You've only been playing for half a year, and you've already reached the finals?

Chapter 290 Stable
"What do you mean by saying he left?" Ming Jing asked, somewhat surprised. "He's already left the base?"

"Yes," my cousin nodded. "He's already back in South Korea."

Ming Jing scratched his head. "This is quite strange."

After all, the transfer window has only just started today. If Scout still wants to renew his contract with an LPL team, he should stay at the base for a few more days and make contact with various teams. Of course, EDG can't possibly kick him out.

Although Scout has been benched for more than half a year, he was still a first-team mid laner in the Spring Split. He definitely won't lack suitors in the LPL, and many teams are even vying for him.

Given his eagerness to return to South Korea, Mingjing could only think of one possibility.
"What's so strange about that?" Mingkai laughed. "They probably already contacted the Korean team a long time ago."

Ming Jing was somewhat puzzled, "Isn't this against the rules?"

Making unauthorized contacts with other teams before the transfer window opens constitutes unfair competition and, if discovered, will result in a ban from Riot Games.

"It doesn't matter, let him be." My cousin didn't seem to care. "This isn't the first time he's done this, but we don't have any proof, so it's hard to say."

"Alright," Ming Jing said nonchalantly. "Let's eat first."

After the meal, the cousin finally spoke frankly with Mingjing's family about the conditions offered by the club.

But Mingjing wasn't in a hurry to hear the numbers EDG gave him; he was more concerned about the roster.

"You don't need to worry about that, the lineup is fine."

My cousin laughed and said, "The others have already made it clear that as long as you don't leave, they can't leave. They're just waiting for you to sign."

Mingjing was waiting for his teammates' signatures, but his teammates were also waiting for Mingjing's signature.
As long as Mingjing is still in the team, they won't make any demands like staying. Even if EDG offers less money than other teams, the teammates will accept it.

It's worth it for the championship.

In terms of appeal.

With Ming Jing's two consecutive FMVP awards (changing positions and teams), he could quickly assemble a championship-contending super team by relying on his own strength and appeal to any team he joined.

What? You need to prepare for a math competition, which might mean missing half a year of the competition?
It's like a lock in the stomach.

I just hope he can come back before the World Championship.

As long as we can win the championship, none of this matters!

Of course, if he doesn't win the championship in the end, Ming Jing's appeal will be completely wiped out.

If they can't win the championship, no club will tolerate a part-time player whose price is sky-high and who frequently misses half a year of matches.

"As for the price, the club's offer is 30 million a year, plus a signing fee of 3 million."

My cousin continued, "It adds up to thirty-three million."

Still 30 million.

During this year's transfer window, the offers from major clubs were all roughly the same, settling around 30 million.

During each transfer window, clubs hire a professional actuarial team to assess the actual value of each player so that they can make an offer while ensuring they don't lose money in the ideal scenario.

Although Ming Jing's professional career is still short, his honors are truly impressive. Considering his abilities and the current popularity, 30 million might be a reasonable figure derived by the actuarial team.

This is even with Ming Jing potentially being absent for six months.

Because of this, the team has to spend money to find a substitute mid-laner, and this loss will naturally be shared by Mingjing.

If Ming Jing can participate in every match, this number could be even higher.

Of course, this number is also terrifying enough.

It's worth noting that Mingjing's 2200 million RMB contract last year broke the record for the highest salary in LPL history.

This year's 3300 million is equivalent to raising the historical record by 50%!
For other athletes, breaking the record is out of the question, and even getting close to it is difficult.

There aren't many players who earn over ten million a year.

Ming Jing's contract fee alone is almost equal to the total fee of some weak teams!

"Let me make this clear in advance: you are the core of the team, so the club won't try to negotiate with you. The first price they offer is the highest they can give."

My cousin said frankly, "But don't worry, it's definitely top-notch in the industry. If there are no problems, I'll go to the club to report it, and you can go to the club to sign the papers after you finish your exams."

"No problem." Ming Jing nodded. "I have no objections."

Hearing Mingjing nod so easily, his cousin breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, he was a player himself and knows what happens during the transfer period. It's rarely that easy, and a win-win situation is almost impossible.

Let alone a win-win situation, just avoiding a lose-lose situation would be considered a success.

Many players have excellent game vision, but their real-world perspective is terrible.

It's not uncommon for players to meddle with various clubs, then visit RNG, only to have RNG casually steal millions of their money.

