Chapter 34 Thanks to the previous online controversy, ...

Thanks to the previous online controversy, Zhao Zhinian suddenly became extremely busy.

Her frequent Weibo updates reveal that she had basically stopped updating her Weibo account before, except for necessary work promotions, because of her repeated defeats with Yizhan.

Now, not only has the number of commentators for the Glory Challenge increased significantly, but StarCraft Conquest has also given us more interview opportunities.

Her latest Weibo post was a short video of her interview with Lu Yuxing, a player from the game StarCraft, and the comments section was full of praise.

"My wife is so beautiful! Lu Yuxing is a human being too!" "Beautiful women are so kind to my eyes!" "Sister Zhinian, please schedule more shifts! Take StarCraft Conquest seriously!" "Please type 'professional' in the chat!" "The interview questions were professional and fluent! I want to see Zhinian in the finals, okay?" "If I looked like my wife, I'd be willing to pay a million..."

The company naturally praised Zhao Zhinian's recent popularity, after all, she had generated more revenue for the company. The director confidently promised that the company had now decided to focus on cultivating her and would strive to secure more resources for her, hoping to develop her into the company's top e-sports host and commentator.

However, this joy seemed out of place at the Yizhan base, as Yizhan's first victory was still a long way off.

They either erupt from silence or become monstrous in silence. Therefore, the official Weibo account for "Righteous Slash" has completely veered towards abstraction, resembling a concubine going mad in the cold palace.

Pre-match boasts: "I have a feeling the first win will be today," "I prayed to Guan Yu and Jesus today, the first win is a sure thing," "I consulted a fortune teller and he said I would definitely win today"...

He remained silent for several hours during the match.

Post-match ramblings: "As expected, it wasn't today, hahaha! You damn rich people!", "Damn it! Even worshipping both Chinese and Western deities can't make it work?", "I cried and told the boss that all the masters are liars, they couldn't see the future of Gizen at all..."

Lin Shuang was bombarded with insults by haters every day, and decided she couldn't bear this pain alone. So she printed out a selection of haters' comments and covered an entire wall in the Yizhan training room, and even the tea break area was covered with inspirational quotes.

Even more outrageous, she specifically consulted a feng shui master about the placement of the money tree, the paintings on the wall, and the orientation of the team members' training seats, striving to ensure that every detail would bring good luck to Yizhan.

Seeing these comments from haters, everyone couldn't help but feel sorry for Lin Shuang, who had to manage the official Weibo account every day. Even Lou Guanning, the biggest boss, didn't dare to fight back, and could only comfort the other team members: "Who told us to be so useless? Let her be."

Seeing the two doors to the training room, one with Jesus on one side and Buddha on the other, Wen Kebei couldn't stand it anymore and complained to Zhong Yeli, "These doors... ugh! Don't you think Lin Shuang has been acting like she's gone mad lately? Is it because Zhi Nian has been busy lately and she has no one to talk to, so she's been bottling it all up and has completely gone crazy?"

Zhong Yeli was training and didn't even look up. He just pointed to the Guan Yu statue on the table in front of him, indicating that the North Gate of Wenke was only a small part of the place and there were still several incense sticks in front of the Guan Yu statue. "The day Shuang'er posted the hater quotes, I asked her if it was too exaggerated. She told me to cherish the time when people still criticize me, because if I keep losing, no one will care about me anymore."

Thinking of Zhao Zhinian, Zhong Yeli added, "As for Zhinian, let her keep busy. She'll only join Lin Shuang if she comes back. The other day she even asked Team Leader Lou if he was planning to freeze her to death!"

Wen Kebei was puzzled: "Frozen to death?"

Zhong Yeli explained: "Zhinian and Team Leader Lou discussed whether the host could stop wearing formal dresses when it got cooler. She wanted to wear a suit like the male commentators, or even Hanfu. Team Leader Lou agreed, of course, since we're all on the same team, there's no need for Zhinian to freeze. But Lin Shuang consulted the Tarot and said that before the first victory of Yizhan, Zhinian should wear a red dress or cheongsam. Zhinian was afraid that she would affect Yizhan's luck, so she ended up freezing until October."

