This final match of the regular season was beautifully played. Both teams gave it their all, and the match was intensely competitive. IKG, in the end, could only be described as narrowly defeated.
Post-match commentary focused on the brilliance of the game, with hardly any criticism directed at either team.
Still, IKG fans couldn’t help but feel disappointed, because this narrow defeat signified a much harder playoff run ahead.
And this year, IKG seemed to have missed their chance at a championship once again.
[Ugh, they narrowly lost in the standings match too.]
[What do you think IKG’s chances are against TIN?]
[IKG hasn’t beaten TIN once this season, and TIN has only gotten stronger; IKG’s chances are even slimmer now.]
[They’ll have to play an extra best-of-five. It’s a tough road.]
[IKG in fourth place? The competition this year is insane.]
[The thing is, TIN is way too strong now. I heard they even changed their coaching staff and revamped their training system.]
[And then there’s RAG. No one expected them to rocket up the standings like this. From a qualifying team to second place.]
[TIN being called a “galactic battleship” wasn’t just hype; they’ve had a historic power boost this year. They might even go for a world championship.]
[They’re absolutely aiming for it. They spent a fortune on internal restructuring. They’re all-in.]
[Wow, suddenly I’m kind of excited. It’s been years since our region took a championship.]
With this match, the regular season officially came to an end.
Bai Yu stared at the long leaderboard, finally letting out a quiet sigh of relief. It felt like a huge weight had finally lifted from his chest.
This journey hadn’t been easy. But in the end, all the effort had been worth it.
A staff member called out from outside. They were sincerely hoping Bai Yu would participate in the final post-season interview, and from the looks of it, the audience was clearly hoping to see him appear too.
Zhou Xunwen came in to check Bai Yu’s thoughts, looking slightly unsure.
Though they had won the match today, and Bai Yu was visibly in a better mood than usual, he wasn’t one to let victory go to his head. Calmly, he replied, “Let Lu Sheng go.”
He still hadn’t reached his goal.
Until then, he didn’t know how to face the audience.
Lu Sheng didn’t hesitate this time. He agreed quickly and headed out. Even though Bai Yu didn’t appear, having Lu Sheng speak was enough to satisfy the crowd.
The host seized every opportunity to ask questions. After the match, Lu Sheng was relaxed and more talkative than usual.
When asked why Bai Yu was unwilling to be interviewed despite RAG’s great results, Lu Sheng paused. The audience quieted, waiting for his answer.
To be honest, he wasn’t Bai Yu. He didn’t know what Bai Yu would say.
But instinctively, he answered, “Maybe he’s still not satisfied with what we’ve achieved.”
That answer stunned the audience.
Not satisfied? Not yet?
Then what exactly was Bai Yu aiming for? He couldn’t possibly be gunning for the championship, could he?
Or was he going for the world championship?
The venue erupted. The livestream chat went wild.
[Holy, Bai Yu really thinks big.]
[Honestly, that’s kind of inspiring.]
[No wonder he never looks especially happy after wins. He’s not satisfied yet.]
[Isn’t that a little arrogant? Just ignoring TIN?]
[RAG is ranked second. Isn’t aiming for the championship normal?]
[The issue is that RAG’s a newly formed team. Don’t they need time to gel?]
[I heard they don’t even have a formal training system, no coaching staff either. Bai Yu’s been calling all the shots in the team.]
[Ahhh this is insane!]
[RAG doesn’t even have coaches? And they still beat all the LPL teams?]
[How did they even do this...]
[Am I the only one who feels bad for Bai Yu? I think he puts way too much pressure on himself. He must be exhausted.]
[I remember there was drama with SG’s double carries. Apparently, it was because Bai Yu’s standards were too strict.]
[I’ve never seen a player serve as both a coach and carry. He must be pushing himself incredibly hard.]
[That’s not a bad thing. After retiring, he can transition to being a coach.]
[No need to worry about Bai Yu leaving the scene. Even if he retires, he’ll still be around.]
[It’s kind of comforting, weirdly.]
Lu Sheng returned to the lounge and overheard Xu Bo asking Bai Yu, “Be honest, are you really not satisfied with me?”
Bai Yu had explained this countless times already. Helpless, he said, “I’m not unsatisfied with you. I’m just not satisfied with myself. I keep feeling like I haven’t worked hard enough.”
He had already worked harder than anyone, poured in more effort than most could imagine, and yet he still held himself to impossible standards.
At that moment, Lu Sheng genuinely felt like walking over and hugging him.
But this was the team lounge. The others were still around. He couldn’t do that.
He picked up his bag. Song Bo had just sent him his phone. He looked down and started typing.
Bai Yu noticed and said, “You’re back?”
His phone vibrated suddenly. A message from Lu Sheng popped up: You’ve already done incredibly well.
Bai Yu froze. He hadn’t expected to be comforted.
When he looked up, Lu Sheng had already tucked his phone away and was packing his bag. His face remained neutral. No one could tell he’d just sent that message.
He played the role well.
Bai Yu smiled faintly but didn’t say anything. Instead, he replied, Thanks, but I don’t need it. I’m past the age of needing comfort.
Lu Sheng pursed his lips slightly at the reply.
