TCWSITD – Chapter 12

Shen Ju couldn’t sleep.

Lying on his arm, his mind kept replaying the image of the cigarette between Lin Jiang’s fingers.

Those hands seemed made for holding a cigarette—slender knuckles, clean-cut bones, the glow of the flame flickering against the clear nails, tinting them with a soft red hue.

The shape of the bones beneath the skin was beautiful—like the delicate butterfly frames he used to see in display windows as a child.

Shen Ju turned over, still unable to sleep. The bright moonlight outside cast its light across the room, illuminating his restless thoughts.

Above him, Song Zhixu was also awake. The bunk bed creaked with his movements. Eventually, he leaned over the edge and looked down. “You can’t sleep either?”

Shen Ju shut his eyes.

But Song Zhixu still wasn’t ready to let it go. “Who do you think called the captain today? Could it have been someone from KUG? His expression changed completely after the call. I’ve never seen him like that before. He just kept staring down from the balcony, and I honestly… got worried he might jump.”

He hesitated, then added. “Shen Ju, do you get what I mean? It was this weird feeling… like, for the first time, I actually felt bad for him.”

Shen Ju opened his eyes.

Meeting his gaze, Song Zhixu got flustered and quickly lay back down. “Never mind—you wouldn’t understand. Get some sleep. We still have training tomorrow.”

Shen Ju found it even harder to fall asleep.

Yet he still woke up early the next morning.

His body had already formed a biological clock—and on top of that, he didn’t need much sleep by nature. While most people needed seven or eight hours to feel rested, he was fine with just four or five.

He washed up, got dressed, and headed downstairs.

Lin Jiang was already awake—even earlier than Shen Ju. He was leaning against the coffee machine, a notebook in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, brewing coffee for everyone.

Seeing Shen Ju come downstairs, Lin Jiang gave him a familiar smile. “Training hasn’t even started yet. Don’t want to sleep a little longer?”

Shen Ju tugged down the brim of his cap. “I don’t sleep much.”

He settled into his seat and booted up his computer to start training.

Then Lin Jiang’s voice came from behind: “Want something to drink? It’s not good for your stomach to be empty.”

Shen Ju froze for a second. His eyes instinctively flicked to the coffee in Lin Jiang’s hand.

But Lin Jiang didn’t offer it to him. Instead, he placed it on Song Zhixu’s desk.

“…”

Lin Jiang suddenly caught on and said, “That coffee’s not for you.”

Shen Ju replied with a quiet “Mm,” tugging his cap down even further. He put on his headphones and turned up the volume.

Suddenly, his cap was gently lifted, and a bottle of milk came into view.

“Drinking coffee on an empty stomach isn’t good for you. Here, have some milk instead.”

“Also,” Lin Jiang said, moving Shen Ju’s headphones aside, “your cap’s blocking your view. Don’t wear it so low.”

The headphones slid back into place, but Shen Ju’s heart was all over the place.

He turned his head and saw Lin Jiang reaching out to press the power switch of his computer. For some reason, he couldn’t help but notice how good those hands looked—not just gaming, but holding a cigarette, too.

His mind buzzed chaotically. Watching Lin Jiang log in, he hesitated—wondering if he should invite him to duo queue.

Just then, a ding notification sounded from the game.

[DUG_river has invited you to join a party.]

Solo/Duo Queue Mode]

“It’s still early. How about we queue for a couple of games first?”

Shen Ju responded with a quiet “Mm,” and clicked [Accept].

When he entered the lobby, he saw Lin Jiang locked in as mid lane, his primary role. Then Lin Jiang suddenly asked, “Want to try jungle? I’ll show you how I play.”

Understanding your teammates’ playstyles was fundamental, but since joining OT, Lin Jiang had very little time. Apart from playing training matches with the team, he mostly duo queued with A’Deng in his remaining time.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Without hesitation, Shen Ju replied with a firm “Mm.”

Suddenly, laughter came through the headset. “Why do you keep going ‘mm mm mm’
without actually talking to me? Are you shy?”

Shen Ju’s back stiffened.

He was a nationally ranked player in the server, known throughout the scene as a notorious trash-talker—why would Lin Jiang think he was shy?

Gripping the mouse tightly, he muttered, “No, not shy.”

Lin Jiang chuckled but didn’t tease him further.

In this match, he picked LeBlanc and typed in chat: [Mid won’t group.[mfn]中路不团 (zhōng lù bù tuán) – in-game lingo meaning the mid laner won’t participate in team fights, often said to declare a solo-carry mindset or independence[/mfn]]

Since he was using his main account, he was recognized the moment he entered.

[{Team} Cho’Gath: I’m your fan ahhhh! A’ Jiang!]

