting these impossible shots? He didn’t even know where Gragas went!”

Qiu Yijie chuckled, helpless. He glanced at Sun Ruinian and replied, “Trust me. It’s worse when you’re up against him in lane. The dude’s insane.”

Chu Fang sat a short distance away from the teams from Zhejiang University and Fudan University. He was grinning and laughing. Every couple of seconds, he caught himself glancing at Fan Yuan. Hehe! He looks so mad! These idiots kept begging to have the tournament changed to allow high schoolers! They really thought they were going to get one over on our Shanghai department. But there’s no one better than me at nurturing talent! Well, that and the fact Lin Feng is back… Hehe!

✹

Yu Ping hit the Tab key and looked at the state of the game. He grimaced. We’re behind. Every lane is losing. It can’t go on like this. They’ve got Varus and they’ve got Jinx… Plus with Evelynn and Rumble they do have ability power damage… We’re fucked in the late game. This cannot drag. He pursed his lips and took a deep, long breath. He then said over the team’s voice chat, “We can’t drag this out, guys. Either we force a teamfight and we win this, or we’re screwed.”

“We could force a fight at Dragon,” Zhang Hongyi suggested.

Yu Ping panned his camera and looked at the Dragon pit. He sighed. Their Rumble has got his ultimate and their entire team is alive. We’re asking to get fucked in the ass here. But what choice do we really have? If we don’t do anything, then we’re losing in minute 40 while having felt helpless since minute now. He shook his head and said, “Guess we could. Maybe if we play it just right… We need to make sure the Rumble can’t get his ult off.”

“I could keep him away,” Team Beijing’s Toplaner said.

“Alright, let’s try and do that,” Yu Ping agreed. He then pinged on the Dragon pit and said, “Gather up!”

Across the stage in Team Shanghai’s soundproof booth, Lin Feng scrunched his eyebrows. He scratched his chin and tilted his head from one side to the other. He then pointed at his screen and asked over the team’s voice chat, “You guys seeing this? They’re running towards the Dragon Pit? Are they stupid…?” He shrugged and added, “Oh well. If they want a fight, let’s give them a fight!”

Yu Ping closed his eyes and focused on his breathing. Varus is the diametrical opposite of Ahri in terms of playstyle. He is an immobile, attack damage Champion who wants to snipe down opponents from a distance, while my Ahri is an in-your-face ability power assassin. But the first couple of levels will be skill based, especially since he went with Cleanse. But after Level 6—

《Welcome to Summoner’s Rift!》

Yu Ping opened his eyes and smiled. He mumbled, “But after Level 6, I’ve got my jumps and then there’s nothing he can do to me anymore. I just need to get there without falling behind.” He turned his head to look at his teammates. They were all focused on their screen, clicking their mice to buy items and have their Champions move down the different lanes. They’ve got this. I need to make sure I do too, because this game is going to come down to mid. If I take out Varus, we win the 5 vs 4 that remains. He clenched his fist and said over the team’s voice chat, “Standard opening.”

Across the stage in Team Shanghai’s soundproof booth, Lin Feng bought his starter item and then had Varus run towards the mid lane outer tower. Hmm… Winter Collegiate Cup. Teamplay. But I first need to win my lane. I’m playing against an Ahri and Yu Ping is a decent enough Midlaner. I have to be focused. Her Charm can kill me and after Level 6 positioning becomes far more important because of her ultimate. I’ve got Cleanse, but that is to make a play and not to escape from one. He panned his camera towards the Red team’s Blue Buff Camp, which was hidden from him by the fog of war. Their Gragas is most likely starting here, which means I need to hover closer towards the top of my lane at the beginning and then slowly rotate towards the bottom side as he runs up for his Red Buff…

The minions marched into the lane and started fighting each other at the halfway point. Lin Feng had his Varus join them, firing arrows at minions while keeping an eye on Ahri. He paid close attention to her movements, searching for habits and potential mistakes.

She just needs to— Lin Feng suddenly narrowed his eyes. Yu Ping’s Ahri had stepped forward to last hit a caster minion. He pressed down on the Q key, making Varus pull on his bowstring, charging up for an attack. And then he waited, patiently. The range of the shot kept increasing, so Ahri couldn’t outrun it. When the two minions between Ahri and Varus were almost dead, Lin Feng released his finger. A crimson blight arrow pierced through the minions, killing them, and then penetrated Ahri!

Lin Feng grinned and rolled his shoulders. It was pivotal for Varus to hit these long ranged Piercing Arrows if he wanted to win the lane. They were the primary damage dealers of his kit. Lin Feng rolled his neck and mumbled, “Not too shabby. Looks like I’ve still got it today.”

✹

Lin Feng pressured on the lane, pushing it forward to Red Team’s outer tower. The first minute since the Jungle Camps had spawned passed, so he started repositioning towards the bottom side of the lane. He continued pushing the minion wave from there while also keeping an eye on the top side brush. I’m pushing it. We’re 4 minutes in. It’s about time for Gragas to come in for a gank. If he’s coming mid. Hmm… He clicked on his minimap, moving his camera towards the top lane. He followed up right away with the spacebar to focus his camera back on Varus. The top lane was revealed to him for less than a second, but it was long enough to give him an idea about the way in which Team Beijing’s Darius was pushing the lane. Lin Feng repeated this process to check on several locations on the map, until he spotted Gragas. He’s mid, just a bit late.

Team Beijing’s Gragas ran into the mid lane from the top side brush. He aimed at Lin Feng’s Varus with Body Slam and used Flash to cover a bigger distance. Yu Ping’s Ahri followed up on Gragas with a Flash-Charm combination. The manifestation of pure love in the form of a pink heart flew at Varus, forcing him towards Gragas.

Chu Fang heard the audience erupt. There was such power behind their cheers that it felt like a knock to the back of his head. He grimaced and looked at Team Shanghai’s soundproof booth, clenching his fists until his knuckles were white. Come on, Lin Feng! Don’t let them get you! COME ON!

The gank came as no surprise to Lin Feng. He’d prepared for it before the game even began. The skills from Gragas and Ahri were layered well enough that he had to use his Flash to get away from them. The veil of light fell over his Varus, carrying him back towards his outer tower just as the Body Slam and Charm arrived where he stood a moment ago.

Team Beijing’s Gragas clapped his hands together and exclaimed over the team’s voice chat, “Damn! So close! I thought for sure we had him!” He shook his head in disappointment and added, “I was so hoping he’d let your Charm hit him and Cleanse it and then try to run away… Then I could’ve knocked him right up! But he Flashed. Sadge.”

Yu Ping glanced at his Jungler and replied, “It’s fine. We got his Flash and he’s missing a full minion wave at least, that’s plenty.” He then turned his attention back towards his screen. He narrowed his eyes and focused on Varus. You would’ve never gotten hit by the Gragas Body Slam. You knew this was coming, didn’t you? You’re a far better player than he’s expecting you to be. We’ve all watched you play… But that pressure you put on your opponent… Seeing it and experiencing it are two entirely different things. This is going to be a real challenge. He smiled when that last sentence appeared in his mind. He nodded and mumbled, “You’re exactly what I’ve been searching for.”

✹

The fans, the caster and even the players had most of their focus on the mid lane. They all knew that the outcome from that lane would for a large part determine the outcome of the entire game. That wasn’t to say nothing happened in the other lanes. Zeng Rui and Tang Bingyao were trying as best as they could to stay even with Team Beijing’s Botlaners. But their choice of Champions, Braum and Jinx, wouldn’t start shining until they had their first items. Team Beijing countered this with their Leona and Lucian pick. These two Champions were very strong from the first minute of the game.

Zhang Hongyi was grinning, excited. He said to his ad-carry, “We’ve got this! Zeng Rui sucks! I’m goin’ in!” He then had his Leona dash in on Tang Bingyao’s Jinx, who countered the engage by stunning Leona. But the time Tang Bingyao spent defending against the Leona was time Team Beijing’s Lucian used to get in some damage on her. She retreated back towards her outer tower safely, but lost a bit of health.

Zhang Hongyi laughed and shouted at his computer, “If that’s all you got, you better start packing, SUCKER!”

Across the stage in Team Shanghai’s soundproof booth, Zeng Rui grimaced. I should’ve jumped faster there and given Tang Tang a shield. She wouldn’t have lost so much health. It’s just… I used that shield a few seconds ago. It was still on cooldown. He massaged his temple. Focus, Zeng Rui. Focus! He glanced next to him at his teammates, all four of them staring at their screen. Like them. Focus. Don’t let Zhang Hongyi get to you. He took a deep, long breath and then asked over the team’s voice chat, “Zhang Hao. How you holding up?”

“Holding up so far,” Zhang Hao replied, tense. “Not sure how long I can handle this though…”

Zeng Rui nodded and said, “Do your best. BunBun won’t have much time to help you. Just stick to your outer tower if you have to.”

“Will do!” Zhang Hao agreed.

✹

At 5 minutes, Gragas returned to the mid lane for another gank. He waited in the brush above the lane for Lin Feng’s Varus to walk within range of the skill. But Varus never got close enough. Team Beijing’s Jungler grumbled, waited a bit more, and then activated Body Slam. His Gragas barreled into the lane, stopping just short of Lin Feng’s Varus. And behind Varus he discovered An Xin’s Evelynn. His eyes grew round and wide and he cursed, “Fuck!”

“Back!” Yu Ping ordered over the team’s voice chat, using a defensive Charm to stop Lin Feng and An Xin from engaging.

All the way over in Shanghai, Su Xue sat behind her computer. Her stream was running and she was watching the Winter Collegiate Cup broadcast with her viewers. When Gragas engaged, her heart rate sped up and she put her hands to her mouth. And after the gank failed, she breathed out in relief. She wiped her forehead and exclaimed, “PFEW! That was so close! Did you guys see?”

「thank god he’s still alive! bunbun really saved him there」

「GRAGAS PUT A TENT IN MID!!」

「Y NO COUNTERKILL!?!?!? COME ON LIL BRO< PICK UP YER PACE!!!!」

「they just knew the gank was coming! How did they know? Bunbun sat there for a good 10 seconds early!!!!」

Back in Beijing, Lin Feng exclaimed, “Told you they want me dead!” He then grinned and continued, “Good thing I knew this was coming and had you sit behind me! No way I’d fall for such an obvious plan! I’m way too good for that. Right! Speaking of which, you can go take the Wraith Camp, but… get back here after. They’re gonna try this again in like a minute.”

An Xin looked at Lin Feng and winked at him. She replied, “Won’t it be easier if I just stay with you then? Nice and tight and since I’m invisible, no one will see it! All they’ll see is you kis—”

“Great idea!” Lin Feng interrupted. He pinged on top of his Varus and continued, “I’ve got a plan! Come, sit here! Right on top of me! Don’t leave! You’ll love this!”

✹

At 6 minutes, Yu Ping’s Ahri reached Level 6. Yu Ping chewed on his tongue and scrunched his eyes. I could engage. Varus is still Level 5 after missing that minion wave after the first gank. He does have Cleanse. That might screw me over. Shit, I can’t think about this for too long. I need to do something. He pursed his lips and moved his head left and right and finally clicked next to his outer tower. His Ahri followed the command and retreated, then started recalling back to base. I’ll just recall for now. When I get back, I’ll look for an opening to kill him.

Evelynn was a Champion who walked the shadows. She only revealed herself when she attacked or used a skill. She’d been sitting in the mid lane, patiently waiting. Yu Ping couldn’t see this, but the audience could. They were growing progressively confused about this choice by Team Shanghai, especially when she didn’t leave even after Yu Ping’s Ahri recalled back to base.

“What’s the Eve doing?”

“She’s just sitting there… Did her mouse stop working or something?”

