He actually… called him MianMian.
And in front of everyone, claimed he was someone he brought along.
To an outsider, it might seem like Ash had already categorized him as an “acquaintance.”
Of course, Jing Mian knew full well that their interaction was limited to just tonight.
The name “MianMian” was probably just what players who knew him in Glory called him, and Ash had merely followed suit casually.
But even so, it was enough to make his heart race uncontrollably.
At the same time, Jing Mian heard his teammates gasp in shock after recovering from their initial stupor.
“Holy shit…”
“Is that really Ash?”
“Is there another player with such top-tier gear?”
“Ahhhhhhh holy fuck, holy fuck ahhhhh…”
Song Xianyang said, “Bro, keep it down. Show some restraint.”
Teammate: “Are your senses blocked or something? The person MianMian brought is Ash ahhhh! I checked his profile—it’s really him! I’ve been a fan for four years ahhhhh Ash is actually in a team with us ahhhhh!”
Excited screams filled the voice channel.
Listening to it, Jing Mian felt like he was seeing himself just moments ago when Ash had invited him to team up.
No Glory player could remain calm in the face of Ash’s appearance.
Song Xianyang, however, was much calmer than the others. He whispered, “Bro, Ash might have his mic on.”
The teammate immediately fell silent.
Soon after, a firm and steady voice replaced the screams: “Hello, Great God.”
Meanwhile, the Glory world channel and forums erupted uncontrollably at the news:
[My screen shows Ash has entered the game?!]
[???!]
[Don’t lie to me, I just logged in]
[Where where? Can I still join? Which kind soul will invite me?]
[Upstairs, stop dreaming. It’s already full—a four-player match.]
[Ugh, whoever matches with Ash next, I beg for a recording.]
[Who is Ash teaming up with? Doesn’t the Great God always go solo?]
[+1, I’m dying of curiosity.]
[Sheep is also in a four-player match and currently in-game.]
[Upstairs, don’t be absurd.]
…
Ash didn’t turn on his mic, but that did little to ease the team’s tension. The usually talkative teammate remained uncharacteristically silent throughout the entire match, from map selection to gameplay.
They moved like a well-trained, emotionless squad.
Ironically, the typically quiet Jing Mian became the one trying to lighten the mood: “Xianyang, do you have any 9mm ammo?”
Song Xianyang: “Not yet, Brother Mianmian. Let me loot a few more houses.”
Jing Mian: “Okay.Just as Jing Mian stepped out of the ruined building with his rifle, he suddenly noticed a box of ammo left at the doorway—a necessary path.
The prompt showed it was indeed 9mm.
Jing Mian froze.
When he looked up, he saw no one, only faint footsteps with no clear direction.
As he picked up the ammo, a system notification sounded:
[Player “Ash” eliminated player “Blue tree.”]
Gripping his rifle, Jing Mian felt both astonishment and admiration.
Truly Ash.
Too fast.
Leaving no room for error meant giving the enemy no chance to breathe.
Precise and ruthless.
Starting in a remote location with scarce resources and achieving the first kill in such a short time was nothing short of a miraculous comeback.
For Ash, it was just a casual, routine opening move in a random match. But if edited and posted on a gaming forum, it would be hailed as a god-tier play, studied and marveled at repeatedly.
Feeling such an overwhelming disparity in skill up close, Jing Mian was struck with an unreal sense of awe, as if his heart had been washed over by shock.
Meanwhile, outside the map—
[Help!!!]
[How can I watch the match?!]
[Please, gods, stream it! Who’s playing a random match with Ash?!]
[Guys, a streamer named “Yellow tree” just went live!! Go watch—his opponent is Ash!!]
[It’s true!! Ash just instantly killed their teammate “blue”!]
[On my way!!]
…
Jing Mian picked up some ammo and regrouped with his teammates who had just arrived.
One teammate strolled around as if walking on flat ground: “MianMian, with Ash on our team, I think we can just sit back and win.”
Normally, Jing Mian might have resisted the idea—he couldn’t rely entirely on his teammates. In team battles, everyone had to contribute and play their part.
But when it came to Ash, Jing Mian suddenly felt that maybe slacking off wasn’t so bad.
After all, before the Red Gate even appeared, the enemy team was already down to just one player.
That last player hadn’t shown up, and there were no footsteps to be heard. Most likely, they were hiding in some obscure spot, waiting to ambush.
