Chapter 13: In Short

Boyfriend?

 

Jian Yanzhi nearly choked on her own saliva. She tilted her head back to look at He Yuan. “That… uh…”

 

“Yan Yan, is what he’s saying true?” Zou Chang asked, his eyes slightly reddened as he stared at her.

 

Jian Yanzhi blinked, glancing from Zou Chang to He Yuan and back again. “Is… is it really true?”

 

“I told you to come find me. Took you long enough,” He Yuan said brusquely, pulling Jian Yanzhi closer and looking down at her. “Jian Yanzhi, how can you be so dense?”

 

The man was tall. Even in her heels, she had to crane her neck to meet his gaze. Jian Yanzhi let out a soft gasp that died in her throat when she saw his eyes—lazy yet tinged with an uncharacteristic tenderness.

 

Her heart skipped uncontrollably, and as the fleeting surge of emotion faded, she quickly averted her eyes.

 

Staring at the ground, Jian Yanzhi silently cursed under her breath.

 

*The great He Yuan, usually so sharp-tongued and cold, showing an expression like that? This is fucking lethal!*

 

“Let’s go inside,” He Yuan said, pushing the door open behind Jian Yanzhi. He nudged her forward, then turned to Zou Chang. “If you’re done here, you can leave. No need for goodbyes.”

 

“Who exactly are you?”

 

“Are you deaf?”

 

“……”

 

He Yuan’s hand slid restlessly over the doorknob, clearly impatient. Still, he glared at the man and said, “As a public figure, you should be more careful about your image. If this drunken harassment of young women gets reported, your PR team will have a major headache.”

 

“You—”

 

“We’re closing the door now. We have things to do.”

 

“……”

 

He Yuan slammed the door shut without hesitation. Turning around, he saw the woman standing not far away. Her figure-hugging strapless dress, slender white calves, and dazzling high heels…

 

She stared at him dazedly, looking a bit bewildered.

 

He Yuan found it inexplicably amusing. Her face still retained traces of childish innocence, yet she insisted on wearing such mature makeup.

 

*This industry truly defies understanding,* he thought.

 

“What are you looking at?” He Yuan averted his gaze and strode to a side table, grabbing a bottle of mineral water.

 

He twisted off the cap and poured the water over the back of his hand.

 

Jian Yanzhi immediately understood his intention. Feeling both apologetic and grateful, she hurried forward to take the mineral water bottle from him. “Shen Yuan, thank you so much! Your divine right hand saved me. I almost lost my… dignity.”

 

He Yuan glanced at her sideways. “At least you have some conscience. I was worried you’d accuse me of interrupting your romantic reunion.”

 

“What nonsense! You said you’re my boyfriend. Why would I rekindle anything with him?”

 

The words slipped out before she could stop them, and both of them froze for a moment.

 

“Ouch!” He Yuan suddenly flicked her forehead. Caught off guard, Jian Yanzhi stared at him innocently. “Hey! What was that for?”

 

“Do you even know what ‘heroic self-sacrifice’ means?” He Yuan asked calmly, wiping his hands with two tissues. “That’s what I just did.”

 

It took Jian Yanzhi a few seconds to realize he was referring to his act of pretending to be her boyfriend as a selfless sacrifice.

 

*Hmph, I should have known better than to get sentimental. He Yuan is still He Yuan—that sharp-tongued jerk from the livestream!*

 

“Hey! Being my boyfriend, even for a few minutes, is an honor!”

 

“Is that so?” He Yuan’s lips curled into a sardonic smile. “Then I’ll pass on this honor.”

 

“Fine! Thanks for passing! I wouldn’t want to give it to you anyway!”

 

“Alright, I guess we’re in agreement then.”

 

“……”

 

Jian Yanzhi sat on the sofa, huffing and puffing in frustration, while He Yuan casually scrolled through his phone.

 

A few minutes later:

 

“Hey, you still haven’t told me why you’re here.”

 

“Waiting for someone.”

 

“Waiting for someone? Who are you waiting for?” Jian Yanzhi eyed him suspiciously. “Who is it? Haven’t they arrived yet?”