“A bug? Something like that? She’s stealing all the experience from Varus!”

“This is gonna ruin mid for Lin Feng!”

“GO AWAY EVE! LET VARUS GET EXPERIENCE!”

“Are they trolling…?”

There were only a few people in the audience who were starting to see what was happening. They were the experienced and high ranked League of Legends players, like Qiu Yijie from Fudan University. He was watching the Finals together with his teammates and Zhejiang University. He shook his head and said, “Eve’s playing the long game… That kind of patience is so impressive.”

Sun Ruinian shook his head and added, “It is. Yu Ping is going to be in for one nasty surprise.”

Back in Team Beijing’s soundproof booth, Yu Ping scrunched his nose and tilted his head. The minion wave is gone. Why is he still Level 5? Did I forget about a minion? Maybe it happened when Eve ganked before? In which case he needs three more minions at the most. That’ll be it. He grinned when he noticed Lin Feng’s Varus continuing to push despite his Ahri returning back to the lane. He’s trying to get those three minions. Too greedy! I’ll make you pay for that! 

“Gragas. Mid. Now!” Yu Ping ordered over the team’s voice chat. He then focused on Lin Feng’s Varus and narrowed his eyes, mumbling, “Now you’re trying to back, huh? Too late. Far too late. Watch this!” He pressed on his R key, activating Spirit Rush!

Lin Feng laughed when he saw Ahri dashing towards him. He charged up a Piercing Arrow and aimed at a caster minion behind Ahri. The crimson blight arrow shot through Ahri and then the minion. The experience from killing the minion brought Varus to Level 6. He learned Chains of Corruption!

Yu Ping’s Ahri dashed a second time with Spirit Rush and arrived right in front of Lin Feng’s Varus. She followed up by blowing a kiss at Varus. Charm! Yu Ping’s fingers were gliding across his keyboard, activating Ahri’s damage abilities Orb of Deception and Fox-Fires. But there was no one faster than Lin Feng when he knew exactly what his opponent was doing. He fired Chains of Corruption at Ahri, paused for a brief moment to let the Charm hit and then cleansed its effect. After which he sidestepped the Orb of Deception.

“W-what?” Yu Ping muttered. He clicked on Lin Feng’s Varus, making Ahri auto attack him.

Lin Feng grinned. He cast Hail of Arrows, and while his Varus took aim he shouted over the team’s voice chat, “BunBun, I CHOOSE YOU!”

Yu Ping felt his stomach drop. He stared at the Evelynn stepping out from the shadows. It finally all made sense to him. That’s why it took him so long to hit Level 6… FUUUCK!

There were 3,000 League of Legends fans at the Hongkou Stadium. Many more had called in sick from work and school and were sitting at home glued to their televisions. They felt their hearts slamming against their chests from a combination of excitement and expectation. Today was the day. It was the faceoff between AyDeeCee and Hermes! Two of China’s best Midlaners were going head to head and they both had something to prove! AyDeeCee wanted to announce his return to the competitive scene by beating then King Hermes. And Hermes was looking to solidify his position as the undisputed number 1 Midlaner from China!

The offseason had gone well for Team Rapids. They went from a bottom team to an expected title contender by upgrading their roster. But after the first few games, they found themselves back where they’d spent so much time in Season 5. At the bottom of the LPL. It wasn’t unexpected. They played KG and were outclassed by God Roundy. But the fickle fans only cared about the team’s ranking, and they were already starting to put pressure on Team Rapids through a social media outrage.

Team Rapids’ coach looked at his team. They were sitting in a small room backstage, making their final preparations for their game against HoG. He chewed on his lips and got up from his seat, then started walking from one end of the room to the other and back again. Management is already putting pressure on me! They know we need time and they promised me time, but it’s only the second week and they’re already forgetting all their promises! We just need some more time! It takes time to make a new… He grimaced and turned his attention to Shi Hang. He’s got it. He’s still got it. But the team needs to adjust to that, dammit! He sighed loudly and shook his head. I can’t imagine the pressure he must be feeling. The posts online alone… He walked up to Shi Hang and put a hand on his shoulder. “You alright?” he asked. “Your nerves I mean. I hope it’s not too bad?”

Shi Hang looked up at the coach and smiled. He replied, “You coached me back in Season 2 and now again. Do I look that nervous to you?”

Team Rapids’ coach looked at Shi Hang, pierced the calm look in his eyes, and said, “You don’t fool me, Shi Hang. You might fool the others with that perfectly calm smile, but not me. I’ve seen how you get when you play… You know who. I know how you get when you’re serious.”

Maple. The name appeared in Shi Hang’s mind and he looked at his phone. That kid’s playing his own finals. I really can’t wait to see him up on this stage again. He nodded at his coach and said, “Well, it is King Hermes I’m up against today. But don’t worry, I’m alright.”

“Good,” Team Rapids’ coach said. He then paused, chewing on his lips. Hesitating. He finally asked, “Do you think you can beat him? He is a King…”

Shi Hang laughed loud enough for his teammates to look at him. He looked back at them before turning his attention back to his coach and said, “I’m AyDee–fucking–CEE! That King ain’t got shit on me! What? Huh? You sayin’ you don’t trust me?”

Team Rapids’ coach looked at Shi Hang, stunned. He looked past his old friend at the other players on the team. They were all staring at Shi Hang. He shook his head and said, “Sometimes, you really are an idiot. You know that, right? But yeah. Yeah. I trust you.”

“Good. That’s all I needed to hear,” Shi Hang replied. He got up from his chair and waved for his teammates to gather around him. They made a small circle and put their hands in the middle. He looked at them, one at a time, and gave them each a nod. He then said, “We’ve all seen HoG kicking ass at Worlds. We’ve seen them do well in their scrims and they won their first rounds in the LPL. They’re a team in form. But we’ve got a team just as strong as them! We’re title contenders just like them! It’s about time we show that to the fans and, more importantly, to ourselves! FOR THE TEAM!”

“FOR THE TEAM!” Shi Hang’s teammates echoed.

✹

An Xin sat on the sofa in her hotel room, cradling her hand. She wasn’t currently experiencing any real pain or problems with it, but there was this voice at the back of her mind trying to convince her she was. She pinched the areas that were especially sensitive whenever it flared and grimaced in pain. They’re going to need me on my best game. I can’t screw up. This might be my last tournament with Lin Feng… Every game could be the last. I have to enjoy this. I need to create memories now before it’s too late. She closed her eyes, tears rolling down her cheeks and dropping on her hands.

A knocking sound came from the hotel room door, followed by Chu Fang reminding her that it was already 1:30 P.M. and that they were going to the stadium soon. An Xin wiped her eyes and looked around the room. I can’t let it happen again. Not today. I can’t. She got up and walked over towards her backpack, dreadfully slow. I need to be prepared. Just like last time. Yeah. She got a few pill bottles from her bag and carefully divided the medication in plastic cups, counting how many more days worth of medicine she had.

“Just like last time. It worked fine last time,” An Xin mumbled to herself as she stared at the little plastic cups. There was enough medicine to last her well beyond the end of the week. She grimaced and poured it all in the same cup. She then walked to the bathroom and filled another cup with water. Just this once. This should work. I won’t have problems if I do it like this. She put the pills in her mouth and hesitated. Her stomach contracted. She knew this was a bad decision. But it was a decision she was willing to take if it meant playing at least one more time with Lin Feng. She closed her eyes and forced the pills down her throat with the help of some water.

Tang Bingyao walked into the hotel room and said, “BunBun, are you still here? We’re—” She stopped, her eyes growing round and wide. There, right in front of her, was An Xin’s bag and several empty bottles of pills. “BunBun? BunBun!?” Tang Bingyao shouted, running into the bathroom. “BUNBUN!?”

“It’s okay, shh. Shh. It’s okay. I’m okay,” An Xin said, pushing her finger to her lips. She then brushed past Tang Bingyao and stuffed the pill bottles in her backpack. After which she looked back at Tang Bingyao and explained, “Don’t worry about it, Tang Tang. It’s nothing. I’ve just not been feeling my best self, so I went to the doctor last week. He gave me a few pills to take and I just took the last few. That’s all. But, uhm… Could you do me a tiny favour? Can you not tell the others? I… I really don’t want them to worry. You know how Lin Feng gets.” She smiled and winked.

Tang Bingyao nodded slowly, shocked. When she saw the pills, her first thought was that An Xin had taken an overdose. There were so many pill bottles that it was difficult to think of anything else. She blinked a couple of times and only then noticed how fast her heart was beating. It took another couple of breaths for the pulse of adrenaline and worry to settle. She then looked at An Xin. If she says she’s fine… She looks okay, I think? I’m not a doctor. If the doctor says she needs to take so many pills… But if it’s nothing big, then why does she need so many pills? What doctor just gives out pills like that? What kinds of pills are they? She opened her mouth, but paused. There were so many questions she wanted to ask that she didn’t know where to start.

“We’re going to be late!” An Xin said, hurried. She grabbed Tang Bingyao by the arm and dragged her out of the room and towards the elevator where Lin Feng was already waiting for them. He was waving at them, shouting at them in the way that was so recognizably ‘Lin Feng’. An Xin smiled and waved back, then leaned a bit closer to Tang Bingyao and whispered, “It’s our little secret.”

✹

It was 2 P.M. when the doors to the Chaoyang Sports Center closed. The fans had found their seats and the teams were being introduced up on stage. Chu Fang sat right below the stage next to his rival from the Beijing Esports Association, Vice President Fan Yuan. The entire thing with high school teams joining the Winter Collegiate Cup was a play by the three branches of the Chinese Esports Association to prove who was nurturing the most talented players. That competitiveness spilled over into hostility as the two vice presidents glared at each other, instead of cheering for their teams.

“We’ll smash you!” Fan Yuan told Chu Fang through a twitch of his eyelids.

“We’re gonna wreck you!” Chu Fang replied through a small shake of the head.

The smell of gunpowder didn’t just hover around Chu Fang and Fan Yuan, but also between the two teams up on stage. They stood across from each other while the host was introducing the individual members, highlights from them playing on the large LCD screen above the two soundproof booths. But they weren’t interested in the highlights or the cheers from the crowd. Zhang Hongyi and Zeng Rui weren’t, anyway. They were glaring at each other with such hatred that it was almost palpable.

Yu Ping took a page from Zhang Hongyi’s book and looked intently at Lin Feng, narrowing his eyes and trying to draw his opponent’s attention. But Lin Feng was oblivious to it. He looked around the stage and waved and smiled at the fans until the host informed the two teams they could enter their soundproof booths. He then grinned at Yu Ping and said, “Good luck!”

Yu Ping narrowed his eyes until they were almost closed and mumbled, “Yeah.”

The two teams entered the soundproof booths and got settled behind their computers. They were given 15 minutes to get their gaming chairs just right and to configure the ingame settings so that they were exactly as they wanted them to be. The casters used this time to go over both teams again, pointing out the strong and weak points from both sides.

When the fifteen minutes were up, the audience went silent. The large LCD screen above the stage revealed Champion Select and a live feed from the two soundproof booths. The host walked up on stage one more time and said into his microphone, “The moment is finally here. These are our finalists of the Winter Collegiate Cup! TEAM SHANGHAI AND TEAM BEIJING! And they’ve already picked their Champions for Game 1!”

Collegiate Cup Finals, Game 1

Team Shanghai (Blue) vs. Team Beijing (Red)

Top: Rumble vs. Darius

Jungle: Evelynn vs. Gragas

Mid: Varus vs. Ahri 

Ad-Carry: Jinx vs. Lucian

Support: Braum vs. Leona

Yu Ping narrowed his eyes. Lin Feng had picked in Varus a very immobile and vulnerable Champion. It was a Champion who didn’t see much gametime either, having only been picked once in the entire main tournament. “Gragas, camp mid,” he said over the team’s voice chat. “We’re going to shut him down.”

