Chapter 10

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It was probably out of fear that the delivery would expose personal information—these days, the competition scene was quite ruthless; someone even sent a funeral wreath to a contestant. Ning Nanzhou didn’t think much and agreed. He had assumed Chi Yu would live in the Sea Moon District where FKW was based, but to his surprise, it was actually in Lin’an District, just a ten-minute walk from his school. Without even taking a taxi, he walked to Chi Yu’s residential complex, Yuyuan Phase II.

Yuyuan wasn’t the most expensive complex in Shanghai, but it was designed by the renowned architect Chao Ming, making it highly sought after. Whenever units went on sale, they were snapped up instantly. The design of Yuyuan was indeed impressive—the flying eaves and bracket sets complemented the pond water perfectly. Sunlight streamed through the patterned walls, casting shadows on the soft pink petals of the Bolero flowers, like brushstrokes of a wolf-hair brush tracing watercolor lines—sharp and captivating.

Ning Nanzhou carried a gift box and knocked on Chi Yu’s door. He had rehearsed what to say on the way, but upon seeing Chi Yu wearing gold-rimmed glasses... Wait, what was he about to say again? He struggled to shift his gaze away from Chi Yu’s face and hurriedly cobbled together his words: “Thank you for the gift last time. I happened to earn some money from part-time work, so I bought you a tie.” He extended the box, but Chi Yu didn’t take it. Instead, he slightly bowed his head.

“Ning Ning, can you help me tie it?”

Ah... His rational mind told him to refuse, but the fact that Chi Yu called him “Ning Ning” made him blush fiercely. Stammering, he agreed and took out the brand-new tie, standing on tiptoe to drape it around Chi Yu’s neck. From his angle, he could clearly see Chi Yu’s smooth, defined jawline and the faintly protruding Adam’s apple. What was even more maddening was this act of bowing his head, as if silently saying, “I willingly let you tie me up.” Help! It was far more intoxicating than he had imagined.

“Thank you for your gift,” Chi Yu said politely. “It’s a very nice tie.” He was also very handsome... Ning Nanzhou, worried that Chi Yu might notice anything, finished tying the tie and turned to leave. “I’ll head back to school now... You look really good in that tie.” No sooner had he said this than his wrist was grabbed. Chi Yu’s voice came from behind him: “There’s something I’ve wanted to ask for a long time.”

“Don’t you want to see me?”

“No!” he immediately denied before racking his brain for an excuse. “I just feel we’re not familiar enough yet, and we don’t chat much, so I didn’t know what to say if I stayed.” Of course, that was just an excuse. He knew Chi Yu better than any encyclopedia—Chi Yu’s preferred heroes in every match, his favorite flavors of food. Chi Yu seemed thoughtful: “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Ning Nanzhou was stunned. His idol appeared to treat their interactions like work, even reviewing their ‘feedback.’ Chi Yu walked to the bar counter as if what had just happened was a minor incident. “What would you like to drink?”

“Just water.”

He sat upright, eyes fixed ahead, but his peripheral vision quietly took in Chi Yu’s home. The decor was simple Scandinavian style, with white and gray tones. The living room had a glacier-gray rug, a white sandalwood table with a rabbit plush toy on top. Did Chi Yu like these kinds of things? His image in Ning Nanzhou’s mind seemed more complete than before.

As he was secretly observing, Chi Yu handed him a glass of water. “Thank you.” He took it obediently, not wanting to leave a bad impression. Chi Yu looked at the boy sitting so straight, clearly a naive child, and decided not to let him know that even divorce certificates could be counted as extra credits.

“Want to watch TV?” Chi Yu asked.

“No.” He shook his head.

“Okay.” Chi Yu smiled lightly. “I don’t like watching it much either.”

“What do you like to watch then?” he asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

“Matches.” Chi Yu pressed the remote. “I even watch the new version’s live streams sometimes, to catch new strategies.”

The pitch-black screen suddenly lit up, showing that the broadcast had ended and was switching to the homepage, where a small yellow chubby bird perched in the top right corner.

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How could it be the little yellow bird??? His back instantly straightened, but then he realized that the yellow bird’s streaming platform had the best picture quality, so it was natural to choose it for watching matches. Most importantly, the homepage’s recommended spots were highly competitive, usually reserved for big streamers, not someone as invisible as him. He quickly relaxed.

Chi Yu sipped his coffee: “Ning Ning, do you play games?”

He had rehearsed this question many times and didn’t outright deny it, instead asking obediently: “Does 4399 count?”

But he relaxed too soon. Looking down, he saw himself in the bottom section of the new recommendations! Who was still a newbie after streaming for three years? He was the old cucumber painted green—no, they were dumping green paint right on his head! When Chi Yu stopped on his stream, he was so nervous he nearly spilled his water, but he kept a calm face: “Is there a problem with this streamer?”

“The magician plays pretty well,” Chi Yu adjusted his glasses. “But his vocabulary is a bit too rich.”

Vocabulary too rich? It took him a moment to realize Chi Yu was hinting that he talked too much trash. If Chi Yu hadn’t been sitting beside him, he might have dropped his jaw to the floor.

—

After instructing the youth training camp members, Zhao Li received a call from Song Mingjie: “I saw a streamer on Starry Sky TV who plays the magician really well. Can you see if we can recruit him?”

Zhao Li hated when Song Mingjie asked him to recruit players. Song Mingjie hadn’t played games in years and was barely gold rank now, thinking anyone on the street was good enough. Over the years, Zhao Li had recruited at least 800 players, none of whom were impressive.

