The Doctor said I Have to be A Kept Man - Chapter 10

“In the second game, the rookie Chi Fou has once again locked in his Melee Mage,” commentator Emerald noted.

Commentator Cabbage nodded. “However, this time, Chi Fou doesn’t have the luxury of the free-farm environment he had last game. The Panda Team jungler is skipping his own camps just to harass him in the mid lane.”

“From this, we can see exactly how much pressure Chi Fou’s Melee Mage put on Panda Team in the previous round.”

Panda Team was being ruthless, ganking the mid lane three times in just five minutes.

Jin Zhu cut his vision to check the situation several times, asking over the team voice chat, “Xiao Ruan, do you need help?”

“Don’t come over. Just build an advantage in the other lanes. This game, I’ll solo-tank the pressure for the four of you,” Chi Ruanfan refused flatly.

Three ganks in five minutes? That’s nothing. Just a small scene.

He remembered his first season after winning FMVP; the entire enemy team of five spent the whole match staring him down, targeting him from start to finish. If he could survive that “Hell Mode” and still put out massive damage, this level of attention was child’s play.

“Whoa, ‘one protecting four.’ My Brother Chi really is the GOAT,” Lin Huo, who had enjoyed a “free win” last game, immediately started hyping him up.

It had to be said that since Panda Team started hyper-focusing on Chi Ruanfan, Lin Huo’s difficulty level had plummeted. The Panda bottom duo had rotated to mid twice, allowing Lin Huo and Lu Lu to nearly strip the outer tower’s health. Halfway through the match, Lin Huo actually felt this game was easier than the last.

Is this what pro play is like? You just need hands. I love it.

Jin Zhu in the jungle and Guzi in the top lane felt the same shift. With Chi Ruanfan drawing every ounce of aggro, the rest of them were free to farm and dish out damage without restraint.

“Damn it! What is with this Melee Mage?” In Panda Team’s voice channel, the jungler was cursing. “He’s as slippery as a loach. We can’t catch him.”

The other members were equally frustrated. Chi Ruanfan’s Melee Mage acted as if he had a built-in radar; catching him in lane was impossible. If they tried to dive the tower with a few people, he’d just counter-play under the turret. If they sent more people, he’d just use his many displacement skills to “zip” away, leaving them empty-handed while Chaoge’s other players pushed their side towers and Jin Yi farmed their jungle as if it were his own.

Commentator Emerald was excited. “Rookie Chi Fou has given us another surprise. Panda Team has tried to gank him time and again, only to return empty-handed. How sharp, how composed is this newcomer?”

Cabbage added, “A newborn calf doesn’t fear the tiger. Many rookies play aggressively, but a rookie who can be both aggressive and this stable is truly rare.”

“The way Chi Fou is playing this game,” Emerald agreed, “it’s as if he’s a seasoned veteran.”

“Don’t be fooled by the fact that he’s just been sitting in the mid lane apparently doing nothing,” Cabbage noted. “He has diverted the entire attention of Panda Team. He is the unsung hero behind the massive leads Chaoge’s other lanes have secured.”

Emerald said, “Panda Team can’t keep this up. They’re limiting Chi Fou’s performance, but Chaoge has four other people.”

Cabbage nodded. “Exactly. Look at the gold difference Jin Yi’s jungler is already a full major item ahead of the Panda jungler. If a team fight breaks out, no one can survive a full combo from Jin Yi.”

Panda Team realized this too. “What do we do? Do we keep targeting the Melee Mage?” the Panda top-laner asked weakly.

The jungler gritted his teeth. He wanted to kill the Melee Mage to vent his anger, but he knew victory was more important. “Fix the deficits in the other lanes first. As for the Melee Mage… wait for him to come out. He can’t hide under that tower forever.”

Chi Ruanfan soon noticed the pressure was off. He tsked. “Giving up already? No persistence.”

“Brother Chi, how do you manage to get ganked that many times and not die?” Lin Huo asked, genuinely seeking advice. To be targeted for half the game without dying or falling behind in gold was god-like to Lin Huo, who usually died four out of every five times he was ganked.

“It’s all experience bought with blood and tears,” Chi Ruanfan said as he slipped into the enemy’s blue zone. He’d played for over ten minutes without a single Blue Buff; he must be the most pathetic mid-laner ever. He needed to get one for himself.

However, upon entering the blue zone, he saw the buff was already gone. There was only a camp of small creeps left. Chi Ruanfan ducked into a nearby brush, hoping to ambush whoever came to clear them.

After waiting a few seconds, he saw the Panda jungler—carrying a Blue Buff—stroll over.

He has the buff! I’m so jealous.

Chi Ruanfan readied his skills, preparing to strike. But the Panda jungler, in a hurry to get somewhere, used a skill to dash directly into the brush where Chi Ruanfan was hiding. The Melee Mage instantly lost a third of his health.

Chi Ruanfan: “?” Panda Jungler: “!!?”

“Running, running!” Chi Ruanfan burned a displacement skill and turned to flee.

The Panda jungler wasn’t about to let this chance go. He gave chase immediately. “Finally caught you!”

Jin Zhu noticed the situation and instantly moved to support. “Lean toward me,” he said firmly.

“Brother Chi, I’m coming to save you!” Lin Huo shouted, bringing the support along.

Chi Ruanfan looked at the distances and knew they wouldn’t make it in time, especially since Panda’s mid and bot lanes had also appeared nearby. Troubles never come singly. A shot from the Panda marksman hit him, taking another third of his health.

“No choice then,” Chi Ruanfan sighed softly, turning his Melee Mage around to fight back.

The atmosphere in the commentary booth was tense. “Chaoge’s teammates can’t make it! Chi Fou is going to be caught!”

