You Are My Glory

After seven or eight years in the industry, if you asked Qiao Jingjing what she feared, one thing would definitely be—Weibo hot searches.

The current top Weibo hot search was—"Qiao Jingjing's Persona Collapses."

The most popular entry was a video posted by a marketing account showing someone with the ID "Shining Bright" playing Honor of Kings, with skills that could only be described as a complete mess. The various deaths were simply unbearable to watch.

The marketing account also included several screenshots. The first few showed Shining Bright's dismal battle records—low win rate, low scores, and not a single MVP. The later screenshots were of promotional articles, each boasting about Qiao Jingjing, the Honor of Kings ambassador, being a gaming expert.

Fans angrily demanded evidence that Shining Bright was Qiao Jingjing. The marketing account calmly replied with a repost: "Then let Qiao Jingjing come out and deny it."

Qiao Jingjing couldn't deny it because that was her account.

Honor of Kings is a real-time battle tower defense game under Tencent. The game features nearly eighty heroes, each with unique skills. Players enter the game, choose different heroes to battle others, and win by destroying the enemy's base Crystal. The most classic mode is the 5v5 battle on the King's Canyon map, which was exactly what Qiao Jingjing was playing in the leaked video, using the mage hero Xiao Qiao.

Back when Qiao Jingjing secured the endorsement, the game wasn't particularly popular. However, Ling Jie, seeing her game-obsessed husband immersed in it day and night, had a gut feeling the game would blow up and proactively reached out to the game developers. Ling Jie's intuition had always been spot-on when it came to selecting roles for Qiao Jingjing, and it didn't fail her this time either.

Over the past year or so, Honor of Kings exploded in popularity, becoming the first truly nationwide mobile game. This brought Qiao Jingjing a lot of attention from audiences beyond her usual fanbase, benefiting her greatly.

But the more she had benefited before, the more troublesome it was now.

No one ever said a game ambassador had to be good at the game, but if you boasted about being an unparalleled expert only to be exposed as this terrible, it was inevitable people would mock you.

Ling Jie kept a stern face the whole way, scrolling through her phone. It wasn't until they reached the hotel in Hengdian and she sent Xiao Zhu away that she began questioning Qiao Jingjing.

"When did you play this?"

"Just during the first half of the year when I was filming the movie. I only played for a little over half a month. I kept getting killed, so I stopped."

"Who knew you played?"

"I didn't tell anyone. But I logged in with WeChat. It seems if WeChat friends also play this game, they automatically appear in the game friends list. They could probably see me." As she spoke, Qiao Jingjing seemed puzzled. "But how was it recorded?"

"...Honor of Kings has a feature called Friend Spectating. You already know WeChat friends become game friends automatically, so they can all spectate your matches and record them. You didn't know that?"

Qiao Jingjing: "...There's such a feature?"

Ling Jie felt like hitting her: "You don't understand anything, why did you recklessly play the game?"

Qiao Jingjing felt wronged: "I am the ambassador after all. They keep saying I'm a gaming expert—I felt guilty... Of course I had to practice."

Ling Jie felt a wave of despair and murmured, "I should have known you had this flaw."Just make up some random boast about her, and she'd want to turn it into reality. Looking back now, it's a good thing we didn't help her build a trendy "foodie" persona back then—otherwise, she'd probably weigh two hundred pounds by now.

"I was wrong. I shouldn't have played in the □□ server with my husband. If I'd used my WeChat account, I would've discovered your messing around long ago." Ling Jie was truly regretting it to the core.

She had played the game for a while with her husband before negotiating the collaboration with Tencent. But with her busy work schedule, she gradually set it aside. Later, after securing the endorsement deal, she even let Qiao Jingjing try her account. Seeing that Jingjing didn't seem cut out to be a gaming pro, she didn't bother with it further. After all, as an endorser, all she needed to do was post on Weibo, make appearances, and take photos. Who would've thought she'd be so ambitious, secretly playing on her own?

