Chapter 35 Zhou Zekai's seemingly unintentional display of arrogance...

Zhou Zekai's seemingly casual boasting had an outstanding effect.

Lu Boyuan and Du Ming were choked by this sudden display of affection, looking at their captain with mixed expressions: the league's number one face, who was known for his precise and dazzling performances on the field and was usually very taciturn, was now looking at them with an almost innocent and expectant gaze, as if waiting for them to exclaim "Wow!"

"Team... Captain..." Du Ming stammered, pointing to the key on Zhou Zekai's chest, "I didn't expect you to make such a quick move?"

Jiang Botao, who had already learned the whole story, suppressed a laugh and translated precisely: "Miss Zhao is no longer permanently based in Beijing. What the captain means is that Miss Zhao has given him a sense of trust and belonging."

Zhou Zekai nodded in satisfaction, carefully tucked the key back into his collar, and placed it close to his body. He didn't linger, turning away contentedly, leaving behind a chorus of astonished exclamations.

"Did you see that? The captain's expression just now!" Lu Boyuan rubbed his arms exaggeratedly. "I got goosebumps!"

"I saw it. I even suspect that the captain secretly learned the Hundred Flowers Style of fighting from Zhang Jiale. He was so radiant after showing off their love, it was too dazzling!" Du Ming agreed wholeheartedly. "But speaking of which, Miss Zhao is really a nice person. She even prayed for our Samsara to win the championship in Yizhan."

Jiang Botao smiled and explained for Zhao Zhinian, "Yizhan is probably having a tough time right now and is still some distance from winning the championship. In short, we need to work harder and not let down our friends from afar who have given us their best wishes."

Perhaps it was the blessing of Yonghe Temple, but after experiencing the pain of a ten-game losing streak at the start of the season, the Yizhan team finally won their long-awaited first victory in the eleventh round at home against 301 Degrees with a score of 7-3! This also means that Yizhan has temporarily left the relegation zone!

When the word "victory" finally settled on the big screen, the entire Yizhan arena fell into a brief silence, followed by a deafening roar of cheers and screams, interspersed with what seemed like incredulous sobs. Lou Guanning and the other players in the stands practically jumped up, hugging each other tightly, Wen Kebei's eyes even reddening. Offstage, Lin Shuang hugged her colleague tightly, laughing and crying, repeatedly saying, "We won! We won!" As an operations manager, she directly faced online criticism; the pent-up grievances and pressure of so long were finally released at this moment.

This hard-won victory filled the subsequent fan interaction segment with a dramatic and touching atmosphere. Previously, due to Yizhan's losing streak, the fan interaction segment was practically non-existent; after several matches, fans had come to regard it as a prize draw where lucky audience members who were drawn would simply collect their gifts and leave after the match. This time, however, when staff came to the audience to inform the drawn audience members to come up on stage for the interaction, several were bewildered: "Aren't there any prizes today?"

Yizhan's true fans have actually endured a lot this season. After all, when their team doesn't win, they don't even have a voice online. Sometimes, if they say a few words in support of Yizhan, they are ridiculed in various ways.

A young girl said she had come to all of Yizhan's home games and finally won today. Overwhelmed with emotion, she couldn't help but shed tears. Her tears seemed to open the floodgates of Yizhan's emotions. On stage, several professional players were also a little teary-eyed and secretly wiped away their tears. Offstage, in the staff area led by Lin Shuang, there was a chorus of sobs.

Standing on the stage, Zhao Zhinian watched the "out-of-control" scene. Although she was also moved, her professionalism made her quickly calm down. She couldn't let today's post-match publicity focus entirely on "the team's collective tears after defeating the home crowd." While it was a genuine expression of emotion, it might not be the most ideal form of publicity for a team eager to establish a strong image.

She immediately stepped forward, skillfully taking over the conversation, and forcefully brought the scene back on track with a clear and infectious voice: "We can see that whether it's the contestants on stage or the staff and supporters off stage, everyone is incredibly excited at this moment. These tears are tears of joy, of release, and the best tribute to all the perseverance we've given in the past!"

She paused, her gaze sweeping across the entire arena, and her voice rose, carrying an inspiring power: "Today is the eleventh match for the Yizhan team in the professional league, and their fifth appearance at home! They proved to everyone with an indisputable victory that the charm of the professional arena lies in the fact that it never fails the efforts and perseverance of every dream chaser!"

