The game ended, and the system named Jiang Jinran MVP once again.
She checked her points. Sure enough, she had received plenty more power from the spectators.
Her points went straight off the charts, and her rank instantly rose to King.
A little golden crown appeared above Jiang Jinran's avatar.
At the same time, the news that Jiang Jinran had reached King was broadcast through the server-wide announcement channel-
Congratulations to player Sha Yu on becoming a Strongest King.
He had also broken a record, becoming the fastest player on the entire server to reach King.
Jiang Jinran had no time to care about any of this, because she had something important to do.
She immediately sent Fatal a private message.
Sha Yu: [:D]
A few dozen seconds later, she received a reply-
Fatal: [I knew you'd come. Been waiting.]
Jiang Jinran's eyes widened in surprise.
This seemed a little different from what she had imagined...
She had thought Jiang Qiche's pride would be bruised, that he would give her a sour face and a few cold remarks to boot...
But now, Jiang Qiche's tone was clearly normal. For someone like Jiang Qiche, though, being too normal was the most abnormal thing of all!
Jiang Jinran cautiously tested the waters-
Sha Yu: [Is this really you?]
Fatal: [Can you stop being annoying? You ask every single time.]
Sha Yu: [That temper. Definitely you.]
Fatal: [...]
Sha Yu: [I won't beat around the bush. I'm here because I want you to honor our bet.]
Fatal: [Of course.]
Jiang Jinran frowned.
Something was very wrong with this guy today. He was being so agreeable. Was this really the same cold-blooded, terrifying Jiang Qiche?
She was so curious that she simply asked outright-
Sha Yu: [You seem especially agreeable today.]
Fatal: [...]
Jiang Qiche did often wear a sour expression. Even around his good friend Zhao Yunye, his moods were unpredictable.
But Jiang Qiche had one rare, hidden virtue.
If someone beat him convincingly or made him admit defeat, he would not resent it. Instead, he would obediently accept his loss and pay his dues.
He felt no hostility toward anyone who could defeat him. He would even develop a faint appreciation for them.
Sha Yu had just beaten him.
It was just as he had thought when he first saw Sha Yu play-
This player was strong.
He might not be able to beat this player for certain.
It was the first time he had ever had such a thought.
That was why, the first time he was matched against Sha Yu, he had felt the desire to win for the first time in ages. He had used a few tricks during the game and won easily.
He had agreed to the later bet because he wanted to push himself, too-
He had been too comfortable in the game for too long. With a bet hanging over his head, if he gave it his all for once after so long, could he beat this powerful opponent...?
Although he had lost, he was not particularly angry.
Sha Yu was an interesting opponent, one who could rekindle his competitive spirit...
Jiang Qiche fell silent for a moment before finally typing into the chat box-
Fatal: [Keep yapping, and this conversation is over.]
Sha Yu: [(´▽｀)]
Sha Yu: [Don't... I still want to talk. Guess what I want you to do?]
Fatal: [Can't guess.]
The corner of Jiang Jinran's mouth twitched.
This guy had not even tried to guess...
Sha Yu: [I want you to go home over the weekend and have dinner with your family.]
Jiang Jinran pressed Enter and sent the message.
Jiang Qiche, on the other end, did not reply immediately.
Her message sank like a stone into the sea, with no response for a long time.
About two minutes later, a new message from Jiang Qiche popped up in the private chat-
Fatal: [Have you lost your mind?]
Jiang Jinran pressed her lips together.
Well, well!
Now this was the Jiang Qiche she knew!
The Jiang Qiche from earlier had been a little too gentle.
Sha Yu: [I haven't lost my mind. I'm serious.]
Fatal: [Right now, I want you to get lost.]
Sha Yu: [Can't. I'm sitting in a chair.]
[Fatal, I get the feeling you're not very willing, but I don't think you're the kind of person who would weasel out of a bet.]
[I know my request sounds pretty random... but I'm actually conducting a very important study, and you're my sample.]
Fatal: [What study?]
Sha Yu: [Well, roughly speaking... it's about teenage gaming addicts' views on family and familial affection...]
Jiang Jinran braced herself and spouted nonsense.
Fatal: [...]
Sha Yu: [If you don't help me, my study will go down the drain. Besides, the whole world knows about our bet now, and that I won...]
Jiang Jinran began morally blackmailing Jiang Qiche.
After a full half minute of silence, he finally sent a message-
[ok]
Jiang Jinran's lips curved in satisfaction.
Mission accomplished!
Her five million was beckoning to her!
Meanwhile.
The news that Fatal, the god-tier Legend player, had been defeated by newcomer Sha Yu had drawn so much attention that it shot straight onto the trending searches.
The search terms Fatal, Sha Yu, and Legend all climbed the trending rankings, their popularity remaining high.
[Just a passerby here. Who exactly is this Sha Yu? First time I've heard of them.]
[What? My great Fatal actually lost?]
[Did Sha Yu just slay a god? Fatal is Legend's number one god-tier player.]
[You have one minute. I want everything on Sha Yu.]
[I watched Sha Yu's highlights. Seems like a total genius. Those plays were so slick and clean.]
[Don't put Fatal down over one loss. He's amazing too. His teammates just couldn't hold out.]
[It was just one ranked match. Nobody can have a hundred-percent win rate in gaming. Fatal is still the eternal GOAT. No one can reach his heights.]
[This Sha Yu? I'm sold.]
The next day, Monday.
Jiang Jinran still had to get up early for school.
She walked into the dining room, only to find Jiang Yuyan personally making breakfast.
Jiang Jinran rubbed her bleary eyes.
"Xiao Ran, you're up." Hearing the movement, Jiang Yuyan could not help turning around. She was wearing a pink apron, which lent her a cuteness that belied her age.
"Mom, you're cooking yourself?" Jiang Jinran's eyes widened slightly.
Jiang Yuyan's lips curved, a gentle smile appearing on her face. "I have to fly abroad again tomorrow. I wanted to cook you a meal before I leave."
In the past, Jiang Yuyan would not have done this.
With the way things had been between her and Jiang Jinran before, doing this would have seemed too clingy. She had been afraid of making Jiang Jinran dislike her.
But after yesterday...
She felt that Xiao Ran was different from before.
That gave her the courage to keep reaching out.
[Sob, sob. My beautiful mother really is lovely inside and out. She's gorgeous, and she even cooks for me...]
Jiang Jinran pressed her lips together, unable to help marveling inwardly.
Hearing this, Jiang Yuyan's smile grew all the warmer.
It seemed to dilute some of the irritation and gloom that had risen within her because she would soon be going abroad to seek confirmation...
After breakfast, Jiang Jinran hurried to school without stopping.
Once she entered the campus, she did not head toward her classroom as usual, but went straight to the arts building.
In the early morning, the arts building was shrouded in a faint, damp mist, making it seem all the more mysterious.