The moment the commentator said that, the audience erupted in cheers.
The live stream chat went wild too — howling, spamming, and stirring up trouble with all sorts of chaotic comments flying past.
[Winnnnnd~~~ Awooo!!]
[Damn, I’m sweating from how hyped that match was!! Thrilling!]
[The main thing is, Wind shows off like it’s nothing. Other players scream their lungs out after a pentakill — he just smiles? That smugness is practically carved into his face. He’s so handsome it’s shaking my soul.]
[1. That little smile got me bad. That calm, kingly vibe— aaaaahhh]
[ou there, stop right now. Cool down your cringe... Feng-bao woooaaahhh!!]
[I just want to know — is this really the last time we’ll see Aeria? Is she getting retired on the spot?]
[No way, this guy plays Aeria too damn well.]
[ Probably true though. AQ isn’t even a weak team, and they still got slaughtered. From now on, anyone who lets Aeria through deserves a full investigation — unless they can counter her.]
[@AQ Why didn’t you ban Aeria? (sarcastic face)]
[@CoachFanFan — Brothers, we found the insider. Kick him out ASAP!]
[AQ got overconfident. They can’t handle this Aeria at all — lost lane pressure, lost teamfights, that final snipe on Zeta had me stunned. One Q and she’s dead — like killing a minion!]
[No need to overhype. The gold lead was huge; that outcome was expected.]
[ And who do you think earned that gold lead? You think it was your donation? Really?]
[There’s always a keyboard warrior thinking they could do it too ^^. So annoying hearing “it’s just a gold diff.” Next time, all you warriors chip in 100k first so your daddy can start the match with full items!]
While they were losing their minds in the live chat, Weibo was going crazy too — a few new trending topics shot to the top:
#WhyDidn’tYouBanAeria#
#UsedYouAsAFarmMinion#
#InsiderLocated:CoachFanFanV#
Thankfully, during the intermission, the teams weren’t allowed to go online. Otherwise, AQ’s players — especially Zhou Hang and Coach Fan Fan — would probably have vomited blood. They’d gone digging for Sui Ning’s playstyle and ended up getting demolished instead, only to have the audience meme them into oblivion. This loss would haunt them for a long time.
——
Backstage.
There were fifteen minutes between matches, but AQ’s break room felt gloomy.
Beaten into the ground by a rookie they hadn’t even taken seriously before the game, AQ’s five veteran players were in terrible moods. Especially Lu Yao — the one who got killed like a minion — his lips were pale and a sheen of cold sweat covered his forehead.
That final death had come out of nowhere. Lu Yao never expected to get one-shot like that, and the team’s last hope of a comeback had collapsed instantly.
A blunder like that before a decisive teamfight could mean taking the blame. Lu Yao pressed his lips together, his right hand trembling slightly.
Next to him, Wang Yuyi looked at him with sympathy, handed him a cup of water, and said softly, “Don’t overthink it.”
“…Mm.” Lu Yao closed his eyes and drained the cup in one gulp.
He wanted to say something more, but the coach hadn’t started yet. After a pause, Wang Yuyi decided against it.
Zhou Hang sat farther away on the small couch, face like stone — his mood was worse than anyone’s.
He’d been solo killed in lane, outplayed in rotations, and targeted to death in teamfights. His Winter Queen had completely failed to perform — suppressed from start to finish.
The entire match left him with one overwhelming feeling: powerlessness. Sure, he’d relaxed a bit in the early game, but after that, he’d gone all in, giving 120%. Still, the opponent gave him nothing. No openings, no breathing room. He felt like a mouse toyed with by a cat — scrambling for half an hour only to end up empty-handed.
One slip-up, one moment of carelessness — and the whole game fell apart? Why? Zhou Hang couldn’t understand it. He’d felt this way before — but back then, it was against ABCD and other top-tier domestic mids, or even world-class players from abroad.
The more he thought about the rookie named Wind, the darker his face grew. He didn’t even want to imagine what AQ’s fans were saying online.