Gu Xiye, who was on the phone, joined the discussion when he heard his teammates talking about Zhao Zhinian: "Sigh, Zhinian didn't have many Challenger League commentary slots before, so she practiced commentary every day following our training match schedule. I even comforted her back then, saying that as long as she worked hard, she would eventually be able to commentate on Yizhan's matches." He smiled wryly: "Now it seems that maybe next year we'll be going to the Challenger League, and Zhinian won't need to work hard at all; she can commentate on Yizhan's matches next year too."

Zou Yunhai suddenly thought of a terrible possibility: "Look at how busy Chinen has been lately, his career is booming. What if we fall into the Challenger League next year, but Chinen has already become an official league commentator, and we still can't commentate on Gizan's matches!"

Several people immediately spoke up to condemn their jinxing.

Just then, Lin Shuang happened to pass by the door and coughed twice. The group immediately sat up straight and focused on their training.

Recently, Lin Shuang has been checking on the training room every few days. After all, the team isn't winning, but the official Weibo account still needs to be managed; attracting followers and maintaining traffic and interaction are her primary duties. Without victories, she has to change her strategy, starting to update various videos that motivate the team members and promote the team's mystical methods to maintain the official Weibo account's popularity.

Yi Zhan and the others knew how hard she was working, so they could only cooperate with this "torture of love".

Amidst the chaos and turmoil of war, Zhao Zhinian unexpectedly received a job opportunity.

She was wondering why TinyHerbal's official Weibo account had intervened in the previous incident, but a few days later she received an invitation from TinyHerbal's operations manager to host TinyHerbal player Yuan Baiqing's birthday party on October 12.

In the past, these small fan meetings were organized by internal staff, so they weren't particularly difficult.

However, the post-match interaction with Yizhan last time was outstanding. The interaction between fans and Wang Jiexi created a lot of memes and the popularity was unprecedented. Fans are also looking forward to replicating this segment, which made the owner of Tiny Herb think about adding a resident host.

Having had several successful collaborations, Zhao Zhinian naturally became the first choice, and this birthday party became a disguised job interview.

Upon learning the news, Zhao Zhinian not only notified the company but also went to Lou Guanning to explain the situation. Lou Guanning was very supportive, as they naturally hoped Zhinian would continue to thrive. He even smiled apologetically, saying, "Speaking of which, it's still our Yizhan's fault for not securing our first victory. I feel like we've been holding you back."

Zhao Zhinian quickly retorted, "How could that be? I'm only where I am today thanks to Yizhan for giving me this opportunity; otherwise, Tiny Herb might not have even seen me. But it has indeed held me back a bit; I'm almost out of my red dress! Let's win before winter arrives!"

Yuan Baiqing's birthday party had a warm atmosphere, as all those present were hardcore fans who had been selected through a rigorous process. Zhao Zhinian, with her professional skills, easily managed the entire event, highlighting the birthday boy while ensuring that the fans left satisfied.

Although Tiny Herb did not immediately give a decision on the on-site host, Zhao Zhinian was not in a hurry. She naturally knew that Tiny Herb was not like Yizhan, where Lou Guanning and a few others could make decisions on their own. She generously said that they would keep in touch for work in the future, and that she would guarantee high quality and low price, and would not refuse any work.

This birthday party also reminded Zhao Zhinian of another important thing: November 24th is Zhou Zekai's birthday.

This realization put her in a sweet predicament.

Both of them are currently busy with their own things. Their matches against several Beijing teams are scheduled for after the New Year, making it unlikely that they will meet in person. A simple online blessing seems too inadequate, so a gift that can convey their feelings is particularly important and also a real headache.

After agonizing for several days, Zhao Zhinian sought advice from Lin Shuang and Lin An'an. As for Zhong Yeli, she was busy with training, and Zhao Zhinian felt too embarrassed to bother her.

The two Lin sisters were very in sync. Although they used different words, they shared the same idea: Zhou Zekai should want the title of boyfriend as a birthday gift.

Zhao Zhinian blushed instantly and waved her hands repeatedly, saying that they were unreliable and that she was too embarrassed to give such a gift.

