LOL: What does it mean to torture players?

The rich kid in the pink suit was stunned for a moment, then his face turned bright red, and he angrily pointed at Su Mo's nose:
"Who the hell do you think you are?! A mere entertainer who plays video games, and you actually think you're a god? Believe me or not, I'll get my dad to withdraw his investment tomorrow, so EDG won't even be able to afford a plane ticket!"

This extremely arrogant threat did not elicit any emotional response from Su Mo; instead, it deepened the coldness in his eyes.

"Withdraw investment?" Su Mo didn't even bother to look at him again, but simply turned his head slightly to look at Abu, who was sweating profusely and desperately trying to squeeze over not far away.

"Abu." Su Mo's voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly, "What is EDG's current business valuation?"

Abu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Although he didn't know what Su Mo was planning, he still answered truthfully: "Brother Mo, considering the commercial value brought by your seven championships, the club's overall valuation is currently around 3.5 billion."

Su Mo nodded, then his gaze returned to the rich second-generation, as if he were watching an extremely low-quality joke.

“A 3.5 billion yuan investment.” Su Mo slightly adjusted the cuffs of his trench coat. “Your father’s pitiful secondary sponsorship fee isn’t even enough to buy me a keyboard. You want to withdraw your investment? Turn left at the door, goodbye.”

"You—!" The rich second-generation was so angry that he trembled all over and raised the wine glass in his hand, wanting to smash it at Su Mo.

At this critical moment.

"stop!"

A powerful, angry shout came from behind the crowd.

A middle-aged man with gray hair, wearing an extremely well-tailored custom-made suit, and exuding an extremely powerful aura strode in, surrounded by several bodyguards.

Upon seeing the newcomer, the rich kid's arrogant demeanor vanished instantly, his face turned deathly pale, and his voice trembled as he asked, "Mr....Mr. Wang?"

The man referred to as President Wang was none other than the president of Mercedes-Benz Greater China, the biggest sponsor of the banquet. He was also the top tycoon whom Abu had repeatedly instructed to meet with Su Mo that evening.

Ignoring the rich kid, President Wang walked straight up to Su Mo. His previously stern face instantly transformed into a warm and welcoming smile, and he even extended his hands.

"Mr. Mo, I've long admired your name. My men were ignorant just now, and you must have seen something embarrassing." Mr. Wang's attitude was unbelievably humble.

The entire venue fell into an even deeper silence once again.

The president of Mercedes-Benz Greater China was surprisingly polite to an e-sports player, even using the honorific "you" (您)?!

Su Mo remained calm. He extended his right hand and gently shook hands with President Wang.

"Mr. Wang, you're too kind. It's just a fly, you can swat it away." Su Mo's tone was neither humble nor arrogant, as if he were facing not a billionaire, but an ordinary neighbor.

Mr. Wang laughed heartily: "Mo is indeed as rumored, quick-witted and outspoken! I heard you've been preparing for the World Championship recently, must be under a lot of pressure?"

"No pressure," Su Mo replied casually. "It's just routine."

If anyone else had said this, it would have sounded arrogant and conceited. But coming from Su Mo, it sounded perfectly natural.

A hint of admiration flashed in Mr. Wang's eyes. He turned his head and looked coldly at the rich second-generation who was already trembling with fear.

"Xiao Li, I think we should just forget about your father's sponsorship spot. Our cooperative projects don't need partners with such poor character." With a casual remark, President Wang effectively sealed the fate of that rich second-generation family business.

The rich kid's legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground, his face ashen. He knew that having offended Boss Wang and EDG, his cash cow, he was finished in the industry.

"Security, take him out." Mr. Wang waved his hand, and two strong security guards immediately stepped forward and dragged the rich second-generation out of the banquet hall like a dead dog.

The farce thus came to an end.

Mr. Wang turned to Su Mo again and said, "Mo, I'm really looking forward to your performance in this World Championship. If you can win the trophy, our company has prepared a special gift for you."

"Thank you." Su Mo nodded politely, glancing at the priceless Patek Philippe watch on his wrist. "It's time. Abu, is the car ready?"

Abu nodded vigorously, "All ready! It's downstairs!"

"Mr. Wang, please excuse me." Su Mo bowed slightly, then naturally put his arm around Yu Shuang's waist, and walked steadily toward the banquet hall door amidst the respectful gazes of everyone present.

Only after Su Mo's figure disappeared outside the door did the people in the banquet hall snap out of their daze and burst into whispers.

