Nitpick, judge, scrutinize every single detail with a magnifying glass, then spread rumors and sling mud through conspiracy theories, only to mock him on credit before every match and hurl abuse at him after every game.
Yi Xingran had endured this kind of treatment for three whole years in his previous life. It happened over and over again, relentlessly and without interruption, permeating every part of his professional career.
At first, he had genuinely wondered whether there was something wrong with him. Gradually, however, that self doubt transformed into a daily ritual of self reflection: I did nothing wrong. I’m damn good. A bunch of cyber world trash who only knows how to talk.
Stop exhausting yourself with needless self doubt. Blame others more.
I’m stepping onto the stage to be the damn boss!!
Yet until the very end, no matter how many times he could fire back at countless haters, there was only one thing he could never refute, , , ,
【What championship have you ever won?】
Yi Xingran had never won a championship. At the very moment when he was only one step away from becoming a world champion, the team he played for, together with the teammates who had fought alongside him, joined forces to crush his one and only dream.
Pei Du had personally witnessed that finals match all the way to the end. When the opposing team was about to lift the trophy representing the highest honor in the S World Championship, golden confetti rained down and the five time champions were crowned once more yet behind the flood of spotlights that gathered around the champions, there was a thin, slender figure who remained there for a long, long time, unable to leave.
Yi Xingran walked past the championship winning team from behind. Then, he stopped and turned back to look.
He lingered amid a grand celebration that did not belong to him, his eyes fixed upon the trophy with such longing and attachment.
That gaze was impossibly complicated and yet it was also pure in a way that made all that complexity seem to disappear. His entire figure stood submerged in the shadows, a single glance carrying the weight of a lifetime.
He was unwilling to leave. He wanted to win.
Yi Xingran understood what it meant to respect an opponent. If he lost a match, then he simply had not been good enough. He could accept that.
There had been far too many regrets left behind on every competitive stage he had ever stepped onto and he could accept that he, too, would inevitably become one of those who carried such regrets.
But what he could not accept was that after all the hardships and upheavals along this road, the final outcome had been brought about by deliberate human manipulation.
It was a humiliation so immense, so cruel that it was comparable to being slowly tortured to death. For any player who truly loved esports, there could hardly be anything more devastating, more capable of striking straight at the heart.
Why.
Yi Xingran had asked himself that question countless times. Why me? And why wasn’t it me?
He refused to accept it. How could he possibly accept it?
There was simply no way he could accept it!
……..
“The second seeds from every major region are eligible to participate in the play in stage. LCK has also received an invitation and is already preparing to head to Incheon. I wonder if they……”
“They can dream!”
Coach Zheng was holding the list of participating teams and studying and analyzing them one by one. MSI, the Mid Season Invitational, would be divided into two stages this year. The first stage to begin was the play in. The teams that had secured their places would have to endure a week of fierce competition, with the winners advancing to the second stage of the main event, where they would face off against the spring split champions from the various major regions.
As one of the spring champions, TheX did not need to compete in the play in stage and was automatically placed into the first group. According to the rule preventing teams from the same region from facing each other, their opponent in the first round of the draw would not come from the LPL region.
Coach Zheng tried his best to narrow down the opponents they might have to face in the first round, formulating more meticulous tactics based on each opponent’s characteristics in order to maximize their chances of winning their debut match.
“Don’t put too much psychological pressure on yourselves when the time comes. Even if we lose the first match, all that means is that we’ll drop into the losers’ bracket. We won’t be eliminated immediately. We have two lives.”
Coach Zheng offered these words of reassurance.
Yi Xingran listened with only half an ear. Drop into the losers’ bracket? How could that possibly happen?
It was not until the coaching staff brought out the list of teams participating in the play in stage and the starting lineup of LCK appeared before his eyes, that Yi Xingran listened as the coach continued analyzing how, if LCK successfully made it through the play in, there was a good chance they might meet in the second round after one of them dropped into the losers’ bracket. The coach even went so far as to seriously introduce the new jungler LCK had recently signed.
“They can dream!”
