Today was the last day of the holiday. Though March had just begun, the temperature of the past two days gave people the illusion that summer was approaching.
The packed venue was quite warm, and Yu Nuo’s back was covered in a light sweat.
Fu Yidong was harshly criticizing her ex-boyfriend while Yu Nuo listened patiently.
When the crowd suddenly erupted in screams, their conversation came to an abrupt halt.
Looking up, it was 6:50 – the match was about to begin.
Fu Yidong clicked her tongue in annoyance, “Whatever, let’s not talk about it anymore. It’s irritating.”
The host was warming up the crowd on stage.
After a brief introduction, the team on the left took the stage. When the players’ silhouettes were projected onto the central screen, the venue experienced a minor surge of excitement, mostly from female fans, with cheers nearly lifting the roof.
Then it was the right team’s turn to enter.
The frenzied atmosphere in the venue oddly faltered, falling silent for a few seconds as several young boys in black uniforms walked out from the side passage.
When the host announced “TG team,” the audience below seemed to finally react.
From some corner came scattered, half-hearted applause, which was quickly drowned out by jeers.
However, Fu Yidong was particularly excited, jumping up and waving her light board, screaming “Conquer” at the top of her lungs, drawing attention from the front rows.
Yu Nuo noticed several young girls rolling their eyes in their direction and quickly tugged at Fu Yidong’s clothes, trying to get her to sit down.
Fu Yidong paid no attention and continued shouting: “Conquer! Conquer!!! Conquer!!!!!!”
Because of Yu Ge, Yu Nuo occasionally paid attention to LPL events1, especially after LPL was included as a demonstration sport in the Asian Games. Public interest in esports competitions began to explode, and the boys around her were all discussing it. But she was usually just an anime girl who occasionally did cosplay, and didn’t know much about the LOL scene, only familiar with a few OG professional players.
The central screen began switching views, showing the players during pre-match preparation.
Fu Yidong sat down, adjusting her clothes, somewhat indignant, “This director is so biased, the camera is always on OG.”
After S8, WR had almost completely retired, and OG had become LPL’s most popular team in recent years. They had high topic popularity, especially with star players like Fish. When facing teams with lower popularity during regular matches, the crowd support was indeed often one-sided.
But today… the atmosphere seemed particularly tense.
Yu Nuo couldn’t quite figure out what was going on, looking around, she quietly asked Fu Yidong: “What’s happening? Why is everyone booing this team?”
Fu Yidong said: “Because they offended OG.”
After a pause, she added: “To be more precise, they offended your brother.”
Yu Nuo: ?
There was a saying in the circle: What should you do if you offend Fish’s female fans?
There was only one answer:
— It’s recommended to prepare for your funeral.
It was well known that teams with large followings like OG had the strongest fan combat power, currently almost unrivaled in the esports circle. Others would avoid them if possible, no one wanted to provoke them.
Anyone who did provoke them never had a good outcome.
Yu Nuo frowned and asked her: “What do you mean they offended my brother?”
“You don’t know?”
Yu Nuo shook her head.
“It was when OG lost to TG last time, it turned into quite a big deal afterwards.”
While waiting for the match to officially start, Fu Yidong told her a few things, and Yu Nuo vaguely remembered.
During that opening game, the heavily favored OG unexpectedly lost, being brutally defeated by the newcomer team TG, catching everyone by surprise.
Although victory on the battlefield goes to the strong and skill speaks for itself, OG didn’t just lose – they lost badly. Seconds before their crystal was destroyed, the opponent’s ADC arrogantly blocked their fountain, displaying their team logo with contempt and even giving a taunting thumbs up.
After the match, the circle was in an uproar.
OG fans were furious – where did this unknown team come from, acting so high and mighty?! After ranting in their super topic for a while, they still couldn’t swallow this bitter pill and began taking action, targeting TG’s ADC2 who had displayed the team logo.
OG had massive numbers, and their combat effectiveness was predictable. That night, the topic #ConquerGetOutOfLPL# briefly trended on hot search.
Yu Nuo thought quietly.
So that’s what happened.
Fu Yidong turned her head, looking around, speaking quickly: “TG’s official Weibo was tragic, got cursed out to no end. Their super topic with just a few hundred people was completely destroyed by spam. Don’t you think OG fans are just sore losers? Was it really necessary?”
While Fu Yidong was gritting her teeth, Yu Nuo took out her phone and searched on Weibo.
