Sang Ning registered a new account using Hu Zhi's WeChat. After completing the beginner's tutorial, she opened a 1V1 duel room and invited Sang Chuan to join.
When Sang Chuan saw that Sang Ning's chosen hero was Arthur, he fell silent.
"How about I borrow an account with better resources for you? This account is too new—no runes, no skins. It'll put you at a disadvantage. Don't come crying later saying I won unfairly."
"To beat you, isn't skill enough?" Sang Ning cast a nonchalant glance at Sang Chuan, clearly not taking his words seriously.
"Fine!" Sang Chuan gritted his teeth. "Just don't cry later!"
Originally, he thought about going easy on Sang Ning for the sake of her dignity. But since she didn't seem to care, don't blame him for bringing out Arthur's natural nemesis—Old Master—to deal with her!
Not long after the match started, Sang Chuan got close to Sang Ning, ready to show off his flashy moves.
Watching as Sang Ning's health dropped bit by bit, Sang Chuan couldn't have been more smug. But he didn't let his guard down; his eyes narrowed, and his hands moved faster. "My dear sister, go die already!"
Sang Ning remained calm, half-reclining on the sofa with her legs crossed, her posture elegant. Her hands moved quickly but without any sign of panic. Her slender, graceful fingers gently gripped the phone, making her actions oddly pleasing to watch.
Both of their phones simultaneously emitted the mechanical sound of "First Blood," and then Sang Ning looked up, the corners of her lips curling into a slow smile. "Sorry, dear brother, but it seems the one who died was you."
Sang Chuan, pouting in defiance, retorted, "Ladies first! I let you win on purpose—just in case you ended up crying over not taking a single kill."
Sang Ning remained silent, stopping her hands as well, her gaze coolly fixed on the screen, waiting for Sang Chuan to respawn.
Sang Chuan, on the other hand, stared intently at the respawn timer on the screen. After being killed by Sang Ning, he felt a bit nervous. Clearly, he had almost finished her off—what had happened that allowed her to turn the tables and kill him instead?
He consoled himself, thinking Sang Ning was just lucky.
But if one or two victories could be chalked up to luck, the painful lesson of losing eight consecutive kills finally forced Sang Chuan to confront reality.
Sang Ning wasn't just lucky—she was legitimately skilled!
As the game progressed into the late stage, Sang Ning's equipment was already maxed out. Every time Sang Chuan respawned, he was immediately taken down by her again.
In the end, a 0-15 record crushed Sang Chuan completely. "That round doesn't count—rematch! If I hadn't given you a free kill at the start, you wouldn't have it so easy!"
Faced with the fuming Sang Chuan, Sang Ning remained utterly composed, even flashing a faint smile at him. "Fine, then let's start another round. I'll spot you three extra lives."
Sang Chuan initially thought Sang Ning was insulting him. But on second thought, with three extra lives, he'd have enough time to develop his strategy. Then, he could prove to Sang Ning that having a lead makes dominating the opponent's game all too easy.
She'd only won earlier because she had the upper hand. This time, he'd show her what it feels like to play from a disadvantage.
True to her word, Sang Ning stood still as soon as the game began, letting Sang Chuan's Old Master whip her to death.
After dying three times, Sang Ning finally picked up her phone from the sofa and began engaging in combat with Sang Chuan.
The familiar scenario repeated itself: Sang Chuan quickly whittled Sang Ning's health down to a sliver. But just as he thought he could finish her off with one final strike, her health started recovering through deft maneuvering and skilled play. In the end, Sang Chuan's screen blurred as he was killed by Sang Ning yet again.
From that moment on, Sang Ning no longer gave Sang Chuan even a single advantage. The match quickly turned into a one-sided slaughter, with the score reaching 3-15.
In other words, apart from the three free kills Sang Ning had allowed at the start, Sang Chuan hadn't won once.
"I'm done, I'm done! You're bullying me!" Sang Chuan refused to endure further humiliation and tossed his phone aside.
Feeling aggrieved, Sang Chuan's chest was heavy with frustration. He couldn't believe he'd been utterly dismantled by Sang Ning. But he wasn't willing to admit his skills were poor.
If forced to concede, he'd blame it on Sang Ning's outlandish luck.
"Is this all it takes to break you?" Sang Ning placed her phone on the sofa and folded her arms, staring at Sang Chuan. "It's just two losses, and you're falling apart like this. Forget skill—your mentality doesn't even meet the basic standards of a professional esports player. Do you think any club would want someone like you, a whiny noob who can't take a loss?"
Sang Chuan felt wronged, his eyes instantly welling up with tears. But he tilted his head back slightly, holding back the urge to cry.
Playing games had been a choice he made in his first year of high school. Back then, the school's student council organized a campus-wide King of Glory tournament. He had only been playing the game for three months when he signed up, initially just for fun. To his surprise, he made his way through the rounds, defeating all challengers, and ultimately won the championship. The result completely exceeded his expectations.
For someone like him—a mischievous underachiever who always ranked at the bottom of his class—teachers didn't like him, and the top students avoided him like the plague. Coupled with a dysfunctional home environment, he had once felt utterly hopeless about his future.
He always saw himself as inferior to others. Even though he carried himself with a facade of proud indifference, deep down, he was insecure. Gaming saved him. It allowed him to discover his strengths and rebuild his confidence. He realized there was something he could actually excel at—something those bookish top students couldn't match.
But now, Sang Ning had forced him to face the truth. He was merely slightly better than the average player, far from what it took to become a professional. After all, he couldn't even beat Sang Ning. What qualifications did he have to make a career in this?
Though unwilling to accept it, Sang Chuan was a man of his word. He couldn't let Sang Ning look down on him further. Gritting his teeth and taking a deep breath, he seemed to make a significant decision before speaking up.
"I, Sang Chuan, can handle losing. A bet's a bet. Starting today, I won't play games anymore. Next semester, I'll talk to my teachers about resuming my studies. But as you've seen, I'm not just a noob at gaming—I'm also terrible at school. Instead of wasting time at school, I'd rather work as a delivery driver. At least I could earn some money to help out the family!"
As soon as he finished, Sang Ning raised her head to glance at Sang Youming and Hu Zhi, who were sitting in a corner of the sofa. "Has the Sang Family really fallen so far that even a high school student can't be supported anymore? If I remember correctly, didn't Chu Xi also drop out to work and help with family expenses?"
Sang Youming and Hu Zhi reacted as if they had heard something outrageous, frantically shaking their heads.
Hu Zhi quickly explained, "No, no, no, it's not like that! The family may be struggling, but if I cut down on some mahjong sessions, we can definitely save enough for schooling."
Sang Ning: "..."