Across the stage in Team Shanghai’s soundproof booth, Lin Feng nodded at An Xin and said, “Counting on you here, BunBun!”

“Oh? Are you?” An Xin asked, smiling. She then winked at him and teased, “You know, it’s very unbecoming for a man to always lean on the fairer sex. But don’t worry. I’ve got you. I’ve always had you. Just leave the counter ganks to me.”

Lin Feng turned his head to look at An Xin and grinned. He then replied, “Thanks! Just help me scale and this is gonna be easy!”

Shi Hang was in Team Rapids’ gaming room. Two of his teammates were playing duo queue on the computers and another teammate came walking in munching on some chips. Shi Hang watched them and sighed. We could’ve done better. I… I probably should’ve done a bit better. He took a deep, long breath and then said over his phone to Aurous, “Yeah, we played earlier today. Lost.”

“You lost?” Aurous asked, surprised. “You never lose! You’re bloody AyDeeCee! What happened? Did you fuck up? Or was it a team thing?”

Shi Hang looked at his teammates and chuckled. He shook his head and said, “Nah, the team played alright. I’ve just been out of it for too long. The new meta feels strange to me and I need a bit more time to adapt. Give it another week, two tops! Our teamwork and coordination will get up there and then we’ll be the team to watch out for!”

“So it was you who screwed up! Pity, dude. That’s a damn pity,” Aurous teased. He briefly paused, thinking about the high bar Shi Hang put up for himself and the damage fans could do to the mental fortitude of even the most talented players, and continued, “Hey, bud? Don’t let it get to you. This was your first match and it was against KG right off the bat! No one expected you to win this one. You’ll get more chances. Just chill and… You might wanna steer clear from social media for a couple of days… You know. The fans.”

Shi Hang laughed and said, “No worries. I’ll be fine.” He then cleared his throat and continued, “For you know, the heart of a fan is fickle. One moment, they love you. They want to have your babies and they worship you like a God, maybe even build a shrine in your name! But in the next moment, when you feel the spark of divinity that will grant you immortality, they tear it away from you! They strip you of every last bit of confidence you have! And then… Then they call you a steaming pile of trash and throw you in the gutter! They’ll charge you with the murder of their hopes and dreams and have you hanged it! That is the way of the fickle fan.”

Aurous snorted in laughter. He replied, “I love you, man. I fucking love you. That’s brilliant! But, for real. Don’t check your social media. I’m betting the fickle fans are already stalking you and waiting to unleash their fury on you!”

“Yeah, probably,” Shi Hang agreed, grinning. He glanced at his Toplaner who was still chewing chips and continued, “Don’t worry. I know the pressure and I wouldn’t have come back if I didn’t think I could handle it. That said… Holy damn was Roundy good. That dude hard-carried the game with his Fiora. Seriously, we couldn’t stop him. We tried, but we couldn’t.”

“Sometimes, you’re a raging idiot. You know that, right?” Aurous snapped. “Stop complimenting everyone you play against! Your fans don’t care about who you play against! They care about the high hopes they have for you. You know that they come to the stadium to watch you hard-carry a game, right? Speaking of which, who are you playing next? Ready to get a pentakill against them and show everyone that you still have what it takes to be the best Midlaner in China?”

Shi Hang laughed and replied, “You’re going to love this! Next game is the one where I get to show to everyone that I still have what it takes to be up there with the best Midlaners of China! Wanna know why? ‘Cause we’re playing Hand of God!”

“Fuck me. For real? HoG?” Aurous blurted. He breathed out loudly and continued, “I’m starting to feel nervous for you here, bud. KG first and now HoG? You’re playing against the best two teams right off the bat! And if you lose against HoG too, everyone will decide for you that you suck… The fickle fan and all that… Can’t believe that you have to play against Hermes this early. He’s a proper King! You have no luck whatsoever.”

“You worry too much,” Shi Hang said, calm as ever. “It’s not the ideal situation. I would’ve liked to ease into it a bit more. But I’m okay with this too. Let the fans doubt me and drag my name through the dirt if that’s what they want to do. I’ll show them that I still belong up there with the best Midlaners. Oh, and Aurous? You can trust me on this. I’m going to come out swinging against Hermes.”

✹

Lin Feng’s alarm buzzed before the sun came up. He’d slept for only a few hours and he refused to give himself more rest than that. Not until he’d achieved One’s challenge, anyways. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and groaned as he pushed himself off the bed. He wasn’t a morning person in any sense of the word and usually needed the smell from Su Xue’s breakfast to fully wake up.

“Why am I doing this…” Lin Feng mumbled to himself as he squinted his eyes to the bright light from the bathroom. “Right. Top 5, Top 5, Top 5…” 

Lin Feng took a quick shower, brushed his teeth and combed his hair. He then rushed down the stairs to the lobby, where breakfast was being served. On most days, breakfast was the highlight of his day, matched only by dinner. But he couldn’t care less about it right now. He only had two days left to reach the Top 5 of the Korean Challenger ladder, and in those two days he also had to practice with his team for the Winter Collegiate Cup Finals and play in the Finals. It was a lot, even for him.

The next few hours came and went. A blur of wins and losses on Lin Feng’s mind. The Top 20 on the Korean Challenger Ladder was different. Everyone there knew him, and everyone there played League of Legends at the highest level. He had to play at the best of his ability, and even that wasn’t enough in a portion of his games. But his climb didn’t stop and by the time it was lunch, he’d reached Rank 14.

Chu Fang decided to take Lin Feng out to a small restaurant a few blocks from the hotel for lunch. And some much needed fresh air. The others from Team Shanghai were already there, having spent the morning exploring the city. They laughed and joked with each other and enjoyed the food. But Lin Feng heard nothing they said or tasted anything he ate. His mind was still on the Korean Challenger Ladder.

After lunch, Zeng Rui decided that Team Shanghai needed to practice for the Finals against Team Beijing. Lin Feng grimaced but agreed. He knew Zeng Rui was right and that it would do the team good to get together one last time before the Finals and confirm their tactics and strategy. But that also cut into his time on the Korean Challenger Ladder. So when he finally got home after dinner, he sat back down behind his laptop and continued playing through most of the night.

“Hey, Lin Feng,” Chu Fang said. He put a hand on Lin Feng’s shoulder and said, “You’ve been going all day again. How about you take a break? The Finals are tomorrow and your teammates are counting on you.”

Lin Feng glanced over his shoulder at the worried look in Chu Fang’s eyes and grimaced. He knew Chu Fang was right, but he also knew that he was currently only sitting on Rank 11 of the Korean Challenger Ladder. He still had a long way to climb before he reached the Top 5. He hesitated, moving his mouse between the play again and log out buttons.

“Come on, Lin Feng,” Chu Fang repeated. “It’s bedtime.”

Lin Feng sighed and nodded. He clicked on the log out button and then turned his laptop off, saying, “Uh, okay. Fine. It’s just… I’ve only got one day left to get to the Top 5 and tomorrow we’ve got the Finals and I still need to do so—”

“It’s okay,” Chu Fang interrupted. He looked Lin Feng in the eyes and continued, “You’ve got this. You know you do. Trust in yourself.”

Lin Feng looked back at Chu Fang, stunned. His mind was briefly pulled away from the Korean Challenger Ladder. He found a brief moment in which the worries about making everyone proud and happy slipped from his mind. It brought a calming serenity. He smiled and said, “You’re right. You’re right!” He clenched his fist, grinning, and continued, “Who cares if it’s just one more day? I’m Maple! I’m going to win the Collegiate Cup tomorrow and then I’m going to hit the Top 5 on the Korean Challenger Ladder! And there’s no one who can stop me!”

✹

The president of the Beijing Esports Association had requested the files on the four Semifinalists a few days earlier. He’d glanced at the five documents before the Semifinals. Four were about the teams and their members. None of them were of particular interest to him. They were strong teams with good players, but they lacked the flair that made something special. Except for one player. Lin Feng had his own document. The president leaned on the banister of his balcony and looked at the document again. He mumbled, “Lin Feng. It’s been a while.”

U-Tech Beijing were the defending champions of the Collegiate Cup. But the tournament taking place this winter was not going well for them. They qualified to the main tournament in second place behind Team Beijing, who had completely outclassed them in every part of the game. They’d made it all the way to the Semifinals, where they were up against Team Beijing again. This was supposed to be their redemption for what happened during the qualifiers. They’d spent countless hours researching Team Beijing. They hired analysts from professional teams to help them develop new strategies against Team Beijing. The entire team had even taken a semester off from their University courses to get in as many practice hours as they possibly could. They fought so hard, and got so far. But in the end, it didn’t even matter. 

The players from U-Tech Beijing got up on stage at 9 A.M. The fans in the Chaoyang Sports Center cheered in support. The five from U-Tech Beijing usually took a moment to acknowledge this support, but not this day. For on this day, their eyes were on the soundproof booths and their minds were filled with the countless hours of practice that had led to the conclusion that they simply weren’t up to the task of beating Team Beijing. They were going to lose their title. They believed that, anyway.

Fifteen excruciating minutes passed in which the players from U-Tech Beijing sat behind their computers, waiting for the host to finish announcing them. They looked at each other for moral support, but no one knew how to offer that. Because they were winners; they didn’t know how to deal with loss. When they entered the lobby, their team captain sighed and said over the team’s voice chat, “Let’s just give it our all, guys. Those kids over there…” he nodded with his head towards Team Beijing. “… They’re just kids. Maybe the pressure will get to them and we can cheese our way through this.”

“They’re basically a top LSPL team…” U-Tech Beijing’s Jungler muttered, defeated.

U-Tech Beijing’s team captain grimaced and responded, “And we’re basically an LSPL team.” He briefly paused, letting that bit of information settle in with his teammates. He then continued, “Those guys at the bottom in the LSPL, they don’t give up. Despite their odds, despite everything and oftentimes everyone being against them, they don’t give up. They go up on stage and they play their damndest! We need to do that today. Not to win this series, but to prove to ourselves that we are, in fact, an LSPL worthy team. Let’s show everyone we have that backbone. And if Team Beijing messes up? We’re winning this.”

U-Tech Beijing’s ad-carry nodded, at first slowly but then faster. He grinned and clenched his fist and said, “You’re right. We’ve been so focused on how to beat them and realising we can’t beat them when they go all out that we’ve lost the bigger picture. No one is at their best every series. Upsets do happen. When we give it our all in this series, the worst case scenario is that we give up. Not fighting at all, that would be a shame.”

“Yes!” U-Tech Beijing’s Toplaner exclaimed. He narrowed his eyes, smiled and said, “My stomach is going crazy, and not because I just had coffee! My arms are shaking and look, just look at my hands! They’re trembling like crazy! But that’s good, that’s fine. I like this feeling. We might go down, but we’ll go down fighting. FOR U-TECH!”

“FOR U-TECH!” the four other members from U-Tech Beijing echoed their Toplaner.

✹

TheBrawnster grabbed his microphone and said, “Yo, yo yo! It’s your boy TheBrawnster here, bringing you this amazing semis with his best girl PufPuf!” He turned to look at PufPuf and continued, “Yo girl, whatcha thinkin’ ‘bout this series?”

“Only that it’s gonna be ah–mazing, of course!” PufPuf shrieked in her high pitched voice. She smiled and asked, “You must be so excited to be here! You get to cast two Beijing teams!”

TheBrawnster nodded, grinning. He said, “It’s an honour, really. I’m a proud Beijing local myself and to see two title contenders fighting it out for a spot in the finals… I can’t begin to tell you how great this feels! Just a shame it’s only the semis. I’ve seen the other two teams… Let’s just say Beijing has the most talent. This could’ve made for a great Finals!”

