TLG had the league’s twin stars, Xu and North, dominating domestically and even surpassing Korea’s top team, YB, to win the world championship.
But right after their victory, at the peak of their momentum, TLG’s marksman North requested a transfer. To make matters worse, their mid-laner retired, forcing the still-young trainee, Lele, to step up in a crisis.
TLG plummeted from its highest peak to its lowest valley. Perhaps foreseeing the team’s uncertain future, their jungler also chose not to renew his contract when it expired. In response, TLG’s captain, Xu, scouted an unknown player named Back from a small team.
In just one year, TLG underwent three player changes, many of which were unavoidable.
Fortunately, the team’s core, Xu, remained. He single-handedly held together the shattered team, forming a strong jungle-support duo with the new jungler, Back.
But the term “strong” was merely TLG’s official stance. Not a single old fan believed in them. Everyone urged Xu to bring North back, or at least recruit a stronger mid-laner. Otherwise, they were convinced TLG would collapse sooner or later.
Under the weight of these harsh criticisms and the pressure of the upcoming tournament, the atmosphere in TLG was heavy. Their training room was often silent, filled only with the sound of keyboards and brief, functional game callouts.
As TLG’s captain, Xie Xu showed no signs of being affected, though he smoked more than before.
Jiang Lele came down from the third floor and saw Xie Xu smoking at the far end of the balcony. After hesitating for a moment, he still couldn’t resist approaching. “Captain, smoke less, or Yang-ge will complain again.”
Xie Xu flicked his cigarette toward the wind and finally looked away from his phone screen.
“What are you looking at, Captain?” Jiang Lele asked.
He thought he saw a hand in the picture, though it was blurry.
Xie Xu put his phone back into his pocket. “Nothing.”
Some fan must have dug up an old screenshot of him. But it was just his one hand. He only found out about the picture when someone messaged him on QQ today.
Noticing Jiang Lele glancing toward the training room, Xie Xu spoke. “Back’s still inside.”
Hearing this, Jiang Lele immediately changed directions. “I’ll check on him. He trains too late every day.”
Back’s full name was Yu Hui. He was TLG’s newly recruited jungler, and after joining the team, he spoke very little. With a reserved personality, he spent all his time in the training room. Aside from a few brief exchanges when Jiang Lele pestered him, he rarely said a word — like a robot programmed solely for training.
Jiang Lele loved teasing robots.
But before he could reach the training room, Xie Xu called him back.
Xie Xu flicked off the ashes of his cigarette and spoke in a light tone. “Those online comments are of no value. They’re worthless.”
Jiang Lele paused for a second but didn’t turn back. His voice remained as carefree as ever. “Captain, what are you talking about? Such trashy words don’t get to me.”
He had a strong mindset.
Jiang Lele waved at Xie Xu, saying, “I’m going to find back.”
Then, he continued toward the training room. Inside, he spotted the figure slouched in an esports chair, wearing headphones. His steps immediately lightened.
He held his breath as he approached from behind, then suddenly raised his voice. “Back!”
He meant to startle him, but Back barely reacted. He only lifted his eyelids slightly, giving Jiang Lele a cold glance. “So noisy.”
His tone was icy and indifferent.
But Jiang Lele was used to it. At least now Back bothered to call him noisy. When he first joined, he wouldn’t say a single word unless Xie Xu spoke to him.
“I just ran into the Captain outside.” Jiang Lele’s eyes sparkled with mischief, his voice carrying a hint of anticipation. “He saw I was in a bad mood and told me to come to you for comfort.”
Hearing the first half, Yu Hui’s fingers hesitated on the keyboard. But by the second half, he completely ignored it and refocused on his game.
Jiang Lele hadn’t expected his lie to be exposed so quickly. Pouting, he sat beside Back and waited for him to finish the match, dragging his chair closer. Their arms brushed briefly, and Yu Hui instinctively pulled away. Jiang Lele, of course, leaned in further.
Back and forth, until Yu Hui’s arms were too cramped to execute his skills properly.
He finally looked at Jiang Lele. “Move your hand.”
His tone was sharp.
