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Chapter Text

ID: Smiling

Why did this ID sound so familiar? Lu Si Cheng has to give this person credit as they play very well...for a solo player. The fact that this player could hold up against Yu Ming in the Mid lane is a feat in itself. When the words 'DEFEAT' flashed across the screen, everyone turned their attention toward him.

"Captain, what do you think?" Ming God asks as he massages his wrist.

"It's your replacement. You decide," Lu Si Cheng replied though his stern face says he has some comments on this decision.

"I think that this player can be our ticket into the international competition. They will need the training to be able to play in a team setting but that is something that we can work on before the next competition season," Ming God explains.

Lu Si Cheng just nodded at him. His mind, though, was still trying to remember where he had seen the ID 'Smiling' before. Had he played with this person before?

"Then I will contact this person to see if they're interested," Xiao Rui said as he pulled out his phone to search for that particular player on Weibo. It was difficult to confirm which account was the real one as this player has never shown their face before. Even on streams they don't have the video on and have a voice scrambler to disguise their voice. It makes it all more mysterious to find out the identity of this person. If they can hire this person, he can become the marketing GOD at headquarters. He can smell the pay increase now!

At that moment, Lu Si Cheng's phone chirped, notifying him of a new text message.

[My Beloved Salted Fish Maiden: Cheng Ge, my beloved boyfriend. Your precious girlfriend just wants you to know that she has been kidnapped by her best friend to go shopping because said best friend is having boy issues and therefore cannot go with you to dinner tonight. :( Your girlfriend would like you to please tell your next-door neighbor to get his shit together as your girlfriend cannot take any more of this and might die or cry very soon. MUAH]

He can only chuckle and shake his head at his girlfriend's antics.

[The Disguised Pervert: Consider this your punishment for not telling me you're back in the country. Send Chen Jin Yang my best regard and please let her know that XX Brand just open a new flagship store on ZZ street. :)]

[My Beloved Salted Fish Maiden: You're heartless!!!!! *crying GIF*]

While this text exchange occurs, Lu Si Cheng was smiling the whole time. This caused everyone else on the team to look at him in amazement. They have NEVER seen their captain smiling like that before. Was someone getting badly scolded? Ay, they feel for the poor soul. Whoever had the unfortunate fate which led them to cross paths with the Captain of ZGDX may they rest in peace. They should buy a lottery ticket as luck seems to be on their side today that they were not the one the Captain was scolding.

Lu Si Cheng looked up from his phone to see five pairs of eyes looking at him intensely, "What?"

That seems to have shook them out of their daze.

"N-nothing, Cheng Ge," replied Xiao Pang with a nervous laugh. "I just remembered I think I have to finish some streaming hours hahahahaha."

"Oh yes Lao Mao, have you finished your streaming hours yet," Xiao Rui suddenly asked and dragged the clueless Lao Mao away.

"Come on Lao K, I suddenly need to talk to you," Ming God said nervously and led Lao K to a meeting room.

Suddenly Lu Si Cheng was left alone with his phone, unsure what had occurred. Oh well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Tong Yao, do you realize how lucky you are to be with someone like Cheng Ge?" said Jin Yang as she browsed the racks. Her best friend was slouching on the seat nearby, playing with her phone. Nothing's new.

"Say his name louder, why don't you," contested Tong Yao.

Her relationship with the GOD of the E-sports world was on a need to know basis. Jin Yang was lucky enough to be included as she was Tong Yao's best friend and fellow gossip. Tong Yao had happened to meet Lu Si Cheng when she was studying abroad to get away from everything that had gone down with Jian Yang. She had a clue who he was but not enough to be considered a fangirl. She knew he plays games, that's about it. They had happened to sit next to each other on the train and were both playing the same game on their phone and had happened to be in the same game but just on the opposite team. Luckily the train ride was a couple of hours long and so they kept being put in the same game whether on the same team or on the opposite team. One thing led to another and they exchanged contacts and the rest, as they say, was history. While keeping the relationship on the down low was quite difficult, it was also thrilling at the same time.

"How do you do it, Tong Yao? How do you maintain a relationship with a pro-gamer who only cares about his games more than you?" Jin Yang sighs frustratedly.

"You play the game with him," Tong Yao shot back with a smirk.

Jin Yang looked at her and sighed. "Never mind. I've asked the wrong person. You enjoy your dates in the Summoner's Rift and leave us normal folks to enjoy the dark reality world."

