| Marry Me, I'm Super Well-Behaved [Esports] (MARRY ME) |
He probably didn’t want to risk exposing his privacy through deliveries. The competitive gaming scene could be terrifying—some fans had even sent funeral wreaths to players.
Without overthinking it, Ning Nanzhou agreed.
He had assumed Chi Yu lived in the Haiyue District, where FKW was headquartered. Unexpectedly, his place was in Lin’an District, just a ten-minute walk from Ning Nanzhou’s university.
He didn’t even bother taking a cab, strolling straight to Chi Yu’s residential complex—Phase II of Yuyuan.
Yuyuan wasn’t the most expensive neighborhood in Shanghai, but it had been designed by the renowned architect Chao Ming. Properties here were highly sought after, selling out the moment they hit the market.
The design of Yuyuan was undeniably masterful—upturned eaves and arched pillars complemented the tranquil ponds, while sunlight filtered through lattice walls, casting delicate shadows over the pale pink stamens of Boréas roses, like the sharp strokes of a wolf-hair brush tracing lines on watercolor.
Bold and striking.
Carrying the gift box, Ning Nanzhou knocked on Chi Yu’s door. He had rehearsed his lines on the way, but the moment he saw Chi Yu in gold-rimmed glasses—
Huh? What was he supposed to say again?
Forcing his gaze away from Chi Yu’s face, he scrambled to string together a sentence. "Thanks for the gift last time. I happened to earn some money from a part-time job, so I bought you a tie."
He held out the box, but instead of taking it, Chi Yu tilted his head slightly downward.
"Ningning, could you help me put it on?"
Ah—
Logic told him he should refuse, but… he called me Ningning.
His ears burned as if bitten, and he stammered out an "Okay," before retrieving the brand-new tie from the box and standing on tiptoe to loop it around Chi Yu’s neck.
From this angle, he could clearly see the sharp, defined line of Chi Yu’s jaw and the slight protrusion of his Adam’s apple.
Even worse was the way Chi Yu lowered his head—as if silently declaring, I willingly let you tie me down.
Help! This is way more suggestive than I imagined!
"Thanks for the gift," Chi Yu said politely. "It’s a very nice tie."
And you’re very nice to look at…
Afraid Chi Yu might notice something amiss, Ning Nanzhou turned away the moment he finished tying the tie. "I should head back to campus now. You… you look really good in it."
The moment the words left his mouth, a hand suddenly caught his wrist. Chi Yu’s voice came from behind him. "There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask."
"Do you not want to see me?"
"No!" he denied immediately, then racked his brain for an excuse. "It’s just… I feel like we’re not that close yet. We barely talk, so I wouldn’t know what to say if I stayed."
Of course, that was a lie. He knew Chi Yu better than any encyclopedia entry—every hero Chi Yu had used in matches, his favorite flavors, everything.
Chi Yu seemed to ponder this. "I’ll keep that in mind from now on."
Ning Nanzhou was momentarily stunned. It seemed his idol treated their interactions like work, even reviewing them if the feedback wasn't good.
Chi Yu walked to the bar counter as if the earlier incident was just a minor episode. "What would you like to drink?"
"Just water is fine."
He sat bolt upright and staring straight ahead, but his peripheral vision secretly surveyed Chi Yu's home.
The house had a simple Scandinavian-style decor, primarily in white and gray tones. The living room featured a glacier-gray rug, atop which stood a white orchid wood table with a rabbit plushie placed on it.
Did Chi Yu like such things too? The man's image in his mind seemed more vivid now than before.
Just as he was secretly observing, Chi Yu handed him the water.
"Thank you." He obediently took the glass, determined not to leave a bad impression.
Chi Yu looked at the rigidly seated boy—just a naive kid unfamiliar with worldly affairs. Better not let him know that divorce certificates could also earn academic credits.
"Want to watch TV?" Chi Yu asked.
"No need." He shook his head.
"Alright." Chi Yu smiled lazily. "I don't like watching it either."
"Then what do you like watching?" He couldn't help but ask curiously.
"Matches." Chi Yu pressed the remote. "I also check out new version livestreams occasionally to spot new strategies."
