Ch8.1 - Couple ID (part 1)

There was a story behind the “ideal type”.

Li Zhongchen forgot which exact interview it was. All he remembered was that it coincided with Valentine’s Day. JuJu was persistent in asking questions about the ideal types of SVG’s members. 

SVG consisted of a group of young bachelors. Yao Tong, Xu Hang, and the rest were all hardcore straight men. In the past, they had experience dating a couple of girlfriends at least and were able to converse naturally and freely, saying whatever they wanted.

But Li Zhongchen did not think about how to answer when it was his turn.

Although he was not bent naturally, but truthfully, there were not many women he came into contact with. The others continued talking about ‘soft sisters‘, ‘lolitas’, or ‘liking the older sister types more’. They were throwing out so many different vocabularies that it was as though it had been scripted in advance……

“What about you, God Zhong?” JuJu handed him the mic, prying eyes glinting with expectation. 

At that time, Li Zhongchen was lacking in vocabulary. He had only given it a perfunctory thought for a few seconds, but the only thing that lingered on his mind was Qiao Yi’s face. At that time, they were almost approaching their second anniversary as a couple, but they were still sickeningly sweet with one another as though they had not passed the honeymoon phase yet.

He did not want to turn his back on his conscience, going with his gut. “Someone pretty.”

To be honest, there was nothing wrong with his response itself. Was it not normal to like beautiful people? Besides, no one knew if he was referring to a man or woman. No matter how you looked at it, there was nothing that could be exploited from it.

But if they had to place the blame on someone, it would have to be on JuJu’s despicable mouth. The program was a live broadcast, and she just had to follow up with his statement. “As everyone knows, God Qiao is also very beautiful.”

Subsequently.

Countless posts flooded esports discussion forums and social media outlets that day. Because of his response, Weibo had turned into a place of chaos, related topics posted one after the other, appearing on the hot search—

#Echo Ideal Type#

#The Flourishing Age of God Qiao’s Beauty# 

#EJ Is Real#

#Foul Bitch Host JuJu Please Watch Your Mouth, Donate It To Others If You Can’t Speak Properly#

The rare CP fans rejoiced, the solo stans were infuriated, and the melon-eating crowds continued to watch on.

Because he had held onto his own views, things got out of hand. It had gotten to the point that it made Li Zhongchen not even want to touch his mobile phone. It was from that moment on that he did his best to avoid looking at comments online, fully focusing when he trained as he normally would. 

“The beautiful love that has been stewing has finally been discovered by the world!” At that time, he remembered that his CP pairing with Qiao Yi was still rather unpopular. After all, they were from different clubs, and these fans were considered as those who did not care much about the ideals of other fans in the circle.

“You Qiao fans think that you are even fit to boast about your achievements? Clout chasers, what are you even trying to tout? And that Ju-person, stop being so ugly. You dare talk nonsense just so you can be popular. Hanging up sheepskin but selling dog meat, who doesn’t know about your shrewd thoughts?” Echo fans were normally this irritable.

“E fans, stop being so overbearing. Qiao fans are sincere and were innocently sniped like that. Despite being from different clubs, as a senior, how much has our Xiao Qiao Gege helped your Brother? Anyone who has a conscience would not say things like that.” At that time, Qiao fans were still little lambs who had just started to shoulder the wind and rain. It was only as time passed that they became more confrontational and courageous, and were known as the number 1 fierce soft sisters in the esports fan circles. 

In short, he reminisced about all of that. 

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

Li Zhongchen was left with a headache, tossing and turning in his sleep at night. He did not even know when exactly he fell asleep.

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Li Zhongchen’s words were already tactful enough.

After all, this style of dressing and makeup were really not suitable for Zheng Xiaokui. With heavy makeup, the eyeshadows that she drew on made her look as though she was punched in both eyes.

But Zheng Xiaokui cried and whined. “That won’t do, Master! The internet is starting to stir up trouble again! They said you’ve changed your ideal type and like cute girls. Then, then I must definitely change my image to not let them misunderstand!”

“…” Li Zhongchen’s brain felt as though it was going to split apart and he sighed lightly. “But you don’t have to dress up like that, just be yourself. Go change into something more comfortable. It’s still early, your captain Yao has only just gotten up.” 

