Jiang Yuan is a player known for his incredibly fast hands and relentless pace. Many players can't keep up with his tempo and end up getting crushed during the laning phase.
Chen Shi’an understood this well, so from the very start, he planned to match Jiang Yuan’s rhythm.
When Jiang Yuan dove on him, instead of interrupting him as expected, Chen Shi’an slowed things down. He waited until Jiang Yuan thought there was no resistance before suddenly turning the fight around.
This kind of strategy might put him at a disadvantage early on, but once the game hits the late stage when both sides are dishing out massive damage, Jiang Yuan would already be used to a slow pace. All Chen Shi’an needed to do was suddenly speed things up and catch him completely off guard.
From the beginning, Chen Shi’an had been setting a trap.
His mechanics weren’t as sharp as Jiang Yuan’s, but he was like a patient hunter, quietly setting the stage and pulling Jiang Yuan into his rhythm, slowly tightening the noose.
When Jiang Yuan realized what was happening, cold sweat broke out on his back.
He had always believed that Chen Shi’an couldn’t keep up with his pace. He never imagined Chen Shi’an was luring him into a rhythm of his own. After all these years of playing, he had always been the one dragging others off their game. This was the first time someone had done it to him.
What was even scarier was that he didn’t notice it until the game was over. Only now did everything click into place.
Jiang Yuan couldn’t help but recall the match from three years ago. Both sides were clashing with raw mechanics, and in the end, neither could break through. Chen Shi’an’s teammates had started falling apart, but then Chen Shi’an suddenly switched builds and forced three incredible teamfights, miraculously turning the tide.
He had never seen such a complete top laner, someone who could dominate his lane and also pull the whole team’s tempo together.
It felt like the rise of another Bai Yu.
The coach let out a heavy sigh.
"I've always thought Chen Shi’an is the player who resembles Bai Yu the most. Whether it's his foresight or his macro sense, they're both outstanding. Unfortunately, he's a top laner and can't serve as the shotcaller, so he's never been able to unleash his full potential. That’s why he’s always flown under the radar. Until he joined Bai Yu's team, where their philosophies aligned perfectly. When they joined forces, they created the legendary TG era."
Jiang Yuan hadn’t played during that time, but he knew just how terrifying TG had been.
And now, Chen Shi’an was paired with Bai Yu again.
A chill crept up his spine. His back stiffened as he muttered, "How did it come to this..."
—
Game two began quickly.
This time, FFT was on blue side, giving them the first pick advantage to build their comp. But during champion select, they hesitated. Jiang Yuan, possibly shaken, picked a bot lane champion first, then selected a scaling top laner, Ornn.
The audience erupted.
After FFT lost the first game, they hadn't realized how bad things really were. But seeing Jiang Yuan’s pick now, it finally hit them.
Jiang Yuan had actually lost confidence because of Chen Shi’an.
Even when he was solo killed by Rote a few days ago, he didn't react like this. But today, facing Chen Shi’an, he had effectively surrendered.
[How did this happen?]
[Was it because he got solo killed twice and tilted?]
[So does Rote get some credit too?]
[I don’t think so. Jiang Yuan looked fine in game one. He had Chen Shi’an under pressure early on. Things only went south after that one fight.]
[Yeah, his play started falling apart right after that.]
[Is Chen Shi’an really that scary? Maybe he just got lucky?]
[What are you saying? That backward knock-up hit Jax right in the face. That was a clean prediction.]
[Surely no one still thinks Chen Shi’an has fallen off? Just look at his solo queue LP after his recovery. He hit 1400. Which domestic pro has reached that?]
[Wait, isn’t he still actively competing? How is he climbing that fast?]
[Shi’an’s solo queue climb is just different.]
[He plays with his brain first and foremost.]
[Damn, this comeback from a veteran has really shocked me.]
—
Back in the game.
Bai Yu could tell right away that Jiang Yuan wasn’t backing down out of fear. The team had likely decided to stop experimenting and use their most practiced macro to take the win.
FFT’s macro is top-tier. Many pre-match predictions had RAG losing to their macro control.
But Bai Yu smiled slightly.
Good macro requires time. If they kept forcing fights, FFT would never get the chance to execute their plan.
With Jiang Yuan taking a back seat, the pressure shifted to the mid and bot lanes. Bai Yu was confident about bot lane and, as usual, asked Lu Sheng, "Can you break mid?"
