Chapter 17

Pei Jiyin felt like she had never been more embarrassed in her life. How could she still be recognized when her entire face was covered? And if she had just greeted her, it would’ve been fine—but she deliberately avoided her and still got caught.

“Senior,” Pei Jiyin waved her hand, “What a coincidence, I didn’t even notice you were here.”

“I saw you earlier and thought I might be mistaken,” Song Zhen said.

“Ah, really?” Pei Jiyin forced a smile.

Song Zhen nodded. In truth, she had seen Pei Jiyin run away and initially thought she was avoiding her. Though she couldn’t see Pei Jiyin’s expression, her eyes looked sincere—maybe she really hadn’t noticed.

“Are all pretty girls friends with other pretty girls?” Zhi Zhi chimed in, leaning closer.

Pei Jiyin subtly pinched Zhi Zhi’s arm behind her back, and Zhi Zi immediately shut her mouth.

“Well, Senior, we won’t disturb you anymore. Enjoy your meal,” Pei Jiyin said.

“Mm, see you tomorrow,” Song Zhen replied with a smile, not dwelling on it.

Pei Jiyin dragged Zhi Zhi out the door.

“Why are you so nervous?” Zhi Zhi asked.

“Because almost no one in my real life knows I’m a streamer. It’s awkward if people find out,” Pei Jiyin glanced at her. “Unbelievable. I’m covered up so thoroughly even my own mom might not recognize me face-to-face. How did she spot me?”

She was genuinely curious.

“Maybe it’s your aura?” Zhi Zhi gave her a once-over. “Or maybe you’ve dressed like this around her before?”

“Nope,” Pei Jiyin sighed.

“Honestly, you’re overreacting.”

“You don’t get it,” Pei Jiyin waved her off. “Let’s go, this place is dangerous. We should go somewhere else.”

“Fine, whatever. I’ll follow your lead,” Zhi Zhi said. “By the way, your senior is really pretty.”

“Yeah, I think so too,” Pei Jiyin agreed.

“I’d love to get to know her,” Zhi Zhi mused.

“I veto that.”

Zhi Zhi stared at her for a moment. “Alright, just saying.”

To avoid running into Song Zhen again, Pei Jiyin had planned to take Zhi Zhi to an escape room, but all available slots were already booked. In the end, they settled for a dessert shop three stops away from the mall to play games.

“So this is what streamer meetups are like?” Zhi Zhi remarked.

“Pretty much,” Pei Jiyin replied, crossing her legs.

“By the way, where do you go to school?” Zhi Zhi asked, curious.

“Guess?” Pei Jiyin raised an eyebrow.

Zhi Zhi thought for a moment, then glanced at her. “Never mind, forget I asked.”

She understood boundaries well—if someone didn’t want to share, there was no point pushing. Sooner or later, she’d find out when they got closer.

“Feng Sheng’s asking if we want to join a custom 5v5,” Zhi Zhi said.

“Is he streaming?”

“Looks like it,” Zhi Zhi checked the app. “Should we join?”

“Sure, we’ve got nothing better to do.”

Pei Jiyin accepted the invite. The room already had seven people—all streamers on her friends list, though most weren’t particularly close.

“You two are meeting up in person, and instead of going out, you’re gaming?” Feng Sheng asked.

“Just wandering around is boring,” Zhi Zhi said. “Isn’t our position overlap too severe?”

“Casual matches don’t matter,” another streamer replied.

“Can I play Princess Yao Yao?” Pei Jiyin asked in a deliberately high-pitched voice.

“Sure, sure, of course you can.”

Pei Jiyin laughed.

“Yin Song, have you gotten too used to teasing girls lately?” Zhi Zhi said with a look of disdain.

“A little bit.”

However, upon entering the game, the enemy team immediately banned Yao Girl. Both sides banned heroes quite randomly—characters like Luban, Arthur, and Daji.

“Ah,” Pei Jiyin sighed. “What now?”

“What role do you want to play? Just pick anything.”

After a moment’s thought, Pei Jiyin chose Da Qiao: “I’ll just play support.”

After all, she had initially said she wanted to play Yao, so the others had likely already decided on their roles. Switching now would be awkward.

“Alright, then I’ll play Gongsun Li,” Zhi Zhi said.

Once the game started, Pei Jiyin stealthily snuck over to the enemy mid-lane and stole their Health Pack while they were away supporting.

[All] Le Zhou (Angela): ???

[All] Le Zhou (Angela): Yin Song, you’re inhuman.

[All] Yin Song (Da Qiao): *sobs* Zhi Zhi jiejie, look, he’s bullying me.

Zhi Zhi glanced up at Pei Jiyin. “For some reason, I really want to kick you.”

“Why? Is my voice not sweet enough?” Pei Jiyin asked.

“If that girl still plays with you, seriously, you should send her a red packet.”

Pei Jiyin then stole another Health Pack from the enemy’s off-lane before returning to the fountain. As she passed through the mid-lane bushes, she got ambushed by all five enemies. Zhang Liang’s ultimate locked her down, leaving her no chance to escape.

