At the first firecracker of the New Year, Ren Xiang lost his dignity as a man.

He lay weakly on top of Xia Tian, drained of all his strength, his mind blank, eyes filled with stars.

Xia Tian gently nudged him, asking softly, “Ren Xiang, are you okay?”

Ren Xiang, burying his face in her chest, was too embarrassed to look up and responded with a low, hoarse “Mm.”

“Are you… hurt?”

Xia Tian was genuinely worried.

He was hurt—emotionally.

Ren Xiang never expected to be bested by such an inexperienced girl.

She was incredible; even the slightest twitch could drive him crazy. The sensation was unlike anything he had ever felt.

“I’m fine. I just need a moment to rest.”

Ren Xiang rolled over and lay flat, making sure to cover her with the blanket to prevent her from catching a cold. His attentiveness was not feigned but instinctive.

Xia Tian felt a warm sensation in her heart.

She sniffed the bedding, which carried the raw scent of their recent intimacy. She rolled around in the bed and took out her phone to turn on the flashlight.

The bed was bathed in a warm, yellow light.

“What are you looking for?” Ren Xiang asked.

“No bleeding,” Xia Tian said, peeking her head out. “In TV dramas, the first time always involves bleeding.”

Ren Xiang’s cheeks unexpectedly flushed red. He helplessly pulled her closer, wrapping his arm around her smooth shoulder.

Her slender body was entirely enfolded in his embrace.

“One thing to note is… some girls don’t bleed, and some might have had their hymen broken from vigorous exercise or accidents before their first time, so bleeding isn’t always a given…”

Ren Xiang was amazed at his own acting skills, managing to lie without changing his expression or skipping a beat.

Anyway, he certainly couldn’t admit that he hadn’t actually gone all the way, as that would be too embarrassing.

“No wonder, I didn’t feel very much pain,” Xia Tian nodded. “So, Ren Xiang’s technique is really good.”

“Uh, how did it feel? Did you enjoy it?” Ren Xiang asked.

Xia Tian lay on Ren Xiang’s firm chest, gently nodding. “Yes, but…”

Ren Xiang’s heartbeat slowed. “But what?”

“A bit of lingering desire.”

Ren Xiang: …

Yes, yes, it’s his fault. He didn’t hold on, didn’t do a good job, and didn’t attend to her needs thoroughly.

“You… wait a moment. Let me get ready again, and we can… try again.”

Xia Tian shook her head. “No need. The internet says you shouldn’t do it too many times; it’s bad for your health.”

How considerate.

She hugged his waist tightly, her small face resting against his chest. “Good night, Ren Xiang-gege.”

Sigh…

He looked down at her, her fair face flushed with a gentle red, her eyelashes casting shadows over her smooth eyelids, trembling slightly.

Recalling her earlier, breathless gasps and the intoxicatingly lovely expression on her face, Ren Xiang’s emotions surged.

Yet, for some reason, deep down, there was a tiny bit of relief. He felt that this girl was so wonderful that he didn’t deserve her.

Even though he was now holding her beautiful, naked body as he fell asleep, he felt unworthy of her.

In the first half of his life, he had lived for games.

For the first time, Ren Xiang felt regret, realizing that he was a jerk. His performance tonight had also been disappointing—flippant and out of touch.

He wanted to slap himself, but she was resting on his arm, leaving him unable to move.

Ren Xiang gently kissed her forehead.

Let it be. At least he hadn’t truly harmed her.

…

That night, everyone drank and played games together. Lu Manman, who couldn’t handle alcohol well but still drank quite a bit, found herself and a group of friends sprawled out on the living room sofa. She didn’t even remember how she fell asleep, but when she woke up, she found herself in Yuan Xiu’s deep blue bed.

This made her very uneasy.

She cautiously walked out of the room and discovered Yuan Xiu sleeping on the sofa. His long legs extended beyond the edge of the sofa, one shoe on the floor, the other dangling off his foot.

Gu Zhefeng, like a cat, was nestled in his arms, sound asleep.

Yuan Xiu’s chin was tilted up, and the first ray of morning sunlight perfectly illuminated the mask on his side profile.

It shimmered brilliantly.

Lu Manman tiptoed over and gently removed his silver mask, placing it on the nearby coffee table.

His handsome face was now fully revealed.

