Bin-esque Faker

The corridor from the podium to the backstage lounge wasn't long, but for Lin Xiu and Faker at that moment, every step felt like walking on clouds, yet also like stepping on solid ground.

All around were busy staff members, and in the distance, the shouts of fans who hadn't yet dispersed could be heard.

All the noise became background noise at this moment, highlighting the subtle and profound atmosphere between the two men.

Faker walked beside Lin Xiu, clutching the FMVP trophy tightly in his hand, his fingertips turning slightly white from the force.

He suddenly stopped, turned around, and stared at Lin Xiu through his black-rimmed glasses.

"Kobayashi, were my words on stage a bit too arrogant?"

Faker's voice was somewhat deep.

Lin Xiu rested his hands behind his head, casually stuffing the FMVP trophy into his peripheral bag, appearing extremely nonchalant.

"Arrogant? Brother Li, what do you mean by arrogance? In esports, the winner's word is law."

"But I really don't think you said that."

Faker shook his head and gave a self-deprecating laugh.

"What I just said wasn't for anyone else to hear; it was for myself."

Lin Xiu paused, stopped, and looked at him with some surprise.

"Today's Kassadin, and that Orianna game where I got solo killed, made me realize something."

Faker took a deep breath, his tone becoming extremely sincere.

"An excellent professional player must have a completely calm mindset. Before this match, I was arrogant, and subconsciously I looked down on Xiye."

"I think he's just a mediocre mid laner, merely a supporting character in WE's system. That's why I suffered; I got killed by him twice."

He paused, a flicker of struggle crossing his eyes:

"So from now on, I will repeatedly remind myself that no matter who my opponent is, I must give them the utmost respect."

"Because anyone who can stand in front of me on this field has the ability to kill me."

Lin Xiu was about to speak when Faker raised his hand to interrupt him, his tone becoming even more complicated:

"However, my mindset is different when it comes to Xiaohu."

"What's the difference?"

"I am afraid of him."

Faker uttered the word without any hesitation, his voice trembling slightly.

"In my heart, he is like an insurmountable mountain. In the last game against RNG, even though we won, I was completely dominated by him in the laning phase. The suffocating feeling he gave me, the fear that no matter what I did, he could predict my moves, has been etched into my bones."

"I can't beat him!"

"So I have to be crazy, I have to shout that I'm going to beat him to a pulp, that's the mental suggestion I give myself!"

Lin Xiu was speechless upon hearing these words.

He thought of his older brother Bin.

The one who firmly declared himself the world's best top laner in every interview,

A man who repeatedly emphasizes that he is stronger than Zeus and TheShy.

Lin Xiu had good reason to suspect that Bin felt inferior to his opponent, just like Faker, which was why he repeatedly emphasized that he was stronger and implied it to himself through his words.

However, he believes that Faker is not Bin after all, and will not go from a prodigy to an esports veteran, still playing the role of a spirited young man.

It was already late at night when we returned to the EDG base in Shanghai.

Looking at the two FMVP trophies and the gleaming Silver Dragon Cup, Ed Jute ordered a lavish seafood takeout meal.

Lin Xiu had no appetite for these things; his mind was completely occupied with the live stream.

The first live broadcast after winning the championship—what does that mean? It's the golden time to cash in!

"Brother Li, stop eating those mantis shrimps and hurry back inside to start the broadcast!"

Lin Xiu helped Faker up, who was still struggling with the crab, and they jogged back to the training room.

As soon as the broadcast started, the popularity of the live stream skyrocketed, soaring from hundreds of thousands to five million in an instant, with the barrage of comments almost completely obscuring Lin Xiu's face.

"Brothers, keep it down, keep it down!"

Lin Xiu chuckled, placed the FMVP trophy in front of the camera with a crisp clang.

"See that? That's what you call professional. What does it mean to come back from a 0-2 deficit to win 3-2? That's what a top-tier player does."

The live stream chat exploded instantly, with fans, haters, and casual viewers all gathering together:

[Lin Gou, you're really inhuman! You didn't even go to the victory celebration banquet, just came back to rake in money?]

[The FMVP has arrived! Everyone stand up! Kneel down!]

[Winning the championship is nothing special. It's just like picking up a championship by chance. Just good luck.]

[This is supposed to be a championship you picked up? Is that even human language?]

Looking at these comments, Lin Xiu wasn't angry at all; instead, his smile widened even more.

"Hey, this brother is right, I was just lucky. There's nothing you can do about it, when luck comes, you can't stop it."

"Come on, haters, give it your all! Send more gifts! The more you hurl insults, the more securely I'll make money."

At this moment, Faker also sat down in front of the computer next to him and silently opened the Korean server ranked game. He glanced at Lin Xiu's chat assistant and frowned slightly.

"Are they insulting you?" Faker asked.

"This isn't called insulting, Brother Li, this is called generating buzz," Lin Xiu explained.

"In my logic, both those who criticize me and those who praise me are essentially contributing to my good life."

Faker nodded as if he understood, then gave a brief greeting into the microphone:

"Hello everyone, this is Faker from EDG. Tonight, I won't tremble, I'll just climb the ranks."

This one sentence immediately caused the treasure map effect in the live stream to fill the entire screen.

Dafei has changed! He's really changed!

[Why does that tone of voice sound so much like Lin Gengxin's?]

[Brother Li, stay away from Lin Xiu, he can transmit the abstract virus!]

Is this the composure of an FMVP? I love it!

The ranked match started quickly. Lin Xiu picked Teemo, a jungler known for his ability to disrupt the opponent's mentality, while Faker chose Orianna, the champion he had used to regain his confidence in the finals.

"Brother Li, play around me this game, I'll carry," Lin Xiu joked in the voice chat.

As the game began, Lin Xiu farmed in the jungle while observing his teammates' movements.

"All troops, listen to my command! Attack enemy F6!"

"Damn it, that blind monk actually forbade it! Our entire army, listen to my command, commit suicide!"

While still arguing with the comments:

"Someone just asked me why I would sacrifice my own development to protect Brother Li? Bro, your understanding is flawed."

"If EDG is a bowl of instant noodles, Faker is the noodles, and I am the seasoning packet."

"Without noodles, even the most fragrant seasoning packet is just a bowl of salty water; with noodles, my seasoning packet is elevated. Don't you understand what team management is?"

"What about AD? AD is an egg! And it might even be a rotten egg!"

[Lin Gou, stop trying to defend yourself. You just can't beat Condi, so stop making up logic.]

[What the hell is this seasoning packet? I think you're an expired vegetable packet.]

[Awesome, AD is an egg.]

Uzi: I really have to control you.