“Will the prize money for winning the national championship be more than for the provincial competition?”

Cheng Yu continued sweeping up the debris, looking indifferent as she asked.

On the other hand, Lu Manman’s eyes lit up, and she hurriedly approached Cheng Yu, grasping both of her arms. “Miss, do you want to team up with me?”

“Don’t get too excited,” Cheng Yu said, disdainfully breaking free from Lu Manman’s grip. “I was just asking.”

Lu Manman quickly replied, “There’s prize money!”

“How much?”

“As much as you can imagine!”

Cheng Yu sneered, “Can you be more reliable, Miss?”

Lu Manman earnestly explained, “Well, the prize money isn’t much, just twenty thousand RMB, but if we win the championship, the future benefits could be substantial…”

“Hold on… how much?” Cheng Yu interrupted.

“Twenty thousand RMB.”

Cheng Yu widened her eyes. “And you call that not much?”

Summer casually added, “She’s from the American capitalist class, and you’re broke.”

Cheng Yu was speechless.

Lu Manman blinked innocently, “I used to earn ten times this amount from a single match, so I didn’t think it was much…”

“Oh my goodness,” Cheng Yu covered her heart, “Do you really make that much in professional gaming?”

“Yeah,” Summer began searching on her laptop, “There was a study done before. In this industry’s capital chain, the majority goes to investors first, then to streaming platforms and managers. Professional players are actually at the bottom tier and receive the least compensation.”

“Even if it’s the least, it’s still quite a bit!” Cheng Yu was incredulous, “How does your field have so much money?”

“It’s because of the fans,” Lu Manman explained, “In the American League, for example, one out of every five people on the street is a fan of esports. Streaming platforms earn from advertising and traffic, clubs get endorsements, and players even have merchandise…”

“That’s impressive,” Cheng Yu said, “If I could earn tens of thousands from a single match, no one would dare look down on me.”

“Well, that’s the value of professional players,” Lu Manman reminded her.

“Manman, do you still need someone?” Cheng Yu asked, “How about we team up and give it a try?”

“Sure!” Lu Manman, who had been down for days, perked up immediately upon hearing this news, rubbing her hands together eagerly. “Miss, I’ll treat you to chicken!”

….

Wealthy and Prosperous Akko: Hey, I’ve transferred the money from the mask sales to your account.

Fourteen-year-old Developing Lulu: Ok.

Akko: We sold 140,000 worth, so we each get 70,000.

Lu Manman: Who’s so loaded and naive to spend 140,000 on this stuff? Crazy, haha.

Akko: I’ll check the shipping info; it’s under real names.

Five minutes later

Akko: Found it! Impressive, still a Chinese person.

Lu Manman: Huh??

Akko: Wow!

Lu Manman: This feels sketchy.

Akko: Guess who bought your masks?

Lu Manman: Some creepy middle-aged, oily uncle?

Akko: It was Captain X, Yuan Xiu!

Lu Manman: ……………………

Lu Manman: What?! What?! What is he buying my masks for? Is he trying to creep on me?!

Akko: [Sighs] With your petite figure, no man with normal taste would creep on you.

Lu Manman: [Flips the table]

….

During those days, Lu Manman was constantly troubled by Yuan Xiu buying her masks. In the quiet of the night, she imagined countless possibilities, each scenario keeping her awake.

Meanwhile, she and Cheng Yu began their duo competitive training. Unlike singles, teamwork was crucial, requiring a lot of practical matches to build synchronization between two completely unfamiliar people.

At the shooting club, both wore deep gray goggles, practicing shooting targets. Summer sat on a nearby resting chair, diligently memorizing vocabulary.

Cheng Yu fired a shot, hitting the bullseye, and casually asked, “So, Yuan Xiu bought the masks you used to wear?”

Upon hearing this, Summer raised her head and exclaimed, “Wow, that’s so creepy.”

Lu Manman remained silent.

Taking off her goggles and sitting on the resting chair, Lu Manman picked up her green thermos and took a sip of water. “He even called me that day to ask if I liked him, and now he’s buying my masks. What’s he trying to say?”

Cheng Yu set down her gun and looked at Lu Manman, surprised. “Your level of emotional and social intelligence being simultaneously low is truly remarkable.”

Lu Manman was annoyed. “Can’t you say something nice?”

Cheng Yu walked over with a smile, sitting beside her. “It’s simple, he likes you.”

Lu Manman blushed. “No way!”

“Feels like being favored by an idol,” Cheng Yu chuckled. “Yuan Xiu’s fans are always crying ‘brother’ in his Weibo comments.”

“I’m not his fan,” Lu Manman replied.

For the next while, Lu Manman sat in her chair, grappling with this revelation, while Cheng Yu patiently taught Summer how to shoot.

Feeling restless, Lu Manman decided to leave the shooting range and stepped out onto the corridor for some air.

Leaning against the wall, she stared at her shoes, tapping her toes nervously on the floor, her thoughts in turmoil.

Could it really be true, like Cheng Yu said, that he likes her?

Buying her masks was too obvious. What is he thinking? She really isn’t in the mood for romance right now.

But what if he actually confesses to her? Should she accept or reject him?

Maybe that day was just testing the waters. Oh no, she did say she didn’t like him. No wonder he sounded strange; he must have been disappointed.

Wait, why is she even thinking so hard about this? She didn’t like him from the start. If he confesses to her, she’ll just reject him.

Ugh, why does she suddenly feel a bit reluctant? This is driving her crazy.

Lu Manman walked to the balcony to soak up some sun and clear her mind from the jumble of thoughts. Just then, she overheard two men chatting nearby.

