Chapter 52: Summer Games and Connections

Over the past month, Lin Zheng Ran didn’t split his time equally between Han Wenwen and Lily.

Roughly, he spent four days a week with the little fox—that’s Han Wenwen—and three with Lily, since she was new to the industry and had so much to learn.

As for Heqing, he just called her at night, which didn’t really count as spending time together.

Thankfully, his efforts paid off—Han Wenwen’s gaming skills went from struggling against bots to dominating random matches, then pushing into ranked play, and under Lin Zheng Ran’s guidance, she reached Emerald level in just a month.

In this ten-player competitive game, ranks go from Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Emerald, Diamond, Master, Grandmaster, to Challenger.

Beyond Challenger lies the Peak District, where top streamers gather, making it the most entertaining spot for random games.

Though Han Wenwen wasn’t ready for that level yet, reaching Emerald in the regular area in a month was impressive enough.

Lin Zheng Ran suggested she create a video account:

“Even though your skills aren’t wildly advanced yet, you can still make a few videos. In this line of work, entertainment value is just as important as technique.”

He glanced at Han Wenwen sitting beside him, with her sharp social instincts, and thought maybe he didn’t need to say that.

“Once I set up the account, I just edit the footage from the last few days, add some narration, and upload it, right?” Han Wenwen asked, sitting at the computer desk.

Lin Zheng Ran nodded. “Streaming takes time to build an audience. Even the best streamers grow their fanbase over time, so for now, post edited videos instead of live streams to build up followers and prepare for the future.”

Han Wenwen agreed and, under Lin Zheng Ran’s watchful eye, added voiceovers to a few videos.

The little fox wasn’t great at singing, but her voice turned charming and fun when she chatted, and Lin Zheng Ran knew she’d become a hit someday.

Making money was just a matter of time.

As they talked, Lin Xiao Li, his mom, knocked on the door and brought in two glasses of fresh juice. “Han Wenwen, Zheng Ran, I made you both some juice—give it a try.”

With her quick social sense, Han Wenwen stood politely to take it. To her, the game was important, but winning over Lin Zheng Ran’s parents mattered more. “Thank you, Aunt. I’ve been such a bother to you and Uncle lately.”

Lin Xiao Li smiled and handed her the drink. “Not at all, we’re glad to have you. By the way, Han Wenwen, what was that face mask you mentioned last time?”

“Oh! It’s the one I tried before—let me pull it up for you.”

Han Wenwen set down her juice, opened her phone, and they chatted excitedly about beauty products while Lin Zheng Ran sat nearby, feeling a bit bored.

He wondered how they suddenly jumped into talking about face masks.

Han Wenwen, arm linked with Lin Xiao Li’s, said, “Aunt, you’re already so beautiful with great skin—if you take a little extra care, you’ll be absolutely stunning.”

Lin Xiao Li blushed and covered her face. “You’re too kind, Han Wenwen. The one you gave me last time worked wonders—my husband even commented on how my skin improved.”

Lin Zheng Ran marveled at how naturally gifted Han Wenwen was at winning over elders.

Thinking back, Heqing and Lily had known him for ages, and his mom only occasionally asked things like, ‘Haven’t they come by to hang out lately?’

But with Han Wenwen, in just a month, his mom had asked about her more than ten times:

“Why hasn’t Han Wenwen come over to play games with you?” “I kind of miss her already.” “Have you noticed my skin looks better?”

They’d basically become best friends across generations.

As for Lily, things were quiet—she’d been practicing singing, but options in the small town were limited.

Most times Lin Zheng Ran visited to teach her, he ended up napping.

Lying on her bed, listening to Lily play guitar and sing nearby.

“Hey, big dummy, how was that practice just now?”

Lin Zheng Ran rolled over on the bed and pulled the covers up.

Lily flushed and teased, “Are you treating my place like a hotel?”

Lin Zheng Ran replied, “Hold on, I wasn’t done. You’ve improved a lot lately, but we’re still in prep mode. We need a good break to shine, so for now, just master what I’ve taught you.”

Lily playfully punched his backside. “That’s so half-hearted! When are you teaching me new stuff?”

“After you perform in an official event. Now, don’t interrupt—keep practicing while I catch a quick nap.”

Lily huffed, but deep down, she thought about how she’d have to sleep in the sheets he’d used again tonight.

She strummed the guitar happily.

“Big dummy, you’re such a pain. I don’t get what’s so great about my bed that you sleep here every time.”

With just a week left before school started.

That morning, Han Wenwen opened the app’s backend and saw her uploaded videos had a flood of comments.

There’d been barely any activity the previous days, but today the platform must have pushed them to the homepage—likes and follows kept pouring in from morning on.

She scrolled through the comments:

[Your voice is so nice, sis!]

[Whoa, a girl with skills like that? And she sounds amazing—following now!]

[When’s the live stream? This can’t be a voice changer—I bet it’s a guy pretending.]

[These videos are hilarious—tipping you! Keep them coming, and I’m an early fan now.]

Amid the wave of comments, her follower count jumped by over four thousand overnight, pushing past five thousand total!

Han Wenwen checked the backend tips and view stats.

Sitting on the bed, she stared wide-eyed, counting them one by one: “One thousand six hundred and thirteen! That’s nearly two thousand bucks—more than I made from seven late-night gigs before!”

Grinning from ear to ear, she called Lin Zheng Ran right away to share the good news.

She invited him out for a meal. “Lin Zheng Ran, I can finally pay off that hot pot I owe you!” She hopped out of bed to change. “I’m heading downstairs to buy groceries—come over tonight? Let’s celebrate proper!”

There was no reason to turn down a fox’s dinner invite.

In the system’s eyes, it all counted as opportunities.

That evening, Han Wenwen loaded up on beef, lamb, tripe, and two cans of beer.

Lin Zheng Ran noticed the extra ingredients and raised an eyebrow. “Why the beer too?”

Han Wenwen sat next to him and replied, “I’m in a great mood, so I’ll have just a little. You’re here anyway, right?” She smiled at him.

Seeing her so happy, Lin Zheng Ran let it slide. That night, Han Wenwen sipped beer and dug into the hot pot.

She chattered excitedly about her reaction to the earnings and the comments, but after one can, her cheeks flushed and she got a bit fuzzy.

Emboldened by the alcohol, she said things that strayed from the topic:

“Lin Zheng Ran, you know, the happiest days of my life so far are when I first met Heqing and this summer when you helped me make money.”

“It’s just over a thousand bucks—hey, why are you clinging to my arm? One can and you’re tipsy?”

Han Wenwen leaned her head on his arm, her expression drowsy:

“It’s not just the money that makes me happy. It’s that you pulled me through when things were tough—you’ve been there for me all along.” Her voice softened, and she closed her eyes. “But school’s starting soon, and then I’ll have to help Heqing chase you again.”

Lin Zheng Ran saw she seemed to fall asleep on his shoulder.

He called her name a few times, but Han Wenwen didn’t respond and even wrapped her arm around his more tightly.

“Hey? Han Wenwen? Are you out?”

Lin Zheng Ran sighed, figuring she’d been worn out from all the video work plus the beer.

So he went back to his hot pot without disturbing her.

But the supposedly asleep Han Wenwen quietly opened her eyes a crack, her gaze trembling as she held onto his arm tighter.

“Lin Zheng Ran… I’m starting to not want to let you go to anyone else.”