TCWSITD – Chapter 16

Chapter 16 – KUG Extends An Olive Branch

FOU was widely considered to have the best team vibe in the entire LPL.

Its players were seasoned veterans—easygoing, friendly, and tightly bonded after years of playing together.

Lin Jiang knew them well off-stage too, and they shared a strong rapport. Back when he was searching for a team, their mid laner, A’Jue, was really worried about him and even went out of his way to help.

Once the training match began, they banned five of Lin Jiang’s mid lane champions in a row—giving him the full VIP treatment—and forced him to pick Ahri, the Nine-Tailed Fox.

A’Jue, ever the flirt, couldn’t resist teasing Lin Jiang the moment the match started

[A’Jue: Jiangjiang, you’re the beautiful Ahri today—you can’t kill me, okay?]

After missing last-hits: [A’Jue: Pretty little Ahri, you blocked my cannon minion — are you trying to kill me?]

After being forced to recall: [A’Jue: Little Ahri, you’re actually serious? Fine, I’ll start taking this seriously, too.]

With such a shameless opponent, the rest of OT could barely hold it together—stifling their laughter so hard over voice chat, they were practically choking.

Lin Jiang typed helplessly—

[{All} Ahri: You talk too much. Muted.]

After muting the opponent, the Viktor on the other side suddenly got serious, trading aggressively and even gaining a slight advantage. But that wasn’t all. The enemy jungler exploited a blind spot, flashing in for a gank at mid.

Ahri is extremely weak before Level 6, with almost no means of escape.

Lin Jiang could only use Flash to create distance and avoid a bloody fight.

Phew!

Still too targeted.

But the tougher the situation, the greater the breakthrough.

He quickly hit Level 6 and roamed straight to the bot lane for a 4v2 play. With perfect kiting, he successfully secured a kill on the enemy AD.

Viktor showed up, but thanks to Ahri’s rework, every kill or assist now grants a stack of her ultimate.

And everyone knows—Ahri’s Spirit Rush[mfn]Spirit Rush (R) – allows her to dash a short distance and fire bolts of energy at nearby enemies, dealing magic damage[/mfn] is the ultimate escape tool. Each stack means one more dash.

Lin Jiang used two smooth dashes over walls and escaped flawlessly.

Then Viktor started up again:

[Viktor: Little Ahri, why’re you running? C’mon, lemme get a touch~]

A’Jue was just being his usual troll self. He knew Lin Jiang had him muted but couldn’t resist being annoying.

Suddenly, Shen Ju snapped:

[Shen Ju: Who do you think you are, some rotten fish or shrimpy trash?[mfn]臭鱼烂虾 (chòu yú làn xiā) – A Chinese idiom meaning useless, bottom-tier people—usually said to insult someone’s skills or status[/mfn]]

[Viktor: ?]

[Viktor: Wait, dude, what?]

[Viktor: I wasn’t even talking to you. I was just joking with Lin Jiang.]

[Shen Ju: You play like garbage. What gives you the right to joke around?]

[Shen Ju: Muted.]

[Viktor: I…? ]

At that moment, FOU’s voice chat erupted in laughter.

“Hahaha, A’Jue, why’d you go and mess with him?”

“Even Old Mao couldn’t win an argument with that guy—what made you think you could? You walked right into it.”

“How was I supposed to know Shen Ju would snap like that…” A’Jue muttered. Then, all of a sudden, his tone turned serious. “But don’t you think OT’s overall strength has gone up a lot since Lin Jiang joined?”

“If we actually lose to them tomorrow, that’d be truly embarrassing.”

His teammates fell silent, deep in thought.

After that all-chat clash, the entire FOU team clearly became much more serious.

When Lin Jiang ganked their bot lane, they responded by ganking top. When Lin Jiang took the dragon, they secured the Rift Herald.

A’Jue might not be as skilled as Lin Jiang, but FOU’s top and jungle completely outperformed OT’s. By mid-game, they had secured a massive lead, denying Shen Ju any chance to scale. At 25 minutes, they forcibly ended the game.

Realizing the enemy would keep targeting him, Lin Jiang picked Galio mid for the second game.

He used Galio’s ultimate for full-map support—saving A’Deng and Song Zhixu’s lives while also nurturing Shen Ju’s growth. They dragged the game into the mid-to-late-game, then leveraged Shen Ju’s fed state to clinch a nail-biting victory.

In the third game, FOU banned Galio, so Lin Jiang had to pick Twisted Fate instead. But Twisted Fate’s map control isn’t as strong as Galio’s, and before Shen Ju could develop, FOU steamrolled[mfn]It means one team had a clear and dominant advantage, and the other side was unable to effectively challenge or resist their advance.[/mfn] them.

After three training matches, both sides called it quits.

Looking at the results, Fang Luxing sighed. “As expected, we still can’t beat them.”

The enemy’s relentless focus on Lin Jiang forced Shen Ju to carry. But as an AD, Shen Ju naturally developed slowly. If the enemy forces early fights, there’s no way they can hold them off.

Staring at the stats screen, Lin Jiang fell into a deep thought.

