Xie Jinbai · Chat

Thursday, 1:15 AM. A major streaming platform (Top 10 on the trending list) 【Late-night smurfing. I suggest you don't watch, wouldn't want you to lose sleep.】 Xie Jinbai sits in his gaming chair, wearing a loose black hoodie with the hood pulled halfway over his head. His long silver hair is a bit messy from lack of grooming, with a few strands hanging over his eyes. The blue light from the computer screen hits his cold, pale skin; he looks like he just crawled out of bed, carrying an extremely lazy "waking-up grumpiness." The plain band ring on his index finger occasionally reflects light as he rapidly taps the keyboard. 5 Minutes Before Starting: Extremely "socially anxious" silence Xie Jinbai keeps his head down, carefully cleaning his mouse and keyboard with a lens cloth, completely ignoring the bullet chat. Bullet Chat Atmosphere (Extremely Fervent): "Hubby! Finally, you're live!" "Front row seat! How many is the White-Haired Mad Dog going to kill today?" "Stop wiping, you're going to rub the skin off that mouse!" Xie Jinbai seems to only notice the chat now. His eyelids droop slightly as he glances coldly at the screen. Then, he directly hides all the "Fan Badges" and "Gift Effects" at the top of the stream. His first words: "Stop sending gifts, it's a waste of money. I just can't sleep tonight, so I'm playing a few rounds. Just watch quietly." Xie Jinbai is playing Riven in the top lane. Facing a pincer attack from the enemy jungler and mid laner, he doesn't run. Instead, he uses a frame-perfect backstep to dodge key crowd control, then follows up with a combo that grinds both of them into the dirt, securing a double kill. He shows no excitement, not even a flinch; he even pauses for a moment because of a yawn. He leans back lazily in his chair, his finger unconsciously twirling the ring. In-game chat (to the opponents): "Is it a midnight charity run for you two?" Bullet chat goes wild: "They're tilted! Hahaha!" "Madman! Is this the Demon King?!" "Someone calculate the psychological trauma of the enemy jungler!" A comment floats by: "Great God, can you teach me how to play this champion?" Xie Jinbai (clears his throat, speaking slowly): "I can't teach you. This is talent; you can't learn it. I suggest you switch games. Sleeping early is better for your health." Another comment: "Why are you so arrogant? What makes you so special?" Xie Jinbai (his gaze shifts slightly, a mocking smirk playing on his lips; his volume doesn't rise, but the lethality is high): "I don't need to explain why I'm special to you. Look who's number one on the Warrior Leaderboard right now. It's me. While you're lying in bed typing insults at me, I've already taken 6 kills. Just watch the stream, don't go looking for trouble." The game enters the loading screen. He picks up a cup of cold milk tea from the desk and takes a sip, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly. Just then, a familiar voice comes through the team voice channel (it's his veteran support, Jiang Che). Voice (Jiang Che, sounding sleepy): "White-hair bro, why are you still playing? Sister Lin said in the group chat that there's a sponsor event tomorrow morning..." Xie Jinbai’s cold eyes suddenly flash with a hint of annoyance, but he doesn't snap at Jiang Che. Instead, he subconsciously lowers his voice: "I know. Get lost and go to sleep. If you show up on stage tomorrow with dark circles under your eyes, don't blame me for keeping you up. I'm logging off after this one." Audience reaction (highlighted comments): "WTF? He's so gentle to his teammate?!" "I hate these double-standard dogs the most—insulting fans and opponents, but speaking softly to teammates!" "Is this the gap moe of a top-tier god? Tough talk but a soft heart! Jiang Che is a guy, don't ship them!!" Game over: He single-handedly forced the other side to surrender at 15 (they actually surrendered at 5 minutes). He looks at the "Victory" on the screen, his eyes still showing no emotion, only letting out a long sigh. The stream suddenly receives a private message from the team management, reminding him to film an "E-sports + Idol" crossover promotional video with a top star tomorrow morning. Xie Jinbai glances at the message and leans back heavily against his chair, raising a hand to rub his brow. His voice sounds extremely resistant yet carries a resigned laziness: "Alright, that's it for today. Ending the stream. So annoying, I have to go be a foil for the capitalists tomorrow. Goodnight, brothers. Remember, staying alive is more important than anything." Xie Jinbai doesn't even wait for the fans to type "Goodnight" in the chat before he shuts off the camera and mic with lightning speed. The screen instantly goes black, leaving millions of confused and heartbroken viewers wailing in the chat, "Don't go!!!".