Chapter 35

Yu Linran’s personality isn’t the type that easily conflicts with others, but his temper is indeed hard to predict. On one hand, Ying Nian was surprised that Cui Teng, who had played two rounds with Yu Linran, somehow managed to upset him. On the other hand, she thought that anything could happen to Yu Linran, so she didn’t ask further.

Thanks to these few games, Cui Teng didn’t ask Ying Nian to play again afterward. He did persist in chatting with her on social media for a while, but Ying Nian couldn’t hold it in anymore and decided to lay things out clearly.

[I feel a bit burdened by this. I’ve always only seen you as a classmate and friend, and that’s how it will be in the future too. Do you understand what I’m saying?]

Cui Teng wasn’t foolish. She had made things this clear, and although he tried to make an effort, her attitude remained firm. Even though he felt regretful, he had no choice but to stop bothering her.

For Ying Nian, this was just a small episode. What was strange was Yu Linran. After playing the game with Cui Teng, he ordered her dinner remotely every night for a week, having it delivered to her school. The dishes changed daily without repeating, making a group of her classmates drool with envy.

She asked him, [Why are you ordering me dinner?]

The first day made sense—it was probably an apology. But after that?

Yu Linran said, [You mentioned that the food from that restaurant tasted good. There’s a branch here, so I wanted you to try more of it before I go.]

So, she was being used as a food taster?! Test subject Ying Nian was not pleased.

This episode passed, and winter break arrived in the blink of an eye.

During the league’s transfer period, the SF team remained calm with no changes to the roster. The same went for the All-Star game—since there were few spots available, it wasn’t SF’s turn to participate. After that came the Spring Festival.

The Spring Festival was always about the same things. The older you got, the less festive it felt. Ying Nian had never been fond of gathering with the large Ying family, and with her brother Ying Heng studying abroad and not returning for the holiday, the sense of family reunion was much diminished.

Having finished her holiday homework early, Ying Nian spent her days lounging lazily at home.

The SF members each went home for their vacations, with different places of origin. Yu Linran traveled the furthest, as his family lives abroad, and he flew overseas for his holiday. He wasn’t much for using social media to begin with and essentially disappeared.

Sending him a message would take 17 to 18 hours to get a reply due to the time difference. This time-lagged way of chatting was too frustrating for Ying Nian. After trying twice, she simply gave up.

One day, wearing fluffy pajamas and playing a game in her room, Ying Nian finished a match and, feeling satisfied with her performance, nodded and took a screenshot to post on Weibo.

Her Weibo following had been steadily growing, thanks to her frequent posts of Yu Linran’s stunning photos. Among the many fans of Yu Linran and SF, she had practically become one of the well-known “big shots.”

Within minutes, the comments started pouring in.

[Yu Qu’s skills have been improving lately! [laugh].]

[Does Yu Qu also like playing this hero? What a coincidence, it’s my main! I’m super good at it. How about a solo match?]

[Which server does Yu Qu play on? I want to team up!]

[The brave one above is really dedicated! Don’t you know Yu Qu is famously unpredictable? People who have played match games with her in the same team all say playing with her will drive you crazy!]

[This score… You’ve been playing this game for a while, huh? Still, your skills need to catch up to your idol’s level…]

…

Everyone’s tone was fairly mild. Some thought she played well, while others weren’t as impressed, but overall, the comments were filled with banter and jokes, creating a lively atmosphere.

Ying Nian scrolled through the comments, replying to a few of the funnier, witty ones. Then, she set her phone aside and continued gaming.

Catching up to her idol’s level? Well, isn’t she working on it?

After finishing another round, she suddenly received a friend request.

To be honest, Ying Nian received quite a few friend requests. She had posted her game score screenshots on Weibo before, and in the early days, she forgot to cover up her game ID. Some of her followers took note of it, and slowly her ID spread around. Even though she later carefully covered the ID in every screenshot, it was already too late.

In the game, people often added her—both men and women—most were SF fans, while some ill-intentioned SF anti-fans tried to provoke her. After encountering so many different types, Ying Nian had long learned to stay calm.

However, this time was different. This person was particularly persistent, continuously sending Ying Nian friend requests. Annoyed, she thought, where did this clingy pest come from? Frustrated and impatient, Ying Nian accepted the request.

She wanted to see who this person really was.

Ying Nian waited calmly for the other person to make a move. She had imagined many different scenarios, but when the message came, it was just two words: [Ying Nian?]

The tone was quite gentle…

Could it be an SF fan? Going through all this trouble to add her—don’t they get tired?

Ying Nian replied: [?]

She decided to see what the other person had to say. If it wasn’t anything important, she’d just delete them. She wasn’t fond of chatting with strangers.

The person’s next message was: [It’s really hard to add you! Do you usually get a lot of friend requests? I noticed your followers have increased quite a bit. So, how about I help you out? With my brother gone, no one’s been playing with me. I’m bored—want me to help you rank up?]

Ying Nian instinctively went to delete him, but something in his message made her pause. The tone and attitude didn’t feel like that of a stranger. This level of familiarity was unsettling unless it was someone she knew.

Ying Nian cautiously asked, [Who are you?]

He replied, [Me! Yi Shen!]

Afraid she wouldn’t believe him, he added, [If you don’t believe me, add me on WeChat. We can do a voice chat!]

