TCWSITD – Chapter 4

“Hello, I’m Du Lun, the manager of OT. You can call me Old Du.”

Lin Jiang looked at the young man in front of him, dressed in a tight-fitting suit and gold-rimmed glasses, sweating profusely from running. He extended his hand politely, “Hello, I’m Lin Jiang.”

Du Lun’s emotions were a bit flustered. He quickly asked the receptionist to prepare two cups of tea and invited Lin Jiang into his office for a detailed discussion. “Apologies, I was held up by something earlier and couldn’t get away sooner.”

“It’s fine. I only waited for ten minutes.”

Lin Jiang sat down, and the interview began. Throughout the process, he kept glancing through the office window, observing the club’s environment.

OT was a small team—they didn’t even have a proper home stadium. The club still operated out of the same old office from its early days. The equipment was clearly outdated, and even the coffee machine was an old model from years back.

Du Lun noticed his gaze and felt a bit awkward. “Our team’s coffee is actually pretty good. Want to give it a try?”

Lin Jiang was momentarily taken aback, then smiled. “Sure.”

Honestly, Lin Jiang was much better than Du Lun had imagined. He was calm, composed, and easygoing, making the entire conversation pleasant and comfortable.

But in the presence of such a big shot in the industry, Du Lun couldn’t shake the feeling of being unworthy.[mfn]无地自容 (wú dì zì róng) – ashamed and unable to show one’s face[/mfn] Despite his nerves, he forced himself to keep up appearances. When the topic shifted to salary, Du Lun hesitated. “A’Jiang, just a moment. Our big boss is on his way. I’ll have him speak to you directly.”

Lin Jiang was a bit puzzled. “Directly talking to the big boss? Shouldn’t I talk to the person in charge first?”

Du Lun awkwardly introduced himself. “I am the person in charge.”

He was not only the person in charge—he was also the team manager, operations manager, department manager, and team leader. If necessary, he could even double as an errand runner or chauffeur.

A faint sense of awkwardness hung in the air. Lin Jiang smiled, his presence strangely out of place in this small office, as if he were a ray of light in a dim room. His voice, soft and melodious, drifted like the wind brushing past wind chimes. “The coffee is really good.”

Du Lun felt like he was digging his own grave.[mfn]找死 (zhǎo sǐ) – courting death; meaning to engage in actions that are extremely risky or reckless[/mfn] Even if such a big shot had truly humbled himself to join OT, what could OT possibly offer to keep him? Money? Popularity? OT had neither!

He pulled out his phone and frantically texted the boss: [Help! Come save me! I really can’t handle this. I have no idea how to discuss the salary with him!]

Boss: [Calm down. We’ve seen worse.]

When the big boss arrived and finished talking with Lin Jiang, he slipped out of the office, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. “His salary demands are too high; OT can’t afford it. But he said he’s willing to convert his entire salary into equity. He’ll also sign a performance-based agreement. If we make it to Worlds this year, he gets 120 percent of the dividends. If not, he will only take 50 percent. What do you think?”

Du Lun: ?

Taking only 50 percent of the profit is like getting a top-tier player for half the price—and he’s also investing his own money into the team. Where else can you find such a good deal like that?

Not to mention, OT was teetering on the edge of relegation. If they get demoted, the team’s value will drop by a billion. When you consider that, Lin Jiang’s salary doesn’t seem so significant after all.

“Then hurry up and sign him!”

The big boss swiftly went back inside and soon emerged again. “Get the finance team in here to draft the contract.”

Du Lun: ?

Was this speed of development for real?!

Du Lun watched in disbelief as they wrapped up discussions in half a day, and by the next morning, the contract was finalized. The entire process had been smooth and seamless[mfn]行云流水 (xíng yún liú shuǐ) – lit. moving clouds and flowing water (idiom); natural and unforced[/mfn], without a single objection from either side.

The final contract was made in triplicate and needed to be notarized. As Du Lun drove them to the notary office, he still couldn’t quite believe it[mfn]不可思议 (bù kě sī yì) – inconceivable (idiom); unimaginable or unfathomable[/mfn], like he was stepping on clouds—light and floating, unable to ground himself in reality.

He pulled up his phone and texted his best buddy: [Lin Jiang is joining our team.]

Buddy: [Still asleep? What kind of fantasy[mfn]春秋大梦 (chūn qiū dà mèng) – grand dreams; unrealistic ideas (idiom)[/mfn] are you having?]

Du Lun sent it to another buddy: [No joke, Lin Jiang is really joining our team! The contract was already signed!]

Buddy: [Go get yourself checked at the hospital to see if you’re crazy.]

Du Lun honestly wished he were dreaming, but the thick stack of contracts in his hands was so heavy that it felt undeniably real.

Forget about everyone else—even he couldn’t figure out why Lin Jiang had decided to join OT!!!!

***

During the time Lin Jiang left KUG, the direction of online discourse kept changing.

At first, everyone thought it was impossible, but when it became clear he was truly gone from the base, they flooded KUG’s official account, demanding answers.

Fearing the impact of this sudden backlash, KUG quickly mobilized its PR team to handle the crisis. Almost overnight, online discourse surged[mfn]铺天盖地 (pū tiān gài dì) – is a Chinese idiom that literally means blanketing the sky and covering the earth[/mfn], targeting Lin Jiang directly—

[Heard his salary negotiations fell through.]

