LOL: What does it mean to torture players?

After walking to the corner, Abu turned around with a big smile on his face: "Xiao Mo, you seem to have something on your mind. Is there something you're unhappy about?"

"You can just say it directly, everything is negotiable."

Su Mo was taken aback: "Not satisfied? No, there's nothing I'm dissatisfied with."

Abramovich tentatively asked, "What do you think about us keeping this roster next season?"

"Can we win our fourth title and make history?"

Abu patted Su Mo on the shoulder, pretending to be excited and expectant.

However, Su Mo seemed rather indifferent: "I don't know... I plan to take a break next year."

"Why? Why do you need to rest? Ah... no, it's fine, no problem. You can play again when it comes to the crucial matches."

Abu initially seemed to have thought of something terrible, but quickly changed his mind.

Su Mo replied, "That's not what I meant. I want to retire."

"No way!" Abu immediately became agitated.

In fact, he had already sensed that something was wrong, which was why he handed Su Mo over and tried to subtly probe her.

Although he was mentally prepared, he couldn't control his emotions once Su Mo said those words.

Abu calmed down a bit, adjusted his state, and continued, "Xiao Mo... can you tell me why? If it's our management, what is wrong with our EDG club? You can tell me, and we will make corrections."

Su Mo shook his head: "No, I feel like everyone is fine, I'm just a little tired and want to do something else."

Although Su Mo often has to play in matches, he also keeps an eye on the games and does things related to the matches in his daily life.

Abu stared at Su Mo for a few seconds, wondering if Su Mo was joking.

But Su Mo looked very serious!
This is bad!

"Hahahaha... Xiao Mo, you must be too tired today, that's normal, it's okay, it's okay, have something to eat to relieve your fatigue, let's drink until we drop and relax." Abu suddenly laughed and pulled Su Mo back to the private room.

The private room was very lively. The waiters started serving the dishes, while Guan Zeyuan was helping to pour the drinks.

Of course, only the factory manager and Su Mo were served alcohol; the others received beverages.

Abu called out, "Everyone, have a great time today, let's get hyped!"

Abu poured himself a glass of wine and drank it all in front of this kind of person!

Rita laughed and said, "Coach Abu, I never knew you had such a bold personality. I never saw that before."

Abu responded, "Today is a historic day, right? We should relax and enjoy ourselves. Everyone has worked so hard this past year."

With Abu taking the lead, the others stopped pretending.

Luo Xin poured herself a glass and looked at Su Mo: "Brother Mo, let's have a drink."

Su Mo picked up his wine glass and clinked it with Luo Xin's.
“Brother Mozi, let’s have a match too.” Rita joined in the fun.

After drinking with the two, the other commentators and hosts started to get involved, all coming over to have a drink with Su Mo.

Su Mo accepted all offers and decided to drink one round first.

Luo Xin laughed and said, "Brother Mozi, slow down, don't get drunk at the very beginning."

"Are you too happy today? I remember you never used to drink."

Su Mo smiled without saying a word.

Rita, however, was secretly observing Su Mo; she sensed something was amiss.

The celebration banquet continued, and an hour later, after everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, several people were already slumped over the table, indicating that they had reached their limit.

On Su Mo's side, Luo Xin was slumped on the table, half asleep, muttering, "Brother Mo... let's have another drink..."

Su Mo was flushed and a little dazed, but he hadn't reached his limit yet.

Suddenly, his arm felt heavy. Su Mo looked over and saw Rita leaning against his arm, seemingly asleep.

Su Mo turned her head to look out the window. It was a sunny day with a lovely weather. The bright moon hung in the sky, and everything was so beautiful.

November 11, 2019.

Shanghai, LPL home stadium.

"LPL's number 001 player, Clearlove, our Factory Director, is about to leave the competitive stage he loves. EDG will remember his name, LPL will remember his name..."

On stage, the host spoke passionately, while the factory manager stood beside him in a suit, smiling.

In the audience, EDG fans and Clearlove's fans tried to persuade Clearlove to stay.

When it was the factory manager's turn to speak, he expressed his gratitude to the fans, summarized his career, and finally waved goodbye.

#LPL001 player retires.

Goodbye, #Clearlove!
#Retirement is another beginning

This news is being widely reported as a headline in major news outlets.

Before fans could even recover from the joy of a three-peat, they had to face a sad reality.

After leaving the venue, the factory manager got into his car and arrived at the entrance of a residential area.

A tall, handsome young man was waiting at the door. Upon seeing the factory manager, he greeted him, "Factory."