Was there really no solution?

FOU was just a mid-tier team—if they couldn’t even beat them, making it to the playoffs would be nothing more than a pipe dream.

What’s worse, OT had finished dead last in the Spring Split. Their only shot at Worlds was to claw their way into the playoffs and fight for a spot in the Regional Qualifiers.

And beyond that…

Lin Jiang paused the replay.

The enemy team had banned five mid-lane champions and even first-picked their own mid—just to suppress him.

Every team knew: the key to beating OT was to shut down their mid laner. There was no avoiding it.

“If we want to win, we need to create a breakthrough.”

Lin Jiang flipped open his notebook and began scribbling a new training plan.

“Song Zhixu, you’ll play at least ten solo matches with me every day to sharpen your laning skills.”

“Yes, captain!” Song Zhixu replied without hesitation.

“Zhou Wen, your training’s been solid—keep it up. Now start focusing on your roaming, especially timing your rotations to top lane.”

“Got it,” Zhou Wen replied.

“As for you, A’Deng—your tempo’s still messy. Don’t worry about advanced plays for now. Just concentrate on controlling the bottom jungle and tracking dragon spawns. You can ignore everything else.”

“Yes, Captain!” A-Deng answered firmly.

“Shen Ju,” Lin Jiang said, glancing up. “Your task is the most important—start mastering two strong early-game champions as quickly as possible.”

Shen Ju met his gaze, trying to calm his racing heart. “Got it.”

Everyone had their own roles. Even Coach Fang was working nonstop, generating various data to help them better maintain their strengths and compensate for their weaknesses.

When Duren returned from his social engagements and saw the intense training atmosphere, he froze for a moment, wondering if he had walked into the wrong team.

Upon closer inspection—nope, it was indeed Shen Ju and that bunch of little troublemakers.

As he took off his jacket, he called one of his buddies.

“We really struck gold with Lin Jiang. Ever since he joined OT, those little bastards have been so obedient and disciplined—voluntarily diving into training.”

His buddy replied, “I won’t believe it unless you lend Lin Jiang to me.”

Duren scoffed. “Keep dreaming.”

The other end laughed before turning serious. “But Old Du, don’t say I didn’t warn you. I heard KUG’s been thinking about reconciling with Lin Jiang. Be careful, or you might end up losing everything.”

Duren frowned. “That can’t be…”

Then he looked back and saw Lin Jiang seriously training the team. At that moment, he suddenly understood why KUG’s management might feel regret.

Having Lin Jiang on a team meant having a stabilizing force at its core—someone who prevents conflicts, a kind of leadership money couldn’t buy.

No wonder KUG was having second thoughts.

***

KUG Esports Club, League of Legends Headquarters.

The elevator chimed softly as it stopped on the sixth floor.

Alike strolled in, wearing his team jersey, hair freshly dyed a blue-gray perm. He’d just woken from an afternoon nap and looked rather unhappy.

“Weren’t I supposed to get a personal assistant? Why is it still the same old lady cleaning my room? She even messed up one of my headphones.”

The life manager hurried over to explain, but Alike didn’t want to listen.

He put on his Bluetooth earphones and said, “I don’t care. You better find someone satisfactory. You promised me before I joined, so why are you ignoring it now? Be careful, or I’ll file a complaint against you.”

Alike’s arrogant attitude nearly made the life manager lose his temper.

Someone nearby advised him, “Just hurry up and find him an assistant. How much could it possibly cost? Don’t forget who signed Alike in the first place. I heard he actually calls Young Master He ‘gege’ in private.”

The life manager blinked, confused. “Wait, isn’t Young Master He the only son of the He family? Where would a younger brother come from? And Alike’s last name isn’t even He…”

“Are you stupid? Couldn’t he be a cousin or a distant relative? Just trust me and don’t offend him. I’m saying this for your own good.”

With that said, the manager had no choice but to grit his teeth and comply.

He suddenly felt a bit nostalgic for the time when Lin Jiang was still around. Lin always thought about the team as a whole. The nutritionists and therapists hired for him never complained even once.

“Do you think Lin Jiang might come back? I heard KUG’s been trying to make nice with him lately.”

“No idea. But Young Master He is coming down today specifically to discuss this matter.”

“Young Master He really cares that much about KUG? He showed up just for such a small matter?”

“This was his first major investment project after coming of age. Of course he’s attached to it…”

As they chatted, more and more security guards quietly appeared around them, all clad in black suits and dark sunglasses, expressionless as they cleared away bystanders.

The elevator dinged as it arrived on the sixth floor.

A silver-gray figure stepped out slowly, surrounded by the neatly dressed black suits.

He was busy answering a call, his watch catching the light casually. His custom-tailored outfit exuded an air of effortless elegance.

Everyone in the office instinctively paused, eager to catch a glimpse of the He family’s heir—until the lead executive snapped at them, “Got nothing better to do? Stop gawking.”

Everyone knew the young master of the He family never showed his emotions, kept a low profile and remained shrouded in mystery. He never allowed his photo to appear in the media, nor did he participate in any public discussions.