PufPuf giggled and replied, “I sense some of that famous Beijing superiority there! But you’ve got every right to! Beijing really has two of the best teams with U-Tech Beijing and Team Beijing! Oh, oh! Enough talking!” She turned her head to look at the camera, paused briefly for dramatic effect, and then shrieked, “Let the games begin!”

The first game was full of fireworks. Team Beijing started with a Level 1 invade, catching U-Tech Beijing’s Jungler completely out of position. The kill went to Yu Ping’s Fizz. He recalled back to base and bought a second Doran’s Ring. That gave him a big edge over his lane opponent, which culminated in a kill at Level 3. A few minutes later, U-Tech Beijing tried to put a stop to Yu Ping’s Fizz. But the gank went wrong very fast when Yu Ping dashed towards a minion and used it to reach Level 6. He unlocked his ultimate skill and when megalodon jumped through the portal and knocked both Champions from U-Tech Beijing up into the air, the game was as good as played. Team Beijing was up 1-0.

Team Beijing carried their momentum from the first game into the second. Their Top- and Botlaners found a boost in confidence after watching Yu Ping carry them to an easy win, and they used that confidence to make plays they would usually hesitate on. But U-Tech Beijing didn’t let Team Beijing walk all over them. They retreated, allowed towers to fall, and used a turtle strategy to get themselves mentally into the game. Not to win the second one, that one was quickly slipping from their grasp, but to be ready to come out swinging in the third. They managed to drag the second game for nearly 50 minutes, when Yu Ping found an opening and helped Team Beijing ace U-Tech Beijing. Team Beijing went up 2-0.

U-Tech Beijing found their stride in the third game, while Team Beijing felt their nerves tickling them just enough to put them off balance. U-Tech Beijing’s Midlaner realised that there was nothing to gain in the mid lane, because Yu Ping was just too good. So he roamed bot and top and helped those lanes get the advantage they needed to beat their lane opponents. When the teamfights came around in the mid game, U-Tech Beijing was far enough ahead to beat Team Beijing to every major objective. Including at 34 minutes when they slew Baron Nashor. That boost was the final push U-Tech Beijing needed to close the game out.

The third game was a wakeup call for Team Beijing. Mistakes they usually never made had slipped in and Yu Ping was furious with his teammates over that. He admonished them in the short break between the games and warned his teammates to be ready for the next game. And ready they were. The fourth game was the strongest performance by Team Beijing up to that point in the entire tournament. They rose to a new level entirely as they deconstructed U-Tech Beijing. It only took them 27 minutes to destroy the towers, kill the Baron and ace U-Tech Beijing on top of their fountain. Team Beijing won the Semifinals against U-Tech Beijing convincingly with a 3-1 final score!

TheBrawnster shouted into his microphone, “WOOOOOO! What a performance, yo! Fuckin’ sick! These two teams, you know, LSPL WORTHY! I’M WAITING TO SEE ALL OF THEM GO PRO!”

PufPuf nodded and shrieked, “U-Tech’s team is a bit older, but Team Beijing… Oh my god! Can you believe it?  They’re high schoolers! They’re, like, BARELY LEGAL!”

TheBrawnster looked at PufPuf and laughed. He then said into his microphone, “Barely legal indeed. These 18 year old kids are throwing the Chinese esports scene upside down! I can tell you all one thing, I’M A PROUD BEIJING LOCAL! We’re gonna get some mad talent flooding the LSPL, the LPL and holy damn, we’re gonna win Worlds one of these years! I’ve said it! Beijing has the talent! WE’RE GOIN’ TO WORLDS!” He briefly paused, putting his hand to his chest to feel his heart slamming against his ribcage. The voice from a staff member sounded from his earpiece, reminding him about the second Semifinals. He scratched his head and laughed awkwardly. He coughed and continued, “Yo, yo! I almost forgot! Beijing isn’t the only talented side here! We’ve got another semifinals and another high school team! Stick around because right after lunch we’ve got another great series lined up! Fudan University and Team Shanghai from East China are going to fight for the second Finals spot! It’s gonna be sick!”

✹

It was 2 P.M. when the players from Fudan University, under the loud applause of the audience, walked up on stage and took place in their soundproof booths. They were in a good mood, all five of them. They’d practiced with Zhejiang University, rehearsed their different tactics and analysed every game from Team Shanghai. Fudan University’s Toplaner looked at his teammates and said, “Alright, guys! We’ve got this! I’ll stomp that Zhang Hao guy just like I did in the East China Regionals Finals and then we’re going through!”

“Heck yeah!” Fudan University’s Support cheered.

Qiu Yijie nodded and was about to reply when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. Crap! Forgot to turn that damn thing off. He shook his head and grabbed his phone, glancing at the screen to see what the message was about.

Aurous:「Yo kid. Good luck with the game. Just remember, there’s no shame in losing. Try your best and keep your head up.」

Qiu Yijie scrunched his eyebrows and mumbled, “What?” He started typing a response and then paused, hesitating. Why does it sound like he thinks we’re going to lose? Why would he say this right before our game? Am I misreading this? Does he mean something—

“You ready, cappie?” Fudan University’s Jungler asked over the team’s voice chat.

Qiu Yijie looked up and nodded. He turned his phone to silent and put it away, then focused on the screen. Of course there’s no shame in losing… Why would he…? He shook his head and grabbed his mouse. Don’t think about it. The games come first and then I can ask him what the hell that message was about. He glanced at his teammates and asked, “Ready?”

“Ready to rock ‘n ROLL!” the players from Fudan University replied, grinning.

Qiu Yijie laughed and shouted, “Just like the Regional Finals! We’re going to win this series!”

Across the stage in Team Shanghai’s soundproof booth, Zeng Rui was giving a few more instructions to his teammates. But it all took too long for Lin Feng. He kept glancing at the time on his monitor and shifted around in his gaming chair. “What is it?” Zeng Rui asked over the team’s voice chat, annoyed. “Is this too boring for you, Maple?”

“No, no, it’s not that!” Lin Feng replied. He scratched the back of his head and continued, “It’s just. Eh, you see… Uhm, I still need to finish climbing the Korean Ranked ladder. So the faster we get this series over, the faster I can go back to that!”

Zeng Rui looked at Lin Feng, incredulous, and muttered, “W-what?”

An Xin shook her head and said, “Idiot.”

Zhang Hao turned his head and looked at Lin Feng. He played all day yesterday, and all night! He played when we were already in bed and when we got up in the morning he was playing again! And now look at him! He’s still all fired up! He wants to play! He really wants to get going! How is he so calm? I wish I could be that excited and that… unworried? Worryfree? Shit it must be great to be the Maple! He nodded, grinning, and exclaimed, “He’s right! Lin Feng is right! LET’S GET GOIN’! WE GONNA WIN THIS SERIES! WOOOOOOO!”

✹

Qiu Yijie slumped back in his gaming chair and pulled his phone from his pocket. He looked at the text from Aurous again and sighed loudly. What the fuck just happened? It went so fast… It all happened so fast… It’s over. We’re done. The blink of a fucking eye and we’re out. That’s how it feels. It feels like I blinked and suddenly BOOM I’M OUT! DAMMIT! How did this happ— He focused on his phone. Aurous was typing something.

Aurous:「It’s okay, kid. No shame in losing to him.」

Fudan University’s Toplaner put his hand on Qiu Yijie’s shoulder and said, “Come, bud. It’s okay. Shit happens. Let’s go and congratulate them.”

Qiu Yijie nodded, despondent. He held his phone in his hand and read the two messages from Aurous again and again, letting his teammates walk him up on stage. When he arrived in the middle of the stage, he bowed to the players from Team Shanghai. His teammates turned around and started walking away, but he remained where he was. Team Shanghai was already moving to thank the audience, but he reached out his hand towards Lin Feng and asked, “Do you know Aurous?”

Lin Feng looked at Qiu Yijie in confusion and asked, “Who?”

Qiu Yijie shook his head and replied, “No, no one. Sorry. Congratulations.”

Lin Feng grinned and clenched his fist. He said, “You played really well! With a bit more practice, you can make it pro! Keep at it!”

“Qiu Yijie, come,” Fudan University’s Toplaner said, pulling his team captain away from the stage.

“Yeah, yeah,” Qiu Yijie replied to his teammate. He followed them off the stage, but then paused. He turned around and looked at Lin Feng again, at the kid grinning brightly and waving at the crowd as if he’d done it a thousand times before. Everyone else looks uncomfortable and nervous. What is it about him…? He read the messages from Aurous again and shook his head. We lost 3-1, but I lost 4-0 to him… How did he do that? I got stomped!

✹

Aurous looked at his chat with Qiu Yijie, waiting for a reply from his student. Come on, kid. I’m watching the stream. I know you’re looking at my messages. Just say you’re okay. You got wrecked by Maple. And I would’ve got wrecked by him too. Just like Shi Hang got wrecked. He breathed out loudly and called Shi Hang. When the line connected, he said, “3-1. Could’ve— Would’ve been 3-0 if his teammates didn’t screw up that second game. Knowing who he is and watching him play… I really wanted to see Fudan win this year…”

“Ah, cheer up!” Shi Hang answered, laughing. “Don’t be such a downer! It was a great show Maple put on! Isn’t it something else when you watch him play? I’ll tell you, it’s a real experience to play against him! You should try it!”

Aurous clicked his tongue in annoyance and said, “Hey, jackass! Can you let me sulk for a minute here? My team just got knocked out! We lost because of one damn player who shouldn’t even be playing on a high school team!”

“Well, technically…” Shi Hang started, chuckling. He then continued, “It’s okay, bud. I’m here. You can vent to me for a bit and I’ll pretend to listen.”

“Jackass,” Aurous replied. “Why do you sound so relaxed anyway? Don’t you have a big game today? Or did you play already? Shit. You did, didn’t you? How did it go? Did you beat KG?”

Team Shanghai rented a private room in an internet cafe. The players sat down in a half circle around Zeng Rui who pulled out his notebook and licked the tip of his finger. He counted the pages with his thumb before opening the notebook and scanning the page. He then moved his head around in hesitation, looked up at his teammates, and then flipped to the next page.

Lin Feng tapped his foot on the ground impatiently. He watched Zeng Rui flip to the next page for a third time and grimaced. He grabbed his phone and checked the time, then looked up at Zeng Rui again, who was still focused on his notebook. He finally couldn’t take it any longer and said, “Come on already! Tell us what we’re doing!”

Zeng Rui looked up at Lin Feng, distracted, and slowly massaged his temple. He moved his lips around for a bit and then said, “Alright, here’s the deal. I’ve watched all of Fudan’s games. Twice. I can only conclude… well, they’re strangely similar to Zhejiang University. The playstyle for both teams is damn near identical at times. Both of them go with very strong team comps, and that’s also their weakness. It takes them until the mid game, when teamfights become more prevalent, to start building momentum.

“We are the perfect counter to that strategy. Tang Tang’s aggressive playstyle will let us gain an early advantage, BunBun is one of the best early game Junglers I’ve ever seen, and then, well…” Zeng Rui stopped and shrugged. He then nodded at Zhang Hao and continued in a different direction, “You might have a bit of trouble in the top lane. But that’s fine. We’ll just have BunBun camp up there. Fudan can focus you all they want, they’re not getting anything with the two of you there to hold it down.”

Lin Feng looked at Zeng Rui. Waiting, expectantly. But Zeng Rui stopped talking and was now looking through his notebook, flipping through his notebook in an excruciatingly slow manner. Lin Feng chewed on his lips for a couple of seconds until he couldn’t take it anymore. He blurted, “What about me? You didn’t say anything about me? What’s your plan for me?”

