Wan Yi looked at the white crow’s damage-per-minute statistics on the results page and exclaimed in surprise, “Oh my god, that is impressive.”
This was the most eye-catching performance in a single match among all the trial players they had seen over the course of thirty-plus games today.
White Crow looked at the startled Wan Yi without saying a word, simply raising a hand to press down on the crow-shaped hairpin she was wearing.
Mulan was undoubtedly her signature hero. However, KOL matches cannot be won by relying on a single signature hero. Pei Shiyu was looking for a teammate who could be all-around and versatile in their lane. Of course, that was the ideal scenario.
Next, the four members of the Dawn team played one more trial match with White Crow to get her final overall data. By now, it was already dark.
They had booked a total of seven rooms at the hotel. Although there was one vacancy, no one had expected a girl to show up for the trials.
Xu Qing said, “I will contact the hotel to open another room.”
Pei Shiyu and the others were exhausted after a full day. In this situation, he, as an external team member, could at least handle some logistics.
After the training match, White Crow stood up and gave a cold, dismissive shake of her head toward Xu Qing. “No need to trouble yourself. I have already booked a room.”
By the time White Crow left, it was already well past midnight. Pei Shiyu looked at his teammates, who were so tired they could barely keep their eyes open. “Let us discuss the specific final roster tomorrow. Everyone, get some rest.”
The others drifted off like lost souls toward their dorms, leaving only Xu Qing and Pei Shiyu standing there.
Xu Qing tilted his head. “Can I crash in your room tonight?”
Pei Shiyu did not answer directly. “I recall there are two beds in Yu Shuai’s room.”
Xu Qing nodded. “I know that, but can I sleep in your room?”
Pei Shiyu was choked by the question; his mouth opened and closed. “Reason?”
Xu Qing’s beautiful brows furrowed, displaying an expression of agony. “Lu Xinyu snores! Especially when he is this tired, his snoring has actual vibrations. It could literally shake me off the bed.”
Xu Qing’s face crinkled like a bun, looking genuinely distressed.
Pei Shiyu: .
A while later, Xu Qing successfully followed Pei Shiyu into his room like a little tail, with the Xiao Hei kitten family trailing behind them. They did not look like cats; they looked like a line of little ducks following their mother under a bridge. The mother duck leading the pack was Xu Qing.
As Xu Qing closed the door, Pei Shiyu instructed, “Do not lock it tight.” Otherwise, just like last time, the kittens would want to go out, find they could not, and start making a racket.
Everyone was exhausted today. After Xu Qing and Pei Shiyu showered separately and claimed opposite ends of the bed, they drifted into a deep sleep shortly after. For some reason, Xu Qing felt he slept particularly soundly on Pei Shiyu’s bed. The pillows carried the same faint, pleasant scent of mint that Pei Shiyu had.
Deep in sleep, the two naturally did not realize they were unconsciously leaning closer to each other in their dreams.
At noon the next day, the members of the Purple Emblem team woke up one after another. Since Boss Cai had given Xu Qing the day off, he followed the others into the training room without a second thought.
Inside, Pei Shiyu was already there. On the center table sat various types of breakfast, and the large screen was playing the match recordings of the 14 players who had come for trials yesterday.
Xu Qing swallowed the last bite of his baozi. “This data is actually quite obvious.” Although he had no intention of playing professionally and had not touched the game in a month or two, he had, at one point, been the player who reigned at the top of the leaderboard. He could still read the game well. White Crow’s individual skill and team synergy yesterday were both exceptional.
However, the training room fell silent after Xu Qing spoke.
Xu Qing looked puzzled. “Did I analyze it wrong?”
Pei Shiyu glanced at him. “You are right. Among the ten people we have trialed so far, White Crow is the most outstanding. My choice is White Crow. What about the rest of you?”
“In terms of skill, White Crow is obviously fine, but…” Wan Li paused, unable to finish his sentence.
“But?” Xu Qing raised an eyebrow. “Is the match you are playing not based on results? Is there something else?”
Lu Xinyu, who was slightly older, spoke up, “I think I know what Wan Li is worried about.”
As a streamer who was both famous and controversial, White Crow was a risky choice for a team that was just starting out and did not want to create unnecessary hype.
Lu Xinyu added, “There is another point. White Crow is a girl. There has never been a mixed-gender team in the KOL arena.”
Xu Qing did not know the rules well. “Do the rules forbid mixed-gender teams?”
Lu Xinyu hesitated for a second. “That is not it, but the Eternal league actually prepares separate competitions specifically for women.”
Sometimes, special treatment that is stated openly is just another form of discrimination.
Xu Qing felt like he was seeing this uncle of his for the first time, scanning him up and down like a scanner.
Lu Xinyu felt uncomfortable under the gaze and slapped Xu Qing on the back. “What are you looking at?”
Xu Qing did not hide his disappointment. “I have known you as my uncle for so long, and this is the first time I realized you are a relic from the Qing Dynasty.”
Lu Xinyu swatted Xu Qing’s hand away. “It is not that I am from the Qing Dynasty; it is that the entire KOL environment is like this. It is an all-male league. Theoretically, all-female teams can participate, and there are low-level tournaments that have them, but they have never appeared in the KOL league. Let alone that if we choose White Crow, we would be the only mixed-gender team in the KOL tournament.”
Xu Qing hit the core of the issue directly, “Because there has not been a mixed team in the past, even though White Crow’s ability is clearly higher than the others, you are not planning to choose her?”
Silence fell over the training room again. This was clearly an unspoken rule.
