Conflict escalates
Late autumn in Shanghai had already taken a chill. The window of the SG team's training room was ajar, and the wind blew in the shadows of the sycamore leaves below, landing beside Lin Yu's keyboard. He stared at the Ranked screen, his finger hovering over the "Start Match" button, hesitant to press it. The event feed that popped up in the lower right corner of the screen was a highlight of AY Team's victory yesterday. The image of Su Ran controlling Mai Shiranui as she darted through teamfights pierced his eyes like a tiny thorn.
"Hasn't the queue started yet?" Chen Mo, the support player for Zhang Fei, came over with a cup of hot coffee and placed it on the corner of Lin Yu's desk. "The coach just said that we'll be facing AY in the league next weekend, so we should practice strategies against the mid laner in advance."
Lin Yu's fingertips moved, and he finally pressed the matching button. His voice was a little muffled: "Got it."
Chen Mo glanced at him and said nothing more. Ever since his argument with Su Ran during the last online match, Lin Yu had become a completely different person—he used to love joking with his teammates during practice, but now he rarely spoke. Aside from necessary tactical discussions, he spent most of his time staring at the screen in silence. Especially when AY and Su Ran were mentioned, his expression would darken, and the atmosphere in the training room would become tense.
In fact, the entire team knew about their conflict. After the last match, Lin Yu locked himself in his room until late at night. When the coach knocked on the door, he heard the sound of something being thrown inside. Later, when the team reviewed the match, the coach specifically pointed out that Lin Yu was too eager to start a team fight. Lin Yu retorted, "Su Ran was deliberately targeting me," and everyone could hear the anger in his tone.
"Matched." The system prompt interrupted Chen Mo's thoughts. He quickly sat back in his seat. He caught a glimpse of Lin Yu choosing Li Bai - this is the hero that Lin Yu has been practicing the most recently. From the beginning of the season to now, he has played nearly three hundred Rank games with Li Bai, and his win rate has remained stable at over 85%. Even the KPL official labeled him "the best Li Bai in the country."
The loading interface popped up, and Lin Yu's Li Bai ID "Yu Zhan Si Fang" was ranked first, but the ID of the opposite mid-lane made his pupils shrink - "Ran", the single-word ID that he once knew by heart, now sank into the screen like a lump of ice.
"What a coincidence, the opposing mid laner is Su Ran?" Chen Mo also saw it, and his tone was a little surprised.
Lin Yu remained silent, his fingers pressing harder on the keyboard. After entering the game, he controlled Li Bai and headed straight for the red zone, deliberately slowing down his jungle clearing—he was waiting for Su Ran's mid laner to appear. When Mai Shiranui appeared in the mid-lane river, Lin Yu's eyes grew cold. It was indeed Su Ran's best hero.
"I caught it at level 2." Lin Yu suddenly spoke, his voice half a beat faster than usual.
Chen Mo was stunned for a moment, then quickly adjusted his position: "I'll help you with the vision. Pay attention to the position of Taiyi Zhenren. He might come to protect the center."
Lin Yu didn't respond. After clearing the red buff, he headed towards the middle lane. Su Ran's Shiranui Mai was clearing the first wave of soldiers, moving slightly forward. Lin Yu seized this opportunity and used the first part of his first skill, "Drinking Wine," to move close to the enemy, then followed up with a basic attack and a punishment, hoping to trigger his passive to unlock his ultimate.
But at that moment, Su Ran's Mai Shiranui suddenly shifted sideways and backward, dodging Lin Yu's basic attack. Immediately afterwards, Mai Shiranui's second skill, "Flower and Butterfly Fan," accurately hit Li Bai, instantly triggering the slowing effect. Lin Yu's heart tightened, and he wanted to use the second part of his first skill to retreat, but he saw the opposing Taiyi Zhenren rushing out from the river bushes, his ultimate skill, "Resurrection," ready to be unleashed.
