Chapter 1
"Cold God! Cold God! Cold God!"
As the decisive match point approached, the frenzied roar of the fans in the stands nearly lifted the stadium's dome.
In just three years since its founding, LSG has become a legend in the esports world, and together with the MOBA game "Tianyao", it has become a symbol of the times.
Captain Froster, affectionately known as "Cold God" by fans, is the core of this legendary team, playing the support role and serving as the team's strategist.
In its first year, it fought its way from the secondary league to the summer season finals, sweeping across major domestic competitions.
The following year, he represented his country in the World Championships and won his country's first runner-up title.
Then came this year, with the LSG team showing strong momentum in the group stage, aiming straight for the world championship, crushing their way into the finals.
Everyone believed that LSG would bring their country its first-ever championship at this year's World Championship.
"So far, the two sides have been trading blows, with very few kills and little economic advantage. Now that the Elder Dragon is about to spawn, this inevitable team fight will likely tip the scales of victory!"
The narrator's speaking speed also increased, indicating the urgency of the battle situation.
"As we all know, LSG's forte is 5v5 dragon fights. Under the leadership of tactical mastermind Froster, they often manage to turn the tide here. I wonder if Coldzera can seize this opportunity today..."
The LSG players' bench was covered by thick soundproof glass, so the players couldn't hear the exciting scene outside. Instead, everyone had a serious expression on their face.
Large beads of sweat slid down Leng Zhi's forehead, but he remained calm and directed the operation. His right hand swiftly tapped the panel to check his teammates' skill status, and as usual, he deployed tactics based on a detailed pre-match analysis of the opponents.
He remained calm and composed in the broadcast footage, though he appeared to be sweating a little more.
A sharp pain shot through his left hand joint, almost blurring his vision.
Leng Zhi knew very well that if it weren't for his limited skills, this match wouldn't have lasted this long. And because of his hand injury, the upcoming team fights were likely to be very difficult.
But no one on the LSG team chose to give up; they displayed an almost unbelievable level of teamwork on the world stage.
However, in top-level competitions, the opponents are also of a similarly high level, and the inconsistent performance of the support role became LSG's fatal flaw.
LSG lost.
As their own crystal was destroyed with its last sliver of health, a torrent of criticism erupted online, and the forums were flooded with posts filled with arguments.
[This time, KW team has ended their reign!]
[Froster really deserves the blame for that last team fight. His initiation was in such a good position, yet his crowd control failed to follow up?]
[Even if my grandma came, she'd play better than Froster this time!]
...
After the awards ceremony, the LSG team was surrounded by reporters from various countries as they left the stage. The sound of camera shutters clicking was constant, and countless microphones were handed to them.
Finally, a Chinese reporter squeezed to the front, using his language advantage and loud voice to overpower his colleagues:
Is it true that Coldzera has a hand injury? Will this be LSG's last summer? Why couldn't Coldzera keep up with the crowd control in the last team fight?
This barrage of questions silenced the room—it was certainly not the kind of question a conscientious media outlet would ask.
The media cameras immediately turned and focused on the young man with white hair.
He has striking features, fair skin, and a head of eye-catching white hair. If he wore light-colored contact lenses, he could probably cosplay as an elf prince.
Fans often say that if Leng Zhi's poisonous mouth were sealed, he could even enter the entertainment industry.
But at this moment, the Poison Man's words had lost their former power. He lowered his eyelashes, making it impossible to see the expression in his eyes, and simply uttered four words: "No comment," before hurriedly leading everyone away.
The entire LSG team avoided answering any questions related to the hand injury, which only fueled the doubts. An hour later, the trending topic "Froster hand injury" surged to number one.
The news of Leng Zhi's retirement was kept under wraps until a month after the competition before it was officially announced. During that month, several teammates refused to believe it and took Leng Zhi to see all the famous sports rehabilitation doctors in China before they finally accepted this outcome.
This news shocked the entire e-sports community, with many speculating that Leng Zhi had resigned to take responsibility, and that the loss of the world championship was entirely his fault. Fans felt sorry for him, while haters booed him loudly.
