Abstract Art Award Winner

The live chat exploded immediately:

"Brother Le is awesome! He's already jinxing me?"

"A 100-kilometer marathon? Are you kidding me? That's an ultramarathon, can you even finish that?"

"Hehe, starting to get abstract again. Do you think you're cool like this? I bet you'll just resort to all sorts of excuses later!"

"DK, give it your all! I want to see how you run 100 kilometers."

Zhou Le is actually right. Even though the content is usually very abstract, there are still quite a few discordant voices stirring up trouble and flooding the screen.

"EDG, hurry up and swim back, don't embarrass yourselves!"

"It's okay for fighting civil wars, but we'll definitely lose against the Death Knights."

Seeing this, Zhou Le's expression turned serious, and he criticized, "Those who are stirring up trouble should stop. I never support any particular team. I have good relationships with many professional players from various teams, but this is not the kind of thing to do in a globally watched finals event."

Every team and player who fights for their dreams and competes seriously deserves respect and encouragement. EDG is now the only hope for the LPL. Although they are surrounded by three LCK champion teams, I believe in them; they absolutely have a chance to create a miracle! Let's make that bet!

One audience member asked, "Brother Le, your movie is so popular, why don't you take advantage of the momentum to promote it, instead of coming here to commentate on games?"

Zhou Le smiled and replied, "Thank you for your concern! 'Making a Name for Yourself' has already broken even, and the results have far exceeded expectations. I am very satisfied."

"With movies, those who like them will watch them, and those who don't, or those who want to save money, can wait to watch them on streaming platforms later—that's the same thing. My philosophy has always been that everyone's money is money. We poor folks have our own perspectives, and your willingness to support me is a huge favor, so I have to accept it."

After the interactive session, the highly anticipated grand finale finally kicked off the following day.

From the very beginning of the draft phase, Zhou Le demonstrated an amazing understanding of the game.

"DK will most likely ban the Prince to limit Jiejie's rhythm as a sign of respect... Sure enough, they banned the Prince as their first pick."

"EDG might consider picking Aphelios... Oh? They've picked Lulu first? They're trying to protect their bot lane carry. See, it really is Aphelios."

"The DK counter pick might be reserved for Hanzi's Graves... That's right, locked in!"

His predictions were almost in sync with the decisions of both coaches.

The viewers in the live chat were completely bewildered.

This doesn't mean that just because you've read the script, you're ready to start.

Of course, it's also possible that it wasn't turned off at all.

After the match started, Zhou Le's commentary entered "god-level prediction" mode.

While most commentators react to the camera angles, Zhou Le consistently predicted the outbreak and course of battles several seconds in advance.

"Look at Scout's positioning, he seems to be baiting, Jiejie should be ganking from behind... Look! Here it comes! Maker has fallen for it! EDG's mid and jungle team up to get first blood!" As soon as he finished speaking, the camera switched to the mid lane, and the battle was over.

"Viper is holding back the minion wave in the bottom lane. This wave is pushing into the tower, and the jungler is very likely to dive the tower... Canyon is really coming! But Meiko has spotted him! EDG is prepared, and this tower dive might cause problems!"

"Baron Nashor is about to spawn, and both sides are creating vision control... I think EDG might send Scout to the bottom lane to split push and create pressure, while the others pretend to fight Baron Nashor... Look! Scout is going to the bottom lane! DK has to split up to defend!"

His commentary is fast-paced, packed with information, yet clear and logical, as if he has a god's-eye view. He interprets a complex e-sports match like a smooth and exciting story, making the audience cheer and feel their adrenaline surge.

The live chat was flooded with comments like "prediction genius," "top-tier commentary," and "Director Zhou is awesome."

Director Zhou, this shows respect for Zhou Le's understanding of games, and the successful prediction stands in stark contrast to Colonel Guan.

The final match went to five games, with a series of ups and downs.

Especially the final decisive game, which will surely become a part of history no matter what.

Zhou Le's commentary reached its climax in this final game. He abandoned conventional commentary and used vivid imagery and classical Chinese language to elevate the match to a new level:
"The final chapter of Game 5 begins! EDG faces elimination, while DK watches with predatory intent! The winds of war are blowing in the Rift, and Reykjavik is sleepless all night!"

"Prince Jiejie planted his banner in the Dragon Pit, like Zhao Yun charging in and out of Changban Slope seven times! With the Dragon Soul in hand, I have the world at my command!"

"Scout Zoe's sudden appearance is like Zhuge Liang's brilliant strategy, hitting her target every time and killing people from a thousand miles away!"

"Viper's Aphelios roars with gunfire, each strike deadly, his damage output like a waterfall! His movement is as fluid as a dragon's gliding step."

"The Rift Herald crashes through the high ground, EDG charges forward! DK's defenses crumble like a broken dam!"

"The ancient dragon roars, and EDG, bathed in the blood of three ancient dragons, is now even more formidable! Their championship potential is already evident!"

