The Doctor said I Have to be A Kept Man - Chapter 14

After the match against Team Panda, the genius rookie Chi Fou became an overnight sensation. His sudden emergence left many coaches scratching their heads in frustration especially the coach of Team Xingxiu, Chaoge’s upcoming opponent.

I’ve spent the whole season studying Chaoge, and now you’re telling me they swapped their Mid-laner? And for a rookie this strong!

How do you deal with an unknown enemy? Simple: spam them for scrims. Throughout the week, the number of teams requesting scrims with Chaoge skyrocketed, with Team Xingxiu being the most persistent.

“We have two scrims against Chaoge this afternoon,” the Xingxiu coach briefed his players. “The plan remains the same: let the Melee Mage through in one game, and ban it in the other. Give it your best.”

Xingxiu’s Mid-laner and Captain, Heart-Moon Fox, said firmly, “We will find a way to counter his Melee Mage.”

“Don’t put too much pressure on yourselves,” the coach comforted. “If it really doesn’t work, we’ll just ban the Melee Mage during the official match.”

Heart-Moon Fox remained silent. As a legendary “Mid-lane King,” he was naturally unwilling to retreat before a rookie. Before the coach could say more, a cry of surprise came from their Support.

“What is it?” the coach asked.

“Chaoge’s official Weibo just posted. Two more rookies joined the team!” The Support handed over his phone.

“More rookies? They really are a wealthy powerhouse.” “Signing people this late in the season… will they have time to gel?”

The coach took the phone, and the players crowded around. “Marksman: Zhaoxing, Support: Chaoyang. A bottom-lane duo, and both are starters.” The coach froze when he saw the photos. “The Marksman is a girl?”

There were female players in the Pro League, but those with top-tier strength were exceedingly rare. Heart-Moon Fox didn’t care about gender; he only noted, “If they are strong, Chaoge’s easiest lanes to exploit have just been reinforced.”

Mid and Bot previously Chaoge’s biggest weaknesses had now undergone massive changes.

“There’s less than a week until the match. That shouldn’t be enough time for them to build synergy,” the Support observed.

The coach sighed. “It’s also not enough time for us to figure out their playstyle.”

Just then, the coach’s alarm went off. “Time’s up. Open the room and invite Chaoge’s first team.”

The Support set up the lobby. “They have two bottom-lane duos; which one do we invite?” “Invite everyone,” the coach replied. “We’ll see who enters.”

Ultimately, the new duo, Zhaoxing and Chaoyang, entered the room.

In the first game, Team Xingxiu stuck to the plan and let the Melee Mage through. However, Chi Ruanfan didn’t give them the satisfaction. He ignored the Melee Mage and instead picked the Puppeteer, a class almost never seen in professional play.

Heart-Moon Fox frowned. He wanted to duel the Melee Mage, not play against a Puppeteer that no one used.

“It’s fine,” the coach reassured. “We have two games. This time, consider it a gift, he saved us a ban slot.”

Inside the Chaoge training room, everyone saw the loading screen. Beside Jin Yi and Chi Fou’s names was a pink heart icon—the in-game “Couple” tag.

Chaoyang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Captain, Brother Chi… you guys are carrying a massive Taunt Buff. If Xingxiu goes feral later, we won’t be able to save you.”

In Infinite Tower Defense, the Couple tag is the ultimate psychological weapon; it incites the rage of single players everywhere. The game can be lost, but the couple must die.

Chi Ruanfan was unbothered. “Bamboo and I will draw the aggro. You guys farm up and crush them in the late game.”

Just then, a message appeared in the public chat.

Xingxiu-Heart-Moon Fox (Water Mage): Why didn’t you pick the Melee Mage?

Chi Ruanfan looked at the ID. Heart-Moon Fox… a familiar name. A former Mid-lane King who was once peerless in the league. Unfortunately, by the time Chi Ruanfan had risen with Yexian in his previous life, Heart-Moon Fox had already fallen from grace due to meta shifts. They had never even met on the stage.

Chi Ruanfan tapped his keyboard.

Chaoge-ChiFou (Puppeteer): Don’t focus on just one class. Other roles are fun too. Xingxiu-Heart-Moon Fox (Water Mage): Strength is the only truth.

Chi Ruanfan didn’t argue. Heart-Moon Fox was the type of player who mastered a handful of classes to perfection. He only played six heroes on stage, but each was played at a world-class level. While that worked now, Chi Ruanfan knew that starting in Season 7, the rules would change to require “all-around” development. Those who couldn’t adapt, like Heart-Moon Fox, would be phased out.

Heart-Moon Fox wasn’t showing up in the lane. Chi Ruanfan glanced at the enemy Blue zone and said to Jin Zhu, “Bamboo, I want their Blue Buff.”

Jin Zhu immediately abandoned his own Red Buff that was about to spawn. “I’ll get it for you.”

Lin Huo, watching from behind, was stunned. “Captain Jin, we’ve played together for half a season and you’ve never spoiled me like this.”

Lu Lu patted his shoulder. “They are a ‘couple.’ What are you? Know your place.”

“I’m jealous. I want a Couple tag with Captain Jin too,” Lin Huo lamented. “If I were a Marksman protected by a Jungle King, I could walk sideways in this game.”

The Xingxiu Jungler had given the Blue Buff to Heart-Moon Fox and headed to the Red side. So, when Chi Ruanfan and Jin Zhu arrived, only Heart-Moon Fox and his Support were there.

