Lin Lan answered the phone, and Xiao Shengjing’s voice came through, “Where are you? Why aren’t you answering your phone?”
“I’m downstairs,” Lin Lan replied, glancing back at the club behind him. The voices of those weirdos had faded into the distance, but the uncomfortable feeling lingered. “Captain, I…I just went to see Xie Zilu.”
There was a noticeable change in the voice on the other end of the line, “What happened?”
Lin Lan gripped the phone tighter, hesitating whether to tell him. He was used to keeping everything to himself and facing it alone, but every time he faced Xiao Shengjing, hiding things brought him a sense of guilt.
Lin Lan: “He said his friend wanted to meet me, so I went over, and then—”
“Beep—” A long car horn drowned out Lin Lan’s voice.
Xiao Shengjing didn’t hear clearly, which made him worry about Lin Lan, considering that the Lin Lan in the original world died in a car accident. “Lin Lan, come up first. We’ll talk about it later.”
Lin Lan: “Okay.”
Lin Lan returned upstairs, seeing the familiar teammates slowly relax his tense nerves.
Lu Shi was completely drunk and shouted when he saw him, “Lin Lan, where did you go?”
A figure approached from behind—it was Xiao Shengjing. He grabbed Lin Lan’s hand and said, “Come on, come with me.” He led Lin Lan to the outside balcony. “It’s quieter here. Let’s talk.”
But face to face…
Um…
Lin Lan felt so awkward that he suddenly couldn’t speak.
Xiao Shengjing seemed to have something on his mind. His expression darkened suddenly. “Is there any progress with the killer?”
Lin Lan didn’t catch on. “Huh?”
Xiao Shengjing in front of him suddenly turned his head away, as if he didn’t want Lin Lan to see his expression. “What did Xie Zilu say to you? What have you found out?”
Lin Lan had never mentioned anything about the killer to Xiao Shengjing, and Xiao Shengjing rarely asked. He seemed to be deliberately avoiding the topic, so he didn’t know that Lin Lan had already found out the truth and chose to stay in this world.
Lin Lan stared at his expression, curiously leaning closer to him. “Captain, what would you do if I really went back?”
Xiao Shengjing took a deep breath, realizing he couldn’t look at Lin Lan, feeling a pang of pain with every glance. “Life will go on, and you don’t need to worry about me. I’ve been mentally prepared for this.” He tried to conceal it, but Lin Lan noticed his hand trembling uncontrollably.
Getting even closer, almost at a distance only lovers would share, Lin Lan blinked, not missing any expression on his face. “What if I…”
Honk—a horn sounded from downstairs, the hot air rushing in, mingling with Lin Lan’s voice ringing in his ears, “…What if I stayed here?”
Xiao Shengjing’s pupils trembled, almost instantly turning to look at Lin Lan, thinking he had misheard. He was about to ask when he heard his teammates’ voices from the other side: “Captain, Lin Lan, we’re going back.”
The words that were about to come out of his mouth had to be held back. Xiao Shengjing restrained himself all the way, feeling suffocated, while Lin Lan remained carefree, chatting and laughing with them, oblivious to his anxious feelings.
Sometimes Xiao Shengjing even felt that Lin Lan was doing it on purpose, intentionally not explaining, just to see him anxious.
With this thought in mind, Xiao Shengjing pinched Lin Lan’s ticklish spot in the car, almost causing him to jump. Along for the ride were Lu Shi and Jiang Jin. Unable to have an outburst, Lin Lan could only stare at him wide-eyed.
Finally, Xiao Shengjing smiled, propping his head up and looking at the night view outside the window. The anxious feeling in his heart also dissipated a lot.
Back at the club, everyone went back to their rooms to rest. Lin Lan hurried back as well. But when he tried to use his key, he fumbled and couldn’t open the door after two attempts.
Finally seizing the opportunity, Xiao Shengjing swiftly moved with his long legs and caught up to Lin Lan from behind. Seeing no one around, he grabbed Lin Lan and dragged him into his room.
“Captain, Captain,” Lin Lan began to plead, “let’s talk things out.”
Xiao Shengjing: “Sure, let’s talk in my room.”
Worried that Lin Lan might be too cunning and escape, Xiao Shengjing clamped down with both hands, locked the door, and forced Lin Lan onto a chair, holding him down face to face, leaving no room for escape.
