Chapter Forty-Four: My Spirit Lives Forever

The final week of the Spring Split concluded with WE's defeat.

The fans of WE swarmed out in full force, while the EDG supporters scattered like leaves in the wind.

Nearly half of the livestream audience dispersed instantly, yet a good number of trolls and meme-lords remained firmly entrenched in the trenches. They were waiting for the post-match interview, waiting for that man known for his outlandish remarks.

Yet, the one who ultimately stepped onto the stage was a bespectacled, painfully shy South Korean.

"Hello everyone, I am EDG's mid laner, Scout."

The livestream shed nearly half its remaining viewer count in a split second.

[He can't even string a proper sentence together in Chinese, and you send him up there to drop trash talk?]

[I practically dropped my pants in anticipation, and you feed me this?]

[I watched two whole matches just for these final ten minutes of interviews, and the guy is nowhere to be seen. What the hell, refund my mobile data!]

[An LPL team that doesn't know how to capitalize on internet traffic is no true LPL team. Just disband already.]

[You don't let the two-time MVP come up for the interview? What's the meaning of this? Haters, let's raid the official channel!]

Lin Ruo, lounging in the rest area and casually scrolling through the gossip, felt rather helpless. It wasn't that he didn't want to go up for the interview; it was simply that he lacked the funds to pay the club's payroll.

Dropping toxic banter and playing mental gymnastics during interviews took too much of a toll.

His six-digit bank password was barely enough to protect his five-digit savings. If he pulled another stunt like that, his balance might require a decimal point just to be visible.

Going back to livestreaming and running wild there carried far lower risks.

"Damn, look at Scout's nervous-ass expression. It's not like it's his first time up there, how can he be such a coward?" Peanut's stand-in,爱萝莉 (Ainololi), chuckled until he was nearly suffocated.

On the screen, Scout stood ramrod straight, his hands trembling timidly. The reason for his nervousness wasn't a lack of experience. He had stood on that stage at least five or six times during last year's undefeated summer championship run; it was just that today was a bit unique—the notoriously unprofessional LPL official broadcast had failed to provide a translator.

Although he had been with EDG for half a year, Scout felt his Chinese proficiency hadn't quite reached the level required for fluent conversation. Thus, he was terrified of failing to understand or answer the host's questions.

However, after five full minutes had passed, Scout realized his worries were entirely superfluous. It seemed every single question could be answered with a single sentence.

"The first question is directed at Scout. In the first game, Scout pulled off an incredible escape sequence in the mid lane. Could you tell us how you managed to react to the three-man encirclement by WE?"

Taking the microphone from余霜 (Yushuang), Scout instinctively adjusted his glasses and replied in a flustered tone, "Um, the AD reminded me."

"So it was player Lin Ruo who gave the reminder," Yushuang said, looking slightly surprised. Maintaining her professional smile, she moved on to the next question.

"Then for the second question: in the second game, facing WE's level-one invasion in the top and jungle, EDG executed a near-perfect counter-invasion. Was this thoroughly researched and prepared beforehand in training?"

Scout, receiving the microphone once more, paused for a moment. Looking somewhat embarrassed, he chuckled dryly, "The AD reminded me."

"Another reminder from player Lin Ruo?"

Yushuang's smile grew increasingly strained. "Third question: EDG selected Jayce for Mouse in the top lane today. Is this a new playstyle you're practicing?"

Scout shook his head and replied flatly, "I don't know. The AD told us to pick it."

Yushuang froze, momentarily at a loss for how to salvage the situation. She wondered repeatedly if she was actually interviewing Scout. Why did it feel like someone who wasn't even standing on stage was somehow hovering right beside her?

An interview like this was bound to be a bit awkward.

Gathering her composure, Yushuang forced a look of nonchalance and posed the fourth question. "We all know that back when Clearlove was playing, EDG's shotcalling was entirely in his hands. Now that he's absent, I'm very curious as to who EDG's new shotcaller is."

"It couldn't possibly be player Lin Ruo again, could it?" Yushuang added with a lighthearted chuckle.

