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

Chapter 302 Returning to the Team!

After the results were announced, it was time for the awards ceremony.

The bronze and silver medalists went up on stage one by one to receive their medals.

The hundreds of candidates present were all top math geniuses from various countries; none of them were novices. In addition, the awards were based on scores, not rankings, so the winning rate was quite high, and most people received an award.

That's why bronze and silver medals aren't very meaningful.

Secondary schools like Huashi No. 1 Middle School don't even bother to talk about their silver and bronze medals.

Only gold medals have meaning.

Soon, the gold medalists took to the stage one after another to receive their medals.

This is a truly prestigious medal, representing that you have reached the top level among your peers in this subject!

But this is not enough.

Among the dozens of gold medal winners, no Chinese athletes were seen.

Because above the gold medalists, there is a separate award for perfect score gold medalists!

There were quite a few people who got full marks this time, a total of ten, which is the largest number in recent years.

The main reason for this is the perfect performance of the Chinese team this time.

All six members scored full marks, securing first place as a team without any doubt and winning the gold medal!
In the final podium segment, the six members of the Chinese team, dressed in bright red, formed a line on the podium.

Feeling the heavy weight of the medal hanging around his neck, Ming Jing secretly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a sense of liberation.

We finally got it.

Ming Jing put in far more effort than he did for the game in order to win this math Olympiad gold medal.

Ultimately, it was Ming Jing's exceptional gaming talent that allowed him to win without expending too much effort.

In contrast, mathematics is much more difficult. His mathematical talent is undoubtedly top-notch, as evidenced by the fact that he was able to get a perfect score while working part-time.

But it's far from being a game.

Fortunately, their hard work still yielded fruitful results.

This gold medal signifies that Mingjing's high school career has come to a complete end.

Right now, Ming Jing has no distractions. All he needs to do is get back to the game and win that damn third championship.

Of course, because he was focused on the competition, he hadn't paid attention to the LPL for almost half a month.

Hopefully, his teammates will give him a chance to return to the team.
If Mingjing fails to make the playoffs in the summer season and is eliminated directly, then there's nothing he can do.

After the medal presentation, there was a group photo session. Ming Jing and Song Xuan stood at the edge of the group and received their medals together from the organizers.

Just before the photographer pressed the shutter, Song Xuan took the initiative to slip her hand into Ming Jing's palm and gently leaned on Ming Jing's shoulder, leaving behind a meaningful photo.

But this very scene made countless viewers watching the live stream furious.

No, what is going on?
While Guangming Jing is famous online, Song Xuan is also quite well-known.

The last time a female competitor appeared in the IMO was more than a decade ago, and a female competitor achieving a perfect score was unheard of. Song Xuan's perfect score last year was a groundbreaking achievement.

This is why Song Xuan was able to win the only Mirzakhani Prizes for women last year.

In addition, her unfathomable background led Shanghai High School to treat her like a treasure, producing numerous press releases and interviews.

In addition, that tiny bit of beauty
Many netizens know that a math competition prodigy has emerged, and her future looks promising.

This resulted in countless people being utterly shocked when they saw this scene through the live stream.

Why are they holding hands?!
Get off me!

Ming Jing was unaware of the online reaction to their hand-holding; he simply felt that doing something like this in public was a bit too ostentatious.

But since he had already done it, he couldn't let go or do anything about it; he simply accepted it calmly.

The awards ceremony concluded, and the six members of the Chinese team, each with their gold medals neatly hanging around their necks, gathered with their team leader.

Logically, winning an award should be a time for celebration, but the current situation is special. With the virus raging, Norway's prevention and control measures are not as strict as those in China or Iceland. Considering safety issues, the team leader did not allow everyone to move around freely, but instead returned to the hotel to continue their confinement until the next day when they would return home.

After returning to China, there is still a mandatory 15-day quarantine period, so the journey ahead is long and arduous.

With no other option, the Chinese team could only hold a simple celebration banquet in the hotel restaurant.

The team leader was also a graduate of Peking University, so he was considered a senior alumnus to everyone.

The senior student, holding a Coke cup, smiled and said, "Congratulations to all the students for your excellent results in this Olympiad! I also wish you all the best in your future studies at Peking University and hope you continue to reach new heights!"

"Now, enjoy your vacation!"

These words were actually directed at the five people other than Deng Leyan.

After all, the other five have already graduated from high school and will be entering Peking University classrooms in just over a month.

