LOL: What does it mean to torture players?

After the interview, Su Mo walked off the stage amidst thunderous applause from the audience.

He was greeted by his teammates who were already waiting on the sidelines.

Surrounded by this excited group, Su Mo was both amused and exasperated: "Alright, alright, hurry up and prepare for the cup-raising ceremony, don't block the road here."

Watching this scene from backstage, the factory manager said softly, "We can celebrate tonight at the victory banquet, but everyone, please stop fooling around for now."

……

That evening, the EDG club lavishly booked the entire rooftop banquet hall of a five-star hotel on the Bund in Shanghai.

Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, the Huangpu River boasts a dazzling and captivating night view.

Inside the banquet hall, the lights were dazzling, and the atmosphere was filled with the fragrance of fine clothes and elegant figures.

This celebration banquet was not only a carnival for the team members, but also a top-level event that brought together celebrities from the e-sports circle and the business world.

In addition to the entire EDG team and management, high-ranking officials from the LPL, heads of major live streaming platforms, and key figures from EDG's main sponsors were all present.

The president of Ferrari China, an elegant Italian gentleman, personally presented EDG with a pair of custom-made racing gloves as a congratulatory gift.

Alienware's brand director announced on the spot that all EDG team members would be provided with the latest top-of-the-line computers.

These big shots, who are usually only seen in financial news, have all set aside their status and frequently raised their glasses to the EDG team members, especially showing great favor to Su Mo, who was sitting lazily at the main table and seemed more interested in the food on the table.

"Mo, I've heard so much about you! I'm Rossi from Ferrari," the Italian gentleman said in fluent Chinese, holding a glass of champagne. "Your performance on the track is just like our sports cars—precise, swift, and full of artistry! To celebrate winning the FMVP, we've decided to present you with a brand-new SF90 as your personal ride!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the whole place was in an uproar.

The SF90 is a top-of-the-line supercar worth millions!
Jiejie, listening nearby, was practically drooling and kept nudging Su Mo with her elbow.

Su Mo simply swallowed the piece of Wagyu beef in his mouth slowly, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and then looked up and smiled, "Mr. Rossi, you're too kind. However, League of Legends is a five-player game, and it would be too much of a hassle for me to win alone. How about... you give our team some perks too?"

"Pfft—" Meiko next to her almost spat out her juice.

Mr. Rossi was also taken aback for a moment, then laughed heartily: "Mo is really funny! No problem! We will also give the other team members a Maserati from our company as a reward! We hope to have a deeper cooperation with EDG in the future!"

A commercial gift worth tens of millions was easily finalized through Su Mo's half-joking "bargaining".

The other brand executives present found it both amusing and impressive.

This young man is not only unmatched on the field, but his charm and emotional intelligence in social situations are also unparalleled! He did not show any flattery or greed, but instead cleverly secured benefits for all his teammates, instantly combining personal image and team spirit perfectly.

Halfway through the banquet, a sophisticated-looking CEO of a technology company, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, walked over with a wine glass in hand.

He is the founder of a top domestic technology company and a deep partner of EDG.

"Brother Mozi, I have to toast you," he said with a smile. "Your match today was absolutely amazing. Our company is currently developing an AR device to test neural reaction speed. I wonder if you'd be interested in helping us test out its limits?"

These words immediately piqued everyone's interest.

Soon, the staff brought up a futuristic-looking AR helmet and matching sensor gloves.

The game is simple: in a virtual space, you dodge light orbs flying from all directions; the longer you survive, the higher your score.

It is said that the highest record for a professional F1 driver is three minutes.

Jiejie was the first to refuse to believe it and put on the device to try it out. However, she was flustered and failed in less than forty seconds, which made everyone burst into laughter.

Other team members, including Viper who has the best reaction speed, also tried, but the best time was only one and a half minutes.

Finally, under everyone's watchful eyes, Su Mo lazily put on his helmet.

Games start.

Everyone watched Su Mo's first-person perspective through the big screen.

At first, the ball of light moved very slowly, and Su Mo simply stood still, easily dodging it with minimal head and hand movements. His movements showed no sign of tension; it was more like he was performing an elegant dance.

When the time exceeded two minutes, the speed and density of the light sphere suddenly increased, reaching a dazzling level.

However, Su Mo's movements remained calm and unhurried. His body seemed to transform into an intangible phantom, strolling leisurely through the impenetrable barrage of light orbs.

