WCG Chapter 106

Jiang Lele said he was helping Yu Hui fight the haters, but he ended up getting mad himself just reading the comments. All the “techniques” he mentioned earlier were completely forgotten. He was one step away from crawling through the internet cables to yank someone’s hair out.

Thankfully, Yuan Yang stepped in and suppressed the wave of negative comments, finally calming Jiang Lele down.

Yuan Yang glanced at Jiang Lele, who was still patrolling under the interview video like a watchdog, and chuckled. “You and Back are really close, huh?”

Yu Hui, sitting nearby, didn’t say anything, but Jiang Lele responded without a shred of embarrassment, hugging Yu Hui’s arm. “Of course we are.”

The tournament proceeded on schedule. In the midst of the intense training, Jiang Lele frequently watched a certain streamer’s live broadcasts on his phone.

Tonight, after dinner was no different. Jiang Lele absentmindedly sipped on his chicken soup while staring intently at his phone screen. He even sent the streamer a little heart gift.

Yu Hui had been about to leave, but paused when he saw Jiang Lele send the gift.

The streamer never showed their face, only their hands. They were fast, moving across the keyboard so quickly they left afterimages.

Yu Hui narrowed his eyes.

He couldn’t remember any hero with such a complex combo chain.

Noticing Yu Hui’s gaze, Jiang Lele looked up, excited. “Isn’t he awesome?”

“That guy trash-talks like a machine gun, nonstop verbal suppression until the other team can’t even get a word in. That’s who I learned from when I said I was studying how to flame back at them!”

He eagerly recommended the streamer to Yu Hui. “Wanna follow him too? He’s doing a fan-carry session tonight! We can sign up and study him up close!”

Yu Hui looked away. “Not interested.”

Jiang Lele put down his phone and started wheedling. “Come on, Back! The more people we sign up, the better our chances! He doesn’t have many fans, so the odds of getting picked are actually pretty good!”

Yu Hui: “…”

Now he was even less interested.

Jiang Lele started shaking his arm. “Back, pleaaase? If you won’t help, I’ll have to beg Jiu-ge… sob…”

In response, a phone — already unlocked — was tossed into his arms.

Whether it was because the streamer really didn’t have many fans or just sheer luck, Jiang Lele actually got picked.

“Back, let’s use alt accounts and play a few rounds together tonight!” Jiang Lele beamed. “If you’re with me, it’s fine, he doesn’t mind bringing more people.”

This kid even claimed he could 1v4!

Yu Hui was in the middle of ranked matches and tugged his headset down a bit when he heard that. “Don’t forget we have practice tonight.”

“I won’t!” Jiang Lele hugged Yu Hui from behind. “This streamer’s schedule is even more cursed than ours. We’ll play after practice.”

Maybe afraid Yu Hui would refuse, Jiang Lele hugged him tighter. His soft hair brushed against Yu Hui’s cheek, tickling a little.

“Alright, alright, let go,” Yu Hui said, tilting his head away. “You smell like cream cake.”

Instead of backing off, Jiang Lele clung tighter and rubbed his cheek against Yu Hui’s shoulder. “I asked if you wanted some, and you said no! It’s not like I was hogging it!”

As he rubbed his face against Yu Hui, his hair slipped into Yu Hui’s collar, and every now and then, a soft touch different from hair brushed against his skin.

Jiang Lele’s cheek would occasionally brush against Yu Hui’s chin.

Yu Hui’s body stiffened slightly, then he reached out and pushed his head away. “Get off me.”

“If you keep rubbing, you can play with the streamer on your own.”

Jiang Lele immediately jumped up and raised his hands in surrender. “Nooo, don’t say that! If you don’t come, I’m afraid he’ll roast me too!”

And sure enough, his worries weren’t unfounded. During the trio queue that night, when Jiang Lele rotated his mid-lane hero down to help the bot lane and casually stole a siege minion, a question mark immediately popped up over the ADC’s head.

That streamer, who played ADC, had the ID “Time.”

Jiang Lele’s eye twitched hard and he instantly typed:  

“Sorry T Bao, I messed up! Just a reflex!”  

“I’ll let you have the jungle bird!”

Yu Hui, who had just cleared a jungle rotation, remained silent.

Time didn’t hold back either. Before Yu Hui got there, he quickly killed the jungle bird, not even letting Yu Hui get assist XP.

Yu Hui: “…”

Still, since they were playing trio queue, the enemy team had decent coordination. Unlike their own side, which was a mess.

Jiang Lele, using an alt account, had picked a brand-new hero called Nuka, a mid-lane with a powerful freeze ability. But he hadn’t figured out the skills yet and was clearly just goofing around. His freezes missed everything. The enemy quickly noticed his lack of mastery and started focusing mid, basically turning him into a support-tier economy.

[All] Pay Attention to Me: Try ganking me again and see what happens!

Jiang Lele sounded fierce, but one second later, while walking past a totally normal-looking patch of grass, he got ambushed by the enemy mid-jungle duo and insta-died.

