LOL: What does it mean to torture players?

As the final whistle blew, the stage lights suddenly focused on the EDG players' bench.

Saint Gun took off his headphones, let out a long breath, and slumped into his chair, looking completely exhausted, as if he had just been pulled out of the water: "This really... shortened my lifespan by ten years."

Although he won, the oppressive feeling of being constantly targeted and exploited by Fiora throughout the game still left his head buzzing.

Both players stood up and walked to the center of the stage to shake hands.

When Flandre walked up to TheShy, TheShy smiled, reached out and shook hands, and even playfully patted Flandre's shoulder, uttering two words in Chinese: "Meat, tough."

Saint Gun was both amused and exasperated, and could only respond with an awkward but polite smile.

In his mind, he was thinking: Of course, if I didn't have meat, I would have died eight hundred times over!
On the way back to the rest room, the team staff greeted him with smiles, their eyes fixed on Su Mo: "Brother Mo! The official team wants to interview you."

Su Mo was leisurely sipping the goji berry water in his thermos when he heard this. He didn't even lift his eyelids and waved his hand, saying, "No, no, let Saint Gun go and show his face, or let Viper go."

"Huh? Me?" Saint Gun Bro, who had just reached the door, pointed at his nose. "Don't mess with me, Mozi Bro. My record isn't too bad, but I still got knocked down so many times. Going to interview me would be like public execution."

“Oh, this is called ‘resisting pressure is also an art.’” Su Mo laughed and pushed Saint Gun Brother forward. “Go on, go on, don’t keep the host waiting.”

In the end, Flandre couldn't resist and had to reluctantly be pushed onto the interview stage with Viper.

……

Twenty minutes later, in the EDG rest area.

Saint Gun, who had just returned from an interview, threw his coat on the sofa as soon as he entered the door, then sank into it without any regard for his image, letting out a comfortable groan.

"Awesome!" Holy Gun Bro shouted with his eyes closed.

"Is the interview more enjoyable or the victory?" Jiejie joked as she packed her peripherals bag.

"Nothing is satisfying, but not being able to lane against TheShy is the most satisfying!" Flandre suddenly opened his eyes, sat up straight with lingering fear, and turned his gaze to Su Mo, who was leaning against the corner playing on his phone. His eyes suddenly showed a look of looking at a monster.

Saint Gun swallowed hard and said, "Brother Mozi, I was laning against TheShy just now, and it felt like walking a tightrope. His positioning and distance control were simply suffocating. Every time I tried to last-hit a minion, he would come right up to my face and try to trade half my health. Honestly, among LPL top laners, TheShy's dominance is absolutely unmatched; it's truly despair-inducing."

At this point, Flandre paused, his eyes becoming even more complicated: "But! This is the TheShy who makes me breathless and thinks he's ridiculously strong, but in the first game in your hands... he was like a toy."

Everyone in the lounge stopped what they were doing and looked at Flandre.

Saint Gun Bro got more and more excited as he spoke: "Seriously, only after experiencing how terrifying TheShy is can you understand what kind of person you are who can crush TheShy to 0-7! This is not human, this is simply a dimensional attack! There is always a higher mountain than the one above. I used to think you were just a high mountain, but now it seems that you are Mount Everest!"

Meiko couldn't help but burst out laughing: "Your flattery is a bit too much, but the point is valid. The first game I played from the bottom lane, looking at the top lane perspective, was brutal."

The factory manager walked over at this moment, a satisfied smile on his face: "You all played well today, especially Mozi's Rengar, which really broadened the team's tactical thinking. But I guess only he can pull off such a flashy move."

Su Mo shrugged, looking relaxed: "Basic stuff, don't be surprised. It's mainly because everyone cooperated well. Without Jiejie helping me with that counter-gank, I wouldn't have been able to take off so quickly."

"Alright, enough with the mutual flattery." Abu pushed open the door and waved his hand. "Pack your things and head back to base! I've ordered a seafood feast tonight to help you guys recover."

"Wuhu! Take off!"

Amidst laughter and cheers, the EDG team packed their bags and left the venue.

Saint Gun, walking at the back, looked at Su Mo's tall and straight back, shook his head again, and muttered to himself, "This guy... anyone who runs into him in lane is doomed. Luckily, he's on our side."

evening.

Inside the EDG bus, the atmosphere was even more intense than the night outside the window.

The team members, who had just won a great victory, were in a state of extreme relaxation and excitement, and their discussions were lively.

There is only one exception.

Meiko was huddled in the corner of the last row, holding his phone. The light from the screen illuminated his face, which looked unusually gentle, even with a hint of... a perverted smile.

