"This was totally worth it."
Ma Deyi never dreamed that a beat-up keyboard would change his fate.
His coach said he was too steady and lacked aggression.
He said, "You only saw the second level. You think I'm on the first, but actually, I'm on the fifth."
Coach: "...Get out."
In 2016, he held his first livestream.
There were 23 viewers. Twenty had come to insult him, and the other three had clicked in by mistake.
The comments read: "That's it?"
He stared at the screen and said seriously, "Are you trying to teach me how to do my job?"
And then...
With a single "turnaround grab," he grabbed himself ten million followers.
From Tieling to Liyuetai, a fictional platform, from boosting accounts to becoming a top-tier star, Ma Deyi's streaming career was full of "spoon-shaped plays." But every time, he managed to turn the spoon into spoon-shaped footwork and turn a losing game into, "Oh, this was a huge win after all."
And then there were the longtime fans who had stuck with him for ten years. Every time he messed up, they would all post, "It's fine, Teacher Ma. Taking part is what counts." Whenever he carried the team, they would post, "This play? Dasima's theorem is in effect." It really was worth it.
This is the story of a man who takes things seriously.
Some say he's a fundamentals-first player: his style is simple, with no flashy moves.
But flashy moves are for naturally gifted players.
He's not one of them.
He just takes things seriously.
Ten years on, he's still gaming, still streaming, and still saying, "This was totally worth it."
And this time, it really was worth it.
