Chapter 5

This was Jiang Jiashu’s first time watching a match live, and he was somewhat carried away by the electrifying atmosphere in the arena. Especially since the team he supported won in the end, the excitement and exhilaration lingered in his heart even after leaving the venue.

It wasn’t until the crowd dispersed and the evening breeze blew away the heat in his heart that he slowly calmed down.

They entrusted the support light signs to a local group member from Shanghai for safekeeping. After chatting about the match post-event, everyone went their separate ways.

Walking on the street with Jiang Jiashu, Ying Nian hadn’t said a word. Jiang Jiashu stared at her profile for a few seconds, uncharacteristically quiet. This was the first time he saw this side of Ying Nian, or rather, the first time he began to understand her.

She always showed a mixture of indifference and slight resistance towards the Ying family, especially towards Grandpa Ying. He had always thought of her as stubborn, eccentric, and bad-tempered. If they hadn’t been sitting side by side in the same arena, he would never have known that her eyes, which usually held nothing but resistance towards him, could shine so brightly, as if lit by neon and starlight.

She would also shout hoarsely, show a worried expression from nervousness, and even get so excited that her eyes would redden.

It’s wonderful.

Ying Nian was a living, breathing person.

She was excellent in everything she did, but she was also full of life and emotion.

Jiang Jiashu pretended to look at the street scenery and suggested, “We only had two pieces of bread before the match. I’m a bit hungry. Let’s go for hotpot.”

Ying Nian glanced at him, somewhat reluctant, “It’s so late, where can we eat?”

“Hotpot places, of course. Some are open until dawn. Just follow me!”

“I’m not hungry…”

He said firmly, “No, you’re hungry.”

“…”

There’s a kind of hunger called ‘your foolish cousin thinks you’re hungry.’

Seeing that Jiang Jiashu had been quite enthusiastic in holding up the light sign tonight, Ying Nian silently agreed to his hotpot suggestion. Having been to Shanghai before, Jiang Jiashu seemed to have already picked out a hotpot place in his mind. He stood by the roadside, flagged down a taxi, and called her to get in.

“Hey.” Once they were seated side by side in the back seat, Jiang Jiashu eagerly started chatting with Ying Nian, “During the match, when there was a pause, the live director showed you on camera. Did you see it?”

“Yeah,” Ying Nian nodded lightly. How could she not? She was staring at the big screen, holding her breath in nervousness when the game suddenly froze, and the pause lasted for two minutes.

The live directors at the matches always loved focusing the cameras on pretty female spectators during pauses. Ying Nian had heard about this “tradition” before coming, but she didn’t expect that during the game’s loading breaks, her face would appear on the big screen.

Throughout several matches, there were three pauses, and the director gave Ying Nian two close-ups lasting several seconds each.

Jiang Jiashu laughed, “Not bad, huh? You didn’t look too shabby.”

Ying Nian glared at him, “You’re the one who looks shabby.”

“Since you didn’t embarrass yourself, this hotpot meal is on me. Eat as much as you want, I’ve got it covered!”

“Heh.” She sneered, “It was always going to be your treat; I never planned to pay.”

Jiang Jiashu: “…” This sister, why is she so unlovable?

…

The hotpot place Jiang Jiashu took Ying Nian to had good reviews and wasn’t too crowded. They got a small private room. Ying Nian selected a few ingredients from the tablet menu handed to her by the waiter and then passed it to Jiang Jiashu.

With a big appetite, he picked quite a few items, handling the task quickly and without fuss. Soon, they were ready to start eating.

First came the broth, followed by the other ingredients, gradually filling the table. Jiang Jiashu ate neatly, but somehow it looked very appetizing, making Ying Nian feel hungrier and prompting her to use her chopsticks more than usual.

“Are you almost done? I’ll go ahead and pay the bill,” Jiang Jiashu said as he wiped his mouth with a napkin, and noticed Ying Nian had stopped eating. He pressed the bell to call the waiter.

After pressing the bell three or four times with no response, possibly because it was busy outside, no one came in for a while.

