Some of you have been wondering if I’ve abandoned this novel. No, because hoju and I’ve never abandoned any novel translation before. Once we’ve started, we’ll persevere to the end. Just that like the turtle, I take longer to reach the finishing line 🙂 I’ve been busy with real life as well as life as Wallace Chung’s fan in facebook 🙂 I’ll try to pick up the pieces and continue to update on a more regular basis now that hoju is taking her much deserved break. I know it is kind of irresponsible to leave my readers with no update for a while but as I’ve mentioned this before, I’ve no posting schedule and I am doing this merely as a hobby which I can put down and pick up.
Like most drama and novel, once you reach the middle part, there is bound to be some fillers and this chapter is obviously one. This is another reason why I was not that motivated to translate on a timely manner 😛
For those who are awaiting update on Shushengbar, the good news is that hamster had bought a new domain name. The problem is migrating the old content to the new domain name due to the usage of sub-domain name in the old site. Chancy has been too busy to sort this out. We’ve a volunteer Amy who has been very helpful. So, hopefully the new site can be up and running by Christmas.
Chapter 23 (translated by peanuts and edited by hoju)
As early as ten days ago, KPL’s official Weibo had announced the gameplay of the exhibition match at the awards ceremony.
King of Glory KPL Professional League V: “Five lucky players will be drawn in three days to play an exhibition match together with the game [email protected] Jing Jing next week. Where will the remaining four team members come from? (🐶) Clang Clang Clang! As the social media editor, I am excited to tell everyone that at that time, these six players will randomly select them from the audience. In that case, who will be in the audience???(🐶)”
Below was a picture of a large group photo of the twelve professional players.
A flood of comments.
Fluttering Snowflake (Xue Hua Piao A Piao): In other words, each team can choose two professional players?
Miss Diao Chan (Diao Chan Xiao Xiao Xiao Jie Jie) (Diao Chan was one of the 4 legendary beauties): Now this is getting a little more interesting. I want to go to the official website to sign up.
<>Copyright of Fanatical, hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com. If you are not reading this from hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com, this translation was taken without consent of the translator.
One had to say, the official Weibo had done a good job keeping people in suspense, holding out until the very end before releasing the ultimate news. Immediately, another huge wave of interest soared up. Big sister Ling had observed for a while from the sidelines and was also full of admiration.
She has been very nervous recently, and from time to times she had even had to grab a random person in the studio and complain, just to reduce stress. As the manager of an artist, it had never crossed her mind that there would be one day where she would have to worry from the standpoint of a coach.
On the day of the match, she couldn’t sit still. She hurried to Qiao Jing Jing’s home early in the morning to help her plan and to give suggestions.
However, what she focused on was a little off the main point.
“Wear a loose sweater… This one’s too long. Take it away. Take it away.”
“Don’t wear high-heeled shoes, wear small white shoes… Ah, whatever. Let’s do high-heeled shoes la. They lengthen legs, you know, just in case some of the audience have poor photography skill.”
“Tie up the hair to look younger and a little more vivacious. Don’t comb too much hair away from that side of the forehead, must have a little more hair!”
“Take off your long pants and change into shorts. Must show the legs!”
<>Copyright of Fanatical, hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com. If you are not reading this from hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com, this translation was taken without consent of the translator.
Qiao Jing Jing didn’t listen to everything she suggested. In the end, she wore a big white sweater which loosely tucked into a short skirt and paired them with some high-heeled shoes. Besides a pair of long diamond-studded rabbit earrings, there was no other jewelry on the whole body, making her look young and vivacious. Big sister Ling looked her over this way and that and heaved a deep sigh of relief. “It can be said that this is perfect! We can lose the game but we cannot lose in terms of legs and face.”
In the mirror, Qiao Jing Jing glared at her. “Can you say something auspicious?”
“Win, win, win. I am just trying to help you relax.” Big sister Ling answered emphatically, but she still felt a little nervous in the heart.
“Oh, by the way, haven’t you reached the king level 50 stars? How come you fell back a lot when I took a look this morning, are your condition not so good?”
… don’t mention it.
Speaking of this, she was depressed…because Teacher Yu really didn’t play duo queue with her anymore. He would look on unfeelingly when she played solo queue and dropped back to the king level fifteen stars. Then he enthusiastically took her along to play casual match.
This kind of casual match playing with an objective was very tiring, okay? In the end, she wanted to hug cruel Teacher Yu by his trousers and ask if she could not accept this present.
She really did not know why he was in such a hurry. Her birthday wasn’t until the end of the month.
