After the stream started, the number of viewers doubled rapidly.
Yun Qi greeted everyone in the streaming room first, then connected with the streamers that Lang Xian had arranged. Lang Xian quickly logged into the streaming room right after. Their backgrounds were identical, and their positions were side by side, so the fans recognized them at a glance and asked what this setup was about.
【Hello? Are they being this blatant now?】
【Are you two in the same room?】
【This is SK’s training room, right? We’ve seen Qi Qi’s background like this before.】
【I know, I just want an explanation lololol, Mo Luo magic is real.】
After Lang Xian joined the streaming room, he briefly explained the situation to the netizens. Once the streamer connections were successful, the scripted drama of announcing their relationship under the guise of playing a game began to unfold step by step.
Since Yun Qi had chosen to play along, he cooperated fully. Lang Xian’s friends all turned on their mics and greeted him enthusiastically. Someone said, “Hello, sister-in-law,” which flipped the streaming room upside down. The bullet screens exploded in an instant, and Yun Qi stared at those rapidly scrolling messages, every word glaring as hell.
【Brother Hao is too savage, wtf hahahaha】
【Sister-in-law… Can we even hear this?】
【Face-to-face ultimate, Brother Hao is a legend.】
【They’ve got Qiluo dumbfounded.】
【Qi Qi, curse him out!】
A barrage of 666s was flooding the screen. Yun Qi glanced to his side. Lang Xian hadn’t said a word and looked completely unfazed, as if this was routine. Remembering the conditions, Yun Qi didn’t clarify anything and ambiguously replied, “Hello.”
【Hello? What does that mean? Indirectly admitting it?】
【Qi Qi, don’t let him handle you so easily. Pig Hao’s got a filthy mouth, curse him out.】
【Qi Qi cursing him won’t shut Brother Hao up; it’ll just make him secretly thrilled.】
【Upstairs nailed it.】
This tech streamer Pig Hao had previously shouted out Yun Qi in his own stream, back when Lang Xian had nothing to do with it and they hadn’t even started hyping things up. Someone had asked Pig Hao what his ideal type was like, and he shamelessly named Yun Qi right there in the streaming room, sparking a huge controversy.
Yun Qi knew about it too—fans would @ him to check out clips, and he’d occasionally watch when he had free time to see what happened. Pig Hao’s real name was Zhu Hao, a local from Shanghai, famous for his straightforward personality. His fanbase was mostly male, and his streaming style was to comment on and judge everything without holding back—except politics, which he avoided to steer clear of bans. He didn’t shy away from spicing up other sensitive topics.
He was one of the streamers Lang Xian had arranged for the collab today. Yun Qi couldn’t quite figure out the dynamic between him and Lang Xian, so he treated Pig Hao as nonexistent, greeted the familiar streamers, and then the group created a room and jumped into the game.
Pig Hao didn’t let it go that easily. It was unclear if he was just going through the motions or farming attention, but he talked the most throughout. Right at the hero select screen, he started stirring shit: “Captain Lang took my ideal type—what the hell am I supposed to play?”
“Luo Shen, I’ve added you so many times—why won’t you accept?”
“Is it that your heart only has room for Captain Lang and not me?”
“I’m not bad-looking either. Let’s meet up offline.”
“Ah Huai, let me have shooter this round. I need to go all-in with my ideal type till death do us part.”
He locked in the shooter Fanny.
“Hehe, Luo Shen likes playing Little Cherry Blossom, right? Come on, let’s duo—invincible combo.”
Yun Qi said, “I don’t play Little Cherry Blossom.”
He picked the short, fat, roly-poly Mudman instead.
“Fuck, that’s a boner-killer.” Pig Hao kept yapping: “Wahhh, I guess I’ll just wreck the enemy team to vent. A heartbroken man is terrifying!”
【Pig Hao, cut the acting already?】
【Stinky Pig Hao, don’t try to leech off this.】
【You dare flirt with Qi Qi when Captain Lang’s right there? Asking for a beating?】
【Pig Hao’s mouth is nonstop.】
【As everyone knows, when fighting Pig Hao, hit the mouth first.】
Lang Xian casually added, “I really don’t know if inviting you was a good idea or a bad one.”
