The video call finally connected, with the three girls squeezed into the shaky frame, waving and greeting Yuan Xiu.

Lu Manman was dressed in a fluffy Doraemon pajama, sandwiched between Cheng Yu and Xia Tian.

“Hello, brother!”

“We are Lu Manman’s roommates.”

“Hello to you all,” Yuan Xiu smiled and greeted them.

Cheng Yu said, “Since you’re video calling Lu Manman, we won’t disturb you. Feel free to chat, have private conversations, or even get a little naughty!”

With a mischievous grin, she pulled Xia Tian and left Lu Manman’s desk, casually lifting the small curtain by the desk.

The video had a warm yellow tone, with most of the screen occupied by Yuan Xiu’s handsome features, sharply defined. His facial features were proportioned perfectly, fitting the golden ratio of beauty, especially his charming almond-shaped eyes.

Suddenly feeling a bit shy, Lu Manman became a little embarrassed.

Yuan Xiu stood up, sat at the desk chair, placed his phone upright on the table, and started sketching something on a piece of paper.

He looked particularly serious as he worked at his desk.

Louis often worked like this, and Lu Manman found Louis’ working style the most charming, but at this moment, watching Yuan Xiu, she felt he was even more handsome than her dad, Louis.

Soon, he held up the paper for Lu Manman to see, “The positioning at that time was like this. Ren Xiang helped me draw the fire, then I fired three blank shots to distract them, mainly to cover little Zhefeng in sniping.”

“But this way, you’re at high risk of being killed.”

“I know my limits.”

“Then… I misspoke.”

Yuan Xiu set down the paper, shaking his head, “I don’t easily accept criticism, but…”

After a long pause, Lu Manman asked, “But what?”

“I gladly accept Lu Manman’s criticism.”

“You’re giving me face.” Lu Manman smiled, “I suddenly feel so honored.”

“Actually, sometimes I also feel unsure.” Yuan Xiu suddenly lowered his tone, “It’s like W will never lose, and Yuan Xiu always has the confidence to win. That’s what others see.”

“But in competitions, who never loses?”

Opening up to her suddenly, Lu Manman felt a bit overwhelmed.

“Um, are you nervous, Yuan Xiu?”

“Not exactly nervous. Before, when playing alone, winning or losing didn’t matter. Now, I’m leading a team, with so many fans expecting us to excel. X has to become stronger.”

He chuckled softly, looking down.

“Fearing I might disappoint their expectations.”

Lu Manman’s heart tightened at his smile.

Yuan Xiu gazed mysteriously at her, “This is a secret, you can’t tell anyone.”

“Of course,” Lu Manman solemnly promised, “I won’t say a word!”

“Mm.”

Lu Manman continued, “Then let me tell you a secret.”

“Mm?”

“About your wife, W.”

Yuan Xiu leaned against the window, looking at her meaningfully, “Oh?”

With a mischievous smile, Lu Manman said, “Actually… before every match, W gets nervous and runs to the restroom several times.”

“Really?” Yuan Xiu pretended not to believe, “How could W possibly get nervous?”

“Truly!” Lu Manman said earnestly, “W herself mentioned it. She said even the most skilled individuals can’t have complete assurance about anything. If they did, they wouldn’t be human, they’d be gods…”

“So, don’t feel embarrassed about being nervous. Even W feels scared before matches.”

Yuan Xiu could tell that she was clumsily trying to comfort him by sharing secrets. However, for some reason, it actually put his mind at ease.

…

After ending the video call, Lu Manman pulled back the curtain and saw Cheng Yu with a mischievous grin, mimicking their conversation.

“I have a secret to tell you, don’t tell anyone else, okay?” Cheng Yu said playfully.

Lu Manman couldn’t hold back a smile, playfully pushing her, “What’s so funny?”

Xia Tian rubbed her stomach, saying, “Dogs will expose their softest and most vulnerable belly to their favorite humans to please them.”

“Daring to say that Yuan Xiu is a dog, aren’t you afraid of enraging your rivals?” Lu Manman teased.

