LPL History

Chapter 155 Leaving the Han court, he entered the tiger's tent alone, his sleeves filled with the fragrance of Yan.

After a short rest, the EDG team received a notification for a post-match interview.

Zhu Kai leaned closer and said:

"Brother Zhou, let's go do the interview on the main stage."

These post-match individual interviews differ from team interviews. Generally, to shorten interview time, club members will be interviewed separately by hosts from different competition areas.

The main stage naturally receives the most interview traffic.

Zhou Li will be interviewed by an official host, and the interview will be broadcast live on the official channel.

If the interview is conducted in another region, the interview will only be broadcast live through the live stream of that region.

Of course, as an LPL player, Zhou Li will definitely have to give an LPL interview after the main stage interview.

This means they gained two opportunities for interviews and exposure within China.

Hearing Zhu Kai's words, Zhou Li thought for a moment and then said:

"Forget it, let Shenchao go to the main stage. I'll go do the interview for the Korean region."

As the most "pure" player in the EDG team, Zhou Li felt quite at ease letting Shenchao face the official interview.

Zhu Kai was stunned for a moment, then realized what he meant and said:

"Is Mr. Zhou going to mock the Koreans?"

Lu Benwei grinned slyly.

"Zhu Kai, you don't know this? President Zhou just bought a Hummer a while ago. President Zhou loves driving Hummers."

Korean interview section.

Pray wept bitterly.

"I have made my decision. This will be my last match. I plan to retire."

"Thank you for accepting our interview, Pray. I understand how you feel right now, and I hope to see you on the field again next year."

"Next up is a short commercial break. We've also invited some players from the EDG team for an interview. See you later!"

Seeing the director raise the OK sign, Lee Hyun-kyung breathed a long sigh of relief.

Pray was very emotional during the interview just now.

There was a particularly noticeable bump on his forehead, which didn't look like he had bumped into it himself.

Fortunately, she was an experienced host and managed to bring the situation under control and send away the rat king, who was already somewhat mentally unstable.

She looked down at the manuscript paper she had just received from the staff.

With just one glance, her eyes widened slightly.

Interviewee: Zhou Li Lion.

An overwhelming sense of surprise flashed in Lee Hyun-kyung's eyes, and she subconsciously asked the broadcaster:

Is Lion here for our interview?

"Yeah," the director nodded helplessly, "I don't know what EDG was thinking, sending him over here."

"Was this arranged by the club...?"

Lee Hyun-kyung was puzzled, but soon realized something was wrong.

Isn't Zhou Li himself the owner of EDG? So aren't the club's arrangements just Zhou Li's own arrangements?
The Korean director wasn't particularly welcoming of Lion for the interview.

After all, Zhou Li, the biggest villain who eliminated NJS, doesn't have a very good reputation in South Korea.

He couldn't understand why Zhou Li, a core player of the team, who usually goes to the main stage for interviews, chose to come to their side.

Seeing that Lee Hyun-kyung was about to ask a question, the director shrugged.

"Don't ask me, I don't know either."

Then he turned to making fun of things.

"Hyun-kyung, calm down. You're being a little too obviously happy."

The director's words instantly made Hyun-kyung's ears turn bright red.

"Huh, really?"

As Zhou Li was following the staff toward the interview area, a page of the Records of the Grand Historian suddenly turned in front of him.

The rain of swords shatters the golden armor, the rat's mark breaks the void. Empty fame dissipates like dust, the Way perishes, and the world is desolate.

[You brutally beat Pray in the game, and NJS's teammates brutally beat Pray in the rest room. You proved in two matches that the Rat King's reputation was nothing but empty words; Pray's resolve crumbled after you defeated him. You forced Pray into retirement.]

[Character unlocked: Pray. Hero Plague Rat proficiency reached Perfect level.]

Zhou Li glanced around casually, then came to his senses and found himself in the interview area. He saw the beautiful host from OGN, who was leaning to the side, quietly checking the interview outline with the director.

Under the soft light, she held a manuscript paper covered with Korean annotations in her left hand, while her right hand repeatedly flipped through several data sheets of EDG players.

