EDG Fans and Meme Lovers burst into laughter when they saw Chu Ran's Weibo post.
Meanwhile, the RNG fanboys were so furious they were practically jumping up and down, wishing they could grab a knife and run to the EDG Club to stab Chu Ran to death.
They immediately took over the comment section. Within minutes, the number of comments had surpassed a thousand, densely packed and still increasing.
666666, it was because I didn't have enough talent that I never fit in with you people.
Bro, share some of your talent with me. How the hell did you come up with this joke?
Why isn't Kid a thumbs-up standing upside down? I can't accept this!
Hahaha, Hell jokes aren't encouraged, but "five fingers don't work" is fucking gold.
You really understand puns. I seriously can't hold it together.
Wait, are you one of those Neihan Duanzi forum users too?
I refuse to accept that Ran Chu still hasn't suddenly dropped dead.
I really feel bad for Little Dog. What the hell is the LPL doing? Why haven't they banned someone like this? Little Dog contributed so much to the LPL, yet he still has to be stepped on by people like this. It's fucking disgusting.
Give me a knife. I have depression. I'm going to EDG right now and stabbing this bastard to death.
Ran Chu doesn't brush his teeth every day, does he? His mouth stinks so badly. Little Dog can't do it, but he can?
I've reported this kind of bastard already, anyway.
Chu Ran glanced at his Weibo and felt his Red Temperature Value rising, unable to stop the corner of his mouth from lifting.
Sure enough, the Red Temperature Value rose quickly whenever the hype around a match was high.
Those RNG fanboys who provided him with Red Temperature Value were truly too dependable.
"Brother Ran. I... you're incredible!" Meiko silently gave Chu Ran's Weibo post a like. Even if Meiko spent his whole life trying, he would never come up with a Hell joke like that.
Some people could casually do things that others would never reach in their entire lives.
Clearly, when it came to absurdity and making content, Meiko acknowledged that Chu Ran was the number one man in the LPL.
Abu and the others didn't know whether to laugh or cry when they saw Chu Ran's Weibo post.
Was that really necessary?
Wasn't it just that Divine Punishment back when he was at RNG, making him sit on the bench?
Did he hate him that much?
"Little Ran, just let the conflict between you and Uzi become a small matter and then nothing at all. You've angered him plenty of times already. You're purely increasing the workload for our operations team."
Hearing Abu's words, Chu Ran raised an eyebrow. Feeling the sharp gaze of the operations girl, he immediately waved his hand. "It can't be resolved. There's an irreconcilable life-and-death feud between Uzi and me."
Chu Ran gave a cold snort. Leaving aside how Uzi had forced him to sit on the bench until retirement in his previous life, Uzi's fans had even stripped him of his nationality back then. Even after he retired, they kept clinging to him and flaming him.
When he started streaming, Uzi's fans crazily reported him. He already had little popularity or attention, and with so many reports coming in, the streaming platform banned him whenever it pleased. A huge part of why he had such a miserable life in his previous life was because of Uzi and his fans.
Although he had been reborn, that hatred could not fade away. More importantly, RNG still owed him three years of salary. Those damn bastards.
"What feud? If it's really that serious, I can have the club work on it. At least then, you'd have a legitimate reason for targeting Uzi."
As soon as Abu said that, Ming Kai and the others eagerly waited for Chu Ran's answer. They were all in the LPL, after all. They would see each other constantly, so there was no need to make things this tense.
"As everyone knows, I'm an orphan. When I was sitting on the bench at RNG, no one cared about me, and no one felt sorry for me. Then I met a girl online. She said her family was poor and that she and her grandfather made a living selling tea. We got along really well, and every so often, I used my salary to buy tea from her family."
"Mm, I know. Then what?" Abu pulled over a chair and sat down. Ming Kai and the others were all curious, gathering around him.
Deft and Pawn each grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds, their eyes filled with anticipation. "Then what? Then what? Hurry up and tell us, Little Ran."
Chu Ran wrinkled his nose, looking as though he had fallen into memories of the past. His expression was slightly grief-stricken, and his voice choked up a little. "Then I started dating her."
"Oh? An online relationship. But what does that have to do with Uzi?" Ming Kai grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds from Deft and asked with a smile.
