TCWSITD – Chapter 28.2

Chapter 28.2 – Shen Ju and Song Zhixu

The next day, OT’s eighth match finally arrived.

The venue was packed, and online viewership surged rapidly.

OT opened with a full-on late-game comp. Even more surprising, Shen Ju locked in Sivir, a hyper-scaling AD rarely seen from him.

Zhou Wen, who usually disappeared from the map, delivered outstanding roams this game, trading evenly with the enemy support.

Down in bot lane, Shen Ju proved that a late-game champ didn’t mean passive play. He dove in with a Flash-Q[mfn]Boomerang Blade (Q) – a skill shot that throws her weapon, a large jeweled crossblade, in a straight line. The blade damages all enemies it hits on the way out and then returns to Sivir, damaging enemies again on the way back.[/mfn] combo, landing a clean prediction kill that sent the crowd into a frenzy.

Even A’Deng, often called the most useless jungler, played diligently, securing three dragons and helping OT delay the enemy’s soul point[mfn]Soul Point – a critical point in the game where a team is looking to secure their fourth dragon in order to claim the Dragon Soul.[/mfn].

Although WG dragged the game into late-game, their lineup was no match for OT’s. Under the explosive damage of Sivir’s ultimate[mfn]On the Hunt (R) – grants Sivir and nearby allied champions a large burst of movement speed for a short duration. While active, her basic attacks reduce the cooldowns of her basic abilities. Additionally, takedowns (kills or assists) refresh the duration of the movement speed buff.[/mfn], they lost the game.

The entire KUG team, who had no match that day, watched the game. When they saw OT take the first game, the training room fell into a tense silence. No one dared to speak.

By the second game, WG had deciphered OT’s strategy and immediately banned Sivir. OT stuck to their late-game gamble, but this time their comp was subpar. They couldn’t execute their macro, and could only suffer a disappointing loss.

Although OT had taken the first game, it was clear to everyone that WG was warming up and had locked in on the linchpin of OT’s strategy: Sivir.

Finally, someone in KUG’s training room spoke up. “See? OT’s a fake top-tier team. They’re holding third place, but their actual strength is nowhere near ours!”

As he spoke, he glanced at Alike’s expression.

Alike’s brows were tightly furrowed, his expression growing increasingly grim before he suddenly stood up and spat viciously, “When did KUG fall so far that we’re stooping to compare ourselves to OT? And no matter how you look at it, Lin Jiang’s skills are still above yours. Before you open your mouth to throw shade, try looking in the mirror. See what kind of trash stares back.”

Having said that, he ignored the shocked expressions around him and walked off without another word.

“And who the hell does he think he is? Does he seriously believe he can match Lin Jiang? Back when Lin Jiang was still—”

Zeng Yuan cleared his throat sharply, cutting him off.

The top laner looked up warily, only to see He Gu, the major investor and owner of KUG, standing right behind them.

He was dressed in a black suit, hands in his pockets, posture straight and tall. His eyes—calm and emotionless, like still water in a deep well—held no expression, yet sent chills down one’s spine.

The top laner broke out in a cold sweat.

But He Gu didn’t look at anyone else. His eyes stayed fixed on the big screen.

After tying the score 1:1, WG had indeed found their rhythm. Once they deciphered OT’s tactics, their performance in the third game was even sharper than the previous round.

Lin Jiang remained tense throughout, not daring to relax for even a second.

It had been a long time since He Gu had seen that look on Lin Jiang’s face.

In his memory, Lin Jiang was born with extraordinary talent. No matter how intense the competition, he always faced it with a smile.

Yet now, just playing against WG had him struggling like this.

Why…?

Clearly, there were better paths to take—yet he insisted on choosing a road with no clear future.

He Gu withdrew his gaze and left the training room without another word.

On the stage, Lin Jiang didn’t dare let his guard down for even a second. He maneuvered his sand soldiers, painstakingly clearing minion waves.
One inhibitor fell. Then two. Then three. All three lanes were broken. The gold gap widened to a terrifying 10,000…
Sweat ran into his eyes, but he didn’t dare blink

He couldn’t afford to obstruct his vision.

The match reached 45 minutes, deep into the late-game. Both teams were fully equipped with six items.

WG hadn’t expected OT to be so tenacious. What they thought would be an easy victory had turned into a grueling battle, with OT stubbornly holding on.

Even the commentators were impressed. “I truly didn’t expect OT to last this long. WG’s gold lead is about to hit 10,000. Can OT really hold out?”

On stage, Lin Jiang’s eyes burned with determination. “No. The gold gap isn’t actually that big.”

