In the voice chat, Xia Yaoyao seemed like she wanted to say something about the team comp, but she held it back and eventually picked a tanky, high-damage bruiser for the top lane.
Loading complete. Entering the Rift.
Wen Chu maneuvered her Marksman toward the bottom lane, not forgetting to offer instructions as she walked: “Xi Liye, stay close to me. Tap this skill—right, that’s it—and you can hop on.”
A cute, translucent silhouette of a fawn girl materialized steadily above Wen Chu’s hero. Seeing the little Yao perched on her head, Wen Chu felt her “I’ll carry you” confidence soar. She focused on laning, last-hitting minions, and poking the enemy.
Wen Chu’s Marksman was farming well. After picking up a kill on the enemy Mid-laner, she took the opportunity to invade the opponent’s jungle. There, she spotted the “Blue Buff” monster, glowing with an eerie azure light.
“Xi Liye, come here. I’ll give you a Blue!” Wen Chu called out in the voice chat.
Xi Liye followed her lead, hopped off her head, and stood quietly aside. Wen Chu whittled the Blue Buff down to a sliver of health with a few basic attacks and stopped. “Quick, the final blow.”
Yao stepped forward with a gentle basic attack, claiming the Blue Buff. Immediately, a ring of blue light swirled around her.
Right then, a line of text popped up in the chat box on the left from their Jungler, who had been mindlessly farming with a mediocre score:
[Team] Jungler: ??? Marksman, are you fucking sick? Giving Blue to a Yao?
Wen Chu froze. Before she could react, the guy fired off another string of text:
[Team] Jungler: This Yao is a girl you’re boosting, right? Absolute trash. What else can she do besides sit on someone’s head?
[Team] Jungler: This is my rank-up match! Meeting “Siamese twin” couples like you is the worst luck of my life! Can you play properly? If not, go AFK!
His tone was atrocious, filled with hostility and insults.
Wen Chu’s temper shot straight to her head. It was fine to insult her, but she had invited Xi Liye. Why should he be subjected to this abuse from someone who was playing poorly and looking for a scapegoat? Her fingers blurred across the screen; her anger momentarily overrode her social anxiety.
[Team] Marksman: Are you sick? I gave Yao the enemy’s Blue Buff. Your own Blue was stolen by the enemy ages ago. If you had the guts, you’d counter-invade too. Are you just squatting in our jungle to track your WeChat steps?
[Team] Marksman: You’re 0-3-1, you can’t hold your jungle, and you can’t gank. How do you have the nerve to flame your teammates? Giving Blue to you would be a waste. Could you even do anything with it?
Every word was a sharp jab at his weak spots.
The Jungler, clearly hit where it hurt, exploded. A flurry of even more unbearable insults flooded the screen, targeting Wen Chu as well with vile and malicious language. Wen Chu was about to fire back when a message from Xi Liye appeared first.
[Team] Yao: Mhm. You’re right. I really only know how to sit on my girlfriend’s head.
[Team] Yao: But at least my girlfriend can carry me to take towers and kills. You? Are you just riding your jungle monsters into the enemy’s mouth?
“Pfft—” Wen Chu quickly covered her mouth, nearly laughing out loud. The damage wasn’t high, but the insult was top-tier!
The Jungler clearly hadn’t expected the “Yao girl” to be a guy—much less one who would so righteously admit to it and then trample him into the dirt. He choked for a few seconds before pivoting to a desperate personal attack:
[Team] Jungler: Holy shit! So a guy is playing Yao? How disgusting. A grown-ass man playing a hero like that. Living off a woman, are we? Embarrassing.
The argument had escalated to gendered shaming. Wen Chu’s anger flared again, but Xi Liye was faster.
[Team] Yao: Pray tell, what is the definition of “living off a woman”? Does it refer to a girlfriend being willing to give me a Blue Buff and me accepting the gesture?
[Team] Yao: So, do you not have a girlfriend to give you a Blue Buff?
[Team] Yao: Also, regarding being embarrassed—why should I be embarrassed when my girlfriend is giving me a Blue?
Wen Chu: “…?!” She stared at the screen, nearly choking on her own spit.
Wait, what kind of plot twist is this?! He bypassed the insult and went straight for a different kind of personal attack on the Jungler—one delivered from a remarkably eccentric angle.
The Jungler was stunned by this combo. After a long pause, he managed a weak, blustering reply:
[Team] Jungler: Cut the crap! Trash is trash!
