Chapter 5. Life afterwards seemed to be sped up secretly…

Life afterwards was like a gear that had been secretly sped up, suddenly taking on a different rhythm than before.

Zhao Zhinian's daily life didn't seem to have undergone any dramatic changes. The company she worked for was a newly established online media company. Esports was just a sector that the company casually rolled out, not its mainstream business. Otherwise, she, as a newcomer, wouldn't have had the opportunity to interview Zhou Zekai on stage. The fact that the captain of the Samsara team was able to be invited to that online live broadcast was more due to the reputation of other modules in the company, and also because they were "given too much".

After the show, the director had a special talk with her. The conversation followed the usual pattern of "first affirmation, then promises." However, the director specifically mentioned that because the interview with Zhou Zekai had generated a lot of buzz, he would arrange more "Honor of Kings" related work opportunities for her in the future. He hoped that she would use her spare time to improve her relevant knowledge, understand the teams, players, and online trends, so as to better fulfill her work responsibilities.

As a newcomer, Zhao Zhinian was not yet qualified to choose her work and had few opportunities to go on stage, so she cherished them all the more. She put in her best effort to check the process, write the script, connect with the guests, and review the game. For Honor, in addition to catching up on past League of Legends match recordings, the most important thing was to buy an Honor account card and embark on the difficult journey of Honor's early days.

Outside of work, she also had a regular chat partner on her phone, and when the screen lit up, it brought a little secret anticipation.

Zhou Zekai's messages were infrequent, consistent with his usual style, yet they always seemed to appear precisely during moments when she was slightly tired or had some free time.

[Zhou Zekai]: Good morning.

[Zhou Zekai]: Training break.

[Zhou Zekai]: Time to eat.

[Zhou Zekai]: Good night.

Brief, even somewhat tedious, reports. But Zhao Zhinian found herself gradually able to decipher more from them—the "early" was usually sent after his morning run; "training rest" was a respite after his summer break training; "eaten" was occasionally followed by a picture of food; and "goodnight" was always there without fail, arriving precisely before she went to sleep.

She would reply: sometimes sharing her own funny stories, sometimes complaining about difficult interviews, and more often simply saying "um," "okay," or "you too."

This lukewarm online communication continued until one Friday morning when Zhao Zhinian was frantically revising the interview outline requested by her senior at her computer when WeChat in the lower right corner of her screen popped up.

[Zhou Zekai]: Are you taking a break tomorrow?

Is he trying to ask her out? After all, it's summer break, a rare vacation for Zhou Zekai, a professional e-sports player.

Before Zhao Zhinian could figure out how to reply, another message came from the other end, carrying a sense of desperation and resignation.

[Zhou Zekai]: Are you free tomorrow?

With her fingers hovering above the keyboard, Zhao Zhinian could clearly feel a mix of hesitation and excitement within her. She typed: "Tomorrow seems to be..."

"Chinen!" His senior's voice suddenly came through. "There's an offline event for an esports magazine tomorrow afternoon. The original host has to take leave at the last minute, so you'll have to fill in. The director specifically got this for you, and I've sent you the schedule."

Fridays are always a high-risk period for accidents among working people. Unexpected overtime is something they simply cannot refuse, especially since in their line of work, it's rare to have a fixed weekend if they weren't employed by this company.

"Nothing's wrong." Those four words were still in the input box. Although the work came suddenly, it was a rare opportunity, so Zhao Zhinian could only silently delete the previous input and reply to Zhou Zekai, "Unfortunately, I have a last-minute job tomorrow afternoon, also related to esports. I need to hurry up and prepare o(╥﹏╥)o"

Zhao Zhinian quickly scanned the work schedule. When she saw the guest's name, she sent a message to Zhou Zekai asking, "Gao Yingjie from Tiny Herb is at tomorrow's event. Are you familiar with him?"

[Zhou Zekai]: I've met you. What time? Where?

Zhao Zhinian casually forwarded the location her senior had given her: "2 PM to 6 PM".

[Zhou Zekai]: Okay, I understand.

The conversation ended there. Zhao Zhinian stared at the "I understand," somewhat confused. Was that it? Or...?

