TCWSITD – Chapter 45.1

Chapter 45 has 3 parts; 45.2 and 45.3 will be uploaded tonight at 20:00 and 21:00 EST.

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Chapter 45.1 – The Puppy’s Confession

Just now—?

If not for Shen Ju’s ears turning red as blood, Lin Jiang would have thought he was hallucinating.

Isn’t he too bold?

He actually dared to confess in front of a nationwide audience?

Lin Jiang’s heart pounded wildly, terrified someone might notice something unusual. Fortunately, his teammates hugged him one after another, and no one noticed anything out of the ordinary.

Even if sharp-eyed viewers noticed, they might think: Isn’t it normal for teammates to hug?

Only Shen Ju’s fans didn’t think so—

[Normal, my ass.]

[There’s nothing normal about it, okay!]

[Shen Ju’s feelings? The whole world knows!]

[Have you ever seen that dumbass Shen Ju hug anyone?]

[I can’t believe this dog Shen Ju actually dared to hit on Lin Jiang!]

[Dammit, that dog got lucky.]

These bizarre live chats were quickly drowned out as everyone’s attention shifted to OT of today.

They were particularly curious—how exactly did Lin Jiang bring OT to such heights? They couldn’t wait to find out what kind of story lay behind this impossible journey.

Some viewers only tuned in for the finals and couldn’t even tell the teams apart.

When they first saw OT, their first reaction was: What kind of no-name team is this?

Then OT won one game: Huh, this no-name team isn’t bad. They can actually win a game against TG.

Then OT won two games: Holy shit, where did this no-name team come from, daring to challenge TG?

Finally, OT won the match: This—no, this insanely good team, how the hell are they so powerful?!

In esports, no one remembers the runner-up. Only the champions earn the right to be remembered.

With that final victory, every team in the LPL had no choice but to bow their heads to them.

They no longer needed to prove themselves, nor did their fans need to defend them, because the championship was the ultimate weapon against all rumors and doubt.

From this day forward, their names would be etched into the annals of history.

OT was no longer unknown.

As the crowd roared, the members of OT stepped onto the stage for their victory interview. The host on the stage was in high spirits and asked a barrage of questions on behalf of the audience.

Of all the questions asked during the post-match interview, three stood out as unforgettable.

First Question: Why did Lin Jiang choose to join OT back then?

The host never mentioned KUG by name, yet every word alluded to them. The audience laughed, and those watching the stream were equally anxious to hear the answer.

Lin Jiang was never the type to kick someone when they’re down. After leaving KUG, he had never spoken ill of them—and today was no exception.

He picked up the microphone and said, “My old team was great, but my new team is even better.”

With just one sentence, he spared KUG from harsh judgment while also elevating OT, leaving everyone marveling at his emotional intelligence.

Second Question: Did he encounter any difficulties when he first joined OT?

This was also what netizens were most curious about. Although Shen Ju wasn’t named directly, anyone who frequented online discussions knew exactly who the question was referring to.

Lin Jiang glanced at Shen Ju beside him, who happened to be looking back at him too. Suddenly recalling what had happened on stage earlier, Lin Jiang’s lashes trembled slightly, and he fell silent for about six or seven seconds.

This silence was incredibly telling.

Onscreen, the barrage was already exploding with mischief—

[Lin Jiang: Should I give him some face?]

[Lin Jiang: How should I phrase this nicely? Waiting online, very urgent.]

[Shen Ju: I’m panicking like crazy right now.]

As the pause dragged on, Shen Ju’s gaze nervously flicked to Lin Jiang for a split second before quickly looking away.

The moment was downright hilarious.

It was like watching a pet dog nervously waiting to see if its owner would expose its bad habits.

The host broke the awkward silence. “Is it hard to describe?”

Lin Jiang hummed in agreement, then attempted to explain. “There was indeed someone in the team who wasn’t very obedient. But luckily, I’m pretty fierce, so I managed to tame him in the end.”

Everyone on OT’s team was well-behaved—so the one Lin Jiang had to “tame” was all too obvious.

Just imagining how Shen Ju was tamed by Lin Jiang in the team, how he looked so defiant yet had no choice but to listen, had everyone laughing so hard they couldn’t straighten their backs.

Old Mao shouted in the livestream, “I knew Lin Jiang would take care of Shen Ju for me!
That’s my brother right there!”

What’s more amazing was that after Lin Jiang said this, the other people in OT including the coaches laughed, and only Shen Ju had a gloomy face.

[Shen Ju: Guess why I’m not laughing.]

[Hahaha, what’s wrong with you? Are you naturally not fond of laughing?]

[HAHAHA Dog Shen’s dirty laundry is being aired for all to see.]

Third Question (which everyone cared about most): What kind of effort had OT put in behind the scenes to get where they were today?

When talking about these, Lin Jiang immediately became serious. The first thing he mentioned was Shen Ju’s hand injury.

Only after his explanation did the audience realize just how hard Shen Ju had worked, and how many sleepless nights he had spent in training to deliver such a powerful performance playing Nilah across all three games today.

Then there was Song Zhixu, who had improved in an almost brutal way. Anything that could benefit him, he poured twelve times the effort into mastering it.

The strings of numbers he posted on Weibo weren’t random nonsense—they were records of every single match he had played day and night against Lin Jiang.

There’s also A’Deng, Zhou Wen, and even the coach.

None of them had ever doubted Lin Jiang’s strategies, always giving their all to execute them perfectly.

It was this web of trust that had carried them through one team fight after another.

