Two hours before the annual awards ceremony, Guo Hao finally arrived in Wuhan.
The first thing he did when he met up with his teammates was to find a room to change his clothes.
Lin Yan put on his suit jacket and looked at his teammates. He couldn't help but laugh.
Xiao Tian was as thin as a stick and Xiao Ming wasn't much better than him. The two of them looked like kids wearing adult clothes in their big shoes.
Jack's figure was a lot straighter in his suit. The suit helped him flatten out his shoulders and even his head didn't look as big.
But Hao frowned.
"Jack, do something with your hair. It's covering your forehead …"
Xiao Ming laughed. "Hao, you don't get it, do you?
His face looks smaller with his hair covering his forehead. "
Big Head's son directly punched Xiao Ming hard and accurately, sending him scurrying around the room.
Lin Yan, Jin Gong, and Ning were all over 1.8 meters tall and had well-proportioned bodies. Suits were the most suitable for them.
Lin Yan pulled at his tie in front of the full-length mirror and moved his neck a little.
His figure in the mirror was tall and slender. The expensive linen lining made the suit look good, and the white shirt and blue spotted tie made him look handsome.
He was a little handsome.
While he was being narcissistic, Lin Yan suddenly thought of Su Cheng's suit from two days ago.
At that time, he could accurately feel Su Cheng's slender and beautiful waistline through the thin and smooth wool worsted fabric.
For some reason, he touched his waist in the mirror.
It really felt different.
The other person touching his waist, Su Cheng, had already entered the venue with her ticket.
Next to her was a group of girls who were discussing luxury goods. Their boyfriends were all LPL stars.
Su Cheng's gaze moved back and forth between their faces. She wondered if she was blind. Why did these girls look exactly the same after putting on makeup?
"Chanel's new Spring/Summer cowhide bag with the deep V-shaped diagonal stitching and bronze double-C-buckle straps is really beautiful. Have you guys bought it yet?"
"No, I spent a lot of money on a pair of Hermes Blanche ankle boots last week."
"Su Cheng, what about you?"
A girl with heavy makeup came over, and the strong smell of perfume hit his face. "What do you think of LV's white checkered tassel shoulder bag this year?"
Su Cheng was stunned for two seconds, and an awkward but polite smile appeared on her face.
Just now, Su Cheng had been listening to the topics these girls were discussing. She felt confused about her lack of knowledge. She could understand every word they said, but she really didn't understand what they meant when they were connected together.
She found Fubini's theorem easier to understand than these categories of luxury goods.
"Sorry, I don't know much about these things," Su Cheng said honestly.
The girl glanced at the light and gorgeous black embroidered dress on Su Cheng's body.
She, who had been studying the fashion industry all year round, recognized that this was Valentino's Spring/Summer collection. The price of a single dress was close to six digits, and it could buy ten of the LV bags she had just mentioned.
She didn't believe that Su Cheng, who was wearing such an expensive dress, didn't know about luxury goods.
Of course, she wasn't stupid enough to mock and provoke hatred. She just thought that Su Cheng didn't want to talk to her, so she didn't ask for a rebuff. She simply shrank to the side and played with her phone.
Su Cheng was restless. She didn't know what she did wrong. This dress was given to her by her mother to celebrate her admission to Fudan University, and it was the first time she wore it.
At this time, the girls who were laughing on the other side spoke again.
"Ask your boyfriend to buy it for you. His monthly salary can buy several bags."
"I already asked him to buy me four bags and a few dresses this year. Let's wait until next year. I want a Hermes Kelly bag by then."
Su Cheng looked in the direction of the voice. Although the girls' faces were the same, the colors and styles of their clothes were not the same. She relied on this to match each person's identity.
She recognized that the girl who said this was not married. Su Cheng suddenly felt that there was a crack in the values she had cultivated in school.
Su Cheng knew that a luxury bag was expensive. She didn't think that an unmarried girl could openly make such a request to her boyfriend.
Su Cheng currently earned a meager salary as a part-time analyst. She also relied on the monthly allowance given by her family. Lin Yan's annual income had already reached seven digits.
