TCWSITD – Chapter 55.2

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Chapter 55.2 – Worlds Semifinals

With five days of preparation time, the entire OT team did not relax at all.

After leaving the competition venue, Lin Jiang even went to the hospital for a check-up. The results showed no physical issues, but the spots in his vision and the ringing in his ears showed no signs of improvement. If anything, they seemed to be getting worse.

Especially at night when he fell asleep, he would often dream of events from his previous life, blurring the lines between reality and illusion. The spots in his vision also grew increasingly severe.

With no answers from the medical tests, Lin Jiang decided to visit a psychiatrist.

He lay on the white hospital bed, staring at the white ceiling, while a doctor in a white coat sat beside him. The surroundings were eerily quiet—so quiet it didn’t feel real.

Lin Jiang knew a bit of Korean, and with the help of translation software, communication with the doctor wasn’t an issue.

“Mr. Lin, I can sense that you’re very uneasy. Can you tell me where this unease comes from?”

The sunlight outside the window seemed to flicker. Lin Jiang blinked, but the spots in his vision remained stubbornly present. He swallowed painfully and said, “I… I’m not sure if this world is real. Sometimes, it feels like a life I imagined. I often dream of another world where I have nothing, while everything here feels too perfect, like a dream.”

“Mr. Lin, have you ever experienced any major setbacks before?”

Lin Jiang nodded, then shook his head. He wasn’t sure anymore. He didn’t even know if everything that happened in his previous life was just a figment of his imagination.

“Alright, Mr. Lin, can you try to relax now? The human brain has protective mechanisms. It makes you selectively forget painful memories, so it’s normal and healthy that you can’t clearly remember whether those events really happened. You’re doing just fine, Mr. Lin, and I can tell you with full responsibility that the world you’re in right now is real.”

But why hadn’t those spots of light disappeared yet?

Lin Jiang reached out to touch them, but there was always one corner he couldn’t see. He didn’t dare tell anyone that during those two matches where he’d made mistakes, there had always been a blind spot in his vision.

In this condition, how could he step onto the battlefield? He feared he might fall in the semifinals again, trapped in an endless loop of that same fate…

“Mr. Lin, can you tell me what your world was like in your dreams?”

At first it was brilliant, then gradually rotted and fell apart, leading to a completely unimaginable and helpless ending…

“Mr. Lin, there are similarities between the two worlds, which is why you might feel this one is unreal. But think carefully. There must be differences, things that are real and unique. You need to focus on that…”

Under the doctor’s hypnotic guidance, Lin Jiang slipped into the tangled weave of worlds. Two realities began to merge, overlapping without end. Even the originally different scenarios seemed to converge in some way. In the end, he couldn’t find a single point of difference. His heart began to pound violently, and suddenly everything around him plunged into darkness, yet the spots of light still marked his blind spots.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang at the door. He jerked upright in bed to see Shen Ju storming in, his face furious, grabbing Lin Jiang’s hand and shouting, “Lin Jiang! Do you think I’m just a figment of your imagination too?”

The connection point between the worlds suddenly shifted.

Lin Jiang’s eyes flew open, his pupils trembling. He was still in that white room, and the spots of light had faded a little more.

The doctor stood beside him and asked, “What did you see?”

“I…”

Bang bang! This time, the knocking at the door was real.

The doctor opened it, and Shen Ju rushed in. He must have run all the way. His forehead was drenched in sweat, his eyes wide and pupils trembling as he stared at Lin Jiang. “What are you doing here?”

The hospital was filled with Korean text, and Shen Ju didn’t understand a word of it. He must have searched frantically through the entire place, unable to find him.

Lin Jiang suddenly realized—someone as unruly and unpredictable as Shen Ju couldn’t possibly be fake. Even if he were a figment of his imagination, he would have conjured someone who perfectly suited his heart’s desires.

The overlapping worlds shattered at a single point. Once the crack formed, their reality became questionable. The spots of light vanished, the ringing in his ears lessened, and he could clearly hear the most genuine sound of this world.

Lin Jiang got off the bed and saw Shen Ju arguing vehemently with the doctor. Without a word, he walked over and pulled him into a deep embrace. “Shen Ju, thank you.”

Thank you for making me feel alive.

After being hugged by him, Shen Ju finally calmed down. He reined in his temper and held onto him uneasily, “Please don’t come to the hospital alone, okay? I was really scared just now…”

After leaving the consultation room, Lin Jiang sent a message to Ryan and left with Shen Ju separately.