"Tonight, we have witnessed a hard-won victory. After many twists and turns, the Yizhan team emblem has finally been illuminated by the light of victory! Let us give the warmest applause and cheers to the never-give-up Yizhan team!" Amidst thunderous applause, she continued to elevate the theme, expanding the significance of the victory to a wider audience: "Perhaps you, watching from the screen, are experiencing repeated setbacks in some area or in some matter, just like Yizhan once was. Please look at them tonight, remember this night. Please believe that every seemingly futile swing of the sword is accumulating strength for the final victory. As long as the will to fight never dies, your 'glory' will eventually be crowned with victory at some point in the future!"

Congratulations again to Team Yizhan! And thank you to everyone who has supported us this far! See you in the next match!

Her words successfully transformed the somber atmosphere into one of inspiration and fervor, greatly facilitating the editing of the promotional video for the righteous execution.

After the match, Yizhan's official Weibo account indeed entered a state of "full revival" and celebration. Lin Shuang released all the previously accumulated posters, team celebration videos, behind-the-scenes footage, journals and other materials all at once. The high frequency of updates and the richness of the content overwhelmed the fans, who exclaimed, "Yizhan is celebrating the New Year!" The comment section was also extremely lively.

"Official Weibo account, you've worked so hard! You must have been holding it in for so long!"

"I'm dying of laughter at this rare update from the official Weibo account. Are they going to post something else soon?"

"The official Weibo account must be happy to post this now that they've finally won, lest they pretend to be dead again after the next loss!"

"Waaaaah, seeing everyone standing on stage with red eyes made me cry too. It's been so tough! That's the charm of esports!"

Riding the wave of this victory, Zhao Zhinian's long-awaited personal vlog project, "Nian Nian You Ci" (念念有词), can finally be officially launched. This vlog program, which focuses on fun and interactive activities between esports players and offline interactions, was conceived at the beginning of the season. However, it had been unable to materialize due to Yizhan's situation.

As a commentator, she lacked the opportunity to interact face-to-face with other team players during the online phase of the challenge, and naturally, she also lacked the opportunity to conduct familiar interviews.

Zhao Zhinian had considered alternative approaches before. Players from StarCraft Conquest, as well as Gao Yingjie and Yuan Baiqing from Tiny Herb, had privately expressed their willingness to support her and even offered to inquire about the intentions of the team and other teammates. However, as the host of Yizhan, it would be unreasonable for her not to interview her own players in the opening episode of the show. Unfortunately, Yizhan's previous record was too embarrassing to mention, and everyone was busy training, so she was embarrassed to invite the players from Yizhan. She was even more afraid that it would backfire and cause resentment among Yizhan's fans, since anything said or done when they are losing is wrong.

Now, Yi Zhan has not only secured their first victory but has also successfully escaped the relegation zone, their morale soaring. Interviewing Lou Guanning, the team's core player and owner, at this moment is undoubtedly the most suitable and logical opening for the "Nian Nian You Ci" program. Zhao Zhinian immediately took action, working with Lin Shuang to create a simple plan and extending a formal interview invitation to Lou Guanning.

Two days later, Zhou Zekai came across Zhao Zhinian's updated Weibo vlog, "Nanning Words 01: Reborn as a Hundred Millionaire Cooking at Yizhan." The video begins with a quick cut of Yizhan's first home victory, with players hugging, fans cheering, and lights shining brightly, accompanied by rousing music, making it particularly inspiring.

However, the scene shifts, the music suddenly becomes upbeat and a bit humorous, and the camera cuts to the brightly lit, bustling supermarket fresh food section.

The captain of Yizhan, Lou Guanning, a well-known pay-to-win player in the Glory community, was pushing a shopping cart in front of a dazzling array of vegetables, his brows furrowed, his expression more serious and bewildered than ever before. He frequently looked down, trying to decipher the names and prices on the vegetable labels.

At this moment, Zhao Zhinian entered the frame. Unlike her full-on makeup and formal attire as a host, she was wearing a loose sweatshirt and jeans today, with a refreshing smile: "Hello everyone, this is the first episode of 'Nian Nian You Ci'! Today we are very honored to have invited Lou Guanning, the captain of the Yi Zhan team! Captain Lou, please say hello to everyone!"