Although her boyfriend was rich, Su Cheng and Lin Yan had to pay for taxis, shopping, and meals when they went out. She felt that she had a clear conscience. Both parties were in a very equal relationship, so she got along with her boyfriend quite well.
She couldn't understand or accept that girl's words.
Su Cheng felt that she couldn't continue listening. She picked up her skirt and ran away.
…
It was already evening when the YM team got into the car and arrived at the stadium. The moment Lin Yan stepped onto the red carpet, he heard the cheers of the fans behind him.
The bullet screen of the live broadcast exploded.
[Gui Gui's face and body, isn't he too handsome?
Let's go, beauties!]
[Why does he look so different from the rest of the team?]
[I remember the promotional video for the summer competition. At the time, they said that Ran was going to be a male model. Today, I see that it's true.]
The last YM team members, along with the manager and coaches, stood by the red carpet wall, holding markers to sign their names on the board.
After entering the stadium, Lin Yan immediately saw Su Cheng standing to the side looking at her phone.
Lin Yan motioned for his teammates to continue forward.
"What's wrong?" he asked as he held Su Cheng's hand.
"I don't get along with them. I might as well stay here and study Fubini's theorem." Su Cheng smiled.
Lin Yan wasn't stupid. After hearing Su Cheng's words, he understood.
"Then don't sit over there later. I'll ask the staff to put you in the front row?" Lin Yan glanced at Su Cheng. "Teacher Su, you're so beautiful today."
Su Cheng's white cheeks blushed. "Mr. Lin, you look good today too."
…
The stage lighting of the Wuhan Sports Center was quite dazzling. After an opening dance with projection technology, the awards ceremony quickly began.
"The winners of the Best New Star and Best Manager of the Year are …" Meiko opened the envelope. "YMRan and YM's manager, Guo Hao."
The audience in the back row cheered like thunder. YM was the first to win an award. This was no doubt a recognition of their glorious achievements this year.
Following that, YM, who had just won the S6 championship, swept the Best New Star, Best Manager, Best Coach, Fastest Improving Club, and Best Club awards.
Guo Hao held three trophies in his hands. He was so excited that his face was flushed red. He looked at his teammates with gratitude.
He knew how much effort he had put in this year. If it weren't for his teammates' hard work in the competition and winning the championship consecutively, he would not have received this award.
The main analyst was receiving the award on stage. The Best Analyst of the Year was unsurprisingly won by YM.
"Thank you, PDD, for persuading me to leave the eSports scene at the end of last year. Thank you to Manager Guo Hao and Coach Hanyi for their cooperation. Thank you to my teammates. They're the most talented and hardworking kids I've ever seen …" The main analyst's eyes were red.
"Thank you to my assistant analyst too. Your improvement is obvious to all. I think you can replace me next season. You're very, very, very good." He wiped the corner of his eyes and left the stage.
Everyone in YM applauded.
They knew that if it were not for Su Cheng's prediction of the bottom lane in the first game of the semi-finals against the Tigers, they might not have won that game. Xiao Tian's explosive performance in the fifth game would not have happened either. YM might have ended up in the top four.
After the Best Analyst of the Year was announced, it was time for the Best Team of the Year.
This was also an important award that night. It represented the LPL's official evaluation of a player's performance throughout the year.
Lin Yan thought that the Best Team of the Year would also be won by YM. However, an accident happened.
The Best Top Laner was won by Looper. Lin Yan and Xiao Tian were the mid laners, while Deft and Meiko were the bottom laners.
The players sitting in the front row were stunned. Deft himself did not expect that he, who was in the top eight of S6, would become the Best AD of the Year.
However, the EDG fans behind him exploded.
"Deft, don't go!"
"You must work hard when you go back next year!"
"You and Meiko must be good!"
There were also many female fans of Deft and Meiko's coupling. They held up Deft's sign and cheered for the Best Bottom Laner in their hearts.
Lin Yan understood what the officials were thinking. They felt that Deft, who had played for the LPL for two years, was about to leave the team and should be given a certain reward.
