Chapter 51

The people inside the house were still fast asleep, and the curtains seemed to have been neglected, allowing a room full of moonlight to spill in.

Shen Jianian had managed to suppress his shock. Strangely, he didn’t think much about when these two had gotten together; instead, he began to contemplate what to do if they couldn’t sleep later that night.

The thought made Shen Jianian chuckle to himself, but it also caused a slight tickle in his throat, prompting him to cough softly a couple of times. In the quiet night, even the smallest sound felt particularly jarring.

This stirred the man on the bed, who had been sleeping lightly.

Zhou Lingxing slowly opened his eyes, turned towards the source of the sound, and saw Shen Jianian wearing a teasing expression.

Startled for a moment, all traces of sleep vanished.

He carefully pulled his hand back from beneath Su Heng, and spoke softly, “Let’s talk outside.”

Both of them went downstairs and stopped only when they reached the training room.

Shen Jianian pulled out two cigarettes, put one in his mouth, and handed the other to Zhou Lingxing.

Zhou Lingxing accepted the cigarette and casually asked, “Are you here for me or her?”

Shen Jianian smiled, lit his cigarette with a nonchalant demeanor, and tossed the used lighter into Zhou Lingxing’s lap. “I’m looking for her.”

“What’s the matter?” Zhou Lingxing raised an eyebrow.

Shen Jianian didn’t rush to answer; instead, he took out his phone and opened a Weibo comment that had over ten thousand likes, holding it up for Zhou Lingxing to see. “Take a look for yourself.”

Taking the phone with suspicion, Zhou Lingxing’s expression turned serious within seconds. By the end, he unconsciously crushed the cigarette in his hand.

After quickly scanning through the comments, his face darkened further, and he asked in a low voice, “Have you contacted this blogger?”

Shen Jianian flicked off some ash, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes behind his glasses.

“I contacted her during the day using the official account. She also reached out with a private account after posting this Weibo, but there was no response.”

Zhou Lingxing sneered coldly, “Seems like she was prepared.”

Shen Jianian nodded, taking a deep drag from his cigarette. “The statements from the official account and teammates probably won’t be convincing anymore. Su Heng needs to issue her own statement, so I came to talk to you.”

As he spoke, he chuckled, “I didn’t expect to walk in on such a good show.”

However, Zhou Lingxing didn’t feel any relief from Shen Jianian’s teasing; his brow was still tightly furrowed.

This matter was different from their usual playful banter; any misstep could irreparably damage Su Heng’s reputation.

Cyberbullying is called “violence” for a reason, not just for show.

Moreover, the location of the internet cafe was already known to netizens. If her identity were to be exposed…

He couldn’t even imagine.

Zhou Lingxing tightened his jaw, “What do you plan for her to say in the statement? That she’s the person in the video? Or admitting to her illness?”

“Neither,” Shen Jianian glanced at the crumpled cigarette in Zhou Lingxing’s hand before pulling out another. “Is there any other option?”

Zhou Lingxing stared at him in silence.

“Don’t be so tense,” Shen Jianian smirked, “Everything has its limits; Su Heng’s air of mystery will eventually attract scrutiny. Since someone is already targeting her, we should find all these people and deal with them all at once.”

“How do we do that?” Hearing that he seemed to have an idea, Zhou Lingxing felt a little relieved and took the cigarette back to light it again.

“Have Su Heng deny all relevant information and send a lawyer’s letter.” Shen Jianian no longer looked at him, exhaling smoke in the dark night, appearing quite relaxed.

Zhou Lingxing paused for a moment while lighting his cigarette. “This isn’t something that can be solved just by denial. The other side has even produced a diagnosis, and she did indeed fall asleep during the live broadcast.”

“So what?” The ember was nearing Shen Jianian’s fingers. “The name on the online diagnosis was blurred, and the informant is an anonymous user who clearly doesn’t want to reveal their identity. Since they can’t produce solid evidence, this lawyer’s letter should hold up.”

Zhou Lingxing exhaled a cloud of smoke. “This is akin to gambling. What if that person, in a fit of desperation, releases the original diagnosis?”

