Last night’s poor sleep caused Lin Lan to wake up late the next day. When he got up, he saw Jiang Jin had already arrived at the team and was surrounded by a group of people bombarding him with questions. Jiang Jin, always enthusiastic and known as the “inventor” for his fondness of studying strategies, wore glasses, looked neat and gentle, and seemed easy to approach.
Lu Shi, being naturally friendly, caught Jiang Jin off guard and even requested a live demonstration of the strategies he invented. Lin Lan observed the “warm” scene in front of him and asked, “Hey, where’s the captain?”
“I don’t know, haven’t seen him since I woke up.”
“Probably off gathering information again.”
Jiang Jin noticed Lin Lan and quickly stood up to greet him, “Good morning, Lin Lan.”
Glancing at the rising sun outside, Lin Lan remarked, “Well, it’s not that early anymore.” He patted Jiang Jin on the shoulder, “Don’t mind me, focus on your game.”
Jiang Jin then sat back down to continue his gaming session.
Because of Lin Lan’s gaze, Jiang Jin played exceptionally seriously, finding several rhythm points with particular finesse.
After watching, Lu Shi was filled with excitement. He discreetly asked Lin Lan, “I heard that several teams are contacting him, why did he choose our little team and ignore everyone else?”
Lin Lan smiled without saying a word, keeping his achievements hidden.
Days left until the Spring Tournament: 14.
The formal training between Lin Lan and Jiang Jin began. After an afternoon of collaboration, Lin Lan noticed some minor flaws in Jiang Jin’s play. Through a thorough review, he corrected him step by step, saying, “The reason your actions are slow is that you care too much about your data, which ends up hindering you. In professional play, most of the time, it relies on a sense of touch and subconscious actions. You’ve been in the professional scene for a long time, you already have your own system. Try not to rely too much on data, trust your instincts, and give it a shot.”
Jiang Jin, in real life, was extremely lacking in confidence. He rarely did things without assurance, so his dependence on data grew deeper.
He attempted to free himself, following Lin Lan’s advice, but his ingrained mindset made him hesitant, ultimately being outplayed by the opponent.
Lin Lan stood behind him, “What are you afraid of? Boldly engage, whether you perform well or not, I can cover the damage output for you.”
Lin Lan behind him indeed gave him immense courage.
Lin Lan, even with Xiao Hai, could penetrate through the opponent on the other side. There was no reason he should be worse than Xiao Hai, right?
Boldly, he initiated the team fight. There was indeed a control error in the middle, but the unexpectedly initiated team fight caused the opponent to miss several skills. Lin Lan directly Q’d in, initiating a brutal slaughter.
After this wave of fights, Jiang Jin’s heart was warm. He always liked to act according to plans and disliked doing things he couldn’t accomplish, so he often missed some opportunities.
Just now, he could feel that his actions were about 0.3 seconds faster than usual. It was this 0.3 seconds that caught the opponent off guard.
Accuracy is important at times, but control of the timing is even more crucial.
After the game, just as Xiao Shengjing came back from outside, he returned without speaking to anyone, standing alone on the balcony enjoying the breeze.
Jiang Jin was still relishing the victory, wanting to play again, but Lin Lan had already stood up and left.
He went to the balcony, “Captain, did you go to the hospital?”
“Yeah,” Xiao Shengjing turned around, glanced at him for a moment, then withdrew his gaze. “Do you need something from me?”
“Just wanted to ask if you’re okay physically? You seemed quite uncomfortable yesterday.”
“I’m much better now. The hospital checkup didn’t reveal anything serious.” After Xiao Shengjing finished speaking, he suddenly thought of something. “Lin Lan, next time you see me outside your door, don’t open it for me. The doctor said they’re still unsure about the cause of my sleepwalking and whether it might be aggressive.”
Lin Lan knew the truth, so he felt it was okay. “Well, the Captain won’t harm me. We have no grievances.”
Xiao Shengjing smiled helplessly, not insisting further. He squinted slightly, looking into the distance, and suddenly said, “Lin Lan, I quite like you the way you are now.”
The wind was too strong, and Lin Lan didn’t hear clearly. “Huh?”
