How are they? Are they doing well? What happened to them? Lin Feng found himself thinking about his old teammates a lot these days. Heâd lay awake in bed at night, wondering about them. But just like he had with Tian Tian, heâd been the one to cut contact and ghost them. He had no idea what they were up to through his choices, his actions. In his calls with Tian Tian, they laughed and joked and talked about Worlds. He went along with it. They were good moments. But what he really wanted was to ask about his old teammates. Tian Tian would have the answers for him. However, it was a lot more difficult to ask this question than heâd expected. The words were on the tip of his tongue. He wanted to say them. He wanted to know how they were doing! But every time he opened his mouth to ask the question, the words refused to come out. He was afraid of what Tian Tian might say if he brought the topic up.
I ignored their calls. That was all me. Lin Feng wanted to talk to his old teammates again, if only to hear their voices one more time. He wanted to know that they were doing alright! But he didnât know how to get back in touch, how he could face them again. Even over a phone call. Even the simple question of, âHow are you?â felt like a monumental task. Back in Season 1, when they were on the same team, he counted on them to have his back and they counted on him to have their back. And then he walked away. He left them behind and didnât even look back. Through their shouts. Through their frantic and worried calls. Through everything they tried to find out what was going on with him, he left. He broke the one sacred rule. He didnât have their back.
I betrayed them⌠Lin Feng hated himself for it. He wanted to kick himself, curse in the mirror, or steal that one Delorean from that crazy kid and old man. Instead of sharing the cup of sorrow and letting his friends support him, like he wouldâve for them, he ran away. Away from them and away from his problems. He bit his lips and looked down at the ground. I betrayed them⌠Heâd tried to justify his actions. To come with an argument for why what heâd done was the right thing. But the harsh reality was that there was no argument. No justification. Nothing that could support his actions. Heâd broken The Bro Code. Heâd done the one thing no one should ever do. Heâd turned his back on his friends and those who cared about him. I betrayed them.
Why⌠Why? Lin Feng knew that what heâd done was selfish. He was the most selfish person to ever walk this Earth! Yet when he reconnected with Tian Tian, when they heard each othersâ voices for the first time in four years, Tian Tian wasnât mad at him. Tian Tian was just happy to hear his voice again. Why didnât he call me out? Why wasnât he angry? Lin Feng didnât know how to react to the fact that Tian Tian wasnât mad at him. The guilt in his heart only grew stronger and so did the intense self-loathing. He was just holding back. Heâs probably afraid Iâll run away again if he says something. He knew it! What heâd done was unforgivable! Tian Tian had to be mad at him! Lin Feng genuinely believed he deserved to get yelled at, ripped a new asshole. From one bro to the other. It needed to be said! Heâd feel so much better! But the question was if it would make Tian Tian feel better. He didnât know if it would. It didnât seem like it. From what heâd noticed so far, Tian Tian was just happy to have his old friend back.
Lin Feng breathed in, deep and long, and then let it all out. He forced a smile and looked back up at his computer screen. His hands, that were below the desk, balled into two fists. Itâs time I stop being such a whiny baby! I made my choice! I have to face the consequences. Whatever they are. Next time I call with Fatty, Iâll ask him about the others. I will! I WILL!