Just then, Tong Yao's phone notified her of an incoming message from Weibo.

[Xiao Rui: Hello friend! Do you want to come play professionally for ZGDX? We are very impressed with your skills!]

Xiao Rui? Isn't he the team manager for ZGDX? Scammers really are doing their homework now. This is probably a fake account.

[Xiao Rui: You don't need to decide now. Come watch the Spring Season Finals at the Mercedes Benz Stadium at ShenZhen this weekend. Come early and we can chat and you can even meet the team! We'll even cover hotel+tickets! Let me know if you are interested!]

She studied the text. Maybe this is not a scam. But why would they hire her when ZGDX has all positions filled already. Wasn't Ming God still playing? She should ask Cheng Ge.

Seeing her best friend focused on her phone irritates Jin Yang. She's surrounded by internet addicted idiots.

"Jeimei, are you abandoning me for your handsome General? What a good friend you are," Jin Yang said sarcastically. Tong Yao look up from her phone to see the irritated look on her best friend's face. She laugh awkwardly and quickly put her phone away.

"Jin Yang, you should get that shirt. It looks good on you," Tong Yao said in attempt to change the topic. Jin Yang gave her a bored look then decided to drop the topic and went back to looking at the outfit in the mirror.

After Jin Yang has finally vented her anger through dragging her best friend shopping, she dropped her friend back at the hotel she was staying at. Jin Yang was currently living with her grandmother so it was not convenient for Tong Yao to stay with her.

Tong Yao dragged her tired feet along with an obscene amount of shopping bags to the elevator then to her room. She dropped the bags at the foot of the bed then went to get clothes to shower. Her feet ached and her stomach hungry since Jin Yang was too angry to think about food. After her shower, Tong Yao was too tired to even think about food. All she wanted to do was to get comfy under the comforters and fly to dreamland. Just as she was getting comfortable, her phone rang, signaling an incoming video call. She looked over and saw her boyfriend's caller ID. She smiled and quickly went to pick up the phone. She was greeted with his stoic face.

"Cheng Ge? Why are you video calling me? Where's your roommate?" Tong Yao asked as she prop her phone on the bedside table. She laid down on the bed and brought the comforter up to cover her body.

"He's trying to rank up for an inspection coming up soon," he replied. "Going to bed? How was shopping?"

Tong Yao groaned loudly. This made Lu Si Cheng smile even bigger.

"You're terrible you know that," Tong Yao accused. "Jin Yang dragged me to so many stores today and made me try on so many clothes. My feet hurt. We didn't even stop for dinner."

Tong Yao realized too late what she had accidentally said. She really hoped that, by some miracle, her boyfriend didn't hear what she had said in the end. His deep frown seems to be telling her not to have false hope.

"You haven't eaten yet?" he asked. She felt chilled going down her back.

"My darling boyfriend, your girlfriend is so tired right now to think about eating. I only have enough energy to talk to you right now," she pleaded.

"..." he gave her a deadpanned look. "What hotel are you staying at? I'll bring you breakfast tomorrow."

"Ah? T-that's ok. Aren't you supposed to be in training right now for the Spring Championship? You're going against CK right?" Tong Yao inquired.

"Mm," he replied nonchalantly. "This weekend. The team is going over to the hotel tomorrow so we have enough time to adjust before the match. Do you want to come and watch?"

Tong Yao pretended to think about it even though she's really excited about it. It's the first time she can come watch her handsome boyfriend play live in person.

"Hmmmmmmmm," she pretended. "What's in it for me? Shall I come and root for CK?"

"You dare?" Lu Si Cheng challenge.

"I don't know Cheng Ge. Jin Yang did say Jian Yang looked pretty pitiful these days," she teased.

"Tong Yao. I am counting down the days until I get to see you," he said with a mischievous grin. "I have a list of misdemeanor that you need to make up for."

"Lu Si Cheng! You rascal! What misdemeanor? I'm so angry just looking at you. I'm going to bed. Good night!" she exclaimed and abruptly ended that call. Tch. Why was she coupled with such a pervert? She was tricked honestly. He was a decent looking man when she had first met him and then he turned into a pervert once she had agreed to be his girlfriend. Thinking of a plan, she quickly took her phone and opened her text messages.

[Smiling: Hi! I would love to come watch the match this weekend. Please send me the hotel+ ticket details.]

