A rhythmic buzzing vibration broke the silence in the room.
His well-defined palm stretched out from the warm blanket and found the location of the phone following the sound source. His slender fingers gently swiped across the screen, stopping the alarm for a while.
Lin Yan opened his eyes and looked at the phone. Su Cheng was holding his arm and making a peace sign to the camera. Her eyes were clear and her smile was clean and charming.
May 20th.
Seven o 'clock in the morning.
"Get up, get up." He got out of bed and patted Mongoose on the bed next to him. "It'll be too late if you don't get up now."
His throat felt dry after he said that. He picked up the glass of water on the bedside table and drank it in one gulp. Only then did he feel a little better.
Tortoise turned over and his originally soft bangs were now even more comfortable.
"Take a shower first. I'll sleep for a while." He didn't open his eyes and only muttered.
The bathroom was right next to him. The sound of Lin Yan washing up would definitely wake Mongoose up. It wasn't realistic to want to sleep. At most, he would just stay in bed for a while.
Lin Yan didn't care about him. He picked up a team uniform and ran into the bathroom.
Sure enough, after a while, the clear sound of water flowing to the ground swept away Phyllostachys Pubescens's sleepiness.
He smoothed his bangs and adjusted the position of his helmet. Then, he turned over and began to search for his phone while yawning.
After a while, he felt that it was meaningless. Since last summer, the eSports forums on his phone were forced to be uninstalled. Now, there wasn't even a place to surf.
"Brother Ran, can I use your phone to surf the Internet for a while?" He raised his voice to make sure that Lin Yan, who was in the shower, could hear him.
Mongoose waited for a while before he heard Lin Yan's answer.
"The password for 980109. You can open it yourself!"
Why did you hesitate for so long?
Don't tell me you're hiding something in private like Brother Edison?
Xiao Tian criticized silently. He took Lin Yan's phone and quickly unlocked the password with the speed of a professional player.
He didn't look for anything else. He only saw that Lin Yan's phone was packed with e-sports surfing software.
Baidu, Tieba, NGA, Hupu, Weibo, and even Douban.
Amazing!
Phyllostachys Pubescens opened Weibo and ordered some appetizers.
He ignored the 99 + messages on Lin Yan's Weibo and went straight to the trending searches. He easily found the two topics' YMKZ 'and' MSI finals'. He clicked on them and saw that they were all cheering them on.
Little Vixen instantly lost all interest.
He didn't even want to visit the rest of YM's superfans. That was the club's headquarters, and there were only hardcore YM fans there. Their fighting power was second to none in the domestic esports scene. As long as the home team didn't pull them over, the fans would never be able to go against the wind.
He didn't even need to think about it. In the super chat, either the female fans were drawing prizes or they were all support posts.
Boring.
Mongoose exited Weibo and rushed straight to the Fight Bar.
Entering the Fight Bar felt like going home. Phyllostachys Pubescens saw that the top post was: Will JackeyLove, who isn't good at EZ, be the culprit for YM's failure to defend their title?
That's right!
He looked at the post with close to a thousand replies. Like a shark smelling blood, he rushed in.
When he went in, he saw that the whole post was a mess.
[Are you brain-dead?
You didn't win the last group match?]
[Don't be so awkward. That's what happens when your brain isn't good.]
[So what if you don't know EZ?
As long as you can win.]
A large number of YM fans quickly started to fight back. The first few replies were dominated by them. They refuted the original poster's words and dug into the content of the post.
[Which fan should quickly come out and claim it?]
[Look at this person's post record: 'Rationally discussing whether JackeyLove is a champion who is riding on someone's coattails?', 'My grandma and Brother Ran can both win the championship. Can't an ADC with hands do it?'.
How much does he hate Jack?
Are they all driving him?]
However, there were also pure passersby who spoke up for the OP.
[So what if he doesn't know EZ?
What kind of wise words were these? If Jack S6 didn't know Ember S7 didn't know Sunset, do you think YM could win?