"So cool... This is a true god!"

"Even CEO Wang treats him with such courtesy; his status is unparalleled in the entire e-sports industry!"

"That rich kid is blind. Of all people to mess with, he had to mess with God Mo..."

On the way back in the nanny van.

Yu Shuang leaned on Su Mo's shoulder, still somewhat shaken.

"I was so scared just now. I thought that rich kid was really going to hit you with a wine glass." Yu Shuang gently patted her chest.

Su Mo closed his eyes to rest, gently stroking Yu Shuang's long hair with his left hand.

“He can’t hit it.” Su Mo’s voice was deep and full of confidence. “The moment his muscles just started to contract, my fist was already stopping on the bridge of his nose.”

Yu Shuang was amused by his utterly unromantic, "engineering-man" style of speech, and gently punched his chest: "Can't you say something nice to comfort me?"

Su Mo opened his eyes, his deep gaze fixed on her, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"Is that nice to hear?" He turned his head slightly and whispered in Yu Shuang's ear, "When I come back from Europe, I'll put the championship ring on your ring finger. Does that count?"

Two blushes instantly rose on Yu's cheeks, and her eyes were filled with tears of happiness.

"Okay." She buried her head deeply in Su Mo's arms, her voice barely audible. "I'll wait for you."

……

Three days later, at Shanghai Pudong International Airport.

All four LPL representative teams—EDG, JDG, BLG, and WBG—have assembled.

The airport terminal was packed with people. Countless fans held up support signs and shouted the names of their favorite players at the top of their lungs.

The atmosphere reached its peak when EDG's bus slowly pulled up.

"Mo God!! Success on your expedition!!"

"EDG, go for it! Leave the trophy in the LPL!!"

"Brother Mozi! Give LCK's top laners a little shock!!"

Su Mo, dressed in a matching red and black outfit, wearing a baseball cap and a black mask, still maintained his aloof and cold demeanor. Pushing his suitcase, he walked steadily into the airport terminal under the escort of security personnel.

Faced with the fans' enthusiastic shouts, he didn't wave and interact with them as enthusiastically as other contestants; he just nodded slightly in greeting, but that was enough to excite the fans.

In the waiting room, the players from the four teams each occupied a section. JDG's 369 and Knight sat together, looking at Su Mo, who was resting with his eyes closed not far away, their eyes filled with complex expressions.

"369, if you run into him again at Worlds, will you still pick Malphite?" Knight joked.

369 gave a wry smile: "Spare me, I feel like throwing up whenever I see a rock. In this World Championship, I just want to make it to the semifinals peacefully. As for the championship... with him around, who dares to even think about it?"

On the other side, WBG's TheShy sat quietly in the corner, looking in Su Mo's direction, his eyes flashing with undisguised fighting spirit.

"Brother Mo, looking forward to the match." TheShy muttered to himself in broken Chinese.

After a long flight of more than ten hours.

The flight finally landed in the romantic city of Paris, France.

In late autumn, a slight chill hung in the air of Paris. But for the upcoming World Championship Finals, this coolness could not mask the intense heat of the battle.

The organizers arranged extremely luxurious hotels for all participating teams. The EDG players had barely put down their luggage and didn't even have time to adjust to the time difference before Abu ushered them into the training room.

"Brothers! There's less than a week until the group stage starts! From now on, except for eating and sleeping, you need to spend all your time in the Rift!" Abu shouted loudly in the hall, holding a tactics board.

However, when he turned around to arrange a training plan for Su Mo, he found that Su Mo's seat was empty.

"Where is Mozi?" Abu was stunned.

Ah Chen pointed out the window: "Brother Mo said he's going to take a walk along the Seine and check out the coffee flavors in Europe."

Abu: ...

At this moment, on the banks of the Seine in Paris.

The afterglow of the setting sun dyed the river water golden.

Su Mo, wearing a gray trench coat, walked slowly down the leaf-strewn street with his hands in his pockets.

Beside him, Yu Shuang wore a beige long trench coat and a beret, holding a steaming cup of coffee, and smiled radiantly.

"Is this what you meant by taking me for a walk in Paris?" Yu Shuang took a deep breath, her face full of a happy smile.

"Mm." Su Mo nodded slightly. "Let's enjoy the scenery while we're at it."

“But the competition is about to start. Won’t Abu and the others have something to say if you run out like this?” Yu asked with some concern.

