Bai Sha’s Past: Part One

My name is Bai Sha, and my in-game ID is Fox.

Born in 1999 in Jiangxi Province to a family of teachers, my parents were both somewhat traditional, strict, even rigid.

They held extremely high expectations for my academic performance.

Regrettably, I didn’t seem to inherit any academic inclinations from this scholarly household.

Instead, their stringent demands fostered a deep-seated aversion to studying within me.

Initially, I harbored no particular fondness for gaming.

My heart yearned for the outside world, for the freedom to run wild with my classmates after school.

I longed to explore the fields, catch shrimp in the streams, and pluck fruit from trees.

Yet, none of these simple joys were permitted.

The moment school ended, I could only watch my friends depart as I was invariably ushered into a cram school.

With no chance to play outside once I returned home, my gaze eventually settled upon our family computer.

When I was young, many unsavory characters loitered near our home.

Fearing they might lead me astray, my parents turned a blind eye to my spending time at home playing on the computer.

It wasn’t until 2011 that League of Legends entered my world.

Much like my initial disinterest in games, I didn’t immediately take to League of Legends.

The turning point arrived in 2012, at my uncle’s house, where my cousin introduced me to the game and helped me get started.

Blessed with considerable talent, I ascended to the rank of number one on the Chinese server at the tender age of 14 in 2013.

Subsequently, I achieved the top rank on the Korean server multiple times.

My reputation grew significantly, with Miss Fortune and Kog’Maw becoming my signature champions.

Before long, numerous domestic esports teams extended lucrative offers, and I found myself greatly tempted.

I yearned to break free from the regimented learning environment of school.

Believing in my abilities and talent, I longed to explore the world beyond.

However, my parents vehemently rejected my plea.

My father declared that if I dared to entertain such ‘wild thoughts,’ he would not hesitate to break my legs.

From a young age, I had been confined to a relentless cycle of school, cram classes, and tutoring sessions.

Each day brought with it homework, review, consolidation, and improvement.

Overwhelmed by frustration, I desperately sought someone to confide in and vent my emotions.

At the age of 14, I secretly took leave and ran off to my sister’s university.

There, I tearfully poured out my heart, thinking that if even she didn’t support me, I might simply resign myself to returning to school.

My sister, however, simply smiled and said, ‘You’re about to graduate anyway; finishing junior high isn’t too late.’

‘Go back quickly, or Dad will be furious when he finds out.’

I nodded, resolving to find a way to persuade my parents once I graduated.

Yet, upon my return to school, I discovered my father standing grim-faced at the entrance of my classroom, drawing the gazes of both classmates and teachers.

He thundered, “Did you get my permission to take leave?!”

“This is truancy! You good-for-nothing! All you ever think about is that wretched game of yours!”

My father swiftly stepped forward and slapped my cheek, the sting burning fiercely.

The words I had been about to utter shattered in my mouth, dissolving into a hesitant whisper: ‘I… I went to see my sis… ter…’

He retorted, “Dare to take another step! If you dare, you’ll no longer be my daughter!”

My mother, arriving shortly after, rushed forward, her voice laced with urgent pleading: “No matter what, truancy is unacceptable!”

“Be a good girl, apologize to your father and teacher, then study hard, and we’ll pretend this never happened.”

Classmates crowded around us, and even teachers from the office emerged to witness the spectacle.

My homeroom teacher was attempting to calm my father, who was clearly losing control.

Feeling utterly distraught, I experienced a sudden ringing in my ears.

Clutching my swollen, burning cheek, I stumbled out of the school gates.

Behind me, the buzzing of gossip and my father’s furious shouts faded into an indistinct hum.

A persistent ringing enveloped my ears, muffling all other sounds.

Once outside the school, I ran straight to my uncle’s house and found my cousin.

“Brother, do you have any money? Lend it to me.”

Combining the borrowed money with my own meager savings, I purchased a used phone.

Then, I stole our household registration book and bought a train ticket to S City.

With only two sets of clothes in my backpack, nothing more, I embarked on my journey.

Sitting on the train, I didn’t cry, though a profound sense of desolation settled upon me.

Upon arriving in S City, the clubs that had initially expressed interest declined to take me in, as I lacked my parents’ consent.

Eventually, I found a small internet cafe team, where I underwent rudimentary ‘youth training.’

That period, I believe, was the most arduous of my life.

I had no income, no friends, and I was crammed into a dormitory room with eighteen other people.

My parents cut off all contact, relaying a message through my sister: ‘If you’re so capable, then don’t ever come back.’

Each month, I subsisted on the few hundred yuan my sister painstakingly saved and sent to me.

Moreover, I trained for over ten hours daily, which, in a way, was a blessing, for when I was utterly exhausted, I never felt hungry.

The dormitory was a chaotic mix of people, most of whom were dropouts my age, harboring various bad habits like smoking, drinking, and brawling.

Living among them, I gradually grew quiet and reserved.

The following year, owing to my exceptional performance, I became the starting AD (Attack Damage Carry) for this internet cafe team.

That same year, the team advanced into the LDL (League of Legends Development League), and then, in the subsequent year, earned promotion to the LPL (League of Legends Pro League).

At 16, I made my debut on the LPL stage as a starting AD.

During the Spring Split, BQE, a true dark horse, secured third place in the regular season and advanced to the playoffs, though we regrettably only reached the quarterfinals.

For the Summer Split, the management undertook a significant overhaul, replacing every position except for the AD and coach.

