Was that shooting talk clean?

"It's still early. I'm not sleepy." Xie Yuan finished dealing with the messages on his phone and opened the game. "Want to team up?"

"Sure." Mu Ze went back to his bed and took out his phone to log in.

When he saw Xie Yuan invite him to a team, Mu Ze accepted without thinking much of it.

As soon as he joined, he heard Zhang Jue's and Tan Yaya's voices.

Zhang Jue said, "Mu Ze, we've been waiting for you."

Mu Ze glanced toward Xie Yuan. Seeing that his attention was entirely on his phone, he felt a little disappointed.

He had thought it would be just the two of them teaming up.

There went his chance to spend time alone with him.

Xie Yuan's voice came through both the mic and the room.

"Zhang Jue, it's time to put your professional career to the test."

Understanding what he meant, Zhang Jue sounded resigned. "As long as Young Master Xie and Ms. Tan stay alive and don't feed the enemy kills, we can still win."

Xie Yuan said, "Not happening. I have just one goal tonight: stay alive and never take a single step outside the defensive tower."

Tan Yaya chuckled. "Hehe, so there are people even you can't carry, Zhang Jue."

Zhang Jue said, "Then you must never have watched me play with fans on my livestream, Ms. Tan. They find all sorts of ways to screw me over."

Tan Yaya said, "Now that you mention it, I really do want to see that. I'll come watch your next stream."

Seeing Xie Yuan in such high spirits, Mu Ze's little bit of disappointment vanished.

Forget it. With his own skills, carrying Xie Yuan as well would probably be a struggle.

The game entered the hero selection phase, and from their conversation, the livestream viewers learned they were gaming.

Those who had watched that afternoon's match began placing bets.

[Place your bets! Guess how many minutes before Young Master Xie gives up his first kill.]

[Two minutes. Not a second more.]

[Young Master Xie said he'd hide under the tower. I say five minutes.]

[Wait, do you really think Young Master Xie will behave himself? I say one minute.]

[Hahahaha, poor Young Master Xie. For everyone else, people bet on whether they'll win or lose. For him, it's how many minutes before he feeds a kill.]

This time, Tan Yaya still picked a cute, pretty support, but she had learned her lesson.

She followed Zhang Jue into the jungle right from the start.

Xie Yuan's marksman was left alone in the bottom lane.

Before even a minute had passed, the announcement of first blood came from the bottom lane.

The voice chat fell silent for a moment. Zhang Jue sounded amused. "Young Master Xie, what happened to hiding under the tower?"

Xie Yuan sounded utterly innocent. "I didn't leave the tower. The enemy's range was too long."

Xie Yuan was a little bewildered too. He had stayed tucked under the tower and still been killed.

Mu Ze spoke up for him. "It wasn't Young Master Xie's fault. The enemy is Baili. He has a long range and hits hard."

Zhang Jue had only been making a passing comment; he wasn't actually angry.

He explained the hero Baili. "Baili's skills have a huge range. Watch your positioning and be careful."

As it turned out, their opponent was an expert. Even though Xie Yuan was very careful, he still got killed.

At the three-minute mark, he was solo-killed again.

Their randomly matched teammate finally couldn't resist turning on his mic. "If it's really not working, let's swap lanes."

Xie Yuan had been planning the same thing, so he went to the top lane.

Mu Ze kept his eyes on his phone. "Teacher Xie, be careful on your own. I'll come help you in a bit."

Less than half a minute after Xie Yuan went to the top lane, the enemy Baili came there too.

Just as one shot knocked Xie Yuan down to half health, Mu Ze suddenly flashed in and locked Baili down with crowd control.

Xie Yuan seized the opportunity to advance, working with Mu Ze to take Baili down.

With Mu Ze holding back, Xie Yuan got the kill.

While recalling to restore his health, Xie Yuan looked up at Mu Ze. "Mu Ze, remember to protect me."

Mu Ze smiled, his eyes unconsciously softening. "Don't worry. Even if I die, I'll die before you."

His words proved prophetic.

At the six-minute mark, the two of them died in the top lane, one after the other.

Just then, Zhang Jue typed a message in the all-chat.

