Chapter 17: Ye Chunxi, the Jungle Queen, and the Brotherly Shura Field

Having already given away the account, Nan Sheng asked apprehensively, "Master Jin, should we intervene?"

Jin Yuchuan waved a hand. "If she wants to play, let her."

He was merely curious about the people surrounding Ye Chunxi; whether she herself could play was of no concern to him. It was enough to confirm that she was indeed Bai Lan.

...

After breakfast, Ling Qiao hurried over to the Jinsui Pavilion.

Ye Chunxi was sitting in the small courtyard reading a medical text, her black hair soft and hazy, draped casually over her shoulders. She leaned forward slightly, strands of hair brushing against her cheeks, causing her beautiful brows to furrow in a hint of irritation.

The mountain air was cool, carrying a gentle breeze. Ye Chunxi wore a mist-green gauze robe that deepened in color like ink wash, perfectly complementing the white magnolia embroidered on the chest of her dress.

Not far in front of her stood a peach tree. A petal drifted down, landing on a leaf. She picked it up and twisted it lightly, the sharpness in her expression softening slightly. As the wind blew, her hair swayed, and the hem of her gauze robe and skirt fluttered, carrying with it a faint fragrance.

The atmosphere and her temperament brought a specific figure to Ling Qiao’s mind. He stared at Ye Chunxi, dazed, suddenly realizing how strikingly similar they were.

"No wonder you’re fellow disciples," he muttered to himself, shaking his head slightly.

"Little Sister Jin!"

Ling Qiao called out, walking over quickly to sit in another chair. "Want to play a game?"

Ye Chunxi had noticed him long ago but had ignored him when he hadn't spoken up. She picked up a clean fallen leaf, wiped the dust off it, tucked it into her book as a bookmark, and set the book on the table beside her. She pulled out her phone and opened the game.

Seeing this, Ling Qiao prepared to log in. As the game loaded, he said airily, "I just reached Star Rank yesterday, so I probably can't play ranked with you. I'll take you through a casual match."

"No need, I can play ranked," Ye Chunxi replied in a flat voice.

Ling Qiao didn't hear her clearly and turned to ask, "What did you say?"

At that moment, Ye Chunxi opened her profile, which displayed Star Rank IV with a golden star lit up above it.

Ling Qiao was stunned. "You're that good?"

Ye Chunxi raised an eyebrow. "Maybe."

When she received the account, the starting level was Star Rank V with five stars. She had scanned the hero pool, checked the skills of a few heroes that felt familiar, and played a trial match out of curiosity. She had ended the battle in twelve minutes and even secured the MVP. However, since the first game could have been a fluke, she wouldn't easily define her own skill level.

Ling Qiao excitedly opened his friend list. "What's your ID? I'll add you."

Ye Chunxi opened her homepage. Before he could even see the ID, he was blinded by the shimmering "VIP 10" badge.

"You're that rich?"

He was shocked for a moment before quickly realizing, "Wait, Jin Yuchuan gave you this account, didn't he?"

Ye Chunxi nodded.

A crack appeared in Ling Qiao’s handsome face. He had asked Jin Yuchuan for an account, only to be ignored. But when it came to Ye Chunxi, a high-level account with every skin was handed over without a second thought. As expected, a best friend couldn't compare to a younger sister.

Ling Qiao sighed silently and searched for the ID [Hua Ying-Ga], requesting to add her as a friend. Once accepted, he quickly invited her to a duo queue. Seeing her pre-selected lane, he was shocked again.

"Little Sister Jin, the jungle is a deep, murky pool. You won't be able to handle it."

Ye Chunxi was unfazed. She raised her eyes, her limpid, deer-like gaze fixed on him, clear and calm. "Aren't you supposed to carry me?"

Ling Qiao’s competitive spirit instantly flared. "Of course!"

"Play! Play whatever you want!"

He started the match immediately. Once they reached the hero selection screen, Ling Qiao regretted it and wanted to talk her out of it, but Ye Chunxi had already had a teammate help her lock in the jungler. Ling Qiao closed his eyes, thinking the game was over, and silently comforted himself: *It's fine, it's fine. It's just a game, nothing to worry about.*

Less than a minute and a half into the match, Ye Chunxi went to gank the bottom lane, coordinating with her teammates to send the opposing marksman and support back to base.

Ling Qiao, who was busy laning, was stunned: "???"

Distracted, he accidentally gave away a kill. Ye Chunxi, who was panning her camera, saw the whole thing and said in a cold voice laced with warning, "Don't feed."

Ling Qiao: "..."

Under Ye Chunxi’s perfect rhythm, even with Ling Qiao making mistakes from time to time, they pushed through the defensive towers with incredible ease. The match ended in victory after they took the dragon at the ten-minute mark and secured a perfect team wipe initiated by her jungler.

Ling Qiao looked at Ye Chunxi’s ultra-high rating of over fourteen in disbelief, feeling completely dazed. After five seconds of stunned silence, he shrieked with excitement, "Little Sister Jin, you're amazing! You're my carry!!"

"One more game, one more game..."

Having witnessed Ye Chunxi’s skill firsthand, Ling Qiao’s eyes were full of reverence and a desperate hunger for victory, and he impatiently started the next match. They won five games in a row, with both of them ranking up. After the final game, Ye Chunxi immediately exited the lobby.

She rubbed the corners of her eyes, feeling a bit tired. "No more."

Coincidentally, it was almost lunchtime.

"Alright."

Ling Qiao happily opened his match history; every entry was a victory. Excited, he immediately took a screenshot and posted it to his social media: [Got carried by a pro gamer [Dogemoji]]

...

After lunch, Ye Chunxi took a short nap. By the time the servant came to call her, she had already dressed and was ready to depart.

International Convention and Exhibition Center.

Mu Yiheng, who had rushed over from Yanjing, sat in the lounge and rubbed his tired eyes. He had barely slept the night before in order to clear his schedule for this afternoon. He lifted his hand to check his watch: 2:15 PM.

"Mr. Mu, have some water."

He took the bottled water from his secretary, took a sip, and asked, "Hasn't Jin Yuchuan arrived yet?"

"Not yet," the secretary replied. "I've already had people watching the entrance."

Mu Yiheng fell into deep thought, his eyes contemplative. After a few seconds of silence, he suddenly asked, "Among the experts invited this time, are there any worth noting?"

"Most are familiar names, but there seem to be a few young people at this seminar."

Mu Yiheng frowned, puzzled. However, the Medical Alliance’s internal selection process was rigorous; they would never be careless with such an important seminar. It wasn't unusual for him to see young prodigies.

"Keep an eye on them."

The secretary nodded and went out to make a phone call. A few minutes later, he returned. "Mr. Mu, Master Jin has arrived."

Mu Yiheng immediately strode toward the door.

Outside the exhibition center, Nan Sheng caught sight of the car from the Deer Garden and said to the man behind him, "Master Jin, Miss Ye is here."

Jin Yuchuan, who had been waiting for a few minutes, looked up to confirm, closed his laptop, and walked over.

Ye Chunxi, who had just stepped out of the car, brushed back a strand of hair blown messy by the wind. She turned and saw Jin Yuchuan walking toward her.

She went to meet him. "Brother."

Just then, Mu Yiheng, who had stepped out of the exhibition center, heard that word unexpectedly. His hand at his side clenched, and a nameless fire ignited in his heart.