Troublesome – Chapter 28

Red with Anger

Tang Yingxia’s eyes were red with anger.

Jin Shuilan wasn’t streaming, but Lu Zhenqiu and Xiao Yu both were. Xiao Yu’s stream was fine; it was mostly a gathering of gaming fans who didn’t really know Jin Shuilan or Tang Yingxia. They had only heard their names and knew they were novel authors. But Lu Zhenqiu’s stream was almost entirely fans of the three of them, especially Jin Shuilan’s readers. When she said that, the bullet comments instantly flooded the screen in two full layers!

【Teacher Jin actually knows how to say flirty things!】

【Get on me, Teacher Jin! I’m begging you, get on me!】

【I never thought you were this kind of person, Teacher Jin! I love it!】

【Teacher Jin, hehehe, Teacher Jin, which ‘get on’ are you talking about?】

But in a flash, the bullet comments changed because of the game’s situation.

【Holy sh#t, a double kill¹ again! Yao’s shield just now was so timely!】
【This duo’s coordination is just invincible. I finally understand what a powerhouse combination is!】

For the past two days, Lu Zhenqiu would play a few games with Jin Shuilan after dinner. It was never for long, and they didn’t always play positions like support or marksman. Sometimes they would play separately. Lu Zhenqiu truly hadn’t expected their coordination to be this good. Even Xiao Yu was amazed. “This coordination is enough to make anyone red with envy. You two could debut as a duo.”

The words were obviously a joke, but to Tang Yingxia’s ears, they were exceptionally grating. Her focus slipped for a moment, and she gave the enemy marksman another kill. The bullet comments had already started mocking her.

【This marksman is such a feeder².】

【What kind of plays are these? Speechless.】

【Following Teacher Jin and the streamer, you could win with your feet.】

【Wait, what is this marksman doing?】

Tang Yingxia’s fans were very unhappy seeing this. They explained in the comments that Tang Yingxia rarely played games and it was normal for her to be unfamiliar. It’s not like they were in a competition; making a few mistakes didn’t warrant being hounded and flamed, right?

However, this was immediately countered by Lu Zhenqiu’s fans.

【Oh, is that so? If you can’t play marksman then don’t snatch the position. Our Qiuqiu’s marksman is so good, she got a pentakill³.】

【That’s not what you guys were saying about the support in the first game.】

【I can’t believe I’m seeing such hypocrites⁴ just from watching a stream. Truly amazing.】

Tang Yingxia’s fans felt they were in the wrong and were too embarrassed to say much more, trying to laugh it off. Fortunately, the game’s highlights were consistently Lu Zhenqiu and Jin Shuilan, especially Jin Shuilan. Ten minutes into the game, she was already Godlike⁵. As a result, the bullet comments were almost all about the two of them. Even Xiao Yu automatically faded into the background, silently becoming a utility player⁶ and not even trying to snag a single kill.

After three rounds, the popularity of Lu Zhenqiu’s stream had surpassed two million, and there were also many gifts, all for Jin Shuilan. The fans in the comments were screaming, telling them to quickly start the next round. Lu Zhenqiu looked at the comments and asked, “Are we still playing?”

It would be best if Tang Yingxia and Yu Wen quit so the three of them could play a few rounds.

Lu Zhenqiu’s wish was a beautiful one, but Tang Yingxia stubbornly refused to leave. When the fourth round started, she said she wanted to play support. Lu Zhenqiu said, “Then I’ll play top lane.”

Jin Shuilan was still jungler, Xiao Yu took the marksman position, and Yu Wen was still mid laner.

Tang Yingxia stared grimly at her character in the game. She was walking beside Xiao Yu when, due to her inattentiveness, she was killed twice. Xiao Yu couldn’t help but say, “Go help the mid lane.”

The bullet comments laughed, saying even the marksman she was supposed to be supporting didn’t want her.

Tang Yingxia stared intently at Jin Shuilan’s jungler hero, watching as she hid in a bush and coordinated with Lu Zhenqiu to successfully take down the enemy top laner.

A breath caught in her chest. She couldn’t resist sending a private message to Lu Zhenqiu: 【Qiuqiu, are you doing this on purpose?】

The private message was from the platform. Lu Zhenqiu glanced at it but didn’t reply, her expression unchanged as she continued to play. But Tang Yingxia sent another: 【When did you get to know Jin Shuilan? And you’re going to her production crew? Why didn’t you tell me?】

Lu Zhenqiu’s good mood was ruined. She replied: 【?】

There should be a limit to this pestering.