[Xiao Rui: Great! The team stays at the W hotel so I will book you a room there. Please text me when you arrive at the hotel and I will meet you at the receptionist desk.]

[Smiling: Ok! Also, please keep this meeting a secret, even from the team. I just want to see first and don't want unnecessary news if everything falls through.]

[Xiao Rui: Ok, that sounds reasonable.]

Lu Si Cheng is in for a big surprise!

Chapter Text

Tong Yao had arrived at the W Hotel the afternoon before competition days. There were fans swarming the entrance hoping to get a peek at their favorite players. With the hood of her oversize sweater covering most of her head and a mask on and pushing a suitcase in one hand, she easily breezed through the crowds of fans. She made her way to what seemed like the receptionist's desk. She pulled up the profile picture of the person who had contacted her for reference on who she should be looking for. There was a gentleman who was leaning against the counter that looked like the guy in the photo. She cautiously approaches him.

"Xiao Rui," she asks nervously. The guy turned and gave her a dazzling smile.

"Yes, how can I help you?" he asks.

"Hi, I'm Smiling! It's nice to me you Mr. Rui," she greeted as she took off her mask. His jaw dropped and his eyes popped out in surprise. She should really take a photo. Cheng Ge would like it.

"Y-you're really a girl?" he asks in shock. ZGDX was going to be the big talking point if she joins the team. He can feel the raise in his pockets now!

"Yep! Would that be a problem?" she asks.

"No! Absolutely no problem!" he hurriedly says. "Do you want to meet the team? They should be coming back from training soon?"

"Ah? No, that's ok. I would really appreciate it if you continue to keep this secret that I am here and about my identity," she says.

Just at that moment, the fans began to scream. A black bus had pulled in front of the building. The team members began to exit the bus one by one. The three figures that had came out first excitedly wave to their fans and thank them for being there. The fourth figure came out with a sad look on his face as he massaged his wrist. The final person to exit the bus had a dark look on his face and look absolutely unapproachable, especially with the earbuds in his ears. As they turn towards the elevator direction, for a very brief microsecond, it seem as though Lu Si Cheng and Tong Yao had made eye contact.

"That's the team there. By the look on the Captain's face, they must have lost the skirmish with a Korean team," Xiao Rui said with a sigh.

"Is it just me or does the Captain look like not a nice person?" she asks curiously.

"No, you're wrong. He IS not a nice person," Xiao Rui replied. This caused Tong Yao to giggle. He hands her an envelope. "This is the hotel key card as well as tickets to see the match tomorrow. You are staying on the fourth floor, room 416. I have to go and catch up with the team but if you have any problems just text me on WeChat."

"Ok, thanks Mr. Rui," thanked Tong Yao as she took the envelope.

"Just call me Xiao Rui. That's what everyone calls me. I really have to rush but I look forward to hearing from you, Smiling," he said before he quickly ran towards the elevators that the team was heading to earlier.

Tong Yao can't help but giggle. She put on her mask again. After dating in secrecy for so long she has become a veteran in disguises and staying on the down low. Suddenly her phone vibrated in her hand.

[Your Beloved Correction Officer: Where are you?]

She stared at this nickname. Her boyfriend really was petty enough to change it to this. She debated on whether she should really tell him where she was. She then sighed then decided that it won't do to lie to him. Who knows what outrageous punishment he will come up with.

[My Beloved Salted Fish Maiden: *Pic of the hotel logo at the receptionist desk* Surprise!]

[My Beloved Salted Fish Maiden: I'm here to watch you crush CK! So do well Captain!]

[Your Beloved Correction Officer: Let's go out to dinner then. You still owe me.]

[My Beloved Salted Fish Maiden: You're so petty. You are so rich yet you won't even let me off the hook for ONE meal? What a cheap boyfriend I have. Anyways, we can't go out to dinner. Mr. Superstar, do you realize how many fans are camped outside of your hotel right now? Also, my feet still hurt from shopping with Jin Yang T.T]

[Your Beloved Correction Officer: ...What room are you staying in? I'll bring you dinner later after training.]

[My Beloved Salted Fish Maiden: 416. I want steam chicken, sweet and sour ribs, and stir fried shrimp! Also, while you are out, can you stop by somewhere to get me a big bottle of water? *begging GIF*]

[Your Beloved Correction Officer:....Am I raising a girlfriend or a little piggy?]

