Lu Manman, with a solemn expression, talked to the dads about studying abroad.

Just a second ago, the two were chattering away, but now they fell silent. After a few minutes of silence, Alex looked at Lu Manman, “What do you think?”

“I don’t know…” Lu Manman was visibly conflicted, “My mind is in a mess right now, completely clueless.”

Alex said, “What’s there to be conflicted about? If you want to go, go; if you don’t want to, then we won’t go.”

Furrowing her brows, Lu Manman replied, “Mainly, I don’t know much about China, and I don’t have any family or friends there. Suddenly having to stay there for so long…”

Alex casually poked at the corn cakes on his plate, “That’s not a big deal. You’ll naturally make friends once you’re there. As for family, they should be there, but it takes time to find them. If you want, Dad can help you find your relatives.”

Lu Manman shook her head repeatedly, “I can’t bear to leave you two, that’s the main thing. And I don’t want to find any relatives; you two are my closest family.”

Louis took a sip of tea and sighed, “Ah, raising this daughter wasn’t in vain.”

Alex asked again, “Do you still want to continue with the competition?”

Lu Manman nodded, “I do.”

“If you stay, you won’t be able to join other clubs,” Alex pointed out.

Lu Manman: “Actually, it’s possible. As long as I pay a penalty of 2 million, and there are several clubs in the American League inviting me, saying they can help me pay the penalty.”

Alex said, “That’s great! Everything is resolved. The Lions and Tigers team in the American League, as well as the Blue Eagle team, are all quite good.”

“Yeah, they are all strong,” Lu Manman said, stirring the corn chowder in front of her with a spoon.

Louis remarked, “Then why are you feeling down?”

Frowning, Lu Manman replied, “Yeah, why am I feeling down?”

Alex mentioned, “It seems like you’re not very keen on joining other teams in the American League.”

Surprised, Lu Manman asked, “Oh, is that obvious?”

“Your current expression is as hard to accept as eating Korean kimchi hotpot,” Alex explained.

“Woah, that was so bad that it made me dizzy,” Lu Manman commented.

Louis asked her, “It’s okay if you want to join other teams. There are still many professional teams in the American League, with your track record, any team would welcome you with open arms.”

Lu Manman nodded, “I’ll think about it some more.”

…

Lu Manman had been delaying her response to Professor Garcia about studying abroad, but he kept calling every few days to urge her, which left Lu Manman feeling puzzled.

The whole situation was already quite unusual. She had applied for the study tour last year, and it had long been shelved. Suddenly bringing it up now with such urgency seemed almost like they were trying to push her away.

Lu Manman told her father about it. Immediately, Louis used his connections to inquire at the school, and soon word came back suggesting that there might be investors associated with Queen causing trouble. Of course, Queen didn’t want Lu Manman staying in the United States, nor with any team in the American League.

Upon hearing this, Alex exploded in anger and wanted to confront the Queen’s club directly, but Louis managed to dissuade him.

“What’s the point of confronting them? They won’t admit it in the first place, and there’s no real coercion. It’s just giving Manman a choice. She can refuse outright,” Louis advised.

“They’re trying to force us out. Well, I won’t leave. If they want us gone, we’ll stay and join a competitor’s team and crush them!” Alex said angrily as he sat down.

Lu Manman sighed and looked at Louis: “I’ll listen to Dad.”

Louis calmly lit a cigarette: “I won’t express an opinion. You decide for yourself.”

Lu Manman held her head: “Ah, the agony of decision-making!”

Louis continued smoking, unruffled.

Alex, seeing her so conflicted, scratched his head and awkwardly suggested, “How about flipping a coin?”

Louis and Lu Manman in unison: “Get out!”

…

Two days later, Akko reposted something on Facebook and tagged Lu Manman.

The post was from a famous American talk show, “The James Show.”

Akko tagged Lu Manman in the comments because they had invited the X-Team to the show.

Akko: @LittleFairyLu12 Keep up the hard work! Your husband is on the show!

Lu Manman: ??? Husband? What are you talking about?

Akko: Didn’t he say, if you call him ‘husband’ he won’t kill you? In the end, he couldn’t bear to kill you.

Lu Manman: [terrified.jpg] But I didn’t call him that![Watching from above…]

[@LittleFairyLu12 Is this the goddess W herself?!]

[Fairy’s identity revealed live…]

LittleFairyLu12: Yes, I am W herself, come and worship me.

Akko: She is W, I can vouch for that. Come and worship!

[This suddenly feels so fake.]

[Disperse, disperse.]

Lu Manman patted her chest, secretly sighing in relief.

Akko sent her a message: Watch your husband’s show tonight at 8 PM sharp.

Lu Manman: He is not my husband! He is not my husband! He is not my husband!

…

Yuan Xiu, for once, was not playing games but lying on the sofa reading the comments.

Ren Xiang walked into the room with a bag of chips, glancing at Yuan Xiu’s phone screen: “Wow, Captain, when did you start reading comments too?”

“Keeping up with fan feedback in real-time is a basic skill for the nation’s heartthrob.”

