Chapter 26

[Xiao Yu is really worried sick, having to worry about his silly but beautiful uncle, and also about other people's kids.]

[Who is the uncle and who is the nephew?]

[Yun Jingcheng got betrayed by Xiaoyu, hahaha, his face is so red]

His Highness naturally reached out and gently brushed aside the misplaced strand of hair.

Cold treatment: ?

Why is there improvisation?

The dwarfs emerged and told the prince about the princess's background.

The prince listened quietly as the children stammered out their retelling of the story, and finally said, "I have fallen in love with this princess at first sight. May I take her back to my kingdom? I will ask the best physician to save her life."

This is an adaptation made for a small theater, making the prince's character more believable.

Then, the prince walked to the crystal coffin and gently took Snow White's hand—or rather, Cold's hand.

Unlike the accidental touch on the carousel, Jiang Yijing's hand did not exert any force; it was merely placed lightly and restrainedly on Leng Zhi's hand.

From the queen's perspective behind the scenes, she stared in astonishment, her mouth agape.

In their adapted script, there was no such complex action design at all; there was only one line:

[Please let the prince kiss Snow White, and then the princess will awaken.]

How did this viewer add a new design themselves?!

She nudged her colleague next to her: "If I remember correctly, the script had them holding hands. Why are you staring at it for so long?"

Her colleague gave her a disdainful look and sneered, "What do you know? They drew a real loving couple. They added a real love story element. Isn't it sweet? Look at the audience's reaction."

The Queen peeked out from behind the curtain and saw that some of the children's parents were also watching the performance on stage, holding each other's hands tightly and completely absorbed in the show.

She nodded admiringly: "Amazing, the audience members we drew today are all very talented!"

Although Leng Zhi's eyes were closed, his other senses became more acute as a result.

He noticed a shadow gradually covering his vision, and thus he could feel the other person's warm breath.

Leng Zhi's Adam's apple bobbed, his face remained expressionless, but the trembling of his eyelashes clearly betrayed his unease.

Damn, Jiang Yijing isn't really going to kiss me, is he? The boss shouldn't be the type to take advantage of someone in a vulnerable state, right? Whatever, this divorce is inevitable, no matter what. Thirty million it is, I'll take out a loan and pay in installments!

That moment felt like an eternity. Countless thoughts flashed through Leng Zhi's mind, finally settling on two big words: divorce!

"That's amazing? Then LSG... is in a bit of danger now."

LSG also did its homework on the QE situation in advance.

Of course, they were just doing some preliminary work for the draft phase, gathering information on the heroes that the opposing players were good at.

As for the so-called top coach, Tang Wenshi simply commented: "I don't like his style, it's too petty. We'll stick to what we have and adapt to whatever comes our way."

"What does it mean to be petty?" Yu Fu asked curiously.

"It's hard to describe... but there really isn't a good countermeasure. He will develop different strategies for each team, and you'll only know once you actually face them."

Coach Tang pulled up past tournament records on his phone: "These are the 'good deeds' he did in the North American region."

Yu leaned closer, gave it a quick glance, and was immediately shocked by the guy's methods.

"This...this, is this still the e-sports world? How can someone pick the last day before a major tournament to have someone spread scandals about the opposing team? And what the hell is this trash talk tactic?!"

Manager Chen pricked up his ears, and when he heard the first point, he couldn't help but raise his eyelids.

Could it be that the news this morning was also written by this top player?

She could vaguely guess which expert had settled the matter for the team.

Even a fool could guess that it's that handsome man in a suit who's been frequenting the New Star Internet Cafe lately—Jiang Yijing, the successor of the Jiang Group.

The pre-match speculation surrounding LSG didn't last long, as the top player didn't hold back, revealing his shady tactical style in the very first game.

Gongsun Shangxiang was banned, and then Meng Cheng's usual strong jungler was also banned, and the opponent chose Qingguang Shenglie.

This was a proven pattern, and Leng Zhi was confident in his plan, allowing Meng Cheng to lock onto the Bloodthirsty Blade Battle.

When facing a jungle-swapping lineup, the early-game strength of your own jungler is also very important, and this Bloodthirsty Blade is the most suitable choice in the current version.

What followed took a strange turn.

QE is drafting the exact same lineup as in Game 1 of the semifinals.

They used the same bans and hero picks to gradually lure LSG into choosing the lineup they least wanted to see.

Even though the LSG team entrusted the drafting and banning (BP) entirely to their captain, they still noticed something was amiss when they got here.

Amidst their tense gazes, Leng Zhi suddenly lowered his voice and chuckled.

"What's the rush? Just play along with them."

The cursor for the last hero on the screen hovered for a moment before finally landing on the healer.