-
Leng Zhi woke up.
Before me stretched a wide meadow, surrounded by tall trees. Children ran wildly, followed by their panting parents, while sweet young couples strolled side by side, and elderly people walked leisurely.
This is the central park in S City, very close to my home. Leng Zhi often comes here for a walk in his spare time—but definitely not now.
He remembers clearly that he was leaning on the sofa at home before he fell asleep, but when he opened his eyes, he was on a park bench.
Could it be that my hand is damaged, and my brain is damaged too? It seems I need to go home and make an appointment with the doctor for a full physical examination.
Leng Zhi calmed himself down and prepared to go home first.
As soon as he stood up, he felt someone grab his sleeve, followed by a child's sweet, childish voice: "Daddy, where are you going?"
Leng Zhi turned his head and saw a beautifully sculpted child clutching his shirt sleeves tightly with both hands.
"Play with me when you wake up!" The little guy seemed to have been waiting for a long time, looking at Leng Zhi with an expectant expression.
Leng Zhi: "Kid, where are your parents?"
He turned his head, searching for people nearby who looked like the parents of the brat—he selectively ignored the child's loud cry of "Dad."
The people coming and going around him either looked like students or had hair that was even whiter than his dyed white hair; none of them matched the boy's appearance.
To everyone's surprise, the child blinked his big eyes, pointed at Leng Zhi, and said, "There's no mother, it's father and father!"
He tilted his head and added, "Dad, play with me, you promised!"
Leng Zhi: Who's your father...?
The child is still young and doesn't look like he's even received his kindergarten diploma yet; you can't really explain things to him.
The idea that there could be no father-son bond between him, an old bachelor, was too advanced for the child.
Leng Zhi said in a low voice, "You brat, don't go around calling me 'dad.' Calling me 'dad' won't get you to play. I'm going home now. Let go, go find your real dad to play with you."
The child didn't hear a word: "Dad!"
Leng Zhi tried to threaten, "If you keep holding on, I'm going to beat you up."
"dad--"
The child was fair-skinned and tender, with soft, black hair that lay flat against the skin. Coupled with those soft, sweet voices at the end of sentences, anyone who saw the child would feel their heart melt.
After several such exchanges, passersby turned their heads to look, and Leng Zhi felt his ears burning from being stared at.
An old man passing by shook his head: "Young people these days are really heartless."
The young mother with her baby covered the baby's eyes, speaking very softly, but Leng Zhi had good hearing: "Don't look, little one, it's a bad uncle!"
There was also a little girl, whose parents I don't know, staring wide-eyed at the two of them, then she took off running back to her father's arms, her screams audible from afar: "Daddy, there's a kidnapper!"
"Nonsense, that's someone's dad playing a game with him."
Leng Zhi: "..."
Finally, Leng Zhi surrendered. He gritted his teeth, picked up the child, and strode forward.
Central Park is the largest urban park in S City, with complete facilities. There is even a police station inside. Lost children are often brought here, and the confused parents are summoned through the park's public address system.
"Squeak—"
In the police station, Officer Li was dozing off when the sudden sound of the door being pushed open startled him. He quickly stood up and said, "Hello, how can I help you..."
A young man with dark hair walked in. He had fair skin and handsome features that made him stand out. In his arms was a similarly good-looking child, who was nestled on the young man's shoulder, playing with the stray hairs behind his ear.
It was obvious that he had found a lost child. Officer Li showed a look of deep agreement, thinking to himself, "This handsome guy is not only handsome but also kind-hearted. He not only found the child and called the police, but also helped to take him to the police station. And he even carried him here."
A rare and promising young pillar of society!
Leng Zhi's face was dark; he had no idea what Officer Li was thinking.
This little devil, I don't know whose family spoiled him, was quiet in his arms at first, but as soon as he landed, he stared with his round eyes and grinned: "Hug me!"
The child seemed to enjoy being picked up and put down, and found some kind of fun in it.
So along the way, he kept going back and forth between "I want to be carried!" and "I want to get down."
This was the first time Leng Zhi had faced a child of this age, and he couldn't bring himself to abandon the child.