Three minutes! He easily broke the F1 driver's record!

Four minutes!
five minutes!
The banquet hall was completely silent.

Everyone stared in disbelief at the figure creating miracles in the virtual world, forgetting even to breathe.

The tech CEO was so excited his face turned red, and he kept muttering, "Monster...this is simply a monster...his nerve reaction speed has surpassed the limits of humanity!"

Finally, when the time stopped at "7 minutes and 32 seconds", Su Mo took off his helmet, rubbed his eyes, and yawned: "It was quite interesting, but it was a bit hard on my eyes."

After a few seconds of silence, the entire audience erupted in thunderous applause!

At this moment, no one regarded him merely as a gaming genius.

What he displayed was a godlike talent that crushed ordinary people!

Just as the atmosphere reached its climax, two beautiful figures appeared at the entrance of the banquet hall.

It was Qin Lan and Zhou Yi.

Qin Lan wore a well-tailored black evening gown today, exuding a noble air while also displaying the competence of a powerful businesswoman. Her appearance immediately drew everyone's attention.

She walked straight up to Su Mo, picked up a glass of red wine, and smiled with admiration in her beautiful eyes: "Congratulations, future king. Today, you have shown the world a corner of your crown."

Su Mo looked at her and smiled calmly: "President Qin, you flatter me. It was just an ordinary victory."

“An ordinary victory won’t make the entire esports world go wild for you.” Qin Lan gently swirled her wine glass, the crimson liquid shimmering within. “My suggestion still stands. The trip to Iceland will show you a wider world and make you realize that one person’s strength is ultimately limited. But I can provide you with an empire large enough to support all your talents.”

Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable confidence.

Su Mo didn't answer immediately, but simply raised his Coke and lightly clinked it against her glass.

"We'll talk about the future when it comes." He downed his drink in one gulp. "Right now, I just want to enjoy this championship night with my brothers. Miss Qin, would you like to join me?"

"I won't, Brother Mozi, you continue." Qin Lan smiled.

Su Mo nodded, turned around and went back to his teammates, snatching the last piece of cake that Jiejie was secretly eating, causing the latter to howl in pain. Qin Lan watched the laughing and joking figure in the crowd, her eyes shining even brighter.

She knew that this man was like a treasure trove yet to be fully discovered, and every encounter would bring new surprises.

And she had enough patience to become the ultimate treasure hunter.

The hustle and bustle of the celebration banquet slowly came to an end under the night sky over the Huangpu River.

The next morning, when the first rays of sunlight shone through the gaps in the curtains into the EDG base, it was unusually quiet.

Most of the team members were still fast asleep, their young faces a mixture of excitement and exhaustion from the previous night.

Su Mo was one of the first to wake up.

Instead of sleeping in as usual, he quickly washed up and went to the training room alone. The training room was empty, with only the soft hum of the server running.

He didn't turn on his computer; he simply sat in his seat as usual, watching the city gradually brighten outside the window, letting his mind wander.

The taste of victory is wonderful, but for him, it was more like the end of a magnificent performance.

After the noise subsided, he enjoyed the tranquility even more.

At 10 a.m., Abu and the factory manager gathered all the team members in the conference room and announced the next arrangements, which is very much in line with the operating mode of top e-sports teams in reality.

"First of all, the club has decided to give everyone a three-day break," Abu announced. "During these three days, you can go home, you can go on vacation, in short, completely relax and temporarily forget about League of Legends."

The team members cheered, and the tension brought on by the intense training and competition over the past few days instantly dissipated.

“However,” Abu’s tone shifted, his expression turning serious, “everyone must be back on time in three days. The following week is our ‘commercial week.’ Winning the championship will boost our commercial value, and we’ll need to fulfill many sponsor’s promotional videos, promotional photos, and live streaming contracts. I know it’s boring, even more tiring than playing practice matches, but it’s part of being a professional player, and I hope everyone can approach it with a professional attitude.”

"Finally," the factory manager continued, his gaze sweeping over everyone, "after the business week comes the closed training camp for MSI. This year at MSI, we represent not only EDG, but the entire LPL. We have only one goal—the championship. So, once the holiday is over, get your minds back on track!"

Su Mo wholeheartedly agreed to this arrangement. After all, whether or not there was training didn't really matter to him; he could still have fun as much as he wanted.

