Chapter 42

As soon as Ying Nian’s Weibo post was released, those people who had been jumping up and down earlier suddenly went silent, like morning glories hit by frost, wilting all at once.

From behind the shield of the internet, gathering together to target and attack one person with insults and slander—this kind of frenzy, in the eyes of truly calm observers, is nothing but a thoroughly twisted and ugly spectacle.

Ying Nian asked herself if she had done anything immoral. She supported the team she liked in her own way, posted what she wanted to on her Weibo, and none of these posts harmed anyone. Simply because some people “disliked” or “couldn’t stand” it, did that give them the right to attack her personally without restraint?

Why should they?

What kind of relationship does she have with Yu Linran, and what kind of relationship does she have with the members of SF? Even if one day they face the public and are criticized, this is far from reaching the level of questioning someone’s character or morality, nor is it a sin that requires paying a price.

Indeed, it is true that Ying Nian got to know Yu Linran through his career. At first, he fought on the esports stage, while she cheered for him from the sidelines. At the beginning of it all, she was indeed a fan, and he was the esports player being supported.

But people’s encounters and connections are always unpredictable.

They had this fate, and amid the vast sea of people, their relationship evolved from something intangible into friendship, and now to where they are today. This cannot be simply summed up.

In the circle, there is talk of “sleeping with fans,” but their situation is completely different. Yu Linran is not the kind of person who deceives fans’ feelings or uses his status as a player to toy with female fans, and Ying Nian is not someone with ulterior motives looking to climb into the bed of an esports player. What she likes is simply Yu Linran as a person. She is incredibly grateful to have gone from being a fan to someone who can now be a part of his life.

From the beginning to the end, they have always been two people who were mutually attracted to each other, with the additional layer of being fan and player.

Ying Nian is not confused. She doesn’t believe that reaching this point with Yu Linran means either of them should feel guilty.

Getting closer to someone you have feelings for is not sordid.

Liking someone is even less so.

Let alone the fact that nothing has been made public yet. The attacks against her are merely because they couldn’t stand her “being too high-profile.” Even the potential troubles she may face in the future don’t scare her, so how could she fear these people?

Ying Nian’s attitude was tougher than ever before.

Lawsuits take time, but those people cowered even before they actually received the subpoenas.

The ones who followed the trend and jumped on the bandwagon hurriedly deleted their Weibo posts, pretending nothing happened, and didn’t dare say another word. However, the more prominent Weibo bloggers with high repost numbers weren’t so easily let off the hook. Ying Nian made it clear—she had already notarized everything. Even if they deleted their Weibo posts, there were still electronic records.

Ying Nian once again witnessed the ugly side of some people. One moment, they were aggressively shouting about digging up every detail of her personal information, and the next, they were groveling in her private messages, begging for forgiveness.

To each person who messaged her to apologize, Ying Nian directly replied, [Everything you said and everything I said, I will take screenshots of and post publicly on Weibo. So, think carefully before you say anything.]

If she could see the other person’s expressions through the internet, Ying Nian figured she would see plenty of faces humbly bowing down. Without exception, the ones who jumped the highest and were the first to be held accountable by her were practically breaking down in tears in their private messages.

Ying Nian didn’t take things to the extreme. She simply said, [If you want my forgiveness, here’s what I ask: the things you did caused great emotional and psychological harm to me. I don’t need any financial compensation, but I want you to issue a public apology and pin the apology post for three months.]

She added, [I hope the apology clearly explains the situation and that you take responsibility for your actions in explicit terms. If the apology is vague, ambiguous, or insincere, I will not accept it and will firmly defend my rights. Also, the three-month pin starts from the day the apology is posted. If it’s pinned for even one day less, I will continue to pursue my rights.]

In her conversations with the bloggers, as she had initially said, Ying Nian took screenshots of all the discussions and compiled them into a single Weibo post. The comments were full of applause. Fans who had been following her for a long time, other reasonable SF supporters, and even casual onlookers couldn’t help but laugh at the two-faced behavior of those people shown in the screenshots.

[Yu Qu handled it beautifully! This is exactly how it should be done; otherwise, these people will always think others are easy to bully. It’s so infuriating!]

[Strong stance! I’m a fan just for this!]

[Hey, I’ve been following Yu Qu for two years. She usually just posts pretty pictures, match results, and some occasional daily life stuff. This is the first time I’ve seen her so firm in her tone and attitude. She must be really angry. These people went too far!]