You think it's reasonable for a pro player to not practice Hero?]
There was a foul atmosphere inside, and many people were wantonly cursing and venting their emotions. They were obviously top-notch experts, perfectly bypassing Baidu's censored words and making the other party feel endless humiliation.
Phyllostachys Pubescens was so excited that he giggled. He originally wanted to reply to a few messages, but then he thought that it was Lin Yan's phone after all. If someone dug out his account information, it might cause trouble.
He chose to forward this post to the YM Competition Training Department group chat.
Coca Cola Savory and Spicy Tofu Pudding, Sweet Rice Dumplings, Sweet Mooncake (not me): [@ YukiJudai, Shiba Inu, look at this post. It's interesting!]
I Swear I Won't Tell Siba:
After Jin Gong sent the message, he added an emoticon. In the picture, Fat Jack was sitting on the gaming chair and pointing at the monitor. The caption was, "Let me see which stupid dog is talking bad about me."
This morning, the YM training department group chat was particularly lively. In order to catch the bus to the finals, the team members were forced to get up early to prepare.
Now, Liu Qingsong, who was more and more proficient in skin care, also showed up.
Lin Weixiang is my son: [This post is right. It's hard to imagine that there's someone who doesn't know how to play EZ. Is he still a professional player?]
Xiang Xiang QAQ: [What are you doing?
Don't scold Jack with me.]
However, Big Brow soon noticed that Liu Qingsong's WeChat nickname had changed. He immediately changed it to 'Retarded Support Liu Qingsong'.
At this time, the main character, Jack, finally appeared.
Yuki Judai: [Crab praise]
Xiao Tian, who was waiting to see a joke, was stunned. [Are you out of your mind?
How can you say thank you after being scolded?]
Lin Weixiang was also confused. He even sent a question mark.
Yuki Judai: [Oh, I was the one who posted this.]
[The effect is not bad. The fish took the bait. Just nice experience.]
The entire YM training department group chat fell into a dead silence.
For ten seconds, no one replied.
Mongoose was the first to react and sent a question mark.
Liu Qingsong, Jin Gong, Guo Hao and Lin Weixiang followed suit. Even Red Rice, who didn't understand Chinese, sent a question mark.
Is there such a thing?
I'm posting myself?
Coca Cola Savory and Spicy Tofu Pudding, Sweet Rice Dumplings, Sweet Mooncake (Not Me): [Are you a masochist?]
Jack's reply was quite fast. [In life, you have to find some entertainment for yourself. Every time I post a scolding myself, I feel very happy reading their comments.]
Xiao Tian wanted to reply again, but Lin Yan walked out with a towel drying his wet hair. "What are you doing?"
Phyllostachys Pubescens was shocked by Jack's actions. He didn't know what to do and could only return the phone to Lin Yan. "See for yourself."
He was no longer sleepy and ran into the bathroom with his toiletries.
Lin Yan glanced at the chat history.
Ridiculous.
He stood there for a long time to digest the chat history and share it with Su Cheng.
His girlfriend replied very quickly. After reading the entire chat history, she even sent a funny 'You're awake?' emoticon. Lin Yan was speechless.
Lin Yan took the opportunity to check his equipment while chatting. He made sure that his keyboard, mouse and other peripherals, as well as his entry pass, were all prepared. Only then did he close the zipper of his backpack.
Su Cheng sent a few photos. The tripe on the plate was covered in red chili oil. The bright red color was very appetizing.
It's Chengzi, Not Tangerine: [Are you hungry?]
It was noon in China. Su Cheng was probably eating lunch. She casually took a photo and sent it over.
Lin Yan was about to reply when his heart suddenly skipped a beat. He realized that there was something strange about Su Cheng's photo.
There was a set of disassembled cutlery on the opposite side of the table, and a forearm was exposed at the edge of the camera!
From the thickness of the arm and the thickness of the bones, Lin Yan could easily tell that it was a man.