Therapist, locked down.

The conversation between the grandfather and grandson quietly deflated the tension that had almost escalated. However, Jiang Mingzhe and Leng Zhi, who had just gotten up, were completely unaware of this.

The instigator, Jiang Mingzhe, was illiterate and didn't care what amazing things he had folded into paper airplanes.

The little devil was still half asleep when he rubbed himself awake and whispered, "Dad, I woke up today and found that Mengde has surpassed me again. School starts tomorrow, and I must be number one!"

Leng Zhiye had just come out of the room when he found that his boss had already gotten up and was getting dressed and up very quickly. Then, he bumped into Jiang Mingzhe, who had just woken up and was looking for him, on the stairs.

He rubbed the little boy's cheek: "Don't worry, you'll definitely be number one."

There's no other reason than that Meng Cheng can't beat him.

Meng Cheng had originally agreed to let Jiang Mingzhe win, but a few days ago, he suddenly developed a competitive spirit and scored over 200 points.

Leng Zhi almost laughed. So every game was very formal, completely different in scale from the previous qualifying rounds. The playoffs would be decided by a draw to determine the home and away teams, the largest venue in the corresponding city would be selected, and the games would be broadcast live globally.

In addition, the playoffs were stretched out, with only one game per week, lasting for two months and ending in December.

Even the pre-match draw was a grand ribbon-cutting ceremony organized by the organizers, who invited the captains of each team to attend.

The location was set in the capital city of B, and Leng Zhi went there alone.

Zou Shu asked very seriously, "Is it really not allowed for the vice-captain to draw the lottery for him?"

It wasn't that he coveted the opportunity to show off, but rather that his team captain's luck was simply... undeniably terrible.

Therefore, LSG always arranges for its vice-captain to attend these kinds of events.

Leng Zhi suddenly became very rebellious: "Zou Shu, don't look down on me!"

Zou Shu sighed, "Captain..."

Leng Zhi then gave a plausible reason: "There are only three rounds of competition in total. Since we are aiming for the championship, it doesn't matter who we are drawn with. If we can't even win this, then the world championship is out of the question."

These words made a lot of sense and immediately convinced Zou Shu, who had been somewhat worried.

Zou Shu gave a thumbs up: "Great! Well said! We're going to be the world champions!"

Leng Zhi glanced through the list of participants, pausing briefly when his gaze swept over KM.

He recalled Manager Qian, who frequently made harassing phone calls to him.

Oh... now it really is going to be the playoffs.

Zou Shu slammed his hand down on the list, his tone serious: "Captain, considering your strange luck, please don't stare at the same team for too long, otherwise you'll easily be drawn against them!"

Leng Zhi looked away and said indifferently, "It doesn't matter. If they run into each other, it's just their bad luck."

Zou Shu: "...?"

Is there some kind of grudge between them?

He's overestimating himself. Now that his hand injury isn't a constraint, he'll show that kid what the captain's strength is like.

As for whether there will be other mini-games that can make Jiang Mingzhe submit, that's not something he needs to think about.

Jiang Mingzhe nodded vigorously: "Good! We're number one!"

Jiang Mingzhe was so satisfied that he wanted to rush downstairs—but this time Leng Zhi caught him.

"Go down the stairs slowly, don't fall."

Jiang Wenzhu watched the two children, one big and one small, playfully bickering as they walked down the street, his face beaming with an irrepressible smile.

"I'll be leaving soon; the driver going up the mountain is almost here," she suddenly said.

Jiang Mingzhe immediately threw himself into his grandmother's arms: "No, stay with me a little longer!"

Jiang Wenzhu bent down and kissed the little one on the forehead: "When you have a holiday, you can come up the mountain to play. You're starting school tomorrow, so you need to start preparing today."

Jiang Mingzhe pursed his lips and remained silent.

A string of red rope was placed in the baby's pocket.

Do you still remember everything I taught you yesterday?

Jiang Mingzhe nodded: "I remember! I'm very smart!"

Jiang Wenzhuo smiled and turned to Leng Zhi: "Someone must have taught you this before. There aren't many people familiar with it now. You can pass it on to Jiang Mingzhe when you have time."

As they were talking, Jiang Mingzhe had already bent down and fiddled with another rope pattern resembling the Eiffel Tower.

Jiang Wenzhuo took the rope and, just like Leng Zhi did yesterday, flipped it into a five-pointed star in his hand.

She said, "You should all be like this star, finding your destined direction."

It was unclear who Jiang Yijing was saying this to, but he secretly glanced at Leng Zhi.

Leng Zhi was staring at the flower rope, somewhat lost in thought.

The director of the orphanage also said something similar.