The most typical example is Scout last year. He had Mingjing as a great player, but instead of sticking with him, he insisted on trying to get a raise from the club, and ended up spending half a year on the bench.

All I can say is that talking to smart people is easy.

"Oh, right."

My cousin added, "After Scout left, the team needs to find a substitute mid laner. If you have any ideas, you can let us know. We spent too much money on the starting lineup this year, so we definitely can't sign an expensive player for the substitute position."

Ming Jing thought for a moment and asked, "Is Hai Chao still at the club?"

Mingjing still remembers that when he was in the 2020 youth training camp last year, Zhang Haichao was a player from EDG's youth training camp just like him, and eventually graduated from the youth training camp with the same black card status as Mingjing.

However, the mid lane in the LPL is always highly competitive, so when Mingjing last saw Haichao at the club, he was still struggling in the second team.

Ming Jing didn't mind helping his brother at this time. After all, EDG's starting lineup would be a great exposure opportunity, and he didn't have to be afraid of taking responsibility. If things went wrong, he could just go to the Western Paradise to ask the old ancestor for help.

“Zhang Haichao,” my cousin recalled for a moment, then said, “It seems he was bought by LGD. He should be a starter in the LPL next year.”

"Oh, that's all then." Ming Jing shook his head. "You can decide for yourselves."

"Okay, that's settled then. This is just a general discussion of our intentions. We'll talk about the formalities at the club after you finish your exams."

"Okay, thank you for your help, Kai."

"What's the trouble?"

Mingjing escorted his cousin downstairs and watched his cousin's SUV drive away before continuing to prepare for his exams.

Before we knew it, it was November 19th.

Around noon, Mingjing, along with other students from the same school who were also taking the exam, landed in Fuzhou and officially moved into the Affiliated High School of Fujian Normal University.

This year's China Mathematical Olympiad, also known as the National Middle School Mathematics Winter Camp, will be held here.

This year, it seems that there are many more students from Huazhong Normal University Affiliated High School taking the exam. There are dozens of students from all three grades, accounting for almost one-tenth of the total number of participants.

This is undoubtedly a testament to the school's strength.

This year, Huazhong Normal University Affiliated High School No. 1 still holds the top position among all high schools in the country.

Mingjing also transformed into a senior in the third year of high school.

As a result, along the way, many junior high school students surrounded Mingjing, chattering and asking for autographs and photos, making it quite lively.

Ming Jing was quite patient and agreed to each request. Class teacher Zheng Hu looked at Ming Jing, who was surrounded by countless students, and wore a peaceful smile.

He still remembers what Mingjing looked like when he entered high school.

Unlike most of his classmates who enjoyed elite education from a young age, Mingjing was able to get into Huazhong Normal University Affiliated High School entirely through his own abilities.

Moreover, this ability is in no way inferior even at Huazhong Normal University Affiliated High School.

Zheng Hu has been teaching for many years and has seen too many students who got into ordinary middle schools based on their talent.

However, these students often struggle to keep up with the high school curriculum, quickly falling from being the top students in junior high to the bottom of their class.

This huge gap is enough to destroy the mentality of some vulnerable students.

Although Mingjing initially struggled to keep up, he quickly caught up and rose to the top of the class in just half a semester.

Needless to say, his math scores were never lagging behind; in fact, he was always ahead.

It was precisely because Zheng Hu recognized Mingjing's mathematical talent that he specifically approached Mingjing's parents, hoping that Mingjing could pursue a career in mathematics competitions.

Zheng Hu had no idea that Ming Jing's true talent had not even been revealed yet.

Even if Ming Jing's talent in mathematics is one in a million, it is still insignificant compared to his unique talent in gaming.

It's just a pity.

Zheng Hu touched his sparse hair and sighed.

He always felt that Mingjing had a chance to make it to the IMO, after all, Mingjing managed to get into the top 15 while playing in the S-series last year.

If we focus a little more and seize the opportunity to sprint for another year in our senior year, a top-six finish is truly within reach.

Now, it's definitely a waste.

After a year of competition, even if Ming Jing picked up math again after MSI, Zheng Hu didn't think he could recover to a very high level.

To reach last year's level would be considered incredible.

"Do your best, students." Zheng Hu saw the students off to the school gate to register, then smiled and said, "Especially for the senior students, this is your last chance. Whatever your goals are, I hope you can all satisfy yourselves!"

