Chapter 20

When Zhou Lingxing arrived at the backup training room, Su Heng was staring intently at the computer screen.

The team battle was about to erupt, and the Sword Saint she controlled was still hidden in the enemy jungle, waiting silently.

On the opposite side, the enemy Ram couldn’t hold back any longer and charged in to initiate the fight, attempting to disrupt their formation.

Su Heng’s four teammates were frantically rolling their hands over the keyboard, with some dying and others fleeing.

She furrowed her brows, still not showing any signs of action.

Seeing that the Sword Saint showed no intention of coming out, her teammates decided to take a reckless approach, charging in headfirst and causing significant casualties to the opposing team.

A faint smile crossed Su Heng’s eyes as she activated her ultimate and rushed to the battlefield from the back.

Seeing a low-health squishy opponent, she didn’t blink and immediately Q’d forward, taking down the mid-laner. After using E and landing a few auto attacks, she refreshed her Q and re-engaged, taking down the ADC.

Seeing the opposing team’s two carries fall to the Sword Saint, her teammates quickly followed up.

Su Heng glanced at the health of the enemy top and jungle champions and reached out with her dark hand towards the trembling enemy support.

Once the support fell, her teammates had also whittled down the health of the remaining two enemies.

Su Heng’s eyes curved as she used her last 100 mana to cast her final Q.

The Sword Saint’s icon and the words “Pentakill” appeared at the top of the screen. Within five seconds, the opposing team surrendered.

Before she could exit the game interface, laughter suddenly came from behind her.

Su Heng reflexively turned around and saw Zhou Lingxing with a teasing expression on his face.

The man covered his mouth, his chest rising and falling with laughter, showing no signs of stopping.

Su Heng silently stared at him for a moment, and when he finally calmed down, she slowly asked, “What’s so funny?”

Zhou Lingxing straightened his expression: “Nothing, the practice match is over, let’s head back.”

She didn’t want to probe further, closed her computer, and stood up to walk outside.

At night, there weren’t many people coming and going in the club, with only a few dim lights illuminating the corridor.

The two walked side by side, neither of them breaking the silence.

As they approached the training room, the man suddenly asked casually, “Do you want to use the Sword Saint in the next match?”

Su Heng didn’t answer directly, but her confident gaze confirmed Zhou Lingxing’s assumption.

Zhou Lingxing nodded and opened the door for her: “Remember to report to the coach.”

Su Heng nodded and walked into the room.

She actually wanted to ask him what he thought about using the Sword Saint in the next match, and also why he laughed earlier.

But every time she saw the indifferent expression on this man’s face, which mirrored her own, she found herself unable to speak.

Among the whole team, Zhou Lingxing was the only one she couldn’t figure out.

Sun He wanted victory and was dedicated to pursuing his dreams.

Old Fish was usually carefree, always enjoying food and drinks, but when it came to matches, he was the most invested.

Even Wave, who often clashed with her, though he never held back with his words, she knew he had a soft heart that detested evil.

Only Zhou Lingxing seemed indifferent to everything, yet it felt like nothing could escape his grasp.

She couldn’t even sense Zhou Lingxing’s passion for the game, but if he didn’t like it, why was he playing professionally?

Su Heng rubbed her temples; sleepiness was starting to creep in. She hurriedly greeted a few people in the living room before heading upstairs.

Downstairs, Old Fish looked curiously at the girl rushing towards the second floor and winked at Zhou Lingxing: “Is she going to sleep again?”

Zhou Lingxing pulled out a pack of cigarettes from somewhere and glanced back at him: “Mind your own business.”

After saying this, he ignored Old Fish’s stomping and took his coat, heading outside.

Wave peeked out from behind Old Fish, a lollipop in his mouth, and asked in confusion, “Hasn’t Ling Ge stopped smoking lately?”

Hearing Wave say this, Sun He realized Zhou Lingxing was going out for a smoke and gradually furrowed his brows.

After a moment of contemplation, Sun He followed him out.

As soon as Sun He opened the door, he smelled the drifting scent of smoke. He looked in the direction of the smoke and saw Zhou Lingxing leaning against the wall. One hand held a cigarette that flickered on and off, while the other hand held up a phone, engaged in a call.

When Zhou Lingxing noticed the door opening, he cast a fleeting glance over, then turned his back to speak to the person on the phone. “Yes, next Tuesday.”

His voice was a bit hoarse, likely from smoking, and he sounded burdened with thoughts.

“Okay, I’ll contact you then.” Zhou Lingxing finished and hung up.

Seeing that Zhou Lingxing had finished his call, Sun He slowly approached him. “What’s wrong?”

Zhou Lingxing took a puff of his cigarette, his eyes appearing somewhat dazed, but he remained silent for a long time.

He knew what Sun He wanted to ask and understood that Sun He had figured something out. Their years of mutual understanding made communication between them exceptionally simple, yet that same understanding rendered his facade completely ineffective in front of Sun He.

After a long while, when the cigarette in Zhou Lingxing’s hand was nearly finished, he finally spoke slowly, “Let Su Heng play in the match next Tuesday.”

Sun He was puzzled but still replied deliberately, “Su Heng only knows two heroes. If she gets targeted…”

“She said she wants to play Master Yi,” Zhou Lingxing interrupted Sun He.

Sun He was astonished. “Master Yi? How is that possible? I won’t agree, and the coach won’t agree either.”

Zhou Lingxing was not surprised by Sun He’s opposition. He flicked away the nearly burnt-out cigarette butt and said in a deep voice, “What she wants to do won’t change just because you and the coach don’t agree.”

