TCWSITD – Chapter 24

Chapter 24 – Shen Ju’s Fans Arrive

The match wasn’t even over yet, and both Lin Jiang and Shen Ju had already shot to the top of the trending topics.

A clip titled #LinJiang’sInsaneDoubleCarryPushback was all over the internet, and the hot searches came rolling in fast.

Shen Ju’s trending topic was #ShenJu’sKai’SaSecuresATripleKillAndEscapesUnscathed.

It wasn’t surprising to see Shen Ju trending.

But his past trends were usually:

#ShenJuFeeding

#ShenJuFeedingAgain

#ShenJuFlashesInToFeed, and

#ShenJuFlashesInto1v5AndFeeds

His mechanics were good, but his playstyle was a lot like Alike’s—either hard carry or total disaster.

Especially on Kai’Sa. Every time he dove in, he left himself with zero escape route. And when his teammates couldn’t follow up, it always made him look like he’d been brain-dead for a decade.

Haters often mocked him online.

[Shen Ju is a mad dog. Uncontrollable, biting at everything.]

Even his fans had started calling him “Dog Shen” instead of Shen Ju.

The funniest part of this trending topic was the phrase “escapes unscathed.”

Wait—Shen Ju actually escaped a fight alive?

Many casual fans who don’t usually watch matches clicked on the trending topics—just to see how exactly Shen Ju managed to survive.

And what they saw was Shen Ju using his E to speed up and widen the gap, kiting while dishing out damage—and everyone watching was stunned.

You have to understand—Shen Ju is the kind of player who’ll dive straight into the enemy’s face even when playing Ezreal. Every single skill in his kit is used for damage. Even Heal? It’s not for survival—it’s to speed up the killing.

So what happened? Why the sudden change in playstyle?

Curious fans began digging deep. And when they discovered that Lin Jiang holds absolute authority within OT, and that Shen Ju turns obedient as a dog in front of him, the internet collectively burst into laughter.

[Hahaha Dog Shen, never thought this day would come!!]

The relationship between Shen Ju and his fans has always been… complicated.

If Shen Ju streams, they have to flame him. If they don’t, it feels like wasting thirty million.

If Shen Ju is being mocked, they have to join in. They think this brat deserves to be humbled by society!

As for his matches? Over their dead bodies. Watching him play is a one-way ticket to hypertension.

After being traumatized by Shen Ju’s gameplay one too many times, fans had reached a consensus—yet the trending topic piqued their interest.

They flooded into the live broadcast, and the barrage gradually shifted in tone—

[Dog Shen, I’m here!]

[Dad’s here to watch you throw another game.]

[What, still not dead? Ohhh, look at that clean KDA—you must be feeling real proud.]

[What’s wrong with ZOG? Didn’t eat today? Hit harder, damn it!]

[Based on my understanding of Dog Shen, he’s totally flashing in to feed next fight.]

For a moment, even fans of OT and ZOG couldn’t tell if these people were allies or enemies. The chat was at a standstill—completely overrun by Shen Ju’s fans.

In this game, Shen Ju was once again playing Kai’Sa. The moment the enemy jungler showed up, his first instinct was to use E to speed away.

Shen Ju’s fans—

[??? You scared?]

[Come on, hit him! Dad loves watching you 1v5!]

[This ain’t you, Dog Shen! Why are you holding back your wild side?!]

[Don’t make us lose face—get in there and bite him!]

The enemy support was low on health. Shen Ju sped up and moved in, only to realize the distance was slightly too far, so he didn’t chase any further.

Shen Ju’s fans:

[????]

[Use Heal for the speed boost! What, saving it to launch fireworks with the support later?]

[Chase! Dive under the turret! Trade with him!]

[Trading AD for support isn’t a loss—go for it!]

Shen Ju arrived in mid lane. When he saw Lin Jiang already there, he obediently left the wave alone and went to take the river crab instead.

Shen Ju’s fans:

[Why didn’t you take the wave?!]

[An AD who doesn’t dare farm mid is complete trash!]

[Take them! The match can be lost, but mid waves must be stolen!]

[If you don’t take it, I’ll look down on you for the rest of my life!]

[Dog Shen, you’ve gone soft! You’re no longer the mad dog that used to strut through the Rift!]

They flamed him hard, sure. But beneath the trash talk, they were quietly relieved—proud, even—to see how far he’d come.

All these years of loving and hating Shen Ju mostly stemmed from frustration. This guy clearly had top-tier skill, so why did he always play like he had a brain freeze?

But this small comfort couldn’t stop them from stirring up trouble.