“Back! Time! I’ve had enough! They’ve made me mad!” Jiang Lele raged. “Help me get revenge!”

He didn’t need to say it. Yu Hui had already rotated over, killing the enemy mid in retaliation, and Time followed up by finishing off the enemy jungler.

Jiang Lele was back to feeling smug, humming happily. “See? I’ve got people backing me up!”

“Yeah, yeah, stop gloating.” Yu Hui pinged the blue buff. “Come grab it after you respawn.”

In informal matches, as long as he didn’t need blue buff for himself, Yu Hui usually let Jiang Lele take it.

Over in bot lane, Jiang Shi paused and asked, “Then can I take red?”

Yu Hui heard the static in his headset, frowned, and answered instantly, “No.”

Jiang Shi clicked his tongue but didn’t argue.

Despite their best efforts to support Jiang Lele, he’d died too many times and fallen way behind in gold. And since the enemy trio stayed tightly grouped, it was hard to pick them off.

Jiang Shi said, “My hero can’t drag the game to late. We need to force a fight.”

“Mid, go bait them out.”

If there was one thing Jiang Lele excelled at, it was baiting. He pounded his chest confidently. “Leave it to me, T Bao! I won’t let you down!”

Jiang Shi had been silently waiting in a bush, but when he heard that nickname, his hand slipped and he nearly walked out into the open. His voice was sharp with annoyance. “Who told you to call me T Bao?!”

Ever since Jiang Lele joined the streamer’s fanbase, he’d been calling him that nonstop, and it was starting to stick.

Jiang Lele paused by the grass, looking pitiful. “But it sounds cute…”

Jiang Shi shot back coldly, “Cute my ass. Don’t call me that again.”

“And don’t talk toward the grass! You want everyone to know we’re hiding here?”

Jiang Lele sulked, “Got it… T Bao.”

Jiang Shi: “…”

He wanted to say more, but watching Jiang Lele spin around in the grass like an idiot, while the enemy jungler peeked at him from the bush edge, he held it in. “Forget the nickname. Just get them to chase you.”

Finally remembering the task, Jiang Lele strutted boldly into mid lane, where he’d already died multiple times. Seeing the enemy grouped cautiously under tower, he hesitated, then waved at them—and even coughed into the mic like he was clearing his throat.

[All] Pay Attention to Me: Grandpa, come and play~ 

In the bush, Jiang Shi, ready to ambush, blinked. “?”

What the hell was this, a total scam? 

Yu Hui’s mouth twitched, and he averted his gaze.

The enemy under the tower took one look, abandoned the tower entirely, and vanished.

The bait plan failed successfully. 

In the end, it wasn’t until they started to kill the drake and Jiang Shi purposely exposed vision that the enemy finally engaged. In the resulting teamfight at Baron pit, despite it being their first time teaming up, Jiang Shi and Yu Hui actually pulled off a great combo and aced the enemy team, securing the win.

Jiang Lele had the fewest kills, but he was the happiest of them all. “T Bao, one more round!”

They were the last batch of fans to be picked, and there were no more after them.

Since Jiang Shi didn’t have anything else to do, he agreed.

But in the second match, Jiang Lele clashed roles with someone and ended up filling as top lane, which put him at a disadvantage in lane.

Yu Hui said, “I’ll support top this round.”

Jiang Lele responded cheerfully, “Baby, you’re the best.”

Jiang Shi rubbed his arm at the goosebumps that gave him and muttered, “Whatever.”

Still, he managed to dominate a 2v1 matchup.

Because Yu Hui rotated quickly, the enemy jungler failed to gank top lane and nearly got counter-killed. Bot lane was slippery like an eel, not only avoiding ganks but almost wiping out their opponents. The enemy ADC even cheekily recalled under tower while sending a [Thank you kindly] message.

Since both top and bot were hard to gank, the enemy shifted their focus to mid lane.

After getting ganked a few times, their mid laner snapped.

[Team Chat] My Home Has Grassland: Jungler, are you dead or what? Didn’t see me getting ganked? Don’t know how to help? You dead in top lane or what?

[Team Chat] My Home Has Grassland: Why bother with that noob in top lane? Come babysit me in mid, that’s how we win. Get it?

Yu Hui calmly responded with a single period.

[Team Chat] What Snacks: “.”

Just to show he’d read it.

Yu Hui was chill, but Jiang Lele was instantly pissed when he saw the messages.

[Team Chat] Pay Attention to Me: Who are you calling a noob? Can’t you see I’ve got two kills and I’m dominating my lane?

[Team Chat] My Home Has Grassland: If the food’s already at your mouth and you still can’t eat, you’re not a noob, you’re just plain stupid.

[Team Chat] My Home Has Grassland: Go screw bolts in a factory, noob.

Jiang Lele’s face turned red with anger.

But he didn’t know how to respond.

He’d heard too many people call him a noob. And every time, he just froze.

