Wang He stared at his monitor, numb. DEFEAT! They were the same letters from a couple of days ago when he lost to Tang Bingyao in solo queue. I-impossible! I lost to her again! This cant be! No! We were going to win the Regionals this year! We were finally going to make it to Nationals! This He didnt even feel angry anymore. Everything hed worked so hard for crumbled down around him. The long hours he spent practicing with his university team suddenly felt like the biggest waste of time in his life. W-we lost We lost to a bunch of high schoolers.

The other players from East China University of Science and Technology werent in much better shape. The game was over after Luxs play in the mid lane at 18 minutes, yet the game lasted until the 26th minute. They couldnt surrender, it just wasnt done in this type of competition. So they played those 8 minutes of pure torture, grinding their teeth and raging at the fact they were losing to high schoolers. Now the game was lost, morale was at an all time low, and they had to play again.

Zhu Feng looked at his teammates and said over the teams voice chat, Alright, guys. We cant sit here and sulk. Its a best of three series. The next one is gonna be our game! Were going to win and kick their asses! Lets make everyone remember how good we are!

Just one more game, Hu Hui grunted. One more game and were out. Out in the first round is bad enough. But out against a high school team? No. Just no. We cant let this happen. We just cant!

Zhu Feng nodded and added, We cant! Now lets focus on the next game. Champion Select is about to begin. Were just going to have to play our best! We can still do this, guys! Were starting at zero again. Two wins, same as last game. Two wins and were through.

Can we ban his Thresh? Hu Hui asked. It got a quick round of approval from the rest of the team.

That was how the Champion Select started. East China University of Science and Technology banned three strong defensive Supports, while Team Shanghai banned three powerful meta champions. Next up was locking in Champions. East China University of Science and Technology was on the Blue team this game, so they got first pick. They locked in Irelia. Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao were up next, locking in Orianna and Lucian respectively.

Everything pointed towards a lineup that was similar to the first game. But that all changed when Zhang Hao locked in Fiora. He was normally a team-oriented Toplaner. This meant that he chose Champions that provided Support to his teammates. They were defensive Champions like Mundo, high utility Champions like Gnar, or even a teamfight monster like Rumble. What he never played was the aggressive duelist. The kind of champion that won the lane and kept on pushing until they destroyed the Nexus. But that was exactly the type of Champion Fiora was.

There were a couple of raised eyebrows in Team Shanghais soundproof booth at Zhang Haos choice of Champion. But Fiora fit the strategy An Xin had decided on, so no one said anything about it. But that quickly changed when it was Zeng Ruis turn to choose a Champion. He glanced at Lin Feng and chewed on his lips. Ive thought about it enough. That stupid thundering dumbass is right. Its impossible. It is! But hes right I need to trust them. We play aggressively... He scanned through the viable Support options for their game plan and finally landed on Annie. She was a highly aggressive Support, completely different from Zeng Ruis usual high health and strong crowd control skill type Champions.

Lin Feng grinned and said over the teams voice chat, Nice choice, ZengZeng! You really want to set this game on fire, huh! Blast them away with your fire!

Youre mistaken, Zeng Rui replied calmly. Annie fits our team comp the best.

Tang Bingyao looked at Zeng Rui and tilted her head. She said, Mhm? Youre lying.

Zeng Ruis eyelids twitched but he kept his voice calm and steady. Incorrect. Im telling the truth.

Tang Bingyao raised an eyebrow and repeated, Youre lying.

An Xin giggled just loudly enough for the others to look at her. She then winked at Tang Bingyao and said over the teams voice chat, Alright, lets move on. Nothing wrong with getting a little pumped up every now and then!

