The victory in the first game basically declared FO’s defeat, as their all-out strike still failed to sever DT’s artery. The subsequent games would only be more challenging.
In the second game, their bans and picks were completely suppressed by Shi Quan. Despite managing to hold on and finally mount a counterattack after 30 minutes, they were ultimately outmaneuvered and defeated by DT’s strategic play.
With nine consecutive wins, DT led ENG by a small margin in overall points, temporarily ranking first, while FO plummeted to sixth place. The current top eight teams in the regular season standings are: DT, ENG, YTF, IB, KIG, FO, JIO, and WS…
The bullet screen was abuzz with intense discussion about these results: [Oh my god. The competition is so fierce this year. OG didn’t even make it into the top eight?]
[OG and WS were supposed to be upper-middle teams. But now, even making the playoffs is a struggle.]
[My goodness. Even the neighboring divisions are talking about us…]
[It’s so intense. DT and ENG will definitely make it to the world championship, and the remaining spot will be fiercely contested by seven or eight teams.]
[DT and ENG are not guaranteed either; if they stumble in the playoffs, they won’t make it to the world championship.]
[Yeah, YTF and KIG are strong too. We can’t predict what will happen when they face off.]
[Stop. I’m scared.]
It wasn’t just the online community that was scared; Brother Mu was even more frightened.
This ranking felt unreal to him. In his understanding, DT hadn’t strengthened its roster much.
Xiao Shengjing was his relative, Lin Lan was his family’s substitute player, Xu Shengwei was promoted from the youth training camp, and Jiang Jin joined when his contract expired.
Only Jiang Xu was a significant expenditure, costing him just over thirty million. However, the economic benefits this ranking brought him had far exceeded that amount, making it feel even more unreal to him.
Every day, he would ask Coach Zhang for confirmation, “Can we maintain this ranking? Can we make it to the world championship?”
Coach Zhang, who knew these players best, promptly reassured Brother Mu, “The top three shouldn’t be a problem.”
As long as DT could finish in the top three, combined with their first-place points from the Spring Split, they would basically secure a spot in the world championship.
Brother Mu couldn’t stop smiling and kept saying, “Once we secure the spot, I’ll personally give each of you a hundred thousand yuan bonus!”
Coach Zhang quickly shared this good news with the team, and everyone cheered excitedly, except for Lin Lan, who seemed indifferent.
What top three? He wants the championship!
He had secured the Spring Split trophy that was lost in the original world, but he hadn’t yet won the Summer Split.
He opened his livestream, feeling pretty good, and as usual, started duo queueing with Xiao Shengjing.
Xiao Shengjing was a rather introverted person. But whenever he duo queued with Lin Lan, he would become particularly cheerful, occasionally even joking around, which made their livestream very entertaining.
This led to a lot of people shipping them as a couple. Some fans even believed they were a real couple but hadn’t come out publicly due to the potential impact.
The bullet comments started out very harmonious, but gradually became strange, with some odd remarks mixed in.
[What’s this, daring to stream?]
[Hehe, how does it feel to sit comfortably in the starting mid position?]
[Why do you like to take other people’s things so much?]”
[Suddenly feeling sorry for the players who left DT.]
[Wow, I never realized he was this kind of person…]
These sporadic comments, mixed in with the overwhelming flow of bullet comments, caused panic among the livestream fans, who started asking what was happening.
Lin Lan, unaware of the shift in the comments, opened the post-game data analysis page. Seeing that he had the highest damage output but didn’t get the MVP, he complained, “This scoring system is clearly biased against me. I carried this game so hard, how could I not be the MVP…”
He then opened the bullet comments, and the overwhelming flood of remarks hit him unexpectedly: [Heh, if what that person said is true, Lin Lan is really disgusting.]
[It’s a shame he doesn’t act in palace intrigue dramas with such scheming.]
[Every day you put up a facade. I really thought you were so pure and selfless, but turns out you’re so ambitious.]
[I really feel sorry for the players who left.]
[Fans are already trying to defend him?]
