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Chapter Text

Another Saturday night, another match.

Xiao Shiqin appraised his team. They were good, but not good enough to beat Tyranny, though they had made the necessary preparations. Xiao Shiqin wasn’t expecting much; just three points would do. He’d even settle for two.

“Captain, do you think I should get something for Su Mucheng?”

“Hmm?”

“We met at All-Stars and then chatted online a bit since then.” Dai Yanqi gestured with the hand holding her chopsticks. “Our girls group chat is pretty active… I don’t know, I think we might count as friends?”

“Well, if you want to get her something, I’m sure she’d appreciate it.”

“But what do I get?”

Xiao Shiqin had no idea. He was passingly familiar with Su Mucheng, but they weren’t close and had never spoken at length. She was friendly, he was friendly, and that was that. Gifts were beyond him.

He contemplated his rice bowl for a moment. “I suppose I could ask Ye Qiu for his advice.”

Fang Xuecai pointed at Xiao Shiqin warningly. “It’s bad luck to message the enemy team on the day of the match.”

“What? Since when?” Dai Yanqi demanded.

“Since I said so. No fraternizing with the enemy.”

“But Su Mucheng is my big sis!”

“So what?”

“So mind your own business. I don’t care what you think.” Dai Yanqi took a contemptuous bite of her noodles.

“You could always get her some Firebird Messenger merch,” Lu Yining said from the other end of the table.

“Don’t be ridiculous. That would be beyond embarrassing.”

Cheng Tao threw in his two cents. “How about a set of makeup brushes? I got my cousin something like that for her birthday and she loved it.”

“I got my sister an eyeshadow palette. You can never go wrong with makeup,” Zhang Qi added.

“Really?” Fang Xuecai said, apparently having forgotten they were discussing gift options for the enemy. “My mom always swears by shoes. She made me buy shoes for my girlfriend.”

Lu Yining sneered. “What a load of shit. You don’t have a girlfriend.”

“I did in high school!”

“You guys are useless,” Dai Yanqi said despairingly. She gazed at Xiao Shiqin with watery eyes. “Please just message Senior Ye Qiu. I already asked Chu Yunxiu, but she hasn’t replied yet.”

“…All right, give me a moment.”

Life Extinguisher: Senior, what kind of gift would Su Mucheng enjoy? My rookie wants to give her something. I think it’s supposed to be a surprise.

For a second, he considered asking something else—but his courage faded before he could decide either way.

Xiao Shiqin put his phone down and was about to pick up his chopsticks when a quiet noise alerted him to a new message. Ye Qiu had replied already? Oh right, he was also using a cell phone these days—or so the rumors said.

Then again, he could be at a computer right now. Training to beat Thunderclap.

Lord Grim: earrings, stationary, a hat

Life Extinguisher: A hat?

Lord Grim: for sneaking around

Life Extinguisher: …Why would she sneak around…

Lord Grim: she’s famous, didn’t you know?

With a sigh, Xiao Shiqin relayed the information to an anxious Dai Yanqi and stashed away his phone again. He wasn’t superstitious like Fang Xuecai, but lengthy conversations with this senior only invited peril.

* * *

Another Saturday night, another match.

Zhang Xinjie liked the routine of a pro gamer. Every week he had a set number of tasks to complete, a schedule to fulfill, and teammates to keep track of. On the weekend, his efforts would be tested. Rinse and repeat.

Some people might not have been so taken with the repetitiveness of it all, even if they dreamed of being in his shoes. Zhang Xinjie, however, would go so far as to say that he thrived on it. Knowing what to expect had always been a comfort.

He wasn’t as confident in his expectations now as he had been before half of Tyranny’s roster was remade, of course. His new teammates made life a bit unpredictable. But about a month into Season 9, he was beginning to understand how things would go.

Train during the week. Compete on the weekend. Win the match. Rinse and repeat.

A month wasn’t enough time to be certain of anything. No one could be certain of anything in this career. But Tyranny had beaten Samsara last week, six to four, and even though it hadn’t been the most decisive victory, it had felt significant.

Not that he needed any more proof that Han Wenqing had been right to propose so many changes to their team.

In the stadium’s backstage men’s bathroom, he ran into Xiao Shiqin at the door. They greeted each other automatically.

“How are things?”

“Good,” Zhang Xinjie replied. “What about you?”

“Oh, you know. Dreading the prospect of competing against two tacticians at once. But otherwise, I’m doing well,” Xiao Shiqin said with good humor.

“I’m sure Thunderclap’s performance won’t disappoint.” Zhang Xinjie had always been impressed with Xiao Shiqin’s ability to take charge of mediocre players and arrange them into a force that could resist even top-tier teams.

He assumed this was going to be a brief and completely ordinary exchange, but then Xiao Shiqin, apropos of nothing, said, “Did you know that Excellent Era made me an offer?”

“No.” That wasn’t public knowledge. That wasn’t even a rumor. Thinking about it, though, it made sense that Excellent Era would want to bring in a new tactician to replace the one they lost. “You weren’t tempted?”

“Of course I was,” Xiao Shiqin said laughingly, “but between Sun Xiang and Liu Hao, I’m not sure how well I’d fare over there. If even Ye Qiu couldn’t save them…”

“Fair,” Zhang Xinjie conceded. Ye Qiu had evaded most questions about his last couple seasons in Excellent Era, but from what minor details Su Mucheng had deigned to share, that team’s fate had been all but set in stone. “They seem to have a different attitude now, though.”

“Yeah, well, I’d rather take my chances with Thunderclap. I have no doubt they’ll make it back for Season 10; they don’t really need me.”

Maybe not now, Zhang Xinjie thought, but it wouldn’t be surprising if they tried again to recruit Xiao Shiqin once they rejoined the Alliance. That they hadn’t lost any team members despite the upheaval said good things about their future, and even if one or two people left during the winter transfer window, the Challenger League was the Challenger League. Who there could stand up to Excellent Era?

“I am curious, though…” Xiao Shiqin began. “By all accounts, Tyranny also didn’t need the kind of overhaul you guys gave the roster. What’s all that about?”

Zhang Xinjie raised an eyebrow. “The match is going to start soon.”

“We have time.”

Pushy. Xiao Shiqin must be very curious indeed. Zhang Xinjie knew he could make Xiao Shiqin back off, but he wasn’t inclined to secrecy. There was nothing very secret about wanting to win a championship anyway.

“We’re just improving our chances of victory. Captain Han isn’t getting any younger; none of us are.”

“I find it hard to believe that Han Wenqing would be willing to throw his lot in with Ye Qiu just to win the championship. That doesn’t sound like the Han Wenqing we all know and fear,” Xiao Shiqin said, only partially joking.

Zhang Xinjie shook his head. “Those two aren’t as opposed to each other as people think.”

“Them working together in the game was…unexpected,” Xiao Shiqin said after a thoughtful pause. “It almost sounds like Han Wenqing was playing something other than glory.”

“Are you implying that Ye Qiu can be played?” Zhang Xinjie knew better than anyone that Han Wenqing had gone above and beyond for Ye Qiu, but Ye Qiu had never asked him to. Han Wenqing chose the late nights and financial sacrifices, and Ye Qiu chose to accept help. It wasn’t that complicated. “Ye Qiu joined Tyranny because he wanted to. If you’re going to accuse anyone of anything, you should make use of a lawyer. Or several.”

Xiao Shiqin raised his hands in a surrendering motion. “Sorry, that’s not what I meant. I’m not accusing Han Wenqing or Tyranny of…of coercing Ye Qiu or anything like that.”

“Then why are you pestering me with this subject?”

“I’m curious! I already said that!”

Zhang Xinjie stared at him. What even was this conversation, and why were they having it in front of the men’s bathroom? “Have you thought about asking Ye Qiu directly?”

Xiao Shiqin dropped his hands and stared back. “Do you think half the group chat hasn’t already tried? And I don’t want to message him about something like this.”

“Don’t tell me you’re embarrassed to be such a gossip.”

“I am not a gossip.”

Zhang Xinjie wasn’t buying it. Nowadays, when it came to Tyranny, everyone was a gossip. “You don’t want to message him, but you approached me. What next? Are you going to get answers from Han Wenqing?”

“…Okay, fine, I get your point. I’ll shut up.” Xiao Shiqin rolled his eyes. “But surely you don’t think you can dodge this forever.”

He did not; reminders were unnecessary. The reporters still asked about Ye Qiu during every press conference. He doubted the topic would die, not unless Han Wenqing or the club made a public statement.

That had already come up, actually, but Han Wenqing had just stared down Xu Fen until the idea died a quiet death. Apparently, he was determined to win a war of attrition with the media. It was good that the PR team was willing to cover for him (and Ye Qiu) for now.

Something was bound to give eventually, though. It seemed to Zhang Xinjie that the longer they tried to ignore the elephant in the room, the more malicious the gossip became.

Zhang Xinjie checked his watch. “Time is running out. We should be going.”

“You go ahead, I still have to use the bathroom.” Xiao Shiqin wiggled his fingers in a casual goodbye, smiling. “See you onstage.”

“See you.”

When he returned to the corridor where the other members of Tyranny were waiting (sans Ye Qiu, who had already left for his booth), he was regarded with no small amount of surprise.

“Hey, what’s with that look in your eye…” Bai Yanfei squinted.

Han Wenqing glanced over Zhang Xinjie’s shoulder. “Did something happen?”

“Not at all,” Zhang Xinjie said with perfect serenity. “Let’s do our best tonight.”

“Don’t we do our best every night?” Lin Jingyan asked, amused.

“Let’s do better.”

Han Wenqing caught sight of the faint furrow between Zhang Xinjie’s eyebrows and blinked slowly. “…Sure.”

Zhang Xinjie’s expression smoothed out. He wasn’t the vindictive type, but if Thunderclap won more than two points, well. Simulations for the lot of them.

* * *

It was Tyranny’s victory: a respectable nine to one. Zhang Xinjie decided simulations wouldn’t be necessary.

Before they parted ways that night, Xiao Shiqin threw a joke his way. “At least joining Excellent Era would have let me avoid this.”

“Doubtful,” said Zhang Xinjie while their teammates looked on in confused interest. “There’s always next season.”

A pause. “That’s a terrible thing to say to someone you just beat black and blue.”

“Next time, I’ll get you something, too,” Su Mucheng was telling Dai Yanqi. They were standing nearby, almost in the middle of the hallway. “I should have thought of it.”

“Don’t worry, I’m just happy you like them. They look good on you!” Dai Yanqi made an admiring noise as she studied the new earrings Su Mucheng wore. She had put them on almost as soon as Dai Yanqi handed them over.

“Could it be that those earrings were a ploy to soften Su Mucheng up?” Yu Tian whispered to Ye Qiu.