Lu Sheng locked in his champ and replied, "No way I lose."
He picked LeBlanc again. Once both teams finalized their comps, the advantages and weaknesses were obvious.
Even the casters were worried for FFT.
"Can their mid really hold against LeBlanc? I don’t think so. Bot lane might have a chance though."
Then Bai Yu landed a flash combo onto the enemy ADC, handing the kill to Qi Yi and sending a clear message: bot lane has no chance either.
Qi Yi secured first blood, and mid lane was close to picking up a kill too.
Up top, Chen Shi’an and Jiang Yuan were farming peacefully. Chen Shi’an grinned and said, "Ah, I really do prefer this tempo."
Bai Yu led the team to push high ground, calmly instructing, "We’re unbeatable right now. Keep forcing fights. Don’t give them time to macro."
Fang Zhixu blinked and responded, "Got it!"
FFT’s macro is elite. Giving Jiang Yuan Ornn this game was clearly a plan to scale and win late.
But they didn’t expect RAG to deny them that window completely. Fang Zhixu played like a man possessed, engaging nonstop even with a 0-5 scoreline, he kept going. The whole team moved in perfect sync, especially Chen Shi’an. He was everywhere.
Pushing, teamfighting, showing up at key moments. He was absolutely relentless.
Qi Yi farmed well, and Lu Sheng’s assassinations were brutal.
The gap widened fast. They didn’t even need tight coordination anymore. As long as Chen Shi’an held the frontline, Bai Yu could lead aggressive pushes without fear.
FFT finally dragged the game into late, ready to macro RAG to death.
But under Bai Yu’s shotcalling, Fang Zhixu suddenly forced an unexpected teamfight.
Chen Shi’an, who never usually followed up on engages, jumped in instantly.
With Bai Yu peeling, Lu Sheng killing enemies, and Qi Yi cleaning up, the tempo swung hard in RAG’s favor.
FFT’s players were mashing their keys like crazy, but still couldn’t escape Lu Sheng’s pinpoint kills. His mechanics were precise and flawless.
Even if they survived him, Qi Yi was still waiting to pounce.
Teamfights happened nonstop. There was never a break, never a chance to breathe or macro.
The total kill count hit a staggering 32. Even the casters were stunned.
"RAG is going so hard on these engages! This game is either a fight or the path to one!"
In the final teamwipe, Qi Yi blew up the Nexus. RAG closed out the match with a clean 2–0 victory.
[What’s going on, 2:0?]
[Wait, FFT didn’t even take a game? Didn’t they beat TIN before? How did it end 2:0?]
[Weren’t people saying pre-match that FFT’s macro was strong enough to outclass RAG?]
[They were fighting nonstop. How was there even time for macro?]
[Didn’t they have a shot in game one?]
[No one expected Chen Shi’an to solo kill Jiang Yuan, that’s for sure.]
[Yeah... I didn’t see that coming either.]
[I still don’t get how Chen Shi’an pulled that off. I thought God Shi was getting stomped.]
[Doesn’t Chen Shi’an seem kind of terrifying to you all?]
Jiang Yuan collapsed weakly into his chair, completely drained. A flicker of fear crossed his eyes. Whether in direct laning or late-game teamfights, he had lost to Chen Shi’an today.
He looked up at the figure walking toward him for the post-game handshake. Chen Shi’an was smiling, chatting casually with Bai Yu. The scene instantly reminded Jiang Yuan of the old TG days.
The coach had been right.
Chen Shi’an really was the player most like Bai Yu. Normally, you wouldn’t notice anything too special about him, but once teamed up with Bai Yu, their ability to execute strategy became nearly unbeatable.
Jiang Yuan let go of his pride and finally admitted defeat.
He shook Chen Shi’an’s hand, unable to lift his head.
"You win. I lose."
Chen Shi’an gave a slight smile.
He looked at Jiang Yuan like a calm and composed veteran. Not smug, not overly modest. Just steady.
"Mn," he replied, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
After the match, Jiang Yuan became the target of all the backlash.
Losing to Rote had already stirred criticism, with people saying he didn’t deserve his hype. Now, losing to a top laner who had been retired for two years, the hate practically overwhelmed him.
But Jiang Yuan was not the kind to crumble under pressure.
He had no interest in what the public thought.
