On the weekend after signing the contract with ZGDX Team, Tong Yao boarded a flight to Shanghai. Before getting on the plane, she only did two things while sitting in the departure lounge—
First, she sent a WeChat message to her friend Jin Yang, telling her she was going to Shanghai to compete in the Professional League—that she, Tong Yao, was about to become the Mulan of esports.
Second, she posted on Weibo, informing her livestream fans that she was heading to Shanghai to watch this year’s Spring Split finals. She made it crystal clear: Go ZGDX Team!
As soon as Tong Yao’s Weibo post went up, the official ZGDX account reposted it with the caption: Thank you for the blessings, Smiling! ❤ Looking forward to meeting you! This sudden little interaction sent her fans into a frenzy, flooding the comments with reactions—
[Holy shit, wifey, when did you develop such an indescribable relationship with the Operator Team?!]
[Wait, you’re really going to the finals?! Me too! I’ll be lurking around to guess which one’s you!]
[So happy Smiling and I support the same team! Promise me you’ll get Cheng Ge’s autograph, okay?]
[Operator Team better cover your flight—they’re loaded, make them get you a business class seat!]
Tong Yao usually livestreamed during school breaks or when she had free time, playing games or just chatting to earn some pocket money. Unlike other female streamers, she never turned on her camera. But since she was a girl playing high-tier Ranked matches—even reaching Korean server king level—she had managed to gather a small following over the years. Her fanbase wasn’t huge, just around thirty to fifty thousand people. Normally, her Weibo posts would get a few dozen replies at most. But now, likely because of the official ZGDX repost, her announcement about attending the finals had already surpassed three hundred comments in under ten minutes…
[Posting a whole Weibo just to say you’re going to watch a match? Boring! If you’ve got the guts, go compete yourself! Won’t even turn on your camera—scared of being exposed as a catfish, huh?]
Tong Yao: "..."
Of course, because she never showed her face, ever since another female Korean server king streamer was exposed for account sharing earlier this year, rumors that Tong Yao was being boosted had never died down… And now, someone was maliciously mocking her in the comments…
Jumping for joy, aren’t we?
Tong Yao pursed her lips, staring at the comment for a moment. Just then, the boarding announcement for her flight played overhead. She smirked, casually replying with a smiling emoji and: [Yep! Didn’t you know women love posting about every little thing? That’s just how cute we are.] Then she calmly closed Weibo.
Her phone buzzed—a call was coming in.
The caller ID showed it was Jin Yang.
Tong Yao could already guess what was coming, so she considered pretending she was boarding and hadn’t seen it. But after two rings, the call disconnected. Before she could even sigh in relief, a text message flew in—
[Pick up the damn phone! Don’t pretend you’re not there—I saw your Weibo post! You were arguing with someone 35 seconds ago!]
Tong Yao: "..."
Afraid she’d land in Shanghai friendless, Tong Yao dialed back and prepared herself for the incoming roar on the other end—“Screw you, Esports Mulan!!”
“Holy shit, my boyfriend plays professionally and now my best friend wants to too?! When people ask what I’m watching during matches later, I’ll have to say ‘my husband and best friend’—they’ll think I’m insane!!”
“Where are you? Are you seriously already on the plane?! Get off! I’m going to hijack it!!”
Tong Yao spent a long time calming her best friend, who had recently developed a deep hatred for the term “Esports athlete.” It wasn’t until the flight attendant gently reminded her that the plane was about to take off that she prepared to hang up. But just before she did, the previously agitated voice on the other end suddenly fell silent—
Tong Yao knew this was bad.
Sure enough, the next second, she heard her friend ask, “You’re not agreeing to go pro just for Jian Yang, are you?”
“…No,” Tong Yao said. “I’m here for the 800,000 yuan salary.”
“Tong Yao!”
“Ugh, really, it’s not because of him! We haven’t spoken in ages… Recently, the forums have been saying Yang Shen has a new girlfriend, some pretty streamer—”
“Huh? Aren’t you a streamer?”
“A pretty streamer.”
“Come on, even though I look down on that trash Jian Yang, I haven’t heard our Ai Jia mention anything about a new girlfriend. They say the CK team doesn’t allow dating, only bromance…
“Anyway, I’m not going for him.”
“Good,” the voice on the phone snorted, then added suspiciously, “A good horse doesn’t turn back to graze. Remember what you said just the other day—if given another chance, you’d never date a pro player again.”
“Got it, got it.”