[For a recently graduated soon-to-be college student to handle things so logically and methodically—she’s definitely a real rich and beautiful girl! The trolls have definitely hit a wall this time, and it’s so satisfying to watch!]

…

The members of SF, after seeing her Weibo post, were full of admiration.

Cheng Run exclaimed in surprise, “Ying Nian always seems so carefree, but I didn’t expect her to have such a tough side!”

Yi Shen, ignoring everything else, simply said with satisfaction, “That’s exactly how you deal with trash like that! These online trolls are infuriating. Every time I go on Weibo, I run into those people spewing filth. If it weren’t for the reputation of our team, I’d really want to curse them back!”

Lin Shan, who had just finished browsing the post, smiled and asked Yu Linran, “Ying Nian’s family must be pretty well-off, right?”

“Why ask that?” Yu Linran casually threw the question back.

“Ah, Yu, don’t be so serious, I was just asking…”

“Que Bro, isn’t that a pointless question? Of course! Ying Nian is studying foreign languages, and her brother… didn’t her brother go abroad to study? He even flies back and forth to watch the competitions. Obviously, her family must be doing well!”

“She uses her scholarship money to watch the matches.”

“I know!” Yi Shen shot back with a glare, “I figured it out from her Moments posts about her daily life.”

Yu Linran interrupted their conversation, “Instead of talking about this, how about we go train?”

“She’s your fan. How come you don’t seem worried at all?” Cheng Run wanted to add, You even had dinner together, but held back that half of the sentence.

“How could he not be worried? He’s worried sick!” Yi Shen, scrolling through his phone, chimed in without hesitation, “Last night, he was still up late, glued to Weibo. His frown was so deep it could kill a fly!”

As soon as the words were out, Yu Linran’s sharp gaze swept over them. Yi Shen froze instantly, while Cheng Run and Lin Shan exchanged mischievous glances, staring even more intently at Yu Linran, making the atmosphere feel increasingly tense.

“Bo… Bo Can! Come with me to buy something!”

“Buy what…”

“No nonsense!” Yi Shen grabbed Bo Can’s arm and hurried out as if escaping.

Meanwhile, Cheng Run and Lin Shan, full of curiosity, pressed on with their gossip, “What’s going on between you and Ying Nian?”

As expected, the relationship between people who have had dinner together alone is indeed different.

Yu Linran calmly picked up his cup and leisurely drank his water, all while being stared at intensely by two pairs of eager eyes. After finishing half the cup, he gently set it down and raised his gaze to meet each of theirs for a second before casually standing up.

“The coach said he needed to see me after the break. I’m off.”

“…”

“…”

Still as tight-lipped as ever, how boring.

…

The university Ying Nian attends and the SF team base are located in the same city. The day before her registration, her parents, Ying Yaoxing and his wife, personally drove her to this modern metropolis. She didn’t stay in the dorms, as Ying Yaoxing rented a high-end apartment for her in the same district as the university campus, making it convenient for her to commute.

Ying Yaoxing had originally wanted to buy a property, but Ying Nian said it was too early to rush into that, so the idea was put on hold. Although she believed it would be better to decide where to live based on her future career plans, Ying Yaoxing thought buying a house was no big deal. Even if she moved to another city after graduation, having a place here would give her a place to stay when visiting, and they could always use it when they come to the city for fun.

The day after registration, Ying Yaoxing and his wife returned home. Meanwhile, at the university, student organizations were busy recruiting new members, and enthusiastic seniors were offering plenty of help to the incoming freshmen.

Ying Nian was beautiful, and not only did she look attractive at first glance, but she also gave off a vibrant, energetic vibe. With her outgoing and generous personality, all the senior students who had interacted with her liked her a lot.

After taking care of all the necessary formalities, Ying Nian checked the time and saw that there were still over two hours before dinner. Since she wasn’t staying on campus, she naturally didn’t plan to eat there. Moreover, she had already arranged to meet with Yu Linran.

Yu Linran had originally wanted to accompany her for the registration, but her parents had taken care of everything, leaving him with no choice but to wait.

As she walked toward the school gate, Ying Nian received a message from Yu Linran. He said, [I’m at your school gate.]

Ying Nian had planned to meet him at the restaurant, but she didn’t expect him to arrive so quickly.

“I’ll be there right away!”

She sent the voice message and was about to pick up her pace and start jogging when someone suddenly called her from behind.

“Ying Nian?”

She instinctively turned around and paused, “Uh… Senior?”

She really couldn’t recall the senior’s name, only that he was one of the seniors she had met earlier that day.

The senior smiled as he approached her. “Are you heading out?”