 

He Yuan simply replied, “They’ll be here soon.”

 

“Oh.”

 

An awkward silence settled between them.

 

After a long pause, He Yuan looked up at Jian Yanzhi. “Aren’t you going back to the party?”

 

“Just for a bit,” Jian Yanzhi pouted. “I had a little too much wine, and my stomach’s upset. If I go back now, I’ll have to deal with a bunch of people—I’d be exhausted.”

 

She expected He Yuan to object, but her attempt at playing the sympathy card seemed to work. He merely grunted in acknowledgment and returned to his phone. Relieved not to be kicked out, Jian Yanzhi grinned smugly and settled in comfortably.

 

With over an hour left until the end of the banquet, Jian Yanzhi, bored, pulled out her phone to play a game.

 

She instinctively tapped open the Honor of Kings interface. “Shen Yuan, do none of you guys play mobile games?”

 

“Do you think we have that much free time?”

 

Jian Yanzhi looked up, a hint of disdain in her voice. “Didn’t you used to play Chinese poker during *League of Legends* queue times?”

 

“…”

 

“Besides, *King’s Glory* is super popular these days. How come none of you play it?”

 

He Yuan scoffed. “It’s just a watered-down version of *League of Legends*. Boring.”

 

“You haven’t even tried it!” Jian Yanzhi held out her phone. “Look, the characters are drawn way better than in *League of Legends*.”

 

He Yuan stared at her incredulously. “You’re playing a game just because the characters are pretty? Where’s your integrity?”

 

“What does integrity have to do with gaming?” Jian Yanzhi raised an eyebrow. “Want to play a match? We’ve got nothing better to do.”

 

“No way.”

 

“Oh, are you afraid I’ll crush you since you’re a newbie?” Jian Yanzhi teased.

 

“Crush me?” He Yuan stared at her in disbelief. “Are you drunk already?”

 

“You’re the one who’s drunk!” Jian Yanzhi glared at him. “Dare to play a match? We’ll see who crushes who right here!”

 

“Hmph.”

 

A few minutes later, He Yuan was diligently practicing the tutorial with Arthur.

 

Jian Yanzhi watched him intently, a smug smile on her face, playing the experienced veteran. “Hmm, later I’ll take you through a bot match to get the hang of things.”

 

“Bot matches?” He Yuan stared at the screen, a cold smirk playing on his lips. “You want me to fight those brainless computer bots?”

 

Jian Yanzhi sighed. “Dude, this is *King’s Glory*, not *League of Legends*.”

 

“Is there really a difference?” He Yuan finished the tutorial and smirked. “Let’s go. Invite me.”

 

*Such arrogance! League of Legends has spoiled him rotten!* Jian Yanzhi thought.

 

She entered matchmaking mode, ready to invite He Yuan. But as she glanced at her friend list, she realized she’d overlooked something crucial.

 

“What’s up?” He Yuan asked.

 

Jian Yanzhi raised an eyebrow. “Shen Yuan, it seems we’re not even WeChat friends yet?”

 

“…”

 

*If we weren’t WeChat friends, he wouldn’t be on my in-game friend list. If not for this match, I wouldn’t have even realized I don’t have his WeChat!*

 

*So, we’re becoming friends through a game now?*

 

*Hmm… I’ll have to check out his WeChat moments later to see what kind of stuff he posts.*

 

After sending the invite, they finally entered the game.

 

He Yuan glanced at Jian Yanzhi’s in-game name and scoffed, “Your ID is as amusing as ever.”

 

Jian Yanzhi rolled her eyes. “You, with your random gibberish of a name, have no right to mock mine.”

 

To save himself the trouble, He Yuan had simply typed in a jumble of letters like “nysufz” as his in-game name. Meanwhile, the name he’d found so “amusing” was “Li Bai Is My Husband.”

 

Li Bai was a handsome and incredibly skilled assassin in *Honor of Kings*. Jian Yanzhi, however, couldn’t play assassins to save her life, having abandoned countless attempts. She’d chosen that name purely as a tribute to players who mastered Li Bai.

