Ji “Aaron” Xing’s Rise to Fame and Betrayal in Chinese Esports Scene
In May 2012, Ji “Aaron” Xing joined one of China’s top League of Legends teams as an analyst. Despite being a quiet staff member, Ji’s impact on the Chinese esports scene became increasingly influential.
However, it was later revealed that Ji had created a fake online persona for his supposed sister, manipulating the situation to his advantage, similar to the Manti Te’o scandal that dominated college sports in 2012.
Team World Elite’s Success and Ji’s Departure
Team World Elite (WE), established in 2002 for Warcraft 3, found immense success in the world of League of Legends. They won championships at the Tencent Game Arena Grand Prix, the IGN Pro League, and IEM Season VIII Shanghai.
However, in December, Ji left WE and formed his own team, poaching some players from his former team and disrupting their plans to rebuild. This move earned Ji the nickname “The Betrayer” from disappointed fans.
The Unraveling of Ji’s Deception
Ji’s past actions triggered fans to investigate his background. They discovered a peculiar story, pieced together from online forums and comment threads in China.
Ji initially introduced his sister to one of the members of Team WE, Cui “if” Yi. The two struck up a conversation, which quickly turned into a serious relationship. However, when Cui declined the sister’s request to be his girlfriend, she supposedly committed suicide.
A cloud of guilt hung over the team, prompting them to give Ji a role as an analyst. Posts made by Ji on the Chinese social network Sina Weibo seemed to confirm the tragic story of his sister’s existence.
Despite the apparent evidence, further research revealed that someone accessed the sister’s account after her supposed suicide. Additionally, Cui received a text from the sister, chastising him for not supporting Ji’s departure from the team.
Online detectives then discovered that the profile photo of the sister was actually a living person, a former classmate of Ji’s. This discovery threw the team into turmoil, although the original posts from the team’s social media account could not be found.
Searches for Ji and Cui’s names on Sina Weibo yielded no results, possibly due to China’s strict regulations against spreading rumors on social media. Pro gamer Chen “dep00r” Erdong, closely associated with Team WE and a friend of Cui, provided an account of the unfolding drama on his blog, lending credibility to the story.
EDG’s Formation and Controversial Partnership
Despite the scandal, Ji’s new team, Edward Gaming (EDG), revealed its roster for the 2014 season. It included notable players such as Zhu “NaMei” Jia-Wen, who had led his former team to victory in the Tencent LoL Pro League 2013 Summer Season.
Curiously, two players who were still under contract with Team WE, Feng “FZZF” Zhou-Jun and Ming “Mann/ClearLove” Kai, were also part of EDG’s roster. It remains unclear how these players joined without violating their contracts.
Amidst the drama and controversy, EDG and Team WE decided to form a formal partnership, which eventually ended on February 12.
Despite the chaos surrounding Ji’s actions, he remains unfazed, continuing his esports journey with EDG.
Photo by Marco Verch (CC BY 2.0)
Chinese esports, Ji Xing, Team World Elite, League of Legends, scandal, fake sister, Chinese gaming scene