"Retreat!" Chen Mo shouted.
Lin Yu gritted his teeth, giving up the mid gank and maneuvering Li Bai back into the jungle. His fingers clenched white as he watched Li Bai's health drop on the screen. Su Ran's reaction had been incredibly fast, almost like he'd predicted his mid gank. Was it a coincidence? Lin Yu didn't believe it. He preferred to believe Su Ran was deliberately waiting for him, deliberately trying to embarrass him.
He ultimately won the Rank match, but Lin Yu's mood didn't improve at all. Instead of reviewing the match as usual, he simply turned off his computer, grabbed his coat, and headed out of the training room. Chen Mo watched him from behind and sighed helplessly—he knew the thorn in Lin Yu's heart had sunk deeper.
As the days passed, the league match against AY drew closer. On the training room whiteboard, the coach, in red pen, scrawled his tactics against AY: "Prioritize banning Mai Shiranui and Zhang Liang," "Junglers control the dragon early on, limit mid laner support," "Prioritize killing Garro in teamfights, watch out for mid laner flanks." Whenever the coach discussed targeting the mid laner, he would look towards Lin Yu, hoping to hear his thoughts, but he would always keep his head down, either saying "Do as the coach says" or remaining silent.
The day before the match, the team held a tactical meeting. The coach projected the game footage onto the big screen, stopping at the moment when Su Ran counterattacked Lin Yu with Mai Shiranui. "Pay attention here. Su Ran's Mai Shiranui is very good at using displacement to dodge skills, and he always saves his flash for counterattacks. Lin Yu, next time you encounter him, you should wait for your teammates to catch up, and don't rush in alone."
Lin Yu stared at the screen and suddenly said, "He was targeting me on purpose."
The conference room fell silent, and everyone looked at him. Lin Yu raised his head, his eyes brimming with unrepressed anger. "It was the same in the last online tournament, and it was the same in this Ranked match. He always keeps targeting me. What else could it be but targeting me?"
"Lin Yu, targeting the opponent's core is a common tactic in the game." The coach frowned. "Su Ran is AY's core mid laner. It's normal for him to target you, the jungler."
"Normal?" Lin Yu raised his voice. "He wasn't like this before! When we played together before, he never deliberately ambushed me!"
The moment these words left his mouth, the conference room fell even quieter. Everyone knew they were good friends, but no one expected Lin Yu to still be brooding over this. The coach was silent for a moment, then spoke more softly, "Lin Yu, I know you're upset, but this is a professional tournament, not a game between friends. You need to put your emotions aside, or it will affect the game."
Lin Yu said nothing, merely lowered his head, fingers digging into the armrests of his chair. He knew the coach was right, but he couldn't swallow the anger inside him—he couldn't forget the cold look Su Ran had given him after the last match, as if she were looking at a stranger. Even more so, he couldn't forget the days when they'd shared a beer at a roadside stall, talking about winning the KPL championship together. Those days had seemed so close, yet now they felt like a thick layer of ice, impossible to melt.
On the day of the competition, the Shanghai Esports Center was packed. The bright lights in the stands were blinding, and shouts of "Go SG!" and "AY will win!" echoed endlessly. As Lin Yu followed his team into the arena, he happened to meet Team AY emerging from the opposite passage. Su Ran, wearing the AY uniform, was walking in the middle of the group. Her hair had been cropped short, and her eyes, still bright behind her glasses, paused when she saw Lin Yu, then quickly looked away.
Lin Yu clenched his fists and deliberately turned his head to the side.
Lin Yu's fingers were shaking as he debugged the equipment before the game. He looked at the hero pool on the screen, and his gaze finally fell on Li Bai. He wanted to win, not only to beat AY, but also to show Su Ran how good he was with Li Bai, to let him know that he was no worse than him.
"Both players, get ready, the game begins!" The referee's voice came through the headphones.
