Chapter 49

Qi Lian was worried that the two girls would team up and cheat by looking at each other’s tiles, so he insisted on dragging everyone up to the rooftop garden. The four of them sat face-to-face, playing mahjong on their phones. They didn’t get much mahjong in, though—Zhao Yu was nearly eaten alive by the foreign mosquitoes and dragged Sheng Qiao back downstairs without a word.

Li Yao and Hu Ruiwen were in the lounge playing ranked games. As soon as they saw Sheng Qiao, they called out, “Xiao Qiao, come play ranked with us!”

The three of them were all high-star King-level players on the WeChat server. Zhao Yu went back to her room to apply some mosquito repellent, then came out and sat next to Sheng Qiao to watch.

She then watched Sheng Qiao rack up double kills, triple kills, and even a pentakill. While Zhao Yu’s own corpses littered the canyon, Sheng Qiao littered it with her enemies’. Zhao Yu propped her chin on her hand, looking envious.

After one match, Sheng Qiao called out, “Yu Yu, join us!”

Zhao Yu sighed. “I play on the QQ server. My WeChat account is only Bronze—I can’t queue with you guys.”

Hu Ruiwen, who’d been trying all day to redeem himself with his idol, immediately said, “No problem! We’ll switch servers and rank up with you!” He shot Sheng Qiao an urgent look. “Right, Xiao Qiao-jie?!”

Sheng Qiao held back a laugh. “Right. We’ll switch servers and crush noobs in Bronze. We’ll hit King in one night!”

Zhao Yu perked up. “Really? Okay, let me log in!”

Ranked matches didn’t allow four-player queues. Li Yao wasn’t interested in playing on a smurf account anyway, so he went off to play by himself. Sheng Qiao and Hu Ruiwen logged into a different server. On a new server, it’s a fresh start with a new rank, so the three of them set off on their Bronze-to-King journey as a trio of newbies.

Zhao Yu finally experienced the joy of being carried.

In one match, she went to the bathroom and afk’d at the base. When she came back, the game had already ended in victory. In low-tier matches, Sheng Qiao was basically an unstoppable slaughter machine. Hu Ruiwen was also a Glory King veteran—one as an assassin, one as a marksman. Zhao Yu took her best support role, and the three of them synergized perfectly. Matches ended in ten minutes flat, and their ranks shot up fast.

By early morning, Zhao Yu had reached Diamond I.

Hu Ruiwen’s enthusiasm was undimmed. “We’ll get Xiao Yu-jie to King tonight for sure!”

Zhao Yu waved her hands frantically. “Your sister can’t do it anymore—I’m dying of sleep. Reaching King can wait until tomorrow. Let’s sleep.”

The three of them yawned their way back to their rooms.

The next day, they set off for another day of sightseeing. Qi Lian looked at the three of them yawning all along the way. “Did you three go steal a cow last night?”

Hu Ruiwen’s eyes were bloodshot: “Fighting for glory!”

That evening, right after dinner, Hu Ruiwen sent a ranked match link to the group chat. “Xiao Yu-jie! Xiao Qiao-jie! Time waits for no one—hurry up!”

Zhao Yu: “Is this kid crazy?”

Sheng Qiao: “If you hadn’t teased him so much, he wouldn’t be this wound up.”

Qi Lian objected: “No way—Yu Yu has to play mahjong with me!”

Zhao Yu grinned. “Uncle Qi, aren’t you worried I’ll cheat?”

Qi Lian: “I’ll endure any humiliation for mahjong.”

When you have an elder in the house, it’s like having a treasure. Zhao Yu and Sheng Qiao had to go play a few rounds of mahjong with Qi Lian first, satisfy his craving, and then come back to the patiently waiting Hu Ruiwen for ranked games.

But Diamond and Star-level matches were too unpredictable—winning wasn’t easy. After a whole night, Zhao Yu’s rank stalled at Star II.

For the next few days, their entertainment routine was set. Mahjong first, then King of Glory. Zhao Yu’s rank steadily climbed to her highest ever—King with fifteen stars!

After finishing their Italy leg, the guests moved on to Greece for the next stop of their backpacking journey. They were having so much fun filming, but the online abuse against Sheng Qiao never stopped.

The female guest who’d walked off had a personal grudge against Sheng Qiao and kept buying bots to smear her online. The cyberbullying escalated. One evening, after dinner, Zhao Yu went to the hotel rooftop to stretch and exercise, and overheard Jiang Yu talking with staff in the stairwell.

