Liu Yutong didn't go back with the Lin family. Instead, she and Gao Min took a separate car and left.
The two of them found a small bar that was open all night, ordered two cases of beer, and with a few small dishes, sat quietly in a corner booth, drinking slowly.
The speakers were playing folk music, and a young man with a guitar was sitting on the small stage in the center, singing a song Liu Yutong had never heard before.
His voice was unique—hoarse, yet with a hint of clarity. It was beautiful.
"Sis, what are you thinking about?"
Gao Min had been staring blankly at the singer on stage. After a long moment, she said, "I don't even know what I'm thinking."
"Just... my heart feels empty."
"Every night before bed, I used to think: where's the person who killed my dad? What does he look like? When will I personally catch him? I thought about it for so many years. It became a habit."
"Now that I've finally caught the real culprit behind it all, my heart feels a little uneasy."
Liu Yutong didn't know what to say, so she simply raised her glass and clinked it with Gao Min's.
Gao Min tipped her head back and downed it in one gulp.
"But still, it's good."
"At least my dad can rest in peace now."
The two of them carried on like this, drinking and chatting about the past and the future.
The singer on stage switched to another song—an old one this time, with a pleasant melody and a touch of melancholy.
Driven by the alcohol, Liu Yutong found herself listening more and more intently.
To be honest, she wasn't much of a music connoisseur, but she could tell this guy sang really well, with a lot of emotion.
Gao Min couldn't help but praise him too: "This singer is really good. He's got something special."
Liu Yutong nodded and waved at the waiter. "Is that guy singing over there your regular performer here?"
The waiter smiled and nodded. "Yeah, that's Xiao Zhou. He's been here for about six months now, and he sings great."
Liu Yutong took a stack of cash from her bag—around two to three thousand yuan—and handed it to the waiter. "After he's done singing, give this to him. Tell him he sang really well. It's a tip."
The waiter took it with a smile. "Got it. I'll thank him on your behalf, miss."
Gao Min watched this, a little surprised. "What are you doing?"
Liu Yutong said, "Just tipping him. Who knows, maybe one day he'll make it big, and we'll be the ones who discovered him first."
Gao Min laughed. "So you're a talent scout now?"
"Just in a good mood."
They continued drinking and chatting.
When they were about to leave, having had enough, the young singer walked over to them.
He looked about twenty-three or twenty-four, wearing a ripped denim jacket and carrying an old guitar on his back.
"Ladies, was that money just now from you two?"
Liu Yutong nodded. "What, not enough?"
The young man quickly waved his hands. "No, no! It's way too much! I just... wanted to thank you in person."
Liu Yutong smiled at his earnest demeanor. "You sang well. You earned it."
The young man said, "Then... let me toast you two first."
With that, he grabbed a bottle of beer from the waiter and chugged it straight from the bottle, no glass.
Liu Yutong and Gao Min, seeing how straightforward he was, raised their glasses and clinked with him.
"Did you study music professionally?" Gao Min asked curiously.
The young man shook his head. "No, I just love singing. I've loved it since I was a kid. After high school, I didn't get into college, and my family wasn't well-off, so I started singing on the streets to make a living."
Liu Yutong suddenly thought of something. "You're this good—have you thought about joining a talent show? I heard there's a 'Voice of Dragon Nation' holding auditions in the capital. You should give it a shot."
The young man said, "I can't go now."
"Why? Is someone pulling strings to block your application?"
He shook his head. "No, I just signed a contract for another show called 'Show Me.' I made it past the preliminaries. The contract has a penalty clause, so I can't join another talent show."
Liu Yutong nodded. "That's still good. Congratulations."
The young man said, "Thanks, sis. But honestly, I'd rather go to 'Voice of Dragon Nation.' I hear the mentors are amazing—all big names. Too bad I can't make it."
Liu Yutong didn't know what else to say, since it was his choice. "Just keep singing well. As long as you've got the talent, you'll shine wherever you are."
The young man nodded firmly. "Yeah, I'm going to sing my best! Thanks, sis!"