With two gold medals at the IMO and still one year left in her senior year of high school, Deng Leyan is truly a future star.

Mingjing clinked glasses with his classmates one after another, then lowered his head and looked at the bar.

He hadn't followed the games for quite a while, and he was really curious to see what the current situation was like in the LPL.

Anyway, before he went into seclusion, EDG's regular season went relatively smoothly.

Is everything alright now?
Surprisingly, there are almost no comments related to the competition on the current anti-competition forum.
Breaking news! The Flying God has won his third title! A perfect score victory!

[Wow, winning the World Championship undefeated is one thing, but getting a perfect score in the Olympia also seems like a no-brainer?]

[This is truly unbeatable. Before, some people said that Fei Shen's math skills would definitely decline after a year of competitions, but now everyone is silent.]

[Faker is always marketing his "reading" persona, and every time he's photographed at the airport, he's reading. I think he's even less impressive than Fei Shen (Faker's nickname).]

【It really is】

While the two can still hold their own in terms of gaming achievements, there's simply no comparison when it comes to academics.

[This is only part of it; Fei Shen also has a beautiful girlfriend!]

There's a picture posted at the back of this building; it's a screenshot from the live broadcast of the awards ceremony.

A bright and beautiful girl, wearing the Chinese team uniform and her newly won Olympiad gold medal around her neck, stood close to the boy, their fingers intertwined, both with smiles on their faces.

【? ? ? 】

I've never lost a game, I'm obsessed with studying, and I'm obsessed with love. What's the point of living like this? I'm jumping!

I disagree! /crying/crying/crying

[They're a perfect match, a match made in heaven, who are you, a monster, to object?]

[Faker chugging.jpg]

Damn, these two actually seem like a good match, don't they?

Looking at the long list of discussions in front of him, Ming Jing couldn't help but scratch his head, and then said to Song Xuan beside him, "See? This is what you wanted."

"Ah? What?"

Song Xuan, who was on the phone with her mother, was a little confused. Then she turned around and glanced at the contents of Ming Jing's phone, and immediately started chuckling again.

That's right, that's exactly what Song Xuan wanted.

Back on the homepage, Mingjing clicked refresh twice and finally saw the content he wanted.

[2022 LPL Summer Regular Season: EDG 0:2 TES (Other scoring posts deleted)]

Upon seeing this title, Ming Jing frowned slightly.

Lost again?
Mingjing clicked into the post and, based on the comments from other users, it was easy to determine whose problem it was. Mingjing concluded that everyone had a problem.
No one is innocent of being swept 0-2.

Even in the top lane, Flandre couldn't gain an advantage against 369, and the coordination between jungler JieJie and mid laner Zeka was a complete mess, failing to establish any rhythm at all.

As for the bottom lane, Viper was killed in the lane twice in a row, earning him the title of "the worst player".

This title wasn't earned with just one loss. Back in the spring playoffs, EDG was eliminated by TES. On the eve of the decisive game, Viper was under so much pressure that he needed oxygen to adjust his condition.

Back then, Viper was already known as the "Oxygen-Sucking AD Carry." Now that the two sides have met again, Viper has been killed in lane in two consecutive games, which is quite comical.

【Seriously, EDG is so bad right now? They're completely unable to fight back?】

It's normal that they couldn't retaliate. TES was first in the regular season, so beating EDG, who was sixth, was a piece of cake for them.

[This praise is a bit forced; after this game, EDG is already in seventh place.]

【It really is】

We're playing RNG in a few days, and we're aiming for eighth place!

Looking at the comments in front of him, Mingjing had a general idea of ​​EDG's current situation.

That's a bit serious.

The following day, July 24, the group boarded a plane and landed at Beijing Airport.

As soon as Ming Jing landed, he was put into a hotel for two weeks of quarantine.

This is quite difficult for Ming Jing, firstly because he is eager to go back and play in the competition.

After all, the LPL playoffs are starting on August 16th, and his two-week quarantine period is already quite tight.

If something unexpected happens and we're delayed for a few more days, we might not even make it in time!
Secondly, he didn't have any electronic devices, only a mobile phone, so it was actually quite difficult for him to get through two weeks like that.

With no other option, Mingjing could only lie in bed and maintain long-term voice communication with Song Xuan, who was also undergoing quarantine.

They might chat aimlessly, do some practice problems, or simply watch the game together.

With both of them present, EDG faced another formidable opponent a week later, taking on RNG, the second-ranked team in the league.

With the regular season nearing its end, every point is extremely important.