[My Beloved Salted Fish Maiden: *Tongue sticking out GIF*]

[Your Beloved Correction Officer: Childish. Might as well send me anything else you want me to pick up for you while I'm out.]

[My Beloved Salted Fish Maiden: Nope, that's it! Thanks Cheng Ge! MUAH MUAH MUAH!!!!!]

With that she closed her phone and grabbed her suitcase and headed towards an elevator. She quickly found her room and used the key card to unlock the door. It was a pretty standard room with two decent size beds. There was a small fridge with two water bottles in it. There was also a small table with two chairs placed near the windows. It was actually quite spacious. There was even a small desk and office chair in a corner of the room. She sighed and looked at the time on her phone. There was still some time before Cheng Ge usually finishes training. She should catch up on the drama that she has been watching recently. She quickly unpacked her laptop and went to get comfy on the bed. She opened her laptop and was about to go to the site to watch the drama when she received a notification that ZGDX_Chessman had started streaming. Happily she opened up the streaming site and logged onto her fangirl account. Like most of his streams, he doesn't talk much even though his mic is on. He just plays and ignores everyone on streams. What a boring man.

{ChengGesBigFish sent 20 balloons}

{ChengGesBigFish sent 20 rockets}

{XGDXno1fan: WAAAH BigFish Ge is so loaded!}

{user1848273: !!!!!}

{user74829: I love you Cheng Ge! Please Marry me!}

PFFFT. Tong Yao had always found these comments hilarious. They don't know what it's like to be with someone like Lu Si Cheng.

{ChengGesBigFish: Let's use gifts to encourage Cheng Ge to say something! I will die happily once I hear him say something!}

She can't help but giggle after typing the comment. She knows he had noticed her comment as he had stopped moving in the game.

"Take back your balloons and rockets. Don't need them. You can die happily now," he responded with an amused grin. Tch. He doesn't appreciate her support. Those balloons and rockets cost actual real life money ya know. She continues to watch him play for a while before she starts getting an itch to play herself. She took her laptop to the desk along with the charger and plugged it into a socket. She then closed his livestream and opened the game. She logged in with an alternate id of hers, Superman_1021. Thinking back, she was playing with this ID when she met Cheng Ge. She got into the queue as a solo player and was immediately matched into a game and was coincidentally the same team as XGDX_Chessman. What a coincidence. It has been a while since she had played with him. This will be fun.

With her aggressive play style, she and Cheng Ge quickly became the carry of the team. With her LeBlanc and his Viktor, they were undefeatable. She even cheekily wandered down to the bot lane and stole a kill from him. She giggles at what the commenters must be saying on his stream. Perhaps they were calling her a leech or a noob for daring to steal their precious Cheng Ge's kill. She was merciful enough to leave his red buff alone. When her screen flashed 'VICTORY' her phone had vibrated to notify an incoming text.

[Your Beloved Correction Officer: Get your own kills.]

[My Beloved Salted Fish Maiden: only want yours *kissy face*]

[Your Beloved Correction Officer:.....play another game.]

[My Beloved Salted Fish Maiden: Cheng Ge, your fans are going to call you petty. You'll lose your perfect idol status.]

[My Beloved Salted Fish Maiden changed 'Your Beloved Correction Officer' to 'A petty man']

Her computer then flashed an invite notification from ZGDX_Chessman. She eagerly accepted it and the two were immediately put into a queue. While waiting for a match to be found, she quickly opened his streams. His face was as stoic as always thought there was a glimmer of mischief in his eyes.

{user5383: Cheng Ge, do you know this Superman player? Why are you playing with this person?}

{user2305: Obviously to take revenge for that stolen kill earlier. How dare that player steal our Cheng Ge kill!}

{user5893: Cheng Ge is so nice to play with this person again.}

{user5389: Cheng Ge is benevolent enough to not go afk last game}

Tch. What a bunch of masochists. She flipped back to the screen to see there was another match ready to go. She quickly clicked accept.

This game she had chosen to play aggressive yet cautious knowing that she could be ambush at anytime by her petty boyfriend to steal her kill. She didn't even dare to venture down to bot to mess with him. Well, at first anyways. Towards Mid game she got bored of constantly beating up the opponent's Mid so she decided to give them a break and ventured down to Bot and see if she can assist her boyfriend. Seeing that he was stuck in a 3v1, she decided to jump in and help him. After winning defeating the three opponents, they went together to finish clearing the turents and finished the game.