When he came, he had told Ryan that his eyes were uncomfortable and he needed to see a doctor, so Ryan immediately arranged for him to visit this hospital.

The examination went smoothly, and the doctor told him, “There’s nothing wrong with your eyes. It might be a psychological issue.”

Lin Jiang seemed to realize something and, taking advantage of Ryan handling the paperwork, privately went to the psychiatric department. Unable to reach him, Ryan notified Duren. When Shen Ju heard, he insisted on coming to find him.

From Shen Ju’s perspective, unfamiliar with the language, he might have thought Lin Jiang had gotten lost or even been kidnapped. He had imagined the worst possible scenarios.

Hearing his description, Lin Jiang couldn’t help but laugh. “We’re players who frequently attend international tournaments. Are you really worried we’d get lost? We even communicate with Korean players in their language sometimes.”

Shen Ju’s face flushed slightly as he turned away. “I’ll learn it too in the future.”

Regardless, Lin Jiang was grateful that Shen Ju had come looking for him. Their fingers intertwined as they walked side by side on the streets of a foreign land, no longer worried about being seen or posted online, their movements bolder now.

Under the dappled shadows of the trees, Lin Jiang suddenly turned to him and asked, “What were you thinking when you were looking for me earlier?”

Shen Ju’s voice lowered. “I was thinking, maybe I would never see you again…”

Part of his fear of hospitals stemmed from his mother, who had been severely ill and could only receive treatment abroad.

Back then, Shen Ju could barely read, let alone understand English. Each day, he stumbled through the hospital corridors, tears streaming as he searched for her. The adults told him not to go, but he got lost anyway. Everywhere he looked, he saw white sheets covering people, each time hoping it was his mother beneath. Only when he finally lifted one did he truly see her face.

He subconsciously tightened his grip on Lin Jiang’s hand, squeezing hard. “The room where my mother lay was all white, just like the one you were in today. For a moment, I almost thought…”

Those white monsters had filled Shen Ju’s entire childhood. He often dreamed of running through deserted hospital corridors.

Everything was white. Everywhere, monsters lurked.

He couldn’t find his way. Every room looked the same.

He pushed open door after door, seeing white rooms where his mother lay beneath white sheets. With trembling hands, he lifted them, only to find it wasn’t her, and moved on to the next…

An endless, repeating nightmare.

Shen Ju stopped walking, a lingering fear in his voice. “Can you promise not to come to the hospital alone from now on? I’m really scared.”

His emotions were so intense, far beyond what Lin Jiang had imagined. Suddenly, Lin Jiang missed his own fearless self. Now, he needed that same courage again. Even if it was fake, he would make it real.

Lin Jiang reached out to cup Shen Ju’s face and firmly planted a kiss on his lips. It was rare for him to have such an intense moment, but it finally confirmed that Shen Ju wasn’t an illusion. He was real and was standing right before him.

“We promised each other no more secrets between us. Are you ready to hear mine?”

Shen Ju, usually so bold, had turned red to the tips of his ears from the kiss. Without hesitation, he nodded, his gaze still earnest. “Whatever secret you have, I won’t be afraid. Even if you’re an alien, I’d accept it.”

Lin Jiang chuckled and rubbed his neck. Youth really was a blessing—they adapt to new things so much faster than adults do.

He led Shen Ju to a quiet park and carefully recounted what had happened to him. He framed it as something from another world, making it sound more like a dream.

Shen Ju listened intently, then suddenly blurted out, “You don’t have dissociative identity disorder, do you?”

Lin Jiang: “…?”

“No, do I look crazy or something? Besides, I usually see a psychologist. The doctor says it’s just anxiety from too much stress.”

“Oh, that’s good then.”

Shen Ju was scared out of his wits. For a moment, he thought the Lin Jiang he loved might split into two: one who loved him and one who didn’t, like the private Lin Jiang versus the Lin Jiang in the training room.

Lin Jiang laughed at his reasoning. Since Shen Ju’s acceptance was this strong, he might as well share all his thoughts.

“Most of what happened in my previous life is fading now. Sometimes, I wonder if it was all just a dream, meant to make me cherish the present more. But other times, I think maybe it’s just human nature to forget suffering, and that everything now is just an illusion…”

Shen Ju didn’t care whether it was a dream or not. He gripped Lin Jiang’s hand and pressed it firmly against his chest. “I don’t know about others, but I’m definitely real.”

His eyes darkened slightly as he buried his face in Lin Jiang’s shoulder, exhaling softly. “Lin Jiang, I know that feeling. When I held you, I thought it was fake too. But then you got a high fever, went to the hospital, and I was the one who applied your medicine. How could that be fake? Believe me. Even if the whole world is an illusion, I’m real.”

