League of Legends: League of Unknowns

“How can that be? How could he miss one subject?” asked Li Meiqi, horrified.

“It’s because of this.”

Li Yun gestured to the man in question who was lying on the bed.

“His liver illness?” asked Li Meiqi.

“Yes. That was the first time it flared up, and the pain was so bad that he couldn’t help but withdraw from the examination hall. And there was no retaking of papers during that era…” said Li Yun.

Li Meiqi’s heart wavered as she listened to the older woman talk.

Regret. It was definitely a lifetime regret.

By obtaining such high marks even after missing one subject, Yu Luocheng’s father had fully demonstrated just how lofty his passion for academics was. His talents were truly amazing, and he had really put so much effort into his studies.

With life becoming mediocre after missing out on this incredible opportunity, his regret only grew with each passing day as he became just one of many others in the sea of factory workers.

Li Meiqi was well aware that the reason she had a good life today was because her parents managed to be admitted into university back in their time, becoming one of the people in society who had good knowledge.

The people of this era probably didn’t understand how people back then had the idea of going to university so firmly rooted in their bones as the only way to achieve future success.

Yu Jing was similar to other fathers, and probably had even more regrets than most of them.

So when he had his first child, a son, he saw a dazzling hope within him!

Suddenly, work didn’t seem as tedious as it did before, because Yu Jing was aware that he had to work hard in order to create a better environment for his son’s future studies.

He needed to maintain his son’s health and make sure that he had enough nutrients. He couldn’t let his son get sick or let his body get weak, as this would affect his studies.

He had already been through a severe loss because of this once, and now he was determined not to let his son suffer the same fate.

He taught Yu Luocheng how to read and write from the young age of only three years old, and was delighted when he saw that his junior high results were good. He could clearly envision his son going to high school and then university.

He had just slowly started to let go of the regret that had been buried deep within him… and then, the bad news came…

Yu Luocheng wanted to give up on his studies to play e-sports professionally instead!

You couldn’t imagine how hard this blow was to Yu Jing. For more than ten years… he had nurtured his son for more than ten years… and now he decided to just walk away. How heartbroken would you feel as a father?

At that time, Yu Jing formed a perception in his mind…

Drugs, e-sports was no better than drugs!

Most parents had the same mindset of e-sports being like drugs, so they would tell their kids stay away from it.

You can’t touch it! You’ll get addicted, don’t play!

Study properly and don’t play games!

***

“Auntie, professional e-sports is not a game, it’s a competitive sport. It has the same honor as other sports, and it requires a lot of hard work and effort to gain glory,” said Li Meiqi, trying to change the perception of the older generation.

Li Yun shook her head, saying, “I know, but it’s useless. In Yu Jing’s eyes, it is an evil that has taken away his child.”

She paused and sighed.

“I know that Cheng’s heart isn’t in his studies, and I’m well aware of what he loves. His father is also aware, which is why he knows that it’s impossible to stop him from playing completely. That’s why he only forbade him from playing professionally. Because once Cheng does that, even his family becomes strangers to him…”

“Why?” asked Li Meiqi, not understanding how that could happen.

“I don’t understand either…” said Li Yun, shaking her head sadly.

Li Yun had seen the time when Yu Luocheng was crazy, a child who only had the computer screen in his eyes. She even couldn’t think of him as her child when he was like that.

“Is there no way to reconcile this contradiction? Yu Luocheng is really talented. He can reach unimaginable heights in this field, even our Dean has praised him,” said Li Mei, trying her best to convince Li Yun.

“I want to change Yu Jing’s perception too. I want him to understand that children can be outstanding in fields other than academics, but…” Li Yun choked on her words as she held back a sob, “But it’s up to the Heavens now to grant me the chance to persuade him again.”

***

Li Meiqi couldn’t remember even leaving the hospital. Yu Luocheng’s mother’s words were replaying over and over again in her head.

A strong-willed mother, determined to put on a smile no matter what, talking while trying to hold back her tears.

How many children’s souls have been crushed thanks to this deep-rooted belief the older generation had? What kind of career do you expect soulless people to have?

And how many families have had their happiness taken away by illnesses? If Yu Jing were to pass away from this, would Yu Luocheng still have the courage to get back into the thing that had taken his father’s life?

The relationship between Yu Luocheng and his father was not unsalvageable, there was still potential for reconciliation. It wasn’t very hard to graduate from university. As long as Yu Luocheng completed his studies, Yu Jing wouldn’t have much to say about his involvement in professional e-sports…

But just as Yu Luocheng’s mother said, they needed a chance to reconcile.

In her heart, Li Meiqi knew that all she could do now was to pray for Yu Jing’s recovery.

Xiao Bei’s concerned voice came through the phone, “What’s wrong? Is Luocheng okay?”

“He’s alright…”

“Did you tell him about my performance in the match against Team Dusk?”

“Yeah.”

“Did you also tell him that I will definitely beat Team Sky? I think Luocheng will definitely want to see that.”