What's going on?
He heard the sound of water splashing in the bathroom behind him as Mongoose showered. He suddenly felt like it was raining cats and dogs.
I hear raindrops falling on the green grass?
Lin Yan zoomed in on the photo and saw that the man on the opposite side of the table was wearing a very expensive watch.
He wasn't his cousin, so he didn't know much about watches.
But that didn't stop Lin Yan from finding it familiar.
Lin Yan frowned and an idea popped up in his mind. He carefully studied the photo.
Su Cheng was right-handed. She used the position of her chopsticks as a coordinate and found that the cutlery on the opposite side of the table matched with her girlfriend's. She easily deduced that the man was left-handed.
Lin Yan only knew one person who fit this description, and it happened to be his girlfriend's relative.
Su Cheng's father, Su Hongmin.
He quickly opened his future father-in-law's WeChat Moments and kept scrolling down. He successfully found a watch that was exactly the same as the one in Su Cheng's photo.
Lin Yan let out a sigh of relief.
Because Su Hongmin's recent post was related to a business trip, and there was also a comment from their mutual friend, Lin Yan, after a few questions and answers, Lin Yan confirmed that he was going to Shanghai.
Lin Ran, who had solved the misunderstanding through his own logical reasoning, suddenly relaxed his back muscles. Only then did he realize that he hadn't dried his hair yet. The water droplets were dripping down his wet hair onto his shoulders, making him feel very uncomfortable.
An An sat firmly on the chair and turned on the hairdryer. She didn't forget to reply to Su Cheng. [It looks delicious. Which restaurant is this?]
Su Cheng didn't want to hide it. She didn't even notice that she had slapped Su Hongmin's arm. Naturally, she didn't know about her boyfriend's frightening moment.
At this moment, she directly sent her location.
[My dad insisted on bringing me here. It's a bit far from the Pentagon, but fortunately, it tastes good.]
Lin Yan even typed more steadily this time. [It's okay. I'll drive you and dad there next time.]
Su Hongmin, who was sitting opposite his daughter, was very dissatisfied with Su Cheng's behavior. "We're eating. Don't look at your phone."
"Oh, there are people in Paris seven time zones away who haven't even eaten breakfast. I have to express my condolences, right?"
Although she said that, Su Cheng still used the serving chopsticks to pick up a piece of pork loin for her father and poured him a cup of sour plum juice. She seemed very attentive.
"Lin Yan is in the finals today?"
Su Hongmin had been watching the news online for the past few days. He would always see reports of the MSI competition. Plus, today's date was a little fancy, so naturally, he had a deep impression of it.
"Yes, yes." Su Cheng said tactfully. "You'll have to go to the airport for your flight back to Beijing at seven tonight. I want to watch the competition."
"You've really forgotten your dad now that you have a boyfriend." Su Hongmin saw his daughter's attitude and wanted to fly to Paris and punch Lin Yan in the face.
Su Cheng's reason was very good. "You have a car to pick you up. Why would I follow you to the airport?
What would I do if you sent me away? "
"The company sent you a driver and car. I can't just ride on it. It won't be good if word gets out." She was eloquent. "You can't let me take a taxi back to the rental house during the evening rush hour, right?"
Su Hongmin didn't know what to say.
"Okay, okay, okay." He had no choice but to compromise and found another topic. "I still have to send flowers to your mom when I go back to Beijing tonight. Do you have any other suggestions other than roses?"
Su Cheng was stunned for a moment. She had been thinking about the finals. Now that her dad said that, she remembered that today was another couple's anniversary for many people and businesses in China.
Her phone on the table buzzed. She looked down and saw that it was a 520 message from Lin Yan. He also expressed his regret that he couldn't rush back to her side.
Su Cheng looked sideways. Many of the diners around her were young couples talking and laughing. The sour smell of love wafted through the hot pot soup to the tip of her nose.