Game 2

East China University of Science and Technology (Blue Team) versus Team Shanghai (Red Team)

Top lane: Irelia versus Fiora

Jungle: RekSai versus Lee Sin

Mid lane: Ziggs versus Orianna

Ad-carry: Jinx versus Lucian

Support: Nami versus Annie

The audience got excited when they saw the lineups for the second game. East China University of Science and Technology went with a safer team composition that relied more on teamfighting in the mid and late game. It was the safe and expected choice after the first game. But Team Shanghai went fully on the aggressive! They picked powerful Champions, like Lee Sin who was the strongest early game Jungle, to win this game before it could even get to the mid game!

What do you guys think? Another win for the high schoolers?

Maybe theyre getting a bit c.o.c.ky here

What? Lol. You saw how good they were in the first game, right?

Still This seems like taking unnecessary risk If you lose youre out!

Doesnt matter to them. They can lose one and still be in! Haha! Zhu Feng is the one who has to worry!

Annie to win the bot lane! Lee Sin in the Jungle! Fiora smashing in top! And then that f.u.c.k.i.n.g GOD in the mid lane!

WOOP WOOP! Win to Team Shanghai it is! WOOP WOOP!

Welcome to Summoners Rift!

The game started. Both teams went with normal lanes and neither side was interested in invading the other teams Jungle. The first minion waves spawned and the whispers started sounding throughout the venue. This was a boring start to the game. But that all changed in the next couple of seconds. Completely unlike the start of the first game, Zhang Haos Fiora suddenly played hyper aggressively! She Lunged at the Irelia every time the skill came off cooldown and dealt poke damage. This culminated into a beautiful kill at Level 3. Irelia underestimated how much damage Zhang Haos Fiora did and was punished for it.

First Blood!

The audience barely had any time to cheer for this kill when the excitement continued in the bot lane. Pyromania was Annies passive skill. After casting four spells, her next one would stun the target. Zeng Rui had charged Pyromania up and now waited in the brush for Blue teams Nami or Jinx to step out of line.

Nami made the first mistake. She stepped a little bit too far forward in an attempt to dish out some poke damage on Tang Bingyaos Lucian. Zeng Ruis Annie flashed forward with a mottled radiance and cast Incinerate! A blazing cone of fire spread out in front of Annie, stunning the Nami!

Tang Bingyaos Lucian followed up with Relentless Pursuit! She dashed forward and raised both her guns to fire a double shot at Nami. She kept both guns aimed at Nami to fire Piercing Light at her, and then another double shot. The burst damage was too damn high! Namis health bar simply disappeared.

You have slain an enemy!

The heck is going on? Thats the second one already! Its not even five minutes!

Sweet jeezsuss! Theyre poppin off for real!

The high schoolers really are gonna knock Zhu Feng out! Shit! Who wouldve thought!

That Support and Toplaner are really f.u.c.k.i.n.g carrying this game

Its like they took something after the first game

F.U.C.K THEYRE GOOD!

But the most terrifying aspect of this abrupt change in Team Shanghais playstyle was the fact that Zhang Hao and Zeng Rui were still the same as before. Just because they slightly altered their approach to the game, that didnt mean they lost their heads. Zhang Hao was playing as solidly as ever, though he was channeling that into a far more oppressive and overbearing manner than before. And Zeng Rui still commanded over the lane and the game with his cold, analytical approach. Because, as he realised, it was very much possible to combine the trust Lin Feng spoke about with the methodical playstyle hed mastered over the last couple of years.

It went without saying that Lin Feng, An Xin, and Tang Bingyao were also playing at a very high level. Tang Bingyao found a rhythm in Zeng Ruis aggressive playstyle that hummed in perfect harmony with her own. The two played better together than ever before, pushing until the Blue teams Botlaners were either dead or forced to recall back to their base to buy health pots!

An Xins Lee Sin was running around the map. She fought the monsters in the Jungle Camps and only appeared to gank when East China University of Science and Technologys Jungler did. But she always appeared right when he did. It was like she knew exactly where he was. As if she were mirroring his Jungle paths. But it wasnt completely similar either, because she was very much pulling ahead in experience and gold.

