CHAPTER 9: LONIA FRIENDS TOURNAMENT

The song meet went on past 11.

Jiang Yuyu and the others were still chatting.

Shu Jia had nothing else to do, so she just stayed in the mic queue listening while doing her own things.

Most people in YY had already left. Only a small number of hardcore fans remained, happily listening to their favorite idols chatting and spamming the screen.

“It’s already midnight,” Jiang Yuyu checked the time and suddenly suggested, “Let’s do a late-night benefit round.”

“What benefit? I already lost too much dignity tonight, I’m not about to lose more,” Banana replied.

“No, no, you misunderstood,” Jiang Yuyu explained. “I mean, since everyone’s here, why don’t we queue up in the first server and play a game?”

The chat responded enthusiastically, which only firmed up Jiang Yuyu’s idea.

“Come on, let’s do it,” Jiang Yuyu counted. “A Hao, A-ge, me, Shu Jia, Banana — five people, perfect for a five-stack. Consider it a late-night bonus.”

“I’m tired, I’m out,” A Hao cut in before she even finished.

“Hey, bro, that’s not cool,” Aaron said. “You’re just asking to get screwed over.”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s no fun,” Jiang Yuyu agreed.

A Hao was helpless. “I can’t. I’m heading out for supper, promised someone already. Finally get a chance to go out and party, no way I’m wasting it on this dumb game.”

“I’m out too,” Banana added. “Gotta go watch a movie with my girlfriend later.”

“You two have no loyalty at all,” Jiang Yuyu groaned.

Aaron suppressed his laughter, voice mischievous. “It’s already midnight, bro. You guys are going to watch some adult movies, aren’t you?”

Banana ignored him. “You know how it is. I’m logging off. See you tomorrow, everyone.”

“I’m off too,” A Hao said goodbye.

“Damn it,” Jiang Yuyu sighed, disappointed. “Finally wanted to queue and you all bail. Lame.”

“It’s fine,” Shu Jia turned on her mic, her voice gentle. “The three of us can still trio queue.”

She thought for a second. “Instead of server one, let’s go to server four.”

Jiang Yuyu: “Come on, just the three of us? That’s like a toy car, not worth it.”

“And besides,” she added, “I only want to play in server one. No passion in the others.”

Aaron was annoyed. “Hey, wait a sec. Jiang Yuyu, are you looking down on me? I’m telling you, I’m a national server king with 800 points.”

Jiang Yuyu retorted, “Exactly, with just you, it feels like we’ll crash the car.”

“Do you know how insulting that is? As a top-tier LPL pro player, to have my skills doubted like this?” Aaron said incredulously. “Me, carry just you two? That’s nothing. I could carry the whole match with no pressure, okay?”

Shu Jia heard the two of them bickering and couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, alright, are you two going to play or not?”

Jiang Yuyu’s voice was listless. “Let’s play. Aaron, start the stream.”

“Wait for me a sec.” Aaron suddenly said, followed by the sound of a chair scraping across the floor.

“Ugh.” Jiang Yuyu sighed, then turned to chat with Shu Jia. “Jiajia, do you have something on your mind tonight?”

“Oh, right.” Jiang Yuyu suddenly remembered something, her tone full of gossip. “You’ve fallen for someone, haven’t you? That Weibo post you made earlier was way too flirty. Ygg even sent me a screenshot. I didn’t dare believe it.”

Shu Jia froze when she heard the topic brought up, feeling extremely awkward. She didn’t even know how to answer, especially with so many people present. She could only mumble vaguely, “No, I just wanted to chat with my fans, so I came up with a topic.”

Jiang Yuyu wasn’t buying it. “Please, you know I’m not going to believe that crap.”

Shu Jia sighed. “I’ll tell you later.”

Thankfully, Aaron showed up just in time to save her.

“Hey, hey.”

Aaron’s voice carried a smile. “I’ve got good news for you all, okay?”

“What good news?” Jiang Yuyu asked without much energy.

“I pulled in two of my teammates to play with us. Is that stable enough for you?”

That one sentence was like a bomb dropping out of nowhere—instantly blowing everyone up.

“For real? Holy shit!” Jiang Yuyu shrieked, “Ahhhhh! Don’t tell me you actually got Wan to come?”

She was so excited she could barely sit still.

Even the chat exploded.

People kept guessing which two Aaron had pulled in.

Of course, the name “Wan” flooded the screen more than anyone else’s—rolling by endlessly.

After all, Aaron’s teammates meant none other than the strongest pro team in the entire LPL right now…

And not only were WR’s players famous for being insanely good-looking, they were also notorious for never duo-queuing with girls! They never played publicly with girls. But tonight—three of them together, bringing girls along?!

Shu Jia couldn’t believe it. “Really?”

“Yeah.” Aaron’s tone was nonchalant. “Wan said he’s taking you guys for a ride through Ionia tonight.”

Aaron then told Jiang Yuyu, “I’ll drop Wan and GGBond’s IDs in the chat. Pull them up.”

“Okay, okay, okay!” Jiang Yuyu agreed eagerly.

She moved so fast it was like she was scared they’d change their minds. Within minutes, two new people were pulled in.

Two fresh IDs appeared on the mic list. One was W, the other Gb.

The moment Shu Jia saw that W, her face turned crimson.

