Chapter 002 The Young Master – “An open and honest fan.” (02/35)
The room was completely silent.
No one spoke, and so no one answered the young master’s question.
The young master’s expression grew even more sour before he decided to storm out of the room, cursing as he went. He trudged towards the door; his fingers barely touched the handle when he suddenly stiffened.
After a tense impasse of several seconds, the young master turned his head in a half-hearted compromise, his face gloomy. “Damn it, this is my house. Why should I leave? If anyone should leave, it’s you!”
Before Hua Mingyi and Li Zhuoyun could say anything, the young master tossed his head high and said smugly, “Fine, I know you don’t want to leave. I’ll give you one more chance.”
Li Zhuoyun: ?
Hua Mingyi: ?
Wait… no one said they didn’t want to leave, right?
But the young master didn’t give them a chance to interrupt, saying quickly, “You have ‘Flying Dragon Online’ on your phones, right?”
He looked as if he was afraid they would interject.
This thought appeared fleetingly in Hua Mingyi’s mind, but she quickly dismissed it.
Nonsense. Right now, the young master was feared by all and feared nothing under heaven. He was the number one troublemaker. How could he be afraid of them talking?
The others nodded stiffly.
The young master’s expression finally softened a little. He puffed out his chest and walked back with an air of arrogance, but he didn’t sit back down in his previous seat. Instead, he chose to sit on the single armchair at the farthest corner.
It just so happened that it was also the seat furthest away from Hua Mingyi.
The young master furrowed his brows, seemingly unsatisfied, and shifted slightly to the side, then exclaimed impatiently, “Hurry up and start the game! Anyone who dares to mess with me will have their hands chopped off!”
Li Zhuoyun listened to the young master’s cursing and opened the game in a daze.
How did tonight feel so surreal?
After opening the game, Li Zhuoyun also launched her game recording software.
She had taken on a role in an e-sports drama, and was required to post gaming videos every few days to attract fans, so she had all the necessary apps on her phone.
Out of caution, she decided to record everything.
Wei Han asked Hua Mingyi and Li Zhuoyun for their IDs, then created a room and added both of them.
“Flying Dragon” was a 5v5 MOBA game featuring a three-lane plus jungle mode. All the hero models used dragon designs, with over a hundred varieties of Eastern and Western dragons. The models were visually appealing, and the skill mechanics well-designed, making it a long-standing favorite in the gaming market over the past few years.
The young master was deeply passionate about this game, spending a significant amount of money on professional players and companions each season. Every few days, one can hear the young master passionately cursing. Perhaps he feels that cursing his teammates online is not satisfying enough, so he has specifically sought out real-life companions?
What a waste of two beautiful people. Wei Han had thought he would be able to watch a great drama today. He muttered to himself, feeling deeply disappointed.
Seeing everyone was ready, Wei Han asked, “So, Young Master, shall we start?”
“Hmm.” Shi Jingge looked at Hua Mingyi with a sour expression. “Your MVP wasn’t rigged by the production team, was it?”
Hua Mingyi was caught off guard by Shi Jingge’s glare and flinched, but she didn’t expect the young master to be even more startled, as he jumped up from the sofa!
Hua Mingyi: ?
Shouldn’t she be the one who’s scared?
Why does it feel like the young master is more scared of her?
Shi Jingge seemed to think his reaction was embarrassing, and his face turned red. “What are you looking at?”
Hua Mingyi quickly looked away, and the young master finally relaxed, slowly sitting back down, though he moved further away.
“Look again and I’ll gouge out your eyes!” The young master added menacingly. “Hurry up and let’s play the game!”
“Ah? Okay, okay!” Wei Han replied quickly and hurriedly opened the game.
The group quickly joined the lobby. Hua Mingyi stared at the game interface and realized to her surprise that the young master didn’t seem so scary after all.
Although he looked fierce, he wasn’t actually very formidable.
He was easily frightened.
Thinking of how the young master had jumped up from the sofa just now, Hua Mingyi couldn’t help but relax a little.
Just then, a voice interrupted Hua Mingyi’s thoughts.
Wei Han: “Young Master, what do you want to play? I’ll help you pick first.”
Shi Jingge selected the newly released hero Qiu Niu and clicked to claim it. Wei Han successfully claimed Qiu Niu for him. Qiu Niu was a very powerful tank hero and currently the top lane dominator.
Hua Mingyi had second pick and chose the mage Ice Dragon to go mid lane.
When accompanying someone, you had to pay attention to their gaming experience.
Ice Dragon’s ultimate skill could support the entire map, clear minions quickly, and had crowd control, making it very suitable for running around and coordinating with Qiu Niu.
Who knew that just as she locked in her hero, Shi Jingge said, “Don’t come to my lane.”
Hua Mingyi bit her lip and said, “Alright.”
Li Zhuoyun chose the assassin to go jungle, while Wei Han and Qi Xuan selected support and marksman respectively, heading down to bot together.
Hua Mingyi obeyed and didn’t go to the top lane at all.