Zeng Rui glanced up from his notebook and took a long, deep breath. What do you think? You’re Maple! Isn’t it clear what you’re going to do? You’re going to carry us, because no matter how good I am, no matter how well Tang Tang plays, regardless of everything BunBun and Zhang Hao pull out of their assholes, it’s never going to get anywhere near what you can do. But if I tell you that, you’re going to be insufferable for the rest of the day. Thundering dumbass. He sighed and said, “Qiu Yijie is a solid Midlaner. The general consensus is that he’s reached the A grade and that he can hold his own against most professional Midlaners. But you’re not most Midlaners. You’re Maple.”

Lin Feng grinned and said, “You’re calling me good, right? You’re right! I’m really good! I’ll beat him!”

Zeng Rui briefly closed his eyes and breathed in, allowing the fresh air to clear his thoughts. He then opened his eyes again and smiled. He replied, “Just win mid. Alright, enough chattering. I’ve got a couple of strategies here that we’re going to practice.”

✹

Team Shanghai practiced from lunch until dinner. The time they spent queuing up, Zeng Rui explained everything that went wrong in his opinion and how he wanted to see the team members improve. And when it was finally time for dinner, he suggested that they continue playing. He said they would just order some chicken cutlets to eat while in queue for the next game.

Lin Feng was the first to agree to this suggestion. He’d been playing since early that morning, but he still wanted to keep going. When Chu Fang told him that playing League of Legends for 10 hours in a single day wasn’t the most healthy habit, he shrugged it away. And when An Xin explained to him that this was why the rest of the team had taken the morning off, he laughed and replied that he had important League business he’d had to take care of that morning.

Team Shanghai played through dinner, but despite Lin Feng’s excitement, the quality of his play saw a sharp decline. He started messing up in the mid lane, failing to warn his teammates when something was happening and even cost them a game. That was when Zeng Rui stopped. He looked at Lin Feng and said, “You’re not fine. You can say you are, but you aren’t. You need to rest for tomorrow. We’re ending practice tonight.”

“But I can still play!” Lin Feng argued. “That was just a little slip up there!”

An Xin looked at Lin Feng, her lips curving up but her eyes remaining steady. She said, “HMM? Just a little slip up? You fell down a waterslide. That's how hard you fucked up that game! Now stop. Rest. We need you on point tomorrow.”

Lin Feng looked at An Xin. He wanted to argue. But when he looked past her at the worried look from Tang Bingyao, he paused. He looked back at his screen and opened the detailed analysis of the game. His damage dealt was low, his damage received high, his wards placed low… His stats were all moving in the direction he didn’t want to see them go. He grimaced and muttered, “Okay. Fine. We can take a break.”

“Not a break,” Zeng Rui said. He looked at Lin Feng and corrected, “We’re ending practice tonight. And we’re going to rest. Go and sleep, Lin Feng. We need you tomorrow.”

“Yeah, yeah! It’s fine! I’ll get some rest!” Lin Feng replied, grinning. “Don’t worry. I’ll be in great shape tomorrow!”

✹

Lin Feng ran up the stairs at the hotel while the rest of his team waited at the elevator. He reached the fourth floor before the others and burst into his room. The curtains were closed already and his bed was made. He pulled his clothes off in a half-run and then jumped on bed. Alarm, alarm. Set the alarm! He grabbed his phone and set an alarm for half an hour later. He then let his head fall on the pillow and closed his eyes. I’m still young! I can play all night and be fine in the morning! I’ll just rest for a bit and then I’ma play all night long and get to the top of the Korean ranked ladder!

Chu Fang walked into the hotel room a couple of minutes later and found Lin Feng already in bed. He smiled and shook his head. Crazy kid. He sat down on his bed and turned on the small lamp on the nightstand. It gave just enough light for him to read a webseries on his phone. Joshua was still getting used to his new life as a truck. But the pavement the mega ants had made for him made his life much easier these last few weeks. He could drive between Sardonia and Grelsh in half the time with half the effort and there were no real life and death moments like usual. It seemed like the dangerous monsters didn’t like the smell of tar…

The buzz of an alarm rang. Chu Fang looked up from his phone, confused and annoyed by the interruption. He searched for the source and spotted Lin Feng’s phone flashing brightly. Why is Lin Feng’s phone… His eyes grew round and wide and he slowly shook his head. “No,” he mumbled. “Don’t tell me…”

Lin Feng opened his eyes and blinked a couple of times. He turned his phone alarm off and then looked at the time. LEAGUE! He was wide awake, the thought about the Korean ladder having a similar effect a bucket of ice cold water would’ve had. He jumped up from his bed and turned the lights on.

 Chu Fang looked at Lin Feng and asked, “Are you really going to…?” Lin Feng nodded at him, answering the question. He continued, “Are you sure that’s smart? A good rest is important for your health. And you need your health to play League. Didn’t Zeng Rui tell you to sleep tonight?”

Lin Feng sat at the small table and turned his laptop on. He glanced over his shoulder while waiting for it to boot up and said, “I did rest! And now I need to play. I promised One I would get to the top of the Korean ranked ladder and I won’t get there if I just sleep all night. I need to play and play and play and use every free minute I have to get to the top!”

Chu Fang shook his head and mumbled, “Ain’t no rest for the wicked.”

✹

Money don't grow on trees

I got bills to pay

I got mouths to feed

There ain't nothing in this world for free

I know I can't slow down

I can't hold back

Though you know

I wish I could

Oh, no there ain't no rest for the wicked

Until we close our eyes for good

✹

A powerful buzz swept through the Chinese League of Legends community. CN•HOOK2 had become the single most discussed topic on the different forumboards. It was even higher up there than the LPL games and Shi Hang’s return to professional play. Within minutes of CN•HOOK2 coming online and entering the queue, everyone in China who cared about League of Legends found out. They left work early, called in sick, skipped their homework, and searched online for a place to watch the epic ascension of the Korean Challenger ladder by a Chinese player.

「CN•HOOK2, he’s online again!」

「FUCKING FINALLY!!!!!!! It’s already 9 PM! I’ve been waiting allll dayyyy!!!」

「RANKRANKRANRANKRA TELL ME HIS RANK NOW SOMEONE TELL ME」

「17! He’s already rank 17!」

「he needs one more win to get to 16! He’s getting so close to the top 10! just imagine OH MY GOOOOD!」

It didn’t take long for news of CN•HOOK2 playing a game on the Korean server to reach the various gaming houses from the LPL teams, including Dark Glory. Lightless Heart was streaming a game on the Ionia server, chilling with his viewers after a long day of practice with his team, when he found out. Viewers were talking about CN•HOOK2 in his stream chat. He read the conversation and got so distracted by it that he forgot to play his game. If it’s really One, how awesome would that be? One is showing to the world that he still has it and that there’s no Korean who can stop him! Humm… Fuck me I wanna watch this too!

Lightless looked at his camera and smiled. He said, “I’ve got a small surprise for you guys. Wanna watch CN•HOOK2 play live? Let’s go!” He logged out from his Ionia server account and opened his Korean client. There he opened his friends list and at the very top it showed CN•HOOK2 with the tag “playing solo queue”. 

The 30,000 viewers in Lightless’ stream lost their minds. They spammed his chat and then their phones and different message boards. It didn’t take long for word to go round, only the time it took for Lightless to load into the game and spectate CN•HOOK2. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese League of Legends players stopped with what they were doing. There were so many of them that abandoned their games that it even became difficult to find a game on the Ionia server. All of them joined Lightless’ stream and flooded his chat.

「CN•HOOK2!? ITS HIM ITS HIM ITS HIM!!!!!」

「OMGGGGG!!!! LIGHTLESS KNOWS HIM! THEYRE FRIENDS!!!!」

「does that mean hook is someone on dark glory?」

「YEAH! LIGHTLESS TELL US! IS HE YOUR TEAMMATE?!?!?!?!?!?」

「TELL US!,DO YOU KNOW HIM!」

「do you also know what hes doing? like what his goal is? is he going to try and beat rake for number 1 spot??」

「how far do you think he c an go before the ladder resets? hes only got like two more days, right?????」

Lightless didn’t see the chat. Just like most of his viewers, he was mesmerized with CN•HOOK2. He clenched his fist and licked his lips, mumbling, “Come on, come on. Win! Carry the game. I know you can!” He glanced at his second monitor, tabbing out of his streamchat and opening the Korean Challenger ladder rankings. 17. He already hit 17! Holy what the fuck! I’ve been watching him when I can the last few days, but this… How in the world… FUCK YEAH! FUCK YEAH! He grinned and shouted, “FUCK YEAH!”

A player from Dark Glory sitting behind a computer on the other side of the gaming room looked up from his screen. He nodded at Lightless and asked, “You okay?”

Lightless chuckled and replied, “Yeah! All good here, all good here… All fucking great and fantastic! SWEET!” He ignored the strange look from his teammate and focused back on his screen. Sure, we don’t have any super top pro’s in China right now. We don’t have some fancy Emperor like Europe, America and… Korea do. But that doesn’t make us shit either! We’ve got our legends, even if they haven’t played competitively in a long time. He clenched his fists until the white showed on his knuckles. We’ve got One! The best ever! Even after so many years of not playing, he just hops on the Korean server and goes all the way to the top! He’s the only legend we need! FUCK YEAH! He’s making the Koreans look like shit! This is the best thing ever! Better even than winning a game in the LPL!

✹

Zeng Rui sat in his hotelroom, massaging his temples. Zhang Hao sat next to him, scrolling through a forum post about CN•HOOK2 and commenting, “Look at this, Zeng Rui! Lin Feng’s just won another game! He’s already Rank 13!” He turned his head to look at Zeng Rui and continued, “I thought he was supposed to sleep early. Wasn’t that why he ran so fast up the stairs? But he’s been online for hours now! He hasn’t slept at all!”

Zhang Hao continued talking and Zeng Rui continued not listening. He was staring at the wall and massaging his temples. The thundering dumbass played for more than 10 hours and then when he was supposed to take a break, he plays some more. I want to be mad at him. I so badly want to be mad at him. But it’s just… how is he still climbing? He’s beating Midlaners from the OGN every single game! These are the best guys from Korea! How is he beating them every single game? He hasn’t played Rake yet, but that’s about the only one he hasn’t played yet! How is he beating all of these guys after playing all day already?

Zeng Rui took a long, deep breath and nodded at himself. It took me a while, Lin Feng. All I saw in you was a thundering dumbass, someone so retarded they couldn’t possibly be any good at League of Legends or anything in life really. But I was wrong. I looked at your cover and wrote your story for you, and that says more about me than it does about you. I can see it now, your story. It’s one of persistence. One of pure willpower. When the rest of us give up or feel like we need to rest, you keep going. You keep fighting. You don’t stop and you never give up. He nodded at Zhang Hao and asked, “You tired?”

“Not particularly, no?” Zhang Hao replied, confused.

“Good,” Zeng Rui said. He got up from his bed and grabbed his laptop from his suitcase. He then glanced at Zhang Hao and asked, “What are you waiting for? Grab your laptop and get ready. If the thundering dumbass can give it his all, then so can we. We’re not going to let him down.”

The alarm buzzed next to Lin Feng’s head. He tried to open his eyes and groaned, complaining, “Too bright! Too early! Grownups crazy.”

Chu Fang walked out from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. He looked at Lin Feng and shook his head. He said, “You’re doing this to yourself trying to complete that crazy challenge from One. Everyone else is sleeping in today.”

“I know, yeah. I know,” Lin Feng croaked as he pushed himself up. He blinked a couple of times to clear the sleep from his eyes and looked around the room, searching for his laptop and the desk it stood on. When he found it, he crawled-and-walked towards it and pulled himself into the office chair.

