Can We Get Married First?  66

Chapter 66

In the broadcasting building’s lounge, the team went into pre-game mode.

Their first match was against Sturm, the German team.

The live stream was scheduled to begin in an hour. Following their usual routine, they went over their strategy one last time. Then, turning off all communication devices, they entered the dedicated streaming room, settled into their gaming chairs, attached their access crystals, and began warming up in the game.

The WeChat message Lou Mi had sent half an hour ago remained unanswered. Even before seeing the online gossip, Lou Mi had sensed a shift in Chi Lin’s attention. Lou Mi wanted answers, but she couldn’t bring herself to ask.

On the way to the broadcasting building, Lou Mi sat in the back row of the bus. When Xie Buyu tried to join her, Lou Mi pushed her away.

“What’s wrong, Mi-jie? The match is about to start, we should be bonding. Why are you pushing me away?” Xie Buyu whined.

Lou Mi couldn’t bring herself to smile. “I want to be alone.”

“Oh…”

Xie Buyu often bickered with Lou Mi; playful banter was part of Nine Heavens’ dynamic. But Lou Mi was usually overly energetic before matches, never this subdued. Of course, Xie Buyu knew about Chi Lin. The rumors were all over the internet.

Valuing her life, Xie Buyu wisely retreated, leaving Lou Mi alone.

Pulling her hoodie over her eyes, Lou Mi stared at Chi Lin’s WeChat profile picture: the snarling Demon Child Nori. She used to think the picture suited the little rascal. Now, Chi Lin’s demeanor had changed, but her talent for causing trouble had simply become more subtle, more internalized. The method had changed, but the impact hadn’t lessened; it was even more agonizing.

“Where are you?”

After much deliberation, Lou Mi settled on this innocuous question. Chi Lin was an adult now. It wasn’t Lou Mi’s place, or even Peng Ziyuan’s, to demand her whereabouts. What right did Lou Mi, as her older sister figure, have to ask?

But she desperately wanted to know. Even a single word from Chi Lin would bring her some peace of mind.

Yet, right up until the last second before the match, as Lou Mi attached the access crystal to her temple, Chi Lin still hadn’t replied.

Her teammates closed their eyes, entering the game world. The game interface flashed in Lou Mi’s mind, but she still clutched her smuggled phone.

The live stream viewership soared past a hundred million. Everyone wondered why HighTowerMiyuki hadn’t appeared yet.

In the game, both teams were on boats, traversing a fog-shrouded sea, heading towards the designated map: Five Finger Mountain.

Five Finger Mountain was known for its treacherous terrain. Besides their opponents, players also faced the constant threat of deadly cliffs and molten lava below.

It was one of the top five most difficult maps, and no one wanted to face HighTowerMiyuki in such a harsh environment. She was, after all, the woman who could conquer even the Snowy Peak.

Standing at the bow of the boat, her twin tails whipping in the wind, Xie Buyu, already freezing, inexplicably fanned herself with two sharp white fans. Mid-fan, she seemed to realize the absurdity of her actions and put them away.

The sea ahead began to clear, signaling their approach to the shore.

The commentators introduced both teams in Chinese, English, and German. Then, to avoid influencing the game, all external communication was cut off.

If they were unlucky, they could encounter the German team the moment they landed, leading to an immediate confrontation. Heightened vigilance was required, but Xie Buyu noticed Lou Mi, who had been present just moments ago, was now offline.

Despite her outward calm, Xie Buyu was sweating nervously. She asked Fu Tu, “Where’s Mi-jie?”

Fu Tu opened one eye, glanced around, then immediately returned to the game. “Mi-jie’s on her phone.”

Xie Buyu’s hair practically stood on end. “What?! We’re about to land, and she’s on her phone?! Didn’t Lan-jie confiscate it?!”

Fu Tu: “I don’t think so… I don’t know.”

“Go take it from her.”

“Why don’t you go?”

“I don’t dare to.”

“So you dare to send me? As if I’d be any braver.”

Hu Hu remained silent. Their way of arguing is something else, she thought. Others compete to be brave, these two compete to be cowardly.

Watching the live stream in another room, Zhuo Jinglan, Slay, and the rest of the club staff grew increasingly impatient with Lou Mi’s absence. Finally, unable to wait any longer, Zhuo Jinglan barreled through several broadcasting staff members and stormed into the player area.

