“So skilled, huh?”
A probing tone reached Shen Er’s ears.
“Hmm?” Shen Er was momentarily stunned, then he lightly chuckled, his lips curling up. “It’s not bad, I guess. I’ve been playing for a while today, so my hands are feeling great.”
In reality, it wasn’t just today that his hands felt good. Ever since he emerged from the book, his previously sore and swollen wrists had become healthy. In every game he played, his hands felt amazing—like an runner who had removed heavy sandbags from his legs after a long run.
Yan Sheng tapped his fingertip lightly against his headset, the crisp sound transmitted clearly to Shen Er.
“The Elder Dragon has respawned. This dragon could be our turning point,” Shen Er quickly switched his perspective and said.
“I can take it.”
Yan Sheng recalled back to base to buy items and then headed towards the dragon pit. During this time, his perspective remained locked onto Irelia.
After watching for a while, his frown gradually smoothed out.
“Is Irelia your main champion?”
Yan Sheng asked while starting the dragon.
“Irelia? Not really. I enjoy playing her, but I can’t always pick her due to team composition needs.”
Irelia is more frequently played in the top lane rather than mid lane, so the opportunities to pick her are limited. However, with her high skill ceiling and flexibility, Shen Er enjoyed playing her and was quite good at it.
Shen Er pushed from the second turret all the way forward without any obstacles.
The enemy seemed to prioritize the dragon over defending the bot lane. Shortly after, the remaining three enemies appeared in the dragon pit.
Shen Er glanced at their top laner, who was already low on health in the dragon pit, then at the half-destroyed inhibitor turret in front of him. He deliberated for a moment.
Standing from the perspective of a normal game, he was already pushing the enemy’s Nexus with Irelia, so naturally, he wouldn’t return to the dragon pit for a team fight. But from a companion’s perspective…
“No need to come back,” Yan Sheng seemed to read his mind and gave an answer before he could ask. “Keep pushing.”
“Got it.”
With the enemy mid and jungle reviving in less than ten seconds, Shen Er controlled Irelia to take down the inhibitor tower and then started attacking the Nexus.
Five, four, three…
“Double kill!”
“Triple kill!”
Before the enemy mid and jungle could revive, their jungler, Lee Sin, pulled off an impressive play in the dragon pit.
Lee Sin ward-hopped out of the dragon pit to avoid the crowd control, then performed a Dragon’s Rage kick that hit three enemies, killing the squishy support and triggering Death’s Dance, securing a triple kill with the top laner’s silence.
Two, one…
The mid and jungle revived and rushed out of the base.
Meanwhile, Irelia’s ultimate was still on a forty-second cooldown.
Shen Er controlled his champion to retreat, while the enemy mid and jungle pursued.
“Jianing Province Carry Bureau Director has slain the Elder Dragon!”
At the same time, the health bars of the two chasing enemies hit the execute threshold.
Shen Er smirked, placed a blade on the ground, and suddenly dashed forward, placing another blade at a tricky angle. The two blades connected, stunning both the enemy mid and jungle.
Then, Lee Sin, fresh from slaying the Elder Dragon, arrived and cooperated with Irelia to finish off the enemy duo.
“Ace!”
With the enemy team wiped out, their surrender vote came shortly after.
As the word “Victory” appeared on the screen, Yan Sheng stretched his crossed arms, leaned back, and let out a contented sigh. He looked at the results screen without rushing to exit.
“The enemy is probably going to suspect you of using hacks.”
As soon as he said that, two lines appeared in the chat box at the bottom left corner.
[Irelia hacking?]
[Reported]
“See, I told you.”
Shen Er slightly opened his mouth, looking a bit stunned.
“Huh? What hack?”
“There’s a hack for Irelia that lets you refresh Q infinitely with perfect timing,” Yan Sheng patiently explained. “Pulling off those continuous Qs on super minions with Baron buff and getting a double kill is bound to raise suspicion.”
“…I just have a habit of calculating damage,” Shen Er replied somewhat helplessly. “And I got lucky. Those two waves of minions weren’t bunched up, making it easier to target and chain Qs.”
Yan Sheng turned to support his head with his hand, opening the replay of the game that had just finished downloading.
“Honestly, when I first saw that play, I had a small doubt myself.”
Yan Sheng was being candid, and though Shen Er heard it, he didn’t take it to heart.
He played games with meticulous precision—praised by some as careful, criticized by others as rigid. He remembered every detail of each mid-lane champion’s base damage, skill damage, item damage, and scaling damage. Whether it was in casual games or competitive matches, his confidence in his decisions was genuine.
There had been times when social media accounts making game videos would hide his ID, asking viewers to judge if the player was using a script.
Before seeing the ID: “Definitely a script.”
After seeing the ID: “Oh, it’s Owl. Never mind then.”
To Shen Er, this was a peculiar form of compliment.
