In a luxuriously decorated study, Xiao Zhang stared at the screen where a small assassin lay defeated. He clenched his fist secretly, a flash of malice quickly crossing his eyes, but it soon turned into a smile.
“Who would’ve thought I’d run into Cang Yu himself today? No wonder half the viewers in my live stream suddenly left.”
His voice was deep and sexy, and his healthy tan skin made him look very manly. Leaning back in his chair, his casually hanging arm was strong and muscular, causing the female fans in the live stream to scream.
[Ahhh! Licking the screen for Xiao God! You’re the best, male god!]
[Male god, please face me! Those fans who left have no taste. How could they be drawn away by a streamer who doesn’t dare to show his face or speak? I really don’t understand what they’re thinking.]
[Ignoring a professional player’s live stream to watch some amateur god’s stream? Even if it’s for looks, it’s still someone who’s never shown their face… I don’t know what to say.]
[Who is Cang Yu? Am I just ignorant? I’ve never heard of him. Is he more famous than the ace of the War God Team?]
[You’re not alone in not knowing! Never heard of him +1!]
Seeing the string of criticisms against Cang Yu on the screen, Xiao Zhang felt much better. He curled his lips into a wicked smile, causing the fans in the live stream to flood the screen again.
“Don’t say that. Cang Yu is the ancestor of assassins, very strong, and the number one on the assassin leaderboard in the ‘Psycho Throne’ region.”
[Haha, how many experts are there in the Psycho Throne? If he’s so capable, come to the professional area. Being number one in a small area is impressive?]
[There aren’t many people playing assassins in this game, right? If it weren’t for the male god’s team rules, playing as a Qi Master would definitely crush him!]
[The title ‘ancestor of assassins’ sounds as ridiculous as ‘the light of domestic products,’ I don’t even know where to start mocking.]
Xiao Zhang’s smile deepened, “Don’t stir things up, everyone. It’s already impressive for an amateur player to reach this level. I personally have great respect for Cang Yu. I don’t know how old he is this year, but if he’s still young enough to join a professional team, I’d love to see him on the field in the future.”
He deliberately emphasized the words “amateur player,” “age,” and “professional team,” and sure enough, the comments quickly found their direction.
[Xiao God, you’re overthinking. How many amateur players can go pro? Cang Yu has been streaming for years, so he must be at least 25 or 26. I don’t know why Captain Zhang is still enthusiastically inviting him.]
[Not to mention Cang Yu’s personal skills, the assassin class isn’t suitable for professional matches, right? The current version’s dominant class is still the Qi Master; assassins have long been out of favor.]
[Even if Cang Yu goes pro now, it’s too late. Xiao God joined the War God Team at 16 and won a personal award at 18. Cang Yu must be at least 20, right? He can’t compare to Xiao God at all!]
Xiao Zhang smiled without saying a word, when suddenly a stranger’s chat box popped up at the bottom of the screen.
[Stranger][Cang Yu]: You’re very good.
Thanks to Xiao Zhang’s deliberate guidance, the fans now saw Cang Yu’s message in a different light.
[Is this guy sick? He barely won and came to taunt? Doesn’t he know the male god doesn’t play assassins? Does he understand what entertainment is? Damn! I’m furious!]
Xiao Zhang politely replied, “Any advice?”
There was a long silence on the other end, and just when the fans thought he wouldn’t respond, Xiao Zhang suddenly received a lengthy reply.
[Stranger][Cang Yu]: Your reaction speed is strong, but your playstyle is a bit aggressive. Assassins are weaker than Qi Masters, so you should be more cautious. I’m glad to see a professional player like you playing an assassin. Welcome to the assassin camp.
Xiao Zhang’s face turned ugly, his hand under the keyboard trembling with anger.
He was the ace player of a strong team, respected by his teammates and even captains of other teams. Being publicly criticized in a live stream was a huge blow to his pride.
[Wow, does this guy really think he’s the leader of assassins? Welcoming someone to the assassin camp, he’s shameless!]
[An amateur expert daring to advise a professional player? Does he not know his own limits? It’s disgusting, Xiao God, don’t stoop to his level!]
[I’ve never seen someone so shameless!]
Suppressing his anger, Xiao Zhang replied, “Mm-hmm [flowers],” and immediately exited the game interface.
The fans in the live stream sent question marks, and Xiao Zhang’s tone was relaxed, “With the ancestor of assassins here, I won’t show off my skills. It’s getting late, and I have to train tomorrow, so today’s live stream ends here.”
The live stream was flooded with comments begging the male god to stay, and Xiao Zhang smiled helplessly, “I can’t stream for you every day. I have to train and don’t have that much time. If you want to see assassin gameplay, you can watch Cang Yu’s stream for now. I hope you’ll support the War God Team in next year’s professional league.”
Fans immediately sent flowers and rocket launchers, expressing their support for the War God Team.
After closing the live stream, Xiao Zhang’s smile vanished, and he stared at the screen with dark eyes.
