Chapter 51

Chapter 51:

Once Fernanda got home, she logged into her favorite game.

The same boy who had invited her during her last session was online again. The moment Fernanda appeared, he wasted no time sending her another invite.

He went by the username Fourteen now. Fernanda recalled how, when they first started gaming together, his username had been Twelve. Back then, she assumed it was just a quirky name. Later on, she figured out he was actually twelve at the time, and his username changed annually to match his age.

He was certainly an amusingly straightforward player.

Just before the match began, Fourteen messaged her,

“Hey, did you notice? The top-ranked player on the leaderboard changed his username.”

Fernanda responded with a brief,

“Yeah.”

Fourteen flooded the chat with

“LOL” over and over, and Fernanda could practically imagine the grin plastered across his face.

“Can you believe it? The guy renamed himself True Loser! The whole server’s buzzing about it. It’s too funny.”

Fernanda could see where they were coming from. Neal was a prodigy who had suddenly appeared, overtaking the leaderboard with ease. His unmatched skill naturally stirred jealousy, leaving some players to vent their frustration through snide comments.

“What do you think about it?” Fourteen asked again.

“Not interested,” she replied.

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“Really? You don’t think it’s satisfying?” Fourteen pressed. “He’s been ahead of you forever, and now, even though he’s still at the top, that name is just priceless!”

Fernanda didn’t feel the same excitement as Fourteen. After all, she’d already enjoyed her little victory earlier that day.

That name change? It was entirely her doing.

Noticing her lack of enthusiasm, Fourteen quickly moved on and started the game.

His mood was unshakably good. Even when their team got stuck with players who weren’t the best, he didn’t point fingers. Instead, he cheered them on with a patience that practically radiated through the screen.

After playing two rounds, Fernanda checked the clock. It was already a little past 11 p.m.

“Quit the game and go to sleep,” Fernanda typed.

“Come on, I literally just got up.”

“Huh?”

“Oh, I forgot to mention! I’m not even in the country right now. I’m at a summer camp abroad, so it’s daytime over here.”

“Oh, got it.”

“I’ll be back in a few days,” he added. “Once school starts, I won’t get to play as much. Can you help carry me a little more till then? Please.”

Faced with such an earnest request, Fernanda couldn’t say no. She replied, “Sure.”

Delighted, Fourteen quickly set up two more matches.

By the time Fernanda finally called it a night, it was already past 1 a.m.

“I’ll log off too,” Fourteen said. “Perfect timing for me to grab lunch. Oh, by the way, True Loser’s streaming right now. I’m totally watching—it’s going to be hilarious.”

After logging out of the game, Fernanda paused for a moment before deciding to check the streaming platform.

And as expected, Neal was already live with a late-night stream.

Neal’s fame was undeniable. Even at this hour, his stream was bustling with viewers. But the chat had taken a sharp turn from the usual chants of his iconic username, True Champion. Instead, it was overrun with “LOL” and jabs like, “Loser? Ready to lose again?”

Neal was unusually silent, grinding through match after match with razor-sharp precision. Gone were his typical witty banter and playful remarks.

It was obvious he was letting off steam. Wielding a champion with an eye-catching style, he obliterated his competition without mercy. His new username stood out unmistakably. In every match, his allies or rivals recognized him on sight.

Whenever Neal scored a kill, someone would fire back with a taunt.

“Look at that—Loser takes the win!”

Each time, the chat would erupt in fits of laughter.

Fernanda watched in awe as Neal’s lean fingers danced across the screen, chaining skills with dazzling speed. His gameplay was flawless, every move executed with precision.

Eventually, the chat started flooding Neal with questions about his new username. He finally lost his cool, muttering a frustrated curse.

“Can you all drop it? I lost a bet, alright? Happy now? Who did I lose to? You don’t know her. But mark my words, the next time I see her, I’ll challenge her and win. Then I’m changing this stupid name back. A girl? Yeah, I lost to a girl. Who told you that? Well, they’re not wrong.”

Neal didn’t shy away from admitting he’d lost—not just the match, but to a girl. Winning and losing were all part of gaming. Although the loss clearly bothered him, he took it without a shred of embarrassment.

But his confession threw the chat into chaos. One viewer boldly asked, “Who’s the girl?”

“I don’t even know her,” Neal shot back. “Some girl who showed up at my university for an entrance exam. Last name’s Morgan.”

He scanned the chat and added, “What does she look like? I didn’t pay much attention. Tall and slim, maybe? But her voice, that’s something else. Seriously, it’s incredible.”

As the teasing died down, the chat’s vibe grew more relaxed. Neal, shedding his earlier frustration, started chatting easily with his audience.

“What’s strange is when I played with her today, her username wasn’t even on the leaderboard. Her skills were top-notch, though. With her talent, she should absolutely have a spot.”

One viewer chimed in, asking if she might actually be the second-ranked player on the leaderboard.

Fernanda had been reclining comfortably in her chair, but the moment that comment appeared, she instinctively sat up straighter.

That viewer’s observation was surprisingly sharp—connecting the dots so quickly.

However, the theory was soon brushed aside, since the second-ranked player on the leaderboard was listed as male.

Yet, another viewer argued, “But isn’t the gender setting in the game arbitrary? I could set mine to female if I wanted. Who’s to say he’s really a guy?”

“Check out the champions he uses. Those are characters guys usually pick. How many girls would go for those? It can’t be the second-ranked player.”

Fernanda observed these wild guesses with growing amusement.

Then, someone dropped a fresh theory. “Hold on! Didn’t True Champion mention that the girl who beat him was taking the entrance exam at Esaham University and her last name…?”

“Was Morgan? I saw a news alert about Fernanda—the Morgan family’s daughter—coming back to Esaham for the exam. Could it be her?”

The bold suggestion exploded in the chat like a firecracker, instantly grabbing everyone’s attention.

If it turned out to be true, the Morgan family’s long-lost daughter wouldn’t just be a wealthy girl returning from the countryside—she’d also be a gaming genius. The idea was electrifying.

Viewers bombarded Neal, demanding he confirm the theory. He hesitated briefly before replying, “I told you, I don’t know her. I don’t even know her name.”

“There’s no way it’s her. Didn’t the news say Fernanda skipped the exam? How could she have been there?”

The debate only grew more heated, with the chat erupting into a whirlwind of rapid messages, wild theories, and conflicting opinions.

Yet, the majority seemed convinced it wasn’t her.

Fernanda found the whole discussion about her utterly entertaining.

If they discovered that Neal’s elusive opponent—the one who bested the great player himself—was none other than the girl fresh from the countryside, how would they react?

And what if they also learned that she was the mysterious second-ranked player on the leaderboard?

Now that would be something.

The thought alone made her excited to see how it would all unfold.

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