Chapter 38 Zhao Zhinian originally thought this matter would be quietly...
Zhao Zhinian thought the matter would pass quietly.
After a three-year hiatus, Honor has upgraded its honor level and recently held numerous offline events. However, shopping mall events without professional players appearing, aside from some photos taken by the audience, generally don't generate much buzz online.
For these commentators, getting a few seconds of footage from the event in the official promotional video or a nine-grid photo on the official Weibo account is considered lucky, as they've managed to get some exposure.
As for the "minor incidents" at the event, they are insignificant. Apart from the parties involved and a few audience members, no one will remember or care about them. In the end, they will simply be quietly swallowed up by time.
If you stand on the stage and suddenly turn hostile or uncooperative, and if you say something inappropriate that escalates the situation, the other party can easily turn the tables and say that you "can't take a joke" or "can't handle a joke," or even portray it as "I was clearly trying to give her a chance to perform, but she didn't appreciate it."
Even if this "good intention" was made without any prior communication, and was only directed at her, without any pre-planning for scenarios such as "what if the other party doesn't have any outstanding talents" or "doesn't want to perform".
This kind of obsequiousness disguised as politeness, and subtle malice, is the most difficult to handle.
So she chose to be direct, but politely left room for maneuver, while actively cooperating and delivering a fairly impressive talent performance. After all, she still needed to make a living from Glory, and the other party was, in a sense, a sponsor; ensuring the smooth running of the event was her top priority.
Although audience members posted videos in support of her, the initial buzz wasn't very high. The debates were minor, mostly praising her dance and poise. However, the nature of the situation changed after the official Honor account reposted the video.
The official repost, like a magnifying glass, suddenly brought this "subtle malice" to the forefront for public judgment and scrutiny.
Moreover, the seemingly humorous banter from the official sources carries a subtle message: it carries a hint of protecting their own, as if saying, "Our own child has been bullied, so we have to make a statement."
Presumably, this brand's host doesn't have a strong background, and their cooperation with Honor is likely not close, as even the brand hasn't made any explicit statement in support. Otherwise, even if Honor's official team understood the background, they would have been more cautious when public opinion was escalating, and wouldn't have so directly forwarded that clearly biased Weibo post.
As for Zhao Zhinian, as a new commentator, she wasn't originally among the most outstanding. Initially, there weren't many shifts available, and online commentary didn't require showing her face, so her physical advantages naturally couldn't be showcased.
However, since her debut as a host at the Yi Zhan event, coupled with the goodwill she gained from the "Interstellar Journey" incident, Zhao Zhinian's hosting career has gradually gotten on track. The official team seems to have realized that commentary isn't the most suitable role for her, and is intentionally promoting a "Glory Beauty Host" with both talent and good looks as a flagship position.
Sometimes it's undeniable that good looks are a subtle advantage in the industry. Take Zhou Zekai and Su Mucheng, for example. While their skills as professional players are undeniable, their outstanding appearances undoubtedly make them more noticeable and easier for the audience to remember. Of course, their appearances also attract more criticism.
This is precisely why, given the overwhelming public support for Zhao Zhinian, the official team naturally didn't want to miss out on this wave of popularity. By reposting the impromptu dance video, they aimed to portray Zhao Zhinian as multi-talented and adept at handling unexpected situations, thus promoting the new version update and creating a more humane image for the official team through this "protective" act.
The netizens' reactions were largely as expected:
"Even the official Honor team has stepped in, isn't that clearly saying their own commentators were being bullied?"
"Where did they find this male host? His professional skills are terrible, and he's even subtly engaging in workplace bullying?"
"Isn't it because she played Honor of Kings badly that she lost? Is there any need to make such a big deal out of it? Can someone with that level of skill be a commentator? Female commentators are just incompetent and make a fuss!"
"Everyone on the other side is wearing down jackets, but this girl is wearing a skirt. She's obviously too cold, that's why she's not doing well!"
"Is this little thing worth arguing about? They're all micro-expression analysis masters. Maybe it's just Honor hyping this up to increase their popularity."
"Does Honor even need to increase its popularity? Are there any games more popular than Honor right now?"
"What's all the noise about? Can't you just focus on watching your wife dance?"
"Am I the only one who thinks this is completely disrespectful to women? There was no mention of any punishment before the PK started, and the male commentators lost in the previous days, and there was no mention of any punishment then either, right? Isn't this just an attempt to bully young girls?"