Su Mo stopped and turned to look at her.

“They don’t need to have any opinions.” Su Mo’s voice remained calm as still water. “Because I know that no matter how enchanting the scenery, my sword will always be faster than anyone else’s.”

He leaned down slightly and placed a gentle kiss on Yu Shuang's forehead.

"Let's go check out the venue for this year's World Championship finals."

Paris, on the banks of the Seine.

The late autumn breeze, carrying the unique moisture and romance of the Seine, gently brushed against the golden plane tree leaves lining the streets. In the distance, the Eiffel Tower was already lit up with dazzling lights, its reflection shimmering on the river.

In a French-style open-air café.

Su Mo, wearing a dark gray casual trench coat, leaned back lazily in the wicker chair. His long legs were casually crossed, and a cup of steaming black coffee sat on the round table in front of him.

Yu Shuang sat opposite him, holding a caramel macchiato with exquisite latte art in both hands. She looked at the man in front of her, who seemed to radiate light wherever he went, a sweet smile playing on her lips.

"Try this. The canelés at this shop are the best in Paris." Yu Shuang carefully cut a small piece of the French dessert with a small silver fork, leaned over, and offered it to Su Mo's lips.

A gentle warmth flickered in Su Mo's deep eyes. He didn't refuse, and opened his mouth to eat it quite naturally.

"Too sweet." He commented with extreme precision, then extended his right hand, the one capable of delivering four breakthroughs in a second on the field, and gently wiped away a bit of milk foam that had accidentally gotten on Yu Shuang's lips with his fingertips. "Not as good as you."

Two extremely beautiful blushes instantly appeared on Yu Shuang's cheeks. Even though the two had been in love for a long time, her heart would still race every time she faced this man's sudden and extremely fatal "straight man's love words".

At this extremely warm and romantic moment, the wind chimes at the entrance of the café suddenly rang out with a very clear and crisp sound.

Several Asian faces wearing black team uniforms with a striking red logo on their chests pushed open the door and entered.

Those were the T1 team members who had just finished their pre-match media photoshoot. Leading the way were Zeus, the hottest top laner in LCK right now, and Faker, the living legend and demon king of League of Legends.

Upon seeing Su Mo sitting in the corner, the T1 members paused abruptly.

The air in the originally relaxed French café seemed to be sucked out in an instant, and the air pressure dropped to an extremely terrifying freezing point.

Zeus's pupils contracted sharply, and a complex expression flashed across his young face—a fighting spirit at the prospect of encountering a nemesis, but more so an instinctive fear that he himself was unwilling to admit.

Faker pushed up his round-framed glasses, looked intently at Su Mo, and gave a very polite slight nod in greeting.

Su Mo remained extremely languid, leaning back in his chair. He took a sip of his black coffee with his left hand, and his eyes showed not even the slightest ripple of emotion at the arrival of the T1 group, as if they were just a few ordinary tourists.

“Sang-hyeok hyung… it’s Mo.” Zeus lowered his voice, his fingers unconsciously clenching the hem of his team uniform.

He recalled the heavy tanks he had been practicing like crazy on the Korean server these past few days, and the distorted version of the game that the developers had released specifically to "nerf warriors" in order to limit the man in front of him. His confidence slowly returned to his chest.

Zeus took a deep breath and, surprisingly boldly, strode straight towards the table where Su Mo was.

“Mo,” Zeus said, standing in front of the table, speaking in broken English with a forced provocation in his eyes, “this version of the top lane belongs to tanks. Your fancy moves won’t break through my defenses at Worlds.”

The smile on Yu Shuang's face vanished instantly, her delicate brows furrowing slightly. To provoke someone while they were enjoying their private time was extremely rude. She was about to retort in fluent English.

But Su Mo reached out and took her hand, which was resting on the table, and gently squeezed it.

Su Mo didn't look up at Zeus; he simply put down his coffee cup very slowly.

"Ding."

The extremely faint cracking sound was like a heavy hammer blow to Zeus's heart, instantly shattering half of his newly mustered courage.

Su Mo finally raised his eyes. Those eyes, hidden in extremely deep shadows, were indifferent, empty, and devoid of any warmth, like a god looking down at a grasshopper struggling to jump at his feet.

Are you talking to me about versions?

Su Mo's voice was extremely flat, without any inflection, and he didn't even speed up his speech.

"A coward who can only hide under the skirt of a version designer dares to talk about defenses in front of me?" (End of Chapter)