Lou Guanning snapped out of his "confrontation" with the vegetables and labels and smiled at the camera: "Hello everyone, I'm Lou Guanning from Yizhan." He turned his gaze to the shelf next to him, "Hmm... I'm picking out ingredients at the supermarket."

“That’s right!” Zhao Zhinian chimed in, her voice full of energy. “To celebrate Yi Zhan’s hard-won first victory, we just had a fair and impartial draw to determine Lou’s challenge for today: to cook for the team members! We also have a bonus segment: Lou will pick three items he likes from the supermarket and give them away as gifts to three lucky fans in the comments section! However, we’re worried that Lou might be too extravagant for our program, so today’s budget is only 500 yuan. We hope Lou will be careful with his money and choose wisely. Do you usually go to the supermarket, Lou?”

Lou Guanning glanced at her helplessly: "There haven't been many opportunities."

Zhao Zhinian immediately seized on this point, smiling as she said to the camera, "Look, this is the simple, unpretentious, and boring trouble of our team leader who's worth over a hundred million. So today, let's lead Team Leader Lou on a supermarket shopping trip like an ordinary person! Team Leader Lou, are you ready?"

"Don't exaggerate my net worth." Lou Guanning took a deep breath, pushing the shopping cart, his eyes revealing a serious look as if facing a formidable enemy: "I'm ready, but I'm still a little curious, what were the other draws just now?" After all, Lin Shuang said she wanted to see him cook, and he actually drew one right away, which really makes people suspect there's something fishy going on.

Zhao Zhinian didn't expect him to notice the trickery in the lottery so quickly, and gave an awkward smile: "You know, Lin Shuang made the lot. I just said we could draw lots, I didn't say the contents of the lots were different."

Lou Guanning glanced at her helplessly, then resigned himself to his fate: "Fine, I dare to do it, as long as you dare to eat it."

Zhao Zhinian immediately picked up on the joke, making a "heroic" expression at the camera: "I'd rather die for justice than betray the world. I wouldn't do something like poisoning my teammates, would I? Anyway, there are cameras recording this. If something happens to us, you'll be the prime suspect!"

Joking aside, the purchasing task still had to continue. Guided by Zhao Zhinian's principles of "practicality, high cost-effectiveness, and limited budget," Lou Guanning ultimately selected three gifts: a chocolate gift box, a nut gift box, and a snack gift pack.

Next came the main event: purchasing dinner ingredients. Zhao Zhinian helped Lou Guanning draft a simple menu: braised pork belly as the main dish, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and stir-fried vegetables. Under Zhao Zhinian's guidance, Lou Guanning searched for ingredient requirements online, painstakingly identifying pork belly, selecting spices, and comparing the differences between light and dark soy sauce—his dedication was no less than studying a game video. His hesitant look as he held rock sugar, granulated sugar, and other sugars made Zhao Zhinian sigh, "Captain Lou, trust me, with your skill level, choosing any of them won't significantly affect your performance."

After shopping, the scene shifts to the kitchen of the Yizhan base. Lou Guanning, wearing an apron, holds a cleaver and faces the pork belly on the cutting board. His expression is serious, and his movements as he cuts the meat are slightly clumsy, resulting in unevenly sized pieces. However, his attitude is extremely upright. The splattering oil when the meat is thrown into the pan makes him instinctively take a half step back, but he immediately regains his balance.

While filming, Zhao Zhinian provided warnings and technical guidance, her voice filled with obvious laughter. The occasional low laughter from Lin Shuang and other staff members off-screen added to the comedic effect.

The members of Yizhan naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity to watch the excitement. Wen Kebei and Gu Xiye, along with a few others, peered into the kitchen doorway, providing real-time "commentary."

"Captain, do you need any protective gear? I'll buy you a set in the game."

"Boss, the way you hold that knife is very much like a berserker!"

"Watch your hands, we still have a match to play later!"

"The way he cut the tomatoes gave off a crime scene vibe."

"Should we call the fire department in advance to have them on standby?"

Lou Guanning was completely focused and had no time to look at anything else, only occasionally glancing back with a "murderous" look, which drew a burst of laughter from the doorway.

