LOL: What does it mean to torture players?

Rita didn't answer the question directly, but instead said, "The Spring Split has only just begun, don't rush it."

Su Mo spent two hours watching the match, and EDG defeated TES 2-0.

Although TES's mid, top, and jungle players are all quite strong, their bot lane is currently performing poorly.

"Nice, EDG! We won!" Su Mo cheered. Looking up, he saw Rita and Luo Xin sitting on the sofa next to him, chatting.

Su Mo spent half an hour processing the documents, then called out, "Rita, it's almost time. Shall we have dinner together? Luo Xin is here too, it's on me."

Rita walked over, picked up the documents from the table, and said, "No problem, it's been a while since the three of us had a meal together."

Su Mo paused for a moment, as if remembering something: "Oh... no, I also made an appointment with someone else, so there will be four of us together."

Rita nodded: "It's okay... Who is it? A player?"

Su Mo replied, "Yes, the player is Jackeylove."

Half an hour later, in the hotel's private room, Su Mo pushed open the door and entered, followed closely by Rita and Luo Xin.

Inside the treasure chest sat a handsome young man, Jackeylove, the former starting ADC for IG.

Seeing someone enter, Jackeylove stood up and went forward to greet him: "Brother Mozi."

He glanced at Rita and Luo Xin and greeted them, "Rita, Luo Xin."

Su Mo had informed Jackeylove beforehand, so he wasn't surprised.

Su Mo said, "Please have a seat."

The four people sat down.

Luo Xin spoke first: "Ah Shui, why did you leave IG? You guys played really well, I think you made it to the semifinals, and a lot of people were really optimistic about you."

Jackeylove smiled and said, "Whether the semi-finals are good or not depends on who evaluates them."

Luo Xin muttered, "Could it be that Principal Wang thinks it won't work? Then why..."

Rita interrupted, "Alright, Luo Xin, you're here to eat. Let Mozi and Jackeylove chat."

Su Mo called the waiter over to order first, then asked, "Brother Shui, what's the situation now? Have you found another job?"

Jackeylove smiled wryly: "Some teams have contacted me, and I'm still considering it. I'd like to consult with Brother Mozi."

"By the way, Mozi, you didn't seem to be at EDG's opening match today?"

Su Mo chose to skip this topic and asked, "Did you watch TES's match today? What did you think of TES?"

Jackeylove replied, "Their bot lane has a big problem, but their mid, top, and jungle play very well."

Su Mo continued, "What about Zuo Shou? What do you think his skill level is?"

Jackeylove stroked his chin and began to think. After a moment of thought, he replied, "Left Hand... among domestic mid-laners, only Toothpaste can compare to him right now. The others are a bit lacking."

Su Mo nodded: "Jungler, Karsa, what do you think of him?"

Jackeylove sensed something was off and asked, "Brother Mozi, you're asking me this... you don't mean you want me to go to TES, do you?"

Su Mo countered, "They haven't contacted you?"

"I have."

"That works. Top Esports needs a strong ADC right now. If you think it's okay, you can give it a try."

Jackeylove fell into deep thought after hearing this, and Su Mo didn't say anything more, letting him think about it himself first.

Sitting next to her, Luo Xin was already pouting wildly; she wanted to say something and was about to burst out.

Rita pulled Luo Xin's arm, signaling her to be quiet.

However, Luo Xin's face turned red, and she just wanted to say something.

Seeing this, Su Mo shook his head helplessly and asked, "Luo Xin, what do you want to say?"

"Brother Shuizi, why did you leave IG?" Luo Xin finally got the words out, feeling much more relaxed.

Jackeylove then said, "Don't tell anyone else."

"Yes, I won't tell anyone, don't worry!" Luo Xin assured confidently.

So Jackeylove explained, "The club wanted to lower my salary because they felt I wasn't worth the price."

"Furthermore, our team's tactics mainly focus on attacking the mid, top, and jungle, so..."

Luo Xin seemed to understand: "So that's how it is... I saw that many people online are stirring up trouble, saying that you and Baolan had a fight, and some people are saying that you and Prince Ning don't get along..."

Jackeylove continued, "How could that be? The tactics are mainly determined by the coaching staff, and the players just execute them. Even if I feel something is wrong, I think it's a problem with the coach's arrangements, not with the players."

"Oh, I see..." Luo Xin nodded.

Just then, Su Mo's phone rang, and he took it out to take a look.

Then the call connected, and after a brief conversation, Su Mo hung up.