He wasn’t the only one frustrated — the others were too. They glanced at him sidelong, their expressions faintly reproachful.
All that talk before the match about how “ladder rank means nothing,” and then he went and got destroyed like a newbie.
Zhou Hang looked away, avoiding their eyes.
Coach Fan Fan scanned their faces, handed everyone water, and more or less understood the situation.
Time was short, so he cut straight to the point.
“Zeta,” he began, turning to Lu Yao, “what happened in that last fight?”
“I wanted…” Lu Yao pressed his lips together. “I wanted to rotate mid quickly. It looked like we could defend the second tower. I didn’t expect to get one-shot.”
“Didn’t expect it? How could you not expect it?” Fan Fan’s tone dropped. “How many times have I told you — your biggest problem is impatience. The moment you rush, you lose awareness of the game state!”
“It was almost thirty minutes in. What the hell did you need that second tower for? Why not defend high ground? You knew the next teamfight was crucial — did you see Aeria’s position on the minimap?”
“…No.”
“Then why were you surprised? Where else would an Aeria be if not on the flank, waiting to collapse your formation?!”
Lu Yao was the team’s shot-caller — losing focus that late in the game was inexcusable.
“…Yes, sir.”
“And yet you still went that way? Dragged the marksman with you too? The enemy’s fed mage was off the map — weren’t you even a little scared? What kind of formation is that supposed to be?”
Fan Fan’s voice hardened. “You should’ve wrapped around from base and held the high ground tower. At that point in the game, the plan should be crystal clear in your head! If you’re panicking, how can the rest of the team stay composed?”
His gaze swept to the others. “And the rest of you — you fell apart too! Midlane defense was a mess. You let them clear all your jungle wards and didn’t even stay alert. You didn’t track Aeria’s position — how the hell were you planning to teamfight, huh?”
“Tell me, could you win like that?” Fan Fan stared directly at Lu Yao.
Lu Yao finally realized his mistake, shame flooding his face. “…No.”
He’d been thinking earlier that he lost because he failed to anticipate Wind’s burst damage and got instantly killed. But that wasn’t the real issue at all — the core problem was that his entire decision-making process had been wrong from the start. If the coach hadn’t chewed him out, he still wouldn’t have realized where he went wrong!
Lu Yao was deeply shaken.
He knew he tended to become indecisive in the late game, but that was never his intention. In the late stage, every teamfight was crucial, every play could turn the tide. As the shot-caller, one wrong call meant total collapse. With all kinds of information flooding his brain and the pressure mounting, he often got stuck mid-match, unable to think clearly.
Coach Fan Fan didn’t care about his inner turmoil. Turning his sharp gaze elsewhere, he barked at Xu Tianrui, “When I said don’t engage, why the hell were you still pushing up as the frontline? Just to get beaten for free?”
Xu Tianrui lowered his head, ashamed.
The rest of the players didn’t escape the verbal machine gun either — Fan Fan tore into them one by one.
Finally, it was Zhou Hang’s turn. The coach paused for a moment, his expression thoughtful. Mid lane, this game was… hard to describe. If the goal was to probe the strength of the so-called national top Aeria then yes — that goal was achieved. But still…
Fan Fan grimaced as if his tooth ached. “Next game, ban Aeria.”
The words had barely left his mouth when Zhou Hang clenched his fists.
“We’re on blue side next game. The opponent’s individual performance was just too strong. Even if we pick Aeria ourselves, we can’t replicate that. And we didn’t draft a lineup to support her either. First-picking her would be brainless. Just ban it.”
Fan Fan explained calmly, his gaze landing firmly on Zhou Hang. “Dami, you know what your issues are. You need to get your rhythm back next game. You completely lost initiative in every aspect.”
“…Got it.”
——
Unlike the scolded AQ, PNG’s halftime atmosphere was much calmer. Chen Chen highlighted a few key points, leaving the minor details for later review.
Soon, the intermission ended, and Game 2 of the BO3 began right on schedule.
