Chapter Five: Taking on a Disciple

Before she knew it, Yuan Zhong realized she had already ranked up to Diamond. It was odd—she hadn’t even considered asking Lin Hui to team up; she just wanted to play a few more rounds on her own.

“Are you trying to blind your opponents with your brilliance?” Lin Hui asked, puzzled.

Feng Duoduo was even more bewildered. “You’ve already met him, and you’re still playing these games? Are you bored or something?”

Ever since Yuan Zhong told Feng Duoduo about her chance encounter at the library, Duoduo had been urging her to take direct action, to make her move and settle things in one go. But Yuan Zhong was unwilling.

“Lately, when I queue up for matches, I always choose nearby teammates. Maybe I’ll run into him.”

Lin Hui almost choked on her drink. “Are you serious? With so many people playing, what are the chances?”

“Well, it all depends on fate, doesn’t it?” Yuan Zhong chuckled.

Feng Duoduo let out a teasing “Ew,” shaking her head with a look that said, “You’re hopeless.”

“Hey, just a reminder—winter break is coming soon,” Lin Hui said. “You know he’s preparing for graduate school.”

“I know. He’s applying to our university. Chen Jing said it shouldn’t be a problem; they’ve already started working on projects with their advisors.”

Later, Chen Jing did approach her for a book renewal, even invited Yuan Zhong out for dessert, suggesting she bring Lin Hui along. Yuan Zhong saw through it and was willing to help, but Lin Hui wasn’t interested, so there was nothing she could do. After that, Chen Jing messaged her less and less—probably giving up.

“He’s got exams coming up, so he’ll probably be playing less,” Lin Hui said.

Yuan Zhong nodded. That was true—since he wasn’t guaranteed admission, he had to take the entrance exams himself. “Yeah, probably. But I imagine he’ll relax with a game here and there. I’ll just play more on my end; if I’m online whenever he is, that increases my chances.”

Lin Hui rolled her eyes, giving up on the conversation.

Yuan Zhong knew exactly what she was doing. She didn’t want to be too obvious, because she was convinced Zhang Shun would turn her down, and then things would be awkward whenever they met. This way, she could at least admire him from afar, and if fate brought them together again, she could greet him naturally. She’d keep this up for a while—after all, there was still time before graduation.

After lunch, Yuan Zhong took a stroll around campus, a habit she’d maintained for years. Walking after meals aided digestion and was good for her health.

Passing by the wisteria trellis next to the lawn, she spotted Feng Duoduo’s silhouette. She was about to greet her when she noticed someone else—on closer look, it was Ma Yuzhe.

Feng Duoduo stood with her arms crossed, as if trying to make up for the height difference between them; Ma Yuzhe was casually flipping through a book, but his eyes were fixed on Duoduo.

Another confession to reject? Yuan Zhong quickly retreated two steps, not wanting to be noticed.

Wait—did Ma Yuzhe like Feng Duoduo? She’d never noticed. He hid it well. Yuan Zhong couldn’t help but admire him; it took skill to be that composed.

But then she thought, what good does composure do? Once you have feelings, you’ve already lost your cool.

With no classes that interested her in the afternoon, Yuan Zhong returned to her dorm. Lin Hui wasn’t there—who knew where she’d gone? With nothing better to do, Yuan Zhong opened "Honor of Kings" for a couple of matches.

Huh, someone had sent her a skin. She checked—it was “Not a Stingy Ghost.” Well, that was generous.

Soon after, “Not a Stingy Ghost” invited her to team up. Unable to refuse after receiving a gift, Yuan Zhong accepted and entered the lobby. It was Diamond rank, Draft mode—time to ban heroes.

Yuan Zhong: Let’s pre-select and discuss our lineup.

Not a Stingy Ghost pre-selected Luban.

Yuan Zhong thought for a moment and chose Zhen Ji as her pick—a control mage with decent damage, good for midlane and supporting the development lane.

Another teammate pre-selected Zhuang Zhou as support, while the other two remained silent.

Yuan Zhong noticed one teammate had the “All-Rounder” tag. She figured the lineup should be fine.

None of their picks were popular ban targets, so after locking in Zhen Ji, Luban, and Zhuang Zhou, the next teammate selected the tank, Xiahou Dun.

Alright, they just needed an assassin for jungle. Yuan Zhong glanced at the enemy lineup—not too bad, nothing particularly countering.