“I mean,” Xiao Shengjing turned around to look at him, then glanced inside at Jiang Jin who was still training. “How is the new teammate?”
“He’s doing well,” Lin Lan suddenly stared at him. “Captain, I didn’t tell you and just brought Jiang Jin over for training. You’re not angry, are you?”
“Why would I be angry? Find a good support, and you’ll find it easier to play yourself.” Xiao Shengjing reached out and ruffled his hair as if concealing something heavy. In the end, it only turned into a casual remark, “Don’t stay out here in the wind, be careful not to catch a cold. Go for training now.”
Lin Lan left, taking a step and looking back. Seeing Xiao Shengjing’s deeply troubled figure, he couldn’t help but feel a strange sensation in his heart.
In the original world, he had caused a big fight with Silly Dog because he didn’t inform him in advance and secretly asked Jiang Jin if he could join the team. When Silly Dog found out about it, the two had a major argument.
Captain and Silly Dog seemed really different.
It’s so strange. Clearly, they have the same genes. Could it be because Silly Dog likes him, while the Captain doesn’t?
Things that Lin Lan couldn’t understand, he preferred not to think about. He went back, put on his headphones, and continued training.
Days left until the start of the Spring Tournament: 7.
DT had played many training matches against other teams. The combination of Lin Lan and Jiang Jin was particularly strong, and they rarely faced disadvantages in the online phase.
Because they were a newly established team, everyone paid a lot of attention to them. Various training clips of Lin Lan and Jiang Jin were quickly leaked out and hyped by the media. There were even some insiders spreading rumors, claiming that DT had prepared a big move this time. They boasted about how they dominated the entire LPL bot lane, creating anticipation among fans.
Seeing the increasing popularity, it was a pity that Lin Lan and Jiang Jin were not social media users at all. They had no idea what was happening outside and relied entirely on Lu Shi to relay information to them.
“Hey, wait a minute, Jiang Jin, you’ve been a professional player for so long, and you haven’t even registered for a social media account?”
Jiang Jin honestly replied, “I registered when I just started my career. Later, as I became more famous and gained more fans, I felt restless. It became increasingly difficult for me to focus on my matches. So, I applied to deactivate my account. Now, playing matches feels much more peaceful.”
“Oh, but does the team allow you to do that? What about those sponsorships?”
“I don’t take sponsorships, I don’t shoot promotional videos, I don’t do business, and I don’t cooperate with creating a false public image. Money is not important to me. I just want to play matches well.” This was also the reason why he insisted on leaving OG. Their philosophies clashed because the team aimed for capital marketing, while Jiang Jin only wanted the trophy.
Jiang Jin was indeed quite stubborn in this regard. If he didn’t want to do something, even the team couldn’t force him.
Lu Shi nodded and then turned to Lin Lan, “So why don’t you activate one?”
“Me?” Lin Lan’s decision not to use social media was entirely because he was afraid of online harassment in the original world. In the end, he even handed over his account and password to the company, completely avoiding it. He focused solely on playing his matches, and this habit has persisted until now. “I… have social anxiety.”
Lu Shi: “You have social anxiety?”
Lin Lan nodded, “Yes, I have social anxiety, and I’m also introverted, withdrawn, and used to self-harm…”
Lu Shi: “???”
Jiang Jin, who was nearby, suddenly looked at Lin Lan with intense enthusiasm, as if he had found a kindred spirit. “I knew we were a good match.”
“Wait a minute,” Lu Shi was confused, “He used to self-harm, and you think you’re a good match with him?”
“I find it cool.”
“?” Lu Shi was not only confused but also panicked, “I think it’s dangerous for you two to be together, don’t you feel that way?”
Jiang Jin shook his head, indicating that he didn’t think so. His mind was so heated at the moment that he couldn’t absorb anything other than Lin Lan’s words. He excitedly took out his notebook, “Lin Lan, I’ve researched a new strategy recently, and I think it’s very suitable for you. Can we try it in tomorrow’s training match?”
Lin Lan caught on, “Really? Let me take a look.”
Days left until the start of the Spring Tournament: 2.
The closer it gets to the competition, the fewer training matches are played. Instead, more time is spent on reviewing matches together and addressing weaknesses.
