Chapter 9

After about a week, Ying Nian finally advanced to the match mode in the game. This timeframe wasn’t particularly long or short, considering that she only had time to log in after school each evening. During the day, aside from attending classes, she had to complete assignments, study, and review, leaving her with very little time to actually play the game.

However, the amount of time spent in the game didn’t correlate with her skill level. Although she could have started playing in match mode earlier, she chose to practice in bot mode for an extra two days to be on the safe side—though, as it turned out, this didn’t help much.

Whichever team she was on, the result was almost always the same: they lost. Even in the rare cases where her team did win, it was a hard-fought victory. You could say that every match in the mode served to test Ying Nian’s patience in the face of verbal abuse. As a beginner, she had already been “force-fed” a variety of colorful insults, giving her a broad introduction to the ways players could be flamed in the game.

Ying Nian was feeling quite frustrated. And there was only one way to alleviate that frustration:

Watching matches.

This time, Ying Nian didn’t bring Jiang Jiashu along. Last time, she used him as an excuse to get past her parents’ scrutiny, making the trip together easier. This time, Ying Nian was upfront with her parents, discussing the trip with them several days before the match. After persistent effort, she finally convinced them.

It was natural for Ying Yaoxing and his wife to worry about her safety. They had always cherished Ying Nian like the apple of their eye. However, beyond just doting on their daughter, they also deeply respected her, trusting and encouraging her in both big and small matters.

They knew that their daughter would eventually grow up. Ying Nian had always been sensible and more outstanding than others her age. They believed that as parents, they should support what she wanted to do. No matter how much they worried or felt reluctant, they couldn’t forget that their child was an independent individual. Having independent thoughts and a strong sense of self was incredibly important.

After obtaining her parents’ permission, Ying Nian purchased her tickets in advance, including the match tickets, hotel accommodations, and round-trip airfare—everything was meticulously arranged.

Ying Yaoxing and his wife, wanting to show their support, initially planned to cover all of her expenses for the trip. However, Ying Nian firmly refused, saying, “It’s not like I don’t have money. If I didn’t have any, I’d tell you! I’m going to watch the match, so I’ll pay for it myself. Otherwise, what’s the point of saving all that money over the years if I never spend it? That would be so boring!”

So, on Saturday morning, Ying Nian, who had taken a day and a half off, packed her bag and was driven to the airport by her parents, Ying Yaoxing and his wife. She boarded a flight to Pingcheng.

Xiaoxiao was also attending. The light signs from their last support effort had been packed up by a group member from Shanghai and shipped to Pingcheng, where another group member, who lived there, signed for them a day earlier.

This was Ying Nian’s second time attending a live match. The SF fan section had grown compared to the last time; nearly two-thirds of the seats were filled. Since she didn’t have time to order new light signs, Ying Nian distributed the signs that had been mailed from Shanghai to the spectators present. Not everyone who received a sign was a member of their fan group—many were simply attendees who had bought tickets to watch the match.

Quite a few long-time fans of the tournament, impressed by their enthusiasm, became partial supporters of SF and came specifically to cheer them on.

The previous match had been the first quarterfinal of the Spring Playoffs, where SF defeated their opponents, securing a spot in the semifinals. The first semifinal match, between two veteran powerhouse teams, had already taken place the day before, determining one of the finalists.

SF’s opponent today was the FVH team. The winner of this match would advance to the finals, joining the victor of the first semifinal to compete for the championship. The loser would face the defeated team from the first semifinal in the third-place match.

Besides SF, the other three teams in the semifinals were the top three ranked teams in the country. While these rankings might not be perfectly precise, considering the players’ skills, team reputation, and past performances, it was fair to call them the top three.

The FVH fan section was completely packed. Their fans, who had supported the team for several years, were seasoned in their cheering. Despite Ying Nian and the others shouting themselves hoarse to cheer for SF, the energy during the pre-game support session was noticeably less than that of the opposing side.

“There’s nothing we can do; we just don’t have as many people,” Xiaoxiao said, her eyes fixed on the large screen as the game interface appeared. She turned slightly to comfort Ying Nian, “A lot of the new spectators on our side are just starting to take an interest in SF. They haven’t really become fans yet, so we can’t expect them to shout as loudly as we do. They’d probably feel embarrassed.”

“…Yeah,” Ying Nian nodded, understanding the situation, though she pressed her lips together in thought.

The match was a best-of-five series, commonly referred to as a “BO5,” meaning the first team to win three games would take the series.

FVH won the first game, while SF secured victory narrowly in the second, but it was a hard-fought win. As the third game began, the atmosphere in the arena was very heated, with both sides of the audience shouting at the top of their lungs.

By this time, even the SF spectators who were initially too shy to cheer loudly were swept up in the excitement, and their emotions running high.

However, the situation on the battlefield was not looking good. Despite SF’s best efforts to hold the line, their mid-lane was breached, followed shortly by the bottom lane. One by one, all three lanes were systematically pushed and broken by FVH.

In less than an hour, FVH secured another victory.

