To put it mildly, Yu Zhou’s reaction speed was impressive. The moment she sent him a private message in the game, a notification popped up on her screen: an invitation to join his room.
Sheng Kuang wasn't online, and neither were the other members of yLs.
It was still early. Perhaps those boys were downstairs reviewing their practice matches or something.
Lin Jing reasoned that playing alone was still playing, and playing against bots was boring, while losing in a regular match made her feel down. It was better to just go along with Yu Zhou and relax.
After hesitating for about two or three seconds, Lin Jing entered Yu Zhou's room.
At the same time, her in-game private messages pinged with a new notification.
Omnipotent Ultraman: Sister, hurry up and accept! I’m super strong, I guarantee I’ll carry hard.
Seeing her enter, Yu Zhou immediately clicked to start the game. Soon, the match was found, and they entered the draft phase. Yu Zhou was in the first pick, and Lin Jing was in the fifth.
Omnipotent Ultraman: Sister, what hero do you want to play? I’ll help you pick.
With Yu Zhou’s swift selection, Lin Jing ended up with the support role, playing Yao.
Yu Zhou, being the last to pick, filled the solo lane, choosing Ma Chao.
One minute into the game, Lin Jing helped the mid laner secure the mid lane. Because the mid laner was too greedy and didn’t retreat despite being at half health, Lin Jing was caught by the enemy jungler and mid laner, leaving her with a sliver of health as she tried to protect him.
"Sister, hold on, I'm coming to save you."
Yu Zhou, after clearing the bottom lane minions, rushed to the mid lane to support. However, he was a step too late, and Lin Jing was killed.
The enemy jungler and mid laner had used all their skills on Lin Jing. The enemy jungler, having just been hit by a combo from Lin Jing’s mid laner, was at very low health. Yu Zhou threw his spear, instantly killing the enemy jungler. The enemy mid laner was also in poor condition and fled towards the defense tower. Yu Zhou, speaking through voice chat, said as he pursued, "Sister, I'll avenge you."
Yu Zhou chased all the way to the enemy tower. As he killed the enemy mid laner, he was also killed by the tower.
He fell next to the enemy mid laner’s corpse. Soon, a dialogue box appeared above his body: "Heh, nice game."
Simultaneously, he clicked on their mid laner in the game and then sent a reminder: "Farm safely, don't overextend."
Yu Zhou’s Ma Chao respawned. He threw his spear and ran towards the outer tower in the bottom lane, saying in the team voice chat, "Sister, don't follow that mid laner, come with me. I won't let you die."
Lin Jing was duo-queuing with Yu Zhou and didn't know anyone else. Since Yu Zhou called her, she naturally went to him.
Yu Zhou's Ma Chao was quite formidable in this match. With her protection, he was unstoppable in the solo lane, quickly pushing to the enemy's high ground and taking over the enemy's blue buff half of the jungle.
"Sister, cast a shield."
"Sister, if you fall off me, run quickly, don't get hit."
"Sister, there's blue buff here. I've already left it with low health, come and get it."
By twelve minutes, they had pushed to the enemy's crystal.
"Sister, hurry up and get on, I'll take you to taunt them in front of the enemy fountain."
Lin Jing activated her third skill and flew onto Yu Zhou's Ma Chao’s head. Yu Zhou's Ma Chao threw his spear forward, picked it up, blinked, and landed in front of the enemy fountain. Immediately, a familiar dialogue box, for the umpteenth time this game, appeared above Yu Zhou's head: "Heh, nice game."
Lin Jing didn't know if it was the end of the season, with many players having already advanced their ranks, causing the skill level in her current bracket to drop, or if Yu Zhou was truly an exceptionally strong player. She played three games with him and won all three.
Moreover, they were all landslide victories, with Yu Zhou single-handedly leading her to dominate the enemy.
Honestly, Lin Jing's initial impression of Yu Zhou was not favorable. After finding out he was Sheng Kuang's cousin, she redefined him from "I've met a lunatic" to "a bratty kid."
The first time she played with Yu Zhou, he used voice chat, saying things she didn't really want to hear, which made her have no inclination to pay attention to whether his voice sounded good.
Ever since she gifted him that skin, his attitude did a complete 180-degree turn. His words became incredibly sweet, as if he had swallowed an entire cake shop.
Perhaps it was due to Sheng Kuang's family having good genes, but when Yu Zhou wasn't being sarcastic and spoke properly, his voice was truly pleasant.
It was a very clean, youthful tone.
When he called her "sister," it sounded a bit like he was whining.
Winning streaks put one in a good mood.
Having a younger brother with a nice voice who constantly called her "sister" over voice chat and led her to victory, Lin Jing felt that this was not just a pleasant mood, but pure bliss for both body and mind.
After the third game ended, Lin Jing returned to the room. Yu Zhou hadn't clicked start.
Just as Lin Jing was about to ask if they were not playing anymore, Yu Zhou’s message appeared.
Omnipotent Ultraman: Sister, I just got a call. My takeout has arrived.
Omnipotent Ultraman: Sister, can you wait for me for ten minutes? I'll come back after I eat.
Could Lin Jing say no? Of course not.
Xiao Jing Jing Jing Jiang: Okay, okay. Take your time eating, no rush.
Omnipotent Ultraman: Thank you, sister.
Lin Jing felt her protective instincts being awakened by Yu Zhou’s words. She couldn't take it anymore, so while Yu Zhou was eating, she went to find Lan Tingting on WeChat.
Xiao Jing Jiang: Do you remember that Jing who went 0-20-0? Sheng Kuang's cousin, that incredibly annoying brat.
Difficulty Waking Up: Remember, what's up?
Xiao Jing Jiang: He just played three games with me. Because I gifted him a skin, he kept calling me "sister" in the game.
Xiao Jing Jiang: His voice is so young and boyish. Not the greasy kind of "sister," but the kind that makes you want to protect her, making you soft-hearted in an instant.
Difficulty Waking Up: Any proof?
Xiao Jing Jiang: Yes, I secretly recorded a short clip while playing. But just listen to it yourself, and absolutely do not share it.
Lin Jing sent the video to Lan Tingting.
The video file was a bit large. While it was sending, Lin Jing felt a slight discomfort in her stomach. She put down her phone and went to the restroom, only to discover that her period had started. She went to the changing room to find a clean pair of underwear and returned to the bathroom.
As she passed through the bedroom, she heard her phone ringing continuously. Thinking it was Lan Tingting replying to her message, she didn't check it.
After tidying herself up in the bathroom, Lin Jing thought she still had a few minutes left before the ten minutes were up, so she casually turned on the faucet to handwash the clothes she had changed out of.
…
Today’s review session went smoothly and ended early.
Chen Jing and the others went to their respective livestreams or played rank matches. Sheng Kuang, remembering that he hadn't played games with Lin Jing in the past few days due to editing videos, grabbed his phone and sent Lin Jing a message as he headed upstairs.
No reply.
He entered his room and went to the balcony to collect the dried clothes. Seeing that her curtains were still open, and thinking about her lack of response, he walked a few steps towards her bedroom to see what she was doing.