Yan Jie swore to heaven that he hadn’t intentionally hidden there to listen to other people’s conversations. He had just happened to feel like making a cup of coffee on this beautiful evening, humming a tune as he happened to find his way to this tea room in the dormitory area. He had just made himself a nice cup of coffee and was about to take it back when, as luck would have it, he dropped the coffee spoon on the floor. Just as he crouched down to reach for it in the corner, he heard several people barging in from outside with a “clang and clatter.” The door closed, and a desperate female voice began helplessly shouting and screaming-and it seemed she was calling for his dear team captain, Teacher Jiang Nan’an.
As a person’s agent was scolding their own artist, Yan Jie standing up to interrupt them and gracefully exit obviously wouldn’t be appropriate either. So he simply sat behind the island counter with his coffee cup, quietly pretending he didn’t exist. Who would have thought that in the end he couldn’t hold back, and popped up to interject.
“Who are you???”
Qi Hong was startled by this large living person who suddenly appeared in her peripheral vision, and was even more confused by how this person smoothly inserted himself into their conversation with such familiarity.
“Well, let me introduce myself. My surname is Yan, single name Jie, nickname Spring. You can call me Big Spring, Little Spring, Old Spring, whatever works. I’m also here participating in this show. How to put it? Consider me Teacher Xiao Shan’s colleague. Don’t treat me like an outsider, sister! Teacher Jiang and I get along great, the best in the show!”
As he spoke, Yan Jie walked over to shake hands with Qi Hong.
Qi Hong was still confused. She felt this person called Yan Jie looked familiar somehow, and only after hearing his complete self-introduction did she suddenly realize-oh, Spring, that game streamer who had trended together with Jiang Nan’an before!!!
Professional habit made alarm bells ring in Qi Hong’s mind.
She widened her eyes and looked at Jiang Nan’an, wanting to verify that “the best in the show” statement. Jiang Nan’an refused to receive her gaze and silently looked away.
Qi Hong’s head throbbed. She rubbed her temples, temporarily not wanting to deal with all this mess, especially since Jiang Nan’an’s name was still trending on the hot search. Other people and other matters would have to wait.
She continued her previous topic:
“It’s not about whether he’s good or not… I never said he wasn’t good! He’s great! He’s not wrong, of course he’s not wrong! But it’s precisely because he’s not wrong that this is difficult to handle! The official episode hasn’t aired yet, so people don’t know the context, they only hear him scolding someone in the livestream clip, and there are trolls taking advantage to stir up trouble… How should we respond? Explain or not? Apologize or not?”
As she spoke, Qi Hong walked to a nearby single sofa and sat down. Yan Jie leaned nearby, leisurely sipping his coffee, and said very naturally:
“If he’s not wrong, why explain? If he’s not wrong, why apologize! Don’t do either, let the bullet fly a while longer. Let it go, what’s the worst that could happen?”
“Then it really would be over! ‘Burning Eternity’ will only air its first official episode this weekend. The first episode! Do you know how long it will take for the official episode to catch up to the current timeline? Do you know what the online sentiment will evolve into over this month? Do you know how much pressure and cyberbullying an artist has to endure during this period? Do you know how many appearances it will affect?”
“I don’t understand these things of yours, and indeed don’t know,” Yan Jie honestly shook his head.
Qi Hong opened her mouth, about to add “then it’s over,” when she heard him continue:
“But aren’t we going to stay in this training camp the whole time? What appearances could it affect? By the time we’re released from this camp, the official episode should have caught up, right?”
“…” That seemed to be the case.
Qi Hong was truly dizzy with anger. Only now, hearing Yan Jie’s words, did she suddenly realize that Jiang Nan’an was currently locked up in a long-term variety show recording, not living the free life of someone on a film set where rumors fly and immediate damage control is needed.
“Besides, our Teacher Jiang doesn’t seem to enjoy surfing the internet. I haven’t seen him use a phone since entering the camp. During livestreams, he’s just present but never interacts with comments. If he can’t see anything and doesn’t know anything… then he doesn’t need to worry about pressure or cyberbullying, right? Those people online have too much time on their hands-if they want to curse, let them. In my humble opinion, what’s important now isn’t how to respond to the public and public opinion, but how to properly handle and resolve this matter, striving for a complete, well-reasoned conclusion. That way, when the official episode airs with the full context, no matter how much chatter there is, they’ll have to shut up. Those who cursed our baby will have to line up to apologize. Don’t you think?”
Qi Hong nodded thoughtfully, deeply agreeing, and immediately started reaching for her phone:
“Wait, let me contact Fire’s side now. This wasn’t caused by just our side, we can’t be the only ones going bald over this, right? They should contribute to the solution too!”