—2:1.

Ying Nian was so nervous that her palms were sweating.

The fourth game began quickly, but SF’s bottom lane ran into trouble early on, possibly due to unstable nerves. Yu Linran, as the support for the ADC, Bo Can, had to contend with several mistakes Bo Can made, resulting in their lane being heavily pressured. The first tower was quickly taken down by the enemy.

Yi Shen, playing as the jungler, came to assist, but even then, they couldn’t turn the tide. The opposing bottom lane duo tower-dived, attempting to kill both Bo Can and Yu Linran. At a crucial moment, Yu Linran used a skill to push Bo Can out of harm’s way, allowing him to escape with low health. However, Yu Linran himself took the brunt of the enemy’s ultimate and was killed on the spot.

Yi Shen also couldn’t escape, resulting in a double kill for the enemy ADC.

This led to further issues, as the enemy team began invading SF’s jungle, widening the gold and experience gap even more as the game progressed. The first team fight ended disastrously, with everyone except Lin Shan in the mid lane being killed, narrowly avoiding a complete wipe.

At the 40-minute mark, FVH pushed into SF’s base, ending the game in one swift and aggressive final push.

The score stood at 3:1.

FVH secured their spot in the finals, earning the chance to compete for the championship.

It could be said that SF played this match quite poorly. The only game they won, the second game, was a painful struggle that left viewers feeling uneasy.

As for the games they lost, especially the final game, it was as if FVH was toying with them, dominating SF with no room for retaliation.

After the match, FVH’s players went to shake hands with SF’s team. When the camera panned to Yu Linran’s calm expression, Ying Nian felt a pang of sadness in her heart.

Even as the venue started emptying out, with people leaving one by one, Ying Nian remained seated, lost in thought.

“Niannian?” Xiaoxiao called her name several times before she finally forced a smile. “I’m fine, let’s go.”

As they reached the exit, Ying Nian mentioned she wanted to use the restroom, and suggested that Xiaoxiao go on ahead. Since they weren’t heading in the same direction, they would have to part ways outside anyway.

Xiaoxiao offered a few comforting words, saying, “Winning and losing is part of the game. Don’t dwell on it too much,” and urged her to take it easy.

Ying Nian said goodbye to Xiaoxiao and went to the restroom alone. After finishing, she took a nearby exit and headed out through a side door.

Outside, it had started raining. The sudden downpour quickly escalated into a heavy rainstorm.

Without an umbrella, Ying Nian found herself stranded under the eaves, unable to venture out.

…

The SF team members had packed up and were leaving the venue, with their car parked just across from the side entrance. Having just lost the match, the entire team was engulfed in a gloomy atmosphere, and no one spoke on the bus.

The windows quickly became streaked with rain, and they were still waiting for two more staff members before they could depart.

Yu Linran, sitting in the first row by the door, had closed his eyes to rest for a moment. When he opened them again, he found himself staring out at the rain. His gaze fell on something not far from the car—a sign that had been discarded on the ground. His vision was sharp, and he could easily make out the words written on the sign:

—”Go SF.”

It was one of their support light signs, discarded like trash, lying on the ground. The heavy rain beat down on the sign, as if it were trying to wash away the dust or perhaps trample on it.

Yu Linran stared at it expressionlessly, with unreadable emotions.

In the esports world, most of the love and support is conditional, built on the foundation of victory. When you win, people lift you up; when you lose, they tear you down. Nothing about it is surprising.

Just as Yu Linran was about to look away, he saw a figure dash into the rain. The person picked up the rain-soaked, mud-streaked sign, holding it as if it were a precious treasure, and carried it back under the eaves.

The person’s long, beautiful hair and carefully chosen outfit were drenched, and the strong wind blew the rain under the eaves, further soaking her. Yet, she seemed oblivious to it all, focused entirely on wiping the water off the sign with tissues, and eventually resorting to using her sleeve.

Yu Linran’s eyelashes fluttered slightly. Even through the heavy rain, he recognized her—the fan whose Weibo post had been reposted by the official account.

One second, two seconds, three seconds…

After five seconds.

Bo Can, who was sitting in the second row and lost in self-blame, was suddenly interrupted when Yu Linran, seated in front of him, turned around and asked, “Bo Can, did you bring an umbrella?”

Bo Can looked up, slightly stunned, and his face still clouded with guilt. He nodded, “Yeah.”

“Give it to me.”

Bo Can didn’t ask any questions. He simply took the umbrella out of his bag and handed it to Yu Linran.

Then, to everyone’s surprise, Yu Linran stood up from his seat.

Yi Shen, who was also deep in thought, asked in confusion, “Bro, where are you going?”

All eyes on the bus turned toward him as Yu Linran opened the umbrella and calmly replied, “I’m going to the convenience store across the street to buy a bottle of water.”

“Uh? But—”

Before Yi Shen could finish, Yu Linran had already stepped out into the rain. Yi Shen scratched his head and glanced down at the side of his seat, where there was a mesh pocket filled with bottled water—just like every other seat on the bus.