Chapter Fourteen: A Challenging Foreign Aid

Feng Duoduo shot Yuan Zhong a meaningful glance; she was well-liked and thought she’d be the best person to quietly ask Zhang Cheng what was going on. On the way back to the dorm, she even created a chance for the two of them to be alone together.

Yuan Zhong assumed it would be easy, since Zhang Cheng was never one to keep secrets. But this time, things were different. Zhang Cheng just kept shaking his head, refusing to say a word.

Yuan Zhong frowned. "You look uncomfortable. Are you holding something in?"

Zhang Cheng nodded miserably.

"What’s going on? Tell me, maybe I can help you figure it out," Yuan Zhong coaxed.

Zhang Cheng covered his mouth with his hand, shook his head again, and then ran off, leaving Yuan Zhong standing there bewildered.

When Yuan Zhong reported back, Feng Duoduo’s eyes sparkled with calculation. She said, "Maybe it’s something really private; let’s just not ask anymore."

Yuan Zhong agreed.

The next day, Yuan Zhong clung to Lin Hui, putting on a pleading face as she asked her to help team up with her apprentice and climb the ranks.

Lin Hui hesitated. "You know your apprentice drags the team down, right?"

Yuan Zhong nodded. "Just two more stars. With two more, she’ll make it to the top tier, and after that, she can do whatever she wants."

"Sometimes two stars aren’t so easy to get, especially with the way she plays. Who knows how many matches it’ll take?" Lin Hui counted on her fingers. "I can play three games in the time it takes for two with her, and you won’t even let me criticize her."

"This time, you can say whatever you want. If you need to scold her, go ahead. With the two of us carrying, it’ll be much better." Yuan Zhong laughed. "Come on, do me this favor."

Lin Hui thought it over. "If I help her reach the top rank, does that mean you’ll finally agree to team up with your dream guy?"

Yuan Zhong was caught off guard; she hadn’t connected the two things.

Lin Hui was hoping to cut ties with Zhang Shun once and for all. Once she’d helped Yuan Zhong form the team, her duty would be done. So she made that a condition.

Yuan Zhong considered it seriously, as if making a major life decision.

"You only play so much because of him, right? You’re already good—have some confidence," Lin Hui encouraged.

"It’s not that I lack confidence. I just… I just don’t feel ready," Yuan Zhong replied.

"Then when will you be ready?" Lin Hui pressed.

Yuan Zhong had no answer.

"No time like the present. Once you and your apprentice make it to the top, if he’s online, we’ll team up," Lin Hui said.

Clearly, she couldn’t avoid pushing herself this time. Yuan Zhong finally nodded.

After dinner, Yuan Zhong and Lin Hui logged in and saw "Not a Stingy Ghost" was already online.

Qi Leyu noticed "Worth a Thousand Gold" had come online and sent a greeting: "Hello, Master."

Worth a Thousand Gold: "Hello! Today I’m teaming up with a friend, so there’ll be three of us."

Not a Stingy Ghost: "That’s great!"

No more small talk—Lin Hui signaled Yuan Zhong to invite her, and the three entered the hero selection screen.

Qi Leyu preselected the support hero Yao—a character easy to play, though hard to master. At least, using her wouldn’t be a disaster.

But suddenly, their fourth teammate, quick on the draw, banned Yao.

Not a Stingy Ghost: "???"

Fourth Teammate: "We’re on the red side; we won’t get her, right?"

Yuan Zhong frowned. Not a good start. She switched on voice chat. "First pick could have gotten her, you know. Anyway, if someone on our team wants a hero, you shouldn’t ban it." Silently, she wished for a smooth match with no trolling teammates—then quickly amended it to "no second trolling teammate."

Fourth Teammate: "Are you guys together?"

Yuan Zhong: "None of your business!"

The fourth teammate fell silent.

Lin Hui shook her head and whispered, "Why are you so irritable? Feeling the pressure?"

Yuan Zhong quickly shook her head.

Not a Stingy Ghost: "Master, should I use Master Luban? I practiced last night."

Yuan Zhong paused for three seconds before replying, "Alright."

Lin Hui, lowering her voice, asked, "You believe that? You can’t learn game sense in one night."

Yuan Zhong muted voice chat and turned to Lin Hui. "I know, but does it really matter what hero he picks?"

"Fair enough," Lin Hui said, adjusting her chair for comfort.

With jungle and solo top already picked, Yuan Zhong chose the mage Gao Jianli, who had area damage and dash for chasing low-health enemies.

Lin Hui picked marksman Di Renjie, whose second skill could cleanse crowd control. She reminded Yuan Zhong, "The enemy’s got Daji. Watch out for CC."

"One combo and you’re sent straight back to base," Yuan Zhong agreed, eyeing Luban with some concern.

Sometimes, your fears come true. The early game was peaceful, but after reaching level four, Daji started making moves.

Finding midlane empty, Yuan Zhong checked both side bushes with skills, confirmed they were clear, and warned Lin Hui and "Not a Stingy Ghost," "Daji isn’t mid—be careful."

Lin Hui signaled "Roger."

Qi Leyu wanted to check the brush for Daji, took a few steps forward, and immediately saw Daji’s red hearts flying toward Luban. Startled, he tried to retreat but still got chunked down.

Lin Hui signaled "Retreat" and activated voice chat. "I told you to be careful—why did you move forward?"

Not a Stingy Ghost: "I wanted to check the bush."

Lin Hui: "Then check the nearest one first. If it’s clear, then move up!"

Not a Stingy Ghost: "Sorry, I’ll be more careful next time."

Lin Hui said nothing further, not wanting to waste time on replies and risk even worse play.