Lou Mi lay in her chair, access crystal attached, eyes still open. She only put down her phone as Zhuo Jinglan entered.

Zhuo Jinglan grabbed the arms of her chair, her fury barely contained. If the chair hadn’t been so sturdy, she would have shaken Lou Mi and the chair to pieces. “Are you kidding me?! This is the World Cup! And you’re on your phone?!”

Lou Mi raised an eyebrow, just as the referee and several assistants rushed in, waving their hands frantically. “You are in violation! No one except the players is allowed in here!” they shouted in heavily accented Mandarin.

Zhuo Jinglan: “I’ll just say a few words and leave.”

“Leave immediately!”

Zhuo Jinglan was practically dragged out, ejected not just from the player area but from the entire broadcasting room, relegated to the spectator area.

Lou Mi realized her phone was gone, snatched by Zhuo Jinglan. Her speed and skill would make any pickpocket envious.

The moment HighTowerMiyuki logged in, the live stream comments exploded, the viewership spiking.

HighTowerMiyuki, wielding a flamethrower, stood silently at the highest point of the bow, her black hair whipping in the wind. Her sharp eyes scanned the surroundings. With a roar, her flamethrower unleashed a massive fire dragon that coiled protectively around her. Her first skill was charged.

Even after her earlier distraction, HighTowerMiyuki was still HighTowerMiyuki. Once in the game, she regained her focus faster than anyone.

Xie Buyu: “Mi-jie, is this your way of relieving stress? It’s not funny, I almost had a heart attack!”

Ignoring her, Lou Mi, gazing at the dense fog, asked Hu Hu for the Mountain Ridge Shield.

The instant she received it, a beam of white light shot through the fog, aimed directly at Xie Buyu’s chest!

Viewers, just settling in with their snacks, were caught completely off guard. Sturm had launched a surprise attack!

Not just the viewers, but even the seasoned professionals of Nine Heavens hadn’t anticipated such a brazen move before they even landed.

Only HighTowerMiyuki had foreseen it, using Hu Hu’s Mountain Ridge Shield to block the devastating blow, saving Xie Buyu’s life. Otherwise, Nine Heavens would have lost their healer from the start, making the match almost unwinnable.

Targeting the healer at the start was a bizarre tactic. With the dense fog and distance, a precise attack was impossible; it was a blind shot, hoping to take out anyone, with the healer being the biggest prize.

The white light struck the shield, erupting in a blinding flash.

Viewers shielded their eyes. When the light subsided and the image returned, Nine Heavens had vanished.

Their boat was empty.

“Where are they?!”

Sitting in the spectator area, Zhuo Jinglan smirked at the panicked cries around her. Even with Lou Mi’s distracted state and Sturm’s surprise attack, Lou Mi’s skill and Nine Heavens’ prowess weren’t so easily overcome.

No one had ever managed to draw first blood against Lou Mi.

First blood always belonged to HighTowerMiyuki.

The camera switched to Sturm’s boat.

The damaged Mountain Ridge Shield, like a giant boomerang, sliced through the fog, spinning at high speed. Sturm’s tank intercepted it, but the shield’s stun effect momentarily paralyzed them.

Half a second was an eternity in esports. By the time Sturm’s tank recovered, Nine Heavens had already reached their backline. Lou Mi’s flamethrower pierced Sturm’s DPS, sending them plummeting into the lava.

In the blink of an eye, HighTowerMiyuki had claimed first blood!

Sturm had a double DPS lineup. The other DPS tried to attack Lou Mi from behind, but Fu Tu’s axe sent them reeling.

Nine Heavens’ tank, the indomitable Fu Tu, guarded Lou Mi’s back. As long as she was alive, no one could touch Lou Mi.

Nine Heavens’ team fights were renowned for their ferocity and perfect coordination.

Before the boats even reached the shore, the battle had begun.

The live stream comments erupted, the commentators raising their voices in excitement.

…

Countless screens across the city broadcast the match. Office workers and students alike stopped to cheer as HighTowerMiyuki secured first blood.

“HighTowerMiyuki is still the best! Who said she’s past her prime? Eat your words!”

“She’s still a beast, even without A Bao.”

“Lou Jiejie conquers the world!”

The deafening cheers finally forced Chi Lin to stop running, gasping for air. She had initially planned to drive, but the navigation showed heavy traffic due to an accident on the route to the broadcasting building. It was only eight kilometers, so she decided to run.

