League of Legends: League of Unknowns

Chapter 59: Short-Handed

In the past, he had been one of those jealous losers, too. Whenever he saw a beauty walking beside some undeserving beast, he would tremble with the injustice of it.

Thanks to League of Legends, he’d been able to come into his own, and now he was being accompanied by this hot babe—one who didn’t mind showing off her legs on the regular—and his life was suddenly filled with meaning.

He wished to thank GTV, AV, LoL…

***

Strolling through the shopping district, it seemed Yang Qianqian had a fascination for accessories. Whenever she caught sight of a display of tiny little accessories, a smile of simple delight lit up her face.

Yu Luocheng thought back to that evening, after the first day of their finals exams, when she’d held up that fine silver chain to her ear, tilted her head to show it to him, and he’d fallen head-over-heels for her.

That scene had replayed any number of times in his dreams afterwards. So when Yang Qianqian went to try out each one of those accessories, Yu Luocheng didn’t feel the slightest trace of impatience at all, and just watched her with a goofy grin on his face, thinking, ‘If I had the money, I’d just buy everything in this shop and give it all to her!’

Yang Qianqian was thinking about something else. Though she appeared calm and cheerful on the surface, she was in truth deeply disturbed: ‘He really is the worst, leering at me non-stop… and with that creepy smile of his!’

“Your phone’s ringing!” Yang Qianqian looked at Yu Luocheng.

“Oh, right.” Yu Luocheng hadn’t noticed at all. Yang Qianqian was utterly mesmerizing today, and he couldn’t take his eyes off of her. His phone? Nuts to it!

“Hello?”

“Yu Luocheng!” It was the shrill voice of his mother. Yu Luocheng froze.

Normally, his mother only called his first name, and always with such gentle warmth. Hearing her invoke his full name like this, Yu Luocheng had a fell premonition.

Surely everyone knows that when your mother calls you by your full name, you’ve really ticked her off this time!

Hold on, maybe it was nothing…

“What’s up, Mom?” Yu Luocheng inquired cautiously.

“You’ve been picking on Yu Yu again, haven’t you!” came the fierce accusation.

Yu Luocheng’s expression soured instantly. That damned imp!

She just couldn’t stand him finding a girlfriend who was more mature and appealing than her!

“Of course not,” Yu Luocheng declared.

“You dare deny it! She’s already in tears! Where are you right now? Get over here at once!”

“I…” Yu Luocheng would dearly love to swear a vile oath, but considering that he was talking to his own mother, he swallowed it back down.

“I’m busy with something. I’ll come over later.”

“What could you be busy with? Get over here, right now!” His mother’s harsh tone brooked no objections.

“Mom, I really do have something going on right now.”

“You’ll even defy your own mother, now?”

As he hung up the phone, a hundred thousand curses wheeled through his mind.

Li Yun was generally Yu Luocheng’s real mother, but whenever that she-devil was around, she suddenly became his stepmother instead. Honestly, it was often unclear to him just who was the firstborn child.

“What’s wrong? You look down.” Yang Qianqian had noticed.

“I’ve already told you that my little sister is a nuisance. She’s denounced me before my parents, and expects me to prostrate myself before her in apology.”

“Didn’t your sister see you going out with me?” As she said this, Yang Qianqian felt herself become flustered, suddenly unable to look him straight in the eye.

“She’s doing this on purpose.”

“I guess she’s mad at you about something. Why don’t you be nicer to her? She is your little sister. As her older brother, you’re supposed to make some compromises for her. My brother would never dare to pick on me, for fear that I should tell on him to our parents.” Yang Qianqian said all this with an air of mischief.

Yu Luocheng’s face grew longer. He now understood that all little sisters were equally vile.

He couldn’t figure out if Yu Yu’s intention was simply to ruin his date, or if she really was upset about something. Thinking about it, it was true that he’d provided too cold a welcome for his sister’s rare homecoming. Perhaps he ought to go apologize, after all.

