TCWSITD – Chapter 50.2

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Chapter 50.2 – Rejoining The Team

By the time Lin Jiang arrived at the base, almost everyone was already there. He had initially thought it might feel awkward, but once he stepped into the base, those thoughts rarely crossed his mind.

The familiar atmosphere made it easy to relax. Before he could even put his things down, his teammates were already calling out to him.

“Captain, Captain! Come quick! Song Zhixu brought local specialties!”

Lin Jiang glanced over and immediately spotted Shen Ju, who was sitting in a chair with a sour expression, grumbling at Song Zhixu. “I’ve been here for two years and never saw you bring anything. Lin Jiang just got here and you’re already on it.”

Song Zhixu shot back, “Can’t even shut you up with beef jerky?”

Then he turned to Lin Jiang, grinning like an idiot, and waved the snacks on the table at him. “Captain, the sweet potato strips and beef jerky aren’t spicy. Come try them! If I don’t guard them for you, these brats will finish them all!”

Lin Jiang walked over and saw the pile Song Zhixu had brought, teasing, “Now that you control the finances, it’s different, huh? Buying beef jerky by the box.”

The team burst into laughter. A’Deng asked, “Did your stepmom ask you for money when you went back?”

Song Zhixu shook his head like a rattle drum. “Nope. My cousin’s a genius. He totally fooled her! To this day, she still thinks I’m doing under-the-table work at OT!”

Duren smacked him right then. “So this is how you ruin my reputation, huh?”

But although the smack was real, so was the affection. Duren couldn’t hide his smile as he nudged Song Zhixu. “Well? Aren’t you going to thank your captain?”

Song Zhixu naturally hadn’t forgotten Lin Jiang’s kindness. He quickly handed over the beef jerky on the table. “Captain, eat more. You’ve done us a huge favor.”

Lin Jiang accepted with a smile and took a bite. It really was delicious.

A’Deng tried to grab the rest, but Song Zhixu shielded it. “No way, no way! It’s all for the captain!”

Lin Jiang chuckled. “It’s fine, let him have some.”

Song Zhixu scratched his head sheepishly. “I should’ve bought more.” Then, looking at the now-empty box, he exclaimed helplessly, “You guys are like bulldozers! I went to the bathroom, and you polished off the whole box!”

Everyone gathered around, eating and chatting merrily. Even though it had only been half a month since they last saw each other, they all really missed one another—especially Song Zhixu, who hadn’t stopped talking since the beginning.

Lin Jiang sat beside them, snacking and listening to their conversation. His gaze drifted past the others and landed on Shen Ju, who was putting on a calm front, acting like nothing had happened.

After sitting for a while, Lin Jiang shifted positions slightly. Shen Ju stole a glance at him, then sent a message.

[Shen Ju: Your back hurts? Want to go upstairs and lie down?”

Lin Jiang’s phone dinged, drawing everyone’s attention. He calmly switched it to silent, replied, and set it back down to continue chatting.

Shen Ju opened the message.

[Lin Jiang: Still okay. Just the usual.]

He nearly crushed his phone. “…”

He’d realized that ever since getting together with Lin Jiang, he oscillated daily between “wanting to mess Lin Jiang up” and “regretting it afterward.”

After the brief reunion, everyone returned to their rooms to unpack. Since they hadn’t been around for a while, even the chairs had gathered dust.

Song Zhixu, ever the diligent one, wiped down his desk and computer until they shone. Then, without being asked, he turned and gave Lin Jiang’s desk the same thorough treatment.

Finally, he glanced around and noticed A’Deng sitting between them. Would it be to obvious if he didn’t wipe his desk too? So he polished A’Deng’s desk until it shone.

After finishing, he saw Zhou Wen nearby and felt too awkward to leave him out. Eventually, staring at the row of gleaming desks and Shen Ju’s untouched one, he resigned himself and polished that too.

Once he finished cleaning the entire main team’s area, Duren happened to pass by and remarked, “Oh, so hardworking? Then why don’t you clean my office too? Oh, and Consultant Li’s while you’re at it.”