“And if you absolutely must date, it can only be someone like Cheng Ge. Otherwise, I won’t attend your wedding.”
“………………Then you won’t be coming to my wedding,” Tong Yao blurted out, instantly picturing the face of the “Cheng Ge” her friend mentioned. “Cheng Ge clearly has a face that looks like it could never love a human.”
Jin Yang on the other end burst into raucous laughter.
Just then, the flight attendant came by again to remind her to turn off her phone.
Tong Yao hurriedly said goodbye to her friend, powered off, and tucked her phone away before turning to gaze out the window. As the plane accelerated for takeoff, the reflection in the blue-and-white streaked window revealed a face full of naive excitement for the League of Legends Pro League…
“Stay composed,” she muttered, patting her cheeks. “Stay cool.”
……
The flight from Tong Yao’s city to Shanghai took about two and a half hours.
After landing, the sister sent by ZGDX Club to pick her up wasted no time whisking her off to the hotel where the players competing in the upcoming finals were staying—
Tong Yao initially thought this was to introduce her to her future teammates and grew nervous for a while. Only as they neared the hotel did she learn that wasn’t the case. The team manager simply didn’t want her, a young girl traveling alone to Shanghai, to feel neglected and insisted on treating her to good food and accommodations.
As for meeting her new teammates, that would have to wait until after the official announcement of the original Mid Laner Ming Shen’s retirement.
“That’s fine, that’s fine,” Tong Yao nodded eagerly. “I also think meeting today would be way too rushed.”
The receptionist sister laughed at her reaction. “I thought you’d be dying to meet Cheng Ge and the others. All the trainees who came to our headquarters before were like that.”
“I do want to meet them,” Tong Yao said bluntly. “But I didn’t wash my hair today.”
“……”
“Or yesterday.”
“……”Tong Yao let out an awkward chuckle. Fortunately, they had arrived at their destination hotel by then. From afar, they could see a crowd of media personnel squatting with their long-lens cameras, creating a scene so lively it was no less than the arrival of some major celebrity—
The receptionist shook her head. "These media outlets somehow got wind of Ming Shen retiring after the Spring Split. Now they're all going crazy trying to scoop the next big story..."
Tong Yao: "Oh."
The receptionist glanced at Tong Yao's indifferent expression in the rearview mirror and raised an eyebrow smugly. "These foolish humans have no idea the real big story is sitting in the backseat of my car right now."
"No, no, no," Tong Yao waved her hands with a grin. "The big story hasn't washed her hair."
As they spoke, a Mercedes van emblazoned with the China Telecom logo sped past their car. It stopped in front of the hotel first. By the time Tong Yao's car pulled up, the van's doors were already open. Several staff members in team uniforms stepped out first, pushing the swarming reporters aside to clear a path. Then, a few young men emerged from the van—
They all looked very young, with the oldest definitely no more than twenty-five. The first to step out was a chubby guy wearing a red and black team jersey with "ZGDX" printed on it, paired with loose black sweatpants... He smiled good-naturedly at the media and even waved.
The others followed one by one, but when the last person stepped out, Tong Yao noticed all the media cameras simultaneously and uniformly focused on him—
If the ones in front could at best be called "boys," then this person stepping down from the van must be referred to as a "young man"—he stood almost a head taller than his teammates. Though dressed in the same red and black inter-spaced team jersey, he had an additional jacket over it... His hands were stuffed in his pockets, earbuds in his ears, with a high nose bridge, single eyelids, thin lips, and an expressionless face that looked somewhat aloof.
But he was handsome.
When his teammate in front turned to speak to him, he tilted his head slightly, removing one earbud, and lowered his eyes as if listening intently... Then, for some reason, the corners of his lips curled faintly—a fleeting expression on his otherwise stoic face that could barely be called a "smile."
Tong Yao: "..."
She had once seen this person's team promotional photos reposted tens of thousands of times on Weibo, with people marveling, "He could've been a celebrity but chose esports instead." Now, seeing him in person, she had to admit the real deal was no less impressive than the photos—
Did he get plastic surgery while training in Korea? How could an Internet addict defy stereotypes like this? Look at Tong Yao—even she knew that as a female Internet addict, not washing her hair was more in line with her identity—
"Wow, look at Cheng Ge's deadpan face that's almost-but-not-quite smiling. Bet they lost to the Korean team in today's Scrims again."A sigh came from beside Tong Yao. The receptionist sister, who had just parked the car and caught up, shook her head with a sigh... Tong Yao didn’t speak, because at that moment her eyes were completely glued to the back of the man who walked lazily with a slightly hunched posture, trailing behind his teammates as they gradually moved away—
This person before her was none other than "Chessman," the ADC player of the ZGDX Team that Tong Yao was about to join—also known as "Cheng Ge," the man her married best friend couldn’t stop obsessing over.