The dark screen suddenly lit up, showing that the match had already ended, redirecting to the website homepage. A chubby yellow bird perched in the top-right corner.
Why was it Little Yellow Bird???
His back instantly straightened. Then it occurred to him that Little Yellow Bird had the highest streaming quality, so it wasn’t strange to choose it for matches.
Most importantly, the homepage recommendation slots were highly competitive, usually reserved for big streamers—no chance for a nobody like him. He quickly relaxed again.
Chi Yu took a sip of coffee. "Ningning, do you play games?"
He had rehearsed this question many times. Instead of outright denial, he asked innocently, "Does 4399 count?"
But he had relaxed too soon. His gaze drifted slightly downward—and there he was, in the "Newcomer Recommendations" section at the very bottom!
Who the hell still counted as a newcomer after three years of streaming?! This was like an old cucumber painted green—no, more like dumping green paint straight on his head!
When Chi Yu paused on his stream, he nearly spilled his water from nerves, though he feigned nonchalance. "Is there something wrong with this streamer?"
"Plays Magician pretty well." Chi Yu adjusted his glasses. "Though his vocabulary is... excessively rich."
Excessively rich vocabulary?
It took him a moment to realize Chi Yu was implying his trash talk was over-the-top. If Chi Yu hadn’t been sitting right beside him, his jaw would’ve hit the floor.
—
Zhao Li had just finished coaching the youth training team when Song Mingjie called. "I saw a streamer on Starry Sky TV who’s crazy good at Magician. Think you can recruit him?"
Zhao Li hated when Song Mingjie asked him to scout random people. How many years had it been since Song Mingjie last played games? At best, he was Gold rank now! Every passerby looked like a pro to him.
Over the years, he had recruited no less than a thousand people, yet not a single one had been worth mentioning.
But what could he do? Song Mingjie was his superior. Sighing, he opened Starry Sky TV, betting that this guy was a one-trick Magician.
He had intended to watch the streamer’s live broadcast, but since they weren’t live, he had to search for their highlight clips instead.
The most popular clip featured the streamer winning a hundred consecutive matches with Magician—an impressive feat, considering many couldn’t even achieve that with older champions.
The second clip showcased their gameplay with Saboteur. Unlike Magician, Saboteur was a typical warrior-type champion, with vastly different mechanics and playstyle. Yet, the streamer handled it just as skillfully.
……
He watched all of South’s videos one by one, ruling out the possibility that they were a one-trick. Their champion pool was far from shallow.
Zhao Li’s first thought was: Is this guy cheating? But seeing their follower count barely exceeding ten thousand, he figured… they probably couldn’t even afford hacks.
He couldn’t help but get excited. While being good at the game and being good at pro play were two different things—online skill didn’t always translate to offline performance—it at least proved that this streamer had high potential, the makings of a pro player.
He couldn’t say for top-tier leagues, but for secondary leagues, they were more than qualified.
Immediately, he sent a private message.
[Zhao Li]: Hello, I’m the manager of FKW’s Youth Training Camp. I was wondering if you’d be interested in joining us?
Ning Nanzhou had just returned to his dorm when he received the message. He replied with one hand.
[South]: No fan interactions, please.
[Zhao Li]: You might not have read carefully. I’m the youth training manager of FKW. Our club doesn’t encourage fan behavior in principle, but once you’re in the camp, getting an autograph is easy. With some luck, you might even get added as a friend.
Zhao Li was dropping heavy hints, but to his bewilderment, the other party remained completely unmoved!
Even if FKW’s youth training system wasn’t as polished as Blue Flame’s, Chi Yu alone was a golden ticket—people flocked to FKW’s Youth Training Camp nonstop.
Moreover, he had seen South’s profile tagline: "Chi Shen and I are golden-married." Clearly, they were a hardcore fan of Chi Yu. There was no way they’d pass up the chance to meet their idol face-to-face.
Sure enough, a reply came soon. Probably just a young person trying to play hard to get for better terms.
Zhao Li nodded knowingly—until he opened the message and nearly choked.
[South]: Are your Cotton Dolls still in stock?
??? I’m not the merch manager!
