Yuan Xiu walked with Lu Manman out of the hall through the back door. The deep blue night sky seemed boundless, and suddenly, snowflakes began to flutter down, gently blanketing the surroundings.

Lu Manman couldn’t help but reach out, catching the falling snowflakes, watching them melt in her soft palms.

“It’s snowing, Yuan Xiu,” she exclaimed with excitement. “It started snowing as soon as you returned.”

Walking by her side, Yuan Xiu gazed up at the night sky. “It seems like it was waiting for me.”

“Definitely,” she agreed.

“What about you?” Yuan Xiu shifted his gaze from the sky to her.

“What about me?”

“Didn’t you guess that I would personally present the award to you today?”

“You really scared me,” Lu Manman stopped in her tracks, playfully punching his shoulder. “You didn’t tell me beforehand. I didn’t even know you had returned from Korea!”

Yuan Xiu explained, “My teammates are still in Korea for sightseeing. I came back after the tournament to make it in time for the finals.”

“Did you rush back just for me?” Lu Manman asked shyly. “That’s embarrassing.”

Watching her blush from embarrassment, Yuan Xiu playfully tapped her forehead with his glove. “You’re so beautiful. My appearance fee as a guest presenter is fifty thousand.”

Lu Manman immediately retorted, “We only get twenty thousand for winning the championship. How come you showing up, handing me a trophy, is worth fifty thousand? That’s unfair!”

Yuan Xiu chuckled, “I’m currently the highest-paid professional player in China. Fifty thousand is on the lower end. However, this kind of competition has a semi-commercial nature. For regular commercial events, my appearance fee starts at two hundred thousand.”

“Just to show up as a guest is twenty thousand!” Lu Manman expressed disbelief. “Even for professional players, the appearance fee isn’t that high.”

She recalled that she didn’t receive such high appearance fees for similar events in the MLS.

Lu Manman finally understood why Louis’s dad said if she could make a name for herself in China, she would surely earn a lot of money!

“Surprised?”

“Your dad was right. The real-life professional gaming market in China has a wide audience and great potential,” Yuan Xiu remarked.

“Your dad has a good eye for the market,” she acknowledged.

“My dad works in finance and often deals with Chinese businessmen,” Lu Manman explained. “He told me that Chinese people are very astute in business. Sometimes they seem generous, but other times they appear to be very meticulous, hard to figure out.”

Yuan Xiu chuckled, “My old man was probably one of the first generation of entrepreneurs who went into business in China. Maybe our fathers could get along well.”

“That sounds good. When Louis has a holiday, he’ll come to China to visit me. We can arrange for our parents to meet, have some afternoon tea or coffee,” Lu Manman suggested.

Yuan Xiu, seeing her sincere gaze, smiled wryly, “Arranging for our parents to meet in China has another layer of meaning, it’s not just about having a simple tea or coffee.”

Perplexed, Lu Manman looked at him, but he didn’t seem inclined to explain further.

“You always do this, hint at something but never finish your thought,” she remarked.

Yuan Xiu chuckled, “Stay a little longer, immerse yourself in our cultural context, and you will gradually understand.”

As the snowfall intensified, irregular diamond-shaped frost flakes gently rested on his hair tips.

Lu Manman tiptoed and reached out to remove a snowflake from his forehead. The snowflake melted instantly upon contact with her hand, leaving a cold, sticky sensation on her fingertips.

The gesture felt a bit intimate.

Yuan Xiu remained still, looking down at her. The light illuminated her delicate face, with captivating features and deep, ink-like eyes.

She brushed off the snowflakes from his shoulder and noticed he was only wearing a thin sweater. She pulled up the hood from his down jacket and placed it over his head.

The down hood was fluffy, enveloping his handsome features.

“Wearing so little, aren’t you cold?” she inquired.

Yuan Xiu replied casually, “I’m fine like this.”

Lu Manman turned around and saw Cheng Yu waiting for her under the streetlight.

“I should head back now,” she said.

“For skincare products like face masks, it’s inconvenient to carry around. I’ll deliver them to the lobby of your dorm next time,” Yuan Xiu offered.

“Don’t come over. The people in the dormitory are all my rivals. I don’t want to become a public enemy,” Lu Manman responded.

“If everyone is your rival, maybe we shouldn’t walk together then,” Yuan Xiu teased.

“We really should keep our distance,” Lu Manman said, creating some space between them. “Okay, bye.”

“Hey,” Yuan Xiu called out as she took a few steps away.

“Do you need something?” Lu Manman turned back to see Yuan Xiu hesitating for a moment before pulling out a small bag from behind him.

“This is a gift for you.”

No wonder he had his hands behind his back earlier; he was carrying a present.

Excitedly, Lu Manman ran back, rubbing her hands together. “Yuan Xiu, I take back all the scolding I did earlier. It’s truly a blessing to have you as a friend. What kind of delicious treat did you bring for me?”

Yuan Xiu took out a pair of fluffy white gloves from his pocket, lined with rabbit fur that looked so warm.

Pointing at the gloves, Lu Manman’s smile seemed a bit forced. “Hmm… You call this a ‘specialty’?”

Yuan Xiu removed the gloves and hung them around her neck. “You can call it whatever you want.”

“Yes, you’re Yuan Xiu. Whatever you say it is, it is. It can’t argue back,” Lu Manman mused as she put on the gloves hanging around her neck. The cozy rabbit fur felt comfortable against her skin.

Her lips curled up involuntarily, and as she looked up, Yuan Xiu was already walking away.

