Chapter 3

“My Blue Buff…!” Lightning roared over voice comms.

“…”

“My dignity!”

“…”

“My…”

“Stop whining. I’ll get you theirs,” Han Lingfeng said. No sooner had he spoken than he piloted his champion into the enemy jungle, ambushing and killing three enemies alongside Lightning and the support, while also stealing the enemy’s Blue Buff in the process.

Due to YSL’s disastrous tower dive in the bot lane, the snowball effect grew uncontrollably. By the twenty-five-minute mark, the gold difference had widened to around six thousand, and the kill score stood at a commanding 8-2 in SNM’s favor.

After acing the enemy team in the final team fight, SNM pushed down the mid-lane outer turret and inhibitor crystal. Leveraging their massive minion wave advantage, they marched toward the remaining two turrets. Realizing there was no hope for a comeback, YSL decisively surrendered.

In the opening match, Team SNM achieved an overwhelming victory!

Uplifting music blared as SNM fans in the audience once again raised their cheering banners and light signs in celebration. The five young men of SNM stood up, walked over to shake hands respectfully with their opponents, then returned to center stage to bow in gratitude to the audience.

Sitting below, Su Yi curved her lips into a smile and clapped excitedly.

She knew it—the moment her cousin touched a keyboard and mouse, all his nervous quirks vanished instantly. It was practically a cure-all. But just then, Su Yi felt that intense gaze from someone again. Her mouth twitched slightly before she turned her head away and started rummaging through her snack bag for food.

It must have been another illusion, right? Why did Wind God keep looking in this direction?

She glanced back and realized that a few rows behind her, a die-hard female fan was holding up a support sign featuring a large portrait of Han Lingfeng, emblazoned with the words: “Wind God, Marry Me!”

Su Yi: “…”

Looks like she really had been imagining things.

Han Lingfeng stood on stage, the last of the five to turn around after thanking the crowd. Back at their seats, the players began packing up their peripherals. As they walked, Coffee, who was on the far end, casually asked Han Lingfeng, “Wind God, what were you staring at so intently in the audience earlier?”

Mid-laner Lightning clicked his tongue twice. “Wow, Coffee, you noticed Wind God’s movements from all the way over there?”

“What are you talking about? Didn’t you notice he was the last one to turn around?”

Han Lingfeng neatly coiled the data cable of his mechanical keyboard and replied, “Nothing much. You’re overthinking it.”

Coffee pursed his lips and dropped the subject, shifting his attention to Xu Ruiqi instead. “Riki, you were so tense at the start of the match today. I was genuinely worried you’d pull some baffling plays.”

Perhaps feeling lightheaded from the win, Xu Ruiqi pointed at himself cheerfully. “I’m your captain! I can’t chicken out when it matters most.”

“Then why were you so nervous at the beginning?”

“That’s because…” Xu Ruiqi choked on his words as if remembering something.

Lightning waved his hand in front of Xu Ruiqi’s face. “Riki?”

“Oh no! Where’s Tai Yi? I need my phone right now, ahhh!” Xu Ruiqi shouted, clutching his gear and sprinting toward the backstage lounge to find SNM’s manager.

Watching their captain disappear into the distance, Lightning frowned slightly and turned to Han Lingfeng beside him. “Huh? What’s wrong with Riki?”

Han Lingfeng finished packing his equipment, handed his half-empty coffee cup to Lightning, signaling for him to throw it away, then silently turned and headed straight backstage…

Holding the coffee cup and getting snubbed twice, Lightning muttered, “…What the hell! What was that about from Coffee and Xiao C?”

Xiao C didn’t say a word. Mimicking Han Lingfeng perfectly, he handed his own coffee cup to Lightning, gave a little wave, and walked off.

Coffee patted Lightning’s shoulder solemnly. “Basically… the other party doesn’t want to talk to you and has thrown a coffee cup at you.”

“…”

At that moment, ten thousand sloths stampeded wildly through Lightning’s mind.