He simply focused on studying his opponent.
Next time, he would take back everything he lost.
---
On the way back, the topic of the match came up again. Fang Zhixu suddenly had a realization.
“So it was God Shi’s trap all along? I really thought he couldn’t win…”
Xu Bo rolled his eyes.
“He loves pulling this kind of weird stunt. Back when we were on the same team, he used to mess with my mentality all the time.”
Chen Shi’an smiled and explained,
“I was just training you. So you wouldn’t tilt the moment you got on stage.”
Xu Bo exploded.
“When did I ever tilt!”
Fang Zhixu propped up his chin thoughtfully.
“Actually, three years ago, God Shi also baited Jiang Yuan, right? He pretended to stay in the sidelane, but then swapped out his items and ran to force a teamfight. Looking at it now, Jiang Yuan’s had it rough. Fell for the same trick twice.”
“So shameful of me.”
“You don’t sound ashamed at all. If anything, it’s like your tail’s about to wag up into the sky.”
“Ah, can’t believe you saw through me.”
Winning really does change everything. Even casual chatting turns cheerful and lighthearted.
Bai Yu liked this atmosphere and joined in.
“God Shi always loves playing the underdog. He makes it seem like he’s getting crushed, gets me all worried, then ends up toying with the enemy the whole match. And the weirdest part is, people never learn. They keep falling into the same traps again and again until it finally clicks oh right, this is God Shi we’re talking about.”
Qi Yi caught on.
“Just like Jiang Yuan today?”
Bai Yu thought about it. There was a difference.
“Well… Jiang Yuan, I mean, his mechanics are solid. It’s just that he’s a bit slower up here. Three years, and he still hasn’t figured it out.”
Chen Shi’an grinned.
“And I think he’ll fall for it again next time.”
Truly, a fated pair.
Everyone burst out laughing. Bai Yu couldn’t help but laugh too.
“But don’t get too cocky,” Bai Yu warned.
“FFT was clearly saving strength today. If we meet them in playoffs, it might be a whole different story.”
Chen Shi’an nodded. He’d already considered that.
Still, that’s what makes competition exciting. strong opponents, constant pressure, no easy wins.
He turned to Lu Sheng with a smile.
“Bet this match was boring for you, huh? The other side didn’t even put up a fight.”
Lu Sheng sat with his eyes closed and didn’t respond.
Chen Shi’an’s smile deepened.
“What a shame Lin Kun retired too early. If you two had laned against each other, it would’ve been a beautiful battle…”
As soon as he said that, Lu Sheng’s eyes snapped open, a dark intensity flickering beneath his half-lowered lids.
Before the match, Song Bo’s prediction gave them only a 44% win rate. No one expected a clean 2:0 sweep. The team’s total score now stood at 6:0.
Bai Yu glanced over the upcoming opponents. Everything looked manageable until they hit IKG. From there on, it would be a brutal stretch.
He was immersed in those thoughts when Zhou Xunwen suddenly sat down beside him.
“You know that guy you asked me to contact? I got in touch, but he hasn’t replied.”
The person Bai Yu was trying to reach was a Korean coach.
Back in the day, he had worked in the LPL and coached TG. Bai Yu found his training style well-rounded and figured he might be worth a shot.
“Don’t worry about it. If we can’t find him, it’s fine.”
To be honest, Bai Yu hadn’t been that confident about him anyway. What RAG needed now wasn’t tactics. It was someone who could whip their hotheaded lineup into shape.
Just thinking about it gave Bai Yu a headache.
As a former player himself, he understood exactly what kind of challenge he was facing.
Qi Yi’s problem was lack of big-stage experience. As long as he kept playing, he’d catch up eventually.
Xu Bo was past his prime. His reflexes weren’t what they used to be. Sure, he had his clutch moments, but any extended playtime quickly exposed his weaknesses. Luckily, Qi Yi could help cover for that, so it was manageable.
As for Fang Zhixu, Bai Yu kept him in check personally. No big issues there.
Chen Shi’an was smart, and his thought process aligned closely with Bai Yu’s.
Aside from lacking the dominance he once had, Bai Yu was satisfied with him.
The real headache ironically was Lu Sheng, the one player everyone else thought had no problems.
He was used to the entire team being built around him.