"Alright, the car's here. It's really time to go. Xiaomingzhe, remember to listen to your two fathers." She gave them one last piece of advice before leaving with the driver who had come to pick her up.

Despite QE's provocation, Leng Zhi did not back down; instead, he chose a lineup that played right into the opponent's hands.

At this point, the commentator also understood the underlying standoff between the two sides.

"As expected of the QE team, it seems their strategy in the first game was very clear: to target LSG's captain."

"Yes, I don't know if today's viewers saw LSG's performance in the last semifinal. They didn't fall behind at all against the seeded team PXM, achieving a great score of 3-1, but..."

"That's right. Based on their amazing performance in the last three matches, this loss actually shows that the players weren't in good form at the time."

He could only ever play a half-core role because he had a fatal flaw—slowness.

Lacking movement speed compensation and short-cooldown displacement skills, its support efficiency is low, and compared to the inherent high movement speed of the spear-wielding cavalry, it is indeed somewhat lacking.

"So they chose to focus on the Royal Cavalry, which... I don't quite understand. There should have been better options, and there are still many higher-priority flanks that haven't been banned!"

"Panzer is indeed an excellent winger, but his opponent is not easy either. In a battle between two top players, it seems that Panzer has not gained the upper hand so far."

Bian Xiangyu's superb operating skills left no room for error, and the Imperial Cavalry were being overwhelmed by the lancers.

You'll either lose health or miss out on last-hitting gold.

They tested each other, stopping short of a direct confrontation, and not a single death occurred.

The bottom lane and jungle presented a different picture. Froster would provoke trouble in the enemy jungle one moment and then return to the mid lane to help Phantom Wind clear the minion wave and provide defensive support the next. The bottom half of the map was quite lively.

Bian Xiangyu felt a little aggrieved.

Panzer is indeed a master; I always manage to escape just short of his kill line, and I can't find any suitable opportunities to attack.

He also had to keep a close eye on his teammates' situation and make another assessment of Gu Zuo's tactical command—the current WRC allows no room for error.

The spear-wielding cavalry cleared two or three waves of mid-lane camps and also stole a few small jungle monsters from their own jungler, finally managing to drag the game into its power spike.

After Bian Xiangyu purchased the most crucial piece of equipment, the lancer's movements became bolder.

He said, "Gu Zuo, I'll try to pressure the Imperial Cavalry for a wave, and then I'll come to support you. You guys keep scouting."

Gu Zuo suppressed his frustration: "Received! Jing Cheng has also built the Dawnbreaker Longbow, doubling his damage. We can't drag this out any longer. LSG has a really weird feeling about this game..."

He couldn't quite pinpoint the source of the feeling, but in short, every time the professor spoke during those few minutes, it felt like he was punching cotton, unable to exert any force.

Especially Froster... that guy whom Zou Shu hailed as the world's best support, always appears at crucial moments in his strategy to thwart his attacks.

"Be careful of that carp spirit, he's... pretty good at it," he said.

Six long spears thrust out one after another like dragons riding the waves, flashing with metallic special effects.

[The Art of Summoning Spears!]

This is the ultimate move of the spear-wielding cavalry. It has a long cooldown and requires the user to have a good understanding of where to throw the spear.

Dropping and picking up the spear in one fluid motion, the spear-wielding cavalry, propelled by the speed boost from their skill, charged towards the Imperial Cavalry that were probing nearby.

Just as the spear was about to pierce through the body of the Imperial Cavalryman, a sudden change occurred.

"The Imperial Cavalry has teleported away!" The commentator said this short sentence, his voice cracking slightly at the end due to the rising intonation.

He paused for a moment, then quickly gestured to the director to rewind and review the footage: "It's been eight minutes now, so why is the ultimate teleportation range of the River-Crossing Carp Immortal already covering the entire map?"

If he didn't feel that doing so would make him seem unprofessional, he would have liked to reread the description of the Crossing-the-River Carp Immortal's ultimate move.

"Eight minutes? Isn't it nine minutes to advance to the final level?" Jing Cheng was the first to raise a question.

Crossing the River Carp Fairy is a very strong support hero, and various teams have developed many different playstyles around her unique hero mechanics.

However, the imagined kiss did not come.

He heard the other person's deep laughter in his ear, followed by a wave of warmth that slid across his cheek.

Taking advantage of the visual illusion, Jiang Yijing lightly tapped the soft blanket near Leng Zhi's ear and quickly got up.

He said slowly, "Snow White, I really hope you can wake up now."

Leng Zhi opened his eyes in surprise, forgetting to sit up. Snow White was awake, but seemed a little dazed.

A crew member quickly added a voice-over to remind him: "The prince's true love's kiss was very effective; Snow White actually woke up and the negative effects of the poisoned apple were reversed."

