Let Me Sleep a Little Longer [Esports]

Chapter 2, Part 002
One year ago.

In a corner of the internet cafe, Sun He stood upright, his tall and slender figure contrasting sharply with the smoky atmosphere of the internet cafe. Apart from him, the only other person who seemed out of place was a young girl playing games in front of a computer screen.

It seemed she hadn’t noticed anyone behind her. Her delicate, fair hands swiftly danced across the keyboard, her movements captivating to watch.

Glancing at the bright green screen, Sun He recognized it as League of Legends with just a glance. League of Legends was widely known, and coincidentally, he was a professional player of this game.

After a cursory look, spotting a young girl, he prepared to leave. However, her sudden and unexpected actions left him momentarily stunned, unable to move his legs.

By the time he came back to his senses, he had been standing behind the girl for about ten minutes. Reflecting on the girl’s recent actions, Sun He fell into deep thought.

Her gameplay wasn’t exceptional, but her awareness was remarkable.

Ten minutes ago, the enemy ADC had 5 seconds left to respawn, and her teammates seized the opportunity to catch the enemy mid-laner and support. She controlled her game character, heading towards mid-lane right after respawning from the fountain. Just as she was about to reach the team fight, she suddenly circled around the jungle.

The jungle was shrouded in darkness with no vision, whereas mid-lane was a clear path ahead.

This inexplicable decision clearly cost her the chance to join the team fight. Sun He could see the frustrated teammates typing angrily on the screen.

Strangely, within seconds, a lion-dog form, which had just ended its stealth mode, appeared where the minion wave was in mid-lane, instantly silencing the typing teammates.

Sun He was briefly stunned.

Even he would find it difficult to predict the lion-dog’s path without vision. If the sudden change in direction wasn’t a random decision but a bold prediction by the girl…

To rule out the possibility of coincidence, Sun He stopped and observed her for ten minutes. Each time, she could sense danger and evade perfectly in the absence of vision.

The enemy lion-dog was clearly skilled, with the highest kill count in the game, yet he never managed to catch her once.

Sun He rubbed his chin, contemplating the likelihood of her dodging the lion-dog every single time.

It couldn’t be said to be impossible, considering she had achieved it for at least those ten minutes. However, achieving such a feat was quite astonishing.

At this moment, Sun He forgot about what he had originally come to do at the internet cafe. He simply wanted to wait for the girl to finish her game and ask her how she did it.

He decided to move toward the front desk to swipe his card for a computer.

When he hurried back, the girl had already stood up, and the screen displayed the word « defeat » in large letters.

With her back turned to Sun He, she was conversing with a young man who appeared out of nowhere.

Sun He pretended to pass by, sat down in the empty seat next to her, and finally could hear their conversation clearly.

The man said, « Thanks, Su Hong. Thankfully, you were here; otherwise, we would have definitely been reported. »

The girl shook her head ever so slightly. It was at this moment that Sun He finally got a clear look at her face.

She was very beautiful, exuding a resolute and righteous beauty.

Her face was cold, her almond-shaped eyes calm like the sea. There was a scholarly air about her eyebrows and eyes, softened by a mole at the corner of her eye. Her long black hair, against her fair skin, enhanced her beauty even more.

« It’s alright. I lost to you after all, my apologies, » her clear and cool voice echoed in Sun He’s ears.

The man waved his hands dismissively, « It’s nothing. It’s difficult even for me. You’ve never played this before, and I dragged you here to help. If anything, blame it on my girlfriend’s phone call. It’s not your fault. »

After hesitating for a moment, Su Hong gently asked, « What’s the name of this game? »

Finally, he added, « It’s quite interesting. » The man’s expression immediately brightened upon hearing this. « Really? If you find it interesting, we can play a game called League of Legends sometime. With your words, in less than a month… no, less than a week, you’ll definitely master it completely. »

However, Su Hong shook her head at the man. « Not necessarily. This game heavily relies on teamwork. »

The man seemed about to say something more, but the young woman interjected, « You go ahead and play. I’m a bit sleepy. » She raised her index finger upward, pointing towards the ceiling. « I’m going to bed. »

The man could only relent, returning to his computer and starting a new game. From their conversation, Sun He had gathered quite a bit of information, yet he was still struck by the fact that the girl had just played « LoL » for the first time. Now that the girl was finally alone, he hurried over, reaching out as if to pat her.

Before he could touch her, however, Su Hong turned around as if sensing something, staring expressionlessly at him. Her eyes conveyed a hint of confusion, as if asking what he was trying to do.

Sun He stared at her for a moment, seemingly evaluating the authenticity of her claim that it was her first time playing « LoL. »

Finally, he cleared his throat and spoke, « Hello, I watched the game you just played. »

Su Hong appeared somewhat impatient, but she remained in place, waiting for him to continue.

Seeing her impatient gaze, Sun He hesitated slightly, unable to bring himself to apologize. The two of them stood there in silence for about ten seconds. Just as Sun He thought he wouldn’t get an answer, she finally spoke:

« What’s ‘Lion Dog’? »

Sun He was taken aback.

Su Hong thought for a moment, then asked, « Are you referring to the ‘Pridestalker’ on the enemy team? »

Sun He suddenly understood. This person in front of him had never played League of Legends. He reminded himself of this fact once again.

He nodded. « Yes, I’ve been observing for a while, and every time you manage to avoid him. »

The girl suddenly smirked, making a mocking expression. « He’s just too dumb. »

With that, she waved dismissively, turning to leave.

Su Hong didn’t like to brush people off, but she was just too tired at the moment, feeling a dull ache in her head.

Seeing this, Sun He couldn’t let her leave like this. He followed her again, this time more cautiously.

« I’m sorry for being abrupt earlier, but I really want to know your method. My name is Sun He, a professional player of this game. Your technique might help our whole team. If you’re willing, I’d like to acquire this method from you. »

Su Hong was stunned for a moment, sensing the sincerity in Sun He’s words, but her eyelids were already starting to droop.

After weighing her options, she quickly said, « Come to the front desk tomorrow and ask for Su Hong, » then hurried upstairs.

Sun He, left behind, was caught off guard by the situation, unable to intervene, and could only watch Su Hong leave.

After a moment, he walked slowly to the front desk to log off.

Sun He had come to the internet cafe today to find Shen Sinian, their team’s jungler.

Shen Sinian was lagging behind due to technical issues during the GI, often coming to the internet cafe alone to play low-level games to relax. Today, Shen Sinian had been summoned by the coach, so as the team captain, Sun He was sent to find him.

There were only a few internet cafes near the base. He had planned to visit each one in turn, but unexpectedly encountered this situation at the first cafe, causing him to pause.

At the front desk of the internet cafe, he handed over his ID to log off.

Remembering the few words the girl had left behind, he casually observed the actions of the network administrator and casually asked, « Is Su Hong here? »