Lin Shuang offered a somewhat useful suggestion: "Why don't you ask Jiang Botao? Everyone who plays Glory knows he's a dedicated translator for Zhou Yu. They spend every day together, so he should know what Zhou Yu needs."

Although she felt a little embarrassed to trouble Jiang Botao, Zhao Zhinian thought for a moment that if she wanted the gift to be delivered directly to Zhou Zekai, she would probably really need his help. She knew the address of the Samsara Club, but if she sent it directly, it would most likely be mixed in with the fans' gifts, and she didn't know when Zhou Zekai would see it.

Although she had previously added Jiang Botao's contact information, the two had only communicated in their group chat, so it was naturally inappropriate to talk in the group now. After hesitating for a long time, she still opened the private chat window with Jiang Botao.

On the other end of the phone, Jiang Botao was stunned for a moment when he received the message. Just a while ago, he had helped his captain devise a way to "vividly tell Zhou Zekai's past story," and now, the captain's future wife was also asking him for advice on how to surprise the captain for his birthday. This "two-faced strategist" situation was truly bizarre.

When asked what Zhou Zekai wanted most, the answer was obvious: nothing more than a championship on the field and a fulfilling love life. But he didn't want to spell out the second half of his question, so he could only reply tactfully: "Of course, it's the championship. As for gifts, actually, the captain would like anything you give him."

Although the other party did not give specific advice, Zhao Zhinian's main purpose was to obtain Zhou Zekai's direct address through Jiang Botao.

However, this address was first used not on November 24th, but on November 11th, Jiang Botao's birthday.

Zhao Zhinian felt that Jiang Botao had helped her a lot when she was preparing for the challenge commentary, so she should give him a gift to express her gratitude.

What she didn't know was that the contestants in the Reincarnation event usually picked up their packages together.

That day, Lü Boyuan dragged Du Ming along to pick up the packages he had pre-ordered for Singles' Day. Seeing another rather large box downstairs, Lü Boyuan muttered to himself as he leaned over to look at the shipping label: "Sender... Zhao Zhinian?!"

When they saw the recipient's name was "Jiang Botao," the two exchanged a glance, their eyes instantly igniting with gossip. They already knew the vice-captain had been helping the captain with his schemes, but they hadn't expected to receive a birthday gift from Zhao Zhinian now; more gossip to hear!

Without saying a word, Du Ming picked up the box, while Lü Boyuan carried the other small items. They ran back to the dormitory, and when they passed Zhou Zekai's room, they specifically called out to their captain.

At first, Zhou Zekai didn't understand why Jiang Botao had called him to open the birthday present. But when he heard that the sender was Zhao Zhinian, he immediately followed silently, and the three of them squeezed into Jiang Botao's room together.

"Vice Captain! Look at your birthday present!" Du Ming shouted as he put the box down.

Jiang Botao was puzzled as to why it took three people to deliver just one box, and was clearly taken aback: "Mine? It's so big?"

“That’s right! The sender is Zhao Zhinian!” Lu Boyuan pointed at the express delivery slip on the box and winked at Jiang Botao. “As expected of the vice-captain, he has a lot of influence! Don’t you know? He should be thanking you for being the matchmaker, right? Did the captain secretly give him the address?” He looked at Zhou Zekai as if it were his due.

Zhou Zekai stood to the side, his gaze lingering between the sender and recipient fields for a moment, then shook his head: "It's not me."

Zhao Zhinian hadn't mentioned preparing a birthday gift for Jiang Botao at all, which made him feel a little uneasy. Besides, he had never received a birthday gift from Zhao Zhinian! Zhou Zekai pursed his lips and looked at Jiang Botao with a wronged expression: "I haven't received one."

Lu Boyuan and Du Ming exchanged a glance, both feeling a bit awkward. They had wanted to call their captain over to see if they could get some juicy gossip, but it turned out there really was some! Now they were in an awkward situation!

Jiang Botao glanced at his teammates' overly obvious flirting, then looked at his captain's aggrieved eyes, and thought to himself that being a "two-faced strategist" was indeed not easy; now they had fallen into a trap. He quickly put on a reassuring smile: "Captain, I can explain."