Seeing her reply, Tang Yingxia immediately questioned: 【Why didn’t you tell me you went to Jin Shuilan’s production crew? You clearly know I hate her, are you doing this on purpose?】

The sheer audacity.

Lu Zhenqiu laughed in anger.

When they were a couple, she would have taken Tang Yingxia’s feelings into account. Now that they had broken up, she was still asking if she was doing it on purpose? On purpose what? Going to Jin Shuilan’s crew just to spite her? What did she take Jin Shuilan’s production for? A place she could go to whenever she wanted?

She didn’t reply. Tang Yingxia was still messaging: 【What are you doing on her crew?】

Lu Zhenqiu’s hand, about to type, froze mid-air. Her eyes narrowed slightly. Tang Yingxia’s words were like a sharp knife stabbing her in the heart. What are you doing on her crew? What else could she be doing? If not voice acting, what else?

Could it be that in Tang Yingxia’s heart, she had never once acknowledged her identity as a voice actor? Was that why she would ask such an absurd question?

What are you doing on her crew?

Lu Zhenqiu stared at that sentence for several seconds. Someone called in her ear, “Zhenqiu.”

She snapped back to reality and saw her game character standing by a turret, taking damage from the enemy. She immediately started to walk back. The opponent unleashed an ultimate on her. Just as her health dwindled to a sliver, a figure emerged from the bushes and tanked the enemy’s ultimate.

Jin Shuilan said, “Recall to base.”

Lu Zhenqiu pressed the recall button. A pale blue special effect enveloped her, along with Jin Shuilan beside her. She said, “Thank you, Teacher Jin.”

Jin Shuilan said flatly, “It’s nothing.”

After recalling, Lu Zhenqiu focused on the game, throwing all the nonsense Tang Yingxia had just said to the back of her mind. They barely won this round, carried by Xiao Yu and Jin Shuilan.

After playing several rounds, no one said they were quitting. Xiao Yu was in a difficult position. Originally, she had just planned to play a few games with Lu Zhenqiu to help promote a newcomer, but she never expected the situation to turn out like this. Now she couldn’t very well say she was done playing. The popularity of Lu Zhenqiu’s stream was high, and the gifts she received had placed her in the top three on the daily leaderboard. No matter what, she wasn’t losing out, so the five of them continued to play.

It was just that the atmosphere couldn’t be described as harmonious.

However, since Jin Shuilan and Tang Yingxia both had reserved and aloof personas, the fans didn’t think much of it. The only one suffering was Xiao Yu. In order to liven up the atmosphere, she had no idea how many flirty jokes and witty remarks she had made. In the end, her mouth was dry, and she ended the game session early.

It was honestly more tiring than playing solo.

Xiao Yu felt this was a classic case of being carried to victory, but not entirely. After the game, she sent a message to Lu Zhenqiu: 【How many gifts did you get today?】

Lu Zhenqiu hadn’t counted yet, but it was indeed a lot. Because Jin Shuilan wasn’t streaming and had interacted with her quite a bit, the readers’ affection for Jin Shuilan had extended to her⁷, and they all sent her gifts.

Xiao Yu: 【You should just become a gaming streamer. Pull Teacher Jin in with you, you two are a powerhouse combination.】

Hua Luo: 【I saw the stream recording! Aiyo, holy crap, Teacher Jin’s support was insane. The reader group is still passing it around.】

Hearing this reminded Lu Zhenqiu of something. She quickly told her fans on stream that she was going to the restroom, then opened her door and walked to the study. She hesitated for a moment before knocking. Jin Shuilan said, “Come in.”

“Teacher Jin.” Lu Zhenqiu opened a crack in the door and peeked her head in, a little embarrassed. “About the stream today, I didn’t tell you it was Tang Yingxia. I’m sorry.”

Jin Shuilan looked at her quietly for several seconds before asking, “What about Tang Yingxia?”

Lu Zhenqiu froze. “Don’t you dislike Tang Yingxia?”

Could it be that she had misunderstood? That wasn’t what Jin Shuilan meant? It was possible. Tang Yingxia’s dislike was more or less a personal issue and had nothing to do with Jin Shuilan herself. Lu Zhenqiu opened her mouth, intending to change the subject, when Jin Shuilan nodded. “I do dislike her.”