Sheng Qiao’s agent had requested that BTS footage be released to clear her name, but the walkout celebrity kept using her financial leverage to pressure them. If Jiang Yu released the footage, he’d be openly defying capital interests.

The executive director said anxiously, “We can’t release it, Director Jiang. At worst, she’ll get attacked for a little longer. Once the show airs, the truth will come out naturally. There’s no need for us to pick a fight with capital right now!”

Jiang Yu was silent.

Zhao Yu bit the hair tie off her wrist, snapped it onto her palm, and pulled her hair up as she stepped into the stairwell. “Uncle.”

Jiang Yu turned to look at her.

She smiled. “Never bow to evil, never break your integrity—that’s what you taught me since I was little. Don’t go back on your own word in front of me now.”

Jiang Yu glared at her a couple times.

The next day, the BTS footage clearing Sheng Qiao’s name was released. The online tide finally turned. Zhao Yu didn’t mention it to Sheng Qiao and just kept happily filming with everyone else.

That night, back at the hostel, Zhao Yu had just showered and was lying in bed looking at the upcoming schedule Lin Zhinan had sent her, when Sheng Qiao came back and flopped down beside her, hugging her and ruffling her affectionately.

Zhao Yu squirmed and pushed her away: “You haven’t showered—you stink, don’t touch me!”

Sheng Qiao held on tight. They wrestled for a while, then ended up lying side by side on the bed. Sheng Qiao hugged her arm and snuggled closer. “I know everything now. Thank you, Yu Yu, for speaking up for me!”

Zhao Yu pushed her head away. “It’s nothing. Right and wrong will always sort themselves out; justice lies in people’s hearts.”

Sheng Qiao said, “You’ve been so learned lately—doesn’t really fit your ‘bad student’ image.”

Zhao Yu spat at her. “Who says I’m a bad student?!”

Sheng Qiao: “Your fans do. I even have your middle school report card that a classmate leaked—want to see?”

Zhao Yu nearly died of fury and lunged at her. “Sheng Qiao, are you insane?! You actually saved my report card? Delete it right now!”

Sheng Qiao was being choked and rolled her eyes.

Zhao Yu had just gotten herself clean and fresh, and now after all that wrestling, she was sweaty again. She had no choice but to take another shower. Sheng Qiao sat on the bed and waved at her invitingly. “Wanna take a bath together?”

Zhao Yu: “No thanks. I’m afraid your mysterious ‘darling’ would come after me.”

Sheng Qiao immediately shut up.

The hostel’s air conditioner was broken. At first, it didn’t cool at all, and then in the middle of the night, it got freezing cold and couldn’t be adjusted. The two of them ended up sharing one bed, piling two blankets on top for warmth.

Sheng Qiao felt Zhao Yu’s waist and then tried for her chest, but Zhao Yu firmly stopped her. She grabbed Sheng Qiao’s hands and stared at her for a moment. “You’re really something.”

Sheng Qiao lay back flat. After a moment, she sighed. “What else can I do? If I got mad at everyone who insults me, would I even be alive?”

Zhao Yu thought for a moment. “That’s true.”

Sheng Qiao ruffled her hair. “You’re pretty thick-skinned too. I just get trashed online—you got water thrown in your face back then, and you brushed it off like it was nothing.”

Zhao Yu was stunned for a long moment, then let out a low laugh. “Yeah. The moment you choose to become a celebrity, you’re already destined to bear all that.”

Sheng Qiao turned her head. “Do you regret it?”

Regret it?

Ten years of struggle, through heat and cold, sweat and tears—had she ever regretted it?

After a long pause, Zhao Yu smiled. “How could I regret it? On this path, I’ve already gained the most important thing in my life.”

If she hadn’t become a celebrity, she’d still be that Zhao Yu who always gave up halfway, who drifted through life without purpose. She wouldn’t have found her dream. She wouldn’t have become the shining person she was today.

Sheng Qiao smiled too. “Same here—I’ve already gotten my most precious treasure too.”

……

The final stop of their backpacking trip was Prague. Throughout the journey, Zhao Yu had been trio-queuing with Sheng Qiao and Hu Ruiwen every night. Not only did her rank skyrocket, but because they rarely lost and she always played Zhang Fei as support, her hero power score shot up too, earning her the title of City’s Best Zhang Fei.

Zhao Yu was so proud she screenshotted it and posted on her Moments: From now on, Chengdu’s Mahjong God shall be known as Chengdu’s Best Zhang Fei!