Knowing that Yu Luocheng’s dad was in the hospital, Yang Qianqian tagged along with him to go there, saying that he was the father of her friend from school, so she ought to pay him a visit, too.

Yu Luocheng was overjoyed to see that Yang Qianqian was willing to introduce herself to his parents already.

The hospital wasn’t far from here. They could just walk there.

As they arrived in the hospital lobby, a group of four or five people suddenly burst in, every one of them in a grim mood.

They began to make a commotion in the hall. It was already late at night, so they couldn’t take a number and there weren’t any doctors immediately in sight. All they could do was shout for somebody’s attention.

Alarmed by their brusque behavior, Yang Qianqian took shelter behind Yu Luocheng.

Yu Luocheng turned to them, and suddenly spotted Commander Qin in their midst.

“Oh, are they your teammates?” Looking closer, Yang Qianqian thought she recognized them as well.

Suddenly sober, Yu Luocheng hurried over to them. When he reached them, he saw that the leader of Team Scarlet, Yu Wong, had his hand wrapped in a cloth, blood still seeping through it and dripping on the floor.

“What are you all shouting for? This is a hospital—any more noise out of you, and I’ll have the guards throw you all out!” A matron nurse bustled up, fuming with rage.

Xiao Dao wore a mask of fury himself, and looked as though he was about to chew out the nurse. Commander Qin stopped him in time.

“Madam, my friend’s hand has been injured,” Yin Qin addressed her calmly. “Please hurry and have a look at it.”

“It’s late at night. The doctors have all signed off for the day already,” the nurse replied.

“There must be… some doctors still on duty?” Yin Qin ventured.

“Those doctors are in charge of emergency operations.”

Yin Qin’s brows knit together. He glanced at Yu Wong’s hand, still bleeding all over the floor.

“God damn it, I swear I’m going to lop off that scoundrel Wu Kai’s hand!” Xiao Dao roared, and turned to storm out of the hospital.

“Xiao Dao, get your ass back here!” Qin bellowed.

This sudden explosion from Commander Qin gave the matron nurse a fright. He’d been perfectly civil just a moment ago—how had he suddenly become so savage?

“Nurse Wang, these are my friends. Could you dress that wound for them?” Yu Luocheng walked up to join the conversation.

Nurse Wang was no fainting coward—she’d seen it all. She took one look at Huang Yu’s hand, and muttered, “Heaven’s sake, you people… never working a real job, all you do is fight all day…

“Truth be told, we here at the hospital loathe taking in people like you, always rushing in here in a bloody great horde, never any rest for us doctors or nurses, think we’ve got nothing better to do than look after a bunch of good-for-nothing louts like yourselves?”

As she moaned and grumbled away, Nurse Wang led them inside. At the door, she turned and shot a look at Yin Qin. “Well, why aren’t you bringing him over here? Does he want any treatment or not?”

Taken aback for a moment, Yin Qin hurriedly directed Xiao Dao and Xiao Tongtong to bring Huang Yu in.

“The rest of you stay out here. Just the sight of you drives me up the wall,” the nurse snapped. “It’s not like the whole thing came off.”

Flustered, Yin Qin and company backed away, and found themselves a seat out in the hall.

Yin Qin followed after them, surveying their morose expressions. Frantically, he asked, “What happened? What’s with his hand?”

Commander Qin kept silent.

Huang Yu was the ‘Scarlet’ team leader. The big Lecheng game was the day after tomorrow. If the wound was serious, he would be no use to them in the tournament anymore!

Thirty thousand bucks. They’d been training hard every day with that one goal in mind.

When Yu Luocheng joined them, Commander Qin thought they would have a real chance at it. Never had he imagined that one of his own would get taken out like this!

“It must have been Wu Kai who did this. I saw his face!” Xiao Dao’s face contorted with anger.

“Be quiet. Keep that damned temper of yours in check!” Commander Qin snapped coldly.