Jiang Shi couldn’t understand Xie Xu’s attitude and didn’t dare to ask.
Xie Xu was too smart, and Jiang Shi always felt an invisible tension around him, causing him to act foolishly.
Sometimes, he even felt that Xie Xu had recognized him as Time.
Jiang Shi spent the next few days cautiously. Xie Xu’s attitude towards him remained the same: not overly intimate, but not distant either, and very considerate, just like how he treated a new team member. This gradually put Jiang Shi at ease.
On Wednesday afternoon, just after everyone had arrived at the training room, Yuan Yang pushed the door open and entered. “Practice your feel for the game. We’ll have a scrim against MR in half an hour, BO3.”
The others responded casually, as if it was nothing out of the ordinary.
Yuan Yang looked at Jiang Shi. “Your presence in TLG is still confidential for now. We’ll give you a training account to use for the match.”
Jiang Shi nodded. “No problem.”
His headset was askew, and while responding to Yuan Yang, his hands were busy executing a series of skills to push back the opposing duo, playing aggressively.
Yuan Yang watched his quick hand movements and smiled. “I was prepared to give you some psychological counseling if you were nervous, but it seems like I don’t need to.”
After saying that, he remembered something and asked, “How’s your coordination with the team lately?”
Hearing this, Jiang Shi’s hands paused, and he missed a Flash, getting surrounded and killed under the tower.
Jiang Shi tightened his grip on the mouse and mumbled, “It’s alright, I guess.”
Yuan Yang, seeing through him, subtly implied, “I look forward to your performance in the scrim.”
After Yuan Yang left, Jiang Lele looked at Jiang Shi with a face full of grievance. “Your ‘alright’ means duo-queuing with the captain all day, then playing one or two games with Jiu-ge and Back when the captain goes to rest?”
“And am I not considered your teammate?”
This kid doesn’t play games with him!
God knows how envious he was watching Jiang Shi and others dominate in the Rift. But this Little White Hair was excluding him!
Jiang Shi put on his headset and perfunctorily said, “Next time, for sure.”
When Yuan Yang instructed him to practice coordination with teammates, Jiang Shi’s first inclination was naturally Xie Xu. The reason was simple: Xie Xu made him genuinely enjoy the game for the first time. They could win nine out of ten games, losing only when matched with teammates who were throwing or AFK.
Besides, it was normal for the bot-lane duo to practice together more often.
However, he couldn’t be too obvious about it. As the captain of TLG, Xie Xu had many responsibilities besides training. In those gaps, Jiang Shi would play with Zhao Jiu and Yu Hui. If they were available, they’d play together; if not, he’d solo queue.
As for Jiang Lele—
Their enmity was deep, and Jiang Lele talked a lot, often calling him Little White Hair. If he didn’t have to, Jiang Shi really didn’t want to play in the same game as him.
Moreover, Jiang Lele’s regular partner was Yu Hui, so Jiang Shi usually found Zhao Jiu. Once, when Zhao Jiu wasn’t available, Yu Hui and Jiang Lele had just finished a game, and Jiang Shi ended up trio-queuing with them by accident.
Yu Hui and Jiang Lele had a fixed playstyle, where Yu Hui would always help Jiang Lele gank mid at level 4, then roam to other lanes. As for an unfamiliar new team member, Jiang Shi didn’t have much hope. So even in trio-queue, his playstyle wasn’t much different from solo queue.
After a few times, he preferred playing alone.
Jiang Shi finished a game and practiced last-hitting for a bit before Yuan Yang notified them that it was time to log in and play against MR.
During the wait, Yuan Yang explained, “MR recently recruited a new ADC, who was also a streamer. They announced it already, and he joined around the same time as Jiang Shi. Keep an eye on their playstyle.”
“Who cares about which ADC,” Jiang Lele said dismissively. “Whether it’s on the official stage or in scrims, when has MR ever beaten us?”
In other words, this match was just for fun.
But as soon as he finished speaking, Yuan Yang flicked his forehead, “MR’s biggest weakness, like ours, is the bot-lane. Now they have a new ADC, so we can’t be sure how they’ll perform.”