In addition, many of the previous awards were biased towards YM. EDG had to get a share of the Best Bottom Laner.
However, Jin Gong, Jack, and Xiao Ming's faces were really ugly. In the end, the three of them only clapped twice symbolically.
They did not expect that they would not even get the Best Team of the Year after winning the LPL's first S-League championship.
Jack and Xiao Ming could comfort themselves with the fact that their performance was not as good as EDG's Bottom Laner duo.
However, Jimu could not. He was very disappointed.
In terms of nationality, Looper and he were both foreigners. In terms of statistics, he was not bad either. Looper did not explicitly express that he was leaving the team during the winter transfer period like Deft.
In terms of results this year, Looper was only the Spring Champion, MSI Top 4, and S6 Top 4.
He was the Siberian Summer Champion, S6 Champion, and Demacia Cup Champion. In terms of value, was he not better than Looper this year?
Lin Yan and Xiao Tian went down the stage and distributed the trophy in their hands to their teammates.
"Don't care what others think. In my heart, you are the best teammates," Lin Yan said seriously.
However, the three teammates were still a little depressed. After working hard for a year, they won all the competitions they participated in. In the end, they did not even get a single reward. Who could stand it?
The comments in the live broadcast room were also fighting for YM.
[I'm dying of laughter. Let me tell a joke. The Best Team of the LPL's first S-League championship team is the same as the Top 8 teams.]
[Isn't this shady?
The officials will be hit by a mud truck tonight!]
[Are you trying to please the CP fans?
I'll go back tonight and write about Jack and Xiao Ming. Can you give the award to my son?]
However, there was no turning back. The award was already settled.
Next was the last award of this award ceremony — the MVP of the year. In the LPL, only one out of hundreds of players could win this honor.
Before the award ceremony, Lin Yan thought that he would definitely win this award. After all, he was the MVP of the LPL and could be said to be the player with the most solid LPL honor this year.
However, when the Best Team came out, he did not have much hope.
"The next award is the 2016 MVP …" On the stage, Tengjing's CEO, Bobby, first stirred up the emotions of the audience. Then, he smiled in satisfaction. "Please look at the big screen first."
There were a total of three nominees: Lin Yan, Deft, and Spicy Saucepan.
Lin Yan knew that the latter was basically a side character this year.
Whether it was results or performance, Spicy Saucepan did not stand out in any way compared to the previous two. It was probably to give face to RNG, who had also entered S6, so they pushed one person up.
The big screen showed the exciting operations of the three candidates this year. There was also a list of data next to them.
Spicy Saucepan had the highest team participation rate of 74.7% among junglers. It had the second highest ambush success rate in the same position, and had the first 8.8 assists per game in the same position.
Deft had won an exaggerated 21 MVPs this year. In addition, he was the number one AD player in terms of damage output, damage conversion rate, and economy.
It was no exaggeration to say that as an AD player, he had indeed dominated the LPL league this year.
When Lin Yan's highlights appeared on the big screen, the fans who supported YM cheered non-stop.
From Rambo's four kills to Clockwork Dragon Pit's R Flash, from Yellow Chicken's super long distance drift to Tribulation's thousand-yard hack ignition, from Vampire killing Ouze in the midst of tens of thousands of troops to Dragon King R Flash's Star String Fall in the last game of the Summer Finals.
From using mid laner Lucian to solo-kill Faker, to the groundbreaking Ryze R Golden Body, to the S6 finals' deciding game, where Airplane's Time Leopard Girl dealt with Lin Yan's Command Flag Cannon Car in a difficult situation in the middle lane.
The screen finally stopped at the moment when Lin Yan raised his head slightly and picked up the Summoner's Trophy. Golden rain poured down from the sky.
Damage output: 777 (second in the entire position), damage conversion rate: 185.2% (first in the entire position), 23 solo kills (first in the entire position), and 80.25% team participation rate (first in the entire position).
Other than the number one in terms of damage output, which was snatched away by Broiler, who suddenly exploded in a few games after the Summer Finals, he was number one in the entire position.
