Chapter 126: Winning the Match

"Supervisor, I told you so. Wang Hong is going to lose this round," Lin Yu said happily.

"This round must have been because Wang Hong was too careless. Now that he’s on guard, he won't lose again," the supervisor replied, shooting a fierce glare at Lin Yu.

That look sent a shiver down Lin Yu’s spine. He suddenly realized something: the person before him was his supervisor, and by repeatedly undermining him, he was likely going to make his life miserable.

Thinking of this, Lin Yu quickly added, "You’re right, Supervisor. It must have been Wang Hong’s carelessness this round. He’ll definitely win the next two."

The supervisor nodded in satisfaction and said nothing more. Lin Yu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. The people around them were snickering, but Lin Yu had no time to pay them any mind.

In the next round, Wang Hong switched heroes.

The two started trading blows from level one. This time, Wang Hong intended to give it his all, so he came out with guns blazing.

Yet, he found that he lost even faster.

His opponent seemed to be a worm in his own stomach, always able to accurately predict his next move.

This led to him going all-out in his assault, only to quickly surrender the first blood.

The supervisor was dumbfounded. How could Wang Hong have given up first blood so quickly?

In the first round, they had been trading blows back and forth, but in the second, it was as if Wang Hong were intentionally throwing the game.

Lin Yu was also incredibly astonished; Wang Hong’s defeat was too rapid.

Having given up first blood, Wang Hong realized the strength of his opponent. He had tried his best to overestimate the guy, but he had still underestimated him.

He couldn't afford to lose. He became increasingly cautious, farming jungle creeps when he couldn't touch the minion waves.

For a while, Jiang Zheng couldn't find an opportunity to dive the tower for a kill. His opponent’s skill was too high; attempting a dive would likely result in his own demise.

Unless the gold gap was massive, that simply wasn't possible.

Under Wang Hong’s stalling, both reached level 12.

At this point, Wang Hong felt he had a fighting chance. He launched an attack on Jiang Zheng, no longer cowering under the tower.

As soon as they engaged, Wang Hong realized he was at an even greater disadvantage. His offensive rhythm was completely under his opponent’s control, and there was still a gap in their economy.

This time, he surrendered his life even faster than he had given up first blood.

Watching the match, Lin Yu remarked, "That’s two kills."

The supervisor didn't speak, his brows furrowed tightly. Seeing this, Lin Yu felt a pang of anxiety and immediately shut his mouth.

The third kill came without surprise; Jiang Zheng finished him off with almost no effort.

It was a best-of-three, and since Jiang Zheng had already won two rounds, he had secured the victory.

"Supervisor, what now? Jiang Zheng won," Lin Yu said with some concern.

They had invited Wang Hong to test the limits of Jiang Zheng’s skill, but they hadn't even managed to do that.

The supervisor pondered for a moment and said, "Ask them both if they’re willing to play the final match."

It was originally a best-of-three, and since Jiang Zheng had already won, he could have refused a third game.

Upon hearing this, Lin Yu said, "Alright, I’ll go ask."

Jiang Zheng received the message asking if he was willing to play a third match.

For Jiang Zheng, there was no reason to refuse, so he agreed.

Lin Yu reported to the supervisor, "Supervisor, they both agreed."

"Good, let them play the third round," the supervisor commanded.

Having gathered enough information about Wang Hong’s habits in the first two rounds, Jiang Zheng finished the third match even faster.

Wang Hong sat slumped in his chair, staring blankly at the computer screen, filled with a sense of defeat.

He had actually lost! Lost to a casual player.

Suddenly, Wang Hong jolted upright and messaged Lin Yu: "Is my opponent really just a casual player?"

Lin Yu replied quickly: "That’s right, he really is just a casual player. Mr. Wang, we will pay your agreed-upon fee on time."

"Alright, thank you," Wang Hong replied.

He stared blankly into the distance, his eyes unfocused. Truly... just a casual player!

The blow was too great; he couldn't quite process it.

Elsewhere, Lin Yu was also looking distressed. "Supervisor, what do we do now?"

He had expected the supervisor to be furious, but instead, the supervisor clapped his hands, his face full of smiles.

"What do we do? This is a good thing! The stronger Jiang Zheng is, the better it is for us. I hope he becomes strong enough to defeat every professional player," the supervisor said.

None of them were fools, and they quickly grasped the supervisor's meaning. Everyone clapped and said, "The supervisor is brilliant! Why didn't we think of that? The stronger Jiang Zheng is, the better it is for us."

Hearing his subordinates’ flattery, the supervisor’s smile grew even broader. He then said, "From now on, increase the promotional efforts. Get every bit of advertising resource you can find for me; I want to pull out all the stops to build his hype!"

"Supervisor, wouldn't that be too risky? What if Jiang Zheng isn't as strong as we imagine?" someone suggested.

"No matter, I’m willing to take the gamble," the supervisor said, his gaze firm.

Jiang Zheng being able to beat Wang Hong was worth the gamble.

Of course, he wasn't entirely unprepared. He would invite some professional players weaker than Wang Hong in the early stages to pump up the popularity.

"Supervisor, what if Jiang Zheng gets famous and jumps ship to somewhere else?" another asked with concern.

This had happened before; once someone became a star, other platforms would offer more money, leading them to switch.

"I believe in Jiang Zheng, and I believe in my own judgment," the supervisor said.

He was gambling with that statement, too. He couldn't be entirely sure that Jiang Zheng wouldn't jump ship once he became famous.

But he didn't have time to hesitate. It was only a matter of time before Jiang Zheng rose to prominence, and that time wouldn't be long.

If they waited until Jiang Zheng was already famous to act, it would be too late.

Adding flowers to a brocade is never as precious as providing charcoal in the snow. Now was the time to provide the charcoal; in a while, it would just be adding flowers.

There was certainly risk involved—everything carried risk. It was just a matter of whether one was willing to bear it.

Hearing the supervisor's words, they knew better than to say anything else and agreed to follow his instructions. As the others left, the supervisor suddenly called out to Lin Yu.

"Lin Yu, wait a moment."

Lin Yu’s heart trembled. Was this the time for a reckoning? He shouldn't have opened his mouth earlier; he had slighted the supervisor, and now he was done for.

"Su... Supervisor," Lin Yu said, hanging his head.

"Don't be nervous. I’m not going to do anything to you. I kept you back because I have something to entrust to you," the supervisor said.

Lin Yu felt a slight sense of relief, though he didn't fully relax.

"What is it, Supervisor?" Lin Yu asked.

"For Jiang Zheng’s streams, you will be in charge of arranging his opponents," the supervisor said.

"Supervisor, are we going to fix the matches?" Lin Yu asked in a hushed tone.

The supervisor shot him a look and said sternly, "What are you talking about! Fixing matches? We never cheat! You must remember that."

"Yes, yes, of course!" Lin Yu quickly responded.