Ji Shifeng stood up, unwilling to waste more words on him.
“Get some rest. Look at the time, and you’re still online in the game”
That little coffee was hardly enough to affect him.
Ji Shileng stopped mid-yawn and looked up.
“How do you know I’m online?”
No wonder Ji Shifeng had knocked on his door so late, apparently certain he would still be awake.
Ji Shifeng fell silent for a rare few seconds before answering:
“Su Ke told me”
“He was dying from the spice and still playing games?”
“It’s a new season. He logged in to take a look”
Not wanting to elaborate, Ji Shifeng headed out.
“You’re injured. Get some rest instead of hopping around like a toy frog”
Ji Shileng was speechless. Then a thought flashed through his mind, dispelling much of his drowsiness.
How did Ji Shifeng know “Journey to Stardom” had entered a new season?
Had Su Ke told him?
Something felt off.
Alone again, Ji Shileng extracted himself from the sofa and hopped into the bedroom.
What was wrong with toy frogs? Toy frogs were adorable.
Ji Shifeng had no appreciation. No taste.
His communicator lay on the covers. With the update complete, the game had automatically stopped at the character screen.
Ji Shileng logged in and opened his friends list. Sure enough, Su Ke’s account was online and fighting fiercely in the arena.
As though he had caught hold of a clue, he selected spectator mode on his communicator, then took his laptop from his suitcase and opened the chat.
He messaged Su Ke to check on him while watching the arena match.
[Winter Snow Is Cold]: Still burning?
Su Ke was touched by the message and replied that he was all right. It was not so bad anymore.
[Winter Snow Is Cold]: Good. Why did you go eat that tonight?
Little Grass Can’t Help It: A recommendation post came up. It was nearby, so I figured I might as well try it.
Little Grass Can’t Help It: I was about to message you when your brother noticed.
[Winter Snow Is Cold]: He has too much time on his hands.
Little Grass Can’t Help It: He’s awful!
Little Grass Can’t Help It: He kept coaxing me to eat! It was so hot I cried.
Little Grass Can’t Help It: Next time I go out with Ji Shifeng, if anything happens to me, he’s definitely the suspect.
A barrage of complaints arrived.
Ji Shileng laughed, thinking his brother really was up to no good.
He wanted to see those flushed eyes and that red nose, but could not bear to make Su Ke cry. So he had chosen this underhanded method instead.
That was his brother, all right.
Meanwhile, “Victory” appeared on the game screen. On the MVP results page stood Su Ke’s character.
Ji Shileng raised an eyebrow. Su Ke was not skilled enough to chat with him and earn MVP at the same time.
[Winter Snow Is Cold]: Then just tell him off.
Little Grass Can’t Help It: Can’t be bothered. I’m magnanimous.
Before Ji Shileng could ask about his game account, another message appeared.
Little Grass Can’t Help It: Shileng, what’s going on with you and Qin Si?
Little Grass Can’t Help It: I saw the article. If you say there’s nothing between you, I’m not buying it.
Ji Shileng typed leisurely, still unaware of anything unusual.
[Winter Snow Is Cold]: What article?
Su Ke was quick. Two articles appeared almost immediately.
Glancing at the headlines, Ji Shileng was rather impressed by the speed of those shady engagement-farming accounts.
They had taken the pictures only hours ago, and the articles were already out.
They had even made their stories sound coherent. Had he not been personally involved, he might almost have believed them.
Their talent for inventing stories from photographs was certainly remarkable.
[Winter Snow Is Cold]: Nice photos. Saved them.
Little Grass Can’t Help It: ?? That’s what you’re focusing on?
[Winter Snow Is Cold]: The article’s complete nonsense. Nothing worth paying attention to.
Little Grass Can’t Help It: The problem is, other people believe it… Also, your ship name is surprisingly literary.
Ji Shileng’s eyes curved with amusement. Su Ke’s priorities were peculiar enough, yet he was criticizing his.
[Winter Snow Is Cold]: Let them believe it. We’ll deal with everything tomorrow. No rush.
[Winter Snow Is Cold]: They can call the ship whatever they like.
Once the waters were thoroughly muddied, he would step in and pour in some sand.
Little Grass Can’t Help It: True. With the PR department behind you, nothing too serious can happen.
Little Grass Can’t Help It: It’s late. Get some rest.
Ji Shileng checked the time. It was nearly midnight. He really should sleep.
“Battle Won” appeared again on the communicator beside him. Wanting a quick answer, he asked Su Ke directly whether he had hired someone to play for him recently.
The chat window kept showing that Su Ke was typing.
Ji Shileng raised an eyebrow but did not hurry him.
Little Grass Can’t Help It: The new season’s coming, so I wanted to push my arena ranking. I hired Xiao Zhao again.
Suspiciously, Ji Shileng read that message twice.
Then, doubting himself, he left spectator mode and returned to the main screen.
The new season had already begun.
He did not expose the lie. Instead, he chatted normally for a little longer and told Su Ke to go to bed.
Then he searched his contacts and found the player Su Ke regularly hired.
[Winter Snow Is Cold]: Xiao Zhao, has Su Ke asked you to boost his arena ranking lately? If so, I’ll pay you.
As a professional booster, Xiao Zhao was online around the clock.
A message from a valued client received a swift response.
[Xiao Zhao Professional Boosting]: Shileng, Su Ke hasn’t hired me recently. Did he remember wrong?
[Winter Snow Is Cold]: I’ll ask him again. There’s been a lot going on. He probably mixed things up. Help get my account to Dugu rank in the arena. Let me know the price.
[Xiao Zhao Professional Boosting]: Sure thing, no problem. We can settle monthly like before. I’m in no hurry.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Ji Shileng logged out.
He had good reason to suspect Ji Shifeng had been playing for Su Ke lately, but he had no concrete proof.
Tomorrow, he would find a way to get hold of Ji Shifeng’s communicator. Then he would know.
In the middle of the night, night owls finishing overtime joined the arguments over the interstellar network’s trending topics.
The controversy continued to grow, and Imperial Capital News was the first to face the public’s scrutiny.
The situation was worse than its public relations department had anticipated. Besides the Ji family working behind the scenes, numerous shady engagement-farming accounts were stirring up the discussion indiscriminately.
With no other choice, Imperial Capital News finally put someone forward to take the blame and temporarily stabilize the situation.
Leave a Reply