While Jiejie was clamoring to go home and livestream to bring glory to his ancestors, and Viper and Scout were planning to experience the beautiful landscapes of China, Su Mo chose the simplest way.

He simply changed into a set of ordinary casual clothes, put on a baseball cap and a mask, and like an ordinary urban youth, ventured into the crisscrossing alleyways of Shanghai.

He spent the afternoon browsing through books in an unassuming corner bookstore.

I ate a bowl of scallion oil noodles at an old-fashioned noodle shop with only a few seats. There were no flashing lights, no crowds of fans, just the most authentic, down-to-earth atmosphere.

The next afternoon, he was sitting by the window in a quaint teahouse, sipping a cup of Biluochun tea and watching the bustling traffic outside, when his phone suddenly vibrated.

It was a message from Rita: "Brother Mozi, you've won the championship and then disappeared? Shouldn't you treat us commentators to a meal?"

Su Mo smiled and replied with a teahouse location: "Those who want to eat, come over quickly."

Half an hour later, Rita and Luo Xin, who were also carefully disguised, appeared furtively at the entrance of the teahouse.

“You really know how to pick a place,” Rita said, taking off her sunglasses as soon as she sat down and looking around curiously. “I thought you were going to celebrate at some Michelin three-star restaurant.”

“That kind of place is too noisy,” Su Mo poured them tea, “It’s nowhere near as quiet as here.”

Luo Xin held the warm teacup, looking at Su Mo with her eyes sparkling with admiration: "Brother Mo, you're amazing! As long as you're on the field, EDG can't lose!"

"Just lucky," Su Mo said casually.

The three chatted about all sorts of things, from funny stories about the competition to recent movies, in a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.

Just then, a slightly noisy argument came from the next table.

Two trendy young men are holding up their phones, seemingly doing a live stream outdoors.

"Family members, the tea at this teahouse is really bad, expensive and tastes terrible, it's just a scam to fleece you! Everyone, stay away!" one of the boys shouted exaggeratedly at the camera.

The teahouse owner, an elderly gentleman in his sixties, stepped forward upon hearing this, frowning as he said, "Young man, our tea is all top-grade, and the price is fair. How can it taste bad?"

"Hey, can't we even talk about it now?" Another boy pointed the camera at the owner. "Look everyone, the owner's getting anxious! This is what they call a time-honored brand—poor service and bad food!"

Su Mo frowned slightly.

He recognized the owner; he was a true tea lover who opened the teahouse more out of passion than profit.

Seeing that the two streamers were going too far and even started to make personal attacks on the boss, Su Mo put down his teacup.

“Gentlemen,” he stood up, his voice not loud, but clearly drowning out the noise from the two streamers, “your live stream is disturbing our tea.”

The two streamers turned around and saw Su Mo and his two companions. Seeing that they were wearing sunglasses and hats, they assumed they were ordinary customers and became even more arrogant: "What? It's a public place, why are you telling us what to do about our live stream? If you think it's noisy, you can leave!"

Su Mo didn't get angry; he simply took off his sunglasses at a leisurely pace.

When that face, which had dominated all social media and news headlines in the past few days, appeared in front of the two anchors, their expressions froze instantly.

"Mo... Mo Shen?!"

One of the boys almost dropped his phone.

Su Mo's eyes were calm, but behind that calmness lay an invisible sense of oppression.

"First of all, the tea at this shop is one of the best I've ever had in Shanghai. You might be trying to create a good show, but you can't just say things like that."

"Secondly, this old gentleman is older than your parents. It is very impolite of you to treat him like this."

“Third,” Su Mo’s lips curled into a cold smile, “I’ve noted down your livestream IDs. I hope the guilds behind you can teach you what respect is.”

After saying that, he took out several hundred-yuan bills from his wallet, gently placed them on the table, and smiled warmly at the still stunned shopkeeper: "Sir, keep the change for the tea."

Then, he gestured to Rita and Luo Xin to calmly leave amidst the strange gazes of all the teahouse patrons and the pale faces of the two anchors.

Stepping out of the teahouse, Luo Xin finally breathed a sigh of relief, patting her chest and saying, "I was so scared just now, I thought a fight was going to break out."

Rita looked at Su Mo with admiration: "Brother, you're so manly~"

Su Mo put his sunglasses back on and shrugged: "I just hate people who take advantage of the internet to act recklessly." (End of Chapter)