Mercedes-Benz Arena, 6:30 p. m.
The venue was already packed with people.
The inner field was a densely packed audience area, with glow sticks and support signs stretching as far as the eye could see, while the queue for entry outside wound its way around three corners.
The big screen played a loop of League of Legends CG and classic scenes from previous anniversary celebrations. Every time a Iconic Moment was shown, cheers would erupt in the stadium.
This year's celebration followed a similar format to previous years, starting with a performance, followed by the annual announcement and giveaway segment, and then a celebrity performance competition.
Cheng Che was one of the guests at the celebrity exhibition match, but according to the program, he was not required to appear at the beginning.
In the backstage celebrity lounge, Cheng Che sat on a sofa, holding a bottle of water.
He was dressed casually today, wearing a black short-sleeved shirt, a light dark gray jacket over it, black Nike cargo pants, and white sneakers.
I didn't do much with my hair; I just tousled it a couple of times after washing and drying it.
But even in this casual state, with the added advantage of being in the Absolute Center Position and surrounded by Stars Surrounding the Moon, the moment he sat down on the sofa, the visual focus of the entire rest area automatically shifted to him.
When several staff members passed by, their eyes would unconsciously drift in his direction.
" Teacher Cheng, during the celebrity entrance segment, you'll be coming up from the rising platform." The stage director approached, holding a schedule. "Your spot will be on the platform, which will rise from the center of the main stage. After you get up there, introduce yourself, and then the host will ask you two questions. Just answer them."
Cheng Che nodded.
"The order is: the Clearlove first, then you. Your segment will be right after the opening performance, when the audience's emotions are at their peak, so the cheers might be quite loud."
Cheng Che smiled and said, "It's nothing."
Outside, the lights on the main stage dimmed.
The opening performance had just ended, and the entire audience was still immersed in the afterglow of the CG and song and dance performance.
The host walked onto the stage, said a few words as an introduction, and then raised his voice.
"Next, let's welcome our star summoners for today--"
The first to appear was the Clearlove.
The elevator platform slowly rose, and applause and cheers erupted from the stands. Shouts of " Clearlove!" came from all directions.
The Clearlove waved to the audience, walked to the interview area in the center of the stage, and said a few words briefly.
Then came Cheng Che.
The on-site director counted to three in his in-ear monitor.
Then the lift started moving.
As Cheng Che slowly rose from below the stage, the entire Mercedes-Benz Arena seemed to be hit by something.
[ Absolute Center Position ] and [ Stars Surrounding the Moon ] are triggered!
First, a few female audience members in the front row, one of whom was holding a support sign for Cheng Che, saw the figure appear on the rising platform. The sign swayed, and then she jumped up from her seat.
People next to him stood up, and then to the side, and to the side again. In less than two seconds, the stands, from the inner field to the second and third tiers, were filled with people standing up.
Screams erupted from all directions, mixed with shouts of " Cheng Che " and "Ahhhhh!", crashing against the dome and bouncing back, making the entire venue seem to shake.
The big screen showed a Cheng Che.
He stood on the elevator platform, the lights shining down on him, his thin gray coat gleaming faintly under the light.
He wasn't wearing makeup or styled his hair, but it was this relaxed "I'm just here to play a game" vibe, combined with his [ Absolute Center Position ], that drew everyone's attention to him.
The comments section was completely divided at that moment.
Cheng Che's fans:
[Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, he's here!!!]
[Honey!!! Honey, you're so relaxed today!!!]
[You look amazing! You look so good even without makeup!]
I didn't expect to see him at the esports arena, but he made his entrance on a rising platform.
[This is quite a lineup, Tengjing, you really know how to invite guests!]
[The one in front, that's Cheng Che. Tengjing wished he could be carried in on a sedan chair by eight men.]
And League of Legends players:
[Wait, is this Cheng Che?]
Holy crap, he's even more exaggerated in person than in photos!
[I'm a guy, and I just stared at the screen for three seconds without saying a word.]
I thought Tengjing had just invited a popular celebrity to make a cameo appearance, but now that I see this person's debut, it seems like something else is going to happen.
[His presence on stage was so imposing that even the Clearlove next to him was overshadowed.]
I was eating, but now my chopsticks are frozen in mid-air.
One player in front of the computer, whose ID was " Canyon Old Hand," posted in the group before watching the live stream, "Another celebrity? They should use that money to optimize the client."
He was leaning back in his chair, his hand crunching the bag of potato chips.
He stared at the person on the screen who was walking down from the platform, remained silent for several seconds, and then typed a message in the group chat.
"This guy is really too good-looking."
My roommate leaned over and glanced at the screen. "Who's this?"
Cheng Che. A tennis player, Wimbledon Champion, from Peking University.
My roommate was taken aback. "A tennis player at the League of Legends celebration?"
" Tengjing invited him; he said he's Challenger- level player."
" Challenger?" My roommate glanced at the person on the screen again. "How can someone who looks like that reach the Challenger rank? Does this person spend twice as much time as us?"
At the scene, Cheng Che walked to the interview area and took the microphone from the host.
Hello everyone, I'm Cheng Che.
Another round of cheers erupted.
The host waited a few seconds until the voices were a little quieter before asking the question.
" Cheng Che, this is your first time attending the League of Legends anniversary celebration. How does it feel?"
"It's quite lively." Cheng Che glanced at the densely packed audience below the stage. "It's much bigger than I expected."
"I heard you're Challenger- ranked player, do you play often?"
"I've been practicing a lot lately," Cheng Che smiled. "After all, we're playing an exhibition match today, and I can't afford to get crushed by bots right away."
The audience burst into laughter.
The host asked two more lighthearted questions, and then Cheng Che walked to the contestants' seats on the side of the stage and sat down in his place.
The moment he put on the headphones, the big screen gave him another close-up shot.
The live chat exploded again.
The way he put on his headphones reminded me of the coin toss in the Wimbledon final.
This person looks good no matter what they do.
I originally came just to watch the exhibition match, but now I have some less serious thoughts.
[ Cheng Che's fans are spamming "husband," we LOL players are spamming "this guy is so handsome," we all have a bright future.]
[Is the guy who said "with that money, you should optimize the client" still around? Come out and say something.]
" Canyon Old Hand " leaned back in his chair, staring at the profile picture on the screen—a man wearing headphones and with a serious expression. He paused for a moment, then typed another message in the group chat.
"Let's talk about the client-side issue later. Let's watch the game first."