“The target of rivals banding together to attack wouldn’t be little Xia Tian like us,” Cheng Yu smirked, nudging Xia Tian, “Right?”

Xia Tian nodded seriously, “I smell a scent of jealousy.”

Lu Manman climbed back onto her bed along the railing, “You Chinese people beat around the bush, I can’t understand, I can’t understand!”

…

As Lu Manman had mentioned, Cheng Yu was truly a gifted player. After resigning, Lu Manman had more time to focus on her individual training, and her progress was simply remarkable.

Entering the national competition, the opponents grew stronger, and Lu Manman excelled in the solo competition, making it to the top ten nationally.

In the doubles competition, Cheng Yu didn’t hold her back either, and they played solidly, smoothly advancing.

As the competition progressed, Cheng Yu’s popularity began to rise.

Her aggressive playing style was quite popular, as such aggressive tactics tend to attract fans. In competitive gaming, typically, players who excel in firepower output tend to attract more attention than support players, as fans naturally gravitate towards standout performances.

Even within Team X, Yuan Xiu and Gu Zhefeng, the two main damage dealers, were more popular than the support players, Ah Heng and Ren Xiang.

Of course, Lu Manman made way for Cheng Yu in every aspect. Since Cheng Yu aspired to play professionally, Lu Manman paved the way for her, toning down her own performance in matches to let Cheng Yu shine.

Cheng Yu had a high level of attractiveness and a sharp personality, naturally drawing fans. Within a short period of time, she had gained thousands of followers.

With adoration comes criticism, and soon, information about Cheng Yu’s past work at a bar was leaked online by someone with ill intentions.

In school, Cheng Yu had many admirers, but where there is admiration, there is also potential for disappointment and backlash.

Stirring up male attraction inevitably leads to female antipathy. There isn’t any specific reason; it’s just her enchanting yet assertive aura, conflicting with the magnetic field of other girls. If people aren’t familiar with her, it’s easy for them to develop a dislike towards her based on their first impression.

【Isn’t this Cheng Yu from the School of Communication and Information? I know her, she’s often out all night.】

【Heard she works at a nightclub.】

【Wow, doing what at a nightclub?】

【In a place like a nightclub, what else could she be doing? Probably selling herself.】

【Emmm…】

At first, the rumors were only on the campus forum, but gradually spread to Weibo, especially with several posts directly tagging #Autumn “Battle Royale” Live National Championship#, increasing the online attention. Several notable marketing accounts seized the opportunity to retweet posts about Cheng Yu.

【Surprise! Rising star m4 team member Cheng Yu turns out to be a fallen girl!】

【Various luxury cars are often seen picking her up below the dormitory.】

【It’s so scary, university students have fallen to this level. Is it a societal issue or a school problem?】

【Stop blaming society and school for everything, clearly, it’s her own problem. This kind of insatiable girl, using her looks to find a sugar daddy is normal, every school has them.】

【Disgusting, unfollowing.】

【I don’t even want to watch the finals if someone like her made it.】

Cheng Yu and Lu Manman focused on preparing for the competition, not paying much attention to these online comments. However, the tone of the conversation gradually shifted from criticism to insults, becoming increasingly harsh. Many disgusting and offensive terms began appearing in Weibo posts tagged @Cheng Yu.

The intensity of training for Cheng Yu and Lu Manman increased. Lu Manman knew that Cheng Yu was trying to alleviate her frustration through physical exertion. Although she pretended not to care, Lu Manman occasionally saw her standing alone by the corridor, cold wind blowing, scrolling through Weibo on her phone.

She was reading the accusations and insults directed at her online.

The person who seemed the least affected was actually deeply troubled.

Two days later, Lu Manman received a call from the organizing committee, inviting her for a meeting.

In the committee office, the walls displayed many team photos, and the only touch of green in the room was the pine and cypress plants on the desk.

She was greeted by a man in his forties named Liu Dongliang, who sat upright on a swivel chair, gesturing for her to sit. “Please, have a seat.”

“Mr. Liu, did you want to see me?”

