Chapter 118: Oh No, Surrounded By Girls!
EDG’s bus cheerfully drove all the way to Wanda Plaza, and the atmosphere inside the bus was completely different from when they came.
Li Fan noticed that iboy kept staring at him with a very strange look in his eyes.
He curiously asked, “Xiao Zhao, why do you keep staring at my face? Is there something dirty on my face?”
iboy hurriedly waved his hands. He was someone who couldn’t even get into a single match right now and didn’t dare to offend the big star in the team.
“No, no, I just think Fan Ge you are very handsome.”
meiko heard this and turned his head to carefully look Li Fan up and down: “Indeed, undeniably very handsome, but Xiao Zhao definitely isn’t trying to tell you that. He probably wants to ask if it’s true that you don’t practice heroes during interviews.”
“This is definitely true. When have you ever seen Fan Ge practice heroes? I asked him to duo queue three times and got rejected every time. He really is a genius.” Clearlove watched the excitement from the side, not minding the commotion, and joked.
“So that’s it? Can you believe what I say in interviews? To create some flair, I secretly practice on a smurf account every night. I’ve played Galio so many times, I don’t even know how many matches, definitely over a thousand or two.”
“I believe you, my ass. You kid really talk nonsense.” Clearlove rolled his eyes.
At this moment, Abu also finished his call with the boss and then said to everyone with a full face of smiles.
“Brothers, we can eat freely at Haidilao tonight! Boss is treating!” Abu stood at the front of the bus compartment, waving his arms, his face beaming with smiles.
Originally, everyone was planning to split the bill to eat Haidilao hot pot, but unexpectedly they received a call from Ai De Zhu, who was very generous and directly covered the cost.
“Wuhu! Haidilao! I want ten plates of beef!” mouse excitedly shouted.
“Eat a little less, or your operation will get even worse.” meiko joked with a smile from the side.
“Don’t talk about anything else, my stomach is already growling from hunger. We should be almost there, right?”
“Almost, probably another half hour.”
“Good thing today’s match ended relatively early. If there were two more games, people would have fainted from hunger.”
The bus indeed arrived at Wanda Plaza after about half an hour.
Everyone got off and headed straight to Haidilao.
Including the players and coaching staff, plus the staff, they directly booked two tables in the lobby.
Then the starting players, coach, and manager Abu sat at one table. It had to be said that at this moment the atmosphere was still very lively.
Suddenly there was that atmosphere of having won the match.
Abu saw that preparations were almost ready, so he raised the drink in his hand.
“Everyone’s state today was really good. I’m very happy to have taken the match victory 3:0. To be honest, I thought about it before the match started, because everyone’s performance in the second half of the regular season was this strong! Cheers to everyone!”
As Abu’s words fell, everyone at the table raised their drink cups, and the glasses clinked with a crisp and pleasant sound.
“First, congratulations to ourselves!” Abu’s voice was loud, his face flushed from the victory and the hot pot steam. “Played beautifully today! Especially against a strong enemy like RNG, we withstood the pressure and played our own style! Everyone worked hard!”
“Worked hard!”
“Everyone worked hard!”
Everyone echoed one after another, the atmosphere heated.
Abu paused, his gaze sweeping over every player, lingering a moment on Li Fan and Clearlove, his eyes full of expectation: “Beating RNG is just the first step. Our goal has never been just top four in playoffs or even finals!”
He raised his volume and lifted his cup: “I hope everyone stays humble and alert, keeps this momentum, and brings the championship back from the Nanjing finals next week, continuing EDG’s streak of titles!”
“Absolutely!”
“Crush WE!”
iBoy, young and vigorous, shouted the loudest, not considering at all that he wouldn’t even play in the finals.
Abu nodded in satisfaction and continued: “Once we win the league championship, we’ll have the qualification to represent LPL and meet the champions from other regions at the Mid-Season Invitational!”
“Then everyone get your spirits up, properly scout their details, and then take another Mid-Season Invitational championship. Would one championship satisfy you? It’s time to lift the second Mid-Season Invitational trophy!”
Everyone’s emotions were stirred up, the cups clinked together again, as if they could already see the scene of heading to MSI.
It had to be said that Abu had something going for him as a former coach; at least he was very experienced at motivational pep talks.
“Cheers!” Abu waved his hand boldly and was the first to down the drink in his cup.
This momentum was like he had just downed a jin of baijiu.
But at this time, it was indeed time to be happy.
Everyone else also tilted their heads and drank up, the atmosphere instantly reaching a climax.
“Come on, come on, let’s eat! The tripe is getting old!” Clearlove was the first to pick up a big chopstickful of tripe into his bowl.
He had been staring just now… now he was very anxious.
At this moment, a suppressed excited whisper came from the next table.
“Hey hey hey! Look over there! Isn’t that EDG?”
“Damn, it really is. They just finished their match and came to eat hot pot, just like we thought: hungry, so find a nearby Haidilao for a meal.”
“It’s Unreal!!! My god, he looks even more handsome in person than on camera!”
