Chapter 35

Lin Ranjiao led the ING Team out of Haichang City and back to the Glory Club.

The moment they returned to the club, Mu Li and the others wanted to rest for a bit, but Lin Ranjiao dragged them straight into the training room to start practicing. Ignoring everyone’s chorus of complaints and pleas for mercy, she cracked down with an iron fist—whoever dared to protest, she’d have their head!

No one dared refute her after that. They could only train desperately.

They kept at it until 9 p.m., when Lin Ranjiao finally let them go.

Zhai Yi stepped out of the training room just as the Youth Training Class session was wrapping up. That’s when she heard someone call out, “Gong Xi, wait up! Let’s grab some late-night snacks together.”

Zhai Yi glanced at the boy who’d stopped. He didn’t look very old—probably just barely an adult—and he seemed full of energy, sunny and cute.

Gong Xi noticed Zhai Yi’s gaze and quickly said, “Hello, Senior Sister Zhai Yi.”

It was a Glory Club tradition to address senior sisters and brothers based on when they joined the club and their ability to become starters.

Zhai Yi nodded. “Hello.”

Gong Xi clenched his fist. “Senior Sister, give it your all in the finals!”

Zhai Yi smiled faintly. “Got it. Thanks.”

Gong Xi left with his teammate to get some food.

“He’s Gong Xi, a promising talent from the Youth Training Class. He’s really good at marksman. Last time we were filming the variety show, I deliberately left him out to keep an ace up our sleeve.”

Zhai Yi looked at Lin Ranjiao. “You want to train him as a sub for the ING Team?”

Lin Ranjiao nodded. “We can develop him.”

“He could even be a starter.”

Lin Ranjiao paused. “What do you mean?”

Zhai Yi said, “After the Autumn Split, let him get more game time. A good seedling needs real battle experience.”

“You know I’m the only heir to the Zhai Corporation. I’ll definitely have to go back and take over the family business eventually, so I won’t be playing that much. It’s not a bad idea to prepare ahead of time.”

Lin Ranjiao thought it over for a moment. “Can’t you not inherit it?”

Zhai Yi looked at her in disbelief. “Can you use your brain?”

Lin Ranjiao: “…”

She sighed. “Fine. The Zhai Corporation is such a huge enterprise—it’s not easy to walk away from it. I’ll think about what you said.”

“Good.”

Lin Ranjiao reached out and ruffled Zhai Yi’s hair, grumbling, “You… always causing me trouble. You really worry me to death.”

“Worried?” Zhai Yi teased. “Go find Mu Li to help you blow off some steam.”

Lin Ranjiao: “…”

Zhai Yi watched as Lin Ranjiao stormed off in a huff.

Tuantuan said: 【That Gong Xi is the marksman who got added after the original host died, Zou Kai fell from power, and Lin Ranjiao became the new coach for the ING Team.】

Zhai Yi said, “This pulls the original plot back on track a little.”

Tuantuan asked puzzledly: 【Even if First Sister you leaves this Task World, your replica might keep competing.】

“Not necessarily. I’ve fulfilled her dream—esports matches are no longer her obsession. The replica will carry on with the original host’s true memories and will most likely just inherit the Zhai Corporation.”

Tuantuan got it: 【Okay.】

Zhai Yi returned to her room. With nothing better to do, she opened her stream to make up for the original host’s usual routine. The original host didn’t act human, but she had to.

During matches, the ING Team could pause streaming, and the platform understood without pressuring the members.

Zhai Yi went live out of the blue, instantly shooting to the top of Weibo trends. A massive wave of fans flooded her stream.

Zhai Yi played a match and saw the viewer count hit hundreds of thousands. She was mildly surprised. “I’m just playing a few games before logging off to sleep.”

“No carrying anyone today—match is tomorrow. Just here to ease some pre-game nerves.”

“Thanks for the support, everyone.”

At that moment, a fan entered and sent Zhai Yi ten Carnivals, rocketing to the top of the donor list.

: Whoa, it’s the rich lady sister YL157483XXXX.

: Zhai Yi goes live, and the rich lady sister comes running.

: Ten Carnivals right off the bat—so loaded.

: Rich lady, please take care of me. Pretty, sweet-talker, great in bed.

: Ten Carnivals, that’s a ton of money.

: Zhai Yi says no gifts, but here she is showing off?

: Envy, jealousy, hate. Rich lady sister, take care of me!

…..

Zhai Yi saw the familiar ID and smiled helplessly. “Rich lady sister, you’re here?”

On the other side of her phone screen, Yu Lanting’s face flushed slightly. Her fingertips tapped out a reply: “Here.”

Zhai Yi said, “No more sending gifts from now on.”

YL157483XXXX: Finals tomorrow—give it your all.

Zhai Yi nodded. “Got it.”

“Thanks for the encouragement, rich lady sister.”

