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

Chapter 157 New Year
With the end of the Demacia Cup, the transfer window is basically closed.

The scale of this Demacia Cup is unprecedented.

Most teams have undergone major roster changes, leading many to opt to field their starting lineups.

After all, the Demacia Cup may not be important, but it is still a good opportunity to get the team working together.

However, there are exceptions, such as FPX.

FPX's top laner is no longer the legendary Gimgoon.

After losing S9, Manager Ms. Bi was very dissatisfied with the top lane.

Although she doesn't know much about games, she still doesn't know who has the advantage and who has the disadvantage.

At least that's what she thinks.

Therefore, the free-range Jin Gong naturally became a thorn in her side.

Even though she didn't win the championship like she did in S9, she still chose to seek a stronger top laner.

In this situation, Khan from LCK once again came into her view.

Even Xu Xinghe couldn't help but marvel at the recurring nature of history upon seeing this news.

Even if they don't win the championship, will GimGoon still be unable to keep his starting position?

But think about it.

Even if you win the championship, you can't keep it, let alone if you don't win it?
FPX probably already felt that their top lane was no longer viable.

IG, training room.

The training match was still in full swing.

"He's bringing it again!"

"Never mind him, let's attack the dragon first!"

"They've spotted us!"

"There's no other way, just answer it!"

"He circled around! ADADAD!"

Amidst a cacophony of sounds, Karam clutched his laptop to his chest, his sharp eyes calmly observing the contestants' responses without uttering a word.

It's normal for coaches to watch from behind during training matches; some coaches might even secretly give instructions from the sidelines.

However, coaches like that are very rare.

The results of training matches are not important; what matters is the effectiveness of the training.

A typical training match lasts only fifteen to twenty minutes.

Sometimes, special training matches can last only five minutes.

Only engage in level 1 team fights.

The reason for starting the next game right after finishing the first one is to practice how to handle level 1 team fights.

Many teams have specific plans for level 1 teams.

However, today's match was a rare late-game training session.

The agreed-upon opponent is RNG.

They played until the winner of the match was determined.

Each competition zone has its own set of competition uniforms.

However, under normal circumstances, it is not allowed to be opened to teams for practice matches.

This situation is rather special.

Teams in all major regions have undergone significant roster changes, resulting in a surge in scrimmages. Riot Games took this into consideration, which is why they temporarily opened the tournament servers.

After finishing a training match, Flandre stuck out his tongue and slumped into his gaming chair.

The defeat cutscene has also been released.

"Byd, Chen Zebin is really ruthless, he's such a beast, he's treating practice matches like regular games? Is he playing this hard?"

Saint Gun Bro's mouth was as sweet as honey, and he cursed while panting heavily.

Xu Xinghe couldn't help but smile.

That's really interesting.

Bin takes scrims extremely seriously, always giving it his all.

No matter who he's fighting, he takes it all with the same level of intensity he's got.

Yesterday, Flandre was still dominating mid-tier LCK teams, so it's understandable that he had a tough time facing RNG today.

Bin really loves playing games, there's no denying that.

"Not bad, I won three out of seven games today."

Karam nodded slightly.

He was quite satisfied.

Don't be fooled by the seemingly low win rate; RNG has been incredibly strong this year, with a win rate approaching 90% in scrims. Currently, only SN and IG have managed to take a few points from them.

Even last year's runner-up had a win rate of less than 40% against them, a paltry 30%.

IG has won more games than any other team.

BIN has excellent synergy with RNG, and Xiaohu, who just lost Uzi, works very well with him.

Bin, as a top laner, is inherently someone who requires a significant investment of resources and strategic focus.

And RNG just happens to give him the space to perform.

This team, which was historically capable of winning the S11 MSI championship, still possessed immense dominance even after being assembled ahead of schedule for S10.

Even SN, the original runner-up of S10, was somewhat outmatched by them.

However, this is a normal phenomenon.

In fact, very few people were optimistic about SN before the World Championship.

At the time, TES was actually the most anticipated team.

Then there's JDG.

SN came last.

But in the end, it was SN who eliminated JDG in the quarterfinals, eliminated TES in the semifinals, and advanced to the final.

—Then they beat DWG 3-1.

JDG won the Spring Split of S10, and TES won the Summer Split.

SN?

Before the World Championship, no one could have predicted that he would be the LPL's most successful player.

It's normal that they can't beat RNG now, who are well-coordinated.

"By the way, what are the win rates for TES and RNG?"

Xu Xinghe suddenly remembered this matter.

In the Demacia Cup finals, RNG defeated TES 3-2 to win the championship.

