Chapter 4: The Master of Persuasion

“Wow, steamed pork ribs!”
“Stir-fried broccoli!”
“Steamed sea bass!”
“Lotus root and pork rib soup!”
With every dish she took out from the food container, Ling Xue’er couldn’t help but exclaim in delight. The enticing aroma had already made her impatient to begin.
Very soon, all five dishes and the soup were laid out on the dining table.
Looking at the spread, unlike the carefree Ling Xue’er, Lu Ziqi and the others couldn’t help but notice that the five dishes and one soup Yang Hao had prepared were all light and nourishing, and several of them were Lin Zijin’s favorites.
Lu Ziqi and Shen Muxi exchanged a glance of mutual understanding, but said nothing.
“There’s so much food—it looks like we won’t be able to finish it all.” Ling Xue’er, who had been so excited a moment ago, now looked rather troubled at the sight of the full table.
“Silly girl, can’t you see? This is far more than enough for just the four of you.” Lu Ziqi wanted to remind her, but after a moment’s thought, decided against it.
“Oh well, let’s eat!”
Chopsticks in hand, Ling Xue’er had just picked up a piece of pork rib when Lin Zijin’s chopsticks came down, sending the rib tumbling back onto the plate.
Ling Xue’er looked pitifully at her sister Zijin, aggrieved.
And then, to her surprise, she saw Lin Zijin produce a plate and a bowl from somewhere, taking a portion from each dish and some soup, setting them aside.
After she finished, Lin Zijin placed the plate and bowl into the food container, her cheeks flushed under the curious gazes of her friends. Only then did she say, “Let’s eat.”
The meal was a satisfying one; everyone ate more than usual without realizing it.
Afterwards, Ling Xue’er, Lu Ziqi, and Shen Muxi witnessed a scene that left them astonished. Lin Zijin, of her own accord, cleared the table and washed the dishes herself.
Was this still the Zijin they knew?
The three of them felt a chill as they thought it over.
Moments later—
“Take this to him.”
Lin Zijin placed the cleaned dishes back in the food container and handed it to Ling Xue’er.
“Why me?” Ling Xue’er, lounging on the sofa with her phone, looked up in protest.
“You didn’t eat the food just now?”
Faced with Lin Zijin’s words, Ling Xue’er was left speechless. She wanted to retort, but didn’t dare. She knew that if she did, the consequences would be dire.

So, under the sympathetic gazes of Lu Ziqi and Shen Muxi, Ling Xue’er picked up the food container and left the house.
She arrived at the door of Yang Hao’s apartment and pressed the doorbell.
Soon, Yang Hao appeared at the door.
“Oh, it’s you?”
Ling Xue’er noticed the shift in Yang Hao’s expression—the smile that first appeared, then froze, faded, and finally vanished altogether, leaving him looking utterly disheartened.
Did seeing her really make him that miserable?
Ling Xue’er was indignant.
“Sister Zijin asked me to return this to you,” she said, thrusting the food container at him with a hint of resentment.
“Thanks!”
Yang Hao accepted the container politely.
The simple thanks eased Ling Xue’er’s irritation a little, but seeing his impassive face, she still felt somewhat dissatisfied.
She glanced at the container in Yang Hao’s hands, a sly idea flickering in her mind and a small smirk appearing at the corner of her lips.
“Aren’t you going to open it?”
Yang Hao was about to go back inside when her words made him pause.
Ling Xue’er’s deliberate suggestion piqued his curiosity, and he couldn’t help but lift the lid.
Noticing his actions, Ling Xue’er’s smirk deepened.
The top layer was a stack of clean plates—Yang Hao was slightly surprised.
The next layer was empty, but at the very bottom he found a plate and a bowl, with some rice left inside. He could not suppress his delight.
“Did Zijin leave this for me?”
The words slipped out before he could stop himself.
“No!”
Seeing his hopeful expression turn to confusion, Ling Xue’er turned on her heel, leaving Yang Hao standing there, utterly baffled.
That evening, Yang Hao once again trotted next door with food, but this time he was smarter—he ate his own share at home first.
However, when Ling Xue’er returned the food container once more, he found that at the bottom, one untouched portion still remained.
Yang Hao was stunned.
...
As night fell, everything grew quiet.

Yang Hao finally settled down, sitting before his newly assembled computer and opening Tomato TV’s streaming site.
He entered a channel he had bookmarked and followed. The streamer wasn’t online yet, but there were already plenty of fans waiting.
As soon as Yang Hao’s account appeared, a special notification popped up in the chat—a privilege reserved for the channel’s top-ranking fan.
“Brother Hype, you’re here early today!”
“Hahaha, what a coincidence! I never thought I’d see the legendary Brother Hype in person.”
“All hail the master! Brother Hype, please take me under your wing!”
“Oooh, Brother Hype, you’ve finally arrived…”
Several fans noticed him and greeted him enthusiastically. Yang Hao, unpretentious as ever, chatted with them cheerfully.
It was clear he was both popular and highly respected among these viewers.
Yang Hao’s ID wasn’t actually “Brother Hype”—his real ID was “Gentle Heart,” a direct counterpart to Lin Zijin’s “Verdant Zijin.”
“Brother Hype” was simply an affectionate nickname the fans had given him.
Of course, this was probably only how Yang Hao saw it. What others thought, he couldn’t say.
Yes! You might have guessed by now—this was Lin Zijin’s streaming channel.
As a professional gamer, Lin Zijin had always resisted the idea of streaming, but after running away from home a month ago, she was forced to face reality:
Money.
Running away meant her family froze all her accounts, including most of her earnings as a pro player.
Having left the Legendary Team, and now forming a new PUBG team with Ling Xue’er and the others, expenses were piling up. She had no choice but to stream to relieve the financial pressure.
Supporting an entire team on her own was no easy feat.
Fortunately, Lin Zijin was well-known, with a massive fan base across the country. And with Yang Hao, the “traitor,” in her camp, she no longer had to worry about money after starting her stream; she could focus on training and competitions.
In this month since Lin Zijin began streaming, Yang Hao had been an active presence in her channel, quickly earning high status among her fans.
This didn’t surprise Lin Zijin at all.
What bothered Yang Hao, however, was that throughout this time, Lin Zijin had never acknowledged him. He had always been performing to an empty stage.
Still, he never gave up.