But Fang Zhixu couldn’t keep up mechanically, Chen Shi’an’s tempo didn’t sync well with his, and the bot lane had trouble fully cooperating with his style.
The simplest solution was to ask Lu Sheng to adjust.
But he was the team’s most mechanically gifted player. Everyone else lagged behind in that regard. Right now, his playstyle overshadowed the whole team.
Getting him to shift his mindset would require finding someone even better mechanically and that was almost impossible.
If he didn’t change, then the entire team would have to adapt to him.
Like some of the NA teams, custom-built around their star player. It could work on the world stage. But Bai Yu wasn’t about to rebuild a roster around Lu Sheng, and he didn’t have a lineup that could do that anyway.
The ride back was a bit bumpy.
Bai Yu looked like he was resting, but his mind was still racing.
A shadow suddenly fell over him. Someone had said they were thirsty, so the driver pulled over to let them buy water. Lu Sheng was the first to get back on.
He handed Bai Yu a bottle.
It was the kind of soda water Bai Yu usually drank. He took it and murmured,
“Thanks.”
Lu Sheng didn’t reply. He just took a sip from his own bottle and went to rest in the back.
The bus’s rearview mirror perfectly reflected his face.
He was sitting in the last row by the window, leaning back in his seat. His black hair swayed gently in the wind curling through the open window.
Bai Yu had sharp hearing. He could almost hear the breeze brushing through those strands.
His throat suddenly felt dry.
He tilted his head back and took two gulps.
At that moment, Fang Zhixu jogged back onto the bus.
“Captain, I brought you—”
He pulled out two bottles he’d been cradling in his arms, but paused when he saw the one already in Bai Yu’s hand.
“You’ve already got water?”
Lu Sheng suddenly opened his eyes in the rearview mirror and was looking at him too. Bai Yu was momentarily caught off guard.
"Uh... yeah."
Fang Zhixu had been running so fast just to bring Bai Yu some water, only to see that he already had some. He pulled his hand back a little disappointed but quickly smiled again.
"It's fine, I can drink two bottles. Captain, I’ll go sit in the back now. Call me if you need anything~"
Bai Yu gave a small nod.
Then Qi Yi and Chen Shi'an returned together. Qi Yi had also brought a bottle of water for him, but seeing that Bai Yu already had one, he didn't give it.
Chen Shi'an smiled and said to Qi Yi, "See? I told you the captain wouldn’t be lacking water. Give me that bottle."
Qi Yi hesitated for a moment but still handed over the one in his hand.
Bai Yu glanced at the few of them, still wondering why Xu Bo hadn’t come back. Not long after, he heard Xu Bo’s annoyed voice from outside.
"Are you guys even human? Grabbed everything and ran off, left me alone to pay, and took two bottles each..."
Chen Shi'an quickly raised his hands. "I didn’t take any. Why drag me into this?"
Everyone burst out laughing, and Bai Yu laughed with them too.
After the laughter, he quietly picked up his phone and sent Xu Bo a 200 yuan red envelope with the note: Thanks for the trouble.
Xu Bo, who had just been ranting a moment ago, immediately went quiet when he saw the red envelope. He shyly sat down in his seat and replied: Don’t need your money. I have my own.
Bai Yu replied: It’s emotional damages.
Xu Bo instantly accepted it. That money was well deserved.
The bus was filled with laughter again as everyone teased Xu Bo. Bai Yu could clearly feel the atmosphere in the team had improved.
Sure enough, guys start bonding by drinking each other's water.
He smiled and took a sip, then suddenly froze.
Lu Sheng in the rearview mirror seemed to sense something and looked up, locking eyes with Bai Yu.
They stared at each other across the length of the bus.
Bai Yu choked on the water and suddenly grabbed the handle, coughing hard.
Zhou Xunwen, who was looking at his laptop beside him, immediately put it down and spoke with concern.
"What happened? Are you okay?"
Bai Yu quickly waved his hand. "It’s nothing, I just choked on water."
Only then did Zhou Xunwen breathe a sigh of relief. "I thought..."
Bai Yu placed a hand on his arm, shaking his head to signal him not to say anything.
Zhou Xunwen had the words on the tip of his tongue but swallowed them.
He didn’t want anyone to know he was sick.
When he fainted back at TG, he told the public it was low blood sugar, and the team had kept the truth a secret.
Suddenly Zhou Xunwen’s phone lit up. It was a message from the Korean coach.
