LPL History

Chapter 62: The Big-Nosed Man's Reckless Remarks Enrage Goryeo; Zhou Yu Conceals His Strength, Awaiting the Busan Showdown (Please Read On!)
(Note: Due to the abstract nature of some historical events, and to prevent readers from thinking the author is being too absurd or the plot too far-fetched, I will mark the actual historical events with an asterisk (*).)
Over the East China Sea.

Mingkai was staring absentmindedly at the flight attendant's black stockings.

For most of the people at WE, this was probably their first time flying.

Zhou Li patted Mingkai's little hand and whispered:

"Stop looking. If you like it, go back and have Abu wear it for you."

Mingkai's face instantly turned red. He looked away and became serious.

Ruofeng heard the noise behind him, opened his eyes, and then went back to pretending to sleep.

WE Club was invited by the Korean OGN League to participate in the OGN Summer Tournament in Busan.

As the most important match for WE before the S2 World Championship, DaoGe and IF were left at the base.

Fortunately, Ruofeng wisely protected himself and remained WE's captain and starting mid-laner, thus avoiding any negative impact.

Looking at the team now, it seems that both Mingkai and Curly, who have recently joined, as well as Weixiao and even Abu, have a better relationship with Zhou Li.

Even his best friend seemed to have a problem with him after the voting controversy.

This was something Ruofeng really couldn't understand.

Even though I always take them to street food stalls when I treat them to meals.

Zhou Li would always offer them sesame seed cakes and meat floss cakes.

Why is it that my popularity is not as good as Zhou Li's, who always acts unconventionally?
Ruofeng knew that this OGN might be the last chance the club would give him.

If he can't perform well, then it's highly likely that he won't be the man representing WE in the S2 World Championship.

This OGN Summer Tournament marks the first time South Korea has included international teams in its league system, aiming to transform its domestic competition into an international one. Therefore, in addition to the South Korean teams, there are four overseas invited teams.

WE swept domestic and international competitions this year and is considered by OGN to be the only non-Korean team that can compete with Korean teams. At the same time, WE has an extremely large fan base, which makes WE Club an obvious target for OGN to invite.

In this competition, WE, as an overseas invited team, entered the OGN Round of 16.

Furthermore, the live broadcast of this competition will cover the globe, attracting a large number of overseas viewers.

Therefore, whether it's because of the 150 million won prize pool or for WE's global influence, the club attaches great importance to this competition.

Having just joined WE, Mingkai was naturally extremely nervous about participating in such an important competition.

Fortunately, Zhou Ge was there to comfort him along the way.

However, Mingkai was already nineteen years old at this time, while his "Brother Zhou" was not yet eighteen.

After the plane landed in Busan, WE immediately rushed to the draw ceremony to draw lots for the group stage.

This task, which allowed him to represent the team and make his mark, was naturally taken by Big Nose without hesitation.

Big Nose lived up to expectations.

They directly sent WE into Group A, which is known as the "group of death".

Of the four teams in Group A, apart from WE, the other three are all Korean teams.

They are GJR, Najin Shield, and Azubu Blaze.

Azubu Blaze was the 2012 OGN Spring Champion.

Zhou Li had specifically looked at the rosters of these Korean teams beforehand, but he didn't really recognize many of the original Korean esports figures.

The only player who left a deep impression on him was from the Azubu Blaze team.

Because at that time, Azubu Blaze's core player was Ambition, who was hailed as the best mid laner in Korea.

Ambition was later inspired by Clearlove's jungling skills and began to learn from him, eventually achieving his dream of winning the World Championship. Unfortunately, Clearlove's successors have all won championships, while Clearlove is still chasing his dream.

Due to funding issues, WE's schedule is very tight.

The draw took place in Busan on the first day, and the group stage matches started on the second day.

The group stage matches only last one day, with four teams competing in single-round matches. Each team plays three matches, and then the top eight teams are determined.

This made Zhou Lidu lament that the domestic e-sports environment was extremely harsh at the time, with professional players receiving meager salaries while being exploited by clubs like slaves.

However, this has nothing to do with the Zhou rites.

After all, Big Nose is the starting mid laner.

He just needs to sleep soundly backstage, and when he wakes up, he can cheer for WE.

With the addition of Mingkai and Curly, WE is undoubtedly stronger in terms of overall strength.

In the three group stage matches, WE lost to Azubu Blaze, the OGN Spring Championship winner, but subsequently defeated GJR and Najin Shield.

They ultimately advanced to the quarterfinals as the second-place team in their group.

After winning the match, Ruofeng clearly regained his confidence and gave an interview as the team captain.

On camera, Ruofeng appeared triumphant, riding high on his horse, and displayed impeccable gentlemanly manners as he looked at the beautiful Korean female host interviewing him.

The three group stage matches have already given Ruofeng a relatively high level of recognition in South Korea.

Although Ruofeng was completely outmatched in the first match against Ambition, it was his first match in Korea, so his poor performance is understandable.

In the following two matches, with Mingkai's help, Ruofeng's Twisted Fate did indeed produce good results.

As the only Chinese team invited, and with Ruofeng being the captain of WE, Korean netizens quickly dubbed him the number one mid-laner in China!

At this moment, in front of the camera, Ruofeng, as the captain of the WE team and China's number one mid laner, has already begun to put on airs.

"Congratulations to WE for successfully advancing to the quarterfinals. You faced three Korean teams. After today's matches, what are your thoughts on the Korean teams?"

Upon hearing the host's question, Ruofeng wore a refined and approachable smile.

This is the standardized interview face he learned after observing Zhou Li's upturned lips during more than ten interviews.

Ruofeng was about to say that Korean League of Legends is very strong, but that WE would play to their potential, when he recalled Zhou Li's words during the interview, so he changed his words:

"Korean League of Legends players are very strong, but WE will represent China and perform at the level expected of Chinese players." (*)

See, by linking oneself, WE, and China together, the overall perspective instantly improves, doesn't it?
Ruofeng was so satisfied with his answer that he couldn't help but smile.

However, presumably because it was the first time OGN had hosted such an international event, the translator they hired seemed to have lost their mind and translated it as—

"China is stronger than South Korea." (*)

Coupled with Ruofeng's increasingly flamboyant smile, the stadium was instantly filled with deafening boos from the Koreans.

Before Ruofeng could react, he was already asked to leave the stage.

This matter began to gain traction online.

Ruofeng immediately issued a public clarification on Weibo.

"As a representative of China, it's impossible for me to say such rude things!" (*)

In the hotel, seeing Ruofeng pacing anxiously, Zhou Li said with a smile:
"Captain Feng, what's there to clarify? I just think this statement is excellent."

Ruofeng was still scrolling through Weibo, and upon hearing Zhou Li's words, he said impatiently:
"If you think it's good, why don't you go and say so?!"

(End of this chapter)