When the food was served, the members of Yizhan were very enthusiastic, as if they were connected to a praise system. They scrambled for the food and then gave everyone a thumbs up.

"It's actually edible! I thought I was going to be poisoned!"

"The cafeteria ladies can retire from now on!"

"If the captain goes bankrupt one day, he can become a chef."

Lou Guanning immediately glared at Gu Xiye: "You're eating my cooking and hoping I'll go bankrupt!"

Lin Shuang immediately chimed in, "We can't go bankrupt! I'm still waiting for the building manager to pay my salary!"

Amidst laughter, the vlog came to an end. The members of the Yizhan team took turns expressing their hopes for the future, and the final shot captured a heartwarming moment of everyone sitting around a table, enthusiastically grabbing food.

Zhao Zhinian's voiceover gently began, bringing the night to a close: "Life is like a vast ocean, and we may only live for a few moments. The warmth of sharing a meal around the fire at this moment is the story of Yizhan, and also the story of 'Glory'."

After the video was released, the official Weibo account of Yi Zhan quickly reposted it. In addition to celebrating Yi Zhan's first victory and teasing Lou Guanning's cooking debut, the comment section also unexpectedly saw a lot of fans shipping the two characters.

"The way Lou looks at Chinen is so tender. Is this what a domineering CEO and his personal host are like? The supermarket scene is just like a young couple doing weekend shopping!"

"The height difference is so cute! When Sister Nian teased Boss Lou, his helpless yet doting smile was so adorable!"

"So, is this an office romance between Captain Yizhan and the host?"

Although Lou Guanning replied immediately, "Yi Zhan doesn't do office romances~", it didn't dampen everyone's enthusiasm for shipping the couple.

Zhao Zhinian also appeared in the comments section to explain, vividly illustrating the awareness of contemporary working people: "You guys are so scary, would anyone fall in love with their boss?"

The comment immediately resonated with many working people, and a highly-rated reply accurately struck a chord with countless people: "Falling in love with the boss? If I don't have murderous thoughts about my boss every day at work, I'm already considered to have a high moral standard."

Zhao Zhinian immediately liked the post, and then a fan screenshotted it and commented: "@Lou Guanning, Zhinian's idea is dangerous! Captain Lou, be careful in the future!"

Meanwhile, Zhou Zekai, who was resting in the Reincarnation Training Room, opened the video with a gentle smile. As he watched, the curve of his lips gradually turned into a straight line. When he saw the top comment, "I bet five cents, there's definitely something going on between these two," his finger paused, and he silently put his phone on the table, his whole demeanor radiating a low-pressure aura.

Sitting opposite him, Fang Minghua keenly sensed something was wrong and immediately leaned closer: "Captain, what's wrong?"

Zhou Zekai didn't say anything, but simply pushed the phone towards him, the screen of which was currently displaying comments from people shipping the couple.

After quickly browsing through the information, Fang Minghua suddenly patted Zhou Zekai on the shoulder earnestly: "Captain, I think you've gone a bit too far with Miss Zhao."

He lowered his voice: "Although it will indeed cause trouble for Ms. Zhao if you go public or reveal your feelings now, it will seem very abrupt when you finally go public. Relationships need to be developed gradually, and going public is the same."

These words struck a chord with Zhou Zekai. He had indeed been restraining himself, knowing that Zhao Zhinian's career was just beginning and worrying that speaking out rashly would put unnecessary pressure on her. But looking at the comments section where people were pairing her up with others, a certain thought became clearer and clearer: even if he couldn't say it outright, he couldn't continue to remain silent.

Fang Minghua's suggestion solidified his resolve. He needed to work hard, little by little, to make everyone realize that the position next to Zhao Zhinian should belong to him. So he directly reposted and commented on Zhao Zhinian's Weibo post: "Beautiful, please enter a giveaway."

Fans who were originally discussing Guan Ning's cooking, celebrating Yi Zhan's first victory, and shipping their characters in the online forum suddenly went wild.

"??? Who did I just see?"

"Zhou Zekai??? The real Zhou Zekai???"

"Wait, why is Captain Samsara appearing in the comment section of the Weibo post hosted by Yizhan?"