Xiao Shengjing: “Speak up, what did that sentence mean?”
At first, Lin Lan struggled a bit, but realizing he couldn’t escape, he reluctantly yielded, “I was just making a hypothesis.”
Xiao Shengjing had a gut feeling something was off. He looked at Lin Lan anxiously, “Why did you make this hypothesis?”
Lin Lan also looked at him, his eyes serious. “Because I wanted to know the answer. If I didn’t leave, what would you do?”
Xiao Shengjing seemed to realize something, but he wasn’t sure. He suppressed his absurd thoughts and told himself his answer: “Then I would be very happy, so happy that I’d go crazy.”
Something in his eyes startled Lin Lan for a moment. The intensity of his emotions exceeded Lin Lan’s imagination, but he still curiously asked, almost recklessly, “How crazy?”
The air suddenly became scorching hot. Xiao Shengjing’s Adam’s apple moved uncontrollably, his composed facade now in disarray. His heart was racing chaotically, and his inner turmoil was evident in his eyes. “Lin Lan, do you know curiosity killed the cat?”
Lin Lan let out a puzzled “Huh?” before the person in front of him abruptly stood up.
A tall shadow loomed over him, completely enveloping him. Xiao Shengjing bent down, giving himself a position of absolute control, then cupped Lin Lan’s face and kissed him without hesitation.
In Lin Lan’s impression, his captain was always calm and composed, unmoved even by the collapse of Mount Tai. But today’s captain seemed to have lost control.
Under this extreme lack of control, rationality was out of reach. His thoughts and desires were laid bare, and the kiss was more intense than the last time like a tidal wave threatening to drown Lin Lan.
That kind of desperate, almost life-threatening kiss carried with it a paranoid sense of love as if he wanted to kiss him to death. Lin Lan dared not respond in the slightest, because any response would unleash a torrential surge that would instantly engulf him…
The forceful kiss made Lin Lan no longer doubt Xiao Shengjing’s feelings for him.
He even regretted testing Xiao Shengjing, because he had a premonition that once he broke through this thin layer of paper, things would become uncontrollable.
Xiao Shengjing released all the suppressed emotions, gradually calming down. He finally released Lin Lan’s lips.
Seeing him breathless from the kiss, presenting a completely different Lin Lan from usual, Xiao Shengjing couldn’t hide the fact that his own heart was in turmoil…
Xiao Shengjing: “What did that phrase mean?”
Breathless from the kiss, Lin Lan looked at Xiao Shengjing, who had him trapped in the chair, and started teasing again, “So, does Captain going crazy mean he’s going to hug and nibble me?”
Xiao Shengjing’s ears visibly turned red, and he earnestly responded with a “Hmm,” adding, “I’ll hug and nibble you every day.”
Everyday cuddles and nibbles, who can handle that?
Lin Lan already regretted telling him about this. He tried to take advantage of the situation to slip away, but Xiao Shengjing swiftly grabbed him and pressed him back into the chair.
With his towering height of 1.9 meters, Xiao Shengjing had a completely oppressive advantage in this aspect. Lin Lan felt that he wasn’t short, but why did he feel like a little chick in front of him?
Xiao Shengjing held his hand, observing his expression uncertainly. “So, you’ll stay, right?”
Lin Lan found that he couldn’t lie in front of him, so he nodded. Immediately, he was engulfed in a tight embrace, leaving no room for escape.
All the worries, fears, and efforts to restrain himself in these days were now laid bare at this moment.
Xiao Shengjing suddenly realized that he wasn’t as strong as he imagined. Just a nod from Lin Lan made him want to cry.
Seeing Xiao Shengjing kneeling in front of him, holding him tightly, Lin Lan was also touched. He patted his head, feeling a sense of satisfaction like patting a big dog, and said with a hint of guilt, “When I discovered the truth before, I realized that the end of fulfilling the original host’s wish is not leaving, but choosing. I chose to stay in this world. If I go back, I’ll only become a lonely ghost…”
He hadn’t finished speaking when the hand around his waist tightened again.