The factory manager stepped forward and replied, "Xiao Mo."

"Come on, let's go inside." Su Mo led the factory manager inside, and the two walked along the road, chatting as they went.

"Wow, what you said on stage just now, who wrote the script? It was so emotional! I was almost moved to tears," Su Mo teased.

The factory manager laughed and said, "If I said I didn't prepare a speech in advance and it was impromptu, you definitely wouldn't believe me."

Su Mo also laughed: "Unbelievable."

The factory manager then said, "You can pay 200 yuan to a studio on Taobao to write it. It's very cheap to hire college students to write articles these days."

Su Mo laughed even harder: "You're not going to break down, are you, Factory?"

The factory manager looked helpless: "You try to break me down every day, but I'm immune to it now, you know?"

Su Mo did not receive any system notifications, so it seems the factory manager really hasn't broken through his defenses.

Suddenly, the factory manager became serious. He looked around and, seeing no one else, lowered his voice and asked, "Have you thought this through? I heard from Abu that you also want to retire?"

Su Mo nodded: "Yes, I've thought it through."

"You..." The factory manager swallowed back the words he was about to say.

The two continued walking forward to the other gate of the residential area, then turned back, remaining silent the whole way.

"What are your plans for the future?" Su Mo asked first.

The factory manager replied, "I haven't decided yet, we'll see."

Su Mo continued, "Do you think it's a pity? Could you have given it another shot and won four consecutive championships?"

The factory manager laughed: "What's there to regret? I only played a few games last year before winning the championship!"

"He's just coasting along. Xiao Jie is performing so well, it's time to make room for him."

"Besides, retiring isn't the same as dying. I can still watch EDG's matches and cheer them on, right?"

Su Mo smiled and said, "That's true."

"And you, Xiao Mo, what do you plan to do in the future?" the factory manager asked.

Su Mo replied, "I want to start a company and make my brand bigger."

"Going into business...that makes sense. With your current popularity, you can definitely make a lot of money," the factory manager mused.

Su Mo explained, "Actually, money doesn't seem that important anymore. I don't lack money now; I just want to make something of myself."

"Yes, yes, I understand." The factory manager nodded repeatedly.

Just then, his phone rang. The factory manager took out his phone and glanced at it: "Oh, I have an appointment with someone. It's almost time, I have to go. That's all for today, I'll come find you again next time."

Su Mo replied, "Okay, I was going to treat you to dinner, but you must be quite busy right now and can't handle it. Maybe next time." "Okay, definitely next time." The factory manager put away his phone and walked towards the door.

After taking two steps, the factory manager suddenly turned back and asked, "What should I call you next time we meet? Mr. Mo?"

Su Mo smiled and said, "Either is fine."

The factory manager smiled knowingly, then turned and left.

The League of Legends All-Star event in 2019.

The fact that Su Mo was not on the official list immediately caused a huge uproar online.

"What's going on? Why are you guys having an All-Star game if Mozi isn't going?"

"There are no stars in the All-Star game, right?"

"An All-Star game without Mozi is like Coca-Cola chicken wings without chicken wings."

"Give us an explanation!"

So Su Mo could only come out and say that it had nothing to do with the official arrangements; it was just that he didn't want to go and wanted to rest.

This finally calmed down the fans' anger.

Soon after, news of Iboy leaving the team spread.

"What's going on with EDG? Why did Clearlove take Fizz with him too?"

"He's probably tired. After all, he's won two championships. It's understandable."

"It's alright, it's not a big problem, we can trust Brother Mozi."

"With Mozi around, what's there to be afraid of?"

In the jungle position, EDG has begun to bring in new players.

#Xinyi joins EDG, or may become Jiejie's substitute.

#Junjia joins EDG
Then there's the top lane position.

#EDG officially announces Ray's departure from the team
#Xiaoxiang joins EDG, Mozi becomes a substitute!

Despite being personally persuaded by Abu and the boss to stay, Su Mo still chose to retire.

However, he promised EDG that he wouldn't release this news, and Su Mo couldn't tell anyone else about it, especially during live streams.

Give EDG a transition period.

Ed Zhu offered to continue paying Su Mo's salary, but Su Mo refused.

For him, money is now just an external thing, but he's still willing to help with this small favor.

At the same time, major changes are taking place in LPL clubs!
First up is IG.

#Rumors circulate that Jackeylove and IG have not reached an agreement.
#IG officially announces Puff's addition, he will play the ADC role.
#Southwind joins IG, competing with Baolan for the ADC position.