“Nonsense,” Ye Qiu replied. “Even a designer purse couldn’t convince her to go easy on an opponent, and she loves those things.”

Xiao Shiqin’s gaze flicked from face to face. “The new Tyranny sure is something,” he said, and his eyes were alight with humor when he glanced at Zhang Xinjie.

Zhang Xinjie nodded. He didn’t need anyone to tell him that.

Han Wenqing approached them, probably to bid Xiao Shiqin one last farewell before he was off to the press conference. Zhang Xinjie saw Xiao Shiqin suck in a deep breath out of the corner of his eye.

“It was a good match,” Han Wenqing began.

Xiao Shiqin leaned forward, brows lowered in an expression of determination. “Captain Han, I have to ask—how did you get Ye Qiu to join Tyranny?”

Zhang Xinjie was speechless. Han Wenqing stared at Xiao Shiqin coldly.

With a nervous smile, Xiao Shiqin took a step back. Zhang Xinjie peered at his watch and pretended he was somewhere else.

“Is Ye Qiu in Tyranny a problem?”

“Well, no…”

A cursory glance to his right confirmed that Ye Qiu was watching, and worse, it looked like he was about to come over, his conversation with Yu Tian abandoned. Had he overheard?

Zhang Xinjie weighed the pros and cons of interfering in whatever this was about to become, but Ye Qiu beat him to the punch.

“Say, Old Han,” Ye Qiu said, sliding into place next to Han Wenqing. “Are you giving Xiao Shiqin your scary mob boss face? Don’t be like that, he already lost so badly tonight.”

While Han Wenqing demanded if Ye Qiu wanted to die, Xiao Shiqin found some teammates to hide behind—though not before grimacing in Zhang Xinjie’s direction. Unsure of what that was supposed to mean, Zhang Xinjie shrugged back, then went back to pretending he was somewhere else as Han Wenqing and Ye Qiu argued(?) beside him.

Indeed, the new Tyranny really was something. And to be honest…Zhang Xinjie was getting rather comfortable with it.

* * *

“Hey, Mumu! Can you hear me? Is this damn mic working?”

“Yeah, I can hear you. Where is Rourou?”

“Right here. Hi!”

“Hi!” Su Mucheng waved both hands enthusiastically. “You two look so cute. Have you changed your hairstyles or something?”

“No way, I never do anything with my hair. I’m just wearing it down today.”

“I curled mine a little bit. Does it look good?” Tang Rou fingered the ends of her hair.

“It looks great.”

“And I’m wearing makeup.” Tang Rou wore a somewhat awkward smile. “I don’t usually bother to put on anything but BB cream.”

Su Mucheng hummed. “Yeah, I remember. Thanks for recommending that brand to me, by the way. What’s the special occasion?”

“It’s nothing, really… I just felt like doing this today. So how are things with you?”

“Is Tyranny treating you well?” Chen Guo demanded.

“Why do you ask that every time?” Su Mucheng laughed. It was a good thing she’d waited to have this videocall in her room; she didn’t know what she would do if someone overheard her. “They always treat me well. I may be the only girl on the team, but I’m used to that. There are actually a lot of nice girls working here. They’re kind of fierce, which is to be expected…”

Chen Guo laughed too, going from stern to merry in an instant. “Have you already won over everyone in the club?”

“It’s important to make connections and socialize. I think that’s especially true when you’re starting out someplace new. It’s easier to adapt when there are more people supporting you and cheering you on.”

Tang Rou giggled. “Well, rest assured, the great Boss Chen is always cheering you on.”

“What’s wrong with that?!”

Su Mucheng grinned at their antics. “Thanks, Boss Chen. I really do appreciate it. But are you implying you’re not cheering for me, my dear Miss Tang?”

“Of course I am. I just do it quietly.” How Tang Rou managed to make something as innocuous as a thumbs-up look adorable, Su Mucheng would never know.

“You’re so cute,” she repeated delightedly. “Well, with both of you in my corner, there’s no way I can’t do well.”

“When Tyranny makes it to the finals, we’ll get tickets and make some super nice signs for you,” Chen Guo swore.

“You sound like you have it all planned out.”

“I mean, October is almost over and you guys haven’t lost a single match. Isn’t it a given that you’re the top team in the Alliance right now?”

Su Mucheng just tapped her chin and smiled mischievously.

Facing Chen Guo, Tang Rou said, “Look at her playing innocent. Did you ever think your idol could be like this?”

“…Sometimes I wish you never met Ye Xiu. What are you becoming?”

“Well, the only way I could never have met Ye Xiu is if you hadn’t met him, and if you hadn’t met him, you wouldn’t have met Su Mucheng, right?”

“Don’t use logic on me. I don’t appreciate it.”

Su Mucheng perked up. “Speaking of Ye Xiu, he’s still being an idiot.”

“Outside of Glory, he’s always an idiot,” Chen Guo retorted hotly. “Wait—an idiot about what?”

“Han Wenqing.”

“Oh no.” Tang Rou’s lips twitched. “What’s going on now?”

Chen Guo had a really weird look on her face, but nothing could dampen Su Mucheng’s gossiping spirit.

“Han Wenqing makes Ye Xiu exercise with him at least twice a week. They also eat together almost every Sunday before or after reviews. Sometimes they go to his place to game and Han Wenqing convinces him to stay the night and drives him back to the club in the morning. Han Wenqing invites me to his place, too, but I barely ever go except on the weekends just to give them alone time. I even tease them about it to their faces! And despite all this, Ye Xiu still hasn’t caught on.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah.”

“So, then…Han Wenqing really does want to go out with Ye Xiu?”

“Guoguo, have you listened to anything I’ve said these past few months? Where have you been?”

“Look, it’s just really hard to believe, even with the evidence right in front of me! Before meeting them, I thought they might even hate each other.”

Su Mucheng rubbed her chin, helpless. “I guess that’s fair. Publicly, they’ve never been close… It was only after All-Stars that people started believing they could be anything but rivals.”

“Are you sure they weren’t anything but rivals before All-Stars? Like, I’ve gotten the impression that Ye Xiu is something of a loner. Nobody ever visited him besides you and his twin while he lived here. And, well, Han Wenqing. Who is just ‘fine to talk to.’”

Well… Su Mucheng cast her mind back. “Uh… When I was trying to figure out what to do about Ye Xiu and Excellent Era, I asked Han Wenqing if they were good friends and he said yes. We wouldn’t have met up with him before Ye Xiu left Excellent Era otherwise. It was the reason I confided in him.”

“But what’s Ye Xiu’s perspective?” Chen Guo huffed. “Because I’ve asked some questions here and there, and it looked to me like Ye Xiu barely wanted to acknowledge anything between them. He was reluctant to even discuss the possibility of joining Tyranny.”

Su Mucheng rubbed her chin harder. “Something must have made him change his mind. He told Han Wenqing he wanted to join Tyranny the last time Han Wenqing was in Hangzhou.”

“Yeah, I remember. But if that was about when Ye Xiu realized Han Wenqing was sincerely his friend, then I have no idea what it’s going to take for Ye Xiu to realize that Han Wenqing wants to, like, hold his hand.” Not even pixels could conceal Chen Guo’s shudder. “Lord, what an image.”

“Well, at least he knows his real name, right?” Su Mucheng weakly quipped after a moment of silence.

“That is…a step in the right direction,” Tang Rou said, visibly dubious.

 Another silence, longer this time, as they wondered what the hell was even going on with those two. How could such astute individuals be so hopeless?

Chen Guo cleared her throat. “So! Do you think your adoring fans have forgiven you for joining Tyranny yet?”

“You read the forums so often, you tell me.”

“To be honest, only Excellent Era fans were really upset. No self-respecting Glory fan could hate you if they tried. I think your transfer has actually boosted your popularity because now people are convinced they can entice you to their team of choice,” Chen Guo happily reported.

“Entice me how?” Su Mucheng asked, bemused.

“Well, Ye Xiu always comes up.”

“Ha! Okay, that’s fair. I’d like to be wherever he is.”

Chen Guo opened her mouth. Closed it. Opened it again. Hesitated.

Tang Rou eyed her. “Are you malfunctioning?”

“Mumu, can I ask…why you’re so attached to Ye Xiu? I feel like you could be successful with or without him.”

For a few seconds, all Su Mucheng could do was blink uncomprehendingly at her friends’ faces on the screen. It occurred to her, then, that for all the time they spent together (both online and in the flesh), they had never discussed in-depth the matter of Su Mucheng’s past—and how that past intersected with Ye Xiu’s.

Unfortunately, her connection to Ye Xiu had always been a difficult thing to put into words, and Su Mucheng was too used to jumping around the topic. But she couldn’t blow off her friends like she could reporters, right?

And besides, it would be good practice. Like it or not, all of this would have to be explained eventually. That said…where to begin?

“It’s not a career thing. I mean, he did train me when I decided I wanted to be a pro player. It’s more about…family, I guess.”

“Family?” Tang Rou echoed.

“Has Ye Xiu ever told you about my big brother?”

“He mentioned him. He made that umbrella Silver weapon, right? And…you guys visited his grave that time,” Chen Guo said delicately.

“Yes. My brother—Su Muqiu—was super into Glory, even before the game came out. The equipment editor was especially of interest to him, in no small part because making Silver equipment for people got him a lot of money. That was how he earned a living—through games.”

Tang Rou raised her hand like a student in class. “Is that how him and Ye Xiu became friends?”

“Sort of. We all met at an Internet café… It’s a long story, but me and my brother were on our own, and Ye Xiu was on his own, so we kind of joined forces. Ye Xiu came to stay with us after a while. The three of us got along really well, and a few years down the line, when there were noises about an official Glory competition, with a TV broadcast and everything, Ye Xiu and Muqiu both signed up for Excellent Era. Tao Xuan was an Internet café owner at the time. Funny, huh?”

Chen Guo scowled at the parallels. “But…there was never a Su Muqiu in Excellent Era.”

“No, there wasn’t,” Su Mucheng said quietly. “He died before the start of the first season.”

Chen Guo’s eyes widened. “That—that’s way too sad. Why does tragedy have to strike the young so hard? He must have been a kid still, right?”

“He was only eighteen. It was… Well, it was terrible.” Su Mucheng looked down. “He was my only family. I didn’t have anything without him…except whatever he left behind. And Ye Xiu.”

“Ye Xiu took care of you?”

Tang Rou caught on quick, didn’t she? “Yep. He couldn’t replace Muqiu, of course, but he filled in those big brother shoes pretty nicely. I thought for sure that I was too much of a burden for him to handle, but it never seemed to occur to him to abandon me. He made the funeral arrangements, fed me and helped me with school, and did everything family would do for a kid.”

