Wang Xue nearly jumped up and pointed at Xia Xin, cursing him. But thinking about how he'd make money from Xia Xin in the future—this guy was a treasure trove—he chose to endure it.
He practically held his breath to avoid calling for help to break Xia Xin's hand.
He put on a friendly smile and said, "Xiao Xin, you're really too extravagant. I know it's a common trait among experts, but you can't be so extravagant. I've warned you many times. Be more careful next time."
"Yes, I will be."
Xia Xin's expression couldn't be more sincere. A touch of regret tinged with earnestness, a touch of regret tinged with frustration, as if he, too, was deeply troubled and tormented by his own mistakes.
Wang Xue said, "Well, look, you lost me 50,000 yuan, but I don't blame you. We're close after all."
Xia Xin finally smiled with relief, "Thank you, Brother Wang."
"Well, after the college entrance exam, come to my place. I'll take orders for you. I guarantee you'll have endless orders and make a fortune."
"Of course. Where else would I go? I don't know anything else besides League of Legends."
Xia Xin walked out of the network management office with a smile on his face. He vaguely heard the sound of a cup breaking from inside.
The internet cafe was still buzzing with discussion, but he didn't bother to pay attention.
Several classmates, including Lu Ming and Fatty Mao, were still trying to find him, which scared him so much that he quickly slipped out the back door.
To his surprise, Shu Yuewu was already waiting for him there.
"Um, you haven't left yet."
Shu Yuewu smiled. "How are you feeling?"
"A little sad. I lost."
"Actually, before the fight started, I was wondering whether you would win or lose. But I didn't expect this outcome."
Xia Xin shook his head and sighed. "I was just being too arrogant. Too pretentious."
"Keep pretending." Shu Yuewu rolled her eyes at him. "I didn't realize you were such a scheming person. I almost thought you were dying from all that arrogance."
Win and lose, Shu Yuewu hadn't expected this outcome.
"..." Xia Xin glanced into the other woman's beautiful eyes but didn't dare to respond. This woman was too clever. He wisely avoided the subject.
They hadn't walked far when Xia Xin felt someone pull on the back of his neck. Then his body felt lighter. He was being lifted up.
Shu Yuewu couldn't help but yell, "Hey, what are you doing? You won the match and you're still hitting me?"
Han Fei grabbed Xia Xin by the collar and lifted him up, sneering, "Won the match? Haha, stop being ridiculous."
His lazy eyes, now filled with the aggression of a beast, stared at Xia Xin without blinking. "What do you mean? I respect you, I consider you my opponent, I sincerely want to challenge you to a duel, and you're letting me win?"
"You're looking down on me, insulting me, aren't you?"
Han Fei was so furious that he wanted to punch Xia Xin in the face.
Xia Xin said calmly, "I don't understand what you mean?"
"I don't understand. Then let me explain. Why didn't you move in the last wave? Lucian's combo is most vulnerable to the opponent moving, and they can dodge it all. Okay, I can admit that you were being arrogant and showing off, but you... didn't use the Ruined King. Don't say you forgot. I can tell from your Vayne's reaction and your hand speed. You've played Vayne at least 2,000 games. It's impossible not to use the Ruined King. You've played Vayne so much that using it is instinctive. You don't even need to remember it, you press it without even looking. If you had taken a puff, I would have died. You were clearly letting me win on purpose."
Han Fei spoke loudly, attracting the few passers-by to stop and watch, waiting to see the exciting fight between the two.
Han Fei had the pride of an esports player. He could accept failure, accept the fact that he was inferior to his opponent. He would always remember this failure, until one day he could return it.
So, being crushed so hard, he felt angry and humiliated. He was a star champion AD carry, but he was being crushed like a dog despite having a hero advantage. Even if he was furious, he could accept it, because there was no sympathy in the arena; defeat was complete.
He could endure the temporary humiliation, just to savor the more delicious fruits of victory in the future.
What he couldn't accept was that the other team deliberately let him win a game they clearly could have won. This was an insult to him, an insult to the competition between them, and even an insult to esports in general.
Match-fixing!
Xia Xin saw the crowd growing and knew he couldn't escape.
He glanced at the milk tea shop in the distance, "Let's talk inside."
The three of them walked into a corner of the milk tea shop. Xia Xin looked at Han Fei's determined eyes, the burning passion for esports in them, and inexplicably felt that he couldn't lie to him.
He had no choice but to recount the incident in broad strokes.
Then he apologized, saying, "If I insulted you, I apologize. I just don't want to be treated like a fool so brazenly anymore. I didn't think too much about it."
Han Fei said seriously, "Of course it was an insult. I was trying my best in the competition. Even with the huge equipment gap, I had to grit my teeth and endure it. I've cursed you a hundred times in my heart, and I've cursed your ancestors for generations."
Han Fei rubbed his head embarrassedly. "Don't curse me either. You've already crushed me like a dog, and you're not even allowed to curse you in my heart."
Xia Xin smiled, feeling that this person was quite genuine. He would rather talk to a true villain than deal with a hypocrite.
Han Fei continued, "I admit I'm not as skilled as others, but as an esports player, you should have some basic esports spirit. At the very least, you should treat every opponent you play against seriously. Match-fixing is the greatest insult to esports, both to you and to me. I hope you can respect yourself."
Xia Xin hadn't expected the seemingly sloppy and carefree Han Fei to become so serious when discussing esports.
Esports spirit, what is that?