“Hey, hey! Don’t do that!” Yan Jie quickly waved his hands:
“You mean you two sides will discuss and put on a show? That won’t work! Netizens’ eyes are so sharp nowadays. If they detect even a hint of scripting, wouldn’t that be disastrous? Wouldn’t they flip our stage? Think about it, we’re on a reality show, so the main selling point is authenticity, right?”
“…” Perhaps feeling that Yan Jie had a point, Qi Hong paused for a moment, then put her phone back in her pocket.
She shifted to the side, took Jiang Nan’an’s hand and patted it:
“Come on, baby, tell me the whole story from beginning to end, don’t miss a single punctuation mark! Later I’ll contact someone to prepare several plans for you overnight. We’ll discuss tomorrow and choose one to implement immediately, trying to minimize the risk.”
Yan Jie looked at the obediently sitting Jiang Nan’an, then at Qi Hong, strangely visualizing a bullied child who didn’t realize it and a kindergarten principal zealously seeking justice for others. He really didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
He quickly went around to Jiang Nan’an’s side and pulled their hands apart:
“Sister, the child is grown up now, worry less, let him solve problems himself!”
“Things have already become such a mess! How can I not worry?!”
“Yes, yes, things are already like this, and they can’t get worse, right?” Yan Jie spread his hands:
“Can’t you give your child a little trust? The world is so big, there will always be times when you can’t manage everything. You should let him solve problems independently, and believe he has the ability, right? Let go, let go, sister, let him fly on his own! Ah!”
As he persuaded her, Yan Jie also patted Qi Hong’s back to help her calm down.
Qi Hong tasted the bitter tears of a middle-aged parent from this exchange with Yan Jie. The sense of identification was too strong-she felt as if she was already standing outside the airport security checkpoint, smiling through tears and waving as she watched her child’s back.
In the end, she was half-coaxed, half-persuaded by Yan Jie to leave. It was too late today, and she had come in a hurry without booking a hotel, so she could only stay with Xiao Sun in the staff dormitory in another building. As Xiao Sun led her through the compound, Qi Hong was a bit absent-minded, still immersed in the emotions from earlier and unable to snap out of it. After walking a few steps, she suddenly realized:
“That’s not right!”
“Huh?” Xiao Sun was startled: “What’s wrong! What! What’s not right!”
Qi Hong slowly turned to look at him:
“That person called Spring, he’s an outsider, why should I listen to him! How did I end up listening to him? Huh? He appeared so sneakily and strangely, how did we let him derail our conversation?”
Xiao Sun didn’t know.
Xiao Sun was very confused.
“Then…” he blinked his eyes: “…should we go back and argue with him?”
Qi Hong put her hands on her hips, and finally sighed: “Forget it, let’s leave it as is.”
She continued walking forward, muttering:
“Putting everything else aside… he did make some sense.”
Qi Hong and Xiao Sun walked away under the streetlights, while the light in the tea room upstairs remained on.
Yan Jie made a cup of milk for Jiang Nan’an and placed it on the coffee table in front of him:
“Your agent really treasures you, treating you like a child. Look how anxious she was. My goodness, when she first came in, I thought someone had started a drilling machine, but it was just her high heels.”
To be fair, although Qi Hong’s personality and way of handling things were a bit extreme, Yan Jie could tell that she was genuinely concerned about Jiang Nan’an and truly wanted the best for him.
Jiang Nan’an’s lips curved upward slightly as he nodded gently.
Yan Jie looked up at him: “Has she been with you for many years?”
“Yes.”
“How so, she’s been with you since your debut?”
“Yes.”
“That explains it.”
Yan Jie chuckled softly and changed the topic:
“So what are you planning to do about Fire, Mr. Hang?”
“Whatever needs to be done.” Jiang Nan’an held the milk cup, taking small sips.
“Would you like little Spring to lend you a hand?”
“No need, I have my own pace.”
“Impressive.”
Yan Jie sat across from him with a smile, watching Jiang Nan’an finish his cup of milk. Afterward, Jiang Nan’an put down the cup and got up to leave. But when he reached the door, he suddenly paused, looked back at Yan Jie, and lowered his eyes as he softly said:
“…Thank you.”
“Hmm?” Yan Jie had been watching him all along. Hearing this, he propped his face up and smiled:
“What are you thanking me for?”
Jiang Nan’an didn’t answer immediately.
With a “click,” the door unlocked, and before walking out, he finally left with:
“Nothing… just consider it thanks for the milk.”
–
Yesterday’s conflict between Jiang Nan’an and Fire had been trending for most of the day, and the news quickly spread to other contestants who were privately inquiring about what had actually happened. The production team, likely sensing potential drama, had set up several additional pieces of equipment in Team Four’s training room overnight, waiting to collect good material for the official episode-after all, free publicity and attention shouldn’t be wasted.