He was speechless at the younger generation’s priorities, but he couldn’t risk another camp—especially Blue Flame’s, whose scouts were sharp as hawks—snatching this talent away.
Suppressing the urge to curse, he typed back.
[Zhao Li]: The first batch of Cotton Dolls is sold out. The second batch should be restocked by the end of the month. Hope this answers your question. We’d love for you to prioritize our team~
Ning Nanzhou marveled at FKW’s professionalism. Even a high-ranking manager was this polite. He replied with an "Mhm" before rushing to finish his chemical analysis assignment.
After submitting his homework, he opened Little Yellow Bird. The plump system notification fluttered to the center of the screen:
"Congratulations! Your livestream has reached 10,000 followers. Your broadcast level has been upgraded to V2, surpassing 34.7% of streamers on our platform. We’ve arranged a featured spot on the homepage’s Rising Talent section!"
Now he understood why he’d gotten the promotion. But the more the system brought it up, the more he wanted to pluck its feathers!
The system continued chirping: "Not only will you receive a monthly attendance bonus of 6,000 yuan, but there’s also an additional reward if your stream hits 100,000 popularity. Keep up the good work!"
After calculating how many more merchandise he could buy, he suddenly felt the system was quite adorable.
He stroked the little bird and turned on his stream.
[Finally online!]
[I suspect South is in love but I have no proof]
[Who else could he like besides Chi Yu?]
[Let’s be bold, folks! What if it’s Chi Yu?]
[Would Chi Yu even like someone like him?]
His fingers paused as he logged into the game, recalling Chi Yu’s tactful evaluation. He resolved to turn over a new leaf—at the very least, he couldn’t leave the impression of being an adult content streamer.
So when the Jungler fed, he suppressed the urge to curse and instead said innocently, “Big bro, please stop feeding.”
When the bot lane duo got overly clingy, he resisted the impulse to tell them to just book a hotel room and politely reminded them, “It’s better to split up.”
When the Mid Laner repeatedly stole his kills, he remained unperturbed. “It’s fine, take them if you want.”
[??? Are you okay?]
[Is this really you? I’m clenching my fists in frustration!]
[Are you fucking telling a horror story?]
[Don’t curse at us, guys.]
[Don’t scare people like this in the middle of the night!]
But when this perfectly winnable ranked game was thrown by his four teammates and watching his rank drop to Platinum I, the hardcore ladder slave in him could no longer hold back!
He pulled the mic closer. “Twenty deaths in thirty minutes—are you delivering grass from a thousand miles away, Jungler? Bot lane, can’t you find somewhere else to book a room? Kiss, kiss, kiss—kiss your mom instead! Can’t get it up unless someone’s listening, huh?”
“And Mid Laner, stop laughing over there! All you know how to do is steal kills. Five kills and still getting stomped—if I were you, I’d go get my hands checked at the hospital.”
[Now this is the you we know.]
[That’s more like it.]
[Stop trying to act sweet and innocent, okay? It doesn’t suit you.]
[Not just ‘doesn’t suit’—I nearly pissed myself from fright. Thought you were possessed.]
Ning Nanzhou: “...”
Normally, he could control his urge to talk dirty, but when gaming, it was impossible—you never knew what kind of idiots you’d run into.
Whatever.
As long as he behaved properly in real life, Chi Yu wouldn’t suspect him.
Having reasoned this out, he washed up and got into bed, scrolling through Weibo.
He skimmed past one post expressionlessly.
Two seconds later, he couldn’t help but scroll back up.
This post was something else—it listed the 100 most intense positions in manga, like the inescapable position.
Good things shouldn’t be enjoyed alone, so he was about to share it with his childhood friend Chen Dongdong when, at that very moment, Chi Yu sent a message.
[Chi Yu] Still awake?
The notification popped up too quickly, and in his haste, he accidentally sent it to Chi Yu!
In that instant, his limbs turned to ice. Hearing his phone vibrate, he buried his face in the blanket, too terrified to look at the screen.
How could he have sent something like that to Chi Yu?! The other man would think he was a pervert, wouldn’t he? QWQ!
After what felt like forever, he finally mustered the courage to lift his head and peek at the reply.
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