Through this period of training and personnel changes, the team has basically reached conclusions.
The good news is that Jiang Jin’s addition has improved DT’s overall strength. The bad news is that the batch of youth academy players recruited doesn’t seem promising. Currently, they don’t have the capability to play, meaning even though substitutes have been assigned to each player, only the five main players can actually compete.
After the meeting, there was an unexpectedly somber atmosphere. DT, even after growing and expanding, unexpectedly faced a shortage of personnel.
Lin Lan casually grabbed two bottles of cola and went to the balcony to find Xiao Shengjing. He found him leaning on the balcony lost in thought. “Captain, what are you thinking about? You seem so absorbed.”
Xiao Shengjing snapped out of it, taking the cola Lin Lan handed over. “Is training over?”
Lin Lan couldn’t help but complain, “No, Jiang Jin is like a perpetual motion machine. He can’t stop training. My arms are sore these days, and he still wants to drag me into matches…”
“Come here,” Xiao Shengjing beckoned him over, gently massaging a few acupoints on Lin Lan’s arm. “Feeling better?”
“Hey, you know, after the massage, it feels kind of sore but also invigorated.”
“If you play AD too much, it can hurt your hands. Don’t take it lightly. There’s a physiotherapy clinic downstairs. I have a membership there. You can use it by giving them my phone number. You should pay more attention in general, exercise more, rest more, and do massages like this when you have the chance…” He kept talking, and when he saw Lin Lan looking at him with a strange expression, he immediately became uncomfortable. “What are you looking at?”
“Captain,” Lin Lan asked directly, “You don’t have a crush on me, right?”
Xiao Shengjing put his hands in his pockets, trying to hide his unease. “What are you thinking? You’re not focused during training, thinking about this and that.”
“I’m not focused? I’ve been getting up early and staying up late these days, my hands are almost numb, and you say I’m not focused?” After refuting, Lin Lan jokingly added, “It’s better if you don’t like me. Honestly, Captain, I kind of like you the way you are now. Please don’t start liking me, I’m afraid you’ll become all clingy after that.”
Xiao Shengjing remained silent. He cleared his throat forcefully, wanting to ask Lin Lan if he was already clingy. However, in the end, he didn’t dare to voice the question.
Taking a sip of cola, Lin Lan looked at the city lights outside the balcony and suddenly thought of something. “Captain, let me ask you a question. Can you answer seriously?”
“Go ahead.”
“Why did you join DT in the first place?”
Xiao Shengjing told the truth, “My grandma asked me to take a look. The environment was quite tough at the time, and the teammates weren’t that good. I thought about leaving after two days.”
“Why didn’t you leave then?”
“If I had left, they wouldn’t even have been able to win the city tournament. So, I stayed for a bit longer.”
After the city tournament, they had to play in LDL, and after that, they had to play in LPL.
“I initially thought of being a good person, doing good deeds, but unexpectedly, I got involved and haven’t left since.” Xiao Shengjing spoke with a hint of helplessness. DT wasn’t part of his original career plan, but now, it’s all about DT. “But it’s not bad now. Brother Mu is righteous and also a relative of mine. He doesn’t treat me unfairly.”
Thinking about it this way, the captain has also endured and persevered, and DT hasn’t treated him poorly.
However, even Silly Dog made the right choice. In the original world, he was the only player in the team who got shares, and in both worlds, Xiao Shengjing’s life turned out pretty well.
“Unlike me, I didn’t make it in the original world, let alone in DT.”
Seeing Lin Lan sighing, Xiao Shengjing asked him, “Envious?”
“Exactly, Captain, your status is different now. You’re making big money, and you’re in a position to make decisions. I’m envious.”
Xiao Shengjing smiled, “What if you have it too?”
“No, no, no, I know my place.”
The things Lin Lan couldn’t achieve in five years in the original world, he didn’t even want to think about this time. This time, he just wanted to live a bit more relaxed.
After finishing the cola in his hand, Lin Lan remembered something else, “By the way, Captain, why did you save me in school? Aren’t you just focused on studying and don’t care about anything else?”
