Huayu: Starting from retirement, sweeping across the domestic entertainment industry

Chapter 223 Game Girl Coconut

Filming continues.

The screens of the five computers were still lit, with the settlement data still displayed; no one had turned them off.

Wang Junkai gripped Li Ran's gaming chair with both hands, looking indignant, clearly still angry.

Li Ran looked up at him. He had nothing to hide from his good brother.

"Xiao Kai, you were a bit harsh just now."

Wang Junkai looked at Li Ran, his lips twitching slightly, his expression nonchalant.

"Three years of professional LPL career, and all you've done is make the third All-NBA Team as a mid-laner? Do you really think you're some kind of 'Teacher Dafei'?"

Li Ran was silent for a second.

He knew who Wang Junkai was talking about, and he knew that what he said was true.

Zhang Linghe's individual laning ability is indeed top-notch in the league, which is widely recognized in the industry. His stats speak for themselves: average CS per minute, gold difference against his opponent, number of solo kills—he ranks among the best in every category.

Li Ran spoke calmly: "Team Leader Zhang's individual laning skills are top-notch in the league, and he's very good at seizing opportunities in team fights."

Wang Junkai scoffed, somewhat dissatisfied, "So what? The command is still terrible."

He paused, his gaze towards Li Ran tinged with resentment, "It was clearly his decision-making error just now, why are you being blamed? And who are you to call my brother anyway!"

Li Ran smiled helplessly: "After all, we'll be competing together later, and I don't want to create a one-minute BO05 moment."

He knew that Wang Junkai was standing up for him; this tacit understanding existed not only in the game but also outside of it.

In League of Legends' command system, the early game tempo is generally controlled by the jungler. When to invade the jungle, when to gank, and when to control dragons all require the jungler to make real-time judgments based on the game situation.

In the mid-to-late game team fights, command is usually handed over to the support.

Supports have more energy to observe the overall situation and can better coordinate the skills and positioning of the five players.

But Zhang Linghe plays in the mid lane, which means he has to deal with the pressure of the opposing laner while also taking charge of the team, so it's not easy for him.

He not only took over Li Ran's command, affecting Li Ran's jungle route and rhythm, but also caused problems in his own laning phase, falling behind by more than 20 CS.

As for team fights, the two newcomers in the bottom lane had no say in the game, and Zhang Linghe took over the role, resulting in a disastrous performance.

After a training match, the problem became crystal clear—Zhang Linghe was simply not suited to be a commander.

His strength lies in laning; he's the kind of mechanically skilled player who can seize fleeting opportunities to deliver a fatal blow in team fights, unlike Faker, who switches screens seven times a second to grasp all the information on the map and has a macro-level perspective.

Zhai Xiaowen leaned out of his seat and looked at Li Ran.

He hesitated for a moment, but still spoke up: "Brother Ran, I felt very comfortable playing with your control of the early game rhythm."

Hu Xianxu nodded in agreement, saying, "I'm not good at commanding, but I feel that Burn, you're more suited to commanding."

Li Ran did not answer immediately.

He leaned back in his chair, staring at the pale white light on the ceiling for a while, then sat up straight and said:

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I'll talk to the coach later.

The training room fell silent.

He knew in his heart that Zhang Linghe had always been the backbone of the SK team. For three years, it was thanks to him carrying the team in the mid lane that the team was able to fight its way from the secondary league to the LPL and into the playoffs.

It's inappropriate for someone who's just arrived to try and take the lead.

But he joined SK with the goal of winning the championship.

I'm not here to make friends, I'm not here to be a peacemaker, I'm here to win.

He was unwilling to back down on this point.

Li Ran pushed open the door to the training room. He had only walked a few steps when he saw Jia Bing walking over from the other end of the corridor.

"Coach," Li Ran called out.

Jia Bing stopped and looked at him.

Li Ran didn't beat around the bush and directly expressed his thoughts on the allocation of command, the division of labor within the team, and the true potential of the SK lineup.

The language is concise and the logic is clear, like playing a ranked game where you know when to engage and when to withdraw.

After listening, Jia Bing did not speak immediately.

Looking at the young man in front of him, he suddenly remembered that he had won the runner-up title in the World Championship in his first year in the league.

At the time, he thought it was just good luck and the right version, but now he realizes there's more to it than just skill; it's about brainpower.

He reached out and patted Li Ran's shoulder, the force neither too light nor too heavy, conveying a sense of approval.

"Li Ran, I'll take care of Zhang Linghe's job."

Li Ran smiled, a smile that was not flamboyant, but radiated the unique charm of a young man.

"Can I talk to Zhang Linghe?"

Jia Bing pondered for a moment, then nodded.

"He's in his dorm." After saying that, he unscrewed his thermos, took a sip of water, turned around, pushed open the door to the training room, and went inside.

The door wasn't closed properly, and Li Ran heard his voice coming from inside. It wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority: "Come here, everyone. I have a few words to say to you."

The corridor fell silent again.