The last-minute assignment left her no time to think things through. She went through the event execution process again and started rehearsing her lines: This is a fan appreciation event for Tiny Herb during the off-season, hosted by an e-sports magazine and generously sponsored by a peripheral brand. Zhao Zhinian's company is just one of the co-organizers. The original host couldn't make it due to a work conflict, but thanks to the strong efforts of the company director, the opportunity fell to Zhao Zhinian.

The event was relatively simple. Fans checked in with their reservation codes and entered the venue. The main focus was on interactive activities: in addition to guests drawing fans to experience products and drawing prizes for Tiny Herb merchandise, there were also mini-games such as "Honor Edition Pictionary" and "Honor Knowledge Quiz," which were participated in by guests and the selected fans.

The guest of the event was Gao Yingjie, the rising star of Tiny Herb and the future successor of Wang Bu Liu Xing. Although Zhao Zhi Nian has been cramming on Glory knowledge lately, she doesn't know him very well yet, but judging from the general impression that he is a "shy young man," he shouldn't be difficult to get along with.

The shy young man, Gao Yingjie, arrived in Shanghai on Friday evening, accompanied by the manager of the Tiny Herb team. He usually participates in local commercial events in Beijing, but this time he wanted to take advantage of the holiday to come to Shanghai, which is why he agreed to the event. Team captain Wang Jiexi was worried that he wouldn't be able to handle things alone, so he specifically contacted the manager, who also felt that the young man was still too young and needed to be accompanied throughout the event.

The Tiny Herb manager escorted Gao Yingjie to his hotel room, gave him a few words of advice, and had just returned to his own room when he received a call from the Samsara team manager. The other party was initially friendly and polite, then inquired about the Tiny Herb newcomer, and naturally brought up Gao Yingjie. Finally, the true intention was revealed—he wanted a ticket to Gao Yingjie's meet-and-greet the next day, as the reservation period had expired and he had no choice but to call for help.

The TinyHerbal manager assumed the other party had a friend or relative who liked Gao Yingjie, and was secretly pleased. She readily agreed, contacted the organizer to easily resolve the issue, and even proactively confirmed the seat number, intending to do a favor and let Gao Yingjie interact with this "true fan".

The other party solemnly declared, "Do not interact!", even repeating it three times, leaving the TinyHerbal manager completely baffled.

The second day's event was held in a small theater. There weren't too many fans, and they were queuing to enter. Zhao Zhinian changed into her dress, completed her makeup and styling, and familiarized herself with the venue and procedures with a professional smile. Gao Yingjie was indeed as "friendly and cooperative" as described online; he even prepared autographed Team Tick jerseys and merchandise for the staff, personally delivering them and sincerely thanking them. This level of thoughtfulness was simply angelic in the world of interviews and interactions. Zhao Zhinian suddenly understood why he had so many "mommy fans" and "older sister fans."

The entire event went very smoothly. As it was her first time hosting an event in person, and she was filling in at the last minute, Zhao Zhinian was understandably nervous. For the first few minutes, she almost relied on muscle memory to follow the script; her voice was strained, and her smile appeared somewhat formulaic. The dense crowd below the stage and the heat of the spotlight only exacerbated her anxiety.

However, when Gao Yingjie from Team Tiny Herb stepped onto the stage, his fair cheeks flushed instantly upon facing the enthusiastic audience. His eyes glanced instinctively at the ground, and his voice was filled with naivety and shyness as he spoke: "B-Hello everyone, I'm Gao Yingjie from Tiny Herb..."

Looking at the shy boy, Zhao Zhinian felt a strange sense of responsibility instantly overwhelm her nervousness. She was the host, the guide and facilitator of the event. Her task was not just to follow the procedures, but also to make the guests feel comfortable and ensure the smooth running of the event.

An almost instinctive professionalism took over. Her smile became more natural and gentle, guiding Gao Yingjie's interaction with fans in an encouraging and reassuring tone. As Gao Yingjie gradually adapted, Zhao Zhinian secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She became increasingly adept at the subsequent procedures, seamlessly transitioning between segments, interacting with the audience, and interviewing them, her tone becoming more and more natural. She even occasionally threw in a few jokes, reciting some of Tiny Herb's old jokes, eliciting bursts of laughter from the audience.