Su Hongmin, who had sharp eyes, caught the hint of envy on her face. Although he was very unhappy with Lin Yan for taking away his daughter, he still spoke up for his future son-in-law. "Lin Yan's job is like this. In the future, he might also …"
"I'm not blaming him." Su Cheng's face was calm. She picked up a slice of kidney from the boiling hot pot and said, "This is just a Memorial Day gimmick. As long as we want, let alone May 20th, even October 20th can be a Memorial Day."
Su Hongmin thought for a moment and said, "Indeed, as long as you want, October 20th is also a good day."
Su Cheng's phone buzzed again. Lin Yan was still asking her what gift she wanted. If he rushed it now, it could be sent to her before 520 ended.
She thought for a moment, then tapped on the screen with her fair fingers to type a reply.
It was Chengzi, not Tangerine: [The MSI championship medal.]
Coca-Cola, salty and spicy tofu pudding, sweet dumplings, and sweet mooncakes (me): [No problem. Leave it to me.]
When Su Cheng saw this full stop, she instantly felt at ease. She sent two cheering emojis to Lin Yan before turning off her phone.
Su Hongmin looked at his daughter's gentle smile and heaved a sigh of relief. "It's good that you can think things through. I'm just afraid …"
He didn't continue.
"We might miss one or two Memorial Days now, but it's also for the sake of the countless Memorial Days in the future." Su Cheng's tongue felt numb from the spiciness of the hot pot base on the kidney slice. She gulped down a mouthful of sour plum juice. "I don't regret it."
After saying this, she immediately smiled and waved her hand. "No, no. If we go on like this, I'll feel guilty even watching the competition tonight."
…
"Later, walk along the yellow line that was drawn during yesterday's rehearsal. Be careful to stand in a row. Only move when you hear the staff's command!"
In the noisy and messy backstage, Winston was still shouting loudly. The members of YM's competition department in front of him were still chatting happily.
"Ten, nine, eight …"
Standing at the edge of the entrance, Lin Yan could hear the deafening shouts and cheers from the Parisian Zenith Stadium. There were even spectators who used small loudspeakers to make noise, making the entire stadium extremely lively.
When the countdown reached the last three seconds, the restless noise in the stadium was about to overturn the dome!
Accompanied by the sound of glass shattering, the logo of Fist Entertainment appeared in front of everyone!
The camera panned down. In the center of the stage, beside the MSI championship trophy, there was a band surrounding it.
The spotlights above their heads flashed, and the majestic music rang in their ears. As time passed, the melody became more and more urgent. Listening to it made one's blood boil. It was the pure music "MSI 2018" that Fist Entertainment had produced for this mid-season competition.
Classic moments from the previous three mid-season championships flashed across the big screen in the stadium.
In 2015 in Tallahassee, Li Xianghe slumped on a chair with messy hair. Even his proud hero, Lefran, was unable to fill up Mejia's Soul Stealer Scroll.
In 2016 in Shanghai, SKT, whose lineup had reached its peak, continued its reign. Faker, four other teammates, and Kkoma held up the championship trophy in the golden rain.
In 2017 in Rio de Janeiro, the proud Lin Yan raised the championship trophy high above his head. In front of League of Legends fans all over the world, he defeated SKT, who once reigned supreme!
"The Black and Red Demons that took the world by storm in the 2017 season are back!"
The camera panned to the semi-finals that had just ended two days ago. The narrator was full of passion. "They swept FNC with a score of 3-0, becoming the second team in League of Legends history to enter the MSI finals two years in a row!"
The YM fans in the stadium could no longer contain their excitement. They waved the black and red support sticks in their hands, letting all the viewers who were watching the finals through the live stream feel the majestic power of the YM supporters!
The scene on the big screen changed again. Khan's Jax was on the high ground of the Lightning Wolves!
"Congratulations to KZ!
Defeating the Lightning Wolves with a score of 3-1 and winning the other ticket to the finals! "
Accompanied by the narration in the promotional video, the KZ fans in the stadium cheered for their beloved team!