The dozens of students below were full of confidence and readily agreed!
Like last year, this year's CMO event lasted five days, consisting of one day for the opening ceremony, two days for the exam, one day for training, and one day for the closing ceremony.

After checking in, Ming Jing went to the hotel with Wang Hao to drop off their luggage, and then started typing away.

Wang Hao glanced sideways at Ming Jing, somewhat puzzled.

Lately, whenever I see Mingjing, that guy is always looking down at his phone, texting, with a sinister smile on his face from time to time.

Wang Hao's gossip-loving spirit was burning brightly, and he finally couldn't resist, so he leaned over and asked, "Which girl are you texting? Look at how you're smiling."

Ming Jing reacted quickly, turning off his phone and putting it in his pocket, then laughed and said, "You'll find out soon enough."

"You'll know soon?" Wang Hao was even more confused.

This is the CMO exam room, what can I learn from this?
After saying that, Ming Jing led Wang Hao downstairs from the hotel, intending to visit the school where the exam would be held.

Schools qualified to host the CMO are all prestigious institutions with long histories, and the campus environment is an essential aspect to consider.

After waiting a short while at the hotel entrance, I soon saw a figure jogging happily towards me.

Song Xuan's outfit today was quite ordinary, just a ponytail, a black down jacket, and jeans, but she still stood out in the crowd.

Beyond the black down jacket, a gold medal bounced up and down with each step.

Song Xuan was quite generous. After greeting Ming Jing and Wang Hao, he took off the medal from his neck and affectionately put it around Ming Jing's neck.

Ming Jing had forgotten to ask for his championship medal back, and now it was returned to its rightful owner.

Wang Hao, standing to the side, was dumbfounded by what he saw.

He also watched the S11 finals, so of course he knew that this was the championship medal.

He certainly knew Song Xuan, after all, Song Xuan had helped them a lot during last year's national training team.

But why is this medal on Song Xuan's neck?

Didn't Ming Jing return to Wuhan immediately after winning the championship to prepare for the competition?

Wang Hao suddenly remembered what Ming Jing had said earlier.

hiss.
Holy crap, that's awesome!

Wang Hao now understood why Ming Jing was so confident about the upcoming competition.

So they've latched onto Song Xuan's coattails, haven't they!

The three of them didn't stay outside for long, as it was getting late. They just strolled around the school for a bit before returning to the hotel to rest.

The next day, after the opening ceremony, the three of them met up in the study room to work on practice problems. Seeing Ming Jing and Song Xuan sitting side by side looking happy, Wang Hao decided to find a table and study by himself.

People's joys and sorrows are not shared; he only felt disgusted by it.

Soon, the exam day arrived.

Mingjing found his seat according to the information on his admission ticket.

There weren't many familiar faces in the exam room this time, but since this was Mingjing's second time taking the exam, he was quite familiar with the process. He simply closed his eyes to rest first, and as soon as the exam papers were handed out, he immediately entered a state of flow, and his brain began to work at high speed.

This is Mingjing's second time participating in the CMO competition, and his abilities are already quite different.

Last year, Mingjing aimed for a score in the top 60, always hovering on the edge of advancing. In the end, he ranked 51st with a score of 75%, making it to the next round at the very bottom.

This time, Ming Jing not only grew a year older, but his math skills also improved by leaps and bounds with Song Xuan's help. He has now officially set his sights on the top six.

Looking back on the past six months of intensive practice, Mingjing needs to reward himself with an excellent score.

The first question is an introductory-level analytical geometry problem. Mingjing has done similar problems before, and the trajectory of the circle can be easily described using polar coordinates, without considering the interior.

The second question was much more difficult, with two solutions. The first was to calculate everything based on the given items, which involved a huge amount of calculation.

The second method simplifies the calculation process by using the argument angle.

Mingjing could even determine that there were two solutions, so of course he wouldn't stumble on this kind of question.

I finished both questions, and the exam hadn't even been going on for an hour.

Mingjing has three and a half hours left to tackle the last problem, a super difficult question comparable to those in world championships.

This time, Mingjing was deep in thought, but he was not at a loss. Instead, he kept working through the problem-solving process in his mind.

This is another problem that uses generating functions, and the difficulty is actually very similar to the third question in last year's CMO.

Last year, Mingjing did not fully answer the third question, and only got the points for the first question.

This year, however, the situation is quite different.

Soon, the exam ended, and Mingjing looked at the completed exam paper, feeling completely relaxed.

Stable.

(End of this chapter)