The World Championship quietly arrived amid intense training, kicking off in early May in Korea and lasting for half a month.
Before the matches even started, TLG fans and YB fans were already engaged in a cross-country online battle.
YB fans believed TLG was too heartless, as North had extended goodwill only to be humiliated by his former teammates. They swore to teach TLG a lesson on home turf in Korea.
Meanwhile, Jiang Shi’s fans in China were the main force in the debate, claiming that North had brought it upon himself and mocking YB, warning them not to cry when they lost.
Jiang Shi wanted to join the online battle, but Yuan Yang confiscated his phone, making him focus on training.
As the departure day approached, a large crowd of fans gathered at the airport to see TLG off. The banners and chants were even more intense than on the Spring Split finals day.
“Go TLG!”
“Take care of yourselves in Korea! Don’t eat anything given to you by others!”
“Nine, be confident! Your top lane is invincible!”
“Lele, charge in with all your might! Your teammates have your back!”
“Back, if you don’t destroy the enemy jungle, I’ll be disappointed in you!”
But when it was Jiang Shi and Xie Xu’s turn, the atmosphere suddenly shifted.
“T Bao, teach those trash-talkers a lesson for me!”
“You two should feed them a lot of dog food and show them off!”
“Xu, go solo-kill YB’s ADC! If not, I won’t approve of this marriage!”
Jiang Shi: “?”
The comments were so bizarre that he couldn’t help but glance back.
Then, he saw a dense crowd of supporters holding up uniform signs—
[I will support you both forever!]
Xie Xu patted Jiang Shi’s shoulder, “Let’s go.”
Lingering too long would disrupt airport order.
As they walked away, the fans’ voices carried strong encouragement and reluctance.
“Little White Hair, charge ahead! Mama will always be watching over you!”
“Good luck!”
“We’ll be waiting for your return!”
Jiang Shi took a deep breath, gave an “OK” sign, and strode off.
After arriving in Korea, just as the fans had hoped, TLG performed exceptionally well. They remained undefeated during the play-in stage, and when they faced YB’s secondary team, they secured a 3-1 victory, blazing their way into the semifinals.
Back at the hotel, far from home, the team finally had a rare, hearty meal.
It was cooked by Chengcheng and Yuan Yang from the secondary team.
Korean food didn’t sit well with most of the team members, so after qualifying for the semifinals, Chengcheng took it upon himself to buy groceries and borrowed the hotel kitchen to make a proper meal for everyone.
However, no one drank alcohol. After eating, Jiang Shi and a few others took the initiative to clean up and were about to head to the hotel’s exclusive training room for more practice.
Despite TLG’s seemingly glamorous success, every achievement was hard-earned through sweat and effort.
Moreover, the atmosphere in Korea was far from relaxed.
During the Spring Split, they had faced criticism, but the overall environment was still positive. Even rival team fans, after their teams lost, were only disappointed and sad.
But in Korea, they felt an invisible sense of scrutiny and disdain as soon as they checked into the hotel.
Jiang Shi wasn’t usually sensitive to such gazes, but one time, after finishing a match, he overheard people speaking in Korean while he was in a restroom stall. They mentioned TLG in a clearly disdainful tone.
That day, TLG had just advanced to the quarterfinals.
Afterward, Jiang Shi privately asked Smile about it. Smile explained that they were saying “it was just luck” and “they must be cheating.”
From that moment, Jiang Shi had been holding in his frustration.
Today, after defeating YB’s secondary team, he initially felt relieved. But when the crowd below started booing, he got so pissed that he slammed his headset on the table.
The camera even zoomed in on his face as if trying to stir up drama. Jiang Shi instinctively wanted to curse, but Xie Xu pulled him away.
Before leaving, Xie Xu even pushed the camera aside.
After the match, instead of feeling happy, the entire team was burning with anger.
“Don’t go train anymore. Everyone, sleep early tonight.” Yuan Yang stopped Jiang Shi. “With that expression, people might think you’re about to bomb the computer room.”
“Xiao Shi, you’ve been practicing too late every night. Take a break today.”
They wouldn’t fall behind just because of one less night of training.
Jiang Shi’s voice was tense. “I’m not tired.”