Ah Heng bluntly exposed him: “He’s just enjoying the thrill of being called everyone’s husband.”

Ren Xiang: “So you really shipped yourselves as a couple?”

Ah Heng: That phrase “Call me husband and let’s see” from the competition, I don’t know if it flirted with her, but it definitely got the global female fans hyped.

…

Two days later at 9 PM, Lu Manman and her two dads were seated in front of the TV, ready to watch the X-Team on “The James Show.”

“The James Show” has been a popular talk show in the U.S. for years, with high ratings. On the show, James criticizes everything and everyone with sharp, witty remarks, sparing neither American politicians nor Hollywood stars.

This guy’s sharp tongue is legendary.

Today, James was dressed in an exaggerated outfit—a suit styled like a gaudy rural floral jacket, holding a toy BB gun. His appearance was extremely over-the-top.

Standing in the studio, he said to the audience, “Seeing my outfit today, you might guess that our guests have something to do with real-life CS competitions. They come from the ancient and mysterious China. Let’s give a warm welcome to the X-Team!”

Amidst the lackluster cheers from the audience, Yuan Xiu and his two teammates took the stage.

Today, Yuan Xiu’s attire was as usual: a dark casual sports hoodie paired with jeans, looking calm and indifferent.

Compared to the flushed and excited James beside him, his skin appeared much more delicate, exuding a cool and aloof aura.

Alex asked Lu Manman, “Is he your husband?”

Lu Manman suddenly turned around, clutching her chest, “Whoa! How did you know… I mean, how do you also know…”

Alex shrugged nonchalantly, “It’s all over the internet. People say you two were showing off your love during the competition and ended up getting headshot together, meeting your end.”

Lu Manman: …

The talk show began.

James, of course, didn’t hold back. After a seemingly friendly exchange, the conversation gradually became sharper, which is the show’s usual style.

“This time, making it to the S-season finals, many people in the community say that the X-Team was purely lucky. I wonder how Captain Yuan feels about these speculations.”

“Our team has always been very lucky since its inception,” Yuan Xiu admitted candidly. “How should I put it? This kind of thing is quite mysterious. Of course, it’s enviable. If you’re unhappy about it, just endure it.”

On the Chinese live-streaming platform:

[Hahaha, right, right, luck is something you can’t envy.]

[Exactly, we’re just lucky, so what!]

Having hosted talk shows for many years, James, a seasoned veteran, awkwardly smiled and then transitioned the topic with some humorous banter, discussing some amusing stories from the team.

However, considering the ratings and catering to the audience’s interests, he couldn’t resist stirring things up.James: “To welcome the three of you, my outfit today has a very Chinese style.”

He straightened the collar of his suit adorned with bright red flowers and green leaves, exuding a strong rustic charm. Holding a BB gun, he made a “biubiubiu” gesture, eliciting a burst of laughter from the audience.

Ren Xiang muttered, “He’s probably watched too many anti-Japanese war dramas.”

Ah Heng was about to retort angrily, but Yuan Xiu pulled him back, signaling him to stay calm.

Yuan Xiu then turned to James with a slight smile and said, “Your show seems to have some misconceptions about Chinese culture.”

James responded politely, “I’m all ears.”

Yuan Xiu pointed to Gu Zhefeng beside him and said, “If you want to see real Chinese style, just look at our brother Zhefeng here.”

Gu Zhefeng sat upright from the beginning, almost as if he were about to tie a red scarf around his chest.

James immediately laughed and said, “This young man sitting here so still truly has the essence of a Chinese porcelain vase. I’m impressed.”

“That’s exactly why I said you have a misconception. It’s not just about blue and white porcelain or that hideous suit you’re wearing, or so-called down-to-earth or traditional things that can broadly define Chinese style.”

Yuan Xiu continued calmly, “Those are just superficial and sensationalist elements. Our brother Zhefeng, who joined X just two years ago, has taken down no fewer than 500 targets, comparable to the world’s top competitive snipers.”

“He doesn’t smoke or drink, and his academic performance is quite good, earning him the title of ‘Three Good Student’ every year. He trains for over ten hours a day without ever complaining of fatigue. At only eighteen, he is the youngest sniper in the entire competitive scene.”

James smiled without saying a word, while Yuan Xiu continued.

“In China, there are countless hardworking and diligent young people like Gu Zhefeng.”

“A hundred years ago, when the country was in ruins, Liang Qichao made the first call: ‘If the youth are strong, China will be strong; if the youth are independent, China will be independent.'”

“Thirty years of achievements are like dust and dirt, and the journey of eight thousand miles is under the clouds and moon. This is our Chinese youth,” he said, glancing indifferently at James’s red and green floral suit, “not the… floral bed sheet you’re wearing.”

The Chinese livestreaming platform erupted.

[Americans, tremble! You can’t outmatch us in sarcasm—you won’t even know what hit you!]

[Hahaha, look how our brother Zhezhe is blushing.]

[Zhezhe, don’t be shy! We’re your solid support!]

[If the youth are strong, the nation is strong! I’m pumped!]

[Crazy shoutout to our Yuan Xiu and Gu Zhefeng!]