There was one more player on Team Shanghai. Lin Feng. He was the best player on the map, just like in the previous game. His Orianna pressured Zhu Fengs Ziggs until she forced him back to hide underneath his tower. Lin Feng built up a lead in creep score, as well as in gold and experience. And the few times Zhu Fengs Ziggs tried to do anything about it, Lin Feng was always one step ahead. He dodged the attempts on his and countered with attacks of his own.

How the f.u.c.k is that Ori that good!?

Its mental. Just mental. F.u.c.k.i.n.g crazy!

WOOOOOOOOO!

ZHU FENG IS GETTING BANGED IN THE ASS!

WOOP WOOOOOOOP!

Someone call an ambulance! Someone is getting stomped!

Zhang Hao was completely focused on his screen. Hed already pulled ahead of Irelia and was now looking to extend that lead. Get the last hit, deal some damage. Get the last hit, deal some damage. He looked for every opportunity to attack the Irelia, even if just with an auto attack. In this manner, hed already gotten her down to about half health. His eyes suddenly narrowed. Shes too aggressive. He glanced down at his minimap. Crap! My ward wore off! Shit, RekSai!

Hu Huis RekSai appeared from the river entrance in the top lane. He dug a Tunnel and arrived underneath Zhang Haos Fiora. Un-burrow! The RekSai charged out of the ground and knocked Zhang Haos Fiora up into the air! Blue teams Irelia followed up to the gank. She dashed forward to strike Zhang Haos FioraBladesurge! Then she stunned him with Equilibrium Strike!

An Xin saw the gank in the top lane. As expected. She smiled and had her Lee Sin move up into the top lane. Thats why I was killing the Gromp. Zhang Hao, she said over the teams voice chat. Fight! Ill be right there! Oh, wow! I need to hurry if I want to get an assist! Hes killing them both!

An Xins Lee Sin ran into the lane and fired a Sonic Wave at the RekSai, who was already below half health. The second part of this skill allowed her to dash at the marked target. Lee Sin flew forward with his leg in front of him, kicking the RekSai in the face for some extra damage. She then slammed her flat palm down on the ground for a Tempest of damage!

Zhang Haos Fiora was already Level 6, unlocking her ultimate skill. Grand Challenge revealed the four Vitals on RekSai. If he hit all four of them, a healing field would appear on the ground. But there was another way to activate this healing field. And that was by killing the RekSai.

You have slain an enemy!

The healing field spawned on the ground. Zhang Haos Fiora had lost nearly half of her health in the gank by RekSai, but now saw it shoot back up until it was full again. Blue teams Irelia wasnt so lucky. Her health was already below half at the start of the fight. Her Jungler was dead now too. She ran away and hid underneath her tower in a final attempt to survive, but that didnt stop Zhang Hao. He had his Fiora Lunge at the Irelia and finished her off with a couple of quick cuts and slashes.

Double kill!

Zhang Hao grinned, almost looking a little like Lin Feng. Its so much easier when youve got a Jungler that always has your back! BunBun really helped me get the kill on RekSai there before anything bad could happen! He nodded at An Xin and said over the teams voice chat, Thanks for that gank, BunBun! You just helped me win the lane! Ive got this!

Zeng Rui was playing Annie. The way to play her was to make plays happen. This wasnt just limited to the bot lane. Zeng Rui scanned the minimap while putting pressure on Blue teams Botlaners. At 9 minutes, he saw an opening in the mid lane. Red teams Ziggs was pushing just too far out from underneath his outer tower. Thats a mistake by the Ziggs! Lin Feng cant kill the Ziggs by himself. But Hes waiting for me to come, isnt he? He knows I have to come Zeng Rui gritted his teeth but still made the move. He had his Annie run up the river and when he arrived in the brush right below the mid lane, he said over the teams voice chat, Go in! Then he flashed forward and activated his ultimate.

