WCG Chapter 42.2

The match began, and the players took their seats on stage. The camera panned across the competitors’ faces. 

The male commentator chuckled, “Looks like everyone’s fired up for today’s game. The players seem in great shape, ready to go!”

“Of course,” the female commentator chimed in. “It’s the first match, and every team wants to start with a win. Not just the players, but the fans are really hyped too. Ever since the players showed up, the cheering hasn’t stopped.”

At that moment, the camera lingered on TLG’s side, giving Xie Xu extra screen time. In his black-and-red team uniform, the loose jacket couldn’t hide his impressive figure. His upright posture and sharp features exuded a subtle sense of intimidation, even while sitting. 

Xie Xu, noticing the camera on him, glanced up and gave a slight nod in acknowledgment. 

The male commentator teased, “As expected of an esports male god. Xu’s got the looks and the confidence to match.”

He then joked, “I’m curious to see how things play out when he faces off against his former teammate, An. Should be interesting.”

The female commentator agreed, “Both sides have surely prepared well for this. We’ll just have to wait and see how it goes.” 

She was about to transition to the next segment when the camera captured Xie Xu adjusting the collar of the new AD sitting beside him, revealing a closer look at TLG’s bot-lane duo.

Jiang Shi looked a bit annoyed at the moment. 

Earlier, he had brought a thermos to drink during the match, but as soon as he placed it on the stage, the staff had stopped him, saying only sponsor-branded bottled water was allowed. 

They confiscated his water.

But his throat was dry and itchy, and he really didn’t want to drink the cold, flavorless water provided by the sponsor. 

After Xie Xu adjusted his collar, Jiang Shi glanced over at him. 

“Mind your expression,” Xie Xu said in a calm voice. “The camera’s on you.”

Jiang Shi instinctively wanted to say he didn’t care if the camera was filming him, but then he swallowed his words and subtly leaned closer to Xie Xu. “Captain, my throat hurts.”

His hoarse, lowered voice carried a trace of pitifulness. 

Xie Xu paused for a moment, then called over a staff member, pointing at the bottled water on the table. “Could you please get him a warm bottle of water?”

Given the weather, there was warm water available, but it hadn’t been offered by default. Once Xie Xu requested it, the staff quickly brought Jiang Shi a warm bottle.

Jiang Shi unscrewed the cap, took a sip, and felt his dry lips moisten. He didn’t forget to thank Xie Xu, “Thanks, Captain!”

This small interaction was captured in full by the camera, and the two commentators exchanged knowing smiles. 

The male commentator laughed, “It seems that the relationship between TLG’s support and AD is very good. I heard they have been practicing together a lot recently, so their tacit understanding should be quite high.” 

“I’ve heard their playstyles complement each other well,” the female commentator added. Then she chuckled, “But I must say, I’m surprised — Time looks so well-behaved. He doesn’t seem anything like the rumors suggest. Maybe people have misunderstood him.”

Since joining TLG, Jiang Shi had only streamed once, and within the esports community, his aggressive, bold playstyle was widely known. His high kill rate by level 4 had earned him a reputation as a troublemaker on the battlefield.

The female commentator smoothly transitioned to the next segment, “Speaking of which, we’ve got a pre-match interview with the two teams’ ADs. Let’s take a look at what they had to say.”

The screen switched to An, who held a microphone. “I know the last thing TLG wanted was to face us in their first match. All I can say is, good luck.”

He paused, as if remembering something. “By the way, isn’t your AD sick? Just don’t use that as an excuse if you lose. That’d be embarrassing.”

An’s sarcastic tone prompted whistles and laughter from the audience. It was no secret that many doubted TLG’s chances, and the upcoming match against the Hurricane team had attracted a lot of spectators eager to see some drama.

Then the camera cut to Jiang Shi’s face.

He seemed to have been pulled in at the last minute, his face still showing signs of sleepiness. He yawned, covering his mouth. “What do I think of the match? You mean Hurricane team leeching off our fame?”

Lazily lifting his eyelids, Jiang Shi added, “Well, that’s true.” 

“Even if I’m sick, beating you guys will be easy.” He tilted his head slightly, a soft smile appearing on his face, giving him an innocent, almost childlike look. “I hope An has improved enough that I don’t get bored.”

As if to emphasize his point, Jiang Shi yawned again. 

The pre-match interview ended, and the crowd erupted into laughter, completely drowning out the earlier whistles.

