ATIBTF Chapter 98

“Pfft—” Jiang Min had just finished eating some candy and was drinking water to soothe his throat when he nearly sprayed it all over the screen.

“Sugar God?” The other people in the training room looked at him curiously.

Jiang Min rarely lost his composure like this, which made the moment even more attention-grabbing.

“It’s nothing, nothing, just choked a bit.” Jiang Min coughed while waving his hand, signaling them not to worry.

Damn, good thing he was wearing headphones. If that “sister-in-law” was heard by the others, they’d be absolutely floored.

“What did you just call me?” Jiang Min finally caught his breath, looking a little dazed.

“Sister-in-law, of course!” The voice on the other end, Yu Ning, sounded completely innocent. “Sugar God, you’re with my brother, right? That makes you my sister-in-law!”

“……” Jiang Min was momentarily speechless.

He turned to check Yu Hao’s reaction and saw that the guy was actually smiling.

“How did you find out?” Yu Hao coughed twice and tried to put on a serious face when he noticed Jiang Min staring at him.

They had agreed a while ago not to reveal their relationship to the team until the timing was right. After all, not everyone could easily accept their kind of relationship.

And with the World Championship underway, now was definitely not the time for such a revelation.

“Oh, I overheard you talking to Mom on the phone the other day and pieced it together!” Yu Ning admitted without hesitation.

“…So you eavesdropped on my call with Mom?” Yu Hao raised an eyebrow. “Not exactly great behavior, you know.”

Yu Ning quickly laughed it off. “Come on, that’s not the point! The point is, since you and Sister-in-law finally have time today, why not carry me in a few matches, bro?”

Jiang Min still felt a bit uncomfortable with being called “sister-in-law.” But since he had promised Yu Hao to help carry his little brother in a few games, he had no choice but to go along with it.

The three queued up for a ranked game and were quickly matched.

Yu Ning was a 3000-point fishpond player who had been stuck there for years without breaking through.

Yu Hao and Jiang Min’s accounts, even their lowest-ranking ones, were at least 5000 points.

This was the lowest-ranked account they could find to barely form a team with Yu Ning.

As soon as the game started, their two other teammates saw the 5000-point ratings and immediately celebrated.

【We’re set! Finally, no more losing streaks! Please carry me, pros!】

For a 3000-point player, a 5000-point player was practically a god.

【Are you guys recruiting sidekicks? I’d love to get carried too!】

【The pros must be playing with a girl! So jealous QAQ.】

The overly enthusiastic teammates kept chatting in the team channel. Ignoring them, Yu Hao asked Yu Ning, “What position are you playing?”

“Hmm… Since Sister-in-law is here, I’ll take position 1!” Yu Ning declared confidently. “I want to duo-carry the game with Sister-in-law and dominate!”

Jiang Min was almost immune to Yu Ning calling him “sister-in-law” at this point.

Yu Ning usually played mid-lane in ranked games. And for Chinese mid-lane players, who wasn’t a fan of Jiang Min?

After finding out that the Sugar God was now his sister-in-law, Yu Ning had been thrilled for days.

From now on, he’d be family with his idol! He could even learn mid-lane techniques directly from his sister-in-law. It was perfect!

But today, since his brother and sister-in-law were carrying him, he decided to play it safe and let the mid-lane position go to Sugar God.

“You want to play position 1? Are you sure?” Yu Hao sounded skeptical.

He knew exactly how skilled his little brother was.

Though Yu Ning dreamed of becoming a pro player like him, the truth was, he didn’t have the talent or skill. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been stuck in the fishpond for so long.

“Absolutely!” Yu Ning said with confidence. “Bro, you haven’t played with me in ages. I’ve improved a lot!”

“…Really?” Yu Hao was doubtful.

Jiang Min wasn’t familiar with Yu Ning’s skill level, but from Yu Hao’s tone, he guessed it might be… a bit underwhelming?

As it turned out, Yu Hao’s skepticism and Jiang Min’s guess were spot on.