ăwtf is wrong with lil bro?????????ă
ăHe looks hella outa it mană
ăDID THE MAID POISON HIM??!??!ă
ăhey lil bro you ok bud? you look kinda pale? maybe lay down a bit?ă
ăYO MAID go take care of lil bro!!!!ă
ăIâd also feel sick after eating so much⌠Did you guys see the pile of food he worked away???ă
Su Xue turned to look at Lin Feng. His face was pale and he looked like heâd just puked. She placed her hand over his forehead and asked, âAre you ok? Is something wrong? Donât tell me you caught a fever. I told you to put warmer clothes on! Itâs getting cold at night. You have to be more careful with your health!â
ăGo to bed, lil bro! Youâll feel better in the morning!ă
ăItâs already the middle of the night, man! We get it. Just get some sleep.ă
ădonât worry about us⌠weâll survive another evening with the maidâŚ. if we have toă
ăIâm already putting cheese in my ears for protection!!!!ă
Lin Feng scratched the back of his head and then smiled at the camera. âOh, Iâm fine. Donât worry about me! I was just lost in thought for a bit there. Thanks for the concern, but Iâm really fine!â
Su Xue flicked Lin Fengâs ear. âOi! Thatâs all? You had me worried here for nothing! Why would you do that to me?â Then she ruffled his hair and turned back to the chat. Her eyes narrowed. They locked down on a specific kind of comment. There were many in the chat that thought they were being funny. âWhere is the cheese in the ears guy? Step out! Show yourself! Let me ban you out of this channel! My voice is angelic! Screw you all!â
ăCheese in the ears? Who said that? I didnât hear anything about that. Did you guys?ă
ăno no, me neitherâŚ. Maybe sheâs seeing things again!ă
ăhey look! the next match is starting!!!! ITâS DUST!!! LEZZ GOOOOOă
ăOhhhhh h its duusstttttt!!!! GO DUST! GO DUST! WINN!!!!ă
The previous three games of the day were exciting, to an extent. But none of them had really grabbed the attention of the viewers. They were all games between other regions. This next game, on the other hand, featured Dust! The third team from the LPL after Hand of God and KG! It wasnât going great for Dust. They were in a group with two Korean teams and had ended Week 1, as could be expected, with one win and two losses. They were on the brink of being knocked out. The only way to stay in it was to beat at least one of the Korean teams. They had to! For their fans! And then the viewers saw who Dust was up against in the first game. All hope was gone. This game was lost. Dust could never win against SSK. No one could.
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All across the world, Chinese fans gave up. There were even those who turned the stream off and went about finishing their homework or focusing on their job. Anything was better than watching Dust getting their ass handed to them by SSK. There were a lot of strong teams and most of them could face off against each other for a match that could, in theory, go either way. But there were exceptions. SSK was one of them. With a King and the number one player in the world, they were a force no one could beat. All hope was lost if you had to play against them. It didnât matter how people tried to spin it. Dust would lose. There wasnât a single doubt in their minds.
SSK had it all. The number one player in the world. There wasnât anyone who could even get close to shaking his position, not even the other three Emperors! Then there was the King. Another phenomenal player. The other three players that rounded out the team couldnât be looked down on either. They were all at the top of their game and played together with absolute perfect synergy. Leading this group of freaks was a famous veteran coach and a strong team of analysts. They were the perfect team.
Lin Feng saw the matchup and directly said, âDust is going to lose this match.â There was no hesitation in his voice, no second to think about it. He didnât even consider Dust winning the game. It was too ridiculous an idea, even in his mind.
The game played out as anyone wouldâve expected. Lin Feng gave some good analytical insight, but there was no need to build up the hype. There was no hype to this game. SSK played a clean game. At 25 minutes, theyâd destroyed two inhibitors and gotten a 9,000 gold advantage. This was something no one could come back from. In the last three minutes of the game, SSK just had a little fun. They ran around the map, looking to pick up kills and even going so far as to camp Dust on their fountain, letting the Nexus survive for a few extra seconds.
Rake was the MVP of the game. His Xerath ended the game with a score of 11/0/6. Heâd made full use of the long range of Xerath to shoot down the players from Dust even when they were hiding underneath their own towers. No one was safe from him. It was a display of absolute domination! The strength of the Emperor!
ă... hows anyone supposed to beat himă
ăthis was fucking hopelessâŚ...ă
ădust got crushed and left in the dustă
ăOOFF that was hard to watchă
ăLetâs give Dust a big F, guys!ă
Su Xue knew, just like the others, that Dust was going to lose. But there was a big difference between losing and whatever this game was. Dust got stomped so hard that she wasnât angry with them. She just felt bad for them. âJeez! That Xerath was way too good. Right, guys?â
Lin Feng didnât say a word. Heâd reverted to his quiet self, staring at the screen, staring at that one name. Rake. Heâs stronger. The Rake that Lin Feng had just watched was so much better than the one he remembered from Season 1 that there really was no comparing the two. If he were to face off against this Rake, heâd lose miserably. It wouldnât even be a game. He dug his nails into his palm and bit down hard on his lips. It was hard to admit. He really didnât want to admit it. But it was also the truth. He was the second-fiddle. There was no beating this guy, not right now at least.
I have to become strong! I have to fight! Lin Feng stopped worrying and instead redirected that emotion into motivation. Rake was strong. But he was also really good at the game! He just lacked training. Rake had four years on him on that front. So he had to work hard and catch up. His breathing calmed down. I will. He came to the decision he shouldâve come to a long, long time ago.