Chapter 54: The One Who Cares Most

Qi Leyu sat down across from Miao Shu, watching him put on a show right before his eyes.

“Hey, hey, hey, you damned Lanling King, all you do is kill my little Egg!” Miao Shu grumbled.

Qi Leyu thought to himself, If not you, then who else?

“Jungler, aren’t you going to do something? Damn it, I’m dead again!” Miao Shu complained.

Qi Leyu: Serves you right!

Predictably, they lost the game.

“Ah, the Gold rank is just too hard,” Miao Shu sighed, putting down his phone and taking a sip of tea.

The two men exchanged glances. In Miao Shu’s eyes, he read a hint of superiority, and doubted his own perception.

“Hello, are you Seven Nights?” Miao Shu asked.

Qi Leyu nodded. “Miao Shu?”

Miao Shu nodded as well, feeling like they’d just exchanged secret code words.

“Oh, Yuan Zhong told me about you. What are your thoughts on this?” Miao Shu got right to the point, eager to finish up and get back to another round.

“I haven’t thought much. I’ll finish writing if I want to, and if I don’t, I won’t.” Qi Leyu was clear on this—his story belonged to him; what was in his mind was not for others to take.

Miao Shu sized up Qi Leyu. “So, there’s nothing for me to do?”

Qi Leyu nodded.

“Alright.” His job was done; he didn’t bother with Qi Leyu any further—do as you please.

Miao Shu reopened the game. No way he’d keep losing!

Qi Leyu didn’t leave right away; his fingers itched too. He’d been busy meeting deadlines and hadn’t played in a while. He mentioned it in their three-person game chat, but his teacher didn’t react. That was a little disheartening—she hadn’t logged in for days.

“What’s your rank?” Qi Leyu asked, already knowing the answer.

“Gold,” Miao Shu replied.

Qi Leyu gave a dismissive snort.

“What’s your rank?” Miao Shu asked.

“King,” Qi Leyu replied. Only one star, but it was still King.

Now Miao Shu understood the look of superiority. Still, King was impressive.

“Want me to carry you for a match?” Qi Leyu said magnanimously, mostly wanting to play himself, and to show off his King badge to this rookie.

“Really? Can we even queue together?” Miao Shu was unsure.

“We can’t, but let’s do a normal match. You’ve been on a losing streak because you won too much before. Play a few casual matches first, then ranked.” Qi Leyu, for once, explained patiently.

So, the two started playing together.

A waiter came by twice—neither man had the time to order food, so the waiter left.

“The mid lane is important. If the mid tower falls, the enemy can invade both jungles and pressure the side lanes,” Qi Leyu began to teach.

“What if I can’t win fights?” Miao Shu asked.

“Remember, it’s not about fighting—it’s about clearing waves, gaining lane priority, and then rotating to support the other two lanes,” Qi Leyu instructed.

It sounded simple; Miao Shu nodded repeatedly, then asked, “Which lane should I support first?”

Qi Leyu recalled his teacher’s words. “Depends on the situation. In general, follow your jungler. Wherever your jungler goes, you go.”

“Really?” Miao Shu considered it and found it reasonable.

“Don’t be greedy when supporting. Don’t chase low-health enemies too deep. Engage if you have skills, retreat if you don’t. As a squishy, stay behind your teammates,” Qi Leyu continued.

“Won’t that mean abandoning teammates sometimes?”

“Sometimes, yes, but you’re squishy. Remember, as long as you’re alive, you can deal damage. Only then can you possibly save your teammates. Otherwise, you’ll all die together.”

“That makes a lot of sense. I suddenly feel no guilt about abandoning teammates,” Miao Shu nodded vigorously.

Qi Leyu…

After ten minutes, Qi Leyu had given great advice, but had zero kills.

“We’re behind on kills,” Miao Shu pointed out, thinking, You’re a King player—do something!

Qi Leyu replied, “Our jungler’s tempo is off. I’m just a support, after all.” Ah, easier said than done. Good thing he’d picked support, so he had an excuse.

Despite the difficulties, they won in the end.

Qi Leyu breathed a sigh of relief, finally understanding how hard his teacher worked to help him rank up.

From the next table, the aroma of food reminded them they were in a restaurant.

Miao Shu, in a good mood, took the initiative to order.

“I know two girls who are King rank too. They taught me how to play,” Miao Shu said.

“Really? My teacher is also King, many stars, very skilled, and also a woman,” Qi Leyu replied.

“Exactly, so you can’t underestimate female players.” Miao Shu opened a can of beer, handing one to Qi Leyu.

A few drinks brought them closer. After a few toasts, Miao Shu became chatty: “Brother, I was blind before. I used to be so busy I barely had time for novels or games, so I really didn’t know you. But Yuan Zhong told me your writing is excellent, and so are you. She said you’re a rare find.”

Really? Qi Leyu recalled Yuan Zhong’s demeanor, barely daring to speak up herself, and she praised him like this?

“So you have to understand her good intentions,” Miao Shu said, eating.

“Good intentions?”

“See, you really don’t get it. Some people at her company don’t like you. She’s just a young woman, a newcomer, quietly trying to help you. And you, clueless, are wasting her efforts.” Miao Shu clicked his tongue. “Why hasn’t any girl treated me this well? Back when things went bad for me, everyone piled on, and my ex went harder than anyone. That’s life, different people, different fates! Brother, you should cherish it.”