We found ourselves in the ‘Nirvana Group’ (TL Note: A grouping system in Chinese esports, often implying a difficult path or a chance for rebirth), yet still managed to qualify for the playoffs.

Again, we finished in the top eight, and our yearly points total meant we missed out on the Regional Finals (TL Note: Also known as the ‘Gauntlet’ or ‘Bubble Race,’ a tournament to decide the final seed for international competitions).

Thus, I narrowly missed my first chance at a World Championship.

Season 7 proved to be a year of awakening.

Although our Spring Split was fraught with challenges, we managed to scrape into the playoffs and ultimately reached the finals.

There, I led the team to claim our first Silver Dragon Cup (TL Note: The trophy awarded for winning the LPL Spring or Summer Split) with two MVP performances.

The Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) saw us dominate with overwhelming force, losing only two minor games throughout the tournament and securing the second trophy for our region.

Perhaps due to complacency, our performance in the Summer Split failed to meet our fans’ expectations of us being ‘championship favorites.’

We were eliminated by EDG in the semifinals, yet our total seasonal points still secured us a spot in the World Championship as the second seed.

That marked my inaugural participation in the World Championship, held right on our home turf.

As I sat on the high-speed rail, watching S City recede into the distance, my expression mirrored the one I wore years ago on that fateful train journey.

‘Will we win?’ I wondered.

Our path through the World Championship was destined to be a tumultuous one.

We exacted our revenge on EDG with a hard-fought 3-2 victory, advancing to the semifinals.

Ahead of us stood formidable opponents: reigning champions SSG, two-time world champions SKT, and the formidable Royal Never Give Up (RNG) (TL Note: A prominent Chinese esports organization, often referred to as ‘Royal’ or ‘皇族’).

Few had faith in a team like ours, participating in the World Championship for the first time.

The semifinals featured an LPL internal clash and an LCK internal clash, pitting Chinese teams against Chinese, and Korean against Korean.

BQE fought a grueling five-game series to narrowly advance, while SSG effortlessly swept the ‘Demon King’ (TL Note: A common epithet for legendary League of Legends player Faker) with a decisive 3-0 victory.

At the climactic showdown in the Bird’s Nest stadium, 18-year-old me stood at the pinnacle of the world.

It was my first time reaching the World Championship finals, and I faced the world’s first AD player to achieve an FMVP (Finals Most Valuable Player) award.

Xayah’s Featherstorm filled the dragon pit with plumes, and her immediate Bladecaller (TL Note: Xayah’s ‘E’ ability, which recalls her feathers to deal damage and root enemies) combined with Cassiopeia’s abilities to instantly wipe out the opposing team.

1:0. MVP: Fox.

Varus’s ‘Chain of Corruption’ (TL Note: Varus’s ultimate ability) landed from blind vision, ensnaring three enemies.

Galio’s ‘Hero’s Entrance’ (TL Note: Galio’s ultimate ability) descended, knocking up four.

Gragas’s ‘Explosive Cask’ (TL Note: Gragas’s ultimate ability) instantly followed with massive damage, a perfect team fight.

1:1. MVP: Ruler.

Gnar meticulously managed his rage, teleported in, then flashed and unleashed his ultimate, ‘GNAR!’ (TL Note: Gnar’s ultimate ability, which stuns enemies hit into terrain), stunning four opponents with a ‘Buddha’s Palm’ (TL Note: A colloquial term for a powerful, wide-area stun, often referring to Gnar’s ultimate).

Varus’s single arrow struck four, while Jarvan IV’s ‘Demacian Standard’ (E) and ‘Dragon Strike’ (Q) combo knocked them into the air, creating a cataclysmic scene.

2:1. MVP: Kaker (Gnar).

“BQE has secured match point! Just one more victory, and they will hoist their World Championship trophy!”

BQE opted for Tristana and Leona, while their opponents chose Varus and Blitzcrank.

“The bot lane is playing aggressively at level one! Their trade-off was highly effective.”

“They’re level three! Leona lands her Zenith Blade (TL Note: Leona’s ‘E’ ability)! Tristana jumps onto Varus and applies her Explosive Charge (TL Note: Tristana’s ‘E’ ability)! Varus’s health is critically low! He flashes away.”

“At that position, Tristana, Blitzcrank throws out his Rocket Grab (TL Note: Blitzcrank’s ‘Q’ ability)! It looks like it’s going to hit! Tristana follows with a flash, gets an auto-attack off! Varus falls! Tristana’s Rocket Jump (TL Note: Tristana’s ‘W’ ability) resets, and she jumps back to safety!”

A devastating solo kill in lane!

The packed stadium erupted in a thunderous roar of cheers, like a tsunami of sound!

“Oh!”

“Fox!”

At 31 minutes, as the enemy Nexus exploded, Fox instantly leaped up and embraced her support.

BQE team members approached the trophy, met by the frenzied cheers of the crowd.

“BQE! Awesome!”

“BQE! Awesome!”

“BQE has done it! In the prime of youth, astride a spirited steed, they have lived up to their potential and forged their own path (TL Note: A poetic Chinese idiom, ‘鲜衣怒马少年时，不负韶华行且知,’ roughly meaning to seize the prime of one’s youth, live boldly, and make one’s mark)! We are the champions!”

Fox, leading her team, lifted the trophy that symbolized the highest honor in League of Legends, as a cascade of silver-white rain fell throughout the stadium.