[There’s no smoke without fire. Ask your master what he’s done.]
[Photos have been leaked, and he’s still pretending?]
[Such acting skills, tut-tut, he shouldn’t be in esports.]
[Great at manipulating, huh? Don’t bring that fan culture here. Any insults from fans will just bounce back.]
[So heartless, why don’t you just die?]
Although many voices spoke in Lin Lan’s defense, those harsh words still pierced his eyes one after another.
It was the same back then.
He didn’t know what had happened.
Out of nowhere, public opinion suddenly turned against him.
From the initial two or three unnoticed comments, it eventually overwhelmed him, drowning him in a sea of criticism…
Lin Lan suddenly stood up. Thinking about those things, his breathing started to become labored.
His first reaction was to close the live stream, but his body became uncontrollable as if those words had pinned him to a cross of guilt, leaving him with no strength to resist.
“Can someone help me close the livestream?”
His voice sounded off, and everyone looked over with concern. “What’s wrong?”
Lu Shi noticed the hateful comments first and shrugged, “A couple of trolls are normal. Don’t mind them.”
Only Xiao Shengjing realized something was seriously wrong with Lin Lan. He quickly shut down the livestream and, upon holding Lin Lan, noticed how cold he was, his forehead drenched in cold sweat.
“Lin Lan?” Xiao Shengjing couldn’t care less that his own livestream was still running. He immediately picked Lin Lan up and carried him to the nearby break room to rest.
The rest of the teammates finally realized something was wrong. “What’s going on?”
“I just saw some trolls online telling him to go die in the live stream comments.”
“Who? Who’s so vicious?”
“Damn, the captain’s livestream is still running. I’ll shut it down for him.”
The livestream screen froze on Lu Shi’s panicked face, then went black.
The chat exploded instantly, with everyone asking what had happened. From the intermittent comments, they finally pieced together the story.
It turned out that after Wu Tianqi left DT, he also started streaming, but he didn’t have many viewers, and his streams didn’t make much of an impact.
Later, when DT won the Spring Split championship and then signed a highly compatible top laner for the Summer Split, Wu Tianqi, who had left in a huff, became the target of ridicule. His streams attracted many DT and Lin Lan haters due to his open disdain for DT, turning his channel into a gathering place for DT detractors.
Having a few haters is normal for any team, but Wu Tianqi, seeking more views, publicly revealed why he left the team.
A video clip was posted online, showing Wu Tianqi playing Jayce top lane, struggling, and losing his temper when a viewer mocked him for being nothing after leaving DT. He exploded, “You think I wanted to leave DT? If it weren’t for Lin Lan’s underhanded tactics, would I have left DT? Ha, DT would have fallen apart without me! Mu Zhenghong begged me to stay and later kicked me out when he didn’t need me anymore. Lin Lan? You think Lin Lan is a good guy? He buttered up DT’s management, sabotaged me, and stole what was mine. He threatened to kill himself, took pills, and did everything! Why else would I have left?”
“I left on my own? Fine, let’s say I wanted to leave. If you were in my shoes, having finally risen with DT, only to have the shares that were supposed to be yours given to a substitute who’s been around for just three months, would you stay or leave? I’m asking you, would you leave or not? I dare say, I was forced out—this was Lin Lan’s scheme! After he got promoted, he first forced out Ayu and Xiao Hai, then me, and finally Feifei. Look at DT now, how many veterans are left? Now the team is full of people who follow his orders. So, am I wrong to call him a tyrant? My mistake was not withstanding his pressure; otherwise, I’d still be an LPL starter, and I’d still be DT’s top laner. I wouldn’t be stuck here as a small-time streamer.”
“Feifei left voluntarily? Ha, I dare say Feifei was also forced out, believe it or not. Lin Lan used a suicide attempt to push me out, and now he used the same tactic to force Feifei out. Don’t believe me? Check it out—before Feifei left, wasn’t Lin Lan sent to the hospital again? PR said he was sick, but I’m telling you, he likes using suicide to threaten his teammates, pushing everyone out!”