“Lin Feng?” Chu Fang asked. He waited until Lin Feng looked at him before continuing, “There’s breakfast in the lobby. Grab something for breakfast before you start playing.”

Lin Feng nodded and got up, then stumbled to the door in his underwear. He mumbled, “Yup. Smart. Food always wakes me up.”

“Lin Feng!” Chu Fang shouted. He waited again until Lin Feng turned around, then threw a t-shirt and some shorts at him. “At least wear this if you’re going down.”

Lin Feng shook his head and blinked. He rubbed his eyes and looked at the t-shirt sticking to his chest. “Oh, yeah,” he said, scratching the back of his head and laughing awkwardly. “Thanks, Chu Fang!” He then jumped into his clothes while opening the door and bolting down the hallway to the stairs. Something about rubbing his eyes had done the trick. He was awake. And hungry. He ignored the elevator, worried it would take longer, and ran down the stairs. Four flights of stairs later, he burst into the lobby and filled three plates. When he couldn’t possibly carry anything more, he bolted out of the lobby and back up the stairs, mumbling to himself, “I’ll eat while I’m in the queue. Can’t miss a second! Can’t miss a second!”

Back in his room, Lin Feng sat down behind his laptop, the drowsiness from before completely replaced by pangs of hunger from a rumbling stomach. He booted up his laptop while stuffing two steamed buns in his mouth. BunBuns, hehe! Aaaah! So good! I need more!

The blue light of his computer illuminated the room. Lin Feng opened the League client and queued up. “Come on, come on,” he mumbled impatiently. “Find a match already! Find a match!”

Lin Feng spent the next five hours playing League of Legends. He won the first game of the day. But then he lost the next two games. His account dropped down to Rank 26, but he remained calm. Losing was part of the game. His game was the only thing that mattered in solo queue, and his game was on point. He was pitted against Korean professional players in nearly every game and he won his lane every game, even when his favourite Champions were banned and the opponent got a counter pick on him.

Calmness permeated his entire being and the conviction that he could climb to the Top 5 pulsed from his heart through his veins. Lin Feng played better and better, carrying harder and harder. Victories started stacking up and his rank went up. He checked his next target on the ladder after every game and he chased them down. From Rank 26 to 25, 24… 20, 19.

The door to Lin Feng’s room opened and An Xin poked her head around the corner. She said, “Hey, addict. We’re having lunch. You done yet?”

Lin Feng looked up from his screen, surprised. When he saw An Xin, he grinned and said, “Uh, yeah! I guess so. Just finished a game actually! I’m Rank 19 already!” He then yawned and stretched out long before adding, “Wow, I’m beat! It feels like I’ve been at this all day! How do people do it? You know, work from 9 to 5? I don’t think I could ever do that!”

An Xin giggled and replied, “Idiot. Come.”

✹

Chu Fang joined Team Shanghai for lunch. He watched his team eat and shook his head. He groaned and moaned. He looked absolutely miserable.

Zeng Rui eventually couldn’t take it anymore. He’d gotten to know Chu Fang a lot better recently, since the two often talked tactics while Lin Feng was playing League of Legends in his hotel room. He looked up at Chu Fang and said, “Just say it.”

“That obvious, huh?” Chu Fang said, chuckling. He shrugged and explained, “Well, since I’ve got your attention. Here’s the thing. I received word from the Beijing Esports Association. I know who we’re playing in the next round and it’s not pretty. Or rather, it feels staged. But whatever. So, yeah, we’re playing against Fudan University. U-Tech Beijing and Team Beijing are going to face each other.”

An Xin looked up from her bowl and said, “That isn’t too bad? Why are you acting like it is…?”

Chu Fang shrugged and said, “I would’ve liked to see an all East China finals. That would’ve been a great show! But I guess this is fine too.”

“We have to be careful,” Zeng Rui interjected. He waited for everyone to look at him before he continued, “Fudan’s performance was on point in their game against Zhejiang just the other day. They’ve gotten better since we played them in the Finals of the East China Regionals. Let’s schedule a training session this afternoon. I want to be prepared for tomorrow.”

“Wait, what?” Lin Feng blurted. His eyes grew round and wide as he stared at Zeng Rui. He asked, “Training?” And when Zeng Rui nodded at him, he emptied his plate and shouted, “Let’s go! No time to waste! We need to hurry!”

“Aside, aside, aside

Make way, make way, make way

We are in an incredible hurry!”

✹

The news about the Semifinals draw of the Winter Collegiate Cup also reached Aurous that same afternoon. He pushed his training with Light Dynasty aside and called Shi Hang. When the call connected, he shouted, “Hey! Yo! Did you see?”

“What did I see?” Shi Hang asked. He added slightly annoyed, “You know it’s training time right now, right? I’ve got a big game tomorrow and I need to do well. I don’t have time to shoot the shit—”

“Don’t you fucking dare to hang up on me!” Aurous shouted. He loudly breathed a few times before continuing, “Fudan drew Team Shanghai.”

Shi Hang’s attitude changed completely. He forgot all about his training and started laughing. It started with a low grin and slowly turned into a hysterical, snorting laughter. It took him a few minutes to catch his breath again. He then said, “WELP! F for Fudan! GG!”

The vein on Aurous’ forehead bulged. He gnashed his teeth and said, “You’re a jerk, you know that? Now tell me about that guy on Team Shanghai! Who is he? You’ve kept me in the dark long enough. My team is playing them now. Let me help them with info!”

“Huh? Team Shanghai? Whatever are you talking about?” Shi Hang asked in faked confusion.

Aurous snorted and barked, “Fuck off with the bullshit! I know it’s someone on Team Shanghai! OUT WITH IT!”

There was silence on the line. Aurous almost couldn’t stop himself from yelling at Shi Hang again. But just as he opened his mouth, his friend’s voice sounded in his ear. “Fine, fine. I don’t want you to try and strangle me over the phone. That’d be embarrassing for both of us. And it’s not like you knowing is going to change anything. There’s really nothing you can do. But yeah, I’ll stop hiding the truth from you. You kno—”

“ARE YOU FUCKING TELLING ME OR NOT!?” Aurous screamed into his phone.

Shi Hang chuckled and said, “Remember I told you when I joined for that one series it was because of one person?”

“Yeah, yeah. Tell me already,” Aurous replied, impatient.

Shi Hang grinned and revealed, “It’s their Midlaner. The one who beat me. He is the reason I stepped in. He is the reason I didn’t feel bad about stepping in.”

“Their Midlaner? Really?” Aurous asked, doubtful. He looked at the computer in front of him that showed the lineup of Team Shanghai. “Lin Feng? That him? What’s so special about him?”

Shi Hang laughed and said, “Yeah, I guess they did keep his name pretty well hidden back then. But maybe you’ve heard it somewhere? Doesn’t it sound just a bit familiar?”

“Familiar?” Aurous repeated. He scratched his chin and took a couple of seconds to think about it. He then shook his head and said, “No, not really, no. Just tell me, dude. Come on. Don’t be a douche! I don’t know any Lin Fengs in the competitive circle. Just tell me who he is.”

“Oh! You’re almost there!” Shi Hang said. “He did play professionally. But not this season or last. Or the one before that.”

“Fuck you, asshole!” Aurous exclaimed. He took a deep, long breath and then continued, “Alright. So not this season or last, so then what? Season 3? 2?”

“Getting there, getting there,” Shi Hang replied, laughing.

Aurous sighed loudly and said, “DUDE! I only started playing towards the end of Season 2! I don’t even remember half the things from back then! In what world do you see me remembering whatever the fuck happened in Season 1? That’s what you’re saying, right? Season 1? Who the fuck still knows that? That’s like ancient history! I don’t watch the History Channel!”

Shi Hang bit a new burst of laughter back and replied, “Ah, buddy, I didn’t know you were wearing your girlfriend’s panties. You really shouldn’t do that. It gets your balls all squished up and you turn into this raging dickless-hole! Anyway, think back. We all know a little bit about Season 1 and this Lin Feng belongs to that little bit.”

“Yeah, yeah, a little bit,” Aurous mumbled, his mind working overture. He mumbled, “We all know about Season 1 Worlds. The best Chinese team ever. You had Tian Tian in top and Eleven in the Jungle. Then you had those two in the bot lane… Didn’t that one kick your ass? Right and then they, they— No. No. NoNoNo!”

Shi Hang chuckled and replied, “Yes.”

“No, no. No! NoNoNo! No. No! NO!” Aurous muttered. “No. No! It can’t be. No, that can’t be. It can’t. Don’t tell me. No, I don’t believe you!” He briefly paused before asking, “Really?”

“Yep,” Shi Hang replied.

Aurous trembled, his entire body shook. His jaw dropped to the floor, as did his phone. He sat there for a few minutes, just staring at his screen in shock. There, black on white, was that name. Lin Feng. Maple. Maple! He finally reached down and grabbed his phone. He placed it against his ear and said, “He was that young? I heard things, but… And now… Collegiate Cup? He, this, why? Why would he… Is he coming back? Is he going pro again? Are we finally…” His shock from learning who Lin Feng was and the realization that his Fudan University team hadn’t the slightest chance of beating him disappeared as quickly as it came and was replaced with a trace of hope and excitement. He smiled and asked, “Is he coming back? I want to play against him.”

Shi Hang laughed and replied, “Yeah, he’s coming back. And it’s starting to look like it won’t be much longer now.”

Lin Feng sat on an office chair at a tv table, playing League of Legends on his laptop. It was the best he could manage in the hotel he was staying at. “Just a bit more, almost there. Almost there…” he mumbled to himself, laser focused on his screen. He almost didn’t hear the door to his room opening or An Xin walking in. He briefly glanced at her and asked, “What’re you doing here?”

“Just checking in on you,” An Xin replied. She pulled a second office chair over and sat down next to Lin Feng, then leaned towards him to look at his screen. “Oh?” she said. “Still on your Korean account, I see.”

Lin Feng replied, “I have to—” He suddenly narrowed his eyes a bit and stopped listening to An Xin. The game he was playing had started slowly with a laning phase that saw no winner. Moving into the middle game, both teams started fighting more and more aggressively for game objectives. Towers fell and Dragons were slain. And then, right when An Xin walked into the room and Lin Feng lost his focus for just a moment, the opponent engaged Baron Nashor. “I have to focus,” he finished.

A ward revealed the Baron pit to Lin Feng’s team, showing them that all five opponents were there fighting the big, purple worm. Two players from Lin Feng’s team hovered around the entrance to the Baron pit. They were searching for a way to stop the enemy from slaying Baron Nashor, or at least to buy their teammates some time to arrive. It looked like a losing battle for Lin Feng’s team.

Lin Feng’s Fizz ran through the mid lane and up into Red team’s Jungle. The opponents were huddled against the back wall, creating as much distance as they could from the entrance and the two Champions from Lin Feng’s team there. But that left them vulnerable from behind.

When Lin Feng’s Fizz arrived behind the baron pit, he cast his ultimate skill–Chum the Waters! A small fish flew at Red team’s Lucian and started swimming around him, a portal to the deep opening up beneath him. It grew in size and a dark shadow could be seen swimming in the depths below. Lin Feng’s Fizz then dashed through Lucian with Urchin Strike! He followed up with Seastone Trident, empowering his basic attacks! Megalodon jumped from the water and knocked Lucian and two more enemy Champions up into the air! Lin Feng’s Fizz continued by dealing an auto attack and then planting his trident in the ground and hopping on top of it–Playful!

《You have slain an enemy!》

Three crowd control skills hit where Lin Feng’s Fizz was. But on top of his trident, he was untargetable. Lucian died and Lin Feng focused his attention on the other carry on the opponent’s team. Ziggs. He hopped down on Ziggs and dealt splash damage with the skill Trickster! That also made him targetable again. Two more crowd control skills flew at him.