A few young girls holding mobile phones secretly took photos and recordings while excitedly whispering to each other.
Their movements weren’t loud, but in the relatively noisy hot pot restaurant, they still caught the attention of some EDG players.
Li Fan felt the most gazes directed at him. He looked up and met the excited yet somewhat shy eyes of those girls.
He just gave a slight nod towards them, counting as a greeting.
This simple response made them even more excited over there.
“He looked at us, Unreal nodded.”
“Nonsense, wasn’t he looking at me?”
“Acting slutty? According to the info, Unreal is only seventeen. You’re ten years older than him.”
“Quick, take the photo, this side profile is killer!”
Soon, one of them seemed unable to hold back, trotted over, and asked somewhat nervously: “Um… we’re EDG fans. The match today was really amazing! Can… can we take a group photo with you?”
Abu saw this and smiled in response: “Of course we can. Thank you for your support during the match.”
“But we’re still eating, so just a quick group photo, don’t disturb other guests.”
“Okay, okay! Thank you!”
Having gotten permission, those girls were overjoyed.
They first took a big group photo with the whole team, then a short-haired girl boldly asked for a solo photo with Li Fan.
Standing next to Li Fan, she made a heart gesture with her hands.
And shouted: “Fan Ge, you’re too fierce! Watching Galio gave me chills!”
Hearing this was still a bit awkward… If a guy said it, it’d be fine, but a girl saying it, he didn’t know how to respond best, so he could only force a smile and nod from the side.
The satisfied fans thanked them and returned to their seats, but their excitement hadn’t diminished at all, and they immediately lowered their heads to operate their mobile phones.
【Holy crap! Came to Wanda Haidilao after the match, ran into the whole EDG team celebrating!『Picture』『Picture』『Picture』】
【Unreal is suffocatingly handsome in person! LPL appearance king lives up to the name! Skin so good it could reflect light! So happy to get a close-up photo.】
【EDG offline super friendly, no airs at all, directly fulfilled the photo request.】
On Weibo, the comment sections of the earliest fans who posted the group photos were instantly flooded with envy.
【What kind of luck is this? Eating hot pot after the match and you run into the whole team? Why don’t I have this luck?】
【Sister, did you save the galaxy in your past life? Actually got a photo with them, Unreal’s smile is killer! LPL’s number one appearance is him.】
【Aaaah I’m also near Wanda, anyone know which Haidilao? Can I still make it by taxi now?】
【Same question, can you give the exact location sister? I’ll just look from afar without disturbing!】
【EDG’s team atmosphere is really good, everyone smiling so happily, feels like they’re genuinely thrilled.】
As more and more people asked for the exact address, the short-haired girl who first posted on Weibo calmed down a bit amid her ecstatic joy, remembering Abu’s reminder not to disturb other guests.
Besides, she was the one who got the photos, why care about others?
And others only got group photos, while she alone got a solo with Unreal.
Let these people envy away.
【Thanks everyone for liking, won’t say the exact location. The players are tired after the match and celebrating properly, we won’t disturb them. They can definitely feel everyone’s support! Let’s all look forward to the finals together!】
Seeing such high-sounding words, these fans were still quite angry after reading them.
You got the photos and now tell everyone not to disturb? But still maintained decorum; after all, if she doesn’t want to say, can’t force it through the internet.
【Sister has the right values! Support, not disturbing is the best respect.】
【Understand, understand, let them celebrate properly, we’ll support online!】
【Wuu wuu although but, really so envious!】
However, the speed of information spread on the internet is amazing.
Even without saying it outright, keywords like “Shanghai Wanda Plaza”, “EDG celebrating”, “Haidilao” were precise enough.
Some fans living nearby or dining in the same mall started quietly pinpointing the exact store based on background decorations and other details in the photos.
Thus, gradually, figures began appearing around the Haidilao restaurant, almost surrounding EDG’s two tables.
Inside the store, EDG’s players also vaguely noticed the increasing gazes around them and the change in atmosphere.
mouse lowered his voice to meiko beside him: “Tian Ye, I feel like more people are looking at us…”
“Normal, we’re eating in the lobby, of course they can see us. Everyone just eat faster, no big deal.”
Abu, as manager, was experienced. He noticed that although no one had come up to disturb yet, the trend of onlookers was increasing.
He checked the time, then looked at the mostly cleared plates on the table, feeling it was about time.
“Brothers, about done eating?” Abu clapped his hands. “There’s training and review tomorrow, let’s call it a night, head back early to rest, how about it?”
The players, though not fully satisfied, knew their limits and nodded one after another.
“Wait for the finals, once we win the championship, we’ll go to a fancy place for an even better meal.”
“Waiter, bill!”
After settling the bill, the entire EDG team stood up to leave.
Their movements immediately caused a small stir around them, the click of phone cameras becoming denser, accompanied by suppressed excited chatter.
Didn’t expect to actually run into EDG offline…
Very perfect!
Came to watch the match today, not only saw the victory, but also got close-up contact and photos.
Everyone kept polite smiles, and under Abu and the staff’s careful guidance, quickly headed to the door.