WG’s double-carries had been fully equipped for a while now. They were forced to keep clearing waves, so all that extra gold was just overflow.

Moreover, Song Zhixu was playing Ornn this game. He could upgrade his teammates’ gear, which meant Lin Jiang and Shen Ju’s equipment efficiency was actually higher than their opponents’.

And WG’s AD was playing Sivir—a champion with no mobility. If they could break through her shield, they could turn the tide.

The key to this game lay in one question: “Song Zhixu, can you break Sivir’s shield?”

Song Zhixu replied without hesitation, “I can!”

WG once again pushed the minion wave forward, and the two teams clashed at OT’s high ground. A 5v5 team fight was inevitable.

Song Zhixu activated his ultimate[mfn]Call of the Forge God (R) – summons a massive lava elemental that charges towards him, damaging and slowing enemies it hits. Ornn can then recast the ability to dash into the elemental, redirecting it in a new direction and knocking up and stunning enemies it collides with, while also applying the “brittle” debuff.[/mfn], summoning the ram. Just as everyone thought he was going to engage, he suddenly Flashed and used his E[mfn]Searing Charge (E) – allows him to dash in a target direction, damaging enemies he passes through. If Ornn collides with a wall during the dash, it creates a shockwave that knocks up enemies and deals damage based on his armor and magic resist[/mfn], slamming the enemy Sivir into the ruins of the turret!

Ornn’s E can collide with walls, knocking up surrounding enemies. If Sivir got hit, it was almost a guaranteed death!

In this critical moment, Sivir relied on quick reflexes to activate her shield, negating the crowd control, and quickly flashed backward.

But she forgot one thing—Lin Jiang was playing Azir this game.

In the next instant, Lin Jiang pulled off a flawless Shurima Shuffle[mfn]Shurima Shuffle (E) – ability to quickly reposition an enemy, often into a more vulnerable position for his team[/mfn], sliding in with his soldiers, then Flashing for distance.

With a swift drift and Flash, Lin Jiang commanded, “Conquer!”

The sand soldiers pushed the helpless Sivir—who had no escape skills—straight into the kill zone. She was instantly deleted upon landing.

The situation reversed instantly!

After the push, Lin Jiang activated Zhonya’s Hourglass, preserving his life.

For the full 2.5 seconds of stasis, he could only rely on his teammates!

He shouted, “Song Zhixu!”

Song Zhixu responded, “Here!”

And then—he dove straight into the enemy, completely disrupting their formation.

With the AD dead, WG’s remaining damage output couldn’t kill a tanky Ornn!

At that moment, Shen Ju activated his ultimate[mfn]Final Hour (R) – significantly enhances her combat capabilities by granting her bonus attack damage, increasing the speed boost from her passive Night Hunter, reducing the cooldown of her Q – Tumble, and providing invisibility upon using Tumble for a short duration. Additionally, securing a takedown extends the duration of the invisibility.[/mfn]—plunging the battlefield into darkness. From behind Song Zhixu, he unleashed relentless damage. No one could withstand Vayne’s Silver Bolts[mfn]Silver Bolts (Passive) – applies a stack on hit with basic attacks or her Condemn ability. After three stacks are applied to the same target, the stacks are consumed, dealing bonus true damage based on the target’s maximum health. This true damage is capped at 200 against monsters. The stacks expire after 3.5 seconds of not being refreshed or if Vayne attacks a different target.[/mfn], each strike pierced their vital points.

As Lin Jiang’s stasis ended, he rose and summoned his sand soldiers. No one would escape!

Under the explosive damage, WG’s members fell one after another, unable to fight back.

Both Lin Jiang and Shen Ju had chase ability. WG couldn’t escape—they all fell to their relentless assault.

And just like that, the enemy team was wiped out!

The minion wave only needed 20 seconds to push through mid lane, while the enemy’s respawn timers stretched to a full minute!

OT had already won!

During the frantic 20-second push, the commentators roared, “Push straight through! OT just needs to push to win! I think we can congratulate OT in advance on securing this match victory!”

“No one could have predicted that in this nearly hour-long battle—with WG’s gold lead once exceeding 10,000—OT would pull off a flawless team fight with perfect coordination!”

“Let’s congratulate OT for defeating WG 2:1 and claiming victory!”

The Nexus exploded, and the live audience erupted.

In this showdown against WG, every member of OT played a critical role.

In the first game, Zhou Wen—often criticized as an invisible support—proved himself with aggressive roaming. A’Deng secured the Dragon Soul[mfn]Dragon Soul is a powerful, permanent buff granted to a team after they’ve slain four Elemental Drakes of the same type. The team that secures the fourth drake receives the Dragon Soul, which provides a unique and potent team-wide bonus based on the dominant element.[/mfn], laying the foundation for victory.