Zhi Zi laughed shamelessly.

“Tch.” Pei Jiyin shot her a look.

For the next ten minutes, wherever Pei Jiyin went, three people would suddenly jump out of the bushes.

[All] Yin Song (Da Qiao): My heart is broken, it won’t heal. Stop camping me—your base is gone.

[All] Lulu Zi (Mi Yue): Doesn’t matter. Dignity is more important.

[All] Yin Song (Da Qiao): Has love vanished?  

“Never thought you’d have a day like this,” Zhi Zhi mused. “I barely got to ride your Elevator this match.”

“But I tanked so many of Zhang Liang’s ultimates for you,” Pei Jiyin emphasized.

“They weren’t even aiming for me.”

“Still, I drew all their aggro for you,” Pei Jiyin said. “Thank me.”

“You really did pull aggro like a pro,” another teammate remarked. “No one even glanced at me.”

In the second match, Pei Jiyin played Zhong Kui and stole the enemy Jungler’s buffs no less than eight hundred times, infuriating them to the point of chasing her relentlessly. Pei Jiyin cackled with glee.

“Your sadistic sense of humor is next-level,” Zhi Zhi said.

“Usually, I’m the one getting treated like this. This is the first time I’ve done it to someone else. Honestly, Zhong Kui is just too much fun,” Pei Jiyin said.

[All] Singing Off-Key (Baili Xuance): If we ever meet in real life, let’s settle this with a duel.

[All] Yin Song (Zhong Kui): We live in civilized times, young one. Resorting to violence so easily is unbecoming.

Unsurprisingly, Pei Jiyin once again became the enemy team’s sole focus. Zhi Zhi pushed towers all the way to the high ground without anyone stopping her.

With a glorious 2-12 KDA, Pei Jiyin proudly secured another victory.

After a few more rounds, Pei Jiyin behaved much better, but the previous hostility had already been firmly established—the opposing team still loved targeting her.  

“Men fall silent, women shed tears,” Pei Jiyin sighed as her screen turned black again. She glanced at the time. “Let’s grab something to eat after this round?”  

“Sure,” Zhi Zhi checked the time.  

“I won’t see you off to the airport—it’s too far from where I live.”  

“Okay,” Zhi Zhi had no objections.  

Pei Jiyin’s match records were abysmal—losing two out of five games wasn’t too bad, all things considered.  

“Are you streaming tonight?” Zhi Zhi asked.  

“Yeah,” Pei Jiyin said. “Since I won’t be able to tomorrow.”  

Zhi Zhi nodded.  

Their dinner was a casual affair—they’d played too long, and a proper meal might take too much time.  

After seeing Zhi Zhi off, Pei Jiyin’s train arrived just in time. She boarded, found a corner to stand in, and sighed.  

Whenever she had a moment to herself, her thoughts drifted to Song Zhen.  

She wondered if Song Zhen had believed her explanation—after all, her deliberate escape had been pretty obvious.  

She pulled out her phone, wanting to message Song Zhen, but had no idea what to say.  

Everything felt awkward.  

Pei Jiyin clutched her phone and sighed again.  

“Hey, beautiful, what’s got you sighing like that?”  

Pei Jiyin: “…”  

She swore this was the lamest pickup line she’d ever heard in her life. She kept her head down, pretending not to hear, hoping the guy would take the hint and leave.  

“Hey, beautiful?”  

“Do you need something?” Pei Jiyin finally looked up at him.  

“Can I get your WeChat?”  

“No.”  

“Why so cold?”  

Pei Jiyin: ???  

She should’ve just taken a cab—some money wasn’t worth saving.  

“Being cold obviously means I’m not interested and don’t want to give you my WeChat. Do you really need that spelled out?” Pei Jiyin snapped.  

“What’s the harm in getting to know each other?”  

“I think there is.” Pei Jiyin glared at him.  

“Playing hard to get, huh? Who do you think you are?”  

Pei Jiyin scoffed. “Oh, I must’ve missed the law that says I have to give you my WeChat just because you asked. With skin thicker than a city wall, maybe you should take a look in the Mirror and see what you’re really like.”  

“You’re not exactly young anymore—just because your family calls you their precious little darling doesn’t mean the whole world has to,” she sneered.  

Someone nearby chuckled.  

“What’s wrong with you? Your mouth’s vicious.”  

“You can call me fake, but I can’t call you out? Since when? I think my assessment was pretty objective—otherwise, people wouldn’t be laughing. Right?”  

More passengers were staring now, some even pulling out their phones. The guy lasted until the next stop before bolting.  

Pei Jiyin scoffed. And here she thought he had thicker skin—what a joke.  

“Sweetheart, next time, don’t provoke people when it’s not crowded,” an elderly woman nearby advised.  

“Got it,” Pei Jiyin nodded, sighing inwardly.  

She was already in a bad mood—now it was even worse.