Li Ran stood there for a few seconds, then turned and walked towards the dormitory area.

When he arrived at the dormitory entrance, he didn't knock; he just pushed the door open and went inside.

Zhang Linghe sat on the edge of the bed, still clutching the energy drink bottle in his hand. He heard the door open, looked up, and saw Li Ran. His expression froze for a moment.

There was surprise in that stunned look, and also a hint of barely perceptible tension.

He didn't know why Li Ran had come—whether to comfort him, to lecture him, or to declare something.

"What are you doing here?" His voice wasn't loud, but it was full of vigilance.

Li Ran did not answer.

He walked in, closed the door, and sat down opposite Zhang Linghe, with less than two meters between them.

He didn't comfort him, didn't say "Don't take what happened to heart," and didn't say "That's just Xiao Kai's temper, don't take it to heart."

Those words meant nothing to a veteran who had been playing professionally for three years.

Arguments are inevitable in esports post-match analysis, and all of them are ultimately aimed at winning the game.

He stated directly, "All I want to do in matches is win. My sole goal in coming to SK is to win the championship."

He looked into Zhang Linghe's eyes and said earnestly, "I think you feel the same way."

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Zhang Linghe was stunned.

He didn't expect Li Ran to say these things.

He thought he would come to ease the tension, to persuade him not to hold a grudge against Wang Junkai, and to say some polite words.

I never expected that when he arrived, he would so directly, nakedly, and without any concealment lay his ambitions bare on the table.

champion.

These two words have been used to death in the e-sports circle, but very few people have actually done it.

Zhang Linghe looked into his eyes.

There was no provocation, no ostentation in those eyes, only a calm and resolute light.

He inexplicably recalled his first year as a professional gamer, when he was just like that, fearless and willing to say anything.

After losing more and more, I stopped talking about it. It wasn't that I didn't want to, but that I didn't dare.

I'm afraid I won't be able to keep my word, afraid of being laughed at, afraid of believing it myself and then falling even harder.

But now, someone is sitting in front of him and says those words for him.

Li Ran extended his hand, hovering between the two of them. "I hope you can trust me."

Zhang Linghe lowered his head and looked at that hand.

His joints were well-defined, his fingers were long and slender, and his nails were neatly trimmed.

He hesitated for a few seconds, had an internal struggle with himself, and then reached out and shook hands.

"Card—Passed."

The two people in the dormitory let go of each other's hands at the same time.

Zhang Linghe let out a long breath and leaned back against the bedpost.

Li Ran stood up, stretched his shoulders, and his bones made a slight clicking sound.

"Let's go, next game." He opened the door and walked out, with Zhang Linghe following behind.

Li Ran returned to the assistant director's side, and the two of them huddled in front of the monitor, watching the replay of the scene they had just seen again.

"Here—" Li Ran pointed to the screen, "Before he grasped it, he made a swallowing motion, that's good."

The assistant director nodded and made a note in the script.

The two were discussing the staging of the next shot when a slender hand gently patted Li Ran's shoulder from behind.

"Li Ran————" The voice wasn't loud, but it had a slightly excited ending.

Li Ran turned around and saw Zhou Ye standing behind him.

She was wearing a loose, off-white sweatshirt, her hair was tied in a high ponytail, and she was without makeup, but her skin was so white it glowed. She looked like a senior student who had stepped out of a campus drama, rather than a female warrior flying around on wires in an ancient fantasy drama.

She was carrying two cups of milk tea. She handed one to him and smiled as she handed the other to the assistant director next to her.

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"Here's some milk tea." Her eyes curved into crescents, and her smile had a magical power to lift people's spirits.

Li Ran took it, inserted a straw, and took a sip. It was ice-cold and the sweetness was just right.

"No chance today?"

Zhou Ye nodded. "I happened to be off today, so I came to see you."

Li Ran nodded.

"Let's go out for dinner together later. I'll have Xiao Chen book a restaurant." He took out his phone, glanced at the time, and then put it back.

"Okay, then I won't bother you any longer. You can talk to the director."

Zhou Ye smiled at the assistant director again, a smile that was both obedient and proper. Then he turned around, put his hands behind his back, and strolled around the set like a kitten taking a walk.

Her gaze swept across the prop table, passing over the realistic energy drink bottles, team merchandise, and mechanical keyboards. She would occasionally stop to take a look, or reach out and touch them, but she didn't bother anyone.

Li Ran chatted with the assistant director for a while longer, going over the shooting schedule for tomorrow.

When he closed the script and went to find Zhou Ye, he found her already sitting in front of a computer in the training room.

She wasn't alone—Wang Junkai, Zhai Xiaowen, and Hu Xianxu surrounded her, some standing, some sitting, each with a different expression.

Wang Junkai sat in the gaming chair next to Zhou Ye, intently watching his gameplay.

Zhai Xiaowen and Hu Xianxu stood behind Zhou Ye, both looking very serious.

Zhang Linghe sat in the seat next to Zhou Ye, his expression serious, his brows slightly furrowed.

