Chapter Sixteen

In truth, Ning Nanzhou didn’t think much when he heard those words. He didn’t like having people watch him while gaming either, as long as they weren’t annoying, it was fine.

On the contrary, Yang Ji wore a look of utter exasperation and said, “I really can’t stand you guys, every casual question turns into a display of your romantic lives.”

His heart pounded fiercely beneath his chest, and he forced himself to control the flush rising on his cheeks.

“Aren’t you getting married at the end of the year?” Chi Yu stood up and looked at the silver-haired youth. “Come on, I’ll take you back to school.”

Ning Nanzhou wanted to say he could take the bus himself, but Chi Yu seemed to anticipate his refusal and simply grabbed him toward the elevator.

The elevator walls were mirrors on all sides, and under the bright incandescent lights, their reflections were clear—he was almost half a head shorter than Chi Yu.

He kept his gaze fixed straight ahead. Suddenly, Chi Yu asked, “How tall are you?”

Ning Nanzhou hadn’t grown since his final year of high school. His height during the college entrance physical was 177.8 cm, a painful figure etched in his heart forever.

He quietly rose onto his toes and, without blushing or skipping a beat, said, “180.”

Chi Yu had asked casually but, seeing the boy tiptoe secretly, thought to himself this kid was quite the little trickster.

The elevator chimed its arrival, and Ning Nanzhou, thinking he had successfully kept his secret, stepped out and boarded the school shuttle.

The school wasn’t far from the club—less than ten kilometers as the crow flies—but the rush hour traffic jam stretched the journey to a solid hour.

After getting off, Chi Yu accompanied him to the north gate. A group of media girls recognized Chi Yu and eagerly rushed over for autographs.

He longed to get an autograph too!!!

But he could only stand calmly to the side, pretending disinterest.

After Chi Yu finished signing, he walked over to Ning Nanzhou. “Been waiting long?”

“No,” he replied, feeling a twinge of bitterness.

As they spoke, the last girl in line suddenly turned back, her face shining with an inexplicable light. “Does this handsome guy have a girlfriend?”

Ning Nanzhou thought she was asking about Chi Yu, but the girl’s gaze fixed intensely on him instead. He shook his head a moment too late.

For some reason, the girl’s glow deepened. Before she could say more, Chi Yu interrupted, “Sorry, we have to go.”

Reluctantly, the girl left and posted their backs on Weibo.

[Loquat Snow Pear Soup] Hey family! I ran into Chi Shen at school, anyone else know him? He’s so patient with autographs! Also saw him with a white-haired cutie, not exactly appropriate but I ship it!

Her post quickly garnered many replies.

[Rock Candy Strawberry] OP, you ship hard! That height difference, I’m in love!

[Oil-Braised Prawns] Look closely, Chi Shen’s arm is resting on the cutie’s waist! Ahhhh! Even a back shot has me shipping!

[Sweet and Sour Ribs] Calm down, does Chi Shen even date? Probably just friends.

[Ice Dumpling] Agreed, Chi Shen’s never been interested in anything outside gaming, better not disturb him.

...

Ning Nanzhou kept walking forward. Chi Yu casually said, “The wedding ring’s still being made, won’t have it for another month.”

“No problem.” Without hesitation, he replied, “These things are for collecting anyway, no need to wear it all the time.”

“Not wearing it?” Chi Yu asked, word by word.

Ning Nanzhou nodded. He had to take off the ring in the lab—what if he lost it?

Back in his dorm, Ning Nanzhou opened his stream. The chat exploded.

[Two days! Two days! Got banned?!]

[At first, I thought he got caught, but he didn’t start the stream or beg fans, so if anyone got banned it was those dance streamers. Then I remembered a news item yesterday.]

[Me too… was it that crossdresser and top donor almost banned?]

[Good news: South is safe. Bad news: no top donor brother anymore.]

Ning Nanzhou opened his mic expressionless. “Who the hell can ban your dad?”

The lively chat fell silent for two seconds, then messages flooded in.

[??? Son, you’re back???]

[Do you know how we’ve suffered these two days???]

[You better give a good explanation!]

[He’s back after the ban? South really got banned?]

[If fake, I hope it’s real; if real, I hope it’s true!]

He felt a bit embarrassed for not streaming the past two days but, seeing the barrage on Bilibili, he considered whether to adopt a five-days-on, two-days-off schedule.

The chat immediately grew wary.

[Are you thinking of switching to five-days-on two-days-off?]

[Big streamers can do it, but have you gotten popular? You want to skip full attendance?]

[Don’t get cocky just because you’re a V2 streamer. Do you know V4 streamers make a hundred thousand a month? Ten thousand can buy a lot!]

Fearing he might really switch, fans sent the latest Twitter event.

—From now until next month, streamers ranked in the top 100 on the national server will get homepage recommendations. The highest-ranked streamer will receive site-wide promotion, a custom avatar for their stream, and signed merchandise from the S13 champion team.