Thoughtfully, Chen Guo said, “That Ye Xiu… He really is…”

“A complicated guy,” Tang Rou finished. “But a good one.”

“Not that complicated,” Su Mucheng said with a quicksilver smile.

“So, I guess competing against him would be too strange for you?” Tang Rou asked.

“It would be too strange for both of us.” How to put this… “Ye Xiu doesn’t see me as a kid anymore, but sometimes he still tries to take care of me like one. I think he’d feel awkward having to hash it out with me over a trophy. As for myself… I would never lose anything on purpose, but I can’t get in his way, either. Especially not now.”

“What do you mean, ‘not now’?” Chen Guo frowned.

Su Mucheng shrugged. “He’s going to have to retire eventually. There aren’t a lot of chances left for him…and he’s using Lord Grim.”

“What does Lord Grim have to do with anything?”

“That account used to belong to my brother.”

Chen Guo and Tang Rou both paused. Carefully, Chen Guo asked, “Does that…mean something?”

“I think it’s…an homage. Or a goodbye.”

They were quiet for several moments before Tang Rou spoke up.

“Does Ye Xiu miss him?”

“You never stop missing people when they’re gone. You just learn to live with it.” Su Mucheng sighed. “Today is his birthday.”

Chen Guo straightened like she’d been struck by lightning. “Aw, Mumu, is that why you wanted to talk to us? Are you feeling upset? We can cheer you up!”

If somebody had told her that Ye Xiu’s exile from Excellent Era would have led to this, to meeting such wonderful people, Su Mucheng wasn’t sure she would have believed it. She didn’t think herself maudlin or pessimistic, but in her experience, only hard work led to good things. She hadn’t become a pro player overnight, after all. No matter what people said about her good looks easing the way, she’d had to strive for everything she had.

Chen Guo and Tang Rou, by comparison, had basically fallen into her lap. She couldn’t be more grateful.

And so, in the face of such genuine regard, Su Mucheng could only assure them, “You’re already cheering me up.”

(It had been a while since her heart had felt so warm.)

* * *

“I hope you know your presence here is truly unnecessary.”

“Yes, yes, we know you got this. We’re just helping you out of the kindness of our hearts.”

“Seriously. You’re not wanted,” Wei Chen said flatly.

“You speak so coldly to the man who opened so many doors for you,” Ye Xiu observed. “Think about all that money sitting in your bank account, Old Wei. I’m sure you’ll find it in yourself to tolerate me.”

Wei Chen gritted his teeth.

Steamed Bun hopped around them like a very energetic bunny. “It sounds like there’s some history between you two! Say, what are your zodiac signs again? Maybe that would explain it.”

Rolling his eyes, Ye Xiu said, “Steamed Bun, I assure you, I don’t need the excuse of astrology to argue with this guy.” Anyway, hadn’t he already touched upon the “history” between him and Wei Chen? Had Steamed Bun already forgotten? Did he even realize Windward Formation was that guy who ambushed them that one time?

Never mind. It was Steamed Bun.

“Yeah, this shithead just has a talent for drawing people’s aggro, especially mine. That’s what happens when you try to put a sensible man and a fucking idiot together,” Wei Chen said testily. In front of Ye Xiu’s Paladin, Windward Formation brandished his scepter in a clear threat.

Like the mature individual he was, Ye Xiu did not return the threat. He did have to return the insult, though. “That’s true, somebody as sensible as me can only endure your presence.”

“It seems to me like they just have a casual relationship,” Tang Rou told Steamed Bun. Her Soft Mist, outfitted in top-tier equipment, was well out of anybody’s way. Ye Xiu suspected she wanted to keep a good vantage point in case a fight broke out.

Steamed Bun made a distressed noise. “But maybe if they told me their signs—”

“What the hell is this signs shit,” Wei Chen snapped.

“—I could help them get along!”

“Steamed Bun,” Ye Xiu said patiently, “we do not want to get along, nor do we need to. We’re here for training.”

“So far, I don’t see a lot of training going on,” said Lin Jingyan, sounding tired. His Brawler, Black Lightning, was idling next to Soft Mist and Concealed Light.

“Well, we would have moved on already if this guy could just give us the information we need.”

“Senior Wei, could you please just give us the information we need?” Lin Jingyan promptly asked.

Wei Chen huffed. “Finally, I’m treated with the respect I deserve.”

“Hm? You’re so high-ranking in Tyrannical Ambition now, how could you not receive any respect?”

“You try getting respect from these straight-laced jerks,” Wei Chen grumbled. “They’re so arrogant and brainless. Always wanting to charge into battle. Lemme tell you, I’ve never had to boss around so many punks at once.”

“That can’t be right. People who’ve made it far enough in the guild to work under you ought to be pretty disciplined, no?” Black Lightning edged closer.

“Besides, Huang Shaotian probably counts as, like, ten punks,” Ye Xiu added.

“I don’t know what kind of ship Han Wenqing runs, but half his fans are feral and the rest are just pretending to be mean and cool. It’s exhausting,” Wei Chen complained. Again, Windward Formation waved Death’s Hand around like he wanted to attack something.

Black Lightning inched away, positioning himself in front of Soft Mist and Concealed Light. The three of them, as well as Steamed Bun Invasion, Windward Formation, and Ye Xiu’s Paladin, Heavy Fate, all had the guild tag of Tyrannical Ambition floating under their usernames.

“…Aren’t you going to try to defend Huang Shaotian?” Ye Xiu asked into the silence.

“No, why would I do that.”

Concealed Light spoke up then, apparently unconcerned with the potential wrath of a random old man. Ye Xiu had taught him well. “Um, seniors, how long are we going to talk… I need to study for an exam later…”

“Right, right. Old Wei, point us in the direction of a boss.”

Wei Chen made a sound of disgust. “You think bosses are like fucking clouds scattered everywhere, don’t you? If you want info like that, why don’t you ask your friend Loulan Slash?”

The guy was being difficult on purpose, wasn’t he? “That would be unprofessional. Clearly I ought to rely on my team’s guild for such things, no?”

As if Ye Xiu hadn’t spoken, Lin Jingyan said, “He doesn’t want to hurt Han Wenqing’s feelings.”

“…The hell?”

Tang Rou made a suspiciously laugh-adjacent sound.

“Ha!” Wei Chen’s bad mood collapsed like a house of cards. “I didn’t know what to expect out of you after you joined Tyranny of all teams, but a conscience wasn’t one of them.”

Well, if that was how it was going to be… “I strive to step on your expectations.”

“You have become more thoughtful lately,” Tang Rou observed, still maintaining a safe distance.

“It’s a professional courtesy. So, bosses?”

“You’re in luck,” Wei Chen said in an annoyingly cheerful tone. “Got a report a few minutes ago that a Level 65 spawned in the Frozen Wastes.”

Thank goodness. “Sounds great, we’ll head there, then. Do you have exact coordinates?”

“I’ll send them to you when I receive them. Now get out of my sight and let me do my job.”

“The job you willingly choose to do despite all your complaints, you mean,” Ye Xiu fired back.

“Shut the fuck up and go.”

Their five-man unit finally turned their backs on Windward Formation and left the bounds of the city where they’d met up. One teleportation later and they were on the outskirts of the Frozen Wastes, a Level-65 area that was well known for its uninteresting scenery and glowing underground caves.

Ye Xiu received the boss’s coordinates almost as soon as they got moving. “All right, everyone, follow me and stay alert.”

It was quiet for a time as his companions fell into formation around and behind Heavy Fate Then Lin Jingyan asked, “Why do you and that guy have to banter so much? I know you’re not that easy to provoke.”

“It’s just fun, I guess. We’ve always been like that,” Ye Xiu replied absentmindedly.

“Did he really used to be captain of Blue Rain?” Tang Rou asked.

Ye Xiu had to laugh at the doubt in her voice. “Yes, really. I know, it would amaze anyone.”

“If he’s so skilled, I’m surprised Senior hasn’t roped him into going with us on this…excursion,” Concealed Light said.

“Please, we’d never get any peace if we brought him along.”

Lin Jingyan chuckled. “Because the two of you won’t shut up?”

“You jest, but you’re completely right.”

“You could just not respond when he talks trash. I know you’re capable of taking the high road,” Lin Jingyan said, and really, why were they still on the topic of Wei Chen?

Ye Xiu hummed. “But taking the low road is much more entertaining. Besides, there are no stakes involved. It’s just one old man. Does anybody actually expect good behavior from the two of us?”

“Well, knowing the two of you—no,” Lin Jingyan said ruefully.

“I’m halfway convinced that making fun of people is your love language,” said Tang Rou.

“…That would make sense, honestly,” Lin Jingyan said after a thoughtful pause.

How did that make sense? “Are you trying to suggest I’m passionately in love with Wei Chen?”

“Well, are you?”

“No, and god help me if I were.”

“Would you take it down a notch to gentle teasing if you were in love with someone?” Tang Rou asked, and it sounded like she was grinning. Ye Xiu wished they were still living and working together, if only he could give her the Look that comment deserved.

“No, because making fun of people is not my ‘love language’ or whatever. I don’t just mock people I like, I mock everyone. I’m an equal opportunist.” What was the point of this conversation, anyway? Were they trying to tease him?

“But if you did really like someone—romantically, I mean—"

“Hey, is that…”

Somewhere near the corner of his screen, Ye Xiu spotted a dark figure cutting across the icy landscape. He moved at a similar pace to them, and even though he was a distance away—well out of attack range—he was easy to make out against the bright backdrop.

Ye Xiu turned his camera to better study their company. He could swear there was something familiar about this player, which, considering how far away he was, meant he was someone Ye Xiu must have encountered recently. Or someone who’d left an impression.

As subtly as possible, Ye Xiu altered his group’s trajectory to get a little closer to the player. The distance between them closed enough for Ye Xiu to confirm that they were a Ninja.

Lin Jingyan was vaguely alarmed by Ye Xiu’s reaction. “Something wrong? Who is this guy?”

“This Ninja…” Ye Xiu finally finished wracking his brain for recent in-game Ninja encounters. “Oh, it’s definitely the same Ninja I met before.”

“What Ninja? When did you meet? Was it a secret meeting?” Steamed Bun fired off.

Right, Steamed Bun hadn’t been there that time they faced off against Excellent Era’s main roster. “No, Steamed Bun. It was a fight, an extremely public and dramatic and unprincipled fight. Or so I’m told every time Blue River brings it up.”

Tang Rou hadn’t been there, either, yet she sounded like she was judging him when she said, “Why do you have to cause trouble for Blue River?”

Everyone seemed to be ganging up on him today. Ye Xiu had enough good humor in him to let it pass, but strangely, he was coming up empty on retorts. After all, he did cause a lot of trouble for Blue River.