He was planning to secretly log into a Korean live-streaming platform later and queue into YB players. Given their high ranks, the chances of running into them were huge.
He just wanted to crush YB right in front of their fans.
But before he could act, Xie Xu said, “Time, I’m a little tired.”
Lately, they had been duo-queuing a lot, and since they shared a room, Jiang Shi’s late-night training would definitely disturb Xie Xu’s rest.
Jiang Shi hesitated, then changed his mind. “Fine, I won’t practice.”
Hearing this, Jiang Lele was about to head back with Yu Hui but got stopped by Yuan Yang.
“Don’t go reading all that internet garbage and end up crying under the covers later.”
“I won’t!” Jiang Lele retorted. “If I can’t win an argument, I’ll go find T Bao. It’s so cool!”
Ever since Jiang Shi joined TLG, he had never been bullied online.
Yuan Yang rolled his eyes. “Go to sleep.”
He really shouldn’t have worried about these brats.
Back in their room, Xie Xu went to wash up first. When he came out, he saw Jiang Shi sitting on the bed, typing seriously on his laptop.
Xie Xu turned up the 18°C air conditioning a bit before asking, “What are you doing?”
Jiang Shi didn’t look up. “Confirming something with Bamboo.”
Before Xie Xu could ask further, there was a knock at the door.
“Captain, go open it. I’m busy.” Jiang Shi didn’t even lift his head. “Lele said he saw a watermelon vendor outside and wants to bring us some later.”
By now, Jiang Shi had gotten used to bossing Xie Xu around.
Xie Xu opened the door—
“Xu, long time no see.”
It wasn’t Jiang Lele’s voice, but it wasn’t unfamiliar either.
Jiang Shi had heard it many times in match replays and interviews.
At the door stood a man wearing glasses, looking refined and composed. Despite having watched many of his live streams and interviews, this was Jiang Shi’s first time seeing him in person.
North’s gaze also landed on Jiang Shi.
As rumored, he had striking white hair and wore a casual T-shirt and shorts, sitting cross-legged on the bed with his laptop. The bed was messy, with a sock half-off his foot. To say that he’s “unkempt” would be an understatement.
Just as North was about to look away, he noticed Xie Xu’s jersey and phone beside the bed. Aside from the chaotic blanket around Time, the rest of the space was neat and tidy.
Was Time sitting on Xie Xu’s bed?
Even knowing they were close, the subtle visual impact made North furrow his brows.
Xie Xu blocked his view and asked, “What do you want?”
North lifted the plastic bag in his hand. “I heard you guys don’t like the food here, so I packed some good Chinese food from a nearby restaurant for you.”
Jiang Shi glanced at the food, three takeout boxes.
He said “for you guys”, but he had only brought enough for one.
Jiang Shi smirked internally, set his laptop aside, and continued watching North’s performance.
Maybe Jiang Shi’s stare was too obvious. North noticed him, looking a bit surprised. “Oh, Time is here too? I thought he went to practice. Did he gave himself a day off after defeating our secondary team?”
North’s tone was gentle, he even has a flawless smile on his face.”Did I disturb you?”
Jiang Shi shot back, face cold. “Yes.”
A hard retort to block North’s soft sarcasm.
North’s expression froze for a moment. But he quickly recovered and asked Xie Xu, “Let’s have a meal together?”
“No.” Jiang Shi looked at Xie Xu and said in a hard voice, “What if he poisoned me?”
This wiped off North’s smile.
He knew that before the competition, the diet of each team was very strict. Nobody would eat food from unknown origins. However, this was the first time that someone had so blatantly said it out-loud.
Just as North wanted to say something, he was interrupted by Xie Xu.
Xie Xu’s tone was a little apologetic, “Sorry, my boyfriend doesn’t allow me to eat out with strangers.”
The sudden affectionate name almost made Jiang Shi’s cold expression fail to hold.
Jiang Shi rubbed his ears and looked towards the bathroom. “Captain, I’m going to take a bath later. Can you help set me the hot water?”
Xie Xu’s presence would only affect Jiang Shi’s “performance”.
Xie Xu was a little amused. “Alright, I’ll do whatever you want.”
After saying that, Xie Xu ignored North who was at the door and really went into the bathroom to flush the toilet. He also considerately closed the bathroom door to show that he would not eavesdrop.
