Chapter Text
Zhai Liang felt like he had reached the pinnacle of his life today.
It had all started three days ago.
He'd casually bragged in their "Five Consecutive Losses" chat group: "Next week I'm going to the King of Honor finals — in person! VIP tickets! How amazing is that? And I heard Qiao Jingjing will be there too!!"
【Long Wang】: Seriously??? Did you win the lottery?
【Zhai Liang】: Not at all — Cotton gave them to me.
The group went silent for two seconds.
【Sha Bao】: ???
【Long Wang】: Wait, what did you say? Cotton?
【Zhai Liang】: Yeah! Our Cotton — the one we play games with every day! Turns out when she said her workplace was organizing a King of Honor competition, this is that competition!!!
【Sha Bao】: ......So Cotton said she was going to play in a competition, and it's KPL?
【Zhai Liang】: Yes!!!
【Long Wang】: ???
【Zhai Liang】: I had no idea! Yu Tu went to her place to fix a water purifier, and somehow the two of them got in contact after that! Cotton specifically invited us both to watch KPL — said it was her way of thanking me for carrying her all this time!!
【Sha Bao】: ......She's thanking you?
【Zhai Liang】: Yes! I look after her so well! Every time she messes up I never yell at her!
【Long Wang】: That's Yu Tu carrying her, isn't it.
【Zhai Liang】: Doesn't matter! The point is she's thanking me and Yu Tu!
【Sha Bao】: So the four of us play games together, but she's only thanking you two?
【Zhai Liang】: Hahahaha, who told you guys not to be in Shanghai! Cotton said she only has two tickets, so of course she picked me and Yu Tu! Cotton even said there'll be a surprise at the venue!
【Long Wang】: Ugh! Missed out!
【Zhai Liang】: Anyway, I'm definitely getting a good look at Cotton that day — what does she even look like! If she's cute, I'll—
【Long Wang】: You'll do what?
【Zhai Liang】: I'll...... I'll just keep being her best teammate!
The group erupted into chaos. Yu Tu stayed silent throughout. Zhai Liang didn't mind — he kept scrolling on his phone, completely unaware that Yu Tu, sitting across from him, had glanced up and looked at him once, the corner of his mouth curving slightly.
Yu Tu found himself thinking back to how Qiao Jingjing had looked when she handed him the tickets — that mischievous expression on her face. "Bring So Panicked along, he's in Shanghai too! Let him see for himself who Cotton — the one he plays games with every day — really is. When the time comes, tell him: the prettiest one on that stage is Cotton."
——————————————————
On the day of the competition.
Zhai Liang chattered non-stop all the way from the subway to the arena entrance.
"Do you think we'll be able to see Qiao Jingjing clearly from our seats? Are VIP tickets extra close?"
"Thanks to Cotton's luck, today's my first time seeing a celebrity in person!"
"Speaking of which — do you think we'll get to see Cotton today? She's the one who got us these VIP tickets, I need to thank her properly."
"What do you think Cotton looks like? Her voice is so nice, she must be sweet and cute."
Yu Tu walked beside him with his hands in his pockets, occasionally making an "mm" sound, his expression as calm as if he were heading to a work meeting rather than watching a celebrity appear.
"Can't you show a little more excitement?" Zhai Liang complained. "......Your reaction is really off."
Yu Tu ignored him.
Inside the arena, the crowd was massive. Zhai Liang clutched the tickets and found their seats — third row, center, directly facing the stage.
"Yu Tu." He grabbed Yu Tu's arm, his voice trembling. "From here, the goddess can definitely see us, right?"
Yu Tu pulled his arm free. "Calm down."
"I can't calm down!"
The lights dimmed.
The host walked onto the stage and announced that the match was beginning.
Then, that figure emerged from backstage.
Qiao Jingjing wore a light pink sweater, her hair pulled up in a high ponytail, her steps light and lively. She waved at the audience, her eyes curving into crescent moons.
Zhai Liang's heart stopped for half a second — then he started screaming like mad.
"Qiao Jingjing——!!!" He shouted himself hoarse, completely ignoring the stares of those around him. "Goddess!! Look over here!!!"
Someone beside them laughed.
Yu Tu quietly shifted his body to put a little distance between himself and Zhai Liang. But his gaze kept drifting back to that figure in the pink sweater.
As she walked to her position, she bit her lip slightly, focused like a student working through an exam. Back in high school, she'd had that same expression — when someone asked her a question, her eyes would be bright and clear, carrying a trace of stubborn competitiveness. Lately, memories from ten years ago had been surfacing in his mind without warning. Things he'd never paid attention to at the time, now recalled with startling clarity.
The phone in his pocket vibrated endlessly. Zhai Liang was frantically scrolling beside him. Yu Tu glanced over and shook his head with a quiet smile.
Two months ago, she had still been a total newbie who couldn't even play Wang Zhaojun. He had taught her positioning, taught her to read the minimap, taught her when to pull back and when to press forward. She learned quickly but was always reluctant to admit it — she'd insist on going one-on-one with him, get completely crushed, then lift her chin defiantly and say, "Yu Tu, just you wait."
Now she stood on stage, cooperating with professional players without a hitch.
She had really done it.
He looked down, the corner of his mouth curving once. It was a faint smile — but if Zhai Liang had seen it at that moment, he would have been stunned, because he had never seen Yu Tu smile like that before.
Round one ended. Qiao Jingjing's team won. But in the post-match lucky draw segment, the opposing team drew the right to ban the previous round's MVP. The player with the highest score had been the marksman Xia Xue — Snow — who could only wave goodbye to everyone and leave the stage.
Host: "Since the winning team needs to choose a new teammate, Jingjing — who will you pick? From Tiangong? But Tiangong's best marksman is Snow."
Qiao Jingjing suddenly turned to the host. "I remember the official Weibo said we can choose our teammates from the audience — does that mean I can pick a non-professional player?"
The host paused, then heard an excited voice buzz through his earpiece: "Yes, yes, let her, let her."
He had no objections, but still offered a word of caution. "Are you sure? I don't know who you have in mind, but are you confident their level will match a professional player's?"
Qiao Jingjing: "I'm certain on the first question. As for the second — I'm not, but I want to pick him, because he's always been my teammate. I hope this time we can fight side by side again."
The host grew excited too. "So who is it?"
Qiao Jingjing: "Hold on — I need to ask my teammate's opinion first."
The professional players on her team had no objections.
Qiao Jingjing looked out toward the audience, her gaze locking precisely onto the person she had already spotted long before.
"Then I want to choose...... Yu Tu."