…

Aside from today’s opening match, Team SNM had no more games scheduled. The team didn’t leave the venue; instead, they planned to stay in the lounge to watch matches from other regions.

First, to scout their opponents’ strength and playstyles. Second, to adjust their own strategies based on what they observed.

SNM’s manager, Tai Yi, had just finished watching his team’s match in the lounge, internally praising everyone for their stable performance, when Xu Ruiqi suddenly burst in, clamoring for his phone.

Looking bewildered, Tai Yi handed Xu Ruiqi his gold-plated smartphone. “It’s just group stages. No need to be so excited to report the good news to your mom, is there?”

Xu Ruiqi ignored him, tossed his gear onto Tai Yi, and scrolled frantically through his phone as he walked out of the lounge. “I’m going to the back corridor to make a voice call. Be right back.”

Tai Yi called out, “It’s already 9 AM in China! Aren’t you afraid of disturbing your parents while they’re working?”

Xu Ruiqi shot back, “I’m calling someone in the US!”

With that, he opened the door and left.

Tai Yi paused, muttering to himself: Judging by that reaction, the person on the other end is definitely a girl. When did Xu Ruiqi manage to pick up an American chick? Then he reconsidered—wait, no, he must be calling…

Just then, the other four members of SNM filed in one after another. Han Lingfeng, walking at the front, happened to cross paths with Xu Ruiqi heading toward the private player corridor to make his call.

He entered the lounge, sat on the sofa, and glanced at Manager Tai Yi. “Is Riki calling…”

“Mm, probably her,” the man replied with a faint, indifferent smile.

“I saw her,” Han Lingfeng said, turning to ask, “Are you really planning to pick her?”

“Xiao C’s contract is expiring soon. Coach Yan and I spoke with him previously. Regardless of whether we win the championship this year, he intends to return to Korea to continue his career. It’s understandable; esports in Korea is developing far more rapidly than here.” Tai Yi paused, resting his chin on his hand with a conflicted expression. “Not that I think we can’t win this year, but it’s better to consider all options. The substitute support on our academy team plays well but lacks synergy with you. If we don’t look for new talent now, it’ll be too late.”

“Does Riki know?”

“You’re the only one on the team who knows. If you hadn’t caught Coach Yan and Analyst He obsessing over her ranked stats last time, I would’ve waited until she signed the contract before announcing it to everyone.” Tai Yi set aside the peripherals Xu Ruiqi had tossed at him earlier. “But since you’re the ADC, knowing who your future partner will be ahead of time shouldn’t hurt.”

“…” *Oh, so last time when I got up for water and passed through the living room, seeing you two creeps gawking at some girl’s ranked game was somehow my fault?*

However…

Future partner?

Han Lingfeng frowned. “Did she agree to go pro?”

Tai Yi looked tearful. “She said, ‘This is too sudden! Can we discuss this after my finals? Baby doesn’t want to fail her exams, waaah…’ Seriously, how is it possible that such an adorable girl reached Challenger Master purely through solo queue on the Chinese server?!”

Han Lingfeng: “…”

…

The venue was far too noisy. Su Yi signaled to Xia Qiqi that she needed to step outside to take a call, then hurried to the flower bed near the side entrance and pressed accept.

The person on the other end immediately launched into a tirade: “My dear ancestor, how could you come to the US without saying a word? And you’ve only been in college for a few months and you’re already skipping classes? Do you even speak English? If you fail your finals, don’t come crying to me on the phone!”

After a long pause, the girl holding the phone murmured softly, “I have a real-time translation app on my phone.”

“…”

“Also, it’s National Day holiday back home right now, so technically I’m not skipping class.”

“…”

“Qiqi and I came together. After today’s group stage matches, I’m flying back tomorrow.”

“…”

These retorts left Xu Ruiqi completely speechless. After several seconds of silence, he finally spoke again. “How are… Mom and Dad doing?”

Somehow, the tone abruptly shifted into a melodramatic family drama.