The words escaped Yi Xingran’s mouth before he could stop himself.
Suddenly, memories of his previous life came rushing back.
Back then, Yi Xingran had been forced onto the substitute bench. LCK had barely put any effort into preparing for the play ins. During the round robin gauntlet, they had found themselves on the verge of disaster several times. It was Yi Xingran who had dragged the team back from the brink of elimination, match after match, fighting along the very edge of the death line before they had barely managed to make it into the main event.
Money.
At the time, LCK had pulled off a major upset, sending the biggest dark horse team from the LCK region packing. While Yi Xingran was still celebrating, he accidentally happened upon Sun Sheng counting,
“A bunch of penniless losers, pretending to be so high and mighty? In the end, aren’t they still going to crawl back home? They might as well take the money now. At least then they could barely pass it off as tournament prize money!”
The distance between them was somewhat far and Yi Xingran could not hear clearly what had been said at the time. He assumed Sun Sheng was simply muttering to himself.
Only after Yi Xingran had left did the person standing in the corner beside Sun Sheng slowly step out, his gaze sweeping toward the doorway.
“There’s a disobedient little thing who heard us.”
Sun Sheng’s fingers, which had been counting the money, abruptly stopped. His expression darkened as he turned around. At the end of the corridor, a flash of pale pink hair disappeared into the shadows around the corner.
Sheng Xufeng walked forward unhurriedly, raising one hand to adjust the gold rimmed frame of his glasses.
“Looks like our original plan is going to need a new adjustment.”
The newly signed starting jungler was named Lin Zhinuo. His mechanics were quite good and he also had a favorable reputation among ordinary players. Most importantly, he was obedient.
LCK’s original intention was to have him take care of some “dirty business.” With his well behaved appearance and soft, gentle personality, he looked completely harmless, making it easy to guide public opinion and wash away any stains on his reputation.
For matches they absolutely had to win, they would still put Yi Xingran on the field. They would create a god and elevate that god, simultaneously hyping the two junglers into the position of a “Twin Stars”, both rivals and teammates, locked in a love hate struggle with one another while also sharing a mutual appreciation.
But Yi Xingran’s sudden appearance had become the most uncontrollable variable in the entire plan.
If a god created through artificial means could not be completely brought under their control….
“Then we’ll turn it around and destroy him.”
Four carrying one might not be secure enough but one carrying four, wouldn’t that be secure enough?
What could one person possibly accomplish on his own?
The corner of Sheng Xufeng’s lips curled upward, the smile never reaching his eyes.
“When he can’t stand the pressure anymore, there will naturally come a time when he lowers his head and begs me.”
From the corner of his eye, Sun Sheng caught a flash of cold light across those lenses and an inexplicable chill crept up his spine.
“When dealing with someone with bones this hard, you have to wear them down slowly. The one thing we absolutely cannot do is rush. Do you understand?”
“I understand.”
“We have plenty of time to properly educate him.”
From that point onward, Yi Xingran’s professional career was completely nailed to the substitute bench and the number of victories he managed to obtain could be counted on one hand.
And Lin Zhinuo…….
Pei Du lifted his gaze, his eyes lingering for a brief moment on the tightly furrowed crease between Yi Xingran’s brows.
Coach Zheng only regarded him as an immature child making empty threats and, with remarkable patience, continued lecturing him about how one should never underestimate any opponent.
A strange sense of restlessness rose inexplicably within Yi Xingran. His fingertips dug into his palm as he unconsciously rubbed and worried at his lips with his teeth, until he tore the skin open and a bead of blood surfaced.
“They’re not even going to make it into the main event! I……”
Yi Xingran’s back went rigid. The instant he lifted his eyes, they were filled with a cold, vicious edge. Coach Zheng was about to interrupt him again but Pei Du appeared in front of Yi Xingran a step ahead of him.
Those cool, indifferent eyes remained as calm as ever yet his tone carried an elusive undertone that was difficult to decipher.
“Why.”
Yi Xingran abruptly came back to himself, without realizing that the hostility in his eyes was already beginning to fade, little by little.