Annies passive skill was active. Her next skill would stun whomever it hit! She threw her teddy bear up into the air. Fire suddenly blazed from within it! Its eyes radiated a fiery energy as its body grew several times in size! And then it dropped down to the ground, smashing its feet onto the Ziggs. Stunning the Ziggs.

Coming! Lin Feng exclaimed. He pressed down on the D key, quickly followed by the Q and W keys. All the while, keeping his index finger hovering slightly above the R key. His Orianna appeared right in front of the stunned Ziggs with a mottled flash of light. He then commanded his Ball to attack! It flew towards Ziggs and landed on top of him. Then it let out a pulse of dissonant energy, rupturing the Ziggs health bar!

Zhu Fengs eyes went wide. STUPID! F.u.c.k! he cursed, slamming down on his W keySatchel Charge! The exact moment that the stun broke, his Ziggs placed down an explosive charge underneath his feet. And then Zhu Feng pressed the W key again. The charge exploded, knocking Ziggs away towards his outer tower. For a brief moment.

Lin Fengs finger fell down on his keyboard, activating Oriannas ultimate. Orianna commanded her Ball to send out a shockwave. The pulse of energy wrapped around the Ziggs, who was in midair, and pulled him back towards the Ball. Gotcha! Haha! Lin Feng clicked on the Ziggs. His Orianna threw out a fidget spinner. Its sharp edges cut away the last bit of Ziggs health.

You have slain an enemy!

Lin Feng turned to look at Zeng Rui with a grin that reached from one ear to the other and said, Nice roam! See? Didnt I tell you, ZengZeng? This is far more effective! We shouldve played like this from the start!

Zeng Rui didnt give Lin Feng the pleasure of being right. He ground his teeth and stared at his screen. I hate him so much. I hate him so much! Why does this thundering dumbass have to be right? Why cant he just be wrong about this? Yes. YES! Im feeling great! Im loving this, you stupid thundering dumbass! Dammit! I hate him. I hate him so much!

While Zeng Rui had his Annie return to the bot lane, he glanced at Lin Feng. He took a deep, long breath to calm himself down. Trust. Its all about trust with him. But hes right about that. Theres something so so liberating about playing the game like this. I dont have to worry about what he might do. All I have to do is trust that hell have my back. And he had. He always has. We have each others backs. Thats how you play. And together we win. Thats teamwork. Why is this working so well? Why cant it just fail? He pinched his eyelids closed and took another deep breath. Because it works. Because its a really good way of playing the game. He chuckled and said over the teams voice chat, Lets do that again.

Team Shanghai had the more skilled players in each role compared to the East China University of Science and Technology, and on top of that were the better team. They pushed for an overwhelming advantage in the three lanes, while An Xin started to call Blue teams Jungle her home. All three outer towers from the Blue team fell before the 10th minute. And a few minutes later, Team Shanghai found themselves in such a commanding lead that it was hard to see them losing the game.

It turned out that it wasnt just hard to see them lose this game, it was impossible. Lin Fengs Orianna had the items to burst down any Champion that came her way. And Lin Feng had enough mechanics to outplay every second, third and fourth Champion that came at him to help their teammates. It wasnt any different in the other lanes. Everyone kept pushing, brute forcing their way towards the East China University of Science and Technologys base.

The 21th minute of the second game came around. Team Shanghai was pushing all three lanes. Red minions were crashing into the blue inhibitor towers. East China University of Science and Technology team could only passively defend, and even then had to be careful not to give away a kill. They were too far behind. There was nothing they could do to turn this around anymore.

F.U.C.K THIS BULLSHIT! Wang He suddenly shouted over the teams voice chat. He slammed down on the Enter key and typed /ff.

Zhu Feng bit on his tongue. He wanted to tell Wang He off for starting the surrender vote. This is an official tournament! We cant surrender! Thats bad manners! We have to play this out! And were still in it! If we can somehow win STUPID! He stopped himself. He knew they couldnt win. Two more green bars lit up, signaling that two teammates had agreed to the surrender vote. He let his head fall down. Fine. Lets surrender, he finally said over the teams voice chat.