“Who do you think this anonymous informant is? Someone who knows Su Heng’s past so clearly and also possesses her diagnosis?” Shen Jianian said with a hint of sarcasm.

Indeed, anyone who met both criteria would have some close connection to Su Heng—either a friend or a family member.

Zhou Lingxing was stunned for a moment, Family?

“So, I said,” Shen Jianian extinguished his cigarette, his expression somewhat intriguing, “caring leads to chaos.”

“Su Heng wears a mask to prevent her mother from knowing. Even with the internet being so developed, her mother might not receive the news that quickly. I remember… Su Heng has a younger sister?”

“If Su Heng’s sister doesn’t want anyone to know she’s the one spreading the news, she definitely wouldn’t respond directly to our lawyer’s letter.”

Zhou Lingxing nodded in agreement. “It must be her, then.”

“So, the thing you were worried about earlier is very unlikely to happen. Since she chose to hide her identity, she certainly doesn’t want Sun Ling to know.”

As Shen Jianian spoke, he walked over to the door.

“Besides, do you really think an obviously fake anonymous user’s leak can easily convince so many fans and influencers on Weibo, who would just accept such irresponsible claims, even with the diagnosis being pixelated?”

Zhou Lingxing flicked his fingers, sending his cigarette toward the trash can. A few sparks painted a perfect arc in the night, hitting the mark.

Quickly grasping Shen Jianian’s meaning, he asked, “Are you saying Du Ruo might be involved too?”

“Not ‘might’—she is definitely involved.” Shen Jianian nodded. “If it weren’t for Du Ruo vouching for her, would this person have the audacity to publish such an article? If it turns out to be false, would she still care about her reputation?”

In the quiet night, the occasional sound of cicadas was particularly piercing.

Zhou Lingxing couldn’t help but sneer.

It was one thing for Su Mang not to tolerate her own sister, but for Du Ruo to jump in and stir the pot was underestimating them.

Given Zhou Lingxing’s usual intelligence, it would have been easy to think of these things, but today, Shen Jianian had to explain it all to him for so long.

Shen Jianian was right; he had indeed reached a point where caring led to chaos.

After explaining everything, Shen Jianian left the base first.

Before leaving, he glanced back at Zhou Lingxing. “I won’t get involved in your matters, just this one thing,”

Zhou Lingxing looked at the man standing by the door, his expression indifferent, regaining his nonchalant demeanor.

“Keep it confidential for now. If it must be made public, you have to notify me in advance.” Shen Jianian smirked.

Zhou Lingxing shrugged noncommittally, indicating he understood.

Once Shen Jianian left, a smile appeared on his face.

After all, he hadn’t given a clear answer, so if anything went wrong later, it wouldn’t be his fault.

He thought to himself as he quietly entered the room.

Su Heng was fast asleep, her peaceful face making it impossible for Zhou Lingxing to wake her up.

After a moment’s thought, the man stealthily picked up the phone from the nightstand.

Just a Weibo post; he didn’t need to wake her up for that.

However, as soon as he pressed the phone button, a prompt for a password appeared on the screen.

Password??

Zhou Lingxing furrowed his brow.

He entered Su Heng’s birthday.

It showed incorrect.

He then typed in his own birthday.

Still incorrect.

Feeling somewhat frustrated, Zhou Lingxing tried the date of their anniversary and the day they first met.

None were correct, and the phone ended up locked.

Irritated, he ruffled his hair, dejectedly tossed the phone aside, and lay back down on the bed.

After thinking for a moment, he carefully pulled Su Heng back into his arms.

Only then did he close his eyes contentedly.

He couldn’t bring himself to wake her for such a bothersome thing.

Better to wait until tomorrow.

—

After a night of fermentation, news about Sleeping’s narcolepsy quickly spread online.

Opening Su Heng’s Weibo, it was filled with insults, without exception.

Even those trying to defend Su Heng faced backlash, like Xiao Xin.

Xiao Xin immediately posted on Weibo to support Su Heng upon hearing the news.

