Chapter 12 Game Friends: [I'm pretty good at playing Lan, right?]

While typing, Song Man stared at Yun Chui's messages in annoyance. This damned tacit understanding! Whatever she thought of, Yun Chui would definitely think of too. There was no way to avoid it.

Yun Chui suspected that Qin Lan might be blinded by anger, but she couldn't understand how Jiang Yan could have provoked Qin Lan to this extent. She switched to another page and typed to Jiang Yan: "Did you anger her too much?"

Yun Chui: [Please reply if you see this]

After a while, Jiang Yan replied to her: [Shh]

Yun Chui: [?]

Yun Chui: [Just being alive is enough]

Jiang Yan: [Shh]

Yun Chui: [Have you been beaten into idiocy?]

Jiang Yan: [Shh]

After a while, Jiang Yan replied with a message: [I held Teacher Qin's hand and even wiped her feet.]

Yun Chui: [?]

Jiang Yan: [She's so fair-skinned]

Yun Chui put down his phone and laughed in exasperation.

After a while, her smile faded and she regained her composure.

She sat on the hotel balcony, her head slightly bowed. The golden Eiffel Tower shimmered in the distance, a testament to a glorious era, while boats crisscrossed the river. People cheered, danced, and enjoyed life.

Yun Chui crossed her arms, leaned slightly forward, and gazed intently at the crowd dancing beneath the Eiffel Tower. After a long while, without turning her head, she said, "Anna, I want to dance."

“I’m sorry to refuse you, but you can’t.” Anna made herself a cup of milk tea, as she had a habit of drinking something before dinner: “I told you when I went abroad that you could go to many places, but if you take me with you, you have to listen to me.”

"Anna," Yun Chui softened her voice, her gaze still fixed, "let me dance for a while, okay?"

Anna craned her neck to look down at the men and women below, their arms linked and dancing gracefully, and sighed, "I shouldn't have let you stay in this city full of music and art any longer."

"You're the best." Yun Chui's voice softened, with a hint of pity.

“If your heart rate and blood pressure are fine, you can go.” Anna pointed helplessly to the table: “Go and measure them yourself.”

Yun Chui walked over and fiddled with the equipment, the straps on her arm gradually tightening. After a while, she took them off, glanced at them, and said, "Today is also very good."

"Let's go." Anna couldn't do anything about it; after all, the other woman was a client, and she was the one providing the service. Yun Chui went into the dressing room, and when she came out, she had taken off her nightgown, changed into a crisp shirt and trousers, and was wearing armbands. She stood in front of the mirror, tidying herself up. Although Anna was used to it, she still silently thought to herself—Yun Chui truly lived up to his reputation as an aristocrat among aristocrats.

Anna's current job requires her to be with her clients at all times, which is fortunate, as she can detect any issues immediately. She accompanied Yun Chui to the square, where Yun Chui stood for a while, tilting her head slightly, seemingly trying to discern different rhythms. After a while, she gave up, put on her headphones, and quietly entered the square.

Anna stood a dozen paces away, arms crossed, watching her. Yun Chui, seemingly oblivious to everyone else, danced the rumba amidst the waltzers, her movements light, graceful, and focused. Soon, a blonde, blue-eyed girl approached and asked if she could dance with her. Yun Chui danced the male steps, and the girl said she happened to know the female steps.

Anna chuckled and couldn't help but mutter to herself, "Dancing is what she's best at, but a dancer can only have one soulmate."

As expected, the girl left quickly. Waves of new humans gathered around Yun Chui, then dispersed like the receding tide. She danced her rumba with complete focus, every movement graceful and perfect, as if she were holding another person's hand in her suspended palm, as if she were supporting another waist in her outstretched arms.

Anna couldn't help but complain, "Isn't this a killer move? A cold and aloof noble lady dancing for just one person...?"

Back in China, Yu Jintang succinctly recounted Qin Lan's heroic act and repeatedly asserted that Qin Lan had not assaulted Jiang Yan.

[I really feel sorry for Lao Qin. Several of her closest friends actually suspect her of hitting someone.] Yu Jintang's words sounded hypocritical.

