GSCCO Chapter 11

He was seriously handsome, but because the show’s recording started early, he carried his lingering morning grumpiness with him, leaving Yu Yi surrounded by a dark aura.

“… There are 150 participants in total. Those who survive the first round will receive a one-month homepage feature on our app. Now, please move to the rest room to prepare. Return to the stage in thirty minutes to choose the team you wish to join.”

Strictly speaking, the show only incorporates elements of esports. It’s essentially a reality show with more entertainment value. Some participants were invited by the production team, while others signed up after seeing the advertisements. Most were platform streamers and internet celebrities, along with some who simply enjoy playing games.

“Which team do you think he’ll join?” Lin Zi Fei asked Mu Huai again.

Yu Yi walked through the crowd into the rest room. Halfway there, a boy pushed through the crowd to talk to him, and Yu Yi occasionally replied. Mu Huai only looked away after Yu Yi entered the rest room.

“Still sleepy?” Lin Zi Fei asked.

The camera was focused on the five MCs, who were gestured to look at their scripts. This segment was called “free time,” which was basically about finding their own cameras, interacting with the others, making some trash talk, and checking out the players in the lounge.

“I just asked you which team you thought he’d join,” Lin Zi Fei repeated the question, then said, “We all think he looks pretty strong.”

The man who had come over next to Lin Zi Fei had a nose like a seal, wore a loose hoodie, and gave off a friendly vibe. He smoothly continued Lin Zi Fei’s line of thought: “Didn’t we get to watch their videos yesterday? I saw him, a really handsome guy, is his name ‘Grumpy Yu-ge’?”

Before the official recording of the show, the production team had them record some scattered snippets, such as watching the players’ match videos in advance. The match videos had titles chosen by the players themselves, usually using things like “Number One in the Server” or “One Kill for Several” to grab attention. Yu Yi only wrote a word, “video,” which seemed like a random occurrence in the system’s crash test among the 150 entries. Mu Huai had assumed that no one else besides himself would see Yu Yi’s video.

He couldn’t help but glance at Shi Shaoqian, a half-smile on his face: “A very handsome boy? Shaoqian, this isn’t a talent show.”

“Exactly.” Lin Zi Fei completely forgot his original question. “We need skill, okay? But it’s still a bit hard to see clearly from the stage. Was his face on the big screen just now? I really regret not wearing my glasses!”

“Aren’t you nearsighted?” Mu Huai said.

Lin Zi Fei: “Do you have to undermine me?”

Mu Huai suddenly raised an eyebrow and looked at Shi Shaoqian: “I think he’ll come to my team. What about you, Shaoqian?”

The two former group mates put on a show of brotherly affection. Shi Shaoqian watched the scene with a smile, very camera-savvy. He wasn’t flustered when the topic suddenly came up: “I also think he should come to my team. I need to change what I said earlier: Yu-ge is very skilled and handsome.”

Suddenly, it became Yu-ge. Mu Huai narrowed his eyes with a half-smile, suddenly regretting letting Yu Yi participate in this program.

The tense atmosphere was prematurely ignited by this seemingly handsome but grumpy Yu-ge.

Lin Zi Fei joked: “You guys really want this guy? But I think his aura is too strong. I’m afraid he’ll overshadow my position as manager.”

That’s true. Lin Zi Fei is all talk and no action, but he really can’t keep up with Yu Yi’s hot temper and icy demeanor.

After they parted ways, Mu Huai went straight to the rest room.

The rest room, which could hold 150 people, was large. The players were gathered in twos and threes, some talking to the camera, others chatting with others, and most looking at the profiles of the five MCs.

“Ye Niu is 13th in the entire server. I think those with good skills will choose the Liu Jiaolong group. Liu Jiaolong will definitely recruit the strongest…”

“The girls will definitely choose Mu Huai and Lin Zi Fei.”

“Why? I’m a girl, can’t I choose Liu Jiaolong?”

“Liu Jiaolong definitely doesn’t want girls.”

“Who will the ‘Grumpy Yu-ge’ choose? He’ll definitely win!”

“Honestly, before I saw the ‘Grumpy Yu-ge’ today, I didn’t believe he was coming! This guy is terrifying!”

Seven people were chatting by the door. They were the group who had arrived early to stay at the hotel prepared by the production team and were all friends and could exchange a few words. Looking around the lounge, their group was the largest, and they were all talking at once, making quite a racket.

Mu Huai listened for a while by the door, then quietly peeked out: “Isn’t anyone going to choose me?”

The seven people were startled. Some girls in the lounge giggled quietly.

The contestants’ chairs were like large white bricks, each big enough for three adult men. Yu Yi sat alone in one, taking up a corner. Since no one came over, he simply spread his legs and sat there, looking down at his phone. Next to him, someone had dragged over a chair and was also sitting alone, constantly talking to Yu Yi while holding a small camera, practically shoving it in Yu Yi’s face. Yu Yi rarely replied to him. Each time he did, the man would move back a little, both annoyed and afraid to retaliate.

“I wanted to come and see how everyone was preparing,” Mu Huai explained to the camera.

A quick glance was enough to tell Yu Yi’s position among the contestants. Besides that boy, there was no one else around Yu Yi; a small, discreet circle of people sat outside it.

It’s actually harder to get close to him.

“So which MC are you going to choose?” Luo Yan was getting impatient, poking Yu Yi with his finger. “Hey, don’t you have any camera awareness?”

Luo Yan was also a streamer, on the same platform as Yu Yi. His skills weren’t as good as Yu Yi’s, and his popularity came entirely from his eloquence and his decent-looking baby face. Luo Yan and Guan Yang were junior high school classmates, and it was through this classmate-to-classmate relationship that he forcibly became acquainted with Yu Yi.

