Chapter 18: Ye Chunxi, King of the Wild

"Little Jin."

Ling Qiao called out, walking over quickly and sitting in the chair next to her. "Want to play a game?"

Ye Chunxi had noticed him long ago, but since he hadn't spoken up, she had ignored him. She picked up a clean fallen leaf, wiped the dirt off it, tucked it into her book as a bookmark, and set the book down on the table beside her.

She pulled out her phone and opened the game.

Seeing this, Ling Qiao prepared to log in as well. As the app loaded, he said casually, "I just hit Diamond yesterday, so I probably can't play ranked with you. I'll just carry you through a casual match."

"No need, we can play ranked," Ye Chunxi said, her voice indifferent.

Ling Qiao didn't catch that at first and turned to ask, "What did you say?"

Just then, Ye Chunxi opened her profile page, which displayed Diamond IV with a glowing gold star above it.

Ling Qiao was astonished. "You're that good?"

Ye Chunxi raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps."

When she had first received the account, it was at Diamond V with five stars. She had scanned the hero roster, checked the skills of a few heroes that looked familiar, and then played a test match on a whim. She had finished the battle in twelve minutes and even secured the MVP title. However, she attributed that win to luck and wasn't about to define her own skill level based on just one game.

Ling Qiao excitedly opened his friend list. "What's your ID? I'll add you."

Ye Chunxi opened her main page. Before he could even see her ID, he was blinded by the shimmering V10 emblem.

"You're this loaded?" He was shocked for a moment before he realized. "Wait, no, Jin Yuchuan gave you this account, didn't he?"

Ye Chunxi nodded.

Ling Qiao's handsome face cracked slightly. He had asked Jin Yuchuan for an account, and the guy had ignored him entirely. Yet, when it came to Ye Chunxi, he handed over a high-level account with every skin unlocked without a second thought. Indeed, a best friend couldn't compare to a younger sister.

Ling Qiao sighed silently, searched for the ID "Hua Ying-Ga," and sent a friend request. Once accepted, he promptly invited her to a duo queue.

Seeing her pre-selected role, he was startled again. "Little Jin, the jungle is deep waters. You won't be able to handle it."

Ye Chunxi was unfazed. She lifted her gaze, her clear, deer-like eyes fixed on him steadily. "Weren't you going to carry me?"

Ling Qiao's competitive spirit flared up. "Of course I am!"

"Play! Play whatever you want!"

He started the match immediately. Once they reached the hero selection screen, Ling Qiao regretted it and wanted to talk her out of it, but Ye Chunxi had already had a teammate help her lock in the jungler role.

Ling Qiao squeezed his eyes shut, thinking to himself that the game was over, and quietly tried to soothe his nerves. *It’s fine, it’s fine. It’s just a game, no big deal.*

Less than a minute and a half into the match, Ye Chunxi ganked the bottom lane and, in coordination with her teammates, sent the opposing duo back to base.

Ling Qiao, who was in the middle of an intense duel, paused: "???"

Distracted, he accidentally gave away a kill.

Ye Chunxi, who was panning her camera, witnessed the whole thing. Her cold voice carried a hint of warning: "Don't feed."

Ling Qiao: "..."

Under Ye Chunxi’s perfect tempo, even with Ling Qiao making mistakes from time to time, they pushed through the defensive towers with ease. The match concluded in victory after they took the Dragon at the ten-minute mark and secured a perfect team wipe initiated by her.

Ling Qiao stared at Ye Chunxi’s ultra-high score of over fourteen in disbelief, feeling dazed. After five seconds of stunned silence, he shrieked with excitement, "Little Jin, you're amazing! You're literally carrying me!!"

"Let's go again, let's go again..."

Having witnessed Ye Chunxi's strength firsthand, Ling Qiao’s eyes were filled with nothing but reverence for her and a craving for victory. He couldn't wait to start the next game.

They won five matches in a row, and both climbed up a rank. After the final game ended, Ye Chunxi exited the room. She rubbed the corners of her eyes, feeling a bit tired.

"No more."

It was just as well; it was almost time for lunch.

"Alright."

Ling Qiao happily opened his match history. Looking down the list, every single one was a victory. Excited, he immediately took a screenshot and posted it to his social feed:

[I’ve latched onto a pro player’s leg!]