If it were her own body, she would have reached the building long ago. But she was still three kilometers away. Her legs burned, her lungs felt like they were on fire. She had no choice but to stop. Even after all her training, this body wasn’t as strong as she’d hoped.

Leaning against a wall, Chi Lin caught her breath, then continued, her legs still wobbly. She switched to a fast walk, afraid she might collapse if she tried to run again.

Fortunately, she was near the coast. Giant screens on the skyscrapers displayed the live stream of Nine Heavens’ match. As she walked, she watched Lou Mi’s virtual character fighting valiantly.

Lou Mi was performing brilliantly, quickly gaining control of the match. Chi Lin felt a wave of relief.

But Lou Mi wouldn’t see the message she’d just sent.

Chi Lin hadn’t anticipated being photographed. Unaware of the speed of online gossip, she hadn’t realized that a few meetings with Tan Luo would turn into a scandal, even reaching Lou Mi’s Weibo comments.

Lou Mi must have seen them, which is why she’d asked where she was.

The poem, the birthmark, and Tan Luo’s fondness for Fu Xuan Zi had piqued Chi Lin’s curiosity. The similarities between Tan Luo and Her Majesty, while subtle, were unsettling.

What if Tan Luo really is Her Majesty? The thought had crossed Chi Lin’s mind.

Being with Lou Mi was comfortable and familiar, a sense of unspoken understanding and gentle warmth. Tan Luo was different, wielding seemingly irrefutable evidence.

Chi Lin questioned herself: should she trust her intuition, or the evidence?

Tan Luo had even mentioned the moles under her eyes.

“Has anyone ever told you how beautiful and alluring those moles are?” Tan Luo, as always, had been incredibly talkative during their second meeting. Out of thousands of words, that one sentence had caught Chi Lin’s attention, the reason she’d agreed to meet.

The original Chi Lin had moles under her eyes, in the same location as hers. The original’s were black, hers were reddish.

Today, Tan Luo had invited her to the library. Unaware of Lou Mi’s match, Chi Lin had accepted. She had also recovered the lost data from her cloud storage, including some historical records she needed to verify at the library.

“Did you know there was a dynasty called ‘Yuan’?”

As Chi Lin entered the history section in the basement, Tan Luo followed, holding a book she didn’t seem to be reading. As Chi Lin reached for a book on the shelf, Tan Luo spoke.

Chi Lin turned around, surprised. “Where did you hear about that dynasty?”

Tan Luo smiled for a moment before answering. “In a dream.”

Chi Lin: “…”

“In my dream, I was born and raised in that dynasty. It was my home. The capital was incredibly prosperous, with two bustling markets attracting merchants from all over the world. And there was a beautiful moat lined with willow trees… yes, willow trees, I think. After I woke up, I looked it up, and I actually found some information. But there’s very little about it, no concrete evidence it even existed.”

“And?” Chi Lin stopped reaching for the book, urging her to continue.

Tan Luo closed her book and hugged it to her chest, slowly circling Chi Lin, her gaze on the ceiling, as if lost in thought. “My dreams aren’t very clear, and I don’t have them often. But when I do, they’re like a TV series, the settings are always the same, but the people are different.”

“Who’s in your dreams?”

Tan Luo: “A little girl. No, two little girls. I’m a child in my dream, studying with another child. For some reason, she’s very respectful towards me. Hey, maybe that was my past life. I must have been rich and powerful, why else would she treat me so well?”

Chi Lin remained silent, pondering Tan Luo’s words.

Tan Luo suddenly leaned closer, placing a hand on Chi Lin’s shoulder. “I think that little girl who was so nice to me… she looks a lot like you. You both have those beautiful moles under your eyes.”

Chi Lin stared at Tan Luo as her face drew closer.

…

She and Her Majesty were not just lovers, but childhood confidantes. The two markets and the moat in the capital were their favorite haunts. Her Majesty had often said she was particularly drawn to two parts of Chi Lin’s body: her eyes and the moles beneath them.

Tan Luo seemed to be hitting all the right notes.

Her face was now well within Chi Lin’s personal space, but Chi Lin didn’t flinch.

Based on past experience, Tan Luo assumed Chi Lin wouldn’t reject her this time. This docile Chi Lin was even more tempting than her usual aloof self…