"I didn’t expect Lu Sheng to develop so well after going to North America. Back in the days at the youth training camp, he wasn’t even considered a standout. Despite giving his all, he couldn’t even get the chance to play alongside you...
Bai Yu fell into a brief memory.
The first time he met Lu Sheng was at the youth training camp. At that time, Lu Sheng was already tall, with delicate features, and his eyes were phoenix eyes. Bai Yu remembered clearly that when he looked at people, his gaze was narrow and long, with a kind of indifference and detachment that was hard to describe.
His tall figure sat in the corner, leaning against an old-fashioned chair.
His handsome side profile was indifferent to others, and the management said he wasn’t easy to get along with. Bai Yu had already prepared to deal with the troublemaker, but unexpectedly, he turned out to be surprisingly obedient. No matter what request was made, he nodded obediently, occasionally lifting his cap to secretly glance at him, but when caught, he would quickly lower it again. His skin was pale under the light.
Bai Yu came to select talent for the second team, and the whole training camp was excited, but Lu Sheng seemed disinterested.
Until someone whispered something to him, he waited at the corner where Bai Yu appeared. As soon as he saw him, he sat up straight and nervously touched his head, saying, "I heard that if I get into the second team, I can play in the knockout tournament with you, is that right?"
Bai Yu had seen his profile. His data was excellent, but he wasn’t very proactive, his victory points were low. "Of course, so you need to work hard to earn the chance to play with me."
Without saying anything, Lu Sheng stood up and left, playing day and night to increase his victory points, and his ranking rose rapidly. However, unfortunately, just before the deadline, he had terrible luck and kept running into sniper teams, and unfortunately lost.
Zhou Xunwen joked about him, "How badly does this kid want to play with you? I heard he stayed up three nights in a row to rank up for this tournament, he’s lost a lot of weight."
Through the window of the training camp, the mist blurred, and Lu Sheng was still sitting in the corner, his back slightly bent, knees drawn up, trapped in an uncomfortable position, looking thinner than before.
He looked somewhat pitiful.
Bai Yu thought this but didn’t really react. There were so many people who wanted to play alongside him, not everyone would be able to fulfill that wish.
But thinking about it, this person now transform into someone beyond his reach, someone who would astonish the world.
The streets were quiet in the winter. Zhou Xunwen’s voice sounded particularly loud, "He got second place two years ago, first place last year, and if he wins again this year, his points will officially push him to number one in the world. Who would’ve thought he came from our youth training camp…"
Bai Yu exhaled a cold breath, as if making a decision, "Next week, come to my apartment and watch the finals with me."
Zhou Xunwen was stunned for a moment, then excitedly said, "Great! I was worried you’d still be upset, so I didn’t dare to ask. Didn’t expect you to figure it out yourself!"
The World Championship finals were approaching. Zhou Xunwen had planned to watch it alone, afraid to bring up Bai Yu’s painful memories, but unexpectedly, Bai Yu invited him over.
When he arrived, he brought himself a packed dumpling meal, which was still scalding hot. The heating in the room was full blast, and he was sweating lightly on his forehead. As soon as he sat down, his phone rang.
He answered the call on speakerphone.
A humble and polite voice came through, "Brother Zhou, we are sincerely inviting Captain Yu to join us. Don’t worry about the money; I’ve admired Captain Yu for many years, and my lifelong dream is to collaborate with him once. I know Captain Yu doesn’t want to leave the LPL yet, and I’m not in a rush. Whenever Captain Yu gets tired and wants to retire, we’re always here to welcome him. When would be a good time for us to meet in person?"
Bai Yu would never lower himself to go to any secondary league, even if he was defeated, rotten, or fallen.
Zhou Xunwen didn’t even hesitate to refuse, "Alright, brother, Bai Yu is quite busy right now. Don’t worry about this matter."
He hung up the phone.
Bai Yu couldn’t help but laugh.
"This person is actually quite thoughtful."
Zhou Xunwen muttered, "Thoughtful, my ass. I seriously suspect there’s something wrong with his brain…"
He took a deep breath, gritting his teeth, "I was just talking with my fat nephew, the one I took to eat KFC last summer. Now he’s a diehard fan of Lu Sheng. During the winter break, he was shouting that he wanted to go to London to watch the tournament. Had to beat him up before he shut up."
The match hadn’t even started, but the atmosphere was already intense.