She raised her hands above her head and stretched them out. Playing on a laptop is not as satisfying as playing on a desktop with proper set up. She decided to really call it quits and go back to her original intentions of watching drama. She unplugged her laptop and took it with her back to the bed . She tucked herself back under the covers and opened the website for the drama.

She must have fallen asleep while watching the drama because next thing she knew, she was waking up to someone knocking on the door. She sleepily walked over to the door and peeked at the peephole. She wasn't an idiot. Seeing that it was her boyfriend, she opened the door. He scanned her sleepy stance and yawning face and raised an eyebrow. She opened the door wider and walked in.

"I fell asleep watching a drama," she explains as she closes the door. She turns back to see him taking out multiple containers out of a plastic bag. Sensing delicious food, she quickly skips over to help him set the table. Sweet and sour ribs, steamed chicken, stir fried shrimp. All of the food she had requested and she can't help but lick her lips in anticipation. Lu Si Cheng also took out a small thermos as well as two containers of rice from a bag. Tong Yao points to the thermos curiously.

"The team Auntie who takes care of our meals made some herbal chicken soup so drink it," he said as he set a big bottle of water on the counter. "I also picked you up a bottle of milk so drink it later. Maybe you will grow as tall as me."

"Pour me a glass then. I'll drink it during dinner," she replied as she took a seat patiently waiting for him to sit before she started devouring the food even though the smell of the food was really tempting. "Also, I don't like herbal stuff. You drink it."

Lu Si Cheng poured the milk into a glass and then placed the bottle into the mini fridge that came with the hotel room. He brought it over to her and placed it in front of her before taking a seat.

"You want a beating? You probably have been eating nothing but junk food these few days. Drink the soup," he said as he pushed the thermos closer to her. She pouted then picked up the thermos and blew on it slightly before downing the soup. It's not as bad as she had thought but she wasn't going to let him know that. She put the thermos down to see Cheng Ge placing food into her container of rice. She smiled happily and picked up her chopsticks and placed some chicken on his rice as well before going back to eat happily.

"When were you going to tell me that you are joining my team?" he asked after taking a bite of rice.

Tong Yao paused while shoveling food into her mouth. She looks at him in surprise. She forced swallow the food in her mouth. "How did you know?"

"Smiling play style and yours from earlier are almost identical. You were also standing next to Xiao Rui earlier. Xiao Rui also told me a potential Mid was staying at the same hotel as us and was going to be watching the match tomorrow," Lu Si Cheng reasoned as he picked up a tissue from nearby and leaned over to wipe her face.

She took the tissue from him and wiped her own face.

"I was going to surprise you," she answered. "Now that the cat's out of the bag, When were you going to tell me that Ming God was retiring?"

"When it was set in stone. It's a big loss in this circle to lose him as a player but ZGDX will gain an advantage with him as coach," he responded as he put more food in Tong Yao's rice container. "He has a keen eye for strategies and knowledge for the game."

Tong Yao paused eating and looked at her boyfriend seriously.

"Cheng Ge, do you think I should join the team?" she asked with a straight face.

He paused for a moment to think over his answer.

"As a captain, I think you play too aggressive and is too impulsive. You are not used to playing in a team setting and working together in tandem with your teammates. You will need to be trained again in order to play at the team tempo as well as train with the others to get everyone used to your play style, especially Jungler," he explained and smirked when he saw her pout. "However. I think you will make an excellent addition to our team and could possibly be our missing key to winning the next season. You should consider the offer of going pro. As your boyfriend I don't want you to join. I am afraid of exposing you to the fans and toxicity of the e-sports world. I just want to wrap you in a soft blanket and protect you forever."

Tong Yao put down her chopsticks and stared at him in awe. "Cheng Ge....I think this is the most I've ever heard you talk."

Lu Si Cheng grinned mischievously. "Then, what will you reward me with? A kiss....or something more?"

Tong Yao's cheeks heated up. She quickly picked her chopsticks and went back to eating again. Lu Si Cheng can only chuckle at her reactions. Having eaten enough, he closed the lid to his rice container and placed his chopsticks on top of it. He leaned back on his chair and watched his girlfriend eat. It's really adorable the way her cheeks puff out like chipmunks. After a couple more bites and a long drink from her glass of milk, she leaned back on her chair with a satisfied sigh as she rubbed her stuffed belly. Lu Si Cheng stood up and began cleaning up the table. Tong Yao could only watch as she was too full to do anything.