"With Meiko's Lulu's magical protection, Hanzi's Graves is outnumbered and can't fight alone! ShowMaker is like a cornered beast, struggling but unable to turn the tide!"

"Attack the base! One hit, two hits! The crystal shatters! We win! EDG wins! We are the champions!"

The moment the Death Knight's main crystal exploded, Zhou Le was filled with emotion and almost shouted out his last words.

Then, he took a deep breath.

"Silver armor cleaves through the clouds and pierces the rainbow, silver dragons shatter the heavens!"

Swords and spears pierce the sun, their frost-covered spirits shining brightly; red banners illuminate the vast land!

"Let's congratulate EDG!"

"Silver armor cleaves through the clouds and pierces the rainbow, silver dragons shatter the heavens! Swords and spears pierce the sun with frost-covered spirits, and red banners shine across ten thousand miles of mountains and rivers!"

When Zhou Le recited these four lines of poetry in a resounding tone from the commentary booth during EDG's championship victory, the entire Chinese internet was flooded with these lines.

If EDG's victory was a grand feast for countless esports enthusiasts, then Zhou Le's four lines of poetry were simply the icing on the cake.

That night, from university dormitories to office workers' desks, from late-night internet cafes to bars, and even in thousands of QQ and WeChat groups, countless people were excited.

Inside the indoor stadium in Reykjavik, as the EDG players embraced and wept, raising the Summoner's Cup, the moment the award ceremony's spotlights hadn't even fully focused, a frenzy had already crossed mountains and seas, sweeping across the globe.

Afterwards, the celebrations in China could be described as a collective release without reservation.

Various social media platforms became the battleground for this carnival.

Weibo's servers experienced several brief glitches that evening, and the trending topics list was completely dominated by EDG, We Are the Champions, and Zhou Le.

Of the top 50 trending topics, more than 40 were directly related to it.

#EDG wins the championship#
#An actor's epic commentary#
#SilverDragonShattersTheSky#
#WeAreTheChampions#
The bright red "Explosive" mark next to these entries is like a medal of victory, firmly occupying the top of the list and consistently maintaining its leading position.

Click on any trending topic, and the comments section refreshes at a rate of hundreds per second.

"After seven years of waiting, EDG's dream has finally come true!"

"Zhou Le's commentary has completely elevated the style of esports commentary!"

"Those four lines of poetry gave me goosebumps all over, they were so inspiring!"

For ordinary people, their WeChat Moments and QQ Spaces are flooded with all sorts of content.

Someone posted a screenshot of themselves staying up all night to watch the game, with the caption "It was worth staying up until 3 a.m.!"

Someone edited together the highlights of EDG's championship victory, paired with Zhou Le's commentary, and the background music played the four lines of poetry on a loop.

Some people even wrote long "essays" recalling their journey of following the S-series from its early days to the present, their words filled with excitement and emotion.

The university dormitory area became the liveliest carnival scene that night.

Deafening cheers suddenly erupted from the windows of countless male dormitories.

The dormitory supervisors, who used to be quick to intervene when students were being noisy, were surprised to find themselves at a loss for words on this night. They could only express their protest by posting videos on Douyin (TikTok).

Even those who had previously been skeptical of esports fell silent that night.

A few people tried to comment that "EDG was just lucky" or "it's just a version advantage," but they were instantly overwhelmed by a flood of joy and rebuttals.

Ultimately, they could only delete the comments and disappear. Meanwhile, other LPL team professionals temporarily set aside their competitive duties and offered their sincere blessings.

UZI kept yelling in the live stream: "Seeing EDG win the championship, I feel like I'm seeing myself back then. It's not easy."

PDD directly connected with Da Sima, and the two kept expressing their feelings.

The official accounts of teams like RNG and FPX also posted on Weibo immediately, saying, "Congratulations to EDG on winning the championship! LPL is the best!"

At the same time, this carnival also attracted many people outside the circle to join in.

Lin Gengxin posted photos of himself watching the game on Weibo, with the caption, "I was so excited by Zhou Le's commentary that I almost downloaded the game overnight."

Li Xian reposted the news of EDG's victory and joked, "Is it too late to learn how to play LOL now? I want to experience this kind of passion."

Wang Junkai even quoted a long passage from Zhou Le's poem.

In stark contrast to the nationwide celebrations in China, the South Korean esports community was in utter despair.

As a powerhouse in esports, South Korean audiences have an intense obsession with winning the S-series championship. EDG's victory, especially their overwhelming strength in defeating GEN in the semifinals and DK in the finals, was hard for many South Korean fans to accept.

DK's official social media accounts were completely flooded with negative comments after the match.

"Utterly disappointing! Where did Canyon's form go?"

"ShowMaker was invisible throughout the finals. Is this what they call the best player in LCK?"

Comments such as "Disband! This kind of performance doesn't deserve to represent South Korea!" filled every corner of the comment section.

Some extreme fans even started a hashtag demanding the resignation of the DK coaching staff, which quickly garnered over 100,000 participants.

Faker's team, T1, despite only losing in the semifinals, was not spared either.