He saw her frown, bite the pen cap, and then hurriedly add a line of small words on the edge of the page, her neck slightly stiffening as her black hair fell down.

When the director signaled for the camera to be in position, she suddenly looked up and said "Hello" in Chinese, her tone slightly hoarse but her pronunciation clear.

"Mr. Zhou, please prepare for the interview."

Staff reminded them.

Lee Hyun-kyung turned around and looked in Zhou Li's direction.

Eyes facing each other.

It felt like a reunion across a century.

Xianjing remained silent, only continuing to stretch the silk.

A poem suddenly popped into Zhou Li's mind.

My heart is like the silk threads within a lotus root; though broken, they still connect.

On the other side, the director indicated that the live broadcast had begun.

Even with makeup on, Lee Hyun-kyung's face still turned red at a visible speed.

She noticed her face was getting hot, but she didn't realize how obvious it was. She tried to remain calm as she walked towards Zhou Li and extended her hand.

"Hello Lion, I am Lee Hyun-kyung, the host of the OGN league."

Zhou Li smiled and extended his hand.

When the two hands that had once caressed every inch of each other's skin clasped together, Lee Hyun-kyung felt a brief, electric shock-like sensation run through her body.

Based on Zhou Li's understanding of Li Xianjing, he knew that his Xianjing was having an affair again.

Zhou Li had a very good impression of Xianjing.

Given Zhou Li's current abilities, if appearance is the only criterion, he has far too many choices.

The main reason Zhou Li had a good impression of Li Xianjing was because Li Xianjing was gentle, tolerant, and had a forgiving nature.

That's the essential quality of a matriarch.

“Hello,” Zhou Li released his hand. “I am Zhou Li.”

After Zhou Li finished speaking, Li Xianjing was even stunned for a second, then looked at Zhou Li with surprise and asked:
"You speak Korean?"

“Yes,” Zhou Li nodded with a smile, “I studied hard for a while because I knew I was going to be interviewed by you.”

Zhou Li learned Korean from Lee Hyun-kyung last season.

His knowledge of Korean was stored in his brain as a form of information.

However, his mouth couldn't achieve that level of fluency.

This is actually the same principle as hero proficiency.

He still knows the mechanics of those mid-lane heroes, but whether he can actually execute them is another matter.

Just like Riven's lightning-fast QA, everyone understands the principle, but to use it smoothly, you still need to practice and train continuously.

This doesn't mean that you just need to be fast enough; it requires constant training to develop muscle memory.

So although she knows how to speak Korean, Zhou Li's Korean is not as standard as it used to be.

But it doesn't hinder normal communication at all.

Zhou Li's repeated attacks were clearly putting Li Xianjing at a disadvantage.

"Eh? Really?"

"of course it's true."

The man's answer was firm and decisive.

The director waved from behind the camera, forcefully drawing Lee Hyun-kyung's attention back and signaling her to start the interview quickly.

Lee Hyun-kyung's interview transcript creased in her palm as her gaze drifted towards the questions on the paper in her hand—

"The tactical approach of using the female police officer to suppress the rat king in the first game."

"The secret to increasing the hit rate of Ashe's ultimate skill."

However, after all the technical jargon swirled around on her tongue three times, it finally boiled down to a softly trembling question in Korean: "How would you rate today's match?"

The director sighed and rubbed his forehead in exasperation.

As a professional host, asking such an ambiguous question is clearly problematic.

After all, esports players don't have high levels of education, and they often need the host to guide them in answering questions during interviews.

Such general questions often fail to elicit insightful answers.

However, Zhou Li smiled and said:

“More than the competition, I’m concerned that one of the hosts mispronounced my name Zhou Li as Zhongli,” he said, glancing at the name tag on her chest. “Li Xianjing, I think you should unilaterally fire your Chinese character teacher.”

The staff in the interview area were all stunned.

Was this a livestream mishap or flirting?

Lee Hyun-kyung's ears flushed red beyond her foundation, and her left hand unconsciously pressed down on the bottom right corner of the interview transcript.

"Oh, I'm sorry... I'll definitely practice harder next time."

At this moment, the most awkward person in the entire room appeared. That was the translator standing next to Zhou Li.