Scrolling through the endless flood of chats, OT and ZOG fans felt a chill run down their spines. Why did it feel like some dark force was taking over their minds?

The match had just reached the 20-minute mark.

Lin Jiang was playing Jayce this round, while Shen Ju played Kai’Sa. It was a mid-game double high-burst combo.

ZOG tried to sneak the dragon but was spotted by Lin Jiang. Without hesitation, he raised his hammer and swung at the enemy mid laner.

Keep in mind, ZOG had just fought a skirmish in the bot lane—their HP wasn’t high, but there were still four of them!

Was Lin Jiang trying to 1v4?

For a moment, everyone thought Lin Jiang had been possessed by Shen Ju.

Just when everyone’s hearts were about to explode, Shen Ju arrived. He cast Void Seeker[mfn]Void Seeker (W) – ranged skill shot that fires a blast of void energy, dealing magic damage and applying two stacks of her passive, Plasma, to the first enemy hit. It also briefly reveals the target.[/mfn] to scout enemies, triggered Killer Instinct[mfn]Killer Instinct (R) – allows her to dash a short distance to a nearby enemy champion that she has recently damaged with her passive, Plasma. Upon landing, she gains a temporary shield that scales with both attack damage (AD) and ability power (AP)[/mfn], and fired off his ultimate without hesitation. Upon landing, he unleashed a burst combo of explosive damage.

The situation instantly became a 2v4!

The audience: ??? Are they both feeding right now?

Fans who had just praised Shen Ju for improving and not being reckless immediately buried their faces in their hands.

So much for compliments.

The commentators were stunned as well. “Why did sgod dive in? What kind of call was that?”

In reality, Lin Jiang and Shen Ju barely exchanged a word. The jungle’s rhythm was all over the place. When Lin Jiang finally found an opportunity, he only had time to say, “Shen Ju, come.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Shen Ju dove in.

After their coordination in the previous game, hen Ju barely needed words to read Lin Jiang’s mind.

Jayce and Kai’Sa are both champions with very high burst damage.

With their reckless skill plays, their damage output was downright terrifying.

Knock-ups, cannon blasts, and the effect of Jayce’s Acceleration Gate[mfn]Acceleration Gate (E) – a key ability that enhances mobility and damage. It creates an energy gate that grants bonus movement speed to allies passing through it[/mfn]—Lin Jiang and Shen Ju unleashed unprecedented explosive damage, killing the mid laner first, then the jungler.

By then, both their health bars had dropped to dangerous levels. ZOG’s bot lane duo didn’t want to let such a golden opportunity slip, while Lin Jiang and Shen Ju quietly prepared in the brush.

Thus, the audience witnessed a top-tier tug-of-war between the two carries—

When ZOG advanced, Lin Jiang and Shen Ju retreated.

When ZOG retreated, Lin Jiang and Shen Ju advanced.

Under their relentless kiting, ZOG’s bot lane duo burned their Flashes, and their health bars were pulled down to a dangerous threshold!

Is this the gap between top-tier players and average players?

The crowd erupted in screams.

ZOG’s jungler whispered nervously, “This is bad—retreat!”

Just as the duo turned to escape, a green light descended—Lin Jiang and Shen Ju both accelerated.

Heal and speed boost—better late than never!

Mercury Hammer[mfn]Jayce’s Mercury Hammer is a transforming weapon that he can switch to using his ultimate ability, Transform: Mercury Cannon/Mercury Hammer.[/mfn] raised high, Lin Jiang executed Thundering Blow[mfn]Thundering Blow (E) – Jayce’s primary tool for displacement and damage in close-quarters combat. In his Hammer Stance, dealing magic damage based on the target’s maximum health and knocking them back[/mfn], landing the finishing hit and instantly killing ZOG’s low-health bot lane duo.

Lin Jiang still had 50 HP left! He didn’t die!

The commentators went wild. “Oh, my god! This tug-of-war was truly nerve-wracking! OT’s two carries pulled off a 0-for-4 exchange. river and sgod are carrying OT’s entire weight!”

Amid the roaring crowd, Shen Ju’s fans flooded the barrage with question marks.

[Heal for movement speed—and gave the kill to your teammate?]

[Dog Shen, you’ve really changed.]

[I know your captain is good-looking, but not that good-looking, right?]

[Didn’t you swear Heal was for yourself only? That you’d die before casting it on anyone else?]

[Dog Shen’s letting emotions cloud his judgment.]

[What happened to “no feelings in esports”?!]

[Shen Ju, you’re done for. You’ve fallen.]

After nearly wiping out ZOG, Lin Jiang quickly led his teammates to take Baron and pushed up to the high ground.