But Ye Xiu wasn’t totally at fault. Blue River was just…very easy to pick on.

“Maybe it’s a sign,” Steamed Bun said with all the gravitas of a Buddhist monk imparting wisdom. “Maybe Sagittarius?”

“It’s a sign that Ye Qiu acts even more scummy around people he likes,” Lin Jingyan denied, “therefore supporting Little Tang’s theory.”

“That can’t be true.”

“Well, thank you, Concealed Light, I see you’re the only one here I can trust,” Ye Xiu said. They were getting somewhat close to where the boss was supposed to be, but now that Deception was here, Ye Xiu saw a new opportunity.

“Even though he bullies Blue River, he’s kind of nice about it,” Tang Rou said. “It’s very…interesting.”

Oh no. “I did not flirt with Blue River that time. I don’t care what Han Wenqing thinks.”

“Han Wenqing was there?” Lin Jingyan blurted. “When you flirted with someone el—someone?”

“It was not flirting. Stop distracting me, I want to follow that Ninja.”

“If we follow him, won’t we be giving up on the boss?” Concealed Light asked.

“Where do you think that guy’s going? A Level-65 boss is a valuable resource. You can bet a lot of guilds are gathering, and where guilds gather, battles break out. That guy’s a scrap-picker; he won’t pass up this chance.”

“Only you would get your interest piqued by a scrap-picker of all people,” Lin Jingyan grumbled.

Ye Xiu just smiled at his monitor. “Wait till you see him fight. He’s an escape artist, but he’s pretty good at combat.”

“Obviously the way to Boss’s heart is being good at Glory,” Steamed Bun said.

“…You know what, Steamed Bun? You may be on to something.”

“But what is Boss’s heart’s way to another’s heart, I wonder?”

“Okay, you lost me there.”

Wonder of wonders, silence descended shortly thereafter. Now that they were following Deception, they needed to ensure he remained unaware of their pursuit. Ye Xiu had to coach the kiddos on how to stay under the radar and use the landscape to their advantage—which wasn’t easy, given their location. The Frozen Wastes were named for their emptiness, and options to limit line of sight were scant.

“This is actually a good learning opportunity. Who would have thought,” Ye Xiu commented several minutes later.

“Is following people around something that happens a lot in professional matches?” Tang Rou asked.

“Way more than most people are aware of. The broadcast team tends to ignore stuff like that a lot of the time… Apparently, it’s boring to the viewers.”

“Unless it’s really obvious that the stalker is about to strike. Everyone wants to see that scene,” Lin Jingyan added.

“And as a result, no one appreciates the talent and skill that it takes to be so sneaky.”

Lin Jingyan let out a forlorn sigh. “Tragic, isn’t it.”

“You two have a lot in common, huh?” said Concealed Light.

“I really don’t know how to take that,” Lin Jingyan replied with a snort.

“Wow. I hadn’t expected such pettiness from you.”

“You’re the one with the shameless reputation…”

“I think the Ninja is taking a detour,” said Tang Rou, immediately drawing everyone’s attention.

Ye Xiu studied their coordinates. “Right, the boss must be up ahead.”

“What’s our next move?” Concealed Light asked.

Instead of responding, Ye Xiu eyed Deception and made a note of his probable desired position. Then he led his group on a detour in the opposite direction, only stopping when they crested a hill and finally got a view of the battle taking place in the shallow valley before them.

“Those sure are a lot of players,” Steamed Bun said happily.

“Looks like Tyrannical Ambition got here first,” said Lin Jingyan. He’d obviously noticed how many more Tyrannical Ambition players there were compared to the other club guilds.

“Seems so. Even some of the branch guild members have gathered… This boss will almost definitely go to Tyrannical Ambition,” said Ye Xiu. Glory was not necessarily a game of numbers, but it could be at times. In his experience, refined tactics were not the club guilds’ forte.

“So what’s the plan? Are you going to pull the boss’s aggro? Can you do that as a Paladin?” Tang Rou asked.

“What? No, we’re not here to snatch the boss, and I’m a Paladin for a reason. We’re going to find some people to pick a fight with.”

“…Like who?”

“He’s a good start.” Ye Xiu was, of course, referring to Deception, who had once again circled back around the outside of the battlefield and into their line of sight. In all this time, he hadn’t looked behind him. As far as Deception was concerned, everything he needed to see was in front of him.

“Bullying a regular player isn’t what I had in mind when you suggested this training exercise, Ye Qiu. Also, didn’t you say you were going to help Old Wei bag a boss?”

“We are helping—as a distraction. And it won’t be bullying if we keep away and let these three have at him.”

“Uh.” Concealed Light paused. “That still sounds like bullying?”

“Well, it is a game,” Tang Rou said, though she didn’t seem very certain.

“He must be used to it, don’t worry,” Ye Xiu said unconcernedly.

“Has this Ninja offended you somehow, Boss?”

“Not really.”

“I see! We’ll definitely kill him for you.” And with that, Steamed Bun charged off.

If Ye Xiu were a lesser man, he’d be hitting his head against the table by now. “He didn’t even wait for me to say anything… You two, hurry up and go after him. We’ll watch from the sidelines.”

It was unclear whether they were more eager to fight than they’d let on or just too jaded to argue, but Soft Mist and Concealed Light dutifully followed Steamed Bun. Heavy Fate and Black Lightning trailed them at a more sedate pace. It gave them a chance to watch the trio’s movements as they headed farther downhill.

“Do you wanna bet that the Ninja is going to notice them in the next ten seconds?”

“That’s a losing bet if I ever heard one.” See, if they had asked, Ye Xiu could have given them some pointers and helped them set up an ambush. But it was probably better this way. The outcome of this confrontation would depend solely on their own skills and reasoning, allowing Ye Xiu to assess their progress with greater accuracy.

Ye Xiu could tell the reasoning part was still a work in progress because Deception noticed them in six seconds. He promptly tried to disappear.

“Should I record this?”

“Go ahead.”

What ensued was a hilarious game of cat and mouse, followed by hide and seek, then more cat and mouse. Deception obviously had much more in-game experience than even Tang Rou, who spent almost every waking hour online nowadays.

“He really is pretty good,” Lin Jingyan said. “Better than I expected.”

Ye Xiu hummed. Heavy Fate and Black Lightning orbited the ongoing battle like a pair of satellites. “They’re holding their own so far. I daresay Little Tang is trying to be strategic about this.”

“And the other two are following her lead. Sort of.”

More like they were making a cursory attempt not to get in each other’s way, but teamwork had to start somewhere. Just because the kiddos were good at following Ye Xiu’s directions didn’t mean they understood how to play together.

An added complication was the other, much larger battle raging nearby. A few skirmishes between guild members came close to interfering with the trio’s’ training, but Deception seemed determined to avoid running into anybody else. Ye Xiu assumed that Deception assumed that any Tyrannical Ambition players who noticed him would come to his attackers’ aid.

But then Deception arrived at a different conclusion: that guild members who weren’t from Tyrannical Ambition could be very handy buffers.

“Oh,” said Lin Jingyan. “Well. That doesn’t look good.”

“Nope,” Ye Xiu said tiredly. “I’m not sure what I expected. Come on.”

The two of them had their avatars run into the fray. They were so close to the main battle that harmless effects kept flashing in and out of Ye Xiu’s view; the glow of a Witch’s spell here, a gust of wind from an Elementalist’s attack there. None of it had any bearing on his progress, much less his health bar, but he was cognizant of how easy it would be for the less experienced to be overwhelmed.

Of course, Tang Rou and the others had participated in plenty of similar skirmishes when they worked with Loulan Slash, but again, Ye Xiu had been there to give them directions. Now all he could do was type a reminder in the chat to run away from the bloodthirsty guild members, not toward them.

They did not seem to get the message.

“I’d almost think Deception was trying to split them from us on purpose,” Ye Xiu said. “Do you suppose he caught on to the fact that we’re backup?”

“It would have been hard not to notice us watching,” Lin Jingyan reasoned.

“I guess not.” Perhaps he had underestimated Deception. “If you can get to them before I can, just go.”

Enemy guilds were starting to take notice of him. A few attacks came his way, which Heavy Fate weaved around with relative ease. Ye Xiu wouldn’t say it was difficult to avoid fighting while keeping the kiddos in his line of sight, and he was almost close enough that they would hear him if he called out, but it was still aggravating. He had imagined this going…differently.

Good thing Han Wenqing wasn’t here.

Suddenly, a message popped up in the party chat.

Soft Mist: Sorry we were lured away. Getting heals from guild.

Heavy Fate: tyrannical ambition?

Soft Mist: Yes.

Soft Mist: chasing ninja

Heavy Fate: just let him go and stay where you are

Concealed Light: We’re getting attacked here……

Heavy Fate: move away from the battle

Heavy Fate: you’re in too deep

Black Lightning: we’re close by, try to spot us

Steamed Bun Invasion: i see seniors!!! we’re coming~

The wayward trio finally stopped charging in the opposite direction and came toward them instead. Steamed Bun was in the lead, and Ye Xiu was pretty sure he could hear him taunting the enemy guild members in his way. Clearly, he was not interested in making a clean escape.

“You’ve corrupted him,” Lin Jingyan bemoaned.

“Stop whining, he was already like that.”

“Seniors!” Steamed Bun yelled (literally, into his mic). “We’re almost there!”

“Just follow me,” Ye Xiu called back, and was about to turn around when he spotted a bullet flying straight toward them. “Dodge!”

Unfortunately, Concealed Light’s reflexes were still kind of terrible. Soft Mist moved out of the bullet’s trajectory, and Steamed Bun wasn’t in danger to begin with, but Concealed Light suffered from a direct hit.

At least it wasn’t a headshot.

Then, before Concealed Light could even recover from the faint knockback effect of the bullet, the tell-tale shine of a healing spell enveloped his body.

“Huh,” Ye Xiu said, looking around automatically for the healer responsible. A particular Cleric caught his eye almost right away. Little Cold Hands?

“Good timing,” said Lin Jingyan absentmindedly. “Come on, hurry up, you three!”

In short order, Ye Xiu and Lin Jingyan were reunited with their apologetic juniors and away from the worst of the battle. Seeing as it didn’t look like the struggle for the boss would end any time soon, the mob was left behind in favor of the snow-covered plain. None of them were in the mood for more training after all that foolishness.

Deception, Ye Xiu thought, was maybe a little too wily an opponent for them right now. He had to drill tactics and awareness into these kids’ heads, but Ye Xiu didn’t have time to teach them everything himself. Would Zhang Xinjie know of any hands-off methods to apply here?