Shouting towards his retreating figure, Lu Manman called out, “Well… thanks!”

He didn’t turn back but casually waved his hand.

The snow seemed to be falling heavier, landing on the white gloves, quickly melting away.

Lu Manman thought to herself, “He’s so cool, even giving a gift in a cool way. He must be even cooler in other aspects.”

Feeling content, she walked over to Cheng Yu and nudged her with her elbow. “Let’s go back, Miss Champion.”

“Oh, received a gift, huh?” Cheng Yu remarked.

Lu Manman extended her hand in front of her. “How does it look?”

“Ugly cry, straight guy’s sense of beauty,” Lu Manman scoffed, self-lovingly adding, “I think it looks good.”

“Yes, anything the husband gives is good, all is well,” Cheng Yu replied.

“By the way,” Lu Manman reached into her bag and handed the trophy to Cheng Yu. “This is for you, Miss.”

Cheng Yu took the trophy, a bit surprised. “For me?”

“This is our trophy,” Lu Manman clarified.

Clutching the trophy tightly, Cheng Yu tried to contain her smile and said, “You are the ultimate champion.”

“Sacrificing yourself to shield your teammate from bullets is something even the best support players in professional games may not be able to do,” Lu Manman affirmed, looking at her. “You are the most dedicated support player I’ve ever seen.”

In real-life gaming competitions, surviving until the end is the key. Once eliminated, everything is lost. In team games, even if a teammate can carry the team to victory, it’s the one who survives till the end who will be remembered.

In the recent confrontation between Lu Manman and Chen Jingming, if Cheng Yu could maintain her composure, it was highly likely that the two would eliminate each other, leaving her as the last one standing. Even if Chen Jingming were to take out Lu Manman, a surprise attack from Cheng Yu at that moment would seal his fate.

Cheng Yu was the one with the best chance of winning the championship in the final showdown.

But she didn’t pursue that path; instead, she made the opposite choice.

It was her final push that helped propel Lu Manman to the championship position.

“Well, hearing that, I do have a slight regret,” Cheng Yu sighed, touching her forehead. “I should have let you two fight it out.”

Lu Manman chuckled and nudged her; she was tough on the outside but soft at heart.

“W.”

“Huh?” Lu Manman looked at her in confusion as Cheng Yu suddenly called her “W.”

“Do you think I could compete professionally?” Cheng Yu asked her, showing an unprecedented seriousness.

“Of course you can,” Lu Manman replied without hesitation. “You truly have a rare talent, but you lack some skills, which can be improved and corrected through future training.”

A glimmer of hope shone in Cheng Yu’s eyes.

The affirmation from Lu Manman indeed boosted her confidence.

The three of them met at the school gate and waited for Xia Tian. They had planned to go for hotpot after the competition.

Xia Tian, dressed in a white down jacket, came running over obediently. Lu Manman couldn’t resist ruffling her hair, placing her hand on Xia Tian’s shoulder, and teasingly asked, “Have you finished today’s homework?”

“Yes, I have,” Xia Tian replied.

“You’re such a good girl,” Lu Manman praised.

After enjoying the hotpot, the three of them grabbed a few bottles of beer and sat by the river, enjoying the night view while feeling the cool breeze.

Cheng Yu was in a good mood, opening up to them, “Actually, my parents always thought I was useless. For girls, they believe getting married and having children is for others; raising a girl is useless. If their son is a failure, at least the child born should carry the family name, our own.”

Lu Manman furrowed her brows, finding it hard to understand such a mindset, so she remained quiet and listened attentively.

“Since I was young, I’ve always wanted to prove myself to my parents. I studied hard, received praise from my teachers, became a model student, got into a prestigious university…” Cheng Yu shook her head with a bitter smile. “When I entered university, they told me to earn my tuition fees myself and that they wouldn’t support my education anymore. That’s when I realized that no matter how well I did, how successful I became, it wouldn’t change their perception of me.”

“So, I should live for myself and do what I want to do.”

Xia Tian leaned against Cheng Yu and asked, “Have you found what you want to do?”

After a moment of contemplation, Cheng Yu responded, “In the past, I just wanted to earn a lot of money, then permanently leave them, find a man who loves me, and someone who accepts my family.”

“Now…” Cheng Yu looked at Lu Manman. “I want to compete in tournaments with this girl.”

Xia Tian looked at her in surprise. “I thought you were just playing for the prize money in this competition…”

Cheng Yu smiled, “Teaming up with Lu Manman for competitions is quite interesting. Since she’s aiming for revenge in the MLS, and we’re friends now, of course, I want to help her!”

Xia Tian chimed in, “In that case, I’m also a good friend of Lu Manman, and I should help her too. But I definitely can’t compete in games.”

“Why not?” Cheng Yu asked.

“I’ve never tried it before,” Xia Tian explained. “I only got exposed to this competitive gaming through meeting you guys. I’ve never even watched a game before.”

“The entry level is low; if you want to play, we can teach you,” Cheng Yu suggested.

“I can’t. I need to prepare for the IELTS exam next year,” Xia Tian replied.

“Tsk, you have time to date the guitar guy but no time to play games with us,” Cheng Yu teased.

Blushing, Xia Tian gently nudged her, saying, “Don’t say that.”

As the wind passed by, a chill settled in the air.

A text message popped up on Lu Manman’s phone, from Yuan Xiu:

“Next Friday morning at 9 a.m., come to X Club to meet the manager.”