The screen displays the League of Legends interface, where Zhang Linghe and Zhou Ye are playing a solo match.

Mid lane, mirror image champion, both are Zoe.

The two players were neck and neck in terms of last hits, with Zhou Ye even leading by three hits.

"coconut----"

Li Ran walked over, stood next to Hu Xianxu, put his hands in his pockets, and looked down at the screen.

Zhou Ye's attention was entirely on the game; he didn't look up, only humming in response.

Her fingers flew across the keyboard as she moved, last-hit minions, and harassed enemies with a rhythm as steady as a precision machine.

Zhang Linghe's expression, however, was not so relaxed.

He originally intended to "go easy on the girl," so he chose a hero he didn't play often and didn't go all out in last-hitting.

After three minutes, he realized something was wrong. The enemy Zoe was using every skill in a tricky way, and every move she made was timed to coincide with his last-hitting moments, as if she had read his mind beforehand.

Fine beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead, and his fingers tapped the keyboard at a noticeably faster pace, but the gap in last-hitting ability continued to widen.

Zhai Xiaowen was someone who loved to watch the drama unfold; his voice wasn't loud, but every word he uttered was cutting.

"Zhang Linghe, are you even capable?"

Hu Xianxu chimed in from the side, speaking even faster than when he's performing comedy.

"Yeah, you can't even beat a girl? That would be such a disgrace to SK."

Zhang Linghe ignored them.

His lips were pressed into a thin line, his gaze fixed on the screen, and his fingers clattered on the keyboard.

He tried to counterattack, but Zhou Ye's Zoe was like an eel, slippery and hard to handle, and all his skills missed.

His expression grew increasingly grim, and the number of finishing blows increased from three to five, and then from five to eight.

Hu Xianxu continued to add insult to injury, his tone practically overflowing with schadenfreude.

"Don't just keep farming under the tower—one blood and one tower, that's 100 CS. Zhou Ye is almost at 100 CS."

Zhang Linghe was already getting anxious.

"Stop barking like a dog."

Zhou Ye remained unaffected throughout; her expression was as calm as if she were playing against a bot.

As the gap in kills widened, she created an opening by moving slightly forward, giving Zhang Linghe the illusion that "I can kill her."

Zhang Linghe fell for the trap, using Flash and unleashing all his skills—but Zhou Ye's Zoe precisely released a Sleepy Bubble the instant he landed with Flash, followed by Flying Star, Ignite, and a basic attack.

A series of fluid moves followed, and the message "You have been slain" popped up on the screen.

The training room was quiet for a moment, then erupted into chaos.

"That's it?" Zhai Xiaowen was the first to speak, dragging out the word "this" in a way that sounded incredibly irritating.

"Oh my, you got solo killed by Ling He, you're something else." Hu Xianxu slapped the table next to him, laughing so hard that his chin almost slipped off his palm.

Zhang Linghe's face flushed slightly, whether from anger or heat, it was hard to tell.

He stood up, the chair was pushed aside, and the wheels slid out a bit.

He glared at Zhai Xiaowen and Hu Xianxu, speaking in a provocative tone.

"You two come here, let me see what you're capable of."

Zhou Ye turned his head, looked at the two people behind him, and smiled like a happy little dog.

Her eyes curved into crescents, her lips curled up, and she exuded an enthusiasm that said, "I've won, come and play with me!"

"Hurry up, hurry up, who's next?" Her ponytail swayed back and forth behind her head.

Li Ran stood beside her, watching her expression, and couldn't help but laugh.

Coconut is always like this when she plays games—she's usually gentle and mild-mannered, but she becomes a completely different person as soon as she sits in front of the computer, with a defiant glint in her eyes.

She's really good at gaming; she plays League of Legends and Valorant very well.

Valorant hasn't been released yet, but Li Ran knows that she was quite good at it in her past life, shooting every shot quickly and accurately.

She wasn't very good at League of Legends before, but after being with him, she played more and her skill level improved noticeably.

Li Ran shook his head, reached out and patted Zhai Xiaowen on the shoulder, as if it were an appointment.

"Xiao Zhai, play a game with her."

Zhai Xiaowen's eyes lit up, he rubbed his hands together, and plopped down in Zhang Linghe's seat.

He cracked his knuckles slightly, then turned his head to look at Zhou Ye with a mischievous smile.

"Brother Ran, don't blame me if you cry."

Although he was speaking to Zhou Ye, he was clearly saying it to Li Ran.

Zhou Ye gave a soft snort, "It's still uncertain who will make whom cry."

She pulled the keyboard closer to herself, flexed her fingers, sat up straight, and clearly became serious.

Li Ran took a half step back, leaned against the table next to him, put his hands in his pockets, and looked at the screen.

The character selection screen popped up, and Zhai Xiaowen immediately locked in Jie.

Zhou Ye tilted his head and thought for a moment before choosing Akali, the Assassin from the Beast.

After selecting his hero, he turned and winked at Li Ran.

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