Xu Qing, who usually looked easygoing and smiling, raised an eyebrow and continued directly, “Just because she is a girl?”
As an external member of the Dawn team who had been hanging out with them for so long, this was the first time Xu Qing felt that things were quite meaningless.
He took a deep breath, stood up, and decided not to stay any longer. “Since I am not a team member, there is no need for you to use my words as a reference.”
“Stay.”
As Xu Qing stood up, a cold voice rang out.
Xu Qing was stunned, then looked up at Pei Shiyu, who was sitting in the corner. Pei Shiyu just glanced at him indifferently, not understanding why Xu Qing sat back down after standing up. Is the chair broken? I will find someone to fix it tomorrow.
Pei Shiyu remained seated firmly in his chair. “If everyone has no objections to White Crow’s ability, then White Crow is the choice for the team’s top-laner position.”
Wan Yi opened his mouth to say something but ended up only saying, “I have no objections regarding ability.”
Knowing what everyone was worried about, Pei Shiyu looked out the window. “By the time we actually reach the KOL arena, White Crow may not necessarily be the most controversial person on this team.”
Wan Yi and Wan Li, who knew a bit of the inside scoop, completely shut their mouths.
Xu Qing looked at his uncle, who was just as confused as he was, and curled his lips.
Well, he took back his earlier thought about it being meaningless. Now, he was even more interested than before.
Especially…
Xu Qing watched Pei Shiyu, who was sitting in the corner, shrouded in shadows cast by the curtains. His sharp brows and eyes, and his unapproachable appearance were just a facade. Hidden beneath the ice, there was actually a naive, pure nature, rare and brilliant.
The choice was made. They did not have any complicated onboarding rituals; they notified White Crow directly and organized a dinner as a welcome ceremony.
For convenience, they held it downstairs at Boss Cai’s shop, ordering his specialty: barbecue.
White Crow arrived still wearing a black Lolita dress, though it was slightly more casual than the one she wore last time. Pei Shiyu gave a brief introduction of everyone, and White Crow greeted them simply.
At the lively, smoke-filled barbecue stall, a strange silence fell.
Unlike their previous offline meeting with Yu Shao, where they had already bonded online and, being all guys, chatted quickly, they had no experience interacting with a girl.
Compared to their awkwardness, White Crow was much more at ease, sitting quietly in a corner, eating her meal. Everyone avoided blatantly ignoring her, maintaining a delicate balance.
By the time they were almost done eating, the initial awkwardness had dissipated along with the food.
White Crow was looking at a popular shipping thread on the forum. Wan Yi glanced at it, saw a game screenshot, and assumed White Crow was looking for game tips like they were.
Wan Yi asked curiously, “Why did you want to join our team?”
White Crow silently closed the shipping thread and said calmly, “I am quite curious about Jingzhe himself.” And his CP partner…
Wan Yi understood. “So, you were indeed gunning for the Captain.”
Hearing that she was here for Pei Shiyu, Xu Qing raised an eyebrow, though Pei Shiyu did not show much emotion.
White Crow scanned everyone and finally let her gaze fall on Pei Shiyu. She asked bluntly, “Do you know that Red Hair has not logged into the game for two months?”
Xu Qing’s body stiffened.
Pei Shiyu felt it was random, but out of politeness, he answered his new teammate who had not even been on the team for a full day.
“I know.” After all, Red Hair had been the one frequently ranked number one on the leaderboard alongside him. Anyone who paid even the slightest attention to the rankings would know about the days he had been offline.
“Then do you know why Red Hair disappeared?”
Pei Shiyu was confused. Why would Red Hair being offline have even relevance to him? He looked at White Crow, who had been expressionless since they met, and saw her looking strangely excited.
Pei Shiyu said cautiously, “I do not know. Do you?” Otherwise, why look like you are holding a huge secret?
The light in White Crow’s pupils dimmed. “So you do not know either…” She asked again, refusing to give up, “Then, during the days Red Hair disappeared, did you not feel lonely or empty?”
Pei Shiyu’s brows twisted into a knot, making it difficult to answer. “Why would I feel lonely or empty during the days he disappeared?”
White Crow stared straight at Pei Shiyu. “Do you guys not have contact in private?”
Her extremely certain tone made Pei Shiyu doubt for a second if he had lost a piece of his memory, and his answer became uncertain.
“No, we do not.”
White Crow suddenly leaned in. “Really no?”
Pei Shiyu leaned back, grabbed Xu Qing, who was clutching his stomach and laughing until tears came out, and half-hid behind him.
Pei Shiyu was extremely guarded. “Really no.”
Upon learning for sure that Pei Shiyu, the Jingzhe had no contact with Red Hair, and that Pei Shiyu did not care at all whether Red Hair logged in or not, White Crow was visibly disappointed.
Xu Qing thought of Wan Yi’s earlier question. “So the reason you joined the team was because of Jingzhe and Red Hair? You thought you would find out where Red Hair is by coming here?” In the midst of this convoluted reasoning, Xu Qing asked uncertainly, “Are you a fan of Red Hair?”
White Crow resumed her languid, emotionless appearance and looked at Xu Qing. “You straight guys just don’t understand…”
The bitterness, sweetness, and spice of being a CP fan, who would understand?
After hearing the real reason White Crow came here, Wan Yi asked nervously, “You will not quit the team just because you cannot find Red Hair, right?” After all, White Crow’s demeanor made that seem highly possible.
Everyone turned their eyes toward White Crow.
Since the tournament was so close, they really did not want to go through the whole grueling trial process again.
Xu Qing could not help but think: Is it possible that I have to reveal my identity to make White Crow stay?