“Yeah, I told him that.”

“Yeah, yeah! I will definitely beat Team Sky! Then Luocheng’s father will recover and walk out of that hospital!”

“You just need to play properly, why do you care so much about Luocheng’s thoughts?”

“Luocheng is my idol!”

***

Sky Club’s base was a very large house which was divided into three floors, each one had a corridor with many rooms.

The club was no longer a simple one just for DOTA. They had a dedicated operation team for almost every popular game. Each room had a particular game’s icon pasted on, and in a room that was more like a lobby, a large LOL icon could be seen. It was filled with computers, making it look like a small yet exquisite Internet cafe.

A man wearing a suit that didn’t fit well was sitting on the sofa, smoking a cigarette. His eyes were on the five members of Team Sky.

“I really never thought that they would manage to pick themselves back up,” said Xu Pingyang.

“Boss, don’t worry. We’ll definitely beat them three to zero and immediately eliminate them,” said Guan Lanjie, the captain of Team Sky.

A small team like Team Skycrown dared to stir up trouble by posting on the Internet?

They weren’t playing DOTA anymore, they were in the LOL era now. So what if Team Skycrown had been formed from the previous Team Wings. Those who had been trampled on should just stay down!

“Hn, Zhao Tinghua is getting more brave too. He dared to go for overseas training without even getting our permission. He should have at least got us into the S International League before just taking off like that!” said Xu Pingyang, his voice shaking in anger.

Xu Pingyang of Sky Club now depended on sponsors to make money, and a team that could make it into Worlds would be able to gain an enormous amount of sponsors.

To Xu Pingyang, the S International League was a good opportunity to make a lot of money. No matter what, he couldn’t let someone else grab this golden opportunity.

“It’s confirmed that Yu Luocheng won’t be playing right?” asked Xu Pingyang.

“Yeah, I heard that his father is in the hospital due to liver failure. He’s taking care of him there,” said Xie Yi, Team Sky’s Mid.

“Hehe, his father’s illness flared up at the right time,” said Xu Pingyang, chuckling gleefully.

He had been really stressed during Team Skycrown’s match against Team Revelation.

Yu Luocheng had really displayed his raw strength there, and Xu Pingyang was afraid that he would return to his former glory. If that was the case, then the confrontation between Team Sky and Team Skycrown would really be intense, especially since Blood Eagle was not around.

Xu Pingyang was someone who wasn’t afraid of things that he could see coming, the only thing that scared him was the unexpected. He didn’t want anything to affect his chances of raking in the big bucks, so in this game against Team Skycrown, Team Sky needed to have absolute confidence in winning.

His discussion with Samsung was going well, as long as they claimed victory on that day, the contract was basically a done deal. Once signed, he would have nearly fifty thousand yuan in the bag every month!

And that was just an initial investment. Following the development of the e-sports industry, it wasn’t impossible for Samsung to up their sponsorship offer to millions of yuan. Plus, if they had multiple sponsors, he would make more than a few million.

Money, this was all about money!

Xu Pingyang had yet to make his dream of owning a villa in Shanghai come true, he couldn’t let himself be crushed by the members of Team Skycrown whom he had once trampled on.

“Come to think of it, isn’t their ADC that little brat?” asked Xu Pingyang suddenly.

“It’s Xiao Bei, Lian Guan’s nephew,” replied Sun Liang.

Lian Guan’s store was not far from Sky Club’s premises, so they were familiar with Xiao Bei as he often delivered snacks to them. Who would have thought that such a small errand boy would eventually be such a big threat to them?

If this wasn’t a pheasant becoming a phoenix, then what was?!

“Make sure to play properly!” said Xu Pingyang.

“Please rest assured, boss!”

“Those little sh*ts, we’ll definitely show them their place!”

Xu Pingyang nodded, satisfied. “Go and train properly, if you win then we’ll have rewards for you… Sun Liang, come over here damn it. You don’t even do your job properly, all you do is play mahjong every day.”

Sun Liang was just about to leave to win some money, but since the boss was calling, he couldn’t do anything but sulk as he came back in.

“I have a question for you. Why did Yu Luocheng play as a substitute for that brat in the last game?”

“I’m not that sure either, it’s something to do with his personal profile.”

***

Today, the members of Team Skycrown were a mess of emotions. To be honest, they have waited for this day for so long!

Lin Dong, Zhou Yan, and Da Luo’s grievances and resentment towards Team Sky had only been increasing since the day they left Sky Club.

Until today, they still couldn’t forget Xu Yangping’s shameless face. He was like a horrible human-eating demon, one that would mercilessly devour someone right down to the bones.

All this while, Team Skycrown had been enduring hardships and working hard in their training, but never getting what they deserved. It was all because of a giant obstacle in their way that just wouldn’t stop oppressing them—Sky Club.

That’s why today, it was finally time to fight back aggressively.

In this confrontation, it’s kill or be killed!