"Of course it has something to do with him!" Chu Ran suddenly became incomparably furious. "I suspect the person I had an online relationship with was Uzi! Because she looked like she had been carved from the same mold as Uzi!"
"She scammed me out of a lot of money during our online relationship. I bought a pile of tea, but when I said we should meet in person, she deleted and blocked me. I was furious, so I paid someone to dig up her information. In the end, I found a photo!"
At that point, Chu Ran took out his phone and showed the photo to Ming Kai and the others.
"Pfft—"
In an instant, Meiko sprayed the water in his mouth directly onto Ming Kai's face.
At that moment, Abu and everyone else were utterly dumbfounded, frozen like wooden chickens.
"Holy crap? Isn't this Uzi?" Ming Kai pulled Meiko over and wiped his face with Meiko's clothes, completely stunned.
Even Abu was dumbstruck by the photo. "Little Ran, are you sure you didn't Photoshop this?"
Deft and the others froze in the middle of eating sunflower seeds.
This melon was huge!
Delicious!
"If I Photoshopped it, may I die a horrible death." Chu Ran looked furious as he said through gnashing teeth, "I suspected back then that she might be Uzi's twin sister. Not only did he make me sit on the bench, he even had his sister scam me out of money. He really deserved to die!"
"Don't worry, we can't tolerate this. The club will stand up for you on this matter." Abu patted Chu Ran's shoulder. He now felt that no matter how Chu Ran targeted Uzi, it was justified.
This was too much bullying!
Unbearable.
"Forget it, Manager Abu. Thank you for your kindness, but we did have some fate between us. Let bygones be bygones. I don't want this to spread. Let me slowly forget it by myself."
Chu Ran took a tissue from Meiko and wiped away his tears, causing Deft and the others to feel deeply sorry for him.
"Don't worry, Little Ran. The next time we face RNG, Brother Hekui will avenge you! This is too much!" Deft was somewhat enraged. Even someone as good-tempered as him could not stand it.
Hearing Chu Ran's words, Abu sighed softly. "Alright, then slowly forget this matter. The club won't interfere when you target Uzi from now on. As for those RNG fanboys, the club will bear it with you."
"Thank you, everyone."
Chu Ran instantly returned to normal, then sat down in front of the computer, leaving Abu and the others taken aback.
"Why do I feel like Brother Ran was acting?" Meiko rubbed his chin. "His acting skills are wasted on being a professional player."
"Probably not, right? Could there really be two people in the world who look that alike?" Ming Kai recalled the appearance in the photo and could not help laughing.
Whether it was an act or not, that photo was genuinely hilarious. Where had Chu Ran even found it?
Abu frowned. He did not care whether Chu Ran had been acting. As long as there was a reason that could convince netizens why Chu Ran was targeting Uzi, that was enough.
As for what that reason was, neither he nor the club cared!
Pawn smiled and shook his head, looking as though he had seen through the truth. He quietly said to Deft, "You believed that?"
"I merely cooperated with his performance and pretended not to notice." Deft laughed. Of course he did not believe Chu Ran's nonsense.
A moment later, EDG's official Weibo updated with a post.
Regarding the rumors questioning why Player Easy is targeting Player Uzi, the club would like to issue the following response.
First, Player Easy has not targeted Uzi. Second, as a club, we only wish to say this: if you do not want people to know, do not do it yourself. The methods used were indeed somewhat low.
Very quickly, EDG's official Weibo post sparked a trending topic online, drawing heated discussion from countless melon-eating spectators.
Damn, finish what you were saying. What happened?
So Player Easy has some hidden grievance?
I hate people who only say half of what they mean. Puzzle-talkers, get out of the LPL.
I just saw a post saying Easy's former online girlfriend looked especially similar to Uzi and even scammed him out of money.
Pfft, heaven-defying. Player Easy must really be desperate if he thinks Uzi has delicate features.
Where's the post? I'm going to take a look.
Hupu, it was just posted. The ID is fucking called LPL Daniel Wu too. Shameless bastard.
At the same time, inside RNG Club's training room.
Uzi looked at the post on Hupu. When he saw a person in the photo who looked exactly like him, he was completely stunned.
No, his parents had never given him a younger sister.
At first, Uzi thought netizens were joking and was even preparing to have RNG's legal department send a lawyer's letter. Then RNG's technical staff investigated it.