But TES is undoubtedly capable of going toe-to-toe with RNG.

Now that Karam has said the win rate is good, he naturally thinks of TES.

"TES? Uh..."

Karam paused for a moment, then flipped through the notebook in his hand.

"It seems they haven't been scrimming with RNG. I heard it's because there was some trouble in Karsa's hometown, so they're using a youth academy jungler now, and therefore haven't been accepting scrims with RNG."

Xu Xinghe looked completely bewildered.

Something happened in Karsa's hometown?

What's up? Did we call them?
"Okay, no more talking."

Karsa clapped his hands.

"Everyone come here for a moment, I need to talk to you about something."

"Tomorrow is the start of the holiday. Don't forget to take anything back with you from your room, as there might be no one here for the New Year."

"Oh, if you really need to get something important, and you can't contact the IG staff, you can contact Manager Su Xiaoluo or Xinghe. They all have spare keys."

Saint Gun looked surprised.

IG now belongs to Xu Xinghe, but not many people know this.

However, some rumors have also circulated that Xu Xinghe of IG now has a lot of influence and may even have been given shares.

Saint Gun Bro didn't believe it at first.

Even if Xu Xinghe's contract is taken into account, IG doesn't need to give up any shares, right?
Where did Xu Xinghe get the money? How could Young Master Wang possibly be willing?

but now……

I'm not sure.

Could it be that Xu Xinghe's surname isn't Xu, but Wang?

Is Young Master Wang his biological brother?
This is a spare key to a club; not everyone can have one.

Didn't you see that none of the other contestants had this?

As the debriefing session ended, Saint Gun Bro secretly sidled up and nudged Xu Xinghe with his shoulder.

Xu Xinghe:?

"what?"

"Where are you from?"

Xu Xinghe was stumped by Saint Gun's question.

"Uh, someone from Shanghai?"

Don't think that just because you live in an orphanage you're not a Shanghainese. We Shanghainese are still Shanghainese!
Saint Gunner was deep in thought.

Where is Old Wang from again?

Seeing that he didn't say anything, Xu Xinghe also went back to the dormitory with a strange expression.

He always felt that Flandre was acting strangely.

This vacation is actually my annual leave.

Although Karam is Korean, the entire circle surrounding CN belongs to the East Asian cultural sphere influenced by CN.

Even if South Korea and Japan don't want to admit it, this influence is subtle and gradual, and it's the same with every year's holidays, including the Lunar New Year.

They might not call it Spring Festival where they live, but it's essentially the same thing. So Karam is going home for the holiday this time.

Interestingly, the so-called Spring Festival couplets posted in South Korea are white with black characters.

—It's considered very unlucky in the eyes of Chinese people.

It's like holding a funeral.

After packing his things, Xu Xinghe didn't rush to leave.

After all, he'll definitely be going back to the orphanage for the New Year. He's already in Shanghai, so what's the rush?

It's just a few bus rides from outside.

He turned on his phone, spoke to the dean, and then chatted with Chen Yao for a while.

As soon as I looked up, I saw Flandre's lewd smile.

"girlfriend?"

Xu Xinghe frowned. "You're watching me chat?"

He hates this kind of behavior.

"Do not."

Saint Gun shook his head.

He might be a bit of a jerk, but he wouldn't actually go so far as to peek at other people's chats.

"I'm standing right in front of you, and your phone is upright. How the hell am I supposed to peek?"

Xu Xinghe also realized what was happening.
That may sound crude, but it makes sense.

"Mine? How did you find out?"

"So it really is your girlfriend?"

Saint Gun was shocked.

He was just saying it casually.

Saint Gun explained:

"You look so happy. I've never seen you laugh so happily while chatting with anyone before."

Xu Xinghe suddenly realized.

That's true.

He does laugh easily when he talks to her because he feels very comfortable around her.

Saint Gun Bro has pretty sharp observation skills.

Saint Gun thought for a moment and then added:
"Oh, except Canyon."

Xu Xinghe's face darkened: "Canyon?"

He was a bit dumbfounded.

He did laugh a lot when chatting with Canyon, but it was mainly because Canyon himself was a very funny person.

The things that happened to her were quite outrageous.

I heard that Canyon has recently been definitively identified as gay by Xu Xiu, and no amount of explanation has helped.

Xu Xinghe has been mocking him for days.

Saint Gun was still somewhat incredulous: "Is she really your girlfriend?"

Xu Xinghe nodded: "That's true."

Saint Gun scratched his head, sat down next to Xu Xinghe, and hesitated before speaking, "Um..."

"Let the fart go."

Saint Gun looked at his expression and asked cautiously:

What does your girlfriend do for a living?