And also, to date, they still had not gotten a penta kill yet. Teacher Yu appeared rather disappointed about that. = =
She did not feel like explaining to big sister Ling, so she simply said: “Fifteen stars is my true standard. Teacher Yu took me along to get the previous fifty stars.”
“Oh, fifteen stars is also great.” Big sister Ling felt reassured and also gave her a reassuring boast. “You just play with ease. Don’t be nervous. I’ve contacted several of the marketing media that I have good relations with, so even if lose, it is guaranteed that they’ll still report this matter nicely.”
Qiao Jing Jing was also tired. She has never seen such a bad-mouth, yet full of confidence manager. She reminded her, “It is hard to predict the outcome of any skill competition. If you win, don’t brag about it. If you lose, even more so don’t go about trying to flatter. Doing too much is as bad as doing too little .”
Big sister Ling shuddered and immediately made a phone call to mention this to the person doing the publicity. After hanging up the phone, she was about to praise Qiao Jing Jing for understanding how to act properly, but she saw her looking happily at her earrings in the mirror. Big sister Ling immediately became speechless and she swallowed the praises.
<>Copyright of Fanatical, hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com. If you are not reading this from hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com, this translation was taken without consent of the translator.
The award ceremony began at 7pm. The team arrived at the backstage area of the KPL competition venue punctually at 5pm.
The KPL organizer had originally prepared a dressing room for her, but Big Sister Ling, very much understanding how to make things work to their gain, declined. “Go and leave a good impression with the players, maybe it’ll be useful later.”
When Qiao Jing Jing appeared in the big dressing room, it caused quite a commotion. A lot of staff members, including some more outgoing and bubbly professional players also came looking for her to take photo and get an autograph.
Of course Qiao Jing Jing was cooperative. When she was signing the autograph for the players, she would write “To XX.” Everyone was a little surprised to see her able to accurately address “To XX” after taking a quick look at that person.
A player named A Ming shyly asked, “How do you know my ID?”
Qiao Jing Jing smilingly said, “I am the brand ambassador.”
After giving the standard reply, she smiled and said, “I have watched many of your matches. Oh, and also live broadcasts.”
“You’ve even watched live broadcasts?” The other party was very surprised.
“Of course.” Qiao Jing Jing said very seriously, “I’ve to play in the exhibition match together with all of you, so naturally I must know what you will be playing. ‘Know yourself, know your enemy’ (an idiom, from Sunzi’s “The Art of War“).”
A Ming thought for a long time and then whispered, “If the other side selects me, I will kill you one round less.”
Qiao Jing Jing: “…..”
… Was this the way an e-sports nerd expressed goodwill?
After signing for a while, some staff members hurriedly came to call the players to enter the exhibition venue.
Qiao Jing Jing stood up to see them off. When the players were at the doorway, a guy suddenly shouted, “Goddess, in a little while, please select me. My name is Zhou Yin from the Tian Gong team.”
Everyone immediately started to roar with laughter.
<>Copyright of Fanatical, hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com. If you are not reading this from hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com, this translation was taken without consent of the translator.
When it was Qiao Jing Jing’s turn to go on stage, the five lucky players who had been randomly picked were already standing on the stage, two females and three males. The age range was quite wide, from teenagers to someone in his forties. If this had not been a public draw that had been supervised to ensure fairness, people would have suspected that the King of Glory organizer was deliberately showing off the wide range in their audience.
The BGM (background music) played during her appearance was very funny because it was actually the soundtrack from “Young and Dangerous.” (popular Hong Kong films about a group of triad members). Qiao Jing Jing felt very relaxed, and when she heard it, she almost laughed out loud. At the end of the BGM, the host announced loudly, “We welcome King of Glory’s ambassador, Qiao Jing Jing.”
Qiao Jing Jing greeted everyone, “Hello, everyone, I am Qiao Jing Jing.”
She had a dedicated support group present, a sea of screaming fans.
"This must be teacher Jing Jing’s first time visit here. Moreover you are to compete in an exhibition match. Are you nervous?"
“I’m usually not nervous.”
The host was fast on his feet and worked with her. “Oh?”
“It's my teammates who are nervous.”
The audience immediately burst into laughter. The bullet screen (function which allows viewers to post on-screen comments in videos in real-time) of the live broadcast on the video site also displayed streams of “hahaha”.
“Gosh, what should I do? I actually think she is a little bit adorable.”
“The teammates are nervous. So funny.”
<>Copyright of Fanatical, hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com. If you are not reading this from hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com, this translation was taken without consent of the translator.