Yuan Zhong, worried Lin Hui would be annoyed, rotated from mid for support and told the jungler, "Take the mid wave."

Lin Hui said, "Circle through our jungle. Watch for Daji camping the bushes."

Yuan Zhong replied, "I know. I’ll try to ambush her instead."

Passing the dragon pit, she spotted the enemy team starting dragon. She signaled to gather, watching for a chance to steal.

Lin Hui’s Di Renjie had just cleared a wave and, receiving the signal, said, "Luban, chain me."

Qi Leyu hurried to hook Di Renjie with the chain, and they moved toward the dragon pit together. As they walked, he thought: These two must be classmates, probably in the same dorm.

Suddenly, Daji’s hearts flew out from the brush, stunning Di Renjie. Lin Hui immediately cleansed with her second skill and tried to retreat with the chain, but didn’t expect Luban to keep moving forward.

"Fall back!" Lin Hui shouted.

Qi Leyu realized and hurried back.

Yuan Zhong’s Gao Jianli emerged from the bush, dashed and ulted, attacking Daji from behind. Daji flashed away, and Yuan Zhong didn’t dare chase.

Their jungler was still missing, Di Renjie and Luban were both low, so Yuan Zhong signaled "Retreat" and abandoned the dragon.

Suddenly, Luban moved forward again and chained Gao Jianli. Yuan Zhong didn’t understand the logic, but the enemy jungler was delighted and immediately killed Luban.

"Why did you turn back? You should’ve just retreated," Yuan Zhong asked.

Not a Stingy Ghost: "I wanted to help you get back."

Yuan Zhong was speechless. "I wasn’t even going in your direction! That was just throwing your life away!"

Not a Stingy Ghost: "Oh, sorry, Master."

Lin Hui, annoyed, asked, "Were you zoning out? Why walk into the enemy when you know they’re there?"

Not a Stingy Ghost: "Sorry, really sorry."

Qi Leyu genuinely felt bad—he’d just spaced out for a moment.

Yuan Zhong had to smooth things over. "Alright, just focus. It’s not easy to find outside help."

Not a Stingy Ghost: "Got it. Won’t happen again."

They played on. Lin Hui’s Di Renjie cleared the wave and retreated to the side brush. Luban returned to lane and joined her there.

As the next wave arrived, Lin Hui wanted to outplay the enemy marksman, but Luban moved out first, revealing their position.

After another wave, Lin Hui marked the enemy jungle buff—she wanted to invade.

Yuan Zhong understood. "I’m coming."

Luban started moving forward, and Lin Hui got anxious. "Stay behind me and keep the chain linked. If anything happens, I can use it to retreat."

Luban stopped and followed behind Di Renjie.

The enemy jungler was working on the buff. Lin Hui saw Gao Jianli arrive and got ready to contest.

The enemy jungler seemed hesitant, attacking while inching back.

Lin Hui asked, "Is he alone?"

Yuan Zhong said, "I don’t know, but Daji isn’t mid."

"Better be careful. I’ll try to steal from range."

The buff’s health dropped low. Yuan Zhong tossed a skill over the wall and managed to secure it.

"Nice!" Lin Hui praised.

"Just lucky. Let’s get out," Yuan Zhong replied.

As they retreated to the river, Daji appeared, catching Luban completely off guard. He could have chained back to Di Renjie, but for some reason, he didn’t move and was instantly killed by Daji’s combo.

The enemy jungler chased, but Yuan Zhong ulted to force him back. Lin Hui kept attacking, and their own jungler arrived, resulting in a one-for-one trade.

"Master Luban, do you even know how to play?" Lin Hui asked.

Not a Stingy Ghost: "Sorry, sorry."

Qi Leyu was a bit frustrated. He’d blanked out and missed Daji sneaking into their river brush.

Yuan Zhong said, "Daji’s really good at camping. Be careful—don’t approach any bushes unless you’ve checked with skills first."

Lin Hui was puzzled. "Weren’t you behind us? Didn’t you see Daji go by?"

Not a Stingy Ghost: "I didn’t notice. Maybe I wasn’t paying attention."

Lin Hui was speechless.

Yuan Zhong had no choice but to say, "I’ll stick with you two."

So the three grouped up, took down the first turret on the farming lane, then rotated to mid. The enemy Daji was crafty, but the other four teammates weren’t coordinated and kept getting picked off or losing jungle camps.

Gradually, Di Renjie’s damage ramped up, and Lin Hui felt the match going smoothly. Her mood improved. "Master Luban, just stick with us and don’t feed."

Not a Stingy Ghost: "Understood."

They pushed down mid. At the high ground, Daji was low but hadn’t retreated, trying to clear the wave.

Lin Hui controlled Di Renjie, dove the tower, and stunned Daji with a gold card. She planned to chain back, but at the crucial moment, the chain was gone. Daji turned it around under the tower, getting a kill for a one-for-one, but this time, it felt like a bad trade.

"Ugh!" Lin Hui nearly cursed.

Yuan Zhong took out the high ground tower and quickly said, "It’s fine, we got the tower."

Not a Stingy Ghost: "Sorry, misclicked."

"You make a lot of mistakes," Lin Hui rolled her eyes.

Yuan Zhong forced a laugh. "We’re about to win."

In the next team fight, they wiped out the enemy and finally heard the victory sound.

Afterwards, Lin Hui hesitated—should she really rejoin the team with such a hopeless teammate?

Noticing her reluctance, Yuan Zhong blinked her eyes, muted voice chat, and pleaded, "Huihui, just one more star—just one." She held up a single finger pitifully.

Lin Hui stretched her fingers and gritted her teeth. "You’d better keep your word!"

Yuan Zhong shrank back. How did she know I was thinking of backing out at the last minute?