Chapter 597
Is One More Championship Enough?
The 2019 League of Legends World Championship, which lasted for nearly a month, was held in Europe.
Despite their reorganization, defending champions EDG still demonstrated absolute dominance, defeating G2, SKT, and FPX in quick succession to lift their third world championship trophy.
An unprecedented three-peat! EDG stands at the pinnacle of League of Legends esports!
Lin Ruo's popularity has soared again, and he has become a god among all European esports viewers.
—Excerpt from Bild Europe's "Esports Ushers in a New Era of Prosperity"
……
On February 4, 2021, the 25th LG Cup World Go Championship concluded at the Korea Baduk Association.
In this derby match between Chinese and South Korean players born in the 2000s, Lin Ruo, playing white, once again defeated Shin Jinseo, South Korea's top player, to win the championship with a total score of 2-0. This is also Lin Ruo's sixth world championship in his professional career.
Lin Ruo, who has won six titles in three years, maintains a 100% win rate in finals and has become the first six-time champion in Chinese Go history…
—Excerpt from Sina News article "Lin Ruo defeats Shin Jinseo four times to win his sixth LG Cup title"
...
The third round of the man-machine battle is coming... Recently, Google plans to invite Lin Ruo, the world's best Go player, to challenge and test the next generation of artificial intelligence.
—The New York Times, Today's Topics
……
Time flies, nine years have passed in the blink of an eye, and the wheels of history have rolled toward 2030.
BJ, CCTV studio.
"Hello everyone, this is CCTV's Celebrity Show. We only invite celebrities to see what kind of people they really are."
On the special milestone of the 100th episode, host Sa Beining still stood on the stage reciting his familiar opening remarks, leisurely setting the stage for the start of the show.
However, today, Sa Beining discovered a very interesting problem: it seems that he no longer needs to create any kind of atmosphere.
From the moment he entered the venue, it was clear that all the other spectators were much more excited than he was.
So this is the power of celebrities? Sa Beining has truly experienced it. Although the person he invited today isn't a super top star in the entertainment industry, he seems to be even more famous than a top star.
Where does it sound loud?
Sa Beining smiled slightly, and his voice, holding the microphone, became even more passionate: "The celebrity we invited today is very special. What makes him special is that, to be honest, we all need to know something about someone's profession before we get to know them. But for this person, I looked at him for a long time and still had no idea what he did for a living."
The voice just fell.
The small venue with over 500 people was filled with laughter and cheers, and then Sa Beining heard all sorts of shouts.
"He plays League of Legends!"
"Bullshit, he's a Go player, with over twenty championships."
"Ah, isn't he the underground boxing champion?"
Clearly, the audience members present were also not quite sure.
At that moment, a young man in a black suit, hidden behind the curtain at the back of the stage, surveyed the scene and slowly raised his lips.
"Mr. Lin Ruo, it's almost time to go on stage, please get ready."
"Ok."
Straightening his collar, Lin Ruo, already thirty years old, still possessed a handsome face. The childishness may have long since faded from his face, but his arrogant and confident demeanor remained unchanged.
That's true, Lin Ruo. She's seen all sorts of big scenes.
The staff member immediately realized he had been a bit too talkative, but seeing that the guests were ready, he quickly picked up the megaphone:
"Is the logistics team in place? Is the lighting technician in place? Let's do one last test. We're about to go on stage. There can't be any malfunctions."
...
Please wait a moment.
As Sa Beining's welcoming voice rang out, the curtain at the back of the stage slowly opened, and Lin Ruo, who had been the focus of attention countless times, once again appeared in everyone's sight.
The already agitated scene became even more agitated at this moment.
But the voices were so unified, the entire audience was chanting those two words: "God Lin!"
This stalemate was broken by Sa Beining's question: "Master, if I may ask, what exactly do you do for a living?"
This is the first question we'll discuss.
I'd like to know what this celebrity is and what they do for a living.
What might not be worth discussing for others is definitely worth discussing for Lin Ruo.
Amidst the laughter of the audience.
