Chapter Nineteen

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Seeing the eighteen-year-old jungler respond instantly, he understood, and the subtle emotion vanished. He wasn’t bullying a middle schooler; rather, he was earnestly guiding him.

[15:17] South: I know that Chishen is an insurmountable mountain, but you don’t have to imitate everything he does. If you want to learn, focus on jungling awareness.

[14:35] South: Chishen has the highest vision score in the league. His gank strategy centers on tower pressure, expanding vision infinitely; kills are just a bonus.

[14:35] South: Don’t get swayed by your teammates. If a lane can’t be pushed, immediately suppress a side lane to force the enemy to respond.

If the top lane is a lone king, then the jungle is the father. Helping the strong instead of the weak is a fundamental principle.

[15:35] Snake: Got it.

For some reason, the young jungler replied with a simple “Got it,” while the usually active AD player fell silent.

Chen Long stared dumbfounded at his ranking, which had climbed after being targeted. He had never reached the rank of “Supreme King,” and now he had effortlessly entered the top 100 in the national server???

Chen Long rubbed his eyes, feeling as if he were dreaming. Later, upon learning about this star-studded lineup, he held the ranking in even higher regard.

Meanwhile, Chu Yuan also felt like he was dreaming. Despite teaming up with second-string players, why was South still ranked ahead?

Lan Yan’s second team AD, Shang Zeyang, spoke up: “Being around rank 38 in the national server is about right. The captain might come by later. I’m logging off for now.”

The national server’s environment was poor; professional players rarely played there. Few would drag their teammates along to boost streamers’ ranking like him. This achievement alone could earn him first place on the leaderboard.

Unexpectedly, Chu Yuan cautiously asked, “Brother Yang, can you play a couple more games with me? Someone just hit rank 28.”

Rank 28???

Shang Zeyang didn’t expect any streamer to be ranked so high. But since Chu Yuan had been constantly flattering him, he didn’t want to lose face and paused his logout, replying, “Only 28? A couple more games and you’ll surpass that.”

Whether due to fewer high-level players or sheer luck, they encountered that streamer’s team in the very first match.

Shang Zeyang smiled, “This won’t take two games. One game, and I’ll send him back to rank 50.”

Chu Yuan breathed a slight sigh of relief. Although Shang Zeyang was only on the second team, his skill was still stronger than many first-team players on weaker teams—just not quite on par with a prodigy AD like Oliver.

But to his surprise, within ten minutes of the match, all three lanes collapsed!

Fresh from winning the secondary league championship, Shang Zeyang stared at the screen in disbelief. The opposing AD, even with one less support, was dominating him, with an astonishing 100 CS lead.

Sweat beaded on his forehead, especially since the captain, Xu Boyan, had come to the training room. The long-faced man adjusted his glasses: “A streamer team managed to beat you guys this badly?”

Everyone grew more nervous.

Lan Yan was the most professional team, and Xu Boyan was the most ruthless captain.

The opposing “I’m the Best” team was the first to notice.

[11:06] “I’m the Best”: The gameplay’s on another level. They swapped supports.

[11:17] Snake: The mid laner’s changed too.

[11:20] Little Dragon Girl was killed by LY.Mirror!

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[11:20] Cute Duck: Swapping players because they’re losing?

Normally, Ning Nanzhou would have harshly criticized them, but this new lineup was truly no joke.

The mid laner’s skill was solid, quickly turning around the collapsing mid lane. The most terrifying was the support—not only playing with ease but commanding with careful precision.

[Holy crap! Who is this support?]

[Could it be Lan Yan’s captain, Xu Boyan?]

[Impossible. If he was Xu Boyan, who would this other player be...]

The mid lane was the most crucial, but it had already been ravaged. Although the Nine-Tailed Fox had rotated to the bottom lane, that lane was also struggling, with every move anticipated and countered by the opponent.

Seeing this, he chose not to aid his teammates but instead to extend the advantage on the top lane.

He loved playing top lane because it was solitary; in losing matches, he could farm alone and push out lane pressure calmly. Spotting the enemy’s scattered positioning, he took a risk.

He charged alone into three enemies, executing a combo to take out the support and AD. Unfortunately, the enemy top laner had thick health and unleashed an ultimate when almost dead. Just as he thought he was about to be killed—

The jungler suddenly appeared behind him.

When the “Defeat” screen flashed, Xu Boyan sighed.