“Did you see the Weibo? W’s mask is being auctioned online, starting at 250,000!”

“I remember a long time ago, wasn’t it listed on eBay with a starting bid of just 50,000 and sold for 140,000?”

“It’s doubled in price just from reselling. Gotta say, quite the business acumen!”

“But there are quite a few bidders in the auction.”

“That’s W’s mask, though. How many battles has she won wearing it? This mask holds a milestone in the history of competitive gaming. Forget 250,000, even 500,000 seems reasonable to me!”

“The buyer seems to have a good eye for business. They’ll double their money when they resell it.”

Lu Manman thought to herself…

“Jumping to conclusions, how annoying.”

…..

Before Ren Xiang went for his night run, Yuan Xiu sat motionless in front of his computer.

Even after Ren Xiang returned, drenched in sweat, Yuan Xiu remained in front of the computer, unmoving.

Ren Xiang nudged Gu Zhefeng, who was engrossed in a game on the sofa, with his foot. “What’s the captain so focused on?”

Gu Zhefeng frowned and pushed away the stinky foot. “The captain wanted to hire trolls to inflate the price of W’s mask, but he was too stingy to pay for it, so he made a few alternate accounts to do it himself.”

Ren Xiang: …

Ah Heng, wearing a black tank top and lifting dumbbells, grumbled, “Now you see why our X team is so shabby despite winning the competition. We don’t even give out red envelopes, and we still split the costs for fan club events. At this rate, all the hard work I’ve put in will go to waste!”

The three of them complained in hushed tones, oblivious to Yuan Xiu’s focus on his alternate accounts. At that moment, his phone buzzed.

Incoming call: 【A Slightly Cute Little Limping Donkey】

Yuan Xiu raised an eyebrow, picked up the phone, and stepped out.

Ah Heng whispered, “Why does he need to take calls secretly from us?”

Ren Xiang added, “Not just secretly, but why does he have to hide in the bathroom to take the call?”

Gu Zhefeng said, “The captain has been acting strangely lately. According to my IQ 250 intuition, he might be…”

Ah Heng and Ren Xiang turned to Gu Zhefeng in unison. “What? What?”

“Spill it!”

Gu Zhefeng adopted a mysterious expression and said, “He’s probably… constipated.”

The two of them were stunned.

“Constipated? Seriously? Look at how he’s grinning like a monkey and running into the bathroom. Is he going in there to take a dump or what?”

….

Yuan Xiu locked his team members out, sat on the toilet seat, took a deep breath, and answered the phone.

“You, Yuan Xiu, you jerk!!”

He instinctively moved the phone away, almost damaging his eardrums with the high-pitched exclamation.

On the other end of the call, Lu Manman was emotional, “You sold my masks without telling me! And you’re not even giving me a share! 250,000 RMB! How can you be so greedy! Are you even human!”

Yuan Xiu raised an eyebrow, “Your masks?”

Lu Manman, still catching her breath, responded, “No, my W masks, my idol’s W masks.”

Oops, in her haste, she let slip the truth.

Yuan Xiu calmly stated, “So your idol’s masks have nothing to do with you, why should I share the money with you?”

Lu Manman:…

Oh no, it looks like she’ll have to swallow her pride if she wants a share of the money.

After a moment of contemplation, she finally decided to grit her teeth and endure it.

“Well, as a representative of W’s fan club, I must seriously condemn you,” Lu Manman said with righteous indignation. “Buying W’s mask and reselling it is highly unethical. As a fan of W, I find this incredibly offensive! W herself will be very disturbed by it.”

Yuan Xiu smiled and replied, “You can be as offended as you like. My reputation doesn’t matter to me—money does.”

Lu Manman: …

“Have you considered that if the mask ends up in the hands of a middle-aged, greasy, sleazy uncle, how disgusting that would be? It’s a mask, such a personal item!”

“That’s a point,” Yuan Xiu said casually. “It seems you’re a true W fan to care so much.”

“Of course I am!” Lu Manman said, pouting.

“Yet when the mask was sold on eBay before, you didn’t make such a fuss. Why is it that now, with me reselling it, you can’t stand it?”

“I…”

Lu Manman thought deeply but couldn’t come up with a satisfactory answer. So she decided to make a scene. “You just can’t sell it!”

“Think carefully—you’re the one asking me,” Yuan Xiu said calmly. “In China, when you’re asking for something, you need to have the right attitude.”

“True, when in Rome, do as the Romans do; everyone should reason things out.”

Lu Manman cleared her throat and softened her tone. “Yuan Xiu, really, don’t sell it. Please.”

“Is that so?” Yuan Xiu raised an eyebrow. “It seems a bit unreasonable not to agree. How about I sell it to you at the original price, 180,000?”

“Wow, you’re heartless. You bought it for 140,000 and are flipping it for 180,000. You’re a professional player, not a businessman. Where’s the sentiment, the passion, the idealism?”

“Sorry, my family is indeed in business. We had factories all over the country in the 90s. The spirit of commerce runs deep in our blood; I can’t change that.” Yuan Xiu continued to smile. “So, are you buying or not?”

“I’m crazy. Spending 180,000 to buy my own—ugh, my idol’s mask…” Lu Manman paused and then added, “Mainly, I don’t have the money.”

Yuan Xiu shrugged. “Then I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do.”

Lu Manman, agitated, said, “Yuan Xiu the dog, just wait. Don’t think no one can deal with you. I have ways to make you cry and beg for mercy!”

“If you’re going to deal with me,” Yuan Xiu’s lips curled into a smile, “make sure you cry and beg for mercy. That’s something I can accept.”