[{Team} Ezreal: Wuhu! Got matched with river, we’re taking off this game~]

[{Team} Cho’Gath: Can I get a friend request?]

[{Team} Ezreal: Me too, please!]

[{All} Jarvan IV: Damn, the enemy team has river?]

[{All} Jarvan IV: If we win, can I get a friend request?]

[{All} Garen: I want one too…]

Lin Jiang’s friend list had been full ages ago—even Shen Ju and the others had to squeeze their way in.

He politely turned them down—

[{All} LeBlanc: List is full, sorry.]

[{Team} Cho’Gath: QAQ No chance at all?]

[{Team} Cho’Gath: Maybe delete Shen Ju from your list to make room for me? He’s just gonna piss you off anyway…]

Shen Ju: ” … ”

He was using a smurf account for this match—a clean match history, no trash-talking, and no added friends. Normally, no one could recognize it.

Who knew he’d still get dragged into this.

Lin Jiang held back a laugh. “Shen Ju, they warded your blue buff. Watch out.”

“Mmm.”

Shen Ju wasn’t really familiar with playing jungle, so in this game he mainly focused on farming jungle monsters and spent the rest of the time watching Lin Jiang.

He’d seen plenty of Lin Jiang’s matches before, but never from this perspective. Watching from first-person made it feel different—more immersive.

Now, playing as the jungler, he finally realized just how strong Lin Jiang was.

The enemy mid laner was Galio, the Colossus—a champion specifically picked to counter LeBlanc. Despite begging for a friend request in chat, he had clearly been plotting Lin Jiang’s demise from the very start.

The enemy jungler had ganked mid four times before hitting Level 6. His playstyle was extremely sharp and deliberate, always managing to dodge vision—definitely a seasoned jungler.

And yet, under all that pressure, Lin Jiang dodged every single one of the four ganks.

Jarvan IV’s E-Q combo[mfn]When [Q – Dragon Strike] is cast immediately after [E – Demacian Standard] and the Q’s path intersects with the flag, Jarvan IV dashes to the flag, knocking up any enemies along the way.[/mfn] from fog of war is lightning fast—most players can’t react in time. On top of that, the E-Q-Flash combo[mfn]This combo can also be used to quickly close the gap for a knock up and then use his ultimate [R – Cataclysm] to trap enemies or escape.[/mfn] shortens the execution time and extends the range even further.

But the moment Jarvan IV engaged, Lin Jiang’s LeBlanc dashed backward instantly. Not only did he flawlessly dodge the E-Q-Flash, he even had the audacity to turn around and kite at the perfect distance—whittling down half of the Jarvan IV’s health in the process.

His confident counterattacks and fluid movements often made others question whether they were even in the same league as Lin Jiang.

The Prince attempted three more ganks afterward, but still failed to catch LeBlanc.

The enemy Galio couldn’t hold back any longer—

[{Team} Galio: river, seriously, tell me, how exactly am I supposed to catch and kill you?]

Lin Jiang smirked and typed—

[{All} LeBlanc: There’s no way you can catch and kill me.]

In that moment, Shen Ju saw a long-lost brilliance radiating from him—just like two years
ago, dazzling and radiant.

Feeling a flush of warmth, Shen Ju stepped into the mid lane brush to wait in ambush.

Lin Jiang: “No need to gank. Go farm the jungle.”

But Shen Ju refused to leave—no matter what.

After what felt like an endless minute of crouching in the brush, the enemy jungler indeed returned to mid lane.

This time, he chose an even trickier angle, perfectly timing the gank with Lin Jiang’s last wave of minions. The moment Lin Jiang moved, Jarvan IV used the auto-attack’s inertia mechanic to execute another E-Q-Flash.

Hit!

From that angle, not even someone like Lin Jiang could escape.

Demacia! A thunderous roar echoed as the Jarvan IV’s ultimate slammed down like divine judgment!

Still stunned and unable to react, Lin Jiang was trapped inside the Cataclysm[mfn]R key; allows him to leap to a target enemy champion, dealing physical damage and creating a ring of impassable terrain around the impact zone[/mfn]. A full combo instantly brought his HP down to 1000!

Then the enemy Galio activated Durand’s Shield[mfn]W-key; provides a magic damage shield after not taking damage for a period. The shield’s strength is based on its maximum health and grants him damage reduction and a small slow when activated[/mfn], flashed straight into the fight and instantly stunned Lin Jiang in place. Another overwhelming combo rained down—

Lin Jiang’s HP plummeted to 150!

Anyone else would have accepted their fate by now.

But this was LeBlanc.

And more importantly—Lin Jiang’s LeBlanc!

A sharp bang sliced through the chaos. In the blink of an eye, two LeBlancs appeared in the same spot.