North was ignored and felt a little embarrassed, but fortunately he was mentally strong and quickly adjusted himself. He walked inside and put the food on the table next to him. “Time, actually I came to see you this time.”
Jiang Shi was looking down at Bamboo’s reply to him, and he didn’t even raise his head. He perfunctorily said, “I don’t want to see you.”
Fortunately, North began to get used to Jiang Shi’s style, and continued his topic naturally, “I checked before, and heard that you joined TLG because of Xu. Do you admire him very much?”
Jiang Shi finally looked up, then started to correct him. “Admire? What? No. I like him, have you really done your research?”
The last rhetorical question almost made the emotionally stable North unable to continue the conversation.
Are these gays so bold now?
He tried to maintain a good expression, “Really? I guess I missed that. Xu has been playing in the professional arena for almost five years, so he can’t accompany you for long. “
“You should know better than me. His hand’s performance has started to decline.”
Jiang Shi finally gave him a straight look, his eyes were cold, “What do you want to say?”
Seeing his expression, North finally felt a sense of accomplishment, “I am here on behalf of YB this time.”
“Xu can’t play for long, it’s a pity for you to stay in TLG. Do you want to come to YB? YB is the championship team, and the treatment will not be lower than your current one.”
“First, let’s skip on whether YB can win the championship this year.” Jiang Shi raised his eyebrows, “If I join YB, then you will be my substitute?”
North: “You can join the second team.”
“I beat your second team so badly today that his mother can’t recognize him. Why should I go to such a garbage team?”
Jiang Shi’s words were sharp and aggressive, sinking North’s expression.
He was just a lobbyist, and it was impossible for him to recruit a player who would ruin his job. Jiang Shi was obviously going against him.
“You said the same thing to An last year, right? “Jiang Shi sat on the bed. Although he was in a lower position, his momentum was not inferior at all. He continued in a mocking tone, “Do you really think I’m as easy to fool as that idiot?”
Before coming to Korea, Yuan Yang told them that North was the best at psychological warfare. In last year’s World Championship, he talked to An alone. After that day, An rushed forward like a madman on the court, which eventually led to TLG’s defeat in the finals.
At this time, the computer beeped, and Jiang Shi lowered his head and tapped the keyboard, continuing in a casual tone. “Let me guess what you said to An last year?”
“Did you know that he signed the Hurricane in advance?”
Jiang Shi was typing and talking, and suddenly realized that something was wrong. He looked up at North, “An shouldn’t be so stupid that he was easily encouraged by you, right? What deal did you reach?”
North’s face changed. “What are you talking about?”
Jiang Shi suddenly became interested. “Is there really a deal? Don’t tell me… match-fixing? For example, he rushed forward, and you were supposed to fumble and let him win. Then, he asked you to do the same?”
North’s face flashed with shock, and although he quickly concealed it, Jiang Shi still caught it.
“You are quite smart!” Jiang Shi clicked his tongue, “It’s just that you didn’t let him win in the first game as agreed. Instead, you seized An’s weakness, slaughtered him in the game, and broke his psychological defenses directly. “
No wonder TLG lost so badly.
It’s essentially a 4v5. No, no, with An’s level, TLG became 4v6, and they were still missing the DPS. It would be a miracle if they could win.
However, Xie Xu once mentioned this guess to Jiang Lele casually. Jiang Shi overheard it, but waved it off, not expecting that An would be that stupid.
These two people are really bold. If this agreement of match-fixing is discovered, no matter how glorious their record was before, their careers will be ruined and there will be no possibility of recovery.
North looked at the computer that Jiang Shi had been fiddling with. His eyes looked vigilant. “Are you recording me?”
Jiang Shi scoffed. “I’m not as paranoid as you.”
North has never given him a chance, even if it is recorded. It’s useless.
It’s been a year since this happened, and it’s just their speculation, without any substantial evidence. If we really want to investigate, it all comes down to An’s betrayal of TLG and his pure stupidity.
“However, you have done so much for TLG, and you have put in so much effort, I should give you something in return.” Jiang Shi looked at the edited text on the computer and clicked send. “There have been so many comments online recently, are they all caused by YB?”