Once the table had been cleared and containers disposed of or put away appropriately, Lu Si Cheng went over to Tong Yao and picked her up and took a seat in her chair and placed her on his lap. He wrapped his arms around her waist snuggly and buried his head into her shoulders.

"Cheng Ge, there's a perfectly nice chair over there," Tong Yao teased as she leaned back into his embrace.

"Don't care...miss you," he said as he breathed in her scent. "Tong Yao...do you want to announce our relationship to the team?"

"...I don't think that's a good idea. I don't want people to think I got in because of our relationship," she reasoned. She can feel his pout on her shoulders.

"I know. I think the same way," he answered. "Though even if we act and date normally, those idiots won't even realize we're in a relationship."

Tong Yao can't help but giggle at the way he speaks of his teammates.

"Cheng Ge, you really shouldn't be calling them idiots," she reprimanded.

"We should just see how long it takes them figure it out," he said with a playful gleam in his eyes.

"That would be fun. I can't wait to meet everyone," she answers with a sigh. "Shall I pretend to not know you? I should probably call you my Captain now."

At that moment, Lu Si Cheng's phone started chirping continuously. He reluctantly pulled out his phone from his pocket to see the team group chat was blowing up.

[Xiao Pang: Has anyone seen our captain?????]

[Lao K: He rushed out before dinner without saying anything.]

[Xiao Pang: Cheng Ge, are you out right now??? Can you please buy a big bottle of water for when you get back? *begging GIF*]

[Xiao Rui: It's already late and the captain is not back yet?? Did you forget we have a match tomorrow, Cheng Ge?????]

[Xiao Pang: Xiao Rui.....have you met the potential new Mid yet? What did he look like? Did he live up to the rumors???]

[Lao Mao: yeah Xiao Rui...is it true that the person is so ugly that they are too embarrassed to turn on the camera?]

[Lao K: Did the person even show up at all? You've been pretty tight lipped about this!]

[Xiao Rui: I can't say anything *zipped lips GIF*]

"UGLY? Tch." Tong Yao exclaimed as she read the text message. She was NOT ugly thank you very much.

"Mm. You're not ugly, just a little short," Lu Si Cheng said with a pat on her head.

"LU SI CHENG! Speak nicely or else you won't have a decent Mid!" She retaliated. She hopped off his lap and stomped to the bathroom.

He chuckled at her antics. She really was easy to rile up. It makes him want to make her angry more. He turned back to the phone and wrote out a reply.

[LSC: Get your own water. I'm on my way back. Already in the hotel.]

Tong Yao came out of the hotel just in time to see him standing up and getting ready to leave.

"Leaving?" she asks as she pads over. He pulled her into a hug and gave her forehead a peck.

"Yeah, I need to go back. Be careful tomorrow. Stay away from CK. I'll get jealous," he warns though there was no heat in his tone. He leans down to peck her lips and let go of his embrace.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Tong Yao said as she walked him to the door. She really should be used to separating from him but it never does get any easier. They finally manage to part ways. She then began to get ready for bed to face the long day that was tomorrow.

Chapter Text

Tong Yao woke up to the chirping of her phone. She stretched her arms before reaching over to her phone and picking it up.

[Your Captain: Breakfast's hanging on your door. Be careful on your way to the stadium. I already let security know you are coming so wear your cap and mask and go in through the back entrance.]

[Your favorite teammate: Captain, play well today! I will be the one cheering the loudest for you! MUAH!!]

She smiles as she sends the text to her boyfriend. After being together for a while, she still hasn't lost the giddiness or the butterfly in her stomach feelings. He was always making sure that she's well taken care of. She stretched her whole body one more time then rolled out of bed to get ready for the day. First thing first, she went over to the front door and opened to see that there was, indeed, a brown paper bag hanging on her door. She took off of the knob and quickly closed the door. She set the bag on the table and went over to the mini fridge and pulled out the bottle of milk. She poured herself a glass and put the bottle of milk back into the fridge. She took the glass over to the table and opened the bag to find two small steam buns wrapped in wax paper. She excitedly took a seat and pulled the steam buns out and unwrapped them. She brought one to her mouth and took a bite. This had come from the shop that she likes to frequent every time she's in ShenZhen! This shop has a very distinct and unique flavor that she will never forget. She happily devoured the two buns and downed the glass of milk. She then went to get ready for the day and get dressed. She had packed what she had dubbed as her 'esport fangirl' outfit. Her whole outfit was all ZGDX colors. She even wore the 'CHESSMAN' uniform shirt from last season that was gifted to her by the one and only. She would blend in the crowd with this outfit! She took one last look in the mirror before grabbing her bag and cap and headed out the door.