Chi Ruanfan’s Puppeteer fired several silk threads through the wall, snaring Heart-Moon Fox. Jin Zhu dashed through the wall, his blades slicing into the Water Mage. Coordinated perfectly, Heart-Moon Fox was reduced to half health instantly. He had to retreat, attempting to poke from a distance to steal the buff.

Chi Ruanfan calculated the buff’s HP and Jin Zhu’s damage. The moment Heart-Moon Fox tried to step up, Chi Ruanfan fired his threads again. The transparent silks connected to the Water Mage, and Chi Ruanfan “drove” Heart-Moon Fox away like a literal puppet.

Jin Zhu left the Blue Buff with nearly zero HP and dashed away without looking back. Chi Ruanfan tapped his basic attack and took the buff.

“Holy crap, that HP management…” Lin Huo turned into a lemon spirit. “Captain Jin, are you afraid he’ll tire his hands out if he has to press an extra button?”

Lin Huo recalled the past. While Jin Zhu never specifically helped him steal buffs, as a Marksman, he occasionally got a “hand-me-down” buff. But those were usually ones he struggled to solo or that Jin Zhu happened to leave behind. He had never seen this level of “hand-fed” treatment.

Chi Ruanfan could hear Lin Huo babbling behind him but couldn’t make out the words, so he ignored him. He moved his Puppeteer to the mid lane, fired more threads, and marked Heart-Moon Fox, driving him away from the minion gold.

“This Puppeteer is disgusting,” Heart-Moon Fox said with a dark expression. The Puppeteer couldn’t kill him yet, but he kept being turned into a puppet and forced away, losing farm. Worse, the Puppeteer’s skill accuracy was terrifying.

Soon after, Jin Yi’s Jungler leaped from the brush, coordinating with Chi Ruanfan’s silk traps to secure the kill on Heart-Moon Fox.

And that was only the beginning. For the rest of the match, Chi Ruanfan hyper-focused on controlling Heart-Moon Fox. By the end of the game, Heart-Moon Fox was either being burst down as a puppet or was on his way to being turned into one again. With their Mid-laner shut down, and the new “twins” in the bottom lane farming freely, Chaoge steamrolled to victory.

The game ended, and they returned to the lobby.

Chaoge-ChiFou: How was it? Isn’t the Puppeteer fun? Xingxiu-Heart-Moon Fox: … Chaoge-ChiFou: Stop staring at your usual heroes. Try something new. Xingxiu-Heart-Moon Fox: Do you dare to play Puppeteer again?! Chaoge-ChiFou: Why wouldn’t I? If you let it through, I’ll take it.

“Again!” Heart-Moon Fox gritted his teeth. The Xingxiu coach nodded, and they entered the second game. The coach wrote “Puppeteer” in his notebook, clutching his thinning hair. Today was supposed to be about the Melee Mage, but Chi Ruanfan had brought out a niche pick and played Heart-Moon Fox like a toy for an entire match.

In the second game, Xingxiu targeted the Puppeteer early. For the first three minutes, Chi Ruanfan didn’t even leave his tower; he just stood safely inside and threw threads. He pulled one enemy into the tower range, letting the energy tower finish them off.

Xingxiu learned their lesson and played with extreme caution. Jin Zhu checked the map, noting everyone who had tried to gank Chi Ruanfan. “Are your skills up? I’m coming to gank.”

“They’ll be up by the time you get here,” Chi Ruanfan replied. Unlike the burst-heavy Melee Mage, the Puppeteer was a control-based class that relied heavily on team coordination. He did need Jin Zhu’s help.

Xingxiu’s Mid and Jungler were both Mid. Jin Zhu flanked them, dumping his skills. Chi Ruanfan stepped out, sealing Heart-Moon Fox’s path with a silk trap. Heart-Moon Fox, traumatized by the threads, tried to dodge, but the delay allowed the Puppeteer to snare him. Heart-Moon Fox was controlled into the path of Jin Zhu’s skills and killed instantly.

Inside the Xingxiu room, the Jungler watched Jin Zhu walk over his “corpse” and wondered, “Why did Jin Yi come Mid? Wouldn’t Bottom have been more profitable?”

“Maybe because you were targeting his ‘partner’?” the Support guessed. “In this game, you don’t touch one half of a couple. If you do, the other will hunt you to the ends of the earth.”

On the other side, after clearing Mid, Chi Ruanfan hid his vision and rushed Bottom. Jin Zhu took over the enemy Blue jungle, then circled behind the enemy tower. It was a blatant pincer move. Xingxiu’s duo knew they were being surrounded, but with their Mid and Jungle dead, they had no support. They chose to die clearing the wave.

Chi Ruanfan predicted this, laying a silk trap where the Marksman would stand. Lu Lu Flashed in with a stun. In a burst of fire, Chaoge killed the duo and took the first tower.

The second scrim also ended in a loss for Xingxiu.

As the Chaoge players headed to the cafeteria, the Xingxiu room was filled with gloom. “What is with Chaoge? First the genius Chi Fou, now this duo is also savage. Did they use up all their luck for the first half of the season just to sign these rookies?”

The coach looked at Heart-Moon Fox. “What do you think?”

Heart-Moon Fox took a deep breath. “Chaoge’s duo hasn’t gelled with the team yet. They prefer fighting as a pair and can be disconnected from the rest of the team. We lost primarily because of Chi Fou’s Puppeteer.”

“Now we have to study the Melee Mage and the Puppeteer.” The coach grabbed more of his hair, which was already looking sparse. He sighed. “I’ll contact their coach again. We need more scrims.”

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