Xiao Shengjing had been answering the previous questions properly, but he didn’t want to answer this one, “Why so many questions? Are you the ‘why’ guy?”
“Captain, you’re getting better at teasing people.”
“Learned it from you.”
“Why did you learn the bad stuff and not the good stuff?”
“What else then? Learn to sleep in like you? Or learn to be lazy like you?”
“Wow, Captain, you’ve changed, changed, changed…”
Days left until the start of the Spring Tournament: 1.
On the last day, everyone didn’t train much and went back to their rooms to rest early.
Lin Lan lay on the large bed, suddenly thinking of the original owner’s death. He got up and took out the class photo, feeling that the transfer student, Jiang Xi, must know something.
He used his phone to capture Jiang Xi’s face and zoomed in infinitely.
She was very beautiful, with a slightly chubby face, looking particularly cute. The hand placed on the shoulder of the girl next to her was delicate, and there was a small mole on the back of her index finger.
After looking for a long time, Lin Lan’s consciousness became somewhat blurred.
The small mole in front of him swayed slightly, pulling him into another space.
This place was the school rooftop. Lin Lan felt a sharp pain all over his body and couldn’t stand up no matter what. At this moment, laughter from girls came from the entrance, with Jiang Xi leading. When she saw Lin Lan, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes. She quickly ran and crouched in front of him, saying, “Are you okay?”
Her voice seemed to traverse a long time and became somewhat distorted. Her beautiful eyes were filled with innocence and concern.
But Lin Lan, who had just been hurt, dared not trust anyone anymore. He recoiled in fear, and Jiang Xi tried to comfort him, “I’m your classmate, Jiang Xi. Don’t be afraid of me. Although I know them, I’m different from them. I won’t harm you. Can you trust me?”
She helped him up and handed him a handkerchief with a beautiful little flower embroidered on it. There was a small mole on the back of the hand holding the handkerchief.
Seeing his own muddy hand, Lin Lan hesitated to take it back.
The memory stops here. Lin Lan could sense that Jiang Xi harbored no ill intentions toward him. She should be a trustworthy person and must know something.
But where could he find her?
Lin Lan thought about the class group and pulled up the teacher’s WeChat. He applied for friendship, but there was no response, no matter how many times he tried.
At this time, it wasn’t too late, and there was no way she hadn’t seen it.
Lin Lan didn’t believe it and tried several classmates with similar humble backgrounds. Without exception, none of them accepted his friend request. Everyone seemed to be avoiding him like the plague.
Just when Lin Lan thought the lead had gone cold, he suddenly received a message from Xie Zilu: “What are you busy with? Haven’t talked to you in a few days. Surprisingly, I miss you a bit.”
These days, Xie Zilu had been sending some flirtatious remarks for no reason, acting like a lunatic. Lin Lan usually ignored them, but this time, he replied for the first time: “I’m busy looking for a classmate. Do you know her, Young Master Xie? Her name is Jiang Xi.”
Xie Zilu: “Why are you looking for her?”
Lin Lan: “I have something to ask her.”
Xie Zilu: “What do you want to ask?”
Lin Lan: “Answer my question first, Young Master Xie, and I’ll answer yours later.”
Xie Zilu: “Tch, you won’t find her. Give up on this idea. She’s studying abroad now, and her whole family has immigrated.”
Lin Lan: “What a pity. I heard she even wrote a love letter to me.”
Xie Zilu: “Hahaha, Lin Lan, you didn’t take it seriously, did you? That love letter was a bet among us. She lost and had to write it to you. You actually believed it?”
Xie Zilu: “Wait, why do you still remember the love letter?”
Lin Lan: “Why wouldn’t I remember? I didn’t lose my memory.”
There was silence for a very long time on the other end. Suddenly, Xie Zilu sent a voice message, erupting in anger: “Lin Lan, are you playing with me? You didn’t lose your memory, and you’re trying to trick me like this? Lin Lan, have I mentioned that my patience is very limited? If you’re lying to me again this time, I’ll make you die a very, very miserable death. You definitely don’t want to know how miserable it can be.”
After saying this, he completely stopped responding to messages.
Why would such a small matter make him so angry?
Lin Lan was completely puzzled. He quickly went to the next room where Xiao Shengjing was staying and told him everything.
