58. After the game
The moment OT won the match, domestic public opinion exploded.
[Aaaaaaah, I'm crying!]
[A comeback from 0-2 to 3-2! I never even dared to imagine it!]
[Does anyone understand? My hands are shaking right now.]
I really didn't expect LPL to make it to the finals this year.
[I thought I was doomed, so I turned off the live stream.]
[They won??? I didn't even check, they won already?]
[Is this really necessary to be this exciting?!]
The commentator on stage was at a loss for words to describe his feelings. After praising OT's excellent teamwork, he suddenly mentioned Lin Jiang: "Throughout history, we have witnessed River's countless glorious moments. Today marks his third appearance in the World Finals. After three years, the veteran is still going strong, creating new glories! Let's wait and see! Let's witness a new milestone!"
This statement instantly reminded netizens, and countless people were pulled back to the days when LPL dominated the league.
Because of Lin Jiang, they have never worried about international competitions. Because of Lin Jiang, they can confidently stand in front of other regions and say without hesitation that LPL is the number one region.
Three years later, with the passage of time, Lin Jiang has once again made it to the finals, declaring to the world once more: I'm back.
Lin Jiang took off his headphones and walked alongside his teammates.
Despite being exhausted, they still maintained the demeanor of a great power.
They stepped into the spotlight, bowed to the audience in gratitude, and all their sweat and effort came to fruition at that moment.
This is Lin Jiang's third time reaching the finals!
[He won the previous two times!]
[Lin Jiang is amazing! He's almost 22, right? His skills are still so incredible!]
[Who still remembers Lin Jiang from back in the day? He struck fear into the hearts of every region, and I watched his matches every day!]
[Lin Jiang has never let me down over the years.]
[He even managed to pull OT back from its slump, what else does that prove?]
[That's how he brought KUG up back then!]
[Waaaaah, Lin Jiang is so cool for doing this for the team, why doesn't anyone understand him?]
[Now that I'm older, I increasingly feel that team-oriented players are truly worth watching. Players like Alike, who don't care about the consequences, make me so angry I could have a stroke after just a couple of games.]
When Lin Jiang's fighting style is mentioned, some strange voices emerge again: "[Lin Jiang's fighting style has changed in the last two years, and it's definitely not as entertaining as before.]"
Everyone refuted him—
[But this precisely shows that Lin Jiang has matured and has developed more diverse playing styles.]
[What do you mean it wasn't entertaining? Weren't today's three assassin games entertaining?!?!]
[Damn it, he's trying to show off, but it's still not entertaining.]
[Winning is the best form of entertainment; please be aware.]
The mid-laner with the highest win rate in the league—who needs entertainment? His record is the best entertainment!
Moreover, OT now represents not only themselves, but also the face of the entire LPL. If anyone dares to criticize them, all LPL netizens will stand up and tear them apart.
The pressure on OT, who had gained the privilege of not being sprayed, was greatly reduced, and Duren was finally able to get a good night's sleep. However, there was still a problem facing them: Shenju's hand injury.
After the semi-finals, Lin Jiang immediately took Shen Ju to the hospital for examinations, X-rays, consultations, and medication. The whole process took until almost dawn.
Duren told them to go back to sleep while he stayed to keep watch, but Lin Jiang refused. He told the other contestants to go back, and he stayed with Shen Ju until the entire process was completed.
Seeing Lin Jiang guarding the film, Du Lun couldn't help but wonder, "Aren't Lin Jiang and Shen Ju getting along a little too well?"
Li Qian smiled without saying a word. He squinted at Shen Ju, who was peeking into the ward at Lin Jiang, and his eyes gradually became ambiguous. "Shen Ju is indeed a lovable child when he's well-behaved. It's not Lin Jiang's fault."
Duren initially didn't think there was anything wrong with what he said, but after taking a drag of his cigarette, he suddenly realized, "Huh? You mean?"
Li Qian didn't explain. He finished his cigarette, got up, and left, saying, "Let's go, I won't be a third wheel."
Since he had said that, Duren had even less reason to stay. He sent a message to Lin Jiang and left with Li Qian.
As he walked, Duren became increasingly suspicious and noticed many clues. No wonder Lin Jiang came to OT, no wonder Shen Ju became so obedient when he saw Lin Jiang. How come he hadn't noticed this before...
If we had discovered it sooner, we wouldn't have had to worry about them fighting all the time.
Thinking about this, Duren couldn't help but laugh. He asked Li Qian, "How did you find out?"
As a seasoned veteran in the dating scene, Li Qian had a keen eye for this. "Didn't you notice how obvious Shen Ju's gaze was towards Lin Jiang? I know Lin Jiang; he's very good at avoiding suspicion. If he really didn't like Shen Ju, he would definitely find an opportunity to make things clear to him. Since he's condoning it, it proves that there's an element of tacit approval involved."
From the day he stepped into OT, he may have already realized that Shen Ju's gaze towards him was not innocent. He did not stop it, nor did he stifle it, but let the love grow and eventually grow into the way he wanted it to be.