The data was extremely exaggerated and extremely dominant.
[Let's be honest. Pure passerby. Data + honor. It's not too much for Brother Ran to take this year's MVP, right?]
[How can I not give it to him?
If I give it back to Alpaca, I'll charge LOL's Weibo tonight.]
[GG, first in solo kills and first in team participation rate?
How did he do it?]
[If you block me from roaming, I'll kill you and then run to help my teammates. It's simple logic.]
[Team participation rate is higher than jungler. That's f * cking ridiculous!]
Last year's MVP winner, Factory Director, went on stage and presented the most valuable award together with 'Bobby'.
The bullet screen was now filled with 4396. The damage that Factory Director had dealt himself in the quarterfinals was like a scar that would accompany him for the rest of his career.
"The winner of the 2016 MVP is …" Bobby opened the envelope, smiled, and handed it to Factory Director beside him.
"YMR!" Factory Director's dead fish eyes were also tinged with a layer of smile. "Congratulations!"
When Factory Director read out YM, the YM fans below the stage had already erupted into deafening cheers.
They waved the light sticks in their hands non-stop, and the entire stadium resounded with "MVP!"
[Everyone's Favorite!]
[There's nothing wrong with that. How can S6 MVP not be worthy of the title of MVP of your division?]
Lin Yan breathed a sigh of relief as if a heavy burden had been lifted off his shoulders. He stood up and hugged his teammates, coaches, and others.
The previously dejected trio was now filled with pride and joy.
After hugging Hao, Lin Yan did not immediately go on stage. Instead, he turned around.
Su Cheng was sitting there. When she saw Lin Yan reach out his hands, she pursed her lips and smiled.
"Congratulations, Mr. Lin." Su Cheng leaned forward slightly and hugged Lin Yan.
Lin Yan smiled and patted his girlfriend's shoulder.
Tengjing's official cameraman, Ichimura, raised his camera and captured this scene on his camera.
[Isn't this the female Bodhisattva in the suit that day?
Sob sob sob, she's so beautiful. I'm really in love …]
[Why do I feel like there's something wrong with these two?]
[Brothers who think they're a good match, post it on the public chat!]
Lin Yan left his seat and walked briskly to the stage. His suit made him look handsome.
A male narrator sounded in the stadium. His warm and magnetic voice lingered in the stadium.
"He's as slow as a forest and as aggressive as fire. Just like his name, 'Lin Yan', it's a clear interpretation of his personal style.
"He's the sharp knife that pierces the enemy's heart with the wind. He's the best answer when turning the tables against the wind. He's the engine that starts the rhythm and the bearing that links the entire team.
"In the name of willpower, he tries his best to fight bravely. The answer is in his heart.
"He's the most dazzling fire in the three confrontations. He burns everything and illuminates the darkest night of the LPL division, letting us know that there's still hope.
"The 2016 MVP winner, YMRan."
Amidst the cheers of the audience, Lin Yan stepped onto the stage and received the trophy from Bobby.
"Thank you to my teammates, thank you to our best management. You're the best team I've ever met. Thank you to the team's assistant analyst for your support and encouragement." Lin Yan pointed at the microphone and looked straight ahead.
"Thank you to my fans who've supported me along the way. Your encouragement is very important to me. I vaguely remember this time last year. It should've been the day I reached the top of the canyon. This year, I'm standing here, continuing to pursue my next goal.
"This is just the beginning, and I haven't seen the end yet."
…
On the night of the award ceremony, everyone in YM took a plane out of Wuhan and began their two-month break.
On the plane, Guo Hao pulled Lin Yan aside and whispered to him.
"Xiao Tian and Jack have been talking for the past two days."
Guo Hao looked up and saw that the team members were resting with blindfolds and thin blankets over their eyes. Only then did he relax and speak.
Jack originally wanted to go to the free market to test the waters, but when Big-head AD heard that Lin Yan had the idea of reducing his salary to stay in the team, he immediately changed his mind.
He also knew that a mid laner like Lin Yan was hard to come by. He could handle any style. If he wanted him to be a C, he could also be a C. He wouldn't hesitate to wander around and be his lackey.