He hadn’t planned to join the Twitter event, but paused at the last part. “Signed merchandise from Chi Shen?”

The chat chastised him.

[The signed poster isn’t the point, the point is the site-wide promotion!]

[You’ve worked three years for just over ten thousand followers, site-wide promo would get you a hundred thousand overnight!]

[You don’t start streams or join guilds, so you have to make it through gaming.]

The youth kept reading: “Limited edition merchandise too?”

[...]

[Son, you’re such a love-sick fool!]

[Love-sick boys get tricked by bad men!]

[Good thing you like Chi Shen, imagine if it were someone else!]

The more Ning Nanzhou looked at the merch, the more tempted he was—not only champion commemorative keycaps, rare cotton dolls he hadn’t gotten, but also an S7 limited signed poster!

He decided immediately. “I’m going for first place.”

[Son, you’re so motivated, I’m not used to it.]

[Just joined? He’s in it for the merch!]

[True fans are content, but still, different roads lead to the same end.]

[Got a bad feeling... last event wasn’t like this, was it?]

Last event was different—it was to raise money to buy Chi Yu a tie.

He adamantly denied it and started ranked games.

The ranking system in Descend has nine tiers: Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Master, Grandmaster, and King. To reach the top 100 on the national server, you need to be at least King tier.

Everyone knows the national server’s environment is bad—few cheaters but many trolls who throw games deliberately, especially at higher tiers. Low tiers are even worse—

He was placed in Platinum and started his first ranked match.

In low-level games, hero selection didn’t require much thought. He casually picked Arthas.

Mid lane and jungle picked standard heroes. The only thing to watch out for was the bottom lane duo with couple’s names, clearly a sweet couple duo queue.

There are several types of unwelcome players in Descend ranked: angry old-timers who curse at the slightest provocation, AFK players, and kill stealers.

But none were as destructive as couple duos.

[Seeing the ID, I feel uneasy.]

[Fasting mode activated.]

[Already thinking about how to escape.]

As expected, the two followed each other like Siamese twins. The girl was probably carried into Platinum by her boyfriend and barely understood the game mechanics; she even healed the enemy by accident.

He took a deep breath—the first time playing a game made him feel a headache.

[...Unbelievable, first time seeing a support healing the enemy.]

[You’re just inexperienced (dog head smoking).]

[Losing 30 points for this game, poor son’s score.]

The girl apologized politely in a soft voice.

Her boyfriend had just secured an advantage in the bottom lane, but because of her mistakes, she died instantly, prompting him to curse, “Are you brain-dead? You even heal the enemy, seriously, pick a decent teammate!”

[??? The girl’s play is frustrating, but this guy is so rude.]

[It’s just a game, no need to curse. How does a jerk like that even get a girlfriend???]

[Sis, wanna see me (girl!)? I’m a Diamond-level gentle support on the national server.]

Though annoyed by the girl’s poor play, Ning Nanzhou was forgiving of incompetence—one less person can still win.

But he hated this kind of idiot guy most. Politely, he said, “You’re doing great bottom lane? You gave the enemy three kills. Bottom lane dogs are better than you—look in the mirror before you curse others.”

The guy laughed angrily, “I’m carrying a Bronze support. Being down only three kills is good, okay? You’re so great, you go play. If you win, I’ll lick your feet!”

[Oof! No need to be like that.]

[Saying that in front of your girlfriend, if you lose, tsk tsk.]

[He dared call the girl a pig brain, if we split, I’ll celebrate.]

Ning Nanzhou’s hero was a mage, theoretically able to play top or bottom lane, but his synergy with the support Lami wasn’t great; he couldn’t get healing from the support.

But he didn’t need the support’s help.

After swapping positions with the guy, the girl awkwardly admitted, “I play terribly.”

“No big deal.”

Could it really be okay?

Though the support girl was inexperienced, it was clear the opposing duo were friends playing together, their coordination unmatched by random players.

Moreover, Descend has been running for twelve years, updating content yearly. Mastering one role is hard enough, let alone switching from top to bottom lane.

Since this defense was for her, she said nothing and straightened her back with unprecedented focus.

[What if we lose? I’m scared the girl will heal the enemy again.]

[Then just suck it up (smirk). The brat’s mouth needs shutting.]

[Though I want to see the son get shut down, I want to see that bottom guy get slapped even more.]

The girl had no idea the youth was a streamer; she was oblivious to the chat’s comments and nervously trembled.

The opposing AD was the fastest hero, Faceless, originally a hero with a control skill effective against the stealthy Faceless.

But after the swap, the AD changed from a control-heavy hero to Arthas, whose control was weaker, greatly reducing lane pressure. Faceless could now safely attack under tower.

The enemy support, Skullcat, quickly shielded his teammate.