Likes and comments started pouring in.

Xia Yuan messaged her: “Sis! From now on, you’re carrying me!”

Zhao Yu puffed out her chest: “Leave it to your sis.”

The comments were full of praise. Zhao Yu was happily replying to each one when she suddenly got a comment from Teacher Best Actor himself:

– Ji Shucheng: What does “Chengdu’s Best Zhang Fei” mean?

Zhao Yu quickly replied: It’s a gaming term—it means I’m the best player of the hero Zhang Fei in Chengdu!

Ji Shucheng: /smile. Impressive.

Zhao Yu felt like she’d just been graded by her homeroom teacher.

During filming that afternoon, her phone buzzed several times. Zhao Yu waited until break time to check it. All the messages were from Shen Junyi:

– Shen Junyi: That’s photoshopped, right?
– Shen Junyi: When did you hit King??? Your main QQ account doesn’t even have this many stars!
– Shen Junyi: You hired a booster, didn’t you?
– Zhao Yu: You think I’m you?
– Shen Junyi: I don’t believe it! Unless you beat me in a 1v1!

Zhao Yu angrily pocketed her phone and ignored him.

Filming was nearly over. Rather than a variety show, Zhao Yu felt like this trip had been more of a vacation for her—playing games, sightseeing, eating good food, and gaining a close sisterhood.

She sent Sheng Qiao a screenshot of Shen Junyi challenging her to a 1v1. Sheng Qiao snorted. “Fight him. Beat him until he kneels and calls you daddy.”

Sheng Qiao strategized for her: “To win, he’ll definitely use his best hero.”

Zhao Yu recalled their duo queue on set: “Bian Que?”

Sheng Qiao: “Exactly. So practice Mi Yue—she counters him.”

So Zhao Yu started practicing Mi Yue in earnest. With Sheng Qiao coaching her, she quickly mastered the hero, ready to challenge Shen Junyi to a 1v1 as soon as she got back to China.

No one expected an accident on the last day of filming.

Sheng Qiao was kidnapped.

Her former agent, who’d been exploiting her for years, held a grudge after she successfully terminated her contract. Together with the female guest who’d walked off the show, he orchestrated the kidnapping.

They planned to film her to ruin her reputation. But Sheng Qiao fought back fiercely in the car, and during the struggle, the vehicle veered into a river.

By the time Zhao Yu got word and rushed to the hospital, it was already night.

That evening was supposed to be the production team’s wrap party—no one had expected this. Sheng Qiao was still in the emergency room. When Zhao Yu arrived, the first thing she saw was Huo Xi sitting on a bench in the hallway.

Seeing Huo Xi there, everyone who came was shocked and bewildered.

In Zhao Yu’s memory, Huo Xi was always composed and indifferent—cold as moonlight on a snowy peak, untouched by mundane affairs.

This was the first time she’d seen him so close to losing control. His eyes bloodshot, he told them: “She’s my girlfriend.”

So Sheng Qiao’s “darling” was Huo Xi.

Zhao Yu found it fascinating how love worked in this world.

The kidnapping wasn’t made public—it was reported as a car accident. Zhao Yu pushed back her upcoming schedule and stayed at the hospital waiting for Sheng Qiao to wake up.

Huo Xi and Sheng Qiao’s relationship couldn’t be exposed. He stayed by her bedside without sleep, and besides the doctors, only Zhao Yu and Sheng Qiao’s assistant were allowed in and out of the room.

Back in China, Sheng Qiao’s phone kept ringing with calls. Huo Xi ignored the outside world completely, holding Sheng Qiao’s hand and staring at her without moving. Zhao Yu ended up answering some of the calls for him.

That evening, Zhao Yu was sitting in the hallway eating the dinner her assistant had brought up when the phone in her pocket buzzed again.

She took it out with the spoon in her mouth and saw the caller ID: “Shen Junyi.”

Zhao Yu put the spoon back in the bowl and answered. The moment she picked up, a frantic voice came through: “Bro? Are you awake? Are you okay?”

It was the first time she’d ever heard him sound so anxious.

She was stunned for a moment. “This is Zhao Yu.”

Shen Junyi paused too, then after a beat said, “Xiao Yu, you’re at the hospital too?”

Zhao Yu said, “Yeah. Qiaoqiao hasn’t woken up yet. I can’t leave.”

Shen Junyi’s voice dropped low. “How is she? Is she out of danger?”

Zhao Yu relayed what the doctors had said earlier: “She’s out of immediate danger, but her brain was deprived of oxygen for too long. They’re not sure when—or if—she’ll wake up.”