MR wasn’t weak, but their support couldn’t compare to Xie Xu, which is why they’ve been suppressed for years.
“Also, this is Jiang Shi’s first scrim. Everyone, pay attention.”
Hearing this, Jiang Lele grinned and looked at Jiang Shi. “Don’t be nervous. I’ll steal some minions and come to bot-lane to support you. You should develop obediently first.”
Only at times like this did Jiang Lele feel that Jiang Shi was just a new player needing attention, while he was already a veteran of TLG!
Jiang Shi ignored Jiang Lele’s unfounded sense of superiority and focused on the computer screen.
Saying he wasn’t nervous would be a lie – but more than nervous, he felt excited. In high-ranked games, he faced many professional players and played as usual. But now, facing five professional players, he had never played in such a match.
As the match began, his teammates locked in his signature champion, Senna. At level 4, Jiang Shi unleashed a combo on the enemy ADC, confidently diving under the tower for the kill and escaping with a sliver of health before the enemy reinforcements arrived.
Yuan Yang, taking notes behind him, commented with satisfaction, “That first blood was beautiful.”
From this confrontation, it was clear that Jiang Shi had superior damage control and positioning compared to the enemy ADC.
The enemy, clearly not expecting Jiang Shi to play so aggressively, huddled under the tower to farm, even missing some minions, while Jiang Shi, eager to chip away at them, unnecessarily took a few tower shots, reducing his health to half.
Senna is a champion that can’t afford to drag the game into the late stages – he must establish an advantage in a 1v1 situation. 1I think I tl’d Senna as a “she” before. Senna’s pronoun is 他, which is masculine, but also gender-neutral. I’ll use “he” from now on NEVERMIND Senna is a girl, this passage is just referring to Jiang Shi…
Xie Xu, helping Jiang Lele push the lane in mid, saw how deep Jiang Shi was pushing and frowned. “The enemy jungler and mid-laner are missing. Fall back to the tower.”
Even though Jiang Shi immediately retreated, the enemy support arrived too quickly, intercepting him halfway. With his Flash still on cooldown, Jiang Shi had no means of escape and was taken down by the enemy ADC.
To add insult to injury, the enemy ADC taunted by spamming a mocking emote over Jiang Shi’s corpse.
Jiang Lele, arriving just in time to see this, took a sharp breath. “That ADC is done for.”
Once, when Jiang Shi had trio-queued with him and Yu Hui, an enemy kept recalling right in front of Jiang Shi at the start of the game. In retaliation, Jiang Shi hunted him down throughout the entire match.
Every time the enemy died, Jiang Shi would recall on their corpse with a particularly loud recall sound, which Jiang Lele likened to having fireworks go off next to his ears for the whole game.
Now, seeing the same scenario unfold, as soon as the enemy jungler was spotted top, Jiang Shi confidently Flashed onto the enemy ADC, bringing them to low health with a single skill shot before retreating safely.
[zs1278342 killed MR-yaowan]
Jiang Lele, who had been paying close attention to the bottom lane, exclaimed, “Little White Hair, you’re amazing!”
Real men don’t look back at explosions.
The next moment, however, the enemy mid-laner arrived and finished off the low-health Jiang Shi with a single ability.
Jiang Shi’s face turned as dark as the screen.
Jiang Lele: “…”
He was so busy watching the Little White Hair’s operations that he forgot to look at the enemy mid-laner’s movement.
Jiang Lele scratched his nose sheepishly. “I didn’t expect the mid-laner to come down and abandon his minions.”
Despite this, TLG maintained their advantage, and with Jiang Shi relentlessly suppressing the enemy ADC, the enemy ADC’s gold was on par with the support’s. After a team fight, TLG emerged victorious.
Jiang Shi’s final score was 10-6-6.
In the second game, the enemy team, wary of Jiang Shi’s aggressive playstyle, picked late-game champions and avoided fighting Jiang Shi early on, clearly planning to drag the game to the late stages.
Jiang Shi found this extremely frustrating.
