Chapter 54: EDG Encounters Another Formidable Foe, Chen Yan Raises the Price on the Spot

"I want to be left alone."

iCOn replied with just these four words.

Seeing this reply, Chen Yan knew that iCOn's mentality must have taken a slight hit.

After all, iCOn at this point was not yet the weary veteran of later years whose fighting spirit had been worn down by time.

Chen Yan didn't rub salt into the wound at a time like this.

The chat in the streaming room was flooding with questions about whether Lengshao had replied.

"He replied," Chen Yan said. "Lengcai said he's going to find Alone."

Everyone present was utterly baffled.

Who on earth is Alone?

...

Following OMG's defeat, the landscape of the LPL Spring Split became completely clear.

WE and EDG would face each other in the finals.

OMG and RNG would battle for third and fourth place.

Of course, none of this had much to do with Chen Yan.

Chen Yan continued his regular streaming schedule, but as his online hype dipped, his streaming viewership metrics began to slide accordingly.

He had originally thought about inviting iCOn onto his stream for some content, but ever since losing to WE, iCOn seemed deeply provoked, reportedly burying himself in intense practice every day.

Chen Yan sighed slightly at this.

In the professional scene, you don't fear players who are exceptionally good, nor do you fear those who are outright terrible. What you fear most are players like iCOn—stuck awkwardly in the middle, neither achieving the pinnacle nor sinking to the bottom.

He couldn't take the next step forward, yet he was too proud to take a step back and accept it.

Moreover, fate did not favor iCOn's hard work.

In their match against RNG, OMG suffered another defeat.

During the games, iCOn was even solo-killed by XiaOhU in their lane matchup.

To make matters worse, XiaOhU made some rare, thinly veiled sarcastic remarks about iCOn in the post-match interview.

He stated that while there were many mid laners he couldn't beat, handling iCOn was still well within his capabilities.

This comment was undoubtedly a direct provocation, and the internet exploded instantly.

Some people even claimed that Chen Yan was entirely to blame for all of this.

They argued that if Chen Yan hadn't run his mouth with trash talk during that post-match interview, the LPL wouldn't be in such a toxic and chaotic state right now.

...

That very night, Chen Yan received a WeChat message from iCOn.

"Am I just not cut out for professional gaming?"

Faced with this question, Chen Yan pondered for a long time before replying. "This question shouldn't be asked of me; it should be asked of yourself. It's not a matter of whether you're suited for it, but whether you still want to keep fighting."

iCOn did not reply.

It wasn't until the next day that iCOn sent another message.

"I thought about it all night, and I still want to keep playing professionally. I'm going to claw my way back and stomp on XiaOhU's head!"

To be honest, Chen Yan was somewhat moved.

If iCOn had chosen to become a full-time streamer, it would have been far easier than playing professionally, and the financial returns would have been much higher.

Yet, iCOn still chose to continue his career as a pro player.

The same went for Clearlove.

At that moment, Chen Yan suddenly felt a sense of release.

Admittedly, there were players with poor attitudes in the LPL region, but at the same time, there was also a group of players who silently persevered and forged ahead through hardships.

Failing to achieve results could only be attributed to timing and destiny.

Who could have predicted that the LCK would produce a true deity-level player like Faker?

If you were to take Faker out of the equation, the LPL and LCK were really just evenly matched.

Of course, sentimentality aside, Chen Yan's original intention remained unchanged. "Lengcai, transfer me 8,888, and I'll help you grow stronger to assist you in stomping on XiaOhU's head."

iCOn: "Transfer your sister!"

...

The EDG Base.

The Spring Split was nearing its end.

Now, only the finals between EDG and WE remained unplayed.

Abu was consumed by anxiety.

When facing RNG, EDG was already at the end of their tether, and the strength WE had displayed was clearly superior to RNG's, leaving EDG with virtually no chance of winning.

"Let Xiao Yan play," Clearlove said.

"Do you really think playing Xiao Yan can defeat WE?" Abu asked, hitting the core issue.

The problem EDG was currently facing was that their raw strength fell short of WE's, and the gap in the mid lane was the smallest margin.

Under these circumstances, would substituting Chen Yan in actually make a difference?

Clearlove didn't answer directly, instead turning the question back on him. "Where do you think Xiao Yan's true strength lies?"

"Where is his strength?"

Abu was stunned by the question. He realized that he couldn't actually answer it; ever since Chen Yan had changed, Abu hadn't truly taken the time to understand him.

His memories of Chen Yan were still largely stuck in the past.

"Mingkai, what's your take?"

"Playing games with Xiao Yan gives me one overriding impression: he always takes your feelings into consideration.

Playing alongside him is extraordinarily comfortable; he always appears right when you need him..."

"Scout might not be inferior to Xiao Yan in terms of mechanics and game awareness, but in this particular aspect, Scout falls quite a bit short."

Abu nodded.

Scout was a proud and stubborn player; he had his own subjective judgments and would execute them strictly.

Whether paired with Mouse or Clearlove, Scout had experienced tactical disagreements in matches.

During post-match reviews, Scout was always the one with the most opinions.

"Scout is better suited to being a general, a talented soldier, whereas Xiao Yan feels more like a commander-in-chief capable of leading an entire army."

"According to you, Xiao Yan's macroscopic view of the game is terrifyingly good, and while maintaining top-tier mechanics, he can also shot-call..."

The more Abu spoke, the more alarmed he became.

Clearlove's gaze flickered as well.

The two exchanged glances, each reading the other's thoughts.

Up to this point, the only player in the mid lane who could pull off that kind of performance was Faker.

"If he really is a player of Faker's caliber, then it's definitely worth a shot."

However, Abu immediately followed up with, "But I still think we should let Scout start the match."

"Why?"

At this, Clearlove was somewhat baffled.

Clearly, Chen Yan was the optimal solution, so why was Abu still insisting on starting Scout?

Clearlove looked closely at Abu, giving him a strange look that made Abu's skin crawl.

"What are you looking at?"

"I'm looking to see if Scout looks anything like you."

The corners of Abu's mouth twitched.

Then, he heard Clearlove muttering to himself, "Doesn't look like him, actually."

"What on earth are you thinking?"

Abu said irritably, "I'm letting Scout start mainly because... because..."

At this point, Abu found it a bit difficult to put into words.

But seeing Clearlove waiting for his reasoning, Abu gritted his teeth and said, "Because I want to save some money."

This...

Clearlove was dumbfounded. Just because of that?

You're the manager of EDG, for crying out loud; isn't your perspective a bit too small-time?

Abu smiled bitterly. "Xiao Yan doesn't come cheap. Last time against RNG, it was fifty thousand per game.

This time against WE, it's the spring finals—who knows if he'll try to extort us on the spot and raise his price?"

You have to hand it to Abu; he really understood Chen Yan.

At this, Clearlove smiled with confident assurance. "Let me talk to Xiao Yan. I should still have that much face."

Abu's eyes lit up. "Then give it a try."

Consequently, Clearlove called Chen Yan right on the spot.

After a brief conversation, Clearlove hung up the phone with a blank expression.

Abu hurriedly asked, "How did it go?"

Clearlove: "My face is gone."

Abu suddenly grew nervous: "How much?"

Clearlove: "One hundred thousand per game."

Abu: "..."