Chapter 10 Jiang Botao finally agreed...
Jiang Botao finally agreed to play the game together. In the end, it was because he was used to taking care of the team leader and knew his personality well. He couldn't bear to see him "turn into an E for love," so he gritted his teeth and became the third wheel. Thinking of Zhao Zhinian, who was focused on studying, as mentioned by Zhou Zekai, he figured that being the third wheel wouldn't be too difficult for him.
Zhao Zhinian was initially surprised and a little embarrassed. Having a complete stranger, especially an all-star Glory of Kings player, take time out of their summer break to teach her, a complete newbie to online gaming, seemed like an excessive fuss. Zhou Zekai was one thing, but the captain and vice-captain of Samsara team teaching together? This lineup was far too all-star. She muttered to herself: Even if the Samsara team owner himself came to play, he probably couldn't get both captain and vice-captain to accompany him.
Zhou Zekai, however, said confidently, "Jiang Botao insisted on coming." Fearing that Zhao Zhinian wouldn't believe him, he added earnestly, "It was voluntary."
The credibility of this statement is naturally a matter of opinion. If Jiang Botao heard this, he would probably marvel at his captain's talent in "heart and tactics," able to lie so innocently and sincerely, a completely self-taught style.
Zhao Zhinian hadn't expected Jiang Botao, this amazing guy, to be so helpful; refusing too much would seem impolite. She couldn't help but wonder if Jiang Botao was worried about Zhou Zekai. After all, everyone online said he possessed extremely high emotional intelligence and insight, able to easily interpret Zhou Zekai's short words, even his eyes and gestures, making him arguably Zhou Zekai's only bridge to the world.
While there may be some exaggeration involved, it is enough to prove that he and Zhou Zekai have an extraordinary close relationship.
Thinking about it this way, Zhao Zhinian felt a subtle sense of "meeting the parents".
As for whether having another person would affect her time alone with Zhou Zekai, she didn't think much of it. After all, her definition of Glory was different from that of ordinary players.
Others might think that Honor is about passion and relaxation, but her attitude towards Honor is more pure. She feels that Honor is no different from her major courses in college, except that one focuses more on books and the other focuses more on experience. But both involve memorization, practice, simulation, and finally applying what you have learned.
Zhou Zekai playing Honor of Kings with her felt more like a top student accompanying her to a professional course, so naturally, everything revolved around studying! Now that another "Honor of Kings top student" has come knocking on her door, she naturally welcomes him with open arms.
So the trip for two turned into a trip for three.
The three officially reunited in the game on the evening of the second day. The captain and vice-captain of Samsara were on summer vacation and had free time, but Zhao Zhinian was still a nine-to-five worker, living a life of forced office work. He could only use his free time after work, and he had to ensure he got enough sleep for his normal work the next day, so he couldn't stay up too late.
She quickly ate dinner and went online. After receiving Zhou Zekai's coordinates, she used her low-level alt account to head towards the outskirts of Kongji City.
Zhou Zekai's sharpshooter and Jiang Botao's magic swordsman were already waiting there. As the middleman, Zhou Zekai knew he had to shoulder the responsibility of introducing them. He hesitated for a while, then decided to be himself. He glanced at his left and right and said succinctly, "Zhao Zhinian, Jiang Botao."
The two people who were called out immediately switched into social mode, being exceptionally polite. One said, "Vice Captain Jiang, I've heard so much about you," and the other said, "Hello, Ms. Zhao." Their manners were impeccable and their interactions were perfectly measured. They didn't sound like gaming buddies; they seemed more like people there to discuss some important collaboration.
This scene was not without reason: Jiang Botao felt that this was the captain's long-awaited object of affection, and as a teammate, he had to be polite and considerate to leave a good impression on the captain.
Zhao Zhinian felt that the person opposite her was Zhou Zekai's good friend, and even somewhat like Zhou Zekai's "guardian" in the Samsara team. She positioned herself as Zhou Zekai's classmate, and was naturally a generation lower in terms of "seniority". She had to be respectful and obedient, try her best to leave a good impression on the "elder", and not embarrass Zhou Zekai.
As for Zhou Zekai, his purpose in organizing this three-person group was simply to keep quiet without feeling guilty.
After a polite exchange of pleasantries, the three of them teamed up and headed to a low-level leveling area in the wilderness.
Jiang Botao took the initiative to handle all the monster-clearing work. His short sword flashed with light effects, and leveling up at this level was a piece of cake for him and Zhou Zekai. While operating the sword, he also carefully explained the skill effects, usage scenarios, and combo strategies of the various wave swords of the magic swordsman. He had a bit of the charm of the great god Ye Qiu, and in Zhao Zhinian's eyes, he was a "human Glory textbook".