Jiang Lele studied him for a second, realizing Back was genuinely annoyed. He withdrew his hand, sulking as he played on his phone instead.
After scrolling aimlessly for a while, he couldn’t resist checking Weibo and reading the comments under the official TLG account.
[Spring Split is starting soon. Think this makeshift TLG will even make it past the top 16?]
[Who knows! The new ADC and mid-laner are trash, and the jungler’s decent but plays like a lone wolf. Without Xu pushing him forward, he wouldn’t even step up.]
[But I have to admit, Xu has a good eye. He actually found such a promising jungler. Unlike that mid-laner… what’s his name again?]
[Lele.]
[Right, right. What a joke. How did he even get into TLG’s trainee program? What did he offer to get promoted to the main team?]
[Not surprising, honestly. TLG is just a garbage bin now. Any random guy gets treated like treasure.]
[Let’s be real, out of the three rookies, this mid-laner is the most underwhelming. I bet he’ll be replaced before Spring Split even ends.]
[Hahaha, we all think he’s trash. Maybe TLG management will have a rare moment of clarity and kick him out early.]
Jiang Lele’s smile gradually faded as he read the comments and the countless replies agreeing with them. He wanted to fight back, but his fingers hovered over the keyboard for a long time, unable to type a single word.
He wasn’t good at arguing or cursing people out.
Back when he was a trainee, he wasn’t well-known. He didn’t have this many people attacking him.
Jiang Lele clenched his phone, silently repeating what Xie Xu and Yuan Yang had told him before—
“TLG chose you because of your teamwork.”
He used to play assassin mages but was now transitioning to utility control mid-laners, providing CC while still managing decent damage output.
It just wasn’t as flashy as his teammates’ stats.
He blinked away the sting in his eyes, thinking that once Back finished this match, he’d ask if he was hungry and order some hot noodle soup to share.
But before he could put his phone down, he saw Yu Hui, fresh off one match, immediately queue for another without hesitation.
Jiang Lele’s eyes widened. Unable to hold back, he tugged at Back’s sleeve. “Back…”
Without even looking at him, Yu Hui said, “I’ll be training late tonight. You don’t have to, but don’t distract me.”
Jiang Lele fell silent for a long time before finally saying, “I’m a little hungry. Can you—”
Before he could finish, Yu Hui cut him off. “No.”
With Spring Split around the corner, TLG was falling apart. Xu was doing his best to hold things together, but this was a five-man game. Yu Hui didn’t want to be the weak link. More than anything, he didn’t want to lose.
Jiang Lele opened his mouth but said nothing.
Back’s face, illuminated by the monitor, held the sharp determination of youth.
Their new jungler was handsome. Despite his short time in pro play, he had already brought a fanbase with him when he joined TLG.
And just now, under those Weibo comments, Jiang Lele saw many of Back’s fans defending him. Some even swore he shouldn’t be compared to a “trash” like Lele.
Jiang Lele quietly let go of Yu Hui’s sleeve. “I have just one thing to say, that is, don’t keep training until so late. Your health is the capital of the revolution, after all.”
He forced his tone to sound light. “And TLG eats breakfast. You always oversleep, should I keep knocking on your door in the morning?”
This time, Yu Hui finally turned his head and pulled the headphones off his head.
His voice was clearly annoyed. “Jiang Lele, do you not understand what rejection means?”
“I don’t need you waking me up in the morning. I set my own alarm. If the coach wants to chew me out for missing breakfast, let him. I don’t need you speaking up for me, and I especially don’t need you sneaking buns to me.”
“I’m not a newborn that needs bottle-feeding.”
“Stop sticking to me. Got it?”
One cold sentence after another hit Jiang Lele, leaving him stunned. “Huh?”
Yu Hui didn’t talk much, and Xie Xu wasn’t exactly the caring type, either. He rarely exchanged more than ten words with Yu Hui a day. Jiang Lele was just worried the new guy would feel too isolated, so he kept making conversation.
He just didn’t realize he was such a bother.
Jiang Lele wanted to say he wouldn’t be annoying anymore, but before he could open his mouth, he suddenly felt something wet on the back of his hand, which was resting on his knee.