But since Song Mingjie was his superior, he sighed and opened Starry Sky TV, betting the player was a magician specialist. He wanted to watch the live stream but the player wasn’t online, so he searched for clips instead. The most popular clip showed a magician winning over a hundred matches in a row—impressive, since many couldn’t do that even with old heroes. The second clip showed the player using Saboteur, a warrior hero with distinct playstyle and mechanics, and the player was good at that too.

He watched all of South’s videos, ruling out the possibility of a one-trick pony; the hero pool was deep. Zhao Li’s first thought was hacking, but seeing the player had just over ten thousand fans, he doubted they could afford cheats. He grew excited. Playing games well online and playing professionally were different, but this at least showed the streamer had talent and was a good prospect for pro play. He might not be ready for top-tier leagues, but definitely for second-tier. He immediately sent a private message.

[Zhao Li] Hello, I’m the manager of FKW’s youth training camp. Are you interested in joining us?

Ning Nanzhou had just returned to his dormitory when he received the message. He replied with one hand.

[South] No star-chasing, please.

[Zhao Li] You might have misunderstood. I’m the youth training manager at FKW. Our club generally doesn’t encourage star-chasing, but once you join the camp, asking for an autograph is easy, and if you’re lucky, you might even become friends.

Zhao Li hinted wildly, but to his surprise, South remained indifferent! Even though FKW’s youth system wasn’t as good as Blue Flame’s, Chi Yu was a golden brand name, so many wanted to join FKW’s camp. Moreover, South’s personal signature was “I’m in a golden marriage with God Chi,” clearly a fanatical fan of Chi Yu, unlikely to pass up the chance to meet his idol face to face.

As expected, South soon replied, probably trying to play coy and raise the stakes. Zhao Li, knowing what was going on, opened the message and was dumbfounded.

[South] Do you still sell that cotton doll?

??? He wasn’t the marketing manager!

He was speechless about young people today but worried other youth camps, especially Blue Flame’s, would seize the opportunity. He held back his impulse to curse and replied:

[Zhao Li] The first batch of cotton dolls sold out. The second batch should be available by the end of the month. Hope this answer satisfies you and that you prioritize our team.

Ning Nanzhou admired how polite the FKW staff were—even a big manager like Zhao Li was so courteous. He responded with a simple “Hmm” and got back to his chemistry analysis homework.

After finishing, he opened the yellow bird app. The chubby system prompt popped up in the center: “Congratulations! Your stream has reached 10,000 fans, upgrading your stream level to V2, surpassing 34.7% of streamers on this platform. We have placed you in the homepage’s new recommended section.”

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He understood why he was recommended. If the system hadn’t mentioned it, he might have been fine, but now that it did, he felt like plucking the bird’s feathers! The system kept chirping: “You not only enjoy a monthly attendance bonus of 6,000 yuan, but there’s also an extra reward for exceeding 100,000 stream heat. Keep up the good work.”

He calculated how many more merchandise items he could buy and suddenly found the system quite endearing. He petted the little bird and started streaming.

[Finally online!]

[Suspecting South is in love, but no proof.]

[Do you think he can like anyone other than Chi Yu?]

[Guys, be bold! What if it’s really Chi Yu?]

[Would Chi Yu like someone like that?]

His hand paused on the keyboard, recalling Chi Yu’s gentle critique, deciding to reform and at least not leave the impression of a streamer from the “yellow district.” So when the jungler threw a match, he restrained his urge to trash talk and said innocently: “Bro, don’t feed.” When the bot lane couple got all clingy, he held back from cursing them to go to a hotel and politely suggested: “It’s better to play separately.” When the mid laner repeatedly stole kills, he shrugged: “It’s okay, just take them.”

[??? Are you crazy?]

[Is this even you? I’m getting nervous watching!]

[Are you telling scary stories?]

[Stop cursing us upstairs.]

[Don’t scare us in the middle of the night.]

However, when this flawless opening was ruined by four teammates’ mistakes and his rank dropped to Platinum I, the iron-willed slave couldn’t hold back any longer! He pulled his headset closer: “Thirty minutes, twenty deaths, jungler you’re basically feeding, bot lane can you not have a hotel party, kiss your mom, no one listens so can’t get hard, right?”

“And mid lane, stop laughing! You’re the only one stealing kills. With five kills down, you should go to the hospital and check your hands.”

[That’s the familiar you.]

[Awesome.]

[Stop playing innocent; it doesn’t suit you.]

[Not just unsuitable, I almost peed myself at midnight thinking you were possessed.]

Ning Nanzhou: “...”

He could usually control himself from trash talking, but during games, he couldn’t because you never knew what idiots you’d encounter. Fine. As long as he was well-behaved in real life, Chi Yu wouldn’t suspect a thing.

Having resolved this, he washed up and lay in bed scrolling through Weibo. He came across a post and emotionlessly swiped past. After two seconds, he couldn’t help but scroll back up. The post was quite something, listing the hundred most intense poses in manga, like inescapable positions. Such good stuff couldn’t be kept to himself. He was about to share it with his childhood friend Chen Dongdong when suddenly Chi Yu messaged him.

[Chi Yu] Are you asleep?

The message popped up too fast, and he accidentally sent that post to Chi Yu by mistake! At that moment, his hands and feet went cold. Hearing his phone vibrate, he buried his head under the covers, too scared to look. How could he have sent that to Chi Yu? Would Chi Yu think he was a pervert? QWQ!

After a long while, he mustered courage to lift his head and peek at the reply.