“Welcome back, summoners!” As the countdown finished, Chao Mi’s face once again filled the broadcast screen. “We’re entering Game 2 of the Summer Regular Season — PNG versus AQ! The BP phase is about to start!”
Qing Ci let out a long sigh. “I don’t know why, but my mood right now feels completely different from before Game 1.”
“You were a little worried about PNG back then, weren’t you?” Chao Mi teased with a smile.
Qing Ci nodded. “Of course. They went through a lot of roster changes during the offseason, got hit by a big patch rework, and even had to bring in a new player. I’m sure PNG’s fans were worried too.”
[Not at all. Never worried. (Almost died from panic though)]
[Exactly! We’ve always trusted our team! (Almost staged a sit-in protest before Wind showed up)]
[Never doubted the team’s decisions! Go PNG~ (Sorry for calling Chen Chen an old dog earlier — he’s half my dad now)]
[Always believe in the main team! (Thought cabbage was just hype, cursed management’s ancestors… my bad~)]
[I swear these parentheses are killing me hahahaha]
[So true though!! Where’s your pride? Stand up and keep cursing!]
[ Bro, this is esports. Skill makes you God, perfectly normal!]
Chao Mi laughed, “Well, I think everyone’s feelings now aren’t worry, but anticipation! We’re all looking forward to even more amazing plays from both teams!”
Qing Ci nodded. “Exactly! Game 2’s BP has begun — losing team AQ gets first pick as blue side! Let’s see if they can turn things around this time. Oh—?!”
Without even a moment’s hesitation, AQ’s first ban appeared on the screen — Stellar Sprite - Aerie.
The audience immediately burst into laughter and cheers. “OHHHH—!!”
“Oh!! AQ didn’t even blink, just slammed Aeria straight into the ban list!” Qing Ci burst out laughing. “Looks like that last game didn’t just blow our minds — it clearly left Coach Fan Fan with quite the trauma too!”
Chao Mi, prompted by the director, quickly added, “Yes! And this is the first time since Aeria’s release on February 21st that she’s ever been banned in a domestic pro match!”
His heart pounded with excitement. “Which means my earlier prediction was right—”
“Wind has officially forced a hero onto the ban list with sheer individual skill — in a single game! That’s the HPL Pro League’s ultimate recognition for this rookie player!”
“I can only say one thing — this ban is pure respect!”
[666666——!!!]
[Brothers, type RESPECT in the chat——!!!!]
[Wait, is Chao Mi serious? What kind of power fantasy script is this? He forced a hero onto ban list alone?!]
[ Plenty of players have done that, but to do it in your first professional match, with a hero that’s never been banned before? That’s absolutely insane.]
[Teams used to ban out PNG’s jungler pool against Cloud. Now they’re banning mid instead — as an old fan, I’m not used to this shift lol]
[I’m saying it loud and clear: thank you, He Yaohui, for crawling out of here!! Please leave! PNG’s temple is too small for a meditating Buddha — go chant sutras in Longyin Monastery instead!]
[We all thought the “meditation training” thing was just a meme, but turns out no one wants him now... maybe the whole pro scene knows his reputation already. Compare that to Wind’s ranked grind and practice hours — I’m crying.]
[The scariest thing isn’t genius — it’s a genius who works harder than you! Wind’s smurf accounts show more ranked games in a month than I’ve played in half a year…]
[Meditation bro only plays ten ranked games a month — good riddance! Even Cloud must’ve been holding back his frustration. Remember all those old articles saying PNG’s mid-jungle synergy was dead? Guess not! They just crushed AQ!]
[Wind’s only been with PNG for half a month and already built synergy with Cloud. And that other guy? Played with Cloud forever and built what, exactly? All those haters calling Cloud toxic better start apologizing!]
[No no no, our Feng-bao’s just a humble rookie, nothing special~~ anyone using him to flame others, please line up for your family selfie first^^]
Online debates and memes exploded again, spiraling into new hot searches:
#WhatIsTrueRespect#
#HeFinallyGotBanned#
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