“Fuck, when did you get here!”
“When you said An was out of his mind,” Jiang Shi replied, looking over at Jiang Lele’s computer screen. “What’s going on?”
Jiang Lele pursed his lips, momentarily unsure of how to explain.
“It’s not something we can’t talk about,” Zhao Jiu explained. “After your name started trending, Yang-ge told us not to stream to avoid getting dragged into any drama. Coincidentally, An started streaming, and all your fans went over to his channel.”
An had moved to the Hurricane team, but since he had spent three years with TLG, fans believed he might know something.
Jiang Lele clicked his tongue. “He’s talking about you on his stream right now.”
Jiang Shi turned up the volume on Jiang Lele’s computer. “Let me hear.”
An’s face was broad, and with his coarse, tanned skin, even with beauty filters, he looked like a middle-aged man on the live stream. Despite this, he sported a bowl cut, making him appear awkward and out of place.
“I’ve definitely met Time before. The first time he came to the base, everyone else was in formal attire, but he showed up in pink bunny ears. It was hilarious.”
“What do I think about today’s trending topic? It’s just the usual marketing ploy. TLG is trying to use Time’s bad reputation to bring themselves back into the spotlight.”
He paused, then added with a hint of disdain, “But I didn’t expect TLG would be willing to drag Xu into this too, with such a lowbrow topic.”
Jiang Shi’s face immediately darkened upon hearing this.
An’s words successfully stirred up the chat.
[How did TLG fall so low? There’s no trace of the grandeur they used to have as a top-tier team.]
[TLG is really down the drain now. At best, they’re a paper tiger. An was right to leave.]
[If it weren’t for Xu holding them up, TLG wouldn’t have even made it to the finals last time. They barely scraped by to get second place, and they deserved to get crushed by the Korean team YB.]
[And now they’re pulling this low-class stunt? This just shows Xu is washed up too, only useful for cheap tricks.]
[I checked out that Time guy’s streams. He’s just a fish in a platinum-ranked pond, no real skill at all.]
[Wearing pink bunny ears? My ten-year-old daughter doesn’t even like that kind of toy. Is TLG looking for an AD carry or a toddler who hasn’t even been weaned?]
The barrage of mocking comments continued, and not only did An not stop them, he actually laughed along, saying, “I’m not sure about the new AD’s skills. I just know that in the scrim against MR, he made three mistakes in the first ten minutes and died each time.”
This statement was basically presented as evidence of Jiang Shi’s incompetence, and the chat exploded.
[No way, he’s that bad against a noob team like MR? How awful is this new AD?]
[Have they no standards? How does TLG recruit their team members? They need to get their eyes checked!]
Jiang Lele was fuming. “What’s An’s deal? In the first game, Little White Hair was tricked in the first game! And didn’t he fight back in later stages? Plus he totally carried too! An’s just conveniently leaving that part out!”
He was ready to grab his phone and start arguing with An using a burner account, but Jiang Shi stopped him. “Don’t go there. He was our teammate before, it wouldn’t look good if this gets out.”
Jiang Lele stared at Jiang Shi, surprised by his calm demeanor. “You’re not mad? You’re not going to go in and flame him?”
“I’m mad, but there’s no need to resort to insults,” Jiang Shi replied, his tone steady. “What we need to do is perform well in the Spring Split and prove ourselves with our skills. There’s no point in getting caught up in petty arguments.”
His words elevated the discussion.
Jiang Shi patted Jiang Lele on the shoulder and closed the streaming window on his computer. “Stop watching this stuff. Let’s focus on our training!”
He even made a cheerful gesture of encouragement to everyone.
Jiang Lele was moved. “T Bao, you’ve really matured.”
He then turned to Zhao Jiu and Yu Hui and said, “Let’s trio queue and rank up!”
Jiang Shi nodded. “I’ll keep grinding in the C0losseum.”
After making sure the three had started their match, Jiang Shi returned to his computer, his expression calm as he logged onto Little Bear TV.
He initially planned to log into his alternate account, but since the password was in his phone’s notes, he decided not to waste the precious seconds he would have for his “friendly exchange” with An. Without hesitation, he opted to use his main account, Time.
In the few seconds it took, the atmosphere in An’s live stream had already shifted.