"The Great Demon King is getting old; his reflexes can't keep up anymore."

"The era of T1 is completely over."

The argument that "Faker should retire and stop occupying his position" has resurfaced, with many fans leaving comments on T1's official account questioning the team's tactical arrangements and the players' form.

EDG's official account has become a target for some South Korean fans to "vent their emotions."

"They're just a lucky team; they definitely won't be good next season."

"What's there to be proud of in a stolen championship?"

Malicious comments such as "Did the referee take money? Why is EDG so lucky?" are rampant, and some people even make vile personal attacks.

However, these negative voices were quickly drowned out by the counterattacks from domestic fans.

After all, when it comes to arguing, Chinese netizens have never been afraid.

When Zhou Le's commentary, especially the last four lines of poetry, was translated into Korean by South Korean netizens and uploaded to platforms such as Naver, YouTube, and Twitch, it unexpectedly sparked a strange craze.

Initially, some South Korean netizens offered rational comments, saying, "This Chinese commentator has a good rhythm and a very accurate understanding of the game."

But soon, the tone of the comments began to turn strange.

"Wow, this Chinese commentator's voice is so beautiful! He's so calm and passionate when he's commentating, he's like a god!"

"Is he really Chinese? This depth of understanding of games and the charm of his language expression make him seem like someone from our Republic of Korea!"

“I specifically looked up his information. His name is Zhou Le? Maybe he has Korean ancestry! After all, there has been such frequent cultural exchange between China and Korea throughout history, and many Chinese people’s ancestors came from Korea…”

"Agreed! How could someone so amazing be purely Chinese? He must be of mixed race, or his ancestors were Korean!"

This absurd act of claiming kinship is less a praise of Zhou Le and more a manifestation of the distorted mentality of some South Korean netizens who, after being "completely overwhelmed," are trying to regain their sense of superiority.

They cannot accept that their "dominance" in the e-sports field has been broken, and they cannot accept that Chinese commentators have used poetry full of Eastern cultural heritage to complete a beautiful cultural export.

They lost the esports event.

Culture was completely crushed.

When these comments were screenshotted and circulated back to China, they immediately sparked a new wave of ridicule and memes.

Is this a new tactic in South Korea where everything can be done?

"If Zhou Le knew he suddenly had a Korean ancestor, he'd probably cry himself to death in bed."

"I suggest South Korean netizens just apply for UNESCO World Heritage status for the entire Earth, then everyone will be of Korean descent."

Some netizens even created funny memes with the caption, "Zhou Le: Suddenly I have a relative, how come I didn't know?" which have been widely circulated on social media platforms.

Internationally, countries such as India, Japan, Russia, and the United States have also begun to relentlessly ridicule South Korean netizens.

Meanwhile, Zhou Le, who had just returned to Beijing, decided to start an online live stream to share his feelings after repeated calls from netizens.

The live stream is scheduled to start at 8 PM.

Half an hour before the broadcast started, Zhou Le's live stream account was already packed with waiting viewers.

The number of reservations has exceeded 50.

The comments section was flooded with messages like "Brother Le, come out quickly!" and "Can't wait to hear Brother Le speak!"

At 8 o'clock sharp, the live broadcast screen lit up, and Zhou Le's figure appeared on the screen.

"Good evening everyone. I just returned from Iceland and am still in quarantine. The conditions are a bit basic, please don't mind."

Zhou Le picked up the bottled water on the table, took a sip, looked at the rapidly scrolling comments on the screen, and said with a smile, "Slow down, slow down, my eyes are getting blurry. So many people are here, thank you all for your support."

As soon as he finished speaking, the live chat exploded with comments.

"Brother Le is awesome!"

"The commentary has reached godlike status!"

"The poet's explanation is truly remarkable!"

"Brother Le, you're my god!"

It almost covered the entire screen.

The discussion focused on EDG's championship victory and his commentary.

Someone asked, "Brother Le, what were you feeling when you recited those four lines of poetry from the commentary booth?"

Zhou Le thought for a moment: "Actually, I didn't have much time to think at the time. I was just really excited when I saw EDG was about to push the crystal, and those few lines of poetry just came to mind naturally. Looking back now, I'm quite glad that I was able to record EDG's victory in that way at that moment."

Halfway through the live stream, a comment brought up Zhou Le's pre-match bet.

Previously, Zhou Le generously told the audience, "If EDG wins the championship, everyone can send a 'bullish' message; if they lose, I'll run 100 kilometers."

"Sigh, I'll never see you run 100 kilometers again."

"What a pity, it's such a damn shame."

When Zhou Le saw these comments, a meaningful smile appeared on his lips.

He adjusted his posture, leaning slightly forward, and said in a relaxed tone, "Regret? How could I regret it? EDG won, I'm happier than anyone else, but speaking of this 100-kilometer journey..."

He paused deliberately, his eyes sweeping across the screen: "I'm the kind of person who likes a challenge. Although I won the bet and shouldn't have to run, seeing everyone so enthusiastic and happy, I think... I still want to give it a try." (End of Chapter)