Chapter 681: Hello again, Peanut

The voice that said this came from behind.

Kkoma turned around in surprise, seeing Faker with a calm face raising their hand.

The rest of the team also looked over in surprise.

Faker greeted all gazes calmly, speaking slowly and steadily:

"Only we have a higher chance of winning against VG."

"But..."

Another leader of the LCK team, SSG coach Edgar, furrowed their brow:

"But we agreed last night to let KT face VG, after all they've faced each other the most and know each other best……"

"No, Coach Choi."

Faker politely but firmly interrupted Edgar,

Actually, we know VG better, because our research on VG started from the spring split. Last night we said let KT play VG because we assumed our Dragon Pearl would win the first game, but now…… In short, this is my view: if we don't want LPL to take two points in a row, I think we should go up in the second game.

Although there was no argument, when the two most forceful people disagreed, the others hardly got a chance to speak, and the LCK lounge fell so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Edgar stared at Faker, remained silent for a long time, then finally nodded slowly.

"Okay, I agree."

……

LPL lounge.

The atmosphere here, compared to LCK's side, is completely different.

"Thanks so much, getting this point makes the rest much easier!"

"Even the Dragon Pearl can be crushed, damn that's awesome!"

"Cuzz looked like they were sleepwalking the whole game, farmed a ton but it was useless, and by the time the crystal exploded their economy was still higher than Liushiyu's—hilarious."

"The trash KR server's number one jungler, high rank is useless, they just got smashed by me, just a bragging jerk."

Malaxiangguo's mouth was practically twitching up to heaven as they trash‑talked the opponent.

Although everyone didn't fully agree with Malaxiangguo's words, when it came to which jungler had the greater impact on the team in the previous game, it was clearly Malaxiangguo. Even though, up to the moment the match ended, Malaxiangguo's lane opponent economy and level were still behind Cuzz's, even just looking at the stats, Malaxiangguo's record was better than Cuzz's. Not looking at the stats but at actual impact, Malaxiangguo's two mid‑game ganks that helped xiaohu build a huge advantage were also a key turning point in the match. So, when Malaxiangguo kept belittling Cuzz, instead of refuting them, many people laughed and echoed them, or joined in the trash‑talk.

Liang Yan also smiled watching this, but also thought Malaxiangguo's trash‑talk wasn't a big deal—Cuzz is the classic example of being unbeatable in rank yet choking in crucial games, and that's a fact.

But coming back to that, Cuzz's unbeatable rank is actually based on the premise that Liang Yan wasn't playing on the Korean server; Cuzz's rise to the top of the Korean server in this spring split happened exactly when Liang Yan returned to the Chinese server to protect their peak Canyon account rank, otherwise Cuzz really wouldn't have mattered.

Moreover, Cuzz could reach the top because during the spring split they were too young to play in games, so they had plenty of time to grind rank.

After a while, the staff came and knocked on the door.

"VG players, get ready—we're going on stage."

Everyone instantly stopped the noise and turned their heads to look toward VG.

Gao Jun stood up, his gaze sweeping over his own teammates, a smile on his face.

"Let's go, it's our turn!"

This sentence somehow feels a bit like the troll's line:

"Troll time is here~~~"

But when they went on stage and saw the SKT players already seated in the blue side, especially when they noticed that striking yellow hair among the five opponents, Liang Yan couldn't help but feel a subtle emotion——

"Mr. Han, we meet again."

Then Liang Yan suddenly got a mischievous idea.

At the same time, Han Wanhu, sitting in the SKT players' seats, felt someone's gaze and inexplicably got a chill down their spine.

They knew where this feeling came from, but they resisted the urge to turn and look at the opponent, forcing a smile while continuing to chat with teammates.

But some things are fated in the dark; what's meant to come cannot be avoided.

……

As the players went on stage, the venue lights dimmed too, but the crowd kept shouting noisily, most of them yelling the two IDs, Fire and Faker.

It sounded like the numbers of supporters for the two were about the same.

In the noisy, lively atmosphere, the VG players took their seats. After entering the custom room and adjusting the equipment, Liang Yan casually typed a line:

Hello again, Peanut

If spoken aloud, this sentence actually has a light, friendly tone, like old friends reuniting.

But Peanut, sitting in the SKT players' seats, when they saw this sentence, their hand jerked violently, almost flinging the mouse away, and their whole body went stiff.

Li Xiang He beside them, a master of details who can switch screens three times in a second, immediately noticed their teammate's oddness and calmly asked:

"Wanhu, what's wrong?"

"No... nothing..." Han Wanhu forced a smile, "Don't worry, Brother Xiang He."

Li Xiang He saw through the fear in their eyes at a glance, glanced at the screen at that message sent from the opponent's second line, and then spoke very directly:

"You're not psychologically scarred by them, are you?"

"No!"

Peanut denied it instinctively, but the panic in their voice gave away their true feelings.

Now even the other teammates who were chatting fell silent.

Peanut instantly became like a kid caught stealing, heart full of panic, face flushed as they lowered their head, yet still stubbornly said:

"I… I'm fine… I'm not scared of them!"

Faker stayed silent for a moment, then spoke calmly:

"Wanhu, I think acknowledging the gap between yourself and others isn't shameful; whether you can face the gap and figure out how to make up for it is the key."

Peanut remained silent.

Faker thought for a moment, then casually said:

"Do you know, Li Zhixun once played a substitute for me."

"Who?!"

Peanut didn't react for a moment, instinctively asked.

Faker, however, didn't answer him, just continued: "League of Legends is a team game; even if you don't believe in yourself, you can believe in me."