I was born and listened to my neighbor's older sister talk about her family of origin.

Inside the e-sports room, the air seemed to freeze for a moment.

Song Zixuan looked at Jiang Ye, his expression slightly distorted, as if he was adjusting something.

He then suddenly jumped up from the chair.

"You, surnamed Jiang, it's you again?!"

He sneered, "So, you're backing her up again, huh? Let me tell you, I'm not afraid of you anymore."

He straightened his back, stretched out his finger, and almost poked Jiang Ye's nose.

"Because I'm not playing King of Fighters anymore! Our previous agreement is null and void!"

"Besides, I specifically studied Taekwondo for two months! I'm not afraid of you!"

Jiang Ye's gaze fell on the trembling finger, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

The next second, he moved.

Song Zixuan felt a sudden tightening on his wrist, and an irresistible force came through. Before he could even use his rudimentary skills, he was twisted halfway around by a clever twist.

"Click!"

The joint was pinned in the opposite direction, and a sharp pain instantly struck.

"Awooo—!"

Song Zixuan's pig-like screams echoed throughout the room. His arrogant demeanor was instantly extinguished by the pain, and his face was contorted in agony.

Jiang Ye used only one hand to press him firmly against the computer desk, making him unable to move.

His clean and precise grappling techniques were far superior to those of his Taekwondo coach, who only knew how to teach fancy moves.

"Holy crap, you actually dared to lay a hand on me!"

Jiang Ye increased the pressure and uttered a classic line: "I hate it when people point their fingers at me."

Song Zixuan let out another howl.

"You...you let me go!"

Song Zixuan was in so much pain that he broke out in a cold sweat. He turned his head and yelled at the figure standing quietly by the door, "Xu Zhiyu! Aren't you going to do anything about him?!"

Xu Zhiyu walked in slowly, her face showing just the right amount of embarrassment and innocence, her voice soft.

"But... Zixuan, you were the one who started it."

Song Zixuan almost choked on his breath.

Jiang Ye increased the pressure slightly, and Song Zixuan immediately let out another series of howls.

"I was wrong! I was wrong, okay?! Brother! Brother Jiang! I was wrong!"

The ability to bend and stretch is the first rule for survival of a spoiled brat.

Just then, a teammate's angry shouts came through the computer.

"Does the mid laner even know how to play? Died again? 3-8-3, are you a spy sent by the enemy team?"

"I've reported it!"

Jiang Ye glanced at the gray screen and the glaring data, a hint of undisguised sarcasm curling at the corner of his lips.

"Real food."

These two words are far more insulting to a teenager than beating him up.

Song Zixuan stiffened his neck, ignoring the pain, and roared with a flushed face, "If you're so good, then you do it!"

"OK."

Jiang Ye let go, lifted him off the gaming chair, and sat down himself.

Song Zixuan, clutching his aching wrist, stood to the side, indignant, wanting to see how Jiang Ye would be slaughtered like a dog by the opposing mid-laner.

Being good at King of Fighters doesn't necessarily mean you'll be good at League of Legends.

He refused to believe that this guy was that strong!

However, what happened next made his eyes widen even more.

After Jiang Ye took over, the hero who had been like an ATM in his hands seemed to have been reborn.

Positioning, last-hitting, skill usage—every action was as precise as a textbook.

The opposing mid laner tried to poke him, but he dodged the crucial skill with an amazing movement and then unleashed a smooth combo to secure a solo kill.

Song Zixuan: "..."

Before he could recover from his shock, Jiang Ye had already maneuvered his hero to roam to the bottom lane.

Anticipating the Flash, precise control, and cooperating with teammates to secure a double kill.

The team's chat window was instantly flooded with "666".

"Holy crap! They changed the mid laner?"

"That positioning, that awareness, impressive!"

Song Zixuan was completely dumbfounded. His mouth was slightly open, and his eyes went from being unconvinced to being shocked, and finally, only full of admiration remained.

The next ten minutes became Jiang Ye's personal show.

A surprise gank, a brilliant 1v2 comeback, and an incredible triple kill...

"Triple Kill!"

"Rampage!"

He single-handedly turned a disadvantageous situation around.

Twenty minutes later, the opposing crystal base exploded with a loud bang.

"Victory!"

Jiang Ye pushed the keyboard away expressionlessly. On the screen, his score was a magnificent 15-8-10.

He stood up and looked at Song Zixuan, who was completely dumbfounded.

Song Zixuan swallowed hard, his previous resentment long gone. He rushed forward, his eyes sparkling.

"Brother! You...you're my own brother! Help me out!"

Jiang Ye crossed his arms and glanced at him indifferently.

"What did I tell you before?"

Song Zixuan immediately slid to his knees.

With a "thump," he knelt directly in front of Xu Zhiyu and shouted:

"Sister! I was wrong!"

Jiang Ye: "..."

Isn't this a bit too decisive?

Are kids these days so willing to bend and stretch just to get higher scores? Where did their arrogance go?

For a moment, Jiang Ye felt something was off.

Something feels off, but I can't quite put my finger on it.

Xu Zhiyu, who had been silently observing Jiang Ye's expression, lowered her eyes slightly upon seeing it.

He then lowered his head, sighed as if in helplessness, and reached out to ruffle Song Zixuan's hair.

"Alright, get up. Don't do it again next time."

Seeing this, Jiang Ye realized he had achieved his goal and didn't say anything more.

That was the end of it. Jiang Ye and Song Zixuan exchanged League of Legends accounts, with Jiang Ye planning to help him rank up in the future.

After having another cup of tea in the living room and chatting with Xu Zhiyu for a while, he prepared to leave.

"I'm leaving."

He said this to Xu Zhiyu, then, as if remembering something, asked, "By the way, which school did you transfer to?"

Xu Zhiyu replied matter-of-factly, her voice carrying a strange hint of coquettishness: "Your place?"

Jiang Ye touched his nose.

Thinking about it, it makes sense; there was no need to ask.

Xu Zhiyu escorted Jiang Ye to the door and watched him walk into the elevator until the elevator doors slowly closed.

"Click".

When the entryway door closes again, it shuts out everything from the outside world.

Xu Zhiyu, who was standing straight just a second ago, suddenly seemed to have all her bones removed. She slumped back lazily and sank into the soft sofa, letting out a long breath.

Those eyes no longer held any trace of the helplessness and vulnerability from before; only coldness and indifference remained.

Song Zixuan also peeked out of the room.

He glanced at Aunt Liu, who was still busy in the kitchen, lowered his voice, and moved closer to the sofa, speaking with a hint of self-satisfaction.

"Sis, how long am I going to have to keep this act going?"

Xu Zhiyu stretched out her slender fingers and gently brushed aside a strand of hair that was hanging down her cheek, her rosy lips parting slightly.

"After this, it should be about over."

If we do any more, Jiang Ye will become suspicious, so we need to find a different way to play.

Her goal was simply to arouse Jiang Ye's protective instincts and draw his attention back to her, and now that's about it.

"That's great!"

Song Zixuan breathed a sigh of relief; he always felt a bit uncomfortable having to play a villain.

Then, somewhat excitedly, he scratched his head and said, "But to be honest, I actually had a lot of fun acting in it."

"Cool?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhiyu's lips curled into a half-smile as she turned her head to look at him.

"It was obvious just now that your acting was way too exaggerated, you know?"

Song Zixuan was taken aback.

"Is there...?"

He thought it was quite realistic; the emotions were all on point.

That guy was completely fooled by them.

Xu Zhiyu calmly withdrew her gaze, seemingly not wanting to waste any more words with this adopted stepson.