“Playing on your main account? National server?” Sui Ning asked.
Ji Yunyu nodded. “Yeah, I’ll boost your rank.”
Sui Ning smiled. “Alright then, I’ll slack off today—it’s all up to you, God Yun, to carry.”
His gaze lingered on Ji Yunyu’s side profile, and his tone was that familiar lazy drawl, his final syllables trailing softly.
“...Mm.” The boy responded, a little embarrassed.
He quickly averted his eyes, not daring to sneak another glance.
He’d started out wanting to show off and act cool—but somehow ended up being flirted with instead…? Ji Yunyu pressed his lips together, stealing another quick peek at Sui Ning, his ears tingling as if a current had run through them.
He was too embarrassed to complain about how nice Sui Ning’s voice sounded. When their eyes accidentally met, he immediately turned away, burned by the teasing amusement in Sui Ning’s gaze.
After two or three seconds, Ji Yunyu frowned slightly.
...Damn it, could it be that I’m the timid one here? In fights you have to be decisive—fast with combos, always seizing the initiative! Thinking back on their exchange, he couldn’t help grinding his molars in frustration.
Sui Ning, meanwhile, looked completely at ease.
Their last few lines hadn’t been spoken quietly, so both streams’ audiences had heard the words “duo queue.”
The sharp-eared fans caught on instantly.
God Yun—who never duo queues on his main—was finally teaming up with someone? And that someone was Feng-bao? Other than boosting Xuxu’s alt, when had he ever queued with anyone else? Never!
[Oh my god, did I just hear that right? God Yun’s duoing! On his main! With Feng-bao!!]
[Boosting your MVP, huh? My Yun’s got guts, I’ll give him that (lol)]
[Meanwhile poor Xuxu’s crying in the corner hahaha]
[I can’t—every time God Yun and Xuxu duo, they play on smurfs, troll the whole match, and end up blocking each other after losing!]
[Pretty sure Xuxu’s still on God Yun’s blocklist hahaha]
[Only Brother Su can get that kid to behave and duo properly—mostly ‘cause if he loses more LP, he gets fined haha]
[Let me clarify something for Yun: it’s not that Yun isn’t good at carrying, it’s that his son is truly terrible. Every game he picks Happy Ezreal, Sad Jayce, Angry Brand to play AD—none of them are proper marksmen, and each one is worse than the last. Yun’s temper was really honed by dealing with his son.]
[Not to shade Yun, but Feng-bao’s kinda terrifying to face, you know.]
Seeing his chat openly roasting him, Ji Yunyu’s composure cracked. “What do you mean I always throw when duoing… depends who I’m with, okay? Xuxu’s just hopeless—no one could carry that! And I never troll on my main! We’re definitely climbing today, easy as drinking water!”
“Block him if we lose? As if! Don’t try to stir up drama between me and Feng-bao—actually, there won’t be a loss, okay? Mid-to-late season on the national server, duo queue’s smooth sailing!”
Irritated, he kept arguing with chat: “I’m 100 stars, Feng-bao’s probably 60 or 70 right now, so our match bracket’s like 80-star lobbies tops—I’ll carry, easy!”
He wasn’t wrong. For pro players, that rank really was low. If they weren’t on their mains, they could’ve easily been reported for smurfing…
Sui Ning added casually, “Sixty-eight stars. I haven’t been grinding much lately. Not too high, but we won’t lose.”
Their international accounts were already over 50-star King rank. Coach Chen Chen had even given them a bunch of smurfs to grind from Master to 100-star King multiple times for practice.
As Chen Chen had put it: Stream on your main, but don’t go all-out. If you need to train something new, use a clone like Naruto—most pros’ smurfs are higher ranked than their mains anyway.
Ji Yunyu, instantly more confident, puffed up. “Hear that? Stop jinxing me—‘plummeting Master,’ my ass! I could win one-handed! …What do you mean Feng-bao’s ‘training under pressure’? I—! We’re gonna tear through the ladder, mid-jungle duo, straight domination!”
“This is called the Twin Stars combo!” he declared loudly.
The chat exploded with wild flag-raising.
Ji Yunyu sent Sui Ning a party invite, still arguing with his audience.
Sui Ning glanced sideways at him, then turned on his webcam and moved away the virtual diamond-shaped walnut blocking the screen.
Within three minutes of going live, his stream viewership had surpassed seven million. The moment his avatar disappeared and his face came into view, the number shot past ten million in less than thirty seconds!