He had abandoned logic entirely, leaving only hollow insults.
[Team] Yao: Yes, I am indeed trash. It’s my first time playing.
[Team] Yao: You seem to have played for a long time, so you shouldn’t be trash. Then why is your gold and score worse than mine?
[Team] Yao: Is it because you don’t have a girlfriend giving you Blue, so you have no motivation?
Wen Chu: “!!!”
Xia Yaoyao was laughing so hard in the voice chat she was nearly hyperventilating. “Hahaha… hic! Help! Is your boyfriend a Philosophy major? That eloquence… telling the Jungler he’s trash and single? That guy is going to cry into his pillow tonight!”
Wen Chu’s cheeks ached from suppressed laughter. The Jungler was so speechless he could only repeat a few harmless curses before quitting the game in a rage.
The match became a 4v5. Wen Chu cleared her throat, her voice still trembling slightly from holding back laughter. “Cough… Xi Liye, shall we continue?”
“Mhm,” Xi Liye’s voice came through, steady as ever, as if those sarcastic remarks hadn’t come from him. “Following you.”
The rest of the match was much easier without the noisy, feeding Jungler. Wen Chu’s Marksman went on a rampage with Yao on her head. Xi Liye’s protection was impeccable; his skill timing was so precise he didn’t seem like a novice at all.
After a brilliant triple kill, Wen Chu couldn’t help but boast a little. “See? I told you I could carry you!”
Xi Liye let out a very soft, brief chuckle. “Mhm,” he replied, his voice carrying a trace of imperceptible indulgence. “You’re amazing.”
Wen Chu’s cheeks warmed, and her hands on the controls became even steadier.
Naturally, they won the match, and Wen Chu’s Marksman was the MVP.
“Yay! We won! Chu Chu, you’re a beast!” Yaoyao cheered in the chat. “Total carry! Your Marksman is a god of war!”
“Cough,” Wen Chu was also pleased. She cleared her throat, trying to get Xi Liye’s attention. “We won.”
Xi Liye slowly looked up, shifting his gaze from her phone screen to her face. He nodded. “Mhm. We won.”
“I was the MVP!” Wen Chu couldn’t help herself; she blurted it out, her eyes shining as she pointed to the golden icon and the impressive stats on her screen. She practically had the words “Praise me” written on her forehead.
Xi Liye looked at her, the warm yellow light of the living room reflected in his deep eyes. He spoke slowly, offering his praise: “Our Chu Chu is truly amazing.”
It was the first time he had called her “Chu Chu.” It was different from how her roommates or family said it—it sent an inexplicable flutter through her heart.
“Cough, cough…” She feigned a cough to hide her flustered state, her voice turning airy. “That’s… that’s nothing! How about… I carry you through a few more rounds? I guarantee I’ll get MVP every time and take you to the top!”
Xi Liye watched her ears turn bright red, a flash of near-playful amusement crossing his eyes. “Okay,” he agreed readily.
They played a few more rounds. Wen Chu could clearly feel Xi Liye’s skills improving at an alarming rate. As expected of the Male Lead—even if he’d never played before, he was a natural.
Soon, the night grew dark. They finished their final round, and Wen Chu packed her CET-4 books into her bag. Xi Liye stood up to tidy around. “It’s late. Shall I drive you back?”
“Sure,” Wen Chu agreed.
The winter streets were much quieter than during the day, the wind biting cold. Xi Liye’s car was parked below the apartment. The heater was running full blast, so Wen Chu took off her coat and tossed it into the back seat.
They drove in silence, the car audio playing soothing instrumental music. Leaning against the headrest, Wen Chu watched the city lights blur past, her mind a haze of game highlights and English vocabulary. She was starting to doze off.
The car came to a smooth stop at the gates of H-Uni.
“We’re here.” Xi Liye turned off the engine and unbuckled his seatbelt.
Wen Chu snapped back to reality, thanked him, and reached for her own seatbelt while her other hand reached for her coat in the back.
Just as she touched the fabric, her wrist was gently caught.
Wen Chu froze and turned back, confused. “?”
Xi Liye was sitting in the driver’s seat, turned toward her. The dome light wasn’t on; only the glow of the dashboard and the streetlights outside traced the deep contours of his face. His expression was unreadable in the shadows.
He looked into her bewildered eyes and spoke slowly, his voice clear and resonant in the quiet cabin, carrying the weight of a reminder:
“Last time, didn’t you say… you’d give me a hug next time?”