TCWSITD – Chapter 42.3

***
Chapter 42.3 – The Misunderstanding Clears Up

Time Remaining Until The Final Match: 24 hours

Online chatter had already reached a boiling point. Despite no games being played yet, the topic kept popping on and off the trending lists.

Major streamers were all making predictions about the match results, with the hype so big that even the official commentators came out to ride the wave.

Old Mao even declared in advance: “If OT really wins the championship, I’ll give away 30,000-yuan in red packets in my livestream room. Let’s all celebrate together, alright? Lin Jiang really never had it easy, seriously.”

“Don’t just look at how he managed to lift KUG, and now OT. It may look effortless, but it was anything but.”

“Leading a team is exhausting. Lin Jiang hadn’t gotten a single good night’s sleep. Especially with a team like OT—lacking in everything, running on low-budget everything.”

“But that’s not even the hardest part. The toughest thing is balancing the relationships between teammates. Think about it—Lin Jiang joined OT late, immediately became captain, and had the highest decision-making authority. The original teammates definitely wouldn’t accept him right away. Over time, internal conflicts were bound to surface.”

“The only way for Lin Jiang to dissolve that kind of barrier… was to somehow win everyone over. One by one.”

With Old Mao saying this, everyone realized that Lin Jiang was on hell-mode difficulty from the start.

Someone even dug up old rumors that KUG’s internal team wasn’t entirely on Lin Jiang’s side either—he’d even had conflicts with their top laner.

With this revelation, people grew even more worried.

Shen Ju, that rabid dog—would he snap and go head-to-head with Lin Jiang at the worst possible time?

***

Time Remaining Until The Final Match: 8 hours

By now, full-scale training had stopped. The team was focused on reviewing protocols, rehearsing procedures, and mentally prepping for what was to come.

The finals were different from other matches. The stage was much grander, and the rules far stricter.

When Duren was reminding them about what to do after winning the championship—

Song Zhixu, sitting below the stage, suddenly burst out laughing.

Everyone turned to look at him. “What’s so funny?”

Song Zhixu struggled to hold it in before finally saying, “I-I-I’m dreaming, okay? Can’t I?”

The teammates all burst into laughter. Even Lin Jiang was so exasperated he couldn’t help but laugh.

How could this kid still joke around at a time like this?

Maybe… he hadn’t been strict enough with them after all.

Lin Jiang was jotting down the final match protocols in his notebook when Shen Ju beside him glanced over and asked, “Captain, you’re still taking notes for the finals?”

Lin Jiang replied, “Habit.”

Song Zhixu leaned in from behind. “Captain, your handwriting is so nice. Looks nothing like my chicken scratch…”

Lin Jiang picked up his pencil and lightly tapped each of them on the head. “Pay attention.”

Duren finished his briefing. Then it was Fang Luxing’s turn.

Finally, it came to Lin Jiang.

He felt like he had already said enough and didn’t have much to add. “Just do your best.”

Song Zhixu took the lead in clapping. “Nice one!”

Then came a round of thunderous clapping, louder than firecrackers.

Lin Jiang pressed a hand to his forehead, clearly done with them.

This ridiculous bunch.

As per tradition, everyone had to get up and share their thoughts—to keep the team’s emotions aligned and avoid internal conflicts within the team.

Song Zhixu was up first, flawlessly delivering the typical northeastern charm in his speech. By the time he finished, Lin Jiang half-joked that it seemed like Song was ready to join the Party right then and there.

Then it was A’Deng’s turn. After his relationship with Lin Jiang improved, his chatterbox nature was fully exposed, rambling on endlessly with nothing of substance to say.

Song Zhixu couldn’t take it anymore and yanked him by the pants, “Sit down already, man!”

Next was Zhou Wen. Quiet and reserved by nature, he barely managed a couple of sentences before running out of things to say.

Song Zhixu led the applause again, clapping so hard that Zhou Wen blushed so intensely it was as if he’d just stepped into a blazing sauna from head to toe.

Lin Jiang chuckled, shaking his head as he scribbled in his notebook: Song Zhixu, personality becoming more and more unruly, affecting the seriousness of the meeting, should be appropriately restrained…

Just as he was writing, it was Shen Ju’s turn.

Shen Ju’s personality was out of sync with the team. Although he had been in OT for two years, he lived like an outsider and rarely spoke.

Lin Jiang’s pen gradually stilled.

All eyes were on him, and the meeting room fell unexpectedly quiet.

Shen Ju grabbed the mic and said firmly, “Go all out. We won’t lose.”

This sentence immediately broke down the teammates’ defenses. Song Zhixu stood up and grabbed him in a hug, crying out, “My carry! You never disappoint us, bro! Whether I feast on delicacies or go home to gnaw on sweet potatoes depends entirely on you from now on! You’re my second parent. If we win, I’II kowtow to you when we get back…”

A’Deng tentatively joined in, wrapping his arms around them, wanting a piece of that warmth too.

Shen Ju looked utterly defeated, as if he wanted to go back and slap his past self twice for what he just said.

Lin Jiang chuckled softly, sensing the changes happening inside Shen Ju.

Someone who had always sealed himself in a glass shell was slowly trying to step out and see the world beyond…

His pen moved slightly, writing two elegant characters: Puppy Shen.

