A lively day
After the meeting, the manager called Shen He aside and said, "Your personal Weibo account is launching today. It's your window outside of the competition, and you'll also use it to interact with fans. As the team's key newcomer this year, your exposure must keep up." Shen He had no objections and nodded.
The account was already registered, the team verification was updated, and he followed the official accounts of the team and his teammates. He and the club have management rights.
The first point is that the operations team insists that he personally post it.
He stared at his phone screen, thought for a few seconds, and finally typed only a few words:
Hello everyone, I'm ASG.Styx.
The comments section below instantly exploded:
[...That's it? Eight words?]
[Posting a selfie! Not even a selfie for their first time posting?!]
[Will the live stream be on? Will the live stream be on? Will the live stream be on? Will the live stream be on?]
[Please add at least one emoji next time, thank you (clasped hands).]
Could you teach me how to play Wind String Hunter? I'm stuck on a plateau.
Halfway through the scroll, the comments started to become a mixed bag:
What's your relationship with Chen Yuchuan? What's your story about the duo queue insult incident?
[As fellow professional players, why didn't you stop Chen Yuchuan from verbally abusing his teammates?]
I hope you don't get swayed by rumors and just focus on being yourself.
Chenhe was too lazy to look anymore, so he casually slid down the river.
The related post was an official post-match update from VLG, showing a team dinner after the victory. The table was full of food and drinks, and the group was eating and laughing, looking relaxed and happy, but Chen Yuchuan was not there.
The comments section had a very consistent style:
Where is the Sichuan dog? Don't tell me he's still playing dead?
[Could you please address the issue of your team members' conduct before posting daily updates?]
[So what if you win the game? It's shameful for a professional player to publicly swear.]
[Either explain or punish them, otherwise the fans will truly become a laughing stock.]
A few minutes later, new developments appeared on the trending topics list.
Chen Yuchuan's Weibo account, which had been inactive for several months, was suddenly updated:
Do I need to explain to you why I'm swearing? If you don't like me, then swear at me, but don't drag other people into it.
...
The comment section exploded instantly, with those following the incident becoming even more indignant, seemingly ready to tear Chen Yuchuan apart alive.
Shen He found it hard to understand why they had such violent emotions, taking the anger of others and amplifying it on themselves before transferring it to another person. Humans pride themselves on being superior beings, but in moments like this, they are not much different from the lower animals they despise.
A group of macaques, if even one lets out a scream, will cause the entire group to scatter in chaos; a swarm of frogs by a pond, if a pebble is tossed in, will start croaking in unison. Noisy, blindly obedient, yet utterly empty.
It can be ignited by a single spark or stirred up by the slightest breeze; it is both impulsive and cheap.
Shenhe found it noisy and casually swiped his finger to close the comment section, like closing a cage door.
When he left, he casually gave Chen Yuchuan a thumbs up.
Having lost interest in continuing to rank, Shenhe returned to his dorm and casually tidied up the things scattered on the table.
The team's dormitory is a single-person apartment. Two large rooms have been combined and converted into one. After placing a gaming desk and wardrobe, there is still plenty of space to spare, and a small sofa is even placed in the corner. It's not fancy, but it's sufficient for daily use.
The walls were painted clean, and the soundproofing was good. The noise from the e-sports base downstairs could be completely blocked out after the door was closed. Overall, I was quite satisfied with Shenhe.
The fish in the tank, which was naturally solitary, swam around enthusiastically when it saw him. He changed the water and fed it some fish food.
As soon as I turned on my computer, a message from Chen Yuchuan came in.
"Are you annoyed that this mess involves you?"
It wasn't annoying at all; I even got to watch an animal documentary for free.
"I've already shut him up."
The sentences are concise, yet they convey a reckless and unwavering determination, disregarding the consequences.
Shen He imagined what he would look like now, and then thought of the silver-gray wolf, a natural predator, cold, sharp, and ruthless, intolerant of any provocation, even if the result was a bloody head.
Shen He was this kind of person when he first met him, and he hasn't changed since.
But then, a third one popped up:
"How about we hang out sometime tomorrow? Or I can treat you to dinner and apologize to you in person."
Shen He stared at the screen, remaining silent for a few seconds.
As expected, the last sentence was the real purpose.