He looked down in confusion — his hand was covered in droplets, and his vision was blurry.
When he lifted his hand to wipe his eyes, he realized: Ah, he was crying.
Why was he crying? He’d heard worse things before.
Even as he tried to comfort himself, the tears wouldn’t stop.
Yu Hui stared at the tears streaming down Jiang Lele’s face. It was so fast, yet paired with that utterly confused expression… and felt like something had hit his chest hard, leaving a numb ache. “I didn’t even yell at you. Why are you crying?”
His tone was stiff, but the coldness from before had vanished, even replaced by a subtle panic.
Jiang Lele’s round little face was completely soaked. Yu Hui instinctively reached out to wipe the tears, but as soon as he touched the warm skin and wet cheeks, he realized it felt wrong and pulled back, grabbing a tissue to hand over.
“Stop crying.”
Jiang Lele was always smiling, and Yu Hui had never imagined he’d cry, especially not like this, with full-on hiccups.
He used the tissue to cover his face, not even sure why his emotions had crumbled so quickly.
It must be that damn Back. He was too mean.
When the tissue was soaked through, Jiang Lele grabbed another. As he did, he felt someone awkwardly yet gently pat his back, making his sobs pause for a second.
Just when Yu Hui thought he’d calmed down, Jiang Lele started crying even harder, practically wailing now.
“What the hell did I do to deserve this kind of abuse?!”
“How can they say I suck! I’m just a utility mid-laner, what do they expect, me to drop 30k, 40k damage like you? Sometimes I have to tank damage for others too!”
Jiang Lele’s voice was both aggrieved and angry. When he finished, he crumpled the tissue soaked with his tears and tossed it into the trash, snatched another one from Yu Hui’s hand to blow his nose, then glared at him with red, teary eyes.
“And you! I was being nice because I thought you’d be lonely on your own. But no — you think I’m some nagging mom trying to bottle-feed you! You think I’m annoying!”
That accusation left Yu Hui speechless.
To be more accurate, he had absolutely no idea what to do with a crying Jiang Lele.
After venting, Jiang Lele not only stopped crying, he even sat up straighter, looking surprisingly imposing. Even though his face was still damp with tears, he said with fire in his eyes, “Yu Hui, let me tell you something. You think I’m annoying? Well, I don’t give a damn about you either! Tomorrow I’m going to hang out with Nine!”
Yu Hui: “…”
He pressed his lips together, then under Jiang Lele’s intense glare, finally said, “I don’t think you’re annoying.”
Jiang Lele, still aggressive: “And?”
Yu Hui hesitated. “Don’t go to Nine.”
That little retreat deeply satisfied Jiang Lele’s ego. He huffed, “Fine, I won’t stoop to your level, little brat.”
And in fact, though Yu Hui was a year older, Jiang Lele felt like he was the senior since he joined the team first. So obviously, it was his job to look after the rookie.
This time, Yu Hui didn’t give him the cold shoulder or talk back. Once he confirmed Jiang Lele had stopped crying, he turned his attention back to the computer.
Because his rank was so high and it was so late at night, the game had taken forever to match. But now, it had finally started.
Yu Hui was just about to put his headphones back on when Jiang Lele said, “I’m hungry.”
There was still a slight sob in his voice, but he said it boldly.
Yu Hui put the headphones down. “What do you want? My treat.”
“Beef noodles. Extra beef. You only get rice noodles.”
Not only did Jiang Lele place his own order, he also decided for Yu Hui—because he wanted both kinds.
After he spoke, he seemed to only just notice Yu Hui’s game screen and added in a fake-casual tone, “If you’re eating with me, what about your game?”
Yu Hui glanced away from his still-red nose, typed a few words in chat, and replied, “Requeue.”
Jiang Lele curled his lips into a smile, but quickly pressed them back down when Yu Hui turned his head. “Then hurry up and requeue and order takeout. I’ve been starving.”
Yu Hui gave a soft “mm.”
“I can’t even get along with Nine. I lied just now.”
“I know.”
“You really don’t think I’m annoying?”
“Mm.”
“So I can keep sticking to you?”
“Do whatever you want.”
HAHAHAHAHA cuteee