In the spectator livestream, bullet comments filled the screen.
[666666]
[Sha Yu's still too green hahaha]
[Sha Yu really is a total shitter, so damn trash]
[That's what you get for hyping Sha Yu to the heavens. She's just a newbie who's played for two days]
[Sure enough, even Sha Yu has to kneel before the god Fatal]
[Where are all the people hyping Sha Yu earlier? Come out and say something]
[Fatal really lives up to his name. Even his timing for calling in help was perfect. He beat the spirit right out of Sha Yu]
At her computer, Jiang Jinran watched the base explode and let go of the mouse.
Jiang Jinran had lost this ranked match.
It was her first loss in the past two days, and the first time she had "died" so miserably.
It sucked in every sense.
Just you wait, Jiang Qiche!
Jiang Jinran pouted. Before leaving the game screen, she sent a private message straight to Jiang Qiche on the opposing team-
:(
She hadn't typed anything, just sent an emoticon expressing her unhappiness.
After all, she hadn't expected Jiang Qiche to reply.
But ten seconds later-
Fatal: [?]
Jiang Jinran's eyes widened slightly. He'd actually replied?
Sha Yu: [?]
Fatal: [...]
Sha Yu: [Are you really Fatal?]
Fatal: [Who else?]
Jiang Jinran had thought that someone as cold and aloof as Jiang Qiche, so unapproachable, would never deign to answer a stranger's private message.
Sha Yu: [Ahem, fine... I just wanted to tell you that losing today doesn't mean I'm worse than you. Next time we meet, I'll definitely win]
Jiang Jinran typed out the message and sent it, but no reply came for a long time.
About half a minute later, he sent-
[Oh]
Jiang Jinran clenched her fists.
Heh, you're really asking for a beating.
Sha Yu: [Want to make a bet?]
This time, Jiang Qiche replied very quickly.
Fatal: [On what?]
Sha Yu: [I bet I'll beat you the next time we meet in-game]
Fatal: [Confident, aren't you]
Sha Yu: [Just tell me whether you're in]
Fatal: [What are the stakes?]
Jiang Jinran pressed her lips together.
Sha Yu: [The loser has to agree to one condition from the winner, unconditionally. How about it?]
Fatal: [Childish]
Jiang Jinran squeezed her fingers.
Who are you calling childish?!
Sha Yu: [Not confident you can beat me next time?]
Fatal: [Not at all]
Sha Yu: [Then why don't you dare agree? Getting cold feet?]
After she sent that, the other side fell silent again, not replying for a while.
Just as Jiang Jinran ran out of patience and was about to log off-
Fatal suddenly replied.
Fatal: [Fine. I'll be waiting]
The corners of Jiang Jinran's lips curled slightly, a trace of a smile appearing on her face.
Good.
The fish had finally taken the bait.
Jiang Jinran headed over to the Legend Forum. She wouldn't have known without visiting, but one look gave her a shock!
On the enormous forum, the homepage was actually packed with her ID.
Jiang Jinran gave it a quick look. Her reputation on the forum was a mix of good and bad.
Some praised her, while others hurled insults.
She didn't care and went straight to publishing her first post on the forum-
[I'm Sha Yu]
[?]
[The real one?]
[An impersonator, right? I don't think it's really her]
[It's really me. I'm posting mainly to tell everyone that Fatal and I have made a bet. If I can beat him the next time we meet, he has to agree to one condition of mine]
Although Jiang Qiche had already agreed to the bet, Jiang Jinran still wasn't reassured.
She had deliberately come to the forum to publicize it so that Jiang Qiche would be riding a tiger he couldn't dismount, unable to easily go back on his word.
Jiang Jinran also posted screenshots of her chat with Jiang Qiche to make herself more credible.
Now, nobody could stay calm.
[Holy shit!]
[Seriously? When did you two hook up? This is so exciting!]
[You know how to have fun]
[Damn, when will you two get matched again? I'm definitely coming to watch]
[Seriously, where do you get the nerve? You just got thrashed today, and you're already thinking about winning next time. Dreaming might be quicker]
[You're so chuuni, even making bets]
[I want to watch, but I still have to say, Sha Yu, you should practice some more. The god Fatal isn't someone you can clout-chase at your current level]
[But you have absolutely no hope of winning]
[Don't be so stubborn, youngster. If you can't beat him, admit it. There's no need to insist on proving a point]
[There's no need, seriously. After losing so badly today, there's no need to go humiliate yourself again]
[Exactly. I really like your mechanics too, but Fatal is the GOAT. You're still way too far behind]
[Heh, Sha Yu isn't worth a single hair on Fatal's head]
Her lips pressed together, Jiang Jinran typed a line without expression-
[I'll win. Everyone's welcome to watch next time]
Then she left the forum without the slightest hesitation.
As soon as she left the forum, the system forcibly logged her account out.
Looking at the enormous anti-addiction notice in the middle of the screen, Jiang Jinran thought about it. She really had played a little too long today.
Still, she was finally another step closer to her goal.
When Jiang Jinran entered the classroom the next day, Lu Tingshen was already in his seat.
The boy sat ramrod straight with his eyes lowered, his expression indifferent, and didn't spare Jiang Jinran a glance.
Jiang Jinran simply treated him like air too, sitting down in her own seat in silence.
They were deskmates, yet they hadn't exchanged a single word so far.
Absurd, and a little funny.
Just then-
Lu Tingshen took a piece of bread out of his schoolbag.
Compared with the freshly made, high-end cakes Jiang Jinran ate every day, this was clearly the most ordinary packaged bread found in any convenience store.
The boy evidently hadn't eaten breakfast yet.
He tore open the wrapper and began nibbling the bread with quiet refinement.
Lu Tingshen's profile was particularly serene. The pale morning light fell across his straight nose, making him as beautiful as a painting.
Jiang Jinran glanced at him, then narrowed her eyes-
"Wait, don't eat that."
She couldn't help patting Lu Tingshen's shoulder, her brows drawing together slightly.
Lu Tingshen paused, then looked over in confusion.
The boy's handsome brows furrowed slightly, and a trace of disgust flashed through his deep eyes.
He hated being disturbed and intruded upon like this.
Jiang Jinran pointed at the bread wrapper and lowered her voice to remind him, "Look at the date. This bread has expired."
Lu Tingshen hadn't returned to the Lu Family yet, and his family was so poor their pockets jingled with emptiness.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have transferred to Imperial Star for the scholarship.
She hadn't expected the male lead to be so poor that he had to eat expired bread.
Jiang Jinran knew that male leads from impoverished backgrounds generally had very strong pride. Now that she had exposed the fact that he was eating expired bread, would the boy feel embarrassed?
Jiang Jinran suddenly found herself adopting an old mother's mindset.
The boy before her really was only a teenager, at the age when his pride was strongest and most sensitive.
Poor kid.
Jiang Jinran took the cake she had planned to eat as a midday snack out of her schoolbag and carefully offered it to Lu Tingshen.