He had sent a lot. The general meaning was that he was very sorry, but he couldn’t work with them. After watching all of RAG’s matches, he believed what they lacked wasn’t a professional coach, but a professional trainer.
He immediately recognized Bai Yu’s dilemma.
Bai Yu quickly told Zhou Xunwen to reply: Ask him if he has any recommendations.
After a long time, the coach finally replied: Maybe you know someone named Lin Kun. I think he would be a great trainer for Akoi.
Bai Yu’s eyes widened.
This guy was clearly trying to stir things up. Letting Lin Kun be Lu Sheng’s trainer? Lu Sheng would flip RAG over and walk away with a 90 million breach fee.
Even Zhou Xunwen couldn’t help but laugh. He whispered,
"What do you think? If Lu Sheng hears this vicious suggestion, will he fly to Korea and beat him up?"
Bai Yu elbowed him. "I have a headache. Can you not mess around?"
Zhou Xunwen quickly said, "Alright, alright. I’ll reject him right now. Don’t stress too much. With how we’re doing, playoffs are guaranteed. We might even get top three."
The problem was, top three didn’t guarantee a spot at Worlds. Only winning the championship would give Bai Yu peace of mind.
Back at the base, it was still early.
The others were training while Bai Yu pulled Song Bo aside to study the lineup. Their discussion hit a standstill, and Bai Yu spun the pen in his hand as he asked,
"Got any ideas?"
Song Bo had actually been holding something back, but he hadn’t dared say it. Now that Bai Yu asked directly, he gathered his courage.
"We’re basically locked in for playoffs, but the schedule ahead is brutal. If we don’t make changes, we could easily lose. So I was thinking, for the match the day after tomorrow, should we try out some unfamiliar comps to practice team coordination?"
Seeing Bai Yu not respond, he lowered his voice a little.
"I know it’s risky, but it’s also an opportunity. We’ve been winning so far, but the team actually has a lot of issues. I’m worried we’ll struggle in the playoffs... What do you think, Shu Dui?"
The pen in Bai Yu’s hand suddenly stopped spinning.
He had thought about this too, but just like Song Bo said, the risk was huge.
Their opponent the day after tomorrow was BN, the bottom-ranked team, who had also just been promoted.
There was no direct competition between BN and RAG, so even if they lost, it wouldn’t affect their ranking much. Most importantly, this approach could really help Lu Sheng and the others see the limits of individual play, and push them to focus more on coordination.
Bai Yu had hesitated for a long time. But now that Song Bo brought it up too, it showed this plan was feasible.
He suddenly made a decision.
"Alright, we’ll do it your way."
Song Bo hadn’t expected Bai Yu to agree so quickly. He took a deep breath, full of energy.
"I’ll go write the plan right now!"
Meanwhile, the group arguing in the training room had no idea what decision Bai Yu had just made.
He walked up behind them and watched their practice.
"You’re not planning to lose to BN tomorrow, right?" he said coolly.
Xu Bo was the first to protest.
"If we lose, I’ll eat shit. Qi Yi, back me up."
Qi Yi nodded and gave a serious "Mm."
Fang Zhixu complained,
"Captain, you’re underestimating us. How could we lose to BN? If we do, I won’t need you to kick me out. I’ll pack up and leave on my own."
Bai Yu turned to the others.
"What about you guys?"
Chen Shi'an paused and smiled, squinting slightly as he looked at Bai Yu like he’d already figured something out.
But he still went along with it.
"Whatever the captain says, goes."
There was still one person who hadn’t replied.
Bai Yu leaned on Lu Sheng’s chair, looking down at his screen.
Lu Sheng was focused on a teamfight, headphones on, completely unaware of the conversation.
Bai Yu waited until he finished, then took off his headset.
"If you lose the next match, what will you say?"
Bai Yu’s voice suddenly reached his ear, catching him off guard. Lu Sheng turned around and met his eyes.
They were so close they could hear each other breathe.
Lu Sheng’s throat moved slightly, his eyes locked on Bai Yu.
"What do you want me to say?"
Bai Yu had his back to the others. He opened his mouth.
Only Lu Sheng understood.
He said if you lose tell Zhou Xunwen to change your room.
Lu Sheng’s gaze instantly darkened, and his keyboard clattered like a storm.
BN, huh? Just wait to get smashed.