Compared to Su Heng’s inner turmoil at that moment, Jiang Yuan’s emotions were no less intense.
He had already seen her gameplay from previous match videos and knew that she was smart and quick to learn. But the fact that in just one night, she was able to push him to the brink multiple times during their match-ups… Such learning ability and speed in processing information…
What had once been a joke about her defeating him might no longer be a laughing matter.
He recalled the words Zhou Lingxing had said to him when he first came to recruit him:
*”Although Su Heng is just a rookie now, she’s destined to surpass all of us one day.”*
At the time, Jiang Yuan had brushed it off without giving it much thought.
Now, as he walked along the empty street and glanced back at the faint lights in the GI Club building, he had no doubt that Zhou Lingxing’s words were true.
After a moment, Jiang Yuan turned around and quickened his pace. The moonlight cast dim shadows over his shoulders.
Jiang Yuan thought to himself: perhaps even Zhou Lingxing didn’t fully realize what kind of monster they had brought in.
The night deepened, and it would be a sleepless one.
After training with heroes all night, Su Heng was already waiting in the practice room early in the morning, hoping to convince Shen Jianian to let her play in the upcoming match.
It wasn’t until 8 a.m. that Shen Jianian finally arrived.
His bloodshot eyes and wrinkled suit betrayed his hurried state. Shen Jianian had only landed back in the country at 6 a.m., rushing straight to the club’s base as soon as he got off the plane.
When he saw Su Heng, he looked surprised—he clearly hadn’t expected her to be in the training room at this hour.
He walked over slowly. “Didn’t sleep all night?”
Su Heng nodded, carefully choosing her words, unsure how to start the conversation.
But to her surprise, what she had agonized over all night was resolved the moment Shen Jianian spoke again.
“How are you feeling after staying up all night? Can you play in today’s match?”
Shen Jianian didn’t notice the fleeting joy in Su Heng’s eyes as he pulled out his phone and began typing, standing quietly to the side while waiting for her answer.
Without hesitation, Su Heng replied, “I can play.” Then she glanced at him, noticing the hint of exhaustion under his eyes. “But wasn’t the plan to let Xiaoban take this one?”
Still typing, Shen Jianian replied without looking up: “You and Zhou Lingxing’s recent situation caused a bit of a stir. If we sub in Xiaoban now, people might think we’re trying to avoid trouble.”
He paused briefly and added, “Although putting you in comes with some risk of being targeted, winning the match will shut up the haters online.”
Su Heng nodded. “Understood. I practiced other heroes last night.”
Shen Jianian raised an eyebrow. “What hero?”
A look of quiet determination crossed Su Heng’s face.
“Jarvan IV.”
Since Jiang Yuan told her not to play Master Yi, she decided not to—perhaps she wouldn’t ever touch Master Yi again.
But she would make Jiang Yuan understand that defeating him was only a matter of time, starting with Jarvan IV.
The match was scheduled for 11 a.m., and before long, the rest of the team came downstairs one by one.
When Xiaoban learned he wouldn’t be playing, he jumped up excitedly. “Awesome!!!”
Wave rolled his eyes at him. “Why are you even in pro gaming if you don’t want to play?”
Xiaoban replied confidently, “I’ve only been here two days! I’m not in sync with the team yet.”
Wave sneered. “Even when you *do* sync up, all you’ll do is ride our coattails to victory.”
Though Wave still disliked Su Heng, after playing several games with Xiaoban over the past few days, he had to admit that teaming up with Su Heng felt smoother and more natural.
Zhou Lingxing, having just woken up, was still groggy. Irritated by their banter, he waved them off. “Stop arguing.”
Su Heng glanced at him. Zhou Lingxing, usually stiff and stoic, looked unusually expressive at that moment.
His hair was slightly messy, his thick brows furrowed, and his eyes half-closed with a mix of confusion and annoyance.
She suddenly felt curious—did needing an hour to fully wake up every morning count as a medical condition?
While the others chatted casually, Sun He walked over to Shen Jianian with a worried expression and whispered, “Are you sure about putting Su Heng in?”
Shen Jianian adjusted the glasses sliding down the bridge of his nose. “Do you have a better solution?”
Sun He remained silent.
Shen Jianian stepped forward and patted Sun He on the shoulder. “Leave it to her. Since you chose her, you should trust her.”
“Besides,” Shen Jianian glanced at the game interface still open on Su Heng’s screen, “she really does deserve that trust.”
—
GI’s opponent in this match was SLZ, a newly promoted team from the LSPL this year. The team members were relatively young, and their performance fluctuated, though they occasionally played some impressive matches.
Before the match, Su Heng ran into SLZ’s jungler outside the waiting room.
The young boy froze for two seconds upon seeing her, then quickly grew excited, his face lighting up as he noticed her feminine features. “Are you… Sleeping?”
Su Heng gave a polite nod. “And you are?”
The boy became even more animated at her response. “I’m Xiao Xin, the jungler for SLZ! You know, the team you’ll be facing soon!”
Su Heng was startled by his sudden enthusiasm. “Uh… hello.”
Xiao Xin’s smile grew even brighter. “Hi, big sis! I’ve watched your streams—huge fan!”
Hearing his straightforward compliment, Su Heng couldn’t help but chuckle, her earlier nervousness easing a little.
Looking at the energetic boy in front of her, she smiled softly. “I remember the SLZ waiting room is on the other side. Are you looking for someone?”