The AD position required absolute focus on mechanics and positioning; it was virtually impossible for them to double as the primary shotcaller. The most likely candidate was Meiko.

With that thought, Yushuang felt comfortable enough to make a joke. After all, the interview had been far too rigid, with the exact same answer batted back and forth. Asking questions for half a year was equivalent to getting zero answers out of him, leaving her no choice but to take matters into her own hands to create content and liven up the atmosphere.

Yet, upon hearing Yushuang's words, Scout's eyes lit up. He gave a gentle nod and let out a soft "Mhm."

Knowing how to jump in with the right answer was wonderful—it saved him from having to repeat himself.

Yushuang was utterly shell-shocked, her jaw nearly hitting the floor.

"No way... It really is player Lin Ruo who's shotcalling?"

Scout nodded once more in agreement.

As the interview concluded, Yushuang wore a dazed expression and let out a helpless sigh. What a truly hearty and refreshing interview that had been.

There was nothing left to say except to thank player Lin Ruo for his participation and cooperation.

Stepping off the stage, Scout also let out a massive sigh of relief.

He had never participated in such an effortless interview before. The entire time, he only had to speak half a sentence, and by the end, he just had to nod and go "mhm" to wrap it up.

If future interviews could always be this convenient, that would be fantastic.

It saved him from having to awkwardly struggle through his lines with his halting, comical Chinese.

Meanwhile, the livestream viewers who had witnessed the entire spectacle were laughing their heads off.

[Damn, good thing I didn't click away. That was hilarious.]

[Some people are alive, yet they are already dead; some people are dead, yet they still live; some people aren't on the stage, but they...]

[For the first time, I truly understand what it means for a spirit to live on eternally.]

[Next time, just drag the guy up there. Remote interviews are way too awkward, and showing his face doesn't even cost them portrait fees.]

[No trash talk spoken, yet everything reeks of arrogance.]

[Is this EDG's AD? His presence across the map is absurdly strong.]

Packing his bags, leaving the venue, and boarding the team bus back to the base, Lin Ruo immediately posted a handsome selfie on Weibo accompanied by the text:

"Hello, my loyal fans. I'm currently at the arena, just finished the match, and secured a nice little victory. Those who appreciate me, follow my lead; those who doubt me, can clear out to the side of the road. Also, Mr. Bu is treating us to hotpot tonight, very happy. On a side note, a lot of people have been saying I'm a fake fan lately. Let me make it clear in advance: I am genuinely a Uzi fan."

At the same time, Ahbu, who was scrolling through Weibo, turned his head and glared. "When did I ever say I was treating everyone to hotpot?"

"No? Then it must have been auditory hallucinations. Wait for me to post a Weibo explaining that Manager Bu isn't treating us after all."

Ahbu rubbed his forehead, feeling both exasperated and amused, though not quite angry enough to snap. "Fine, fine, fine. I'll treat you lot, okay? I surrender. It's our last meal before the New Year—let's keep things pleasant, and when you get back, you better all play your hearts out."

Fully satisfied, Lin Ruo dozed off for a bit before happily browsing through the comments below.

As a mature idol, he needed to constantly mingle and banter with his fans.

[RNG_Wont_Change_Name_Until_They_Win: Who's your fan? Looking at you makes me sick, get lost as far as you can.]

Reversing the natural order of heaven and earth, telling me to get lost right under my own Weibo post.

Setting aside the facts, you've got quite a lot of nerve.

Lin Ruo neatly tapped out a reply: "Scram. Normal people don't use IDs like that, don't try to stir up drama for RNG in my comment section."

[Forever_An_E_Fan: Well played, Brother Lin, you're the best!]

"My dear fangirl, before praising me, could you please delete the post from your homepage two days ago where you were cursing me out for not practicing properly!"

[WE_Charge_Charge_Charge: Player Lin Ruo plays so well. Can I take you out to the movies this Saturday during the break? I can even drink iced beverages, you know.]

What's this, trying to pull off an offline solo-kill?

Lin Ruo felt a wave of nausea. "Even if you could drink liquid nitrogen, I still wouldn't come."