Leng Zhi seemed to wake from a dream. He propped himself up on his arms and sat up, continuing to act out the scene.

[Brother Leng: Disdain] Leng Zhi was also in a good mood.

For some reason, Jiang Yijing gave him another day off.

The next day, the housekeeper took over Jiang Mingzhe's pick-up and drop-off duties. In addition, it seemed that President Jiang also intended to hire a maid and a chef from his home.

Leng Zhi immediately seized the opportunity and warmly welcomed the downfall of the chef's empire.

This way, he can spend the whole day attending training and then come back to be with his baby in the evening.

Leng Zhi had already given himself a quick mental boost in those two or three minutes.

He even figured out how to repay the 30 million debt.

After hearing this, Leng Zhi found Jiang Yijing more and more pleasing to the eye.

He was really judging a gentleman by his own petty standards. A boss as good as President Jiang is truly hard to find even with a lantern.

“No problem, I’ll definitely balance both sides!” he shouted.

The next day, the new internet cafe.

"Jiang Yijing agrees to let you participate in e-sports competitions!"

After listening to Leng Zhi's description of what happened the previous night, Zou Shu almost cried out, which made the passengers boarding the plane not far away turn around to take a look.

This undoubtedly elevates LSG's reputation to a new level.

However, there are also dissenting voices.

The manager of PX team went downstairs early to wait for LSG team's arrival outside the villa. He had watched LSG team's match recordings and was very interested in this strong new team, believing that training with such fresh blood would definitely bring new ideas to the team.

He didn't have to wait long; soon a black van smoothly pulled up in front of the villa.

"I've heard so much about you. It would be great to be able to arrange a practice match with you guys... eh?"

The moment the car door opened, the polite words he had prepared were swallowed back down his throat.

Why did two little dumplings come out of the water?!

Jiang Mingzhe grabbed Meng De's hand and rolled over to the uncle.

"Hello, Uncle! We are King Golden Horn and King Silver Horn!"

Amidst everyone's puzzled gazes, Leng Zhi suddenly stood up.

The captain's ears turned inexplicably red. He gritted his teeth and said, "Don't leave, let's finish this first."

Could it be that the couple's relationship is... strained?

To be honest, he wasn't interested in other people's family affairs, but it seemed that such rumors were unfounded. Jiang Yijing glanced at him intentionally or unintentionally, but he didn't seem to be indifferent to Leng Zhi at all.

Tang Wenshi looked somewhat helpless. He raised his hand dramatically to say goodbye to everyone: "It's getting late. I need to go back and call my wife and daughter. See you tomorrow morning."

Under his deliberate actions, Jiang Yijing also noticed the wedding ring on Tang Wenshi's ring finger.

Little Jiang is finally no longer jealous.

[With so many stars, there's so much freedom. What's with all the Easter eggs and games? It doesn't matter.]

[Haha, the production team is so biased!]

[Quiet down, everyone, focus on cuddling the baby!]

The protagonist group had an extraordinary stroke of luck; they hadn't gone far up the mountain when they found a small knife.

In wilderness survival, knives and ropes become the guests' best companions, as their applications are so wide-ranging; the knife is practically the starting point for unlocking all the technological advancements.

Yun Jingcheng carefully pulled the small knife, tied with a colorful ribbon, from the tree, as if afraid it wouldn't be seen by anyone.

"Uncle, be careful, the knife is very sharp!"

Xiao Yu was extremely worried. Without saying a word, he took the knife from his uncle, broke off a few branches, shaved them into thin slices, untied the colorful ribbons from the end of the knife, tied them to the branches, and made a simple scabbard.

Yun Jingcheng took the "safed" knife: "Xiaoyu is great, you can even do this!"

Xiaoyu proudly raised his head: "It's easy to figure out! Let's keep walking, that way we can hang it on our waist and not worry about scratching ourselves!"

As the first team to obtain the tools, their steps became even more determined.

Li Chi followed behind Leng Zhi, watching him let Jiang Mingzhe play freely, but then he heard reports from staff about the other groups coming through his earpiece. He couldn't help but speak up to remind him:

"Mr. Leng Zhi, are you still going to play with Jiang Mingzhe? Some members of the other groups have already found supply packs and toolboxes!"

Leng Zhi remained unmoved and simply asked, "What's in their supply crates?"

According to the rules, Li Chi couldn't reveal the contents of the supply box, but in order to guide the guests back to the normal game procedure, he naturally answered, "Delicious cookies of various flavors. There will be more supplies to be distributed in the future. Let's take Xiao Mingzhe up the mountain!"

“Delicious biscuits?” Leng Zhi repeated, “They’re more like compressed biscuits.”