Once the "gender antagonism" code was ignited, the topic quickly heated up. Some people began to dig deep into the male host's background, comparing the process with that of the male commentator at the event a few days ago, to argue for "differential treatment." Some netizens who claimed to be "insiders" even began to reveal some of his past "criminal records."
Emotional criticism, escalating to workplace bullying and even gender issues, snowballs and grows bigger and bigger.
But this act of "protecting one's own" is ultimately a double-edged sword.
The official attention thrust Zhao Zhinian into the spotlight, simultaneously placing her at the center of public scrutiny. Praise and scrutiny came at the same time; she gained not only increased popularity, but also exponentially greater expectations and more demanding eyes.
Although the staff from Honor subtly suggested to Zhao Zhinian that this was an opportunity, and advised her to remain calm and observe the situation.
Online comments are bound to be discordant. As her followers surged, Zhao Zhinian's Weibo private messages and comment sections began to flood with various opinions: while most were praise and concern, some attacked her for being too bad at the game and questioned whether she was using the opportunity to create hype.
The scales of human nature seem to be tilted from birth; sometimes, a hundred words of praise cannot outweigh the weight of a single word of criticism.
Unable to guarantee that she wouldn't be affected by the negative comments, Zhao Zhinian could only control herself from looking at them.
The male host's Weibo account was quickly discovered by netizens. Unlike Zhao Zhinian's comment section, which was mostly filled with praise and comfort, his account was flooded with criticism and insults.
Perhaps due to official intervention, or perhaps because he couldn't withstand the pressure from public opinion, he proactively posted an apology on Weibo that evening, explaining: "Regarding the punishment segment after the PK, it was indeed because the atmosphere was so lively that I wanted to interact with everyone on the spot. I didn't think it through completely. I sincerely apologize to Miss Zhao Zhinian."
Although Zhao Zhinian didn't like him, the situation forced her to respond publicly after being called out. After a moment's thought, she politely wrote in the comments section: "Oh dear, Brother Liu, you're too kind. It's all for the promotion of Honor of Kings! I'll definitely practice my Honor of Kings skills hard and try my best to perform well in future PK events! Please also support the new version of Honor of Kings!"
The two sides made peace on the surface, and the Glory players were more concerned about things in the game, such as new areas, new bosses, and the fact that Lord Grim and Team Happy had achieved first kills in multiple dungeons in the online game. Thus, the incident seemed to have ended satisfactorily.
However, some netizens remained unconvinced, with some continuing to attack the male host, some praising Zhao Zhinian's dignified demeanor, and others being conspiracy theorists who said that this "reconciliation" was too swift and seemed like a carefully planned script.
After learning about the situation on the scene, Lin Shuang was indignant all night, paying close attention to the development of public opinion. Several times she wanted to use the official Weibo account of Yizhan to speak out for Zhao Zhinian, and even suggested that the members of Yizhan also take some time to comment and support her.
However, Zhao Zhinian suppressed all these thoughts.
She knew that, under the guidance of the official Glory Weibo account, the overall public opinion was in her favor, and the entire Yizhan team was fully adapting to the tactical changes brought about by the increase in the Glory level cap. They certainly couldn't let her personal affairs distract them from off-field disturbances, and speaking out too much might backfire.
This matter can be either a big deal or a small deal. If she, as the person involved, makes a big deal out of it and reacts strongly, she will only appear petty and suspicious.
Honor's official repost, however, was also ambiguous in its caption. They used the influence of their official Weibo account to ignite the topic, but without taking a clear stance, leaving the interpretation to the onlookers. Even if public opinion later developed in an unfavorable direction, they still left room for explanation, ensuring they could extricate themselves from the vortex of public opinion at any time. Therefore, the staff's hint to Zhao Zhinian was simply to wait and see.
Ultimately, the official Weibo account of Yizhan concluded the incident with a lighthearted joke after the two parties reached a settlement: "Whose host is so talented? Oh, it's mine."
Because today was the first day of the Glory update, Zhou Zekai and the rest of the Samsara team tried to get the first kill of the new dungeon in the morning. The afternoon and evening were spent on targeted training arranged by the club, and everyone's focus was on the update. It wasn't until his teammates pointed it out in the evening that he noticed this.
After learning what had happened on Weibo, Zhou Zekai hesitated. He worried that a hasty comment would push her back into the spotlight. After a moment's thought, he exited Weibo, opened WeChat, and sent a message: "Is it cold today?"