Those eyes, as still and unfathomable as an ancient well, seemed to possess some inexplicable power capable of calming the mind. The sudden restlessness churning inside him gradually settled beneath that quiet gaze.
Yi Xingran drew in a soft breath, lowering his eyes slightly to avoid Pei Du’s gaze.
“……I said they won’t, so they won’t. If they play that badly, what are they going to use to get into the main event?”
Pei Du leaned forward slightly, his gaze fixed steadily upon him, the corners of his lips carrying the faintest hint of a smile.
“So this is you taking a swipe at your former team?”
The restlessness did not last long before dissipating. Yi Xingran barely noticed it and did not particularly care. His attention was quickly diverted by the new topic and he raised an eyebrow before throwing the question right back at him.
“Otherwise? You think they played well?”
In that spring final, LCK had practically been beaten to pieces!
Pei Du considered it for a moment.
“They certainly still have a great deal of room for improvement.”
Yi Xingran was practically laughing from sheer exasperation.
“You cultured people insult others with so many twists and turns?”
Pei Du lowered his eyes, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
The rigid line of Yi Xingran’s spine had already relaxed. He slouched without an ounce of decorum in his gaming chair, rocking lazily back and forth.
“What do you mean, taking a swipe? I spent half a year at LCK. That entire period is an indelible stain, a dark chapter in the history of my professional career.”
Yi Xingran wanted to fish a cigarette out of his pocket. Even if he did not light it, having one hanging between his lips would have been enough.
He had just pulled out a crumpled soft pack of Hongtashan cigarettes when a large hand reached over and snatched it away.
“?”
What was this?
Were they confiscating even this?
They were seriously getting way too controlling!
Yi Xingran had barely straightened his head when that same hand, its fingers long and joints sharply defined, opened once more. A pack of dark blue cigarettes appeared in his palm.
The packaging was simple, clean and devoid of any complicated patterns. It carried a distinctly modern, cool aesthetic, giving off the unmistakable impression of a high end cigarette brand.
“What’s this?”
“Hongtashan.”
Nonsense! It’s not like I can’t read!
Yi Xingran picked up the cigarettes and examined them, initially assuming they were some kind of minty, cooling variety with a burst capsule inside but after turning the pack over and over for quite a while, aside from the words indicating that they were blended cigarettes and the brand name itself, he could not find anything particularly special about them. The packaging was almost too simple.
They came in a hard pack and the texture felt good in his hand. When he ran his fingers over it, he could feel a subtle pattern beneath the surface. One look at the packaging was enough to tell that they were definitely not cheap.
When it came to giving someone cigarettes, Yi Xingran knew the rules very well. He had not expected that this upright, proper gentleman would actually be this worldly.
“What? Captain Pei, is there something you want from me?”
Pei Du lifted his eyes at that, looking over without any expression on his face.
“If you can’t quit, then at least smoke something better.”
The seven and a half yuan pack of Hongtashan was casually tossed into the trash. Its soft packaging was already crumpled and wrinkled, making it look almost as though the hard pack in Pei Du’s hand were somehow nobler than the one lying in the garbage!
Yi Xingran had never heard of anyone giving away cigarettes without expecting something in return, so he could only stare at him in bewilderment.
“You really don’t want anything?”
Pei Du rubbed his fingertips together, then slightly raised his eyelids.
“Perhaps there is one thing.”
Yi Xingran was utterly speechless.
“Can you stop talking like you’re constipated?”
Pei Du paused.
“……………Can you stop being so vulgar when you talk?”
“As if I could ever compare with you cultured people.”
Yi Xingran slipped the cigarettes into his pocket without the slightest hesitation.
“Then let me put it another way. Stop squeezing the toothpaste?”
Pei Du glanced sideways at him. Yi Xingran’s brows had already smoothed out and he looked to be in a rather good mood. He even had enough energy to raise the corners of his brows at Pei Du in open provocation.
Fine.
He would stop squeezing.
Pei Du returned to his seat. Yi Xingran waited for quite some time but when he still heard nothing afterward, he became unbearably restless. He could not sit still no matter how hard he tried.