Sa Beining took out a list of Lin Ruo's work experience that he had printed out before the competition. It was more than three pages long, and it could also be called a list of honors, because every job listed had the word "champion" after it.
2017 LPL Spring Split Champion, MSI Champion, Summer Split Champion, World Championship Champion…
Okay, a ten-time world champion...
Nearly twenty LPL championships…
He dominated League of Legends for a decade, and if he hadn't retired two years ago, he probably could have continued to do so...
"Okay, so you're a professional League of Legends player."
No, when Sa Beining continued reading, he was stunned again.
Twenty-four world Go champions!
"Wait a minute, oh, you're a professional Go player, and you even beat AI 3-2, that's terrifying..."
Lin Ruo calmly shook her head, and then Sa Beining continued reading and saw even more achievements.
Interstellar five-time champion, Dota six-time champion, Valorant six-time champion…
The games came in all sorts of names, but at least they were all well-known games. Sa Beining figured he could accept taking them.
But what about these next ones? King of Fighters world champions, Street Fighter world champions...?
Wait, what's this about a world champion in Dou Dizhu (a popular Chinese card game)?
When Sa Beining felt that these things were already outrageous enough, he then remembered something else: he seemed to have seen Lin Ruo at the Olympics two years ago.
Yes, he's also a multiple Olympic champion in shooting events...
Damn it, Sa Beining finally understood and said with absolute certainty, "You are a champion maker, right? You have hundreds of championships, big and small, in your career. Who would believe you are not a champion maker?"
The audience burst into laughter again. It's no wonder that this CCTV program, only two years old, has become the channel's highest-rated show and generates such a huge online buzz with each episode.
It's not just because the show invites all sorts of celebrities to share their little-known life experiences, but also because of the constant atmosphere created and guidance by the humorous host, Sa Beining.
However, he was outmaneuvered by Lin Ruo, because Lin Ruo was never one to be outdone when it came to comedy.
"I have never been a champion producer, I am just a champion transporter, thank you."
Does Nongfu Spring not require payment?
In this atmosphere, the two took their seats and officially began discussing the program's content.
Celebrity talk shows have always followed a very fixed format: guests answer questions in a question-and-answer format.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Sa Beining quickly followed the program schedule and asked the first question: "Why have you won so many championships in your career, and of different kinds?"
What could Lin Ruokeng say? In this situation, he would naturally shrug and then boast a little: "You know, I started out as a game addict. I thought League of Legends was fun, so I started playing. Who knew I'd be spotted and pulled into a professional gaming tournament? After a few matches, I realized I was practically invincible, so naturally, I won the championship..."
"It's the same with playing Go. I originally just played it out of boredom, but after learning for a few months, the Shanghai Go team came to me and asked me if I had any dreams. They said that the National Games needed someone like me... I didn't think I had any reason to refuse, so I went and did it."
……
After listening to what was said, Sa Beining finally understood. So winning the championship didn't put any pressure on you at all? That's true, otherwise how could you have won so many championships?
But at this point, Sa Beining had to cautiously ask, "Are you really not under any pressure at all?"
Lin Ruo nodded and smiled: "Do you know what a dandelion is?"
Um… the championship is as easy as a dandelion seed… okay, he understands.
"So, the second question is, why did you announce your retirement and stop participating in any professional competitions when you were just thirty years old? Was it because your performance declined?"
Sa Beining then asked a question.
Just three months ago, after winning his last Go world championship, Lin Ruo suddenly announced his retirement from the internet and has not appeared in anyone's sight since.
This might be a very big question for people who don't know Lin Ruo.
After all, his form hadn't declined at all, so why did he retire at the peak of his career? Was he tired of winning championships?
However, for anyone who knows Lin Ruo, there is no one who is unaware of why Lin Ruo retired.
In the live stream room at the same time, with nearly 100 million viewers online, seeing Lin Ruo appear in the field of vision after three months, everyone was still feeling nostalgic, and when they heard this question again, they had a lot to say.
[Lin Shen never lies to us. His credit score is high enough to apply for a rocket ride to outer space. He said he'd retire at 30, and he really did. He's decisive and doesn't hesitate at all.]