After saying this, he immediately took out his phone and showed the picture. “See? I wasn’t wrong. This isn’t the first time he’s used this tactic.”
The photo showed Lin Lan unconscious, having overdosed on calming incense, being taken to the hospital by Xiao Shengjing. At the time, PR had explained it away as him being sick, without specifying the illness. Lin Lan had reappeared lively in his teammates’ livestreams within a few days, while news of Feifei leaving the team broke.
Moreover, it was rumored that Lin Lan had attempted suicide once before, after which three veteran players, Ayu, Xiao Hai, and Wu Tianqi left DT one after another.
Such coincidences make it hard not to think of conspiracy theories. Lin Lan’s haters began to spread the story, and its impact grew increasingly larger.
Wu Tianqi’s face was full of hatred towards Lin Lan. He didn’t need to hide it; he truly believed that Lin Lan had stolen his position, that Lin Lan was a team tyrant who forced him out. So he didn’t need to lie—this was his most genuine belief. “To Lin Lan’s fans, listen up: stop coming to my stream to disgust me. I couldn’t fight your master, so I left, and I accepted the consequences. But if you keep harassing me, don’t blame me for exposing all the nasty things he’s done!”
With these words, Lin Lan’s haters went wild: [Wow, what other dirt does he have? Tell us!]
[Lin Lan is not simple. I knew there was something strange about him.]
[He’s so good at building his image—doesn’t stream, doesn’t use Weibo, yet his fans pity him for being cyberbullied. Who’s being cyberbullied now?]
[I can only say he’s a master manipulator.]
[Finally got exposed, huh? His fans should wake up now.]
This video had been online for two days. As it continued to spread, people online began to write detailed posts, complete with all the photos, to substantiate the claims of Lin Lan being a team tyrant.
This lengthy post offered no substantial evidence, only a timeline that pieced together numerous coincidences in an attempt to condemn Lin Lan.
At first, Lin Lan’s fans didn’t take it seriously.
After all, who would care about such baseless accusations without evidence? Fabricating stories out of thin air? They could write ten posts about Wu Tianqi in one night!
Moreover, with Wu Tianqi’s reputation for running away in the face of adversity, who would believe him?
Unexpectedly, the post caused quite a stir in the community. Some easily swayed netizens started to buy into it, despite Lin Lan’s fans tirelessly arguing against it. People continued to believe these baseless claims.
It’s easy to spread rumors, but incredibly difficult to refute them!
However, the most devastating blow came just moments ago when Feifei’s Weibo inexplicably posted: “Finally, someone sees the truth.”
He deleted it within five minutes, but it seemed to be a response to the controversy, causing a complete uproar in the community.
If Wu Tianqi accusing Lin Lan could be attributed to his grudge and questionable character, what about Feifei joining in?
Feifei has always been kind-hearted, with no ill intentions. He has been with DT for so many years, keeping to himself and not getting involved in conflicts. If even he stands up to accuse Lin Lan, it indicates that the post might be true!
The haters became more brazen, swaying bystanders, and even those who initially didn’t believe the story began to waver. Even Lin Lan’s own fans were deeply affected, seeking the truth.
“That’s the whole story,” Lu Shi sighed. He scrolled through his phone and stumbled upon the news of Lin Lan closing the livestream earlier, now circulating online. Hesitating, he said, “The video from earlier has also been posted online. This has become a big deal, and many people are seeking explanations from the official account…”
Lin Lan sat in his chair, resting, with a glass of water poured by everyone nearby. After resting for a while, his complexion improved, but he still looked mentally exhausted and tired.
Lu Shi comforted him, “False accusations won’t hold up. When the PR department releases the truth, it will surely dispel those rumors, but…”
But no one expected Feifei to betray Lin Lan.
When Feifei was still with DT, Lin Lan always took the initiative to cover up for him, actively taking on the responsibility of dealing damage. Every time they rotated mid and top lanes, Lin Lan always left the best position for him.