What exactly was it?!
He sprawled across his chair and twisted around three times but eventually he could not take it anymore. He planted both feet against the floor and shot forward with a whoosh, gliding over like he was riding a pair of roller skates until he came to a stop beside Pei Du.
He looked at him expectantly.
“Captain.”
Pei Du glanced sideways.
“Captain.”
Pei Du lowered his eyelids slightly.
“Captain Pei?”
Pei Du’s expression remained cool and indifferent. His gaze settled on Yi Xingran’s lips as they opened and closed, as though he had finally decided to bestow him with an answer.
“I just wanted to know too, ”
Yi Xingran’s peach blossom eyes were wide and gleaming.
Pei Du’s throat bobbed once before he finally spoke in an even, quiet voice.
“Just how far can LCK go after losing Fire?”
In Pei Du’s memories, in his previous life, LCK had not been eliminated until after making it into the play in stage.
This time, with the changes to the team’s personnel, one small alteration could potentially affect everything. If the teams making it through the play ins changed, there was a very real possibility that every opponent they faced afterward would change along with them.
It was strange. Yi Xingran had heard the name “Fire” countless times before but this was the first time he had heard Pei Du say it right in front of him. His voice was low and deep and even the way he pronounced the name somehow sounded different from everyone else.
Without realizing it, Yi Xingran swallowed, a distinct “gulp” escaping his throat. He immediately lifted his head.
“That’s it?”
Tsk. How boring.
Yi Xingran drooped his head and pushed his gaming chair away, his two little legs paddling back and forth like a pair of oars.
Before long, that pink haired head suddenly shot up from behind the back of the chair again.
“Hey! Then don’t you want to know how far TheX can go with Fire?”
Pei Du lifted his eyelids and looked at the young man hugging the back of the chair with both arms, his body hidden behind it so that only his head was visible. His pink hair was dazzling, his brows fine and delicate, his eyes bright and star like and his smile revealed lips that were naturally red against a row of neat, white teeth.
He looked just like a vigorous little bamboo shoot that had only just broken through the soil after a spring rain.
Clearly green and immature. Even when he was clumsy and careless, sitting in his chair without the slightest regard for proper posture, even when his way of thinking was stranger than anyone else’s.
Yet he was simply too vivid.
In the end, Coach Zheng braced himself and agreed to Pei Du’s new plan. He had Cao Hanwei and Su Letong choose champions they almost never played in their usual matches. After practicing with them for only one afternoon, they would directly challenge them in a scrim.
“What if we lose too badly…………….”
Yi Xingran was adjusting his headset and did not hear Coach Zheng’s worried muttering. Pei Du’s hand paused for a moment as he held the microphone. He merely said in a calm, quiet voice:
“We won’t.”
In the training room, only Coach Zheng heard that answer. Just as with every previous moment when Pei Du had made a decision, his words were filled with absolute certainty and unwavering resolve.
✦ ✧ ✦
Fleurveil
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
A humble coffee offering may appease the Great Translator.
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
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← PreviousNext →
ChaptersChapter 1 · Fire the hole!Chapter 2 · Dude, I’m here to save youChapter 3 · Plaster HeadChapter 4 · I’m well behaved, I don’t talk muchChapter 5 · It’s what Cross needsChapter 6 · What are you barking like a dog?Chapter 7 · “Ah! It’s so… so damn cold~”Chapter 8 · What are you looking at, you pervert!Chapter 9 · The cat I bought for free got dirty.Chapter 10 · Oh no! I forgot to switch to a smaller account!Chapter 11 · It’s my turn to performChapter 12 · Insults? That’s slander! This is slander!Chapter 13 · He’s a very nice personChapter 14 · Hunting TimeChapter 15 · A straight man sells himselfChapter 16 · The number one person who doesn’t eat stressChapter 17 · He is so vividChapter 18 · War! War! War! Kill! Kill!Chapter 19 Part 1 · What’s wrong with guys rubbing against each other?Chapter 19 Part 2 · What’s wrong with guys rubbing against each other?