Song Zhixu sighed in resignation. Some people really were just born to toil, weren’t they?

But he did earn Lin Jiang’s praise. Sitting in his chair, Lin Jiang smiled at him and said, “So diligent. I wonder which lucky girl will snatch you up someday.”

Those words filled Song Zhixu with boundless energy. He felt like he could clean the entire building if he wanted.

After cleaning the office, everyone settled into their positions and gathered in the meeting room for an onboarding session. The main focus was outlining the upcoming training schedule. Since Song Zhixu had prepared the spreadsheet, it fell to him to explain it to the team.

With limited training time left, their days were packed. On top of that, Lin Jiang had tailored additional training plans for each of them.

First was Song Zhixu. He needed to further deepen his champion proficiency. Currently, he had only met Li Qian’s requirements for Ornn and K’Sante—there was still a long road ahead.

Lin Jiang would also continue to play solo matches with him, along with implementing more precise, targeted training. These training methods would also be fully shared to the coaching staff, and Song Zhixu would need to participate in reviews and analysis afterwards.

Next was A’Deng. He still needed to study a wide range of playstyles, a task currently assigned to Li Qian, who would guide him in understanding the true strength of World Championship teams.

Then came Zhou Wen. He was stuck in a bottleneck and couldn’t perform at his best. Fortunately, this meta favored AD carry damage, which would amplify Zhou Wen’s protective capabilities.

Finally, there was Shen Ju. Lin Jiang had only one demand for him: “Rest your hands.”

Shen Ju’s expression darkened. “I’ve already rested for half a month, Captain. I’m ready to train.”

Lin Jiang’s tone raised no argument. “You can participate in team training, but individual practice is on hold. The road to Worlds is long. I don’t want you collapsing halfway.”

Shen Ju wanted to protest but couldn’t find the words. Suddenly, he felt deeply wronged. The same person who had said just yesterday that they liked him didn’t even spare him a glance once back at the team.

After Lin Jiang finished outlining the training plans, there was one more important announcement. He handed the remaining time over to Duren.

Duren stepped up, cleared his throat, and asked with a mock air of mystery, “Alright, everyone—what do you think about our current base?”

“Is that even a question?”

“I think it’s a bit shabby, can I say that?”

“Hahaha……”

OT’s base could arguably be called the worst in the entire league. The facilities are old and outdated, not to mention they can’t even manage to create dedicated functional zones. The lounge, tea room, and training area were all jumbled together. Even Ryan’s office was right next to Zheng Yu’s—so while hammering out some work, he could easily sneak a peek at ongoing matches during breaks.

But beyond that, there was an even bigger headache.

OT didn’t have a proper training camp.

Nowadays, nearly all LPL teams have their own dedicated training camps, some even establish second and third teams to feed talent to the main team and ensure their dominance in the league.

But OT had nothing. Even if they were to snatch glory by some miracle, how would they hold onto it without a solid foundation?

Since joining the team, Lin Jiang had done extensive research on this issue. Duren and other higher-ups agreed with his opinion. If they wanted to establish a training camp, the first step was to relocate their base.

Duren took this matter seriously and, after much effort, finally found a suitable place. The renovations were nearly complete.

Once the excited chatter died down, Duren cleared his throat and continued, “Our current base is admittedly a bit run-down, but the location isn’t bad. When we tried to expand, I even went upstairs to negotiate with the landlords there. But to my surprise, they jacked up the price and stood their ground.”

Back then, Duren had promised to rent the floor upstairs to create single rooms, trying to sweet-talk Shen Ju into moving in with Song Zhixu. But months passed with no progress, and Shen Ju had pretty much written off Duren as a liar.

“However,” Duren continued, “we found a much better location. The layout and functional zones are exactly what we wanted. Of course, the price was significantly higher, but our boss is generous. He secured the place quickly, and the renovations have been underway for about a month now. Just some finishing touches left, and you should be able to move in next week.”

Song Zhixu still looked skeptical. “Really? Isn’t our boss quite stingy?”

