Chapter 46

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At the end, the staff asked Jiang Ning’an what she thought of the new guest.

Jiang Ning’an gave him high praise. “I actually followed last year’s World Championship as well. Player Duan Ziyao performed exceptionally well, and I really like his style of play.”

[Wow, I had no idea Jiang Ning’an played games too. She even watched the matches!]

[Jiang Ning’an’s die-hard fans have arrived. She’s actually pretty good at gaming, and she’s posted her rank on Weibo before. Anyone interested can look it up!]

After interviewing all four regular guests, the special guests finally made their entrance.

Duan Ziyao wore a black printed T-shirt with cargo pants. He was tall and slender, making his clothes look even looser than they were.

His mother, Su Yun, wore a blue embroidered dress. She looked to be around forty-five and had applied an exquisitely made-up face.

The viewers’ first impression of the new guests was quite favorable.

[The little brother is so handsome! And tall, too. He’s just a bit too thin—can someone please make him eat more?]

[Boys that age can eat anything without gaining weight. Just watch their team’s vlogs and you’ll see that Ziyao actually has a pretty big appetite!]

[Is no one going to praise Duan Ziyao’s mother? She has such a wonderful air about her!]

As was customary, the new guests had to introduce themselves first and then greet the guests already on set.

Fans from the esports world who were familiar with Duan Ziyao knew that, within his team, he was the type who was ruthless but sparing with words. In the post-match voice recordings released by the team, his teammates were always chattering away, while Duan Ziyao remained silent. On the rare occasions when he did say something, it was usually to call out a skill or announce his position to his teammates.

During his livestreams, Duan Ziyao likewise focused quietly on playing and barely interacted with the audience.

In esports, however, skill and results were what mattered most. Besides, Duan Ziyao was exceptionally handsome, so he still attracted a large following.

His introduction was extremely brief. “Hello, everyone. I’m Duan Ziyao, the mid laner for OCG.”

By comparison, his mother, Su Yun, was considerably more enthusiastic.

She first said that she was a fan of Ning Fei and Qin Man and had watched many of their films. She then added that she had watched every episode of the show and was especially fond of the two young women, Ning Yuxuan and Jiang Ning’an.

After that, she brought out handwoven bracelets she had made herself and presented them as gifts to the four regular guests. Each bracelet had a different color and weaving pattern, with its own special meaning.

Su Yun introduced them in a nonstop stream. “Ms. Ning, this lilac-flower bracelet suits your elegant temperament perfectly. I chose the colors myself. And this peach-blossom bracelet is for your daughter…”

Compared with the guests who had come before, Su Yun was a presence to be reckoned with. Her introduction and gift-giving alone lasted a full five minutes.

[Wow, the show finally has an extroverted mother. She’s said several times more than Duan Ziyao already.]

[Still, this auntie seems like a genuinely nice person, even if she is a little talkative.]

The staff announced that the theme of this episode was “games,” which was fitting for the special guest they had invited.

Then the staff brought out the props for the first activity of the day—

When the viewers saw the colorful shuttlecocks scattered across the floor, the comment feed erupted with laughter.

[Hahahaha! When I heard “games,” I thought everyone was going to take out their mice and keyboards and start battling. I never expected shuttlecock kicking!]

[They have to take Ms. Ning and Ms. Qin into consideration. They’ve probably never played the kind of multiplayer online battle arena games Duan Ziyao plays.]

[I think it makes perfect sense! Young people today spent their childhood playing video games, but when Ms. Ning and the others were little, they played shuttlecock kicking, jump rope, hopscotch, and things like that!]

The staff explained the rules. Everyone would first have half an hour of free practice, followed by a one-minute timed match.

The purpose of the final rankings would be revealed after the game ended.

The production team had prepared sportswear and sneakers for everyone and asked the guests to change first.

Once they had changed, everyone began practicing.

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Ning Yuxuan remembered kicking shuttlecock when she was little, so she gave it a try. To her surprise, she had almost completely forgotten how.

Ning Fei was practicing beside her and was managing to kick hers more than a dozen times in a row with ease.

Ning Yuxuan immediately asked her for help. “Mom, you’re amazing! Hurry up and teach your daughter one of your secret techniques!”

Ning Fei laughed at her. “What secret technique? I just played with my friends a lot when I was little.”

Ning Yuxuan smiled brightly. “Judging by the way you move, Mom, you must have been the best of all the children back then! Be honest—did everyone call you the Shuttlecock Princess?”

Ning Fei could not stop laughing.

Over her decades in the industry, she had heard countless compliments. It would not be an exaggeration to say they had made her ears numb. Yet hearing her daughter praise her in so many creative ways still left Ning Fei unable to contain her amusement.

“All right, enough flattery,” Ning Fei said with a laugh. “Kick a few for me first. I want to see your form.”

Ning Yuxuan did as she was told and tried in front of Ning Fei, but she dropped the shuttlecock on the third kick.

Ning Fei watched her daughter’s movements from the side. When she was done, she said gently, “First, don’t use so much force. The strength should be moderate. Second, raise your leg a little higher…”

After giving her a few pointers, Ning Yuxuan tried again.

The improvement was immediate. This time she reached five kicks, and only narrowly missed the sixth.

Ning Fei smiled faintly and encouraged her. “Yes, that’s right. The height was just right this time, and your movements were much better than before.”