The host seized the opportunity to ask, “So among the people beside you, do you know which two are your teammates?”
Qiao Jing Jing tilted her head, took a look, and said, “The two most nervous ones?”
The audience burst into laughter again.
The host wiped his sweat. “I feel that they are all very nervous. Actually, it is still not yet confirmed who will be your teammates. It will be decided later by drawing lots. Next, let us first invite our five lucky players to introduce themselves. Who will start first?”
The lucky players looked at each other. The short-haired girl on the far left took the microphone. “Hello, everyone, my game ID is called Nine Tomatoes. I’m a student at Shanghai Jiaotong University. My rank is platinum.”
A bespectacled young man said, “I’m Fighting Little Bear, a a real estate agent. My rank is diamond. Anyone who wants to buy a house can come find me.”
A middle-aged man: “I’m One Glance to the End of the Sea, a menial programmer (computing). My rank is star shine.”
A white-collar girl: “I’m Tong Tong Is Very Spiritual, a lawyer. My rank is gold.”
When the young man on the far right got the microphone, there was a clamor in the audience. He smilingly waved at the audience.
“Hello everyone, my name is A Pot of Wine Among the Flowers (Li Bai’s poem). My rank is the strongest king 21 stars. My occupation is King of Glory’s anchor, and my live broadcast room number is xxxxx. I want to say that I really didn’t cheat. I really was randomly drawn.”
The host smilingly added, “I can guarantee that there was no cheating.”
After he finished saying this, he looked at Qiao Jing Jing.
Qiao Jing Jing: “Ah, I also need to say something?”
Qiao Jing Jing quickly said, “My game ID is … I’ve a few so do I have to mention all of them? I haven’t had time to close the add friends function ah……”
After everyone burst into laughter again, Qiao Jing Jing said, “My occupation is an actress. My occupation for today is the ambassador of King of Glory. My rank is the strongest king 15 stars.”
When that anchor mentioned that he was 21 stars just a moment ago, not many people were surprised. But at this moment, the audience gave a “Wow!” and the fans frantically waved their props.
Qiao Jing Jing stood with a smile on her face, full of confidence.
<>Copyright of Fanatical, hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com. If you are not reading this from hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com, this translation was taken without consent of the translator.
The host said, “All right, then, everyone has finished introducing themselves. Let’s talk about the allocation of our teams now. Goddess Jing Jing and our anchor are both strongest kings, so they definitely cannot be on the same team. The other four lucky players will be allocated fairly by drawing lots in accordance to their ranks.”
After drawing lots twice, the bespectacled young man and the short-haired girl walked to Qiao Jing Jing’s side. The little girl’s eyes were bright, and when she walked up, she instantly gave Qiao Jing Jing a hug.
“Jing Jing, I am your fan! I only signed up because of you.”
“Then you better not mess things up for her.” After making a joke, the host said, “Give your teams a name.”
The anchor took the microphone and said, “I suggest that our team be called Pluck Stars team, as we just want to win.”
The host praised: “Pluck Stars team! There is momentum in that name! There’s nothing wrong with wanting to win. This is what a competition of skill is about!” Then he looked at Qiao Jing Jing.
Qiao Jing Jing discussed with her teammates for a while and said, “We have discussed this for a bit, and we feel that winning the game needs luck in addition to strength, so we want to be called Good Luck Come team.”
The host: “…That’s will work.”
The bullet screen of the live broadcast once again displayed streams of “hahaha”
“Good luck come, good luck come. I can’t help but sing this out.”
“The name of this team is down-to-earth, hahaha~~~”
“Qiao Jing Jing actually has a bit of potential to be a joke writer.”
<>Copyright of Fanatical, hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com. If you are not reading this from hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com, this translation was taken without consent of the translator.
After that, under the instructions of the host, Qiao Jing Jing and the anchor drew for the red and blue sides. The Good Luck Come team immediately experienced good luck, getting the blue hand that had the first selection. Not only did they get first choice in pick and ban phase, but they also can choose the first teammate.
“The following is what everyone has been looking forward to ~~~~ The part of choosing the teammates. The two teams can choose two people from the audience down off the stage to be their teammates.” Okay, let’s see what kind of audiences members we have off the stage.”
On the big screen, the silhouette of the professional players sitting in the first three rows immediately appeared.
The host said: “These audience members look kind of familiar.”
The audience burst into laughter.
“According to the rules, the blue Good Luck Come team will first choose a person. Then the red Pluck Stars team will choose two people. Finally the blue side choose another one. You are given three minutes to discuss your selection plans.”
