Chapter 9

Dowen’s ride wasn’t too flashy—just a Benz—but in a place like this ghetto, a Benz was enough to turn heads.

Aubree got in first, so to get out, she’d either have to walk along the busy street or ask Bowen to move it. As she hesitated, ready to speak, Bowen pushed the door open and got out of the car.

“Thanks, Mr. Turner,” Aubree said, ready to leave.

“Phone,” Bowen said.

“Huh?” Aubree looked at him, puzzled.

“Didn’t we say we’d exchange contact info?” Bowen chuckled.

Aubree quickly handed over her phone. Bowen didn’t hold back, not only saving his number but also adding her on WhatsApp.

After getting her phone back, Aubree dashed into the internet cafe.

The bodyguard, acting as the driver, asked, “Sir, back to Forth Bay or El Heights?”

Bowen got back in the car, replying, “Park in a corner where we can see the cafe’s entrance. The view here is nice. Let’s stay a bit longer.”

The bodyguard was stunned. “Nice view? That was a stretch! The street was chaotic and crowded, to say nothing of the indescribable smell that permeated the air. Every few steps, their foot would land in an unidentified puddle of liquid.”

The two bodyguards were communicating silently through exchanged glances.

“Mr. Turner’s worried about the girl being taken advantage of late at night, huh?” one thought.

“Guess so. Is he really into her?” the other replied with his eyes.

“I can’t help but think of that orphan Mr. Turner sponsored a few years back when I see Miss Miller!”

“But she’s from the Wilson family, not an orphan, right?”

Then, the two fell silent.

Bowen, seated in the back of the car, was unaware of how his subordinates were gossiping about him. His gaze fixed out the window, a cloud passing over his brow.

The place was a dump, not suitable for a lone girl. But he wasn’t planning to just hand her a house. Ensuring her safety was enough; he believed she’d sort out her accommodation soon.

Meanwhile, as soon as Aubree entered the cafe, she caught everyone’s attention. Regulars here pretty much all know her. Aubree asked the boss to open her usual station and logged into the game like a pro.

Though a bit late, the peak time for matches hadn’t passed yet, so she could still squeeze in. Today seemed lucky; the match-up was quick.

Chapter 9

“Why pick Katarina? She’s been nerfed hard, practically unplayable,” a guy with blond hair muttered as he saw Aubree log in. When he noticed her peak score was ridiculously high, his eyes widened.

Seeing her lock in Katarina, he couldn’t help but complain out loud.

Aubree shot him a glance, replying, “That’s your Katarina.”

The guy scoffed inwardly, "Humph, I’ll see how badass this little girl is."

Just then, the loading screen appeared. On the leaderboard, one couldn’t see teammates’ or opponents’ names, but Aubree’s gaze locked onto the opposing jungler. She felt it was Alvin.

No reason, it was just a gut feeling.

Truth be told, she wasn’t particularly gifted at gaming, but she had a knack for numbers. In her previous life, Emery’s team had gone through a rough patch. To help Emery, she memorized all the respawn intervals of minor and major jungle camps in League of Legends, all champion cooldowns, and any stats-related bonuses from items.

With this, she could pinpoint every opponent’s skill cooldown during a game, making them practically transparent to her.

Thinking about how she helped Emery’s team in her previous life, she couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh. After making her decision, she proved her worth to Emery. Carmen, on the other hand, tried to dissuade her, saying girls in esports face a lot of backlash.

She was naive back then, immediately offering to wear a hat and mask to compete. For years, she propelled Emery’s team to unprecedented heights. Then, just because Carmen wanted to experience the thrill of esports, she was forced to hand over her account.

Carmen wasn’t bad at the game, barely passing the professional standard. Using Aubree’s account and identity, she gained a lot of praise as the only female esports player. Even Emery tacitly approved of this.

She even suggested shamelessly that Aubree could create a new account and return to the game later, asking her to step aside for Carmen.

Suddenly, the game start alert snapped Aubree back to reality. Slowly exhaling, she thought, “Why should I in this life? I won’t let go of anything that’s mine.”

Her gaze fixed on the screen.

The game was intense, and from the playstyle, she confirmed the opposing jungler was Alvin.

The blond-haired guy couldn’t stop exclaiming. “No way. How did you predict that?”

On the screen, the graceful Katarina, with barely any health left, dodged a fatal skill, even a semi-lock-on one.