However, soon a large group of trolls showed up, flooding the comments with “Sleeping, get out of the esports scene.”

It was clear that someone had led the narrative.

The GI team received Shen Jianian’s directive not to post any supportive messages, and those within the circle who had played games with Su Heng and knew her abilities were too afraid to speak up after seeing Xiao Xin’s situation.

Meanwhile, a pair of men and women on the second floor of the base were still in a sweet slumber.

Until Zhou Lingxing was awakened by the ringtone of Shen Jianian’s phone call.

Half-awake, he answered the call, and immediately heard Shen Jianian’s calm voice.

“It’s about time; hurry up and wake Su Heng to issue a statement. If you wait any longer, people will say it’s because you’re guilty.”

Still groggy from just waking up, Zhou Lingxing’s voice was still buzzing. “Guilty of what?”

On the other side, Shen Jianian cursed internally, clearly still half-asleep. With a bang, he hung up the phone.

Zhou Lingxing looked at the suddenly disconnected call with confusion, rubbed his eyes, and lay back down. This time, he accidentally pressed down on Su Heng’s hand.

Both of them woke up simultaneously, staring wide-eyed at each other. After a long while, the man’s thoughts gradually returned, and he reached out to brush the stray hairs from the girl’s cheek.

He smiled at Su Heng, “Good morning.”

The girl blinked. Was she hallucinating from sleeping too long?

The next second, Zhou Lingxing got up, grabbed her phone, and handed it to her. “Something happened last night. Check Weibo first, then post a statement using the template Shen Jianian sent you.”

Su Heng dumbly took the phone. “What happened?”

The man stood up and patted her head. “You’ll see for yourself.” After saying this, he got off the bed and walked towards the bathroom.

Everything that happened yesterday was still fresh in Su Heng’s mind. Watching Zhou Lingxing’s figure, she felt secretly frustrated.

What a great opportunity, and she had just fallen asleep like that.

Shaking her head, she opened Weibo. The number on the envelope in the lower left corner made her feel that Zhou Lingxing’s earlier casual remark had a hint of glossing over the situation.

Clicking on the post that had already been shared over ten thousand times, Su Heng’s breath caught, and her heart sank.

It seemed that in just one night, things had already reached an irreversible point.

She quickly skimmed through the comments and realized she had been pushed to the forefront of the controversy.

Taking a deep breath to calm her rising emotions, Su Heng carefully read the original post.

Not long after she finished, she heard Zhou Lingxing’s voice. “Su Heng??”

The girl put down her phone and looked at the man. Though his expression remained neutral, his eyes revealed an undeniable concern.

Zhou Lingxing pursed his lips and pulled the girl into his embrace.

Against the man’s rising chest, Su Heng felt his involuntary tremors as he spoke. “What do you want to eat today? Hot pot or Sichuan cuisine?”

That seemingly simple question unexpectedly eased her tense nerves.

After a long while, Su Heng gently left his warm embrace, but her face was tinged with sadness.

She smiled self-deprecatingly, “I thought she didn’t hate me that much.”

With her intelligence, how could she not guess who the anonymous informant was? It was just a matter of whether she wanted to guess.

The only person capable of doing something like this was Su Mang.

All those half-hearted attempts to cover up were nothing in her eyes.

She was sick, but her mind was still sharp.

Zhou Lingxing instantly guessed the girl’s thoughts. “Don’t think too much. Just post the statement; Shen Jianian has asked several times already.”

“What statement?” Su Heng asked softly.

Zhou Lingxing didn’t reply but quickly pulled out his phone, tapping a couple of times to send her the lawyer’s letter Shen Jianian had drafted.

“Lawyer’s letter?” Su Heng paused, “She didn’t…”

Zhou Lingxing interrupted her, “Yes, she didn’t lie. But you have to deny it, and your stance must be firm; after all, she wouldn’t dare to reveal her identity.”

Su Heng remained silent, seemingly pondering the feasibility of the man’s words, but she didn’t take any action.

Zhou Lingxing understood, “You’re not still considering her as a sister, are you?” He scoffed at her. “From what I know, you’re not that kind of person.”