Within ten minutes, Yu Ning had already been solo-killed four times in the bottom lane by the enemy off-laner.

[Girl, please stop feeding! Just stay safe and let the pros carry us!] One of their teammates couldn’t hold back and typed in the team chat.

Unhappy, Yu Ning immediately turned on his mic. “I’m not a girl! And I’m not feeding! What do you expect me to do when I can’t win my lane?”

Yu Hao sighed and said, “Just farm the jungle. I’ll take over the bottom lane.”

Knowing he couldn’t hold his lane, Yu Ning reluctantly moved to the jungle to farm.

Meanwhile, in the mid-lane, Jiang Min was playing effortlessly and even holding back. Despite that, he had completely dominated the lane and was on the verge of breaking through to the enemy’s base.

“….” Jiang Min was speechless.

After turning pro, Jiang Min hadn’t played in low-ranked “fishpond” games like this for a long time. Was the skill level in the fishponds always this bad, or had he just gotten unlucky with the matchmaking?

Although this match was meant to help Yu Ning climb the ranks, their sole objective was to win. Thus, Yu Hao decided to stick with Jiang Min and leave Yu Ning to fend for himself.

In a skirmish near the jungle in the bottom lane, Yu Ning was launched onto a high platform.

In WOC, heroes without mobility skills can’t get off these platforms unless they teleport home.

Unfortunately, Yu Ning’s hero had no mobility skills, and his teleport was on cooldown.

Yu Ning panicked. Below the platform were five enemy players. He was practically a sitting duck.

“Bro! Bro! Help! Save me~~~” Yu Ning cried for help.

Yu Hao’s hero had a hook skill that could pull Yu Ning off the platform.

“Cooldown,” Yu Hao replied emotionlessly.

Yu Ning pleaded, “Then don’t leave me! Wait until your cooldown’s up and get me down!”

Yu Hao replied calmly, “Let’s go. Don’t waste time with them; let’s push the high ground.”

Clearly, Yu Hao had no intention of saving his little brother and left him to his fate.

Jiang Min, who was already taking down the middle lane high-ground tower, obviously prioritized helping the team push rather than rescuing their struggling position-one player.

“No! Bro! Don’t abandon me!” Yu Ning wailed.

The remaining teammates, following Yu Hao’s lead, began focusing on the tower push instead of worrying about Yu Ning.

“Don’t leave me! Don’t abandon me!” Yu Ning was almost in tears.

Just then, a teleport animation lit up.

Jiang Min descended from the skies.

With his fully farmed mid-lane hero, he dove into the enemy backline, swiftly eliminating the squishy position-four and position-five supports. He then took out a retreating carry and finished off the enemy core, leaving only their off-laner fleeing in terror.

That’s the nature of fishpond games: once someone gets fed, they’re practically unstoppable.

“Wow! Sister-in-law is amazing!” Yu Ning cried out emotionally, almost moved to tears.

The flawless mechanics, the impeccable dive into the backline, and the seamless skill combos—he took out the enemies like they were children. It was awe-inspiring!

As expected of his idol!

【…Sister-in-law? Is this godlike player a girl?】

【Wow, I’ve never seen a girl this skilled before!】

【Respect!】

【Absolute legend!】

The two chatty teammates were spamming the public chat again.

Jiang Min typically didn’t use voice chat in ranked games, so his teammates didn’t know his gender.

Being mistaken for a girl didn’t bother him.

If he opened his mic now to explain he was a guy, it would probably shock his teammates.

Either way, the mission to help Yu Ning climb the ranks was a success.

Yu Ning logged off, satisfied, and promised to play with his sister-in-law again in the future.

Afterward, Jiang Min and Yu Hao relaxed on the hotel balcony, enjoying the breeze.

“…Does your family know?” Jiang Min asked, leaning against the railing.

“Yeah, they’ve known for a while,” Yu Hao replied. “I’ve never kept anything from them.”