Zhou Xunwen got burned and started speaking a bit incoherently, "I can only say he deserved the beating. After playing LOL for two years, he really thinks he knows everything. He even told me Lu Sheng is the only true god in LOL... Pfft, back when you were at the top, Lu Sheng was still in the youth training camp playing in the mud, and didn’t even have the chance to play."
Bai Yu paused in opening a can of cola, "Uh…"
The problem now was that the one playing on stage was Lu Sheng, and he was the one who never even had the chance to step onto the field.
Zhou Xunwen didn’t realize, continuing to complain, "He knew I was going to play with the team and begged me to get an autograph. I thought maybe I’d run into him and ask, but turns out Lu Sheng’s a celebrity now, even meeting him needs an appointment. I stayed a month and didn’t even get a clear look at his face."
Bai Yu responded, "You’ve seen him."
Zhou Xunwen originally wanted to refute but suddenly remembered that after Bai Yu lost that match, the next event was the team draw for the promotion match. The two teams briefly crossed paths in the hallway.
One was full of confidence, the other a defeated dog. The scene was incredibly bitter.
He still remembered clearly. The team captain, Lu Sheng was tall and had sharp features. Even among the North Americans, he didn’t look out of place. Wearing black sneakers, he walked past them without a glance. His height alone was enough to be imposing, and not to mention the cold look he gave them.
Zhou Xunwen couldn’t help but shiver, "He looked at me like he wanted to eat me. How could I still remember to ask for an autograph."
He lowered his head and ate a dumpling, then muttered, "Back in the youth camp, I didn’t feel it. But after going to North America, it really feels like he’s becoming more and more indifferent…"
Just then, the match officially began.
Lu Sheng’s tall figure appeared on the live broadcast, and the entire audience erupted. The red and black uniform behind him was adorned with a giant predatory eagle, its gaze sharp. His ID 'Akoi' was engraved on the golden nameplate.
The camera zoomed in on his face. His gaze was still narrow, those familiar phoenix eyes, but everything he looked at seemed like prey on the competition field, with no emotion.
He had indeed changed a lot, Bai Yu couldn’t help but sigh.
Lu Sheng appeared, and the chat exploded:
[Ahhh, my husband’s here!]
[I feel like Akoi’s going to win the championship this year!]
[Remove the feeling.]
[Akoi is playing insanely this year!]
[Especially in the match against FLG, he wiped them out completely, it was so satisfying!]
[And he’s only 20!]
[Damn, I’m so mad, he’s an LPL registered player, how did he end up in North America?]
[Our LPL was blind, didn’t recognize his talent.]
[Back when he was in the same team as Bai Yu, he couldn’t even get on the field.]
[Don’t mention Bai Yu, it’s depressing.]
Seeing this, Bai Yu had a premonition that he would be trending again. It was the same every year; as long as Lu Sheng performed well, the person who had coached him would be dragged out for judgment.
He wisely turned off the bullet screen. The world suddenly fell silent.
The game quickly began, with all kinds of tactics and operations that dazzled the viewers. Bai Yu held his breath, staring at the screen. Although he had encountered many highly talented players, every time he watched Lu Sheng’s match, he couldn’t help but feel a deep, heartfelt admiration: so impressive.
In the eSports industry, hand speed represents the ceiling.
Lu Sheng was one of those players whose hand speed far exceeded the game mechanics, a so-called "ceiling player." Such players could easily perform moves that ordinary players simply couldn’t.
Of course, aside from the most important hand speed, there was another decisive factor: awareness.
Only having skills without intelligence made someone a reckless player. In eSports, besides extraordinary hand speed, players also need exceptionally high judgment, able to make the best decisions in the ever-changing battlefield in an instant.
At this point, Lu Sheng clearly already had the aura of a god-tier player. Bai Yu even saw traces of Lin Kun in him.
Seven minutes into the match, the opposing mid-laner was done for. Despite a close escape, he was instantly killed by Lu Sheng at an incredibly tricky angle.
There was a detail that was handled exceptionally well: when the opponent’s basic attack animation couldn’t be canceled, Lu Sheng flashed forward and hit with a basic attack, forcing the opponent to flash in response. Then, he predicted the opponent's flash position and used his skill to finish them off.
It wasn’t just about operational dominance, but also psychological warfare. Anyone who had played professionally knew how advanced this move was!
Bai Yu, who had been half-dead in bed for over half a month, was stirred by this operation, his blood boiling, wishing he could return to the competition and turn the tide.
Time passed, and Lu Sheng was basically guaranteed the championship. Zhou Xunwen had to leave halfway due to a phone call, leaving Bai Yu alone. By then, the domestic time had quietly reached 2 AM. To avoid disturbing others, Bai Yu turned the volume of his live stream down low, creating a feeling of isolation in contrast to the excitement on the screen.