As the event concluded, the audience began to leave. Zhao Zhinian breathed a slight sigh of relief, listening to the director's final instructions through her earpiece while simultaneously organizing her cue cards, preparing to work with the staff to complete the final cleanup.

Just then, out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a figure in the first row of the audience walking against the flow of people straight to the front of the stage. The person was wearing a black baseball cap and a mask that almost completely covered their face, and was dressed in an ordinary casual jacket; they were tall and slender.

The security personnel on site immediately stepped forward alertly and politely stopped him, saying, "Sir, I'm sorry, please use the side passages to leave. This is not allowed..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Zhinian interrupted him, "Wait!" Her voice carried a hint of barely perceptible urgency.

The staff and the "uninvited guest" both looked at her.

Despite the other party being so heavily armed, the familiar silhouette, the clear and focused eyes even under the shadow of the hat brim... she recognized him almost without thinking—it was Zhou Zekai.

What's he doing here? So blatantly? And even on stage? Isn't he afraid of being recognized and causing a commotion?

Countless questions exploded in her mind, but on the surface, she simply gave the staff a reassuring smile and said in a natural tone, "It's nothing, this is... my friend, he needs to talk to me about something."

The staff looked at Zhou Zekai, who was fully armed, with some skepticism, but seeing Zhao Zhinian's certainty, they stopped trying to stop him, nodded, and took a few steps back, though their eyes remained wary.

Suddenly, only the two of them remained on stage. The noise of the departing crowd became the background noise, and the stage lights shone down, creating a somewhat subtle and private space.

"You... how did you get here?" Zhao Zhinian took two steps forward, came to the edge of the stage, leaned down slightly and lowered her voice, with a hint of surprise and helplessness, "Is that the Tiny Herb support you're holding?"

This banner was shoved into Zhou Zekai's hand at the entrance by enthusiastic Tiny Herb fans. Afraid of being recognized, he hurriedly accepted it and rushed inside. He subtly hid the banner behind his back, looking up at Zhao Zhinian. He was standing below the stage and needed to look up slightly, but this gesture didn't make him look weak at all. The focus in his eyes made Zhao Zhinian feel her cheeks burning.

He didn't answer immediately, but raised his hand as if to pull down his mask, but stopped halfway through, probably realizing the occasion was inappropriate: "Hmm."

He paused, then added, "The manager helped me get the tickets."

"..." Your manager is quite indulgent towards you, huh? "Aren't you afraid of being recognized and causing a riot?" Zhao Zhinian thought to herself.

“I want to see you work.” Zhou Zekai looked at her, his eyes clear and direct. “Besides, we agreed to have dinner together next time.”

So he remembered the promise of "next time" and, in an unexpected way, crossed the distance between online and offline, appearing directly at her workplace, squeezing into her field of vision in an almost clumsy yet incredibly forceful manner.

Looking at his slightly reddened ears, a complex and tender emotion spread through Zhao Zhinian's heart.

"Then you..." She was about to say something when Zhou Zekai's phone rang.

He glanced at it and, sure enough, it was the manager's call. He felt he could tell what the manager wanted to tell him without even answering.

"Hello." Zhou Zekai answered the phone, but his gaze remained fixed on Zhao Zhinian.

"……Um."

"……knew."

"……good."

Zhao Zhinian couldn't hear the manager's earnest and persuasive words on the other end of the phone. She only saw Zhou Zekai end the call succinctly and look at Zhao Zhinian: "It's nothing."

“Now,” Zhou Zekai leaned forward slightly, looking at her, “is work finished?”

Zhao Zhinian nodded subconsciously.

"Well," a faint smile appeared in his eyes, as if he had finally achieved some important goal, "can I treat you to dinner now?"

Zhao Zhinian suddenly smiled, without hesitation or evasion.

“Okay,” she said, “but you have to wait for me to change.”

A note from the author:

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