Chapter 595: Me, EDG, make money!

As the awards ceremony ended completely, this mid-year drama finally closed its curtain.

Domestically it was still before six o'clock, the sky just beginning to lighten; although news of VG's victory was already everywhere online, the real celebration had not yet started, and it would take some time for the heat to fully explode.

After the champion press conference ended, the VG members returned to the hotel not far from the venue, but upon entering they happened to run into the KT group checking out in the lobby; everyone looked listless, their spirits low, making it hard to bear.

After all, they were opponents who had faced each other in many practice matches during the spring season; on the battlefield they were enemies, but off it they could still be on friendly terms. So the manager restrained his jovial smile, adjusted his expression, and led the VG group over.

When they came close, Gao Jun was about to speak, but the other manager's face was dark and he spoke coldly:

"Is there something?"

Gao Jun's smile stiffened, but he didn't flare up immediately; he kept a polite smile and said:

"Nothing much, just a little curious—are you really leaving in such a hurry? At least wait until dawn? I mean, outside might not be safe."

Quite the fellow.

The VG members tried hard not to laugh.

Only today did I realize that Gao Jun also has a cunning side.

LCK netizens are known for being strict, and incidents involving fans and offline team members happen from time to time in the LCK; as a veteran of the scene, Gao Jun couldn't possibly be unaware of what's going on over in Korea now.

KT left overnight, clearly choosing a time when normal people in Korea are resting, out of safety considerations.

Otherwise, who knows what kind of monsters might show up to meet the flight.

As expected, KT manager CuiXianjun also caught the tone in Gao Jun's words; his face instantly shifted from gloomy to ashen, as if he'd swallowed a fly, turning a terrifying shade of iron blue.

"No need to trouble yourself."

CuiXianjun said through gritted teeth, each word deliberate.

Of course, this manager's English was already rather stiff, and Gao Jun's English was similarly average, so he didn't catch any nuance either.

In the end, the two parties parted on bad terms.

But the VG members burst out laughing as soon as they got into the elevator.

Facing the teasing of the group, Gao Jun sighed helplessly and said:

"I really just wanted to go over and say a couple of comforting words—who knew he'd be so narrow‑minded as to give me a dirty look? In that case, don't blame me for kicking him while he's down."

The group burst into laughter again.

Back in the room, Gao Jun received a call from Lu Wenjun.

"…Ah, okay! Okay, Boss Lu!"

"Understood, you can rest completely assured!"

"No fun, what's there to do here…"

"Yes, yes! These kids are eager to go back; just a moment ago they were yelling at me, asking when the bonus would be issued and how much it would be…"

"Hahaha, yes, they're all impatient as can be. Anyway, we're leaving straight tomorrow; we'll celebrate together when we get back!"

"Understood! I guarantee I'll complete the task, Boss Lu can rest easy—when we return, you can count my hairs; if even one is missing, you may cut me down and I won't utter a single complaint."

"Good, good, good, goodbye."

After hanging up, Gao Jun let out a long breath.

He sat quietly by the bed for a while, then opened the fridge, took out a bottle of red wine, poured a full glass, but after thinking again he poured out most of it, leaving only a small half‑glass of the dark‑red, fragrant liquid. He walked to the floor‑to‑ceiling window, gazed at the hazy lights across the shore, and began to sip the wine slowly, savoring the genuine feeling and joy of victory.

VG, at last, are world champions too!

……

Domestically.

That night finally passed; when the morning news of VG's victory came back, the entire Chinese internet erupted. Office workers who couldn't stay up late to watch the match, taking advantage of their lunch break, began frantically scrolling forums, joining LPL netizens everywhere in celebrating the event.

At this incredibly exciting moment, of course the netizens' favorite "settling scores and slapping faces" segment was indispensable.

Besides VG fans shamelessly showing off and trampling faces, in fact all sorts of jokers and troublemakers are the main force of this great reckoning; they dug up the coffin panels of the original big black‑hat who started the VG black‑campaign, pulled the corpses out of the graves, and whipped them:

"The value of this MSI championship that VG won is just so‑so. Why? Because EDG didn't participate. An MSI championship that didn't defeat EDG is worth at most eighty percent."

"Piglets, chest out! Although we didn't go to MSI, we lost to the MSI champion in the LPL spring finals; rounding up, we're basically the runners‑up!"

"KT: Yeah yeah yeah, send me your bank card number, I'll transfer the runner‑up prize money to you."

"VG fans, are you dancing on your father's grave? You think VG's victory is whose credit? Without me, Qi Jiang, holding down the commentary desk with my turtle‑like aura to suppress the puny KT, do you really think VG could win on its own strength? Hurry up and give EDG money!"

"To be frank, VG really should share some of the prize money with EDG; if EDG hadn't given up its MSI slot to VG, the one embarrassing LPL right now would definitely be me, EDG!"

"Piglets, don't be sad; the factory chief appearing on the commentary desk counts, in a sense, as EDG's representation in this MSI."

"A bunch of short‑sighted fools, you think winning MSI is a good thing? Just wait—Riot's iron fist is coming right up! As smart as I am, Kai, I deliberately gave up my MSI slot, hiding my talents and fame, so now I can stay home and calmly study the S7 finals opponent."

"No joke, those who truly understand the MSI championship have all been targeted by Riot; VG should be careful. I suggest they lay low in the summer split, not stay so high‑profile, then aim for a flawless championship, and afterward clean up the other regions in S7—then Riot will lose interest."

"I've got an idea for Riot that will definitely make VG crash hard—this version's mouse gives Jiao Shen too much of a boost; ban his mouse and he'll be completely silenced."

"I also have a suggestion for EDG: the truck meme is rampant in LCK; who knows if someone will actually take the advice and give KT a lucky break? I advise EDG to learn from it and simply, physically, ban VG—that way they'd have one less S7 opponent to study."

Shanghai, EDG base.

The time was just past noon, exactly when the VG championship topic was exploding in heat across all platforms. In the EDG manager's office, A Bu sat behind the boss's desk, looking at the forum posts on the computer screen; his face was as dark as the sky before a storm, grim and terrifying.

Bang!!!

A Bu finally couldn't hold back, grabbed the mouse and slammed it hard onto the floor.

Razer's mouse is built tough, but it couldn't withstand this kind of abuse—it snapped straight into pieces, the rollers tumbling and rolling all the way to the door.

With a creak, the door opened from outside.

"Uh……."

The factory chief appeared in the doorway.