“And then I dismissed that thought.” Yan Sheng clicked his mouse, clipping several segments of Irelia’s gameplay from the replay and saving them to his computer. He compressed the files and sent them to Song Ming’s email. “You’re really good.”
Shen Er blinked, responding with a curious “Hmm?”
“I’ve encountered players using that type of health-lock hack before. The champion twitches in the minion wave,” Yan Sheng said. “Just out of curiosity, you’re not some trainee from a youth training camp moonlighting for extra cash, are you?”
Shen Er admired his wild imagination but was also a bit speechless. “No trainee would take five-yuan jobs from online forums.”
“…You have a point,” Yan Sheng admitted. “It’s late, so let’s call it a night. We played six games, you got MVP in three, so that’s 540 yuan. How much was the account rental? I’ll transfer the money to you on WeChat.”
“The rental was less than ten yuan, no need to send it.”
The 540 yuan for companionship wasn’t a small amount, and the ten yuan indeed seemed insignificant.
“I said I’d cover it, so I will. I’ll transfer it. Just accept it.”
Shen Er lowered his eyes, opened his phone, and without arguing further, accepted the 550 yuan transfer.
After the game party disbanded, Shen Er didn’t log off immediately. He opened his own account and started solo queueing.
To catch the attention of League of Legends clubs, the first step was to climb the ranks.
No club would scout players from lower ranks.
Since he had started his account from scratch, winning all ten placement matches only placed him in Gold IV.
But with perfect placement matches, his hidden MMR was high, giving him more LP for wins and less deduction for losses.
Having just warmed up in a Master tier match, his form was excellent, making Gold tier matches seem almost trivial.
In just two hours, his account had climbed to Gold II.
Satisfied with his progress, Shen Er logged off, looking at his match history with a sense of accomplishment.
As the Chinese New Year approached, the festive atmosphere on the streets grew increasingly vibrant. Lanterns and decorations were everywhere, and the lively spirit of the season could be felt even late at night.
“Boom—”
A firework exploded unexpectedly. Shen Er instinctively looked up, watching the dazzling display light up the dark sky.
He closed his eyes and made a wish upon the fireworks.
When he opened his eyes, his gaze landed on the BTF Esports Club sign in the distance, lit up by the scattered fireworks.
“That’s a good omen,” Shen Er murmured with a smile. He rubbed his hands together for warmth, pulled out his electric scooter key from his pocket, and rode home through the snow.
After parking the scooter, he went upstairs, inserted the key, and unlocked the door. The heavy iron door creaked open.
He moved quietly, tiptoeing into the bedroom.
Wang Chenyu was sound asleep, his head buried under the covers. Shen Er walked over, pulled up the blanket that was about to fall off, and covered Wang Chenyu’s exposed legs.
Then, he opened the wardrobe, grabbed some fresh clothes, and headed to the bathroom.
—
Yan Sheng, his head down, was haphazardly rubbing his hair with a towel. His hand left a wet print on the foggy glass door as he pushed it open. He walked to the sink, naked from the waist up, with a towel wrapped around his waist, and turned on the lighted mirror.
His skin, pale from lack of sunlight, seemed to glow. Water droplets slid down from his hair, stuck to the sides of his face, then traced over his shoulder blades, across his chest, and into the towel.
Though fair-skinned, he wasn’t thin. His arms and abs showed clear signs of exercise, with well-defined but not exaggerated muscles.
Facing the mirror, he removed the soaked towel from his head and tossed it into the laundry basket. He ran his fingers through his disheveled hair, slicking it back, and raised an eyebrow at his reflection.
“What a great face,” he complimented himself.
After that, he donned a bathrobe and left the bathroom, heading back to his room.
At some point, his dog Fu Gui had let itself in. Now, it was wagging its tail eagerly at Yan Sheng, tongue out.
“Come here,” Yan Sheng said, walking over to pet Fu Gui.
Just then, his phone, charging on the bedside table, rang.
Yan Sheng, still holding Fu Gui, sat on the bed, his bathrobe open, and answered the call. “Hello?”
“Sheng’er, what’s with the videos you sent to my email? Did you run into another hacker taunting you? Do you need me to report it?” Song Ming asked.
Yan Sheng deflected the question, “Watch his gameplay. Does it look like a hack to you?”
“What do I think? Wait, you mean it’s not? Is this from another team’s mid-laner? But aren’t all players’ accounts supposed to be registered with the league? I haven’t heard of this guy,” Song Ming was puzzled.
“It’s not a hack,” Yan Sheng said. “Yan Man hired a game companion. I bet with her and played a game with this guy. His skills are amazing, so I asked Yan Man to recommend him to me. The video I sent you is from our game together.”
“Got it,” Song Ming snapped his fingers. “Do what you think is best. I won’t interfere with these matters. Just let me know if you need me to make any contacts.”