Lin Jiang said, “I’ve won many championships before, but this one—I really want to dedicate it to these guys.”

The audience was moved to tears. What struck them even harder was that Lin Jiang never once mentioned his own efforts or his own injuries, choosing instead to shine the spotlight entirely on his teammates.

In esports, skill was crucial, but being noticed was just as important.

By the time Lin Jiang finished speaking, his forehead was covered in sweat. The match had exhausted him so much, and his face looked visibly pale.

He took the initiative to pass the microphone to the next teammate, giving them more chances to be in the spotlight.

[Wuwuwu, did anyone notice? My Jiang’s hand was shaking when he held the mic!]

[When the host first handed him the mic, he almost didn’t catch it.]

[Playing five grueling games at this age takes a huge toll.]

[He sounds really tired, his voice is shaky.]

[So tired but still insists on supporting every teammate—crying to death here.]

Finally, the host considered the players’ conditions and simplified some questions, ending the interview early.

Back in the break room, all the staff greeted them with warm applause.

Li Qian, leading the group, said nothing. Everything was conveyed in his embrace.

Although Lin Jiang was very tired, he couldn’t suppress his joy. He hugged every staff member who came to congratulate him, thanking them for their contributions to the team.

After OT’s victory, countless reporters reached out for interviews, and offers of support started pouring in. Duren was swamped, so he delegated the initial tasks to Ryan and the others to handle on their own.

Ryan was just an intern with no experience, and Fang Luxing wasn’t well-versed in these matters either, so they suggested that everyone should head back first.

Lin Jiang could already imagine how chaotic the scene would be—not just the audience inside and outside the venue, but the reporters alone would block the exits with their cameras.

“Qian-ge,” Lin Jiang stepped forward. “Take the others back first. Shen Ju and I will take the staff passage. I need to take him to the hospital.”

Li Qian gave an “OK” hand sign, signaling it was all good.

Lin Jiang felt confident leaving things in his hands. He pulled Shen Ju, who was halfway through packing, aside. “Give your backpack to Ryan and come with me.”

Before Shen Ju could react, Lin Jiang draped a borrowed staff uniform over him and, with staff escorting them, led him out through the staff passage.

Watching Lin Jiang walk ahead, Shen Ju felt a sudden wave of courage. Tentatively, he reached out and grabbed Lin Jiang’s wrist.

Lin Jiang’s pace noticeably faltered for a moment, but he didn’t pull away.

Sensing that Lin Jiang didn’t mind, Shen Ju’s heart fluttered with excitement. On that short walk, his mind raced through endless possibilities.

Could it be that… Lin Jiang also have some feelings for him?

They walked all the way outside and returned the staff uniforms. Seeing no one around, Lin Jiang quickly pulled Shen Ju behind a tree and shielded them further with a nearby billboard.

Caught completely off guard, Shen Ju found himself pinned against the wall. Staring at Lin Jiang just inches away, his heart was pounding out of his chest.

Wasn’t this development a bit too fast?

“Captain…”

“Shh!”

Lin Jiang pressed Shen Ju against the wall, glanced around to make sure no one was nearby, then spoke seriously: “Shen Ju, I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I need to make it clear—there’s no possibility between us. I don’t have any intention of dating right now, and you’d better not have any thoughts either. Don’t waste your time on me cause it won’t work out, understand?”

Shen Ju froze.

He had expected this possibility, but he hadn’t thought Lin Jiang would be this direct.

He barely opened his mouth to speak, but Lin Jiang cut him off with a cold splash of reality: “You’re still young and don’t really understand what liking someone means. You can’t be responsible for your own future yet. Between us, there’s only going to be ’teammates.’ What happened on stage earlier—I’m going to pretend it never did. Don’t tell anyone after you come down, okay? Did you hear me? Why aren’t you saying anything?”

Why…

Did such cruel words have to be spoken in such a gentle voice?

Shen Ju painfully lowered his head, lightly resting on Lin Jiang’s shoulder, his breathing gradually becoming difficult. “Lin Jiang… I really like you… please, just give us a chance?”

There were monsters all around, glaring fiercely as if the moment he was abandoned, they would pounce without mercy and tear him apart.

Shen Ju clutched Lin Jiang’s clothes tightly, terrified he might leave. “I don’t know what you like, but I can become that…”

The boy’s emotions burned too fiercely, like the scorching sun, and Lin Jiang was afraid of being wounded by that fire.

He had been through a failed relationship—one so painful he never wanted to revisit it in his lifetime.

Lin Jiang would not give himself a second chance to be hurt, not even if the person was Shen Ju.

He gently rested his hand on Shen Ju’s shoulder, softly rubbing his cold neck. It was true that he felt some affection for Shen Ju, that fondness was nowhere near enough for him to cross that line.

“More than being lovers, I’d rather be your teammate. Shen Ju, forget all these things. I’ll still treat you just like before—maybe even better.”

Shen Ju slowly opened his eyes, breathing softly.

The monsters around him vanished like a miracle. Lin Jiang was so gentle—even if he wasn’t accepting him, his kindness was undeniable.

Maybe this was already enough, wasn’t it?

Lowering his deep gaze, Shen Ju gently took Lin Jiang’s wrist and pressed it to his lips in a tender kiss.

“Captain, can you really treat me like before?”

“Of course.”

Lin Jiang didn’t stop his overstepping gesture, instead he ruffled his hair. Once Shen Ju calmed down, he patted his shoulder. “Let’s go. I’ll take you to the hospital.”

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