"Sorry, this one's mine."
Zheng Ji said with a troubled expression, taking responsibility for losing this round.
Seeing this, Wang Hao and the others didn't feel right about blaming him further. After all, it was just a casual game, and there was no reason to be too serious.
However, despite saying that, losing so badly still felt quite unpleasant.
Lu Yaoyao, in particular, felt a pang of unease looking at Qin Tian and Xia Nuannuan chatting and laughing on the other side. She had originally planned to play seriously, showcase her gaming skills, and then ask Qin Tian and his companion for their game IDs, hoping to play together often and create opportunities for interaction. Unexpectedly, she had been completely outplayed.
The fact that Qin Tian and Xia Nuannuan had such seamless teamwork only made her feel more complicated.
"Qin Tian, one more round? I drove all this way, we can't just play one game, right?" Wang Hao suggested to Qin Tian with a smile.
"I'm fine with whatever!" Qin Tian shrugged indifferently.
By this time, it was already noon, and more and more customers were arriving at the internet cafe. Hearing the noisy commotion from the front, Qin Tian tilted his head and looked over. A large group of customers had just arrived at the reception desk, and Zhao Mingyuan, Han Qian, and the two cashiers were all busy. Seeing this, Qin Tian, being the hands-off owner, felt it wouldn't be right to continue playing here.
"Anyone who wants to play, take a turn. The store is a bit busy, I'll go help them." Qin Tian turned and said to his classmates.
A few boys who also enjoyed the game eagerly volunteered.
"Nuannuan, you choose!" Qin Tian said to Xia Nuannuan beside him with a smile.
"How about I go help you too?" Xia Nuannuan asked tentatively. She mostly played this game with Qin Tian, and if he wasn't playing, she didn't really feel like playing either.
"No need, you stay and play. I'll go," Qin Tian directly refused.
"Then..." Xia Nuannuan looked at the other boys, feeling inexplicably unwilling to assist them.
"Shen Siqi, how about you play?" Qin Tian, sensing her thoughts, turned and said to Shen Siqi.
"Ah? Me? No, no, I just started playing not long ago, I'm really bad," Shen Siqi waved her hands flusteredly.
"It's okay, just play for fun. Winning or losing isn't important," Qin Tian comforted her with a smile.
"Siqi, you should go play, I'll carry you!" Chen Zhuang said with a bright smile, patting his chest. After the last game, his golden top-laner confidence had soared.
Shen Siqi rolled her eyes at him and then looked at Qin Tian and Xia Nuannuan.
"Then... I'll give it a try?"
"Come on!" Qin Tian beckoned, getting up and giving her his seat. Shen Siqi had started playing this game because Xia Nuannuan taught her. They occasionally played together, and they were both bot lane players.
"Brother Wang, you guys play. I'm going to help out," Qin Tian said to Wang Hao over there.
"Alright, you go ahead. But if you're not playing, I'm definitely going to win!" Wang Hao said with a laugh.
"That's not certain. My Nuannuan is also very skilled," Qin Tian retorted seriously, turning to give Xia Nuannuan a thumbs-up and encouraging her, "Good luck, defeat them."
"I'm just a support," Xia Nuannuan said with a wry smile.
"What's wrong with being a support? You're my exclusive support, you can still carry," Qin Tian winked at her and strode quickly towards the front desk.
"Oh, an exclusive support, you have to carry me this game, don't slack off just because I'm not Qin Tian!" Shen Siqi teased Xia Nuannuan beside her with a playful smile.
"Hmph!" Xia Nuannuan pushed her away shyly.
Lu Yaoyao watched this scene, then glanced at Qin Tian, who had already walked away. A flicker of determination flashed deep in her eyes. In her opinion, this game was the chance to prove who was stronger between herself and Xia Nuannuan, and she absolutely couldn't lose.
"Zheng Ji, don't let the lane fall apart this round. Don't get tunnel vision!" Wang Hao reminded Zheng Ji after both sides had selected their heroes.
"Don't worry, I won't!" Zheng Ji responded with a calm expression. Without Qin Tian playing, he wasn't interested in bullying two girls. He even felt that winning or losing didn't matter anymore; he'd just go through the motions.
...
...
Most of the customers at the reception desk were old customers from other Tianming Internet Cafe branches. When the internet cafe previously held a "Tianming Cup" League of Legends competition, a member had specifically created a QQ group, and these people were all members of that group. Hearing that this branch had a recharge promotion today, they were rallied by the group administrators and came together as a team, hoping to get better discounts through group purchases.
Upon learning that Qin Tian was also one of the owners of this internet cafe, a group of customers were extremely surprised. Some of the more quick-witted ones took the lead and showered him with praise. Others quickly followed suit. "The boss is so handsome," "Such a distinguished demeanor," "Young and promising"... All sorts of flattering words were thrown at Qin Tian. Qin Tian was certainly not stingy, especially since this was an opportunity to earn better system rewards. After discussing with Zhao Mingyuan, he decided to offer them an additional 20% discount on top of the day's recharge promotion, valid only for today and only for the old members of the QQ group, as a token of appreciation for their continued support.
Instantly, these loyal customers of Tianming Internet Cafe cheered, continuing to flatter him profusely while eagerly taking out their money to recharge. After arranging for this group of customers, things temporarily became quiet. Qin Tian returned to Xia Nuannuan and the others, finding that they had just finished another game.
Seeing him approach, Xia Nuannuan looked at him with a wronged expression.
"What's wrong? Did you lose?" Qin Tian was taken aback and looked at her computer screen. It was indeed Xia Nuannuan and her team who had lost. The kill count difference wasn't large, but Xia Nuannuan's and Shen Siqi's scores were dismal. One had 0 kills and 9 deaths, the other 1 kill and 11 deaths, both feeding heavily. Chen Zhuang, Cao Mingliang, and Zeng Xin, playing top, mid, and jungle respectively, all had positive kill-death ratios.
A quick glance at the opponent's data, and Qin Tian immediately understood. It was clear that the opposing team had been relentlessly focusing on the bot lane. Especially Lu Yaoyao's Lux in mid lane, who had been playing so well she was borderline godlike.
"Qin Tian, they were too much! They kept coming to bot lane, even tower-diving to kill us. Nuannuan and I were bullied so badly. Hurry, you come play," Shen Siqi urged him, annoyed.
"It's okay, I'll get revenge for you!" Qin Tian raised his hand and gently patted Xia Nuannuan's head, then turned to Wang Hao and said, "Brother Wang, you guys were too ruthless, bullying two girls while I was away?"
"Uh... that wasn't my call!" Wang Hao said with an awkward smile.
Qin Tian rolled his eyes and shifted his gaze to the instigator, Lu Yaoyao. Lu Yaoyao leaned back on the sofa chair with her arms crossed, smiling triumphantly and lifting her chin.
"Bullying my girlfriend, huh? Fine, you better not cry later!" Qin Tian said with a serious and earnest expression, then turned to Zeng Xin and said, "Zeng Xin, you spectate this game, I'll play jungle. Shen Siqi, you and Nuannuan continue in the bot lane."