Qiao Jing Jing turned around and discussed with her teammates. The little girl was probably a huge fan of hers as she was at a loss about what to do and looked very nervous. This made Qiao Jing Jing also very nervous.
“You guys don’t be so nervous. I am not that bad.”
The short-haired girl nodded. “I will play properly.”
The bespectacled young man was calmer. “Let’s talk about the heroes that we are good at. I am not good as a marksman and solo mid, but I’m not bad as solo top. I am also pretty good as support. I prefer melee (all forms of close combat) and being a tank is also okay for me.”
Short-haired girl: “My rank is only platinum, so I’m only good with a few heroes. I usually use Cai Wenji and Bian Que. I also know a little about other support heroes. I am only so-so with Zhang Fei and others.”
Qiao Jing Jing thought for a moment. “Two people out of the three of us are going to play support? I am not good at jungling; other positions are all okay. Have you considered which two professional players to choose?”
Short-haired girl: “I, I, I’m good with whoever. You choose.”
The bespectacled young man said, “You decide, I feel that you are not quite the same as what’s reported on the internet. You should know how to play.”
Qiao Jing Jing: “I think it is best we choose both from the same team. This game is actually all about cooperation. If both of them are teammates, they’ll cooperate better.”
The boy truly did nod this time. “You are right, I had not even considered this point.”
Yup, Yu Tu also did not mention this point. She thought of it herself. Qiao Jing Jing felt a little happy.
The three people agreed on their choice. The host announced that the discussion time was up and asked the blue team for their first choice. Qiao Jing Jing took the microphone.
“Our first choice is Zhou Yin from Tian Gong team.”
“Oh ~~~ Tian Gong’s Zhou Yin!” the host drawled. Zhou Yin’s avatar and profile immediately appeared on the screen.
Zhou Yin was also KPL’s star player and his handsome index was also very high. His fans off the stage burst into cheers, and the scene was comparable to if he were a celebrity.
The host said jokingly, “Teacher Jing Jing, tell me honestly, did you choose Zhou Yin because of his looks?”
“Of course not.” Qiao Jing Jing smiled craftily. “I chose him because Zhou Yin yelled in a loud voice for me to choose him when I was in the backstage area just now.”
"Such a thing happened?" The host looked at the audience. "I’ll ask the other players. None of you called out shamelessly like that? Do you regret it now?"
The camera swept over a few star players, and everyone was unable to restrain a smile.
Zhou Yin had already stepped onto the stage. The host grabbed his shoulders and sighed, “You reputation as the KPL social butterfly is well-deserved.”
Qiao Jing Jing laughed. “Actually, I was just joking. I chose teacher Zhou Yin because he is very versatile. He can play in any position, and his hero pool is especially deep (meaning he can play a lot of heroes reasonably well). I feel that no matter what, choosing him first can’t go wrong.”
The host was a little surprised. “Goddess, you are very professional. You are well aware of the players’ positions and hero pools.”
“Of course. Before coming, I had made a list of three people for each position.”
“Can you tell us?”
“No.” Qiao Jing Jing heartlessly refused his request. “I will not do such a thing that offends people.”
“Okay, okay.” The host gave up. “Then it is the red team’s turn to choose two professional players.”
The red team players discussed for a while and chose Qi Zhu, the most famous solo mid mage from the CS battle team, and He Liu, who had the title of CNS’s (China Net Server) most powerful marksman from the Luo Shen battle team.
<>Copyright of Fanatical, hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com. If you are not reading this from hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com, this translation was taken without consent of the translator.
The host turned to the blue team again. “Okay, the red team had already chosen their players. I have to say, very wise choices. In that case, who’ll the blue team choose as the second player?”
Qiao Jing Jing said, “We still choose from the Tian Gong battle team, Xia Xue.”
Host: “The two players chosen are both from the Tian Gong battle team. Goddess, are you a fan of the Tian Gong team?”
Qiao Jing Jing said, “Of course I am a fan, but this is also a battle tactic.”
“Oh ~~~ I’d like to hear the details.”
“King of Glory is a team game. Cooperation between teammates is very important, so we intentionally chose two players of the same team. I believe that their cooperation will result in one plus one greater than two.”
The live broadcast was immediately flooded with comments of “Makes sense”and “Smart.”
The face of the anchor in Pluck the Stars showed signs of chagrin and remorse.
Yu Tu sat off the stage, the corners of his mouth slightly curved upwards.
Smart.
Completed:
23 of 37 Chapters