There were no traces of Photoshop whatsoever!
"Fuck!" Uzi had gone mad with anger. "Someone can fucking look exactly like me? What kind of idiot is this? And they're saying Ran Chu had an online relationship with this person? People who browse Hupu have something wrong with their brains."
"You only just found out? I don't even read that stuff." Letme chimed in, then pointed at his phone and handed it to Mala Xiang Guo. "Xiang Guo, are you sure buying this stock will make money?"
"Trust me, this stock will definitely rise! Don't worry, buy at the bottom now and you'll make a fortune later."
"The market has already fallen below 3,500." Letme looked doubtful. He only wanted to earn some spending money. Heard that Mala Xiang Guo was RNG's stock god, Letme wanted to join in too.
Mala Xiang Guo patted his chest and said confidently, "Don't panic, it's a technical correction. Trust me. When others are fearful, we are greedy. This is definitely the bottom. Go all in and buy the dip. Just wait to get rich!"
Meanwhile, Chu Ran looked through the replies on his Hupu post and closed the forum in satisfaction.
"This time, I harvested quite a lot of Red Temperature Value."
Chu Ran checked it. There were over seventy thousand Red Temperature Value in total.
"Add four points and draw three traits."
Without any hesitation, Chu Ran focused his mind, and the words on his panel immediately changed.
``` Operational Ability: 82→86
Red Temperature Demon: You are a Three Harvests a Year giant baby. When you are red-hot with anger, everyone in the game must act according to your mood.
Description: It is only reasonable for someone to indulge a giant baby, right?
"Are you insane? This Lord isn't Uzi. I have a great temper. Getting angry is bad for your health, so why would I get red-hot?" Chu Ran cursed before checking the next trait.
High-Interest Debtor: You are an unmatched booster. When you owe someone money, all your abilities will receive a permanent increase based on the amount you owe. Owing 1,000,000 grants a 5% increase, with a maximum debt limit of 5,000,000.
Description: Having a 5,000,000 economic lead outside the match—wouldn't that be a complete stomp in-game?
"Damn it!"
This time, Chu Ran felt like he really was about to turn red. How long had he been at EDG? Who would lend him that much money?
Or he could borrow it elsewhere. After thinking it over, the only thing he could come up with was a mortgage, but he was afraid that after buying a place, the other side would refuse to hand over the house.
Unless he also could not make it to the World Championship for some reason, the substitute top laner was not good enough, and Ming Kai and the others pooled their money together to repay his debt.
As that thought crossed his mind, Chu Ran glanced at Scout and saw that he was interacting with the Little Fairies in the livestream room.
"Uh, maybe another time."
Chu Ran curled his lip and looked at the final trait.
Rylai's Crocodile: Your proficiency with Renekton has risen to the supreme level. When you build Rylai's Crystal Scepter on Renekton, your timing for entering fights with Renekton increases by 15%, damage calculation by 20%, and game sense by 20%.
Description: The king of Rylai's Crocodile. Anyone who plays it is brain-dead.
"Idiot!" Chu Ran squeezed out a few words through his teeth. "What kind of creature beneath those headphones could come up with Rylai's Crocodile? Is that even human?"
"Still, this trait is alright. Renekton's proficiency has risen to the supreme level anyway. I just won't build Rylai's in matches. I can make content with it while streaming, though."
Chu Ran instantly analyzed the situation. With his own attributes improved, Brother Ale's Blessing before the match, and a Renekton at supreme proficiency, he could handle most top laners well enough.
Putting those thoughts aside, Chu Ran immediately walked over to Ming Kai with a grin, startling Ming Kai.
"Little Ran, what are you doing?"
"Kai Ge, come here. I have something to discuss with you." Chu Ran rubbed his hands together, looking a little embarrassed.
After all, the trait was right there. He might as well try.
"Say it."
"Lend me some money."
"How much?"
"Five million."
"What did you just say in your previous sentence?"
"Lend me some money."
"No."
Ming Kai was utterly dumbfounded. He had no idea how Chu Ran could have the nerve to ask. Five million? Did Chu Ran think he was some rich and handsome prince?
Chu Ran raised an eyebrow, his expression turning serious. He looked Ming Kai up and down before solemnly asking, "Isn't Kai Ge rich and handsome?"