The bottom tower, already low on health, fell under the combined assault of heroes and minions with a crash!

Faceless gained the tower’s experience, leveling up from 9 to 10, and activated his level 2 ultimate, Arc Slash.

A sharp spiral of sword light swept through, cutting down all life within range. The girl forgot to dodge and lost two-thirds of her health instantly!

At that moment, the youth stepped in front of her, surged forward to bind the enemy, forcing Faceless to retreat. The enemy support quickly shielded and unleashed his ultimate, Hell’s Breath.

[That’s some coordination!]

[Probably roommates who play together; that kind of synergy takes years.]

[Too bad Arthas’ control is weak, couldn’t keep Faceless. Losing the tower here is rough.]

Faceless’s mobility was high, and after being freed, there was almost no chance to hold him. Just when everyone thought the fight was lost—

South’s Arthas activated the ultimate, Requiem of the Dead King, predicting Faceless’s escape direction and drained half his health!

[Holy crap! How did he do that?!]

[So much trash talk, almost forgot South’s a technical streamer.]

[Time to dig out the viewer’s comment from two days ago: why doesn’t he go pro with this skill?]

The girl was stunned watching the youth’s moves, especially when he singled out the enemy support who came to shield Faceless and defeated two enemies at once!

The youth calmly said, “Heal.”

The girl hesitated, then carefully healed the youth’s low health—this time no healing went to the enemy.

Meanwhile, the top lane guy was far from calm.

He prided himself on being a high-level player who had carried his clueless girlfriend into Platinum. Descend’s ranked is notoriously tough.

He never expected South to be inhuman, able to one-vs-two in disadvantageous situations!

Did the other guy really mean what he said?

He grew uneasy, telling himself the other wasn’t a veteran troll and hoped he wouldn’t cling to this issue.

Ning Nanzhou played steadily and won. Having rested poorly the day before, his hands grew tired and sweat dotted his forehead.

He put down the mouse and leaned back, raising a perfect brow.

“Come on, lick your dad’s feet.”

Usually, after ranked games, people leave the room, but when the victory screen appeared, no one left.

The other guy was stuck, forced to leave in defeat.

[Tsk! Can’t handle losing.]

[Good riddance. This guy probably has a venereal disease. Don’t know how the girl even ended up with him.]

[Looks like they’re not a couple anymore… she changed her duo names.]

[Hahaha, that’s satisfying.]

[Son’s so handsome, start the stream!]

[Want! To! See! Crossdressing!]

As calls for him to reveal himself on stream grew louder, he sipped water and gave one-word commentary: “Shallow.”

[??? Son!]

[How dare you say we’re shallow? You keep screaming about Navel Orange Chi Shen, isn’t that shallow? Chi Shen is cold; with anyone else, you’d never leave bed.]

[Streamer, you’re getting big-headed. We won’t help set you up with Chi Shen anymore. Prepare to be lonely forever.]

Set up with whom?

If fans hadn’t mentioned it, he would have forgotten the last trending topic, where he expressionlessly banned anyone mentioning crossdressing.

At the FKW base, team manager Song Mingjie was far less pleased.

After gaming, Ning Nanzhou drank water. If he wanted to reach first place, he needed a fixed team. Suddenly, he received a message.

[Chi Yu] Bought you something, remember to sign for it.

Ning Nanzhou had begun to understand Chi Yu’s private personality. Most of the time, he’d ask for opinions, but declarative sentences were usually not up for discussion.

So he obediently replied.

[Did you study today?] Okay.

The next day, Ning Nanzhou got a call about a package.

After picking it up and going upstairs, he used a box cutter to open the package. Inside was a set of neatly wrapped clothes.

Chi Yu actually bought him clothes?

Ning Nanzhou was puzzled and opened the wrapping further.

Why were there thigh-high socks?

He thought the store had sent the wrong order, but after lifting the clothes, he realized otherwise.

It was a set of women’s clothing!!!

At that moment, Chi Yu sent a message.

[Chi Yu] Got it? Send me a photo, okay?

This…

Staring at the skirt that barely reached mid-thigh and the white thigh-high socks, he fell silent. Not to mention sending a photo to Chi Yu, just wearing it felt humiliating!

If the livestream viewers saw this, they would surely curse, “South, where did your harsh banning go?”

His fingers slammed the keys, typing “No,” and hovered over the send button.

But seeing Chi Yu’s expectant message, as if the words whispered in his ear, he impulsively changed into the outfit, closed his eyes, and sent the photo.

After sending, the phone was silent. Was Chi Yu dissatisfied?

He took another photo, this time focusing on his legs. Finally, the phone rang.

But it wasn’t Chi Yu texting back—it was his childhood friend Chen Dongdong calling.

“Hey babe, did you get the little skirt I bought you? Isn’t it super pretty!”

His mind spun wildly!

??? It wasn’t from Chi Yu?!!!!!!!