Although Zhou Zekai's lecture yesterday was also good, it was a simplified version. Jiang Botao's version was clearly richer in content and had more comprehensive annotations and explanations. Zhao Zhinian listened extremely attentively, not only recording the screen on her computer but also frequently looking down to take notes on the keyboard, her study attitude comparable to that of someone reviewing for final exams in college.
Zhou Zekai, who finally got his wish, entered a completely different state, with a style that was clearly different from the other two.
With Jiang Botao's arrival, the "teaching responsibility" on his shoulders instantly shifted, and he relaxed completely. He no longer needed to painstakingly organize his thoughts to explain the skills; he could simply stay quietly by Zhao Zhinian's side. Thus, Jiang Botao diligently worked at the front, explaining the skills while fighting monsters, his short sword almost sparking as he swung it; Zhou Zekai, on the other hand, completely abandoned the "dignity" of a professional player, contentedly accompanying Zhao Zhinian from behind as a "supporting character," focusing on playing her personal bodyguard.
He even pulled out a limited-edition prop from a previous Valentine's Day event from his backpack—a firework that could release colorful heart shapes—and quietly placed it in the air. Then he gently poked Zhao Zhinian's character, signaling her to look up.
The fireworks were indeed beautiful, bursting open in the inky night sky, shimmering with light and color. The heart-shaped light effects flickered for a few seconds before slowly falling, truly romantic and beautiful. Zhao Zhinian couldn't help but let out a soft "wow" into the microphone, but then felt a pang of guilt, thinking that the two of them being so oblivious to everyone else was really letting down Jiang Botao, who was both playing games and providing commentary in front of them.
She could only secretly message Zhou Zekai privately: "Listen to the lesson carefully first! Respect Vice Captain Jiang's hard work."
Zhou Zekai gave a soft "oh," clearly not taking it too seriously. He had called Jiang Botao over to do chores, a fact Jiang Botao was well aware of. Jiang Botao's explanations were primarily aimed at helping the team leader with his romantic problems. So he began showing Zhao Zhinian a uniquely shaped tree nearby, sharing some hidden gems he'd seen in the guidebook.
Jiang Botao saw all of this.
For some reason, he had a feeling of déjà vu, like he was a homeroom teacher: the teacher was pouring his heart and soul into lecturing, his throat dry, while the mischievous boys in the class were secretly putting on shows for the attentive girls, trying to get their attention. Even when a girl kindly reminded him, "The teacher is looking over here," the boy remained unfazed and unrepentant.
"Xiao Zhou," Jiang Botao finally couldn't help but speak, his tone tinged with a helpless smile, "don't disturb Miss Zhao's studies."
Caught red-handed, Zhao Zhinian felt a little embarrassed. Looking at the time, she realized it was already late. Afraid of taking up too much of Jiang Botao's time, she quickly said politely, "I've learned a lot today. Thank you very much, Deputy Captain Jiang. I'll digest this information myself first."
Jiang Botao swiftly and efficiently cleared out the monsters in the area with his magic swordsman, and politely replied, "Miss Zhao, you're too kind. I should be thanking you. Thanks to you for taking care of the captain's live stream event earlier."
These words made him seem even more like Zhou Zekai's "second parent" in the cycle of reincarnation, and Zhao Zhinian became even more obedient: "You can just call me Zhinian."
Jiang Botao smiled awkwardly. He felt that it might not be appropriate to address Xiao Zhou in this way, and he was thinking about how to word it to politely decline.
Zhou Zekai, who had been quietly slacking off, suddenly moved. His sharpshooter character instantly turned around and stepped in front of Zhao Zhinian's character, saying, "Someone's there."
Jiang Botao immediately looked in the direction of the sound and indeed saw a figure awkwardly emerging from behind a tree.
"Captain Zhou? Deputy Captain Jiang? We're on the same side." Seeing that the two experts were already prepared for battle and hadn't put their weapons away yet, the newcomer quickly spoke up to explain.
The visitor was the guild leader of the tenth district of Reincarnation, Lone Drinker.
He had actually been secretly observing these two accounts for quite some time, and after having guild members pinpoint their exact locations, he rushed over. After all, these two accounts were prepared by him specifically for the team's top players; each region had a set like this, perfectly mirroring the professional configurations of the main players. When preparing them, he specifically added them as friends on his guild leader's account, thinking that he could quickly know if a top player logged in. However, these accounts were mostly inactive; after all, if professional players really needed anything, they would go to the God Realm, not the regular server.
He was surprised to see these two accounts suddenly appear in the tenth district today. The sharpshooter and the magic swordsman are most likely his captain and vice-captain.