The door behind him opened, and a beautiful woman in a thin, short nightgown walked in. Xiao Zhang turned his head, the lingering coldness in his eyes making her shiver.
Gathering her courage, the woman sat on Xiao Zhang’s lap, wrapping her arms around his neck, “Finished streaming?”
“Smart of you not to make a sound.”
The woman looked up, her eyes full of admiration, “Xiao God, I truly adore you. I never intended to show my face to your fans and cause trouble.”
This man was handsome, well-built, with a voice that could make people swoon. Not only was he young and accomplished, but he also came from a wealthy family. How could she not like such a high-quality man?
Seeing the genuine love in her eyes, the gloom in Xiao Zhang’s heart finally dissipated. He picked up the woman in his arms and headed to the bedroom.
What was Cang Yu?
At most, just a popular streamer, never able to compare to him!
*
As Xiao Zhang went offline, Shen Huai was genuinely praising this player.
—The male god is indeed a top-notch player. If he knew the core of my playstyle beforehand, it wouldn’t have been so easy.
Cang Yu’s reputation was well-regarded among professional teams. Many existing teams had extended olive branches to him, but at the time, Shen Huai was still in the entertainment industry and couldn’t accept, no matter how tempted he was.
Private PKs with professional players weren’t new to him. For instance, Zhang Jiayan from the WG Team and Song Xueyang from the Fengyue Team had good private relationships with him, but this was his first match against Xiao Zhang.
Speak of the devil, a familiar message from “Naming a Smurf Isn’t Hard” popped up.
[Friend][Naming a Smurf Isn’t Hard]: Beep beep!
Thinking it might be about the account he asked Song Xueyang to help find yesterday, and having explained his playstyle enough in today’s stream, Shen Huai typed.
—Today’s stream is temporarily over, next stream time TBD.
[What the heck! It’s over again! Only one match again! Even though this match was worth ten, you can’t just toy with our feelings like this! Come back! Don’t leave!]
[This stream wasn’t three and a half minutes long, Yu God, if you keep being this capricious, we’ll stop being your fans! I’ll cry for you! Yu God, stay, I haven’t learned yet!]
[Yu God, don’t go, I’ll send you rocket launchers!]
But Shen Huai still exited the stream, and the angry crowd immediately turned their ire on “Naming a Smurf Isn’t Hard,” who had twice taken away the great Cang Yu. Unforgivable!
They sneakily created smurf accounts in the Psycho Throne region, and after countless attempts at naming, only to be told the nickname was taken, their resentment towards the ID “Naming a Smurf Isn’t Hard” grew!
Players already in the Psycho Throne region quickly logged into the game, searched for the ID “Naming a Smurf Isn’t Hard,” and found it was a max-level mage. Recent match records showed it had been teaming up with Cang Yu for 2V2 arena matches!
Jealousy drove them mad! They wanted to team up with Yu God for 2V2! They wanted to stand shoulder to shoulder with Yu God! They vowed to uncover the identity behind “Naming a Smurf Isn’t Hard”!
Meanwhile, Shen Huai was asking Song Xueyang about the smurf account, “Did you find a suitable account?”
“Yes, check out the assassin with the ID Mu Wange on the trading platform in the Saier Weicheng region.”
There weren’t many people playing assassins, and even fewer on the trading platform. Shen Huai quickly found the ID.
It was a female assassin character, max level with full skill points and complete equipment. What surprised Shen Huai the most was that she had a new season’s golden weapon.
“City of Despair” upgrades equipment each season. New equipment can be upgraded from old equipment, dropped by bosses, or traded by players. But with the new season just starting, upgrading old equipment takes months, so this weapon was clearly a boss drop.
This weapon would save Shen Huai a lot of time, and even better, her equipment attributes matched his playstyle of attack speed and movement speed, as if tailor-made for him.
Shen Huai was very satisfied with this account. He didn’t usually browse trading platforms and wasn’t familiar with account prices, so he didn’t see any issues with it. Instead, he felt grateful, thinking Song Xueyang really understood him.
“Thanks, I’m very satisfied.”
“You’re welcome~”
The strange tone of the conversation made Shen Huai feel uncomfortable, prompting him to ask, “Song Captain, what’s up with you…”
“I’m Zhou Ning (＾＿＾), the captain had to go home for something, his flight’s tonight.”
“Thanks, Vice Captain Zhou.”
“You’re welcome~ Yu God, when you reach the professional area, consider joining Fengyue’s guild (≧ω≦)/”
In front of the computer, Zhou Ning held a cup of hot milk, watching Song Xueyang impersonate him openly, “Do you have some misunderstanding about me? Do I usually talk like this?”
Song Xueyang teased, “Just trying to let Cang Yu feel the vice captain’s care in advance.”
Zhou Ning gave him a not-so-intimidating glare, “We don’t even know if Cang Yu is male or female, or what they look like.”
“If their looks don’t pass, the boss might not agree, and all your efforts will be in vain, right?”
Song Xueyang: “…”
He deeply felt the loneliness of fighting alone!