We are tired of winning championships, and we still need youth training?

Chapter 137 Candlelight in the Night

The two didn't talk much, but other people couldn't help but look at them.

no way.

One of them is currently the most popular player in the LPL, and the other is the most popular player in the LCK.

Just by standing there, you can easily attract everyone's attention.

Do you have any suggestions for who to choose next?

Lee Sang-hyeok spoke softly in English.

Although his English had a slight accent, it was still quite clear.

In his spare time, Lee Sang-hyeok enjoys reading, and he is still able to maintain regular communication.

However, he's usually too lazy to communicate with others.

"No."

Xu Xinghe shook his head.

He did want to bring TheShy over, since they've been teammates for a year and their synergy is better than other players.

But he also knew it was unlikely.

TheShy's personality is what it is; he's genuinely interested in casual activities and it's almost impossible for him to team up with his original teammates.

And the bot lane duo?

To be honest, whether it's S9 or the current S10 preseason, the bot lane isn't that important.

Just add some damage control.

Otherwise, how could Ghost King, who built Blade of Desecration for AD carry, have won the S10 championship?
So he really doesn't care.

The two of them chatted casually, while Oner stood in the crowd, feeling incredibly wronged.

“Sang-hyeok hyung…”

He stared longingly at Faker, feeling incredibly distressed.

They're from the same club, after all. Even if one is on the main team and the other is in the youth training, it's still better than being complete strangers, right?

But Faker actually picked Xu Xinghe instead of him.

The physical education student was a little unhappy, but dared not say anything.

Lee Sang-hyeok is a true senior, and Oner is the only one who listens to him.

But that doesn't stop Oner from feeling like he's been flattered.

Oner: There's a cow!

Lee Sang-hyeok naturally noticed his gaze and turned his face away somewhat embarrassedly.

Oner: No!

Physical education students are getting injured more often.

I just glanced at you, and you turned your face away, but he was the first jungler you asked for!
Just then, Xiao Hu's phone rang; it was a call from Xiao Ming.

The background music for "A Spray of Plum Blossoms" immediately started playing.

"Snowflakes are falling~"

Gumayusi looked at Oner's trembling body beside her with curiosity: "What's wrong with you?"

Oner looked miserable:
"The jungle planning in S10 is too difficult. I don't know how to do it, I don't know how to do it."

"Oh, it's okay. You won't be on the first team next year anyway, we're too old."

Gumayusi touched his nose, smiled, and patted him on the shoulder.

Oner: ?
His lips twitched:

"It's very comforting. Don't comfort me next time."

Before long, Lee Sang-hyeok's team was complete.

Top laner Jung Ha-kwon (Nuguri), jungler Heo Seong-ha, mid laner Lee Sang-hyeok, bot lane duo Rekkles and Samsung's support Lehends.

It's also a multi-skilled team.

Faker isn't exactly serious even in these kinds of casual tournaments; he doesn't pick players based on their strength.

After all, this is someone who played Zac mid lane during the All-Star game.

He just picked one randomly.

On the other side, Canyon's team can be described as a top-tier super team.

Top laner Khan, jungler Canyon, mid laner Chovy, bot lane duo Uzi and Mikyx.

Some people may not be familiar with Mikyx. He is G2's support player this year and is also the best support player in Europe.

Her net worth is over two million US dollars, which is close to 15 million RMB.

With Canyon's current roster, it would take at least half a small goal to assemble a proper team.

It's so luxurious it's almost extravagant.

Chovy, the only one who isn't famous yet, will eventually become the highest-paid mid-laner in the LCK.

"We'll be waiting for you in the finals."

Canyon didn't say much, just came over, said something harsh to Xu Xinghe, and then swaggered away.

Xu Xinghe smiled and didn't take it seriously.

"Do you have a grudge?"

Lee Sang-hyeok was somewhat puzzled.

Xu Xinghe shook his head. "I beat him up too badly before."

Lee Sang-hyeok thought for a moment: "Then it's a one-sided feud."

He could tell that Xu Xinghe didn't care.

Do you want me to be serious?

"Ok?"

Xu Xinghe was a little surprised.

He felt that he had nothing to do with Lee Sang-hyeok.

What does it mean that Lee Sang-hyeok is so eager to help?
When Kkoma was talking to Coach Heo Sung-ha, Heo Sung-ha was unaware that Lee Sang-hyeok was listening in from behind.

Therefore, in his memory, he truly did not know Lee Sang-hyeok.

So……

"You want me to go to SKT?"

That's all Xu Xinghe could guess.

Lee Sang-hyeok's expression remained calm, but a glint flashed in his eyes: "Is that not allowed?"

He had never really thought of that.

But upon closer reflection... it doesn't seem to be a problem.

Although they didn't talk much, he liked what Xu Xinghe said last time and had a good impression of Xu Xinghe.