The line was silent for a long time.

Zhao Yu called softly, “Shen Junyi, are you still there?”

His voice came back, low: “Yeah.”

Zhao Yu said, “She’ll wake up. Don’t worry.”

He gave a low “Mm.” Then added, “Text me when she wakes up.”

Zhao Yu said okay.

After hanging up, Zhao Yu looked at her now-cold dinner and felt her heart tremble, ever so slightly.

A girl’s heart is so delicate and sensitive. It was just a call from a friend checking in, but she could tell from his urgent tone that there was something more.

Zhao Yu had never felt her mind so sharp and clear before. The rumors from before, his tone, his actions—they all flashed through her mind like frames of a movie, zooming in, and every frame pointed to his unspoken fondness.

This fool. He liked her.

Did he know Sheng Qiao was already with Huo Xi?

Zhao Yu poked at her food with her chopsticks, her emotions tangled. She felt a little angry, a little amused, but couldn’t tell if she was angry at him or at herself.

So this is how it ends.

Both his feelings and hers were doomed to fail.

The hospital door opened. Huo Xi’s assistant walked out, looking dejected, an untouched meal box in his hands. Seeing Zhao Yu sitting on the bench in a daze, he said quietly, “Xiao Yu, your food’s cold. Let me heat it up for you.”

Zhao Yu snapped out of her reverie and looked up at the untouched meal in the assistant’s hands. “He still hasn’t eaten?”

The assistant nodded.

Zhao Yu took a deep breath and reached out. “Give it to me.”

The assistant handed it to her with a pleading look.

Zhao Yu carried the meal into the room. Huo Xi was still sitting by the bed, holding Sheng Qiao’s hand, as still as a sculpture.

She set the bowl down by the bedside. “Do you want Qiaoqiao to wake up and see you like this?”

Huo Xi said nothing. His bloodshot eyes were fixed only on the unconscious girl on the bed, as if she were the only thing left in his world.

Zhao Yu had never seen such a fierce, burning love—like a raging fire that could sear right through a person’s heart.

She’d planted the seed of a secret crush before she even understood what love was. It had taken root and bloomed into a flower of unrequited affection. No matter how beautiful or soft that flower was, only she could see it.

She had never experienced love.

And yet, it felt like she had been loving for years.

She looked at the two people holding hands and thought—they are so brave.

This is what love is.

……

Three days later, Sheng Qiao finally woke up.

Doctors confirmed she was out of danger—she’d just need to stay in the hospital for observation a little longer. Zhao Yu immediately sent the news to Shen Junyi. She’d expected him to call Sheng Qiao to check in, but he simply replied “Got it” and did nothing more.

Zhao Yu was even angrier, though she couldn’t say why.

Huo Xi hadn’t slept for as long as Sheng Qiao had been unconscious. The moment she woke up and saw how haggard he looked, she was heartbroken and fussed over him until she convinced him to go rest.

Zhao Yu had been force-fed dog food at the door. After Huo Xi left, she went in. “You even kept it from me—so much for sisterhood!”

Sheng Qiao grinned sheepishly.

A top idol’s relationship, if leaked, would send the domestic entertainment industry into a frenzy. Zhao Yu didn’t hold it against her. She told her she’d be leaving that afternoon.

Sheng Qiao said, “So soon?”

Zhao Yu pinched her cheek. “What else? I’ve been here with your boyfriend for days. Do you know how many schedules I canceled and how much money I lost?!”

Sheng Qiao gathered all the oranges from the fruit basket and stuffed them into a bag for her. “I’ll make it up to you when you’re back! Take these for the road!”

Zhao Yu said, “No, thanks. Too lazy to peel. Unlike you, with Huo Xi at your beck and call 24/7.”

Sheng Qiao peeled an orange and handed it to her. “There’s a line of people wanting to peel oranges for you stretching from here all the way back to China. Sweet love is yours for the taking!”

Zhao Yu broke the orange apart and popped a segment into her mouth, gazing out the window at the breeze rustling through the treetops.

Only after finishing the last piece did she finally turn back with a smile. “Forget it. Compared to love, I’d rather be the National Goddess.”

The flower of secret love was indeed beautiful and soft. But the vines in her heart had long since bloomed and grown, yielding even more beautiful flowers.

Her world was already bursting with blossoms.

The withering of one flower wouldn’t bring her sorrow—only a quiet regret that it couldn’t bloom forever.