Xiao Shengjing buried his face in Lin Lan’s embrace, unsure if he was crying. His voice was hoarse as he said, “I’ll treat you well, Lin Lan. I’ll be good to you for the rest of my life. Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you. I’ll make up for everything you lost in that world, treat you even better, a hundred times better. Lin Lan, I swear…”
Lin Lan was taken aback for a moment, then he smiled.
He had never thought about seeking any promises. This was his choice, and he hadn’t intended to impose it on anyone.
But hearing such a promise from Xiao Shengjing still touched him deeply.
“Captain, since you’re so moved, can you bring your game console over here? I’d like to play it when I have free time.”
Xiao Shengjing hesitated for a moment, his eyes still red. The person who had just shown such sincere emotions suddenly changed his tone. “No, the summer tournament is about to start.”
Lin Lan: “?”
Man, are you named ‘changeable’?
After Xiao Shengjing finished speaking, he also felt that he wasn’t being fair. Rubbing Lin Lan’s hand, his voice softened, “Coach Shi will definitely scold you when he finds out, and the tournament is about to start…” He could tell he had gone through an intense internal struggle but ultimately compromised out of helplessness. “How about I go back and get it on Sunday? But you have to promise me, you can only play on your weekly day off, not any other time…”
For Xiao Shengjing, rules were important. However, he was willing to abandon his usual principles for Lin Lan.
At that moment, Lin Lan truly felt what favoritism meant. Unable to resist, he kissed Xiao Shengjing’s cheek and threw himself into his arms. “Thank you, Ah Jing!”
Xiao Shengjing could only sigh. He couldn’t bring himself to refuse Lin Lan, so he indulgently pulled him into his embrace, thinking that if anything happened, he would bear the consequences for him.
What else could he do?
When you love someone, you spoil them to the end.
The next day, on their day off, Lin Lan went home with Xiao Shengjing, sneaking the game console into their room.
That evening, Lin Lan wanted to play, but Xiao Shengjing refused. He watched Lin Lan with a pitiful expression. “I played professionally for five years, sacrificing sleep and rest every day. The team didn’t let me play, and now that I’ve finally retired, I got hit by a car and ended up in another world, still unable to play. I can’t play…” His words grew more pitiful, even Xiao Shengjing felt sorry for him. He rubbed Lin Lan’s head. “How about we make an exception tonight?”
Lin Lan immediately kissed him as a reward.
Breaking a rule can happen zero times or countless times. Sometimes, when you break them too often, rules don’t seem so important anymore.
Xiao Shengjing often looked at Lin Lan and couldn’t help but think of a whimsical term: “a beauty causing chaos in the nation.”
He would suddenly call Lin Lan’s name, then touch his face or give him a hug, and all the unhappiness of the day would vanish.
Sometimes, while Lin Lan was playing a game, he would feel Xiao Shengjing leaning against him from behind, watching him play all night. “Aren’t you going to play?”
Xiao Shengjing would smile and hold him tight. “Watching you play is quite entertaining.”
Immediately, Lin Lan would start furiously pressing buttons on the controller, performing a high-level maneuver in the game. “See that? My skills are ahead of at least 90% of players.”
Xiao Shengjing would just smile and say nothing. Sometimes, when Lin Lan was really into the game, Xiao Shengjing would suddenly snatch the controller from him. “Let me help you.”
The normally gentle Lin Lan would instantly turn into a fiery dragon, jumping up to wrestle it back. “I was about to clear this level! Xiao Shengjing! Don’t you dare touch it!”
Xiao Shengjing often felt that Lin Lan was like a cat.
When he was willing to be close, you could pet him, hold him, or even kiss him.
But if you dared to grab his hands or feet to restrict his freedom, he would immediately jump up and give you a scratch.
So Xiao Shengjing could only use all his patience to carefully nurture him…
Xiao Shengjing: “Lin Lan.”
Lin Lan: “Yeah?”
Xiao Shengjing: “Do you think after we retire, we should open an esports center together?”
Lin Lan: “Sure.”
Xiao Shengjing: “Lin Lan.”
Lin Lan: “What’s up?”
Xiao Shengjing: “I’m thinking, when we can’t play games anymore in the future, what should we do? Sunbathing?”
Lin Lan: “Sure, why not.”
Xiao Shengjing: “Lin Lan.”
Lin Lan: “What now?”
Xiao Shengjing: “I’m thinking about our future, what are you thinking about?”