Even within KUG—his most prized investment—staff had only seen him in passing, catching little more than a fleeting profile.

So what exactly happened at KUG to warrant Young Master He’s personal involvement?

Nobody had a clue.

But in their private group chats, the staff were already gossiping like crazy—

[Rumor has it this is about Lin Jiang. Young Master He wants to bring him back.]

[For real? Could Lin Jiang really return? I’d love to have him back…]

[Lin Jiang spent four years at KUG. Young Master He must feel some attachment. If negotiations fall apart, people lower down the chain are going to suffer.]

[Nah, I don’t think this is about Lin Jiang. It’s about Alike.]

[Wait, what do you mean?]

[I heard Alike is Young Master He’s cousin. He’s the one who brought him in personally.]

[Whoa—doesn’t that mean Lin Jiang’s departure had his silent approval?]

[Shhh! You can’t say stuff like that.]

Messages flooded in—a chaotic mix of truth and hearsay—as their theories grew wilder.

Then suddenly—

[News just dropped—Manager Chen from the training department got fired.]

A wave of question marks flooded the chat. No one understood how the gossip had suddenly led to a manager’s dismissal.

[Damn, suddenly reminded me of a horror story.]

[Say it, say it!]

[Wasn’t Manager Chen the one who messed up negotiations with Lin Jiang?]

[Wait, why was he negotiating with Lin Jiang? Shouldn’t the project manager have handled that?]

[Probably didn’t take it seriously. That’s why it fell through.]

[Feels like Manager Chen got thrown under the bus.]

[What if the project manager saw this coming and sent Chen in to take the fall…]

The private group chat was going wild—everyone was hyped, and the gossip just kept pouring in. The drama was about to peak when suddenly, the meeting room door burst open and security came in to clear everyone out.

Everyone fell silent in perfect unison.

He Gu passed through the work area, surrounded by security personnel. As he casually glanced inside, the group fell completely silent, overcome with fear.

[Oh my god, I almost got obliterated by Young Master He’s glare.]

[First time seeing Young Master He this angry—Manager Chen really did it.]

[Yeah… KUG’s in deep trouble now.]

After He Gu left, the expressions of several executives turned grim. They exchanged a few heavy words before dispersing. Soon after, a dismissal notice was posted in the company’s main group chat.

Manager Chen had indeed been fired on the spot.

Now, everyone at work who had been following the gossip really started to believe that Young Master He was dead serious about cleaning house at KUG for Lin Jiang!

The private group chat exploded with new messages once again.

Back in his office, He Gu waved off the staff who came in with documents, signaling them to leave.

His assistant, sharp enough to sense his bad mood, quickly sent everyone outside to hand over their tasks.

The heavy door shut firmly, sealing the room.

He Gu tossed the files onto the desk and loosened his tie.

Click. The lighter flicked open.

He lit a cigarette, watching the ember glow, suddenly remembering Lin Jiang’s disheveled figure exhaling smoke outside the convenience store.

After two shallow puffs, he crushed the cigarette out in a nearby flowerpot.

The expansive, curved floor-to-ceiling windows magnified everything—even the emotions inside him.

In their reflective glass surface, he caught sight of himself in his silver-gray suit. Just like Lin Jiang had said, changing the color really did make him look a lot younger.

“Why do you always wear black suits? So stuffy and old-school, like some old man.”

“I think all those rich young masters all wear white, blue, purple, and stuff like that. You should learn from them.”

“Haha, you’re six years older than me, so of course there’s a generation gap.”

In his memory, Lin Jiang was pure and radiant—turning back in the breeze with a smile that outshone the sun.

He Gu loosened his tie and returned to his seat.

He stared at the phone on the desk for a long moment before finally picking it up and scrolling back to that number again.

He didn’t understand how things between him and Lin Jiang had come to this.

He went abroad for further studies.

Lin Jiang stayed behind to build his career at KUG.

He thought everything was moving in the right direction, but in the end, Lin Jiang hadn’t even shared his private number with him.

Not even something as significant as leaving was discussed with him.

The heavy door slowly creaked open—it was Alike.

Normally, he acted all cocky in front of others, but the moment he saw He Gu, he became well-behaved.

“Ge, why didn’t you come visit me today? I saved you a spot for tomorrow’s game—you better be there.”

He Gu glanced at him, tossed his phone back onto the desk, and picked up the documents. “No time.”

“Ge!” Alike was furious. He walked over and pressed down on the documents in He Gu’s hands.

“Stop brushing me off. You even made time for Manager Chen, and now you’re telling me you have no time?”

“Are you coming or not? Lin Jiang and I are playing on the same day, same venue. Aren’t you going to support me? His fans have been tearing into me these past few days. Don’t you care about me at all?”

He Gu’s hand froze briefly while flipping through the papers. “You seem perfectly fine to me.”

“I’m barely holding it together. So, are you coming to see me or not?”

He Gu looked at his phone on the desk again, then lowered his gaze.

Finally, he gave a soft “Mm.”

Alike was so excited he nearly jumped up. “Great, great! I’ll go get your ticket right now! Don’t run off, just wait right here!”

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