Chapter 7 – The Interview
Enter the game. Clear chooses Jia Luo for the mid lane, collaborating with Zhang Liang’s Lan Ling Wang and Mingshi Yin to successfully steal Pei Qin Hu’s blue buff. They then return to the bottom lane to clear minions before embarking on a journey to invade the enemy’s red jungle and rotate between the mid and bottom lanes.
The economy is rapidly growing.
As the second blue buff of the enemy team respawns, the four members of TG rush to secure it.
Pei Qin Hu: …
I have never been so speechless in my life.
There wasn’t much confrontation between the two sides in the early game until eight minutes into the match when a significant team fight ensued.
Jia Luo secures the first blood against the enemy top laner, Guan Yu.
The audience cheers in response.
Afterwards, DW’s mage jungler relentlessly attempts to catch Jia Luo, but Zhang Liang and Mingshi Yin are almost always by his side. Additionally, Lan Ling Wang appears mysteriously, resulting in failed attempts to catch Jia Luo.
They have been protecting Cheng Che exceptionally well.
At the ten-minute mark, Clear’s economy reaches 8,700 gold, nearly 2,000 gold higher than the enemy team’s highest economy.
Although Jia Luo’s item build isn’t complete, his damage output is already considerable, even without six fully built items.
It can be said that whoever tries to catch him will meet their demise.
With Friends Liu Bang split-pushing, Lava’s Lan Ling Wang providing stealth vision, Lian Rong’s Zhang Liang controlling the enemy assassins, Clear’s Jia Luo dealing damage, and Qi Xi’s Mingshi Yin protecting Jia Luo, this lineup can be considered perfect under favorable conditions.
Commentator A: “Hasn’t DW sent anyone to counter Jia Luo? This isn’t a viable strategy!”
Commentator B: “Anyone who tries to catch him will die. How can you counter that?”
Commentator A: “Then they should slow down the pace a bit and focus on farming first.”
The core of the Pig Farming strategy is to leverage the economic advantage to swiftly take down towers and secure victory without allowing the enemy to farm.
Cheng Che deeply understands this principle.
“Liu Bang, head to the top lane and aim to take down the second tower. The rest of you, come with me to secure the Dragon.”
After successfully securing the Baron, they push forward with the Baron minions. Cheng Che, accompanied by Zhang Liang and Mingshi Yin, engages in a skirmish with DW’s five players near the tier 2 tower in the bottom lane.
Liu Bang utilizes his ultimate ability, and Lan Ling Wang arrives just in time.
DW loses three players in exchange for one, causing Pei Qin Hu and Da Qiao to retreat to the fountain for healing.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, TG successfully brings down DW’s bottom high ground and subsequently retreats.
Cheng Che blinks and asks, “Why don’t we just push directly?”
Everyone: ???
Silly child… Lian Rong clears his throat and says, “It’s too early for the next Baron. By the time we reach it, they will have respawned.”
“Now, with an 8,000 gold lead, are we afraid?”
Clear took control of Jia Luo and secured the enemy blue buff, awakening the dreaming individuals.
Qi Xi said, “That’s right…”
You Peng and Lava were speechless.
It’s not that they were foolish or slow to react… mainly, they had been losing three games in a row and were prepared to break the jar. In this situation, Clear carried them along for three games, creating inertia in their thinking:
“Don’t think too much, just watch Clear’s show.”
Indeed, Clear was quite impressive.
However, it could also be because he was a newcomer. The opponents were unaware of his playstyle and hero pool, allowing him to be so arrogant.
Lava believed in the latter, although deep down, he found the former more believable.
The members of the TG team who caught on immediately followed Clear’s Jia Luo and aggressively pushed forward. They blocked gods and killed demons. DW, next to their own crystal, fell victim to Clear’s pentakill.
The crowd erupted in thunderous applause, which lasted for a long time.
“Pentakill! He got another pentakill!! Clear is amazing!!”
“Clear is carrying the entire game! Let’s congratulate TG for defeating DW in a 3-4 comeback and successfully advancing to the finals of the 2018 Spring Season!!!”
The two commentators excitedly announced TG’s victory. Amidst the cheers and screams, the director once again focused the camera on TG’s substitute marksman.
The young boy had a calm expression, and his seemingly indifferent demeanor gave the impression that this victory was not achieved because of him.
[“The Master’s Exclusive Poker Face”]
[“Brothers, don’t you understand? Bet against the odds, the villa is by the sea.”]
[“Thank you, Clear. I’ve earned a fortune with my 1:13 bet coins.”]
According to the rules, the winners had to shake hands with their opponents.
Cheng Che shook hands with them expressionlessly.
Everyone: ???
After the TG team members left, DW’s jungler, Tian Fa, asked their mid laner, “Wasn’t Clear supposed to stutter? Why does he look expressionless?”
Mid laner Tian Li shook his head, “I don’t know, maybe it was just a rumor. You can’t trust hearsay.”
“Oh.”
They bowed to the audience together, left the stage, and Cheng Che completed all the procedures before returning to the rest area to retrieve his phone. However, he was stopped by Coach T.
“Co-coach, is there… something you need?” Cheng Che asked in confusion.
In theory, Coach T was not the type to be bothersome. If Cheng Che didn’t bring it up, he probably wouldn’t try to keep him.
Coach T nodded, “They specifically requested you for the post-match interview. Could you please go there for a bit?”
Well… Cheng Che nodded.
“Let Lian Rong accompany you. He’s better at speaking and can help you answer some questions.”
“Okay.”