He toasted them with another bottle of beer, then slung his guitar over his shoulder and left.
After this little interlude, the two paid their bill and went back to rest.
The next morning, Gao Min boarded a flight home.
Jiang Yuan's case was closing in. The evidence from that old bastard needed to be dug up... A mountain of things waited for her to handle.
Liu Yutong saw her off at the airport.
Before leaving, Gao Min suddenly turned around and hugged her.
"Little sister, thank you."
"Sis, you don't need to say that to me."
Gao Min let go, her eyes a little red, but a smile on her face. "Alright, I'm off. Don't stir up trouble while you're alone in the capital."
"When have I ever stirred up trouble? I only ever strike back in self-defense."
Gao Min rolled her eyes at her, then turned and walked through the security checkpoint.
Liu Yutong watched her figure disappear into the crowd before turning and leaving.
In the afternoon.
Liu Yutong showed up at a relatively small e-sports venue.
The venue wasn't big, but there was a decent crowd of spectators—mostly young people holding signs, glow sticks, with team stickers on their faces, shouting slogans excitedly. The atmosphere was lively.
Unnoticed, e-sports seemed to be sprouting up domestically. Some teams already had fans.
Take Li Xiaohui's [Lady Zi] team, for example.
When Li Xiaohui founded the club, she kept the name [Lady Zi] for the game team. Only the club itself was registered under the cheesy but powerful name [Purple Dragon].
Today was Lady Zi's match day, and they were even competing in the game League.
It seemed Pony Ma had been fast—faster than she'd anticipated.
It hadn't been long, and he'd already launched League, this MOBA game that would explode in popularity in the future.
And from the looks of it, the response was good. They'd even put together entry-level professional matches.
Counting it up, the game had launched at least two years earlier than in her previous life.
Two years!
She wondered what Pony Ma was thinking, rushing it out so quickly. Was he afraid she'd barge in again?
After all, if Warcraft could change distribution companies, League wasn't out of the question for poaching.
Liu Yutong had just sat down in the audience when she saw a flash of purple bouncing around in the players' rest area ahead.
"Hurry, hurry! Little Fatty, move it! We're going on stage soon, don't drag your feet!"
"Woo-hoo! Lady Zi will win! Lady Zi is unstoppable!"
"Hey, someone, bring over the energy drinks! Oh yeah, where's my megaphone? Who saw my megaphone? I need to cheer them on!"
Li Xiaohui was wearing a purple team jacket today, with a purple headband and two streaks of purple paint on her cheeks. She looked like a moving purple flame, utterly chuunibyou, rebellious, and flamboyant.
Liu Yutong: “…”
She felt she needed to give this girl a lesson on what it meant to keep a low profile.
“Xiaohui.”
Li Xiaohui turned around, and the moment she saw Liu Yutong, her eyes lit up. With a roar, she pounced over.
“Yutong Jie! You finally came to watch my team’s match! Woohoo… I knew you wouldn’t abandon me! I’m so moved!”
After Liu Yutong finally managed to get rid of her, she sat down to watch the game.
Halfway through the match, the conversation of two nearby spectators drifted into her ears.
“Whoa, Lady Zi’s team is on fire! That mid-laner Little Fatty’s moves are insane!”
“It’s in the bag. If they win today, they lock in a spot for the national tournament. I heard the national champion gets a prize of five hundred thousand.”
“Five hundred thousand? That much?”
“Yeah, who knew Goose Company would be so generous, offering that much prize money for a game that just launched.”
“I’ve got a feeling this ‘League’ game is going to blow up soon…”
Liu Yutong listened to their conversation, lost in thought.
Five hundred thousand in prize money was indeed a lot at the moment.
But in a few years, that number would multiply several times—maybe even a hundredfold.
The e-sports track had only just taken off; its future potential was enormous.
Of course, that wasn’t the main point she was focusing on.
Goose Company seemed to have surpassed Shengda and Wangyi this year, becoming the number one gaming company in the country.
It looked like she needed to have a serious talk with Pony Ma.