Juejue Xian: Cheng Jiu? Instead of sleeping in the middle of the night, you're out smurfing?

The opposing Baili soon replied.

Nine-Nine: Zhang Jue? I was wondering why the jungling style felt familiar. Didn't expect it to be you.

Nine-Nine: Aren't you off filming a show? How do you have time to play?

Juejue Xian: I'm filming. Just playing a few rounds with the guests to relax.

Nine-Nine: Don't tell me the marksman and midlaner are guests on your show?

Juejue Xian: Yeah. Go easy on them.

Nine-Nine: No can do. There's no such thing as going easy in esports.

Juejue Xian: Then there's nothing for it.

By the time they learned their opponent was someone they knew, the game had already reached its late stage.

Zhang Jue practically chased Baili around killing him. In the end, with Zhang Jue, Mu Ze, and their random top-lane teammate working together, Xie Yuan's side secured the victory.

With one win under their belts, they were all in high spirits and ready for another round.

Zhang Jue invited Nine-Nine into the team.

Nine-Nine said, "I'm streaming. Will that affect your show?"

Juejue Xian said, "It's fine. We're just playing for fun."

The game began again.

During hero selection, Nine-Nine asked, "Are you still playing marksman?"

The question was directed at Xie Yuan.

Xie Yuan said, "I want to try Baili."

Nine-Nine said, "Sure, I'll go top, then."

As a former professional player, Cheng Jiu had to know how to play every hero, so he wasn't insistent on playing marksman.

Once in the game, Xie Yuan took his time studying Baili's skills and only started moving after he understood them.

He tried firing a shot, and unsurprisingly, it missed.

But Xie Yuan's eyes were bright, and he wasn't disappointed at all by the miss.

After clearing the minions, he quietly headed toward the middle lane.

At that moment, the enemy midlaner was already down to about half health.

Mu Ze wasn't in great shape either. Seeing Xie Yuan appear in the middle lane, he moved up to chip away at the enemy's health again, then immediately turned and left.

Just as the opponent relaxed, Xie Yuan fired a shot, leaving them with only a sliver of health.

The enemy midlaner had barely taken a step before collapsing beneath the tower.

Xie Yuan had finished them off with a single shot.

First blood had been drawn.

Zhang Jue and Cheng Jiu were both a little surprised.

Juejue Xian said, "Nice one, Young Master Xie."

Nine-Nine said, "Impressive."

Yiyaya (Tan Yaya) said, "Young Master Xie, now this is the hero for you. Remember to carry me from now on."

Mu Ze's voice held a smile. "Impressive, Young Master Xie."

Xie Yuan wasn't modest. "Don't worry. I'll carry you all this round."

They were having a wonderful time in the game, and the livestream chat was lively too.

[Hahahaha, Young Master Xie has had it rough. He finally found a hero he can play.]

[So Young Master Xie is good at shooting.]

[Hey, above, is that shooting talk clean?]

[Seriously, you can turn anything dirty? Are you the gods of innuendo or what?]

[Now I really want to see the gameplay.]

[Two devices. Keep one on Cheng Jiu's stream.]

[Hey, above, I'm your long-lost little brother. Let me join you.]

Just as Xie Yuan had said, throughout the match, practically every shot he fired was a headshot. His precise predictions left the enemy heroes nowhere to run.

In the end, Xie Yuan alone took half the kills.

The victory results screen appeared on his phone.

Back in the team lobby, Tan Yaya sounded a little apologetic. "Young Master Xie, let's play again another time. If I don't sleep now, I won't be able to get up tomorrow."

Xie Yuan said, "It's fine. I wasn't planning to keep playing either."

Only after Tan Yaya left the game did Cheng Jiu speak. "Zhang Jue, was that Heavenly Queen Tan just now?"

"Can you get me an autograph?"

Zhang Jue feigned sternness. "You call yourself my buddy, but you don't even watch my livestream."

"An autograph? That depends on how you behave."

Cheng Jiu said, "My good buddy, I was wrong. I'll be glued to your livestream tomorrow, cheering you on."

After joking around for a bit, the two of them left too.

Xie Yuan and Mu Ze also logged out.

Mu Ze stood up. "Teacher Xie, would you like some water?"