"So it's the president of Samsara, hello, hello." Jiang Botao relaxed when he saw the other party's title, and his tone returned to its usual gentleness. "We came suddenly, did we disturb you?"
"No, no! Absolutely not!" Gu Yin quickly stated. "We're overjoyed that you and Captain Zhou could come to the Tenth District! It's an honor to have you here! Is there some special arrangement for the team in the Tenth District?" As he spoke, he couldn't help but secretly glance at the female character behind Zhou Zekai, who was below level 20 and hadn't even changed her class yet. Captain Zhou's obviously protective posture, and the somewhat strange combination of the three, made him wonder about various possibilities.
"This is a media friend of mine who is familiar with Captain Zhou." Seeing that the other party noticed Zhao Zhinian, Jiang Botao took the initiative to explain. He knew the art of speaking well. The highest level of lying is to tell the truth, but on the basis of telling the truth, it is appropriate to conceal key information. "You know, after winning the championship, the team has also increased its investment in publicity. There may be more cooperation in the future. We will take advantage of the summer break to give her a systematic introduction to the various professions of the Samsara team."
"Oh! Hello, hello!" Although Gu Yin felt that the explanation was a little strange, he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong. In the end, he chose to unconditionally believe his idol and respectfully greeted Zhao Zhinian's character.
“Vice Captain Jiang,” he enthusiastically suggested, “would you like to join a guild with your friend? It’ll be helpful for leveling up, and I can arrange for someone to help you. It’ll also make dungeon runs easier. Of course, if it’s inconvenient, that’s fine!” These accounts, prepared for top players, weren’t originally in guilds for privacy and convenience. Now that they’d met by chance, he really didn’t want to miss this opportunity to build a closer relationship, but he was afraid that a direct invitation would be too presumptuous, so he probed indirectly through Zhao Zhinian.
Jiang Botao naturally understood his intention. He himself didn't care whether or not to join a guild, but considering that Zhao Zhinian would have to stay in the ordinary area for a long time, having guild attribute bonuses and receiving care from the guild leader would indeed be more convenient. So he nodded in agreement: "Okay, then we'll all join. Zhou and I might not be online often, so please take care of [Yi Zhi Yinian] in the meantime."
"One Knowledge One Thought" is Zhao Zhinian's character name. Although he had been calling her "Miss Zhao" just now, Jiang Botao would definitely not reveal Zhao Zhinian's personal information in front of outsiders.
Gu Yin immediately agreed with delight. After learning that the top players had no other needs and were about to log off, he tactfully took his leave, eager to inform the core members of the guild of this unexpected good news and to ask everyone to take good care of these great players in the future!
After saying goodbye to Gu Yin, Jiang Botao wisely logged off, leaving the rest of the time to Zhou Zekai and Zhao Zhinian.
Zhou Zekai immediately controlled his character and moved Zhao Zhinian to another location. He remembered the guide mentioning "the ten most beautiful scenes in Glory," and quickly found the nearest coordinates. In the game, night was falling, the stars were twinkling, and the lights of the main city in the distance looked like scattered starlight. The guide hadn't lied; the scenery was indeed beautiful. He said, "It's safe here," but his little secret desire to "AFK and enjoy the scenery with someone he likes" practically overflowed through the screen.
However, Zhao Zhinian was still preoccupied with the "Master Class of the Magic Swordsman" and was flipping through his notes while remarking, "Vice Captain Jiang explained it so well, comprehensively and meticulously. With his abilities, he would have a bright future as a coach or commentator after retiring."
Seeing that she showed no interest in the scenery but kept praising Jiang Botao, Zhou Zekai felt a pang of jealousy. A competitive spirit quietly rose within him, and he couldn't help but ask, "What about me?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhinian imagined Zhou Zekai commentating on the match. It would probably be similar to watching the game in silence; perhaps only having Huang Shaotian as a commentator could balance it out. Not wanting to discourage Zhou Zekai, she jokingly teased, "You think you can make a living off your looks?"
Sensing her perfunctory answer, Zhou Zekai was not satisfied with it. He turned to her and asked softly, "Do you... get any food here?"
Zhao Zhinian understood what he meant, and her face flushed slightly, but she deliberately misinterpreted it, trying to keep her tone light and natural: "Of course! You spent so much time with me yesterday, and today you even got Deputy Captain Jiang to give me a lecture. When we're both free, I'll treat you two to dinner!"
Zhou Zekai knew she was just shy, so he didn't press her further. He simply hummed in agreement and silently began to calculate: He would definitely be free for dinner anytime. As for Jiang Botao... he'd probably be very busy then.
A note from the author:
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Thank you Yihe for throwing a landmine, and thank you Oriana Qingliu for all the nutrient solution! A huge thank you! [Orange heart]
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