Chapter 18: Where to Go

A little later, the members gradually woke up.

 

By then, Jian Yanzhi had already used her silver tongue to persuade He Yuan to play a few games with her.

 

“Yan Zhi?” Hang Wenjie yawned as he walked over to turn on his computer. “Morning.”

 

“…It’s not morning anymore.”

 

Jian Boyi emerged from his room wearing Hawaiian-print shorts. “Hey, downstairs! Who’s sitting in my seat again?”

 

Jian Yanzhi didn’t even glance back. “Is your throne made of gold or something? Can’t anyone sit there?”

 

“This is the King’s seat!” Jian Boyi shouted, scratching his butt as he stumbled downstairs, his hair a complete mess. “How dare a lowly peasant like you defile it!”

 

Jian Yanzhi shot him a disgusted look. “Which unfortunate kingdom has to suffer under a king like you?”

 

Jian Boyi snorted coldly. “You wouldn’t understand,” he muttered before heading to the kitchen to find something to eat.

 

Last to come downstairs were Lin Mao and Lao Yao. They must have had a fierce battle upstairs, because Lao Yao now had Lin Mao pinned under his arm, dragging him down the stairs as Lin Mao squawked in protest.

 

The scene looked exactly like a brothel keeper abducting an innocent young boy.

 

“Let go of me! Let go! Ah, Xiao Yanzhi’s here too… Lao Yao, let go or I’ll call for help!”

 

Lao Yao, a burly man with a scar who looked like he was about to molest the young man, sneered. “Go ahead and scream. No one will come to save you, no matter how loud you yell.”

 

Jian Yanzhi: “……”

 

“Holy shit, I’m going to fucking kill you!”

 

“Mao Mao, that’s not cool. You were all smiles and fawning when you begged me for resources yesterday. Now that you’ve had your fun, you’re ditching me?”

 

“Shut up!”

 

“Why should I shut up? Oh… right, sorry, I forgot your goddess was here.”

 

“Fuck! Ninth Brother, grab a knife from the kitchen! I’m going to dismember this bastard!”

 

Before the words had even left his mouth, Jian Boyi burst out of the kitchen, his eyes gleaming with excitement. “Dismember him? What do we need a knife for? This king can tear him limb from limb with his bare hands!”

 

“Aaaah!!”

 

“Goddamn it! Let go!”

 

“Heh heh heh…”

 

Chaos erupted behind them.

 

Jian Yanzhi: “……”

 

*How bored must these men be to act this childishly?*

 

After sighing in exasperation, Jian Yanzhi returned to her game, only for the Crystal to shatter, signaling the end of the match.

 

The men behind her were still childishly squabbling. She glanced sideways at He Yuan, who was staring intently at the backend data as if he hadn’t heard a thing. He was clearly long accustomed to his teammates’ erratic behavior.

 

“Shen Yuan, you have a match next Friday, right?” Jian Yanzhi asked.

 

He Yuan turned to look at her, a teasing smile playing on his lips. “I’ve noticed you’re quite familiar with our schedule.”

 

Jian Yanzhi hesitated. “Oh, not really. I just happened to see it online.”

 

He Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly. “Is that so?”

 

“Yes…”

 

*If I didn’t say that, would I have to admit, “Of course I know! I’m a fan who hangs around the esports scene!”?*

 

Ugh, I’d probably die of embarrassment.

 

“First match is at 5 PM on Friday,” He Yuan stated.

 

“Okay, I’ll be watching… you guys,” Jian Yanzhi said, standing up and forcing a smile. “Good luck.”

 

“Mm.”

 

“I’ll head out now,” she said, shuffling toward the door in her fluffy slippers.

 

Hearing no door open, He Yuan glanced up and saw Jian Yanzhi had returned.

 

Noticing his gaze, she quickly put a finger to her lips in a shushing gesture.

 

He Yuan watched as Jian Yanzhi tiptoed behind Jian Boyi, who was locked in a mock brawl with Lao Yao, and delivered a swift kick to his backside.

 

“Damn it! Who the hell ambushes people from behind?” Jian Boyi roared in fury.

 

Jian Yanzhi, looking thoroughly disgusted, added another kick before vanishing in a flash, leaving Jian Boyi sputtering, “Mao Mao, do you want to die?!”

 

A flicker of amusement crossed He Yuan’s eyes. Another, even more ridiculous person had joined this group of bored idiots—and this one was a girl.

 

“Enough fooling around,” He Yuan said. “I’ll call the coach. Training starts now.”

 

Lin Mao, who had been sparring with the two men, peeked out from the huddle. “Uh… I haven’t eaten yet.”

 

He Yuan shot him a glare. “Then what are you still doing here? Go eat already.”

 

“…Right.”

 

—

 

Jian Yanzhi watched DSG’s first official match of the year live from her dorm room, headphones on, her heart pounding with excitement.

 

Forty-five minutes into the game, DSG emerged victorious from the final high ground teamfight. The Crystal Point exploded—a clean sweep!

 

The audience erupted in cheers as the giant screen on stage displayed the name that sent fans into a frenzy:

 

MVP: DSG-Abyss.

 

This was He Yuan’s gaming ID, the very name that inspired both reverence and dread in ADC players worldwide. It was through this ID that Jian Yanzhi had gradually come to understand the man rumored to be the “Abyssal Demon.”

 

He Yuan’s photo flashed across the screen: cold, almond-shaped eyes, a high, straight nose, and lips pressed into a thin line. To be honest, his features weren’t exactly welcoming. Yet even like this, he was so handsome that her heart raced. Even through the screen, Jian Yanzhi could feel the raw intensity of his fans’ cries of “Shen Yuan!”