But Jing Mian’s team didn’t care anymore. Even if they got ambushed, it wouldn’t change the fact that victory was already guaranteed.
Meanwhile, in Yellow Tree’s livestream, the chat was exploding:
[Ash is actually teamed up with MianMian!!]
[I knew it!!!]
[Ash has broken so many rules for Sheep.]
[He’s really doting on him.]
[Yellow Tree, why are you hiding in the grass instead of fighting them?]
[Bro, with Ash there, who the hell would dare move?]
[LMAO savage]
[Yellow Tree, don’t die—if you’re gone, who’s gonna stream this sugar for us?]
[Do they know each other in real life?]
…
As Jing Mian maneuvered his character toward a supply point, he happened to pass by a patch of grayish-white grass.
Yellow Tree was lying in ambush among the tall grass. Hearing someone approach, he slowly adjusted his position and raised his gun.
He realized it wasn’t Ash, as he’d expected.
Originally, his plan was simple: whether they won or lost today, if he managed to ambush Ash, he’d instantly become famous. It’d be great publicity for his Team, a win-win. Even if he failed, there was no shame in it.
But after waiting and waiting, the Red Gate was about to appear, and he still hadn’t gotten his chance.
Instead, what showed up was Sheep—ranked sixth on the leaderboard—and some no-name from Me. Team.
Well.
Sixth place wasn’t bad either.
The man raised his gun, aiming at the back of Sheep’s head.
The moment he pulled the trigger—
A bullet suddenly whizzed past his ear with lightning speed.
A deafening bang echoed.
[Player “Ash” has killed player “Yellow tree”]
Jing Mian turned around: “?”
The teammate was still rambling on: “MianMian, do you remember that legendary ranked match? That’s when I got hooked. Ash back then…”
After eliminating the remaining AI opponents, the first round ended in an undisputed victory.
[Ash is so protective of his wife]
[My person—don’t even think about touching them.]
[Ash: My wife doesn’t need to know what happened]
[Help, I want a teammate like Ash too, I’d just lie down and let them carry me]
[Can Ash turn on his mic? I wanna hear the god’s voice]
As the loading screen for the second round appeared with the [Loading…] prompt,
Jing Mian and the other two still had their mics on, so they casually chatted to pass the time.
“The organizers announced it—there are fifty days left until the national tournament.”
“Greek’s team was always the favorite to win before, but this time they didn’t even make it past the provincial qualifiers. So unpredictable.”
“The national tournament probably won’t require leaving the province, right? Last year it was held in City A.”
“Not necessarily, it might be in Lin City this year.”
“Ah—this year, let Me. break the curse. We’ve made it to nationals three times but never survived past the first round.”
Song Xianyang asked: “Lost every first match?”
Teammate said: “Yeah, fought tooth and nail to qualify, only to get what amounted to a sightseeing ticket.”
The teammate added: “But this year’s different. Jing Mian and you are both newcomers Xuan Cheng brought in. We’ve all seen your skills—this year might not end in instant elimination.”
Caught off guard by the mention, Jing Mian rubbed his fingertips against his palm and said softly, “I’ll do my best.”
The teammate paused.
He found the earnest response from the young player utterly endearing.
“MianMian, don’t feel pressured.” The teammate sighed. “Even if we lose, it’s not your fault. Most of Me.’s members aren’t full-time players—we’re cobbled together. Half the people practicing team battles one day aren’t the same the next.”
“Our core player is Cen Xian, but he injured his hand and went abroad to recover for two years. Barely touched the game during that time. At his peak, he could’ve rivaled Greek.”
Song Xianyang exclaimed, “Brother Cen Xian was that strong?”
“Yeah. He used to team up with Shock, captain of AUB. Team—heard they were classmates, played together for ages. Don’t know why they don’t talk now—act like enemies when they meet.”
Song Xianyang: “That Shock ranked third on the PK leaderboard!?”
“Right, that Shock. Reached Glory’s top three in just three years.”
He recalled: “Last year’s national championship was won by AUB. led by Shock.”
…
Jing Mian felt a tremor in his heart.
Listening to this, the national tournament seemed far more challenging than he’d imagined.
Newcomers were always full of passion, believing they could change the status quo and lead the team to the national finals. But now, Jing Mian realized his current skills might still fall far short.
“All fear stems from insufficient firepower.”