The venue was only a short taxi trip from the venue. She had told the driver to go to the back entrance of the stadium so she could avoid the crowd. SHe exited the taxi after paying and then cautiously walked to the big black door. When she tried to twist the knob she found that it was locked. She nervously knocked on the door hoping that someone would hear. Luckily the security guards were standing right in front of the door on the other side and opened the door for her. They were very big and muscular and made her very nervous.

"H-hi. My name is Tong Yao. I was told to come here?" she greeted, nervously.

The two guards eyed her up and down before one of them spoke quietly into a headset. After receiving a confirmation, the guard opened the door wider and gestured for her to come in which she did with much haste.

"Mr. Lu had instructed a staff member to come and guide you to your seat. Please wait here for a bit," one of the guards said.

Tong Yao nodded quickly and stayed up. She opened her phone and tapped on the messaging app.

[Your favorite teammate: Inside the venue. Thanks for the express pass!]

Right as she sent her text, a door opened and out walks Xiao Rui who immediately spotted Tong Yao. He was surprised to see her at that backstage area as he assumed that she would use the front entrance like everyone else. Come to think of it, how did she know about the back entrance? He never told her about it. He quickly closed the door and rushed over to her.

"Tong Yao? What are you doing here?" he greeted. She looked up from her phone and sent him a nervous smile.

"R-Rui Ge, what a coincidence," she greeted back. "I ran into a friend that works here who said I could use the back entrance to avoid the crowd."

"I see," he replied. Then he dropped his voice so that it was just a whisper and asked, "Do you have an answer for me yet?"

She looks down at the floor uncomfortably, unsure what to say. "

"Um, Rui Ge, I haven't decided yet," she nervously said as she looked back at his face. "If there's still time, I would love to meet the team now though!"

Xiao Rui nodded excitedly and smiled at her. Meeting the team means that there's a high possibility she will agree to join. Of course, who would not agree to join after meeting the adorable doofuses that were the members of ZGDX. Well....maybe not one particular person. "Follow me then."

Tong Yao excitedly followed Xiao Rui to the door where he had just come out of. Xiao Rui opened the door just enough to stick his head in and said, "Everyone! I want you to meet someone!"

With that Tong Yao entered and the door was closed.

Unbeknownst to the two of them, there was a figure standing behind a door that was just a crack open with his hands clenched into tight fists. He had witnessed the whole scene, though not quite sure about the conversations that were exchanged between the two.

______________________________________________________

Everyone was just chilling inside the lounge room that was assigned to them as they waited for the time for them to go onto the stage and play. Lao K and Lao Mao were sitting next to each other at a table watching something on Lao K's phone. Xiao Pang was sitting across from them and scrolling on his phone, most likely scouring the web to find new places to eat. Yu Ming was watching a previous CK match to see if there were strategies that were played that they needed to take note of for later. Lastly, the captain of the team, the formidable (and scary!) Lu Si Cheng, was lazily slouching on the couch and playing a game on his phone with a lollipop in his mouth.

The peace was disturbed when the door opened and Xiao Rui stuck his head in. "Everyone! I want you to meet someone!"

Everyone turned their attention to them and looked at him curiously. He pushed the door wider and in walked a girl dressed in their team colors. SHe even had a copy of last season's uniform shirt. She waved at everyone nervously.

"Xiao Rui ah...when did you have time to find a girlfriend? What's more, she looks so young. Is she even legal?!?!?!" Xiao Pang spoke. There was a glimmer of irritation in the captain's eyes.

"Don't speak nonsense or else I'll deduct your wage!" admonish Xiao Rui. "Everyone, this is Smiling. SHE is thinking about joining our team so please, make her feel welcomed!"

All at once, four jaws dropped to the floor and four sets of eyes popped out of their sockets. Lu Si Cheng just went back to playing his games, though if you squint hard enough, you can see a small smile.

Tong Yao really tried her best to hold in her laugh at the sight of everyone. So this was team ZGDX. These were the people who her boyfriend constantly called idiots. She gave everyone a quick bow and greeted, "Hello everyone. I am Smiling but you can call me Tong Yao. I am a big fan!"

