My Gaming Buddy Turns Out to Be My Rival

Lu Xingran and Shen Yanci are universally recognized as "mortal enemies" in the entertainment industry.

One is a top-tier star who shot to fame with a single xianxia drama, with fans all over the internet. The other is an actor whose skill has earned him awards across the board, along with both acclaim and popularity.

Ever since their debuts, they have been constantly compared and pitted against each other: competing for the same opportunities and awards, while their fans wage war online. Every entertainment-industry conflict imaginable has played out between them.

In front of the media, the two always maintain a polite yet distant relationship, avoiding each other's eyes and movements at every turn.

When asked about the other in interviews, Lu Xingran would raise an eyebrow and smile faintly. "Mr. Shen? He's an excellent actor, and someone worth learning from."

Shen Yanci would give a slight nod. "Mr. Lu has great potential. His future looks bright."

Their pleasantries were watertight, yet neither was willing to offer even one unnecessary word of praise.

Their fans regarded the other as a thorn in their side, too. Hashtags like "Lu Xingran's fans tear into Shen Yanci" and "Shen Yanci's team takes sly digs at Lu Xingran" have occupied the trending lists for years.

In both fan communities, the chant "Get out of the entertainment industry, rival fandom!" has never stopped.

But these two people, who are sworn enemies in real life, are gaming buddies?!

It all began on an ordinary night.

Lu Xingran had just finished an intense day of filming. He dragged his exhausted body back to the hotel and, as usual, logged into the competitive game he had been playing for three years.

His ID was "Burning Asteroid." In the game, he was a sharp-playing, hot-tempered jungler who was reported by his teammates all the time for flaming them too harshly.

That night, he was matched with a support player whose ID was "Just a Random Player." Their plays were terrifyingly precise. They always provided just the right crowd control and healing when he needed it most, and even saved him with incredible plays after several of his impulsive team-fight initiations went wrong.

When the match ended, Lu Xingran, for once, didn't flame anyone. Instead, he sent a friend request first. "You're pretty good at support. Want to play another round?"

"Just a Random Player" accepted quickly and replied with just one word: "Sure."

Lu Xingran unexpectedly became bound to the ACE Top the Charts System. That day, the mission panel displayed just one requirement.

Win over the ace of his rival boy band, Shen Yanci. Reach 100% affection to unlock the ultimate stage buff.

As an all-around ACE who had won the Gold Disc Award for Best New Artist three years running, he began his mission.

On the other side of the internet, Shen Yanci was being forced by the "Universal Adoration Comeback System" to meet its KPI: "Bind your target and make them devoted to you."

The two fell in love with each other while trying to win each other over.

Fans: ??? Weren't they supposed to stay out of each other's way forever???

Their Systems: "Host! Your target is your rival's ACE!"

Lu Xingran and Shen Yanci: Thanks for asking. We're already figuring out how to show off our relationship publicly without getting blacklisted by our companies.

Theme: Come on, who wants to date you?