Why did he always have to bring up the age difference? It was just a few years. What was the big deal?
He slung his backpack over one shoulder. For the first time, when everyone was ready to leave, he didn’t wait for Bai Yu. He boarded the van first.
Not that Bai Yu needed him to wait.
Too many people were waiting for him.
WG, who had finished their match earlier, were already waiting outside. Before Bai Yu even got to the van, they intercepted him. No one knew what they were discussing, but it was obviously about the matches.
Given the current rankings, WG would face IKG in the playoffs. And judging by IKG’s form today, WG’s chances weren’t great.
Bai Yu was clearly in a dilemma. He shared his thoughts, WG nodded in agreement, and together they sighed in frustration.
The competition this year really was brutal.
The limited number of playoff spots had become even harder to earn thanks to RAG squeezing in. Several teams were feeling the squeeze.
But that was esports.
After finally breaking free from WG, Bai Yu had only taken a few steps when he ran into TUP.
It was clear they had also been waiting for him on purpose. Their match had been even earlier than WG’s, long over by now. Again, no one knew what was being said, but Bai Yu’s eyes were clearly smiling.
Lu Sheng couldn’t stand Chu Fei.
Maybe it was his initial impression. The moment Chu Fei messaged Bai Yu trying to snatch the mid lane position, Lu Sheng’s opinion of him had dropped to zero.
If Chu Fei hadn’t gone abroad, or if his contract negotiations hadn’t fallen through, he’d probably be RAG’s current mid laner.
Just the thought of that made Lu Sheng burn.
What had that guy ever done to deserve it?
After waiting for so many years and working so hard to earn his current position, the fact that this guy could almost effortlessly step in and take it made Lu Sheng’s expression darken even further.
His face already didn’t look good, and now it had completely clouded over.
What made it worse was that after the conversation, Chu Fei actually gave Bai Yu a casual hug and even leaned in to whisper something in his ear.
Lu Sheng let out a sharp noise, yanked his collar up to cover more of his face, closed his eyes with a look that could kill, and radiated a cold, oppressive aura. The intensity of his presence was so strong that Qi Yi, sitting in the row in front of him, instinctively hunched his shoulders and shrank back in his seat.
Xu Bo noticed Qi Yi’s reaction and asked, “Why are you shrinking like that?”
Qi Yi pulled his head back and replied nervously, “Xu Bo, don’t you think Lu Sheng is kind of terrifying? Every time I try to coordinate with him, I get this overwhelming sense of pressure. He’s just so intense.”
Xu Bo scoffed and said, “That’s just his face. Don’t worry. With Bai Yu around, he won’t dare do anything. At most he’ll throw a few death glares and sulk.”
Still feeling nervous, Qi Yi peeked back again. Even though Lu Sheng had his eyes closed and wasn’t moving, the oppressive energy he gave off made Qi Yi tremble.
He muttered quietly, “Bai Yu is amazing. He can actually keep someone like Lu Sheng in check.”
Xu Bo responded instinctively, “Lu Sheng is nothing compared to Lin Kun. Now that guy is truly terrifying. I once met him in person, and I had nightmares afterward.”
Just thinking about it, Xu Bo gulped involuntarily, his reaction clearly a physical response to the memory.
Qi Yi looked both frightened and fascinated, his eyes wide.
Just as Xu Bo was about to go into more detail, Bai Yu got on the bus. He quickly checked the headcount, then told Song Bo they could leave.
The ride back was a bit bumpy, and it stirred up some old memories in Xu Bo. Unable to hold back, he lowered his voice and continued telling Qi Yi, “You’ve seen Lin Kun’s match footage, right? Let me tell you, he’s way scarier in real life. The guy never smiles. He’s like an android, no emotional response at all. I swear, even little kids would cry just from him glancing their way. He’s got a ton of weird quirks too. No matter how hot it gets, he always wears long sleeves and long pants. One time our team went to a water park. Everyone was in short sleeves except him. He was wrapped up like it was winter. I accidentally touched his hand, and the way he looked at me... I’ll never forget it for the rest of my life. It was like being stared at by a monster. Every hair on my body stood on end.”
His description made Qi Yi visibly anxious. “Bai Yu’s so much better.”
Xu Bo nodded in agreement. “Yeah. Bai Yu and Lin Kun are complete opposites. I honestly don’t get how the two of them are even friends. It makes no sense.”
Their voices were very low, barely above a whisper, but if anyone wanted to listen closely, they could still make out what was being said.
Chen Shi’an, who was seated nearby, seemed to be deep in thought. At some point he looked up as if a thought had just occurred to him and turned to glance at Bai Yu, who was sitting near the front.
At that moment, a new message popped up on Bai Yu’s phone. It was from Lin Kun. The message read:
“Mid has improved, but it’s not enough. He’s too arrogant. It’s going to blow up eventually. Someone needs to keep him in check.”
Bai Yu was conflicted. Deep down, he did want to bring Lin Kun onto the team as a trainer. Especially now, with the towering obstacle that was TIN still ahead of them.
But he wasn’t sure whether the rest of the team could accept someone like Lin Kun. He had to find the safest way to test the waters first.