Although the bed sheets and covers weren’t very dirty, Mu Wan still tossed them all into the washing machine for a spin. She opened her computer to watch the scumbag’s live-streamed match. Seeing him won another game again, she smiled contentedly and muttered to herself, “Lately, I’ve been busy with his matches and celebrating Mom’s birthday. It feels like I haven’t played games in a while. I’ll go find O Lan to team up.”

Playing games is best with familiar people; otherwise, some random players’ moves can be so absurd they defy imagination. Mu Wan’s usual fixed teammates were Kuang Ye and O Lan, with her little cousin joining in occasionally. Although she had the contact info of several ST team members on WeChat, those were their main accounts for professional play, and their ranks were too high. Mu Wan preferred to be a big fish in a small pond^[1]Idiom meaning: a person who is very well known or important in a small group of people but who is not known or important outside that group. rather than the other way around. Plus, she didn’t want to drag them down, so she rarely queued up with them.

O Lan, a professional streamer, was online almost all day. As soon as he saw Mu Wan’s invite to team up, he immediately joined. The chat in his live stream room erupted with excitement.

[Here she comes, our rich lady Wan is here again!]
[I’ve been watching since O Lan first added Wan as a friend. Over this time, seeing them duo queue, I feel like I’ve witnessed a newbie’s transformation into a pro.]
[True, Wan’s gaming skills have improved really fast. Now, except for jungle heroes, which she’s not very familiar with, she plays quite well in all other roles.]
[That’s because she has a jungle king protecting her in that lane, so she doesn’t need to practice. Thanks, I’m shipping them again!]
[Lately, Wan and the jungle king haven’t been duoing as much. It just so happens that it’s the Fall season competition, and pro players are busy with matches. I have a not-so-wild theory.]
[Many people in the circle suspect Su You^[2]Su You is a smurf account of Kuang Ye is a pro player. With those skills and that awareness, it’s hard to think otherwise. But his hero pool is so deep, and he doesn’t have any signature heroes, so it’s hard to pinpoint.]
[Uh… Deep hero pool? I just thought of someone.]
[+1]
[+2]
[Don’t overthink it. It’s impossible. The ST team has been on fire lately, clearly training hard during the off-season. Where would he find the time to carry someone in games?]
[Ship the characters, not the people. Don’t overthink it. Let the Wild God shine on his own.]
[Ah, so everyone knows who we’re talking about, huh.]
[By the way, the streamer’s skills are quite good too. Why not go pro? The salary would be much better than streaming, right?]
[Going pro isn’t that easy. Plus, the background checks in pro teams are stricter than the entertainment industry. One wrong move, and a suspension could drag down the entire team. This streamer may look harmless, but behind the scenes… tsk tsk.]
[Where did this hater come from?]
[Mods, kick them out, quick!]

Thanks to Mu Wan’s earlier extravagant gifts, O Lan was no longer a small-time streamer. Combined with his skillful gameplay and engaging streams, he had already built a loyal fan base. Seeing the chat’s comments, O Lan paid no mind to the instigators. He was used to seeing at least a dozen, if not a hundred, of such comments daily.

“Lately, Wan-Jie has been in a bit of a bloodthirsty mood, picking only high-damage heroes and constantly abandoning tanks. I’ll pick a tanky support to shield her from all the bullets and chaos!”

[Ooooh, Wan-Jie? I’m shipping this all over again!]
“Shipping everything will ruin you. I’m a die-hard fan of Jianjia CP. Don’t mess with me—I’m still hoping the Wild God, Su You, will carry me someday.”

While Mu Wan happily played her game, the atmosphere in the Zhuang household was far from pleasant.

Zhuang Shanshan’s father paced anxiously in his study, furiously scolding her as she stood off to the side. “What were you thinking, provoking a giant like the Mu family? A large portion of the Zhuang family’s electronic material supply chain is tied to them. Now the company can’t source materials, all our signed contracts are delayed or breached!” He paused, glaring at her. “Do you even realize how much effort and hard work from so many people over the past year this has wasted?”

Zhuang Shanshan’s face turned pale, but when she thought about how a single phone call from Mu Wan could make Mu Yan Ci unhesitatingly break contracts to back her up, a spark of defiance rose in her. “Dad, all you see is the company’s losses. Why can’t you see my grievances? Am I worth less than a bit of money?”

Her father nearly exploded. “Your grievances? What grievances could you possibly have? If you had been insulted or hit by Mu Wan today, I don’t care how untouchable the Mu family is—I would absolutely stand up for you. But is that what happened? No! You got drunk and lashed out at her without rhyme or reason.”^[3]T/L’s note: Serves you right! I agree with this father of her.

“They’ve already sent me copies of the surveillance footage,” he continued, his voice dripping with frustration. “Now they’re threatening to sue you for defamation and personal insult, and you have the nerve to say you’re the one who’s wronged? I’m the one who feels wronged, having raised such a useless child.”

Zhuang Shanshan was left speechless, her voice faltering. “If worse comes to worst, I’ll go beg the Kuang family…”

“The Kuang family is related to the Mu family by marriage. Why would they side with a stranger like you over their own relatives? Is your brain full of mush?”

Tears welled up in Zhuang Shanshan’s eyes, and panic began to set in. She knew how hard her father worked for the company, often staying in the study late into the night. “Dad, what do we do now?” she asked softly.

Looking at his beloved daughter, Zhuang Shanshan’s father sighed, rubbing his temples as his tone softened slightly. “The company is already reaching out to other suppliers with the necessary materials. One of them, a tech company called Su You, has its own raw material factory. If we can strike a deal with them, we might be able to mitigate some of the losses.”

Just then, the phone in the study rang.

The elder Zhuang quickly picked it up. “How is it? Is Su You willing to cooperate?”