Chapter 317: The Twist of Fate
Chen Mo’s mother tidied up the breakfast table while nagging, “Xiao Mo, you’re not young anymore, and it’s not like you can’t afford a house or a wedding. Get married sooner, and I can still help you take care of the kids, right?”
Chen Mo brushed his teeth while replying, “Mom, I can afford a nanny now. You don’t have to tire yourself out looking after the kids.”
Chen Mo’s mother shook her head insistently. “No way. How could you trust some nanny you hire from outside to take care of your kids? It’s like restaurants—they all use all kinds of seasonings and hormones. It tastes good, but it’s bad for your health!”
Chen Mo’s father was a bit speechless too. “Alright, the kid’s career is going smoothly now. He knows what he’s doing. You don’t need to keep nagging him. Right, son? It’s not too much to ask for you to get the marriage certificate by next Spring Festival, is it?”
Chen Mo: “…”
Chen Mo’s father said, “Alright, hurry up and eat breakfast. After eating, doesn’t the kid have to go to the company and work? Don’t hold him up.”
Chen Mo’s mother wiped her hands while saying, “Sigh, didn’t you say he’s his own boss now? Why does he still have to get up early and go to work? Hurry up and eat. I came all the way to the capital to cook for you. These are all your favorites. Eat up.”
Like everyone else, Chen Mo had also moved his parents to the capital.
In previous years, Chen Mo had gone home for Spring Festival, but this year, considering the promotion plan for *League of Legends*, he brought his parents over to celebrate together and let them spend a couple of days in the capital.
Chen Mo’s parents were both working-class. They were always a bit worried about him making it on his own in the capital. Especially his mother, who constantly fretted that he wasn’t eating or sleeping well and would remind him every few days not to eat out at restaurants serving gutter oil.
Of course, there was also the ever-popular nagging about marriage. This scene played out every year, and Chen Mo was almost used to it by now.
After breakfast, Chen Mo headed to the experience store.
Today, Chen Mo planned to update the version for *League of Legends*, so he arrived a bit earlier.
Releasing a new version on the first day of the Lunar New Year seemed a bit ridiculous, but in reality, a lot of people stayed home to play games on New Year’s Day. Some even specifically formed groups to go to internet cafes and play.
In many places, the tradition was to have New Year’s Eve dinner and watch the Spring Festival Gala, then pay New Year’s visits early on the first day or in the morning, leaving the afternoon free.
For many young people, if they didn’t go out in the afternoon, there was nothing else to do but play games. Even if they went out to meet classmates or friends, going to an internet cafe to play games was one of the major forms of entertainment.
After all, in many second- and third-tier cities, very few shops were open during the New Year, so going to an internet cafe to play games was a great leisure activity.
That’s why many internet cafes chose to open on the afternoon of New Year’s Day—to cater to these players’ needs.
And this situation would continue until the end of the Spring Festival holiday, so for Chen Mo, this period was a fantastic promotional opportunity.
The Valentine’s Day event, the new version update, and the Battle Carnival event were scheduled before, during, and after the New Year, covering the entire Spring Festival holiday. The goal was to indiscriminately capture the player base.
…
In the studio, Qian Kun and the others quickly gathered.
Chen Mo checked the time. “It’s about time. Let’s proceed as planned. Start the version update, and the servers will officially open at 12 noon.”
The update time was from 8 AM to 12 noon, four hours.
The content for the new version had been completed long ago and tested many times. There shouldn’t be any issues. During the version update, Chen Mo had nothing to do. After taking a stroll through the PC area on the first floor of the experience store, he sat down in the lobby to read a book.
After all, it was New Year’s Day. There wasn’t a single customer in the entire experience store, so Chen Mo enjoyed the peace and quiet without any interruptions.
…
At exactly 12 noon, the new version update was complete.
Many players logged into the game one after another to check out the new version’s content.
In a small third-tier city, four friends visited each other to pay New Year’s respects in the morning, had lunch, and then found an internet cafe to play games.
“Let’s head to the internet cafe and team up!”
“Let’s go! Are we playing *Moon Goddess’s Oracle* again this year?”
“I quit *Moon Goddess’s Oracle* a while ago. I feel like I can’t keep up with your progress. You guys can carry me.”
“I’m kind of bored with it too. There’s nothing to do when I log in. Any other games to play?”
“Hey, have you guys played *League of Legends*?”
“What’s that? A new game? What genre?”
“I’m playing it! Let me tell you, it’s really fun. Easy to pick up, everyone starts at level 1, and it really tests your skill.”
“Sounds good. Want to give it a try together?”
“Yeah, let’s all play together. I heard there’s a new version update today with new champions. We have to play!”
“Let me carry you guys with Master Yi. My Master Yi is super slick!”
Even though it was New Year’s Day, the internet cafe was quite crowded. About a third of the seats were taken, and it would probably get busier in the afternoon.
And surprisingly, quite a few people there were playing *League of Legends*, which caught them off guard.
When did this game get so popular? Hadn’t they barely heard of it before the New Year?
The four of them sat down in a row at the internet cafe and opened *League of Legends*.
The internet cafe’s *League of Legends* had already auto-updated to the new version. As soon as the game started, a brand-new CG animation played.
The four of them were stunned for a moment, but then the exquisite CG animation completely grabbed their attention. They instinctively put on their headphones and immersed themselves in it.
It began with the dynamic logo of *League of Legends*—a sword, shield, and wings—along with the Thunder Game Studio emblem.
The scene opened with a close-up of a hand movement. Twisted Fate toyed with a card in his hand like a magician. If you looked closely, you’d notice that even though it seemed like the same card, its suit and number changed with every flip.
Twisted Fate looked toward a town in the distant night. Suddenly, with a graceful flick of his wrist, the card flew out and struck a crow.
“Thud.”
Accompanied by a dull thud of something hitting the ground, a scarecrow wielding a scythe, with eerie light glowing in its eyes, opened its massive mouth and let out a piercing shriek at Twisted Fate.
A flock of crows swooped toward Twisted Fate!
The scene shifted. A blue-skinned, bald mage carrying a scroll of runes was running in panic, his eyes covered by a dark nightmare.
The earth split, boulders crumbled. In the shadows, a dark creature floating in the air revealed its blades to the mage.
At the critical moment, the darkness in the mage’s eyes faded. He slammed his spellbook shut, trapping the nightmare in place. Then, he pulled a ball of rune energy crackling with blue electricity from the book and hurled it at the nightmare!
The scene switched again.
Garen, wielding a massive sword, was fighting a red-haired girl. The girl moved with incredible agility, darting through the air and attacking Garen with her daggers.
Garen gradually gained the upper hand. Just as he thought victory was his, Tryndamere’s long blade extended, and the two began a fierce clash once more.
Garen’s greatsword pierced Tryndamere’s body, but Tryndamere didn’t die. An endless fury ignited in his eyes, and the tide turned once again.
A fireball blasted Tryndamere away, and Annie, clutching her teddy bear, hummed a tune as she joined the battlefield.
“Roar!!”
A massive bear engulfed in flames crashed down from the sky. But just as the bear was about to pounce on Tryndamere, a colossal monster suddenly swallowed it whole.
Baron Nashor opened its gaping maw, and the entire CG reached its climax. But the video abruptly ended, with a huge logo appearing in the center of the screen.
*League of Legends*!