Scanning the trending page, TG was okay, but that AD was singled out and criticized thoroughly, with questions about everything from his professional attitude to his character.
Scrolling down further, there were a few comments defending him:
@Yeye: “Honestly, OG fans are being petty. You can curse all you want, but Conquer still wins. Doesn’t that make you mad?”
@0.5M: “Damn, I’ve never seen such a dominating AD. This rookie is arrogant, sure, but his mechanics are truly beautiful… He’s really the king of playing from behind, honestly reminds me a bit of Wan God back then.”
The official commentary began in the venue, and Yu Nuo put away her phone.
TG, as a newly formed team this year, had knocked down several powerhouse teams in their debut season, even unseating the officially dubbed “Galactic Battleship” OG. They maintained a winning streak, steadily climbing the rankings in the league.
The male commentator laughed: “TG has been on fire lately.”
The female commentator: “If they win today, they’ll top the league rankings.”
The male commentator: “Three of TG’s five players are rookies, right? I heard the team was cobbled together at the last minute. But they’ve made it this far, it’s really inspiring.”
This season’s rules included a double round-robin, meaning teams would face each other twice. Today was the second match between OG and TG, making it somewhat of a grudge match.
Almost eighty percent of the venue was filled with OG fans, with the remainder being staff members or random people brought in to fill seats.
But TG wasn’t completely without fans – at least Fu Yidong had been won over.
“Yu Nuo, I think Conquer has that quality.”
“What quality?”
“The kind that attracts fans. Even though his reputation in the circle is terrible right now, in esports, results are what matter most. If TG can win the championship this year, or even make it to finals, with Conquer’s skills, his fan base will definitely explode.”
Yu Nuo listened and responded with a “mm,” “Then you’ll be considered an old fan by then.”
At that moment, the venue suddenly became chaotic again.
Sure enough.
— OG-Fish’s handsome face appeared on the director’s camera again.
Fu Yidong’s anger had subsided a bit, and she said with a grin: “Your brother is really handsome, but I’m not into the cold type. I prefer someone like Conquer, he seems really exciting.”
Yu Nuo: “….”
What should have been just a regular match became intense due to their previous conflict.
The first game ended with OG taking the win.
The surrounding fans were very enthusiastic, whispering to each other during the break. Ten minutes ago, Fu Yidong had received a phone call and hadn’t returned yet.
Yu Nuo had stayed up late editing photos yesterday and only got a few hours of sleep, her eyes were feeling dry and irritated.
She fumbled around, taking out eye drops from her bag. After applying them, she tilted her head back to put her contact lenses back in.
Suddenly, someone bumped her elbow.
It was a young girl who yelped and quickly apologized.
Yu Nuo slightly turned her body and pulled in her feet to let the person pass: “It’s fine.”
After the person left, she sat properly and found that her contact lens had fallen somewhere. She searched on the ground for a while but couldn’t find it. Yu Nuo let out a soft sigh.
Fu Yidong returned half an hour later, sniffling with red, swollen eyes.
Yu Nuo turned to look at her: “What’s wrong? Did you fight with your ex-boyfriend again?”
“I don’t want to deal with that idiot, it’s so annoying.”
TG won back the second game, leaving one final decisive match. Fu Yidong wasn’t in the mood to watch anymore, constantly arguing with her ex-boyfriend on WeChat3.
Yu Nuo’s vision was blurry, and she couldn’t see the game clearly on the big screen. She didn’t understand the game well either, so she could only listen to the commentators.
In the third game, OG had a big advantage early on, leading by 8K in gold and destroying two lanes of high ground.
But in the last teamfight, their jungler was ambushed by Conquer in the bush, leading to OG’s complete collapse, throwing away their advantageous position and allowing TG to make an incredible comeback.
Another loss.
The on-site fans were furious.
A guy behind Yu Nuo started cursing, “This is ridiculous, absolutely fucking ridiculous. If you’re this bad, just go home and pick your toes, damn it!”
Another person gave a fair assessment: “You know what? That Conquer guy? He’s really got something. His mechanics when taking people down were perfect, too amazing, left me stunned.”
…
…
Yu Nuo figured Yu Ge would be in a bad mood, so she carefully sent a message:
[Brother, I’m at the venue, came with Dongdong ^^]
A minute later, the other side replied with a “?” followed by:
[Rest room, come over]
After the match ended, not many people stayed. Most OG fans had left, and two players were doing post-match interviews nearby.
Fu Yidong was wiping her tears with tissues.