However, judging from the decibel of the voices, the number of YM fans in the stadium completely crushed KZ.
"This voice is not good." Jack, who was standing at the entrance of the stadium, was still commenting. He was very strict with his standards. "Is KZ only this popular?"
"You can't let a super soldier in the top eight of the world compete with the fans of the Double Champion, right?" Guo Hao, who was beside him, was very understanding.
"Focus, stop chatting now!"
Winston was very anxious. He was afraid that these guys would make some mistake and lose his prize money again.
The lights in the stadium suddenly focused on the MSI championship trophy. A muscular French host appeared in front of everyone!
"From the qualifiers until today, after 17 days of intense competition, there are only two champions left from the 14 divisions of the spring season!" He shouted loudly. "And today, only one team can lift the championship trophy!
"First, let us welcome from the LCK division … KING-ZONEDragonX!"
Lin Yan could not understand French at all, but his deep voice swept through the stadium!
Opposite YM's entrance, the KZ team members formed a line and quickly walked into the stadium against the screams of the fans!
"In this season's mid-season competition, KZ has never stopped moving forward. Now, they are only one step away from the first ever MSI championship trophy!
They want to rebuild LCK's glory! "
Khan, who was at the front of the team, had a domineering and cool look on his face. He strode onto the stage and looked at the MSI championship trophy as if he was looking at something that should belong to him.
"Khan's champion face, turtle …" Phyllostachys Pubescens saw Khan's expression through the big screen in the stadium and immediately said in a low voice.
"Get on stage, get on stage!"
Seeing the staff member at the side give instructions, Winston hurried them while he moved to the camera's blind spot to avoid being captured by the camera.
The French-language host took a deep breath and raised his voice amidst the loud and clear background music. "Next, it's time to invite out their opponents for the finals … two-time global champion and 2017 MSI champion, Young Masters!"
Jin Gong, who had traveled extensively in recent years and was used to seeing the world, was very calm. He led his team members along the yellow line and walked into the stadium.
The cheers of the fans at the stadium instantly increased by an octave!
Lin Yan reached out and high-fived the fans on both sides of the aisle. This made the stadium even more restless. The audience, who were originally near the aisle, fought to be the first to squeeze to Lin Yan's side.
The French-language host was very satisfied with the audience's reaction. "YM's goal for this finals is to bring back the third MSI championship trophy for the LPL division!
A round of applause for YM once again! "
The five starting members walked onto the stage from the opposite side of KZ. They surrounded the MSI championship trophy, while the substitute Lin Weixiang and the head coach, Red Rice, stood at the side.
"Top, YM's Gimgoon versus KZ's Khan!"
"Jungle, Tian versus Peanut!"
“Mid！”
The host paused for a moment. He waited for the crowd's cheers to become louder before continuing, "Ran versus BDD!"
Lin Yan put his right hand behind his back and extended his left arm to greet the audience.
"Bot, JackeyLove versus his opponent, PraY!"
"Support, Crisp and Gorilla A!"
At this point, the host extended his arm. "Let us also give a round of applause to YM's substitute, LWX, head coach Homme, as well as KZ's substitute, Cuzz, and head coach Hirai!"
"The 2018 Mid-Season Championship Finals begins now!" He dragged out his voice and let the audience hear it.
The crowd burst into thunderous applause. The match had yet to begin, but the audience was already expressing their inner excitement and excitement!
The big screen switched to the pre-filmed promotional video for the finals. The players and coaches of the two teams entered the players' seats to do the final adjustments.
In the promotional video, the MSI Championship trophy appeared on landmark buildings such as the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame de Paris. Rat King's tall figure appeared in front of the camera.
"In the previous three MSI Championships, there were three champions: EDG, SKT, and YM. Every dog has its day. I think it's our turn this time."
