Chapter 47

Ying Nian found it unbelievable that the meeting between Ying Heng and Yu Linran actually ended on a peaceful note. In the middle of the competition season, all the team members were busy training, and Yu Linran had only managed to come over during a break. He didn’t stay long and, after what seemed like an “enjoyable” conversation with Ying Heng, bid farewell and returned to the base.

“Is there nothing you’d like to say to me?”

After Yu Linran left, Ying Heng leaned back on the sofa, squinting as he stared at Ying Nian.

Ying Nian, wearing slippers, walked over and stopped in front of the coffee table. She nodded. “There is.” She pointed towards the door. “Actually, the person who just left isn’t my friend. He’s my boyfriend…”

“I know,” Ying Heng interrupted her. “Do you think your brother is an idiot? He pretty much said it himself!”

Ying Nian smiled sheepishly.

Seeing her expression, Ying Heng grew even more annoyed. “You’re starting to care less and less about your brother, aren’t you?”

“What? No way!” she was taken aback.

“I haven’t been back in so long, and how many times have you called me? I can tell you haven’t missed me much—there haven’t been many video calls either.”

“Why don’t you say that you didn’t miss me? You didn’t even pay attention to me during my college entrance exams…”

Ying Heng glared at her and waved her over. “Come here.”

Ying Nian pouted and walked over to sit next to him. The siblings stared at each other for a few seconds before Ying Nian grinned and leaned her head on his shoulder.

“Stop messing around with that silly smile,” Ying Heng pretended to be upset. “Think about it—what if I found you a sister-in-law and didn’t tell you? And then, when the kid’s already running around, I finally called you. Would you be happy about that?”

Ying Nian thought for a moment, her eyebrows knitting together, but then she realized something didn’t feel right. “I’m not that bad…”

Ying Heng raised his hand and knocked lightly on her forehead, asking, “Tell me, what do you like about him?”

“A lot.” Her eyes lit up at the mention of this, but when she saw Ying Heng staring at her with suspicion, she straightened up and, for once, became serious.

“Brother, you wouldn’t understand.”

“Well, if you don’t tell me, of course I won’t understand.”

She pondered for a while and said, “If I have to put it into words, at first, I thought he was impressive.” She continued, “The most remarkable thing about him is that he never lets outside noise affect him. Whether people praise him or criticize him, he doesn’t care at all.”

In short, he has an incredibly strong inner resolve.

“Isn’t that just because he’s thick-skinned?” Ying Heng was still irritated by Yu Linran calling him “brother” so freely.

Ying Nian shot him a glare. “I’m being serious.” Her expression grew more somber. “I can’t do that. If I could be like him, I wouldn’t be so affected by Grandpa, and maybe my personality wouldn’t have so many sharp, stubborn edges.”

As the conversation turned serious, Ying Heng couldn’t joke about it anymore.

He gently patted Ying Nian’s head. “Don’t say such silly things. You’re great just the way you are. Don’t dwell on the past. Grandpa’s approval isn’t that important—you have Mom, Dad, and me.”

Ying Nian shrugged, quickly pulling herself out of the emotional moment and returning to her usual self. She playfully pouted at Ying Heng, “Brother, then don’t hold a grudge against my boyfriend, okay? Next time you see him, can you be nicer?”

“Change how you refer to him first. I don’t want to hear those three words^[1]Those three words are 男朋友(nánpéngyǒu) = Boyfriend,” Ying Heng frowned. “Change that, and everything will be fine.”

“…” Ying Nian felt helpless. “Fine, next time, just be nicer to… you-know-who.”

“Tell him to behave and not be overly affectionate in front of me, or I’ll make sure he doesn’t get past Mom and Dad. Not that we need to think that far ahead—who knows if you’ll even get there. You might get sick of him by tomorrow and tell him to get lost!” Ying Heng smiled faintly, looking quite pleased with his own words by the end.

Ignoring the look on Ying Nian’s face, Ying Heng felt he was already being generous enough and had given some face to Yu Linran. “Alright, find a time to invite him out. Let’s have a meal together before I leave.”

…

The first meal between Ying Heng and Yu Linran went much better than their initial meeting. Ying Heng forced a smile for his sister’s sake, and Yu Linran “endured” for his girlfriend’s sake. Overall, the atmosphere seemed quite harmonious.