Duren immediately pulled out his phone. “Of course it’s true. I filmed a video last week. Here, take a look.”

Once the video was sent out, everyone started shouting “Wow, wow!” Song Zhixu excitedly said, “Can we choose rooms now? I want to pick right now!”

“Hey, no rush, no rush. The rooms are all pretty similar anyway…”

But Song Zhixu knew better. The rooms were spread over two floors. Living on the same floor as Lin Jiang meant they could chat easily. But if he lives on the other floor, there’s nothing at all.

As they began debating room choices, Shen Ju frowned. He actually liked the current setup—he could sneak over to Lin Jiang’s place from the balcony. The new base was so open and bright. It’d be way too easy to get caught.

Lin Jiang didn’t join the discussion. He waited until they quieted down before reminding Duren, “There’s one more thing.”

Duren smacked his forehead. “Ah, right. One more announcement. Our consultant Li Qian has officially signed a contract with the company. He’ll be our head coach from now on. Coach Fang will serve as our data analyst and assistant coach. Coach Li Qian arrives tomorrow, so remember to greet him properly. During training, stay focused and don’t embarrass me.”

They hadn’t known Li Qian’s reputation before, so they hadn’t taken it seriously. Now that they knew, they all regarded him with deep respect.

“Don’t worry, Manager Du. We won’t let you down!”

“Exactly, exactly!”

The meeting room quickly turned noisy again, like a bunch of kids who never grew up. Once Lin Jiang wrapped up his part, he started getting everyone ready to dive into training.

On the first day, everyone was a bit off their game, but Lin Jiang didn’t push them too hard. He simply reminded them, “Li Qian has very high standards. If he sees you all still like this tomorrow, he’ll probably start yelling.”

As soon as they heard this, everyone immediately straightened their backs.

Being scolded by Li Qian was downright humiliating!

Lin Jiang was finally satisfied with their training state. He threw himself fully into the new regimen, although out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Shen Ju glancing at him several times. Afraid Shen Ju might lose control, Lin Jiang pretended not to look his way.

During a bathroom break, Shen Ju indeed couldn’t hold back. He followed Lin Jiang inside, quickly shutting the door when he saw no one outside and pulling him into a stall. “At the new base, can we pick rooms on the same floor?” he asked

He then added somewhat sadly, “The first and second floors are too far apart. At least on the same floor, I can see you through the window.”

Lin Jiang was both amused and exasperated. “What can you even see through a window? Even if you’re upstairs, you can just poke your head out.”

“It’s different,” Shen Ju insisted stubbornly. “Living next door means just a wall apart, but living upstairs means separated by a whole floor.”

Lin Jiang didn’t care much about such things, but seeing how much it mattered to Shen Ju, he pinched his cheek affectionately. “Alright, alright. You can pick my room for me then.”

Shen Ju was very easy to coax and his mood lifted immediately. Like an overeager puppy, he buried his face in Lin Jiang’s neck, nuzzling and rubbing until Lin Jiang squirmed from the ticklish sensation.

Just as Lin Jiang was about to speak, the bathroom door opened, and the voices of A’Deng and Zheng Yu drifted in. “Nightmare got buffed. I played it yesterday and it felt amazing.”

“Really? Did this patch change a lot? It feels kind of strange, hard to explain.”

“Double-Carry damage got buffed, right? ADs are definitely stronger this patch. Basically, any game where the bot lane doesn’t do well is lost. Our jungle hasn’t changed much, but early game focus needs to shift more towards bot lane.”

They were chatting away happily, while Lin Jiang and Shen Ju stayed frozen in place, holding their previous poses until the two finally left and they could breathe again.

Lin Jiang pushed the door open. “Don’t follow me again.”

Shen Ju shut it once more, clinging to Lin Jiang like glue. “I want a kiss.”

Lin Jiang was truly at his wit’s end with this dog, acting aloof in public but privately insatiable.

He leaned in to peck him. But Shen Ju wasn’t satisfied—he pressed Lin Jiang against the door, pulling him into a deep, lingering kiss. His breaths grew heavier, and his hands wandered without control.