This match is crucial for EDG.

If they can win, EDG can use this point to squeeze into the top six.

If they lose, they will be permanently locked in seventh place.

Although it's only one spot difference, it means that EDG will have to start from the first round of the regular season, which will leave Mingjing with even less preparation time.

Unfortunately, EDG still couldn't overcome such a tough challenge.

Zeka still suffers against Xiaohu, unable to establish a decent lead in his matchup and falling behind in terms of tempo!

Although Viper played much better today, it wasn't enough to help the team win.

After two games, EDG suffered another dismal 0-2 defeat, officially securing seventh place.

On the players' bench, the EDG players looked grim, clearly understanding what this defeat meant.

The discussion in the live chat was still going strong.

[This is really weird. These guys were playing pretty well before, how come they're so bad now?]

[That makes sense. Fei Shen is just too capable. He has to command and set the pace, and in the end, he's still the one who carries the team. His teammates are used to playing the game in this kind of rhythm. When they have an advantage, they're the ones who go all out. But then suddenly the mid laner is replaced by Cai Bi, and they can't create an advantage at all. It's really easy to not understand how to play him.]

EDG desperately needs FeiShen.

It doesn't matter, as long as we're in the top ten, we can make the playoffs. For EDG, as long as we make the playoffs and hold on until Fei Shen returns, we'll consider it a success.

【Come back, my Flying God, my proudest mid laner /crying/crying/crying】

[Fly, team, return immediately!!!]

Fortunately, this time it's for real.

The Flying God is really coming back.

Two weeks—a long time, yet also a short one.

On August 8th, Ming Jing, who had just won the gold medal, didn't even have time to go home before landing at Hongqiao Airport with Song Xuan.

Song Xuan's purpose was, of course, to go home.

As for Mingjing, he was preparing to rejoin the team.

"Good luck in the playoffs!" Before leaving, Song Xuan gave Ming Jing a final hug. "You haven't played for so long, are you still rusty?"

Ming Jing, however, was confident at this moment. "Do you think I'll become rusty?"

Song Xuan didn't answer the question, but just smiled and said, "I'll go watch you in person when you make it to the finals!"

"Then just wait."

Ming Jing patted Song Xuan's back lightly. The girl stared at the boy with wide eyes, then lightly touched his lips before getting into the Maybach at home.

Mingjing greeted Song's mother in the driver's seat, watched the Maybach speed away into the distance, and then turned and got into the nanny car sent by the club.

The van slowly drove into Lingshi Road. As he saw the familiar buildings, Ming Jing felt a pang of emotion.

Come to think of it, it seems like he hasn't been back for more than half a year.

As a professional player, this is indeed somewhat unprofessional.

If he had been there, EDG would never have fallen into such a predicament.

From a distance, Ming Jing could clearly see that his cousin and his group had been waiting at the entrance of the base for quite some time.

Mingjing was still picking up his backpack after parking the car when his cousin opened the door.

The League of Legends team members were waiting outside the car, and everyone was visibly happy to see Mingjing finally return.

My cousin, who was the team's supervisor at the time, smiled and said, "You won the Olympiad gold medal, right? Congratulations!"

"The savior is back." Meiko laughed from the side, "You're finally back, brother. If you had come a few days later, you would have been collecting our corpses."

"It's not that bad, it's not that bad." Ming Jing felt a little embarrassed upon hearing this. "It is indeed my fault; I really did take too long."

It can only be said that the two competitions are indeed seriously conflicted. The National Games are tied up with the Spring Playoffs, and the IMO is tied up with the Regular Season.

If the issues could be resolved in the first half of the year, allowing Mingjing to return to the team sooner, the team wouldn't be in such a precarious situation.

"It's alright, it's alright," Abu laughed. "As long as you got back in time. You shouldn't be out of practice yet, right?"

"Actually, I haven't trained for a while," Ming Jing said honestly, but there was no fear on his face. "But it's not a big problem. There are a few days of rehabilitation, right? Trust me."

Mingjing was quite confident in his ability to adapt.

After all, he came directly from the youth training camp to join JDG and compete in the World Championship.

Isn't adapting to this situation a hundred times more difficult than the current one?
"Let's go," Maokai gestured, "Let's eat first, then we'll have the practice match!"

"OK OK!"

"Go, go, go!"

Mingjing's return has injected a lot of vitality into EDG.

Everyone instantly returned to the energetic state they had been in last year.

(End of this chapter)