Once the match started, everyone had their own agendas, and no one was focused on the game. After a bit, someone started steering the rhythm, and that’s when the real game truly began.
“Captain Lang, when are you taking Qiluo to meet the parents?” one streamer asked right after the game kicked off.
Lang Xian quickly followed up: “Why don’t you ask Qi Qi when he’s free?”
【Holy shit, are these two for real?】
【????????】
【Captain Lang, you mean…】
【Wait, did I get that right? Is this an official response?】
The uncertain netizens then heard Yun Qi say, “We’ll see.”
【Wtf, turning fake into real?】
【Qi Qi, you…】
【OMG, these two are actually dating aaaaaaaah!】
【Yes! I knew my ship was real!】
【This isn’t just hype, right?】
【You two openly discussing meeting parents? Not treating us like outsiders at all.】
【Battle Support CP is too shippable.】
【Wahhh, I was so worried Qi Qi was getting bullied on the team. Then Danwan showed up, and I thought Qi Qi wouldn’t get any playtime. I totally misunderstood Captain Lang—he must really love Qi Qi!】
【Aaaah, nothing more to say, 999999!】
If they ever found out it was all fake, how would they face it?
At this moment, watching the blessings fly across the bullet screen, Yun Qi felt a sour pang in his heart.
Lang Xian had achieved exactly what he wanted. They didn’t need some over-the-top, phony announcement. With all these viewers watching, the news would spread like wildfire. Those media outlets that loved to chop and twist stories would surely eat this up.
During the game, Yun Qi had proactively answered the flood of questions from fans online. The match itself was secondary; putting on a show was the real priority. When someone asked when he and Lang Xian had gotten together, Yun Qi hinted both openly and subtly at a case of love blossoming over time. Their CP fans went wild, and the viewer count in the streaming room kept climbing. But this didn’t make Yun Qi happy—instead, it felt like a heavy burden weighing him down.
The situation had reached the point Lang Xian desired. Yun Qi glanced over and saw him grinning ear to ear, chatting with a few other streamers.
“You all should worry about your own stuff instead of fretting over whether he’s getting bullied.”
“Sure thing. When you come to Shanghai, drinks are on me—of course, I’ll bring Qi Qi along too.”
“Weekend won’t work. We’ve got Esports Night that weekend, and the whole team’s gotta go. I’ll be there too.”
Listening to Lang Xian’s words, Yun Qi felt a flicker of confusion. He was agreeing to take him out for drinks with friends? Once this charade was over, they would go their separate ways. There was no way he’d tag along to meet Lang Xian’s buddies.
Yun Qi wanted to clarify, but with the stream still live, he had to swallow his questions for now.
The broadcast had been going for over an hour, with three matches played. Pig Hao kept ribbing him the whole time, calling him heartbroken over and over, which added some comedic flair while subtly implying that he and Lang Xian had turned their fake act into the real deal.
The fans were eating it up, fully immersed, turning into unwitting pawns in the game.
【Love it! Baby’s killing it!】
【Captain Lang, go get him! Seal the deal with Qi Qi! Can we get a live DOI? I can’t wait!】
【I love it so much! My CP is real—I’m losing my mind!!!】
Yun Qi was distracted the entire time. Once he’d done what he needed to, he couldn’t focus anymore.
Staring at the bullet screen going crazy over him and Lang Xian, a wave of discomfort washed over him. It hurt to deceive others like this—to deceive himself.
As the stream wound down, the comments finally became somewhat bearable.
【Qi Qi, you’ll be on the starting roster next year, right? I won’t watch without you.】
【Has the new guy affected you at all, Qi Qi? Will we see you next year?】
【Danwan’s awesome too, but I really can’t let go of Qi Qi. Is that rumor about you leaving true?】
【No way—Captain Lang wouldn’t just leave Qi Qi high and dry.】
Yun Qi smiled and replied, “Thanks for all the concern, everyone. But honestly, I don’t know what next year will look like. I’ll go with whatever the team’s decision is.”
“Alright, time to end the stream. That’s it for today.”
With that, he turned dramatically to the side and asked, “Captain Lang?”
Lang Xian played along. “That’s it for today, folks. See you next time.”
They shut down the stream amid the frenzy of bullet comments.
The moment it ended, Yun Qi’s smile vanished.