Jiang Jin couldn’t bear it anymore. “How could Feifei do this? When he was in the team, Lin Lan never did anything wrong to him. Now that he’s left, why betray?”
Lu Shi hadn’t expected this either. “It feels like Feifei has changed a lot since he started dating…”
Lin Lan had no mood to think about why Feifei would do such a thing. His thoughts were entangled with things from the original world, afraid that everything here would end up just as bad. The more he thought about it, the more disturbed he felt, unable to snap out of it for a long time…
A warm hand landed on his head, and Xiao Shengjing’s voice was calm and composed. “I’ll call Feifei and ask what’s going on.”
The phone connected, and Feifei’s voice sounded uneasy on the other end. “…Captain, are you calling me because of the online incident?”
Xiao Shengjing responded with a simple “Hmm” before getting straight to the point. “Why did you post that?”
Feifei’s emotions seemed unstable; he sounded somewhat agitated as if he had just been crying. “I didn’t post it; it was Chen Heng.”
Chen Heng was his partner, and also the manager who poached him to the ACG team.
“I-I didn’t hide my account from any of my teammates. They all knew about it, and he even told me about his. I thought nothing would happen, but I didn’t expect him to use my Weibo to post such a message… I deleted it as soon as I saw it, but I didn’t realize someone had already taken a screenshot…”
Lu Shi took a sharp breath, having many questions but unable to ask any, feeling helpless.
Xiao Shengjing asked calmly, “Then why did he post it like that?”
“He… he said that after I left DT, I lost my popularity, and he was just trying to help me maintain it… I said I didn’t need it, and then we suddenly got into a big argument. He accused me of taking advantage of his kindness, not trusting him, treating him like a stranger… I don’t know what to do. He even told me to get lost…”
Feifei’s voice couldn’t hide the hint of crying anymore. He had already cried earlier. He followed Chen Heng to ACG despite everything, but he didn’t expect to be treated like this.
Chen Heng’s behavior toward him was no longer within the realm of emotions. Xiao Shengjing furrowed his brows. “So, what do you think? Do you think what he said is right?”
Feifei vigorously shook his head on the other end. “I know this is wrong, but if I speak up to clear things, it will ruin him… I don’t want to treat him like that… I’m sorry for Lin Lan, and I don’t want this, but… I’m sorry for him. It’s my fault. Please tell Lin Lan I’m sorry…”
When this statement came out, many people’s expressions changed. Did this mean he was going to let the blame fall on Lin Lan and not help clear things up?
Lin Lan lifted his head, his eyes filled with disbelief.
He had been suppressing his emotions all along, but at this moment, he couldn’t contain them any longer, his fingers clenching tightly.
He hadn’t wronged Feifei. On the contrary, he had been taking care of Feifei’s emotions, but he never expected Feifei to betray him for someone he had only known for a few months.
He didn’t need Feifei’s friendship, but what about morality? Was he willing to discard even the most basic moral standards for that person?
Even Xiao Shengjing, whom he had known for three years, was deeply disappointed in him. His voice grew heavy as he spoke, “Feifei, you weren’t like this before. Don’t you realize that you’ve hurt Lin Lan? He treated you so well.”
Upon hearing these words, Feifei was first stunned, then suddenly burst into loud sobs, continuously lamenting the invisible pressures weighing on him, pressures that no one could see or share for him. Ultimately, he was forced into becoming the person he hated the most. “I’m sorry. Chen Heng isn’t having an easy time at ACG either. If I expose him now, he’ll be even worse off. I’m sorry…”
He knew Lin Lan hadn’t wronged him. It was just that between Lin Lan and that relationship, he chose to maintain the latter.
As these words were heard, everyone’s expressions changed repeatedly.