“EDG fighting!”
“Finals fighting!”
“Unreal you’re so handsome!”
Some fans couldn’t hold back and shouted out.
Afraid of being surrounded next, everyone walked even faster.
Once they got into the bus, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Good grief, did you see! This is Fan Ge’s charm. All those girls came for you. Feels like your female fans outnumber the male ones.” Clearlove was startled.
“Right, right. Before Fan Ge came, we never had this situation eating hot pot at Haidilao. Since Fan Ge arrived, things feel different; gotta book a private room next time.”
“Popularity is explosive. During the photos, I saw their eyes on you, scary, like they wanted to eat you.”
“Not that exaggerated, right? I’m only seventeen, what can I do?”
“Right, with this kind, you really have to be careful. Tian Ye almost got tricked before. When Zitai was seventeen, he ran into a big sister ten years older, totally defenseless. Back then ifwind thought his head was big, but online he could still play safe. Now look at Zitai, much better off.” At this point, Clearlove’s expression turned serious.
“There are still many bad women outside!”
Seeing this expression, Li Fan couldn’t help thinking of Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Clearlove got scammed out of one hundred in an online romance…
“I know.” Seeing Clearlove so serious, he nodded repeatedly.
Inside LGD’s base, although no playoffs to play, they had successfully beaten YM in the just-ended promotion/relegation matches, securing their LPL spot, which excited them greatly.
Now no relegation worries, finally could relax and mess around happily.
In the training room, only Wei Shen and imp sat at their computers, while others had long gone who knows where.
However, Wei Shen’s screen wasn’t the League of Legends client, but the PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds game interface. He had just finished a solo queue match and successfully won the game, but his brows were slightly furrowed, as if thinking about something.
Promotion secured, settling one worry, repaying the team’s kindness in recognizing his talent.
At this moment, the seed in his heart about PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds was rapidly sprouting; he wanted to fully transition… become a PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds player.
Huya Live Streaming Platform had announced the upcoming Huya Bounty Tournament, which was a golden opportunity for him.
Assemble a competitive PUBG team, catch this first train, and make a name for himself was what he urgently wanted to do now.
Aruka had clearly expressed interest in transitioning together, but a full team needs four people.
The candidates for the other two spots gave him some headache.
If no suitable people found, he’d have to temporarily follow the club to participate in this match.
But that would still affect future development.
Aimlessly scrolling Weibo, looking to see if there were suitable streamers in the PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds scene…
Suddenly, a Weibo post with hot tags like “EDG”, “Unreal”, “Haidilao group photo” jumped into his view.
Wei Shen clicked it open: it was photos and discussions of the whole EDG team being spotted by fans at Haidilao.
“Li Fan… Unreal…” Wei Shen murmured to himself.
This was an absolute genius in PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. He himself had gone to Li Fan’s live stream room multiple times to secretly learn things.
If he could be a teammate, this team would be ridiculously strong, no doubt.
With very promising development momentum…
But the problem was, he was a rising star in League of Legends.
Having seen Unreal’s performance in matches, it had to be said it was absurdly good, almost no flaws.
If forced to point one out, it was being too young, young to the point of somewhat lacking experience.
And the online talk about not training leading to state decline, he was more inclined to believe it was genius.
True geniuses have their own ways to maintain feel even without training.
Just like himself: this period completely addicted to PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, no training matches or ranked, rank dropped to Diamond 3, but in the relegation matches still crushed Knight, who everyone called golden left hand, now Korean Server number one.
What’s the use of training more? If you’re strong, that’s it.
Wei Shen shook his head; this kind of thing was actually a bit unrealistic.
He doesn’t even do League of Legends training matches; would he do training matches for a PUBG main team?
And would he even come?
EDG absolutely wouldn’t let Li Fan participate in these messy matches.
Or maybe not…
He went to the QQ Speed SSC Spring Split before semifinals.
Pretty absurd.
“Right… EDG really doesn’t seem to control his amateur hobbies much…” Wei Shen’s eyes grew brighter. “As long as he carries in LPL matches, doesn’t delay training matches, the club seems open to him playing other games?”
If Li Fan participated in Huya’s Bounty Match as an individual or temporary team, the possibility of EDG management agreeing didn’t seem zero?
After all, it could bring extra popularity and attention to the player and club.
As long as he’s available for key matches, for other times just find a substitute.
More importantly, Li Fan in the PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds circle was long from unknown.
His Unreal ID was renowned in high-end games and streamer circles.
Gunfighting Li Fan brought huge pressure; many times clearly first shot ambush, yet counter-killed instead, that powerless feeling Wei Shen knew well.
“Everyone who’s faced him says he’s insane…”
Wei Shen murmured: “If I can pull him over, even just temporarily for this Bounty Match, our team’s hard strength and attention would skyrocket!”
If Li Fan joined, with his strength and fame, attract one or two more strong players to partner, wouldn’t it be seamless?
Wei Shen no longer hesitated; he immediately opened WeChat and found Clearlove, whom he didn’t contact often.
“Busy?”