Since Ying Heng was flying abroad the next day, he had booked a hotel room. After dinner, he chatted with Ying Nian for a while and, mercifully, didn’t send her straight home, leaving her and Yu Linran some time to be alone.

As they walked hand in hand down the street, Yu Linran suddenly remarked, “Today, your brother actually seemed human.”

Ying Nian playfully bumped him with her shoulder. “What are you talking about?!”

Yu Linran smiled faintly, choosing not to continue teasing his future brother-in-law.

“My brother won’t be back for another two months,” Ying Nian said, sounding a little dejected.

“Is he staying for good when he returns? Planning to develop his career back here?”

“Yeah,” Ying Nian replied. “This time he had something to take care of, so he didn’t stay long. But there’s a silver lining—when he’s around, I have to spend time with him, which means I couldn’t even watch your matches. But now…” She shook Yu Linran’s arm playfully. “I’ll be able to watch both the semifinals and the finals!”

The evening wind was strong, blowing Ying Nian’s hair into a mess. Yu Linran pressed down gently on the back of her head and helped smooth out her strands.

“Walk properly. Your hair’s all tangled now.”

Ying Nian reached up and felt the back of her head—sure enough, her hair was getting knotted. If the wind kept blowing, it would probably become a tangled mess.

“I need to get a hair treatment…” she muttered as she pulled a hair tie from her pocket, ready to tie up her hair, but Yu Linran took the tie from her.

“I’ll do it.”

“…Do you even know how?”

Yu Linran didn’t answer, just started working.

Ying Nian stood in front of him, back facing him, letting him tie her hair.

The two of them stood by the roadside, taking quite a while.

“Hey, hey, be gentle…”

“…”

“Is it a bit tight?”

“No, it’s fine.”

“There’s a strand falling out on this side!”

“Mm…”

“Tie it higher! A little higher!”

“Got it.”

…

By the time Yu Linran finished tying Ying Nian’s hair, several minutes had passed.

After their walk, Yu Linran accompanied Ying Nian back home. He was about to leave when Yi Shen suddenly called.

It wasn’t to hurry the captain back, but to ask, “Hey, were you and Ying Nian just over near Qinglin Street?”

They had indeed been in that area, so Yu Linran didn’t deny it. “How do you know?”

Yi Shen sighed. “You two got photographed!”

Not again!

Ying Nian heard the voice from the phone and exchanged a silent glance with Yu Linran.

Yi Shen had called to give them a heads-up so they wouldn’t be caught off guard by what was waiting for them online.

It wasn’t the first time—previous storms had already blown over. With a “whatever happens, happens” attitude, Ying Nian opened Weibo. She had received numerous mentions, and upon checking them, she saw that they had been spotted by esports fans again. The photos had been submitted to a blogger who regularly reposted esports-related content.

Unexpectedly, there was no hate this time.

The person who took the photos wrote in the post, 【I know taking photos like this isn’t great, so first, let me apologize. But I couldn’t help it—Dragon King and his girlfriend were just too sweet! I couldn’t resist taking the picture and wanted to share… I think they’re a great couple, so please be kind in the comments.】

In the photo, Yu Linran and Ying Nian were standing by the roadside, with Yu Linran towering over her. Normally, on the esports battlefield, the SF team captain “103” was known for his sharp, decisive leadership, guiding the team with precision. Outside of interviews, where he occasionally showed a neutral, unreadable smile, he usually gave off an aura of calm, restraint, and inaccessibility.

Such a person, standing by the roadside at night, gently tying his girlfriend’s hair, showed not a trace of impatience. His expression even carried a hint of tenderness.

Not to mention others—even Yu Linran’s own fans had never seen this side of him.

[Ahhhhh this is too sweet! The Dragon King actually knows how to tie a girl’s hair! Oh my gosh!!]

[They look so good together. If I were the person who took the photo, I probably would’ve wanted to take a picture too… but I don’t think I’d have dared to get close. It feels like the atmosphere between them doesn’t allow for a third person.]

[Who said the Dragon King is cold? He just hadn’t met the right person. Look, now that he’s in a relationship, his whole vibe has changed.]