How did you know I like Phantom?

It must be a coincidence…

She picked up the coat from the floor and gently draped it over him.

“Yuan Xiu, I’m leaving.”

She spoke softly, making sure not to wake him. She carefully avoided stepping over the sprawled bodies on the floor and exited the club.

That morning, she met Cheng Yu in the central hall of the library. They had a long conversation. Since their falling out, they had been cautiously avoiding any discussion about forming a team to prevent their friendship from deteriorating further.

However, avoiding the issue wasn’t the right way to handle their friendship. Lu Manman hadn’t given up on the idea, so she was determined to make another effort.

“I think the chance of success is as slim as pairing up two completely different species like Xia Tian and Ren Xiang or you performing a successful rap tongue-twister on the campus radio.”

Cheng Yu wasn’t easily persuaded.

Her life experiences had given her strong opinions and insights, making her resistant to being swayed by Lu Manman.

“If I’m the one blocking your career path, I’ll step aside immediately.”

She looked at her, speaking earnestly, “Last night, I heard from Ah Heng that X rejected your inclusion because you insisted on bringing me along. I’m sorry, I didn’t know about this before. Now, I’m stepping away, and I hope you can move further down the right path.”

She turned to leave.

“So, before even trying, you already know what’s right and what’s wrong?” Lu Manman called out to her retreating figure. “How would you know without giving it a try?”

“No need to try; I just know,” Cheng Yu said firmly.

…

Those days, Lu Manman woke up unusually early, while Xia Tian would linger in bed even though it was late morning.

It seemed like the two of them were acting in reverse, and Cheng Yu couldn’t figure out what was going on between them.

Equally mysterious was Cheng Yu’s observation that Xia Tian’s phone had been ringing frequently lately, but most of the time, she didn’t answer.

“What’s going on?” Cheng Yu asked her, “Whose calls are those?”

Xia Tian replied casually, “Ren Xiang.”

Cheng Yu couldn’t believe it, “What! Ren Xiang!”

“Yeah,” Xia Tian nodded, “He’s pursuing me.”

Cheng Yu widened her eyes, “Is this Lu Manman’s idea, bribing you to say this on purpose!”

Xia Tian shook her head blankly, “What does it have to do with Manman?”

Seeing her genuine expression, Cheng Yu felt like she had stumbled upon something significant. She immediately sat beside Xia Tian, asking seriously, “What’s going on between you and Ren Xiang?”

Xia Tian bit her lip, finding it hard to discuss that night.

“Anyway, he’s pursuing me.”

“Don’t agree to it. He’s not a good guy.”

Ren Xiang, with his flirtatious reputation, was far from the kind of boy Xia Tian could handle.

Xia Tian looked down and thought for a moment. “Okay.”

That night was just an accident; she had acted on impulse and regretted it the next morning.

There were many stories online about Ren Xiang’s flirty behavior. A person like him might not even remember someone’s name after a one-night stand.

But what did it mean that he had been persistently calling her every day for the past few days?

In the afternoon, the second wave of shocks came as expected. Cheng Yu stood by the campus ice cream shop, buying an ice cream when Lu Manman’s suffocating voice came over the broadcast.

“I am M4. Good afternoon, everyone.”

Upon hearing the name M4, a greasy otaku next to Cheng Yu suddenly twitched and let out a scream, “Ahhhh! My goddess, my goddess!”

“I’d like to perform a Chinese rap tongue-twister for everyone. I’ve been practicing for days. This is for my teammate, Miss Cheng Yu. Even though she’s always criticized and called me stupid, I still love her just because she’s so beautiful.”

Cheng Yu was so startled that she dropped her ice cream and quickly pulled her hat down to cover her face, trying to avoid being recognized.

Soon, the campus was filled with Lu Manman’s manic voice: “Blackened fertilizer turns gray, gray fertilizer turns black, blackened fertilizer turns gray will evaporate; gray fertilizer evaporates will turn black, blackened fertilizer evaporates turns gray and flowers fly, gray fertilizer evaporates turns black and flowers fly…”

As Yuan Xiu walked out of the classroom after his class, he nearly slipped and fell down the stairs upon hearing that maddening voice.

What the hell, this is insane!

