Chapter 710
Cooking
Lin Xuan blushed slightly at Rita's teasing, but she didn't feel embarrassed. On the contrary, she thoroughly enjoyed the warm and welcoming atmosphere. In the entertainment industry, it was difficult for her to make true friends, but in Su Mo's apartment, Rita and Yu Shuang showed her no hostility, only the tolerance one would show to "one of their own."
"Let me help you wash the vegetables," Lin Xuan said, rolling up her sweater sleeves and walking to the kitchen counter.
"You're a guest, just sit outside and watch TV." Su Mo tied on a black apron and handed her a bunch of celery. "If your hands can't touch cold water, don't get them wet."
"It's okay, I'm all better now." Lin Xuan took the celery, stood by the sink, and turned on the warm water.
Su Mo stood beside her, skillfully slicing the beef on the cutting board. His knife work was even, and the rhythmic chopping sound echoed in the spacious apartment.
The two stood side by side, very close. Lin Xuan could even smell the clean, refreshing scent emanating from Su Mo, mixed with a faint fragrance of shower gel.
She turned her head slightly, looking at Su Mo's focused profile. His jawline was taut, his thin lips slightly pursed, and the hands that could dominate the world championships with a mouse were now steadily slicing beef.
"Su Mo," Lin Xuan called softly.
"Hmm?" Su Mo did not stop what he was doing, but just tilted his head slightly.
"We're playing BLG tomorrow, and I see your news everywhere online." Lin Xuan placed the washed celery in a colander, her tone tinged with concern. "They're making this match sound like a do-or-die battle. You...aren't you feeling any pressure?"
Su Mo put down the cleaver, placed the sliced beef on a plate, and poured in some cooking wine and light soy sauce to marinate it.
He picked up a towel from the side and wiped his hands, then turned to look at Lin Xuan. In those deep eyes, there was no evasion, no feigned ease, only a calm as deep as an ancient abyss.
"Lin Xuan," Su Mo's voice was deep and gentle, "When you're filming, if your co-star is a newcomer who has just won an award, do you forget how to memorize your lines because of media hype?"
Lin Xuan paused for a moment, then shook her head: "No. That's my major."
“The same principle applies.” Su Mo turned around, turned on the stove, and poured oil into the pot. “No matter who the opponent is, no matter how much the outside world praises or belittles them, the map of the canyon is only so big, and the minion waves still spawn every thirty seconds.”
"I wasn't playing a grudge match; I was just doing my job."
"Shoot-"
The beef was added to the pot, releasing a burst of aroma.
As Lin Xuan watched his back as he calmly tossed the wok amidst the smoky atmosphere, the worry in her heart instantly vanished, replaced by a deep fascination and a sense of security.
This is Su Mo. He doesn't respond to external doubts with passionate and grand pronouncements; he simply keeps all the storms at bay in the most straightforward and unassuming way.
At dinner time, Yu Shuang also returned with fruit.
Three stunningly beautiful women, each with their own unique charm, sat around the dining table, enjoying the home-cooked meals prepared by Su Mo. There was no cutthroat competition or backstabbing, only casual conversation about which dish was better and which TV show was currently airing.
Lin Xuan sipped the light vegetable soup that Su Mo had specially prepared for her, feeling the warmth spreading through her stomach. Looking at Su Mo, who sat in the main seat, occasionally chiming in with a few words but mostly listening quietly to their conversation, she suddenly felt that all the long nights she had spent filming in Hengdian over the past two weeks had been worth it.
As long as I can come back here and have a hot meal.
……
Saturday, 4 p.m.
Shanghai Hongqiao Performing Arts Center.
The area outside the venue was completely packed with fans. BLG's blue support jerseys and EDG's black and white support jerseys were intertwined, creating a tense atmosphere.
Even tickets held by scalpers have been resold for more than ten times their original price!
The director's camera cuts to the contestants' passage backstage.
BLG's five starting players walked toward the stage with grim expressions. Bin, the top laner leading the way, had eyes like a hungry wolf poised to pounce. He kept cracking his knuckles, chewing gum, and radiating an aggressive fighting spirit.
The scene then shifts to EDG's rest area.
Su Mo was sitting on the sofa, holding his signature black thermos in his left hand and his phone in his right, replying to messages with a calm expression.
The two men presented a stark contrast: one was on edge, the other strolled leisurely.
"Alright viewers! Welcome to the fifth week of the 2024 LPL Spring Split, the Super Weekend!" In the commentary booth, Guan Zeyuan's voice trembled slightly with excitement. "Today, we will witness a peak showdown destined to go down in history!"