The little girl listened to his advice. She nodded and accepted, took the laptop and returned to the bedroom.

About ten minutes later, Li Zhongchen had already logged onto the game and was ready to practice. However, he saw Zheng Xiaokui, who had changed into light makeup and had her hair gathered in a high ponytail. She looked just like an ordinary high school student. It was half an hour before it was time for them to assemble and leave, and she had sought him out once again.

Li Zhongchen had just started the game and did not feel like talking to her. “What’s wrong now?”

Zheng Xiaokui stood next to him and watched him play. “Master, why did you send me such a big red packet last night? Ten thousand yuan, it scared me to death…” 

Speaking of that, after Qiao Yi’s broadcast ended last night, he really returned all the gifts.

It was just that while his 100,000 yuan had been deposited back to his account, the deduction of platform procedure fees had been deducted from the pitiful 5000 yuan that belonged to Zheng Xiaokui, leaving her with only around 3000.

Li Zhongchen felt guilty. Not only did he fail to help the little lady gift her male god with gifts, he had also accrued so much handling fees to be deducted. He was too embarrassed to tell her that.

Therefore, he had gifted Zheng Xiaokui a red packet of 10,000 yuan in the middle of the night. 

Li Zhongchen casually made up a reason. “The prize money for the promotion match has been sent to you in advance, so you should continue training hard. Do you understand?”

“Eh?! Really?” The little lady was ecstatic. “Thank you, Master! I will definitely work hard in the finals next week! I will never bring you shame!”

Li Zhongchen was silent and went through his movements halfheartedly. As he exchanged guns with his passerby teammate, he seemed to remember something and added, “Zheng Xiaokui, you should change your computer.”

“Huh??” Zheng Xiaokui was a little confused. “Why?” 

“Change your laptop,” Li Zhongchen said exasperatedly. “It really lags too much.”

“…” Zheng Xiaokui recoiled. She felt that her Master probably did not have the most pleasant experience watching the live broadcast last night.

The circle shrank twice, from the water treatment area at the bottom of the map to artillery at the top. It was quite the distance.

Li Zhongchen’s eyes remained fixed, but he could not ignore Zheng Xiaokui who was standing next to him. It was as though she was monitoring him, and it made him lose his temper. 

“Isn’t your captain Yao rushing you all? Standing next to me like that, are you intending to teleport over instantly? Or do you see me as a free cab driver, running errands for you?”

Zheng Xiaokui had long figured out his personality.

Although he treated others with impatience and contempt, in reality he was merely quick-tongued. In essence, he treated the newcomers well, was approachable, and never put on airs.

Thinking about all that, she became sad. “Master, I’m really, really sad” 

“…” Li Zhongchen eyed her suspiciously. “What’s the matter now, little sister.”

“Master, I think you are a kind person. Those bad comments about you on the internet are complete nonsense. It’s the same with Xiao Qiao Gege. Both of you are obviously good people…” Zheng Xiaokui pursed her lips, looking as though she was really aggrieved. “I don’t know how things became the way they are now. Others may not know, but I can tell that he is very important to you. You even stay up to watch his live broadcasts, I can tell from how heavy your dark circles are.”

The words she said made even Li Zhongchen want to pity himself.

It’s just, were there any reasons? Neither he nor Qiao Yi were willing for things to develop the way they were now. “You’re still young, you’ll understand in the future.” 

—Li Zhongchen could only use this tone to persuade the little lady not to think too much.

“Then Master, will you make a comeback as a professional player?” Zheng Xiaokui asked eagerly. “I watched the recording on my mobile phone last night. Xiao Qiao Gege said he welcomes you back. You should have seen it too.”

“…” Li Zhongchen did not answer. Footsteps came from one side of his headphones. He nimbly climbed up the chain, and instantly looked down at his surroundings to seek out and destroy enemies.

Silence lingered for a long while. He did not say a word. Zheng Xiaokui spoke again. “Sorry, Master. Maybe I asked too much…” 

Li Zhongchen did not know what to think of it.