[Hahaha, I can tell now. Ms. Ning Fei’s teaching philosophy must be based on encouragement.]

[So that’s why Ning Yuxuan is so adorable and confident. You can tell she grew up being praised by her mother!]

Ning Yuxuan’s eyes curved into crescents. “It’s because you explained it so well, Ms. Ning. I’m a good student, too!”

Ning Fei shook her head with a smile. “You’re such a clever girl. Even when you praise me, you never forget to praise yourself as well.”

Meanwhile, Qin Man was helping Jiang Ning’an in the same way.

Jiang Ning’an was not particularly skilled at shuttlecock kicking either. Fortunately, she often performed in action scenes, so she had good control over her body and soon found her rhythm.

By contrast, things were going the worst for Duan Ziyao and Su Yun.

Duan Ziyao knew absolutely nothing about shuttlecock kicking. Every time, he sent the shuttlecock flying on his very first attempt.

[Hahaha, Duan Ziyao is representing me. That’s exactly what people who can’t kick shuttlecock are like—we can’t even catch the second one.]

[I think his height is holding him back. He’s too tall, so his center of gravity is unstable. Hahaha.]

Su Yun tried teaching her son several times, but when she saw that it was not helping, she began watching the other two groups.

After noticing that Ning Fei had the most effortless technique, Su Yun grabbed her son and went over without hesitation.

“Ms. Ning,” Su Yun said with a broad smile, “could you teach us a little, too? Ziyao and I aren’t very good at this, especially Ziyao. He doesn’t know how to do it at all.”

Ning Fei was slightly surprised.

She had never cared much about winning or losing, however, and Su Yun’s attitude was so pleasant that she nodded in agreement.

At once, Su Yun patted her son on the back. “Ziyao, hurry up and learn from Ms. Ning.”

[This Auntie Su really is a social bulldozer.]

[It’s actually nice. The show has never had a guest this outgoing before.]

Duan Ziyao looked extremely embarrassed. His whole body had gone stiff, making it obvious that his mother had dragged him over by force.

The stiffness only made his movements more awkward than before. Once she let go of him, he failed to kick the shuttlecock even once, and it fell straight to the ground.

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The comment feed once again exploded with laughter.

The tips of Duan Ziyao’s ears instantly turned bright red.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Ning. I’ll go back and practice some more…”

Duan Ziyao had just turned to leave when Su Yun pulled him back. “Hey, Ziyao, don’t go! Ms. Ning was just about to teach you. What are you rushing off for?”

He wanted to leave but could not, which made him even more uncomfortable.

[Someone save him! This feels exactly like being forcibly held back by your parents during the holidays and made to awkwardly chat with relatives.]

[Introverts will understand. The most terrifying thing is trying to escape a situation, only to be grabbed by an extrovert who refuses to let you go.]

Ning Fei’s impression of Duan Ziyao was fairly good. He did not say much, but he seemed quite polite.

She hesitated before saying, “Why don’t I demonstrate the movement for you first?”

As she spoke, Ning Fei kicked the shuttlecock several times herself, then explained the essentials of the movement to Duan Ziyao.

Su Yun nodded repeatedly. “That’s right. Ziyao, just try it the way Ms. Ning showed you!”

Under everyone’s expectant gaze, Duan Ziyao tried again. Yet for some reason, something still went wrong, and he failed to catch even the very first kick.

The audience fell silent.

[Hahaha, Ms. Ning’s instructions were perfectly clear. How did Duan Ziyao actually get worse after listening to her?]

[My secondhand embarrassment is acting up. My toes are already curling.]

[I actually understand Duan Ziyao. When you’re surrounded by people watching, the more nervous you get, the harder it is to learn.]

Ning Fei herself seemed unsure what to do and could only encourage him. “It’s all right. Try a few more times.”

Ning Yuxuan suddenly spoke up. “Why don’t we stop standing around watching him? Mom, you can teach him by yourself. Auntie Su, let’s go sit and rest for a while.”

Duan Ziyao gave Ning Yuxuan a grateful look.

Su Yun paused, then nodded. “All right, then. Ziyao, make sure you learn properly from Ms. Ning!”

“That child of mine…” Su Yun complained to Ning Yuxuan as they walked away. “He doesn’t get nervous even during those world championships of his, so how did he become nervous over kicking a shuttlecock? Oh, by the way, Yuxuan, I never asked before—what’s your zodiac animal?”

Ning Yuxuan blinked. “The pig.”

Su Yun’s face lit up. “Oh, that’s a good one! Girls born under the Pig sign are all supposed to have wonderful personalities. No wonder everyone likes you so much. Yuxuan, you must have graduated from university not long ago, right? Which school did you attend?”

“University A.”

Su Yun clapped her hands. “Oh my, that’s an excellent school. So many people want to get in but can’t! What did you study?”

…

[Someone save me. Auntie Su can talk forever. She reminds me so much of the old granny who lives downstairs.]

[Sometimes you really have to marvel at the mysteries of genetics. How did someone as talkative as Auntie Su give birth to a son as quiet as Duan Ziyao?]

[Look at it from another angle. Maybe it’s precisely because he grew up with such a talkative mother that Duan Ziyao became so quiet.]

Once so many people were no longer gathered around him, Duan Ziyao’s condition improved considerably.

Even though this was only a game, Duan Ziyao still felt embarrassed about taking up too much of Ning Fei’s time.

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