Jack was still young, and it was the time for him to pursue results. After playing smoothly in YM for a year, his minimum requirement for a team was to be at the international level.
At the very most, only EDG, which Deft was about to leave, met this requirement. Although IG also lacked an AD, their results were too poor. They were now a fringe team in the playoffs.
Jack benefited a lot after playing with S6's Wolf Club. His goal for the past two years was to learn from stronger opponents and constantly improve himself.
The negotiations with Xiao Tian were even easier. Before Hao even opened his mouth, Xiao Tian had already expressed his desire to stay in the team. The salary he asked for was only 75% of the other clubs' offer.
Gao Tianliang was very smart. He knew that as long as Lin Yan was there, his jungle would always be comfortable. His big brother in the mid lane was not even 18 years old yet. He might not even be at his peak yet.
Phyllostachys Pubescens also knew that if he tried the free market now, he might end up worse than Jack.
Now, WE had the hot Mr. Kang, RNG had the Spicy Saucepan, and although EDG Factory Director had shameful numbers, he was obviously in good shape. The top clubs outside did not lack junglers at all.
If he didn't stay in YM, would he have to go to the mid and lower ranks to suck?
The two's intentions to renew their contracts were quickly confirmed.
Su Xiaoluo had already called in the evening to ask for Ning's signature.
Guo Hao was not a stickler for contracts. After asking for Ning's opinion, the two sides reached an agreement to sign an electronic contract as soon as the winter transfer period began.
Now, only Xiao Ming and Jin Gong had not expressed their intentions to sign a contract.
"I'll go back to the base and talk to Jin Gong. He's a little depressed right now." Guo Hao sighed.
On the same day that the Europa League ended, a huge earthquake also happened in LCK.
ROX won the KeSpa Cup in Korea and defeated SKT head-on for the first time.
SMEB, who was holding the cup, was moved to tears. The bright fireworks in his dream had become reality in front of his eyes.
After the match, the official Twitter account announced the team's disbandment. The team members and the coach entered the free market to test the waters.
In the end, the Tigers scattered like stars in the sky.
…
YM returned to the base to rest. The next morning, Lin Yan went to Jin Gong one step ahead of Hao.
"Brother Xiba, can we talk?"
Jin Gong and the coach shared a room. At this time, Hanyi's bedside table was empty. He was ready to pack his luggage and leave YM's base.
The Siberian did not raise any objections. Lin Ran closed the door and sat on the chair.
"Are you still worried about the Best Team of the Year?"
Jin Gong nodded and did not say anything. His hair was messy like a bird's nest, and he looked quite dispirited.
"Do you care about this honor a lot?" Lin Yan was not in a hurry to ask about the contract renewal. He patiently guided him.
"A little …" Jin Gong spoke in Mandarin with a mutton skewer flavor. "I don't think I've been recognized."
"That's the official's problem." Lin Yan looked directly into his eyes. "Do you think the official's recognition is more important, or the recognition between us old teammates?"
"Of course it's you guys!" Jin Gong raised his voice.
Lin Yan felt that his plan was halfway to success.
"I remember your Kenji. How many times have we worked together to steal the opponent's base?
How many times has your captain been able to stand up against pressure in the early game and take over in the mid-game team battle? You don't have to doubt your own strength. "
"You're a very important part of our team. If we have a 4v4 and you can't handle the pressure alone in the top lane, then we'll be helping the bottom lane for nothing. The economics ball won't roll at all."
"Jin Gong, it's because of your existence that we can freely let the top lane attack the bottom lane," Lin Yan said word by word. "Because we believe that you can handle the pressure."
"You're the strongest top lane in the hearts of the four of us. You're a legendary warrior, Jimu Gong."
At this moment, Lin Yan felt like he was possessed by Jack. His ability to praise his teammates had reached its peak.
Jin Gong hugged him. Lin Ran didn't feel anything, but his neck hurt a little from being strangled.
Jin Gong decided to stay. He thought about it carefully for two days and knew that it was unrealistic to go to the free market.
