EXTRA

[Night Rain Sound]OMG, Wang Jiexi, is your new recruit some kind of demon? She went one against three in her first match! How on earth did she only just get picked up by a team? This is outrageous. It's fine that your new recruit is a girl, we in Blue Rain aren't jealous at all, but she's a berserker! I mean, come on, Old Wang, if your team can't offer her good treatment, why not let her come to Blue Rain? We're just missing a berserker, and adding one would be perfect, right? I can guarantee she'd be in the starting lineup for team matches.

[Wang Buliuxing] She will be in the team matches.

[Night Rain Sound] I don't believe you at all. Putting a girl in the first spot for arena matches is so obvious. If her skill level is average, then after playing in the arena she'll have time to rest for team matches, no problem. But with her level as a berserker, unless the first spot in the arena is taken by a top-tier player, she's definitely going to expend quite a bit of energy.

[Bai Rui] Huh? Isn't it okay?

[Night Rain Sound] OMG, when did you join the group…

Huang Shaotian, caught gossiping about another team's captain, felt embarrassed and wrote two less lines. Then he saw the rookie from Micro Grass typing two lines.

[Bai Rui] Just this morning. The captain told me to interact more with the seniors in the group.

[Bai Rui] Except for Huang Shaotian. The captain said if I arranged a PK with you, I'd get countless invitations that would ruin my rest time.

[Wind City Rain] Hahaha, little sister, you shouldn't say that so bluntly! Doesn't Huang Shaotian care about his face?

[Night Rain Sound] You're quite cocky, rookie. Come and fight in the arena so you can see the level of your seniors. I'm telling you, even if you went one against three in your first match, you're still far from matching the Sword Saint. Who said I'm keen on finding someone to PK? I'm just trying to liven up the atmosphere in the group. You should learn from me, little newbie, you know?

[Bai Rui] Ah, the captain is calling me, if you don't believe it, ask @Wang Buliuxing.

Zhongqing looked at Wang Jiexi with a face that clearly didn't ask for help.

Wang Jiexi sighed, feeling like he had to deal with another troublemaker, and typed a response in the group.

[Wang Buliuxing] Hmm.

004

Zhongqing found it a bit strange that Wang Jiexi's favorability towards her was increasing quite quickly.

Even more absurd was the fact that this person's favorability increase had a certain rhythm to it; with every match she played, it increased a little—almost like nurturing a seedling, where watering it leads to growth.

Unknowingly, it broke past 40.

She had never seen any character's favorability increase like this. Giving gifts didn't even come close to being this frequent; it felt like this person had some kind of periodically triggered favorability event, aptly named, "Complete an arena match, reward: +3 favorability."

With her own inclination for sarcasm activated, Zhongqing didn't hesitate to save her progress; she wanted to see what it was like to pursue this guy.

As for Liu Fei, with her favorability already over 60, she just needed to reload her save and start over.

After the match against the team "Reincarnation" ended, Zhongqing snuck out to buy a large bag of various flavored candies and was unexpectedly caught by Wang Jiexi in the hotel corridor.

He didn't express any opinions on her shopping behavior as the team leader. Instead, he suddenly waved her over. "I want to talk to you."

Zhongqing guessed what he wanted to discuss. As soon as she sat on Wang Jiexi's sofa, he asked, "Do you want to participate in team matches?"

Today, Micro Grass lost the team match. It was evident that the coordination with "Reincarnation" was much tighter than last season, and since Micro Grass hadn't yet emerged from being overly reliant on Wang Jiexi, "Reincarnation" naturally secured victory. After the team match, he first thought about whether it was possible to try out Zhongqing in the team match to test a new configuration.

"I think I might be a bit more ambitious," Zhongqing said provocatively, looking over at him.

"Dare you let me be the deputy commander for the team match?"

