TCWSITD – Chapter 66

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Chapter 66 – The Consequences of Lin Jiang’s Anger

Shen Ju’s treatment had been agonizing. While it temporarily stabilized his condition, the doctor wasn’t his primary physician and could only provide emergency care. To fully recover, he would need to return to Doctor Chen.

Doctor Chen had always advocated for conservative treatment and had never prescribed strong medication to any of them. If he found out Shen Ju had received a cortisone shot, he’d likely be furious too.

Lin Jiang was also furious.

He just hadn’t shown it yet.

Watching Shen Ju emerge from the treatment room, he asked coldly, “Did it hurt?”

Shen Ju shook his head like a rattle-drum, only for Lin Jiang to suddenly grab his collar and drag him into the stairwell.

It was the first time Shen Ju realized how terrifying Lin Jiang could be when angry.

In the dimly lit hallway, a sliver of light fell across Lin Jiang’s face. His eyes were icy, his body radiating cold and the scent of cigarettes. He was unfamiliar and dangerous.

“Shen Ju’an,” Lin Jiang said, voice low, “I told you disobedient dogs get abandoned. Do you want me to throw you away?”

Shen Ju shook his head desperately, looking pitiful as he tried to hug Lin Jiang. But before his hands could make contact, Lin Jiang shoved him back against the wall.

“Understand? Next time, there will be consequences.”

Shen Ju nodded vigorously. He was genuinely terrified. Li Qian hadn’t exaggerated at all. Lin Jiang’s anger was truly frightening.

When Lin Jiang finally loosened his grip, Shen Ju tried again to embrace him, seeking comfort for his wounded heart. But the moment his fingers brushed Lin Jiang’s shoulder, Lin Jiang slapped his hand away.

Lin Jiang pinched his chin, delivering his verdict. “Since you’re being disobedient, and I can’t bring myself to really throw you away, I’ve decided that for the next half month, you’re not allowed to touch me. Got it?”

Only when the knife cuts deep does one feel the pain.¹刀子捅到身上才知道痛 (dāo zi tǒng dào shēn shang cái zhī dào tòng) – idiom that means to to experience the consequences personally. Shen Ju finally rebelled. “No! That’s not fair! Hey! Lin Jiang! Come back and explain!”

Lin Jiang ignored him completely, hands in his pockets, leaving the hospital by himself, walking under the night sky.

The streets were nearly empty at this hour. His phone buzzed incessantly in his pocket, but Lin Jiang didn’t react, walking forward in silence.

Shen Ju had thought winning the championship would earn Lin Jiang’s forgiveness. He hadn’t expected Lin Jiang to be this angry.

Trailing behind, he attempted to justify himself. “It was just one cortisone shot; there won’t be any side effects. I checked with the doctor.”

Lin Jiang finally stopped at a red light.

Shen Ju hurried to stand beside him, muttering as he shifted blame. ‘Besides, Old Du said one shot wouldn’t hurt. I’m already nineteen, my bones aren’t growing anymore…”

After speaking, he secretly glanced at the person beside him.

He noticed the redness at the tip of Lin Jiang’s nose. And then heard a quiet sniffle.

His heart shattered. Shen Ju pulled him into a tight embrace. “Lin Jiang… are you crying?”

The light turned green. Lin Jiang pushed him away.

Before he could take a step, Shen Ju clung to him again.

The puppy’s voice trembled. “Lin Jiang, don’t cry… It’s all my fault…”

Lin Jiang smacked him on the head. “Did you hit yourself in the head with the injection? I’ve been freezing, waiting outside for two hours. Do you think I’m not cold?”

Shen Ju’s head throbbed from the hit, but he still held on tightly.

He wasn’t afraid of Lin Jiang getting angry—he was only afraid of Lin Jiang ignoring him. As long as he got a reaction, even if it was a beating, he’d gladly take it.

Grinning from ear to ear, he leaned his head in again. “I know you only get mad because you care about me. Hitting is affection, scolding is love.²打是亲，骂是爱 (dǎ shì qīn, mà shì ài) – idiom; a humorous, affectionate way to interpret tough love. I get it.”