YL157483XXXX: I’ll always support you.

“Thanks for the support, rich lady sister.”

Zhai Yi played two more games, filling in both times, and won them both.

She was about to queue up again when her phone rang—caller ID: “Zhou Zhu.”

Zhai Yi said goodbye to her stream viewers and shut it down.

She picked up. “Hello? Zhou Zhu.”

Zhou Zhu said, “The late-stage acquisitions are all wrapped up. How do you want to handle the artists under them?”

Zhai Yi said, “Those who want to stay can re-sign. Those who don’t, give them a severance package and let them go.”

Zhou Zhu chuckled. “Xiaoyi, when you first told me, I thought you were doing charity.”

“Everyone’s got it tough. If we can help, we should.”

Zhou Zhu understood. “Got it. I’ll talk to them one by one. Should have results by tomorrow.”

Zhai Yi said, “Good. Thanks.”

Zhou Zhu laughed. “No need to be polite with me.”

Zhai Yi hung up, washed up, and went to bed.

Early next morning, Lin Ranjiao took the entire ING Team to Jining City Stadium. To avoid traffic jams, they arrived at the venue super early.

By then, fans packed the area outside the stadium—banners, posters, outfits in the ING Team’s colors, hats marked ING. Almost all of them were ING fans, with Zhai Yi’s fans making up the biggest chunk.

The stadium opened at 8 a.m. for fans.

The finals kicked off at 9 a.m.—BO7 format, first to four wins.

The hosts were the familiar Da Fangzhuan and Xiao Lin’an.

As the finals drew near, tension gripped everyone on site.

Yu Lanting took a deep breath, clutching her “Zhai Yi” hand banner. She silently cheered: “You have to win! You have to win!”

“I think the ING Team is definitely gonna win. No need to worry,” her bestie said, seeing Yu Lanting’s tense face.

Yu Lanting replied, “Can’t get complacent. Arrogance has no place in matches.”

Her bestie laughed wryly. “You’re not the one playing. What are you so afraid of?”

Her eyes twinkled mischievously. “Then again, the person you like is out there, so of course you’re worried.”

Yu Lanting watched as the teams took the stage. With the host introducing them one by one, Zhai Yi appeared onstage amid screams and cheers from the crowd. The finals officially began.

Mu Li steadied himself and started BP. He glanced at Zhai Yi out of the corner of his eye and saw her looking toward the stands. Puzzled, he asked, “What are you looking at?”

Zhai Yi pulled her gaze back. “Nothing. Ban heroes.”

“Oh.”

Lin Ranjiao handled BP for the ING Team. Once both sides locked in their picks, game one of the BO7 began.

Her bestie eyed the bans. “Tsk tsk, SV Team is really scared of Zhai Yi. Four ban slots, three on her.”

SV Team had banned marksmen Zhai Yi had played before: Baili Shouyue, Marco Polo, and Gongsun Li.

Zhai Yi had gone super-god and MVP with all three, striking terror into opponents.

Yu Lanting watched Zhai Yi pilot Lu Ban No.7 on bot lane, shoving the enemy marksman-support duo out of wave clear. She even froze the lane on purpose, forcing SV’s jungler to rotate bot.

Everyone knew by now: if SV’s jungler showed bot, he wasn’t leaving alive.

Sure enough, the “First Blood” announcement rang out. ING Team claimed first blood—Zhai Yi’s Lu Ban No.7 got the kill on SV’s jungler Lan.

With Lan dead, the next second, Mu Li’s Cao Cao dove straight into SV Team’s jungle for a buffet.

SV’s mid laner Bian Que tried to help defend the jungle but got blocked by Weixing Yan’s Mai Shiranui. They traded blows—SV mid barely survived, flashing back to tower for a health pack. Then a cannonball flew in from afar, dropping Bian Que.

The crowd erupted in cheers.

Xiao Lin’an clapped. “What a flying cannon—straight-up killed Bian Que!”

Da Fangzhuan laughed. “Bian Que’s down, and SV’s mid T1 is probably gone too.”

Cao Cao finished farming SV’s jungle and helped Mai Shiranui take SV Team’s mid T1 tower.

With mid T1 down, SV lost jungle vision. For Mu Li’s Cao Cao, it was like an empty world.

SV Team couldn’t let Zhai Yi and Mu Li keep farming, so they grouped up to chase them down.

Zhai Yi’s Lu Ban No.7 got swarmed by all five. Bot marksman-support duo died, but Mu Li and Luo Weizhi’s Mad Iron charged in for a triple kill. SV’s support and top laner fled with slivers of health.

Late game, both sides contested the dragon, but Lu Ban’s cannon sniped it away, triggering the “Key Dragon Steal” alert.

Lu Ban’s second skill had near-perfect accuracy, so two referees stood behind Zhai Yi watching her play.