The members of Lan Yan’s second team lowered their heads in shame.

“Captain, it’s our fault for not trying hard enough. We’ll train diligently from now on!”

“Not your fault,” Xu Boyan shook his head. “That guy…”

He stopped mid-sentence. “Who is that top laner?”

—

Chu Yuan never expected that even with Xu Boyan on the team, they would lose. Shang Zeyang stopped replying to him. Seeing South’s ranking keep rising, he couldn’t help but upload a video.

[Chu Yuan] “Is this really without cheating? Hope the official can ensure a fair competitive environment.”

Countless replies followed.

[Little Snail] “One versus three in a losing game? That’s too surreal.”

[Chocolate Circle] “The surreal one isn’t just the streamer. How did the jungler know there was someone there?”

[Competitive Circle Referee] “The bottom lane duo is off too. Humanly impossible moves at 13:40?”

The young mixed-race player revisited his World Championship videos, closed the ones with nitpicking comments, and opened his alternate account videos. His lips barely twitched, but the comments were filled with accusations of cheating.

Angrily, he reposted the clips.

[Lan Yan Oliver] “I’m such a genius, do you really think I’d cheat???“

[Four Seasons Milk Tea] “??? Genius, first learn how to play?”

[Mandarin Duck Milk Tea] “Who says everyone in ranked is garbage? I still like your rebellious style.”

[A Little Bit] “I told you before, but you didn’t believe me. He’s so flashy and unbothered by negative reviews, then turns around begging for carries in ranked.”

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[Coke Without Ice] “Their own captain got crushed by their AD? Does Captain Xu not care?”

[League War Wolf] “Damn, he’s treated like a god in Lan Yan! All-Chinese roster gone! All-Chinese roster gone! Spring split is doomed!”

The news of Lan Yan’s AD bullying their own captain quickly went viral. While everyone laughed, someone dug up that the original poster had also cheated and disrupted competitive integrity, making the story even more dramatic.

Ning Nanzhou watched Chu Yuan’s banned livestream. He had planned to support Chu Yuan in the last event but now suspected that Chu Yuan was the one behind the dirty tricks. He never expected “I’m the Best” to be none other than Lan Yan’s prodigy AD.

A thought crossed his mind.

Could that jungler… be Chi Yu?

Oliver, seeing the message, wanted to say yes.

“Baby, not only have you played with Chi Yu, you’ve even taught him how to play,” but then he thought of Chi Yu’s threats.

[Lan Yan Oliver] “He’s my cousin from the countryside who idolizes Chishen.”

Ning Nanzhou breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing they shared the same burden, he added him as a friend without hesitation.

The event results wouldn’t be out anytime soon. In the afternoon, he went to FKW for a part-time job, hesitating on whether to wear the necklace. In the end, he decided against it.

As usual, he sat at his desk organizing past data. This time, his materials included not just patch analyses but also insights on other teams.

Unconsciously absorbed, he didn’t notice someone quietly watching him from beyond the glass wall behind.

Yang Ji, seeing Chi Yu walk past the analysis department to get water, teased, “Weren’t you worried about distractions?”

“I came for the new patch materials,” said the man with jet-black hair calmly. Noticing the boy’s desk held only a cup of plain water, he added, “Your department’s perks aren’t great.”

Ning Nanzhou continued sorting materials at his seat. Yang Ji came over carrying a huge bag of snacks.

“Eat a bit before continuing.”

He eyed the mountain of snacks. “Brother Yang, isn’t this too much?”

“The club sent a big gift pack. If you can’t finish it, take it home,” Yang Ji smiled. “You’re still at school most of the time, right? Must be tough studying.”

Ning Nanzhou looked at the snacks—all his favorites—and the freshly baked cranberry cookies. His dark, jade-like eyes lowered.

“Probably from Chi Yu, right?” he said. “It was his idea for me to come to FKW, wasn’t it?”

FKW wouldn’t need a biology major, nor lack someone to organize data, but Chi Yu was careful to protect his pride.

Yang Ji fell silent. Premature maturity wasn’t a compliment—it meant being forced to grow up when one should be cherished, sharpening the ability to detect even the slightest kindness.

Because that was something he desperately lacked.

Ning Nanzhou noticed the silence and clenched the necklace tight.

Unable to express what he felt, he realized he had become greedy. He only wanted to see that person, but now he longed to be just a little closer.