Shi Guanghua had never played this game before. Upon entering the battle, he was completely lost and could only closely follow Chu Yueyi's hero character. Fortunately, his learning ability was decent, so after briefly looking at the skill and equipment buttons, he humbly asked, "Which one should I click?"
Although he had never played this game before, he didn't want to be a burden at this moment.
Chu Yueyi, while looking down at her game, responded gently, "Click wherever it lights up."
Shi Guanghua: "?"
Zou Qian was playing the top lane. Seeing Chu Yueyi's movement on the minimap, he couldn't help but warn, "No, Shi-bro hasn't played before, don't be too reckless before level four..."
Just as Zou Qian finished speaking, the game sounded the "First Blood" effect. The enemy marksman was caught off guard and immediately gave Chu Yueyi the first kill. Our team's marksman, who had been suppressed earlier, now eagerly pressed "Like," completely changing their attitude from wanting to restart at the beginning of the game.
Chu Yueyi calmly said, "I used to be in a different rank from you."
Zou Qian suddenly fell silent, then quickly changed his tune: "...I'm sorry, I was hasty. You play however you want!"
Shi Guanghua looked confused: "Where should I go now?"
Hearing his question, Chu Yueyi cast aside her cold demeanor and replied good-naturedly, "Just follow me."
Zou Qian: "..." Is this what they call a face-changing act?
While Zou Qian was chattering away and occasionally reporting the battle situation, Shi Guanghua remained completely silent, as if he wasn't even playing the game with them. He controlled the cute little deer girl character, following Chu Yueyi, and suddenly realized that all the skill buttons next to him could be used.
Chu Yueyi spared a glance at his level and hurriedly said in a gentle tone, "You can come up now."
Her game character even stopped moving, circling around the Yao character with the Celestial Deer skin, as if afraid he couldn't keep up with her.
Shi Guanghua was still puzzled at first, but when he clicked on the ultimate skill, he understood the meaning. The little deer girl directly spiraled onto her character's head, completely being carried by her. Now he didn't even need to control his character's movement, just occasionally clicking skill buttons. He could even take his hands off the screen.
Shi Guanghua thought: This is truly an amazing game, it doesn't even require hands.
Zou Qian was completely unaware of their interaction. His game character had already fallen pitifully to the ground, and he wailed, "What were you two doing just now? I saw you coming over so I rushed in, but why did you stop halfway!?"
Chu Yueyi didn't mention that she had stopped to wait for Shi Guanghua. Instead, she argued confidently, "Your awareness is poor. Your level was clearly not enough, yet you still charged in recklessly."
Zou Qian was momentarily speechless. He did indeed think that he could get some assist points with Chu Yueyi coming over, so he had gotten a bit cocky, only to end up falling miserably. He grumbled, "I get it, it's fine. I can do it alone, just another lonely top laner..."
Fortunately, Chu Yueyi's in-game economy was already up and running. The rank she was currently playing at was lower compared to her past. Even while carrying Shi Guanghua, who knew nothing about the game, she could still maintain a dominating position, freely weaving through the bushes, occasionally snatching away the heads of enemy champions.
Shi Guanghua still couldn't understand the game situation. He just watched as the two of them rushed into crowds, and before long, everyone around them fell. After Chu Yueyi finished her killing spree, she smoothly carried him away, retreating into the bushes once more.
Shi Guanghua: "Why do they lose even when they have more people?"
Zou Qian: "Because her economy is ridiculously high."
Chu Yueyi: "Because your shield is quite strong."
Shi Guanghua: "..."
Although he was clueless about the operations, she looked extremely skilled. The remaining teammates in the game were frantically giving likes, even asking in the chat whether the two were a couple and why they didn't have a couple's tag.
Zou Qian looked at the game stats with mixed feelings and said sourly, "Tsk tsk, truly a jungle queen carrying a newbie. The newbie doesn't even need to think, they could be eating snacks on the side."
Zou Qian thought: A jungle king brother might scold you, but a jungle queen sister coddles you the whole time!
Chu Yueyi, as a female jungle queen, understood the psychology of novice players well. The key wasn't the game stats, but the overall experience. She guided Shi Guanghua as if she were treating a little sister, patiently answering his questions about the game, as gentle as a professional game companion.
Chu Yueyi thought: Sister-type players don't understand the game, they only understand the attitude you convey.
Veteran players like Zou Qian were focused on winning, but new players often just wanted to have fun - this was the difference in game mentality.
While letting Yao ride on top of her character, Chu Yueyi calmly introduced the game screen to Shi Guanghua: "This is the dragon area. After defeating it, you can gain gold and experience, as well as some specific buffs. From here, we go to the jungle area. Of course, we're currently in the enemy jungle..."
Shi Guanghua noticed enemy heroes suddenly appearing on the screen and spoke up, "Someone's coming."
Chu Yueyi immediately executed a combo, taking down the enemy jungler. She mercilessly claimed the kill and said calmly, "Now they're gone."
"..."
After eliminating the enemy who had interrupted her teaching, she leisurely continued, "Let's continue. This is called the blue buff. After defeating it, you get an enhancement effect that replenishes mana and reduces skill cooldowns..."
Zou Qian, looking at the fallen enemy, felt a sense of sympathy for the prey, and sighed, "Poor jungler, wasn't it good to stay alive? Why bother interrupting someone else's date?"
Zou Qian thought: People really do start from different points. Others begin their tutorials with training camp missions, but Shi-bro's tutorial starts by stepping over enemy corpses.