Zhao Zhinian was still awake and was practicing in the Glory Arena. Losing three PK matches in a row had indeed been a big blow to her. Although the temperature did affect her performance, the fact that she hadn't won a single match made her reflect on whether she had been too busy with work lately and hadn't paid enough attention to the game itself.
As an esports commentator and host, game understanding and operational skills are the foundation of her career, and she absolutely cannot allow herself to fall too far behind in these areas.
Moreover, this incident has likely left some viewers with the impression that she lacks technical skill. She must make up for her shortcomings through more practice and strive to change public opinion with her performance later on.
After a while, she saw Zhou Zekai's message and immediately replied: "It's cold! The air conditioning on the first floor of the mall is so cold, I'm freezing! But the authorities require me to wear formal attire."
Fearing that Zhou Zekai might worry about the online comments, she quickly followed up with another message, adding in a relaxed tone: "But this time it was a blessing in disguise~ The official side gave me hints that they will probably give me some hosting opportunities later, so this exposure actually helped me. In the end, it was resolved amicably, and most of the online comments are praising me!"
Seeing that she was in a good mood, Zhou Zekai chimed in, "Yes, you danced beautifully."
“That’s right! I even performed at our school’s arts festival gala when I was in my first year of high school! But I’m really bad at PvP, and I’m practicing right now!” Zhao Zhinian sent a “little penguin practicing hard” emoji, which was naturally stolen from Zhou Zekai. “I just lost several more matches in the arena.”
Zhou Zekai looked at that familiar emoji and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
He couldn't help but search his memory for details of his high school arts festival. So much time had passed that his impressions were blurred. He had always been just a spectator at all his high school events. Now, trying hard to recall, he could only vaguely remember Zhao Zhinian wearing a sparkly dress. After the performance, she hadn't changed out of her costume; she was just wearing a coat and jogging back to her classroom area, chatting and laughing with the students in the front row. That scene was particularly eye-catching in the dimly lit auditorium, as if she were radiating light.
“Everyone has different talents.” He typed carefully, wanting to comfort her.
Just as he is only good at Glory, Zhao Zhinian in his memory should always be a shining presence, no matter when or where. Just like in the video just now, even when in a predicament, she can still say some exceptionally appropriate things, and her smile while dancing is still as bright and confident as in his memory.
After sending the message, he felt that his words were too dry and added, "Your talent lies elsewhere."
Zhao Zhinian's heart stirred slightly upon seeing this: "I know! But I still need to work hard to make up for my weaknesses. After all, I'm making a living from Glory now, and... I'm practically your personal disciple, so I can't let you down!"
There were still some lingering comments online in the days that followed, but Zhao Zhinian had no time to pay much attention to them. This industry is inherently accompanied by controversy, and she knew this better than anyone else.
She focused her energy on practicing for Glory, and after the joint variety show between Yizhan and Tiny Herb aired, she successfully attracted a large number of new fans with her natural and appropriate hosting performance, the popularity of the two teams, and the heat of the incident a few days ago.
Of course, the most talked-about member of the group's variety show is Liu Xiaobie. His bizarre ability to recognize people, accurately identifying professional players with just a close-up of their faces, has led many fans and professional players to jokingly call him the "League of Legends facial recognition system" in the comments section.
Fans have suggested that the league's security system should include Liu Xiaobie to ensure that no wrong tickets can slip in.
Zhou Zekai's focus was naturally different from that of the general public. He repeatedly clicked on that video, precisely dragging the progress bar to the area near the questions with "Zhou Zekai" as the answer, and then examined it frame by frame, taking screenshots and saving Zhao Zhinian's micro-expressions that revealed her emotions.
These subtle moments, captured by the camera by chance and overlooked by everyone else, were exceptionally clear in his eyes. He silently stared at the frozen images on the screen, as if he could touch her unspoken secrets through the arrangement of these pixels.
As his exposure continued to rise, job opportunities followed one after another. A few days later, the StarCraft Conquest tournament team sent Zhao Zhinian a new cooperation invitation.
The StarCraft Conquest official tournament is divided into three stages each year, culminating in the highly anticipated global finals. This year's world championship is being held in Beijing. The organizers, recognizing Zhao Zhinian's overseas study background and fluent English, coupled with recent collaborations and her rising popularity, have officially invited her to serve as the bilingual interview host for the tournament.
This will be her first opportunity to stand on the world-class esports stage.
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