“He survived being targeted for ten minutes only to get caught as soon as he stepped out, he shouldn’t have played so risky…”

The commentator’s voice cut off. In the game, a health bar vanished but it wasn’t Chaoge’s mid-laner. It was Panda’s.

[Chaoge-Chi Fou (Melee Mage) killed Panda-Honey (Array Master).] [Chaoge-Chi Fou (Melee Mage) killed Panda-Zhusun (Treant Shaman) – Double Kill!] [Chaoge-Chi Fou (Melee Mage) killed Panda-Gungun (Elf Ranger) – Triple Kill!]

When Jin Zhu and the others arrived, they were met with a Melee Mage standing over three “corpses,” now sporting both Red and Blue buffs.

“Brother Chi, you’re a beast!” Lin Huo exclaimed. Lu Lu’s priest rushed over and used Holy Healing, bringing the critically low Mage back to full health.

“I had no choice. I couldn’t run, so I had to turn back and gamble,” Chi Ruanfan smiled. A Melee Mage that hadn’t been nerfed by the “dog developers” yet was truly a joy to play.

“All their carries are down,” Jin Zhu said. “Push for the win while they have no damage.”

“Let’s go!” the team shouted.

“A Triple Kill! Another Triple Kill!” the commentator screamed. “Chi Fou managed to counter-kill three people while trailing in gold and equipment!”

“He was forced into it! He didn’t even want to fight, but he couldn’t escape, so he was forced to counter-attack!”

“No one expected Chi Fou to kill three people in that situation and still come out safe enough to be healed back up by his team.”

“They shouldn’t have let the Melee Mage through. Panda Team was too careless.”

The official stream chat exploded.

“I thought he was a goner. I blinked, and three of them were dead. Little question mark, do you have many friends?” “Jaw-dropped. Is this the result of targeting him for ten minutes? Targeting yourselves into a loss?” “You guys chased him for what? He was actually retreating until you forced him into a Triple Kill.”

The second game ended. Chaoge won. The Panda Team players looked dazed. Honey spoke up: “Maybe… let’s just ban the Melee Mage next game.”

Targeting someone for ten minutes only to have them kill three carries while behind in gold, who could handle that? The Panda jungler swallowed hard. “Ban it. I never want to see that Melee Mage again.”

After a short break, the third game began.

“The qualifiers are a Best-of-Five. Chaoge has already taken two games. If they win this one, the match is over,” Emerald noted.

In the third game, the Melee Mage was banned. Chi Ruanfan picked the Array Master, a class focused on crowd control. This time, Panda Team didn’t focus on him, returning to their usual playstyle.

However, they soon felt the consequences. Every time Chi Ruanfan cleared his lane, he vanished. He could appear anywhere: bottom lane, the river, the jungle, or right behind Jin Zhu.

The Panda jungler finally thought he’d cornered Jin Zhu for a duel of kings, only to be stunned to death by the Array Master popping out from behind Jin Zhu.

“This is too much! Why is the jungler walking through the river with the mid-laner? Are you afraid of the dark?” the Panda jungler yelled in frustration.

The rest of Panda Team felt utterly oppressed. “This Array Master is like a ghost, and those circle placements are so awkward. He’s so annoying!”

The Array Master didn’t have the burst damage of the Melee Mage, but his control was just as strong. He could truly lock someone down until they died of frustration.

“Do we have to ban the Array Master next game too?” the Panda jungler gritted his teeth after being killed by the mid-jungle duo again.

The Panda mid-laner said gloomily, “You’re thinking too much. If we lose this game, there is no next game.”

“F***!”

In this game, Chi Ruanfan followed Jin Zhu everywhere to pick people off. Panda Team’s morale collapsed. In less than fifteen minutes, the match was over without any resistance.

“Congratulations to Team Chaoge for the victory!”

“Chaoge has truly given us so many surprises today. We hope they can bring this same performance to next week’s match against Team Xingxiu.”

The Chaoge players stood up to shake hands. Chi Ruanfan followed lazily behind Jin Zhu. The Panda Team players were seeing Chi Ruanfan in person for the first time, their gazes full of curiosity.

“Damn, he’s so tender. Was I really bullied by such a young rookie?” Honey questioned his life as he shook hands with Chi Ruanfan. “Brother, how old are you?”

Chi Ruanfan said casually, “22 or 23, I think? I can’t quite remember.”

Honey was shocked. “You’re older than me?”

“Yeah. Call me ‘Brother’ and let me hear it,” Chi Ruanfan teased.

Jin Zhu turned back at that and said, “He just turned 18. The kid is mischievous; please excuse him.”

“Who are you calling a kid? You’re not much older than me,” Chi Ruanfan countered as he followed Jin Zhu.

The team bowed on stage, packed their gear, and returned to the lounge. Coach Flying Cloud was waiting at the door with a beaming smile. “Beautifully won! Dinner is on me tonight. What do you want?”

Lu Lu’s eyes lit up at the mention of food. “Wait a second, Coach, let me write a menu for you.”

Flying Cloud laughed. “A whole menu? Looks like my wallet is going to bleed.”

As they were joking around, a staff member came over. “Excuse me, are Jin Yi and Chi Fou free for an interview?”

“An interview?! Even I haven’t been interviewed, and Brother Chi gets one on his first day?” Lin Huo was instantly salty.

Chi Ruanfan was indifferent. “If you want to go, I’ll let you have it.”

Lin Huo deflated. “Forget it. They want the ‘Great God Rookie,’ not a ‘carried dog.'”

“Time to go,” Jin Zhu said, waiting for Chi Ruanfan at the door.

“Coming.” Chi Ruanfan walked over and joined Jin Zhu, heading toward the interview area.

Actually, he had played for years, but this was his first time doing a post-match interview alongside Jin Zhu.

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