Yu Yi asked, “Whatever I choose, you’ll choose it too?”

Luo Yan said, “Of course, we’re best buddies!”

Yu Yi didn’t even look up. “You’d better make sure you stay in the first round.” He then smirked, adding sarcastically, “Even though the production team isn’t very professional, they shouldn’t have the guts to keep an obvious scumbag.”

One sentence from him had offended both sides. Luo Yan clutched his chest, then covered his microphone, seemingly wanting to cover Yu Yi’s too, but lacking the courage.

A group of people around him clutched their stomachs and bent over, unsure whether to laugh or not.

Luo Yan, with a conflicted expression, looked up and abruptly tugged at Yu Yi’s sleeve: “Yu-ge, Mu Huai’s here.”

Yu Yi finally looked up, his gaze darkening.

This place was really difficult to enter, and Yu Yi was surrounded too tightly. Mu Huai hadn’t figured out an elegant way to walk in, so he crossed his arms and chatted with the other players outside.

Yu Yi stood up, and the group of people jerked to their feet: “Ah, Yu-ge, do you need to use the restroom?”

Yu Yi: “…”

Although he didn’t have many friends, he rarely encountered such a respectful situation.

Mu Huai casually asked him, “Have you decided which manager you want?”

Yu Yi tugged at his sleeve, replying nonchalantly, “What kind of team do you want to form?”

The contestants unconsciously gathered around, overly curious about who had a stronger presence standing next to this handsome top idol and this good-looking streamer.

Mu Huai: “I value teamwork more. Our upcoming activities are all about building teamwork…”

Actually, before filming even started, Mu Huai had already given up on the idea of ​​flirting with Yu Yi. Greed knows no bounds; one success was enough. It would be better for everyone to stay out of it and avoid awkwardness.

Mu Huai smiled seriously: “Of course, looks are important too. You’re handsome, so I came over to ask you.”

Everyone: “…”

The deliberately hushed curses and gasps were clearly audible together. It was the first time the contestants were officially on a show, and they probably didn’t understand the function of the microphone, thinking that lowering their voices would prevent Mu Huai from hearing them.

Luo Yan nervously rubbed his hands, feeling that Yu Yi would say something sarcastic.

But Yu Yi simply raised an eyebrow and asked, “Anything else?”

“What?” Mu Huai was a little taken aback.

“Besides me, who else?” Yu Yi asked. “Who else do you think is good-looking?”

The contestants stirred slightly, secretly regretting not circling around Mu Huai a few more times.

There were quite a few good-looking people, and many girls were very pretty. Mu Huai automatically lowered his standards, several faces flashing through his mind, then he chuckled softly: “I only discuss these kinds of questions with my team.”

Yu Yi wasn’t in a hurry: “I’ll consider it.”

Well, this was the only contestant so far who had been personally approached by the MC and said he needed to consider it. The contestants were so flabbergasted they wanted to bang their heads against the wall. The MCs who came in afterward received a warm welcome, with each contestant dancing around like they were on steroids, leaving the MCs bewildered. Yu Yi received a lot of attention because every MC circled around him.

Thirty minutes later, the first round officially began.

The contestants regrouped on the stage, a tense atmosphere permeating the air. Out of a total of 150 contestants, only fifty would remain. Choosing which MC would be most advantageous for them, and how they would most likely stay, became crucial questions.

“Each person only has one chance to choose. The teams will be living and eating together for the three months of filming, so please choose carefully.”

To facilitate the selection process, each of the five MCs has a designated area. They are all confined to the broadcast studio until all contestants have chosen, allowing them to see the contestants on stage but not their final selections.

Some people, to show their determination, started moving as soon as the selection time began, causing the crowd to disperse.

“Looks like a lot of girls went to your side,” Lin Zi Fei said to Mu Huai, idly swishing his chair.

Mu Huai smiled nonchalantly: “So you admit my charm surpasses yours?”

Lin Zifei rolled his eyes.

The camera focused on Yu Yi several times. The boy, one hand in his pocket, looked at the screen in front of him. Among so many people, he stood out with an air of aristocratic elegance, drawing the camera’s attention.

“Why hasn’t the grumpy Yu-ge chosen anyone yet?” Shi Shaoqian chuckled dryly.

Lin Zi Fei: “He’s conflicted. Did you just go to see him?”

Shi Shaoqian: “Yeah, I did. I want him.”

Yun Dongyuan, overhearing this, said, “I was thinking of going to see him too. If he chooses me, I’ll definitely keep him! I don’t know how well he plays, but keeping him as the face of the group wouldn’t be bad!”

“What do you need a face of the group for?” Lin Zi Fei burst out laughing.

He said matter-of-factly, “Please, you’re all acting like you’re at a beauty pageant. I’m ugly, can’t I just keep some handsome guys to even things out?”

The room erupted in chaotic laughter. Mu Huai laughed too, then, resting his chin on his hand, belatedly realized he was actually a little nervous.

He’s taking it too seriously. Mu Huai thought to himself, “Don’t go overboard.”

Shi Shaoqian: “I think the grumpy Yu-ge is about to make a move. Let’s bet on where he goes!”

Lin Zi Fei: “What’s the stake? Who gets to choose their dorm first?”

Liu Jiaolong joined in: “I’ll bet on myself.”

Liu Jiaolong is a retired e-sports player. His skill speaks for itself, and he’s a calm and handsome guy. Mu Huai glanced at him upon hearing his voice. To be fair, Liu Jiaolong was the type Yu Yi would be most interested in.

On the screen, Yu Yi walked away from the camera.

Mu Huai unwrapped a lollipop and held it to his cheek: “Let’s bet.”