"Chessman’s" real name was Lu Sicheng. Translated into Chinese, "Chessman" meant "chess piece," but Lu Sicheng’s actual weight in the team was anything but as low-key as his ID suggested. Ever since he started his professional career, at least half of the top ten highlight reels from each season featured this ID dominating the spotlight. Time and again, he had turned the tide in losing battles, leading his teammates to victory—
This man had represented China’s ADC position at the World All-Star Games for two consecutive years. He had countless fans, and it was said his annual salary had at least one more zero than Tong Yao’s "eight hundred thousand." Tall, ridiculously handsome, soft-spoken, never showy, with top-tier shot-calling and decision-making skills—even to his teammates, he was like a powerful anchor of reassurance...
After so many years in the pro scene, while other players were constantly dragged through the mud on forums for every possible flaw, Chessman stood out as a breath of fresh air—everyone loved him. No exceptions.
Though it was said his temper wasn’t great, for someone this good-looking, "not great temper" should really be called "having personality"—
Lu Sicheng was undoubtedly the soul of the ZGDX Team.
Well, to be precise, the scope of "ZGDX Team" could actually be expanded to "China’s esports scene."
Before coming here, Tong Yao had imagined ten thousand different scenarios for her first meeting with this legendary figure. But now, all she could say was—she hoped to perform well in her future career and strive never to let this handsome face frown at her even once. Because she couldn’t even begin to imagine just how vicious that already somewhat sharp face could look if it truly wanted to be vicious.
Tong Yao: "Is it just me, or does Cheng Ge look a little... intimidating?"
Receptionist Sister: "...Correction—it’s not just ‘looks.’"
Tong Yao: "..."
So scared.
While Tong Yao was lost in thought, her future teammates had already shuffled their way into the hotel.
"Let’s head in too."
The receptionist sister patted Tong Yao’s shoulder with a sigh and led her into the hotel. After checking in at the front desk and collecting the pre-prepared room key, Tong Yao dropped off her luggage in her room, went to greet the team manager, and then had some free time to herself.
After pacing around her room, Tong Yao noticed the complimentary bottled water from the hotel probably wouldn’t be enough. She decided to take her wallet downstairs to buy more—she had spotted a supermarket near the hotel earlier. Once downstairs, she easily found the store. Luckily, there was one last jug of water left. She picked it up, wobbling a little under its weight, and glanced around but didn’t see any shopping carts...
At that moment, she suddenly craved some ice cream and fruit.With an annual salary of eight hundred thousand, she wasn't about to deprive herself. She decided to grab some other snacks first before circling back to carry that water jug... After making up her mind, she glanced at the bustling crowd around her, worried that some passerby might snatch her last lifeline. After careful consideration, she came up with a rather creative solution—
She tiptoed, hoisted the water jug, and stashed it horizontally in the farthest corner of the top shelf.
Now no one would see it.
Pleased with herself, she patted her hands together, stepped back to admire her well-hidden treasure, and smugly flipped her hair before walking away.
However, what she never expected was—
Not long after she left, a tall figure emerged from behind the shelves. The man had one hand in his pocket, his jacket unzipped to reveal a glimpse of the red "ZGDX" team logo underneath. He stopped in front of the shelf where the water jug was hidden, kept his hand in his pocket, and effortlessly pulled out the concealed jug with his other hand.
He turned, checked out, and left.
...
When Lu Sicheng swiped his room card to open the door, his red-haired teammate, engrossed in a mobile game, suddenly looked up. Spotting the water jug in his hand, the teammate cheered and rushed over—
"Go get it yourself next time," Lu Sicheng said flatly as he set the water down.
"Got it, got it! Long live the great captain!" The teammate, monkey-like, twisted open the cap, lifted the jug, and gulped down a few mouthfuls—
Then he noticed the silent stare from the man beside him.
Unnerved, he swallowed the water in his mouth with an audible "gulp" and turned to the man with an innocent expression. "What?"
"That was the last jug in the supermarket."
"Huh?"
"I saw a shorty tiptoeing to hide it on the top shelf—probably thinking it was the perfect spot, but I could see it with just a glance."
"..."
The man paused, then added gloomily, "So stupid it made me cringe for her."
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