During the BP phase, SG took the lead in banning Zhang Liang and Zhuge Liang, who were Su Ran's favorites, while AY banned Han Xin and Pei Qinhu, who were Lin Yu's favorites. Lin Yu immediately locked in Li Bai, while Su Ran ultimately chose Shiranui Mai.
"As expected, it's still these two heroes." The commentator's voice sounded in the live broadcast. "In the last online match, Lin Yu's Li Bai was suppressed by Su Ran's Shiranui Mai. This time they will face off again. I wonder if Lin Yu can adjust his form."
At the start of the match, Lin Yu controlled Li Bai to start with a buff, clearing the jungle much faster than usual. His eyes were fixed on the minimap, especially the middle lane—Su Ran's Shiranui Mai was clearing lanes, moving slightly forward, just like in the previous Rank match.
"I caught it in three minutes." Lin Yu said in the voice chat.
"I'll help you scout the field of vision. Pay attention to the position of the opposing jungler. He may be trying to steal the blue buff." Chen Mo's Zhang Fei followed Lin Yu to the middle lane.
At the end of the three minutes, Lin Yu's Li Bai had just reached level 4. He circled to the bushes on the left side of the middle lane and watched as Su Ran's Shiranui Mai finished clearing the minion line and was about to head towards the river - now!
Lin Yu's Li Bai suddenly rushed out of the bushes, used the first part of his first skill "Jiang Jin Jiu" to close the opponent's face, and then used a basic attack and the second skill "Spiritual Stroke", instantly triggering the passive. Then, the ultimate skill "Blue Lotus Sword Song" was activated, and the sword shadows rotated around Shiranui Mai, and the damage value kept jumping out.
Cheers erupted from the audience, and the commentator excitedly shouted, "Lin Yu's gank was decisive! Li Bai's ultimate was fully activated. Can Su Ran's Mai Shiranui dodge it?"
However, just as Li Bai's ultimate was about to end, Su Ran's Mai Shiranui suddenly shifted sideways and backward, avoiding the final damage. Immediately afterwards, Mai Shiranui's second skill, "Flower Butterfly Fan," struck Li Bai, triggering a slowing effect. Su Ran didn't give Lin Yu time to react. He followed up with a basic attack with his first skill, "Flying Dragon Flame Formation," and then used his ultimate, "Sure Kill: Ninja Bee," to knock Li Bai into the air. With this flurry of skills, Lin Yu's Li Bai was instantly reduced to low health.
"Beautiful! Su Ran's reaction was incredibly fast!" the commentator's voice rose. "Mai Shiranui dodged perfectly and even counterattacked Li Bai. Lin Yu can only retreat now!"
Lin Yu's fingers moved quickly, trying to use the second part of his first skill to retreat, but Su Ran's Mai Shiranui pursued him relentlessly, and her last basic attack almost took his head. Fortunately, Chen Mo's Zhang Fei arrived in time, and his ultimate skill "Wild Beast Blood" scared off Mai Shiranui, allowing Lin Yu to escape back to the city.
"Damn it!" Lin Yu couldn't help but curse, his voice filled with irritation. He stared at Li Bai's low health on the screen, his anger growing. He had clearly calculated the damage during that previous gank, but Su Ran had dodged it and even counterattacked him. What else could this be if not a deliberate targeting?
In the following matches, Lin Yu became increasingly impatient. He stopped following the coach's tactical jungle farming strategy and instead frequently moved towards the middle lane, always looking for an opportunity to catch Su Ran's Mai Shiranui. But Su Ran seemed to have read his mind, always predicting his position in advance, either hiding under the tower or sending his teammates to support him, forcing Lin Yu to the point of nearly giving up kills several times.
"Lin Yu, stop staring at the middle lane!" the coach called out in the voice chat. "The opposing jungler is stealing our blue. Go back!"
Lin Yu finally reacted and quickly controlled Li Bai to move towards the blue zone. But it was too late. The opposing jungler had already taken the blue buff and also took away the shooter who came to guard the blue zone.
