Chapter 42 Zhou Zekai's words, "Sister Zhi Nian"...
Zhou Zekai's comment "Sister Zhi Nian" caused a huge uproar on Weibo, and Zhao Zhi Nian's comment section immediately became very lively.
"As a severe case of obsessive-compulsive disorder, I strongly condemn Zhou Zekai! Adding the word 'sister' to the comment ruins the formation!"
"What do you know, upstairs? I was just being polite, I was flirting, she's clearly asserting her dominance!"
"If I remember correctly, Captain Zhou is a few months older than Zhao Zhinian. Isn't it a bit inappropriate to call her 'sister'? Zhinian, don't show favoritism. Please mock Captain Zhou the same way you mocked Captain Lou!"
"Make way, you shippers! Chinen is the only one who looks good! I'm a career-oriented fan here!"
The most intense conflict in the reposts and comments section erupted between two groups of CP (couple) fans.
Recently, Yang Chen and Zhao Zhinian's backstage interactions have attracted a large number of CP fans, who are currently very into the relationship. Zhou Zekai's comments as "Sister Zhinian" have also drawn in a strong number of CP fans, since Zhou Zekai only interacts with one woman so frequently.
When rivals meet, their eyes are filled with envy. They go back and forth, analyzing every detail of their interactions and interpreting every micro-expression, determined to prove that their favorite couple is the real one.
With other CP fans occasionally joining in, fans from different sides clashed fiercely in the reposts and comments.
What started as a battle between CP fans inevitably dragged the players into the attacks, quickly drawing the ire of the players' individual fans: "You guys can ship the CP, but why are you attacking the players too?"
The conflict escalated, eventually reaching the level of the two games, Honor of Kings and StarCraft, evolving into a factional struggle between the two games. The two sides compared their popularity, revenue, and tournament attendance from all angles, and eventually they started arguing about which game Zhao Zhinian was the host of.
Fans on both sides are determined to fight for Zhao Zhinian's "ownership".
However, Zhao Zhinian, at the center of the storm, had no time to pay attention to the online turmoil. She had just finished her makeup, was wearing a down jacket, and was sitting backstage at the semi-finals, staring intently at the broadcast screen in the lounge, taking notes on important match details while preparing her interview questions for the day.
The StarCraft World Championship this year has been full of ups and downs: although DG, as the third seed, staged a miraculous comeback in the quarterfinals, the first and second seed teams were eliminated in the quarterfinals one after another, making DG the last hope of the region and the one on whom everyone placed high hopes.
Regarding the interview assignments for the semifinals, Zhao Zhinian and Ji Cancan were originally scheduled to each be responsible for one day. However, after the draw results came out, DG's match was on the first day, which happened to coincide with Zhao Zhinian's interview schedule.
The official StarCraft team clearly didn't want to miss out on this wave of traffic, so they switched her and Ji Cancan's schedules, insisting that she be in charge of DG's post-match interviews, determined to capitalize on the CP (couple pairing) bonus between her and Yang Chen.
Furthermore, in the past few days, when foreign media interviewed DG players, the official translation work was also assigned to her.
The officials were probably worried that their attempts to create a romantic pairing would offend Zhao Zhinian, so they even arranged for staff to privately probe her: "Zhinian, are you single now?"
Zhao Zhinian looked troubled. Although she couldn't help but think of Zhou Zekai, they weren't officially in a relationship yet: "I'm still single for now... However, I hope the organizers won't schedule it so deliberately, or the audience will be annoyed."
However, DG fans are quite welcoming of this schedule change.
It turns out that some DG fans with nothing better to do carefully analyzed the data from the group stage and the knockout stage, and found that DG won every match in which Zhao Zhinian was in charge of the post-match interview. Moreover, in the match where she interacted with Yang Chen backstage, DG even had a breakout performance and defeated the number one seed.
Linking the wins and losses of esports teams to post-match interviews is absurd, but some people in the esports community actually believe it.
Just like that commentator on StarCraft, every time he commentated on ESG's matches, ESG would lose, even against weaker teams. After a while, fans even petitioned the official Weibo account to ban that commentator from commentating on ESG's matches.
After this "big data statistics table" was released, many DG fans began to believe in this kind of superstition, thinking that Zhao Zhinian hosting it might bring good fortune to the DG team.
It must be said that perhaps the ultimate goal of this pursuit is metaphysics and methods.
Just like when Yizhan couldn't get their first win, Lin Shuang tried all sorts of gods and deities, from Taoist Bagua to astrology and tarot... Later, Lin Shuang even felt that Yizhan was at a disadvantage when she watched the game, but played better when she didn't watch it. So, there was a game where Lin Shuang spent the whole time with her back to the big screen, just listening to the sound of prayer.
The love of esports fans is so "powerless"; they cannot control the outcome of the game, and all they can do is support and accompany the team.
