With the original yLs team lineup for this qualifier, it was hard to say whether they could advance.
But now it was different. With the addition of two KPL star players, Sheng Kuang and Chen Jing, who had previously been on the same team and played together for two full years, they understood each other very well and their coordination was remarkably默契. Therefore, the general consensus for the yLs team shifted from "can they advance?" to "they will definitely advance."
Lin Jing lived with Sheng Kuang and had a general idea of their daily training matches during meals.
Before the official competition, they had played two practice matches against each opponent, and in both cases, yLs had won 2:0.
Despite this, when Lin Jing had her ticket checked and entered the venue, and found her seat waiting for the official start of the match, she couldn't help but feel nervous.
To distract herself from her anxiety, Lin Jing took out her phone.
Thanks to Sheng Kuang, the qualifier, which had never made it to Weibo's trending searches, had surprisingly climbed the hot search list.
It was clear that many fans were as nervous as she was, with comments ranging from "Is this match a sure win?" to "Come on, Kuang Zai, you must win!" Some were even analyzing the strengths of the other two teams.
The more Lin Jing read, the more her heart raced. She switched back to WeChat, and the page happened to be on her Moments feed, so she casually refreshed it.
yLs·senced: Being handsome is truly tiring, I've been handsome for over a decade and I still have to continue being handsome.
The accompanying photo was a selfie of Chen Jing.
He was wearing the yLs team uniform and appeared to have just taken it in the backstage lounge.
"..."
Lin Jing was speechless for two seconds before refreshing her Moments again.
yLs·Qing Zui: The hundred-star achievement was reached today at 13:37.
The accompanying photo was a screenshot of his game account with 101 stars in the King rank.
Lin Jing glanced at the time on her phone.
13:39.
There were 21 minutes left until the match at two o'clock.
Lin Jing's lips twitched, and she suddenly felt like she had been unnecessarily nervous.
Hadn't she been?
While she was down here, her palms sweating and unable to sit still, they were backstage being narcissistic, or hitting the hundred-star mark right on time. What else could it be but unnecessary nervousness?
Without thinking, Lin Jing replied to Jiang Zui.
Xiao Jing Jiang: You're amazing [smile].
yLs·Qing Zui replied to Xiao Jing Jiang: ?
Lin Jing had initially intended to mock Jiang Zui for being so carefree, but remembering that they still had a match to play, she retracted the words at her fingertips. After a moment's thought, she changed her message.
Xiao Jing Jiang replied to yLs·Qing Zui: 101 stars, wow. I've never even had 50 stars.
yLs·Qing Zui replied to Xiao Jing Jiang: I might not have time this season. Next season, I'll find some time to help you reach Glory.
Xiao Jing Jiang replied to yLs·Qing Zui: Are you sure you'll still have time?
yLs·Qing Zui replied to Xiao Jing Jiang: I should still have some. If not, I'll find someone I used to play solo queue with to help you.
Xiao Jing Jiang replied to yLs·Qing Zui: Okay [blush].
Perhaps because the match was about to start, Jiang Zui didn't reply further. Lin Jing left Moments and returned to the WeChat page, scrolling down for a while before her gaze landed on Sheng Kuang's WeChat.
Lin Jing paused, tapped on the chat, and typed two words:
"Good luck."
She had added him on WeChat some time ago and had only chatted with him twice. The first time was when she asked if the bottle of water by the door was his. The second time was when he called her downstairs for a late-night snack.
Apart from the first time when she genuinely had a question, she would never initiate contact with him otherwise.
As a fan, the most basic etiquette was to focus on the matches and stay out of their personal lives.
Although, due to a twist of fate, she knew him and they were even living together, she still tried to maintain a certain distance from his life to avoid making him feel harassed.
Lin Jing hesitated for a moment, then ultimately didn't dare to send the message, deleted the two words, and exited their chat interface.
The match was about to start, and the commentators were already introducing the teams.
Lin Jing looked up, glanced at the player information appearing on the big screen, and after a moment's thought, tapped into Moments and posted an update.
Xiao Jing Jiang: Good luck.
...
Fifteen minutes before the match began, Jiang Xin came to collect everyone's valuables: "Hand over your phones and other valuables to me, and I'll keep them safe."
Everyone handed over their phones, except for Sheng Kuang, who was leaning against the table, looking down at something.
Jiang Xin: "Sheng Kuang?"
Sheng Kuang hummed and his gaze lingered for a couple of seconds on a reply under Jiang Zui's Moments post. He tapped Lin Jing's name and entered their chat interface.
Just as he was about to type, he saw "The other person is typing..." appear at the top of the chat window.
He stopped typing.
Jiang Xin urged, "The match is about to start. They're already introducing the teams. You need to get ready, Sheng Kuang."
Sheng Kuang waited for a few more seconds. Seeing no incoming message, he pressed the lock screen button next to him with his thumb. As the screen went black, he handed his phone to Jiang Xin.
...
After seeing Chen Jing and Jiang Zui's Moments posts, Lin Jing felt like her earlier nervousness had been in vain.
In fact, her nervousness had indeed been completely unnecessary.
Sheng Kuang and his team had to play two matches, each match being best of three. This meant they would play at least four games.
And in such a scenario, they would need to win every single game.
This implied that against both teams, they would finish with a 2:0 victory, just like in their practice matches.
Practice matches were, after all, not official matches. Their results could only serve as a reference, not as definitive proof, because many teams would hide their strategies during practice matches.
This was a common occurrence in official matches. However, it did not happen in today's competition.
Perhaps those two teams had hidden strategies, but the difference in strength was simply too vast. The yLs team had dominated all the way, playing steadily, fiercely, and quickly, making it impossible to tell whether the opponents had any hidden tactics.
Of the three qualifier matches, the first two were yLs's.
yLs played two consecutive matches and won both, maintaining a winning streak.
The maximum points they could get was four, and yLs had secured all four.
With one qualifier match remaining, yLs had, without a shadow of a doubt, secured their qualification for the KPL Autumn Season.