*The boss did not make unrealistic promises or exaggerate achievements
The next day when Lin Lan woke up, he sensed that something was off in the atmosphere.
Everyone gathered but wasn’t training seriously. Even Feifei, who was usually diligent, didn’t turn on his computer.
Lin Lan was puzzled, “What’s going on?”
Lu Shi lowered his voice to tell him, “Wu Tianqi is back.”
Lin Lan hadn’t expected him to come back on his own. Wasn’t he quite determined when he left after making bold statements and slamming the door?
“Wasn’t it said that he wouldn’t come back unless the captain apologized?”
“It’s probably because of the profit-sharing issue,” Lu Shi had gathered some internal information, “I heard that after DT entered LPL, Brother Mu plans to select two starting players for shares, participating in annual profit-sharing. Brother Wu probably heard some news and couldn’t bear to miss out on such a large share, so he shamelessly came back…”
“Profit-sharing?” Everyone was shocked, “Brother Mu wants to share profits with players?”
Not only were they surprised, but even Lin Lan was a bit astonished. Players who could receive profit-sharing from the team were mostly the backbone of the team. In order to keep them and prevent them from being poached by other teams, the team would consider offering shares. Once shares were given, the player would be closely tied to the team, sharing fate, making it a very serious matter.
Lin Lan had devoted five years to the team in the original world, accomplished numerous feats, and didn’t get any shares. And now, Brother Mu was giving out two right away?
It’s worth noting that an LPL slot was worth millions, and for top-tier teams, it could even be worth over a billion. This was still with the promotion and relegation system in place. If it were to be eliminated next year, the price would only go higher and become unimaginable.
No wonder someone as proud as Wu Tianqi, even he was willing to set aside his dignity and come back to reconcile. The temptation was too great.
Feifei couldn’t believe it, “Is it true?”
“Do you still not know Brother Mu? He doesn’t make empty promises. Anything he says, he fulfills for us,” Lu Shi explained.
“Indeed, although he’s usually stingy, he gives what he promises.”
Lin Lan, who had eaten big promises for five years, felt a bit sour.
The boss of DT doesn’t paint a pie…
“Who do you think he’ll give it to?” Lu Shi posed a thought-provoking question.
“The captain will definitely get a share. The remaining one should be either Tianqi or Feifei. After all, you two have been with the team the longest.”
Feifei, upon hearing his name mentioned, got scared and quickly shrunk back, “I can’t, I can’t. I heard shares are given to retain players, but what worth do I have? I don’t play well. I’m already satisfied staying with DT to learn from the captain…”
“Then it’s probably Tianqi.”
“Tianqi actually plays pretty well. It’s just that he always loses his temper for some reason. If he could control his temper, he would be good.”
“That’s true, indeed.”
Just when everyone was enthusiastically discussing and considering Wu Tianqi as the prime candidate, Lu Shi once again brought up a crucial point, “But with the captain having a falling out with him, do you think the captain will agree?”
“Hmm?” Everyone stopped discussing.
Lu Shi made a valid point.
Firstly, Xiao Shengjing is definitely going to get shares. With his current status as a quasi-shareholder, anyone wanting a share of the dividends needs his consent, right?
Considering how heated the argument was between Wu Tianqi and him last time, with Wu Tianqi insisting on Xiao Shengjing apologizing before he returned, it seems he offended Xiao Shengjing irreparably. Passing this hurdle with Xiao Shengjing seems impossible for him.
Moreover, he left the team during its most difficult time and now wants to come back after the crisis has passed. Brother Mu probably has significant opinions about him too.
“Let’s not guess blindly. Let’s focus on training.”
Training continued until the evening, and the office finally reached a decision. Brother Mu gathered everyone for an impromptu meeting.
The decision was that Wu Tianqi would officially return to the team. He admitted his mistake, wrote a self-criticism, apologized, and was fined. Currently, he would stay in the team in the substitute position.
Throughout the entire process, Wu Tianqi never lifted his head. His usual arrogance and domineering attitude were replaced by a sense of humiliation, bowing down as if being made small. Simultaneously, for the elusive shares, he had to swallow his pride. His face turned red, his neck thick, and it seemed like every second was torturous for him.
In the end, he had to stand up and apologize to Xiao Shengjing in front of everyone.
Xiao Shengjing never looked at him from start to finish. His response to the apology was just a casual “Hmm,” a demeanor that completely defeated the other party.
Initially, Wu Tianqi thought DT wouldn’t function without him, attempting to force Xiao Shengjing to apologize to him. The result was Xiao Shengjing winning two consecutive MVP awards, showing through his performance that they were better off without Wu Tianqi.
There was no more painful way to be humiliated than this.
In this circle, strength was king.
When he left in a huff, vowing that DT would be nothing without him and trying to force Xiao Shengjing to apologize to him, he now found himself apologizing.
Not only did Lin Lan want to laugh, but some members of the team couldn’t hold back their laughter.
Wu Tianqi’s face became even more unsightly, looking as if he had just been beaten up, and his whole face had no place to hide.
After the meeting, everyone gradually left. Lu Shi, with an incredulous expression, asked Lin Lan, “Damn, did I just become a starter? Is Brother Wu being substituted for me?”
He had been bullied by Wu Tianqi for so long, never thinking that one day, Wu Tianqi would become his substitute.
“Quick, pinch me to see if I’m dreaming.”