Therefore, they constructed a kind of "pre-match ritual" to resist their powerlessness over the outcome of the match, and tried to connect with the competition venue and the players thousands of miles away. In this way, they gained a sense of "control" and "participation" in the uncontrollable and unpredictable competition, thus resisting the tension and anxiety before the match.
"They'll win as long as I wear this jersey." "They'll turn the tables as soon as I go to the bathroom!" "Opening champagne before the match guarantees a loss!" "Players eating XX food before the match will lead to a loss!"...
Recently, DG fans, who are known for their mystical beliefs, have been making a lot of noise in the team's super topic, such as urging people not to open champagne in advance and to accumulate merit for the team. Of course, they have also petitioned the official Weibo account of the StarCraft Conquest tournament, demanding that Zhao Zhinian be responsible for the post-match interview of DG's semi-final match, in an effort to eliminate all unfavorable factors for their team and desperately accumulate "mystical buffs" for the region's last remaining representative.
While the traffic and exposure brought by such a high-profile battle are undoubtedly huge, Zhao Zhinian is well aware that if DG loses today, some irrational fans may take their anger out on her, and if she makes any mistakes in hosting, they may be magnified and she may become the target of public criticism.
As a working person, she was powerless to resist even if her shift was suddenly changed, and could only accept the official arrangement.
Although she was mentally prepared, the experience of being there in person was completely different: from the group stage to the quarterfinals and semifinals, the number of spectators increased and the atmosphere became more and more enthusiastic.
The inexperienced Zhao Zhinian took deep breaths repeatedly, but could not hide her nervousness. As the competition progressed, her expression became increasingly serious, and her fingertips became cold and trembling due to tension.
To make matters worse, she happened to be menstruating during this crucial battle. Despite taking precautions to keep warm, she still experienced waves of discomfort in her lower abdomen, making her whole body feel exceptionally heavy.
She could only rub her hands constantly between recordings, trying to warm her icy fingertips and calm herself down.
The makeup artist backstage noticed something was wrong and asked softly, "Are you alright? Are you okay?"
Zhao Zhinian forced a smile: "It's nothing, it's just that it's my first time hosting such an important competition, so it's inevitable that I'm a little nervous."
The makeup artist, who was also a loyal viewer of StarCraft, thought she was worried about the DG team and quickly reassured her: "It's okay, DG will definitely win."
Zhao Zhinian smiled and nodded, and couldn't help but silently pray in her heart: DG must win!
Although she doesn't have a favorite team in StarCraft, as a host, she always leans towards the teams in her own region.
Moreover, DG's victory not only eases the tension for the team and players, but also makes the audience more forgiving of the hosts, commentators, and other staff.
If DG loses, it means that no team from their region will participate in the StarCraft World Championship finals held in Beijing this year.
DG's victory is not only about the honor of their own team, but also about the public opinion environment of the entire region. If there is no local team in the finals held on home soil, the disappointment and anger of esports fans can be imagined.
In the past, when the team lost in the World Championship, some extreme StarCraft players not only insulted the players online, but also threw water bottles at them offline, and even sent wreaths to the base of the losing team.
While Zhao Zhinian is preparing intensely for the battle, Zhou Zekai is also about to face the trial of the reincarnation manager.
After posting the comment, Zhou Zekai went to train, but as soon as training ended, the team manager came to his door.
To save face for their star player, the Samsara Manager waved for the others to leave temporarily.
Seeing his teammates about to get up and leave, Zhou Zekai immediately grabbed Jiang Botao pitifully. Jiang Botao glanced at Zhou Zekai and then at his manager. The manager nodded imperceptibly, which was considered tacit approval. Jiang Botao resignedly sat down and then grabbed Fang Minghua, who was about to slip away. His eyes clearly said, "You're also a strategist. If the student 'gets into trouble,' we'll take the blame together."
So the three of them sat in a row, waiting for the manager to decide their fate.
The Reincarnation Manager said earnestly, "Xiao Zhou, I'm not against you dating, nor am I against you interacting with others, but we need to do it in moderation! Do you understand moderation?"
He took out his phone, then opened the Weibo interface, pointed to the comment list and said earnestly, "There are so many contestants commenting before you, it's not surprising that you just followed suit and commented, but they are all 'sister,' and you have to be the only one who has to be 'older sister,' do you have to show that you are different?"
Zhou Zekai slowly raised his head, his eyes clearly saying: Am I not different from others?
The reincarnation manager was speechless for a moment, choked by his self-righteous gaze.
Jiang Botao quickly chimed in to smooth things over: "Oh, manager, this is a big deal or a small deal, it's not that serious. The team leader was worried about affecting Miss Zhao's work before, but now her job is gradually stabilizing and her popularity is rising. It's not easy for the two of them to be in a long-distance relationship, it's just online interaction, one extra word won't hurt, right?"