Lin Lan: “Captain, this Jiang Xi must know something.”
Xiao Shengjing frowned, “Are you slowly recovering your memory?”
“Yeah, sometimes a little bit comes back.”
Xiao Shengjing, upon hearing this, didn’t relax his brows. Instead, they furrowed even more. He gently touched Lin Lan’s head, as if burdened with something. “Lin Lan, if you retrieve all your memories, will you completely become another person?”
Completely become another person? Lin Lan felt like Xiao Shengjing knew something. “Captain, am I not the same person as him?”
Xiao Shengjing inserted his hands into his pockets, silently watching him. Suddenly, as if determined, he said, “I’ll show you something.”
Lin Lan felt a bit uneasy, sensing that he was about to touch the truth.
Xiao Shengjing took out his phone and flipped through some things. “I saw your medical records when I went to the hospital that day.”
“My medical records? The ones about anxiety disorder?”
Xiao Shengjing handed him the phone directly, showing several pictures. Lin Lan quickly browsed through them, discovering some shocking information.
The medical records read: Dissociative Identity Disorder.
Split Personalities: 2.
Primary Personality: Weak, timid, extremely insecure and sensitive, indecisive, suffering from a severe anxiety disorder, easily startled, frequently experiences mental instability.
Secondary Personality: Completely opposite to the primary personality, confident, cheerful, possesses strong self-preservation awareness, relatively healthy.
Treatment Plan: Retain the secondary personality and eliminate the primary personality.
“This medical case…”
As Lin Lan continued scrolling down, he unexpectedly saw Dr. Wu Ming’s signature, along with his own signature and fingerprint.
At the time, the medical case he saw for himself clearly indicated mild anxiety disorder. Why was there another set of medical records here? Dual personalities?
Still in shock and unable to comprehend, Xiao Shengjing had already sat down, fingers interlocked, calmly expressing his speculation, “Lin Lan, the you in school and the current you, aren’t they two different people? He is the primary personality, and you are the secondary personality. After successful treatment, he disappeared, leaving you behind. But you don’t have his memories, so you don’t know what happened.”
“Lin Lan, you never really lost your memory, and taking sleeping pills wasn’t for suicide. You’re just a leftover secondary personality.”
Lin Lan didn’t know how to explain; he was confused. Why did Dr. Wu Ming think the original host had dissociative identity disorder? And why secretly perform this treatment? Did the original host agree?
“If you retrieve all your memories, then you,” Xiao Shengjing anxiously clenched his hands, pondering this question for the past few days and researching extensively, as the data indicated that this situation was not impossible, “this current personality of yours, will it still exist? Lin Lan, I think you need to carefully consider regaining your memories.”
“Wait,” Lin Lan needed time to process, “Captain, send me these few pages first. I need to study them. First of all, I had no idea about the existence of this medical case, nor do I understand why my signature and fingerprint were on it. Secondly, I and him… Oh dear, how do I explain this to you? Even if I regain my memories, I won’t change. He is another person to me, and I won’t be replaced or merged with him.”
Lin Lan himself didn’t know what he was saying. When he calmed down, he indeed discovered some inconsistencies. “The signature isn’t mine. It must be the other Lin Lan’s. Why would he agree to this treatment plan? Why did he choose to leave and let me stay?”
Most importantly, the original host never had dissociative identity disorder! It was just an illusion created by his time-traveling.
Moreover, there were only three instances throughout the entire process, and no one knew better than the original host. Even if there was a loss of memory during this period, it would be very brief, and no one would think they had developed dissociative identity disorder. At most, they might feel exhausted or experience fragmented consciousness.
The original host could never have agreed to such a treatment plan.
In an instant, Lin Lan figured something out. “He was forced, Captain. He must have been forced to sign this consent form.”
The original host was forced to death.
The person who forced him must have been present at the scene during Lin Lan’s time-traveling, witnessing the process, and actively participating in this treatment plan.
The truth and the perpetrator were almost within reach.
Translator’s corner:
I made a mistake in the previous chapter. I put Schizophrenia in the previous chapter but put DID in this chapter 😅 I’ll be changing Schizophrenia to DID