Luo Xin asked curiously, "Who? Is anyone else coming? Weren't there supposed to be four people?"

Su Mo replied, "He contacted me suddenly. It hasn't even started yet, has it? He was nearby, so I called him over."

"Who is it?" Luo Xin pressed.

"Uzi."

"Uzbekistan?" Luo Xin was stunned for a moment, seemingly not quite understanding.

"UZI? I heard he has a hand injury and might have to recover next season. Is that true?" Rita asked curiously, unable to hold back this time.

There have been various rumors circulating online recently, but no one can verify their authenticity. Even the hosts and commentators can't get inside information about the club.

Su Mo shook his head: "I don't know, you can ask him when he comes."

Su Mo then looked at Jackeylove and asked, "Are you alright, Ah Shui? Uzi is coming over."

Jackeylove retorted, "What's the problem with that?"

Su Mo laughed and said, "I saw your fans and Uzbekistan's fans arguing online every day, and I thought you two had a bad relationship."

Jackeylove shrugged: "We're just playing a game, how could we have a bad relationship?"

Su Mo's smile deepened: "Really? There haven't been any conflicts between you two?"

Jackeylove stopped talking, which most likely means there's some truth to it.

This is inevitable, since they are all ADCs, and they are the most promising domestic ADCs.

One is a rising star, the other a former champion; they're bound to be secretly vying for dominance.

Of course, this is just a competitive spirit, not some deep-seated hatred.

About ten minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

Su Mo greeted him, "Come in."

The door to the private room opened, and UZI, dressed casually, walked in.

"So many people! Mozi, Rita, Luo Xin, and... Jackeylove, you're here too." UZI greeted everyone as he entered.

Su Mo greeted, "Uz, you're here. Please have a seat."

“Uzi,” Rita and Luo Xin greeted together.

Jackeylove looked up and greeted him, "Uzi."

UZI sat down next to Su Mo, who placed the menu in front of him: "Order whatever you want, we've already ordered."

UZI casually ordered a dish, then looked at Jackeylove and said, "Jackeylove, I heard you left IG? What's going on?"

Jackeylove smiled and said, "I want a change of scenery."

"Didn't you play really well in IG? IG's mid and top laners are both so strong."

Jackeylove chose to avoid the question and instead asked, "You had surgery on your hand? What happened? It shouldn't be a big problem, right?"

UZI began to complain: "Don't even mention it! The doctor examined me and said my hands are like an old person's hands, from overuse, severely damaged. Sigh, I haven't even achieved any results, and I've already ruined my health." Luo Xin exclaimed in surprise: "It's actually true? I thought..."

UZI looked over: "Hmm? What did you think?"

Luo Xin quickly explained, "I've seen a lot of people spreading rumors online, saying it's all fake... That's what I saw online."

UZI smiled wryly: "There's nothing I can do. There are just too many haters. Even if I show them the hospital test results, it won't make a difference. It doesn't matter anyway, it won't affect my normal life."

Rita then looked at Su Mo's arm: "Brother Mo, have you had your hand checked?"

Su Mo laughed: "I didn't play many games last year, I'm not that fragile."

Su Mo looked at UZI: "So what are your plans for next season?"

UZI sighed: "Let's focus on recovering first, and see how things go..."

Su Mo suddenly thought of a question: "If you were to leave RNG now, would you be able to leave? Would you have to pay a penalty for breach of contract? When does your contract expire?"

UZI shook his head: "This is not a matter of contract expiration... We signed a non-compete agreement, which means that if I leave RNG, I cannot play for other clubs for five years."

"Huh? Five years? If you're not in form after five years, does that mean you're not allowed to leave RNG?" Luo Xin exclaimed in surprise.

UZI quickly said, "Don't tell anyone else, okay? I only told you because I consider Mozi one of my own..."

UZI glanced at Jackeylove.

Jackeylove then said, "I didn't hear you, I don't know what you're talking about."

UZI continued, "In short, unless RNG club takes a big step and agrees, I definitely won't be able to leave."

Luo Xin muttered, "From another perspective, it's a good thing, right? This way you can stay with RNG and recover from your injury."

UZI smiled and said, "That's overthinking it."

Luo Xin was taken aback: "Is that not allowed? Didn't you say you couldn't leave RNG? Now that you can't play due to health reasons, you can only recover from your injury."

UZI replied, "I can't go to other clubs, but I can retire. Do you think the clubs would waste money on my injury recovery?"

"Hmm? It doesn't seem like it..." Luo Xin realized.