The last teammate, however, was taking forever, and finally revealed their choice: Milady.

Seriously? Milady in the jungle? Yuan Zhong had a bad feeling.

The match started. Midlane and the solo lane were holding up fine, but trouble arose on the development lane. Their Milady jungled too slowly and failed to support, leading to Luban and Zhuang Zhou getting double-killed by the enemy’s marksman, support, and fighter.

Milady: Play safe, don’t overextend.

That was fair advice, but she still didn’t come to help—just focused on jungling, never even crossing the river.

Luban got caught again, and Zhuang Zhou, frustrated, wandered off to the solo lane.

Not a Stingy Ghost: I can’t win this lane.

Yuan Zhong thought, I know, neither of you can win alone, and you certainly can’t solo it. She pinged: Clear the minions. In other words, just don’t leave the tower.

Not a Stingy Ghost didn’t quite get it, moved a little too far from the turret to clear minions, and died again.

Milady: Another useless marksman!

Not a Stingy Ghost: Sorry, my bad.

Yuan Zhong couldn’t hold back: Why didn’t you pre-select earlier? Faking “All-Rounder” just to trick us!

The game censored her words, so she used code.

Milady: How did I trick you? I’m not feeding.

Typing was taking too long, so Yuan Zhong switched to voice chat: Sure, you’re jungling as Milady. So why don’t you go gank a lane? Isn’t that the jungler’s job?

Zhuang Zhou: This marksman is hopeless.

Yuan Zhong: You should shut up too. As a support with no game sense, does Xiahou Dun need your help? You’re on the wrong lane and still have the nerve to comment.

Milady: If you’re so good, you do it!

Yuan Zhong: Idiot, come defend mid and watch closely!

With that, Yuan Zhong rotated to the development lane. Her skills were ready—she hid in the brush, not clearing minions, just waiting to ambush.

Yuan Zhong: Luban, if you have Flash, step forward two paces.

Luban didn’t respond, but did move up.

The enemy jungler was Cao Cao, which was fortunate—if it’d been Lanling Wang, who can go invisible, Yuan Zhong wouldn’t have dared hide so boldly.

She’d just seen the enemy support in mid, so the enemy marksman was alone—perfect.

As the minion wave arrived, Yuan Zhong directed: Luban, use your ultimate to force the marksman to the side.

The zone advanced, and sure enough, the marksman dodged aside—here was her chance! Yuan Zhong, playing Zhen Ji, unleashed her combo: three skills in sequence, Luban followed up with two shots, and the marksman was down.

Zhen Ji healed up, grabbed the health pack under the tower, and ducked into the brush near the enemy turret.

Yuan Zhong: Luban, step up, clear the wave by the turret, poke the tower from outside its range as you build your passive.

Luban complied, moving up two more steps.

Yuan Zhong kept up the voice commands: When their marksman returns, we’ll do it again.

And sure enough, the marksman respawned and hurried back, never expecting someone to be hiding in their brush—once again, Yuan Zhong and Luban took them out, sending them back to base.

Yuan Zhong switched to another brush, staying hidden. “Cao Cao will be here soon,” she warned. “Luban, get back under the turret and get ready.”

Cao Cao, bold as ever, came down the river toward mid. Just as the minion wave arrived, Zhen Ji threw her bouncing skill between the minions and Cao Cao, freezing him in place for Luban to pummel, before Zhen Ji finished him off.

Xiahou Dun: Nice!

Yuan Zhong: See? That’s what a support is supposed to do. What were you doing—sleepwalking?

Zhuang Zhou: Are you supporting Luban, or is Luban supporting you?

Yuan Zhong: Does it matter? You clearly missed the main point.

With the tide turning, everyone’s tone improved. Milady started to pressure mid, quickly taking down the enemy’s first turret.

Yuan Zhong and Luban, exploiting the enemy support’s absence, took down their first turret on the development lane as well.

Yuan Zhong: Let’s swap lanes. Luban, come with me to the solo lane. Xiahou Dun, you take over here.

Switching to the solo lane, the marksman’s range became an advantage. Three-on-one, even Cheng Yaojin couldn’t heal quickly enough—he went down twice.

Yuan Zhong reminded: Luban, build anti-heal or you won’t be able to deal with Cheng Yaojin later.

Luban stayed silent, but followed instructions well.