Time’s fans had finally arrived on the battlefield.
They were already angry and had nowhere to vent their frustration, and now An had walked right into their line of fire.
Even though Time was an “unforgivable evil”, he was still their unforgivable evil – their little digital pet1I am THIS close to translating “digital pet” into “pookie”, someone they could entertain themselves with when bored. They hadn’t even started their attack yet! How dare someone else try to jump in first!
At that moment, An was still interacting with his audience. “Honestly, I’m not too sure about Time’s abilities either. I’ve only seen that one scrim. I just know that after his mistakes, Xu stopped backing him up. Maybe Xu was disappointed too?”
“Yeah, back when I was still at TLG, Xu and I were always a solid bot lane duo…”
[Do you know why Xu always sticks close to you in the bot lane? Because if he let go of your leash, you’d just go feed the enemy! Of course he had to keep a close eye on you~]
[Our T Bao plays assassin AD. Even without Xu, not only can he hold his own, but taking the enemy ADC’s head in a 1v1 is just standard procedure for him. Can you do that? Stop barking nonsense! (Attached: 5000M video of Time’s first blood in the first four minutes. You’re welcome.)]
[Aren’t you just jealous that Time became famous before he even started streaming? Your usual streams don’t even break 10k viewers, right? And now, you’re riding on Time’s popularity, enjoying it, huh!]
[Be grateful for the crumbs we let you have, and stop barking like a stray dog here.]
When Jiang Shi entered An’s live stream, he saw that An was already losing his composure from being roasted by the barrage of comments. “Where’s the mod? Don’t you know how to do your job?”
Jiang Shi raised an eyebrow as he saw the numerous comments flying by, all sporting the Time fan badge.
[Time: Huh? What’s going on here?]
[Time: An, why is your face so red? I didn’t realize that at your age, your temper is still this fiery.]
This comment hit An right where it hurt.
When he was still a starter, people often joked that when he stood with the other four members of TLG, he looked like an older brother, his age seemingly closer to Yuan Yang’s. Since then, An had tried to avoid being photographed with the others, especially with Xie Xu.
“I didn’t expect you to have time to visit me now,” An said with a forced smile. “I thought TLG would be busy helping you delete bad reviews.”
“Oh, by the way, I’ve muted all those barking fans of yours. I hope you don’t mind.”
Jiang Shi’s expression turned icy, and he didn’t bother pretending anymore.
[Time: When I treat you like a human being, you should at least try to act like one.]
[Time: You should know your weight class. My fans aren’t people that a traitor like you gets to criticize.]
[Time: Do you really think no one knew about your stupid move of securing a spot with another team before the finals? What are you barking about?]
[Time: And let’s not forget, Xu is hailed as the league’s number one support, a three-time consecutive FMVP winner. What are you? A loser who can’t be helped, you piece of trash.]
These comments were far more explosive than Jiang Shi dying three times in a scrim.
[Holy crap! So An really did hook up with Hurricane before the finals?]
[An must’ve gone crazy! Hurricane and TLG have always been at odds, and they change players frequently. How could they compare to TLG, which values teamwork?]
[And he betrayed them before the finals? I thought he left TLG during the regular transfer period. This is disgusting!]
[No wonder An played like an idiot in the finals. Truly awesome~]
However, some people were accusing Time of muddying the water, deliberately slandering An.
Amidst the chaos, Time suddenly stopped replying.
It wasn’t because he didn’t want to, but because An had muted him.
Jiang Shi was so furious he wanted to smash his keyboard.
[Why isn’t Time saying anything? Afraid after spreading lies?]
[My idiot son wouldn’t back down. An must have muted him.]
[If you have guts, confront him openly. Muting Time? What a coward.]
Even though some of Time’s fans had grievances with Jiang Shi, they all united against the external enemy in front of them.
But An played dumb, “Huh? I didn’t mute him! Isn’t he still in my viewer list?”
Jiang Shi’s streaming account now had TLG’s official certification, making it stand out in the viewer list.
At this point, Jiang Shi could have just exited the stream, but he didn’t want to leave. He didn’t know how An would twist his actions once he was gone, and he had a fire in his heart. He wanted to see just how shameless this idiot could be.
But of course, he wasn’t going to sit idly by. He pulled out his phone and logged onto Little Bear TV, ready to start flaming An with his alt account.