Li Chi choked. To fit the theme of wilderness survival, the production team certainly wouldn't prepare anything truly delicious; it was indeed compressed biscuits.

He touched his nose and didn't say anything more.

Leng Zhi knew immediately that if the production team wanted to make a truly entertaining survival variety show, they wouldn't film the guests comfortably using full camping gear and eating hot meals.

Viewers want to see the guests looking disheveled and struggling to survive. Since they want to see a more down-to-earth and relatable scene, the production team will definitely work towards that goal.

Why not let Jiang Mingzhe have some fun?

As for the issue of meals, Leng Zhi also had some preliminary plans.

The child saw only bright seashells, but as he followed Jiang Mingzhe, he soon discovered that besides those beautiful seashells, there were also many less attractive clams and razor clams hidden under the sand.

He grabbed Jiang Mingzhe's arm, meeting the latter's innocent, bewildered gaze: "Are you hungry?"

It had been a while since breakfast, and after running around on the beach, the question made the little one realize how empty his stomach felt.

He nodded vigorously, his voice loud and clear: "I'm hungry!"

"Now you know you're hungry?" Leng Zhi raised an eyebrow. "Look at what we have to eat."

Jiang Mingzhe pointed to his backpack, realizing that all he had collected were broken shellfish and small crabs, and it seemed... he really couldn't get any to eat.

His voice trailed off: "What can we do then?"

"You like beaches, right? From now on, you're not allowed to pick the pretty ones; you have to choose the ugly ones."

Leng Zhi bent down, picked up a grayish clam from the nearby mud and sand, and waved it in front of Jiang Mingzhe: "It's this kind. The more ordinary it looks, the tastier it is."

Jiang Mingzhe immediately understood and followed suit, groping around on the beach. Before long, he had made some progress.

Clams lying in his palm felt different from seashells. Although they didn't have dazzling arcs of light, the thought of the plump seafood inside made Jiang Mingzhe immediately forget about the pretty seashells.

The hunger pangs in his stomach fueled his determination, and soon, Leng Zhi's backpack was half full.

【Baby, you remembered the wrong breed too!】

[Hahaha, it's only a few lines, but it's all wrong the moment I look up.]

[Confident Jiang Mingzhe, fly bravely forward, Dad's wallet will cover your losses!]

[Hahaha, the boss is totally confused!]

[He looks like a rich kid, but he's so stingy.]

[He certainly didn't expect that yesterday the rich kid ate a meal of tomato, potato, and beef that cost ten yuan per person!]

[It's all because we have a thrifty and hardworking father.]

"Oh! In this small-scale team fight, LSG has finally won a game!"

"Let's take a look at the equipment panel. It turns out that the core equipment for the healer has finally been completed. The battle ahead is bound to be quite exciting."

The situation unfolded similarly to the KW match, with the healer taking control of the game.

The healer became a mobile fountain in the team fight, and the precise healing from Cold Heal provided great logistical support for the teammates. The situation gradually reversed, and they entered the critical moment when the Elder Dragon spawned.

Underneath Leng Zhi's loose T-shirt, sweat had already quietly soaked his back.

Despite displaying absolute confidence as captain in front of his teammates, the defeat in his retirement match remained a shadow over his heart.

We must win; we cannot let our mistakes ruin the championship that belongs to everyone.

The pressure was transmitted to his fingertips, and Leng Zhi faintly felt a phantom pain similar to that of his previous life.

What he actually said was, "Wait until I start the group buy."

Both sides are determined to win the Ancient Dragon, as acquiring it will greatly widen the economic gap between them and ultimately determine victory.

PXM will not sit idly by and wait for its demise.

They made the first move.

Unfortunately, LSG had the vision priority.

"Right now."

The LSG team had excellent teamwork and timed their skill activation perfectly. In an instant, seven or eight different skill effects rained down simultaneously, dazzling the big screen.

"LSG has set up their formation in advance, and from a strategic perspective, they have a high chance of winning this round."

"Haha, yes, I heard before the match that the team captain was in full charge of tactical command. Now it seems that not only is the command very strong, but the team's coordination and execution are also rare in the league."

"They've started fighting! The LSGs activated their skills almost simultaneously... wait, why didn't the healer's crowd control follow up?"

"Team Leader Leng?" Zou Shu finally sensed something was wrong.

Although it was only a beat too late, the control skill was not used first, allowing the opponent to avoid half of the damage thanks to their instantaneous reaction.

Leng Zhi didn't speak; the team battle was still ongoing, and he could only use his healing skill as a last resort.

However, in matches between experts, things can change in an instant, and this team fight was lost without any suspense.

His lips trembled slightly, as if he wanted to explain something, but in the end he swallowed it back.