But he said sincerely, "I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to insult you. I'm just a power player and I've never participated in esports competitions."
"Forget it, I'll forgive you this time. After all, he went too far. What's with the saying, 'If you win, the money's his, but if you lose, you have to pay it back?' No man can stand that. No wonder you deliberately tricked him. Haha, good job, I admire you."
Shu Yuewu couldn't help but grumble, "No fight? That's such a shame! I wanted to see Xia Xin fight."
Han Fei was probably too focused on esports to notice Shu Yuewu until now. His expression was filled with astonishment. "Oh my god, you're not only strong, but your girlfriend is so beautiful too. Are you going to let me live?"
"No, we're just classmates."
"I understand, I understand."
Xia Xin was puzzled. Why did everyone think Shu Yuewu was his girlfriend, and yet Shu Yuewu didn't bother to refute him.
"By the way, I have three questions for you. Answer them honestly."
Han Fei suddenly adopted a serious expression.
Xia Xin nodded. "Go ahead."
"First, during that level 2 bush wave, you really scared me. You actually flashed at me at full health. If I hadn't run, who would have died first?"
"I'm not sure. I'm only 50% sure, 50-50."
"50-50, and you flashed at me at full health?"
Xia Xin smiled. "We can't lose momentum. I think if we lose momentum, the game is half lost."
"I'm impressed," Han Fei gave a thumbs-up. "That aggressive E flash back really threw me. It seems you had no idea and were just trying to bluff me. Second, after that first tower dive, if you'd come in and tried to kill me again, who do you think would have died first?"
"100% sure you'd have died first. If you died, I have the talent Dangerous Game. Killing someone will restore 5% of your health, or even save you from dying."
Of course, even if I died, I'd still have first blood, so I'd still won.
Han Fei was suddenly embarrassed. "You figured it out. I thought I was the only one who saw it. It seems I was too arrogant and underestimated the heroes of the world. It turns out you didn't intend to win back then."
"Third question, what are you going to do next? Continue boosting?"
"I'm still thinking about it. I haven't thought about it yet."
"Do you have a dream?"
"Dream?"
"Yes, a dream. I believe every esports player has that dream: standing on that world stage, winning the world championship crown, planting our national flag in a stadium watched by thousands, and leaving your name in the annals of global esports. With your ability, don't say you haven't dreamed of that day."
Xia Xin said frankly, "I haven't thought about it."
Han Fei almost fell. "Think about it, think about it now. I believe you'll realize it sooner or later. Do you know how many years we've been suppressed by South Korea? I dream of planting our country's flag at that highest point."
"..." Xia Xin didn't know what to say.
"You know why I want to play solo with you? Seeing you engrossed in the game yesterday, I knew you, like me, share a passion for esports. Our talents destined us to shine in the arena."
He felt they were both alike, both addicted to esports, lost in the surging sparks of quick hands, split-second reactions, godlike awareness, the friction of wills, and the intense collision of spirits. Only in the fierce esports arena did they truly belong.
When he spoke of competition, Han Fei's face lit up with joy, his eyes filled with longing.
Xia Xin felt Han Fei's expression seemed familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before, and replied seriously, "I'll consider it."
"Okay, I'll see you at the National University League. See you there. Also, ADCs aren't meant for one-on-one duels. They're the ones who can deal damage in teamfights. I haven't lost yet."
Han Fei didn't forget to defend himself before leaving, demonstrating his unwavering character.
He exchanged phone numbers with Xia Xin and made an appointment to meet at the National University League.
Xia Xin pointed at Han Fei's back and smiled, "He's a pretty good guy, actually."
Shu Yuewu said disdainfully, "I don't like him. He's too slovenly. The clothes he's wearing must have been worn for at least a few days, and his hair is a mess. He's so dirty."
"..."
This was the first time Shu Yuewu had ever encountered someone asking for the phone number of a boy next to her but not hers. It was a blatant insult to her.
Xia Xin asked, "Do you know what the spirit of esports is?"
Shu Yuewu curled her lips. "Unity, friendship, mutual assistance, hard work, fairness and justice."
"Oh."
Xia Xin rested his chin on his hand, thought for a moment, and muttered, "That spirit doesn't seem to be very useful."
If Han Fei heard him say that, he would definitely turn around and fight him.
Leaving the milk tea shop, Xia Xin glanced at the graceful, beautiful and sexy Shu Yuewu beside him. He was surprised to find that he had to send her home again. What was going on?
When did the two of them become so close?
Were they already friends?
Shu Yuewu asked, "How was it? How do you feel about beating the high school league's champion AD?"
"We didn't win. I lost in the end."
"He already admitted you were awesome, so what else do you want?"
"Losing is losing... It's not pleasant, I'm serious."
"..."
Shu Yuewu remained silent the entire way, lost in thought.
Xia Xin also spoke. He was thinking about the future. While power-playing could certainly earn him some living expenses, it didn't feel sustainable. Besides, it was time to break away from Wang Xue.
University, league, professional career, prize money—all flashed through his mind.
Power-playing could be a side job, earning some money.
But playing professionally wasn't something you could just do if you wanted to. You had to be invited by someone who cared about you. And the first step before a professional team was a much simpler one—joining a university club.
"University?"
Wang Xue's actions indirectly gave Xia Xin a push, solidifying his resolve.
Xia Xin gazed at the distant, misty sky, and a sudden realization dawned on him. It was time to reach further, to test his abilities and see if he could create a clear sky for every night.
Next time, he definitely didn't want to lose again!