Su Mo, who was sitting in front of him, had already noticed something was wrong.

He peeked out from the gap in the seat, stared at Meiko like a ghost for three seconds, and then said in a low voice, "Tsk tsk tsk, is this the smell of spring? Why does the air smell so sour and pungent like hormones?"

That shout immediately drew everyone's attention on the bus.

Meiko was so startled that her hand trembled, and she almost threw her phone away. She frantically locked the screen, her neck instantly turning red: "Holy crap! Mozi-ge, what are you doing? You scared me to death! What spring or what, I... I was replying to a fan's private message!"

"Fan private messages?" Jiejie peeked over from the side with a mischievous grin. "Why is the nickname in the chat box a heart? And your typing speed is incredible, you don't even type this fast in ranked games! Is this the legendary 300 APM for dating?"

"Who...who's in a relationship! It's just...a friend I know!" Meiko was still being stubborn, but his shifty eyes betrayed him.

“Oh—friend—” Su Mo drawled out the last syllable, with an expression that said, “I know all about it.” “Is it that girl in the white dress who brought you milk tea backstage last time? I saw the way she looked at you back then, you could practically see the sugar in her eyes.”

Meiko's face instantly turned bright red, and she stammered for a long time, unable to speak.

Meiko is indeed currently in a delicate, ambiguous period.

The other person was an illustrator who had recently graduated and was also a long-time fan of EDG. The two added each other on WeChat through a chance offline event.

Su Mo still vaguely remembered this incident, but he didn't pay much attention to it at the time. After all, there were indeed many beautiful female fans of EDG, and it was impossible to remember them all.

Looking back now, it's possible that the girl who was so attentive to Meiko back then actually ended up with her.

"Hey, stop messing with Tianye." Saint Gun played the peacemaker at this moment, but his next sentence directly added insult to injury, "Tianye is having a rare stroke of luck, we have to support him. By the way, Tianye, how about we invite him out for dinner later? Anyway, Boss Zhu is treating, it's just a matter of having an extra pair of chopsticks."

"Get lost! It's not even close to happening yet!" Meiko said angrily, grabbing a cushion and throwing it at him.

……

Half an hour later, in a private room of a high-end seafood restaurant.

The owner was indeed generous, with a table full of king crab, Australian lobster, and geoduck.

Su Mo looked at the table full of fancy dishes, then suddenly chuckled mischievously, picked up a slice of geoduck, and solemnly placed it into Meiko's bowl.

“Come on, Tianye, let’s replenish ourselves.” Su Mo said earnestly, “This is about using the shape to replenish the shape. The ambiguous period is very energy-consuming, you have to chat with them and play with them. This stuff is good for male enhancement, so eat more of it.”

Looking completely bewildered, he asked Scout in broken Chinese, "Aphrodisiac? Wh...what does that mean?"

Scout looked embarrassed, unsure how to explain to the naive Korean boy, so he could only make up a story: "It just... increases attack power and increases the chance of critical hits."

Viper suddenly realized what was going on, immediately picked up a piece and put it in her mouth, giving Su Mo a thumbs up: "Delicious! Extra damage! I want one too!"

Everyone at the table burst into laughter, some even falling over backwards. Holy Gun Bro slapped the table with his fist on the table, yelling, "Hahahaha! Dao Xian, your critical hit was a bit off-target!"

Just as everyone was enjoying their meal, Meiko's phone, which was on the table, suddenly vibrated.

The screen lit up, and Meiko tapped on it to open a voice message, which she then played.

In the quiet private room, a sweet, soft female voice rang out clearly:

"Brother Tianye, you were amazing today! I saw that last hook you made, it was so fast and accurate, it brought tears to my eyes... my eyes are watering~"

Dead silence.

Absolute silence. That heavy breathing was just too suggestive!

Three seconds later, a burst of laughter erupted from the private room, enough to lift the roof off.

"Hahahaha! I got teary-eyed!" Jiejie laughed so hard she slid off her chair. "This punctuation...was your Chinese teacher a PE teacher?!"

"Brother Tianye, you're so amazing!" Su Mo mimicked in a high-pitched, sarcastic voice, then slammed his hand on the table and burst into laughter. "My god, Meiko, do you usually play this trick in private? 'Fast and accurate,' is that a compliment or an insult?"

Meiko was utterly despondent, wishing she could disappear under the table.

His face turned as red as a boiled Guan Yu (a legendary figure known for his shrewdness), and he wanted to slap himself for forgetting to turn off speakerphone!

He glared at her angrily: "No! She was talking about the Titan's hook! Don't take things out of context!"