Jiang Nan’an didn’t feel there was anything special about it. He trained when he needed to train and ate when he needed to eat. Besides, apart from the two or three people around him, he wasn’t familiar with anyone else, so no matter how curious others were, they couldn’t gossip directly to him.
After dinner on Tuesday, Jiang Nan’an continued to practice in the training room. Yan Jie accompanied him as usual. Sitting down, he glanced at Jiang Nan’an’s hands on the keyboard, noticed he was wearing the wrist guards he had given him, and raised his eyebrows in good spirits, asking:
“What are you practicing today, Captain?”
“Plum Blossom Scholar,” Jiang Nan’an answered.
“Oh?” Yan Jie was a bit surprised.
Plum Blossom Scholar wasn’t particularly outstanding among jungle heroes and rarely appeared in solo queue or competitive matches. His burst damage was average, as was his tankiness. His only notable feature was his ultra-long-distance movement ability, which made it convenient to teleport to top or bottom lanes at any time, competing with opponents in support speed.
“Is this to practice a Scholar to better support Fire?” Yan Jie curved his lips, deliberately provoking:
“Didn’t you say you wouldn’t manage the bottom lane anymore?”
“When you said ‘little Spring’s only wish in life,’ were you truly prepared to deliver your last words and immediately ascend to heaven, ending your brief life on the spot?” Jiang Nan’an said coldly.
Yan Jie nodded with a smile: “Alright, alright, I understand. My parents are always telling me to get out of the house, but when I actually leave for a few days, they call to scold me and tell me to come back for dinner-and they even make all my favorite foods. Ah, our Mr. Hang is truly a qualified parent. Little Spring is gratified, little Spring is happy, little Spring admires you-”
Jiang Nan’an let out a light snort.
“Hey, how about this, Mr. Hang.”
As he was acting, Yan Jie propped his face up again, looking at Jiang Nan’an’s profile:
“Our Team Four could form a family of six. You be the father, responsible for belt discipline, tough talk but soft heart. I’ll be the mother, responsible for providing loving care, a warm harbor, and emotional support for everyone. How about that?”
Jiang Nan’an glanced at him: “No.”
“Then what do you want to be? If not, you can be the mother.”
“…Do I have to be something?”
“Yes! The topic has come this far, it wouldn’t be right not to choose, would it?”
“…”
“Come on, boldly say what you want to be!”
“The king.”
Jiang Nan’an thought he must be crazy to play Yan Jie’s childish role-playing game.
“The king…” Yan Jie thought for a moment:
“No, how about you be the emperor?”
“In your game, I don’t even have the right to freely choose my identity?”
“Hey! You just don’t understand!”
Yan Jie clapped his hands:
“I can’t be the king! If you’re the emperor, I can be a eunuch, voice pitched high, serving you front and back, being your most loyal lackey.”
“You be a eunu-”
Jiang Nan’an choked.
He made a phone gesture next to his ear:
“Hello, is this the pet hospital?”
Yan Jie immediately played along, in a customer service tone: “Yes sir, how can I help you?”
“I have a dog that needs to be neutered.”
“How big is the dog?”
“Almost thirty, standing less than 1.9 meters tall.”
“Tsk… Couldn’t you say it more nicely, like ‘the tender age of twenty-nine, standing at 1.88 meters’?” Yan Jie complained, continuing to play his role:
“Oh my, handsome enough! What name shall we use?”
“Zhao Ai or Yan Zhongxian, perhaps.”
“Isn’t that a bit harsh-sounding?”
“Eunuchs have to be named like that. What would you prefer to be called?”
“Then let’s go with Bao Chun or Yan Daji.” Teacher Spring, besides being an excellent esports player, was also a naturally gifted actor who could get into character instantly:
“This servant’s beauty is indeed wasted as a eunuch, but it doesn’t matter. As long as I can serve Your Majesty, whatever identity I have, this servant is sincerely willing. If I’m fortunate enough to take the blame and criticism for our Emperor, to be a nation-toppling enchantress, a beautiful disaster, that would be the greatest honor-Your Majesty, when will you favor this concubine? This concubine wants to be your Daji~ bringing disaster to the country and people~~”
Jiang Nan’an got goosebumps, finding it extremely distasteful, but seeing Yan Jie’s affected manner, he couldn’t help but laugh lightly:
“…You’re insane.”
—
(advanced chapters available on kofi)
![After losing all his wealth, the ancestor rose from his coffin [BL]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Your-paragraph-text-1.png "After losing all his wealth, the ancestor rose from his coffin [BL]")