Lin Feng smiled. He glanced at Zhonya’s Hourglass in his inventory and activated it. Golden grains of sand rained down from the sky and stuck to only Fizz, placing him in stasis. The crowd control skills shot right through him and disappeared. Lin Feng took a deep breath and mumbled, “… And now my teammates help.”

The two teammates from Lin Feng who were at the Baron pit entrance finally reacted. They charged at their opponents and unleashed their full damage combos. Lin Feng’s Fizz left stasis a brief moment later. He cast Ignite on Ziggs and followed up by auto attacking Ziggs with his still empowered trident!

《Double kill!》

Lin Feng’s opponent lost its two carries and was getting attacked not only by Lin Feng and his teammates, but also by Baron Nashor. It didn’t take much effort to kill all of them, Lin Feng picking up one more kill in the process. His team then shifted their focus towards Baron Nashor and killed it, claiming its buff.

This play hurled Lin Feng’s team in front in every aspect of the game, and before long they were knocking on the enemy’s base. Inhibitor towers fell, followed by inhibitors. Super minions spawned and marched down the lanes, assisting Lin Feng’s team as they lay siege on the Nexus towers. And finally, after another ace, Lin Feng’s team destroyed the two Nexus towers and the Nexus to win the game.

VICTORY!

Lin Feng leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his neck. He then looked at An Xin and asked, “What were we talking about again? Something about…”

“About the fact you’re still playing on the Korean server,” An Xin said, smiling. She nodded, impressed, and added, “You’re in pretty good form from the looks of it. How many have you won so far today?”

“I think, uhm, I don’t…” Lin Feng started. He scrunched his eyes and nose, thinking really hard, before sighing and opening his character page. It showed five wins in the last five games, three of which were from the day. He stuck up three fingers, and said, “Three.”

An Xin looked at Lin Feng. She noticed how his back wasn’t quite as straight as it usually was and how the grin on his face didn’t have that lively energy it usually had. Is he flexing his shoulders…? She asked, “What’s wrong? Isn’t three wins good? And you’re pretty high up on the Korean Challenger ladder too!”

“Yeah, yeah… I guess,” Lin Feng replied, grimacing. “It’s just. You see, I’ve only got a few more days left and still so far to go! Look at this! Look! I’m only Rank 24! And how long do I have left? Tonight just a bit, but not too much because we lost so much time eating!”

“And whose fault was that?” An Xin interjected, giggling.

Lin Feng didn’t seem to notice her joke. He put up a second finger and continued, “Then there’s tomorrow. The next day we’ve got the semis, so I can’t play until we’re through to the Finals. Which are two days later. Which means I only have the day before Finals to get all the way to the Top 3! You know how little time that is? That’s like… two days and four nights!”

An Xin smiled and said, “From what I recall, One wanted you to reach the Top 5. You’re now Rank 24, so that means you’ve got 19 ranks to go. That’s not too bad, especially not for someone as good as you.”

“Yeah yeah, usually,” Lin Feng replied. He leaned back in his chair again and sighed, annoyed. He then shot up from his chair and flung his arms at his laptop. “But do you know what they’re doing?” he blurted. “They’re banning my Champions! They’re camping my lane! They’re trying to make my life impossible! It’s like they know they’re playing against me in Champion Select, but they can’t know that! Why are they only banning my Champions!?”

An Xin pulled Lin Feng back down on his chair and ruffled his hair. She winked at him and said, “What did you expect, silly? Did you think One would give you an easy challenge? This is a test. Show One and everyone else you’ve still got it.”

Lin Feng pulled himself free from An Xin’s grasp and grinned a bit brighter than before. He clenched his fist and said, “I know! That’s why I can’t waste even a second! I need to get into my next game and win again! Maybe I can hit the Top 20 tonight! That’d make my life so much easier!”

“Well, at least you’re motivated,” An Xin said, winking. She then briefly paused, hesitating, before asking, “Oh, right, that reminds me. You heard it too, right? The Beijing Esports Association’s President is going to present the championship trophy to the winners of the Winter Collegiate Cup.”

Lin Feng’s eyes grew round and wide. He slowly turned his head to look at An Xin and replied, “Oh? That so? I might’ve heard something similar…”

An Xin narrowed her eyes and smiled. She said, “I remember a little bit of something. Hmm, what was it again? Something, something, last name Lin. Right! There’s you, Lin Feng, and then there’s the president of the Beijing Esports Association Lin—”

“He is? Wow! Hahaha!” Lin Feng interrupted, awkward. He turned his head away from An Xin and focused on his screen right as the queue popped. He pointed at the pop up notification and said, “Look! Look! Game! I need to focus! Game! I need to play!”

“Mm-hmm,” An Xin replied, giggling. She then got up from her chair and added, “This chair is terrible. I don’t get how you sit on it for so long. I’m gonna go for a walk and then sleep. Good luck with your games and see you tomorrow.”

“Sounds good! Yeah, yeah! Goodnight! Bye! Close the door behind you!” Lin Feng said, staring at his screen.

At the door, An Xin turned around one last time. Lin Feng still wasn’t looking in her direction. She smiled and mouthed, “Idiot.” And then she closed the door behind her. The strain of the day was too much. She knew it the moment she got up from the office chair, and now it hit. Her knees buckled and her legs went limp. She lost balance and fell to the floor, catching herself on the door handle. She bit down hard on her teeth and closed her eyes, forcing herself back up and leaning against the wall for support. Breathing heavily, she searched for the strength in her legs and then for her balance.

“BunBun?” Chu Fang asked, worried. He’d just walked out from Zeng Rui’s room and saw An Xin pulling herself up on the door handle. “Are you okay? Is Lin Feng not letting you in?”

An Xin took a long, deep breath, gathering herself. She then lightly pushed herself off the wall and turned her head to look at Chu Fang. She forced a smile on her lips and said, “You know him, probably caught up in a game of League. And then when I wanted to turn around and go to bed I kicked myself against the back of my foot and stumbled.”

Chu Fang looked at An Xin and shook his head. He said, “Be careful, BunBun. We need you in top condition for the next two rounds. Uh, do you want to say goodnight to Lin Feng?”

“NoNo!” An Xin replied, waving her arms. She smiled a bit brighter and continued, “I don’t want to interrupt him. I know how focused he is on reaching the top of the Korean ladder, and he’s almost there! I’ll just go to bed and I’ll see him in the morning.” She briefly paused and then added, “Thanks, Chu Fang.”

“Alright,” Chu Fang replied. He looked at her again and scratched the side of his head. She stumbled while standing still…? How? But she looks okay… He moved his lips around for a bit before finally saying, “Alright, if you say so. Just be a bit more careful, okay? Now get some rest and don’t forget to brush your teeth!”

An Xin bit on her teeth and walked across the hallway to her room, showing to Chu Fang that she was okay. She then twirled around victoriously and said, “I never forget!”

After Chu Fang entered his room, An Xin turned back around and looked at her door. She reached out to it with her right hand and touched the handle, tried to grab it, but no sensation was registering in her mind. She bit on her lips as tears appeared in her eyes. It’s back. I’ve lost the feeling in my hand again. It went so well. It’s been more than a month since the last time I had it this bad. But now… She shook her head, trying to get rid of the tears. She then tried to open the door again, but her right hand wouldn’t cooperate. No! NO! It felt like the world collapsed around her again, just like when the doctor had first diagnosed her and explained to her what it meant for the rest of her life. I won’t let this rule my life! I WON’T!

The Winter Collegiate Cup Quarterfinals drew to a close. The fans turned off their streams, left the message boards and went home from the stadium. But they wouldn’t be bored waiting for the Semifinals to start, because there was always more League of Legends to go around. More specifically, the 2016 LPL Spring Split had started. The best teams in China were playing against each other again on a weekly basis, constantly adapting to the latest patch. And there was something even more exciting going on beyond just that. Something that was drawing far more discussion among the fans. The return of AyDeeCee to Team Rapids.

There were online forums dedicated to Shi Hang, where his fans gathered and discussed their love for their idol.

「IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII HES BACKKKKKK」

「I still can’t believe it… He’s really back. AyDeeCee is back!」

「Best player China ever had! We’re going to return to our Season 1 prime!」

「ITS BETTER THAN HAVIN A WET DREAM!!!!」

「I’m so excited to see how good he is these days!」

「Ppl laughed at me for my AyDeeCee bodypollw but Ialwysa knew!」

「Go watch the highlights from the East China Regionals! He subbed in a game there!」

But not everyone was happy with AyDeeCee’s return. There were those who were jealous of his skill and envied all the attention he was getting. And then there were those who were upset that AyDeeCee was stealing the limelight from their favourite Midlaners.

「bet ye its just publicity stunt」

「HE COULD BE MY FUCKIN GRANPA!!!!」

「We should send a cane to the LPL. Give it as a welcome back present! HARHARHAR」

「HERMES>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> aydeecee」

「He was a great player back in the day. Now prolly he sucks donkey balls」

「Cant wait to see him get FUCKING REKT111111」

From there it devolved into a pointless argument that went on for days. Some people grabbed large buckets of popcorn and an ice-cold beer to enjoy the drama, while others furiously typed on their keyboards.

「Lolololol, noobs thinking hermes is good BEST JOKE OF 2016!!!」

「whose got the popcorn? i need moaaarrrrrr」

「Let’s be real here, guys. Daybreak Hermes is a good Midlaner. But that’s just it. He good, not great.」

「Moon and Phoenix are great. Rake is God. Hermes is the court jester!!!!」

「LMAO BEST DRAMA EVVAAAHHHHHH :pepe_laugh:」

「china sucks………」

「hermes < diamond < real pros」

「aydeecee <<<<<<< hermessss!!!!!!」

「I”LL FUCKING FIGHT YOU! I LIVE ON 742 EVERGREEN TERRACE! COME FIGHT ME!」

「lol, can you believe that ^^^^^^ guy? XD」

The HermBuds were up in arms. They were furious and livid that people dared to besmirch the name of their general. Their emperor.

「THATS TOTALLY DIFFERENT YOU CANT COMPARE HERMES WITH RAKE」

「Did you not watch Worlds? Hermes beat an emperor!!! He’s got the skill!」

「hes right up there with moon and phoenix!!!!!」

「FUCKING BOOMERS GETTING ALL SMUG just accept that aydeecee sucks babyballs!」

「King Hermes will soon be crowned EMPEROR HERMES!!!」

「THIS IS HIS YEAR!」

「EMPEROR HERMES! EMPEROR HERMES!」

There was a small group of fans reading the online forums who’d been following the League scene from the beginning, way back during Season 1. They vividly remembered how it was back then. 

「kids talking big… back in season 1 at the height of China’s League presence, there was no Hermes」

「^that. And AyDeeCee wasn’t the best Midlaner either. He was second best」

「you kids dont know because of how hard the Chinese Esports Association tried to erase the past, but…」

「But we had an emperor. We had a guy who could beat Phoenix and who could fight Rake」

「Remember the name. Maple. He is the best. THeres no on else but him. HE GOATCHAMP」

「Man what I’d give to see him play again… that dude was something else. The way he just won…」

「Getting goosebumps just thinking about him! MAPLE IS MY HERO!」

✹

There was a second post that started garnering more and more attention. It was a post detailing the Chinese players on the Korean Challenger ladder. The rivalry between South Korea and China was intense. So much so that the Korean Challenger ladder had turned into a battleground; one that had to be conquered by the Chinese players. But no Chinese player had managed to do that yet. No one had even come close. In fact, most of the players from China who made it to Challenger on the Korean server were fighting desperately to hold on to their rank and not slip back to Master.