“Yes, I’m going to eat.”

He paused for a moment. “What do you feel like eating? I can treat you.”

“No, no, that’s not necessary!” Ying Nian quickly waved her hand. She wasn’t the type to take advantage of others. She was always the one fighting to pay when hanging out with friends, so how could she let someone she had just met treat her? “I’ve already made plans with someone.”

The senior cautiously asked, “Boyfriend?”

Though asking such a question when they barely knew each other seemed a bit inappropriate, his expression made it clear that he wasn’t unaware of social boundaries—he was asking on purpose.

Ying Nian was momentarily stunned, hesitating as she noticed the growing hope in his eyes. She pressed her lips together. After the experience with that high school classmate who used to bring her meals, she had become much more sensitive to situations like this.

“Yes,” Ying Nian nodded and smiled slightly, “boyfriend.”

The senior hadn’t expected such a response, and the confidence he had built up was shattered. He stood there, stunned for two seconds before snapping back to reality.

Ying Nian didn’t say much more to him. “He’s waiting for me. I’ll get going now. Goodbye, senior!”

With that, she quickly resumed her pace and walked away.

…

Ying Nian hurried toward the school gate, but unexpectedly, another obstacle appeared. This time, she was asked to help move some materials to a teaching building in the northwest corner.

She had no choice but to send a message to Yu Linran: [I’ve got a tiny errand to run, it’ll take a few minutes. Please wait for me a bit longer!]

Without any delay, she quickly helped out and moved everything as fast as she could, then rushed out of the campus. This time, nothing stopped her. At the entrance of the milk tea shop to the right of the school gate, she finally saw Yu Linran, wearing a hoodie and a face mask.

It wasn’t that Yu Linran liked to put on airs, but in a university setting like this, esports fans—especially male students—tended to be more numerous. In recent years, with the booming development of esports and domestic teams bringing home several world championship trophies, the popularity of esports had surged again, and various competitions were receiving more and more attention.

Ying Nian, worried that unnecessary trouble might arise, specifically reminded Yu Linran to wear a mask.

“Cap—” She ran up to him, but just as she was about to call out, she realized her mistake and quickly corrected herself. “You’re here.”

Yu Linran nodded, but before he could respond, a familiar voice she had just heard not long ago spoke up nearby.

“Ying Nian?”

Both she and Yu Linran turned at the sound of the voice. It was the same senior who had called out to her earlier.

“Didn’t you leave before me? Why are you just coming out now…” The senior asked, slightly surprised, and as he spoke, his attention shifted to the tall guy standing beside her. “Is this… your boyfriend?”

Ying Nian’s shoulders stiffened, and she suddenly felt a bit awkward.

If she denied it now, the senior would definitely think she had made up an excuse to reject him, which would be a terrible way to start her college life and might affect her relationships.

But she and Yu Linran were still in the process of getting to know each other better. Would admitting it in front of him make her seem shameless?

After weighing her options, Ying Nian ignored the heat rising in her cheeks and forced a smile, replying, “Yes.”

“So, he’s the boyfriend you said you were meeting for dinner?” The senior repeated, asking once again for confirmation.

Ying Nian’s smile grew even more strained at the corners of her mouth. “Yes!”

The senior glanced at the silent Yu Linran standing beside her, waiting for three seconds, but Yu Linran said nothing.

Ying Nian had called him her “boyfriend,” and the person in question didn’t refute it.

With no hope left, the senior forced an awkward smile, “Then I’ll head off. See you next time.”

Ying Nian nodded and watched him leave.

“Are you two close?” Yu Linran asked suddenly after the senior had walked away.

“Ah?” Ying Nian abruptly looked up, but as soon as her eyes met his, she quickly looked away. “Not close, he’s just a senior I met today,” she explained. “I ran into him earlier, and he offered to treat me to dinner. I told him I already had plans with someone…”

“And then he asked who you had plans with?”

Ying Nian: “…Yeah.”

She didn’t dare look at him, feeling as if the embarrassing thing she’d done had been completely exposed.

While she stared at the ground, pretending to examine it, and awkwardly scratched her cheek with her finger, Yu Linran had already started walking. “Let’s go,” he said.

She was a step or two behind and had just about to start moving when he stopped, turning back to look at her.

Yu Linran extended his hand toward her. “Aren’t you coming? Your boyfriend’s taking you to dinner—”

Ying Nian froze.

He wiggled his fingers slightly, his hand, with its long and well-defined knuckles, particularly attractive.

After a brief pause, she reached out her hand, and their fingers intertwined.