Lin Jingyan’s muttering soon distracted him. “Pick a fight, he said. The Ninja is a good start, he said…”

Ye Xiu gave some serious consideration to tossing his water bottle at Lin Jingyan’s head. It was almost empty; it wouldn’t hurt very much. Lin Jingyan would probably even catch it.

Then he remembered this lab had cameras, so he decided he’d just have to take revenge another time.

* * *

Loulan Slash: God Ye, I’ll hope you’ll honor me by accepting an invitation to dinner on Saturday. [smiley emoji]

Lord Grim: i don’t like that smiley face

Lord Grim: gives me a bad feeling

Loulan Slash: Lol sorry. But what do you say?

Lord Grim: how can i say no to such a mystifyingly formal invitation

Lord Grim: but how do you suppose i should ditch my team to come join you?

Loulan Slash: Well, if you can bring the rest of Tyranny along with you, that would be fine by me! My team would be delighted to meet them.

Lord Grim: oh is this some team bonding sort of thing? do you even have access to a venue big enough for that?

Lord Grim: wait, what am i saying, of course you do

Loulan Slash: Haha, I’m just bringing along the folks you’re familiar with. But I don’t expect you to leave anyone in Tyranny out. That might be rude.

Lord Grim: i’ll ask them

Lord Grim: whether the whole team comes along kind of depends on the captain

Loulan Slash: I see. That makes sense.

Loulan Slash: Either way, I really look forward to meeting you in person!

Lord Grim: oh really? even old han?

Loulan Slash: Haha of course, him too. I have nothing but respect for you both.

Lord Grim: flatterer

Lord Grim: is this your attempt to convince me to take it easy on you saturday?

Loulan Slash: Absolutely not. I’d never stoop so low.

Lord Grim: good, you’d have to do way more than buy me dinner for that much

Loulan Slash: Senior… is this really an appropriate topic of conversation…

Lord Grim: it’s a private chat

Lord Grim: lighten up a little

Loulan Slash: v.v

Lord Grim: really, i’m joking

Loulan Slash: It’s a little hard to tell! You joke about all kinds of things.

Lord Grim: i like to keep you guessing

Loulan Slash: How does Han Wenqing manage with you, I wonder… [laughing emoji]

Lord Grim: quite well

Loulan Slash: Now I really must meet him.

Lord Grim: what, thinking of conspiring against me?

Loulan Slash: [smiley emoji]

Lord Grim: what did i say about the smiley face…

Lord Grim: i’ll definitely have to introduce you to su mucheng at the very least

Loulan Slash: Oh that would be cool. :o

Lord Grim: heh

Lord Grim: you say that now

Loulan Slash: ???

Lord Grim: [smiley emoji]

Loulan Slash: ………

Challenger League HYPE!!!

[ Maximum Distance – 21 October 2023 - #1 ]

 I know nobody really cares about the CL but come on, Excellent Era is over there, there’s gotta be something worth talking about

Personally I think Sun Xiang is doing oh so well :p

[ Making Do – 21 October 2023 - #2 ]

op i thought this thread was going to be about hyping up the challengers and all the grassroots teams there…

[ Maximum Distance – 21 October 2023 - #3 ]

That is just singularly naïve. I wouldn’t hype up some randos, I just wanna take a chance to chuckle at a former pro team’s troubles

[ Cooling Mist – 21 October 2023 - #4 ]

OP aren’t you a little too gleeful? Laughing at others isn’t going to elevate your own status in life or anything. Think about the poor EE fans.

[ Toward Grace – 21 October 2023 - #5 ]

Upstairs, I can’t tell if you are sincerely defending us ‘poor EE fans’ or not……… Like I understand the urge to clown, we’re clowning ourselves at this point, but seriously

[ Unforgiveness – 22 October 2023 - #6 ]

Personally!! I think the Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei combo has a lot of potential. Two battle mages at once, who would have thunk. I guess Liu Hao is performing well but… tbh it’s hard to tell when the people they’re up against are basically sandbags… we haven’t even seen main roster players come up a lot

[ Beautiful From Every Angle – 22 October 2023 - #7 ]

I mean if I were Sun Xiang I wouldn’t want to show my face either

[ Mincemeat – 22 October 2023 - #8 ]

^^^^ you said it

[ Noteworthy – 22 October 2023 - #9 ]

It’s not as if he can avoid it. A player like that fading into obscurity? As if. Sun Xiang is coming back whether you like it or not.

Receding Tides: Has anyone looked at the All-Stars rankings?

Doubtful Demon: why would we look at those

Receding Tides: Only people who always make it onto the list would say something like that…

Stellar Sword: do you suppose old ye is gonna be on there?

Chaotic Cloudy Mountains: Ha. As if they’d leave him out. He has plenty of fans who don’t care about why he joined Tyranny

Stellar Sword: @Lord Grim aren’t you grateful??

Ghost Lantern: hell zhang jiale is on here

Receding Tides: Well that’s no surprise… Blue Rain has a reliable fanbase :)

Flying Sword: i bet zhou zekai will get first place

Ghost Lantern: that’s just obvious

Aweto: Hey, maybe Han Wenqing will beat him for sheer controversy this year.

Flying Sword: do people really just vote for whoever pissed them off the most???

Aweto: Some do.

Flying Sword: that’s so weird

Laughing Song: Probably not gonna be a lot of new faces this year

Laughing Song: We can count on the classics tho

Ghost Lantern: of course our beautiful Sis Su will make it to the top ten

Receding Tides: We bow before Sis Su’s impact

Dazzling Hundred Blossoms: Hm? I’m in the rankings?

Windy Rain: Yeah people still have hope for you :p

Ghost Lantern: oh hello Sis Chu

Dazzling Hundred Blossoms: Touched

Windy Rain: Hahaha don’t get too worked up over this nonsense bud

Windy Rain: Fans will be fans (hi li xun)

Peaceful Hermit: You said it sister

Endless Forest: Wait… now that they’re on the same team, doesn’t that mean that Ye Qiu and Han Wenqing will be on the same side in the All-Star competition?

Windy Rain: Yeah what’s your point?

Endless Forest: Will we ever catch a break??

Lord Grim: no

Ghost Lantern: HEY

Receding Tides: YE QIU

Windy Rain: He has come :O

Windy Rain: …and there he goes

Doubtful Demon: lmfao

* * *

A knock at his door had Ye Xiu jerking upright in bed.

He blinked around him in confusion. He could have sworn he had already opened his eyes and greeted the day, but…he felt like he had just snapped awake from a long nap.

Then he remembered that it was Sunday and almost buried his head beneath the pillow.

Sadly, there was no avoiding this. With a faint groan, he dragged himself off the mattress and trudged to the door, the comforter wrapped around his shoulders. He unlocked it and opened it just a crack.

“Good morning,” he said with a peek into the hallway.

Han Wenqing stood there with his arms crossed. “Good morning.”

“You show up earlier and earlier every time,” Ye Xiu observed dully. “Is this an attempt at psychological conditioning?”

“Stop talking nonsense and go get ready.”

Ye Xiu sighed but did as he was told. The door was shut as quietly as it had opened and the comforter was dragged across the floor and dumped onto the mattress.

He really did not like waking up early. He could do it, he had done it, he was doing it, but he was just not a morning person.

Still, give him an hour and he’d get over it. Absentmindedly, Ye Xiu pulled out some warm clothes and started getting dressed.

“Okay, I’m ready,” he said, emerging from his room.

Han Wenqing looked him up and down, then nodded approvingly. “Let’s go, then.”

Like always, their destination was a café. They visited a different one every week, partially to keep any eagle-eyed Tyranny fans from catching wind of their presence, partially to avoid the tedium of a too-familiar routine. Their lives were filled with enough routine as it was.

Why cafés, though? Well, Ye Xiu was partial to them. Han Wenqing didn’t seem to object. Somehow, they ended up repeating this ritual without even acknowledging its existence.

“This place looks promising.” Ye Xiu eyed the pastries on display as they made their way to a table.

“I thought you would say that.”

They chose a spot in the corner, out of sight of the windows, which fortunately weren’t very large to begin with. A server took their order almost as soon as they sat down.

“It’s not even nine yet. What’s the point of getting up this early when we don’t have to?”

Han Wenqing tapped his fingers against the tabletop. The morning light outlined the shape of his jaw and lightened his eyes. He never looked this soft when they were working. “For one, there’s less chance of running into Glory players who might recognize us.”

“Oh, come on. A lot of Glory players are hardworking, respectable adults, not irresponsible teenagers who stay up all night and get out of bed at noon.”

“Says the man who would stay up all night and get out of bed at noon if he could.”

Ye Xiu refused to concede that point. “I can keep any kind of schedule that suits my needs.”

“I’m sure.” Han Wenqing rolled his eyes.

“For real. You have no idea the kind of crazy hours I kept when I lived with Su Muqiu. He was always roping me into his jobs, and depending on the client’s demands, we would be taking naps every few hours just to get through the week.”

Han Wenqing’s gaze sharpened with interest. “Didn’t you take your own jobs back then?”

“Sure, but Su Muqiu was the one who managed all that. He had contacts, I just did the work he needed me to do.”

“Must have been rough working like that.”

Was this an attempt at sympathy? If it were any other time, Ye Xiu might have been put off by that. “Not always. We earned enough to get by, and games were rarely boring. When Glory came out, Su Muqiu was absolutely delighted. He would have played twenty-four-seven if he didn’t need to eat and sleep.”

“You’ll have to forgive me for having doubts about three kids’ ability to run a household,” Han Wenqing said with a snort.

“Oh, man, the stories I could tell.” Ye Xiu laughed. “Well, we had to make arrangements when I entered the picture. When it was just Su Muqiu and Su Mucheng, they had their own way of doing things. I, however, was a little lacking in basic life skills.”

“Such as?”

“Cooking and cleaning, mainly. But I picked them up quickly. Guess what my main chore was.”

“Sweeping the floor?”

“What? No, that’s so random. It was laundry.”

Han Wenqing’s eyebrows twitched with incredulity. “And laundry isn’t random?”

“Pfft. It just turned out that I was really good at folding clothes.”

“That’s…nice,” Han Wenqing said after a brief pause. “Can’t say I have any particular talent for it myself.”

“Ha, not many can. It was boring, honestly, but that just motivated me to learn to do it faster, which only impressed my housemates more. Thus, I was forever relegated to laundry duty.”

“How terrible for you. What did the others do?”

“Hmm, Su Mucheng swept the floor, dusted the furniture, and washed the dishes. Su Muqiu did most of the cooking, but the three of us cooked together a lot, too. Or bought takeout, whatever worked out better with our budget and schedule. What else? Oh, Su Muqiu cleaned the bathroom while I took care of the kitchen. All the rooms were small so it was no big deal. We picked up after ourselves and kept things as tidy as we could. It was very orderly, our little apartment.”