The teammate sighed. “Me. is so understaffed, ahhh—”
What went unspoken between the three was Ash’s presence. If they could recruit the server’s top player into Me. Team, all their problems would be solved.
What Mobo, what Shock… No matter who they faced in the finals, they had nothing to fear, especially with the overwhelming sense of security from the God of War.
But the most fatal thing was—though tacitly understood—no one dared mention it.
…Ash’s oppressive aura was too strong.
A teammate suddenly seemed to remember something and asked Jing Mian, “MianMian, what was the name of that guy who used to play games with you all the time a few years ago…”
Jing Mian froze slightly.
Song Xianyang asked, “Played games with Brother Mianmian? Were they close?”
“Yeah, in that guy’s game recordings, Sheep was always there,” the teammate laughed. “This was before MianMian started streaming. The guy seemed to come from a scholarly family, a young master or something. What was his name again? It’s on the tip of my tongue…”
“Dawn.”
This time, it was Jing Mian who spoke.
The moment the name left his lips,
Ash’s hand holding the gun faltered.
His movements paused for several seconds before—
Bang.
In the darkness, the first ghost that appeared fell to the ground with a thud.
After the match ended,
Ash logged off.
Jing Mian noticed that in the second round, Ash had become much quieter.
Although Ash hadn’t used voice chat in the first round, it was clear he had his headset on, could hear their conversations, and even responded when teammates ran out of ammo.
But in the second round, it felt like Ash was playing solo.
Even someone as oblivious as Jing Mian could sense that the atmosphere when Ash logged off was unusually different.
The fatal part was, Jing Mian couldn’t figure out why.
After some thought, the most plausible explanation was that Ash rarely teamed up with others, so after this group battle… he might have realized they were dragging him down.
After all, carrying the entire team was exhausting.
Perhaps out of courtesy, Ash hadn’t let them notice.
Though a little disappointed, Jing Mian was still happy.
After all, this was the first time he’d played a game with Ash.
It felt like a dream come true.
After tonight, only one more night remained before Mr. Ren’s return. The circled date on the calendar was no longer distant and unreachable.
Instead of returning to the bedroom, Jing Mian spent the night on the living room sofa downstairs, covered with a small blanket.
Fortunately, he had no classes the next day, so he decided to sleep in, practice at the club in the afternoon, and return a bit later. That way, the next day wouldn’t feel so long.
However, the next day,
at 8 p.m.,
while Jing Mian was wearing headphones and playing team battles with his teammates at the club, he suddenly received a call.
The caller was Yang Fan, Mr. Ren’s manager, whom he hadn’t been in contact with for a long time.
Jing Mian was surprised.
He couldn’t think of any reason Manager Yang would need to reach out to him at this hour.
But Jing Mian answered the call quickly.
Manager Yang’s voice sounded anxious and somewhat awkward as he said,
“Um, Mr. Jing… are you at home right now?”
Jing Mian tilted his head slightly, his lashes lifting in surprise. “No, I’m at the club.”
Jing Mian asked, “Brother Yang, what’s wrong?”
“Oh, okay.” Yang Fan swallowed hard, sounding a little embarrassed as he continued, “If it’s not urgent over there, would you mind heading home now?”
“…?”
Jing Mian faintly sensed something was amiss. He set down the mouse beside him, letting his teammate take over, then stood up and walked to a relatively quieter spot. “Alright, I’ll head back now.”
Manager Yang wouldn’t usually make such an urgent and difficult request unless something unsolvable had come up.
Worried it might be about Mr. Ren, Jing Mian pressed further, “Is something wrong with Mr. Ren?”
Manager Yang replied, “No… uh, anyway, Mr. Jing, please come back first. Which club address are you at? I’ll send someone to pick you up?”
Jing Mian politely declined, “No need, Brother Yang. Taking a taxi will be faster.”
It was clear Manager Yang was too flustered to mind formalities, anxiously saying, “Okay, okay… please be careful.”
Jing Mian slung his backpack over his shoulder, bid Xuan Cheng farewell, and left the club, hailing a taxi on the spot.
Though it was past the peak hour at eight o’clock, the club was located on a commercial street, making it easy to catch a cab.
Jing Mian got into the taxi on a relatively uncongested road, and the journey was smooth, with all the traffic lights serendipitously green.
This shortened what was usually a half-hour trip to just fifteen minutes.