Li Zhuoyun also coordinated to pressure the enemy bottom lane, leaving Shi Jingge to fend for himself.
However, the enemy’s mid and jungle didn’t leave the top lane unguarded. Shi Jingge was ganked miserably a few times, quickly finding himself 0-3.
“Damn it,” the young master cursed. “Three people came to gank me again! What’s wrong with you guys? They killed me three times and you didn’t even notice? Don’t you know how to support?”
Hua Mingyi whispered, “… You told us not to go to the top lane.”
Shi Jingge: “…”
Li Zhuoyun whispered back, “The enemy mid and jungle are both there. Even if I go, I can’t beat them.”
Shi Jingge: “…”
Li Zhuoyun: “…We might as well go push bot and counter the enemy. That way, we won’t lose ground.”
Hua Mingyi and Li Zhuoyun looked up one after another and glanced at the young master.
Shi Jingge looked like he was about to faint from anger. He opened his mouth several times but couldn’t utter a single word. His speechless and furious expression even seemed to reveal a hint of grievance.
After a long while, the young master finally said angrily, “Then why aren’t you going down to ambush them now?”
Hua Mingyi was about to go down when she saw Li Zhuoyun heading toward the bottom lane.
“We can’t catch him,” Li Zhuoyun said innocently. “The enemy top laner has more gold than me, and he has an extra major item. Even if we go over there, we might not be able to kill him.”
Shi Jingge: “Three of you can’t even take down one person?”
Hua Mingyi whispered, “…Does he still have Flash?”
Shi Jingge: “…”
“Then it seems he does,” Li Zhuoyun whispered back.
“With Flash and his first skill to break crowd control,” Hua Mingyi said softly, “we really can’t take him down.”
Shi Jingge: “…”
This young master didn’t seem so annoying after all.
His frustrated and speechless expression was actually kind of cute.
Li Zhuoyun relaxed a bit and decided to test the young master’s limits. “Why don’t you just endure it and take the pressure? We’ll take down the enemy’s bottom lane and give you the victory. How about that?”
Shi Jingge: “…”
“Damn it,” Shi Jingge cursed under his breath.
Just as Li Zhuoyun was on edge, expecting the young master to explode, he heard a suppressed voice.
“Alright,” Shi Jingge muttered. “To avoid being dragged down by you guys, this young master will endure it.”
So this little master was just an Elo slave after all! Li Zhuoyun suddenly understood.
This game saw the mid and jungle lanes dominate with unstoppable rhythm, and the victory came relatively smoothly.
The young master felt refreshed and started the second match. “Remember to support me.”
Li Zhuoyun and Hua Mingyi exchanged glances, seeing the same smile in each other’s eyes.
This young master was actually kind of cute.
A few hours later, they smoothly reached the young master’s promotion match, only to have it go south.
They were flipped even though they had a huge lead.
The young master felt a surge of anger in his heart, unable to calm down, his face changing rapidly.
Li Zhuoyun comforted him. “It’s okay, it’s okay. I’ll be jungler in the next game and stay on the top lane. I’ll make sure to take down the enemy’s top laner.”
The young master’s expression finally improved a little, but before he could say anything, he heard Wei Han say, “Young Master, you’re so awesome! Girls aren’t that good at games anyway. Young Master, you even managed to win all the games while carrying two girls. That’s already pretty impressive.”
It was a clever compliment, but it was also a clear attempt to shift the blame.
Li Zhuoyun wanted to call him out on it, but she was afraid of offending the young master, so she held her tongue. Unexpectedly—
“What did you say?” The young master scratched his ear. “Say that again?”
Wei Han didn’t realize the problem and repeated himself.
The young master clapped his hands. “Great! I didn’t expect you to be sexist!”
Wei Han: ?
“My mom used to say that there are still many sexist people in this world, but I didn’t believe her. I never thought I’d find one sitting right next to me!”
Wei Han: !
Damn, how did he bring up the late Mrs. Shi?
“10% damage, 15% damage taken, 28% economic contribution, 35% team participation rate—can all of this be reported?”
Wei Han: ??
“A jungler who can’t control a single dragon or kill a single squishy champ, and holds the highest amount of gold in the team yet does nothing—that’s a complete waste of space. And you have the nerve to say girls aren’t good at games?”
Wei Han: ???
“Where do you get your confidence from? From going 0-7?”
Wei Han: ????
“What the hell?”
Wei Han belatedly realized he had shot himself in the foot. “I didn’t mean it that way. I just meant that the young master is very skilled, not–”
Wei Han didn’t even finish his sentence before Shi Jingge interrupted him, “You mean 2-5 is skilled?” He rolled his eyes. “Yes, I am a little better than you.”
Wei Han: “…”
Wei Han was extremely embarrassed and could only turn to Qi Xuan for help.
Qi Xuan was also uncomfortable with his behavior over the past few days and pretended not to notice.
