Chairman Zhou's Visit

"It's 3:0 again!"
"In the crucial qualifying match, J-Team actually swept the region's long-time overlord, PSG?!"
"They stepped over PSG's corpse, proudly advancing to the winners' bracket final!"
"Just one more win, and the team will achieve its best historical record, making its first appearance in this year's World Championship!"
"Let's congratulate them!"
Commentator Mountain, being relatively neutral, loudly congratulated J-Team after their final victory.
His commentary naturally stirred the emotions of the audience at the venue.
In the stadium, apart from PSG's loyal fans, everyone else was applauding and cheering.
"So strong, they actually swept PSG 3:0!"
"This is PSG, our region's long-time powerhouse."
"Yes, and no game lasted more than 30 minutes; you could say it was a complete stomp."
"Before the summer split began, who would have thought that J-Team, originally in the lower half of the region's standings, would be about to win the summer split trophy?"
"Unbelievable."
"Nine joining J-Team was truly an epic enhancement."
"He carried the entire team by himself!"
"Handsome, too handsome, tonight I'm willing to give myself to him."
"Hey, hey, you're a guy, our Bao Dao isn't that open-minded yet."
"How do you know he doesn't like my type?"
"Knowing he's a guy and still hitting on him, truly hopeless."

***

Matches have winners and losers; some are happy, some are sad.
Below the stands, PSG's fans were all dejected.
On stage, PSG's players were all dispirited.
Losing a BO5 match was not entirely unacceptable for them.
But being swept 3:0, with all three games combined lasting less than 80 minutes.
Such a swift and devastating defeat had never happened in PSG's history since its establishment.
As a long-time powerhouse in the PCS region, they had represented the region at MSI and the World Championship more than once.
Even on the world stage, they had never lost so badly!
A defeat like today's Waterloo seemed to declare that PSG had henceforth stepped down from the throne of the PCS region.
CFO, the latecomer who surpassed them, and J-Team, the rising team, both performed better than PSG in the summer split.
And the entire PCS region only had two slots for the World Championship, so the competition had entered a fierce stage.
This year, PSG might not even make it out of their own regional tournament?!
At the Class 11-9 base in Zhong Nan City, students who loved esports watched Li Hao's match together.
When J-Team destroyed PSG's nexus, the reaction of the Class 11-9 students was much calmer than that of the audience at the venue.
"Didn't I say it? 'The Rat' is completely dominant in the PCS region."
"Do we even need to watch 'Hao Xin Sun Si's' match? Wake up, and it's another win!"
"Just one more BO5, and our Li Hao will achieve his first small goal of advancing to the World Championship."
"Let's go, let's go eat skewers, celebrate our 'The Rat's' victory."
"I heard Zi Bo barbecue is very popular recently? Let's go to the Zi Bo barbecue restaurant in the city center and have a blast."
The students gathered in groups, imagining Li Hao's future as they left the Class 11-9 base.
At LPL clubs in Mo Du.
When the third game had only been going on for six or seven minutes, many professional players had already pronounced PSG's death sentence.
"This PSG team is still the same, good at talking, but their actual strength is just so-so."
RNG's support player Ming shrugged, scoffing.
In the past two years at MSI, RNG had won the championship both times.
And during the competition, PSG's annoying level had once made LPL region audiences unanimously indignant.
Within the RNG team, several players who had faced PSG had no goodwill towards them.
"PSG isn't making it to the World Championship this year?"
JackeyLove of TES exclaimed in the training room.
"But it's fine, even if they make it to the World Championship, they'll have to play from the play-in stage; how could they meet our TES48!"
The players of EDG, after seeing PSG completely dominated from the beginning of game three, stopped watching the match and began to train seriously.
The team's strict management of its players was top-tier in the entire LPL region.
Many LPL teams watched a PCS regional qualifier BO5 match live.
Before Li Hao came to the PCS region, many LPL teams had approached him.
Even if they didn't approach him, they all knew Li Hao's strength.
Now that Li Hao was playing better and better in the PCS region, the major LPL teams watched and secretly sighed.
Such a young genius, yet forced to go to a Wildcard region to start his professional career.
It was truly a great pity.

***

At the competition venue in Bao Dao.
As the J-Team players returned to their backstage lounge, continuing their cheers and celebrations.
Suddenly, a familiar voice came from outside the door.
"Aiyo? Not bad, not bad!"
The J-Team players were first stunned, then everyone happily looked towards the source of the voice.
At the lounge door, Chairman Zhou, dressed in comfortable casual clothes and wearing sunglasses, smiled as he walked into the room.
Beside him were the team manager and others.
"Boss!"
"Boss!"
Everyone immediately reacted, beginning to greet their boss.
Chairman Zhou smiled and nodded, then walked straight to Li Hao.
"Kid, you played well."
"I think highly of you."
"If you lead the team into the World Championship this year, I can grant one wish for you all."
Chairman Zhou smiled and patted Li Hao's shoulder, then turned to speak to the surrounding players.
Li Hao hadn't expected the team's owner, Chairman Zhou, to come to the team at this moment.
Before this, they had not received any information.
Li Hao heard Chairman Zhou's words, and his eyes lit up.
He puffed out his chest, raised his head, and said loudly.
"To re-establish J-Team's glory, we will not refuse!"
Chairman Zhou heard this, and the smile on his face grew even wider.
"Kid, you're very good."
"I bought J-Team before, also because this team was the first Long Guo team in League of Legends history to win the World Championship."
"I'm very happy that you have this aspiration."
"Now, I can grant you a small wish."
The others in the lounge heard Chairman Zhou's words and looked at Li Hao with admiring eyes.
J-Team's predecessor was Taipei Assassins (TPA), the champions of World Championship Season 2.
This history was too distant; many people either didn't understand it clearly or didn't fully acknowledge the achievements from over a decade ago.
After all, esports back then, how could it compare to now?
Li Hao's eyes darted around.
"Boss, can you give me a few dozen signed albums?"