Trending Topic
Su Mucheng was extremely surprised.
The skill "Triple Slash" wasn't scarce; both Blue Rain's Berserker Sword of the Righteous and Samsara's Demon Swordsman Wu Lang had Silver Weapons that included Triple Slash. However, the method for embedding this skill was a team secret. Excellent Era had yet to discover the process for embedding Triple Slash. How did Liu Hao manage to figure it out?
Could he figure it out on his own?
"Close your surprised little mouth; you're about to drool," Liu Hao teased.
Su Mucheng subconsciously wiped her mouth, only to realise there was no drool. Realising she was being tricked, she angrily smacked the back of Liu Hao's neck. "You're the one drooling!"
Liu Hao winced in pain, suspecting that Su Mucheng was intentionally getting back at him. If she had hit the right spot, he might have been knocked out cold.
Seeing that she had actually hurt Liu Hao, Su Mucheng quickly put her hands together and whispered, "I'm sorry; I didn't mean it. Are you okay?"
"No problem, no problem. I'm not going to argue with a kid. Go play somewhere else," Liu Hao waved her off.
Su Mucheng was instantly annoyed again, "You're the kid! I'm a year older than you!"
"Where I'm from, anyone who hasn't done 'that' is considered a kid," Liu Hao explained.
"'That'?"
"Yeah, 'that'."
Su Mucheng finally understood, her fists clenched in frustration. She hit Liu Hao on the head again before storming off in anger. What was so great about 'that' anyway? Being a kid wasn't so bad!
Su Mucheng found Liu Hao to be genuinely irritating. His behaviour and words always managed to provoke her.
With no one to bother him, Liu Hao focused entirely on the Silver Equipment Editor, quickly embedding the Triple Slash into his Silver Weapon, Bell Flower. The finished version of Bell Flower was finally complete.
Just as Liu Hao was about to lean back in his chair to take a break, Shen Jian hurried over, "Hao Ge, Hao Ge, you're trending!"
"What is trending? Good or bad?" Liu Hao had anticipated this. Whether it was leading Excellent Era to defeat Tyranny or his post-match comments about Han Wenqing being old, they were all hot topics.
"Both, both!" Shen Jian said nervously.
Liu Hao took the iPad from Shen Jian and glanced at it. The ninth trending topic was: [Han Wenqing is old? Liu Hao's Sharp Comment!]. The top trending topics were mostly shocking entertainment news, and the second one was a new album released by a particular singer.
Liu Hao clicked on the comments. There were both positive and negative reactions—some praised his skills, while others scolded him for disrespecting his seniors.
Liu Hao had already anticipated the post-match reactions, so he had mentally prepared himself. However, after this incident, his follower count had doubled, and his fan base increased by tens of thousands.
Tao Xuan even sent him two offers for commercial activities and endorsements, which had never happened before.
"Hao Ge, you got a lot of hate this time. Are you okay?" Shen Jian asked nervously. Whenever Liu Hao was criticised by fans before, he would be in a bad mood and would always drag them out for drinks.
"No problem," Liu Hao said calmly.
"Really? How about we grab a drink tonight?" Shen Jian suggested, cautiously glancing at Ye Qiu as he mentioned, "Drink."
Liu Hao appreciated Shen Jian's loyalty. Even though he knew that drinking violated team rules, he was still willing to comfort him.
"No problem, no problem. But let's cut down on drinking. It affects our reaction time. Drinking more juice can supplement vitamin C," Liu Hao said with a smile.
"As long as Hao Ge is okay, how about we go out for dinner tonight?" Shen Jian suggested. The last time the boss treated them, they mostly drank and didn't eat well.
"Maybe in a couple of days. I have plans tonight. In a few days, let's get Wang Ze and He Ming together, and I'll treat you all to a barbecue," Liu Hao replied.
"Hao Ge, you're awesome!"
Just as Shen Jian was about to leave, Liu Hao called him back, "I spoke to the boss. Qiu Fei's performance in the first regular match was poor, so he's been demoted to substitute. You'll be the starter from now on!"
Hearing this, Shen Jian glanced at the corner where Qiu Fei was silently training, then looked back at Liu Hao, feeling deeply moved. He almost burst into tears.
What makes a good leader? Liu Hao was the kind of leader who looked out for his subordinates' interests. He not only took care of him in matches but was also willing to speak up for him with the boss. Shen Jian felt he had chosen the right person to follow!
"Thank you, Hao Ge!"
"You're welcome. Play well now that you're a starter!"
"Yes!"
Liu Hao waved him off, and Shen Jian quickly returned to his seat to start training. Now that he was a starter again, he didn't want to lose his position to a newcomer. He didn't want Liu Hao to have to speak up for him again.
Liu Hao watched with a satisfied expression. He knew Ye Qiu had brought in Qiu Fei to limit him, but Qiu Fei's poor performance in the first match wasn't his fault. It wasn't his fault that Qiu Fei's skill, although superior to Shen Jian's, needed to be more obedient. Team matches were a team effort. Liu Hao couldn't always fight alone. He needed a reliable teammate, but as long as Ye Qiu was around, he couldn't command anyone else. He couldn't always sabotage Ye Qiu either, so he had to cultivate his partner...
The current team starters were Ye Qiu, Su Mucheng, Liu Hao, Shen Jian, and Zhang Jiaxing. The substitutes were Qiu Fei, Guo Yang, and He Ming...
Liu Hao could already see his bright future. The days of being a puppet were almost over.
As he was daydreaming, Liu Hao realised he was still holding Shen Jian's iPad. Just as he was about to return it, he noticed that the tenth and eleventh trending topics were also related to the Glory scene.
[Troubling Defeat for Hundred Blossoms Against Wind Howl Team. Without Zhang Jiale, Can Hundred Blossoms Still Compete?]
Eleventh trending topic:
[Is Lin Jingyan Getting Old? Is Tang Hao Set to Become the Next Top Scoundrel in Glory?]
The defeat of Hundred Blossoms by Hysteric was expected. After Zhang Jiale's retirement, Zou Yuan took over as the new captain, but his skills were far below Zhang Jiale's. He was made captain only because his profession was a munitions expert and could use Zhang Jiale's account, Hundred Blossoms Rampage.
Tang Hao is now the only top player in Hundred Blossoms. However, his role in the team is awkward. Despite being the strongest, he isn't the core player. Losing to Hysteric's Lin Jingyan and Fang Rui's criminal combo wasn't surprising.
However, Tang Hao's defeat of Lin Jingyan was intriguing. Liu Hao had yet to review the match and was curious about what happened.
He opened the video of the first regular match between Hundred Blossoms and Wind Howl. The team match saw Hundred Blossoms losing to Wind Howl, but in the individual game, Tang Hao managed to defend against Lin Jingyan. Although Lin Jingyan had only 70% health left when facing Tang Hao, as the top rogue in Glory, everyone expected Lin Jingyan to trounce Tang Hao. However, Tang Hao won.
The comments were equally polarised. Some said Tang Hao was indeed better than Lin Jingyan, while others argued that Tang Hao won due to a health advantage. If both had total health, Tang Hao wouldn't have stood a chance...
The debate was as heated as discussions between Excellent Era fans and Tyranny fans about Liu Hao and Han Wenqing. Ultimately, all eyes turned to the team match. Fortunately, Wind Howl won, or the trending topic would have been [Lin Jingyan is old! Tang Hao becomes the new top rogue in Glory].
"Remember the schedule. Our next match is against Hundred Blossoms, isn't it..." Liu Hao murmured.
Is Ye Qiu the female protagonist?
(End of chapter)
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