This was LeBlanc’s passive ability. When her health falls below a critical threshold, Mirror Image activates, making her invisible for one second before spawning a perfect clone.

Lin Jiang controlled both the real and fake LeBlanc at the same time, sending them fleeing in opposite directions.

In moments of crisis, most players instinctively run toward safety. The enemy immediately assumed the one retreating under the turret was the real one.

Galio lunged without hesitation—only to realize after landing his Q[mfn][Winds of War] – this ability fires two wind blasts that converge into a damaging tornado dealing magic damage to all enemies they pass through[/mfn]] that it was the fake. The real LeBlanc had already blinked into the nearby brush, her perfectly timed W[mfn][Distortion] – ability that allows her to dash to a target location, dealing damage to nearby enemies upon arrival and leaving behind a return pad[/mfn] cutting off the enemy’s vision.

Jarvan IV had spent the entire game trying to catch Lin Jiang. Now, with Lin Jiang’s HP below 200, he wasn’t about to let this chance slip away. It was an irresistible temptation!

Without hesitation, Jarvan IV chased into the brush—only to be met by a full-health Warwick lunging out, jaws gaping and claws flashing, slashing him down to half-health in an instant.

At that exact moment, Lin Jiang cast the second activation of his W, blinking back to his original position. He landed a basic attack. applied Ignite[mfn]a summoner spell that deals true damage over time to an enemy champion and reduces their healing[/mfn], then instantly cast his ultimate Mimic to replicate his W, teleporting back into the brush!

Jarvan IV’s lost sight of him once more.

Twice now, he’d lost vision.

Twice now, the barely alive LeBlanc escaped right before his eyes.

For anyone, this would’ve been an unbearable humiliation.

With less than 500 HP left, Jarvan IV prepared to blindly E-Q into the brush, desperate to snipe Lin Jiang down.

But the second he leapt, Lin Jiang used his Mimic: Distortion to return to his original position, perfectly dodging the knock-up combo. Without missing a beat, he unleashed a Q[mfn][Sigil of Malice] – marks an enemy, which can be detonated with another ability or auto-attack for extra damage[/mfn]-A[mfn]Immediately following the Q, a basic attack will detonate the mark, dealing additional damage.[/mfn]-E[mfn][Ethereal Chains] – casts a chain that roots the target if it connects[/mfn] combo, then used Flash to create distance—directly taking out Jarvan IV!

{System} You have slain an enemy!

After securing the kill, Lin Jiang swaggered off with less than 50 HP, flashing an emote at the enemy as he left.

Jarvan IV: !!!

Galio: ???

Where the hell did Lin Jiang get the nerve to pull off a stunt like that?

With barely 200 HP, he’d dashed in and out—twice—right under their noses!

After camping Lin Jiang the entire game without landing a single kill—and even getting counter-killed—the Jarvan IV player mentally collapsed and typed “GG” in all chat.

At that moment, Shen Ju couldn’t hold back anymore. He glanced sideways at Lin Jiang.

In a situation like that, any normal player with just a sliver of HP would’ve thought only of escaping.

But not Lin Jiang.

He had pinged a signal to kill the enemy jungler. At first, Shen Ju thought it was a panic ping—maybe Lin Jiang was scared of dying.

But when Lin Jiang dove in and out twice, he finally realized: Lin Jiang hadn’t been afraid at all. He’d been aiming to kill the enemy from the start!

Shen Ju’s heart pounded wildly.

In Shen Ju’s mind, Lin Jiang had always been the calm and steady anchor—the stabilizing force in chaos. He never imagined Lin Jiang could transform into a razor-sharp blade, dancing on the edge, savoring the thrill of danger.

And yet, in Lin Jiang’s composed, almost zen-like demeanor, Shen Ju now saw a side that was strikingly similar to his own.

“No wonder this jungler kept ganking me,” Lin Jiang checked the enemy’s stats while recalling. “This is SNG’s jungler.”

SNG was one of the top three teams in the LPL, and they’d always been at odds with KUG. Every time they played against KUG, SNG’s jungler would go all-in—relentlessly ganking Lin Jiang.

Shen Ju asked instinctively, “So, you’ve got bad blood with him?”

“Not really,” Lin Jiang replied casually. “It’s just that when I first debuted, he came to KUG to try out for the jungler position—and I vetoed him.”

Shen Ju blinked. “Was he not good enough?”

Lin Jiang shook his head. “No, he was decent. But I was closer with our jungler at the time, so I voted against him.”

Shen Ju: ” … ”

Shen Ju hadn’t expected that. He always thought Lin Jiang made decisions purely on skill, without personal bias. This revelation shattered that image completely.

— — — —