The energy contained in the blue Nexus broke free. It twisted and turned and morphed into the victory emblem for Team Shanghai. It was game over for the East China University of Science and Technology. Team Shanghai was moving on to the next round after winning the first best of three series in a promising 2-0 fashion!

VICTORY!

A SURRENDER VOTE! THEY SURRENDERED!

HAHAHAHA! The high school kids got Zhu Feng to surrender! This is brilliant!

Oh my god, what a disgrace! Absolutely hilarious!

SWEET LORD! GOOOOOO TEAM SHANGHAI!

WOOP WOOOOOOOOP! HIGH SCHOOLERS FOR THE WIIIIIN!

GG to the high schoolers. They carried the shit out of that game!

F.u.c.k they were good Whos gonna beat them?

DID YOU SEE THAT? THEY SURRENDERED! HAHAHAHAHA!

Wang He walked out of the soundproof booth behind Zhu Feng. He slightly bent his knees, just far enough to hide his figure behind his team captain. He didnt want anyone to see him now. Were going to have to Im going to have to He glanced across the room at the door of the other soundproof booth. Team Shanghai was walking out, cheering and laughing. Im going to have to shake hands with with her. After everything Im going to have to He chewed on his lips, his stomach twisting in a knot and pulling tight. F.U.C.K! F.U.C.K! F.U.C.K!

Zhu Feng looked over his shoulder and said to his teammates, Be nice guys. Good sportsmanship and all that. Just congratulate them. He grimaced before adding, I know.

The two teams shook hands. East China University of Science and Technology did the best to hide their shame and disappointment. Even when Lin Feng was telling them how much fun the games were, they just nodded and wished him good luck in the next round. It was especially difficult to face An Xin and Tang Bingyao. When they first saw them, they joked about the two girls. They told each other that the first round was in the bag, because Team Shanghai had two girls on their roster. But they were proven wrong about that in painful fashion. The two girls had torn them apart.

Wang He glanced past Zhu Feng at Tang Bingyao. He dreaded having to shake her hand. Please dont recognize me. Please dont recognize me. Please tell me you didnt watch my stream. You dont know who I am! Please tell me you dont know who I am! He didnt dare to meet her eyes, extending his hand to her and quietly mumbling a few congratulatory words. Please dont recognize me. Please dont recognize me

Yuck. Why is his hand so sweaty? Tang Bingyao looked at Wang He, surprised and uncomfortable. A cold shiver ran up and down her spine. Whats wrong with him? He gives me the creeps She squinted her eyes a bit. Do I know him? Mhm? Lin Feng was pushing her forward, dispelling those thoughts. She moved on to the next person in line and gave them a hand. Well played.

Wang He glanced over his shoulder at Tang Bingyao. She isnt looking back. Good. She didnt recognize me. She really didnt recognize me! She didnt! The short burst of excitement disappeared again. She didnt recognize me. She didnt recognize me He shook hands with the next person on Team Shanghai, but kept looking at Tang Bingyao. She She doesnt even know who I am. His shoulders slumped and he kicked against an imaginary pebble on the floor. The knot in his stomach tightened so hard that it tore him apart. I spent all day worrying about her and she she didnt even recognize me! SHE DOESNT EVEN KNOW WHO I AM!

Wang Hes world collapsed around him. He stood in front of the soundproof booths. The audience was clapping and cheering, his teammates were trying to push him along, and Team Shanghai was celebrating in the background. None of it registered in his mind. Why did I worry so much about her? I havent even thought about the game. All I wanted to do was get my redemption against her She doesnt even know who I am! What am I doing here? I had a bad game, that was all. How did I turn that into this big storyline? He shook his head, listless. She doesnt even know who I am. Im such an idiot. Everything, it was all just in my head He gritted his teeth and looked at his teammates who were walking away, leaving him behind. I need to stop living in my head. Hey, guys! he shouted after them. Wait for me!