Stream viewers and live audiences shrugged it off as Zhai Yi’s usual—referees always hovered behind her during matches.

Tuantuan was curious too about why Zhai Yi was so good at every role.

Zhai Yi sighed and explained honestly, “I’ve done so many tasks, including ones where I had to win esports championships. Different positions each time—play enough, and you master every hero and role.”

Everyone thought she cheesed games with bugs, but it was all skill built from years of tasks.

A level this Task World’s vessel couldn’t touch.

Game one ended with Lu Ban’s dragon steal handing ING Team the win.

In every subsequent game, SV Team BP’d around Zhai Yi and Mu Li, but they couldn’t ban them all out. Zhai Yi knew too many heroes, played them all insanely well, with no weaknesses. Even if the heroes had flaws, she hid them perfectly.

Game two: Zhai Yi on Yu Ji, dubbed “Hack Ji” by the community. With flash, her mechanics were so flashy SV couldn’t touch her. Ning Yao’s protection turned her into a tiger off the leash, shredding SV Team.

Game three: Zhai Yi on Gala, a marksman who needed late-game and peels to shine. ING’s other picks were tanky heroes. Gala parked amid three beefy tanks with Wang Zhaojun babysitting. SV got an early lead, but late-game Storm Dragon King fight saw Gala melt them. All SV heroes died in the Dragon Pit. Their jungler couldn’t reach her and watched ING push high ground and shatter crystals.

Her bestie checked the score. “ING Team’s about to shut out SV?”

Shutouts were rare in KPL, let alone finals. Too cocky. But everyone saw ING’s ambition now.

Game four BP: Zhai Yi picked Gongsun Li. The arena exploded in deafening roars.

SV Team teetered on collapse. They’d just banned the first two heroes when Zhai Yi locked Gongsun Li.

As a marksman, Zhai Yi preferred aggressive team fights, and the hero she used at that time was Gongsun Li.

After the fourth game’s BP phase ended, both teams entered the match. The SV Team switched tactics, going for a split-push strategy. Everyone focused fire on Zhai Yi’s Gongsun Li, determined to shut her down and prevent her from showing off.

But they forgot who was playing Gongsun Li.

Zhai Yi watched as the SV Team closed in, surrounding her completely. Mu Li and Luo Weizhi shouted through their headsets, “We’re coming right away. Check your position—withdraw toward the Dragon Pit!”

The SV Team jungler moved in. Li Bai dashed straight at her. Gongsun Li tossed her umbrella to swap positions, dodging Wang Zhaojun’s second skill freeze. Ning Yao’s Liu Chan charged forward to block attacks from Li Bai and Sun Ce. Gongsun Li fell back, but the SV Team top laner Li Xin sealed off her path.

At that moment, Mu Li’s Luna and Luo Weizhi’s Zhu Bajie arrived. Weixing Yan’s Bomb Cat popped its ultimate to displace the enemies. In an instant, the tide turned, and the SV Team found themselves on the defensive. They tried to retreat, but Zhai Yi wasn’t about to let them escape.

Gongsun Li used her umbrella to leap over the wall and reposition. Sun Ce was briefly controlled by Ning Yao’s Liu Chan. Gongsun Li stacked full passive on him, then ulted in for the kill.

【You have slain an enemy!】

Zhu Bajie pinned Wang Zhaojun against the wall, and Gongsun Li followed up with damage to secure the head.

【Double Kill!】

Then, Gongsun Li activated Sun-Chasing Bow, maintaining a safe distance to shoot down Li Xin.

【Triple Kill!】

Three SV Team members fell one after another. Gongsun Li’s second skill pressed the advantage, forcing kills on the remaining Li Bai and Minotaur.

The game announcer blared instantly.

【Quadra Kill!】

【Penta Kill!】

Gongsun Li claimed a dominant penta kill. In that instant, the arena’s atmosphere exploded, like a drop of water hitting sizzling oil—everyone’s scalps tingled amid the deafening roars.

The crowd echoed with cheers of “Zhai Yi is awesome!”

Even the hosts and casters were extremely excited, their faces flushed red.

Zhai Yi’s penta kill crushed the SV Team’s morale. The ING Team wrapped up the fourth game easily, securing victory and the championship.

Da Fangzhuan and Xiao Lin’an announced simultaneously, “Let’s congratulate the ING Team on winning the championship—”

The audience erupted in cheers. Some fans waved ING Team flags and ran laps around the venue in excitement, while others wept uncontrollably.

Lin Ranjiao rushed onstage, hugging every ING Team member tightly.

In that moment, golden confetti rained down like a storm, a breathtaking sight.

Zhai Yi heard the task completion prompt.

Tuantuan: 【Ding! Cannon Fodder Task complete. Duplicate body under construction. Tasker, do you wish to exit this Task World?】

Zhai Yi didn’t respond to Tuantuan. Her gaze pierced through the crowd to the girl in the stands, covering her mouth as she cried.