Upon hearing this, the manager immediately changed the subject: "Every time he likes or comments on something, you always say it's a big deal or a small deal. Are you waiting for him to suddenly make it official behind my back, and then you'll just casually comfort me like that?"
"Manager, the way you're saying that makes it sound like Xiao Zhou betrayed your feelings." Fang Minghua, though unconvinced, forcefully defended his captain: "What's wrong with making it official? Xiao Zhou can't stay single forever! Look at me, I'm married and doing just fine, aren't I?"
The manager was speechless: "Can you all be compared?"
When the topic of an official announcement came up, he turned his gaze to Zhou Zekai: "Are you together?"
Zhou Zekai shook his head honestly, looking aggrieved and pitiful.
Seeing Zhou Zekai shake his head, the manager snorted in exasperation, muttering under his breath, "Useless! So slow at pursuing someone! What a waste of his good looks!"
Jiang Botao knew that his manager was being stubborn but soft-hearted, so he immediately replied, "Actually, this matter is better handled calmly. There's no need to make a big deal out of it. You're better at guiding online public opinion than we are. It's good for the two of them to interact gradually and build up the fans' acceptance. Besides, the focus of esports players is the competition; nothing else matters. If we win the next match, everyone's attention will naturally return to the competition."
The manager then asked, "How does Ms. Zhao plan to respond?"
“Miss Zhao is always very sensible, so you don’t need to worry. I’m sure she will give a proper reply,” Jiang Botao, acting as Zhou Zekai’s representative, continued to answer proactively.
Upon hearing Jiang Botao praise Zhao Zhinian for being tactful, Zhou Zekai nodded in agreement, seemingly sharing in the honor.
The manager glared at him with displeasure, and Zhou Zekai immediately lowered his head obediently, but a small smile secretly appeared on the corner of his mouth.
After the manager left, Zhou Zekai took out his phone and opened the live stream of the StarCraft World Championship: The match has just ended, DG has won! They have successfully secured a spot in the finals!
After defeating the North American number one seed, this team seems to have undergone an evolution and transformation, and played exceptionally strongly today.
The scene switched from the commentary booth to the live broadcast, where Zhao Zhinian took the stage for a post-match interview. Today's interview guest was not Yang Chen, but another DG player, Liu Zhaohan. Presumably, the official team also understood that forcibly pairing them up too directly would only backfire.
DG won the match smoothly, and Zhao Zhinian was much more relaxed. Despite feeling unwell, he still smiled and conducted the interview in an orderly manner.
"First of all, congratulations to DG team on successfully advancing to the finals!" Zhao Zhinian's voice came through the microphone, carrying just the right amount of joy. "Zhao Han's performance in today's match was also outstanding..."
However, the viewers in the live stream were relentless, flooding the screen with Yang Chen's name. While not everyone necessarily liked shipping couples, they all loved to join in the fun after winning the match, and the entire chat was instantly taken over by these "funny people."
"Official, this is what you show me after DG won today? Where's Yang Chen?"
"Did Chinen not let Yang Chen go on stage for their interview today? Is the official team trying to control viewership?"
"The young couple is trying to avoid suspicion, right? I understand."
Fang Minghua moved closer to Zhou Zekai, watching the dense barrage of comments scrolling across the live stream screen. He glanced up at the doorway, making sure the manager was indeed gone, before patting Zhou Zekai's shoulder meaningfully: "Captain, I think your use of 'Chinen-neechan' was a bit too subtle."
He pointed to the comments on the screen showing people shipping the couple, and said earnestly, "Look at the arrogance of these comments! We need to think of a way to solidify your position as the official female lead online!"
"Brother Fang, stop giving me bad advice." Jiang Botao quickly stopped his senior who was indulging in random suggestions, and looked helplessly at Zhou Zekai, who was getting restless. "Let's give the manager some breathing room! It hasn't been that long since the last time he liked something. He'll be busy with these comments for two days."
Zhou Zekai pursed his lips and remained silent, as if he was seriously considering Fang Minghua's suggestion.
"How can this be called giving bad advice?" Fang Minghua said righteously, "I'm defending the captain's legitimate rights! Look at what those comments are saying, they're a match made in heaven! Our captain is clearly the rightful wife, how can we tolerate this?"
Jiang Botao sighed and rubbed his forehead: "Brother Fang, the way you're talking sounds like those fans online who lead arguments."
Fang Minghua turned to Zhou Zekai and lowered his voice: "Captain, if you ask me, you should be more direct next time..."
"Training!" Zhou Zekai suddenly stood up, put away his phone, and walked outside.
Fang Minghua and Jiang Botao exchanged a glance, both seeing the same worry in each other's eyes: Samsara's training tonight had just ended, so why did their captain come up with such a half-hearted excuse? Could it be that he was really seriously considering some plan to "defend the position of the main wife"?
Jiang Botao couldn't help but sigh and rub his forehead: "I think the manager's already precarious hair might be beyond saving."
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