Shen Ju also solo-killed his opponent in the 1v1 bot lane matchup, gaining an early advantage.

And in the final game, Song Zhixu’s decisive Flash play was a gamble that could have cost him his entire career.

Under Lin Jiang’s leadership, their brilliance wasn’t overshadowed. Instead, it shone even brighter, allowing the audience to see each player’s strengths.

It felt just like—

Just like the old KUG team.

The crowd was in an uproar. Whether it was just their imagination or not, it seemed Lin Jiang was genuinely committed to nurturing his teammates into top-tier players!

[Feels like KUG hasn’t really been able to recover since Lin Jiang left.]

[OT might actually count as a strong team now. Beating WG was tough, but a win is still a win.]

[It suddenly occurred to me—back then, the entire KUG team were all newcomers who gradually found their own style under Lin Jiang’s leadership. Now that Lin Jiang is gone, it seems they’ve lost their backbone again.]

[Damn, how am I only realizing this now…]

[I genuinely didn’t expect this.]

During the post-match interview, Lin Jiang unexpectedly showed up in the interview room. When the host asked him, “What is your biggest wish right now?”

Lin Jiang thought for a moment. “Nothing too special. I just want to take my teammates to Worlds and see what it’s like.”

The barrage exploded—

[Whoa, is Lin Jiang serious?]

[He doesn’t sound like he’s joking.]

[How can he say something so wild in such a light, casual tone?]

[If any other player said this, it’d just sound arrogant. But coming from Lin Jiang, why do I believe it so much? (eyes shaking[mfn]瞳孔震动 (tóng kǒng zhèn dòng) – exaggerated reaction meaning someone was emotionally or physically shaken by what they heard/saw (meme)[/mfn])]

[Right now, TG, YIG, and SNG are all guaranteed spots at Worlds. Is Lin Jiang seriously trying to squeeze KUG out…?]

[I officially support this.]

[Squeezing out KUG? Then I absolutely support it.]

[+1008611[mfn]Meme number (like +1,000,000). A playful, exaggerated way of saying “same” or “I agree hard.”[/mfn]]

Realizing Lin Jiang wasn’t joking and genuinely meant it, Song Zhixu burst into tears on the spot in the break room.

He wiped his face with his sleeve, sniffling pitifully. “Why does Captain have to be so sentimental? He’s making me cry to death.”

Shen Ju looked at him like he was an idiot. “Lin Jiang has always been a Worlds-level player. The only reason he’s not there right now is because you’re trash.”

Song Zhixu froze for a moment, then snapped back. “Dog Shen, who the hell are you calling trash?!”

As everyone knows, “Dog Shen” is a derogatory nickname for Shen Ju—and no one’s ever dared say it to his face.

So Shen Ju grabbed his backpack and beat Song Zhixu up.

When Lin Jiang returned to the break room, he was stunned. “What happened to you two?”

Shen Ju had split Song Zhixu’s forehead open, while Song Zhixu had scratched Shen Ju’s neck until it bled. It was hard to say who had won.

Lin Jiang sighed. “Why were you fighting?”

“Shen Ju called me trash.”

“He called me Dog Shen.”

The two of them finished speaking, then immediately glared at each other again.

“You are trash.”
“Captain, look at him!”

If Lin Jiang hadn’t been there, the two of them probably would’ve fought again.

Du Lun gave up trying to mediate. “Fine. Since you won’t listen to me, I’ll leave it to Lin Jiang to handle. Let’s see if they dare act out in front of him.”

With authority handed over to Lin Jiang, Song Zhixu immediately put on a pitiful act, tugging on his sleeve. “Captain, I was wrong. I swear I won’t do it again. I really didn’t start it—it was all Shen Ju’s fault…”

Shen Ju wasn’t the type to act cute. He turned his face away. No matter what punishment came, he didn’t care.

The only thing he feared was Lin Jiang actually siding with someone else.

Especially when it came to the two of them—him and Song Zhixu.

Lin Jiang wasn’t swayed by Song Zhixu’s sweet talk. As captain, he had to discipline them without compromising fairness among teammates.

He closed the notebook in his hand. “Each person will be fined 500 yuan. Hand it to Finance tomorrow.”

Song Zhixu, who had been gripping his sleeve, froze.

Five hundred.

It was a lot for him, enough to bruise the pride he guarded so carefully. But for someone like Shen Ju, the Crown Prince, even a fine of tens of thousands wouldn’t make him blink.