"Yes!" Miller shouted at the top of his lungs, "On one side is BLG, an all-Chinese team that has assembled a super team and is currently undefeated! On the other side is EDG, the defending champions, who also have an undefeated record and are led by seven-time champion Mozi!"
"Especially in the top lane matchup, Bin clearly stated in the pre-match interview that he came here today specifically to solo kill Mozi! And Mozi's classic line, 'Can you afford my overtime pay?' brought the intensity of the match to its limit!"
Accompanied by an exciting background music, both players officially took to the stage!
The cheers from the entire audience almost lifted the roof off the stadium!
Su Mo walked to his computer, placed his thermos on the corner of the table, and put on his noise-canceling headphones.
He looked up at Bin, who was staring intently at him from the opposite booth, his eyes showing no emotion.
"Brother Mo, the other side is really aggressive." Ah Chen swallowed hard over the voice chat, clearly a little nervous.
“A strong killing intent can lead to mistakes.” Su Mo leaned back in his gaming chair, his tone as calm as if he were discussing the weather. “Play at the same pace as in our usual practice matches. Xiao Yue in the mid lane, pick a wave-pushing champion to keep an eye on Knight. A Chen, you control the bottom half of the map.”
“Then let’s get going…” Mingkai asked, standing behind him with his notebook in hand.
"Leave the journey to me."
Su Mo's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable and absolute sense of control.
BP officially begins!
BLG is on the blue side and has the right to ban and pick first.
In their first move, the BLG coach didn't hesitate to ban Fiora!
Second move: Smash Camille!
The third move: shut down Gwen!
"Three bans on top lane!!!" Guan Zeyuan roared, "BLG showed Mozi absolute respect! They directly banned all three of Mozi's best split-push carry champions!"
"Moreover, BLG directly picked the top laner, the Darkin Blade, in the first pick! Bin's Aatrox is his absolute best, BLG is going to play their top lane strategy openly this game!" Miller quickly analyzed. "Bin's Aatrox is his absolute best, BLG is going to play his hand openly in the top lane!"
The pressure is now on EDG.
With few heroes available to counter Aatrox, Mingkai looked at Su Mo.
"Mozi, Darius? Or Jax? If all else fails, how about Quesant to tank?" Su Mo didn't speak, his gaze sweeping across the champion list.
Aatrox, a heavy armored warrior, possesses high health regeneration and mid-range kiting capabilities. For an average player, facing Bin's Aatrox would indeed be a struggle, forcing them to simply endure the pressure.
But he is Su Mo.
He swiped his finger lightly, and the mouse hovered over a hero portrait that had been almost forgotten by the version and was extremely insulting.
"Give me this." Su Mo's voice was calm.
When EDG's logo lit up on the fifth floor, the entire venue, including the commentary booth, fell into a deathly silence.
Immediately afterwards, a tsunami of screams erupted!
"The day the broken sword is reforged will be the day the knight returns!"
Riven, the Exile!
locking!!!
"Riven!!! Oh my god!!! Mozi picked Riven!!!" Guan Zeyuan jumped up from his chair, his voice completely split, "When facing Bin's signature Aatrox, Mozi didn't choose to play defensively, nor did he choose a conventional fighter. He picked Riven, the champion with the highest skill ceiling in League of Legends, but with an extremely low margin for error!!"
"What does this mean?! Is this a response to Bin's provocation?! You pick Aatrox, I'll pick Riven and go head-to-head with you!!" Miller was trembling with excitement.
Not only the commentators, but Bin in the battle booth also turned ashen-faced upon seeing this pick, and abruptly stopped chewing his gum.
Picking Riven against Aatrox in professional matches is not just a tactical choice; it's blatant contempt!
"He looks down on me." Bin gritted his teeth, his eyes burning with rage. "The jungler doesn't need to come top; this game I'm going to solo kill him until he disconnects!"
Meanwhile, in EDG's voice chat at this moment...
"Brother Mo... is Riven easy to beat Aatrox?" Xiao Yue asked somewhat nervously.
Su Mo picked up the thermos, slowly took a sip of warm water, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Whether it's easy to beat or not depends on the ID."
"Since he wants to work overtime, then I'll show him what true violent aesthetics are."
Welcome to Summoner's Rift!
Accompanied by a solemn female voice from the system, the highly anticipated battle for supremacy officially began.
The director was very considerate; from the very beginning, he kept the camera focused on the top lane.
