Chapter 119: The Gaming Plan
“So, from what you're saying, you're pretty popular now?” Ni Hui fiddled with the potato peeler in her hand. After hearing Pu Tong's description, she could already imagine her son being the hottest commodity around.
“It's not that I'm popular. It's just that people keep coming to me for one thing or another. It's giving me a headache...”
Pu Tong peeled a potato with a kitchen knife, his movements incredibly smooth... It had to be said that, judging from their techniques alone, it was obvious who was the better cook.
“There’s nothing you can do about it.” Ni Hui glanced at him. “To be honest, my phone has practically been blown up with calls looking for you!”
“Uh...”
Since he was still a minor, talent scouts, management agencies, and the like all contacted his guardians, Ni Hui and Pu Luo, first. But because his father rarely answered calls due to work, his mother had become their only point of contact.
Pu Tong understood. His performance had simply been too outstanding all along, and with him still being so young, it was inevitable that those with money would take an interest in him. Not to mention that many big names were directly approaching him to commission songs.
And every bit of pressure from the outside world had been blocked by his mother. Otherwise, his life wouldn't have been nearly this peaceful.
“When you become an adult, you'll have to handle all this yourself.”
Watching his mother wash the potatoes, Pu Tong felt a mix of emotions.
Tang Luocheng and Chen Siqing were only the beginning. There would be many more things he'd have to face in the future...
But so what?
He knew very well what he wanted.
...
After Chen Siqing saw that Pu Tong had accepted his friend request, he immediately sent over several stickers of himself.
They were GIF stickers made by his fans. He thought they were pretty fun, so he'd been using them ever since.
Using your own face as stickers while chatting with people should help bring you closer together, right?
Pu Tong: [...]
Pu Tong replied with a string of ellipses, and then there was nothing more...
Chen Siqing tried sending a few more stickers, but still got no response.
“He couldn't have blocked me already, could he?” Chen Siqing frowned. Impossible. Absolutely impossible. His friendly and approachable way of socializing couldn't possibly put people off.
He was probably just busy...
Not wanting to keep bothering him with messages, Chen Siqing simply logged into the game.
He wanted to see whether Pu Tong had really quit.
After logging in and opening his friends list, he successfully found Pu Tong's account. The ID was still the familiar “A Certain Ordinary User.”
“Last online two months ago?”
Chen Siqing frowned. It looked like the guy had really quit. That was troublesome. He'd finally found a chance to get closer to Pu Tong, and he couldn't let it slip away.
He looked over Pu Tong's account more carefully and found that he was an old player with a high level and plenty of skins. He looked like someone who genuinely loved the game.
Combined with that old social media post where Pu Tong had gotten a pentakill, he had to be a hardcore player. People like that might quit for a while, but once they had some free time, they'd definitely log back in.
All he had to do was wait for the chance when Pu Tong came online.
...
“Chen Siqing is trying to get close to Pu Tong too?” The plump woman looked at the meek Tang Luocheng standing before her and grew even more irritated.
Among the several artists Zhao Ying managed, this girl was by far the most disappointing. She couldn't do anything right. She'd finally gotten the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become a regular guest on *When You Are Young*, yet she still hadn't managed to seize it.
Just look at the other artists on the show. Yu Wanwan, Lin Yuxi, and Yi Zhi Xuenai didn't even need mentioning—their popularity was rising by the day. Even Xie Mu, Gan Hengxu, and Chen Siqing had attracted plenty of new fans after the show aired. Only Tang Luocheng, under her management, remained mediocre. Her fan count had barely increased, while her reputation had gotten much worse.
“Sister Zhao, now...” Tang Luocheng cautiously asked what she meant. Her manager was one of the company's top agents and carried herself with great airs. The first time they met, Tang Luocheng had called her “Aunt Zhao,” and Zhao Ying had held a grudge over it for ages. She was already in her forties—calling her “Aunt” wasn't exactly unreasonable, was it?
“And you still have the nerve to ask?” The plump woman slammed the table, making Tang Luocheng shrink back.
“I told you to spend more time with that kid, but you wouldn't listen. Now it's too late!”
Tang Luocheng's lips moved slightly, but she didn't dare say anything...
Here she went again, rewriting history after the fact. It had clearly been Zhao Ying who decided on the whole fake-couple marketing strategy with Chen Siqing. Tang Luocheng had even brought up Pu Tong before, only for the old witch to dismiss him with, “He's just some brat.” Now she was acting as if she'd been saying it all along.
“Idiot. If I had your looks, I'd have won that kid over ages ago!” Zhao Ying couldn't understand it. She might not like the girl, but Tang Luocheng was undeniably beautiful. If she couldn't even build a relationship with some young guy, then she clearly hadn't been trying hard enough.
“Sister Zhao, Yu Wanwan...”
Tang Luocheng felt miserable. In terms of looks and background, how could she compare to Yu Wanwan? Anyone with eyes could tell that it was the girl chasing the guy over there. If someone as outstanding as Yu Wanwan still had to pursue him so actively, then who was Tang Luocheng supposed to be?
Zhao Ying frowned, her imposing manner weakening considerably.
Losing to Yu Wanwan did seem understandable...
“But failing isn't an excuse for not trying!” She still refused to soften her tone. “If you can't seduce him, can't you at least become his friend?”
What was Pu Tong? He was a rare talent. Zhao Ying had been an agent for many years and managed countless artists. Some had been excellent, but not one had reached Pu Tong's current level. A singer-songwriter who was also that handsome—it was simply irresistible.
“What's Chen Siqing's strategy?”
“I think he wants to invite Pu Tong to play games together.” Tang Luocheng frowned. She knew that much, since she and Chen Siqing got along fairly well.
“Play games together?” Zhao Ying's eyes lit up. “That's a great idea! High school boys basically all love gaming. If they play together over time, won't they naturally become close?”
“You play too!” Zhao Ying patted Tang Luocheng on the shoulder. “Play with them!”
“Huh?” Tang Luocheng was dumbfounded. She had never even played that game before. How was she supposed to join them?
“I'll get you an account. Hurry up and download the game and start practicing!” Now that she had a clear objective, Zhao Ying's mood instantly improved. “The three of you can play together. It'll strengthen your fake-couple image with Chen Siqing while also bringing you closer to Pu Tong. Killing two birds with one stone—what's not to like?”
Tang Luocheng felt like something about the plan was off, yet it also seemed like the only workable option. At school, Yu Wanwan guarded Pu Tong too closely. The only places she could get close to him were online and in games.
“All right then...”
Tang Luocheng encouraged herself and decided to give it one more serious try.
She might not be able to win over Pu Tong, but surely she could manage playing a game, right?
(End of Chapter)
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