When Jing Mian arrived home, he found the villa empty.
Unexpectedly,
not only was there no one around, but there were no signs that anyone had returned.
Had it not been for that sudden phone call that made him change his plans and schedule on the spot, the peaceful and unchanged scenery before him would have made Jing Mian think the earlier conversation with the manager was nothing but a fleeting illusion.
Jing Mian was baffled.
After sitting on the sofa for a while, he stepped out of the villa and went down the stairs to the underground parking garage.
It was just as empty, with no signs of activity.
Jing Mian: “……?”
He began to wonder if Mr. Ren’s car was parked on the roadside outside the villa courtyard, not yet driven in.
This back-and-forth wasted over ten minutes.
As Jing Mian returned to the surface, he called Manager Yang.
But this time, the call went unanswered.
The series of bewildering mix-ups left Jing Mian utterly confused.
What on earth was going on tonight…?
Just as Jing Mian was about to call a second time, he spotted Mr. Ren’s car parked by the roadside not far away.
He ran over, only to find the car empty.
The doors were already locked, indicating the owner had long since left.
Probably while he was in the underground garage.
Jing Mian had no choice but to turn back toward home.
The cold wind cleared his mind, bringing rationality and clarity.
His chaotic thoughts began to churn, and as he pondered, a suspicion crept into his heart.
Could it be…
that his relationship with Mr. Ren had been exposed?
Had it reached such a troublesome level that it was seriously affecting Mr. Ren’s career, hence the urgent summons to return and discuss countermeasures?
No, rather than discussing countermeasures—he knew nothing about the industry’s inner workings and rules.
Most likely, Manager Yang had already devised a plan, but it would be awkward for Mr. Ren to bring it up, so Yang Fan was tasked with presenting it. Since it involved him, Jing Mian needed to return in person to give his informed consent.
“……”
Jing Mian had a gut feeling that, no matter how they handled it, what awaited him might not be good news.
Jing Mian swiped open the front gate, walked along the garden path, and reached the front door.
The house was dark, as if no lights were on, and it didn’t seem like anyone was home.
But then Jing Mian’s hand paused.
Strangely,
Before his fingertips could touch the lock, the door was slightly ajar.
He distinctly remembered closing it properly when he left home.
…Someone was inside.
No one else but Mr. Ren would be here.
But Mr. Ren would never forget to close the door—Jing Mian was certain of that.
What…was going on?
Jing Mian’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly as he reached out and pushed the half-open door.
A faint creak sounded.
After taking off his shoes and walking through the entryway, Jing Mian instinctively moved to turn on the light, but his fingers paused mid-air.
Because he faintly caught a whiff of something.
If he had to describe it—
It was a subtle yet lingering, rich and potent scent of alcohol, slowly dispersing in the air.
As Jing Mian halted his steps, he also froze in surprise.
Why was there the smell of alcohol?
Was it Mr. Ren?
Had Mr. Ren…been drinking?
Judging by the number of shoes in the entryway, Jing Mian knew Manager Yang had already left. Only Mr. Ren remained now.
So the thing that had unsettled him was simply because Mr. Ren had been drinking.
For some reason, Jing Mian quietly let out a sigh of relief.
So, it wasn’t the marital crisis he had imagined.
The living room and entryway were both dim. He couldn’t even tell where Mr. Ren was. Jing Mian took a couple of steps toward the light switch.
Perhaps due to the noticeable sound, Jing Mian heard Mr. Ren’s familiar voice, slightly hoarse, coming from not far away: “Who is it?”
Based on the direction and distance of the voice, Jing Mian realized Mr. Ren was sitting on the sofa.
The same spot where he had slept the entire night yesterday.
Jing Mian withdrew his hand from the main light switch and, after a moment’s thought, turned on the small lamp in the corner instead. As he walked, he said softly, “Husband, it’s me.”
The light dimmed,
And the surroundings softened.
A drunk Mr. Ren was probably even calmer and more reticent than usual.
That was the thought that surfaced in Jing Mian’s mind.
Jing Mian strongly suspected that leaving the door open was likely Manager Yang’s fault.
With that in mind, Jing Mian found this slightly intoxicated version of Mr. Ren rather endearing.
He bent down to neatly arrange his shoes.
Then, before he could even hang up his coat and walk from the entryway, Jing Mian suddenly heard Mr. Ren speak: “MianMian.”
…
“Come here.”