She indeed wasn’t that kind of person, nor was she a white lotus; she didn’t believe in repaying kindness with kindness.

She just didn’t want to deceive her fans.

If she posted this statement, it would be equivalent to lying to the public, and she would have to weave countless lies afterward.

She never did such thankless tasks; it would be exhausting.

After thinking it over and disregarding Zhou Lingxing’s disapproving gaze, Su Heng began editing her Weibo post:
GISleeping: 【Eighty percent of the content in this article is true. The remaining ten percent is malicious speculation, and ten percent is fabricated content, for which I will take appropriate legal action. Regarding the question at the end of the article, if you want me to leave the esports scene, you can try to solo me and win. PS: I began treatment two months ago and am currently in good condition. I apologize for any negative impact this may have caused. //Top article, let’s talk about who this Sleeping really is.】

Zhou Lingxing didn’t even have time to stop her as Su Heng clicked “send” without a second thought and tossed her phone aside.

Her series of movements was smooth and effortless, without a hint of hesitation.

This made Zhou Lingxing squint.

Clearly, it was an extremely wrong decision, yet she made it with such confidence that he suddenly laughed out loud.

Yes, it was precisely because of her calmness and composure that captivated him deeply, making him unable to extricate himself.

The netizens waited a whole day, and now that the main character finally responded, they rushed to the battlefield.

【Wow!! Does this mean… she admitted it??】

【Is she really sick? Little girl, don’t be stubborn, just quit. There are many other capable junglers in the world.】

【I’m very curious about which parts are fabricated and malicious speculation. Are you going to say something?】

【Is the current situation good? Didn’t they say this illness is hard to cure?】

【Can you come back and talk after you’re cured? Don’t you think you’ve already made a mess of GI?】

【Just because your teammates praised you a bit, do you really think you’re a god? Is it such an accomplishment for a pro player to cry out daily to solo queue with randoms?】

Of course, there were also some supporters mixed in.

【Not exaggerating or belittling, since Sleeping joined GI, although there have been some downsides for the team, overall she has elevated GI’s combat effectiveness.】

【Can we stop with the mindless hate? This article is clearly being driven by someone. Aren’t you curious about who the anonymous tipster is?】

【Aside from the last time she interrupted a match due to illness, there’s really no dirt on her. I really don’t understand why some people love to latch onto her little weaknesses—this is already an invasion of privacy, okay?】

【I don’t care, I’m forever a fan of the sister’s looks!!】

In less than ten minutes, Shen Jiani’s call also came through.

Since Su Heng turned off her phone right after posting on Weibo, the call went to Zhou Lingxing’s phone.

“What’s going on? Didn’t we agree she would release a statement? Why did she suddenly admit it? Do you know how many people this will drag down? After admitting it, can Su Heng even take the stage again?”

Shen Jiani’s barrage of questions made Zhou Lingxing instinctively hold the phone away from his ear.

He was also giving Su Heng a look, as if to say, “Look at the good thing you did.”

Su Heng shrugged innocently; it wasn’t her choice, she just didn’t want to complicate the matter further.

After Shen Jiani finally finished, Zhou Lingxing cleared his throat and replied, “Let’s think of a countermeasure; after all, she has already posted on Weibo, and the water that’s been spilled can’t be retrieved.”

He looked as if he was saying, “What can you do about it?” making Shen Jiani swallow hard.

Su Heng nearly laughed out loud at the side and gestured to the man.

She mouthed, “Let me speak.”

But Zhou Lingxing blocked the girl’s hand with a slap, saying, “Go play somewhere else.”

Su Heng smiled and didn’t bother with him anymore; she grabbed some clothes and walked barefoot into the bathroom to prepare for a shower.

Unexpectedly, before the door was fully closed, it was pushed open again by an external force.

Zhou Lingxing tossed a pair of slippers through the small gap in the door. Su Heng looked over in confusion.

The man was still on the phone; with his other hand, he gently lifted it and pointed at the slippers on the floor, “Put on your shoes.”

The girl chuckled and slowly tiptoed to put on the slippers, finally closing the door under the man’s satisfied gaze.