Qin Lan calmly sent a voice message: "We can now officially call you 'Green Tea Sister,' Yu Jintang."

Yu Jintang smiled, her eyes narrowed: "Hey, Lao Qin, I'm the last person I want you and Jiang Yan to fight. Think about it, my two leading ladies can't even get along peacefully for a meal in private. How can I expect you two to shine on set?"

Qin Lan pressed a voice message, her voice fierce: "I don't know if Jiang Yan and I can shine or not, but I can beat you into a fever right now."

Yang Xingji: [Who wants to be provocative?]

Qin Lan: "You shouldn't leave either."

＊

Xiaoqing walked in: "Sister Qin, you really should go to sleep."

"Okay, okay," Qin Lan said.

Xiaoqing peeled off the face mask for her and examined her closely: "You're so beautiful, Sister Qin. It's such an honor for you to have this face mask on. Our Sister Qin is the number one beauty in the Chinese entertainment industry."

"But there's also Jiang Yan," Qin Lan said lazily, squinting her eyes.

"Teacher Jiang's looks are undeniably stunning, but when it comes to striking features, she's not as striking as Sister Qin." Xiao Qing was flattering her, but her words weren't entirely untrue. Although Jiang Yan's fanatical followers were now nearly as numerous as Qin Lan's, Qin Lan still garnered a 10% advantage in polls regarding the most strikingly beautiful woman in the Chinese entertainment industry. Jiang Yan was quite beautiful, but her alluring features ultimately softened her overall appearance, while Qin Lan's features were extremely sharp and defined, exuding an air of domineering arrogance.

"Tch, stop trying to curry favor, I'm going to sleep." Qin Lan stood up from the sofa, swaying her hips as she walked towards the bed: "Hurry up and get going, we'll be busy tomorrow morning."

"Then Sister Qin, you really have to go to bed early." Xiaoqing glanced at her watch worriedly: "Sister Bai told me that you'd only have half an hour to use your phone at most, and it's almost midnight now..."

"Okay, okay." Qin Lan buried her head under the covers, as if to shoo her away. Xiao Qing left worriedly, and the room fell into darkness.

Qin Lan turned over.

Once the surroundings quieted down, anxiety surfaced—I had to film a bed scene with Jiang Yan tomorrow.

Qin Lan lay silently for a while, then pulled the blanket down and stared at the ceiling with annoyance.

Unable to sleep, she picked up her phone and started scrolling. Weibo was buzzing with activity; the main page was filled with candid photos from various fan groups of the "Red Era" drama series, with Jiang Yan's and Qin Lan's fans arguing over who was the best. She logged off, feeling incredibly annoyed, and decided to jump into a game instead.

After loading, she browsed the store for a while to see if there were any returning skins. Just as she was about to start a ranked match, a team-up request popped up.

She glanced at it; the profile picture seemed vaguely familiar. However, her friend list consisted entirely of contacts from her address book, and this person didn't belong to any of them.

Qin Lan closed the application, but a "1" quickly appeared in the message box.

She clicked on it and suddenly realized that it was the same Lu Ban from last time, the one with a score of 2-10.

Lan: [Aren't you going to play?]

Qin Lan, the mother: [Let's play!]

Lan: [Then why did you refuse my invitation?]

Qin Lan (Old Lady): [Who knows who you are?]

Jiang Yan smiled: "Do you remember now?"

My mother, Qin Lan: [1]

Jiang Yan couldn't figure out what she meant and felt a little uneasy, so she sent another team invitation.

Qin Lan rejected her invitation again.

Lan: [?]

Qin Lan, the mother: [I'm upset tonight, and I don't want to lose.]

Lan: [I said I could carry you, you think I was just kidding?]

Qin Lan, the old lady: [Want to use your jungle Luban build?]

Lan: [Using Lan.]

Qin Lan hesitated for a moment before clicking "agree." Normally, she would never start a game so hastily, lest she worsen her already bad mood. But today, she thought about it carefully; in a way, watching her teammates' bizarre actions could relieve stress.

