The Scapegoat

On November 20, 2017, more than half a month had passed since the S7 World Championship.

Yet countless disputes still raged across the LPL's domestic internet. Arguments and insults never ceased.

The biggest joke of the year was that not a single LPL team had made it to the Bird's Nest finals. Both finalists had come from the LCK.

All three LPL representatives at this World Championship had been flamed senseless.

EDG, who had supposedly broken the quarterfinals curse only to crash out in the Round of 16, chose as always to stay silent and play dead, intending to let time cover up their pathetic performance.

As the third seed, WE had received less concentrated fire. Their top and mid laners had both performed well at this World Championship, and they had even reached the semifinals, only narrowly losing to eventual champions SSG.

The other disaster zone targeted by the haters was naturally RNG. Like WE, they had stormed into the semifinals, but their performance had been unbearable to watch! They were not even worth a fraction of third-seed WE!

The matter of "letting Galio through five times" in particular had been dragged out and furiously criticized, with RNG practically being cursed to death.

RNG had initially chosen to remain silent like EDG. However, after the higher-ups issued an S8 season outlook plan, the atmosphere in the base began changing day by day.

As early as the 15th, RNG had held a small internal meeting, where team manager Damon laid out a preliminary plan.

Find scapegoats!

Since the outside world claimed the drafting and bans were to blame, coach Fire Fox would naturally be the first to be pushed out and judged.

But putting out Fire Fox alone clearly would not be enough to demonstrate RNG's sincerity in admitting fault. If they could not show enough sincerity, how could they smoothly and effectively carry out their S8 fanbase marketing plan?

Therefore, RNG selected another person: their S7 substitute top laner, ID: Silence, Xu Junyan.

During the semifinal BO5, RNG had sent Xu Junyan onstage for one game. In the second match, he played Gnar, ended with a negative scoreline, and lost the game.

That was perfect! They could make a lot out of it.

At that small meeting, Damon seized upon this point and told Xu Junyan to admit his mistakes voluntarily, post on Weibo to explain that after losing the game, his mentality had exploded and he had thrown a huge tantrum backstage, affecting everyone else.

That way, RNG could dismiss Xu Junyan as a "cancer within the team," then post a sincere apology on their official Weibo.

With two scapegoats and such a sincere display from the club, they could quickly win forgiveness from countless fans. After that, they could naturally begin carrying out their plan and marketing themselves.

Perhaps this opportunity could even make their subsequent marketing go more smoothly. After all, who in the LPL could refuse an all-Chinese roster with decent strength that sincerely repented?

However, the plan was opposed by two people. Unsurprisingly, they were the two chosen to take the blame: Fire Fox and Xu Junyan.

Thus, the two sides had remained deadlocked for five days. Today, RNG's meeting room was once again filled with a grim, murderous atmosphere as everyone gathered together.

"How has your consideration gone?"

Damon swept his gaze over the room before settling on Fire Fox and Xu Junyan, who sat side by side. His tone was arrogant from the moment he spoke.

He did not think Fire Fox and Xu Junyan would resist to the end. After all, they were merely hired workers. RNG was capital.

The others in the meeting room, including Uzi and Letme, all sat farther back. Their eyes were now fixed on the two men at the front.

"Others may not understand, but anyone in the business knows that game was not lost because we let Galio through five times. That was not the main reason for the loss at all."

Fire Fox raised his head and explained himself.

"Whether that was the real reason or not, isn't that what the public believes?"

Damon gave a mocking laugh. "What is the use of explaining it to me? If you have the ability, make everyone in the LPL agree with you."

Fire Fox was left speechless.

It was not as though he had never considered explaining himself, but RNG had publicly admitted right after that meeting five days ago that they should not have let Galio through five times.

That had effectively cut off his escape route in advance!

Even if he came forward now and explained things to everyone from the perspective of a professional coach, how many people would believe him?

Never mind whether they believed him—people would not even notice him!

At that moment, Fire Fox deeply understood what it meant to be insignificant. Faced with the powerful RNG club and team manager Damon, he could only lower his head and smile bitterly.

Damon glanced at Fire Fox again, knowing he had basically been subdued. In truth, Damon had already seen five days ago that Fire Fox only put on a tough front. The truly troublesome one was that guy!

Damon shifted his gaze to Xu Junyan, who had not said a word since entering the room and had been lowering his head, playing with his fingers.

"Little Xu, Coach Feng has already tacitly agreed. What about you? Are you still going to insist?" Damon asked.

Hearing this, Fire Fox gave another bitter smile. His lips twitched, but he ultimately chose silence.

"Insist on what?" Xu Junyan looked up and glanced at Damon as though he were looking at a pile of trash, then indifferently lowered his head and resumed playing with his fingers.

Damon felt a surge of anger and shouted, "It's been five days since I told you to post that Weibo! Why haven't you posted it yet?!"

"Post your mother. You say one bullshit sentence and I'm supposed to eagerly post it? Who the hell do you think you are?"

Xu Junyan sneered without even raising his head, continuing to examine his fingers without a care.

Damon's face alternated between green and purple as he cursed inwardly. This guy had not been so arrogant before. He had clearly been humble and low-key, with barely any presence at all.

But ever since five days ago, perhaps because that small meeting had provoked him, the guy had completely changed. It was a ridiculous, one-hundred-and-eighty-degree transformation, and he had become incomparably defiant!

Damon held back his anger and said, "Don't you think this is already the best way to handle things?"

"No." Xu Junyan's tone was calm. "I did nothing wrong, so why should I admit fault? Yes, I admit we lost that game, but put your hands on your hearts and ask yourselves—was that game really my fault?"

As he spoke, Xu Junyan glanced at the others seated behind him. Xiaohu, Uzi, and several others all avoided his gaze, not daring to look him in the eye.

On that game's post-match stats screen, Xu Junyan alone had dealt a full 28,000 damage—more than everyone else combined!

Furthermore, in that game, Xu Junyan had taken practically every Galio Ultimate Ability in top lane, while Xiaohu, their own mid laner, had not arrived even once. The same happened in late-game teamfights. Xu Junyan had clearly initiated good engagements, yet his teammates either did not dare follow up or positioned themselves in absurd places, allowing SKT to catch and instantly kill them. That was also why Xu Junyan's final scoreline did not look good at all: only 3-8-5.

"If it wasn't yours, then whose was it?" Damon's cold laugh rang out once more in the silent meeting room.