Yu Nuo packed her bag, “Dongdong, shall we go? Let’s find my brother?”
Fu Yidong held her back: “Wait.”
According to procedure, there was still a segment where fans would be selected to go on stage and give gifts. Though it was supposedly random, TG had so few real fans that Fu Yidong already knew she’d been chosen.
The gifts were prepared by the staff, it was really just a formality.
Before going on stage, Fu Yidong opened her powder compact to touch up her makeup.
Yu Nuo waited for her while opening WeChat to finalize the details of tonight’s poster with a hanfu4 circle planning sister.
Shortly after, Fu Yidong rushed over and pulled her up from her seat.
Yu Nuo was confused as she was dragged forward a few steps: “What’s wrong?”
“No, no, my face looks too terrible.”
Yu Nuo made a surprised sound, “What?”
Fu Yidong: “My makeup is ruined from crying, it would look awful on camera. You should go give the gift to Conquer for me instead.”
“But…”
Before Yu Nuo could refuse, Fu Yidong had already pushed her out.
The camera nearby was already pointed at her.
The female host smiled: “Oh, looks like our next fan is a young lady?”
Yu Nuo was stuck between advancing and retreating, looking back at Fu Yidong.
Fu Yidong clasped her hands together, looking at her pleadingly.
She hesitated, but had no choice but to pick up the gift and reluctantly went up.
Yu Nuo had scheduled a photo shoot for Zero Two from “Darling in the FRANXX” a few days ago, and since she wanted to dye her hair anyway, she dyed it the same spring cherry blossom pink-brown, a gentle color that wasn’t too flashy.
She had long curly hair and wore a white sweater with dark blue jeans. Her skin was fair, and she was proportionately slim. She had a very young-looking face, appearing docile, like a porcelain doll sold at temple fairs.
The host asked: “Hello miss, who would you like to give your gift to?”
Yu Nuo took the microphone, looking at the stage below, everything was blurry, “To… Conquer.”
Host: “Haha, so you’re Conquer’s fan! Is there anything you’d like to say to him?”
“……”
Yu Nuo tried hard to remember what her brother’s female fans usually said on Weibo.
She struggled a bit, “Uh… well, I hope Conquer can keep improving, good luck in the spring split, no regrets. I’ll always support him.”
The host stood beside her and said something with a smile.
The surrounding noise was too loud, Yu Nuo couldn’t hear clearly, “What?”
The host repeated: “You can go take a photo with your favorite player now.”
Yu Nuo felt relieved, then her footsteps faltered.
Oh no, she had no idea who Conquer was.
Fortunately, the host pointed in the right direction.
Yu Nuo squinted her eyes to make out the person. She quickly walked to that player’s side, adjusted her facial expression, got into position, and made a peace sign at the camera.
Two or three seconds later, she very politely handed the gift to the person on her right. She prepared to leave the stage.
That person seemed to pause for a moment, asking in confusion: “Hey, aren’t you Conquer’s fan?”
Yu Nuo instinctively nodded.
The young men nearby exchanged glances, laughing uncontrollably. They just laughed without explaining why.
She hesitated, not knowing what had happened.
Just then, someone reminded her: “Conquer is over there.”
Yu Nuo turned her head in confusion and met another person’s gaze.
She only reached his chin.
They were close, probably only half a meter apart. Yu Nuo saw his face clearly.
Yu Nuo was briefly stunned, quickly realizing:
— She had mistaken the wrong person!
Yu Nuo froze.
The lights made the stage very bright.
He had one hand in his pocket, standing lazily without straightening up. His eyes were half-lidded, seeming a bit impatient. Due to their height difference, when he looked back at her, there was a slight looking down angle.
Two seconds passed.
“Hello?” he raised an eyebrow.
- League of Legends Pro League: The top level of professional League of Legends in China. The 2024 season features 17 teams, with Bilibili Gaming as the most recent champion. ↩︎
- ADC: In esports, ADC stands for Attack-Damage Carry, a role in games like League of Legends where the player deals a lot of physical damage to the enemy team. ADCs are also known as Marksmen. ↩︎
- WeChat, also known as Weixin in Chinese, is a social media, messaging, and payment app. Think Whatsapp in China. ↩︎
- Hanfu (??) is a term that refers to the traditional clothing of the Han Chinese people; there are circles of people who dress up in these traditional clothing, similar to cosplay circles. Check this series out if you’re interested to learn more about Chinese history! ↩︎
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