Over at Little Shark’s gaming division, several tech staff had been monitoring his feed. When the numbers came in, Zhao Yang and manager Song Fang exchanged a look—both visibly excited, breathing hard.
Zhao Yang barely restrained his giddiness as he said to his boss, “Didn’t expect a rookie to have such insane star power—we really hit the jackpot this time.”
But then he remembered PNG’s new contract terms and winced a little at the cost.
Song Fang, ever composed, smiled lightly. “His debut hype was explosive. We just gave it a nudge at the right moment—everything lined up perfectly.”
Her tone was casual, but no one could see how much money and maneuvering had gone into securing Sui Ning’s deal and pushing the narrative behind the scenes—easily tens of millions.
PNG’s legal team was fierce—and fiercely protective of their players. Even Song Fang had to admit that. She silently lit a candle for that ill-fated production team who’d crossed PNG and Sui Ning before.
“Still, credit where it’s due—he’s earned this momentum. The wind’s blowing in his favor now; let’s see how high he can ride it. You know the saying in esports: the weak are wrong even when they breathe, but the strong—people treat them like gods.”
Song Fang drew a deep breath. “He’s still new, though. We’d better line up some good results and exposure. Those gaming variety shows we discussed—‘Esports Face to Face,’ ‘Game Diner’—set them up when PNG’s schedule allows.”
She knew pro players’ calendars were tighter than most celebrities’. Everything had to be negotiated far in advance.
Little Shark might not have made waves in film or TV, but in online streaming it was the undisputed leader—and its original shows had become a signature part of the brand.
Zhao Yang immediately understood she was talking about those two programs—both popular and exclusive to top-tier players and streamers.
He nodded, taking note.
As for the upcoming War of Glory Streamer League—as long as Sui Ning didn’t suddenly implode, his spot in that lineup was practically guaranteed.
——
On the other side, fans flooding into Room 32566 were overjoyed. They had just settled down with peanuts, sunflower seeds, and sodas when the “boring” walnut they had teased earlier suddenly turned into their own stunning idol’s face on the screen.
[My tears are gushing out from the corners of my mouth ^^]
[No pain without comparison — I once thought Diamond Walnut wasn’t that bad, but now… yeah, that was really bad!! We want the camera! Give us the camera!!]
[Camera!! Oh my god!!]
[Here’s a horror story: look at the profile pictures of the top fans on the leaderboard.]
[ I saw it. Before Feng-bao’s debut, everyone’s avatar was Walnut — big bro Diamond, then ranks two through eight were all red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet — a literal rainbow lineup. I thought I’d entered a Hulu Brothers fanroom, hahaha… now every single one has turned into Feng-bao’s close-up screenshots. I can’t, I’m socially dead QuQ]
[How can someone look this good even with the camera right up in their face?! I can’t function!! How am I supposed to focus on your gameplay now! ^^]
[My suggestion: bring the camera even closer!]
The chat was flying so fast that Sui Ning could barely keep up.
Catching the last comment, he obediently reached out and pulled the camera closer. “How’s this?”
The movement of his long, elegant fingers set off another flood of prprpr-filled messages, and more fans started frantically sending gifts just to have him read their usernames. The leaderboard was shifting nonstop.
Sui Ning was both amused and helpless.
He started reading out the top contributors’ IDs: “Thanks to Feng-bao’s Hands Are So Beautiful I Wish I Could Touch Them for the Baby Shark — thank you, but that wish might be hard to grant…”
“Thanks to Baby Can I Lick Your Hands for the Baby Shark… no, you can’t.”
“Thanks to Feng-bao You Look Just Like My Boyfriend for the Baby Shark. Really? Then you’re lucky — your boyfriend’s pretty handsome.”
[??? Baby, that was clearly a hint that you are the boyfriend!!]
[??? Insane!!]
[This move—this move is emotional damage maxed out! A humblebrag plus a Seven-Wound Fist straight to the sponsor! Not that kind of “business,” bro!!]
[If I were the sponsor, I wouldn’t care!! I’m sending another one — Feng-bao, you’re not escaping today!!]
Completely unaware how hard these “sponsors” were trying to mess with him, Sui Ning kept reading.
“Thanks to Wanna See Feng-bao Do a Strip Dance for the Baby Shark. That’s impossible. Absolutely not.”
“Thanks to *Hus… uh…”
He paused mid-sentence, a drop of cold sweat forming on his temple.