Lu Zhenqiu’s voice got stuck in her throat.

Jin Shuilan added, “Quite annoying.”

After saying that, she looked at Lu Zhenqiu. “Do you like her?”

Lu Zhenqiu was silent for a few seconds before saying, “I don’t.”

She wouldn’t hide her feelings. When they were together, she had genuinely liked her. But now, she genuinely disliked her. Hearing this, Jin Shuilan raised an eyebrow and nodded, in a rather good mood. “We have a shared hobby.”

What kind of shared hobby is that?

Lu Zhenqiu was speechless. After a long moment, she finally asked, “So Teacher Jin, you’re not angry, are you?”

Angry? She was so happy she could burst; how could she be angry? However, Jin Shuilan didn’t show it too obviously, instead saying nonchalantly, “I’m not.”

Lu Zhenqiu let out a sigh of relief. Just as she was about to leave, Jin Shuilan called out, “Zhenqiu.”

She turned her head and heard Jin Shuilan say, “About the game today, can I take a screenshot and post it on Weibo? It’s the first time I’ve had a teammate get a pentakill, I want to commemorate it.”

Lu Zhenqiu nodded. “Of course.”

That was definitely worth taking a screenshot of as a memento; Lu Zhenqiu herself had already saved several. Of course, Lu Zhenqiu had no objection. She said to Jin Shuilan, “Then I’ll go back to my stream.”

Jin Shuilan smiled. “Go on.”

Lu Zhenqiu closed the door. Jin Shuilan looked at the friend request displayed on the game interface. It was from Yu Wen, sent right after the game ended. Jin Shuilan thought for two seconds, then clicked ‘Reject’. Then she tapped on Tang Yingxia’s friend request next to it and clicked ‘Accept’, while also accepting Xiao Yu’s request.

Tang Yingxia frowned when she received Jin Shuilan’s friend request. She was mid-sentence and fell silent. Yu Wen was puzzled. “God Xia, what’s wrong?”

She had started a voice call with her as soon as the game ended. Tang Yingxia wasn’t in a good mood and had been talking, but she suddenly went quiet. Yu Wen frowned, then heard Tang Yingxia say, “Jin Shuilan wants to add me as a friend. What does she mean by this?”

The moment she heard the name ‘Jin Shuilan’, Yu Wen’s eyelids twitched. She quickly checked her own friend requests and saw she had been rejected. Swallowing her displeasure, she said, “Maybe Teacher Jin wants to play games with you.”

Even she didn’t believe it as she said it. Tang Yingxia’s performance today had been far too poor.

Tang Yingxia didn’t believe it either, but this was an olive branch extended by Jin Shuilan. Tang Yingxia didn’t want to lose face, so she clicked ‘Accept’. Seeing that they were now friends, a smile touched Jin Shuilan’s lips, her eyes glinting. She sat for a few minutes before composing a Weibo post.

Lu Zhenqiu was singing on her stream. After one song, she took a sip of warm water and was answering questions from the comments with a smile when she saw someone had tagged her on Weibo. She clicked in and saw it was the pentakill screenshot Jin Shuilan had posted, accompanied by the caption: Dug up a treasure marksman @Zhenqiu.

The comments below were all praising Lu Zhenqiu, saying they had watched the stream today and that her marksman was incredibly cool. Lu Zhenqiu bit her lip, looked at the post, and gave it a ‘like’ before reposting it.

@Zhenqiu: A pleasure working with you. //@JinShuilan: Dug up a treasure marksman @Zhenqiu.

Her Weibo post was public, and many people saw it, including Tang Yingxia. Tang Yingxia was logged into her alternate account. The alt account followed few people, so she saw it at a glance. She gritted her teeth as she stared at the post, then suddenly remembered something and logged into the game. She opened her friends list, found Jin Shuilan’s game history, and scrolled up to yesterday’s games. She clicked one open. The teammate was Lu Zhenqiu. She scrolled up and opened another game. The teammate was Lu Zhenqiu. She scrolled up again. Still Lu Zhenqiu!

Tang Yingxia’s eyes were red with anger.

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The author has something to say:

Thirty red packets, muah.

Lu Zhenqiu: Teacher Jin, do you hate Tang Yingxia?

Jin Shuilan: I do. I hate her so much that I’d give her a friend slot.

Lu Zhenqiu: ???

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