He succinctly explained the whole story, attributing the gift he received to Zhao Zhinian's gratitude for her previous help, and emphasized, "Miss Zhao didn't tell you because she wanted to secretly prepare a surprise for you. I promised her I would keep it a secret, and I was afraid of affecting the captain's mood, so I explained, so..." He paused, "Captain, could you please pretend you didn't know?"

Upon learning that Zhao Zhinian had been planning his birthday gift for a month, Zhou Zekai's initial disappointment and jealousy were instantly replaced by joy, and he obediently nodded. However, he still showed no intention of leaving, his gaze frequently glancing at the box, clearly waiting for Jiang Botao to unpack it on the spot.

Jiang Botao understood what the others were thinking, and resignedly found a pair of scissors to cut open the package.

The box was filled with a dazzling array of Beijing specialties: various pastries, crispy candies, pear syrup... and on top of that, an exquisite box. Jiang Botao opened the box, and inside was a string of warm-colored prayer beads.

On the greeting card, Zhao Zhinian's handwriting was neat and beautiful: "Happy birthday, Vice Captain Jiang! This is just a small token of my appreciation. I got this bracelet when I went to the Yonghe Temple before. I hope it will bless Samsara with a successful start to the season and a smooth championship win! —Zhao Zhinian"

Zhao Zhinian wasn't initially enthusiastic about going to temples to pray. But with the Yizhan (a religious ritual) still unsuccessful, and despite Lin Shuang having filled her office with various images of gods and deities from both Chinese and Western styles to no avail, she specially chose a day to take Zhao Zhinian to the Yonghe Temple. Zhao Zhinian naturally prayed for Zhou Zekai as well, but since Jiang Botao's birthday was earlier, she sent it over in advance.

However, when she made her wish, she was a little conflicted: was it a bit unfair to Yizhan if she prayed for Samsara to win the championship?

Lin Shuang's words dispelled her concerns: "Don't feel burdened. All I'm praying for is Yizhan's first win. I don't even dare to dream of winning the championship. Let Samsara have the chance to win the championship this season. As for Yizhan, I'm just thankful they're not going to the Challenger Tournament. Yizhan's primary goal right now is to avoid relegation, they wouldn't dare to think about winning the championship!"

Jiang Botao unpacked the local specialties and distributed them to his teammates. He certainly couldn't finish such a large box by himself, so Zhao Zhinian must have intended for the entire Reincarnation team to share it when she sent it.

Lu Boyuan and Du Ming excitedly selected local specialties, while also praising Zhao Zhinian. They had previously asked the captain to bring them snacks, and now they were also receiving birthday gifts for the vice-captain.

Zhou Zekai wasn't very interested in the snacks. He glanced at them casually, but his gaze couldn't help but fall on the prayer bracelet.

Jiang Botao noticed Zhou Zekai's gaze and naturally understood his captain's thoughts. He quickly added with a smile, "Speaking of which, Miss Zhao's wish for Samsara to win the championship isn't just for me, it's for the entire Samsara team, and even more so for you, Captain. I'm just doing it on the side. After all, I told Miss Zhao that what you want most right now, Captain, is nothing more than the championship on the field, and..."

He paused deliberately, watching Zhou Zekai's eyes slowly brighten, and slowly said the second half of the sentence: "...a perfect response in the realm of love. Captain, just relax and look forward to your birthday present."

Zhou Zekai nodded, and seeing Jiang Botao holding the bracelet, he silently unzipped his coat, deliberately letting the key hanging around his neck slip out from his collar.

He casually adjusted the position of the key to make it conspicuous enough, then straightened his back slightly, his eyes seemingly unintentionally sweeping over his three teammates, but his eyes couldn't hide his anticipation.

Jiang Botao immediately understood and replied very tactfully, "Captain, why are you hanging the keys around your neck?"

"The Chinen family." His tone seemed calm, but it was full of boasting. Seeing the expressions on his teammates' faces as they were being fed dog food, Zhou Zekai was finally satisfied.