…
Everyone watching Clear’s interview in the official live stream room realized that he wasn’t very tall.
The host, Ahua, was about 1.68 meters tall with shoes on, and Clear was only slightly taller, estimated at around 1.7 meters. Lian Rong was 1.8 meters tall, nearly half a head taller than him.
However, even though he was short, he exuded a solid temperament.
Cheng Che was dressed in a plain white team uniform with black pants and white shoes. He didn’t wear any luxury items, but for some reason, he emanated an air of elegance.
It was the innate elegance that radiated from his temperament.
…Only peonies truly exhibit the beauty of our nation, blossoming in the season and captivating the capital.
[“After seeing Clear’s height, I don’t know whether to call him ‘little brother’ or ‘husband.'”]
[“Lian Shen, my husband!”]
[“Haha, the more I look at Clear, the more I feel he’s both adorable and fierce.”]
[“Still observing…”]
During the interview, the beautiful host’s first question was quite tricky: “Clear, what are your thoughts on winning this game?”
Cheng Che didn’t like this question and nodded casually, saying, “The opponents lost.”
DW: ??? Don’t poke us!
The beautiful host was speechless for a moment.
But she had to continue asking, “In the last game, why didn’t you use the Qiao Li combination?”
Cheng Che sneered, “They… they need to pay.”
The host looked confused for about ten seconds.
[“What my husband means is: Don’t beat around the bush.”]
[“If you want to know the core strategy, you have to pay for it.”]
[“Judging solely from Clear’s innocent and well-behaved appearance, I never expected his mouth to be so sharp, haha.”]
The third question: “I noticed that you used different marksmen in all four games, and each one was incredibly strong. Can you tell us which hero you think was the best?”
Cheng Che pondered and replied, “Xiong Da.”
Seeing her apparent lack of understanding, he added, “Xiong Er… works too.”
Ahua: “Can’t you give a normal answer, Clear?”
“…”
Cheng Che remained silent.
The live chat was filled with laughter.
Should Lian Rong help him answer some questions? Lian Rong wondered if the coach misunderstood Clear.
Can’t he handle all the questions by himself?
As a result, they changed the male host in the live stream room.
This unprecedented situation was truly unbelievable and extraordinary.
The male host said, “When Clear was sent to the field after his team was down 0-3, he turned the tide and led the team to victory. This kind of behavior is called…rising to the occasion in the face of defeat…Clear, it’s your turn.”
Cheng Che, who hadn’t finished his sophomore year, looked a bit embarrassed and glanced at Lian Rong beside him.
Lian Rong shrugged: I dropped out in eighth grade.
Tsk, he couldn’t rely on him at crucial moments…
Cheng Che bit his lip, trying to recall the few Chinese language textbooks he had studied, finally finding the answer in fragmented memories, “Parallel, perished…between…between the slots?”
Host: Emmm…
Although it sounded a bit ridiculous, it could still be understood that way.
The host adjusted his mindset and said, “Haha, it sounds smooth when you read it like that, but the original phrase is ‘obeying orders in times of danger.’ Do you remember it?”
Cheng Che: “Yes.”
Lian Rong: “Learned something.”
[“Sorry, we embarrassed ourselves.””]
[“Welcome to the educational segment, “Enlightening KPL.””]
[“Clear is so cute and well-behaved.”]
[“Lian Shen: It feels like playing house with a child.”]
During Cheng Che’s first appearance, unbeknownst to him, he had already gained quite a number of fangirls, both technical and older sisters.
It’s cause for celebration.
After this round of banter, the host finally asked a question: “Clear, who impressed you the most among your opponents?”
This was something he could talk about… Cheng Che cooperatively answered, “Tian Fa.”
“Why?”
As expected, he knew she would ask this. Cheng Che replied with an expression of anticipation, “B-because he always c-comes… with double buff… to gank me.”
…He gives me double buffs.
The host, who understood his underlying meaning, couldn’t help but suppress a laugh.
Lian Rong pretended to cough and covered his mouth, silently laughing.
“One last question, as the grand finals are approaching, is there anything you’d like to say to your future opponents?”
Cheng Che: “If you don’t study today, you’ll become trash tomorrow.” (Note: “Bushi” is a colloquial expression meaning “not” or “no.”)
Cheng Che, who had maintained a blank expression throughout, showed a subtle change on his face upon hearing this question, making it difficult to discern his emotions.
[“I have a bad feeling. I feel like Clear is about to unleash something big.”]
[“What should we do, sisters? I’m so anxious!”]
[“Doesn’t he think he can just turn around and leave without answering?”]
[“I’m starting to not understand. No, I need to catch up on my studies and get to know Clear better.”]
“Clear?”
After waiting for him to remain silent for a while, the host tentatively called out to him.
Cheng Che smiled faintly and said, “The grand finals have nothing to do with me, and there are no future opponents… My contract with TG is about to expire, and I will become a free agent. Thank you.”
The barrage of comments: ?
Host & Lian Rong: ??
Backstage, Zhang Hui and other members of the TG team: ??
Everyone had many question marks.
After finishing his statement, Cheng Che handed the microphone back to the host and left the stage swiftly and decisively.
Author’s note:
【Mini Theater】
Lin Xingling: Doesn’t stutter during matches, doesn’t stutter during critical moments, doesn’t stutter when confronting others—I don’t understand the significance of this stuttering character setting.
Author: Heh.
Cheng Che: Ca-captain… help… help me.
Lin Xingling: Good, call me “husband.”
Cheng Che: Hu-husband… uh…
Lin Xingling, deceased.
Cause of death: Excessive blood loss.