The wind outside the venue was quite strong. Su Yi pulled her knitted cardigan tighter around herself and tucked her long hair behind her ear. “They’re doing great. When I told them I was coming to the US to watch your match, your mom was beyond happy. She packed a ton of snacks for you, but they were too heavy for me to carry, so I shipped them directly to the Shanghai base.”

“Got it.”

“You played really well in today’s opener. I’m looking forward to SNM bringing home the championship trophy this year.”

Xu Ruiqi chuckled. “Don’t you trust your big brother?”

Hearing his confident laughter, Su Yi relaxed considerably. “Of course I do.”

She would always remember that confident laugh of his.

People in the esports circle often said these past two years represented the golden era of League of Legends, and this year, Team SNM had secured their ticket to the S6 World Championship with a flawless undefeated record. Everyone believed that the LPL region would finally claim the S-series title.

Regrettably, three weeks later, as the number one seed from the LPL, SNM encountered their nemesis, Team LXH, in the semifinals of the World Championship—and was struck down.

Staring at the exploded Nexus on her computer screen, Su Yi froze momentarily. She knew that even if she messaged Xu Ruiqi on WeChat to comfort him now, it wouldn’t change anything.

Because—

When skill falls short, one must accept fate.

…

A week later, the esports internet was flooded with headlines: “The Undefeated Legend, Team LXH, Claims Another S-Series World Championship Trophy.”

They had won three consecutive titles.

Shortly after, she received a WeChat message from Xu Ruiqi.

[Sis, I’m really upset right now. Need comfort.]

He was probably in a bad mood after watching the two Korean teams bicker internally during the S6 Finals.

At that moment, Su Yi was in her dorm room drawing to catch up on assignments. Staring at the message, she tapped her pencil against the sketchpad. Recalling that match, the only word to describe it was tragic.

It wasn’t that they were too weak; it was that the Korean teams were simply too strong. Coupled with communication barriers between Chinese and Korean players in the bot lane, there were indeed some operational flaws. Aside from the undefeated legends LXH, the other two Korean teams were incredibly formidable, growing more terrifying year by year.

Consequently, after returning from the US, SNM’s daily training intensity escalated several levels higher than before. If their previous regimen was [HARD Mode], they had now upgraded to [MAX Mode].

SNM stood for ShiNingMiracle, meaning “Shining Miracle.” Yet, on the 2016 international stage, no miracle occurred.

She felt that—

They needed a miracle.

Su Yi sat at her desk pondering for a long time before putting down her brush and typing rapidly on her phone keyboard.

Moments later, Xu Ruiqi, far away at the SNM base in Shanghai, promptly received a reply along with a meme—

The meme featured a mushroom-headed character sobbing uncontrollably, captioned: [I need comfort ≈ I NEED □□]

Followed by the message: [www.xxoo123.com. As your sister, I understand you.]

Xu Ruiqi: “…………………………”

Xu Ruiqi stared at the message, unsure whether to laugh or cry. Just as he started chuckling, realization dawned… *Holy crap! Where on earth did his dear ancestor get this godforsaken URL?!*

At the same time,

Because Team Manager Tai Yi had gone to the restroom to attend to personal matters, Han Lingfeng, who was minding his phone, inadvertently noticed a WeChat notification pop up on the screen.

[SUEE: Regarding what you mentioned, I’ve discussed it with my parents and will give you my answer.]

Oh? Discussed it?

That meant there was hope.

Right then, Tai Yi emerged from the restroom, enthusiastically encouraging the team to work hard, regroup, and fight again next year! As he approached Han Lingfeng to retrieve his phone, he noticed the guy’s lips curled upward in a strangely sly smile.

“Well, well, the iron tree finally bloomed… Rare to see you smiling so mischievously. Did something stimulate you, Wind God?” Tai Yi teased, smirking.

Unbothered by Tai Yi’s choice of words, Han Lingfeng handed back the phone, his voice low and steady. “No. I’m simply very much looking forward to it.”

“…”