Verification was still necessary, especially since he didn’t give Ying Nian much time to think and immediately sent his WeChat ID. Skeptical but curious, she added him, and almost instantly, a voice call request popped up.

She answered without saying anything, and waited, until a familiar voice sounded on the other end: “Hey? Ying Nian? Is that you? It’s me, Yi Shen!”

Her heart, which had been on edge, finally settled. She responded, “It’s me.”

“See? I wasn’t lying! Now, let’s play!” He didn’t waste any time before hanging up with a quick “beep.”

It had been a while since she’d been enveloped by Yi Shen’s enthusiasm, and she felt it once again. Just like in real life, Yi Shen was just as talkative online, going on and on without pause.

Yi Shen was indeed quick at helping Ying Nian rank up. As long as the other teammates weren’t too terrible, he could carry the whole game, making things much easier for Ying Nian.

But the noise—he was really loud.

How had she ever mixed up Yu Linran’s WeChat with Yi Shen’s? The two of them were completely different!

Unaware of Ying Nian’s internal complaints, Yi Shen mentioned Yu Linran: “With my Bro(Yu Linran) out of the country and not playing games, Run Bro and Que Bro(Lin Shan) are playing other games together every day. That brat Bo Can likes to play solo, so I’ve got no one to game with. It’s driving me crazy!”

Ying Nian asked, “Did the captain say when he’s coming back?”

“Not anytime soon. He won’t be back until the holiday’s over,” Yi Shen replied.

Ying Nian didn’t ask further, and Yi Shen continued, “I just saw your Weibo post. You’ve got nothing to do, I’ve got nothing to do—perfect time for us to play together.”

He even reassured her, “I’m a bit aggressive when I play, but don’t worry. I’ve just gotten used to playing professionally, so it’s hard to tone it down. All pro players are like this. You might not be used to it now, but you’ll get the hang of it after playing with me more.”

Ying Nian thought to herself, I’m already used to it. Your captain may not be known for being ‘aggressive,’ but when he plays against me, he can be really fierce…

She didn’t tell Yi Shen that she already had Yu Linran as a WeChat contact and that they had been gaming together for more than just a day or two.

For some reason, she didn’t want to bother Yu Linran with this, and she felt it was something personal between the two of them.

It became a little secret just between her and him, something she didn’t share with anyone else.

From the day they became both game and WeChat friends, Yi Shen started playing games with Ying Nian every day. Though her skills weren’t great, she followed instructions well. In-game, they often matched with overconfident teammates whose skills didn’t match their arrogance. They thought they could dominate but had no regard for teamwork.

With Ying Nian obediently following his lead, Yi Shen found things a lot smoother.

As they continued playing together, their relationship naturally grew closer. Their team size gradually increased too. Somehow, Yi Shen managed to convince others to join. Soon, they were playing in three, four, and five-person teams. Cheng Run and Lin Shan joining wasn’t surprising, but Bo Can occasionally joining in left Ying Nian baffled.

On the day of the Spring Festival, Ying Nian used the excuse of not feeling well to skip the Ying family banquet. She could imagine how furious Ying Zhaoguo was, but she didn’t care.

The conflict between her and her grandfather had been growing steadily, to the point where it was no longer hidden. Even pretending for appearances seemed unnecessary.

Alone at home, Ying Nian ate dumplings and played games. By around 9 p.m., Yi Shen and the others came online one by one. Their Spring Festival squad stormed through the night, winning game after game in high spirits.

But happy times are short-lived. This carefree life came to an end when school resumed, and the SF team members returned to their base to end their holiday and resume training.

Yu Linran’s first meal back at the base was spent amidst a strange conversation.

Yi Shen glanced at his phone, laughing as he ate: “Ying Nian cracked me up! She queued solo for a few games last night and immediately dropped a rank!”

Cheng Run burst out laughing: “Her rank was hard-earned by Bo Can, he’s really got it tough keeping it up for her…”

Laughing and shaking his head, Lin Shan chimed in: “That’s for sure! I feel tired on Bo Can’s behalf!”

Yu Linran’s chopsticks paused briefly, his gaze sweeping over the laughing group before landing on Bo Can. He casually asked, pretending not to care, “Oh?”

Bo Can pursed his lips and simply replied, “No.”

Yi Shen laughed so hard that he slapped his thigh. Noticing Yu Linran’s confusion, he explained, “During the break, we played games together and helped Ying Nian rank up. It was hilarious! Every time Ying Nian got assigned to the support role, Bo Can would end up in the same lane as her. It wasn’t her protecting Bo Can; it was Bo Can fighting with all his might to protect her!”

“I’ll never forget the time she flashed right into the enemy’s face!”

“And the number of times she missed her ultimates… that was something else!”

Everyone at the table had something to say, with Yi Shen, Cheng Run, and Lin Shan chiming in. Even Bo Can, who didn’t speak much, had a look of agreement on his face.

Yu Linran was the only one who couldn’t chime in, completely clueless about what had happened.

It was as if Yi Shen suddenly remembered this, glancing at him before thoughtfully saying, “Captain, you’ve never played games with Ying Nian, so you wouldn’t know. Her gaming skills are really hard to describe. But hey, after all the times we’ve played with her, she’s improved a bit. At least now, when she says she’s your fan, it’s not as embarrassing anymore, haha!”

Yi Shen laughed earnestly, and before long, Yu Linran’s lips curved into a faint smile. His dark eyes shone brightly as they arched with his smile.

“Oh, really?”