…

Ying Nian’s lips curled slightly as she read, and Yu Linran leaned in, resting his chin lightly on her shoulder to look along with her.

Suddenly, he said, “When is Weibo going to add a dislike button?”

“Hmm? Why are you thinking about that all of a sudden?” Ying Nian tilted her head slightly. They were so close that if she moved any nearer, she’d almost kiss him. She shifted her head to the side a bit.

“This,” Yu Linran pointed at a comment on the screen—a user had written, [I want to marry him!]

“Not accepting that idea, rejected,” Yu Linran raised his eyebrow. “Only requests from super VIP fans are allowed.”

“Super VIP? How many of those do you have?” Ying Nian narrowed her eyes, giving him a dangerous look.

Yu Linran glanced at her, smiled, and without hesitation, wrapped his arm around her waist.

“What do you think? Of course, just one.”

He kissed her on the cheek. “…Hi, super VIP.”

…

At the semifinals of the World Championship, Ying Nian attended the event in person. As soon as she sat down, many spectators around her recognized her. A few girls cautiously approached and greeted her, asking if they could take a photo with her.

Ying Nian politely declined with an apologetic smile, “I’ve never posted any photos of myself on my Weibo, and there’s really nothing worth taking a picture of. Since he’s competing today, I don’t want to cause any trouble for him, so I’ll have to pass. Sorry about that.”

Though disappointed, the girls understood.

The match lasted quite a while, and Ying Nian grew increasingly nervous.

Because their relationship was public, many people attacked Yu Linran and the SF team, mocking him for becoming complacent after achieving a bit of success, accusing him of not focusing on the competition and instead dating a fan.

This year’s competition was particularly important for Yu Linran.

If SF didn’t perform well, even the fans who understood and supported his relationship might turn on both him and Ying Nian. While Ying Nian didn’t care about getting criticized herself, she didn’t want Yu Linran to bear the blame because of her.

At this point in the competition, everyone hoped that the players and teams they supported would charge ahead and make it to the finish. Especially the male fans, who had the highest expectations for the team they admired.

The pressure on the five members of SF was unimaginable.

Watching the match felt like riding a rollercoaster, and by the time they secured the final victory, Ying Nian was nearly moved to tears. She barely held back the urge to cry in front of others, patting her cheeks before heading to the backstage entrance.

Yu Linran had arranged for the team leader to meet her after the match.

When they met, she didn’t stay long in the rest area and instead left with Yu Linran and the others. The team bus was parked not far from the back door, where a large group of fans had gathered, surrounding the group as they made their way out.

Victory was a good thing, and the coach didn’t want to dampen the fans’ spirits, so he made an exception, allowing the players to sign autographs.

Ying Nian instinctively wanted to step aside to avoid any unnecessary attention, but Yu Linran quickly pulled her back.

“Stay here, don’t leave.”

He took the cards being passed to him one after another, signing them quickly without looking up, yet his attitude was firm. He left no room for refusal, keeping her by his side.

Feeling embarrassed, Ying Nian stood partially behind Yu Linran, only showing half of her body, avoiding eye contact with the fans as she leaned her head against him.

Suddenly, a voice called out, “Yu bro! Will you stream after the match? Yi Shen already started his stream! Will you play games with Miss Yu Qu? Please stream!”

The crowd quickly chimed in, echoing the request.

“Yeah! Captain, stream for us!”

“We want to see you and Miss Yu Qu play together!”

Yu Linran smirked slightly, continuing to sign autographs as he casually responded, “Well, about that…”

Seeing that he wasn’t giving a clear answer, one quick-witted fan turned to Ying Nian for help. “Sister-in-law! Talk to the captain for us! We want to watch him play even when he’s not competing!”

Immediately, others followed suit. “Yeah, Sister-in-law! Help us convince Yu bro!”

Ying Nian’s face instantly flushed, her ears burning. She tugged at her earlobe nervously and nudged Yu Linran with her elbow. “They’re asking you a question!”

Yu Linran’s smile grew wider as he continued signing autographs. His voice was quiet, but it sent a wave of excitement through the fans, causing them to squeal in surprise and joy.

For the first time, he agreed to a fan request.

“Alright. When we win the championship, I’ll stream with her.”