On the other end of the line, Shen Jiani sensed his distraction and asked, “Hello? Are you listening?”

Hearing the sound of water splashing in the bathroom, Zhou Lingxing stepped outside.

“Yeah, go on.”

“Right now, it’s not suitable for GI’s official stance to speak up. Since she has already admitted it, there’s nothing we can do to change that, but thankfully, she didn’t completely shut down the discussion and pointed out that the article contained false information; we can only work from there,” Shen Jiani analyzed.

“What do you need me to do?” Zhou Lingxing asked.

Shen Jiani smiled lightly, waiting for this question.

“You should have Su Heng compile the inaccuracies in that article. Also, it’s time for you to contact your old friend.”

Zhou Lingxing frowned, “Who do you mean?”

Shen Jiani’s tone was filled with teasing as she softly replied.

“Jiang Yuan.”

*

In September, the LPL Summer Split finally came to an end.

The teams that secured tickets for this year’s S tournament were FHL, NB, and AIM.

Thus, the exit of these three teams from the second round of the platform invitational tournament was confirmed in advance. Although his own company’s invitational tournament, FHL, was unable to participate, Du Qifeng was still very satisfied.

Before Du Ruo packed his luggage to go to Paris, Du Qifeng specifically canceled a dinner appointment to take him to the airport. Just before leaving, Du Ruo looked at Du Qifeng’s hopeful expression and remembered the recent incident that had been trending online, feeling anxious in his heart.

Because of a Weibo post by Su Heng, more and more people were getting involved in the incident, and the situation was becoming increasingly serious. As the situation developed, netizens, no longer satisfied with commenting on her Weibo, began to go to the Weibo pages of other GI members to seek attention.

In the end, someone had even dug up the address of the internet café where Sleeping had soloed with someone else. Fortunately, no one had actually gone to investigate Su Heng’s situation yet. Since learning about Su Heng’s identity, Du Ruo had been keeping an eye on the developments of this matter. After all, they were on the opposite side of GI, and he had always disapproved of Zhou Lingxing.

So when Su Mang came to him for help, he was surprised but also glad to assist. Without a second thought, he went to the blogger to help Su Mang confirm the accuracy of the source of the information. But as the matter grew bigger and some people even began to wonder about the identity of the whistleblower, Du Ruo started to panic.

If it was revealed that Su Mang was the whistleblower, it would inevitably implicate them. Given his usual relationship with Su Mang, it would not be credible for him to claim ignorance. How would he explain himself when his father questioned him?

At the customs entrance, Jiang Yuan casually glanced at Du Ruo, easily noticing the panic on his face and smiling meaningfully. He hadn’t expected that the only two times Zhou Lingxing had contacted him in the past few years were both related to Su Heng. That woman seemed to be even more interesting than he had imagined.

*

Due to the absence of several strong teams from the invitational tournament because of the S tournament schedule, GI had proudly claimed the championship of the first platform tournament. Despite GI’s strength remaining strong and their performances in the invitational tournaments being impeccable, it still failed to quell the fans’ doubts about Su Heng.

Wave scoffed at these comments, saying, “These people are really boring. It’s been half a month, and they still won’t settle down. Every time we play a match, they come rushing in to complain; it’s exhausting for them.”

Hearing the bias in the boy’s tone, Su Heng curled her lips. “It’s okay; it doesn’t affect me.” Wave rolled his eyes in disguise and muttered softly, “Sure, as if I care about you. Even with such a huge incident, you act like the sky is falling, covering yourself with it; how big is your heart?”

Old Fish chuckled to himself nearby. This person must be acting tsundere again; he was clearly worried.

Zhou Lingxing had somehow moved to stand behind the boy, handing him a bottle of milk and adjusting the air conditioning temperature next to Su Heng before quietly sitting down at his computer. His movements were smooth, and his demeanor was calm and composed.

Old Fish and Wave were left dumbfounded. It seemed like something had happened that they were unaware of. Little Board shook her head secretly. If they kept this up, the coach would find out sooner or later.