Not sure if it was her imagination, but Qiao Jingjing felt that ever since that day they drank together, her interactions with Yu Tu had become somewhat different from before.
She couldn't quite pinpoint exactly what had changed. For instance, sometimes he would proactively ask if she wanted him to bring her breakfast? Or during training sessions, his criticisms seemed even sharper?
After the 3v3 training sessions were mostly completed, they played several days of 5v5 matches. Yu Tu asked Qiao Jingjing, "After playing all these days, which heroes do you think you like?"
Jingjing listed a few, then added, "But I still like Zhuge Liang and Li Bai the most."
Because they were the handsomest in the Canyon!
"Heroes with multiple displacement skills are all unsuitable for you," Yu Tu poured cold water on her enthusiasm without mercy, making the appearance-conscious Jing instantly wilt.
"You should give up on the Jungler position. During competitions, just choose a professional player who specializes in that role. The top lane needs to withstand pressure, which isn't suitable for you either, so leave that to your teammates too. So the most suitable positions for you are mid or bottom lane - mage, marksman, or support. Focus your efforts in these three directions. For mages, consider Bian Que, Gan Jiang, and Ying Zheng - they have long range, which suits you better."
"What about Wang Zhaojun?" Although Yu Tu had said she wouldn't work in competitive play, Jingjing was still somewhat unwilling to give up on her, after all, she was the first hero Jingjing had mastered.
"If you watch a few more Professional League matches, you wouldn't ask that," Yu Tu rejected without mercy.
"For support, consider Dong Huang Tai Yi, Zhang Fei, Bai Qi, Niu Mo. You're not bad with Sun Bin either. Also, Su Lie and Meng Qi are quite strong in the current meta, you'd better practice with them too."
"Zhang Fei?"
"His skills aren't difficult."
Alright, although her first time using Zhang Fei with A'guo had been disastrous, after being trained by Yu Tu for a while, it was actually manageable.
Yu Tu quite dictatorially decided which heroes were suitable for her in these two positions. When it came to marksman, he did ask her, "Do you like Yu Ji for marksman?"
Qiao Jingjing nodded, "Because her third skill is very useful, and the second skill lets me escape."
Yu Tu thought for a moment, "You do run away quite fast."
Jingjing: "...Is that a compliment?"
Yu Tu made an affirmative sound, "You never abandon unfamiliar teammates, but you don't hesitate to sacrifice me. I've been wanting to ask - what's your thought process behind this?"
"...Do I?" Jingjing tried to defend herself guiltily, but under Yu Tu's accusing gaze, she had to face her habitual behavior of sacrificing the rabbit. "Probably... trust?"
"Thanks," Yu Tu didn't seem particularly moved.
Jingjing thought over all the heroes he mentioned and felt somewhat discouraged. "These don't seem particularly flashy or handsome."
Yu Tu was speechless. Remembering how she loved researching which skins looked good during breaks, and even arranging flowers while drinking, he said somewhat helplessly, "If you want something flashy, there's one more marksman hero you could consider."
"Which one?" Jingjing's eyes lit up.
"Baili Shouyue."
Baili Shouyue was a hero recently released in King Tier, with a special skill for ultra-long-range sniping. Jingjing immediately started a match.
Twenty minutes later, she put down her phone and stared at Yu Tu: "Are you sure I can play him well?"
"Your accuracy is actually quite good. In fact, your hit rate with Yu Ji's first skill is also very high."
Jingjing thought about it and realized it was true, though she didn't really consciously aim - it was all instinctual. Sometimes when she deliberately tried to aim, she would actually miss."In that last match, you didn't play well. First, your teammates didn't give you enough resources, and second, your positioning wasn't flexible enough. However, while Yu Ji and Baili Shouyue also require good positioning, their demands are a bit lower than Sun Shangxiang and Marco Polo, so there's still room for improvement. But those two heroes... well, let's just say it's hard to describe."
...You're way too harsh. Thinking back to yesterday when he described her Nakoruru as "a moth flying into the flame" and "a young swallow diving into the pot," Qiao Jingjing felt like hitting someone.
"Besides positioning, what you lack most right now is game sense—those endless 'whys' you keep asking while playing."
"...What?"
Yu Tu stated expressionlessly, "'Where should I go? What should I do? Should I use my ultimate?'"
Qiao Jingjing: "..."
Yu Tu checked the time and said, "So starting today, we'll spend half the day on practical drills and the other half watching Professional League matches."
Qiao Jingjing felt that the previous lessons were like martial arts training, but now he was starting to teach military strategy—how to push lanes, set up plays, lay ambushes...
Soon she'd be ready to charge into battle.
However, since Honor of Kings had only been around for a little over a year, there weren't that many common strategies. Qiao Jingjing wasn't stupid; after watching two days of matches carefully selected by Yu Tu, she pretty much understood them all.
Of course, understanding was one thing, but actual gameplay was ever-changing. Ultimately, it still came down to practice.
5v5 matches were much more intense than 3v3. After a few days, whenever Qiao Jingjing closed her eyes at night, all she could see was the base Crystal exploding.
So when a rare event came up, Qiao Jingjing actually felt like she was getting a day off.
Early on the morning of November 10th, Qiao Jingjing happily called Yu Tu, "Yu Tu, you haven't left yet, right? I have to go to Hangzhou today for Daddy Ma's Double Eleven gala, so I'm taking the day off. I forgot to tell you yesterday."
Yu Tu had actually already reached the subway station—it took him about an hour to get to Qiao Jingjing's place.