Lin Jiang pressed down on his hands and finally ended the kiss. Looking down, he sighed helplessly, “How are we supposed to go out now?”

Shen Ju didn’t know, but that didn’t stop him from clinging to Lin Jiang affectionately. He habitually kissed the tip of his ear, “It’s fine, we’ll calm down in a bit. Just let me hold you.”

Five minutes later, Lin Jiang still pushed him away, “When will this end?” He opened the door and said, “Go next door to cool off.”

The puppy was aggrieved, but the puppy still went.

After a while, he started acting up again through the door, “Lin Jiang, we’ve never done it in the bathroom before.”

Lin Jiang: ???

Have you no shame left?

Given Shen Ju’s inability to control himself, Lin Jiang sent him a yellow card warning via phone after leaving—one more offense and he’d be banned from his apartment.

Emerging from the bathroom, Shen Ju had indeed cooled down. He remained aloof the entire time, not sparing Lin Jiang a single glance. Zhou Wen privately approached Lin Jiang and said, “Captain, I think Shen Ju’s in a mood. It seems like he’s dissatisfied with your current training plan. Captain, maybe you should talk to him? I’m worried it might cause issues later.”

Lin Jiang coughed, feigning composure, “Mm, I know.”

He patted Zhou Wen’s shoulder and quickly steered the conversation toward Zhou Wen’s own struggles—his recent bottleneck had been particularly tough.

“Captain, have you ever faced something like this before? How did you break through it?”

Lin Jiang thought carefully. Truthfully, he’d hit many bottlenecks, but the biggest one came early on. “When I first debuted, I was obsessed with assassin champions. ack then, I was really strong, and I got completely sucked into that playstyle. But then the meta shifted, and I had to adapt. That period was the most painful for me.”

“The pain didn’t come from being unable to play the new style, but from having to step away from my past glory. The sunk cost felt too heavy for me at the time, so it hurt.”

Zhou Wen listened intently, asking earnestly, “So what happened next? How did you go through the change? Did you notice any signs beforehand?”

Lin Jiang couldn’t quite recall, but he remembered this much: “The change was slow, but the breakthrough happened in an instant. One day, while talking to Zeng Yuan, I suddenly realized how much I’d changed. After that, everything became smooth, and the bottleneck just vanished. Looking back now, it doesn’t seem like a big deal.”

So it happened suddenly and without warning?

Zhou Wen still didn’t fully understand, but the talk had eased his mind. Lin Jiang reassured him, “Don’t rush it. Just focus on what you need to do. The breakthrough will come sooner or later.”

He nodded and went back to his seat, only to catch Shen Ju shooting him a quiet, piercing look. A shiver ran down Zhou Wen’s spine.

Was it his imagination, or did Shen Ju’s gaze feel unusually sharp?

He logged into the game, and Shen Ju unexpectedly invited him. Zhou Wen hesitated before nervously accepting. Then, he watched as Shen Ju instantly locked in Zeri and said over voice chat, “AD damage got buffed this patch. The main role of support now is protection. You probably lost all your old stats. Time to get back to your own style.”

Zhou Wen was momentarily stunned, suddenly feeling touched.

This was the first time Shen Ju had ever taught him how to play…

He felt a mix of gratitude and nervousness.

Meanwhile, on Shen Ju’s phone, a message from Lin Jiang lay silently—

[Lin Jiang: Duo queue with Zhou Wen, help him find his old form.]

Shen Ju protested.

[Shen Ju: Didn’t you tell me to rest my hands?]

[Lin Jiang: Since you never listen to me anyway, might as well put you to use.]

[Shen Ju: ?]

He then logged into the game, and vented all his frustration on the enemies.

After two matches, he suddenly noticed that not only the AD’s damage had increased, but the top lane and mid lane too. The average game duration on the official website had dropped by two minutes. Overall damage output was spilling over, making team fight performance for the two carries crucial, along with the top laner’s laning ability. Support protection had also become more important than ever.

Shen Ju studied the stats panel intently, realizing this might be the best opportunity for him and Lin Jiang.

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