Su Mo then asked, "Uz, what do you need me for? Is there anything I can help you with?"

UZI hesitated, the words stuck in his throat.

Just then, the door was pushed open, and the waiter began to serve the dishes.

Su Mo then suggested, "Let's eat and chat at the same time, there's no rush."

So everyone started eating.

UZI tried a few bites, but found them tasteless and left him feeling preoccupied.

"I want to retire," UZI suddenly said.

"Retire? Why are you all retiring? The factory manager just retired..." Luo Xin seemed a little reluctant.

After all, UZI is a veteran player, a memory for a generation.

UZI nodded: "Yes, I have this idea, and it's not just my personal idea. The club also said that if I can't play, they won't keep paying me."

"Although they didn't directly tell me to retire, but... I can't go to other clubs, are there any other options besides retiring?"

Rita pondered, "That seems to make sense. With all these conditions combined, retirement is the only option left."

UZI looked at Su Mo again: "Brother Mozi, I'd like to hear your opinion."

Su Mo put down her chopsticks: "Will your hand ever heal? Will you be able to fight?"

UZI replied, "It will take time to recover, maybe... a few months, but of course, if things go smoothly, it could be as quick as two or three months."

Su Mo continued, "How do you feel about your career? If you were to evaluate it, how would you rate it, and what score would you give it?"

UZI was stunned after hearing this and began to think deeply.

Half a minute later, UZI smiled and then sighed: "Like a pile of dog shit. Although it feels like I've won a lot of trophies, they're all just league trophies and the Demacia Cup. They're useless."

UZI's self-deprecating humor was something Rita and Luo Xin hadn't expected.

After all, in their eyes, UZI has already been very successful, having entered the S-series for many consecutive years.

They also demonstrated considerable dominance in the bottom lane.

Su Mo continued, "If you retire today, will you be able to sleep at night?"

UZI shook his head: "I don't think I'll be able to sleep."

"That's settled then, don't you already have the answer to this question?"

UZI was speechless. He naturally didn't want to retire, but now that various unfavorable conditions had arisen, he had to consider this issue.

After a pause, UZI said, "But I feel that even if I don't retire, RNG will still let me go. There's nothing I can do. RNG doesn't support idle people."

Su Mo reassured him, "It's not a big problem. Just get yourself in a good mood and go to work as usual."

"If you're still injured and can't play, and RNG makes you retire, you still have another option: a loan."

UZI was taken aback: "Rent?"

Su Mo explained, "Yes, it's a loan. Your contract is with RNG, but RNG can loan you out to other teams and make money from it."

"I think RNG will definitely consider this solution. You said yourself that RNG doesn't support idle players, and they don't want to earn less money, right?"

UZI's eyes lit up: "It seems like it really could work... But, which team should I go to? And I'm injured right now, so I can't play at my full potential..."

Su Mo replied, "Will it be better in three months?"

UZI replied, "I...can!"

Su Mo continued, "That's fine then. Just tell them you'll recover in three months and ask them to sign you first."

UZI nodded repeatedly: "Okay, I understand!"

"Thank you, Brother Mozi."

The five continued eating. After finishing their meal, UZI and Jackeylove left, expressing their gratitude to Su Mo once again before departing.

Su Mo didn't think it was a big deal; he was just talking.

As the Spring Split continues, with both UZI and Jackeylove absent, there are increasingly more rumors surrounding RNG and IG.

In April, IG officially announced Jackeylove's departure from the team.

Meanwhile, Jackeylove has also been reported to be training with a club, but it hasn't been officially announced yet.

On UZI's side, things are progressing more slowly; his situation is different from Jackeylove's.

For clubs willing to spend money, this involves a significant risk.

UZIs are not cheap, even renting one is not inexpensive.

Meanwhile, a dramatic change occurred in the LCK.

GRF, which was highly regarded by many, disbanded. Of course, the team is still there, but the members have all left.

Samsung restructured and was renamed GEN.

Khan left T1, and two new top laners joined the team: Canna and Roach.

In the bottom lane, Teddy, who has been heavily criticized, has been replaced by his substitute, Gumayusi.

A substitute has also been added for the support position: Kuri.
Even Faker in the mid lane wasn't spared; Gori, T1's substitute mid laner, was also affected.

In the jungle position, Clid left the team, CUZZ joined, and there is also a substitute, Elim.

Clid has chosen to join GEN, continuing his search for a strong team to team up with.

In the top lane, Rascal has firmly established himself as the top laner. (End of Chapter)