Liu Hao's "Hypocrisy" and "Scheming"

The audience was buzzing at this moment, whether it was the competition venue or the online live broadcast room.

"Are you kidding me? Is that really Liu Hao? Can Liu Hao actually be this handsome?"

"Did Liu Hao go to Korea for plastic surgery? Which hospital? I want to check it out too. No other reason, just curious."

"The last time I saw Liu Hao was two weeks ago. Can plastic surgery be completed in two weeks? That's impossible."

"It looks like Liu Hao lost weight and got a new hairstyle. It's an old-fashioned side part. I didn't know a side part could look this cool!"

"As expected, a haircut is the biggest gamble. Liu Hao won the gamble and turned into a stunningly handsome man overnight?"

"The hairstyle isn't important. What's important is Liu Hao's current looks. He might even surpass Zhou Zekai!"

"Saying he's better looking than Zhou Zekai might be an exaggeration, but Liu Hao's looks aren't much worse.

"I just made eye contact with Liu Hao and suddenly remembered a poem: 'To behold a grand feast in the mortal world, to catch a glimpse of a beautiful face,' it was truly a fleeting glimpse of beauty!"

...

The discussions on the stage were endless. Normally, Liu Hao's fame wouldn't cause such a stir, but his transformation was so drastic that his looks were now on par with Zhou Zekai overnight. This was big news in the Glory community.

Liu Hao himself was quite surprised. Through a series of mishaps and coincidences, he unexpectedly garnered a huge amount of attention and traffic...

Seeing the audience's focus shifting away from the match between Team Hundred Blossoms and Team Tyranny to Liu Hao, the host hurriedly redirected the topic: "What a coincidence, Liu Hao, you came here specifically to watch the match between Tyranny and Hundred Blossoms, right?"

Liu Hao nodded, "Yes, I came to learn from the tactical experience of strong teams in the playoffs to improve myself."

This was Liu Hao's go-to response in interviews from his previous life: saying he was learning tactics and improving himself when watching other teams' matches. He had conditioned himself to respond this way, even though he had slept through the match.

As expected, the audience burst into laughter instantly:

"Did he come to 'watch' the match or just to catch up on sleep? He slept so soundly on that pretty girl's shoulder. If she hadn't woken him up, he wouldn't have woken up at all!"

"No wonder he's called Tony. He lies without batting an eyelid."

"Why is he called Tony? Isn't he Liu Hao?"

"Dude, didn't you hear? Liu Hao himself said 'I am Ironman', so calling him Tony is fitting."

"Interesting, I'll call him Tony from now on too."

...

Liu Hao didn't realize that a casual joke had earned him a new nickname—Tony.

The audience's emotions were completely stirred up, and the host couldn't help but glare at Liu Hao resentfully. The spotlight was supposed to be on the victorious Hundred Blossoms, but Liu Hao had stolen their thunder.

The host dared not chat with Liu Hao any longer, fearing he would steal all the attention. He quickly changed the subject, "Since Liu Hao was randomly selected to come on stage, which player would you like to take a photo with?"

Liu Hao glanced at the crowd, smiled, and said, "Of course, it's today's MVP, Zhang Jiale. I'm a big fan of his. I hope to face him on the battlefield next season and ask for his guidance."

Zhang Jiale debuted in the second season, while Liu Hao debuted in the fifth. Calling Zhang Jiale a senior wasn't a big deal and would even win him a lot of goodwill from the audience—except for Tyranny fans.

Liu Hao was calculating in his mind. Sorry, Zhang Jiale, I didn't mean to ride on your fame...

Ye Qiu, standing below the stage, squinted slightly. He deeply sensed Liu Hao's cunning and labelled him "hypocritical."

Was Liu Hao Zhang Jiale's fan? No. They barely spoke, and when they did meet, Liu Hao never addressed him as a senior. Now, in public, he was so humble...

More terrifying was that from the moment Liu Hao stepped on stage, he had successfully crafted an image of a humorous, humble, and friendly person to millions of Glory fans. Behind the scenes, however, he was a dishonest yet ambitious man.

"The current Liu Hao not only has schemes but also absolute strength to rely on. If he were an opponent, it would be quite terrifying," Ye Qiu murmured.

...

Liu Hao quickly took a photo with Zhang Jiale, accepted the merchandise gifts from the organizers, and hurriedly left the stage. He didn't dare to stay at the venue any longer, fearing he wouldn't be able to leave if surrounded.

Sitting in her seat, Chen Guo was already in shock. Liu Hao, the professional player from Team Excellent Era, had been joking and chatting with her all along.

For a moment, Chen Guo felt deceived. It was like struggling with a good friend in a dark, damp basement, hoping for a better future, only for the friend to suddenly say they were returning to inherit their father's business, leaving her alone in the basement.

It was a feeling of betrayal mixed with helplessness, which was very painful.

However, Chen Guo wasn't a delicate, weak girl. She was strong, stronger than most girls. A few years ago, her father died of a heart attack, and she firmly dropped out of college to take over her father's internet café. In just a few years, she developed it into a large internet club with over a thousand computers.

Being deceived by a man only made her heartache, but it couldn't crush her.

With red eyes, Chen Guo quickly walked down the aisle and out of the venue. As soon as she stepped out, she ran into Liu Hao at the entrance of Passage 3.

Liu Hao was leaning against a smooth stone pillar, smiling as if waiting for someone.

"I knew it, I predicted you'd come out this way."

Chen Guo was stunned, "You... you didn't leave?"

"No? We came together, so I can't leave first. I'm here waiting for you," Liu Hao smiled.

Chen Guo suddenly felt touched. She had been scared that Liu Hao would leave without saying goodbye.

"Don't you have anything to explain?" Chen Guo asked, pretending to be angry.

Why does this sound like a girlfriend's interrogation? Liu Hao thought to himself, but he explained, "You know, with my identity exposed, if I didn't run out immediately, I'd be blocked by those fans. Most of the audience are Tyranny fans. I'm a player from Excellent Era. What if they ganged up on me?"

Chen Guo's forehead creased, and she smiled, "That's not what I wanted you to explain. I wanted to know why you didn't tell me earlier that you are Liu Hao, a professional player from Excellent Era."

"Oh, you didn't ask," Liu Hao shrugged with a smile.

"If I don't ask, does that mean you won't tell me? The real you is so different from your online persona. It's hard to recognize you," Chen Guo said, frustrated.

"Uh... Do you think Ye Qiu would casually tell people, 'Hey, I'm Ye Qiu, a professional player and captain of Team Excellent Era?" Liu Hao asked back.

Chen Guo was taken aback and shook her head, "Probably not. Ye Qiu would prefer not to be recognized."

"Exactly. So if you didn't ask me, should I have told you I'm Liu Hao, a professional player and the vice-captain of Team Excellent Era?" Liu Hao said convincingly.

Chen Guo pondered and shook her head, "That makes sense. Maybe it's not your fault after all?"

Once again, Liu Hao successfully deceived her with his twisted logic. He deliberately hid his identity to approach Chen Guo and become friends with this straightforward and cute female supporting character.

(End of This Chapter)