“You must have been really responsible kids,” Han Wenqing observed. Was that…a smile?

Before Ye Xiu could think too much, their order arrived. Coffee for Han Wenqing, tea and a muffin for Ye Xiu: a flawless breakfast.

Han Wenqing drank his coffee with care, his calm demeanor perfectly suited to the quiet murmurs of the other patrons. It was easy to imagine him looking out of place somewhere like this, but that wasn’t the case at all. In fact, he was always a model customer, despite how servers occasionally shrank from his sharp gaze.

Ye Xiu picked up where they left off after tasting his tea. “We had to be. What about you? What kinds of household chores did you do as a kid?”

He never thought of Han Wenqing as the avoidant type, but Ye Xiu still thought Han Wenqing might dodge this question. Discussing their pasts was always hit or miss. Even now, the two of them were finding their footing as friends.

However, Han Wenqing’s answer was quick in coming: “Basically everything my mom could trust me with. She worked two jobs, so I had to look after myself a lot. She would usually leave food for me, though.”

Huh. New information. “Was it just the two of you, then?”

“Yes, mostly. My dad died when I was young. He wasn’t around much to begin with, and then he grew ill. Too much stress or something like that. Eventually he ended up in the hospital, but he didn’t recover.”

Ye Xiu blinked slowly. Very new information. “I’m sorry. How old were you?”

“Hmm…nine, I think. Yes, nine.”

“I had no idea.” Which was probably obvious, but. What else was he supposed to say? He took a nervous sip of tea.

Han Wenqing shrugged. “I never told you. It’s not something I think too much about, to be honest. My father and I weren’t close. I was devastated at the time, but we had to move on quickly. Bills needed to get paid, after all.”

“You guys really didn’t have anyone else to turn to?” Ye Xiu asked after a moment’s hesitation.

“My paternal grandparents helped with school, and I was often sent to stay with my aunts and uncles when I was free. I think my mom saw it as giving me a vacation.” Han Wenqing drank more coffee.

“Your mom didn’t remarry?”

“No.”

“So you’re an only child.”

“Mm.”

Ye Xiu compared their childhoods in his mind. Truthfully, he still didn’t know much about Han Wenqing’s childhood, but…the picture he was painting was so unlike what Ye Xiu had experienced growing up that it was hard to understand how they came to know and befriend each other. People were always different from other people, obviously, yet he’d met Han Wenqing over a decade ago and, in all this time, their relationship had revolved around the ways in which they were alike.

Competitive. Determined. Strong-willed. Because they had so many traits in common, they could be more than just two people playing a game or two opponents fighting for a championship. Now…

Now what? Ye Xiu had no idea what he was getting at. The only thing he was sure of was that he still had a lot to learn about Han Wenqing.

“Suddenly, I can kind of see why you turned out this way,” Ye Xiu said absentmindedly, then took a bite of his muffin. Food was the solution to many problems, such as thinking too much.

“What way?” Han Wenqing narrowed his eyes.

“You know. Strong work ethic, strict with yourself and others, unwilling to accept defeat.”

Well, that was surprisingly complimentary, Han Wenqing thought. “I guess.”

“I bet you had a hard time relating to kids your age.” Ye Xiu smirked at him.

Most would say he still had a hard time relating to anyone. “How did you guess?”

“It was the same for me. I mean, the kids in my school had similar backgrounds as me, and I could get along with them, but there was always a distance. Competition, status, whatever. By the time I ran away, distance was a habit,” Ye Xiu explained with startling frankness.

“But Su Muqiu and Su Mucheng were exceptions.”

“Yep. And now you too, I suppose.”

Confused, Han Wenqing asked, “Me?”

“Well, yeah. You think I talk like this to everyone?”

“Touché.” Han Wenqing couldn’t remember if he’d ever been this chatty with anyone. Not with Zhang Xinjie, he was sure. Maybe not with his mother, either. There were too many things he didn’t know how to talk about, too many parts of his life shut away from the rest.

It just so happened that, when he was with Ye Xiu, the boundaries got a little blurry. He didn’t even know he had limits until he stepped right over them. Sometimes, when he caught himself sharing something—that bit about his father, for example—he felt like the worst kind of fool.

But he couldn’t help it. How could he listen to Ye Xiu happily recount some aspect of his past and give nothing in return? The more Han Wenqing knew about Ye Xiu, the more he wanted to be known.

(Maybe those limits lost their meaning a long time ago. Confronted with his fascination with Ye Xiu, he found more and more reasons to claim who he was, unhappy past and all, without reserve and without remorse.

Ye Xiu, if he ever settled for Han Wenqing, would never settle for less than the whole. And Han Wenqing didn’t want him to.)

A buzzing sound pulled Han Wenqing from his thoughts. Ye Xiu’s phone, placed beside his elbow, had vibrated. He looked at it like it was a viper.

Han Wenqing found it rather endearing. “Something wrong?”

“Probably not.” Ye Xiu took the phone. Looked at it. Decisively put it down.

“…Are you sure?”

“Just an email. From the chairman.” He gulped down his tea aggressively.

The chairman? “He’s still emailing you?”

“Unfortunately.” Done with the tea, Ye Xiu turned all his irritation on his muffin.

Han Wenqing had to pause and drink some coffee lest he give away his amusement. “I’m surprised you haven’t told him off by now.”

“You think I didn’t try? Multiple times? It’s like his eyes skip right over what I type.”

That poor muffin didn’t stand a chance. Han Wenqing let Ye Xiu eat in peace for a few moments. “He’s probably going to keep at it for the entire season.”

“No need to remind me,” Ye Xiu muttered petulantly, digging into the muffin with his fork. “I’ve already discussed it with the PR team. Honestly, I don’t think it’s a horrible idea.”

“Then why don’t you just tell the chairman that?”

“Because if I agree to anything now, he’s going to think I’m up to something.”

Oh, the irony. “I guess cooperation from you really would be out of character.”

Ye Xiu jabbed his fork at Han Wenqing. “I resent that. I can be cooperative; I’d just rather keep him in the dark. Feng Xianjun is that kind of person—give him an inch and he takes a mile. Agreeing to anything now would not only be out of character, but strategically unsound.”

“Did the PR team tell you that?” Han Wenqing would use up all his willpower at this rate. What if he had none left to get him through the rest of the day? But if he didn’t keep a straight face, Ye Xiu would definitely get him back for it.

“I told them, and they thought about it for a second, and came to the same conclusion I did.”

“What conclusion is that?”

“That the chairman will send even more emails if I give in.”

His resolve faltered and a faint sound escaped him. “Is he really that bad?”

“Look, Old Han—” Ye Xiu stopped to chew. “Look. I don’t like checking my email in the first place, and now I’m terrified of my own inbox. I hate emails and I’m starting to hate Feng Xianjun for sending them to me. Not even ignoring him puts him off. He gets a read receipt and comes back for more like a digital cockroach.”

Han Wenqing raised his coffee cup to cover his mouth. No laughing. No laughing.

“Don’t laugh at me. If your inbox looked anything like mine, your face would be permanently stuck in a scowl.”

“Popular opinion is that my face is already stuck in a scowl,” Han Wenqing pointed out.

“Well, I know different, and I’d like to preserve your meager capacity for smiling while I can. Which is why I didn’t tell the chairman to bother you about this shit instead.” Ye Xiu stared down at his half-eaten muffin. “I’m this close to losing my appetite…”

“Just eat. And I’d thank you for sparing me, but the chairman would never approach me for something like this in the first place. The man only has so much courage.”

Ye Xiu pulled his plate closer and had a bite before he spoke again. “If only I could scowl as well as you…”

Han Wenqing leaned back in his chair. “You don’t think I should smile more?”

“Hm? Smile more? Why would you?” Ye Xiu continued eating.

“It’s a common criticism. Even Jiang Hao brings it up now and then. Xu Fen would, too, if he had any hope left for me.”

Ye Xiu just shrugged. That muffin had his full attention, didn’t it? Han Wenqing wondered if he could snatch the plate away before Ye Xiu could hit him. “Smile if you want; there’s no need to force yourself. Besides, if you suddenly started beaming at everyone, you’d cause way too many problems. Me being cooperative with the Alliance’s publicity schemes isn’t nearly as out of character as that.”

“I can’t tell if you’re trying to reassure me or insult me.” The plate was too close to Ye Xiu’s side of the table. A clean getaway was impossible. But…maybe he could finesse this somehow…

“I’m telling you to do what you want. You’ve kept on like this for so many years, why bother changing now?”

The muffin was almost gone. Han Wenqing decided there wouldn’t be a point in stealing an empty plate; Ye Xiu didn’t care about the plate. He was also making eye contact, which meant he’d notice Han Wenqing as soon as he moved.

Wait, what did Ye Xiu just say? Did he hear that correctly? “I could ask you the same thing. You don’t have to do some dramatic face reveal just because we win.”

“Well, I want to, so that’s that.” And as if to punctuate his point, Ye Xiu finished off the muffin and set his fork down with a conclusive clink.

Han Wenqing resisted the urge to hold his head in his hands. Why was Ye Xiu like this? Did he enjoy making his life more difficult than it had to be?

Well, an argument could be made, seeing as he had joined Tyranny. But Han Wenqing preferred to think that decision had ultimately facilitated things for Ye Xiu, not worsened them.

“And speaking of winning…”

Han Wenqing met his gaze. Ye Xiu’s golden eyes were shining with mirth. In the past, such a smug expression would have provoked Han Wenqing on the spot.

“What do you suppose our odds are?” Ye Xiu asked with a lazy smile.

Presently, Han Wenqing was of the opinion that smugness was a good look on Ye Xiu. A very good look.

This was a disaster.

When in doubt, stall. Han Wenqing tilted his head to one side, then the other, stretching the muscles of his neck. “Pretty good. Better than they have been in a long time.”

“We’ve only played eight matches.”

“And haven’t lost a single one.”

Ye Xiu hummed. “We’ll definitely come out on top in the regular season, but…”

“But?”

“We haven’t gone up against Blue Rain yet.”

Han Wenqing stiffened a bit. “Blue Rain doesn’t pose more of a problem than any other top-tier team.” So far, they’d only really struggled against Samsara, and that had still ended in victory for them. And Samsara had beaten Blue Rain quite handily last year—though how much that proved was questionable, given how the competitive format had fucked Blue Rain over.

“I don’t know about that. With Zhang Jiale, they’ve been quite…creative in their plays. You shouldn’t underestimate Yu Wenzhou’s ability to counter us.”

Han Wenqing shrugged. “In the end, it’s him against you and Zhang Xinjie. I know which side I’m betting on.”

