Ye Lan looked towards the reef, but strangely, she saw no sign of anyone!
"There's no one there, did you see wrong? Or are you trying to scare me on purpose?"
Ren Yuanhao rubbed his eyes. The tall, thin human shape he had seen just moments ago had truly vanished.
—Could it have been a hallucination?
Ye Lan saw that his expression didn't seem like he was lying, so she suggested they go and check out the reef.
"No need. Perhaps I was mistaken. Let's head back. I just don't feel right, it's quite eerie."
Ye Lan nodded, and Ren Yuanhao changed direction, heading towards the nearby sea.
After the two had gone far away, a dark shadow flickered on the dark green reef. It was withered like dry firewood.
By the time they returned to Ye Lan's residence, it was almost four in the afternoon. The two ate something and sat on the sofa playing two rounds of Street Fighter. Ye Lan then fell asleep on Ren Yuanhao's shoulder.
Asleep, Ye Lan was like a little wildcat who had lost her sense of security, her brow slightly furrowed, her nose slightly wrinkled.
This was the cold, high-profile esports queen, stripped of all her defenses and external persona, returning to her true self.
With the beauty by his side, Ren Yuanhao's mind was still on that dark green reef. Logically, that place was surrounded by the sea, and there shouldn't be anyone there. But he believed his own eyes, and even more so, his body's reactions.
—Could it be that I saw a ghost?
Ye Lan's breathing grew more even. To distract himself, he took out his phone, which had been on silent. To his surprise, he found over ten new text messages and five or six missed calls.
The calls were from Yang Lingxue and Shen Lan Ni. As for the text messages, half were from Zhang Yingfang, and the other half were from Yang Lingxue and Shen Lan Ni.
Zhang Yingfang's messages were all small inquiries, such as "Have you eaten?", "Has your old injury flared up?", "Is the mission going smoothly?", which made Ren Yuanhao feel a little touched.
Finally, he focused his gaze on the last message.
It was from Shen Lan Ni, saying that Jiang Cheng seemed to have invited a professor to teach him Taekwondo and that he should be careful.
Speaking of which, the Martial Arts Association大会 was the day after tomorrow. Ren Yuanhao not only hadn't learned any practical techniques or secret skills but was also injured. If there were no further improvements or fortunate encounters tomorrow, he might just be trampled underfoot and brutally beaten.
—Perhaps I should ask Shen Lan Ni for some pointers tonight?
The thought brought to mind the scene of Shen Lan Ni teaching him an over-the-shoulder throw, and the sounds of bones cracking.
...
As night fell, the internet cafe under Ye Lan's company was already full. The private rooms were filled with cameras. The one-on-one duel for the game "A Maiden's Love" had not yet begun, but the atmosphere was already tense.
The spotlights were almost entirely focused on Ye Lan.
The esports queen, who possessed both skill and beauty, was like a statue at this moment. The cameras showcased her feminine beauty from every angle, yet her mind was entirely occupied by a man.
And this man was currently standing outside the internet cafe, in front of the massive screen in the circular plaza.
Thousands of players and fans had already gathered before the large screen, discussing animatedly. Major platforms were also broadcasting the event live. The level of attention was so high that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say the city was deserted.
At this moment, a host from a certain live broadcast platform interviewed, "Miss Ye Lan, on behalf of all the otaku, I'd like to ask you a question: Do you have a boyfriend?"
Ye Lan tilted her head. When facing the live camera, she was so beautiful that the fans present roared with excitement. Millions of otaku, sitting by their computers, watched nervously, as if waiting for the queen's answer.
Ren Yuanhao felt that the filters, skin smoothing, and beautification effects couldn't fully capture her beauty. On the screen, she was indeed flawless, but like her persona, she was breathtakingly cold.
But he didn't know that for the past two years, this cool queen had only shown her cute and playful side to him.
At this moment, the entire plaza seemed to be frozen by the queen's aura, and Ye Lan seemed to ponder for a moment, casting a shadow over everyone's hearts, making them all hold their breath.
Finally, the queen replied in a chilling voice, "No."
All the otaku let out a sigh of relief, but their emotions had not yet settled when they heard their queen continue, "However, I do have someone I like."
"Ah! Who the hell is so lucky? Did they save the Earth in their past life!"
"Damn it, who stole my queen's heart? Hand them over quickly!"
"Tell me their name, and I'll climb through the internet wires tonight to chop them up. If there are no wires, I'll drift through on Wi-Fi and scare them to death!"
"I think it might be some great player from the Tianshu team. You losers should save your energy."
Everyone began to speculate. At this moment, the host teasingly provoked again, "Who is so lucky? Can you tell us their name, so the otaku have a target for revenge?"
But the queen's next sentence shocked everyone even more: "Well, I just have a crush. He might not like me."
"Damn, if you say it, what man would refuse?"
"Yeah, only a fool would refuse!"
"A bunch of simps will arrive on the battlefield immediately!"
At this moment, perhaps only Ren Yuanhao noticed a detail—Ye Lan carefully placed a lighter on the esports desk. This lighter looked quite familiar.
He instinctively reached into his pocket. The lighter was indeed gone!
—Could this little girl have a crush on me? There are too many rivals, I can't handle it.
After making this move, Ye Lan unexpectedly tapped the camera twice, revealing a smile that could melt ice and snow, as if reminding someone.
"I'm speechless, this smile is too beautiful!"
"Have you ever seen her smile like this? Something big is about to happen!"
"I'm afraid she's in love. Damn it, who is it! I'm going to chop them up!"
Of course, these guys were just talking.
At this moment, the broadcast camera suddenly shifted to the queen's opponent, Zhao Ritian, captain of the Tianshu team.
"Facing your teammate tonight, what are your thoughts?"
Zhao Ritian's face showed no expression as he replied, "There are no weak players in my team. No matter who I play against, it will be a highly watchable match."
The host once again teasingly asked, "Then who do you think will have the last laugh between you two?"
"No matter who laughs last, the glory belongs to Tianshu!"
Zhao Ritian's words instantly ignited the fans' fiery passion.
"It is now 7:54 PM. There are six minutes left before the battle begins. Will it be the esports queen Ye Lan who laughs last, or will Commander Zhao Ritian prove to be more skilled? We shall see."