Chapter 1

Pei Jiyin set down her pen, rubbed her neck, and glanced into the distance, immediately spotting the girl sitting two tables ahead of her.  

The girl had striking features, her expression mostly neutral as she stared at the tablet in front of her, occasionally furrowing her brows. Seemingly annoyed by her loose hair getting in the way, she had casually pinned it up with a clip, softening her overall appearance.  

Pei Jiyin lowered her head and sent a message to her friend—the only person in the entire school who knew she liked girls.  

**[Pei Jiyin: I just saw a super pretty girl in the library! My heart, which has been calm for twenty years, is suddenly racing.]**  

**[Cheng Yu: Go for it!]**  

**[Pei Jiyin: I don’t dare.]**  

**[Cheng Yu: You’re usually pretty bold, aren’t you? Don’t worry, you’re pretty too—it’s not like a toad lusting after swan meat.]**  

**[Pei Jiyin: ……]**  

Pei Jiyin looked up at the girl again, only to accidentally lock eyes with her. The girl seemed startled, quickly lowering her gaze. Pei Jiyin had been about to smile, but now the expression froze awkwardly on her face.  

**[Pei Jiyin: I’m so upset. I was about to smile at her, but she immediately looked away.]**  

**[Cheng Yu: Hahahaha, describe her to me. Maybe I can help you find out who she is, whether she’s single, and her orientation.]**  

**[Pei Jiyin: She’s really beautiful, with striking features and bold makeup. She looks very A and serious, but also elegant.]**  

**[Cheng Yu: What kind of messy description is that? But I think I have an idea. Let me send you a photo—see if it’s her.]**  

**[Pei Jiyin: Sure.]**  

**[Cheng Yu: [Image]]**  

**[Cheng Yu: Is it the one I circled?]**  

**[Pei Jiyin: !!!]**  

**[Pei Jiyin: Yes.]**  

**[Cheng Yu: Tsk, figures. That’s Song Zhen, a junior. Department flower of the Chinese Literature Department, president of the school’s traditional dance club, and secretary-general of the student council. Lots of people have tried to pursue her—men and women alike—but no one’s succeeded yet.]**  

**[Pei Jiyin: ……]**  

**[Cheng Yu: You should have some confidence in yourself. You’re our department’s flower too.]**  

**[Pei Jiyin: She seems really hard to approach.]**  

**[Cheng Yu: True.]**  

**[Pei Jiyin: My youthful heart… shattered.]**  

**[Cheng Yu: You’re giving up before even trying?]**  

**[Pei Jiyin: Never mind, I’m heading back. Sigh.]**  

**[Cheng Yu: Alright.]**  

Pei Jiyin packed up her things and stole another glance at Song Zhen, who was now focused on writing and sketching in her notebook. The library was so quiet that even the slightest sound would draw attention. If she went over to ask for WeChat and got rejected, everyone would notice.  

She checked the time—already three minutes past six. She was supposed to start streaming at six, but clearly, she was going to be late again. She posted a notice on Weibo, pushing the stream to seven o’clock. The comments were full of complaints, but everyone was used to it by now.  

Pei Jiyin was a freshman in the Journalism and Communication Department at A University. After graduating high school with three National Server Rank titles, she had casually started streaming Kings of Glory out of boredom. It was just a whim—she hadn’t expected to make money from it. But now, she had become a top streamer on a major platform, hitting one million followers just a month ago.

She rented a place off-campus for her livestreams, and since she had enough funds, she didn’t need to share with anyone—living alone was pure bliss.  

After getting home, she ate a little, took a shower, and then sat in front of her computer to start her livestream. She didn’t show her face, only her hands.  

“I’m actually three minutes early—it’s only 6:57,” Pei Jiyin said with a laugh.  

The chat was flooded with question marks.  

“I didn’t mean to start at seven, but I ran into a really pretty girl at the library today, so I couldn’t help but stare a little longer,” Pei Jiyin explained, sighing in admiration. “She was just too gorgeous.”  

“First, I’ll play some Peak Match. Once I hit 2100 points, I’ll switch to my Smurf Account and have some fun with a Gaming Partner,” Pei Jiyin said. “Thanks to the two True Love Supremes who sent me little flowers.”  

She clicked to enter matchmaking and rubbed her wrists. She played all five roles, though she rarely played support. This first match, she got her beloved Ma Chao.  

“Isn’t this just pure joy?” Pei Jiyin mused.  

Whether it was sheer luck or not, she didn’t lose a single game climbing from the 1900s to 2100 points—just win after win. Once she hit 2100, she decisively exited Peak Match and opened a Gaming Partner app.  

“Now the real fun begins. Which one do you guys like? Want a guy or a girl?”  

“A guy? Sure.”  

“These voices aren’t great. Any that sound a bit more natural?”  

“This one’s not bad. Let’s go with this.”  

She booked three matches, then switched to her Smurf Account, which was only Diamond Tier. She queued up with the Gaming Partner, but before she could say anything, a voice came through her headphones.  

“Um, big brothers and sisters… can I play Yao?” A girl’s voice, deliberately high-pitched—not overly fake, but Pei Jiyin could tell immediately.  

Pei Jiyin: “…”  

“And here comes the not-so-fun part.”  

No one responded, so the girl locked in Yao herself.  

“Boss, if you want to play Yao, I can first-pick her for you,” the Gaming Partner offered. “I’m in first pick.”  

“No need, I’ll go mid,” Pei Jiyin said, selecting Kaguya.  

Once in-game, the girl behaved normally at first, buying the support item and following Pei Jiyin without saying much. But by mid-to-late game, she spoke up again.  

“Big brother… can I have this Blue Buff, pretty please?”  

Pei Jiyin raised an eyebrow. By the time she glanced back at the screen, the chat was already spamming “green tea.”  

She quickly dashed over, controlling her Kaguya to throw a fan and snipe the nearly dead Blue Buff, then turned and walked away without a word. The Yao, who had been happily dancing beside the buff, froze in place.  

All that was left in the voice chat was the girl’s shallow breathing.  

She was probably annoyed, but she still forced a sweet tone to “forgive” Pei Jiyin’s move. “Oh… big sister took the Blue Buff. That’s okay, I’ll get the next one.”  

Yet still, no one responded to her, leaving her awkwardly talking to herself.  

[LMAO, I can’t believe you ran into someone like this.]  

[She’s gotta be acting, right? No way people like this exist in real life. Maybe she’s also streaming?]  

[So cringe, I wanna puke.]  

[Yinyin, you should start faking it too!]  

[…]

“What are you talking about? Her sister is so adorable,” Pei Jiyin said with a laugh in her voice. She didn’t find the other person annoying at all.  

Yao spoke up again: “Brother, can I have this kill? It’s just this one little wish of mine.”