She watched the two of them talking in Korean as if no one else was around, and wished she could turn into a tree at that moment.

Although she has settled here, no one will notice her.

Fortunately, Zhou Li was very understanding.

"Miss Translator, you can go and rest. There are no problems communicating with Hyun-kyung."

The translator breathed a sigh of relief, nodded repeatedly as if he had been pardoned, and fled the area where the temperature was slowly rising.

So all that's left in the shot is the handsome man and beautiful woman.

Lee Hyun-kyung felt as if her brain had become sluggish, and the questions she had prepared before the interview were now completely forgotten.

This forced her to look down at the manuscript paper in her hand once again.

However, a hand suddenly reached out and mischievously snatched the manuscript from Lee Hyun-kyung's hand.

He looked at her hastily written Korean annotations and asked, "I heard you learned Chinese to interview me?"

The blush rising on Lee Hyun-kyung's neck was like rouge dripping into clear water, spreading from the edge of her dress neckline to her chin.

Her clenched right hand was suddenly covered by warmth.

Zhou Li pretended to return the manuscript, hooked his little finger with her pinky, and then let go.

Lee Hyun-kyung felt a sudden weakness in her calves.

Meanwhile, on the official Korean language channel...

Zhou Li had only been on the scene for less than a minute when it was revealed that it had already completely broken the defenses of South Korean netizens.

【Aish bastard! Is this guy flirting with our Hyun Kyung?】

I think I just saw him squeeze Hyun-kyung's hand!

[Aaaaaah! That damn guy, I'm going to kill him!]

[You wretched brat, don't you dare lay your filthy hands on our Hyun-kyung!]

[Wow! Hyun-kyung, please stay awake! Please!]

[Waaaaah, my goddess, she seems to have fallen for her, waaaaah!]

Faced with Zhou Li's question, Li Xianjing clearly did not know how to answer.

She hadn't expected that the other person would also pay so much attention to her.

Not long after the match ended, Zhou Li learned about what she had said in the live broadcast.

As a host and commentator, it's normal for her to pay attention to the players.

But is it normal for an LPL player to pay so much attention to this Korean female host?!

Zhou Li's words caught Li Xianjing off guard, leaving him completely at a loss for how to respond.

However, Zhou Li did not continue. After all, going any further in front of a large audience would make him seem too frivolous and would not conform to the Zhou Li.

In-depth matters should be discussed privately.

Lee Hyun-kyung, being a professional host, quickly regained her composure.

The two conducted a rather official interview in a rather formal manner.

After the interview, they exchanged contact information.

In the Korean commentary room, Jeon Yong-jun watched the two interviews and shook his head with a sigh:
"Ah, although I don't want to admit it, the two of them are a good match."

Kim Dong-jun began:

"Speaking of which, that kid has been eyeing our Xianjing for a while now, hasn't he?"

Quan Yongjun laughed.

"I'm afraid our Xianjing has also set his sights on that kid for a long time."

“Sigh,” Kim Dong-joon sighed, “If only Joo-rye were one of us Koreans. Come to think of it, Joo-rye is from the coast, so maybe he really does have some of our blood!”

"Whether he has any bloodline or not..." Jeon Yong-joon joked, "If he and Hyun-kyung get together in the future, wouldn't he still be our Republic of Korea's son-in-law?"

Zhao Enjing, who had been silent until now, spoke up sourly:

"Judging from Senior Hyun-kyung's expression, it seems that we in South Korea have lost a citizen, not an extra son-in-law."

Zhou Li's attitude towards Li Xianjing clearly caused Zhao Enjing a great deal of stimulation.

Meanwhile, Zhou Li, having finished his interview in South Korea, had arrived at the LPL interview area.

In fact, due to space limitations, the two sides are not far apart at all.

Xiao You, the female host from the LPL region, watched the entire interview with Zhou Li from the sidelines.

Although Xiaoyou doesn't understand Korean, she can tell from the Korean female host's reaction—

If it weren't for so many people watching, the two of them would probably have already started fighting.

Seeing Zhou Li approach, Xiao You came closer and said:

"Mr. Zhou, have you taken a fancy to that beautiful woman?"