Fans argued that if their personal heroes from the LPL were to play on the Korean server, they could make it to the Top 10 in Challenger. But professional players generally didn’t have the spare time to worry about their rank in solo queue, especially not on a server with high latency. And so the great shame had persisted for years, with no one looking like they might break it. Until now. The CN•HOOK2 account was climbing up the ladder and quickly approaching the Top 10.

「CNHOOK THE HERO WE DESEERRVVEEEEE」

「did you see him play that viktor the other day? my god hes good!」

「I wonder who he is…」

「has to be like hermes, right? Yeah, has to be.」

「He went from 250 to 30 WITHIN A MONTH!!!!!!! HOW!?!??!?!??!?!」

「You know what that means, right? RIGHT RIHGIHTIHRIHIHGITIHITHIHANHAIHAHH!H!!」

「HES GONNA CLIMB TO THE TOP!!!!」

「HES GONNA BEAT RAKE!!!!!」

「HES GONNA BRING PRIDE TO OUR NATION!!!!!」

「HES GONNA GET FACES FOR US ALLL!!!!!!」

「LONG LIVE THE HOOK2!!!!!!」

Season 5 had officially ended and Season 6 had started in most regards. But the ranked ladders hadn’t reset yet. The Korean ladder would reset at the end of the week, giving CN•HOOK2 a few more days to make it to the top. It was that time pressure that made it so much more exciting to the Chinese League of Legends fans. They clicked on the refresh button with sweaty palms and were scouring the internet for livestreams, desperate to witness how high CN•HOOK2 would climb before the ladder reset.

「How far do you think he can go?」

「Top 20?」

「NO WAY DOWNER! TOP 10 AT THE LEAST!!!!!」

「getting a bit ahead of yourself there… top 30 is already hella impressive」

「but just imagine… top 5! OR TOP 3! UP THERE WITH RAKE! OMGOMGOGMOGM!!!」

「guysguysguys, shut up for a second. Listen. We need to find out who he is! Where are the detectives!?!?」

「whoever he is, he’s gonna make the koreans maaaaaad」

「its gonna be soooooo good to laugh at the koreans after he hits the top 3!!!!」

「yeah yeah. But WHO IS HE!?!?!?!?」

「HE”S OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR! HE”S WHAT WE DESERVE!!! A TRUE HERO!!!」

After U-Tech Beijing, Team Shanghai was the second team to qualify for the Winter Collegiate Cup Semifinals. They did that by beating Shenyang University 3-1, a surprising result to many. Sure, the fans had watched the highlights from the East China Regionals. And yes, they’d seen the highlights from Guangzhou where Team Shanghai stomped the Korean wonder duo of Seo and Goalie into the ground. But they always had an excuse ready, a reason why Team Shanghai’s accomplishments weren’t ‘all that’. “AyDeeCee hasn’t played for years, what did you expect?” “Goalie is just having an off day.”

The series against Shenyang University was the final drop in the bucket. It got rid of the last few doubters. No one argued any longer about whether or not Team Shanghai belonged at the Winter Collegiate Cup. After not just beating, but crushing the third ranked team from the previous tournament, Team Shanghai more than deserved to be recognized. They were the team to watch out for. They were the ones to beat.

The usual haughty Beijing locals forgot about their superiority complex. A powerful urge drove them to silence as they waited for Team Shanghai to exit their soundproof booths. It was a strange moment fueled by pure admiration. They watched the door to the soundproof booth open. Zeng Rui and Tang Bingyao walked out and they stayed quiet. An Xin and Zhang Hao walked out and they stayed quiet. And then Lin Feng walked out. A roar so powerful that it shook the entire stadium on its vestiges exploded from the audience. It slammed into the players from the other competing teams, sending shivers up and down their spines, before hitting Team Shanghai.

Zhang Hao gasped at the crowd and muttered, “Wow!”

Tang Bingyao’s mouth dropped open. She meekly muttered, “F-for us?” 

“For him,” An Xin said, pointing at Lin Feng with her thumb. “Always for him.”

Lin Feng looked up at the audience and grinned. He waved and shouted, “Thanks! Thanks! I know right! My Fizz is amazing! I totally carried that game!”

An Xin sighed and mumbled, “Idiot.” She then pulled Lin Feng by his arm and said to him, “Come, come. The guys from Shenyang are waiting to shake our hands.”

“Oh, oh right!” Lin Feng replied. He followed An Xin towards the middle of the stage.

The players from Shenyang University greeted the players from Team Shanghai, forced smiles on their faces. They bowed towards Team Shanghai and their Midlaner said, “You were the better team today. Congratulations and good luck in the next round.”

Team Shanghai returned the bow and thanked Shenyang University for their good luck wishes. They then turned to look at the audience and bowed towards them. It was the moment the fans had been waiting for. Lin Feng was giving them his attention. They chanted his name, “Lin Feng! Win Feng! Lin Feng!”

✹

The second half of the Quarterfinals were played that same afternoon. First up were Team Beijing and China University of Political Science and Law. Team Shanghai sat in the player seating area and were eager to watch this series. This far in the tournament, their odds of drawing either team for the next round grew exponentially, and every bit of information on their opponent could mean the difference between winning and losing.

Zeng Rui pulled out a notebook and flipped to a specific page. The top of the page read ‘Team Beijing, Preparations’. To him, there wasn’t a question about who was going to win, but how Team Beijing was going to win. He narrowed his eyes as he watched the players walk up on stage and then scribbled down that Team Beijing was playing their strongest lineup. He then flipped to the next page and held his pen ready to write down every small detail he noticed.

Lin Feng turned his head to look at Zeng Rui and scrunched his nose. Why’s he doing this? He always has that notebook on him and he’s always scribbling stuff down. And it’s definitely not notes for a webnovel about a group of high schoolers who play League! And the more he writes, the more he’ll have to explain at practice! When the realisation hit him, he groaned loud enough for his teammates to look at him. Shitshitshit—SHIT! He smiled like a peasant with a toothache and assured them everything was all right. He then glanced at Zeng Rui again. Still writing. So weird… He’s like Four!

Four! Lin Feng smacked himself on the forehead and exclaimed, “How could I forget!?”

Tang Bingyao looked at Lin Feng and tilted her head. She asked, “Hmm? Forget what?”

“Well… Hm. No, nevermind. Its nothing!” Lin Feng replied, grinning. He then scratched the back of his head and chewed on his lips. That’s who ZengZeng reminds me of! How did it take me this long to see the resemblance? Am I blind o? I’m so stupid sometimes! But I definitely need to introduce ZengZeng to Four! That’ll be so much fun! Yush! I’ma do that! Right after this series, maybe…

The first game between Team Beijing and the China University of Political Science and Law started. And ended 20 minutes later. Team Beijing was simply the better team. They crushed their lanes and then the game. And it was in similar fashion that they won the second and third games of the series. None of them lasted for more than 20 minutes.

“Hot damn!” Lin Feng exclaimed. “They’re out for blood!”

“Uh-huh, uh-huh!” Zhang Hao agreed, nodding. He turned his head to look at Lin Feng and replied, “They’re like making a statement after your Fizz game! Trying to show they’re better!”

Lin Feng laughed and said, “They can try! But my Fizz is still better!”

An Xin smiled and suggested, “Maybe they’re trying a bit harder because they’re playing on home ground. They can’t disappoint their fans.”

“Oh,” Lin Feng replied, scratching the back of his neck. “I guess that makes sense too…”

✹

One series remained in the Winter Collegiate Cup Quarterfinals. It was an East China party, with Fudan University and Zhejiang University fighting for the fourth and final spot in the Semifinals. The two sides had played against each other in practice and official matches countless times. They were evenly matched and showed as much in this series.

Zhejiang University started the first game by invading Fudan University’s Jungle at Level 1 and picking up a kill on their Jungler. That set Fudan University a bit behind and they never managed to claw their way back from that. They eventually lost the first game after 50 minutes of playing. And then they turned it around on Zhejiang University in the second game, copying Zhejiang University’s Level 1 invade and claiming the win after 50 minutes.

The third game of the series was all Fudan University. They got the better Champions in Champion Select and managed to let that advantage dictate the outcome of the game. But then they started to realise they might win this series. Their nerves got the better of them and they fumbled up the fourth game of the series, basically giving it to Zhejiang University for free.

It all came down to the all deciding fifth game. Both sides fought for all they were worth. It was a bitter struggle that went back and forth. Both teams slipped up. Both teams made beautiful plays. And in the end it was Fudan University who drew the longest straw. They won a teamfight at the Baron pit, and rather than killing Baron Nashor, they charged down the mid lane, took down the inhibitor tower, inhibitor, nexus towers and the Nexus before Zhejiang University respawned.

“Wow!” Zhang Hao exclaimed. “That was crazy! Absolutely great! Did you guys see how good Fudan played that? They knew they had the chance to finish it! I would have stuck to Baron, but they went and finished the game! That was so cool!”

Lin Feng grinned and said, “Yeah, Zhejiang University is really missing AyDeeCee. But Fudan’s Midlaner played way better than in the previous rounds. He was almost as good as Goalie!”

“Correct,” Zeng Rui said, browsing through his notebook before stopping on a specific page. He traced his finger over his scribbles and read, “Qiu Yijie, Midlaner and team captain for Fudan University. A- grade player, bordering A grade. Can reach A+ grade on a good day. Still improving.”

✹

Aurous was a student at Fudan University and the Midlaner for the LPL team Light Dynasty. He was also a good friend of Shi Hang. After he watched his University beat Shi Hang’s, he grabbed his phone and waited for the call to connect. And then he blurted, “Told you! Fucking told you! Didn’t I tell you? We’re the best! We were last year and we are this year too!”

Shi Hang laughed and replied, “Yeah yeah, you beat us. Grats mate! Fudan played that really well. And the Qiu guy played really surprisingly well that series.”

“I know! I know! I trained him myself, of course he’s great!” Aurous said, proud. “You know, in a couple of years when I retire, I plan on having him follow in my footsteps! He’s already an A grade Midlaner. Just give him a bit more time and he’s right up there with me and you and the other good Midlaners! He can already stand his ground in the LSPL no problem! I’m sure of it! And better yet, you lost! Fudan is the best! We’re gonna be the champions!”

Shi Hang shook his head and replied, “I know Light Dynasty isn’t doing too hot, but isn’t it a little low to get so excited over winning some kids’ tourney?”

“The kids’ tourney you played in!” Aurous fired back, laughing.

“I did! It was fun,” Shi Hang replied, chuckling.

“Yo, dude. What the fuck?” Aurous said. He briefly paused and then asked, “Why aren’t you fighting me here? You should be mad that I’m gloating! Come on, you know the game! I gloat, you get mad; you gloat, I get mad. And then we get a beer!”

Shi Hang shrugged and said, “Don’t matter who won this round. Fudan or Zhejiang… You know, usually we have a shot of winning the tournament. There’s still excitement, you know? But this time… Heck, you guys might reach the Finals if you get a lucky draw. But you won’t win the Finals. And it’s kind of difficult to get mad when I know how hard you’re gonna get your asses kicked.”

“Huh? What?” Aurous asked. He scrunched his eyebrows, thought for a few seconds, and then continued, “Is this Shi ‘SuperMysterious’ Hang? Come on, can’t you just tell me? It’s that kid, right? Lin Feng? Tell me who he is already! I’m dying from curiosity here! I need to know! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!”

“Nope. You’ll find out soon enough,” Shi Hang replied, laughing like Dr. Doofenshmirtz.

✹

The president of the Chinese Esports Association sat behind his desk in the Beijing headquarters. There was a stack of files on his desk detailing the four teams still competing for the Winter Collegiate Cup. The bottom four files were on the teams, and the top file was on Lin Feng. His name was highlighted with bright red ink and the president was staring at it. He knew.