“Ugh,” Jiang Jiashu was about to say something when his phone rang. Seeing who was calling, he paused the bill-paying process and stood up, “I’ll take this call. Wait for me a moment.”

Ying Nian nodded and played on her phone while digesting.

Jiang Jiashu had just stepped out for less than half a minute when the door was knocked on, and a waiter came in. “Hello, you pressed the bell, do you need any service?”

“Yes, the bill, please,” Ying Nian said.

“Okay,” the waiter gestured towards the counter outside, “Please come to the counter.”

“Well…” Ying Nian thought for a moment and then muttered to herself, “Forget it,” as she got up to follow the waiter out.

It’s just one meal’s worth of money anyway. At the counter, the waiter reported the private room number, and the staff at the counter started processing it. Suddenly, they looked up and said, “Sorry, please wait a moment. The system froze. We’ll restart it, and it will be ready soon!”

Ying Nian smiled lightly and said, “No problem.”

While waiting for the system to restart, Ying Nian looked down at her phone. It seemed like someone was standing in line behind her, but she didn’t turn around. She could vaguely sense that the person was very polite, maintaining a safe distance and patiently waiting as well.

After a few seconds, the guy behind her seemed to be on the phone, his clear voice tinged with a hint of urgency:

“Hello? Bro! Come out for a moment. My payment account seems to be unusable. It’s asking me to reverify my identity…”

Soon after, there was some noise behind her again.

“Over here—”

Ying Nian subconsciously started to turn around but was stopped by the staff at the counter, “Excuse me, it’s ready for payment now. Would you like to use cash or electronic payment?”

She quickly looked down and opened the payment page, “WeChat.”

“Okay.”

“Here’s your receipt.”

Ying Nian took the receipt and was about to turn around when she was suddenly stunned by a familiar color that caught her eye.

SF’s team uniform…!

Almost as soon as she recognized the faces of the two people wearing SF uniforms behind her, Ying Nian’s reflexes were quicker than her thoughts. She swiftly stepped aside.

She looked down, opened her bag, put the receipt inside, and fished out some cash, pretending to organize the bills.

Thank goodness for the loose change in her bag! At that moment, Ying Nian was incredibly grateful she had put some loose change in her bag before leaving the house.

Standing in line behind her was SF’s jungler, Yi Shen! And the “bro” he had called wasn’t anyone else but Yu Linran!

—Yu Linran! In the flesh!!

Ying Nian held her breath, pretending to organize her cash and the items in her bag, while actually sneaking glances at the two men standing close to her.

“Bro, can you cover the money for now? I’ll transfer it to you when we get back… Don’t say it’s unnecessary. I lost the bet, and I’m sticking to the agreement,” Yi Shen said.

He initially wanted to put his arm around Yu Linran’s shoulder, but since Yu Linran was the tallest in the team, the posture felt awkward. He ended up just patting Yu Linran’s shoulder, thanking him, and then withdrew his hand.

The staff at the counter said, “Excuse me, we have a promotion right now. Since your purchase meets the discount threshold, you can get a 6.8% discount coupon for an additional five yuan, which you can use next time.”

Yi Shen replied, “Five yuan? I happen to have some coins…” He rummaged in his pocket and found only four coins. “Huh?” He turned to Yu Linran, “Bro…”

Ying Nian suddenly looked up and said, “—I have it.”

As soon as she spoke, both Yi Shen and Yu Linran turned to look at her.

Ying Nian’s heart was pounding, and her palms were slightly sweaty. She pretended to be calm and immediately took out a one-yuan coin from her bag, and placed it on the counter in front of Yi Shen.

Yi Shen glanced at her briefly before feeling embarrassed, “Ah? This isn’t right…”

Yu Linran’s gaze was much more intense. Ying Nian could feel him scrutinizing her, making her scalp tingle. She didn’t dare meet his eyes.

Stay calm! Don’t be too enthusiastic and scare them off at this moment!

Ying Nian gave a perfectly timed smile and said, “It’s nothing.” Before leaving, she paused and asked knowingly, “Are you SF players?” Without waiting for an answer, she added, “I watched your match tonight. You played very well! Truly amazing!”