Milady got greedy, tried to sneak the second mid turret, and got caught by Cao Cao.

Yuan Zhong: Milady, what were you thinking? Either split push with Xiahou Dun or stick with us. Soloing isn’t your strength.

Milady: …

Yuan Zhong: Cat got your tongue? If you’re not talking, then move. Deaf, mute, or useless—best not to be any of those.

Xiahou Dun: You’re a bit harsh.

Yuan Zhong: How so? I’m just being logical. Right, Luban?

A moment later, “Not a Stingy Ghost” typed: You’re right.

Xiahou Dun: Are you two a duo? Do you know each other?

Yuan Zhong: Not really. Anyone who listens to me gets a free ride to victory.

Milady: You talk big, but you don’t have many kills.

Yuan Zhong: You sound rather sour.

Talking was much more convenient than typing. As she spoke, Yuan Zhong took out the enemy mage with another combo.

Yuan Zhong: Xiahou Dun, Cao Cao’s low. He’s heading your way—we’re coming too.

Xiahou Dun: Got it. Watch me knock him flying.

From a distance, but within range, Yuan Zhong used Zhen Ji’s second skill—a frosty orb that finished off Cao Cao and froze the incoming enemy support and marksman. Xiahou Dun chained his control, Luban unleashed his firepower, and Zhen Ji activated her ultimate, dealing area damage.

The game’s voice-over announced: double kill, triple kill.

Luban: Beautifully done!

Milady: Steals kills like a pro.

Yuan Zhong: Getting more sour by the second.

Milady: …

With four grouped up, they took Dragon, even managing a double dragon. Milady, a bit resentful, continued to split push alone. Yuan Zhong didn’t mind—she used the distraction to lead her teammates in clearing waves, pushing towers, and farming jungle camps. The gold gap widened, and team fights became one-sided. Victory came swiftly.

In the end, Zhen Ji had 12 kills, 0 deaths, and 18 assists—even Milady gave her a thumbs up.

Yuan Zhong felt exhilarated. Winning was satisfying, and the nonstop voice chat made it even better—so convenient! She giggled to herself. She might as well stick with voice chat; no one knew her in real life anyway.

In the second game, Yuan Zhong picked Dian Wei for jungle—a hero with true damage and great speed. She’d pick up kills every time she passed a lane, ending with 23 kills.

In the third game, she played Donghuang Taiyi as support, pairing well with “Not a Stingy Ghost” on Luban. Unfortunately, the marksman wasn’t quite strong enough, making it a tough win, but she still earned MVP for support.

Back in the lobby, Yuan Zhong asked: Hey, do you only play Luban?

Not a Stingy Ghost typed: I can play Di Renjie too, but last time wasn’t great. As for Gongsun Li, forget it… I know a couple mages, and I can handle a few tanks and supports.

Yuan Zhong: Maybe skip marksman next time. Try support—I’ll play mage or fighter, and you just follow me in the late game.

Not a Stingy Ghost: Okay, master.

Yuan Zhong: Hmm, since you called me “master”…

Not a Stingy Ghost: Master! God! You’re the best!

Yuan Zhong was in good spirits—praise always felt nice.

Not a Stingy Ghost: Let me be your disciple?

Yuan Zhong thought, I’ve been speaking in voice chat—she must know I’m a female player, yet she still wants to be my disciple. Hmm, must really be another girl; always typing, never using voice. That protective instinct welled up; taking on a disciple wouldn’t be so bad. She replied: Sure, I’ll carry you to Star rank.

Not a Stingy Ghost: Yeah, following you to Diamond 3 was a breeze. Master, you’re amazing!

Yuan Zhong: It’s nothing, really. Thanks for the skins, but you don’t have to be so generous.

Not a Stingy Ghost: Of course I do. Aren’t they pretty?

Yuan Zhong thought: Definitely a young girl—loves pretty things. She replied: As long as you like them.

Not a Stingy Ghost sent three more beautiful skins, all for heroes Yuan Zhong had just played.

Yuan Zhong felt embarrassed. You really don’t have to, it’s too much.

Not a Stingy Ghost: I insist. It’s my duty to honor my master. From now on, all your skins are on me—just carry me to King rank.

King rank? Honestly, Yuan Zhong had never set her sights that high, but now it didn’t seem so difficult. She replied: Alright, I’ll carry you to King.