Beside him, Lu Shi endured and endured, but in the end, he couldn’t help but scold him, “Feifei, are you blinded by lard?! Is that kind of trashy guy worth all this effort from you? When he was emotionally abusive, he wasn’t worth breaking up with, and when you were giving him a birthday cake, he was already cheating on you. Haven’t you seen through his true nature yet? Furthermore, when he made you leave DT, it wasn’t for your own good, it was purely for himself! Please wake up a bit! And did he even get your consent before posting that VB message? Did he ever respect you? He wasn’t maintaining your popularity, he was using you to solidify his position in ACG! Feifei, get it straight, Lin Lan is your friend! He’s stepping on your friend to boost himself, do you really think he cares about you?”
This statement hit Feifei like a slap in the face, and he began to sob. “Stop scolding me, stop scolding me, I know, he knows he’s like that, but I really can’t help it…”
“What do you mean you can’t help it? Feifei, you’re an adult now. Do you still need someone else to make decisions for you?”
Lu Shi rarely got this angry, but Feifei really drove him crazy.
He helped Feifei hide the fact that he was in an online relationship with Chen Heng, only to have Feifei leave the team without hesitation. Lin Lan took care of him like that, only to be ruthlessly betrayed by him.
If Lin Lan were to be disturbed by this and attempt suicide again, he might not be as lucky as the previous two times and be rescued…
Lu Shi gritted his teeth at the thought and snatched Xiao Shengjing’s phone directly, yelling, “Feifei, are all your friends just a bunch of grudge holders? Did you do something awful in your past life that you have to know us in this one? Do you realize how much negative emotions this incident has brought to Lin Lan? If you still consider us your friends, now, immediately, right away, go online and clarify this matter! If Chen Heng really loves you, he should respect all your decisions, instead of manipulating you in various ways!”
He hung up after speaking, his aggressive demeanor making it seem like he could charge over and fight the other person at any moment.
Lin Lan was originally in a bad mood, but seeing Lu Shi so passionately defending him, with a bunch of teammates surrounding him, he suddenly didn’t feel as uncomfortable.
At least this time, his teammates were all standing by his side.
Unlike his teammates in the original world who would only say, “It’s not a big deal. You have to bear as much malice as glory. If I had as much popularity, I would also be willing to endure the criticism.”
Even his closest buddy, the silly dog, said, “Just ignore such people. Let them do whatever they want. They can’t cause any trouble anyway.”
At that moment, Lin Lan just wanted a word of comfort, but in the end, he got nothing. They all thought he was strong enough to withstand any external forces. He felt like a lone boat in the ocean, constantly threatened to be swallowed by the surging waves…
Lin Lan’s emotions gradually stabilized. He had decided that even if he was truly slandered by the outside world, it wasn’t a big deal. His teammates would help him clarify things, and that was enough.
As he stood up from his chair, he was suddenly supported by Xiao Shengjing. “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
Lin Lan shook his head. “I just want to go back and rest.”
Lu Shi’s expression suddenly became tense as he looked Lin Lan up and down. “Why are you going back to rest so early?”
Jiang Jin interjected, “Lin Lan, you’re not planning anything foolish, are you?”
At this point, Xu Shengwei, who had been quiet in the background, suddenly lifted his head. It was evident he also recalled the incident where Lin Lan had overdosed on calming incense, and Jiang Jin had mentioned Lin Lan’s suicidal tendencies. This wasn’t the first time Lin Lan had attempted suicide. “Lin Lan, you… you shouldn’t act impulsively…”
Everyone’s reactions startled Jiang Xu. He wasn’t aware of the details of these incidents, and hearing such a conversation out of the blue made his heart sink.
What’s going on? Why does it sound like Lin Lan going back means something drastic?
Looking at his teammates crowding around him, Lin Lan couldn’t help but smile. “I’m really just a little tired…”
Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Shengjing abruptly grabbed his wrist, his expression serious and his tone firm. “You can’t be alone. You’re sleeping with me these next few days, and we’ll talk about it after the matter is resolved.”
Teammates nodded in agreement. “Yes, Lin Lan, you can’t sleep alone these next few days. Listen to the captain.”
Lin Lan, reluctantly giving up his single room: “?”
Author’s Note:
Xiao Shengjing: “I won.”