Li Zhuoyun and Hua Mingyi wouldn’t bother with him either. Wei Han had shifted the blame onto them, and the young master had thrown it back at him. If they spoke up for Wei Han, what would that make them?
Seeing that no one was speaking up for him, Wei Han grew increasingly annoyed. He silently noted everyone’s actions in his mind but maintained a submissive demeanor on the surface, attempting to explain himself.
Just then, Shi Jingge’s phone rang.
It was an alarm.
“It’s twelve o’clock.” Shi Jingge perked up.
Wei Han also perked up. The young master had specifically set the alarm for this time—was it for after-hours activities?
A moment of spring night is worth a thousand pieces of gold! That was what the young master himself had said!
Just as Wei Han was about to find an excuse to leave, he saw the young master holding his phone up in front of them. “Come on, everyone, vote for number 4!”
Wei Han: ???
“One phone number can cast three votes. You all have two phone numbers, right? Six votes each, hurry up!”
Hua Mingyi: “…”
Li Zhuoyun: “…”
It was a popular reality TV show currently airing.
Wei Han forced a smile. “No problem, I’ll vote. Does the young master like number four?”
“I don’t like her,” Shi Jingge said honestly.
Li Zhuoyun opened the voting channel while asking, “If you don’t like her, why are you voting?”
“She’s my idol’s mentee, so she can lose, but my idol can’t! Since she was trained by my idol, she represents my idol’s honor, so she definitely can’t lose!” the young master said decisively.
The four people around him were stunned.
After a moment, Hua Mingyi stammered, “Wen–Wen Xusheng is your…idol?”
Li Zhuoyun also looked a little puzzled.
Wen Xusheng was arguably the only major superstar in the entertainment industry at the moment. He had won countless awards, achieved a grand slam two years ago, crafted one classic character after another, had countless fans, a mysterious background, and was still very young, only 25 years old.
The fact that Shi Xiaoshao liked Wen Xusheng was an open secret in the industry.
But the kind of “liking” they had heard about was the kind of “liking” that involved keeping someone as a kept man, the kind of “liking” that involved unspoken rules, not the kind of “liking” one would have for an idol!
It was said that the young master had even harassed him in front of his dressing room.
But… But in reality… this young master was just a crazy fan!
So how did this young master manage to do it?
He’s not that bad, yet he’s managed to turn himself into a villain?
But Hua Mingyi thought about his mouth. About how he kidnapped her here, how she was terrified the whole way, fearing she’d fall into a bottomless abyss. It was no wonder his reputation was so ruined.
But if the young master hadn’t kidnapped her here, what would’ve happened to her?
Hua Mingyi suddenly froze. Would Mr. Zhang have let her go?
No, he wouldn’t have.
Then, did this little master actually save her?
Thinking of how he had jumped up and hidden behind the sofa just now, Hua Mingyi suddenly felt like laughing.
Did she owe this little master a thank you?
No matter what, it was this little master who saved her from Mr. Zhang’s clutches.
“Have you voted yet? Why are you taking so long to vote?” the young master’s impatient voice rang out, but Hua Mingyi wasn’t as afraid anymore.
“I voted,” she said softly. “I’ll do it again with a different phone number.”
“Okay,” the young master said with satisfaction.
“You like Senior so much–have you ever thought of visiting the set to take a photo and get an autograph?” Hua Mingyi asked casually, still curious about the truth.
Was the widely circulated incident of harassment outside the restroom really like that?
“How could I? The young master rolled his eyes. ”You’ve never chased after a celebrity, have you?”
Hua Mingyi shook her head blankly. She really hadn’t.
“No wonder,” said the young master contemptuously. “You don’t have any professional awareness as a fan.”
Hua Mingyi: “…”
“Idols are like stars in the sky. Do you understand? Stars are distant and unattainable. If a star appeared in front of you, would it still be a star? In other words, what are male idols? They are gods! Would a god appear beside you? Of course not!”
“If they appear in front of you, are they still gods? Of course not! So,” the young master said confidently, “A qualified fan must keep their distance from their idol!”
It seemed… quite reasonable.
Hua Mingyi was speechless.
Half a minute later, she couldn’t help but clap her hands.
The young master frowned at her. “Are you crazy?”
“No,” Hua Mingyi said sincerely, “I was just moved.”
“Hmph,” the young master snorted, lifting his head proudly. “Of course, if my idol insists on meeting me, I’d go even if it’s a thousand miles away.”
“…Impressive,” Hua Mingyi said sincerely.
Who would have thought that, at this moment, the young master was such an unabashed fan?
Actually, being the idol of this young master was pretty lucky, wasn’t it?
Beside him, Li Zhuoyun glanced at her phone.
The app was still open.
Which meant that all of this had been recorded.
Was it too late to turn it off now?
…
…
Never mind.
It’s already been recorded, so what’s a few more minutes? Let’s just leave it.
If worse comes to worst, she’ll ask for an autograph for the young master later.
She can ask for a few extra ones, too.
Edit: Krone
Proof: Choux_choux