Since this person was going to carry the game, she might as well take the support role herself, so she could watch their hilarious plays. So Qin Lan chose the support role, and when she checked again, the person had indeed locked in the jungle role.

"Is it another jungler Luban?" Qin Lan muttered. When it came time to select heroes, [Lan] asked for help picking, jumping to the first floor and locking in Lan.

Qin Lan was startled: [You want to play with Lan?]

Lan: [As you can see]

Qin Lan looked at him with disbelief: "Are you even capable of playing this?"

[Lan] remained silent, only showing off his achievements.

Lan Shangju's record: 15/1/4

Recent winning streak: 5 consecutive wins

Qin Lan was somewhat convinced, but still remained skeptical: "If you're so capable, show us your Lu Ban's battle record!"

Jiang Yan chuckled: "Have you ever come across this sentence?"

Qin Lan (the author): [What?]

Lan: [After securing the crucial dragon steal, winning or losing no longer matters.]

Qin Lan scoffed and locked onto Yao.

The game begins. She followed Xiao Qiao to the mid lane, while Jiang Yan quickly cleared the two jungle camps in the blue buff area. The enemy support wasn't in the mid lane, so Qin Lan and Xiao Qiao cleared the first wave of minions, but both of them lost some health to the enemy Mai Shiranui.

Qin Lan pretended to walk towards the development path, and after disappearing from sight, she turned back and squatted in the grass.

This Mai Shiranui is very strong. She observed for a while but failed to deceive Mai. Just as she was about to leave, Doriya arrived. Mai Shiranui left the tower, and Qin Lan and Xiao Qiao were forced to retreat back inside.

Xiao Qiao on their side was clearly struggling against Mai Shiranui; her second skill missed every time, and her fan couldn't even scratch Mai Shiranui's clothes. Qin Lan's health wasn't too good, so she could only wander around the tower. When she noticed that there was no one on the enemy's bottom lane, she sent a signal.

Xiao Qiao retreated even deeper into the tower. Sure enough, Hou Yi from the opposing team arrived, and Qin Lan requested a regrouping.

She glanced at the minimap and saw Lan was clearing the red zone, then slipped into the bushes.

Hou Yi, along with Huo Wu and Doriya, pressed forward, while Qin Lan and Xiao Qiao continuously retreated to hook Yin. Lan initiated with her first skill for acceleration, then used her ultimate to bite Hou Yi.

"So flashy." Jiang Yan muttered to herself. She pushed Doriya into the tower and took her away. When she turned around again, Xiao Qiao was gone. Shiranui Mai left with a sliver of health. Qin Lan transformed into a deer and chased after her, but he couldn't catch up.

"Fire Dance has excellent agility." Jiang Yan typed in her voice.

Qin Lan also said, "Huo Wu knows how to have fun."

Jiang Yan: [How about I kill her?]

Qin Lan gave a long scoff, clearly not believing him. Huo Wu had already returned to the tower, and the mage assassin was incredibly difficult to catch: "You're just bragging."

Jiang Yan smiled.

A series of blue-purple blade lights flashed across the ground as Jiang Yan used her second skill to launch a long-range sidestep and pull back, killing Shiranui Mai.

Qin Lan curled her lip, "He does have some skills, though."

"Come with me," Jiang Yan said with a smile.

Qin Lan ignored him and went to find the development path.

Jiang Yan regretfully went to farm the jungle. Qin Lan, in coordination with the development lane, stole the enemy's raptors, and the announcement of Lan killing Doriya rang out again.

Qin Lan couldn't resist watching how she played; she'd always wanted to jungle, but unfortunately, she didn't have the skill. Lan quietly waited in the mid-lane river for a while, but Shiranui Mai seemed to know she was there and kept her distance. Jiang Yan hissed and entered the water.

Qin Lan looked away and focused on herself. But when she looked at the minimap again, Lan's avatar had already appeared in the opposing blue buff area.

"Trying to steal the blue buff so early, aren't they afraid of dying to the enemy?" Qin Lan muttered, but didn't move an inch. No wonder the previous player played Lu Ban so badly... What an adventurer.