Ye Xiu laughed and waved a hand at him as if to swat away his words. “You’re clearly biased. Yu Wenzhou is quite clever, and Zhang Jiale was fully integrated into the team from day one.”

“And you and the others weren’t fully integrated into Tyranny?” Han Wenqing really did not understand the point he was trying to make.

“Are you always this confident?”

Pretty much. “I’m not worried about our ability to get into playoffs. Even if we do lose to Blue Rain in regulars, what will it matter?”

“I don’t know about you, but since a perfect win streak is within our grasp, I am maybe a little eager to grab on to it.”

Han Wenqing paused. “A perfect win streak is a lot to ask for. Let’s be more realistic here.”

“Why aim for the moon when you can shoot for the stars?” Ye Xiu drawled, lifting his eyebrows.

Han Wenqing stared at him expressionlessly. “Never say that again.”

“Okay, okay. But I really don’t want to lose to Blue Rain.”

“Nobody wants to lose. Besides, I’m sure you’ve already discussed this with Zhang Xinjie. By the time we face Blue Rain, you’ll probably have a dozen ways to deal with them.”

Ye Xiu rested his cheek against his fist and gazed at Han Wenqing with a small smile.

“What?”

“You sure have a lot of faith in me.”

Stating the obvious, are we? “Of course I have faith in you. That’s why I wanted you on this team. And if you think we can get a perfect win streak… Well, nobody would turn that down.” Han Wenqing wasn’t going to get his hopes up, but. It would be cool.

“Who knows, we might break all those records Excellent Era set back in the day.”

Han Wenqing snorted. “I hope so.”

“What, still a little salty?” Ye Xiu grinned broadly.

“Not so much. It’s just that it’s good to move on and do better.” Han Wenqing gave him a meaningful glance.

Ye Xiu shifted in his seat. “You know I’m hardly hung up on that. To be honest, those records don’t mean much to me after a few seasons trying and failing to get Excellent Era on track. Whether we break them or not is far from being a concern.”

Han Wenqing didn’t say anything to that.

Ye Xiu decided that the topic was more or less closed. He opened his mouth, a comment about Wind Howl on the tip of his tongue, but Han Wenqing spoke before he could utter a sound.

“Are you making plans for Excellent Era like you are for Blue Rain?”

“I’m not sure what you mean by that.”

Han Wenqing aimed a steady gaze at him. “We know that, unless a miracle happens, they’ll be back next season. So are you making plans?”

“That…” What did Han Wenqing want to hear? Ye Xiu was committed to Tyranny, to winning. Excellent Era was nothing next to his determination. He knew that, right?

But…maybe this was a case of “seeing is believing.” Ye Xiu had no way to prove himself until he clashed with Excellent Era; and in the meanwhile, words could only do so much.

“Plans might be a strong word for what I’m doing. They’re just thoughts for now,” Ye Xiu said neutrally.

“That kid Qiu Fei used to be your chosen successor.”

“Yes…?”

“He’s going to be your opponent in the future. By all accounts, he’s partnering up with Sun Xiang, or at least that’s what it looks like so far.”

Ye Xiu frowned. “What are you getting at, Old Han?”

Han Wenqing studied his expression, peered into his eyes. Ye Xiu stared back, hoping none of his defensiveness carried across. “Never mind.”

Thank goodness. Ye Xiu tried for a smile. “I’m not worried about Qiu Fei. That kid is doing well for himself right now, and if he stays on the right path, he’ll have a bright future ahead of him.”

“Agreed.”

But since they were on the topic of Qiu Fei, something was niggling at him. What was it? “Oh! I just realized you never did meet Qiu Fei.”

Han Wenqing grunted and traced the rim of his coffee cup. “There’s no reason for us to have met. I can’t just march into Excellent Era’s training camp.”

That made Ye Xiu chuckle. The chaos that would ensue if Han Wenqing were to stroll through Club Excellent Era was almost too incredible to imagine. “Of course not, but I could have introduced you to him online.”

“I sincerely doubt any protégé of yours would want to meet me anywhere but in the arena. Or better yet, the stage.”

Ye Xiu laughed outright at that. “I’d say you and Little Tang get along fine. She’s not my successor any more than Qiu Fei is, but I taught her much the same way I taught him. In fact, those two have a fair amount in common.”

“Seems you have a type.”

“I wouldn’t put it that way,” Ye Xiu said, making a face. “It’s not like I was looking for anyone to train when I met them.”

“Are you going to tell me it was fate?”

“I’m not that romantic. Do you think it was fate?”

Han Wenqing raised an eyebrow. “I’m not romantic either.”

Ye Xiu squinted at him. “I seem to recall you getting upset one time when I said you and romance don’t go together. Have you suddenly changed your mind?”

“You remember that?” Han Wenqing asked, blinking.

“I mean…” Ye Xiu regretted bringing it up already. He’d thought his little tease would get an amusing reaction, but the way Han Wenqing was looking at him… Talking about Excellent Era might be better than this. “It was kind of memorable.”

“…Memorable how?”

“Well, you seemed pissed. Which is fair; didn’t I make some comment about you and Little Tang? That was a bit silly of me.”

Han Wenqing processed that for a second. Did Ye Xiu really think he was mad about the part where he mentioned Tang Rou?

“That was stupid, but it wasn’t what pissed me off.”

“Then…”

Han Wenqing shrugged. “I don’t care much about what people think of me. but sometimes it gets—how should I put this? It’s just tiring when people make certain assumptions about me.”

“Like that you can’t be romantic?” Ye Xiu asked, eyes brightening with understanding.

“Yes, among other things.”

“Sorry. I said some careless things in the heat of the moment.”

“It’s all right. It wasn’t a big deal.”

Abruptly, Ye Xiu pointed at him, straightening in his seat. “But you can’t blame me entirely! You’ve never hinted at even the existence of a love life. I really thought you were completely uninterested in romantic relationships.”

“Is that the impression I give?” Han Wenqing said with an odd twist to his mouth.

“The way you focus on Glory, nobody would think you do anything besides compete and get ready to compete if you didn’t tell them otherwise.”

“Look who’s talking. You’re not any less focused on Glory than I am.”

“But I don’t have a public image. And I don’t look like a mob boss.”

“There is nothing wrong with my face.”

“I didn’t say there was! It’s just not the kind of face you can picture getting all soft and mushy at the height of sentimentality, you know?”

Han Wenqing struggled with that for a moment. His first instinct was to deny it, but… “Fine, soft and mushy might be beyond me.”

Ye Xiu snickered.

“But romance isn’t mushy by definition. I think the best kind of romance is one where…people meet each other halfway.”

“Yeah?”

Han Wenqing nodded.

Ye Xiu hummed. “Do you think you’ll get married after you retire?”

Well, that came out of nowhere. “I don’t see why not.”

“What kind of person will you end up marrying, I wonder? Do you have any preferences?”

This was dangerous territory. “Most people do.”

“Every kitty needs someone to cuddle and spoil them.”

“For a while there, I really thought this kitty bullshit had stopped.” Han Wenqing crossed his arms. “What are you implying with that, anyway? That I’m a needy feline?”

Ye Xiu smiled significantly. “I don’t know, are you?”

“Absolutely not.”

Some of Ye Xiu’s playfulness abated. “Yeah, I know. If anything, you’re the one who’d do the spoiling, being so reliable and all. Needy felines would flock to you.”

Han Wenqing struggled not to react to that. “Doubt it. High-maintenance people never fail to annoy me. I’d rather be with someone who can take care of themselves.” His eyes caught on the clock hanging on the wall to Ye Xiu’s left. “We need to go soon.”

They really did. They’d been here for, what, an hour? That wasn’t unusual for their café visits, but this particular café was starting to fill up as the morning dragged on. The more people showed up, the greater the risk of discovery.

No, this sudden urge to leave had nothing to do with the subject of romance.

With a sigh, Ye Xiu leaned back and raised his arms above his head in a languorous stretch. “How time flies. Soon enough, Mucheng is going to be accusing me of chatting my day away.”

“Maybe if half that chatter was trash talk.”

“I’m not that bad.”

Han Wenqing didn’t say anything and pulled out his wallet.

“I’m not. Do you know this guy called Huang Shaotian? He’s always talking shit. I’m nothing like him.”

“Thankfully,” Han Wenqing said, searching for his credit card, “or I’d have kicked you off the team the day after you joined.”

“Lucky me, I’m so well-behaved.”

“You’re a bad influence.”

“How many times do I have to tell you that I’m not responsible for my teammates’ sass? They didn’t get it from me! I’m not contagious.”

Stupid credit card finally located, Han Wenqing looked up at Ye Xiu. “Zhang Xinjie said that if he were an academic, he’d do a case study all about you. It would involve grabbing the most mild-mannered people he can find and making them spend at least eight hours a day in your vicinity. His main hypothesis is that after two weeks, they’d start taunting strangers and making witty remarks nobody asked for.”

Ye Xiu blinked as he processed that. Han Wenqing waved their waiter over.

“Maybe Zhang Xinjie should include himself in that study. Then he could experience the effects of my ‘bad influence’ firsthand.”

Han Wenqing pinched the bridge of his nose. “He’s already experiencing effects. Nobody’s safe.”

Ye Xiu huffed at him. “Not even you?”

Least of all me, Han Wenqing thought. The effects of Ye Xiu’s influence might be a bit different in his case, but he was just as helpless as the rest of his team. Maybe even more.

Not that he’d ever tell Ye Xiu that.

* * *

Qiao Yifan edged into the room after Xu Fen, Lin Jingyan, and Qin Muyun, with Su Mucheng trailing behind him. It didn’t look very intimidating at first glance—there weren’t even that many people present. Even the camera equipment seemed minimal to his inexperienced eyes.

“All right, we’re about ready to start,” Xu Fen said, turning to regard them. “You four can sit down.”

Qiao Yifan waited for the others to take their seats rather than choose a chair. He ended up between Su Mucheng and Qin Muyun, the former smiling at him expectantly as she gestured at the empty spot next to her.

“Don’t worry,” said Su Mucheng. “Recorded interviews aren’t that bad. And we get to do this one together!”

“Have you ever done an interview with Excellent Era like this?” Qin Muyun asked

“Not quite like this. It’s been a while since I’ve been a newcomer anywhere,” Su Mucheng replied with a laugh

“No kidding,” said Lin Jingyan. “This is a neat idea, though. A little more interesting than a team interview.”

“Team interviews can be tough,” agreed Su Mucheng.

“How so?” Qiao Yifan asked, clasping his hands together in his lap.

“Well, we have to decide who answers what, so we don’t talk over each other with every other question… There’s more of a script. But four people is pretty manageable. Speaking of, you guys remember the questions?”