Now that IG had a Korean mid and top lane, it was impossible for WE to have two Koreans in the bottom lane. EDG's manager had already gone to Korea to replace DEFT's ADC. His junior, Scout, was also a Korean.
Snakes had Holy Gun Bro and RNG had Looper, so it was impossible for them to switch to a top laner. As for VG, it was rumored that they were about to negotiate with SKT to form a jungler team with Master Hou. They also had no outside help.
After thinking about it, Jin Gong's best choice was still YM.
After settling Jin Gong, Lin Yan let out a long sigh of relief.
He had already prepared for the original Centaur to fight against S7. He did not expect a mistake to happen.
RNG made their move.
"30 million in three years?
Are you guys crazy? "Hao was dumbfounded when he heard the number from the RNG manager.
The RNG manager confirmed it again.
Yes, that's right, 30 million for three years, including portrait rights, advertising revenue, live streaming contracts, and priority to renew contracts.
According to Ouze's plan, they signed Xiao Ming.
Last year, even the top support, Mata, could only get 6.5 million a year. RNG decisively offered a 3 year contract of 30 million.
Guo Hao's original 2 year contract of 11.5 million was not competitive at all.
He could only offer the price to Xiao Ming.
Shi Senming could not believe it when he heard the contract amount. He confirmed it multiple times and then went into deep thought in his room.
He wavered between Ouze and Jack, RNG and YM.
The YM players only stated their reasoning and did not try to persuade him. They were afraid that if they did not persuade him, it would hurt their relationship.
They were not Shi Senming himself, so they could not help him make a choice. They could not bear the consequences of his choice.
In the golden age of esports, how many people could reject such a high price contract?
In the end, Xiao Ming chose to leave and follow Ouze to RNG, forming another bottom lane duo.
After Guo Hao signed the BMW sponsorship, he drew up the renewal contract.
Even though Guo Hao wanted to determine their treatment according to the external price, the four YM players discussed it and chose to make some concessions, leaving the club with a certain amount of money.
Lin Yan finally signed a 2 year contract of 1.8 kilowatts. The decision of the live streaming contract was up to him.
Jack was 1.45 kilowatts for two years. Xiao Tian and Jin Gong were 1.1 kilowatts for two years. The three's live streaming contracts were locked in YM's hands.
Everyone's signing fees would be deducted and transferred to their bank cards a month after the contract was signed.
On the second day after the German Cup ended, the voting for the All-Star Game began. The audience voted for their own choices. The outer division also accounted for 20% of the votes. There was one person in each of the five positions, and no more than two people from each team participated in the All-Star Game.
Lin Yan and the YM players all used their dusty Weibo to solicit votes for Jin Gong.
They knew that in this All-Star Game, Lin Yan was almost set to be the mid laner, and the jungler would definitely be the Factory Director. Whether it was true fans or anti-fans, they all wanted him to go to the All-Star Game. However, the latter wanted to see the Factory Director's Blind Monk get messed with.
Ouze's reputation in China was already full for the AD position, so there was no suspense. The support position was still dominated by Ouze's fans. Basically, whichever support they wanted would be chosen.
Xiao Ming's departure from the team hadn't been announced yet. Without the help of Ouze's fans, the bottom lane would only be chosen between Mata and Meiko. It wouldn't be Xiao Ming's turn.
A team could only send two people at most, so YM decided to focus the remaining votes on Jin Gong.
With everyone's help, Jin Gong's final votes were almost the same as Looper's, and he won the contest with a slight lead.
Lin Yan's votes exceeded 78%. This meant that for every 100 viewers who voted for the All-Star lineup, 78 of them chose Lin Yan as the mid laner.
This was a very scary number, second only to LCKfaker's 81% votes.
After a week of voting, Jin Gong, Factory Director, Lin Yan, Ouze, and Mata represented LPL in the 2016 All-Star Game.
Lin Yan, who originally didn't want to go, couldn't bear to let Jin Gong go to a foreign country to compete alone. He planned to drag Hao to Spain with him.