The enemy jungler charged in aggressively, brandishing his big axe. Jiang Yan took the hit, then released her Smite and gracefully left the battlefield, stepping on the blue circle.

He returned with a sliver of health.

Old Lady Qin Lan: [You're happy now that you've lost your life and haven't even managed to turn the blue buff into a winning combination.]

Jiang Yan smiled contentedly: "But if I get it, it'll be even more awesome."

Qin Lan noticed that this guy was a bit energetic, always looking for risks and thrills. Playing games with Yu Jintang gave him that same nerve-wracking feeling, except Yu Jintang often took baths in the spring. And this [Lan] once again took down Shiranui Mai, leaving the field with low health, now at 3-0-1, the highest economy in the entire game.

Qin Lan and Xiao Qiao were both severely wounded in the previous battle and returned to base to replenish their health and mana. Lan focused on replenishing his health and mana in the blue buff area, then waited for the marksman to use Flash in the top lane, and naturally took down Hou Yi.

With nothing left to farm in the jungle, Jiang Yan returned to base to replenish her health and then went to her lane to help our Diao Chan kill the enemy Xiang Yu.

The broadcast was full of highlights for [Lan], and a sentence appeared on the public screen: [I played Lan pretty well, right?]

Qin Lan finally agreed: "Much better than your hard-boiled egg."

Jiang Yan smiled and asked, "Then do you want to come with me?"

Qin Lan's tone was cold: "Keep dreaming."

Lan: [Waaaaah, it's okay, I can do it myself.]

Qin Lan shuddered again; the tone sounded familiar.

After trying to catch Mai Shiranui again, Jiang Yan started spawn-camping. The game's matchmaking system was relatively balanced, making it difficult for her to kill Mai Shiranui again. So she started bargaining with Qin Lan: "Let's make a deal, I guarantee a win with you."

Qin Lan (Old Lady): [I think you're guaranteed to win, but not guaranteed to lose.]

Jiang Yan touched her nose: [We had a five-game winning streak before, right?]

Qin Lan regretted not checking her battle record before entering the game.

Qin Lan refused to go with her, so Jiang Yan went to take the dragon herself. Qin Lan crouched in the bushes and waited for a while. Shiranui Mai's icon disappeared from the mid lane, and soon a fan flew towards the bushes where Qin Lan was. Qin Lan had no choice but to move towards the dragon pit, and when Shiranui Mai tried to steal the dragon, she briefly controlled her with her first skill.

Jiang Yan has taken control of the Dominator.

Qin Lan (the author): [Helped]

Lan didn't say anything. After a while, she left the battlefield with low health again, and got a health pack from the mid laner.

With only a sliver of health left, Xiao Qiao barely escaped the combined attack of Mai Shiranui and Doriya, and stood there carrying Yao.

Jiang Yan spun around on the spot, looking incredibly irritating.

Huo Wu threw a fan at Qin Lan, who landed on the ground.

Lan: [Want to sit on my head for a while too?]

Qin Lan remained silent and floated up lightly. Jiang Yan smiled broadly, squinted as she refreshed the red buff, gave a false downward vision, and then led Qin Lan to ambush in the bush in the mid lane.

[Lan] Sends signal: Initiate attack

Xiao Qiao, now back online, is desperately clinging to Yin with her life.

Mai Shiranui and Doriya walked out of the central tower.

Jiang Yan waited for the water ripples from Doria to dissipate, then lunged forward and eliminated Shiranui Mai. Xiao Qiao also returned to the fountain, while Doria fled with a sliver of health. Qin Lan used his first skill to control her for a moment, and Jiang Yan turned around, controlling the distance to stop in front of the tower, securing a double kill without taking damage.

"Is he handsome?" Jiang Yan tapped the small hand icon on the screen and asked Qin Lan with a smile.

"Perfect teamwork!"

"It's alright." Qin Lan gave her a thumbs up.

"Then stay with me a little longer?"

Qin Lan didn't say anything and went upstairs. After taking a couple of steps, she realized this person was going to steal the blue buff again, ignoring the blue circle under their feet. She asked, "Why do you love stealing the blue buff so much?"

