Comment: #PerfectDebut# Mengmeng is debuting! The new starting player of XG Club!
Comment: #MidLaneKingOfSoloQueue# Mengmeng’s playing the mid-laner this time. His serious expression in the stills is just too cute! In the interview, he said he’d always wanted to act in an esports drama. Before joining Idol Gas Station, he was already playing War of Glory. My boy’s amazing, QuQ!
Comment: #ProfessionalDedication# He’s been training every day on the hero his character uses in the show, just so they can film real in-game scenes. I’m in love!
Comment: The way Brother Pei grabbed Mengmeng’s hand and pulled him backstage was so handsome… kswlkswl! They have to kiss next episode!!
……?
Wait a second… what’s with all these posts? Aside from Wind, Sui Ning, there’s another mid-laner called “King of Solo Queue”? Never heard of that. Who are these people, and why are they talking about some parallel universe?
PNG fans native to the tag were utterly confused.
Comment: What the hell is this? Isn’t Pei Siyuan an actor? Who’s Xu Meng? Another new player? What club is he from? Never heard of it!
Comment: From XG Club, I’m dying laughing.
Comment: ??? Since when did HPL have a new club? Why don’t I know about this?
Comment: XG = fictional. I looked it up—thought My Jungle Belongs to You was some player’s dumb joke, but no, it’s a drama…
Comment: People’s tastes are free, sure, but this is Feng-bao’s tag plaza. Why are random nobodies here losing their minds?
Comment: Exactly. We don’t even have enough room to lose our minds ourselves—why are others taking our space?
Comment: I get it now—they’ve got their own tag trending in the Top 10. Why do they have the nerve to throw tantrums in our No.1 trending tag? sweating emoji
Comment: When I send this sweating emoji, it’s not because I’m actually sweating—it’s because I want to say “nmsl.” (Your mom is dead)
Comment: Never even heard of this flop drama. The title alone screams low budget. ^^ Little fans, please exit to the right.
Comment: Not gonna lie, I accidentally saw their post… the “top” lifts his hands off the keyboard during a match to pat the “bottom’s” head… hello?? Excuse me?? Referee blind or what??
Comment: Please don’t spread second-hand trash. Where’s the topic mod? Clean this up!
Comment: Please don’t call yourself the King of Solo Queue in the real mid-laner’s plaza. I’m begging you (rolls eyes).
PNG fans were already known for being battle-hardened, and this time, fans from multiple clubs were watching the chaos. After just a few refreshes, Xu Meng’s posts were flooded with mocking and sarcastic comments.
Xu Meng’s fans (“Lemons”) were also dumbfounded: …Why are they flaming us? Isn’t this Mengmeng’s tag??
After reading carefully, the Lemons realized—they’d wandered into the wrong place.
…The hell.
That “Esports Male Lead Face” topic was originally started by the Lemons themselves! And now these fans were hyping up someone named Fenglan or Feng-bao?
Leeching off clout like this?
And they even dared to buy the top trend? So bold?!
The Lemons just laughed coldly.
Comment: Copying our tag and still have the nerve??
Comment: What the hell is this wannabe clinging to Mengmeng? Those ugly nobodies think they deserve to be called “male lead material”?
Comment: LMAO, no stills, no promo pics—what kind of flop show is this?
Comment: Spamming a bunch of gaming clips to save face? -3- Everyone plays War of Glory; look at Mengmeng’s gameplay > link, then look at yours… I’m actually laughing~~ The skill gap is massive.
Comment: Too polite. Let’s be real—your Fenglan can’t even compare, -3-.
Comment: Even copying the overused name “Wind,” huh? Next time, at least don’t steal Mengmeng’s character ID from the show~ Please recognize the original Softwind.
Comment: Hahaha, you can tell Mengmeng’s the real professional. He trained so hard. These nobodies? Who even knows what they’re doing -3-.
The Lemons were fierce too—despite barging into the wrong tag, they still spoke with full confidence.
PNG fans: ?
Old man on the subway holding his phone.jpg
…Complicated feelings.
First shock. Then anger. Then calm. Finally… laughter.
Comment: I was about to flame them, but by the end, I actually burst out laughing.
Comment: If they’d just spent one minute Googling “Fenglan”… uh… uh-huh.
Comment: …The skill gap between the two is too huge. Damn, I don’t even know how to argue back because it’s just too true!
Comment: Holy crap, an idol drama actor doing stiff keyboard moves, and they’re shading the real solo king? I can’t breathe, I’m dying of laughter hahahahaha.
Comment: What are they even doing? Can these fans even understand what’s happening in those gameplay clips? I’m crying hahahaha.
Comment: What the hell is “Softwind” hahahahaha.
Comment: It’s over—my Feng-bao got plagiarized by this trash drama. Nooo, stop it hahahaha.
Comment: World literature classic: He trained really hard. My advice—don’t. Not everyone’s born with talent, and that’s okay.
Comment: This is such a turn-off. Anyone who’s ever watched a single Glory match should know what day it is today.