When the enemy ADC taunted him again with a mocking emote, Jiang Shi couldn’t stand it any longer. He Flashed in to attack but forgot that the enemy support had Heal, which saved the ADC.
Jiang Shi ended up trading one-for-one with the support and dying.
The second time, confident that Xie Xu was nearby, Jiang Shi dove in again but couldn’t break through the enemy support’s shields and healing, and he barely survived with Xie Xu’s help, forcing him to recall.
Later, the enemy used the same trick, luring Jiang Shi forward, but he failed to kill the target and was surrounded by the enemy team, giving up another death.
He finally noticed the enemy had built a tank item.
Closing the item panel with a cold expression, Jiang Shi realized he had never seen a late-game ADC build a tank item this early.
[All] MR-yaowan: Hahaha, you fell for it.
[All] MR-yaowan: You didn’t recognize me?
[All] zs1278342: ?
[All] MR-yaowan: Look at my ID. I’m the Pink Tie guy.2Pink Tie’s previous ID is 迟早药丸 “chízǎo yàowán”
[All] zs1278342: Oh, nice name.
After a pause, the enemy replied.
[All] MR-yaowan: I’m the Pink Tie guy!
[All] zs1278342: .
Both players, one with a black screen and the other recalling, started chatting.
Pink Tie had tried out for TLG but ended up joining MR.
He hadn’t expected to meet a familiar face in this scrim.
Pink Tie was quite proud, aiming to prove he was the better pick for the pro scene.
He grinned and said to his teammates, “This ADC will definitely target me later, just protect me.”
After saying that, he didn’t forget to type taunts on the global channel.
[All] MR-yaowan: Why didn’t I see that you were so trash before? And TLG picks you over me? Laughing to death.
Jiang Shi remained silent. In his heart, he was planning on how to destroy this idiot to death.
Despite the enemy’s tank item and support, even with Xu around, he couldn’t guarantee a kill on the ADC.
This was his first match as TLG’s ADC, and losing would be a slap on his face and TLG’s gace. a
Would TLG regret choosing him, seeing that he was trampled by the enemy?
Various complicated thoughts flashed through his mind. Finally, the memory of Xie Xu’s encouraging words, “You’re not an outsider,” came to him.
Jiang Shi’s tense nerves eased a little. in his mind, easing his tension.
He looked at the black screen and said, “The ADC has no Flash.”
Jiang Shi’s mouse hovered over the screen, his voice strained as he spoke again. “Can you help me gank?”
His tone was stiff, like throwing stones.
For the first time, Jiang Shi, usually a solo warrior, asked for help from his teammates in a different lane, even opening his mic to speak.
Everyone, including Jiang Lele, who had been nagging Back for blue buff, fell silent, their attention on Jiang Shi.
Despite playing many games together recently, Jiang Shi had always charged ahead alone, relying on his skills to survive. They had often asked if he needed help, and he would coolly decline.
Everyone assumed he could handle the pressure, and other lanes securing advantages was enough to win. But they overlooked how frustrating it must be for someone with Jiang Shi’s aggressive style to be constantly suppressed.
Jiang Lele rolled up his sleeves, “I’ve had enough of that idiot.”
Yu Hui, finishing up in the blue jungle, said, “On my way.”
Even top-laner Zhao Jiu couldn’t hold back, “Need me down there?”
Xie Xu, who had been guarding Jiang Shi’s side, chuckled.
Yuan Yang, monitoring their communications, quietly sighed in relief.
Jiang Shi hadn’t expected such a response, rubbing his previously tense face. “No need, Jiu-ge.”
By the time Zhao Jiu got halfway, the fight might be over.
On the other side, Pink Tie, assuming Jiang Shi had chickened out, brazenly stepped out to clear minions.
The next moment, four figures emerged from the bushes, instantly ganging up on him. Before his attack could land on a minion, he was dead.
The MR support didn’t escape either, giving Jiang Shi a double kill.
[Double Kill]
Jiang Shi, avenging himself, walked his champion over Pink Tie’s corpse, head held high as if stepping on his face.
[All] zs1278342: Say it again?