Lan: [Hmm, looking for a thrill?]

The enemy jungler charged in again, axe in hand, his face contorted with madness, radiating an aura of impending doom. Jiang Yan glanced at the minimap and, finding the rest of the enemy team gone, leaped over the wall and disappeared.

It was well past midnight, but Qin Lan was not sleepy at all.

Her eyes lit up as she stared at her phone. [Lan] had led her to invade the enemy's blue buff again. It was so exciting! She always succeeded, with highlight moments constantly being broadcast, mixed with Qin Lan's crucial shield, perfectly coordinated and lighting up time and time again.

Qin Lan couldn't predict what [Lan] would do next, but every time she was knocked down, she would see the opponent running towards her covered in blood. So Qin Lan would shield her from the crowd control attacks from behind, transforming into a deer and following behind. Once her skills were ready, she would cast a shield on [Lan], causing the opponent to turn back and charge into the battlefield.

Kaka unleashed a flurry of attacks: a quick pull, a sidestep, a dash, a sidestep pull back, and an endless combo, leaving Qin Lan, who was hovering above her, dizzy. Although Qin Lan was mesmerized by the screen full of flashing blades, she remained focused on healing [Lan], having long since forgotten about tomorrow's worries. Watching the enemy crystal shatter, Qin Lan felt a surge of joy.

【澜】 has a high rating of 15.2.

Qin Lan couldn't help but smile. Her partner was strong; as long as she wasn't allowed to touch any heroes other than herself, everything would be fine. A line of small text appeared in the chat box: 【How is it?】

Qin Lan snorted and tapped the door open, saying: "Not bad."

Lan: [Let's be friends, maybe team up for ranked matches sometime?]

Qin Lan agreed: "Sure, but my hours are irregular. What time do you get home from work?"

Jiang Yan thought for a moment: "I'm a freelancer, I don't have fixed rest hours."

Qin Lan was quite disappointed and was even considering deleting the other person from her friend list when the other person added, "I've been logging on every day lately."

Qin Lan believed her to some extent: "Then wait a couple of days. I have something rather tricky to deal with tomorrow, so I definitely won't be able to play."

Jiang Yan curled her lips into a smile and said insincerely, "It must be something very important. I wish you all the best."

Qin Lan (Old Lady): [Logged off.]

She wouldn't see the goodnight message from [Lan] until she logged back in, and Qin Lan clearly didn't have the habit of saying goodnight to a gaming partner she had just met. Jiang Yan, who didn't receive a goodnight message, smiled broadly. She leaned back on the bed, held her phone high, and stared at Qin Lan's profile picture endlessly.

Two minutes later, she suddenly jumped up and rushed into the bathroom to wash up. She had an intimate scene to film tomorrow, so she couldn't look too tired. Her lips were a little dry, and she needed to take good care of them so Qin Lan wouldn't be unable to kiss her…

Jiang Yan looked at herself in the mirror with a lack of confidence, unsure if she was attractive to Qin Lan. Everyone called her a vixen, except Qin Lan. Qin Lan called her a pretentious, manipulative, and hypocritical person, never praising her once, not even calling her a femme fatale. At least a femme fatale would have some semblance of beauty.

Every time she saw Qin Lan, she dressed up meticulously, hoping her gaze would linger on her a little longer. But Qin Lan, being the eldest daughter of the Qin family in Beijing, had seen it all since childhood. Looking at Qin Lan's friends, she immediately felt ashamed; even Yu Jintang, who was studying directing, had a face that could debut as an actor. Compared to them, she was just an ordinary person.

"I'll try one more time," she encouraged herself. "Since I've decided to come back, I'll stick to it and force her to give me an answer. If she says she'll never like me no matter what, then I'll never come looking for her again."

Jiang Yan's eyes dimmed for a moment. She brushed her teeth, washed her face, moisturized herself, applied eye cream and serum, and then quickly went to bed.

"It's so late, I hope I don't have dark circles under my eyes tomorrow..." she prayed silently.