The official livestream chat was exploding with comments.

[Is this a pre-match interview or a trash talk session?]  

[Haha, are they trash-talking each other from a distance now?]  

[The little white haired kid totally predicted what An would say. That clapback was so satisfying!]  

[Time left the commentators speechless, hahaha…]  

[But is T Bao really sick? He doesn’t seem in bad shape.]  

[According to some fans on-site, someone tried to lure Time over with Xu’s merch, but Xu said Time was sick and couldn’t stay in the rain, so he took him away.]  

[Apparently, he’s got a fever.]  

[Aww, my poor silly son.]  

[But seriously, did this kid just roll out of bed without washing his face before the interview? Can he look any messier?]  

[His hair looks like a bird’s nest. I remember during his first stream, there was even some dust in it. Now it’s faded to a genuine white mop.]  

[I swear, this guy doesn’t care at all about his image with us fans.]

While the fans were roasting Jiang Shi, he was also getting an earful from Yuan Yang.  

“Did you even bother to tidy yourself up before going on camera?” Yuan Yang asked as he put down Jiang Shi’s thermos. He had just rushed back, only to see Jiang Shi yawning on the big screen with his white hair in a mess. “Did no one remind you?”  

Yuan Yang had been caught up with something else, and since Jiang Shi was the only one awake at the time, he had sent him to do the interview.  

“And that was supposed to be a serious pre-match interview, not a trash-talking contest!”

Jiang Shi blinked and replied, “Well, the crowd seems pretty hyped.” 

The audience was practically roaring at that point.  

Yuan Yang: “…”  

Jiang Lele, laughing, added, “Yang-ge, I think you expected too much from the Little White Hair. It’s a miracle he didn’t insult anyone during the interview.”  

Yu Hui, who had always disliked An, chimed in, “Didn’t the other side start it? It’s normal to clapback.” 

Zhao Jiu laughed, “The fact that the officials aired it means it wasn’t too big of a deal. They’re probably hoping to stir up drama between Time and An for more buzz!”  

Yuan Yang was speechless.

“Alright, no point dwelling on it now,” Yuan Yang was too lazy to pursue the topic further, “Check your gear, see if there’s any problem with it. Prepare to start the match.” 

“Time, how are you feeling?”  

Jiang Shi gave an OK gesture to signal he was fine.

A few minutes later, the match officially began, and they entered the ban/pick phase. 

Hurricane team wasted no time, using all three of their bans on supports.  

Jiang Lele clicked his tongue, “They really respect our captain. I thought they’d target Time’s Senna instead.”  

After all, An had seen firsthand how devastating Jiang Shi’s Senna was during the first stream.

Jiang Lele glanced at Jiang Shi, who appeared expressionless, but Lele could still sense his mood.  

“Hey T Bao, you know what your face is saying right now?” He pinched his voice, mimicking Jiang Shi’s usual sarcastic tone, while smiling, “He looks down on me, and now he’s dead.”

The team burst into laughter, even Xie Xu cracked a small smile.  

Jiang Shi’s forehead twitched. “Jiang Lele, do you know what you should do after you retire?”  

Curious, Lele asked, “Huh?”  

Jiang Shi: “You should work at the zoo. As a parrot.”

The match continued, with Hurricane picking first. They locked in Miller, a mage marksman.  

This was clearly a counterpick aimed at Jiang Shi’s Senna, as her second skill grants physical immunity, but is useless against magic-based marksmen like Miller.  

The male commentator sighed, “Looks like we won’t be seeing Time’s Senna in this match. Against Miller, she’d be at a huge disadvantage, and I remember An’s quite skilled with this marksman too.”

“Hurricane’s choice shows confidence not just in An but also signals their intent to pressure TLG. We’ll have to see how they respond.”  

With only TLG’s final marksman pick remaining, the commentators noticed Time’s hesitation.  

“It’s actually not a tough game for TLG,” the male commentator noted. “Their jungle and support are really strong. Time just needs to pick a hero that can protect themselves, then play cautiously under the tower. There shouldn’t be any big problems.” 

The female commentator added, “Still, like many fans, I was hoping to see Time play Senna in this first match. It’s a shame.”  

After all, it had been a long time since anyone in the league had mastered Senna the way Time had.

The male commentator comforted the viewers, “No worries, we’ll get a chance to see it in the next game—”

Before he could finish, the Senna icon appeared on TLG’s final pick.  

In the next instant, the hero was locked in.