Lin Lan: “Me? I’m thinking… why is this level so damn hard? Come on, I refuse to believe it…”
“… ” Xiao Shengjing rubbed his forehead.
Training time passed slowly, and the start of the summer tournament was approaching rapidly.
Coach Shi’s training methods were like those of a devil. Sometimes, even Xiao Shengjing found them difficult to endure. Lin Lan acted as if nothing was wrong, sometimes sneaking into his room at night to play games.
As he put it, “I’ve seen bigger stages. Back when IB was at its peak, they even confiscated our phones and didn’t allow iPads. Compared to that, DT is a piece of cake…”
Lin Lan ate when he should eat, slept when he should sleep, and trained when he should train.
During this period, there was no news from Xie Zilu at all, except for some occasional updates from Jiang Xi about him: “Xie Zilu suddenly went abroad to pursue his studies for some reason. His father’s company doesn’t care, and his phone is unreachable. He disappears without a trace from time to time. Zhang Ran and the others say that Xie Zilu seems like a completely different person…”
Lin Lan: “What about Tai Zhen’s side?”
Jiang Xi: “I’m still secretly investigating the video incident. I haven’t found anything yet. But I can confirm that the two brothers do indeed switch identities. Last time, I saw them arguing. It seems Tai Yuan impersonated Tai Zhen to meet someone, but Tai Zhen disagreed and they started arguing, even knocking over a table.”
So there’s definitely some estrangement between the two brothers, and who knows what they’ve done while impersonating each other.
On the day before the start of the summer tournament, Coach Shi didn’t schedule any training. Instead, he gathered them for a chat.
He didn’t call anyone else, just Coach Zhang, then closed the door and bought snacks and drinks. They sat together like friends, chatting.
It wasn’t small talk; they discussed various teams in the LPL, from the strengths and weaknesses of their laning phases to their team fighting strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes, they even discussed the players’ personalities.
This gossip segment was Lu Shi’s favorite. He always had a lot to say, and it’s thanks to his good memory that he could recall everything. “But, ENG’s progress is quite noticeable. You can see it from their regular training matches; their core cohesion is getting stronger.”
“Qi Mo told me last time that after playing training matches with DT, they’ve improved in both laning and team fights.”
“Exactly, especially Qi Mo. He’s really focusing on his laning skills now.”
Suddenly, Lu Shi thought of something and looked at Jiang Xu, “Hey, isn’t your girlfriend Qi Mo’s cousin? Has she mentioned anything to you?”
“Me?” Jiang Xu was caught off guard, his face turning red on the spot, “No, she’s not my girlfriend, we’re just friends…”
“Just friends, yet you helped her get Lin Lan’s autograph?”
“Hahaha…”
Seeing the topic drifting away, Coach Zhang quickly brought it back, “Alright, let’s talk about IB. After promoting the midlaner from their second team to the first, the results seem to be quite good. But they refuse to scrimmage with us, so we’re not entirely sure about their strength. We need to be cautious during the match and avoid falling into big pitfalls…”
Lu Shi made a dismissive sound, “No matter how strong the mid-lane is, it doesn’t matter. We have Lin Lan, guaranteed to tear through even the emperor himself.” He then rushed over and hugged Lin Lan’s shoulder, asking him, “Right?”
Lin Lan did go wild during the training matches, but since the content of the matches couldn’t be revealed to the outside world, most people didn’t know about it.
Only a few insiders leaked some information, causing quite a stir online.
Lin Lan calmly replied, “Just small scenes.”
“Hahaha, the boss is indeed different, speaking so confidently.”
“The mid-lane still depends on me, Lin Lan…”
Seeing the topic drifting again, Coach Zhang sighed in frustration, “This is outrageous.”
Shi Quan looked on cheerfully, cracking open some melon seeds, “I think it’s great, young people with vitality. It’s important to relax before the match; being too tense isn’t good…”
This was also an important term in Shi Quan’s notebook: Relaxation Training.
After two months of intense training, the team was finally ready to make their appearance.
Shi Quan smiled contentedly, squinting his eyes as he watched them, much like a parent watching their children grow up after years of nurturing.
The Summer Split began on schedule.
The entire DT team arrived early at the venue to attend the opening ceremony, where a promotional video, in which they also participated, was played on the screen.