He waited until Lang Xian finished saying goodbye to his streamer friends, then asked, “So, when do I get to meet the higher-ups?”
Lang Xian casually shoved his keyboard aside, propped up his headset, and eyed him. “That eager?”
“I’ve held up my end of the deal. This is a transaction— no need to drag it out.”
“Give it two more days. How do I know how this stream will play out? What if no one buys it? I’d have wasted everything.”
“How long?”
“If things blow up quick, I’ll make good on my promise quick.”
“Got it.”
Yun Qi stood and headed for the door.
Lang Xian sounded displeased. “You’re really this heartless?”
Yun Qi didn’t look back. “We never had anything real to begin with.”
Lang Xian started to say something but stopped as Yun Qi left. A shadow of irritation darkened his eyes. His computer screen was still on his personal homepage after the stream ended, with private messages popping nonstop. His fan group was exploding.
The news spread fast. Yun Qi had been streaming alongside Lang Xian for the past couple of days, and the hype kept building. Even his own teammates were starting to blur the lines between truth and fiction.
That evening, running into Jiu Shuang in the hallway, Yun Qi caught the complicated look in his eyes—he knew better than to ask what it meant. He and Jiu Shuang had never gotten along, so he planned to ignore him and head back to his room. But Jiu Shuang spoke up first: “So, you compromised after all, just to stay on the team.”
He was referring to Yun Qi and Lang Xian being together.
Yun Qi had never bothered explaining himself to people who were biased against him. Playing along with Jiu Shuang’s words, he said, “Yeah, I’m in such a precarious spot right now. I have to do something.”
Jiu Shuang sneered. “Heh, I knew you’d pull a stunt like this—playing hard to get. Only Captain Lang can’t see through it.”
Yun Qi glanced back at him with a faint smile. “Pretty clever, aren’t you?”
Jiu Shuang stepped forward. The two of them were about the same height, locking eyes evenly. Jiu Shuang made no effort to hide the aggression in his gaze. “The pro scene isn’t some game of schemes to snag a starting roster spot. If you want to sell yourself, head to a nightclub. Plenty of like-minded friends there. This is a world where strength reigns supreme. Even if you cling on like this, it’ll be over in a flash—like a shooting star.”
Yun Qi held Jiu Shuang’s stare, perfectly calm. “But Lang Xian eats it up. If you’re not happy about it, go talk to him. Tell him to boot me from SK. I’ve suggested it to you more than once already.”
“Yun Qi.” Jiu Shuang spat his name through gritted teeth.
Yun Qi tilted his head. “Yeah?”
Jiu Shuang balled his fists. “Stop dragging SK down.”
Yun Qi enunciated each word deliberately. “Make me.”
Neither man yielded an inch, and their exchange accomplished nothing. In Yun Qi’s eyes, Jiu Shuang glimpsed a deep-seated stubbornness. His expression held no overt challenge, yet it radiated an unshakeable resolve.
A resolve to destroy SK.
In the end, Jiu Shuang turned and left first. For the first time, Yun Qi had come out on top in a face-off with him.
Jiu Shuang’s footsteps faded into the distance behind him. Yun Qi brushed off the brief confrontation and headed back to his room.
The next day, the drama exploded online. The buzz about him and Lang Xian spread like wildfire across the internet.
SK’s online presence had been shrinking ever since their tournament loss, overshadowed entirely by KRO headlines. That is, until this scandal with Lang Xian reignited the flames.
This was Yun Qi’s third stream alongside Lang Xian—and it would be their last. Before going live, Lang Xian had promised to introduce him to someone afterward. Yun Qi had no inkling that anything major would unfold during the broadcast itself.
He figured it would play out like the previous two: a quick session interacting with Lang Xian’s friends, followed by some playful, flirty banter in-game from Lang Xian. But at 3:15 p.m., a viewer with a Kitty avatar slipped into his Streaming Room. Yun Qi hadn’t been paying attention to the audience before, but by sheer coincidence, he glanced up just in time to spot the username “Yao Qi.”
The easy smile he’d been directing at the camera froze solid on his face.
And right then, the team’s Streamer picked the worst possible moment to drop a bombshell question.
“I heard Qiluo’s idol is Eidis too? In a do-or-die pick-one scenario between Captain Lang and E God, who’d you go with?”