Moreover, Xu Xinghe is very young and can completely succeed him as the next core of SKT.

At this time, Lee Sang-hyeok, who had just lost S9, was at the most insecure in his life.

He already felt he couldn't play for much longer.

Naturally, they would want to give back to SKT.

Perhaps bringing Xu Xinghe to SKT would be a good idea?

Lee Sang-hyeok suddenly felt that this was a very promising opportunity.

"Give up, I'm not going to SKT."

Xu Xinghe shook his head.

SKT only has one leader, and that is Lee Sang-hyeok.

As long as the other party doesn't retire, Xu Xinghe will never be able to rise to the top.

This doesn't align with Xu Xinghe's plans.

Moreover, he has already fully invested in IG and is about to use IG as a springboard to become one of the vested interests of the LPL.

How could they possibly give up IG for LCK at this time?

Besides, Xu Xinghe doesn't have a very good impression of Koreans either.

It's undeniable that South Korean League of Legends players are actually quite good people; there aren't many bad ones.

But Xu Xinghe doesn't like this country.

Moreover, the people there are xenophobic by nature.

He's doing so comfortably as IG's savior in the LPL, why would he go to the LCK and get flamed by Koreans?

He's not a masochist.

"That's it."

Lee Sang-hyeok was a little disappointed, but only a little.

After all, they had only known each other for a short time, and he only had an idea at that.

Although Lee Sang-hyeok is sometimes silent, he is not stupid; on the contrary, he is very smart.

So he easily changed the subject and started chatting with his chosen teammates.

Before long, the first match of the day began.

There are four best-of-three (BO3) matches today, and if they all go the distance, the games will continue until after 1 a.m.

But that's generally unlikely.

Since it was just an entertainment competition, not many people took it seriously.

If you feel you're about to lose, just give up or start a volatile, unpredictable style of management.

This doesn't count as match-fixing; it's more like speeding up the pace.

Xu Xinghe's team's match is scheduled for the second game, which isn't too late.

The opponent wasn't strong; it was a team organized by Jankos.

Upon seeing that the team leader was Jankos, Xu Xinghe was even more certain that it was Haimu.

Xu Xinghe didn't even need to make a move; Nuguri on the top lane was completely dominated by Jankos on his own.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!"

Jankos burst into tears, while Nuguri, sitting on the other side, looked embarrassed.

"okay."

Xu Xinghe twitched the corner of his mouth and patted him on the back.

"Fuck! That's too much!" Jankos seemed to have found something to lean on, and turned around to hug Xu Xinghe's leg.

"Why is he taking this so seriously when it's just a fun match?"

"They not only slaughtered us, but they also spawn-camped us!"

"Kingling at the fountain is one thing, but playing a critical strike Aatrox is another!"

"Before I could even react in the spring, a giant moth came flying over and slashed me, and I was dead!"

Jankos started yelling at the top of his lungs, and Xu Xinghe squinted down at him.

—This guy didn't shed a single tear; he was just faking it.

However, Nuguri did go a bit overboard.

The Bloodstained Blade of the Dream is an endless phantom of golden form.

Even their shoes are attack speed boots.

This is Nuguri's item build for this game.

The main point is that Jankos wasn't treated like a human being.

He unleashed his ultimate ability and charged into Jankos's base, stabbing Jankos to death before activating his invulnerability.

All I can say is arrogance.

"...I had no choice; the club gave me instructions before I came."

Nuguri walked over and spoke somewhat shyly.

Xu Xinghe raised an eyebrow, not surprised at all.

It's very lucrative to get exposure in these international competitions.

They disgust the other regions and then boost their popularity by stepping on the other side.

It perfectly matches his imagination of LCK clubs.

Jankos may be pretending, but he was genuinely frustrated by the beating.

I've never seen anything so inhuman.

After this game, there's basically nothing else to do.

Xu Xinghe took a small cake from the event and sat down behind the contestants to watch the show.

Today, even the referees were players acting as substitutes.

Bored, Xu Xinghe took out his phone and opened the official live stream.

[Haha, why is Xinghe eating all by himself?]

He's still looking down at his phone; is he browsing the anti-government forum?

[Get out of here! They're definitely looking at Weibo's trending topics.]

[Can't see the screen? Photographer, move closer!]

Xu Xinghe: ...

No, man.

Why are you taking pictures of me instead of the people competing in the previous matches?
He turned his head and saw the photographer approaching.

The other person was holding a camera and smiling innocently.

Xu Xinghe remained silent, but smiled and gave a thumbs-up to the camera.

The photographer blushed, realizing he'd been caught taking pictures without permission.

But the audience immediately got excited.

Closer! Closer!

[It looks like Xinghe is looking at a live stream! Ahhh, look here!]