This is not the fault of his teammates.

Although Leng Zhi said "wait for him to initiate the team fight," in his usual training, he was always able to seize the opportunity to be in sync with his teammates, so the four teammates' first reaction was to initiate the fight directly, rather than waiting for him.

He didn't know how to explain his current situation.

The ancient dragon surrendered itself, and the battle took a sharp turn for the worse.

"Congratulations to PXM for winning the first game! The second game will begin shortly!"

The commentary was very passionate, but Manager Chen and Zou Lin, who were sitting in front of their computers, seemed a little confused.

[Did the camera shake a few times just now?]

[It seems to be shaking.]

Zou Shu: "..."

Leng Zhi only calls him Deputy Captain Zou when assigning tasks. Hearing those three words means that there's work to be done!

This is the largest zoo in S City and the best zoo in the entire East China region. It is named for its humanistic care for the animals in its enclosures, and it can even be considered a minor internet celebrity among zoos—of course, it is only an animal internet celebrity, and its popularity is not on the same level as the currently popular children's variety shows.

The sign at the entrance is surrounded by lush green trees, and the calls of various birds can be heard among the dense foliage, demonstrating the excellent ecological environment.

Jiang Mingzhe unbuckled his seatbelt in a fit of pique, and as soon as the car stopped, he rushed out without even glancing at Leng Zhi.

Hmph! That bad dad was on his phone the whole time and didn't even glance at him, so he'll ignore him too!

The other cubs had already arrived and entered the park under the guidance of their keepers, while only the host, Li Chi, waited at the park entrance for the last group of guests.

He greeted them from afar: "Mingzhe is finally here! Come with me, the other kids haven't gone far yet."

They boarded a shuttle bus provided by the park and soon arrived at the first stop of their zoo tour.

While in the car, Li Chi took the opportunity to explain the rules of the show to them: "Today's star acquisition mainly depends on the park staff's votes for the little zookeepers, so Mingzhe must do his best!"

Children are naturally drawn to nature and adorable animals, and Jiang Mingzhe readily agreed: "I will definitely be the zookeeper today!"

Our first stop was the feeding area for the giraffes.

At a fixed time each day, the zookeepers select fresh food for the animals here.

Zoo keepers in City S believe in the principle of animal supremacy within the park. They accept the recording of variety shows, but at the same time make it clear that they do not want the animals to cooperate with the performances of the shows.

The director strongly agreed with this concept and immediately arranged for the guests who had already arrived to enter the park and participate in activities with the zookeepers.

Therefore, the production team did not wait for the last group of guests who were slightly late due to traffic.

When Leng Zhi and Jiang Mingzhe entered, the zookeeper was holding a bunch of branches as tall as a person and explaining its origin:

"These are branches of the large-leaved privet, which is also a major food source for giraffes. Actually, there are many kinds of edible leaves, but the large-leaved privet has low requirements for planting conditions, making it easy for the park to purchase in large quantities..."

S City Zoo has a long history, and Lao Qi has worked here for over twenty years. He is a frontline staff member of the zoo and a veteran of the entire park.

He can name most of the animals in the park, even a common species of parrot.

So he was recommended by the kindergarten director to lead the variety show guests through today's itinerary as their representative.

Lao Qi cherished this opportunity and prepared for popular science several days in advance, hoping to use the variety show to share more knowledge about animals with the audience.

He was full of anticipation, as the young guests who came to participate were all good children who loved animals.

However, one group was absent early in the morning, which made Lao Qi somewhat dissatisfied.

How could he possibly entrust the animal husbandry to these people temporarily? They're so unreliable!

[Hahahahahahaha]

[Burn, Dad's wallet!]

[Luckily, he's President Jiang's child, so we don't have to worry about money!]

"Silly boy, aren't you afraid of getting heatstroke?"

All three hats were stuffed into the shopping bag, then taken from Jiang Yijing and carried in his hands.

Leng Zhi was taken aback when he saw the shopkeeper naturally take the shopping bag from his hand.

He immediately realized that this must be part of the couple's performance—Jiang Yijing's good intentions had been completely misinterpreted.

The next attraction is a gentle amusement ride, the carousel.

The carousel here is said to be the largest in all of Asia and is considered a signature attraction of the amusement park. It has three floors and is decorated with countless elaborate chandeliers and carved glass. The horses and carriages are also painted in a very exquisite manner.

Jiang Mingzhe was among the first group of this batch. He grabbed his two fathers and rushed straight to the third floor.

If you're going to sit, sit in the highest seat!

Unlike the flying chairs, the carousel has a variety of seats, with one carriage accommodating three people sitting side by side.