 

Zhuang Zhou was one of Jian Yanzhi’s strongest heroes. To properly guide the newcomer He Yuan to victory, she selected Zhuang Zhou for this match.

 

After locking in her choice, she noticed He Yuan was still hesitating. “Our team comp needs an assassin,” she reminded him. “Why don’t you pick Li Bai or Hua Mulan?”

 

“Li Bai?” He Yuan paused, a teasing smirk playing on his lips. “Wouldn’t that be letting you have all the fun?”

 

“…”

 

“For the sake of my integrity,” He Yuan declared, “I’ll stick with Hua Mulan.”

 

Jian Yanzhi narrowed her eyes, grinding her teeth. “I thank you for your kindness! Please, just clutch your precious ‘integrity’ tightly and never touch Li Bai again in your life.”

 

“Of course,” He Yuan replied.

 

He wasn’t wrong. Honor of Kings was essentially a simplified version of League of Legends, sharing the same core gameplay loop but with more streamlined mechanics.

 

Both games feature three lanes where players must destroy enemy towers, push into the enemy high ground, and shatter their Crystal. The moment the enemy Crystal explodes marks victory.

 

The match began. Jian Yanzhi headed to the top lane, while He Yuan ventured into the jungle to farm.

 

He Yuan possessed a natural talent for gaming. Despite this being his first time playing Hua Mulan, after just a few skill tests, he was already handling the hero with surprising proficiency.

 

However, as a novice, he lacked familiarity with the enemy heroes’ abilities and roles, and his own character had no Rune bonuses. As a result, during team fights, while Hua Mulan wasn’t dying horribly, she also failed to provide any significant support.

 

Our teammates began venting in the public chat:

 

“Hua Mulan, do you even know how to play? Dive the backline!”

 

“Is Hua Mulan just here for a stroll?”

 

“If you’re this trash, don’t pick an assassin!”

 

Jian Yanzhi was furious.

 

*Damn it!* she thought. *Those insults are way too harsh! He’s practically a gaming god in my eyes! It’s one thing for me to tease him myself, but how dare they insult him?!*

 

“Stop whining!” Jian Yanzhi typed back sharply. “Have you even looked at your own kill count? You’re in no position to criticize others!”

 

As the current MVP with a score of 13 kills, 1 death, and 7 assists, Jian Yanzhi’s words carried weight. No one dared argue with her, though some reckless players continued to hurl insults at Hua Mulan.

 

An inexplicable fire blazed in Jian Yanzhi’s chest. She planted herself beneath the turret and began typing furiously: “Hua Mulan is my girlfriend, and she’s new to the game! Don’t any of you know how to treat women with respect?”

 

In online games, female players often received preferential treatment. True to form, after Jian Yanzhi sent her message, the insults against He Yuan abruptly ceased.

 

“Don’t worry, Shen Yuan,” Jian Yanzhi muttered fiercely, her eyes glued to the screen. “I promised to carry you, and anyone who dares insult you will face my wrath.”

 

He Yuan’s hand, holding his phone, froze mid-motion. He looked up at her.

 

In truth, he hadn’t paid any attention to the insults. Even Jian Yanzhi’s indignant response had only amused him. But now, her sudden, fiercely protective words left him momentarily stunned.

 

He hadn’t heard such words in a lifetime.

 

And now, a young girl was the one saying them to him.

 

“Hey, why aren’t you moving? Come on, let’s kill them!” Jian Yanzhi glanced up at He Yuan.

 

He Yuan had been staring at her in a daze for a moment. When Jian Yanzhi looked up, their eyes met.

 

He remained calm, his gaze unreadable. She, however, was restless, her eyes sparkling like distant stars in the night sky.

 

“Why are you staring at me?” Jian Yanzhi pursed her lips and chuckled. “Oh, don’t tell me you’re upset that I called you my boyfriend?”

 

He Yuan’s eyes flickered dismissively. “You know that’s not true,” he said.

 

“Hey, I just wanted to shut those guys up!” Jian Yanzhi nudged him playfully. “Besides, you pretended to be my boyfriend earlier. Now I’m returning the favor. Aren’t we even?”

 

“……”