Xiao You's teasing surprised Zhou Li for a moment.

It's important to know that Zhou Li's identity is not only that of an EDG player, but also that of the EDG owner.

Even today, many people online are still trying to find out Zhou Li's identity and background, but they have found nothing.

However, the more this is the case, the more profound the background of the Zhou rites seems.

After all, no one could believe that an eighteen-year-old boy could suddenly spend millions to acquire a club just to play for him.

Over time, the identity of Zhou Li (the Zhou rites) became increasingly distorted and fantastical.

If it were any other host today, they wouldn't have been so familiar with Zhou Li and started joking around with him so readily.

But what if this person is Xiaoyou...?

That's really nothing to be surprised about.

After all, although Xiaoyou's appearance is known as the e-sports goddess by fans, Zhou Li knows that her personality is like a female version of Tabe.

Zhou Li remembers that Xiao You also had a nickname, "Critical Hit You".

The woman who was said to be able to out-slay Uzi with three Infinity Blades.

As the saying goes, there are no wrong nicknames, only wrong names; Xiaoyou's mouth is faster than her brain.

Xiao You's resume can be traced back to Guo Degang, where she was once Guo Degang's assistant host on Jinshi TV's "Tonight's Game".

Later, she entered the League of Legends community and became one of the first League of Legends hosts along with Xiao Cang Miss.

Because of her outstanding looks, she is known by netizens as the most beautiful host in the Chinese server.

However, Xiaoyou's mouth also attracted more attention.

Because of their lack of familiarity with League of Legends, they often inadvertently "crush" the interviewee with their words.

For example, saying to AJ, "Garen, you're famous now, you know?"

However, "Garen" was a derogatory term used by fans to mock AJ at the time.

To give an analogy, it's like calling TheShy "Song Jiang" or Uzbekistan "Rambo".

Zhou Li remembers that the most classic episode was Xiao You's interview with UZI.

During a very important match where Uzi played for the OMG team and formed a super team, Uzi's parents came to the venue.

And coincidentally, UZI lost that match and was even brought to tears.

When interviewing the heartbroken UZI after the match, Xiaoyou asked him, "Did your parents come to the stadium to cheer you on?"

Because of this one sentence, Xiaoyou was subjected to a lot of insults from the trolls at the time.

Because they felt that Xiaoyou was being sarcastic and sarcastic towards Uzi.

So, when faced with Xiao You's question, Zhou Li simply smiled and replied:
"No, I've taken a liking to you."

Xiao You paused for a moment, then laughed.

"Mr. Zhou, I was born in 89, do you not mind?"

"A woman three years older than me is like a gold brick; you're six years older than me, so I can have two of you. Isn't that great?"

“I mind, I mind. People will say I’m an old cow eating young grass.”

Xiao You dared not continue talking to Zhou Li, and felt a pang of regret.

I had actually mistaken Zhou Li for an internet addict like the other contestants.

Why can't you learn your lesson?
"Get ready! The live interview is about to begin!"

The director's voice came on.

Xiao You lowered her head, straightened her clothes, and stood with Zhou Li.

The first question almost made Zhou Li burst out laughing.

"Lion, first of all, congratulations on successfully reaching the finals! Your performance in this match was outstanding and sparked a lot of discussion among netizens. One of the most frequently asked questions is—"

"Everyone is very curious, Lion, why are you so accurate when you play Ashe?"

Faced with Xiao You's question, Zhou Li answered in a serious manner.

"Because I usually study archery, one of the six arts of a gentleman mentioned in the Rites of Zhou, I am quite accurate at shooting."

"We've seen your first-person perspective replays multiple times during this competition, and we've noticed a habit you have: you're constantly switching screens. Netizens are wondering, with all this switching, are you actually seeing anything?"

Zhou Li shook his head.

"I didn't see anything. I just like to cut things for fun, and it looks really cool."

This obvious irony startled Xiaoyou, who asked in confusion:
"really?"

"real."

Xiao You pursed her lips and reminded him earnestly:
"Then you should take care to protect your eyes."

(End of this chapter)