Lu Manman, getting increasingly frenzied, continued: “Gray-black fertilizer will evaporate turning black, gray fertilizer black-gray will turn into black, blackened black-gray fertilizer will turn gray; gray turns black-gray fertilizer, gray-black will show black, gray fertilizer black-gray will display.”

It was astonishing that she didn’t make a single mistake. The fast-talking American, who often jumbled words or mixed in English, had managed to recite every word flawlessly.

She must have spent quite a bit of time practicing this.

Damn, how bored must she be to practice something like this and then show off her Chinese on the campus broadcast!

Wait, why are the people around me looking so reverent and obsessed?!

“Kneel before her!”

“Awesome, my M4!”

“Explosively cool!”

“Don’t stop me, I’m going to confess my love to my goddess!”

“Gray-black fertilizer will evaporate turning black, gray fertilizer black-gray will turn into black.”

Many people started chanting the tongue-twister along with her.

Yuan Xiu facepalmed.

This is toxic.

…

That evening, the three of them went to the campus café and had a serious discussion.

So far, this was already the third glass of lemonade that Lu Manman had drunk.

Cheng Yu’s single eyelid had turned into a double eyelid from rolling her eyes so much. She asked, “How long did you practice that tongue-twister?”

“Since you were woken up from your morning spring dreams and Xia Tian became my responsibility, I’ve been in hellish practice mode for two hours a day.”

Cheng Yu’s mouth twitched. “You really are so free and bored.”

Lu Manman reached out with her hand and grabbed Cheng Yu’s. Cheng Yu shrank back. “What are you doing?”

“This way of proving myself might seem childish,” Lu Manman said, looking at her with sincerity, “but the original intention of forming a professional team wasn’t just to make money. Of course, if we become famous, we’ll definitely make a lot of money.”

“Don’t try to tempt me with money,” Cheng Yu said with righteous indignation, “Do you think money is so easy to make?”

“If we play well, we can earn money. I can lead you to play well.”

Cheng Yu genuinely felt a lot of pressure. “If you’re going to insist on forming the team, there should be plenty of girls willing to join. I’m insignificant. Why are you so adamant about convincing me?”

Lu Manman thought for a moment and said, “Back in the U.S. League, W never had a teammate willing to take a bullet for her. Later, after retiring, I even lost confidence and considered going solo. At that time, W was still as arrogant as ever, thinking that she alone could beat everyone into submission.”

“Turns out you did manage to do that,” Cheng Yu said, looking at her. “In the last game, you defeated them decisively. It was impressive.”

“This game means more to me than just revenge.”

Lu Manman pursed her lips and said seriously, “I enjoy team matches, teamwork, and sharing victories with my teammates. That feeling is the best, like the first time I played real-life CS with my dad. The sense of trust and having each other’s backs is why I love this sport.”

“I’ll think about it,” Cheng Yu did not give an immediate answer.

Three days later, Cheng Yu handed her application form to Lu Manman. “I’ve decided. Forming a professional team isn’t realistic.”

Before Lu Manman could speak, Cheng Yu continued, “The CRLC Spring Tournament is coming up, and amateur players can participate as well. If you can stand out as an amateur and outperform those professional players, do you think those professional clubs will still care about your gender?”

Lu Manman knew about the CRLC Spring Tournament. It was one of the highest-level competitions in domestic real-life gaming, receiving significant attention.

The CRLC tournament includes singles, doubles, and teams of three to five players. Winning all five categories would be considered a grand slam in domestic competitions.

Professional teams from across the country participate in this tournament. However, due to the large number of players required for the battle royale format, the competition also welcomes many outstanding amateur players to join.

In the CRLC Spring Tournament, the ratio of amateur to professional players is approximately 7:3.

This means that most of the participants are amateurs, but the top 100 spots are usually dominated by professional teams due to the inherent skill gap.

In the competition, amateurs often serve as practice opponents for professionals, or worse, as cannon fodder providing easy kills and points.

Yet, every year, many amateur players eagerly sign up to participate. Even if they don’t place highly, the opportunity to face off against their admired professional players is still valuable.

Cheng Yu’s suggestion was for her and Lu Manman to team up for the CRLC Spring Tournament.

“Whether we form a professional team or join another, let’s first focus on achieving a good result in the CRLC Spring Tournament,” Cheng Yu said.

Lu Manman looked into her eyes and finally nodded. “Alright.”