[Remove your armor! Xinghe, remove your armor! I told you to remove your armor!]

Holy crap, so many female hooligans!

[Could the photographer please ask some questions? How about we interview Xinghe?]

The photographer also saw these comments. After consulting with his superiors, he nodded and came over, sitting next to Xu Xinghe and taking pictures of his face.

Xu Xinghe: ...

Tencent Esports has already found a way to destroy itself!

Why didn't you just stand behind me and take pictures? Why did you sit right next to me and take pictures?

I think you want to add three spoonfuls of sugar to your coffee.

"Is something wrong?"

"Well... the leader wants to ask if you'd be willing to be interviewed."

Xu Xinghe shook his head.

Although he was bored, he didn't want to be bombarded with questions.

"without……"

"The boss said he'd give me 50,000 yuan."

"no problem."

"I am part of the LPL, this is what I should do."

Xu Xinghe turned to look at the camera, his gaze sincere.

50,000 per interview?
I can bankrupt them!

The photographer smiled awkwardly but politely.

He could tell that Xu Xinghe was about to refuse.

He glanced at the comments and picked a question.

"Mr. Xinghe, the transfer window is about to open, what are your thoughts?"

This question isn't particularly difficult, and it's just about sharing ideas without involving any specific information.

"I don't really have any thoughts. Staying with IG is pretty good, but trying out other teams might also be an option. Personally, I still have a very good impression of IG."

Xu Xinghe answered casually.

It seems like they answered everything, but in reality they didn't say anything or make any statement.

Through so many simulations, his skills in handling interviews have become superb, and he can easily control the pace.

The photographer was quite young, and I didn't find anything wrong with what he said, so I nodded and moved on to the next question:
"Who is your closest player in the LPL?"

Xu Xinghe appeared calm and collected on the surface, but in reality, he had already begun to think rapidly.

This question is not easy to answer.

On the surface, his closest friend is definitely Uzbekistan.

After all, the two of them often go out to eat and have encountered fans more than once.

Uzi is unremarkable on the outside, but Xu Xinghe's outstanding appearance easily attracts attention.

But if we're really talking about Uzbekistan?
Actually, it's not very good.

Because Uzi is not an IG player.

Is his relationship with his teammates worse than his relationship with players from other teams?
It's not a big problem, but it will eventually feel distant.

This might also upset some of the more extreme individual fans on Instagram:
My giegie and you have such a good relationship, but you say you're not close?

But with so many players in IG's starting lineup, it's not really appropriate to criticize any one of them.

But it doesn't matter, Xu Xinghe has a perfect candidate.

"Huanfeng, a very strong player, and a newly promoted AD carry. We were friends when we were in youth training."

He chuckled and spoke.

Tang Huanfeng is a player for IG, but he is not a player for IG's main team.

We've known each other since our youth training days, so it's normal that we have a good friendship.

Moreover, Xu Xinghe and Huanfeng do have a good relationship and have kept in touch, chatting every few days.

Huanfeng said he's also quite conflicted right now.

On one hand, he wants to stay and become IG's starting AD carry, replacing Jackeylove.

On the other hand, his father felt that going to SN would be better.

—Because SN gives more.

Tang Huanfeng really wanted to fight alongside Xu Xinghe, but he also remembered the promise he had made to Xu Xinghe:
One day, I will stand before him.

Only by leaving IG can he become Xu Xinghe's opponent.

However, Tang Huanfeng did not tell Xu Xinghe the reason for this dilemma.

He was afraid that Xu Xinghe would think he was gay.

Because he himself felt that he was being a bit too obsessive.

"Oh oh oh."

The photographer nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

He didn't know Huanfeng.

Guangxi, Dongxing.

"Eat, why are you standing there?"

Mr. Tang frowned as he looked at his son, who was sitting opposite him, suddenly lost in thought, and felt a surge of irritation.

"Oh……"

Tang Huanfeng nodded.

He was actually quite surprised that Xu Xinghe would say that he was the person he was closest to.

Seeing that he didn't seem to care and continued playing on his phone, Tang's father lost his appetite.

He hurriedly ate a couple of bites, then put down his chopsticks and muttered a curse under his breath.

"You're so disobedient, just like your mother who's always out fooling around."

Tang Huanfeng acted as if he hadn't heard.

He absentmindedly ate his rice, sitting alone under the dim light, his shadow cast on the wall by the flickering lamplight, like a quiet wild beast.

His phone suddenly lit up.
Brother: Let's go play mahjong at Uzbekistan's house in a couple of days, ten yuan a hand, wanna come?
Tang Huanfeng smiled happily.

Tang Huanfeng: Okay, I'll arrive tomorrow.

He picked up his phone, and without even unpacking his luggage, went straight to buy tickets.

This home is not his home.

(End of this chapter)