Chu Yueyi's gameplay was incredibly stable. She directly led Shi Guanghua and Zou Qian to a multi-star win streak, even being mistaken for a male player by their in-game teammates. They were convinced that Chu Yueyi was male and Shi Guanghua was female, firmly believing they were a jungle king carrying a girlfriend combo, no matter how Zou Qian tried to explain.
Zou Qian mischievously suggested, "Shi-bro, why don't you turn on your mic?"
Chu Yueyi had always been a silent player. She wouldn't interact frequently with teammates like Zou Qian did, and calmly said, "No need. Why should we prove anything to them by letting them hear our voices?"
Shi Guanghua, who was completely new to the game, could still sense her expert aura. He curiously asked, "When did you start playing this game?"
Chu Yueyi had never mentioned games in front of the camera, which naturally surprised Shi Guanghua.
Chu Yueyi showed a reminiscent expression and slowly said, "A long time ago... At first, it was because everyone around me was playing, and not knowing how to play made me feel a bit odd. But now I play less, though fortunately, my skills are still there."
Chu Yueyi initially chose to play this game simply because it was a social necessity for working professionals. When people had free time on set and nothing to talk about, playing a few games could bring them closer. She didn't actually care about game stats, using it purely to maintain friendships with colleagues. The girls on set didn't like playing jungle, so she habitually took on the jungle role, naturally becoming skilled at it. While others played games for fun, the game was just a social tool for her work, something she could put down at any time.
Why would she feel odd if she didn't know how to play? Was this game really that important to her?
Shi Guanghua detected a hint of hidden emotion in her answer. He felt that behind her casual response lay a part of her true self. Her choice of a game she wasn't particularly interested in must have had a deeper reason.
He had long noticed that she never directly revealed herself, maintaining a flawless protective shell, giving appropriate care to those around her, always leaving only excellent, warm, and beautiful impressions.
Anyone could interact with her effortlessly, always feeling as if basking in spring sunshine, but it's impossible for a person to have no negative emotions.
The reason everyone could communicate pleasantly with her was simple - her emotional intelligence completely overwhelmed others, just like how she dominated in the game.
She was incredibly strong, beyond others' reach, making it impossible to see any flaws.
Realizing this, Shi Guanghua's eyes deepened like an abyss as he lowered his gaze to the game, his heart stirring slightly. He had felt a twinge of jealousy earlier because Zou Qian had seen her negative side, while he had never encountered the real her.
It's not shameful for humans to occasionally show their dark side; in fact, it's a sign of closeness and vulnerability. He just hadn't had the chance yet; their relationship wasn't that intimate.
Chu Yueyi noticed Shi Guanghua's prolonged silence, and he seemed inexplicably downcast. Suspecting he might be bored, she suggested, "Shall we call it a day? Are you finding it uninteresting?"
Shi Guanghua was a novice; he probably didn't find any enjoyment in the game and was simply going along with it reluctantly.
Chu Yueyi didn't have a strong desire to play games. The essence of being a good sister was to make her little sister happy, and if her sister didn't want to play, why bother?
Shi Guanghua put down his phone at the right moment. He could sense that she wasn't very enthusiastic and wasn't genuinely happy.
Zou Qian, being the only gaming enthusiast, was shocked to see both of them give up. He exclaimed, "No way, no way! Let's play one more round. We're just one star away!"
Chu Yueyi only showed concern for her little sister. She was quite casual with Zou Qian, rejecting his invitation to team up and urging him, "Go wash the dishes."
Shi Guanghua had been the chef today, so Chu Yueyi and Zou Qian were responsible for the cleanup, letting him rest in the living room. Zou Qian was in charge of washing dishes, while Chu Yueyi tidied up the kitchen. The two, who usually bickered, were getting along unusually well at this moment.
By the sink, Zou Qian lathered up the dishes and began washing them in order. Head down, focused on his task, he casually asked, "Why did you suddenly decide to go on the show back then?"
Zou Qian knew why Shi Guanghua had joined the show, but he didn't know Chu Yueyi's reason. She hadn't appeared on variety shows before either.
Chu Yueyi teased, "Is this a question from the director's script?"
Zou Qian knew he couldn't easily pry into her thoughts. Abandoning his usual boisterous demeanor, he suddenly said, "Shi-ge looks smart, but he's actually quite awkward. He's a very simple person."
Shi Guanghua only appeared aloof, but anyone who got to know him well would understand his straightforward nature. He wasn't a complicated person in the entertainment industry, always immersed in his forte of music, without any of the typical celebrity pretenses.
Chu Yueyi was taken aback, waiting for him to continue.
"His way of expressing himself is often misunderstood, but his actions always speak louder than words. He silently remembers all important things and always shows up at crucial moments..." Zou Qian reminisced, "He ate with us the least back then, but whenever someone fell ill or got into trouble, he would definitely rush over. He even took me to the hospital once."
That's why, even though Shi Guanghua was a man of few words, they could still accept him, because they knew the real him.
Chu Yueyi thought of the seafood fried rice. She lowered her eyes and replied, "I know."
Zou Qian rinsed the dishes clean and arranged them neatly. He looked straight at her and said, "He might say the wrong thing occasionally, but please don't misunderstand him."
He didn't know why she had joined the show and couldn't say anything inappropriate, so he could only hope for a better future.
Chu Yueyi smiled, amused. "Are you talking like you're marrying off a daughter?"
Zou Qian said solemnly, "I'm being serious."
Chu Yueyi's smile faded. For once, she didn't put on her professional facade and replied just as seriously, "Alright, I understand."
Even if Zou Qian hadn't said anything explicitly, she had gradually moved past her initial impression and begun to perceive the real him.