Players from older servers were different.

They not only had better equipment but also honed their skills, making it harder for Ning Qiuxiu to dominate them.

In short, the hype was too exaggerated, and now she was about to be exposed.

The game officials hadn’t expected things to escalate this way, but they were thrilled with the traffic and excitement.

They eagerly suggested that Ning Qiuxiu bring her “mysterious trainer,” who had gained a lot of attention despite only speaking a few words in the previous stream.

Although Ning Qiuxiu’s studio denied that the account “Chi Yu” was her in-game husband, the mystery surrounding him only grew.

People were curious about this person’s real identity and skills.

Still annoyed about being used for free promotion, Ning Qiuxiu agreed but demanded the same appearance fee for her “trainer” as for herself.

The game company was reluctant.

Paying an unknown person the same as a celebrity seemed outrageous, but for the sake of the hype, they reluctantly agreed.

Ning Qiuxiu managed to squeeze more money out of the game company, which lifted her mood a bit.

On Friday at 8 PM, she and her “trainer” appeared in the live stream right on time.

She streamed from her home, in her own room, while Zhan Qingyue was in the next room, separated by just a wall, pretending to be her “trainer.”

The stream attracted a massive audience.

As soon as it started, the viewer count soared to 3 million and kept rising.

Of course, streaming platforms often inflate these numbers, so the real count was likely much lower.

Ning Qiuxiu greeted everyone and followed the script provided by the game company to introduce “Magic Abyss.” But the viewers weren’t interested in that.

“Stop babbling, when’s the PK? If you don’t start, I’m leaving.”

“Where’s Chi Yu? I want to see Chi Yu, the great god!”

“Ning is awesome, Ning is awesome, Ning is awesome!”

Ning Qiuxiu saw these repeated messages, smiled, and said, “Don’t worry, the PK will start soon.

I’ve only been playing this game for a week, so I’m not very skilled yet.

To avoid losing too badly, I’ve brought my trainer, the one you’re all waiting for—Chi Yu. Chi Yu, say hi to everyone.”

Zhan Qingyue, connected through the microphone, gave Ning Qiuxiu some face and said, “Hello everyone, I’m Chi Yu.”

“Wow, it’s a guy! His voice is so charming~”

“Aah, this voice! It’s making my heart race!”

“Even the trainer a female celebrity finds is this charming. I’m so jealous~”

“Aah, I’ve decided to play this game. Which server is he on?”

Zhan Qingyue only said hello, but the chat went wild, leaving Ning Qiuxiu dumbfounded.

Hey, wake up, girls! He just said one sentence.

He might be an ugly, overweight nerd in real life. Is it necessary to swoon like this?

However, seeing Zhan Qingyue being so popular, Ning Qiuxiu couldn’t help but feel a bit proud.

She said, “Since Chi Yu is the real expert, here’s the deal for today’s PK. You have to beat me first to have a chance to challenge Chi Yu.”

The audience: “…”

Isn’t this a bit backward?

Shouldn’t we defeat the “guardian” sent by the female celebrity first to have a chance to compete with her?

[Qiuyou’s protective skills are no joke, so sweet it made me cry.]

[Please get married already! Ahhhh!]

[CP fans must be crazy. The celebrity already clarified that it’s a practice account. Can you shut up and stop looking for trouble?]

[If I had such a practice partner, I’d protect them too. Chi Yu is amazing!]

[Where did Qiuyou find such a practice partner? Can you share the contact?]

Ning Qiuxiu glanced at the chat and, seeing the request for where to find a practice partner, deliberately said, “The practice partner was found on Taobao, 60 yuan per hour. If you’re not satisfied, you can get a refund.”

“……” President Zhang didn’t object to the “cheap labor” rate of 60 yuan per hour. He continued, “So, Ms. Ning, are you satisfied with your 60 yuan per hour practice partner?”

“Well,” Ning Qiuxiu said deliberately, “It depends on your performance tonight. If you make me lose face by performing badly, I might have to leave a negative review.”

Zhang Qingyue smiled, “I’ll definitely perform well to keep my job.”

Everyone: “……”

Why do they feel like they’ve been unexpectedly fed some dog food?

The PK match began.

Ning Qiuxiu had been trained intensively by Zhang Qingyue for over a week, and after a small-scale wheel battle a few days ago, she had a new understanding of how other players operate.

She didn’t lose too badly this time, maybe around a 30% chance of winning.

However, Zhang Qingyue dominated the remaining 30%.

Zhang Qingyue’s talent in gaming is indeed above average, especially in understanding the game, particularly in skills, positioning, and prediction.

He watched Ning Qiuxiu’s PK matches, learned the opponent’s tactics, and then when he fought, he could predict the opponent’s next moves based on their habits.

Next up was a warrior battling Ning Qiuxiu. This warrior wore top-level orange gear, sparkling gold, practically shouting “I’m super rich” from his forehead.

[Nearby] First Hammer: Qiuxiu, I really like you. If I win, will you marry me? I’m way better than this pretty boy practice partner.

“……” Ning Qiuxiu almost spat. Are people in the game this… intense?

The already active chat exploded with comments. Ning Qiuxiu saw that First Hammer was the top player in the game, known for having the best gear for every profession.

Despite “Magic Abyss” being a niche game, a top account costs at least a million yuan. With six professions, he must have spent at least 6 million.