Since she had decided to switch her target, there was no need to be so passive. Zhongqing wasn't lacking in emotional intelligence; even though she didn't know why Wang Jiexi's favorability increased this way, it was clear that beneath his calm exterior lay a thirst for victory. Being a companion on the road to victory would undoubtedly trigger an emotional change in him more than any other method.

Wang Jiexi didn't casually agree to this idea.

If he agreed, he wouldn't be the captain of Micro Grass anymore.

He said, "Let's do a group confrontation after we go back."

005

Micro Grass's double magic configuration turned into a magic scholar and berserker.

Since the match against "Reincarnation," everyone could see this change.

Bai Rui, the berserker who still appeared in the first position for the arena matches, had clearly toned down her gameplay, needing to reserve some energy for team matches. Meanwhile, Wang Buliuxing, who typically closed the arena matches, also saw more appearances.

In this newly formed configuration of double core +1 for team matches, Bai Rui focused on frontal assaults, Wang Buliuxing on team formation disruption, and Mu En on output disturbance. This configuration seemed a bit odd but yielded surprisingly good results.

Wang Jiexi had no idea where Zhongqing had learned her tactical skills, but as the deputy commander, she undoubtedly had sharp insight and terrifying execution.

When someone no longer had to worry about being focused down, allowing the team to fall apart, their gameplay could become much freer. While she wasn't quite at the level of using magician tactics in team matches, it was enough to leave Micro Grass's true fans moved to tears.

"Who do you plan to challenge in the All-Stars?" Wang Jiexi glanced at the deputy commander happily eating ice cream in the middle of winter, feeling a headache coming on.

After spending some time together, he had also discovered that Zhongqing's cold face was naturally hard to communicate with. She herself was pretty easy to talk to, but sometimes her childish temper would kick in, and she loved bouncing around in his minefield.

Of course, he didn't understand that this was part of someone's strategy to test the waters after their favorability passed 60.

"Can I challenge you?" Her eyes sparkled with eagerness.

"Then you don't need to consider that I'll go easy on you," Wang Jiexi said bluntly.

Zhongqing's face puffed up like a blowfish.

She chose to challenge Huang Shaotian.

006

[Night Rain Sound] What are you and Wang Jiexi up to? You chose me for the All-Star rookie challenge, and then you glare at me before the match, and after the match, he glares at me too. I can't take it anymore; that size-eye expression of his is too much! You guys aren't arguing, are you? Hey, maybe you should consider coming to our Blue Rain instead.

[Bai Rui] You don't have the final say.

[Bai Rui] It's not an argument, it's just jealousy of the king's favoritism towards the prince, you understand?

[Night Rain Sound] Pfft, what the heck? Are you guys at Micro Grass really doing the king and prince jokes now? Then what are you, a long princess?

Zhongqing was typing away at her keyboard, completely oblivious to Wang Jiexi standing behind her.

[Bai Rui] Maybe the future regent?

Then the playful and carefree Zhongqing was startled when a hand suddenly landed on her shoulder.

"Regent?"

Zhongqing blinked in surprise. Her expressionless face gave no hint of guilt when doing something mischievous. Wang Jiexi thought this girl must have learned from Ye Xiu about the highest level of shamelessness and was relying on her looks, without being too mockingly offensive.

"Then what am I if not a regent? A queen?"

Wang Jiexi's eyes widened as if they were about to pop out.

Zhongqing saw the favorability level fluctuating, finally settling at 80. Just when he looked stunned for that moment, he immediately assigned her an extremely intensive training task.

Well, well, this one's a hidden tsundere?

But that didn't prevent her from taking out her little notebook to record a new entry to settle the score with Captain Wang.

007

During the summer break after Micro Grass won the championship in the ninth season, Zhongqing had nowhere to go, so she decided to stay at the club, living as a "couch potato" while trying to complete this strategy line.

After all, she only needed two or three more points of favorability.

While staying at the club to review and prepare for the next season, Wang Jiexi, who had already won three championships, was forced to become her neighbor.

Officially for fostering synergy,