In Li Qian's mind, Lin Jiang was a cunning old fox. He knew exactly what he wanted and how to get it.
This applies to both the sports field and personal relationships.
...
In the other ward, the little dog finally met his owner. He happily got up to greet him, and was greeted with a tight hug.
Shen Ju was almost suffocated by his embrace, and his head, which was sticking out, flew across the screen with a question mark: ?
"What's wrong? Is it serious?"
Lin Jiang shook his head, pinned him against the door, his embrace so tight it was almost suffocating, yet his hands still gently cradled the back of his head. "It's okay, nothing serious, don't worry, I just wanted to hug you."
It seemed like this was the first time Shen Ju had ever heard Lin Jiang speak sweet words, and his heart was pounding with excitement.
His ears turned slightly red as he leaned against Lin Jiang, enjoying the suffocating feeling the other gave him. This kind of strength made him feel satisfied and that Lin Jiang needed him. "Actually, I was secretly watching you the whole time. I was afraid you would leave me, but you didn't leave. You stayed with me and didn't go anywhere."
Lin Jiang laughed, ruffled the puppy's hair, and said softly, "I won't leave you alone in the hospital."
Hearing this, Shen Ju's eyes also reddened. He buried his head deeper and hugged Lin Jiang tighter. He really liked him so much, so much that he wanted to hug him like this forever.
"Lin Jiang, I want to kiss you."
Lin Jiang usually refuses such unreasonable requests, or he looks around to see if there are any other people before deciding whether to agree.
But Lin Jiang didn't want to think about that today.
He pinned Shenju against the wall and gave him a deep kiss. How deep? So deep that Shenju felt his very soul, curled up inside his body, was touched, leaving him nowhere to hide or escape.
The kiss ended, but Shenju was far from satisfied.
He wrapped his arms around Lin Jiang's waist, his voice hoarse, "Lin Jiang, I want it, is that okay?"
Lin Jiang lowered his head and laughed. His voice was so gentle, and his laughter made people feel all tingly and happy. They wanted to pull him into their arms and take him away. "That won't do. Okay, it's time to prepare for the finals. Once we win the championship, I'll make our relationship public. You can move into my apartment from now on. You can have as much as you want then."
You can have as much as you want?
No one knows how much impact those words had on Shen Ju.
He pulled Lin Jiang into his arms, squeezing him until he felt like he was crumbling, trying to calm himself down. "Okay, but I need to explain to myself. My desire to win the championship with you has nothing to do with that. I just feel like I'd die of regret if I didn't win it with you, not because of that..."
Lin Jiang was held tightly in the puppy's arms. He patted the puppy's arm and said, "Okay, let go now."
After letting go, Shen Ju regretted it a little. He followed behind Lin Jiang, couldn't help but grab his hand, and whispered in his ear, "But you have to keep your promise to me."
Lin Jiang teased him, "Didn't you just say it wasn't because of this kind of thing?"
Shen Ju retorted, "They're different. That was my ideal, this is a reward you gave me." He leaned against Lin Jiang, feeling wronged, and said, "Oh no, I can't calm down, all I can think about is that sentence... Lin Jiang, you're definitely doing this on purpose, you just want to see me suffer, you're such a wicked person..."
Lin Jiang laughed. The puppy kept sticking to him, demanding an explanation, and its commotion actually made the atmosphere more lively.
He looked at the sky outside, where the morning light was breaking, enjoying the carefree and unrestrained feeling, and thought to himself, "People really do have to live a little wildly to experience true happiness."
The two returned to the team, tacitly keeping a distance from each other, while their teammates inquired about their hand injuries with concern.
Lin Jiang reluctantly told them the result: "The doctor said that he can't train for the next few days. Let him rest for a couple of days and see how things go. There's nothing seriously wrong, but if he doesn't rest properly, it will still affect the finals."
In other words, there is still a significant risk.
Li Qian thought, "It's okay, let him rest. He's so adaptable, missing a day or two of training won't affect him much."
Lin Jiang nodded, he thought so too, "Then, Shen Ju, do you have any objections to our arrangements?"
Shen Ju frowned. He was definitely not satisfied, but he couldn't say it in front of Lin Jiang, so he could only mutter an "uh-huh" and agree reluctantly.
After Lin Jiang left, he found Li Qian again and asked, "Am I really not allowed to play in the training matches? I think I can still keep going. Even if it's just one match a day, you should still schedule it, right?"
Li Qian deliberately replied, "Okay, go tell Lin Jiang. If he agrees, I agree too."
Shen Ju felt extremely uncomfortable under his gaze. "Can't you talk to him for me? Or arrange it for me secretly?"
Li Qian shook his head without thinking. As if he had thought of something, he said with a hint of fear, "I wouldn't dare. If Lin Jiang finds out, he'll tear me apart. If you want to say something, go and say it yourself."
A question mark slowly appeared in Shen Ju's mind: ?
Is Lin Jiang really that fierce? In his heart, Lin Jiang is always gentle and tolerant. Is he really that scary?
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