With the match over, players left the stage for post-game interviews, and fans gradually dispersed.

Yu Lanting exited the arena. Her best friend suddenly had a stomachache and needed the bathroom, so Yu Lanting waited for her at the entrance.

Just then, her phone rang.

Yu Lanting answered, “Hello?”

“Yes, this is Yu Lanting.”

Listening to the person on the other end, disbelief flashed in her eyes. She said anxiously, “Okay, okay. I’ll think it over and give you an answer tomorrow. Got it, thank you.”

Yu Lanting hung up and opened Weibo. The top trending topic was the shocking news she’d just heard.

Star Creation Entertainment Acquired by Zhai Corporation#

Star Creation Entertainment Renamed Pluck Star Build Dream Culture Co., Ltd.#

Yu Lanting covered her mouth in shock, eyes wide as saucers, unable to believe what she saw.

Ever since the Star Creation Entertainment scandal, Yu Lanting had been in an awkward spot. Fortunately, Lethal Winter had started airing, and she’d been busy promoting it while auditioning for Southern Lang Chronicles. She’d already started gathering evidence and consulting lawyers to sue Star Creation Entertainment.

But this phone call caught her off guard.

It was Assistant Zhou from the Zhai Corporation asking if she wanted to renew her contract.

At first, she thought it was a wrong number. But as the conversation continued and grew more real, disbelief set in. She promised to consider it carefully before replying and quickly hung up to check Weibo for confirmation.

To her astonishment, it was all true.

Star Creation Entertainment had been acquired by the Zhai Corporation. All previous artist contracts were voided with no penalties, and artists could sign new ones voluntarily.

Yu Lanting rubbed her eyes and reread the Weibo posts, confirming repeatedly before believing it.

Suddenly, someone lightly tugged her hat brim down. A pair of clean white canvas shoes appeared before her.

“I’ve told you, it’s crowded here. Keep your hat on properly.”

Yu Lanting’s pupils trembled. She looked up sharply into Zhai Yi’s smiling eyes.

“You… how are you here?”

Shouldn’t the ING Team be back after post-game interviews?

Zhai Yi glanced at Yu Lanting’s phone, which displayed the Weibo trends.

She said warmly, “Yu Lanting, looks like you’ve got some good news.”

Yu Lanting snapped back to reality. Explosive thoughts raced through her mind.

Zhai Corporation?

Zhai Yi!

Yu Lanting stammered, “Did… did you do this? Did you make the Zhai Corporation acquire Star Creation Entertainment?”

“Why?”

“Why… why would you help me?”

Her expression was urgent, desperate for an answer.

Yu Lanting even hoped this answer might be the truth she’d sought her whole life.

“Why?” Zhai Yi pretended to ponder, then said thoughtfully, “Maybe because… of reciprocity.”

Yu Lanting was puzzled. “What… what reciprocity?”

Zhai Yi curved her lips. “The rich big sis with the ID YL157483XXXX showered my livestream with so many Carnivals. I had to return the favor for her generous gifts, right?”

Yu Lanting was stunned, her eyes reddening as she trembled, “How… how did you know that I…?”

Zhai Yi pulled out a pack of tissues and drew one with a faint fragrance. Just as she was about to hand it over, she shifted her motion mid-reach.

She pinched one corner of the tissue and gently wiped the tears from Yu Lanting’s cheek.

“Yu Lanting, your future is limitless. Go chase your dreams.”

“You don’t have to be afraid anymore, because you have a very reliable backer now.”

Yu Lanting’s tears flowed even more, soaking the tissue.

Zhai Yi stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Yu Lanting and patting her back gently. “Yu Lanting, I’m leaving. You should head home soon too.”

Yu Lanting hugged Zhai Yi tightly, as if trying to merge their bodies.

She choked out, “Okay, I’ll listen to you.”

Zhai Yi released her and looked at the tears on her cheeks. The hand that rose to wipe them away paused—two fingers flicked the brim of her hat instead. With a light smile, she turned and walked away.

In that instant, Yu Lanting’s heart ached sharply, like a blade piercing through.

For some reason, an intense panic gripped her, as if this parting from Zhai Yi was forever.

“Zhai…”

“Lan Ting?” Her best friend ran back, surprised to see her crying. “What happened?”

“I’m fine. Got something in my eye from the wind.” Yu Lanting looked again, but Zhai Yi had vanished into the crowd.

“Oh, then let’s head home.”

Yu Lanting rubbed her chest, still aching with unease. She exhaled slowly. “Okay.”

From afar, Zhai Yi watched Yu Lanting leave. She said, “Let’s go.”

Tuantuan: 【Tasker has chosen to exit the current Task World. Duplicate body construction complete.】

Tuantuan: 【Three, two, one—tasker exit successful!】