Comment: For real. I’m not even a PNG fan, but in my HTG fan group with over a thousand members, everyone’s screaming for Wind.
Comment: FR’s thousand-member group here, Xu Zhiyi started screaming first, I’m crying laughing.
Comment: GEN’s group too, and my roommate’s in the ELG chat doing the same thing.
……
Comment: Hold on, okay? The later comments are whatever, but I can’t accept that personal attack up there.
Comment: Calling the peak of pro-player looks “ugly and deformed”? That’s too much.
Comment: For real, I can’t stand anyone insulting Feng-bao’s looks.
Comment: [Image – promo photo]
The only precious “candid photo” fans had of Sui Ning was posted.
The Lemons (Xu Meng’s fans) fell silent for a moment.
…Handsome. He is pretty handsome.
But… why does he look so familiar… where have I seen him before…?
……
Oh shit!!! SUI NING!!!
That same flop who bullied Mengmeng on Idol Gas Station and even confessed to God Pei—THAT GUY!!!
…Wait, was he always this handsome?
No, that’s not important!! What’s important is—everything makes sense now!! That flop’s at it again! Mengmeng’s new show just came out, and now this guy’s pretending to be an esports player, stealing the tag, buying the top trend, and hiring bots to attack Mengmeng!! It all connects!!
No wonder Mengmeng’s character is called Softwind and he’s Wind! Mengmeng plays mid-lane, and now he’s playing mid-lane too! It’s all part of the scheme!!
The Lemons were furious: “This is obviously a rival! Why isn’t this idiot gone yet?? He got kicked out of Idol Gas Station and still wasn’t forgotten—now he’s clout-chasing again?!”
A few calmer fans quickly did a search and whispered: “W-wait… that Fenglan guy actually seems to be a real pro player…”
But some hotheaded solo fans couldn’t care less: “Some production teams also make fake wiki pages to build fake personas! Maybe that’s what they’re doing!”
“Damn flop drama, pretending to be part of HPL, leeching off our boy’s fame—how could we tolerate this? Mengmeng’s suffered enough! From Idol Gas Station till now, he’s been enduring this guy, and now that he finally got a good project, he still has to take this crap?!”
Calm fan: “…But he’s really a pro…”
Unfortunately, the main fan leaders were busy protecting Mengmeng’s image elsewhere on the trending topics, so this batch of lost fans—already out of control—ran wild.
Many of them had been sitting on Sui Ning’s old blackmail material for months, just waiting for a day like this. Within minutes of arguing with PNG fans, they dumped everything online.
Comment: [Breaking News from Besties] “Sui Ning the Greasy Jerk Eliminated in Round One!”
Comment: [Disgusting! For Clout, He Actually Did This in Public—(Video Attached)]
Comment: [Behind the Scenes of Idol Gas Station: Why Did Sui Ning Bully Xu Meng? Full Analysis – Protect Our Mengmeng]
Comment: [Best Reality Show of the Year: Idol Gas Station—Fair, Just, Transparent, Never Covers Up Scandals]
Comment: [Sui Ning Kicked Out of Production! Director: Unprofessional, Disrespectful, Tarnished the Show’s Image!]
Comment: Heh.
Comment: Oh, so it’s you guys~ I couldn’t care less about your washed-up C-list has-been idol. I only kept those old receipts on my phone because I was too lazy to delete them. Didn’t think they’d come in handy now~
Comment: @IdolGasStationOfficial
Flooded by links and callouts, the team fans were stunned.
…What the hell is going on?
——
Almost simultaneously, PNG’s management team and the Idol Gas Station production crew both received crisis PR alerts.
Chen Chen immediately went to find Sui Ning in the training room. “The contract you signed with that show—has the original arrived? Did you sign the full authorization letter?”
“Yeah.” Sui Ning took off his headset and nodded, handing Chen Chen the contract and the letter that Xu Hexuan had mailed over.
Chen Chen took them without panic, patted the young man’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. Our legal team’s been following up since you told me about it. They already reviewed the copy on their end—there are serious problems, especially with the penalty clause.”
“Some accounts online are using this to stir things up,” Chen Chen hesitated, then added, “Don’t stress. Hand this authorization to Legal—they’ll take care of it.”
Sui Ning pressed his lips together and smiled faintly. “Yeah. Honestly, I just wanted to make money to pay off my debts.”
“Pay what, my ass? That was an exploitative contract.” Chen Chen rolled his eyes.
“Uh, I heard their production team has a lot of connections…”
“You’re not even in that circle anymore—what’s there to be afraid of?”
He paused, then made a pained face. “Don’t tell me you’re still thinking about being a celebrity?”
“…Not really.”
Chen Chen exhaled in relief. “Good. I watched your singing and dancing—trust me, that’s not your meal ticket. Focus on esports instead.”
Sui Ning: …
The coach and the club were busy dealing with their own troubles. Sui Ning had felt a trace of gratitude earlier, but now…
He glanced calmly at Chen Chen, didn’t bother replying, and went back to training.