It sounded noisy on her end, as if she was very busy. Yu Tu said "Okay," and Qiao Jingjing replied, "I'll hang up now. If you're interested, you can watch too—I'll be singing today."
Yu Tu chuckled and said "Okay" again.
Suddenly having no reason to go out, the whole day felt idle. After returning home, Yu Tu went on the Honor of Kings official website to check some information. Then, around 5 p.m., Qiao Jingjing messaged him on WeChat.
Jingjing: Are you there? Are you there?
Yu Tu: Yes.
Jingjing: I have nothing to do right now, let's play a match.
She quickly sent a link via QQ, and Yu Tu clicked it. They matched with three random players and entered the 5v5 King's Canyon map.
This time, Yu Tu picked Marco Polo, and Qiao Jingjing chose Niu Mo. After playing for a while, Qiao Jingjing couldn't help but complain, "I think Niu Mo is even harder than Zhang Fei. I don't know where to place his ultimate."
Yu Tu: "Just play however."
Qiao Jingjing: "Can you still win?"
Yu Tu: "No, I'll record it."
Qiao Jingjing: "...And then use it to teach me later?"
Yu Tu: "Mhm."
Just then, their Jungler Li Bai suddenly spoke.
Magical Little Insect: "Marco, I think your girlfriend's skill level is even worse than my girlfriend's."
Yu Tu was taken aback and was about to say that Niu Mo wasn't his girlfriend, but then he thought it would be strange to explain this to a stranger. While he hesitated, he heard Qiao Jingjing say, "But your skill level isn't as good as my boyfriend's either."
Yu Tu: ...Yu Tu wasn't particularly surprised. Qiao Jingjing had always had her own unique style when playing games. Toxicity was inevitable in gaming, and whenever she got flamed, she would always clap back—though her comebacks were rather... indescribable. For instance, if someone called her "trash," she'd reply with "you're the trash." If someone called her an "idiot," she'd shoot back with "you're the idiot."
So, when someone said, "You're not as good as my girlfriend," her retort of "You're not as good as my boyfriend either" was entirely expected.
The player "Magical Little Insect" immediately fired back: "Stop joking, that's only because he was playing Marksman. I'm not very familiar with Li Bai. If you don't believe me, I'll invite you later and show you my god-tier Marco Polo."
His girlfriend didn't say anything but typed a line in chat.
Little Bird Insect (Zhuang Zhou): Go, hubby!
Just then, the quiet random player suddenly spammed the chat.
Not Wearing Feels Cool (Ying Zheng): Stop talking, I'm going AFK.
Not Wearing Feels Cool (Ying Zheng): It's Singles' Day today, but the streets are full of couples. I hid at home to play games, and still got matched with two pairs.
Not Wearing Feels Cool (Ying Zheng): I'm upset, I'm going AFK.
Then he just idled in the fountain.
Qiao Jingjing: "..."
She quickly typed.
Can Pick Cotton (Niu Mo): Wait, you've got it wrong. Singles' Day is tomorrow!
Not Wearing Feels Cool (Ying Zheng): Really?
Qiao Jingjing suspected he went to check the calendar. After a moment:
Not Wearing Feels Cool (Ying Zheng): Fine, this emperor will play a bit longer.
The match finally ended with twists and turns, and Yu Tu's Marco Polo unsurprisingly earned the Most Valuable Player.
As soon as they exited the match, Qiao Jingjing received an invitation from Magical Little Insect. Intrigued, she accepted and entered the room.
Magical Little Insect: Your boyfriend rejected me. Is he scared to come?
Can Pick Cotton: Hold on.
Qiao Jingjing screenshotted the conversation and sent it to Yu Tu on WeChat.
Yu Tu: Invite me.
Yu Tu entered the room, and Magical Little Insect immediately hit start. In the hero selection screen, Little Insect and Yu Tu both instantly locked in their picks.
Little Insect unsurprisingly chose Marksman Marco Polo. Yu Tu...
Actually picked Li Bai!
This was practically a duel. Qiao Jingjing got excited immediately. Now that she thought about it, she'd never seen Yu Tu play Li Bai in a 5v5 before.
Magical Little Insect (Marco Polo): Whoa, you're provoking me.
Yutu Daoyao (Li Bai): Rarely play him, just testing.
Little Bird Insect (Zhuang Zhou): Go hubby ╮(╯▽╰)╭
Qiao Jingjing immediately followed: Go boyfriend ╮(╯▽╰)╭
Poor random: ……………… All couples?
Fearing he might go AFK again, Qiao Jingjing comforted him: Stay strong, don't AFK.
The random replied humorously: Won't, I have a cat.
This match ended quickly. Marco was impressive, but Yu Tu was even more so. The dashing sword immortal in white was like a phantom—here one moment, gone the next, swift as a startled swan, graceful as a soaring dragon. In the blink of an eye, he deleted the enemy squishies countless times.
The opponents were utterly crushed by his early-game dominance and surrendered at the ten-minute mark.
Magical Little Insect: …My pride is hurt.
Little Bird Insect (Zhuang Zhou): Hubby, you're the best!
Qiao Jingjing couldn't resist teasing them one last time.
Can Pick Cotton (Bian Que): Stay strong, keep it up! /(ㄒoㄒ)/~~After exiting the game, Qiao Jingjing couldn't help but reminisce about Li Bai's elegant performance moments earlier. It took her a while before she excitedly opened WeChat, intending to say something. However, she noticed Yu Tu had sent a message.
Yu Tu: Why are you so mischievous?
Qiao Jingjing's heart fluttered, momentarily forgetting what she had originally intended to say. Then she saw the WeChat notification—the other party had recalled a message.
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