SITS CH22

Chapter 22: Playoffs

Shen Man stood on the balcony, smoking.

He had just parted ways with his mother, and it was likely they wouldn’t see each other again for the rest of their lives. Theoretically, he should have felt sad.

But his emotions were as empty as his eyes. He felt nothing—not sadness, not even a trace of feeling.

The weather was clear tonight. ACE’s base was in the suburbs, free from light pollution. When he looked up, he could see the sparse stars scattered across the sky.

With a cigarette between his lips, Shen Man suddenly heard someone call his name. He turned his head and saw a figure emerge from the darkness.

It was Xu Zhouye.

Xu Zhouye seemed to have just returned from outside. His hair was dripping wet, and he wore a bright, cheerful smile—like an overgrown puppy. With one hand hidden behind his back, he walked up to Shen Man.

“Why are you out here smoking?” Xu Zhouye asked. “Isn’t it hot?”

Shen Man replied, “Not really.” When the heart was still, the body naturally felt cool.

Xu Zhouye asked, “What are you thinking about?”

Shen Man thought for a moment. “How to break up Yan Cao and Qin Sang.”

Both of them burst into laughter at that. Xu Zhouye laughed so hard he bent over, then suddenly reached out his hand—offering a delicate, white daisy.

“For you.”

“I picked it up on the way back,” Xu Zhouye said. “Just ten bucks…”

As he spoke, his eyes quietly locked onto Shen Man, his pupils reflecting only him. His expression was earnest, almost reverent, like a believer offering a prayer to a deity.

“Shen Man, I hope you’re always happy.”

Shen Man took the flower.

“Always happy is a bit too much to ask.” He lowered his head, gently brushing a fingertip over the petals. “But right now, I am pretty happy.”

Xu Zhouye’s eyes curved into a smile.

They chatted for a bit before Xu Zhouye left to wash up. Shen Man returned to his room and found a plastic bottle to hold the little daisy.

The delicate flower looked completely out of place in his near-barren room, devoid of personal touches.

But Shen Man liked it.

——

The upcoming match between ACE and TKR was the biggest showdown of the playoffs.

The organizers had been hyping it up for days, alternating between promotional clips of Shen Man and Qin Yixing in the live stream advertisements. Tickets for the match were being scalped for outrageous prices.

The day before the match, Zhao Rui snuck up to Shen Man and whispered, “Captain, do you have an extra family ticket for me?”

Shen Man frowned. “What about yours?”

Zhao Rui grinned sheepishly. “Sold it.”

Shen Man: “……” You’re a genius.

“I didn’t know my family was coming,” Zhao Rui pleaded. “Captain, please, please.”

Shen Man gave him a glance, then opened his drawer and pulled out a ticket, handing it over. Every player received family tickets, but he rarely used his. Giving one to Zhao Rui was no big deal.

But he couldn’t help asking, “Since when do you have family coming?”

Zhao Rui mumbled something unintelligible.

Shen Man narrowed his eyes. “Zhao Rui, don’t make me see you trending on Weibo for getting scammed out of 800,000 yuan in an online romance.”

Zhao Rui panicked. “No way! No way! Captain, nobody cares about me enough for that. Only your love life would make it to the trending list!”

Shen Man: “?”

Zhao Rui grinned and quickly ran off with his ticket.

——

The outcome of the ACE vs. TKR match would determine who claimed the Summer Split championship.

Everyone was fully prepared.

On the team bus, Liu Shishi was visibly nervous, rubbing his hands together repeatedly. He glanced at Shen Man, who was seated beside Xu Zhouye, and muttered, “Xu Zhouye, this is your first time playing in a finals match. Aren’t you nervous?”

Xu Zhouye said, “A little.”

Shen Man was sitting next to him, wearing headphones with his eyes closed, resting.

“You are nervous, right?” Liu Shishi pressed.

Xu Zhouye thought about it. To say he wasn’t nervous at all would be a lie—he wasn’t a robot. “Yeah, a bit.”