Jiang Mingzhe was extremely happy. On his left was his bad dad, and on his right was his big dad. After the carousel started, dreamy music echoed in his ears. The carriages rose and fell, causing the little one to scream repeatedly.

"I'm so happy!"

Leng Zhi didn't speak. He reached out a hand, wanting to ruffle the baby's hair in response.

Jiang Mingzhe's hair is very soft, and the touch of it in the palm of your hand is like that of a warm puppy with a snout. He often uses this gesture to express his silent emotions, and Jiang Mingzhe has always appreciated it.

However, Jiang Yijing thought the same thing today.

Having not spent much time with his son in a long time, President Jiang, in this heartwarming moment, admired the scenery outside while he and Leng Zhi simultaneously raised their hands and covered him with theirs.

Their hands were clasped together.

Leng Zhi's hand froze, suspended in mid-air, unsure whether to put it down or take it back. After a few seconds of hesitation, he pulled it back at a twisted angle.

Jiang Yijing narrowed his eyes.

The sensation under his palm felt a little off. He turned around and met Leng Zhi's arm, which he quickly withdrew.

Jiang Yijing felt as if he had been glared at.

The little boy was completely unaware of the "undercurrents" behind him; he only knew that no one was paying attention to him from his left and right sides.

He looked left and right; one father was looking out, the other in, neither of them were looking at him. Upon closer observation, he noticed that both fathers' faces seemed to be flushed.

Jiang Mingzhe: ? ? ?

Is it hot? Hmph, whatever, if you don't want to talk to me, then don't! I'll just have fun by myself!

A single cycle of the carousel isn't long, but those three minutes felt like an eternity to Leng Zhi; he could almost see the mane of the horse next to him forming a bow.

He had little experience holding hands with people.

If I had to say something, it would be the pre-match friendly exchange. As the team captain, he would need to shake hands with the opposing team captain on behalf of his team.

He had played in the competition for three years and experienced this stage countless times, but none of those experiences left a lasting impression on him.

He didn't dislike Jiang Yijing's hands. President Jiang's hands had distinct knuckles, were a bit longer than his own, and had neatly trimmed, clean nails.

Leng Zhi shook his head, clearing his mind of these distractions, and led Jiang Mingzhe down the stairs.

The little one's hands were chubby and soft, and he was very restless. He pulled Leng Zhi forward on the stairs, and Leng Zhi had to use his strength to catch Jiang Mingzhe. After a while, his thoughts were completely scattered from his mind.

[Why did Lei Tou go offline?]

[Where's the production team? Anyone want to check what's going on?]

[Hilarious, he probably knew he was doomed and decided to end the broadcast to take responsibility]

[Indeed, the production team should replace the guests as soon as possible. If it's always Lei Tou, I really don't want to watch anymore.]

I quite like Xixi; she's such a chubby, good-natured little boy. It's such a pity she ended up with such a dad.

He even suspected that during the time he was waiting in the conference room, Leng Zhi might have said something to Tang Wenshi that aroused Tang's suspicion.

This cold treatment is truly persistent.

He became even more certain that this person was the annoying, manipulative kid he had met in the orphanage when he was a child.

Shen Yingcai remembered that he was still a primary school student back then, but Leng Zhi's handsome face hadn't changed much.

The school organized a volunteer activity to visit an orphanage, encouraging students to form study buddies with their peers at the orphanage.

Ten-year-old Shen Yingcai was assigned to the original owner of this world.

At that time, the original owner of the body had already begun to take shape in his later personality. He was being tossed around by poor relatives and was temporarily living in an orphanage.

One weekend, Shen Yingcai did not go to the park with the original owner as promised. Instead, he went on a long trip with his parents to Disneyland in a big city.

Shen Yingcai entrusted other children to tell the original owner about this matter—and that's where the problem lies.

The child forgot about it.

The original owner waited alone in the park all morning, and finally returned to the orphanage all alone.

When Shen Yingcai returned to school on Monday, someone had carved a large character on his desk with a knife: "Get out!"

This was, of course, the original owner's doing. Such sporadic acts of retaliation continued for a month until the original owner was taken away by another poor relative and changed schools and places of residence, which finally stopped.

Recalling these dramatic events from elementary school, Shen Yingcai looked like he'd seen a ghost.

"Damn, this kid was just jealous of my family's money back then! Now he's even playing esports..."

Now that both old and new grudges had been settled, Shen Yingcai decided to retaliate without hesitation.

His method was simple—snitching.

Shen Yingcai carefully selected a time that night to accompany Jiang Mingzhe while he took a bath, when only Luo Hongshuo and Yu Fu were in the training room.

He sat down next to Luo Hongshuo mysteriously.

The latter was conducting reinforcement training: "Captain Chen? What's up?"