"We understand, we understand, we all understand." The factory manager wiped away tears of laughter while patting Meiko on the shoulder. "In esports, being fast and accurate is a good thing. But in some aspects, it's better to be slower; endurance is the key."

"You're not serious either, factory!" Meiko was in despair.

Just then, the door to the private room was suddenly pushed open.

A waiter pushed in a small cart with a huge, pink cake on it, with a very girly design.

"Excuse me... which one of you is Mr. Tianye?" the waiter asked politely.

Everyone was stunned, and they all pointed at Meiko, who had already turned to stone.

"This was brought in by a lady just now, as a surprise to celebrate your victory in the competition," the waiter said with a smile as he brought the cake to the table.

Two cute cartoon figures were prominently displayed on the cake.

One is an image of Meiko, and the other is a little girl wearing a white dress.

Most importantly, a line of large text was written on the cake in chocolate sauce:
[Love you, my little softie, may the future support god always carry me!]

If that were all, it wouldn't be so bad, but Su Mo, with his sharp eyes, pointed at a small decoration next to the cake and exclaimed, "Holy crap! What's that? Is that...is that a ring box?!"

Upon closer inspection, everyone saw a small velvet box next to the cake.

"Wow! Tianye!" Saint Gun Bro was stunned. "Are female fans these days so aggressive? She proposed to you right away?"

Meiko was also stunned. He shakily reached out and picked up the box.

He swore that he and that girl had only met once and chatted for half a month!
"Open! Open! Open!"

Amidst the cheers and jeers of the entire team, Meiko reluctantly opened the box.

There was no diamond ring.

Inside, lying quietly... was a USB drive.

"what?"

Everyone was stunned.

Su Mo leaned closer and saw a small note under the USB drive. He read it aloud:

"This is a compilation of your amazing plays that I've edited for you over the past two weeks, and I also drew a set of your emojis myself. They're not worth much, but I hope you like them. —Xiao Ruan"

The air froze for a second.

The jests that had been brewing gradually faded, replaced by a strange sense of emotion.

“This…” Jiejie scratched his head, “This girl is putting in a lot of effort.”

"Yes," the factory manager said, his joking expression fading. "Staying up all night editing, and drawing too. Tianye, this girl is really something. These days, such pure dedication is rare."

Meiko looked at the USB drive in her hand, her blushing face slowly returning to normal, and a gentle smile unconsciously appeared on her lips.

He carefully closed the box, put it in his pocket, and kept it close to his body.

Su Mo's eyebrows twitched. He felt that this girl was a bit too high-level, and he wondered if Tian Ye could handle her.

After all, internet addicts are the easiest targets for scumbags to manipulate...

Just like a certain puppy.

"Ahem." Meiko cleared her throat, trying to regain her composure. "Alright, alright, stop watching. Eat your geoduck! There's enough food to shut you up."

"Yo yo yo, they've protected her, they've protected her!"

Although they were still joking around, everyone looked at Meiko with a newfound sense of blessing.

Just as the atmosphere was becoming warm and ambiguous, an accident occurred.

Viper, who had been engrossed in his food, suddenly turned purple, clutched his neck with both hands, and coughed violently, tears streaming down his face.

"Holy crap! What happened to Dao Xian? Is he choking?" Holy Gun Bro exclaimed in shock.

Scout, who was standing next to him, quickly patted his back and handed him water.

Viper gulped down a mouthful of water before recovering, then pointed at a plate of bright green stuff on the table and cried out in Korean with a pained expression, "What...what the hell is this?! Didn't Su Mo say this was a dessert? Why is it so spicy?!"

Everyone looked in the direction he was pointing.

It was a plate of mustard greens.

Su Mo blinked, looking completely innocent: "Huh? I thought it was green, the same color as matcha, so I figured it might be a dessert."

"Brother Mozi! You're lying!" Viper was on the verge of tears, feeling like his skull was about to burst open. "My tongue... I can't feel it!"

"Hahahahahaha!"

Another burst of unrestrained laughter erupted from the private room.

This night was filled with the joy of victory, the shyness of gossip, the warmth of fans, and Viper's painful "lesson on the tip of his tongue."

Looking at his teammates bickering and joking around, Su Mo leaned back in his chair, a slight smile playing on his lips.

The competition was brutal, but it was precisely because of these silly teammates that the journey was so much more interesting.

It wasn't for nothing that he stayed with EDG, just loafing around and joking around.

"Come on, let's raise a glass!" The factory manager stood up, raising his glass of juice. "To victory, to spring in the fields, and to Viper's... tongue, cheers!"

"cheers!!!"

Amidst the crisp clinking of glasses, their summer seemed to have just begun. (End of Chapter)