Anxiously pacing around the room, Ling Jie said, "Don't take this lightly. Do you know how many men and women are competing for the King Tier endorsement right now? Some would even do it for free. King Tier was about to renew our contract, but with this incident, it's probably up in the air now."

"But that's not even the most critical part. We're actors—endorsements are secondary. The lead role in Director Li's film is what truly matters. And what's the movie called? It's called 'The Real'!"

Having been in the entertainment industry for so many years and solidifying her position as a top-tier young actress, Qiao Jingjing was no naive fool. She immediately grasped the implication: "You mean someone released this to sabotage Director Li's film?"

Ling Jie nodded. "There's a piece of news that isn't 100% confirmed yet, which is why I didn't mention it to you. But word from Director Li's daughter is that he's decided on you. I suspect others got wind of this and orchestrated this move."

Qiao Jingjing found it hard to believe: "I played that months ago. Isn't this a bit too meticulously planned and unconventional?"

"Probably they recorded it back then and were just waiting for the right moment to release it. And now it's served its purpose perfectly."

Just as they were talking, Ling Jie's phone suddenly rang. She glanced at it and signaled for silence. "It's King Tier calling."

Ling Jie put it on speakerphone.

The person on the other end sounded urgent and launched straight into a lengthy explanation. "General Manager Qiu, this is Alex. What's going on with today's hot search? Is that alternate account Jingjing's? Was she practicing a new hero? You need to get on Weibo and explain this ASAP."

Ling Jie nearly slapped her thigh in relief, her eyes reddening with emotion. Was there ever such a considerate business partner? They'd even thought up an excuse for her—why hadn't she come up with it herself? She replied repeatedly, "Yes, yes, exactly! She was practicing a new hero. She was using an alternate account to practice unfamiliar heroes, which is why her performance was like that."

"It'd be best to post a Weibo clarification, don't you think? Otherwise, it's quite awkward for us too."

"Of course, of course. We'll post on Weibo right away."

"But General Manager Qiu, we've discussed it here, and just a Weibo clarification might not be convincing enough. Actually, we happen to have an event coming up that could perfectly turn this crisis into a win-win situation."

Ling Jie's heart skipped a beat, and she asked warily, "What kind of event?""Here's the situation. The Autumn Tournament will end in just over a month, followed by a dedicated annual awards ceremony. We'd like to invite Jingjing to play an exhibition match at the ceremony. We'll select five lucky players through Weibo, making six people including Jingjing. They'll be divided into two teams, and each team will have the right to choose two professional players as teammates. That's sure to generate plenty of buzz."

"...Hmm~ I don't recall that being in our contract."

Alex's voice carried a hint of displeasure. "The contract also didn't mention you'd release such a video. It's just an exhibition match. The players will be randomly selected, so their skill level probably won't be very high. There's nothing to worry about, unless..."

His tone rose suspiciously.

"It's not about skill level. The contract..." Ling Jie was about to argue when another voice cut in.

"No problem! I can participate."

The speaker was none other than Qiao Jingjing. Ling Jie covered the phone's mouthpiece and glared at her fiercely.

Alex sounded pleasantly surprised. "Ah, was that just now..."

Ling Jie was now in a difficult position and could only make the best of it: "It's Jingjing. She's very supportive of your game. As you know, she's been very active in posting ads and Weibo updates. We're not charging much for this endorsement."

Alex: "Yes, yes, of course, of course. Then..."

Ling Jie said helplessly, "If she says it's fine, how can I stop her? Let's discuss the specific details."

Ten minutes later, Ling Jie hung up the phone, her expression immediately falling. "You... how can you play live with your skill level? I already found a way out—we could just release some articles to steer the narrative, and it would be fine."

Qiao Jingjing, who had been scrolling through her phone the whole time, was fired up by the negative comments: "I wasn't playing seriously before. There's still over a month left—can't I improve by then? I refuse to believe this is harder than getting abdominal definition!"

Late at night, past midnight, Qiao Jingjing responded on Weibo.