Shen Yingcai leaned closer: "I have some juicy gossip about your captain, wanna share?"

Upon hearing the words "eating melon seeds," Yu Fu was the first to come over: "What? If he doesn't want to listen, he can tell me. I love listening to this!"

Shen Yingcai's lips curled into a triumphant smile: "Leng Zhi went to the same elementary school as me."

He didn't notice the subtle expressions on Luo Hongshuo's and Yu Fu's faces, and continued, "He was really perverted back then. He was only ten years old, and he harassed me for a whole month. It was outrageous!"

Shen Yingcai embellished the story.

However, he did not receive the response he had imagined.

Luo Hongshuo acted as if he hadn't heard anything, his hand swung the mouse around wildly, and Yu Fu also withdrew his curious head and continued to stare at the screen in front of him.

[Could it be Lei Shen?]

[Just after Leng Ge finished checking his phone, Lei Shen's live stream ended.]

[Holy crap, the stool's been brought over! Anyone want to investigate?!]

The sunlight was just right, filtering through the gaps in the plane tree leaves along the street and casting dappled shadows on Leng Zhi's dark hair.

Having watched the live stream all day, Zou Shu was quite familiar with Leng Zhi's current appearance. When he saw the background, his first reaction was that he thought he was seeing things.

He must have been so angry at the show's incredible "mystery gift" last night that he mistook every random passerby for Leng Zhi.

Zou Shu shook his head, walked into the small restaurant, put down the groceries he was carrying, and rubbed his wrist.

Yet a subtle feeling still lingered in my heart.

Zou Shu paused, turned around, and walked towards Xinxing Internet Cafe.

"It's definitely not that I'm obsessed with seeing people's faces. I went to catch Zou Lin. That kid must have been online early this morning again!" He convinced himself.

Leng Zhi greeted Boss Xu: "Boss, I'd like to ask you for a favor."

The shop owner looked up and recognized his regular customer: "It's you! Hahaha, we didn't recognize you the day before yesterday. Xiao Lin told me, and that's how we found out. So you're a big star! Just tell me what you need!"

Leng Zhi was still a little unaccustomed to this "big star" label: "Xiao Lin? Is that the one with the green hair?"

The boss nodded and called into the house, "Xiao Lin, come quick and see who's here!"

After Leng Zhi explained his purpose for asking for passage, he received the boss's consent, and Zou Lin also came out.

"Cold God! It's you! I'm telling you, I won in that lottery on the variety show last night! Did you see that? I'm the one who came in first place in the first round, the one who called you Invincible Brother Lin!"

Zou Lin immediately rattled off a bunch of things, then swiftly pulled out a notebook and added, "My mom loves your variety shows, could you sign it for me?"

Leng Zhi didn't refuse. He unscrewed the pen cap and casually asked, "Did you play by yourself yesterday? Did you switch to a more skilled player in the second half?"

Zou Lin's eyes widened immediately: "Wow, you can even tell that! It was my brother playing in the back. Speak of the devil, and he appears! Zou Shu! He's been looking for you!"

When Leng Zhi heard the words "Zou Shu," his pen stopped abruptly, and a large blot of ink spread out on the spot.

He turned his head in disbelief, unable to believe such a coincidence.

"Brother Zou", "Brother Lin", "Shulin"... the connection is finally clear.

The person in front of him had features that were five-tenths similar to his old teammate, and when he saw him, he showed the same surprised expression.

The seven-foot-tall man, Brother Shu, with tears welling in his eyes, cried out, "Captain Leng... Waaah!"

As soon as those two words were uttered, even Leng Zhi, who was slow to react, realized what was happening.

He quickly signed the document, then put his arm around the guy who was about to burst into tears: "What's wrong with you? Let's talk outside."

It was a lecturing tone, yet it carried a hidden tenderness.

Boss Xu and Zou Lin were left completely bewildered.

"Does your brother know this celebrity?"

"Never heard of it?"

Because of his sexual orientation, Leng Zhi has always maintained a distance from his teammates, never putting his arm around them. His teammates are very understanding, and the five of them have always had a very close relationship.

Zou Shu could feel the same excitement from the captain's strong hand on his shoulder.

"Are you really Zou Shu?" Leng Zhi asked, somewhat incredulous.

Although the name, gaming skills, and appearance all matched fairly well, this situation was still beyond his imagination.

Zou Shu wiped away the tears welling up in his eyes and said excitedly, "It really is me! When I first saw you on the variety show, I didn't believe it at all! After watching for a long time, seeing how good you are at gaming, I knew it had to be you!"

[Haha, little one, don't you understand? Daddy doesn't want you to watch him cook.]

[Is he planning to secretly order takeout?]