Aubree’s lips curled up. The opponent’s skills were on cooldown; if she baited them, she wouldn’t miss this chance.

“Still, too bad. Your other four teammates are dead, and the minions aren’t strong. You’re done for,” the blond-haired guy commented.

“Not necessarily,” Aubree said, operating her champion to full health.

The enemy team pushed to the base.

Meanwhile, Katarina left the fountain.

“What? No way!” The yellow-haired guy jumped up; if he hadn’t been watching her, he would’ve thought she was cheating.

On the screen, Katarina first activated her ultimate. She seemingly was just dodging left and right, but every skill used was to its fullest potential, perfectly avoiding all enemy skills while capitalizing on their cooldowns to counter.

In no time, the penta kill effect appeared on the screen. Seizing the moment, her teammates respawned, launching a counterattack, and the game ended in exactly 30 minutes.

Then, the game settlement page popped up on the screen.

“Isn’t that Shrek?” The blond-haired guy pointed at the opposing jungler’s ID, “God’s Fury All-Star.”

The glaring pro badge revealed his identity.

As soon as the match ended, Aubree saw a red dot appear in her friend system, unsurprisingly a friend request from Alvin.

God’s Fury All-Star: Interested in going pro?

Phoenix: Let’s exchange contact info.

After sending her other WhatsApp ID, Aubree quit the game. Mission accomplished, time to wrap it up for today.

Beside her, the blond-haired guy stared wide-eyed at Aubree, immediately making a decision to ride on her coattails. “Ma’am, can you take me under your wing!"

“No way,” Aubree replied, with an air of considerable resignation.

With that, she went straight to the network administrator to log off and walked out of the internet cafe.

As she walked out, the streetlights flickered. Summer nights fell quickly, and unfortunately, her path home passed through a dark alley with no lights.

Shivering, Aubree hurried home when two hooligans lurking by the roadside exchanged glances and approached.

“Young lady, back from gaming again? We’ve been watching you for days. You’re good at gaming,” one of them grinned.

“Leaving so early today? How about keeping us company for a game?” the other one added.

The two hooligans leered, reaching out towards her.

Aubree had anticipated this. The ghetto was chaotic, and being targeted as a lone girl was only natural. She remained silent, her gaze growing sharper, while one hand moved stealthily towards the side pocket of her backpack, where she had concealed a fruit knife.

“Tonight might not be possible. My girl needs to get home to sleep.” Just as Aubree was about to act, a steady and comforting voice sounded, and a large, cool hand gripped her wrist.

Turning around, she saw Bowen.

“He hadn’t left?” Aubree was surprised.

Bowen, probably close to 6.2 feet, stood a head taller than her, radiating authority with his presence. It was reassuring.

Instantly, Aubree’s nose tingled. She was used to facing all setbacks alone, never expecting someone to step up and protect her in danger. The hand gripping her wrist was cool, but the skin it touched burned as if on fire.

Bowen’s appearance made the two hoodlums hesitate. To them, the guy looked anything but ordinary, especially with that fancy mechanical watch peeking out from his sleeve. Even without knowing the brand, they could tell it was pricey.

Before they could make up their minds, Bowen’s two bodyguards had already flanked them from behind, making the decision for them.

“It’s not safe for a young lady to hang around outside alone at night.” The cops soon arrived and hauled the two hoodlums away.

Bowen let go of her hand, took a step back, giving Aubree some space.

“Mr. Turner, you’re still here?” Aubree asked.

Bowen looked down at her. “Just passing by.”

Hearing this, the two bodyguards behind him were stunned, murmuring to themselves, “Passing by? Boss, care to tell us which route leads past here? If you’re worried about her, just say it. You’ve been standing here in the cold wind for half an hour.”

Aubree wasn’t buying it either. Noticing Bowen’s car parked in the corner, she pursed her lips but didn’t point it out.

After the initial gratitude, she wondered why Bowen was going out of his way to help her and what she could possibly have that was worth all this effort. Still confused after some guesses, Aubree took a step back. “Thanks again for saving me, Mr. Turner. Next time I’m free, I’ll treat you to a meal.”

“Sure,” Bowen agreed.

“Then I’ll be off,” Aubree said, heading towards her rental place.

She picked up speed, and a light from behind followed at a distance, disappearing only after she had passed through the dark alley.