Chief commentator Shui Congyi is renowned for his ability to control the atmosphere. No matter how the match is going, he can easily bring the audience into his rhythm.
His sharp eyes point out clever plays the players themselves might miss. His kind heart helps them recover from unexpected mistakes, and a few words from him are enough to keep viewers from boiling over in frustration.
The teams all share an unspoken understanding: if Shui is at the commentary desk when you play, you don't need to worry about being pelted with rotten eggs after the match. Every player in the industry is grateful to him.
But today, Shui Congyi seems to have lost his soul.
He sits at the commentary desk under a cloud, calmly explaining the match as if he were an emotionless robot.
The audience is just as silent. They watch helplessly as the once-great number one player, who had achieved countless triumphs, is crushed by a younger rival. The scene is brutal.
Watching a hero grow old is always heartbreaking.
...Though this veteran has only just turned twenty-two.
.
The "veteran," Jiang Xing, declines the post-match interview and hides in the staff corridor to find some peace and quiet.
With a trembling hand he can't control, he peels off a candy wrapper, pops a coffee candy into his mouth, and pushes open the restroom curtain with a blank expression.
Someone is standing at the sink. No one in the industry could fail to recognize that face.
A top student's mind from a prestigious university, a silver tongue, impeccable manners, and a face good enough for the entertainment industry: in any field, he seems to have cheat codes.
Players like to joke that the event organizers must have done something wonderful in a past life to get Shui Congyi.
Water trickles from the tap. Shui Congyi stands before the mirror, head bowed. Hearing a noise, he instinctively turns his head.
And Jiang Xing sees a face streaked with water, and eyes still red and swollen despite having been rinsed with cold water again and again.
.
The big boss has recently decided to enter the livestreaming business. He's poured money into a new platform and plans to test the waters with the most popular online game under his company.
The old man is over fifty, but eager to learn. He's quickly started figuring out what young people like.
For example, he could gather a few currently popular players, high-traffic streamers and strategy experts, along with famous guild leaders from the game, get them on a group call to livestream together, and pair them off to promote their ships or whatever.
A few employees joke quietly among themselves, "Isn't that just matchmaking?"
Jiang Xing, who has been called in to take promotional photos for the tournament, smiles silently. It has nothing to do with him anyway.
Someone says, "Hey, I wonder who Teacher Shui will be paired with. The old man always likes having him front and center."
Jiang Xing blinks and quietly scoots his swivel chair a little closer.
"Didn't they say Boss Shui is a Jiang Xing fan in private? If Boss Shui asks, the old man will definitely agree. As for Jiang Xing..."
Jiang Xing's hand shakes, and the candy he has just unwrapped falls into the trash. Who knows if it's because he heard his own name or something else.
"Come on, everyone knows Jiang Xing is shy. Besides, that kid's been through a rough patch lately. He probably won't agree..."
Before the speaker can finish, the curtain bulges, and a young man slowly rolls out from behind it in his chair, staring at them with dark eyes.
"I never said I wouldn't."
| A Guide to This Story |
1. The receiving partner is the protagonist. A gaming superstar (top) x chief commentator (bottom), with the top younger than the bottom.
2. The game is an original Western fantasy keyboard-based online game. Classes: thief (top) x bard (bottom).
3. The early part focuses on the online game. The esports elements increase in the middle and later parts, when the leads form an amateur team and compete together. Yay!
4. All the worldbuilding exists to serve the couple's romance. Many in-game features would almost certainly cause a huge player backlash if they existed in real life, and the development team would end up packing their bags and fleeing (.)
5. Everything about esports is fictional and fanciful, powered by the author's imagination. Just imagine the story takes place in the future (.)
Theme: Youth is something you only get once.