Ning Qiuxiu couldn’t respond to such a proposal and couldn’t ignore it either. She could only laugh and joke, “Sorry, we don’t offer that service.”

[Nearby] First Hammer: Don’t be shy. With Hammer Grandpa around, you’ll be able to walk tall in Magic Abyss.

“Walk tall?” Zhang Qingyue, who was listening, seemed amused by this comment. “Looks like you’re quite confident.”

“Ahhhh, can I interpret this as jealousy? Is it? Is it?”

“Wow, can’t wait for Chi Yu to show his skills and crush him!”

“2333, although I don’t ship anyone, I’m suddenly seeing pink.”

“Chi Yu’s going to get wrecked. His gear and level are way lower.”

“Maybe not. Didn’t that second-ranked archer just get completely crushed?”

…

The so-called “Number One Hammer” might be arrogant, but he respected Chi Yu’s skills enough not to challenge him openly, instead taunting in the local chat.

[Local] Number One Hammer: I don’t fight players whose gear is three tiers lower than mine. It would lower my standards. Of course, Qiuxiu is an exception. Qiuxiu, muah muah.

“…” Ning Qiuxiu was almost suffocated by the “muah muah.”

Doesn’t this guy realize how weird it sounds for such a tough warrior to act like this?

The moment Number One Hammer said this, the chat exploded, calling him out for being so annoying. They said he was just making excuses because he couldn’t beat Chi Yu and mocking him for thinking their beloved Chi Yu couldn’t afford the same gear.

Ning Qiuxiu facepalmed. She knew this was going to end badly for Number One Hammer.

Spending money? Zhan Daddy wasn’t afraid of that.

Sure enough, Zhan Qingyue’s voice came through the headset again, “Watch closely, don’t blink.”

Then, under everyone’s watchful eyes, Zhan Qingyue’s gear transformed, piece by piece, into orange, matching the top-tier gear of Number One Hammer, blinding everyone with its brilliance.

The crowd gasped. What the heck, even paid trainers on Taobao had this much money now?

“Do I qualify now?” Zhan Qingyue asked lazily.

Number One Hammer: “…”

He really wanted to swear.

“For a bit of challenge, I’ll handicap myself.” Zhan Qingyue said, removing one piece of gear, just enough to be three tiers below Number One Hammer.

“…”

The chat burst into laughter.

Zhan Qingyue’s display was incredibly satisfying, especially when Number One Hammer, despite his bravado, was thoroughly crushed by Zhan Qingyue, much to everyone’s delight.

That’ll teach you to show off!

Ning Qiuyou couldn’t help but laugh. Of all people to provoke, why did it have to be Zhang Qingyue?

She finally understood why in online game novels, female protagonists are so pleased to marry someone who’s great at gaming. It’s just one word—satisfying.

“Wait a moment.”

After finishing with First Hammer, Zhang Qingyue suddenly spoke urgently. There was a sound of something dropping from his end of the mic, followed by silence. He must have turned off his mic.

Ning Qiuyou immediately felt uneasy. Zhang Qingyue wasn’t fully recovered yet.

There had been incidents before, like when his foot cramped up severely last time, and he couldn’t get help because he was unable to use external assistance. It almost led to a hospital visit.

What kind of incident could it be this time?

“Hello,” Ning Qiuxiu tried calling him through the mic. “Are you okay?”

There was only silence on the other end.

Though she could call the caregiver, Ning Qiuyou couldn’t hold back her worry and said to her viewers, “Please wait a moment. I need to step out for a bit.”

With that, she pulled off her headphones and ran to Zhang Qingyue’s room.

The suddenly abandoned viewers were left wondering: Had they discovered something significant? Was it as they suspected?

Ning Qiuxiu rushed into Zhang Qingyue’s room without even knocking, only to see him calmly rolling out of the bathroom in his wheelchair.

Zhang Qingyue raised an eyebrow and said, “Ms. Ning, are you checking up on me to make sure I’m not secretly chatting with someone and docking my salary?”

Ning Qiuxiu was relieved to see he was fine. It seemed like he just wanted to make a fuss about nothing, which made her worry.

“Hmph,” Ning Qiuyou crossed her arms and said, “I saw you weren’t moving for a while, so I came to check if you were secretly chatting with some little vixen.”

“Hmm,” Zhang Qingyue admitted casually, “There is indeed a little vixen named Ning Qiuxiu passionately chatting with me.”

“…… Passionately my foot.” Ning Qiuxiu noticed that he had been getting more and more inappropriate with his jokes lately, making frequent innuendos.

What happened to his serious persona? Did it get eaten by a dog?

The livestream was still waiting for her, so Ning Qiuxiu couldn’t stay away for too long. She gave him a glare and ran back.

Zhang Qingyue watched her leave in a huff, then glanced at the comments on his tablet. The viewers were wildly speculating about their relationship due to the incident. He smiled smugly.

If I cause a stir, how will I get you to come over?

When Ning Qiuxiu returned, she saw the comments had all gone off track, thinking she and Chi Yu were living together.

That’s why Chi Yu suddenly went quiet and she rushed out in a panic.

Some viewers even eagerly posted “get together” in pink text everywhere.

“My husky just destroyed the house, I just went out to lock it up and scold it,” Ning Qiuxiu calmly explained. “Don’t overthink it.”

Zhang Qingyue, who had been likened to a husky, leisurely said, “How coincidental. My little kitten just got its tail stepped on and is now scratching me.”

Ning Qiuxiu: “……”