"Want to do a giveaway? Does Captain Samsara need a few snacks? Zhou Zekai, this is out of character! You're OOC!"

"Hey upstairs, the point isn't the raffle, it's that it looks good! Captain Zhou said it looks good! Does he mean Chinen looks good, or the vlog? He can't just say Lou Guanning looks good, can he?"

"Did I miss something important in the plot? What's the relationship between them?"

Soon, someone followed the clues and dug up the connection between the two: it was the online live broadcast recording of Zhao Zhinian's interview with Zhou Zekai. After all, in that interview, Zhou Zekai revealed his experience of being rejected in high school and being mistaken for a hacker, which even became a trending topic.

The moment Zhao Zhinian received the comment, she sent a message to Zhou Zekai: "Why did you suddenly comment? Did you report it to your manager?"

Zhou Zekai was a little guilty: "No," and then forced an explanation: "I didn't say anything out of line."

Zhao Zhinian was both amused and exasperated by the phrase "I didn't say anything out of line." Did this person really not realize how much of a storm her casual interactions could cause as a top player in the league? Not to mention the fans digging into her past, she already had quite a few of Zhou Zekai's fans asking her about her relationship with him in her Weibo private messages.

“You can’t be so sudden,” Zhao Zhinian continued typing. “The public relations team for Reincarnation is going to have a headache.”

Zhou Zekai: "Fang said...it's not a big problem."

"He's quite indulgent towards you." Zhao Zhinian didn't know what to say, but simply advised, "Next time, let me know in advance so I can be mentally prepared." At least you can turn off private messages.

Zhou Zekai replied quickly: "Okay." Then he sent another message: "I don't like those comments."

Zhao Zhinian was stunned for a moment before realizing that he was referring to the comments that shipped her and Lou Guanning. She immediately explained, "It's all a joke. Lou Guanning even posted a Weibo to clarify this just now."

Zhou Zekai: "I know." Then he stubbornly repeated: "I still don't like it."

Zhao Zhinian has already politely replied to Zhou Zekai's Weibo comment: "Although I really want to smear Captain Zhou, I still want to be fair and just. I wonder if I can win the Weibo lottery."

Seeing that Zhou Zekai was still emphasizing it, she reassured him, "Would I secretly give you a snack gift pack?"

Zhou Zekai: "No." After a while, he revealed his true intentions: "I also want to make a video."

Zhao Zhinian reluctantly agreed, "Okay, if there's a chance."

Zhou Zekai was finally happy to receive the promise: "Yes, yes, it will definitely happen."

Meanwhile, inside the Reincarnation Training Room, Jiang Botao was on the phone with his manager: "Yes, it was the captain himself who commented... Well, it's just normal interaction between friends... Okay, I'll definitely communicate in advance in the future."

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Botao looked helplessly at Zhou Zekai: "Captain, the manager said that next time we need to comment, could we please give them advance notice? The public relations department almost had a heart attack."

Zhou Zekai didn't even look up, just grunted in response.

Fang Minghua disagreed: "Don't make things difficult for the captain. He's already been very restrained. He didn't say anything excessive."

Du Ming chimed in, "That's right, that's right, the captain is already being very low-key." After all, he had directly shown Zhao Zhinian's house key when facing them.

Zhou Zekai ignored his teammates' teasing. He checked Weibo again, feeling depressed. He had personally commented, so why were the comments shipping Zhao Zhinian and Lou Guanning still at the top? Why wasn't anyone connecting him with Zhao Zhinian? Why weren't any sensible fans shipping him and Zhao Zhinian?

This is not scientific!

Fang Minghua noticed his emotional changes. As one of Zhou Zekai's "emotional advisors," Fang Minghua warmly approached him and said earnestly, "Captain, you can't rush things. Look, someone has already dug up your previous live streams, right? This is a good sign."

Zhou Zekai looked up at him, his eyes questioning.

Fang Minghua continued his analysis: "This shows that people are starting to pay attention to your past. What you need to do next is continue this 'just right' interaction—not too obvious, but not completely silent either. Let people gradually get used to your contact with Ms. Zhao, and when the time is right..."

He didn't finish speaking, but Zhou Zekai already understood.

Take it one step at a time, like boiling a frog in lukewarm water.

This strategy is quite in line with his consistent style in matters of the heart.