He and Chen Yuchuan had once found a stray dog that always looked like it was about to collapse, its eyes filled with hunger and pity. Shen He had taken it to the vet a few times out of pity. Each time, the result was the same—it was strong and healthy, with a full stomach and only minor superficial injuries. The vet smiled and said it just liked Shen He and wanted him to play with it.
Chen Yuchuan despised it.
Now, staring at the message "Come out and play for a while" on his phone, Shen He felt both amused and a little dazed; he hadn't thought about that dog in a long time.
Seeing Chen Yuchuan still typing "typing" on the screen, Shen He replied with "Awesome."
A voice call popped up immediately, but Chenhe hung up right away.
Chen Yuchuan pressed further: "Will it be empty tomorrow?"
What do you think?
I said yes.
"No."
"Game empty?"
Shenhe ignored him and put his phone face down.
After resting for a while, Shenhe returned to the base to start a training match. The opponent was a mid-to-high level team in the league. They had a bye in this round of matches, and the players were in relatively low form after just returning to the team. ASG won the first two matches very quickly.
In the third game, following the coach's draft strategy, the focus was on the jungler, and the bottom lane should revolve around the top, mid, and jungle trio who had better synergy. Early dragon resources could be sacrificed to exchange lane priority for the Rift Herald.
Everything proceeded according to plan. At Longdian, Zhou Yifan directed Gao Mingyuan to move towards the middle lane to help Li Anze push the lane, and then they would switch to control the vanguard together.
"The dragon has been released. AD, be careful." Zhou Yifan said crisply.
The enemy jungler traded resources, and the top laner didn't leave any vision, so they openly ganked the bottom lane to take the dragon.
Instead of going back to the lane, Shenhe turned to farming his own jungle. After securing the Rift Herald, the dragon on the other side of the map and the bottom lane turret were also taken down.
"Isn't this a bad deal?" Li Anze tentatively suggested.
“Vanguard value.” Zhou Yifan’s voice was very low, as if he was trying to reassure him. “But the AD can actually hold the first tower. The enemy jungler is in the dragon pit, and the two of them may not be able to force a dive on you. Even if you die, at least you can get the lane, and the first tower can be saved.” It was not hard to hear a hint of reluctance in his tone.
Shenhe ignored him.
The enemy ADC has taken all the tower plates, causing their damage output to skyrocket. Chenhe is farming jungle camps while waiting to push the lane back.
Gao Mingyuan instinctively wanted to stay in the bottom lane to help him establish vision, but he was called to take over the Herald's tempo, and things didn't go too smoothly.
"I told you we needed to help the bot lane, otherwise the enemy AD is controlling the wave too much," Gao Mingyuan couldn't help but complain.
"We need to push the vanguard in first. Once we push the mid lane tower, we can easily enter the jungle. As long as the AD can provide some damage from behind, it'll be fine." Zhou Yifan insisted on his judgment.
"The vanguard can definitely hold back a trump card."
"We definitely need to maintain our strong position; we can't afford to drag things out in this kind of situation."
Shenhe didn't respond, focusing solely on farming the jungle. The problem with this team wasn't anyone's poor mechanics or awareness, but rather that their understanding of tactics was completely misaligned. The top and jungle were clinging to the old system and old mindset, the mid laner was running back and forth between the two lanes, and the support could see that the situation was problematic but clearly had no say in the matter.
In the later stages, the situation almost collapsed, but Shenhe managed to get his equipment by relying on the high gold from the super minions, instead of engaging in team fights or head-on confrontations. He made up for the damage he could in team fights and tried his best to avoid dying. The top and jungle players entered the fray to find opportunities to coordinate with the mid laner for a burst of damage, and in the end, they still won, even though Shenhe's rating and damage conversion rate were pitifully low.
During the post-game analysis, the coach pointed out: "This game was played very chaotically. The jungler started too fast. If the opponent had been more serious, the whole game would have collapsed." His tone was not harsh, but he brought up the key contradiction.
Zhou Yifan was a little unhappy: "The AD carry keeps farming jungle camps and pushing lanes without engaging in small team fights, and the support always stays in the bottom lane, making it difficult for me to keep up with the pace. What can I do? Especially with vision control, it's hard for me to push if I don't clear it first."
Shen He tapped his pen lightly on the notebook, his voice low, but it interrupted him: "Does having a support player mean you can create momentum?"