Jiang Lele, even with his headphones on, could hear Jiang Shi muttering angrily. He turned around and saw the minimized live stream on Jiang Shi’s screen.
He was about to say something when Jiang Shi let out an exasperated “fucking idiot” under his breath.
The explosive tone made Jiang Lele realize there was no way he could talk Jiang Shi out of this.
Without hesitation, he sent a message to someone for help.
Just as Jiang Shi finished typing in the password and logged into his alt account, he heard An’s stammering voice, “Captain, what are you doing here?”
Jiang Shi paused, realizing something, and looked up to see the ID next to his in the viewer list—
TLG-Xu.
The viewers in the stream were caught off guard by Xu’s appearance, as they didn’t expect him to join such a low-level conflict, and they became excited.
[Is Xu here to stand up for his new ADC?]
[I doubt it. An was with TLG for three years, while this ADC probably just signed with TLG. They probably haven’t even spent much time together.]
[Xu and An spent three years together. I actually think Xu is here to put this arrogant new ADC in his place.]
[You’re thinking what I’m thinking. If An really made a deal with another team before the finals, TLG wouldn’t have parted ways with him so peacefully, right?]
[This Time guy is really good at stirring things up.]
[TLG should just bring An back during the next transfer period.]
Jiang Shi’s grip on his phone tightened as he watched the barrage of comments flood the screen, his earlier determination to log into An’s stream with an alt account slowly fading.
The sight of those comments about “three years” and “a few days” struck a nerve, leaving him both angry and hurt.
Was Xu here to reprimand him? Was he really going to scold him in front of everyone in An’s stream?
An, clearly unsure of what was happening, hesitated before calling out again, “Captain?”
[TLG-Xu: I’m not your captain anymore, so don’t call me that.]
[TLG-Xu: I’m here for Time.]
Jiang Shi instinctively began typing to let Xu know he was there, but no matter how hard he tried, the message wouldn’t send. In frustration, he slammed his head against the keyboard.
He’d forgotten that An had muted him!
Thankfully, his fans were still there, and they quickly began flooding the chat with complaints to Xu.
[An muted Time!]
[I can’t even imagine how pissed off my brat must be right now.]
[Xu, please help him!]
The next moment, An’s phone, which was sitting on his desk, rang. He glanced at the caller ID, his scalp tingling with anxiety. He didn’t dare answer it. “Captain—no, Xu, I didn’t mute him…”
Despite what he was saying, it was clear that he moved his mouse.
Jiang Shi, who had been slumped in his chair, immediately jumped up.
[Time: Captain QAQ]
[Time: I’ve been locked up for so long. Thank you for saving me, Captain!]
[Time: You’re the best, Captain.]
Jiang Shi’s fingers flew across the keyboard, sending these messages in rapid succession, each one marked by the special effects reserved for professional players, ensuring that everyone in the stream saw them clearly.
[Alright, you little idiot, can you stop acting cute?]
[Look at him flaunting the fact that he can still call Xu ‘Captain’ just because An can’t.]
[Those who know the situation will understand that this is his captain. Those who don’t might think he’s talking to his husband!]
[How embarrassing!]
An watched helplessly as they bantered back and forth in his own stream, his face turning pale with anger, but he could only grit his teeth, unable to say a word.
Some viewers even began asking Xu about whether An had indeed secured a spot with another team before the finals.
[TLG-Xu: TLG’s official Weibo will issue a statement on this matter today. We also hope that Player An will refrain from using TLG or any of its players as a topic of discussion in the future. Otherwise, we won’t hesitate to take legal action.]
This statement practically confirmed Jiang Shi’s earlier accusations.
Initially, TLG hadn’t completely severed ties with An, out of consideration for the three years they spent together. But now, with An throwing dirt on them, TLG saw no need to save face for him.
Seeing the chat overwhelmingly criticize An, Jiang Shi felt a sense of satisfaction. Just as he was about to log into An’s stream with his alt account to join in the bashing, Xu’s message flashed across the screen.
[TLG-Xu: I’m leaving.]
Jiang Shi immediately put down his phone, a smile curling up at the corners of his mouth as he cheerfully typed his reply.
[Time: Okay, Captain.]