Still wearing one earphone, Shen Man reached up and pulled the other side off slightly. In a soft voice, he reassured him, “Don’t worry. If you die to jungle creeps again, you won’t get a good transfer offer next season.”

Everyone burst into laughter.

Xu Zhouye chuckled too. That moment when he got solo-killed by jungle creeps had already made it to the HCC Season Highlights Top 1—in the “Most Embarrassing Plays” category.

“This time, I’ll try my best,” Xu Zhouye said. “Hopefully, I can hold off dying a little longer.”

——

When they arrived at the venue, the atmosphere was electrifying. Fans packed the entrance, their cheers filling the air.

From the bus window, Xu Zhouye saw the crowd—this was the first time he had ever played in front of so many people.

Fortunately, the event organizers had planned ahead. Security had already set up barricades, creating a clear path for the players to enter smoothly.

Shen Man was the first to step off the bus. The moment he appeared, a deafening cheer erupted.

Cries of “ACE!” and “Slow!” rang out incessantly.

It was both a source of motivation and immense pressure.

If they played well, the fans would shower them with love.

If they played badly…

Well, best not to think about that possibility.

Once they entered the venue, everyone let out a breath of relief.

“It’s always like this when we play TKR.” Zhao Rui wiped the sweat from his forehead and muttered, “The pressure is insane.”

Because of the long-standing rivalry between TKR and ACE, their fanbases were notoriously hostile toward each other. In the past, when ACE was struggling, losing to TKR was expected. But this season, ACE had risen unexpectedly, going toe-to-toe with TKR.

That changed everything.

In esports, nothing mattered more than results.

Lose one match, and you’d be ridiculed for three months.

“Stay focused.” The coach clapped his hands. “Get ready to go on stage.”

After the host finished warming up the crowd, it was time for the players to enter.

Shen Man, dressed in his oversized team jersey and holding his keyboard, stepped onto the stage. As the captain of ACE, the moment his foot touched the platform, the audience erupted into a thunderous wave of cheers.

At the same time, Qin Yixing, representing TKR, walked onto the stage as well. The stadium shook with the deafening chants of their respective fans.

“ACE! ACE! ACE!”

“TKR! TKR! TKR!”

The synchronized chants turned the scene into a festival of competition.

Game 1 – BP Phase

Having suffered at Xu Zhouye’s hands before, TKR had clearly come prepared this time. They had meticulously studied ACE’s matches, even analyzing their players’ solo queue habits. Their bans targeted two strong jungle picks and one ADC.

Shen Man locked in an ADC and began adjusting his item build.

Meanwhile, the coach discussed hero options with Xu Zhouye.

“Still nervous?” Shen Man asked through his headset.

Xu Zhouye shook his head and even had the energy to joke. “Captain, if we lose, do you think we’ll make it out of this venue alive?”

Shen Man chuckled. “Don’t worry, they’ll come for me first. While they’re busy beating me up, you guys can run.”

Laughter spread through the team.

Xu Zhouye shook his head. “Nah, I’ll stay and take the hits with you.”

Shen Man smirked. “Touching. So, what are you picking?”

“Something tanky.” Xu Zhouye locked in a tanky utility jungler—Jiao Shan.

Shen Man nodded.

The game began. Their characters stepped out of the base.

“Nine’s definitely camping bot this game,” Shen Man predicted. “He won’t overextend in lane.”

“Got it,” Zhao Rui responded.

As HCC’s top player, Qin Yixing had reached this level for a reason. His game sense and mechanics were unparalleled, and when it came to tempo control, no one in the league could match him.

Shen Man quickly felt the pressure.

Qin Yixing had picked Jump Maiden, a high-mobility assassin who could dive the backline with her ultimate, posing a huge threat to ADCs. He knew just how dangerous Shen Man was, which was precisely why he aimed to suppress him during the laning phase, giving him no room to farm.

Very few players could withstand Qin Yixing’s aggression, which was why Shen Man had often suffered in bot lane before.

But this time, Xu Zhouye became his impenetrable shield.

Whenever Qin Yixing appeared, Xu Zhouye’s Jiao Shan was right there, almost as if he could predict his every move.