Qiao Jingjing V:

Actually, that record isn't too bad. I play Xiao Qiao even worse on my main account, so I created a smurf to play in Bronze Tier, thinking I could carry in Bronze! But... we both share the surname Qiao, so why can't I play her well?

The public was a bit confused, but her fans reacted quickly.

Curious Heart: So this is Jingjing's smurf account? She created a smurf to practice a hero she can't play, thinking she could bully newbies but ended up getting slaughtered? Haha, let me laugh for three minutes.

Wedrte~: Everyone, look clearly—it's a smurf account for practicing heroes. Do you master every hero as soon as you pick them up? Even professional players aren't that good.

The KPL official Weibo quickly followed up.

KPL Honor of Kings Professional League V:

Next month at the annual awards ceremony, Honor of Kings ambassador @Qiao Jingjing will play an exhibition match with lucky players. Are you all looking forward to Teacher Qiao Jingjing playing Xiao Qiao? Then come sign up quickly.

Qiao Jingjing's Weibo immediately reposted it.

Qiao Jingjing V: I said I won't play Xiao Qiao—no designated heroes!

Originally, some netizens were still skeptical, but after the official Weibo post, the public opinion completely shifted.

Many netizens suddenly realized: Qiao Jingjing isn't bad at the game—she's just bad at playing Xiao Qiao.

That's a huge difference.

After all, Honor of Kings has dozens of heroes. Even professional players can't play every hero perfectly, let alone ordinary players.Ling Jie had been closely monitoring Weibo and discovered she didn’t even need to rally anyone to steer the narrative—many players were voluntarily sharing their own experiences.

Spring Gown Lightly Drunk: I’m a 666 Jungler, but when it comes to Marksman, any Marksman, I’m trash! I’m King Tier 21 stars.

Greasy Youth: King Tier. I just want to know what Mid-laners have against me. My damage output never exceeds 15%, and in every Ranked Match, I start by saying I won’t play Mid-laner.

Triangle Theorem: Not all mages are the same though. I’m no good with Xiao Qiao either—her legs are too short... But with Fire Dance, I can Carry the whole game.

The situation briefly calmed down, and Ling Jie finally let out a sigh of relief. But when she turned her head, she noticed Qiao Jingjing seemed to be spacing out.

She waved a hand in front of her eyes. "Jingjing."

Qiao Jingjing looked at her. "Ling Jie, I rarely add people I’m not close to on WeChat."

Ling Jie patted her shoulder reassuringly, though she herself was fuming. "I’ll look into who’s pulling these shady moves behind the scenes."

"No need. It’s my own problem—no wonder they found a weakness to exploit." Qiao Jingjing remained surprisingly calm.

"Just don’t get too angry. It’s not worth damaging your health over."

"I’m not angry. I’ll wait till I can make them furious instead." A glint flashed in Qiao Jingjing’s eyes. "Keep negotiating with Director Li on my behalf, and find me a reliable person to coach me in the game. My scenes here will wrap up in a few days. From now until the competition, aside from what’s already scheduled, don’t book any more work for me."

Ling Jie was taken aback. "I was already planning to give you half a month off, but there’s over a month until the competition. You’re going to spend all of it practicing the game?"

Thinking of the financial loss, her heart ached. "Do you know how much you earn per day? Is it really worth it?"

Qiao Jingjing handed her phone to Ling Jie. The lit screen displayed the top comments under her Weibo post—fans, finally venting their earlier frustrations, were now cheering and celebrating enthusiastically.

If she lost the match a month later, it wouldn’t just be her being mocked—it would be them, too.

Ling Jie sighed, understanding. "Alright, I’ll arrange it."

Qiao Jingjing got ready for bed. She still had a full day of filming tomorrow, and especially at times like this, she needed to be in top form. Ling Jie also headed back to her own room to rest, but hesitated at the door and glanced back. "Hey, Jingjing."

"Hmm?"

"Even though I think practicing a game isn’t harder than working on Abdominal definition... you only lost a few pounds and never actually got those abs."

Qiao Jingjing: "..."