Let Me Sleep a Little Longer [Esports] - Chapter 15

A few people strolled onto the stage, and the audience erupted with screams, particularly noticeable when the spotlight shone on Zhou Lingxing.

On a stage where even the staff were all male, even though Su Heng wore a mask, her long hair spread out was enough to attract attention.

This led to a flurry of discussions among the fans in the audience:
**”Who is that woman? She’s even wearing a mask.”**
**”Sleeping, GI’s new jungler.”**
**”A woman playing professionally? What on earth is GI thinking?”**
**”Wait! Is Sleeping really a woman?”**
**”To be honest, Sleeping’s skills are impressive; the Silver Killer is not just for show.”**
**”Pfft, you know it’s Silver rank, how can it compare to professional matches?”**
**”This group from GI must have lost their minds after losing so many matches; they’re even using women now.”**
**”I don’t care; starting today, I’m a fan of Sleeping for her looks!”**
**”Have you lost your mind too? You can’t even see her face and you’re a fan of her looks?”**

On the other side, Miya, the special host from the streaming platform, looked particularly unhappy.

The name Sleeping felt like a fishbone stuck in her throat.

To host the GI match, Miya specifically swapped shifts with another host and even gave someone a limited-edition lipstick set as a favor.

But after seeing GI’s Weibo yesterday and learning that the woman she had met at the last gathering was Sleeping, she regretted it.

Now, seeing Su Heng sitting next to Zhou Lingxing on stage, Miya gritted her teeth and swallowed her frustration.

She could only force a smile in front of millions of viewers, looking even worse than crying.

On stage, Zhou Lingxing handed the headphones to the girl beside him: “You don’t have your own equipment yet; make sure to adjust the mouse sensitivity and keyboard keys before the match.”

Su Heng nodded and then asked quietly, “Who will command in general?”

“I will,” Zhou Lingxing raised an eyebrow and quickly replied.

The girl lifted her gaze to the man and calmly said, “Can I command today?”

Zhou Lingxing didn’t think for long, chuckling as he nodded: “Sure, you take the lead.”

In the earpiece, Wave was the first to express his dissatisfaction: “You want her to command in her first match? That’s not how it works.”

Old Fish weakly chimed in: “I think so too… Shouldn’t we get familiar with the match first? Let Zhou Lingxing lead this time.”

Su Heng paid no mind to the two of them and calmly looked at the silent Sun He.

Sun He smiled: “It’s fine, let her give it a try.”

“But, Brother Sun…” Wave’s objections were interrupted again by Su Heng: “Three to two, I will command.”

The boy had no choice but to close his mouth; the principle of majority rule was a default in their team. No matter how unhappy he felt, he couldn’t break the rules they had set for themselves.

The music in the venue suddenly quieted down, and the lights gradually dimmed.

In the live broadcast room, the commentators were on high alert.
**”Hello everyone, I’m Xiao Hai.”**
**”I’m Damao.”**
**”Today’s match will be narrated by us. By the way, this is GI’s first match after switching to a new jungler and also the first match of the season against CEO.”**
**”That’s right; GI and CEO are like rivals. I heard the previous jungler got suspended for fighting with someone from the CEO team.”**

Xiao Hai nudged Damao with his elbow: **”Ahem, alright, both sides are starting the ban and pick phase; let’s see their first ban.”**

The CEO team gained the first move and first banned Zhou Lingxing’s LeBlanc.

Shen Jianian stood in the shadows of the stage and commanded in a low voice, “Ban Fiora.”

Xiao Hai: “From the first bans of both teams, it’s clear that they have some understanding and preparation for each other. LING’s LeBlanc and Xiexie’s Fiora are both peak heroes in the national server.”

Daimao: “This is expected. I just want to see how the CEO will respond to GI’s new jungler, Sleeping.”

Xiao Hai: “Speaking of Sleeping, she’s a newcomer who hasn’t participated in any competitions. There’s no information about her online, only a few videos uploaded by some netizens. People tend to have a fear of the unknown.”

Daimao shook his head rationally: “I also watched Sleeping’s videos. Her skills are good, but they wouldn’t scare professional players. You can’t learn too much from just a few short videos.”

While they were talking, the CEO team banned Zhou Lingxing’s Hecarim and Sun He’s Rumble as a sign of respect.

GI also responded by banning Xiexie’s Riven and Zhou Mo’s Sejuani in return.

After the ban phase ended, Sun He revealed a hint of a smile: “It seems Su Heng hasn’t garnered enough attention from them, so we can pick Lee Sin.”

Shen Jianian remained silent, his expression unclear in the shadows, making it hard to read.

However, Su Heng shook his head seriously: “I will pick Rek’Sai.”

Sun He turned to Su Heng, his expression appearing particularly amusing. After working together for the past few days, they all understood that Su Heng was not as proficient with Rek’Sai as with Lee Sin. Now that they had the best option, why go for Plan B?

Before Sun He could say more, CEO’s first choice was instantly locked in as Lee Sin.

The audience erupted in shock.