At the 25-minute mark, Lin Jiang’s Jayce and Shen Ju’s Kai’Sa were both at their peak in terms of explosive damage. ZOG’s top laner couldn’t hold for more than five seconds before being forced to retreat.

ZOG kept falling back, until they had nowhere left to run—ultimately, they lost the game in regret.

“Let’s congratulate OT for once again securing victory with an outstanding 2:0 score!”

Cheers erupted from both inside and outside the venue. ZOG’s jungler slumped into his chair, disbelief written all over his face.

He looked toward Lin Jiang—who was taking off his headset, radiant under the stage lights.

Something in his chest trembled in awe.

Lin Jiang—his gameplay, his vision… maybe he’d been standing at the peak of LPL all along.

It was just a pity that people so often only looked at the stats.

This match had been intense and exhilarating. And in the chaos of it all, Lin Jiang felt something rare—satisfaction. The moment he took off his headset, he turned and hugged Shen Ju beside him.

“Puppy Shen, you played really well today.”

In the thunder of the crowd, in all that noise, his words were meant for Shen Ju alone.

As they brushed past each other, Lin Jiang’s lips seemed to graze the tip of his ear.

His heart pounded—thud, thud—unable to calm down.

Shen Ju buried his head in Lin Jiang’s shoulder, breathing slightly uneven, his fingers gripping tightly at Lin Jiang’s sleeve.

Shen Ju’s sharp-eyed fans noticed it.

[Wait… is Dog Shen blushing?]

[It’s just a hug between teammates—what’s with the blush, man?]

[Huh? Huh? Dog Shen—no way, you’re not actually bent, are you?!]

[You’re not playing like a walking brain hemorrhage anymore—so now you’re out here acting like you’re in love?]

[WTF WTF WTF—]

Outside the venue, a screen in the backseat of a sleek black luxury car played footage of OT’s clean 2:0 win.

Lin Jiang led his teammates to the front of the stage and bowed. That confident, spirited stride—was something that hadn’t been seen in many years.

He Gu closed his eyes, allowing himself a brief moment of rest.

Last night, he had stayed up late flying to H City for business negotiations. His brain hadn’t even had time to recover before he was rushing into the next meeting.

And yet, in the middle of that hectic schedule, he still made time to watch Lin Jiang’s match.

He didn’t know exactly what he was hoping to see.

Or what it was he cared about.

There was just a faint, nagging emotion pulling at his thoughts—one he couldn’t name, couldn’t trace, but couldn’t ignore either.

From the front seat, his assistant handed over a freshly calculated report. “Young Master He, look at the ROI—Tianguang’s project is beyond saving. Pouring more money into it now would be throwing it away.”

“You’re a titan in the investment world. You should know this failed venture will seriously impact future co-investments. There’s really no need to gamble on this.”

“Young Master He, please reconsider.”

He Gu slowly opened his eyes, watching the stream of cars rush past outside the window. Suddenly, a small, seemingly insignificant memory surfaced.

In the fifth year since its establishment, KUG faced an unprecedented setback. Neither his family nor the outside world held much hope for them—even He Gu himself lacked confidence.

Just as he was sinking into frustration, Lin Jiang handed him a bottle of cola. “What are you so worried about? You’ve still got me. Even if you backed the wrong team—I’ll turn it around for you.”

Back then, Lin Jiang had been just like the man now standing on stage—so confident, so composed, as if nothing in this world could bring him down.

He Gu pressed hard against his temples.

His voice, hoarse from lack of sleep, came out low. “Do we have any cola?”

The driver and assistant were both stunned. “Y-You… want cola?”

The luxury car stopped in front of a humble supermarket. The secretary hurriedly bought a can of cola, then quickly returned to the car.

Despite the urgency, He Gu remained composed as he casually popped the tab.

The crisp click echoed just like it had all those years ago, and the familiar taste hit his tongue.

Youthful ambition and decisive judgment.

That kind of courage and confidence still made his heart race even now.

Setting the can down, He Gu glanced at his wristwatch—only two minutes left before the deadline.

The car was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Finally, he spoke quietly but firmly: “We’re following through on the investment.”

The assistant nearly gasped for air. He didn’t even have time to question the boss’s decision. He opened the computer, fingers furiously tapping the keyboard, and finally succeeded in following through with the investment at the very last moment before the deadline.

Once done, the assistant was drenched in cold sweat. “Young Master He, aren’t you scared?”

Crossing his hands, He Gu picked up the cola again and stared at the endless stream of cars outside the window. For some reason, at this very moment…

… he suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to see Lin Jiang.

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