She couldn’t tell if she was more nervous or more shy, but his words from earlier kept circling in her head.

Playing ranked with him…

She really wasn’t mentally prepared for this yet…

Neither of them spoke at first, but the moment they appeared on the mic list, a tidal wave of fan confessions surged across the screen.

Random 1: Holy crap, it’s my first time seeing Wan live!!!!!!
Random 2: Ahhhh Zhou Dang, do you know there once was someone who loved you for a very, very long time…
Random 3: Piggy Knight! I love you! I’m gonna marry you and take you home as my wife!!
Random 4: Why are there so many brainless fans, this is terrifying…
Random 5: Doesn’t matter, doesn’t matter, Dang is my hubby. Heart sign.
Random 6: RIP my A-ge, instantly invisible…
Random 7: I don’t get what’s happening, but I’m watching anyway.
Random 8: My poor little maiden heart is exploding…

In the end, even the admins had to step in and post an announcement banning spam.

The commotion drew even more people rushing in to watch. The numbers on YY skyrocketed in minutes.

Shu Jia stared dumbfounded at the out-of-control scene, secretly sighing. Their popularity was just too insane…

These days, being good-looking was a golden ticket in any field, huh…

Jiang Yuyu was ecstatic. “Oh man, how did I get so lucky? Our captain’s actually playing with me! I can brag about this for a whole year!”

“You won’t be bragging for a year,” GGBond said, his tone teasing. “He’s not here to play with you. Don’t flatter yourself.”

He stopped there and didn’t say more.

Jiang Yuyu caught on right away, smiling playfully without the slightest embarrassment. “I get it, I get it. I’m just riding someone else’s coattails.”

“So, are we going to Server One?” she asked.

“Duh.”

Shu Jia groaned inwardly. Why did they all like making jokes about her and Zhou Dang?

She really didn’t want the hate… She knew too well what would happen if his female fans targeted her.

Especially since before this, when literally nothing had even happened, there were already people spamming her live room saying she had a one-sided crush on Zhou Dang, begging for what she couldn’t get…

It was exhausting.

Aaron still didn’t get it. “What are you guys even talking about?”

“You wouldn’t understand.” Jiang Yuyu dismissed him, “Hurry up and start the stream. Change the title to ‘Ionia Carrying Girls Friendly Match.’”

“Oh.”

“Oh, right. Shu Jia, are you streaming?” Jiang Yuyu asked.

“No.”

Aaron went off to start the stream while Shu Jia booted up her computer and logged into the game.

She browsed the game page, waiting for the lobby invite. On YY, only Jiang Yuyu, Aaron, and GGBond were chatting with the fans.

Zhou Dang was probably too lazy to talk, so he stayed silent. Shu Jia also didn’t know what to say, so she simply kept quiet.

She was spacing out when suddenly someone called her name.

“Shu Jia.”

A low, husky, cold voice—like snow falling one flake at a time.

“Ah.” Shu Jia froze, answering blankly.

The moment Zhou Dang spoke, the entire room fell silent. Only his voice remained. He was the type that, once he appeared, everyone’s attention naturally revolved around him. His presence was overpowering.

“Join the lobby.”

“O-okay.” Shu Jia snapped back to herself, flustered, and hurriedly checked her invites before clicking accept.

The moment she entered, everyone else seemed to wake up too.

GGBond teased, “Hey, Zhou Dang, when did you add someone on that account?”

Zhou Dang ignored him.

Aaron finally noticed something was off and asked Jiang Yuyu, gossip written all over his voice, “What’s going on? Dang and Jiajia—what secret deal do they have?”

“You’re just realizing that now? I’ve noticed for a while.” Jiang Yuyu didn’t dare joke about Zhou Dang too blatantly, so she only said vaguely, “Figure it out yourself.”

The whole group went quiet—Shu Jia included.

After a long silence, it was GGBond who cut in, “Alright, let’s all queue fill. Five-man, instant queue. Tonight, let’s give you a taste of what it feels like to be crushed by the strongest King rank, okay?”

They got lucky—within minutes, they matched.

Shu Jia landed in both lanes as support.

Aaron was ADC, and he laughed slyly. “Same rules as always, I’ll lane with the girl.”

“Then I’m top.” Jiang Yuyu said immediately.

“Dang, how about the two of us shake the Rift with our jungle-mid combo?” GGBond suggested.

Zhou Dang didn’t respond. He just typed directly in chat:

Give me 5th pick.

Aaron instantly protested. “Wan, seriously? Haven’t you played enough ADC? Why are you stealing mine again?”

“Come on, if he wants it, just let him.” Jiang Yuyu teased, clicking her tongue. “You’re so bad at reading the room.”

GGbond also started flaming him.
“Play your damn ADC, man! Fifth pick gives Wan, you go mid, bro.”

“Oh…”

Aaron sounded aggrieved.

Shu Jia’s face was red, silently pretending to play dumb.

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Author’s Note:
ADC and support always go on the same lane, so… you know what that means. Since ancient times, the relationship between an ADC and their support has always been the hardest to explain…

I was originally planning to write the whole gaming scene in one chapter, but I wrote too much, so lazy me decided to split it into two chapters instead…

I’m also thinking… maybe I should just wait until winter break to write the rest… 0.0 So conflicted… feels like there aren’t many people reading anyway…

Kind of sad =-=