Chapter 17: Betrayed Grace, Brother Ma!

Chapter 17: Repaying Kindness with Betrayal, Brother Mazi!

8:00 AM.

On the Shark Platform, the livestream of IG’s newly promoted support player, Shaqima, unsurprisingly topped the platform’s trending list.

After much consideration, Cheng Xuan chose the most reputable platform, Shark, to launch his first livestream career.

High EQ: the most reputable.

Low EQ: the one that pays the most.

The playoffs would begin in a week, giving players seven days to rest and adjust their strategies.

IG granted Cheng Xuan three days of leisure before requiring him to return to the team for another round of intensive training.

The Shark Platform, having signed Cheng Xuan, immediately provided promotional support to boost his visibility.

Many well-known streamers sent gifts, and fans who admired Cheng Xuan’s aggressive playstyle from those two matches flooded the chat with gifts and messages, creating a bustling scene.

Such is the power of fame earned in a single battle.

Chat scrolls: “???”

Listening to the entire song felt like a spell cast upon the ears.

Nofe, who had gotten up to fetch water in the living room, caught sight of this scene and called out to a few teammates to come over and praise him enthusiastically.

Cheng Xuan calmly remarked, “Stop guessing, the streamer’s hiding something.”

Then he fixed his gaze back on the livestream.

“Brothers, let’s not grind high ranks during casual matches. Mainly, I want to play some teaching games for you guys. Anyone got one or two accounts with lower ranks? Just DM me on the forum.”

Being stuck in low Iron rank without system support meant he’d get crushed in high-end matches.

At his current skill, he was barely a low Iron player.

Chat exploded: “Wow! Teaching games? Awesome!”

“This rank’s too high. If I play there, I’d just slaughter people. Better to have a lower rank so you can actually learn something.”

On his first day streaming, despite the soaring popularity, Cheng Xuan spent the entire day in Iron matches, naturally drawing the attention of some with ulterior motives who stirred up a few controversies.

Diamond.

Cheng Xuan: “…”

“Thought you were here to farm noobs, but you’re actually fighting them?”

“Look at this! This is what esports spirit means!”

The rewards from winning the second match were still pending. He planned to review and allocate his talent points before the next official match.

Chat: “Go lower rank, just do that.”

“Number one at repaying kindness with betrayal, Brother Mazi deserves it!”

His crossing over into this world also meant the fading of his former life.

No way!

Of course, after a day of streaming, Cheng Xuan had a clearer picture.

“Keep it up, or I’ll sing another song!”

He calmly launched the League of Legends client and brought the mic close.

Facing the various provocations,

Cheng Xuan felt a pang of sentiment within.

Chat: “Check your DMs, check your DMs!”

Adjusting the camera angle, he faintly smiled and took a deep breath.

“Is money abuse still okay? Streamer, can you return the card I just bought? Isn’t Mina-chan next door better?”

He copied an ID and looked it up on WeGame.

Cheng Xuan’s mental abacus clicked loudly.

After the show, he quickly ended the stream—truly exhilarating.

The massive Grandmaster rank stung his eyes.

Cheng Xuan experimented with many heroes he had never played before to boost his proficiency with some picks. After all, Lux and Thresh would almost certainly be banned in the next match, so he needed to prepare other champions just in case.

Many fans assumed that even if he wasn’t a pro, he must be a skilled amateur to dare to act up on his first streaming day.

But they severely underestimated Cheng Xuan’s audacity.

That’s what led to his crossover.

At his current level, he could barely hold his own against Bronze-ranked players.

He randomly selected another ID and checked again.

Chat: “Wow, you’re timid in rank but heavy-hitting in matches, huh.”

Chat: “I-I’ve already sent you a DM!”

“If I really get the championship glory, count me in, old friend,” Cheng Xuan murmured with a sigh.

Goodness, singing right from the start.

Fame and fortune, isn’t that splendid?

“I like your singing voice, just remember to close your door.”

To livestream with pride in the future, he’d have to practice more.

“Hello, everyone watching! Today is my very first day streaming. I’m truly grateful to have so many great supporters. As a token of my thanks, I’ll sing a song for you.”

“A pro player, and this is it?”

“Bought a card and want it back?”

That is to say,

In the end, Cheng Xuan actually found a Black Iron 4 account. With his current 10% hero proficiency boost, while not exceptional, he could barely pass off as a regular player.

…

Cheng Xuan: “Remember to pick a slightly lower rank. If it’s too high, you might not learn much.”

He drove the chat wild with his singing.

“Streamer sings well, but don’t sing next time.”

His system’s random states could only be activated during official matches. In casual games like these, the system wouldn’t kick in.

“Even with my feet I can stomp Iron rank. Pro player with a 7-3 record?”

Cheng Xuan thanked all the major streamers for their gifts. He was just starting out, still a novice. Facing the veterans in this industry, humility was no vice.

…

“Guys coming to cheer for you, how many of them skipped work just to shower you with gifts? And you’re doing this lame stuff?”

Until coach Nofe, throwing caution to the wind, dragged him onto the stage, possibly overwhelmed by psychological pressure, suffered a heart attack and died before the game even started.

He had to train hard!

So, early the next morning, Cheng Xuan got up and headed to the training room, turning on his computer to practice intensely.

“Ahem, guys, what I mean is, do you have any accounts, like, really rare ones… say, in Black Iron rank?”

“Good stuff, just a bit lame.”

Bearing the shame of eight years, earning a meager salary less than even a youth trainee, attempting to stream with no audience, and when a couple of viewers occasionally passed by, they were mostly mockery and insults.

In his integrated memories, his life in this world was rather bleak.

So, settling for less, he disguised himself as a teaching streamer to hang around in the noob pond.

“Cheng Xuan’s condition on the stage is better than yours. After matches, he trains harder than you. He’s up early grinding high-rank games.”

“You guys should learn from him.”

With his back to the group, Cheng Xuan instantly switched screens, expressionless, and logged out of WeGame.

Because WeGame would reveal he was playing Iron rank matches and getting pummeled by some little substitute.

(The End of this chapter)