Qi Leyu asked, “Are you a returning grad student?”

“Yeah, I graduated undergrad, worked five or six years, now just want to hide in school for two years of peace,” Miao Shu said, finishing his beer and opening another.

Qi Leyu nodded, saying nothing.

“You’re really boring, like a clam. If you didn’t look a little fierce, I bet you’d be bullied everywhere,” Miao Shu shook his head.

Qi Leyu frowned. “Watch your mouth.”

“Hey, just telling the truth, don’t take it personally, ace,” Miao Shu grinned. “After all that, did you understand what I said?”

“I know. Yuan Zhong doesn’t need to worry. I have it under control.” He accepted the kindness.

Qi Leyu knew Yuan Zhong had it rough at her company. At the last event, Wang Shanshan’s attitude toward her had made that clear, and now they’d dumped this mess on her again.

“There’s one more thing: Someone at her company is out to get you. Understand?” Miao Shu reminded him.

Qi Leyu frowned; this puzzled him too.

“Did you offend anyone?” Miao Shu asked.

Qi Leyu shook his head.

“Then you must really be the hot topic. Someone’s going out of their way to drag you in, stir up trouble,” Miao Shu said.

Qi Leyu didn’t comment.

Miao Shu grew curious. “So, what are you going to do? Let them squeeze you dry?”

Qi Leyu looked at Miao Shu.

“What?” That look was fierce. Yuan Zhong was timid, yet she wasn’t afraid of him? Miao Shu thought, must be true love.

“Are you really a lawyer?” Qi Leyu asked suddenly.

“What! You want to see my credentials? I have them, no problem. But I’ll charge you if you hire me, and I’m expensive,” Miao Shu replied.

“You’re awfully nosy,” Qi Leyu commented.

Miao Shu was speechless. After a while he said, “For a lawyer, it’s not called gossip—it’s called professional inquiry.”

“Whatever,” Qi Leyu said, crushing his beer can.

Miao Shu wouldn’t let it go. “Come on, tell me, celebrity.”

“I don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes, but I do know this story is mine,” Qi Leyu insisted.

“If you don’t finish it, legally, it won’t belong to you anymore,” Miao Shu pointed out.

“Then I’ll turn it into another story. A contract is just a word game. I’m a writer; playing with words is easy for me,” Qi Leyu replied.

Miao Shu looked at him. Alright, this guy wasn’t as simple as he seemed.

“Yuan Zhong made it sound like you were being exploited to death. Turns out, I was worrying for nothing.” Miao Shu leaned back. “So why did you come to see me today?”

Qi Leyu didn’t answer. He just wanted to have a good meal tonight; Yuan Zhong’s cooking was rather good.

“Well, since we get along, let me give you a tip so you’ve got some leverage.”

“I’m all ears.”

Such phrasing—writers really are amusing, Miao Shu thought.

“You’ve worked with this company several times, right? Yuan Zhong said their contracts are all standard. If this one’s different, that’s odd. In that case, if they made changes to the contract, they were obliged to notify you. If they didn’t, and you have proof, you can turn the tables on them. Got it?” Miao Shu explained.

Qi Leyu’s eyes lit up. This lawyer was shrewd.

“Considering you might want to take your story elsewhere in the future, I suggest you write less—leave an opening, and use it to your advantage at the right time. Understand?”

Qi Leyu nodded. “This meal’s on me.”

“Not bad, brother, you catch on quick,” Miao Shu laughed.

“I’m hiring you,” Qi Leyu added.

“This meal won’t cover my fee,” Miao Shu waved his hand.

“I don’t need to see your credentials—just name your price,” Qi Leyu said.

Miao Shu slapped the table. “Brother, you’ve got it!”

The two of them, having started off with a game, finished their drinks and chatted away, discovering a surprising sense of camaraderie beneath it all.

At the company, Yuan Zhong was a little worried, thinking to herself that Qi Leyu was a bit prickly, with a stiff face and few words, while Miao Shu joked around and was rather irreverent—would the two of them end up quarreling?

She messaged Qi Leyu but got no reply for ages. Near the end of her workday, he finally responded: Come early to make dinner.

So, clearly not too concerned.

Yuan Zhong packed quite a bit of homemade food, carefully wrapped, and took it with her after work.

At the door, neither the bell nor knocking got a response. Fine, you asked for it. Yuan Zhong entered the code, and the door opened.

Qi Leyu sauntered out of the study, kindly taking the big bag from Yuan Zhong’s hands.

“How did your talk with Lawyer Miao go today?” Yuan Zhong was most concerned about this.

“What are you making for dinner?” Qi Leyu was most concerned about this.

Alright, maybe he was just hungry. She’d ask again later. Yuan Zhong headed into the kitchen, started unpacking the evening’s dishes, and put the rest away in the fridge.

Once dinner was ready, Qi Leyu looked quite pleased, even opening a bottle of red wine.

They sat down to eat together.

This seemed like a good opportunity, so Yuan Zhong asked again, “So, how did your talk with Lawyer Miao go today?”

Qi Leyu tasted every dish, then asked, “Where did you learn to cook like this?”

Well, it seemed their priorities would never quite align.