After hanging up the phone, Yan Sheng pondered for a moment while petting the dog. Then, he picked up his phone and opened the chat with Owl.
Shen Er, after taking a shower, snuggled under the covers and sat up in the dark, meticulously massaging his fingers and wrists. The reckless training he used to do without regard for his hands had only shortened his professional career.
Once bitten, twice shy.
While gently kneading his ring finger knuckles, his phone vibrated on the pillow beside him.
He turned on his phone, squinting as he unlocked it and opened WeChat.
[Y: Bro, I want to discuss something with you.]
[Owl: What is it?]
[Y: Do you always get off work at this time to play games? Will it be the same tomorrow?]
[Owl: I’m off for the next two days. Usually, though, this is the time.]
[Owl: Why?]
[Y: I want to play games with you. Would you be interested in a long-term arrangement?]
[Y: But can you switch to another internet cafe, one with private rooms? The one you go to is too noisy; it gives me a headache. I’ll cover the internet fees, and I’ll take care of the takeout if it’s during mealtime.]
Seeing the messages in the chat box, Shen Er felt like he had encountered a pair of extravagant siblings. First, the sister paid five hundred yuan just to slap her brother in the face, and now the brother was willing to cover his meals and internet fees just to play with him.
And this brother was quite skilled, not someone who needed a game companion to help him rank up.
[Owl: Sure, but I think you’re pretty good. You could rank up on your own. Why do you want to hire a companion?]
His sister hired multiple game companions for fun and relaxation, but why would someone skilled enough to rank up alone need a companion? If Shen Er wasn’t sure the other party knew he was male, he might have suspected some new type of pick-up tactic.
[Y: It’s like this.]
[Y: I’m a bit timid. I’m afraid to play games alone.]
Timid.
Shen Er couldn’t help but smirk.
Was this the same kind of timid that dives into the Dragon pit for a 1v3, taunts after kills, and questions teammates’ mistakes with pings?
[Y: Do game companions now need to ask for reasons before taking a job?]
Shen Er instinctively licked his lips.
[Owl: No, they don’t.]
[Y: Great. Since you’re off tomorrow, log in at 2 PM, okay?]
[Y: You can take other jobs, but prioritize mine. I’ll message you in advance to schedule. is that alright?]
This is…
Such a domineering CEO-like statement.
[Owl: Got it.]
However, what was even more like a domineering CEO was—
[Y has transferred 5000 yuan to you]
[Y: This is a deposit. Keep track of expenses for internet fees and game companionship. When it runs out, just let me know on WeChat.]
Looking at the transfer, Shen Er felt a strange sense that he was being taken care of like a kept person.
But, jokes aside, this 5000 yuan deposit significantly alleviated his financial situation.
Having just graduated and now going home for the New Year, he needed some money to ensure his mother could stay in the hospital with peace of mind.
[Owl: Thank you, I’ll keep a detailed account and send it to you each time.]
[Y: Okay.]
[Y: By the way, how should I address you?]
[Owl: My name is Shen Er.]
[Owl: How should I address you, boss?]
Yan Sheng looked at the name Shen Er had sent him. After changing his note in WeChat, his fingers hovered over the chat box.
Although his account had been registered with the league, it had never been shown on his stream. In other words, apart from those in the league, very few people knew this account belonged to Splendor.
He didn’t want Shen Er to know who he was yet, partly to avoid pressuring him, and partly because… his team’s performance this year had been so bad he was embarrassed to admit it.
How to address him.
Calling him “Xiao Yan” was too frivolous, “gege” was too disgusting, and “Sheng Sheng”…
No one called him “Sheng Sheng” except his family.1Xiao Yan: 小晏 translated to Little Yan, is a nickname for Yan Sheng
gege: 哥哥 is a term used to refer to an older brother or sometimes an older male friend. It carries a sense of familiarity and closeness, often used affectionately or playfully, especially by younger siblings or close friends.
Sheng sheng: 晟晟 is also a nickname for Yan Sheng
[Y: Just call me Yan Shao.]2Yan Shao: “晏少” a respectful or endearing way of addressing Yan Sheng, similar to saying “Young Master Yan” or “Mr. Yan.”
Shen Er looked at this message, his silence speaking volumes.
This boss…
He seemed like the naïve son of a rich family.
Could he be one of those fifteen or sixteen-year-olds with some pocket money?
Profiting from minors was unacceptable.
Shen Er pursed his lips and typed a line—
[Owl: Just to be polite, are you… of legal age?]
Author’s Message:
Xiao Shen: Kind father of the internet
Xiao Yan: Naïve son of a rich family
(I’m just kidding, this isn’t a father-son novel)
Thank you for reading! 
Hope you enjoy the rest of your day 🍀
If you like reading my translations, do consider supporting me with ko-fi🌼
![Flying Dust [Fei Chen]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/9k.png "Flying Dust [Fei Chen]")