As the reigning champions, DT had a significant presence in the video. Especially Lin Lan, whose figure almost dominated the entire footage, ending with a handsome turn, giving the promotional video a killer ending with his gaze.
The second most prominent role was played by Qi Mo, who had clashed with Lin Lan the most but ultimately failed to make it to the end.
The title of the final promotional video flashed on the screen: “Fearless Young Warriors.”
It was evident that the video was centered around DT and ENG, the main focus of the promotion being these two teams.
Normally, the opening ceremony would be kicked off by two renowned teams, followed by two top-tier teams to close it. So, it was reasonable for the first match to be between YTF and JIO. However, for the final match, instead of ENG and DT, the organizers arranged for IB.
So, today DT doesn’t have a match and can only watch from the sidelines.
In the first match, both sides were evenly matched in strength, but YTF consistently held the upper hand, ultimately securing a clean victory.
Lin Lan also noticed, “YTF seems stronger this year.”
“I felt it during the training matches.”
“They changed their AD carry, and the overall effect seems pretty good.”
The second match wasn’t very exciting, just a bit of a low-level skirmish, and it didn’t matter to them who won.
The third match was between ENG and IB.
This match was also a highlight as they had the most fans in the entire LPL. Despite IB’s flashy plays during the Spring Split, quantity beats quality, and IB had more fans than DT no matter what.
“So, the organizers still arranged for them to play against ENG, and we’ve been scheduled for tomorrow.” Lu Shi sounded a bit sour as he said this, mixed with a hint of frustration, “Lin Lan, you better show some spirit tomorrow, beat them to near death, and let them see that DT isn’t to be trifled with…”
Lin Lan: “Huh?”
Why do I feel like we’re being thrown to the wolves?
Jiang Jin chuckled. Xiao Shengjing laughed, too.
The match on stage officially began, with ENG abandoning their previous conservative style and delivering a heavy blow to IB right from the start, especially with Wei, their jungler, leaving IB’s lanes in disarray.
“ENG’s strategy has become sharper; they’re intentionally changing the game’s dynamics,” Shi Quan commented, adding, “And have you noticed? Qi Mo has been hiding his true skills; he doesn’t want to reveal more to IB. He’s using roaming mages to conceal his other strategies…”
“I heard he’s been practicing a special move. What could it be?”
Shi Quan joked, “I don’t know, but we’ll definitely find out by the finals.”
Not only will they see it, but they might also experience it firsthand. Lu Shi sighed heavily, feeling that the new coach was unreliable.
In the second game, ENG’s strategy remained sharp. Even with Deng picking Nidalee, they still controlled the pace in the early game, ending the match in just 20 minutes.
After the game, everyone realized that IB was on a downward trend, with the new mid-laner showing average performance. On the other hand, ENG chose a completely different path, constantly adapting to the environment on their road to self-rescue, with each member getting stronger and stronger…
In the post-match interview, ENG’s jungler had the honor of being invited. When asked why his style had changed so much, he joked, “After playing so many training matches with DT, unconsciously, I’ve become just like them—aggressive.”
The host exclaimed, “Huh? Isn’t DT’s jungler very stable?”
The player quickly clarified, “No, I meant their laners. Their Lin Lan, Jiang Xu, and also Xu Shengwei, are all playing very aggressively. They often invade my jungle, but honestly, it’s not fun at all. Please don’t come looking for me in the future; go bother our captain instead…”
Laughter erupted from the audience below. No one expected that the relationship between ENG and DT would be so good.
As for IB, who insisted on not scrimmaging with DT, they became a joke. Watching their former rivals make such great progress while they were on a downward spiral was heartbreaking.
[Indeed, it’s better to join forces with the strong.]
[ENG has really made significant progress; their ceiling has been raised.]
[I really want to see ENG play against DT; it feels like playing against IB is not that interesting anymore.]
[That’s not the case for me; as long as it’s DT playing, I want to watch.]
[I heard Lin Lan has been dominating in the training matches, dragging the entire LPL mid-lane into turmoil, with intensity directly comparable to Worlds…]
[Many teams are eager to scrimmage against DT; everyone is improving. Is IB really not worried? Will they not end up becoming a second-rate team in the future? Hahaha…]