Qin Muyun and Qiao Yifan nodded. Lin Jingyan wasn’t really paying attention, instead gazing around at the filming equipment and listening to the quiet murmurs of the staff.

Xu Fen approached them, a woman next to him. She was dressed primly in a business suit that looked rather high-fashion. Not that Qiao Yifan knew much about fashion, but he sat next to Su Mucheng in the practice room most of the time and saw her browsing through online shops now and then.

“This is Ning Xi from Next Level eSports. She’ll be conducting the interview.”

Ning Xi greeted them professionally. “Thanks for coming. Is there anything you need before we begin?”

They all shook their heads. Qiao Yifan kind of wished he had some water on hand; he was feeling nervous.

There was a brief rush of activity as the last-minute preparations were seen to, and within five minutes, everything was set up. Ning Xi sat before them, a practiced smile on her pretty face, and asked them to introduce themselves after saying a few words to the camera.

“I’m Lin Jingyan, Tyranny’s new Brawler. I transferred here from Wind Howl, where I was captain.”

“Hi! Su Mucheng here. I’m Tyranny’s new Launcher. I’m from Excellent Era originally, and this is my first time in a new team.”

“Hello…my name is Qiao Yifan. I’m still a rookie, and I play the Ghostblade. I was a substitute in Tiny Herb before coming to Tyranny.”

“I’m Qin Muyun, Tyranny’s other rookie. I was promoted from the training camp, where I practiced for about a year. I play Sharpshooter.”

Qiao Yifan and Qin Muyun exchanged congratulatory glances in rookie solidarity. Then the questions began and Qiao Yifan quickly fixed his attention on Ning Xi.

“Apart from Qin Muyun, who trained in Club Tyranny, all of you came from other teams. How does Tyranny compare?”

“I think Tyranny has a very different workplace environment compared to Wind Howl. It’s not that people are overly strict… Everybody is always moving from one task to another with utmost efficiency. It’s inspiring, to be honest.”

Su Mucheng smiled and nodded. “I don’t think it’s too different from Excellent Era, but discipline seems to be a defining trait of a lot of the people who work with me now.”

When Ning Xi looked at him with an expectant smile, Qiao Yifan had to work not to squirm. “Um… Tiny Herb’s team dynamics were more straightforward. I think Tyranny is a good place to grow because everyone expects a lot from each other, not just main-roster players.”

“Then is it safe to say that you’re enjoying being members of Team Tyranny?”

“Absolutely,” said Su Mucheng. Her teammates echoed her. From behind the camera, Xu Fen gave them a thumbs up.

Seeing as the others had had a chance to speak, Ning Xi went on to ask Qin Muyun about his training camp days. “What does it feel like to know that all your hard work has paid off and you’ve made it onto the team roster?”

“I feel very proud, of course, but mostly grateful. I wasn’t sure if I would be worthy of this position. When I was accepted into Tyranny, I had a sense of validation and accomplishment, as well as excitement.”

“Tyranny has already played ten matches, and both you and Qiao Yifan participated in at least half of them. As rookies, are you two ever nervous when competing?”

“I’m still nervous,” Qiao Yifan admitted, “but it’s nice to be trusted by my team. I have a lot of faith in my teammates, too.”

“My first time onstage was nerve-wracking. Since then, I’ve adjusted mentally and grown calmer when I play. It helps that my other teammates receive more attention.”

Ning Xi made a curious sound, then half-jokingly said, “Teammates like Ye Qiu?”

“Yeah, as well as the other All-Stars.” Qin Muyun gave a significant nod to Su Mucheng and Lin Jingyan, who grinned at him.

“Mm, I see. It’s a shame that Ye Qiu couldn’t join us as another one of Tyranny’s newcomers,” Ning Xi went on. “Until now, it was unheard of for an established team like Tyranny to welcome five new members at once. What’s it like to be part of Tyranny’s so-called rebirth?”

Qiao Yifan almost cringed at the term. Qin Muyun’s lips twitched into a smile, and Su Mucheng chuckled outright. The only person who maintained their composure was Lin Jingyan, who answered promptly.

“Being part of a team is knowing that you’re working for something greater than yourself. It’s an honor to be playing alongside people I respect and admire. All my new teammates are incredible professionals who I’ve learned a lot from. Since joining Tyranny, I’ve had nothing but high expectations for myself.”

“And do you feel any pressure at the expectations fans have for Tyranny?”

“It’s not that we don’t feel the pressure, but we believe in our abilities,” Su Mucheng replied.

“Exactly,” said Lin Jingyan. “It’s a bit of a balancing act. Everyone in our position must be able to weigh what fans want against what we can realistically achieve. With Tyranny, though, I can’t say I often worry about being able to measure up.”

Ning Xi laughed good-naturedly. “You’re brimming with confidence! I’m sure your fans are happy to see it.”

Su Mucheng made an OK sign at the camera. “To be a member of Tyranny, you have to be ambitious! It’s what we’re all about.”

“Su Mucheng has already adopted that tyrannical mindset this team is so famous for,” observed Ning Xi. “In fact, after Season 8 All-Stars, you showed a new side of yourself to the stage. Has transferring to Tyranny allowed you to develop even further?”

“Of course. My teammates have been really encouraging. I think I’ve changed a lot since joining.”

“But this development also means that you’ve grown distant from your iconic partnership with Ye Qiu. How do you feel about that?”

“Just like I’ve changed, Ye Qiu has changed as well.” Su Mucheng tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Although I still use the same account, my approach is different. Ye Qiu, however, has a different…everything. A new account, a new play style, a new role in a new team. With all these changes, our partnership can’t continue as it was.”

“With the exception of last season, the two of you have won the Best Partners award every single year since it was introduced. I think your fans are going to miss seeing you two fight together.”

Su Mucheng waved her hands. “Oh, no, we’re still fighting together! There’s no need to be sad! Now, if I were still in Excellent Era, that would be sad.”

“I think seeing you two fight each other would be quite something,” Lin Jingyan said

Su Mucheng nudged him playfully. “Don’t even joke about that.”

“Su Mucheng and Ye Qiu are pretty close,” Lin Jingyan told Ning Xi, “so I don’t think fans have to be worried about a rift between them. Things are just different because Tyranny’s strategy isn’t the same as Excellent Era’s.”

“Besides, isn’t it kind of exciting to see Ye Qiu and Han Wenqing working together?” Su Mucheng grinned

“It’s taken some getting used to,” Ning Xi said with a grin of her own, “but they’re both powerhouse players. There’s no way not to be excited.”

“Our Senior Ye works really well with everyone,” Qin Muyun added.

“That’s good to hear. I think it’s safe to say that a lot of people were concerned that this new Tyranny wouldn’t mesh properly.”

“Even though there’s a lot of history between the older generations, we actually get on well. That’s always been the case,” said Lin Jingyan. “Furthermore, we’re professionals, so if we agree to be on the same side, there’s no way we’ll slack off.”

“But I doubt any feelings you have toward Ye Qiu or Han Wenqing can really contend with the depth of their rivalry, right?”

“Of course not, but rivalry isn’t the same as enmity. I’d say those two are good friends.”

“Yeah, you’d be surprised at how much they have in common,” Su Mucheng said. “Yifan, you’ve spent a lot of time training with both of them—what do you think?”

Put on the spot, Qiao Yifan froze for a moment. “Oh, well, um. I have a lot of respect for them and…they do work well together. Since they have so much experience, they understand each other in a way that…that a rookie like me can only admire. I feel like they share a lot of the same values, if that makes sense.”

Qin Muyun quickly spoke up in support of him. “Yes, I think the senior players have a unique perspective compared to the newer generations. Their approach to competition and their attitude toward Glory is very different from what I see in my fellow rookies.”

“There’s been a debate in Glory circles about rising stars like Tang Hao, Sun Xiang, and Lu Hanwen taking the place of mainstay players.” Ning Xi tactfully didn’t mention the “mainstay players” everyone knew she was referring to. “What are your thoughts on that?”

“The old makes way for the new: it’s inevitable. But it’s also rather simple-minded to say that there’s no room for senior players in the current era. Look at Zhang Jiale, at me, at Ye Qiu and Han Wenqing. We’re not unchanging; we’re also moving in the direction of the new. We’re not content to just age and fade away. Like the youngsters here”—Lin Jingyan motioned at his teammates—”we also want more chances at victory, more time to win glory. And as long as we have that in common, there’s no need for this grand showdown between seniors and juniors.”

A brief, surprised silence. Qiao Yifan had never known his Senior Lin could be so articulate. As to be expected of someone who had the patience to instruct Steamed Bun! All of his seniors were amazing.

 In the quiet that had filled the room, the sound of Su Mucheng clapping her hands together was enough to make Qiao Yifan jump. His awe was immediately replaced with embarrassment. He hoped none of the viewers would notice (but he was never that lucky).

“Well said!” Su Mucheng exclaimed. “We should send this brother to more press conferences, don’t you think?”

“He does have a way with words,” Ning Xi said with a bright smile, and on they went to the next question

The interview felt like it took forever, but when it was over, Qiao Yifan was more energized compared to when they started. Ning Xi mostly stuck to the questions she had passed along to them, and none of the digressions stepped over the line.

Xu Fen gathered them up at the door. “You guys did great. The PR team will probably have some ideas about how to market you two based on the response to this interview,” he said, gesturing at Qiao Yifan and Qin Muyun. “Lin Jingyan, good job with the surprise questions. Su Mucheng…”

“Was I good?” she asked innocently, smiling up at Xu Fen.

He squinted at her. “Of course you were. I’m glad we finally have such an outstanding female player on our roster. The PR team will have ideas for you, too, I’m sure.”

“Well, I’m willing to go along with all kinds of marketing schemes, unlike a certain someone,” she said with a wink.

Xu Fen rolled his eyes. “Wonderful. The car’s waiting outside; I’ll drop you guys off back at the club.”

“Are you not coming to dinner, Manager Xu?” Qiao Yifan said as they began walking toward the elevator.

“I’m working late today, I’m afraid. I’ll have dinner eventually.”

Lin Jingyan patted Xu Fen’s shoulder. “Take care of yourself.”

“I’ll do my best.”

They stepped into the elevator as a group, and in a matter of minutes, they were out of the office building and climbing into the van that had transported them here. It had still been light out when they arrived, but now the sky was dark and moody.

“You all take care as well,” Xu Fen said once they were on the road. “We’ve had a lot of good luck so far, but things aren’t going to be this easy forever.”

“…Ominous,” said Su Mucheng after a heavy pause.

“Ominous,” Lin Jingyan agreed.

Determined to hang on to his good mood, Qiao Yifan decided he’d rather not know what they were talking about and instead accepted Qin Muyun’s offer to look at some fresh Glory memes on his phone.