Lu Shi said, reaching for Lin Lan’s hand to touch his own arm. Lin Lan didn’t show mercy, directly twisting it hard, making him question life.
“Ah—! Lin Lan, I’m going to kill you!”
“Didn’t you ask me to pinch you?”
“I didn’t ask you to actually pinch me!”
Lu Shi was about to hit Lin Lan, but Ayu quickly stepped in to help, Xiao Hai firmly standing by Lin Lan’s side. Even Feifei thought that if Lu Shi beat up Lin Lan, they couldn’t afford the consequences.
Watching them chatting and laughing together, having a great time, Wu Tianqi, who had just returned, clenched his fists.
He never expected Lin Lan, who had once been treated with contempt, to become the center of attention while he fell into the ignominious fate of being ignored.
No, he must strive to get on the stage and regain control.
…
“Brother Wu has been training so diligently these days,” Xiao Hai exclaimed. “He used to not get up before ten, but yesterday I heard he trained until 3 in the morning before going back.”
“Tsk, really going all out for those shares,” Lu Shi shook his head, suddenly thinking of something. “But, to be honest, Lin Lan, why is your training volume so low, yet you play so well?”
Lu Shi asked a soul-searching question, and Ayu and Xiao Hai both looked at him curiously.
Lin Lan, who was suddenly prompted, paused for a moment and thought for a long time before answering, “I play support, gotta keep a clear head.”
Next to him, Xiao Hai suddenly brightened his eyes and looked at him with admiration, “Is this the secret to playing support well? Lin Lan, do you think it suits me?”
Lin Lan: “Uh…”
How was he supposed to answer that?
Fortunately, the game started at this moment, and Lin Lan entered the game.
This time, he chose the fill position, and the system filled him in as a support. At this moment, 4L spoke up: “I can’t play AD, only support.”
1L: “Oh my, how did we end up with two supports in the bottom lane?”
2L: “In my promotion match, who can help me secure a win?”
3L: “I can’t secure a win, might lose a rank.”
The game situation was deadlocked like this. Lin Lan always chose the fill position when solo queueing, adapting to whatever role was available. So he typed: “I’ll play AD.”
4L: “Thanks.”
4L: “What support do you want?”
Lin Lan: “Anything works.”
4L picked Thresh, while Lin Lan chose Vayne.
Although Vayne was well-suited for this composition, Lin Lan was primarily a support-turned-AD. Could he handle such a challenging champion?
2L couldn’t help but question: “It’s my promotion match; can we not mess around?”
3L: “Oh no, we’re going to demote this game.”
1L: “Sigh, I should have dodged.”
Only 4L consoled him: “No worries, I play support well. With me, you can cut through this rank.”
Lin Lan couldn’t help but chuckle; he actually recognized this ID. It was Jiang Jin’s smurf account, the support who would irritate him in the mid-lane whenever he had the chance.
In the original world, when Lin Lan played AD with a smurf account, he encountered Jiang Jin. He deceived Jiang Jin, claiming he was not a professional player but just a student. Jiang Jin foolishly believed him and stuck to him like a band-aid, asking when he would graduate and join the team to play AD.
Later, when Lin Lan accidentally dropped ranks, Jiang Jin found out that Lin Lan played mid-lane and was a well-known professional player. He went through a period of self-doubt, then seemed to come to terms with it. He persistently tried to join Lin Lan’s team, and when that failed, he went to Lin Lan’s rival team out of “love-turned-hatred” and spent every day thinking of ways to irritate him in the mid-lane.
Jiang Jin was an interesting person, in Lin Lan’s opinion. A bit gloomy, introverted, and a bit of a shut-in, but particularly persistent about something. So, Lin Lan enjoyed teasing him.
Never did he expect to encounter him in this world in such a way.
As the two went to the top lane, Thresh did indeed live up to his words. His rhythm and operations were exceptionally good, not typical of a Diamond-level player.
While he showcased his skills, Lin Lan didn’t back down either. Within 10 minutes, he secured six kills, cutting through the top lane. In the mid-game team fight, he even achieved a pentakill, outperforming Jiang Jin’s support.
After securing the pentakill, Thresh asked him, “Are you really a support player?”
Lin Lan chuckled, teasing him with an ulterior motive, “Of course, don’t all supports know how to play AD?”
The other party fell into a heavy silence.
Clearly, he didn’t know how.
Which support knows how to play AD, especially Vayne?
Vayne represents the upper limit of mechanical skill for AD carries. Even players in the AD position often hesitate to pick this champion, let alone support players.
Thresh stuck close to him, following like a persistent band-aid, and suddenly typed a question: “Is this your smurf?”
Indeed, this was Lin Lan’s smurf, created just for casual play in various roles. Currently, it is at the Diamond 3 level.
However, Lin Lan didn’t admit it, deliberately teasing him: “No, are you on a smurf?”
It seemed like he hit the mark, and the other party hesitated to respond.
Even through the screen, Lin Lan could feel his internal struggle.
Playing AD on a support account was one thing, but playing Vayne was another. Playing Vayne exceptionally well was another level. Despite all this, he insisted that it wasn’t a smurf…
As both were supports, Thresh felt thoroughly suppressed from all angles, held back for a while, then asked again: “Are you a professional player?”
Lin Lan chuckled and replied, “No, are you?”
Once again, the other party fell into a heavy silence. He felt like Lin Lan had taken a small knife and stabbed it into his ribs with each word.