[Hehe, he tore up the contract on the spot.]

[Lin Jiang started acting like he’s a big shot just because he got famous. Slacking off in training, ignoring calls during matches, and even bullying teammates.]

[Honestly, Lin Jiang’s just a noob now. Look at how hard he feeds[mfn]送 (sòng) – to intentionally (or unintentionally) dying to the enemy, thereby giving them an advantage[/mfn] in matches—and he still demands a higher pay? How can he be so shameless?]

The overwhelming mix of truth and lies in the online discourse swept up clueless bystanders, and Lin Jiang’s reputation plummeted overnight.

Most of Lin Jiang’s fans were long-time supporters who had been in the fandom for years and had grown pretty laid-back. They could tolerate flames directed elsewhere—but calling Lin Jiang a noob? That’s where they drew the line.

They mercilessly slapped screenshot after screenshot in the haters’ faces—

[Here’s your dad[mfn]你爹 (nǐ diē) – your dad (slang); used mockingly to assert dominance or superiority[/mfn] single-handedly carrying four deadweights into Worlds during the Regionals.]

[Here’s your dad pulling out a penta kill with [LeBlanc] to secure the win in the finals.]

[Here’s your dad’s [Galio] carrying all three lanes.]

[Here’s your dad’s [Zed] with 12 kills, 0 deaths.]

[Here’s your dad 1v3’ing[mfn]gaming term; 1 player taking on 3 opponents at once[/mfn].]

[Here’s your dad smiling on stage despite being screwed over by the AD and top laner.]

Faced with these real and valid screenshots, no matter how fiercely the haters trash-talked[mfn]喷 (pēn) – lit. spray; quick, sharp criticisms or negative comments; can be mocking or sarcastic[/mfn], they cannot cover it up; they can only turn to attacking Lin Jiang’s character..

As a result, the bystanders couldn’t stand it anymore—

[What good reputation does KUG have in the industry? If they say Lin Jiang stabbed them in the back, I’d sooner believe KUG was the one being shady.]

[Isn’t river pretty good to his teammates? I even saw him ordering takeout for them during a livestream. If he can’t get along well with them, could it be that other KUG players are just too… you know…]

[He was screwed over so badly at Worlds that his eyes were red, yet he still had to smile for the cameras. Tell me, how many people could do that?]

[river’s personality is obviously very stable. Four years of competitions, and I’ve never seen him lose his temper or act impulsively.]

[I’m not a KUG fan, never stanned river, but I know veterans like Old Mao and Brother Yu get along well with him. I believe his character must be pretty good.]

[Huh? river has a character issue? I think it’s your eyes that have the real issue here.]

In this all-out online harassment, no one expected Lin Jiang’s solid popularity with the public to help him win.

The investors backing KUG were stunned.

This was the first time that investors failed to manipulate and control online traffic.[mfn]流量 (liú liàng) – online buzz and engagement (slang)[/mfn]

Later, news broke that KUG had signed Alike. Someone spotted him in Zeng Yuan’s livestream, sparking rumors that KUG brought him in to push Lin Jiang out, instantly igniting public outrage.

Additionally, insiders revealed that KUG played dirty during the transfer window—wanting to sign Alike for traffic while refusing to let river join other teams, pressuring him into signing an unequal contract.

Normally, teams are required to notify players in advance about contract renewals and are not allowed to delay their transfer opportunities—this is an official league rule.

But Lin Jiang had been with KUG since his debut and believed he had a good relationship with the management. He let his guard down—only to realize he’d been screwed over when it came time to renew.

That left Lin Jiang with two tough options.

The first was to renew his contract and go head-to-head with Alike. If he couldn’t win, he’d be stuck warming the bench.

The second was to terminate the contract. But with the transfer window about to close, there would be no team left for him—and KUG wouldn’t have to worry about him affecting their Worlds run.

For KUG, this kind of strategy was all gain and no loss. But for Lin Jiang, it was downright ruthless!

Lin Jiang’s fans were driven mad with anger—

[Is this how you treat the dad who carried you into Worlds? If Lin Jiang hadn’t carried you back then, you KUG would be nothing!]

[How can a team be this disgusting?! Argh! Can we file a complaint!? Someone, give me the complaint hotline!]

[To KUG’s Management, I hope you CHOKE !!!]

[Was the whole management team raised in an orphanage or what?!][mfn]used offensively to accuse someone of having no empathy or basic decency; extremely derogatory and not to be taken literally. Please do not use inappropriately.[/mfn]

Even Alike’s fans were wailing: [God A, what were you thinking?! Of all the places you could go, why KUG?!]

In just a few days, KUG became the laughingstock and meme factory of the entire scene—so much so that even passersby would spat in disgust.

KUG’s investors couldn’t withstand the public outrage and could only play dead to survive. They had originally planned a grand ceremony to welcome Alike to the team, but in the end, they settled for a simple announcement on their official account. You could say this move completely ruined their reputation.

While the online disputes raged on, the more level-headed fans suddenly turned their attention on the core question:

Where had Lin Jiang been during those ten days of silence?

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