 

Jian Yanzhi took several deep breaths, leaped from her chair, and dove headfirst onto her bed.

 

“They won! They won! They won!”

 

She laughed so hard the entire bed shook. Luckily, her roommates were all outside rehearsing their stage play, or they might have thought she was having a seizure.

 

“Congratulations, congratulations, congratulations, congratulations!” Jian Yanzhi pulled out her phone and sent He Yuan a long string of congratulatory messages.

 

After a few minutes, she thought better of it and sent the same message to the rest of the team.

 

Mao Mao and Jian Boyi had also performed exceptionally well today. Mao Mao might look like a naive young boy, but in serious matches, he could be as fierce as a wolf. This was Jian Boyi’s debut match as a new member, and his performance was a resounding slap in the face to everyone who had doubted him.

 

For the next hour, Jian Yanzhi scrolled through Weibo, posting frequently herself. In addition to sharing her insights on the match, she retweeted numerous highlights of the players’ outstanding plays.

 

“Shen Yuan was just too, too, too, too, too handsome tonight!!!”

 

This was Jian Yanzhi’s final Weibo post for the day, seemingly just another ordinary comment. Little did she know that when she checked Weibo again a few minutes later, she would be flooded with an overwhelming number of notifications—ten times more than usual.

 

Puzzled, Jian Yanzhi clicked into the comments.

 

When she saw the top comment under her post, she froze in shock.

 

“……”

 

“…………”

 

The Weibo account DSG-Abyss, which rarely appeared even once every few centuries, left a four-character comment under her post:

 

“Good taste.”

 

*What the hell? What the hell?! What the hell?! What the hell?!*

 

Shen Yuan commented on her post? No, wait—Shen Yuan commented on her *fan account*? The Shen Yuan who never acknowledged fan posts had actually commented on her fan account?

 

*Winning the match must have put him in a good mood. He’s even starting to indulge his fans a little. But to have him pick *me* for this? I must be the luckiest fan ever!*

 

All the fans thought she was incredibly lucky. The comments section of her post was overflowing with envious remarks:

 

“Shen Yuan, notice me! I have great taste too—comment on my post!”

 

“Shen Yuan was SO SO SO SO SO handsome tonight!!!! (Each extra ‘so’ deserves an extra exclamation mark! Please reply to me!)”

 

“Little Fox’s money wasn’t wasted. This world really does belong to the wealthy. (Waves goodbye)”

 

“Those saying the blogger won the lottery should check Shen Yuan’s livestream gift leaderboard. The money she gifted would far surpass any lottery prize.”

 

“Aaaaaaah, so lucky! I’m so jealous!”

 

Jian Yanzhi watched and laughed, finally deciding that as a proper fan, she should reply to the great Shen Yuan.

 

She solemnly typed out a sincere message: “Most heartwarming moment of the year. Thank you, Shen Yuan, for your acknowledgment. My taste is indeed impeccable.”

 

A few minutes later, DSG-Abyss replied: “Don’t get too cocky.”

 

Jian Yanzhi blinked, utterly baffled. *Why is Shen Yuan suddenly so interested in interacting with fans today?*

 

Thrilled, she began brainstorming her next response.

 

But before she could decide, the system suddenly notified her: *You have a new friend request.*

 

Bewildered, she clicked it open and saw the name glaringly displayed in her friend list: DSG-Abyss.

 

“Am I seeing things? Did Shen Yuan actually follow Little Fox?!”

 

“Shen Yuan followed a fan! OMG!”

 

“Surprise! Shock! Delight!”

 

“@DSG-Abyss, please notice me!”

 

“I’m exhausted…”

 

“Holy crap, is this even possible?!”

 

Jian Yanzhi swallowed hard, still bewildered by the sudden attention. She’d praised Shen Yuan extensively on Weibo before—why was she only being noticed now?

 

While she was still reeling from the surprise, Jian Yanzhi received a call from Lin Mao.

 

“Hey, Mao Mao.”

 

“Did you watch our match today? We won!”

 

“I did! I watched the whole livestream.”

 

“Haha, great! By the way, Xiao Yanzhi, we’re celebrating our first win tonight. Wanna join us?”

 

Jian Yanzhi hesitated. “Would it be appropriate for me to come?”

 

“Of course! We’re all friends here. Why wouldn’t it be?” Lin Mao shouted to someone nearby, “Hey, Eldest! Should we invite Xiao Yanzhi to the celebration tonight?”

 

On the other end of the line, Jian Yanzhi couldn’t see whether He Yuan nodded or shook his head.

 

“You guys just celebrate. I’m not…”

 

“Eldest nodded,” Lin Mao interrupted Jian Yanzhi, his voice buzzing with excitement. “We’re going to Earl’s Club tonight for karaoke and drinks. You absolutely have to come!”

 

“Uh…”

 

“It’s settled then! I’ll call you later.”

 

Jian Yanzhi considered it for a moment. “Alright, I’ll go.”

 

Earl’s Club was a highly exclusive, members-only establishment, inaccessible to the general public. Because of its exclusivity, Jian Yanzhi wouldn’t have to worry about being recognized and mobbed for photos when she arrived.

 

Upon reaching the club, a dedicated staff member personally escorted her to He Yuan’s group.

 

“Miss Jian, this way,” the server said, pushing open the door. A deafening cacophony of noise spilled out. Jian Yanzhi instinctively recoiled. *Damn! Jian Boyi’s singing is atrocious!*

 

“Please come in.”

 

Jian Yanzhi nodded. “Thank you.”