Hiss—!
Ming Kai did find that rather pleasant to hear, but once he looked at Chu Ran's face, the smile vanished again. "No. Get lost, get lost. I'll give you fifty bucks, now go play somewhere else."
But seeing Chu Ran's expression, Ming Kai softened again. He thought Chu Ran had really run into trouble. "I don't have five million, but I can give you one million. What do you need the money for?"
"Would you believe me if I said I get stronger when I owe money?"
"Would you believe me if I said I planned to lend you five million?"
Chu Ran froze, and his eyes lit up. "Really? Kai Ge, you're not joking with me?"
"You were the one who started joking with me." Ming Kai crossed his legs and gave Chu Ran a pair of dead fish eyes.
If owing money could improve strength, Ming Kai would have borrowed several million from Peter Zhu long ago.
"Uh, I'm not joking. Actually, on a snowy and windy night, I saw a lightly dressed girl by the roadside. It was several degrees below zero, and she was standing in an alley that no one paid attention to in a miniskirt. I felt sorry for her and took her to a hotel. Afterwards, I realized I had fallen in love with her. I wanted to give her a home, so I urgently needed five million to buy a house in Shanghai."
"Come over here."
Chu Ran's heart tightened when he saw Ming Kai raise his Muay Thai fist, and he quickly dodged away.
"This Lord is going to make you taste Muay Thai today. You're young, yet you refuse to learn properly, huh?"
"Kai Ge, if you won't lend it, then don't lend it. Why are you getting so fierce?"
Watching Chu Ran and Ming Kai, Deft and the others helplessly smiled and shook their heads before continuing their Rank games.
After fooling around for a while, Chu Ran looked at the panting Ming Kai. "Kai Ge, that's all you've got? Come on, you're so weak."
"If you have the guts, stand still. I'm old now, not as capable as before. Back then, I could have beaten you to death in minutes."
"Let me correct you, Kai Ge."
"It's the useless you who got old."
Red Temperature Value +555
Red Temperature Value +666
"You little brat, don't run!"
Amid the cheerful atmosphere, Ming Kai suddenly changed the subject.
"Do you really want to buy a house in Shanghai?"
"I'm afraid the speed at which I make money won't keep up with the speed at which housing prices rise."
Hearing that, Ming Kai fell into thought. "Don't say Kai Ge doesn't look after you. If we can win the Spring Split championship this year, I'll lend you two million, interest-free."
"What if I take Kai Ge with me and win the World Championship?"
Ming Kai's heart immediately stirred. He waved his hand at once. "If you can really do that, then you're incredible. But you still have to pay the money back. First, though, get past AJ. Check the trending topics on Weibo yourself. The earlier controversy is getting bigger and bigger. They're saying you're inferior to AJ and asking why you deserve to be the starting top laner."
"It's obviously the RNG fanboys leading it. Totally normal."
Chu Ran pursed his lips. It wasn't as if he absolutely had to borrow the money. Of course, if Ming Kai was willing, that worked too. His attributes were still quite important to him right now.
They could talk about it later. If Ming Kai saw that he could help him win the World Championship, he would surely be willing.
Just then, Abu suddenly walked over. "An announcement. Aren't we about to play against the second team, Incredible Miracle? The boss will be watching too, so he's specifically put up a 500,000 bonus to see how the two teams perform. Think of it as an incentive bonus. Whichever team wins will split it among its starting lineup players."
"Split evenly?" Chu Ran raised his hand.
"It's best to split it evenly, but if it's confirmed that you're in the starting lineup, Little Ran, and you perform exceptionally well, you'll definitely get a larger share. Like if you crush AJ in the top lane or something. All right, as long as everyone understands. Get some rest early."
"Oh."
Hearing Abu's words, the corner of Chu Ran's mouth slowly curled upward.
AJ?
Wearing AJs really did make you jump higher, but the higher you jumped, the harder you fell.
At that moment, over at Incredible Miracle's club base, AJ and the others also learned about the incentive bonus and immediately burst into cheers.
However, AJ suddenly sneezed. A chill ran down his back, as though someone were staring at him, making him shudder.
"AJ, will we win the day after tomorrow?"
"Guaranteed!"
Before you continue