Jiao Shan was a heavily armored female hero, the queen of Shan Hai Tower in the game’s lore. She wielded a shield in her left hand and a spear in her right, her blood-red eyes visible through the gaps in her massive armor. With her exceptional endurance, she became an immovable force.

During early skirmishes, Jiao Shan raised her shield at just the right angles, blocking all crowd control, allowing Shen Man to use precise footwork to dodge Jump Maiden’s devastating burst damage. He positioned himself perfectly behind Xu Zhouye, keeping his fragile ADC protected at all times.

By mid-game, Shen Man had built his three core items and entered his power spike.

“We’re screwed,” Qin Yixing muttered. “We let him scale. Rubber, find an opening.”

Rubber, Yang Shanhe, was playing Cat Ghost—a champion with reliable crowd control. Their only chance was for Yang Shanhe to find an opening and use his mobility and ultimate to drag Shen Man’s ADC into the enemy team.

But that was easier said than done. Shen Man’s movement was notoriously elusive, making it nearly impossible to catch him off guard.

The game was at a stalemate, with both sides continuously testing each other.

Then, at the 28-minute mark, an opportunity appeared.

Yang Shanhe spotted Shen Man near the brush, seemingly isolated from his teammates. This was a golden chance.

Without hesitation, he dashed in and activated his ultimate, locking Shen Man down.

He got him!

But Yang Shanhe barely had a second to celebrate before Shen Man instantly cleansed the CC with an item, marked a nearby jungle monster, and used his second ability to leap over Yang Shanhe’s head, escaping back to his team.

The entire sequence took less than a second—so fast that even the casters were left speechless.

An absolutely insane escape.

With their key ability wasted, TKR lost their biggest win condition. ACE seized the moment and counter-engaged immediately.

Zhao Rui fired a precise hook, snagging Yang Shanhe and dragging him straight into the fray.

Yang Shanhe, a squishy mage, was instantly deleted.

Qin Yixing tried to salvage the fight. Seeing Shen Man at low HP, he charged forward.

But Xu Zhouye’s Jiao Shan was like an unmovable wall, blocking Jump Maiden’s every attempt to reach Shen Man.

No ability could break through.

With TKR’s formation crumbling and their key mage down, the most critical factor remained—Shen Man was still alive.

Standing safely behind Xu Zhouye, he landed three basic attacks on Qin Yixing, chunking his health to critical levels.

Game 1 – Victory

“It’s a 2-for-5! 2-for-5!! Rubber got deleted!” the first commentator shouted excitedly. “I thought Slow was dead for sure when he got CC’d, but he just slipped away right in front of our eyes! That was god-tier reaction speed!”

The second commentator nodded furiously. “It’s over! ACE is closing it out—congratulations! They take the first win!”

Securing the first game was a great start. The whole team exhaled in relief.

Game 2 – The Counterattack

After a ten-minute break, the second draft phase began.

“They’re stepping it up. Pressure’s on.” Qin Yixing spoke of pressure, yet there was a smile on his face.

Yang Shanhe muttered, “This Fest guy… he’s something else. His playstyle with Slow—it just clicks…”

“Really?” Qin Yixing replied flatly. “I don’t see it.”

With that, he locked in his second champion.

Yang Shanhe glanced at the screen and inhaled sharply. Qin Yixing had picked Burning Soul.

“…He actually pulled it out.”

The coach frowned at his notes. Burning Soul had appeared occasionally in high-Elo ranked games, but as a new champion, it wasn’t fully explored yet.

Knowing Qin Yixing, if he dared to use it now, it meant he had practiced it extensively.

“What’s the plan?” Zhao Rui asked.

“Play it safe,” the coach decided, drafting a standard, well-rounded composition—not flashy, but without major weaknesses.

The game began.

Burning Soul fit Qin Yixing’s carry jungle playstyle perfectly. He didn’t share jungle camps, took minion waves when possible, and while his CC was lacking, his insane damage output more than compensated.

In early-game skirmishes, ACE simply couldn’t withstand his damage. They didn’t even need to be CC’d—just stepping on his lingering fire patches instantly melted a third of their HP.