[Ahhhh Feng-bao read it!!]
[Come on come on come on, you totally saw it!!]
[What, getting shy already? The so-called rookie king?? (troll face)]
[So weak, rookie king? That’s all you’ve got? Be a man and read it!! (mocking loudly)]
[Baby, read it! Don’t let your fame crumble this fast! You worked hard for it! (troll face)]
…How would not reading this make his reputation collapse?! Sui Ning sighed helplessly. “Thanks to Husband for the Baby Shark.”
[Hey, wife, I’m here! You called?~~]
[Hehehehehe…]
[He called me husband — that means he likes me^^]
[First of all, those of you up there, put your clothes back on. Second—uh, did anyone notice… God Yun’s expression?^^]
[He went from smiling to frowning in 0.5 seconds flat. A face-change faster than a Sichuan opera master — I’m dying^^ Guess he doesn’t like someone else calling you ‘husband,’ huh?]
[That was the most obvious jealous face ever. God Yun!! Did you forget you’re still live? The camera’s on you!!]
[ I can’t hold it anymore. Sisters, let’s drop the code phrase: “In brocade town the flutes and pipes are playing…”]
[“…Half carried by river wind, half drifting into the clouds.” Why the ancient poetry relay all of a sudden?? Stop being cryptic!!]
[ This goes deep. I can only say — those who know, know. Those who don’t, don’t need to. slurp ^,^]
Fans who weren’t into “shipping culture” were utterly confused.
But soon, an even more outrageous username pushed the “husband” chaos to a new high.
“Thanks to Wanna d— with Feng-bao um, English name sponsor for the Baby Shark. The chat’s moving too fast to read clearly.”
Wanna d… with Feng-bao?
Realizing what that “d” word meant, Sui Ning quickly averted his eyes, pretending calm.
These people were so spoiled.
Naturally, the spoiled fans didn’t let him off easy.
[Why didn’t you dare to read that one? Isn’t that just a local slang term? Don’t tell me Feng-bao actually understood it^^]
[Baby, you’re acting suspicious^^]
[You clearly saw it, why are you pretending not to?!]
[I don’t believe Feng-bao didn’t see it — this is the rookie king’s visual tracking ability??!!! (mocking loudly)]
[Stop pretending, baby^^. You can catch Pygg popping up on the minimap fog for 0.25 seconds, but you “didn’t see” a sponsor who sent ten Baby Sharks ten times in a row? ^^]
[Someone’s embarrassed, I won’t say who^^]
Sui Ning looked even more helpless now, his face tinted faintly pink.
…Truth be told, in his past life, he and several teammates had been “shipped” together by fans more times than he could count, and he’d accidentally wandered into a few “discussion forums” and “fanfics” on accident — he hadn’t finished reading any, of course, but he had learned a few words.
Ji Yunyu, who’d been half-distracted watching Sui Ning’s stream, immediately caught the subtle change in his expression — and his face darkened even more.
He stared fixedly at the queue timer on his own screen.
…It’s just chat, he told himself. Just chat. They always joke like this. Everyone’s their “wife.” It’s nothing. He clicked his tongue, trying to suppress the odd irritation churning inside.
Another glance at the timer — why was this queue taking so long?!
Once the game started, they’d all settle down. Feng-bao was serious when playing; he definitely wouldn’t read IDs during the match!
Ji Yunyu took a long, angry gulp of ice water.
God Yun’s stream had both male and female fans — and among the women, a surprising number were “shipping experts.”
Back when the handsome young pro always solo-queued like a monk or duoed with newbies, they had no material at all. Now that Feng-bao had appeared, it was like a dam burst. Their excitement over the pure brotherhood — ahem, “iron-blooded friendship” — was overflowing.
They couldn’t hold back their auntie-smiles as their fingers flew across the keyboard.
[That look in his eyes… so full of yearning~]
[You can’t hide the urge to murder a man. Staring at the screen won’t help~]
[This scene is screenshot-worthy. Caption it: “Feng-bao, come coax me.”]
[It’s all your fault, you naughty fans — now God Yun’s upset~ Hehehehehe]
[Someone’s jealousy could put century-old vinegar makers to shame, but I won’t say who~^^]
Fortunately, luck was on their side — the queue didn’t take long this time. In under two minutes, the match loaded.
[He Acts on Instinct], [She Is Nature], [Fenglan], [Cloud], [When’s Dinner] have joined the room.
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