There was a time when Lin Gou (Lin Gou) would say every day during his livestreams, "The more I stream today, the more money I'll have to live comfortably when I retire at 30." At the time, we thought he was joking, but now we realize that Lin Gou never jokes about things he can't deliver on.
Yes, Lin never jokes with us. Back when he won the Samsung Cup in South Korea, he posted on Weibo saying he wanted to see him on more tournaments in the future, and look what happened—he won it! Lin is undoubtedly the only person in the world who never lies.
[Yes, being a Lin Gengxin hater is the most miserable thing in the world, because Lin Gengxin has never been proven wrong, so you can't criticize him at all.]
[If that's the case, then won't Lin Shen be...]
...
Many netizens were moved to tears upon seeing this, because Lin Ruo had said that after retiring at the age of 30, she would no longer appear in front of everyone and would enjoy her retirement.
So, is today the last time we'll see each other?
No one wanted to believe it was true, but the production team, well aware of trending topics, deliberately left the question until the very end:
"Why did you participate in our program? Didn't you say that you would never appear in public again after retiring?"
"Yes, it's true that I've said I'll stop appearing in public after retiring. But I think just issuing a written statement to announce my retirement would be too cold, so I wanted to use this program to say goodbye to my viewers who have supported me for almost 13 years. You probably won't see me anymore, but of course, you might see me relaxing in some beautiful place, hehe."
After saying that, Lin Ruo's smile was unusually bitter: "I won't bring you any more happiness from now on. You should try to smile more on your own."
For a moment, the scene fell completely silent.
Immediately following was a deafening roar of applause, which transformed the small venue of less than 500 people into a massive wave of excitement reminiscent of the Bird's Nest victory.
For all the viewers who knew Lin Ruo, this moment inevitably brought to mind many classic moments of Lin Ruo winning the championship.
And in the future, it will most likely truly become a classic.
So the viewers watching the live stream were already secretly crying.
Many people never imagined that this super player, who had brought them countless moments of pride over the past thirteen years and caused a sensation in esports and even other fields, would actually retire one day.
Why quit when you can still play? You could just stream instead.
Nobody understood, but they supported him. Maybe winning too many championships can be tiring.
Lin Ruo has brought them so much joy and laughter over the past thirteen years, and it's impossible to expect her to stay with the audience and fans forever.
Perhaps they have their own lives to live.
But this doesn't stop many grown men watching on TV from shedding uncontrollable tears.
"Dad, why are you crying? Who is this person? Why do you keep crying when you see him?"
"Because this is my youth, and my youth is coming to an end, my dear daughter."
"So what kind of person is he, and why is he a part of your youth?"
You'll understand when you grow up.
The little girl holding the phone clearly knew a way to find out who Lin Ruo was without having to grow up: she opened Baidu Encyclopedia, searched for the name Lin Ruo, and then looked at the introduction and tried to understand it word by word from her limited education.
Lin Ruo…
A professional League of Legends player whose career spans multiple esports games, winning over a hundred world championships during his active career, he is a pioneer of esports in China and even the world.
He is also the world's number one Go player, with an unprecedented 26 world championships in his career. He has made a great contribution to the promotion of Go in the world. In 2028, he was selected by World Magazine as one of the ten most influential people in the world. In 2029, he was jointly awarded the title of Go Saint by the Go Academies of China, Japan and South Korea.
At the end of 2029, in recognition of Lin Ruo's indelible contributions to the development of e-sports and Go in China, the national government specially awarded him the Outstanding Social Contribution Award...
"call."
After reading it, the little girl lay sprawled on the sofa and let out a long sigh of relief. Although she couldn't understand many of the words, she at least understood one thing: someone with such a long description on Baidu must be an incredibly impressive person.
So the little girl confidently asked, "Daddy, is he a very capable person?"
"Yes, he's very capable."
How powerful is it?
"He's even more powerful than any of us expected. He's not even human, damn it..."
……
It's finished... (End of this chapter)