Bin's Aatrox bought a Doran's Blade and a health potion, then aggressively crossed the minion wave, positioning himself at the edge of the bush on the top lane near EDG's side. His intention was clear: to suppress Riven's experience range at level one and use Aatrox's Q skill, Darkin Blade, to harass her without taking damage.
"Bin is playing very aggressively! He crossed the lane and pressured the enemy right from level one!" Guan Zeyuan stared intently at the screen. "But Mozi's Riven didn't back down. He also learned the Q skill [Broken Wings], and the two met face-to-face in front of the minion wave!"
Facing the aggressive Sword Demon, Su Mo's eyes remained as calm as a still pond. His left hand hovered lightly over the keyboard, while his right hand rhythmically clicked the mouse on the ground, maintaining an extremely subtle distance.
"what!"
Bin took the initiative, unleashing a powerful Q attack aimed directly at Riven!
The moment the Sword Demon made his move, Su Mo moved.
Without retreating or dodging, Riven unleashed her Q [Broken Wings], using her forward dash to narrowly miss the inner edge of Aatrox's Q!
Not only did he dodge the sword's knockback and extra damage, but he also managed to get right up to the sword demon's face and land a basic attack.
Bin reacted extremely quickly, immediately using his second Q to try and block Riven's movement.
But with a slight flick of Su Mo's mouse, Riven seemed to have anticipated Aatrox's movements, using her second Q to shift slightly to the side and forward, perfectly dodging the center of Aatrox's second Q, and simultaneously landing a basic attack!
"My God! He dodged them all!! Mozi's micro-management is so precise, he calculated the wind-up animation of Aatrox's Q skill perfectly!" Miller exclaimed.
After missing two consecutive outer-ring Qs, Bin's mentality wavered slightly. He gritted his teeth and directly used three Qs to smash the ground.
This time, Su Mo's Riven used up all three of her Q abilities on the spot!
"boom!"
Both players landed simultaneously, but because Riven's three-part Q had a knock-up effect, it abruptly interrupted the subsequent damage calculation of Aatrox's three-part Q! The instant he landed, he used a lightning-fast auto-attack to trigger Conqueror!
In the initial exchange at level one, Aatrox couldn't even touch Riven's clothes, and instead lost a third of his health, forcing him to retreat sheepishly behind the minion wave.
"It's so smooth! This lightning-fast QA speed is like it's running a script!" Guan Zeyuan took a deep breath.
On the battle platform, Bin's face was so gloomy it was almost dripping with water. His pride and joy in dominating the opponent was a joke in front of Su Mo.
The match proceeded smoothly for three minutes before both sides reached level three.
This is a pivotal level; Aatrox gains the ability to kite with his W skill and dash with his E skill, leading to a qualitative leap in his burst damage.
"Xun, don't bother going in, I'll solo kill him this wave." Bin said coldly in the voice chat, his eyes fixed on Riven, who was last-hitting cannon minions on the screen.
Just as Riven raised her hand to auto-attack, Bin moved!
Aatrox uses his E skill [Shadow Dash] to dash forward, followed by a Q that instantly slams into Riven, while his W [Fiery Chains] precisely hooks onto Riven!
"Bin made his move!! This skill combo was perfect! Riven is locked in by W!"
However, faced with this sudden attack, Su Mo didn't even blink.
His left hand moved across the keyboard like a blur.
Just a fraction of a second before Aatrox's second Q was about to land, Riven used her E skill [Charge Forward] to create a shield, which not only mitigated some of the damage but also allowed her to escape Aatrox's W's range with a very dangerous dash!
"Snap!" The chain broke!
But this is not over yet!
During his E skill slide, Su Mo used his W skill [Soul Roar] to stun the Sword Demon who was about to unleash his three-part Q!
Immediately following, a textbook example of extreme violent aesthetics unfolded in the canyon.
Basic attack, Q, tap the ground to cancel the animation, basic attack, Q, tap the ground, basic attack, three Qs to knock the enemy away, then follow up with a basic attack!
Without a single unnecessary movement, every skill and basic attack was perfectly linked, and all the damage was poured onto the Sword Demon in just one and a half seconds.
Bin woke up from his dizziness and tried to use Flash to escape, but found that his screen had turned gray.
"EDG.Mo solo-killed BLG.Bin!"
"Solo kill!!! Level 3 solo kill!!!" Miller roared hoarsely, "A full-health Aatrox, melted in a lightning-fast QA combo!! Mozi used the oldest champion to teach the new generation of genius top laners a lesson!!"
"This Riven's skill level is terrifying! So fluid, no animation delay whatsoever! Bin didn't even have time to use Flash before being instantly killed!" (End of Chapter)