At one point, Shen Man and Xu Zhouye died simultaneously, collapsing on the same patch of ground. They instinctively glanced at each other after respawning.

The director caught the moment on camera.

The commentators laughed. “Are they wondering why stepping on fire got them both killed?”

The other commentator joined in. “They really turned to each other at the same time. Hahaha!”

Meanwhile, over voice chat, the two were already analyzing.

Shen Man: “So… what do we do now?”

Xu Zhouye: “Uh…”

Shen Man: “Next time, let’s not stand so close.”

Xu Zhouye, sounding aggrieved: “Okay…”

Later, as Shen Man recalled to base with low HP, Xu Zhouye unknowingly stepped on another fire patch Qin Yixing had hidden under the turret—instantly dying again alongside Shen Man.

Xu Zhouye: “…Okay, I’ll stand further away next time.”

Shen Man: “……Mm.”

Listening in, Zhao Rui couldn’t resist commenting, “If someone clips this, it’s gonna be ‘Slow bullying Fest’ all over again.”

Shen Man clicked his tongue.

Xu Zhouye: “……” Will this ever end?

ACE had no answer for Burning Soul. Their composition burned to ashes. In every teamfight, whoever got hit by Burning Soul’s ultimate was instantly deleted.

Predictably, their Nexus exploded.

Tied 1-1 – The Online Reactions

As they entered the break before Game 3, the livestream chat exploded.

“Do you know why Nine’s Burning Soul is completely destroying ACE?”
“Because Burning Soul specializes in roasting true couples.”
“Wait, isn’t Fest always getting beaten up by Slow? How are they a couple now?”
“You know nothing. If you showed your face to Slow, he wouldn’t even bother punching you.”
“Fest is all bark, no bite. The moment Nine got serious, he got shredded.”
“Please, did you even watch Game 1? ACE crushed them.”
“Nine was just going easy on his old teammates.”
“Sure, then he should ‘go easy’ two more times and let ACE qualify for Worlds.”

Fortunately, the players couldn’t see the chat. Otherwise, they’d probably suffer a mental breakdown mid-match.

ACE and TKR were evenly matched. The games were incredibly intense. Even the host couldn’t help but praise, “Regardless of the final outcome, both teams are winners tonight.”

But no one wanted to be that kind of ‘winner’.

Game 3 – The Adjustment

ACE immediately banned Burning Soul and played a disciplined macro game, securing another win.

Game 4 – The Equalizer

TKR struck back, tying the score again.

Game 5 – The Final Showdown

A BO5 finals demanded absolute focus. Playing four consecutive high-intensity games was mentally and physically exhausting.

But this was what esports was all about—fighting to win, pushing to the limit, and creating moments of brilliance through sheer effort.

As the final game approached, the anthem for the deciding match played in the stadium.

During the break, Shen Man sipped from his personal thermos.

Zhao Rui, drinking regular bottled water, noticed. “What are you drinking? Out of a thermos, even?”

Shen Man swallowed and replied, “Chinese medicine.”

Zhao Rui: “……” Bro, why are you back on Chinese medicine again?

Shen Man spoke unhurriedly, “It’s hot out. Helps cool the body.”

Zhao Rui: “…Is it bitter?”

Shen Man shrugged. “It’s alright. About the same as black coffee.”

Zhao Rui paled. He could see steam rising from the thermos. He wasn’t scared of black coffee—but heated black coffee? That nightmare-level bitterness could haunt him for weeks.

Nearby, the coaching staff was intensely debating the draft for Game 5.

The players, meanwhile, remained relatively relaxed, chatting occasionally.

Xu Zhouye, sitting next to Shen Man, had been unusually quiet.

Shen Man glanced at him. “What’s up? Getting nervous?”

Xu Zhouye shook his head, then paused. “No. Not nervous.”

In fact—he felt exhilarated.

Standing at the peak of competition, alongside Shen Man—

This was what he had dreamed of.

And now, the opportunity was right in front of him.

There was no way he wasn’t going to seize it.