Yet Lin Jiang had still handed down this punishment under these circumstances.

Did that mean…

The thought landed hard. Song Zhixu felt his eyes burn, the backs of them prickling with heat.

He lowered his head, staring at Lin Jiang’s white sneakers. The more he thought about it, the worse he felt.

Was the captain…

… really favoring Shen Ju?

Because Shen Ju plays better than him and could bring benefits to the team…

Even though the captain always praised him and smiled at him, deep down, Shen Ju still outweighed him in the captain’s heart…

Just as his thoughts spiraled and tears were about to fall—

Lin Jiang gently placed his own cap onto Song Zhixu’s head, pulling it low to cover his face. “Cover the wound. Don’t let anyone photograph it.”

Song Zhixu stiffened all over.

He grabbed the brim of the cap, and his aggrieved heart was suddenly soothed.

So weird. How did I feel comforted just like that?

Nearby, Shen Ju heard about the punishment and couldn’t help but feel Lin Jiang was clearly taking his side.

Lin Jiang zipped up Shen Ju’s jacket just enough to cover the wound on his neck. “Let’s go. We’ll talk later. Just be careful not to get caught by the reporters.”

A photo of internal discord would seriously damage OT’s reputation—and could even shake Lin Jiang’s authority as team captain.

After he finished speaking, everyone quietly gathered their things without any objections.

Exiting the break room meant passing through a long corridor, inevitably interacting with staff along the way. Song Zhixu remained tense the entire time.

Lin Jiang, however, appeared completely calm and unfazed, as if nothing had happened, guiding them safely out.

Outside, a sea of reporters and fans awaited, and amidst the jostling crowds, some physical contact was inevitable.

To give the others a chance to get away, Lin Jiang stepped forward and started shaking hands with the crowd behind them, instantly drawing all the attention onto himself.

Song Zhixu and Shen Ju safely made it onto the bus.

Meanwhile, Lin Jiang was still swarmed by fans—some desperate enough to try pulling at his clothes when they couldn’t reach his hands. The security guards tried to intervene but were clearly outmatched.

A’Deng sighed. “The captain’s too pitiful.”

Zhou Wen was also worried. “So many people here, it’s really dangerous.”

Song Zhixu pressed against the window alongside them, growing more distressed the longer he watched. If he’d known fighting would drag the captain into this, he would’ve let himself be beaten to death instead of retaliating!

Shen Ju wasn’t faring much better either.

Seeing those crazed female fans grabbing Lin Jiang’s hand and not letting go, his heart felt like ten million ants crawling back and forth.

And some guys wouldn’t let go either? What kind of twisted freaks were these? The security guards were utterly useless—just standing there like they were getting paid to do nothing.

When some even got close enough to shove their faces near Lin Jiang, Shen Ju nearly snapped the zipper in his hand in frustration.

He vowed right then and there—Never. Ever. Fighting. Again.

By the time Lin Jiang finally broke free and returned, his team jersey was all wrinkled, and one of his sleeves was smudged with someone’s lipstick.

Song Zhixu’s heart ached so badly he almost cried. He grabbed Lin Jiang’s sleeve, checking over and over to make sure he wasn’t hurt, then sheepishly slumped in his chair and confessed, “Captain, I won’t ever do that again.”

Lin Jiang smiled and patted his head. “Mm, good boy.”

That was enough to lift Song Zhixi’s spirits.

Meanwhile, Shen Ju wasn’t feeling quite as cheerful…

Once back at the base, everyone retreated to their rooms to rest.

Exhausted after a long day, Song Zhixu collapsed onto the sofa, unwilling to move.

Then his phone buzzed. At first, he was too lazy to check it. But when he saw it was from Lin Jiang, he shot upright like a spring.

[Lin Jiang: Come to the rooftop.]

The rooftop at OT was a well-hidden spot. Song Zhixi had joked before that it was the perfect place for a date—never thought Lin Jiang would actually ask him to meet there.

He immediately scrambled to change his clothes, deliberately checking himself in the mirror on the way.

He thought his hair pushed up like that actually looked pretty sharp. The aunties and uncles downstairs often complimented him as a total heartthrob and tried to set him up—but as soon as the girls found out about his family background, they pretty much ran for the hills…

Song Zhixi froze for a moment.

His hand paused mid-air, holding the comb.

Wasn’t he supposed to stop overthinking? Why was he doing it again?

He dropped the comb, let his hair fall naturally, and smiled at his reflection. Yeah, still that sunny, easygoing guy everyone knows.

Time to go!

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