Facing this young girl, Liu Dongliang didn’t beat around the bush and straightforwardly said, “There might be some difficulties with the doubles competition.”

Walking on the street, Lu Manman felt nervous. Being suddenly called by the organizers meant there was likely an issue with the competition.

“Mr. Liu, please speak candidly.”

“Your teammate, the girl named Cheng Yu, has been involved in a lot of online scandals lately, and it’s spreading like wildfire,” Liu Dongliang said.

Lu Manman’s heart sank, as expected…

Liu Dongliang lit a cigarette, his expression slightly relaxed, “Our competition is mainly for university students nationwide, with the aim of spreading positive energy. This kind of incident creates a very negative impact.”

Lu Manman stayed silent for a moment, then said, “Then… should I hire some online water army?”

“……. “

Liu Dongliang said, “You still don’t understand. You’re very skilled in m4, a team we’re focusing on. But Cheng Yu… her previous profession is quite sensitive, and it might not align with the theme of our competition. Therefore, the organizing committee feels it’s necessary to disqualify her.”

Lu Manman urged, “We’ve already reached the top ten. She didn’t fight or cause any trouble, why are you disqualifying her!”

“You might not understand, our competition is different from professional competitions. It’s more official, and the main goal is to promote positive energy and the Chinese dream among college students.”

“So, where is Cheng Yu’s negativity? How is she hindering your promotion of the Chinese dream?” Lu Manman argued excitedly, “If we’re being honest, I’m American, and I dream the American dream. Why don’t you just disqualify me too?”

“Lu, don’t be impulsive,” Liu Dongliang, despite being in his fifties, didn’t argue with Lu Manman. He simply said, “You Americans are open-minded, you might not care much about these things, but our national conditions are different. Public opinion in our country scoffs at mistresses and escort girls. How dare the organizing committee let someone like that enter the finals and win the championship? It’s not fair to the fans.”

Lu Manman was so angry that her hands were shaking, “How dare you call her a mistress or an escort? I’ll sue you for defamation!”

“There are even photos circulating online of luxury cars picking her up. Can I just make that up?”

“Even though Cheng Yu works at a nightclub, she does so honestly, earning money through her own labor. There’s nothing shameful about that. Chairman Mao said that women hold up half the sky. By discriminating against working people and women, what kind of Chinese dream are you promoting?”

“You…” Liu Dongliang was left speechless by her retort. After a while, he stubbed out his cigarette and said slowly, “You’re quite articulate, bringing up Chairman Mao. I can’t bear the accusation of discriminating against women. There’s no point arguing about this. The organizing committee has decided. I’m just informing you that Cheng Yu has been disqualified from the competition. You can focus on preparing for the solo competition to win glory and prize money. The doubles competition is off.”

“That’s not fair,” Lu Manman firmly disagreed, “We made it to the finals based on our skills, without cheating or breaking any rules. You can’t disqualify us.”

“So, I need you to voluntarily withdraw,” Liu Dongliang said, “Your friend has a bad reputation, and I’m sure you wouldn’t want the online attacks to continue. If you win the finals, imagine the backlash online. She would face severe criticism. You understand, right?”

In the dorm room that evening, the atmosphere was noticeably tense. Xia Tian buried herself in her books, occasionally glancing at the two girls.

Lu Manman and Cheng Yu lay on their beds, scrolling through Weibo on their phones.

The negative news had significantly impacted their lives, with even classmates now whispering and giving meaningful looks when mentioning Cheng Yu.

“I’ll withdraw,” Cheng Yu said casually.

Lu Manman tightened her breath, realizing she still couldn’t handle the pressure.

“No matter what you choose, I’ll sup…”

“Delusional! Thinking I’ll withdraw, not a chance!”

Lu Manman’s words were choked by Cheng Yu’s resolute attitude.

Cheng Yu set down her phone, gritting her teeth, “I made it to the top ten based on my skills. Just because of this little storm, they think I’ll withdraw. Absolutely not.”

Lu Manman looked at her determined gaze, tightly clutching the bedsheet, and nodded firmly, “Yes! I won’t withdraw!”