Chapter 37: Confronting the Inner Demon!

July 5, 2022, Hongqiao Tiandi.

"I don't think JDG is in great shape either. How did we manage to lose 2-0 to them in our second match of the Summer Split..." Jiejie muttered, frustrated with himself.

The EDG squad had arrived at the venue by four o'clock to watch the action. The opening match of the day had already concluded at five, with JDG defeating UP 2-1. Clearly, for a JDG team that had undergone a major "power-up" this year, such a performance against a perennial bottom-dweller like UP fell far short of expectations.

The "highlight" of that series actually revolved around the rumors surrounding the two teams' top laners. During this year's transfer window, word was that JDG had been choosing between Zoom and 369, ultimately opting for the latter. Leaks suggested that 369's salary was seven to eight times higher than Zoom's. Internet speculation claimed that because Zoom was only proficient on tanks and couldn't play carry champions, JDG had broken the bank to secure the latter. JDG insiders, however, revealed that it was the new coach, Homme, who had insisted on 369, finally convincing the JDG upper management.

But looking at today's match, this seven-to-eightfold premium clearly didn't produce the desired results; JDG relied entirely on their mid-jungle duo to dictate the pace. The top lane was even "counter-picked" and shut down, making the hefty price tag look like a total sucker's deal.

"Don't worry, we'll get them back in the playoffs. When the time comes, we'll all head to the top lane and help Flandre spin the top!" Ye Bo said, nonchalantly comforting Jiejie.

"That actually sounds doable. Let's start by testing the whip on Teacher Cheng Lu today," Jiejie chuckled.

"Still, this is my first time seeing TheShy in person..."

A backstage referee arrived to signal that it was time to head to the stage. The EDG starters immediately stood up and walked toward the backstage tunnel. Standing at the entrance of the adjacent tunnel, Ye Bo tilted his head slightly and caught a glimpse of TheShy standing at the front as the top laner. Unlike the abstract image he had seen in stream clips, as long as the guy wasn't grinning wildly—which made his already long face look even more stretched out—he actually looked quite normal.

As the stage lights shifted, the host, Candice, appeared on stage wearing a sleeveless black dress with a high slit, walking in clear high heels. After a brief opening introduction, she began calling out the players' IDs.

"First, let us welcome Weibo Gaming!"

TheShy, Sofm, Angel, huanfeng, and ON. The five WBG starters took the stage one by one, soaking in the thunderous cheers from the audience. Compared to LNG in the previous match, WBG’s popularity was on an entirely different level. At present, TheShy’s supporters were on relatively good terms with WBG, as the team’s performance this year had been decent and there hadn't been any major controversies. Of course, looking at the majority of the crowd holding TheShy’s light signs and banners featuring Jiang Cheng-Lu’s photos, it wasn't hard to see who the team's primary fanbase was.

"And next to take the stage, EDward Gaming!" Candice waved and announced loudly.

The five EDG starters began their walk onto the stage. However, the energy was noticeably a notch lower. There was no helping it; a significant portion of their fan base had collectively gone silent. While they could still put up a fight against LNG, today felt a bit more uphill.

But for Ye Bo, hearing the voices calling his name—significantly more than in the first match—made him instantly excited. In the LPL's official Week 1 "Top 10 Plays," Ye Bo had single-handedly taken up four spots!

TOP 1: Yone's Flash-Back-Dash-Quadra-Kill.
TOP 2: Taliyah's Under-Tower Ultimate Stone Wall Counter-Kill.
TOP 5: Yone's Tower-Dive Solo Kill.
TOP 7: Taliyah's Mid-Air Ultimate Interception.

Claiming nearly half of the week's highlight reel by himself was something few players in the entire LPL had ever achieved. While the LPL currently faced an influx of "marketing" and "idol culture," it was clear that not everyone was like that. There were many in the "silent majority" who simply loved the game and wanted to see brilliant professional performances—the genuine "esports spectators." It was this group that Ye Bo had attracted, allowing him to see a massive boost in popularity in just a week. At the very least, things wouldn't be "dead silent" anymore.

The players took their seats, and the commentators' voices resonated powerfully through the venue.

"Welcome back to the scene, everyone, I'm Wang Duoduo!"
"And I'm Gu Gu!"
"Wow, after watching the 'clash of dragons and tigers' in the top lane in the last series, we get to witness another one today, with Flandre facing off against TheShy!"

Gu Gu immediately focused the conversation on the highly anticipated top lane matchup. Wang Duoduo, however, brought up a different perspective: "I’m personally looking forward to seeing if this new EDG mid laner can continue to bring surprises. After all, in his debut last match, he really delivered quite a few iconic moments."

The stream chat was already in chaos:
[Doinb fanboys are so annoying, everyone knows how washed he is now! Ugh, stop hyping him up! So annoying!]
[Oh, sure, sure~ he just crushed Scout twice, but that was a Jurassic-era match from four months ago, so it doesn't count, right?]
[Scout stans are still coping. He’s been feeding for half a year and is now benched by a rookie; they’re just so bitter~]
[To the two above, if you've got guts, post your Weibo IDs!]
[What's the point of swapping the mid laner for this match? EDG getting blown out in the Spring Split wasn't because of the mid laner. Flandre is in such bad form this year, how is he supposed to play against TheShy? Maybe just pick Malphite for him.]
[So annoying, what kind of champion are you... oh wait, you actually have a championship title. Never mind, haha, a fossilized championship title is so annoying.]

High traffic meant high controversy. Before the game had even started, the chat was already a battlefield.

"The draft has begun, so without further ado, let's enter the pick-and-ban phase!"

The draft screen loaded. WBG's coaching staff this year consisted of Easyhoon and Eimy—a former champion mid laner and a former LGD jungler known for his unpredictable, eccentric playstyle. It was clear, however, that their coaching tenure hadn't been smooth. Especially this year, almost every time WBG lost, both would find themselves trending on social media for their draft choices, living in constant fear. The reality on the ground seemed to prove that their coaching capabilities were indeed lacking.

Because the majority of this draft was unfolding exactly as EDG had predicted! Although WBG's jungler's pathing was hard to guess, their tactical focus was quite singular, and the players' styles were fixed and obvious. Combined with the coaching staff's limited ability, the first game's draft hit most of the "analyses" Ye Bo had made beforehand.

"Aside from banning the meta-dominant Taliyah, WBG has also targeted Akali and LeBlanc. They are showing a lot of respect to this rookie!"
"Wait? EDG isn't picking Yone for their mid laner on the third rotation? If they do this, Yone will definitely be banned in the second phase!"
"As expected, he's banned, and they added a Galio ban too. It looks like WBG is trying to completely lock down the mid lane champion pool..."
"Zoe!?"
"And Flandre has picked his Graves. He's using his signature champion to face his inner demons!"

Compared to the Graves pick, the chat was focused more on the Zoe, sparking plenty of speculation. EDG letting Ye Bo play Zoe? To outsiders, it really seemed like a way to "face things head-on."

The lineups for the first game were relatively standard.

[Blue Side: WBG | Red Side: EDG]
Top: Jayce vs. Graves
Jungle: Rek'Sai vs. Vi
Mid: Orianna vs. Zoe
ADC: Sivir vs. Ashe
Support: Nautilus vs. Karma