Xu Xinghe:?

"No, why are you asking about my girlfriend?"

"Hey, it's not what you think. I'm not planning on getting a girlfriend right now."

Saint Gun curled his lip, "What's so great about women? You'd be better off spending that time playing PUBG with Old Sao."

He continued, "You're not an internet celebrity, are you?"

"Or perhaps the host?"

"Tell me your name, I'm afraid I might know it."

Xu Xinghe immediately realized what was going on.

It turned out to be the case.

It's common knowledge that wherever there's money, there are bound to be gold diggers.

The esports industry is particularly hard hit.

Many professional players were innocent young men before they became professional gamers.

Even if they earn millions or tens of millions a year, it doesn't change the fact that they have no romantic experience.

After becoming a professional player, he had even fewer opportunities to meet girls.

How could they possibly withstand a small internet celebrity who came with ulterior motives?

In this context, it naturally becomes a highly sought-after commodity for many online celebrities.

Some women even seamlessly transitioned to dating contestant B after breaking up with contestant A.

That's how the LPL transfer wife came about.

Saint Gun Bro, a seasoned veteran who has been a professional player for many years without any scandals, must have been tempted by temptations.

If he hadn't been in the middle of a conversation at the time, he probably wouldn't have been able to resist.

She naturally knows how adept this kind of woman is at manipulating men.

Now that they know Xu Xinghe is in a relationship, they can't help but worry.

Even if we consider the worst-case scenario of being teammates, he wouldn't want Xu Xinghe to be scammed by a gold digger.

Hmm... this guy probably didn't just swindle money, he might also be trying to seduce her sexually.

That's outrageous! How could they eat and take things at the same time!

Saint Gun was indignant.

"You don't know her, but I know her..."

Xu Xinghe chuckled and shook his head, then briefly recounted his story with Chen Yao.

After listening, Flandre fell into deep thought.

He touched his chin, looking at Xu Xinghe with disbelief:
"what do you mean……"

"You have a childhood sweetheart girlfriend who is very obedient, sincere, and willing to spend money on you. Even though you play professionally and don't have much time to spend with her, she still chats with you every day and even buys you gifts without asking for your money?"

Xu Xinghe nodded.

Saint Gun Bro laughed: "It's a pretty good story, but unfortunately I don't believe in this kind of outrageous sci-fi movie. There's no scientific basis at all."

Then Xu Xinghe started chatting with Chen Yao in front of him.

Seeing the tenderness conveyed in the words on the other end, Saint Gun was dumbfounded.

"You're really like a protagonist from a wish-fulfillment novel, aren't you?!"

He gritted his teeth and said, "This is absolutely outrageous!"

"You fucking deserve to die!"

He's handsome, capable, and his girlfriend is his devoted childhood sweetheart.

What else could this be but a wish-fulfillment novel?

and many more.

Upon closer reflection, an orphanage...?
Isn't this exactly what a protagonist in a wish-fulfillment novel should look like?!

The male lead from a wish-fulfillment novel is actually right next to me!?

Xu Xinghe smiled and patted Holy Gun Bro, who was so jealous he was practically splitting apart from his own body. "That's the expression you're making, that jealous look at me. It's really ugly, hahaha."

There aren't many things that can really evoke his emotions anymore; Flandre's current funny expression is one of them.

"gone."

He slung his bag over his shoulder and waved casually.

"get out."

Saint Gun rolled his eyes and logged into his account.

"Old rascal, let's fight!"

Since Xu Xinghe wasn't the internet celebrity he was talking about, he had nothing to worry about.

He didn't plan to leave today.

For him, going home meant continuing to play video games.

IG Club has a pretty high level of resources; it's perfectly fine to stay here for a few days before leaving.

On the other side, not long after, Xu Xinghe returned to the place where he had spent a long time.

And she has already arrived.

Even though it was a long-awaited reunion, there was still no awkwardness in their interactions.

Time passed little by little.

Amidst the dazzling New Year's fireworks, a gentle-smiling young man held a young woman's hand tightly, looking up at the magnificent sky.

The girl remained outwardly calm, but gently pulled her hand away from the boy's grasp.

Meeting the boy's questioning gaze, she smiled gently, took his hand tightly in her own, and leaned against him.

Inside the room, the headmistress was cracking sunflower seeds, laughing like a weasel that had just stolen a chicken.

After a pleasant New Year, the various teams have begun to return to work one after another.

There are only three weeks left until the start of the Spring Split.

At this critical juncture, Xu Xinghe received some news that surprised him.

"Player training clothes?"

(End of this chapter)