In the final match, Bai Yu had actually been zoning out.
By the time he regained focus, Lu Sheng had already won his second world championship, officially claiming the title of world’s number one mid-laner, standing on the podium to begin his glorious journey.
A gifted underdog, with a promising future.
In Bai Yu’s mind, the word "hope" suddenly emerged.
He could almost see the hope for LPL again. His mind involuntarily recalled the glory of the past, when there had been more god-tier players born than there were now, more brilliant and dazzling. Unfortunately, the glory was gone, the peak was no more, and he himself was about to become a thing of the past.
Bai Yu remembered the day he left the arena, walking down the endless corridor. The world felt tilted, as though no matter how hard he tried, it was always an uphill battle...
His phone chimed.
Bai Yu snapped back to reality.
He picked up his phone and saw a message from Zhou Xunwen: "Damn! Damn! Lu Sheng won the championship again! Bai Yu, aren’t you excited? He was trained in our youth training! Seeing him win the world championship, don’t you have the slightest urge to return to the arena?"
Bai Yu helplessly replied: "I need time to think."
Zhou Xunwen: "Alright, but how come we never noticed Lu Sheng’s talent back then? Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been forced to transfer because of Lin Kun."
Mentioning that incident,
Bai Yu immediately stopped him: "Don’t bring it up."
His fingers pressed too hard, and his fingertips were trembling. The words Lu Sheng had said to him before leaving rang in his ears: "Do you really think I’m not as good as Lin Kun?"
Bai Yu suddenly couldn’t catch his breath. He quickly opened the cabinet, took out a bottle of pills, and swallowed them. He sat on the floor for a long time, eventually feeling better.
The heater in the room suddenly stopped working, and the warmth felt in contrast to the intense action on the screen.
Bai Yu forced a bitter smile, his eyelashes fluttering slightly. He looked up at Lu Sheng on the podium. Even though he knew the other person couldn’t see him, Lu Sheng gaze still made his heart race.
The truth was, he had wronged Lu Sheng back then.
He had supported Lin Kun, pushing Lu Sheng down. Not long after, he heard the news that Lu Sheng had terminated his contract and transferred to North America.
So, the criticism from the outside world wasn’t unfounded.
Lu Sheng had indeed been pushed to North America by Bai Yu.
Bai Yu lightly covered his chest, feeling a moment of confusion. Even though the medicine had taken effect, the feeling of anxiety and unease hadn’t completely disappeared. He sat on the sofa, watching all the post-game interviews, his mind blank for a long time.
He suddenly remembered the moment they brushed past each other in the corridor. Actually, Lu Sheng had glanced at him.
It was completely different from the obedient look of the past. His narrow, phoenix-shaped eyes were lowered with coldness, sharp as a knife, like a predator staring at a helpless prey.
Bai Yu slowly calmed down. His phone rang again. It was a message from his friend, Yang Dajun: "Captain, did you watch the match? Lu Sheng won the championship again this year. Hey, I suddenly thought of a lot of things from the past. If you had chosen him back then, maybe you could have won another championship."
Again with this matter.
Not many knew about it. Bai Yu had done a great job of keeping it a secret. Only a few people close to him knew. He forced himself to reply, using the remaining strength to type: "It’s all in the past, don’t bring it up."
On the other side, it kept showing "typing…" Possibly considering his mood, Yang Dajun eventually deleted everything: "Alright."
A while later, another message cautiously appeared: "But I think Lu Sheng terminating his contract and going to North America was to prove something to you. It seems like he’s been trying to prove something over these three years... Don’t think I’m overthinking it. The way he looked at you back then, there was definitely something more to it..."
Bai Yu bitterly smiled: "You’re overthinking it."
Back then, in the youth training the two hadn’t spoken much. For some reason, Yang Dajun had always thought that Lu Sheng secretly had feelings for Bai Yu. Sometimes, when he talked about it, even Bai Yu’s acquaintances started to believe it. But in reality, there was no such thing.
After replying to Dajun’s message, Bai Yu had more messages to go through.
Right handling everything, Bai Yu checked the time it was already 4 AM. He pushed himself off the sofa, dragging his heavy feet, preparing to rest.
His phone chimed again.
It was Zhou Xunwen’s message: "Shit! Big trouble! Bai Yu, get online and check Weibo!"
"Ceiling level player" means someone who can become very good at the game if they keep practicing.