People online often said: “There’s no one in TLG to mess with — except Lele. Pick a fight with him, it’s like stepping on cotton. No bite at all.”

Jiang Shi heard the gritting of teeth through voice chat and clicked his tongue. “So basically, you don’t even know how to argue? Just getting mad for nothing?”

Jiang Lele huffed and kicked the table leg, clearly frustrated.

The internet was right. He really was a soft, fluffy pushover.

Jiang Shi paused, then said, “Remember this: in an argument, trying to prove yourself is the dumbest move.”

Before Jiang Lele could reply, the sound of furious typing came through his headset.

[Team Chat] Time: You’re right. If someone feeds you and you still can’t eat, you’re a noob. But Daddy’s been feeding you all game, how come you haven’t done sht?

[Team Chat] Time: Let’s see. In ten minutes, their mid’s roamed four times. You didn’t just fail to help, didn’t even ping once. What were you doing? Flirting with the minions?

[Team Chat] Time: Only difference between you and minions is you can type. And even then, you type like you’re superior. You got nerve flaming others.

[Team Chat] Time: Idiot. 

Each line hit like a slap. The enemy mid didn’t even have time to respond.

While flaming them in chat, Jiang Shi casually 1v2’d and killed the enemy ADC, then strolled mid to farm the wave. The mid laner didn’t dare make a peep.

The voice chat fell silent for a moment. Jiang Lele was wide-eyed, hardly daring to breathe.

Time was savage. Like, he’d kick even a passing dog.

Jiang Shi noticed the silence and raised an eyebrow. “What, stunned? Clear the wave and come mid to farm.”

Jiang Lele’s eyes lit up instantly. He even forgot to ask Back for blue buff in the jungle and ran straight to mid, grinning, “T Bao, you’re my idol!”

Jiang Shi sighed. “How many times do I have to tell you not to call me T Bao?”

Jiang Lele beamed, “Got it, T Bao!”

Jiang Shi: “…”

In the final crucial teamfight, Jiang Shi said, “Their ADC has no Flash. Go.”

Without hesitation, Jiang Lele dove in with his ult. But the next second, the enemy ADC flashed out. Surrounded, Jiang Lele had already burned his only mobility skill and could only watch his screen go gray.

Meanwhile, Time and Back wiped both enemy carries, winning the fight 3-for-1. Huge win.

Jiang Lele was in shock. “T Bao! You said the ADC didn’t have Flash!”

“Oh? Did I?” Jiang Shi sounded completely unapologetic. “Guess I remembered wrong.”

Flash or no Flash — he was sending in the bait either way.

Jiang Lele slammed the table and wailed, “I trusted you, you lying scumbag!”

The noise must’ve been too loud — someone opened the training room door.

Xie Xu walked in with his team jacket draped over his shoulders, pulled out a chair, and took a sip of water. “What are you yelling about?”

Jiang Lele immediately toned it down. “Nothing. Just doing ranked with some friends. Got a bit too into it.”

Then he looked over, suddenly inspired. “Captain, wanna join?”

They didn’t play overlapping roles!

Xie Xu shook his head. “No, I’m reviewing today’s training.”

Jiang Lele let out a disappointed “Oh.”

After they pushed down the crystal, Jiang Shi noticed Jiang Lele had been talking to someone else. The other person’s voice was faint but nice.

Jiang Shi took a sip of water to soothe his throat. “I’m done after this match.”

Jiang Lele pouted, “Get some rest then. Don’t keep streaming so late.”

Time was the most dedicated streamer he’d ever seen, probably played more than the pros.

Jiang Shi responded indifferently.

But Jiang Lele wasn’t ready to let go. “Do more giveaways in the future, I still wanna play with you!”

“No thanks. Next time I’m blacklisting you.”

“Why?!”

“Too noisy. My ears hurt.”

Jiang Shi tugged his cheap earphones out slightly. Not only was his mic trash, but the headset sucked too. Jiang Lele’s shrill voice was murder on his eardrums.

Jiang Lele complained, “Didn’t my skills impress you? Wasn’t it fun playing together? I mean, fan carry and all!”

Jiang Shi replied in a flat tone, “Your top lane was decent.”

“But stop playing mages. Especially Nuka. Doesn’t suit you.”

An arrow struck Jiang Lele right in the heart. 

Jiang Lele instantly went berserk. He nearly pulled out his official Pro Mid certification and slapped it on Jiang Shi’s face, if not for Yu Hui clamping a hand over his mouth.

Still, it was tough to hold back a rampaging Jiang Lele.

Just as he was about to break free, Jiang Shi’s calm voice came through again:

“But your boyfriend’s jungle is solid, almost half as good as me.”

Yu Hui’s hand froze. Jiang Lele broke free and snapped, “Bullshit, you shameless jerk! My boyfriend’s jungle is the best in the world!”

The words rang out loud and clear — so much so that even Xie Xu turned to look.

Xie Xu tilted his head and calmly asked, “What boyfriend?”