Following that, RNG also made major adjustments.

#RNG officially announces Betty joining
#RNG is rumored to be very dissatisfied with UZI's performance.

#RNG officially announces Karsa's departure from the team.

#RNG officially announces XBL joining the team
Then there's TES.

The original TOP has been renamed TES Club.

#TES officially announced the addition of Jackeylove.

#TES officially announced Karsa joining the team.

#TES officially announced Aki joining the team, competing with Karsa for the jungle position.
#Rumors circulate that TES is looking for a strong ADC.

The entire LPL was thrown into chaos.

Following that, JDG also made a move.
#JDG brings in LCK jungler Kanavi.

#Imp announces retirement

#JDG officially announces Loken joining the team
Many teams are undergoing major overhauls after failing to achieve results for several consecutive seasons.

Time flies, and it's already 2020.

LPL Spring Split, opening match, on-site.

Miller, Jide, and Wang Duoduo were ready in the commentary booth.

The commentator said, "Welcome to the 2020 League of Legends Pro League Spring Split. I know many of you have been waiting for a long time. There have been no matches to watch for the past few months, and I know many of you are very impatient."

On stage, the host appeared and began to engage the audience.

In the backstage lounge, Abu is giving the EDG players their final instructions before they go on stage:
"This training session was very tight. I know you weren't fully prepared, but that's okay. The other side couldn't possibly be fully prepared either."

"Remember, we are the three-time champions, the first team in league history to achieve a three-peat. Show your spirit, EDG, victory is assured!"

On the other side, in the center of Shanghai, inside an office building.

Su Mo sat at his desk, holding his phone in his right hand, with his legs propped up on the desk.

This is a large office. In front of Su Mo is a square desk, and behind him is a bookshelf that is empty.

Rita originally suggested that Su Mo put more books on it, even if he didn't read them.

But Su Mo refused. If he wasn't afraid of the trouble, he would have moved the bookshelf out. There was no need to pretend.

To Su Mo's left was a coffee table and several sofas. The office also had a separate bathroom, which was quite convenient.

On the phone screen, EDG and TES players were taking the stage, and Su Mo chose to adjust the volume and play it out loud.

Wang Duoduo's familiar voice came through...

"Knock knock knock..." Just then, a knocking sound rang out.

"Come in," Su Mo greeted.

The office door was pushed open, and a woman dressed in a business suit, high heels, and black stockings walked in quickly.

The woman had just walked in when suddenly a figure darted in from behind her, looking around in surprise, and exclaimed:
"Brother Mozi, wow! Is this your office? It's so big? And you're all alone?"

Rita called out, "Luo Xin, keep your voice down. There are people outside. Be civilized."

Luo Xin didn't hear anything at all, and looked around like a curious child.

Rita walked up to Su Mo and placed several documents on the table.

Just then, Luo Xin's ears twitched. She quickly walked to Su Mo's side and glanced at him:
"Huh? Brother Mozi, you're watching the game? Oh right, today's the opening match, EDG vs TES, why aren't you there?"

Su Mo replied, "Can't you see how busy I am?"

Su Mo looked at the documents in front of him.

"Oh, it's just an autograph. You can just ask Rita to sign it for you, right, Rita?"

Rita playfully flicked Luo Xin's nose: "It's not that simple, otherwise anyone could be the boss."

Luo Xin asked, "Brother Mozi, why didn't you go to the All-Star game? When do you plan to start playing again? I haven't watched your games in a long time. I've watched your old game recordings several times."

Su Mo raised his head: "Then let me ask you, in the S9 finals, the first game, on the thirteenth wave of minions, should I eat the first melee minion or the second melee minion first?"

Luo Xin's expression changed drastically!
She was initially quite happy to hear Su Mo ask about the S9 finals, because it was just a few months ago, and it was the most important finals; she still remembered all the details.

However, when she heard the second half of the question, her expression changed completely:
"Brother Mozi! You're deliberately making things difficult for me, how could I possibly know that?"

Rita chuckled to herself, then stepped in to smooth things over: "Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Mozi has his own plans for the competition."

Luo Xin looked at Rita: "And you, Sister Rita? I heard you took a six-month leave to rest, so you came here to be Brother Mozi's secretary?"

Rita explained, "Brother Mozi's company was just established, and he's quite busy right now, so I came to help out."

Luo Xin looked doubtful: "Then will you still be commentating on the matches? I have a feeling that if Brother Mozi succeeds, you won't go back." (End of Chapter)