Sun He raised an eyebrow and teased him, “Oh? How do you know?”

A gust of cool wind swept by, scattering the ash on the ground, swirling in circles on the cement floor.

Zhou Lingxing glanced at Sun He, his gaze drifting towards an unknown light in the distance. “I just have a feeling.”

Before Sun He could continue to tease, Zhou Lingxing added, “I’ve asked Jiang Yuan to come over the day after tomorrow.”

“What’s he coming for?” Sun He had calmed down. Since Zhou Lingxing was discussing this matter with him now, he surely had a solution. Otherwise, knowing Zhou Lingxing’s character, there would be no need to bring up something that couldn’t be resolved.

“How many players in LOL don’t want to play damage-dealing roles? Su Heng just started playing the game, and given her previous habit of snatching damage buffs, it’s not hard to see that she wants to use Master Yi for damage.”

Zhou Lingxing continued, lighting another cigarette. “Some things we can’t just talk about; she needs to experience it herself. Coincidentally, FHL doesn’t have a match on Monday, so I’ll let Jiang Yuan give her a lesson.”

Sun He looked at the sparks at Zhou Lingxing’s fingertips, hesitating. “You and Jiang Yuan…”

Zhou Lingxing flicked off the ash. “I’ve already talked to him. If he helps, he’ll benefit, but asking me to forgive him,” he scoffed, “is wishful thinking.”

Sun He sighed softly, wanting to persuade Zhou Lingxing, but feeling he lacked the standing to do so, he ultimately decided against it.

Sensing Sun He’s thoughts, Zhou Lingxing turned to look at him. The expression on his face was no longer the earlier coldness. “You go in first. I’ll join you once I finish this cigarette.”

After Sun He went inside, Zhou Lingxing looked again at the distant lights on the building.

He had even contacted Jiang Yuan, hoping she wouldn’t let him down.

*

The next day, when Su Heng opened her door, she was greeted by a golden head—Xiao Ban was sitting on the floor in front of her room, phone in hand, looking very excited.

Seeing Su Heng come out, Xiao Ban immediately jumped up. “Are you going to solo with your fans today, sister?”

Su Heng remained unperturbed as she walked downstairs. “Yeah.”

“Your live stream from yesterday was turned into a funny montage and posted online. Now your Weibo is filled with requests for solo matches.” Xiao Ban followed closely behind Su Heng, chattering non-stop.

“I’ve never seen a streamer like you who directly confronts fans. If there’s a disagreement, you just solo! I’ll bring you gifts during your live stream tonight, sister!”

“By the way, sister, you should check the comments and videos under your Weibo. Do you want me to help you confront them?”

Su Heng glanced at the young man, feeling that her just-awakened brain was once again thrown into chaos by this chatterbox. After a moment, seeing that he had no intention of stopping, she couldn’t take it anymore: “Aren’t you going to train?”

The young man smiled brightly, “It’s still early, and they won’t queue with me anyway.”

Su Heng felt helpless; he was making her not even want to turn on her computer, so she pulled out her phone and logged into Weibo.

Sure enough, the comments on the live broadcast notification she posted the day before yesterday had already exceeded 10,000 and were still growing. The backend was continuously flashing with new messages.

Su Heng clicked on the first popular comment’s video link, and her masked face immediately popped up on the screen.

She hesitantly pressed play.

A melody with a strong rhythmic beat spilled out, followed by a familiar female voice that was clearly edited.

【Solo, solo, come solo.】
【Left a name but didn’t show up.】
【Wanna fight ten, are you in?】
【A handsome guy, are you in?】
【Solo, solo, come solo.】
……

This was the first time Su Heng was watching a “kichiku” (a type of humorous parody video) and it was even her own. A strong sense of shame surged up, and with a tremble of her hand, she turned off the video, leaving only the excited young man beside her shouting, “Don’t turn it off! The following part is even more interesting!”

Except for Zhou Lingxing, who had just woken up and was still blank, the other people also turned to look when they heard the noise.

Su Heng suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and continued scrolling through the comments. Most of them were from people who thought she was arrogant and wanted to solo her:
【Just tonight!! Don’t run after school!! I want to solo you!!】
【Grandpa, unchanging name, unchanging seat,一区 Xiao Shiyi Lang, I’ll wait for you tonight】

Su Heng found it amusing and locked her screen after reading a few comments.

She looked at the young man, who was full of enthusiasm, “What’s wrong? Do you want to solo me too?”

The young man scratched his head, “How could I? I’m just here to watch the excitement and report to you.”

“After your report, you can go train,” Su Heng nodded, getting up to walk past the young man toward the kitchen.

The young man returned to his position like a defeated rooster, but his gaze couldn’t help but linger on Su Heng, who was drinking milk in the kitchen.

A few seconds later, he energetically entered the game.

Thinking about being able to watch the big sister and netizens solo tonight made him a bit excited.

At 7 PM, Su Heng, wearing a mask, opened the live stream room on time, and the number of viewers was already dozens of times that of yesterday.

Looking at the screen filled with rapidly flying bullet comments, she took the mouse and pressed the option to close the comments.

Seeing the refreshed screen, she relaxed her brow slightly and went straight to the point.

“I said, today is the last chance. I want to fight ten, are you in?”

As soon as her voice fell, a friend invitation box appeared in the lower right corner of Su Heng’s game interface.

【I want to fight ten requests to become your friend.】