Jiang Min paused.

Yu Hao understood what was on Jiang Min’s mind.

A relationship between two men wasn’t something widely accepted, and Jiang Min likely worried whether his own family could accept it.

“Don’t worry,” Yu Hao said with a smile. “My mom really likes you.”

Jiang Min was stunned. “Huh?”

Yu Hao explained, “Even before we got together, I told her about you. She was thrilled.”

Yu Hao’s mother was an open-minded person. After learning about her son’s orientation, she never objected to him finding a partner. In fact, she often urged him to bring home the person he liked.

When Yu Hao showed her Jiang Min’s photo, she even went out of her way to watch Jiang Min’s match replays and interviews. She was very impressed and eagerly anticipated meeting her “daughter-in-law.”

Jiang Min was speechless.

He had assumed that the biggest obstacle in their relationship would be Yu Hao’s family.

His own family situation was different. After his mother’s passing, his father barely paid attention to him. As an adult, Jiang Min rarely communicated with his father, and the man didn’t care much about what he did.

But for Yu Hao, acceptance from his family was a much bigger hurdle—or so Jiang Min had thought.

To his surprise, the obstacle he had built up in his mind had vanished so effortlessly.

“Once the World Championship is over, let’s visit my family during the break,” Yu Hao suggested.

Wait, meeting the parents already?!

Jiang Min was shocked.

Yu Hao smiled brightly. “I want to bring home both the championship trophy and you!”

---

After a brief break, the WOC Professional League Global Finals resumed.

Out of sixteen teams, only four remained. The championship match to determine the ultimate victor was drawing closer.

As per tradition, there was a draw before the semifinals.

The remaining teams were the defending champions NG, the sole European representative ING, and the two powerhouses of the WPL region, JW and AFK.

The draw ceremony featured Latte, the legendary position-one player from the U.S., who had retired earlier that year, as the guest.

Latte, a player with a storied career, had won multiple Grand Slams and two world championships, making him one of the most celebrated players in WOC history.

However, even such a legendary player couldn’t escape the toll of age and injuries. After a poor showing in the Spring Split, he announced his retirement.

The league had held a grand retirement ceremony in his honor, bidding farewell to the veteran player.

Inviting Latte to the semifinals draw was a delightful surprise for fans.

As soon as Latte appeared, the live-stream audience erupted in excitement, flooding the chat with comments.

【Waaah, Latte God! I love you!】

【I didn’t expect to see Latte God again!】

【Latte God, have you considered streaming?】

【Latte God! Latte God!】

Meanwhile, the members of JW were anxiously watching the live broadcast of the draw from their hotel.

“Please don’t let it be NG, please don’t let it be NG!” Hao Qianyi was chanting like a mantra.

“Stop jinxing it with that crow’s mouth of yours!” Wei Yabo snapped, still traumatized by Hao Qianyi’s “divine prediction” last time. Back then, they were hoping not to face LSG, but ended up matched against LSQ instead.

Latte first drew NG and MVP’s balls and placed them into two transparent boxes.

Next, it was time to determine their opponents.

Latte reached into the draw box and pulled out a ball.

The host took the ball and teased the audience with dramatic pauses.

The JW players felt their hearts in their throats.

“The team that will face NG is—” the host dragged out his words, “AFK from the WPL region!”

From the training room next door came loud wails of despair.

Without a doubt, that was the AFK team lamenting their luck.

---

Author’s Note:
Ahhh, I didn’t mean to leave it on a cliffhanger! I have to go on a last-minute business trip for a few days, so… (scratches head apologetically) I’ll need to pause updates until around next Tuesday or Wednesday!

This story is almost finished! It’ll end after the World Championship. Thank you all so much for your support! Muah!

[mfn]If you enjoy my translations, feel free to support me by leaving a comment below or sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you, and happy reading! -TL: YSIAD ❤️

⚠️ Do not copy or repost my translations without permission. Please read exclusively on knoxt.space.[/mfn]