He just wanted to ask the park's designers why it was so far from the police station!
I have a hand injury! I carried such a big child all the way; what if it got worse?
He was completely unaware that with such a severe hand injury, it was impossible for him to carry a child for a whole day without feeling any pain or itching.
"Officer, I found this child on the other side of the lawn, but I couldn't find his parents."
Officer Li skillfully took out the facial recognition machine: "Okay, please register, I'll do a facial recognition for the child."
As Officer Li spoke, he reached out to take the child from Leng Zhi's arms.
To everyone's surprise, the child wouldn't let go and managed to grab two strands of Leng Zhi's hair. The latter gasped in pain, looking at the two black hairs in his little hand with a puzzled expression.
Wasn't this white hair just touched up last week? How come there's still black hair? Has Tony the hairdresser at the salon gotten worse? A subtle sense of foreboding rose in Leng Zhi's heart.
"drop--"
With a facial recognition sound, the monitor in front of him displayed the child's identity information.
"Jiang Mingzhe, 5 years old..." Officer Li read the child's name aloud, then skillfully turned on the park's public address system:
"The following is a missing person notice. Parents of Jiang Mingzhe, please come to the Central Park Police Station to claim your child."
The broadcast was repeated three times, and the more Leng Zhi listened, the more familiar it sounded.
He remembered that a few days ago, Zou Shu's younger sister, who was in junior high school, was taken to the base for a stroll.
The little girl was very outgoing and would always pester Leng Zhi to share the novels she was currently reading.
Zou Shu teased him, saying that his sister was more affectionate with handsome men than with her own brother.
This novel is about variety shows in the entertainment industry. He didn't listen to the details too carefully, but there was a supporting character named Jiang Mingzhe.
Even more coincidentally, the father of that supporting character's child is also named Leng Zhi.
The little girl was holding Leng Zhi's shoulder, her expression serious.
"Brother Leng, when you encounter someone with the same name, don't forget the content of the novel. It might come in very handy if you transmigrate into the book someday."
"Sir, please register here. You can just scan your face." Officer Li turned the facial recognition machine towards Leng Zhi.
Jiang Mingzhe was placed on a chair behind the desk, staring at the computer screen.
Leng Zhi's ears were thus given a brief respite, and he calmly turned to the facial scanner.
"drop--"
Leng Zhi: Who is this?
The camera feed showed an unfamiliar face with soft black hair hanging down his forehead, but it couldn't hide the disbelief in his eyes.
Although the facial features are similar to one's own, this is definitely a completely different person.
Before he could say anything, the machine had already recognized the information:
Leng Zhi, 20 years old, married.
The name is correct, but the age has decreased by two years, and the word "married" is even more puzzling.
The League's brightest star, Froster, the Cold God, is now frozen into a stone statue.
Officer Li had no idea what kind of turmoil Leng Zhi was going through: "Mr. Leng, the registration is complete, you can go now... But this child seems to like you, if you want to stay with him for a while, you can."
As he spoke, he calmly took the mouse from Jiang Mingzhe's hand and skillfully shut down the computer.
If he had been any later, Jiang Mingzhe's curious little hands would have dragged all his work files into the recycle bin!
Sure enough, the child was quiet; he must be up to no good.
Officer Li said sincerely, "Stay with him for a while, Mr. Leng."
It's definitely not because he doesn't want to be tormented by children.
However, Mr. Leng didn't listen to what he was saying at all.
Leng Zhi took a deep breath; he now had a bold guess:
"What's your father's name?"
"My eldest father's name is Jiang Yijing!"
Jiang Mingzhe's loud voice echoed in the office, and his gaze toward Leng Zhi revealed three parts confusion and seven parts bewilderment.
Why did Dad ask my dad's name? Could it be... he's an idiot!
Leng Zhi slowly closed his eyes.
That's right, that's the name, Jiang Yijing, the CEO from that novel.
It's now confirmed that he transmigrated into the book, the one the little sister mentioned.
He is Jiang Mingzhe's real stepfather, the cannon fodder male supporting character with the same name.
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