Lin Jiang shoved his head away sharply. “Try sticking to me one more time, and I’ll throw your head into the fish pond.”

Hiss…

Lin Jiang’s grip was seriously strong.

The two returned to the press conference venue, where Duren was practically exploding with anxiety. The moment he saw Lin Jiang’s indifferent face, his temper instantly deflated. “You’re back? Is your hand okay now? Should we start the press conference?”

Shen Ju stole a glance at Lin Jiang and heard him give an almost imperceptible “Mm.” He suddenly let out a long sigh of relief, and across from him, Duren did the same.

The two exchanged looks, then glared at each other.

Duren: It’s all your fault.

Shen Ju: It’s all your fault.

The press conference finally began, and the reporters swarmed like starving wolves spotting prey, one after another.

Even though they’d been reminded beforehand that certain questions were off-limits, one reporter still asked about Shen Ju’s hand injury.

The entire press conference was being broadcast live. In theory, as long as the questions weren’t too embarrassing, they had to answer.

Shen Ju hesitated, his gaze flicking to Lin Jiang.

Lin Jiang didn’t even glance at him before letting out a cold “Hmph.”

[????]

[Hahaha, why did Lin Jiang snort so angrily?]

[I’m dying, what earth-shattering crime did Dog Shen commit?]

[How did he manage to piss off the captain this much?]

The atmosphere instantly turned comical. Countless reporters sensed the potential for a hot topic and doubled down with their bombardment. Beside them, Duren covered his face in despair, already dreading tomorrow’s trending hashtag: “OT’s Dual Carries at Odds.”

Shen Ju had no choice but to grit his teeth and answer, “Yes, before the match, to prevent my hand injury from flaring up, I took a cortisone shot.”

Just when he thought the questions would stop, another reporter quickly took over and asked the question everyone was most curious about: “Earlier, you and Captain Lin were a full 40 minutes late. Was it because you went to the hospital to treat your hand injury? Just now, Captain Lin didn’t seem very pleased about the cortisone shot. Did it affect your treatment?”

Shen Ju shot another look at Lin Jiang, his heart pounding in panic. Why did this reporter have to poke at the sore spot?

He hurriedly replied, “No, it didn’t affect anything.”

Then Lin Jiang beside him let out another “Hmph.” The reporters below burst into laughter, and netizens couldn’t hold back either, flooding the live chat with merciless mockery.

The reporter pressed further, “Regarding your injection, was Captain Lin completely unaware of it?”

For the first time, Shen Ju truly felt like he was sitting on pins and needles³如坐针毡 (rú zuò zhēn zhān) – idiom; describing extreme nervousness or anxiety.. Restless as if covered in grass, he held the microphone, wanting to explain himself, only to realize any attempt would make things worse. He quickly passed the mic to Duren.

Duren didn’t dare answer either and immediately handed it to Li Qian. Li Qian’s smile froze on his face as he tried to come up with a response, but before he could speak, Lin Jiang reached over and took the microphone.

With an unprecedented seriousness, he coldly looked at the reporters below and said, “Yes, I truly didn’t know about this. I hope something like this never happens again.”

The moment these words left his mouth, countless fans erupted in screams. It was the first time they had seen Lin Jiang speak so boldly in public. And it was all because of Shen Ju!

[Hahahaha, I’m laughing myself to death!]

[Dog Shen, you’re in trouble. Lin Jiang’s mad at you.]

[Dog Shen, you’ve committed a huge crime! How could you hide something so big

[But why do I lowkey ship this?]

[I feel like Lin Jiang’s feelings for Shen Ju go beyond just being teammates. Can anyone else relate?]

[First time I’ve ever seen Lin Jiang call out a teammate like this.]

[If this isn’t love, then what is?!]

As the press conference continued, the whole scene turned comedic.

Lin Jiang remained expressionless the entire time, answering questions matter-of-factly.