CEO’s jungler Zhou Mo was most skilled with Sejuani; although his Sejuani often gets banned, his champion pool isn’t deep, so his second choices mostly revolve around Gragas and Graves.

With the jungle champion selection typically being less important, CEO’s immediate choice of Lee Sin held some significant meaning.

Sun He shrugged helplessly and smiled, “Alright, I almost forgot about your talent for strategy.”

Su Heng couldn’t smile. This wasn’t her strategic brilliance; it was her need to prove to herself that she was qualified to fight alongside this group of players who controlled their champions with such skill.

She needed a reason and an opportunity, which was one of the reasons she wanted to lead.

On the other side, the commentators were also surprised by Zhou Mo’s choice.

Xiao Hai: “Hey… is this CEO’s way of responding to Sleeping? But isn’t this a bit reckless? We know that Zhou Mo has never played Lee Sin in a formal match before.”

Daimao nodded in agreement: “Yes, this is indeed not a great strategy. After all, nobody knows what other champions Sleeping might use, but one thing is certain: she won’t just play Lee Sin.”

Over here, under Zhou Lingxing’s request, Sun He helped him lock in Viktor, and then Su Heng quickly locked in Rek’Sai herself.

The audience below was restless.

Xiao Hai: “Look, Sleeping picked Rek’Sai, which is also a good choice.”

Daimao: “Indeed. LING’s Viktor is also a teamfight hero; now we’ll see CEO’s choice.”

After a brief countdown, CEO’s team chose Ashe and Karma.

Daimao: “Karma? Is she mid lane? Wouldn’t that be a bit weak?”

Xiao Hai disagreed: “Probably not; Karma is likely to be support.”

Wave saw the opposing Ashe and started shouting, “Give me Kog’Maw! I want to play Kog’Maw!”

Shen Jianian glanced over, “No one is stopping you; go ahead. Lao Yu takes Trundle.”

Lao Yu nodded, quickly locking in his champion.

Before long, he had even set up his runes and masteries.

Xiao Hai praised: “GI’s bottom lane combination is great. If Karma is support, Trundle’s protection for Kog’Maw becomes especially important.”

Daimao agreed: “It’s indeed good; I can already picture it and I’m starting to look forward to this match, haha.”

The two players speculated whether Karma would be a mid-laner or a support, and after the CEO locked in Cassiopeia with their final picks, they finally reached a conclusion.

Dai Mao: “Since the CEO chose Cassiopeia to face off against Ling’s Viktor, that means Karma will indeed be a support.”

Xiao Hai: “Yeah, and they even picked Jax! I suddenly feel the killing intent—haha!”

Zhou Lingxing glanced at Sun He, who was frowning, and said casually, “Captain Sun, I’ve picked Jarvan IV for you.”

Sun He’s expression suddenly brightened as he scoffed, “Good, just what I wanted.”

With that, the draft phase concluded.

**GI lineup:** Jarvan IV, Rek’Sai, Viktor, Kog’Maw, Braum.
**CEO lineup:** Jax, Lee Sin, Cassiopeia, Ashe, Karma.

As the camera flashes lit up, Su Heng rubbed his slightly sweaty palms.

He parted his lips and, in his usual cold tone, instructed, “Level-one fight—catch Cassiopeia. Wave, you’ll need to bait them.”

Wave was furious. “What? You’re asking an ADC without mobility to bait them? Do you even have a brain?!”

Su Heng didn’t hesitate in his response. “If you had mobility, I wouldn’t ask you to do it. Don’t worry, just use your heal when needed.”

Wave wanted to say more, but Sun He interrupted sternly, “This is a match. We agreed beforehand that Su Heng is in charge. Just follow his calls.”

Wave’s anger was instantly extinguished. Reluctantly, he followed the team to mid-lane, setting up an ambush in the brush near the dragon pit.

The crowd erupted in excitement. The GI players couldn’t see what was happening, but the audience, with their bird’s-eye view, saw everything clearly: the CEO’s Cassiopeia was hiding in a brush just across the river, with only a short distance separating the two teams.

Through their headsets came the cold, robotic voice: *”30 seconds until minions spawn.”*

The buffs were about to spawn, but Su Heng showed no signs of urgency.

As the minions from both sides prepared to clash, Su Heng calmly gave precise instructions: “Wave and Lao Yu, stay hidden. Zhou Lingxing, help me a bit—I’ll start at the F6 camp.”

The jungle monsters spawned seconds later, and Su Heng leisurely began clearing them, pulling the monsters back toward the triangular brush in their jungle with Zhou Lingxing helping out.

Meanwhile, Cassiopeia slowly moved closer to the lane. Just as she was about to farm, she spotted the two players clearing the jungle. Sensing an opportunity, she called for her bot-lane teammates to come gank.

Su Heng noticed Cassiopeia but didn’t engage. She only cast abilities to try and steal the jungle monsters.

He continued clearing the camp while retreating deeper into his jungle.

Cassiopeia saw Su Heng backing off and, knowing her teammates were nearby, pressed further into enemy territory, hoping to secure the F6 camp.

Just then, Su Heng gave the command: “Go.”