Originally, he was already rather irritated himself, and now he still had to comfort others. Hence, he changed the subject. “Actually Zheng Xiaokui, I wanted to ask, why do you like your God Qiao so much?”

Zheng Xiaokui was stunned for a few seconds. Eventually she responded after a brief delay. “Now that you say that, Master, I can’t really think of what the exact reason is. It’s probably…A year ago, I chanced upon one of Xiao Qiao Gege’s broadcasts. That day, I had just finished my homework and snuck out to a cyber cafe. I played games late into the night and my phone had run out of battery. My mom was looking for me everywhere and was really worried about me.”

Her reminiscence made Li Zhongchen’s mind go blank, but he didn’t interrupt 

“In fact, I had a lot of conflicts with my mother that year. She couldn’t understand why I was playing games and doing live broadcasts at home. I could only go to internet cafes to play. Occasionally we would quarrel, but she always said that I had changed and became rebellious and ignorant.” Zheng Xiaokui said slowly. “But I didn’t think I had changed. Even if she doesn’t understand me, I still love her very much.”

“My mother was angry and beat me, thinking that I was ignorant and incompetent. But in fact, as compared to studying in school and getting into an ordinary university, I wanted to pursue what I love more. So it was on that day…”

“I saw Xiao Qiao Gege’s video. It was an interview in English. I heard that he was famous in the US competition district, but I didn’t expect that the first video I saw of him was not a game replay, but an interview about his background.”

“…Brother Xiao Qiao said that he was abandoned by his biological parents when he was a child, spent some time in an orphanage before being adopted by a foreign family and immigrated to the United States. At first I thought he was very pitiful, but later on, he talked about his experience and the support he received from his family after embarking on this path. However, when he encountered situations where both parties could not understand one another, he would try to express himself and communicate with his family, instead of blindly avoiding or closing himself off from others.  

“Xiao Qiao Gege is really strong. He is best at playing the healer, Lifeline, but is also just as amazing at playing Bangalore. After that, I liked him more and more. It was also because having watched his interview I tried to communicate with my mother more often that she finally understood my interests and dreams.”

Every word and sentence she spoke came from the bottom of her heart.

Having listened to the words that seemed to fall from the sky, Li Zhongchen felt a sense of despondency in his heart. He remembered those negative comments and could not help himself. “He has a gentle and kind heart, even if he looks cold on the surface.”

“Yes, he deserves to be liked and supported by everyone,” Zheng Xiaokui said sincerely. “That’s why I want to say, no matter…what happened between you and Xiao Qiao Gege, even if you two can’t be friends, you can still silently support one another. That can also be something blissful.” 

Was that right?

Even if they were no longer lovers, he can no longer be by his side, kiss him on the forehead, share a pillow with him when night falls, embrace him from behind as he’s cooking, seeing only himself in the reflection of the other’s eyes.

……None of that matters, right?

His disciple’s words remained in Li Zhongchen’s mind for a long time. Even up until Yao Tong called out for the newcomers’ team to set out, Li Zhongchen still had not comprehended what was the happy ending that he wanted. 

Perhaps it was because he was older now, and was no longer as full of spirit as he was back in the day. It was time for him to lay his obsessions to rest.

Hence, he desperately wanted to know the answer. Logging out of his alternate account, he entered the password to a special account.

He thought to himself, as long as he saw with his own eyes when he logged in, he would finally be able to give up. From now, he would no longer think of Qiao Yi again—

【Welcome back to Kings Canyon, player [iloveu3tt-J]】 

This was the first account that he registered. Once, he had fought alongside Qiao Yi for countless days and nights, and had traversed all corners of Kings Canyon with him.

His ID was the abbreviation of 「I love you three thousand times, Joe」.

—I love you three thousand times, and I will love you forever.

Li Zhongchen thought that he should no longer have any illusions after this. He had to see it for himself; be it the grayed-out ID of the other’s account, or that ID disappearing from his friend’s list. 

The present is unlike the past; you and I are no longer the same passionate youths with indomitable spirits.

But when he clicked on the friend list to take a look, his pupils dilated and his body froze. He could not believe his own eyes.

All because player iloveu3tt-E was currently online, and was in queue with a team of 2/3.