Chen Chen shrugged, picked up his documents, and left.
As soon as the coach was gone, Ji Yunyu—who was duo-queuing with Sui Ning—couldn’t hold back anymore.
Though the rumors online were mostly nonsense, a few sounded quite convincing…
Especially that one with a video—a public confession.
Ji Yunyu glanced sideways at Sui Ning and saw that his expression hadn’t changed one bit.
After killing the enemy marksman, he asked irritably, “…What were you thinking?”
Sui Ning didn’t catch his meaning. “Hm?”
“Why did you join that show?”
“I used to be strapped for money.”
Ji Yunyu frowned. “So you really didn’t like showbiz?”
“Of course not.” Sui Ning gave a helpless laugh. “I’ve never liked it.”
“Then… what about that person?”
“Who?”
“...That one!!”
The young man looked puzzled and almost missed a last hit. “Who?”
Ji Yunyu took a deep breath. “Pei Siyuan!!”
At the mention of that name, it was as if something in Sui Ning had been switched off—his face darkened. “When we first met, you said he was a love rival—oh, and you also said I wasn’t allowed to like Xu Meng! So why did you go and confess to him on camera…”
He mumbled the part about Xu Meng so fast it was barely audible.
…Yeah, I’d like to know that too, original body, Sui Ning thought silently.
Ji Yunyu took another sharp breath. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”
“…I wanted fame,” Sui Ning forced out, thinking quickly for an excuse. “I wanted to be known. Pei Siyuan was really popular then—he was even a mentor on the show—so I just… went with it.”
Ji Yunyu’s expression was cold, his lips twitching as if he wanted to laugh but couldn’t. “Oh.”
Neither of them looked at each other; their eyes stayed fixed on the screen.
The air felt heavy, still.
In the game, their characters were still cooperating—diving towers, getting kills, joining teamfights—but to Sui Ning, the pair of brothers Fan’en and Fanlei now looked like a couple sharing a bed but dreaming different dreams… In short, they looked united only on the surface.
All their teamwork felt mechanical, like a pre-set routine—
None of that old spark or tacit understanding remained.
Sui Ning hated that feeling. He really did.
After a long silence—so long he even missed a minion last hit—he realized Ji Yunyu might actually be waiting for a real answer.
He pressed his lips together, then said softly, “I don’t like showbiz, and I don’t like Pei Siyuan.”
Ji Yunyu grunted to show he’d heard, but didn’t reply.
Sui Ning lowered his eyes. “Playing professionally has always been my dream—from start to finish. A lot has happened, but no matter what, I’m really glad to be back on the stage now.”
His long lashes trembled, but his face stayed calm as he stared at his character, not daring to look anywhere else.
“…And I’m also really glad…” Sui Ning said quietly, “to have met you.”
Ji Yunyu froze.
His Fanlei missed a skill in the jungle; the little pig monster he’d been attacking snorted in disdain and spat at him—piu piu—knocking off small chunks of health, but Fanlei still didn’t move.
Sui Ning’s palms grew sweaty. He clenched and unclenched them nervously.
After clearing the wave, he had Fan’en recall under the tower.
When the recall countdown hit half a second, he added softly through his mic,
“You’re… a player I really like,” Sui Ning said gently. “I hope we can play together till the end.”
“......”
Ji Yunyu was speechless. His right hand, moving purely on instinct, started auto-attacking the jungle pig.
It died. Then he went for the buff, then the rock monster, then the river crab… Then what next…?
His mind was a mess—no game sense left, only muscle memory guiding his hands.
Sui Ning didn’t dare look at him—and truthfully, he felt the same. Strangely, this time it wasn’t just his face that felt hot—his eyes were stinging too.
After a long while, Ji Yunyu finally pulled out his phone, turned on the recording app, and placed it near Sui Ning’s side.
He kept his gaze fixed on the monitor, his heart pounding. “I take promises seriously. If you say something, you’d better mean it. Just to be safe, say that last part again—I’m recording.”
Sui Ning blinked, caught off guard.
After a pause, he smiled faintly. “…Then I’ll say it again. I want to play professionally, I—”
Ji Yunyu cut him off. “Not that part. The next one.”
Sui Ning tilted his head. “Which one?”
“…Damn it, the last one.”
Sui Ning shot him a quick glance, then chuckled softly at the phone. “Alright then.”
“I want to play with you till the end.”
“‘You’ being who?”
“Ji Yunyu.”
“And when’s ‘the end’?”
“The championship.”
Ji Yunyu glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and saw that his eyes were smiling—he immediately looked away.
He coughed twice, pocketed his phone. “Alright, it’s saved. No backing out.”
Sui Ning smiled innocently, dragging out his words. “Oh~ got it.”
“Oh, what?” Ji Yunyu muttered, the tips of his ears burning. “…Go farm your lane.”
“Oh~ why didn’t you clear this camp?”
“…Forgot.”
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