He crossed his arms and looked down at the camera. "Speaking of the LCK division, you might think of the three-time League of Legends global champions. You might also think of SKT, Samsung, and other teams that have entered the league's history books.
"But today, we'll let all the players in the world remember KZ's name."
The scene changed to the banks of the Seine River. YM's six players stood in a row. Lin Yan was in the center position. He faced the camera with a high-spirited posture, as if accepting the challenge.
"Last October, we defeated KZ in the S7 quarterfinals. This time, they won't have any chance of winning." Lin Yan smiled confidently.
"Even SKT and Samsung, who were once global champions, couldn't stop us. What's more, a nobody like KZ?
"No one can shake our rule."
[Crazy, crazy, crazy!]
[Is he handsome?]
[This smell is finally right. When I saw Brother Ran's unconfident face during the interview, I knew something was wrong. So this is what he was waiting for.]
As the promotional video ended, the dense discussion on the bullet screen was washed away to a hidden corner.
What replaced it was his signature voice.
"Welcome to the live broadcast of the 2018 Mid-Season Championship. Hello everyone, I'm Doll!"
His partners were Mille and Long-hair.
The three of them introduced themselves one by one. After the broadcast ended, the topic was brought back to the right track.
"Today's finals …" Mille let out a sigh of relief. "It's going to be the center of attention!"
"That's right." Long-hair nodded. "The battle between the two strongest teams from the LCK and LPL divisions will definitely attract the attention of countless people."
The caster then showed a comparison of the two teams' statistics.
YM was slightly ahead, but their victory was limited. Most of the statistics were only slightly ahead. This was mainly because KZ had only lost a total of three rounds since the group stage. Their battle record, damage, and other statistics were very good.
"The two teams have fought twice in the group stage. One win, one loss. It's a tie," Mille said. "It's worth noting that Jack's EZ is very likely to be a variable in the finals. The reason YM lost the previous round was because they gave EZ to Rat King."
It was rare for Long-hair to prepare some information. On the stage, he dragged his voice like a duck. His tone was monotonous, making people feel sleepy. "I've seen Jack practice a lot of EZ in the qualifiers these past two days …"
"Oh, how was it?" Doll asked with interest.
"To be honest, it was quite average." Long-hair first gave the audience a heads up. "It's very likely that YM will let Azreal buy a house in the ban position again today."
As soon as he finished speaking, the BP screen appeared in front of everyone with a clang!
"YM won the coin toss segment before the competition. They won the priority to choose sides in the first round. They chose the blue side in the first round!"
"YM gave the first ban position to Luo, and KZ sent Qing Gang Yin to the blockade position!"
In the second ban position, Hongmi disabled Troll, and Hiari kept a close eye on Zooey!
"The last ban of the first round, YM chose to blockade Nanqiang!"
Hiari saw the opponent's Nanqiang in the ban position and raised his eyebrows.
What did this mean?
Was the blue side banning EZ?
He and the other members of the coaching team had studied Jack's qualifiers video and basically confirmed that Shiba Inu's proficiency in EZ had not improved much in recent days. The characteristic of sudden death in the middle of the game was still there.
This kind of Azreal was a bomb that could explode at any time in the professional arena.
Hiari frowned and thought that YM wanted to use EZ in exchange.
"I'll ban Policewoman. If the opponent takes Crow, we'll take EZ Karma. If YM takes EZ, we'll take Karma Crow. This way, Swein won't have any natural enemies."
In this way, the two natural enemies of Crow, Troll and Karma, one was banned, and the other was taken. Swein had a lot of room to play.
"No problem." Khan made a gesture.
"KZ banned Policewoman, Caitlin. Obviously, he's restricting YM's previous fast pushing system of Policewoman, Morgana!"
Doll was still looking forward to it. "Let's see what YM will choose from the blue side …"
Before he could finish his sentence, YM locked on to their choice the moment KZ banned Policewoman!
His golden hair matched his handsome and charming facial features.
Explorer Azrael!