Even if the whole world is an illusion, I’m real.

Shen Ju was so close that their hearts pressed together. Lin Jiang could hear his heartbeat, strong and steady, drowning out the ringing in his ears that had plagued him for so long.

He heard Shen Ju say, “I don’t care what you experienced or saw in your previous life. If there’s an ending you don’t like, I’ll be there to change it with you.”

Lin Jiang had always considered himself stubborn, but meeting Shen Ju showed him what true stubbornness looked like.

He didn’t even question whether Lin Jiang’s previous life was real. He just had the courage to say those words outright.

Lin Jiang finally understood why he was so drawn to Shen Ju. He was like the person Lin Jiang used to be, carrying the courage Lin Jiang had lost and never regained.

He cupped Shen Ju’s face and kissed him. “Okay.”

Shen Ju was young, and he truly adapted quickly.

Holding Lin Jiang’s hand, he took a few steps before posing another odd question.

For example, “What was I doing in your previous life?”

“You retired due to a hand injury.”

“That bad?”

“It’s fine. You were already 23 years old back then, about time to retire anyway.”

“Did that version of me come looking for you?”

“No.”

Shen Ju’s expression turned serious. “Then my previous self really had it rough.”

Lin Jiang laughed. He liked this kind of sincere affection, and he also liked Shen Ju’s straightforward way of expressing himself.

He took Shen Ju down two more streets, where they drank milk tea and ate ice cream. They were just like an ordinary young couple, finding joy in simple, everyday things.

When they returned to the training room and saw their concerned teammates, Lin Jiang said calmly, “I asked the doctor. He said there’s nothing wrong with my eyes. It was psychological. Then I went out for a walk, and now I’m fine…”

At these words, the anxious Duren finally relaxed. He stepped forward and hugged Lin Jiang, giving his shoulder a firm pat. “You really scared me. I thought something had happened to you.”

Lin Jiang sighed. “What could happen? I just needed to adjust my mood.”

Behind them, Li Qian snorted and said to Duren, “See? You were worrying for nothing. I told you Lin Jiang is better at managing his mindset than you are. Just focus on yourself.”

With the crisis resolved, the team threw themselves back into training.

Free from distractions, Lin Jiang’s form quickly rebounded, even showing signs of surpassing his previous peak.

Li Qian adjusted his glasses, studying the performance data of Lin Jiang and Shen Ju with a satisfied nod.

Then he checked Song Zhixu’s progress. It was almost unbelievable. Before the World Championship, Song Zhixu had only mastered three champions to the required level, with the rest stuck in a bottleneck. But now, he had five champions meeting the standard. If he kept working hard, he would undoubtedly become a qualified top laner.

The three most crucial lanes were all in good shape. The remaining concerns were the support and jungle roles.

The support was steadily improving, having found his own playstyle and breaking through the bottleneck was only a matter of time. The only real worry now was the jungle position.

Zhang Mingying was passable. He just lacked experience, but with Lin Jiang guiding him, he was barely adequate.

But A’Deng’s form was declining. He had been brimming with confidence before the tournament, but now it had almost completely faded.

This couldn’t go on. He was the main force against WAG.

Li Qian adjusted his glasses again and called Lin Jiang aside for a private discussion. Their thoughts aligned perfectly.

WAG’s playstyle was too unpredictable, nearly impossible to decipher. They also favored unconventional champion picks, making it easy for an inexperienced player like Zhang Mingying to fall into their traps.

A’Deng, on the other hand, was experienced and steady. The safest strategy was to counter their unpredictability with consistency.

“We still need A’Deng to take the lead.”

“What if we lose?”

“If we lose, we’ll push for one more round. If we still lose, we’ll switch to Zhang Mingying. That kid has nerves of steel. The more pressure he’s under, the more astonishing his performance becomes.”

But Zhang Mingying was a double-edged sword. Lin Jiang wasn’t confident he could rein him in. “What if I can’t control him?”

Li Qian sighed. “Then we’ll just have to accept fate, Lin Jiang. Everyone has to accept fate at some point. Maybe OT just isn’t destined to win this championship.”

Lin Jiang didn’t agree with him. He took a drag from his cigarette, coughing violently from the harsh inhale. Leaning against the railing, he thought, if he were to live another life and still face the same outcome, what would be the point of rebirth?

He tossed the cigarette aside. “I don’t believe in fate.”

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