Chapter 100: Come Out! Brother Bamboozle! (Come Out! Votes!)

Yang Hao was momentarily stunned as he looked at the expression Lin Ziqin had sent him.

He had seen this expression before—it was a set of popular emoticons circulating online, widely used by many. But what made it significant?

These particular emoticons were typically reserved for couples, used to express intimate affection between lovers.

Although Yang Hao knew Lin Ziqin held feelings for him, this seemed to be the first time she had expressed it in such a way.

She had never used emoticons before; this was unlike her usual style.

As this thought crossed his mind, Yang Hao felt less pleased and more surprised, suddenly considering a possibility he hadn’t before.

A pang of worry crept into him.

Meanwhile, on the other end of the phone, Lin Ziqin had just sent a cute emoticon, but after half a minute without a response, a flutter of anxiety rose within her. She stared at the sent message, debating whether to retract it.

Then, her phone buzzed.

“Are you alright?” Yang Hao’s message appeared on the screen.

Lin Ziqin’s smile froze; the small hope she had felt instantly vanished.

She didn’t reply, and Yang Hao sent several more messages. When she finally lowered her gaze to read them, her expression darkened.

“Are you sick? Do you have a fever?”

“Otherwise, how could you possibly send me such a cute emoticon?”

“My wife can’t be that adorable!”

“Did you press the wrong button?”

“????”

Perhaps his concern had muddled his thoughts. Yang Hao, usually so emotionally intelligent, suddenly seemed to have lost his wits, sending these bewildering messages.

Lin Ziqin, initially in a good mood, felt a flush of embarrassment and anger upon reading his replies.

“My wife… can’t be that adorable?”

At that moment, an impulse to scold Yang Hao surged within her.

She had mustered her courage just this once to express her feelings, only to receive such a response.

“You okay? I’ll come right over to check on you!”

“Go to hell!”

Seeing another message from Yang Hao, Lin Ziqin bit her lip and replied through gritted teeth before tossing her phone aside.

Calling him an idiot was truly apt.

She was almost laughing at how exasperating he was…

Yet, beneath his words, she could feel his care, and a gentle warmth quietly blossomed in her heart.

Still, after bravely making the first move, Yang Hao’s bewildering replies left her both shy and annoyed.

“Ziqin, what’s wrong?”

Just then, Ling Xue’er’s concerned voice broke through Lin Ziqin’s sulking. Her cheeks flushed, and forcing herself to remain calm, Lin Ziqin answered indifferently, “Nothing!”

“Oh.”

Ling Xue’er glanced at Lin Ziqin and then at the phone she had thrown far away, puzzled, before turning back.

...

At Tianhai University, in the eSports club.

The final rankings for the championship had just been announced by the host, and all eyes were on Yang Hao and his team, who had claimed first place.

Feeling the weight of the gazes around him and puzzled by Lin Ziqin’s prolonged silence, Yang Hao quietly slipped his phone away.

“Senior, there’s an award ceremony coming up; you should get ready,” Xiao Yu whispered as he approached them.

“An award ceremony?” Yang Hao and the others exchanged surprised looks.

They hadn’t heard anything about one before.

Xiao Yu gave a wry smile. “You might have heard some buzz about the live broadcast just now. Because of that, the school leaders have taken notice of tonight’s competition and decided to add an award ceremony at the last minute, which will be streamed live as well.”

Hearing this, Yang Hao and the others were speechless.

“However, there’s some good news—due to a surge in viewership, the competition’s profile has risen sharply. The school has decided to increase the prize money,” Xiao Yu announced excitedly.

Yang Hao and Zhang Tian were indifferent, but Yao Cheng and Zhu Ziyuan grew visibly excited.

“How much?” the impatient Yao Cheng asked eagerly.

“Fifty thousand!” Xiao Yu replied proudly.

Originally, the prize was thirty thousand, so an additional twenty thousand was substantial.

After all, this was just a university-level battle royale competition.

Fifty thousand yuan was a hefty sum—more than some events held by large internet cafes.

Yao Cheng’s eyes lit up, a smile spreading across his face.

If the first-place prize was fifty thousand, that meant over ten thousand per person for the four of them.

While not enough to make him ecstatic, the money was practically effortless to earn—almost like finding cash on the street.

Who wouldn’t be pleased to get such a sum with so little effort?

Zhu Ziyuan’s face also brightened at the news.

Yet, the thought of the unexpected award ceremony made Yang Hao frown.

Yang Hao disliked being the center of attention, and the upcoming ceremony would be broadcast live.

It was clear they would be thrust into the spotlight.

“Do we have to attend the award ceremony?” Yang Hao asked Xiao Yu quietly.

Xiao Yu was stunned by the question.

“I’m afraid not,” he said hesitantly.

The award ceremony was a direct order from the university leadership. If the first-place winners didn’t show up, what would be the point of the event?

“If you don’t go, the leaders might get angry, and the prize money could be revoked,” Xiao Yu added after a pause.

Yang Hao sighed. He understood Xiao Yu wasn’t trying to threaten them.

This ceremony was merely a face-saving gesture by the university, aiming to boost Tianhai University’s reputation.

Otherwise, why would the school increase the prize money?

It was all about appearances.

Undoubtedly, the upcoming live-streamed ceremony was the university’s opportunity to promote itself.

If the champions refused to attend, the leadership would likely become the laughingstock.

Yang Hao understood this and, though reluctant, didn’t object.

“Maybe we should just forget it,” Yao Cheng said, with Zhang Tian and Zhu Ziyuan nodding quietly.

Hearing this, Xiao Yu’s heart tightened—it was obvious they were thinking of forfeiting the prize.

“No worries! Just attend it. Think of it as promoting our alma mater,” Yang Hao smiled and said.

Yao Cheng and Zhu Ziyuan knew Yang Hao disliked the spotlight. Even though the prize money was important to them, they chose to concede for Yang Hao’s sake.

Yang Hao understood their thoughts just as well and would never let them suffer losses because of him.

After all, they had all invested considerable time and effort in the competition.

A little time on camera wouldn’t kill them.

After Yang Hao spoke, Xiao Yu finally relaxed.

He had feared they might impulsively skip the ceremony and forfeit the prize.

If that had happened, it would have been impossible to explain to the university leaders.

Meanwhile, the live broadcast continued, with the audience growing rather than dwindling—viewership was on the rise.

Clearly, word had spread about the upcoming award ceremony.

Ordinary award ceremonies rarely interested people.

But this one was different.

Since Yang Hao’s team had won first place, they would inevitably appear at the ceremony.

Those who had longed to see the real face of “Trickster Bro” would not miss this chance.

They waited eagerly, hoping the mysterious veil would finally be lifted.

Countless viewers stayed glued to their screens, clamoring loudly:

“Trickster Bro! Show yourself!”