Her last sentence was spoken with genuine sincerity.

Perhaps feeling her sincerity, Yi Shen was slightly taken aback before smiling back, “Thank you.”

That’s it! That’s enough! Ying Nian suppressed her urge to linger, and made the “difficult” decision to turn and leave.

She knew she couldn’t lower her position too much at the outset, as that would create a natural barrier in their minds. But she had to leave an impression! No matter how slight, she needed to make herself known to the person she liked, even if it was just a little!

Only Ying Nian knew how stiff her steps were. With Yu Linran right in front of her, she had to restrain her enthusiasm and not linger in his presence, which was a true test of her self-control.

After rounding a corner, ensuring she was out of their sight, Ying Nian suddenly squatted down, burying her head in her knees, and let out a long sigh of relief.

…

After finishing his call, Jiang Jiashu hurried back, worried that Ying Nian had been waiting too long.

As he pushed open the door to the private room, Ying Nian looked up, her eyes startlingly bright. He paused, “What did you…”

Ying Nian stood up and slowly walked over to him.

Jiang Jiashu, frightened by her unusual behavior, took a half-step back.

She stopped in front of him, and her unwavering gaze made him uneasy.

“S-Sorry, I was out for a bit too long…”

She placed one hand on his shoulder, causing Jiang Jiashu to shudder. Before he could say anything, she said, “It’s fine. I’ve already paid the bill.”

“What? Then… should I transfer the money to you?”

“No need,” she said solemnly. “Just for this meal, I promise I won’t give you any trouble for the rest of the year. I guarantee it.”

Ying Nian gave him a gentle hug.

Jiang Jiashu’s whole body stiffened, and he broke out in goosebumps.

“…!!”

Heavens above! Did he open the door the wrong way? How did taking a phone call change the world so drastically?!!!

…

After the meal, the entire SF team returned to their hotel. The young players were full of energy, and except for Yu Linran, they were all chatting and messing around in the living room of their suite.

As they chatted and realized Yu Linran was nowhere to be seen, the group went to look for him. Sure enough, he was intensely focused, sitting at his computer, watching a replay of the match.

“Bro, we just finished the game, why are you watching it again?” Yi Shen squeezed to the front, and leaned on the edge of Yu Linran’s chair, frowning slightly.

“There was a problem in the second match. Tomorrow, we’ll watch it together and discuss it,” 

Yu Linran said, as his eyes fixed on the screen with a serious expression.

The others responded in unison:

“—Understood.”

Despite being close in age, differing by no more than a year or a few months, Yu Linran had an air of authority that commanded respect, especially in critical situations. He was reliable and steady.

In matches, once a team fight started, everyone followed his commands. While the coaches were responsible for overall tactics, they couldn’t be on the field during the game. At those times, it was Yu Linran’s strategic vision that proved invaluable.

The group stood behind Yu Linran, watching the match replay together.

As they watched, the game paused. Their expressions mirrored the ones they had during the match.

What a pity! If the game hadn’t lagged, that encirclement wouldn’t have allowed two opponents to escape.

Taking advantage of the pause, they discussed the team fight. The computer screen switched between commentary and live footage. No matter how much they debated, the regret remained. Yi Shen shook his head and glanced back at the screen just as the director showed a shot of the audience.

“Hey—”

Yi Shen squinted and suddenly pointed at the screen. “Isn’t she the one from tonight? You know, the one…” He patted Yu Linran’s arm, “Bro, the one with the one-yuan coin!”

Yi Shen quickly pressed pause and stared at the screen.

The others didn’t understand what they were talking about.

Yu Linran had already noticed the face on the screen. The director liked to capture good-looking spectators with the camera, like the person in the frame.

This girl, who had given Yi Shen a one-yuan coin at dinner and praised their performance, was sitting in the SF supporters’ section, right behind the giant long light sign that had caught Yi Shen’s attention earlier.

And on her head, she wore a glowing headband with several large, brilliantly shining characters.

It was his name—

Yu Linran.