Shen Ju wore a face of utter despair, as if thinking, “When will this end?” and refused to say anything else.

Although Duren had initially felt remorse, realizing the heat had shifted entirely onto Shen Ju made him struggle to suppress his laughter, failing to manage his expression. He had no choice but to pass the mic to someone else.

Little did he know Song Zhixu and the others were just as bad. The moment they remembered Shen Ju getting called out by Lin Jiang, they couldn’t hold back their laughter either.

In the end, Shen Ju was the only one who truly paid the price.

Netizens were also losing it.

[Stop laughing! Think more about how Shen Ju carried the output with a hand injury during the finals! Think about how amazing he is!!]

[Is it possible that we’ve thought about it, but still can’t stop laughing?]

[Hahahahaha, I can’t hold it in anymore……]

[Alright, alright, if you’re all gonna clown Dog Shen like this, then I’m joining in too!]

[Why does it make me both heartbroken and laugh at the same time?]

And so, with the “click” of the reporter’s camera, OT also left behind this world-famous masterpiece. This picture, overnight, spawned dozens of memes.

Yet, even the funniest of these memes couldn’t match the sheer heat of OT’s championship victory.

After OT’s victory, many old players who had uninstalled the game returned. The shock of TG’s upset was also softened, the league regained its vitality, data returned to normal, and the officials seized the moment to launch a wave of events.

With the resurgence in popularity, many in the industry who relied on this industry breathed a sigh of relief. Some even boldly declared that Lin Jiang was their savior.

The pressure on TG and YIG also eased. Their players privately invited Lin Jiang out for meals a few times, and their relationships grew stronger.

Fans across every team saw OT through rose-tinted glasses⁴带着天然滤镜 – means seeing someone in an overly positive, biased way; rose-colored perception., convinced they were the ones who had upheld the honor of the LPL. Overnight, OT exploded in popularity, reaching heights none of them had ever imagined.

Duren became busier than ever, the club’s departments grew more structured, and all of OT’s players capitalized on the hype by signing streaming contracts, their careers were flourishing.

Amid this collective rise in fame, only Shen Ju suffered.

Lin Jiang had said he wouldn’t bother with him, and he meant it—acting like Shen Ju didn’t exist, tossing out sarcasm as naturally as breathing.

For instance, when he saw Lin Jiang arranging the trophies, he eagerly approached, “Captain, let me help you with that.”

Lin Jiang didn’t even glance at him. “No need. I’d hate for your hand injury to flare up again and have you resorting to injections.”

Shen Ju: “…”

Their teammates were practically dying of laughter, secretly egging him on. “Why don’t you go buy the captain some milk tea as an apology?”

Shen Ju thought it made sense, so he went downstairs and bought seven or eight cups of milk tea in different flavors.

Before he could even go back up, he ran into Lin Jiang coming down. The latter gave him a cold look. “Seems like the injections worked wonders. You can carry two bags of milk tea and climb five floors without breaking a sweat.”

Forget the injections. At this rate, Shen Ju was about to develop depression.

While everyone else was still riding the high of victory, Song Zhixu suddenly pulled out his phone, his expression darkening. “Captain, look at this!”

Lin Jiang glanced over. The first line of the post read: [ls anyone seriously shipping Lin Jiang and Shen Ju? Have any of you considered that this whole mess stems from Shen Ju’s defiance and arrogance? Those of you making memes, have you considered Lin Jiang’s feelings? Any teammate in his situation would feel unlucky…]

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• 1
  刀子捅到身上才知道痛 (dāo zi tǒng dào shēn shang cái zhī dào tòng) – idiom that means to to experience the consequences personally.
• 2
  打是亲，骂是爱 (dǎ shì qīn, mà shì ài) – idiom; a humorous, affectionate way to interpret tough love.
• 3
  如坐针毡 (rú zuò zhēn zhān) – idiom; describing extreme nervousness or anxiety.
• 4
  带着天然滤镜 – means seeing someone in an overly positive, biased way; rose-colored perception.