He even doodled two cute little flowers beside it, silently wishing Shen Ju would grow brighter and more cheerful from now on.

***

Time Remaining Until The Final Match: 3 hours

The entire OT team boarded the bus to the venue, chatting and laughing as they talked about the day ahead.

Regardless if they win or lose this match, OT already had enough points to qualify for Worlds. After the finals, they’d likely get about two months of break

Song Zhixu planned to go home. As he sat in his seat, he was already lost in a daydream: “When I go back, the kids there will definitely worship me. I’m a player who made it to Worlds. I need to think about how to brag to them. Like, ‘Big bro’s a legit pro player now, no need to go home and plant sweet potatoes anymore.’”

Lin Jiang couldn’t help but admire Song Zhixu’s mindset. Even though his family didn’t treat him well, he still played happily with the kids.

Shen Ju teased, “So, you sit at the kids’ table during the New Year’s feast?”

Song Zhixu scratched his head and said, “Wait, why does that feel like an insult?”

Suddenly, he jumped up and asked Lin Jiang, “Captain, where are you going for the break?”

Lin Jiang had no plans to return home, nor any special place he wanted to go. He replied softly, “Probably just spending it alone in my apartment.”

“All by yourself, Captain? That’s so sad.”

“It’s okay, I’m used to it.”

Beside him, Shen Ju’s ears twitched slightly as he committed Lin Jiang’s words to memory. Suddenly, Lin Jiang called out, “Shen Ju, what about you? Are you going home for the break?”

Without hesitation, Shen Ju said, “I’m not going back.”

Lin Jiang looked at him curiously, “Why?”

He remembered Shen Ju’s home was in S City, so it shouldn’t take long to go back, right?

Before Shen Ju could answer, Song Zhixu interrupted and whispered into Lin Jiang’s ear, “His dad is really strict. Last time he came to OT, he slapped Shen Ju right in front of everyone…”

Lin Jiang was stunned for a moment, and the notebook slipped from his fingers.

Shen Ju bent down to pick it up for him then returned to his seat. He pulled his cap low over his face as if taking a nap.

Although it was always known that the Shen family did not agree with him playing esports, wasn’t slapping him publicly a bit too much?

Lin Jiang gripped his notebook tightly, his pen pausing mid-air.

He suddenly forgot what he was about to write, his mind tangled with unease.

***

Time Remaining Until The Final Match: 2 hours

The team bus slowly pulled into the venue.

Before Lin Jiang even stepped off the bus, he could feel the fans’ passion buzzing in the air. “There are so many people today.”

“I heard the final tickets were all sold out. A lot of people couldn’t get them, so they’re just waiting outside.”

Most of them didn’t have tickets but wanted to catch a glimpse of the team right away. Seeing the weather outside, Lin Jiang couldn’t help but worry about them.

“Did the team prepare water for them?”

Ryan replied, “Yes, I’ll have logistics hand out water to them later. Leave these things to us, Captain Lin. You guys should head inside now.”

The finals had a different routine compared to other matches—there were tons of things to prepare before and after the game. Today wasn’t just about adjusting their equipment; they had to get into the arena early for a quick walkthrough.

Lin Jiang pulled on his cap and led the team off the bus.

The moment they stepped out, the nearby fans erupted with excitement.

Even from a distance, they could instantly pick out who was who.

“Ahhh, Lin Jiang is so much more handsome in person! His smile is so warm! Oh my god, he just waved at me!”

“His legs are so long. Ahhh! And his hands are so pretty! I wanna touch them so badly!”

“Sis? Wipe your drool!”

“Gotta say, Shen Ju might look unapproachable, but his visuals are unreal!”

“Damn, Song Zhixu is like a giant. 188-cm looks this tall in person? Zhou Wen next to him seems like such a small bean.”

“Where’s A’Deng? Which one is he?”

“That one, that one at the very back.”

“LMAO, OT really lives up to being the idol team of esports. My sweet, unassuming A’Deng looks like a background character next to them…”

“Ahhh they’re coming this way!”

“Lin Jiang, I love you!”

Shen Ju, who was walking at the front of the crowd, suddenly gave a cold glance over the crowd. The fans who were shouting loudly just now instinctively quieted down.

Wuwuwu, so fierce!

No wonder he’s called the Crown Prince of the esports scene!

Someone sighed, “Lin Jiang must have a hard time being captain…”

Joining the team late, becoming the captain right away, and even securing the highest decision-making authority—there must be plenty of people in the team who didn’t respect him and disobeyed.

Especially someone like Shen Ju. Who knows how badly he treats Lin Jiang in private?

Damn it! Why does our gentle Lin Jiang have to endure this kind of treatment?

While everyone was lost in their wild guesses, Lin Jiang who was walking behind lazily called out, “Puppy Shen, grab me a bottle of water.”

The fans collectively froze, eyes wide in disbelief.

Holy crap, Lin Jiang just went straight for the kill?!

“It’s over, it’s over… last time someone dared call him ‘Dog Shen’, that poor mid laner ended up in the hospital…”

Just when everyone expected Shen Ju to explode, his narrow eyes suddenly opened, round and obedient like a puppy’s. He quietly pulled a bottle of water from his pocket, twisted the cap open, and handed it to Lin Jiang without a word.

Fans who were waiting for him to snap: “???”

— — — —

strawberrypoptl: The scene in the summary is now here hehehe