His tone was flat, even a little cold, but the air in the conference room suddenly froze.
Zhou Yifan was taken aback, clearly not expecting Shen He to react this way. Although Shen He rarely spoke in the past, he wasn't difficult to get along with. This blunt question left him somewhat at a loss for words.
He opened his mouth, but in the end only said, "...Okay, I'll be more careful next time."
Seeing the atmosphere become tense, the coach quickly steered the conversation towards tactics: "This isn't anyone's fault; it's a lack of system cohesion. We had the same problem in previous seasons, which is why we brought in new supports and new AD carries. The coaching staff's adjustments to the core tactics aren't meant to create internal divisions, but rather to help you find the playstyle that best suits you."
After the debriefing, everyone went about their own business, some playing ranked games, some having fun, and Gao Mingyuan followed Shen He back to the dormitory.
"What you just said... was quite unexpected." He said, his tone a little cautious, as if afraid of being misunderstood. "I didn't mean anything by it. I just thought you were the kind of person who didn't like to get involved."
Shen He released the mouse from his hand, leaned back in his chair, and said in a flat tone, "The problem is there, anyone can talk about it."
Gao Mingyuan was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled: "Alright, you do have a pretty good mindset."
"To be honest, when I first joined the team, I thought you were the kind of guy who pretended to be tough. But now, I see that you actually see things very clearly and have a lot of ideas."
Shenhe simply replied, "Don't put too much pressure on yourself. I've played so many top-ranked games, and you're definitely the most compatible support I've ever met."
That sounded more like a consolation. Gao Mingyuan was taken aback, then couldn't help but laugh: "I didn't expect you to say something like that."
After this conversation, he did feel much more relaxed. Initially, he thought Shen He was an eccentric genius, arrogant and aloof. Now he realized that the other party wasn't ignoring him, but rather too lazy to waste time on idle chatter.
When he actually speaks, he is clear and articulate, with a firm attitude, and most importantly, he is emotionally stable and not easily swayed by others. He is completely different from those sixteen or seventeen-year-old kids in the league who are pushed onto the professional stage, use foul language, and are not very good at thinking for themselves.
Gao Mingyuan secretly thought to himself: I actually quite want to be friends with this person.
That evening, Gao Mingyuan shared two Weibo posts with Shen He.
The first post came from a random account that only had a few posts left for a giveaway.
Clicking on it leads to a long article titled "Clarification and Apology".
The content is not complicated. The gist is that he admitted that he had a mental breakdown in the ranked game. He first disgusted his teammates, cursed at them, and even intentionally fed kills. Afterwards, he concealed the cause and effect, posted the screenshots on the forum, and blamed the professional players. He did not expect it to be forwarded so widely.
The last sentence specifically stated: "Styx didn't reply to my insults at the time. I was the one who started it. River only started arguing with me because he was standing up for him. We both tried our best to play the game and didn't play passively. In the end, we even helped each other win. It was my fault. I'm sorry, Styx."
The reposts and comments were in complete chaos. Some people accused him of deliberately stirring up trouble, while others said that Chen Yuchuan's words and actions as a public figure were still very inappropriate. But in any case, the public opinion has obviously calmed down a lot.
One of the topics, #StyxUnjustMisfortune#, even trended on Weibo. It's obvious that Shenhe bought it without even thinking, which is just ridiculous.
The second one was posted by Gao Mingyuan himself.
He posted a picture of Shenhe playing games at the base from behind, with the caption: "He was also certified by Styx as the most compatible support he has ever met."
Gao Mingyuan frequently streams, is quite skilled, has a good temper, doesn't get stressed or curse in games, has a stable relationship, and doesn't have any messy scandals. He has a very good reputation among support players, and the comment section quickly became lively.
You're getting better too.
You're putting on an act too.
[You've distanced yourself from Da Huo, haven't you? What's the point of only posting Styx's back view?]
[Could you stream your duo queue matches so I can see how well we click?]
[Look up how you feel playing games with handsome guys every day; do you feel a little inferior?]
[Please stop posting those awful selfies of yours, okay? Do you even know what people like to see?]
Just as Shen He was about to give him a thumbs up, Chen Yuchuan's WeChat message arrived immediately.
What does "most compatible" mean?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