“Yeah,” Xiao Xin nodded eagerly before scratching his head bashfully. “Actually, I was hoping to run into you. I didn’t expect to meet you in person—what a lucky day, hahaha!”
Before Su Heng could reply, an urgent voice called from behind: “Big sis! Hurry, it’s time to go on stage!”
Su Heng gave Xiao Xin an apologetic nod. “I’ve got to go. You should head back too; the match is starting soon.”
With that, she waved to him and quickly headed back into the waiting room.
Still buzzing with excitement, Xiao Xin skipped off toward the other side, pulling out his phone and typing furiously as he ran.
**[I just met Sleeping backstage!!! She’s gorgeous! She wears a mask just so she doesn’t scare you mortals. Anyone who calls her ugly again, I’ll fight you on the spot!]**
Within minutes, the comments exploded:
**[What’s going on? Shouldn’t you be focusing on the match instead of fangirling?]**
**[Haha, what’s up with this fanboy energy? Never knew Xiao Xin’s innocent looks hid such a wild heart.]**
**[This is why women don’t belong in esports. See? One woman and the players are already distracted.]**
**[Sleeping must be thinking: ‘??? I ran into someone by chance and still got dragged into this mess?’]**
**[Where’s the pic?! I want to see her too!]**
**[+1, show us!]**
Annoyed by the negative comments, Xiao Xin’s fingers flew across his phone screen as he fired back.
**[What’s wrong with women? Don’t they need to eat, sleep, and work too?]**
**[Where do you see me distracted? Think I’m afraid to solo fans like Sleeping?]**
**[No photos. Even if I had one, I wouldn’t share it just so you could drool over it.]**
As soon as Xiao Xin entered SLZ’s waiting room, the coach smacked him on the head.
“Still browsing Weibo? Arguing with fans? Do you realize the match is about to start?” the coach shouted.
Xiao Xin teared up dramatically. “Can you be gentler next time, coach? What if you knock me out and I can’t play?”
After the commotion settled, both teams finally took the stage.
Su Heng walked in the middle of her team, wearing a mask. Out of habit, she glanced toward the opposing team—and immediately locked eyes with Xiao Xin, who winked playfully at her.
She smiled, her eyes curving slightly, and gave him a small nod.
Zhou Lingxing, standing beside her, watched the entire exchange. Surprised by her acquaintance with the enemy jungler, his body instinctively shifted, positioning himself like a wall to block their view.
Su Heng looked curiously at the human barrier that had suddenly appeared between them.
Zhou Lingxing, unfazed, said calmly, “Don’t flirt with the opponent. The audience isn’t blind.”
Once they were seated, Zhou Lingxing turned to Su Heng and asked, “Who’s shot-calling today?”
Su Heng parted her lips lightly: “Me.”
“The Sword Saint?”
“The prince.”
Zhou Lingxing nodded calmly, though a hint of amusement flashed through his eyes.
It seemed yesterday’s deal wasn’t a loss after all.
A few minutes later, the *ban & pick* phase confirmed that Sun He’s concerns were valid.
Sure enough, SLZ had planned to target Su Heng, using two bans on her: first banning Lee Sin, then Rek’Sai.
The final ban was always LeBlanc—no team would let her through as long as Zhou Lingxing was playing.
Looking at the opponent’s bans, Zhou Lingxing chuckled at Su Heng, “Didn’t you say you knew their jungler? Yet they’re still targeting you?”
Su Heng shrugged. “Not really friends. Besides, this works out—two of their bans are wasted.”
Wave sneered sarcastically, “Looks like they think you’re an easy target, a rookie to bully.”
If only they knew she was the hardest person to deal with, he thought to himself.
Before long, the game loaded on the big screen.
The teams were:
**GI**: Rumble, Azir, Jarvan IV, Caitlyn, and Thresh.
**SLZ**: Irelia, Xerath, Gragas, Kalista, and Annie.
Within the first three minutes, GI’s top and mid lanes both secured early kills—Rumble drew first blood, followed shortly by Azir.
While the bot lane hadn’t gotten any kills yet, Wave already had a noticeable lead in CS over the opposing Kalista.
Su Heng calmly farmed in the jungle, her expression relaxed.
Until she ran into Xiao Xin in her own jungle again.
Xiao Xin played decisively, completely different from his usual demeanor. As soon as he saw Su Heng, he immediately used his *E* to leap in and threw Gragas’s barrel at Jarvan IV.
Su Heng didn’t dodge—she took the damage head-on while finishing off the jungle camp. Then, she turned around and precisely landed a flag-and-drag combo behind Gragas, interrupting his movements.
After two more auto-attacks, Gragas’s health dropped to a third.
Xiao Xin quickly compared their HP and decided to fight it out. He drank from his cask and went in for another attack.
The moment Gragas drank, Su Heng used her Flash.
Xiao Xin wasn’t about to let her get away and instantly followed with his own Flash.
But the second he landed, he was once again hit by Jarvan’s *EQ combo*, sending him into the air. After two more auto-attacks, Gragas collapsed, and the kill notification flashed on the screen.
In a corner of the audience, someone chuckled softly.
Jiang Yuan, dressed in black with a baseball cap pulled low, leaned against the wall. His sharp eyes locked onto the screen, where Su Heng’s moves mirrored his from the day before.
The corner of his mouth lifted in a faint smile.