"It's over. The blue buff is gone and the shooter is dead. SG's rhythm is going to be disrupted." The commentator's voice was filled with regret.
Lin Yu's face darkened, and his fingers pressed harder on the keyboard. He knew he'd made a mistake, but the resentment and anger that washed over him like a tide kept him from calming down. Over the next few minutes, he made several more mistakes—either his jungle route was predicted by the opponent or he mistimed a team fight, causing the economic gap between SG and the opponent to widen.
Eighteen minutes into the game, AY was already five thousand gold ahead. They initiated a teamfight in midlane. Su Ran's Shiranui Mai spun around and cut into SG's marksman, taking the kill with a flurry of skills. Lin Yu's Li Bai tried to rescue him, but was controlled by the opposing support, ultimately losing the kill to Su Ran's Shiranui Mai.
"Team wipe! Team AY wipes Team SG!" The commentator's voice echoed throughout the arena. "They can directly push down the crystal in one wave!"
As AY's troops pushed down SG's crystal, the game-ending screen popped up. Lin Yu stared at the word "failure" on the screen, his ears buzzing. The cheers and applause from the audience pierced his ears like needles.
"Thank you for your hard work." Chen Mo patted his shoulder.
Lin Yu said nothing, suddenly taking off his headphones, stood up, and walked out of the arena. He walked so fast that he didn't even turn back when the team staff called him. The lights in the corridor were bright, but they couldn't illuminate the anger and unwillingness in his eyes - he lost again, lost to Su Ran again.
On the other side of the court, Su Ran watched Lin Yu's retreating back, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the cord of his headphones. He could have avoided chasing after Lin Yu's Li Bai during the team wipe, but he did anyway. He didn't know why he did it. Perhaps he wanted to prove that he was no worse than Lin Yu, or perhaps he wanted Lin Yu to understand that there were no friends in the game. But watching Lin Yu's resolute back, he felt a hollowness in his heart, a slight pain.
"What are you thinking about?" The AY team's shooter patted his shoulder. "Are you still not happy after winning the game? Let's go celebrate."
Su Ran forced a smile and followed his teammates out. As he passed the SG team's lounge, he couldn't help but peek inside. The door was ajar, and he could see the coach talking to the players, but there was no sign of Lin Yu. He looked away, his feelings growing more complicated.
Lin Yu didn't return to the team lounge, but went straight to his dorm. He locked himself in his room, drew the curtains, and the room was instantly plunged into darkness. He sat in front of his computer, opened the game replay, and repeatedly replayed the clips of him being counterattacked by Su Ran—Su Ran's Shiranui Mai moving to avoid the ultimate attack, Su Ran's Shiranui Mai flanking him, Su Ran's Shiranui Mai... Each scene made his anger grow stronger.
The more he watched, the more he felt Su Ran was filled with hostility towards him during the game. From the last online match to this league match, Su Ran had always targeted him, seemingly determined to defeat him. He recalled the days when they played together, when Su Ran had always given in to him, giving him the best resources. But now, Su Ran seemed like a different person, cold and ruthless.
"Why..." Lin Yu muttered to himself, his fingers hammering hard on the keyboard, making a sharp sound. He didn't know that Su Ran was actually watching the game video, replaying the clips of their confrontation over and over again, and asking the same question in his heart - why did they become like this?
The moon was high outside the window, its light filtering through the slits in the curtains, casting a long, thin shadow on the ground. Lin Yu sat in the darkness until dawn, then lay down. He closed his eyes, but his mind was filled with images of the game and Su Ran's face. The conflict between them was like a tangled thread, becoming increasingly tangled and impossible to untie.
What he didn't know was that this loss was only the beginning of their escalating conflict. In the days ahead, as the league progressed, they would face off more often, each encounter driving them further and further apart, their former friendship slowly eroding in the smoke of the esports arena.
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