This seems to send everyone out of shock. Immediately the four stood up and walked over to her.

"Are you really Smiling?" Xiao Pang asks curiously. Tong Yao nodded excitedly in response.

"But you're a girl and not an ugly troll?" Lao Mao said.

"HA?" asked Tong Yao, not believing what had just come out of his mouth.

"What he means is, you're nothing like what the internet says. That's Lao Mao, he's a little slow. I'm K or you can call me Lao K," Lao K introduced himself with a wave.

"Right introduction! I'm Xiao Pang, the nanny and the support of the team," Xiao Pang introduced excitedly.

"Tong Yao, it's so nice to meet you. I am Yu Ming, ZGDX's Mid," Ming God introduced himself with a gentle tone. Tong Yao could just swoon at his smile and temperament.

"Hi! Nice to meet everyone!" she says with a big smile on her face.

"Ah, Tong Yao," Xiao Rui said abruptly. He points over to the man on the couch and continues, "That's the Captain, Lu Si Cheng. He's the team Daddy."

"Oh. Nice to meet you Captain!" she shouted happily.

He looked over at the group then went back to the game he was playing. "Xiao Rui, you're going to need to find a new Mid. This one is too short; must not be legal to play."

"Excuse you. I am going to turn 20 this fall! I am more than legal!" Tong Yao shot back with a huff. Then her tone turned sickly sweet. "Cheng Ge, what is that in your mouth? A lollipop? Even eating sweet things can't make you say nice things."

"Did I say you can call me Cheng Ge? You can call me Daddy. it would be more appropriate," he replied boredly.

Everyone else can only look at this exchange with faces of horror. This girl really has a death wish. She really talks back to the captain! Was she not scared at all for her well being? Xiao Rui might need a new Mid because this one might actually be scared off due to her bold words. Luckily a staff member came and knocked on the door and let them know that they should head over to stand by soon.

Tong Yao turned her attention back to the group and said, "I should probably head out so I can find a seat. Good luck everyone! Jiayou!"

"I'll walk you over to a seat. There's a section by the backstage entrance that is reserved for the team's family members and friends. I don’t think there will be anyone there today so you won’t be disturbed," Xiao Rui said as he headed towards the door.

When Tong Yao got situated at her seat the announcers were still recapping everything that had happened that season so far. While waiting for the competition to start, she pulls out her phone and begins teasing her boyfriend.

[your favorite teammate: which pretty girl gave you the lollipop? Maybe she's not a shorty like me....are you even sure that I am legal to be with you?]

[Your captain:....drink more milk so you can grow taller]

[your favorite teammate: Cheng Ge...you should stop dreaming during the daytime...I stopped growing years ago. So who was the pretty girl?]

[Your captain:.....What pretty girl? There's only you]

[Your favorite teammate: *blush gif* you sweet talker. Play well captain! I will be watching!]

She sent that text just in time for the announcer to start the introduction for team CK. One by one the players step into the spotlight as their name and brief introduction is announced. When Yang God's name was announced, Sunflower, the crowd went wild with cheers and whistles. Normally he would joyfully and arrogantly wave at the crowd but today he looks like he was in contempt and bothered by something.

After CK's introduction was ZGDX's. Like CK, each XGDX's member stepped into the spotlight as their name and introduction was announced. When it came to the captain's turn, there were even more screams and excitement from the crowd than Jian Yang. Like usual, Captain Lu Si Cheng kept his stone cold face and looked indifferent. Why was she with such a boring man? Sigh.

Then it came to the most important part of today: the actual match. Round one started off without a hitch. ZGDX played aggressive right from the start, to the point where there was barely a laning phase. However, it was clear that the MID of ZGDX was struggling to keep up, especially in the team fights. From where Tong Yao was sitting, she could see the winces that Ming God was doing more and more often. His hands must be in really bad pain. Round one ended with a very narrow win for CK.

There was a short intermission before the second round began. For this round, ZGDX switched tactics and played more cautiously. Chessman was doing the majority of the carry yet it was still a loss to CK in the end. CK's members jumped up in cheers and celebrated as ZGDX solemnly comforted each other, especially towards the one sitting at the Mid position. Like tradition, CK came over and shook hands with ZGDX to show sportsmanship before rushing over and claiming the Spring's season cup. After the pictures were taken and the closing ceremony was over, the players both exited the stage on their own perspective. However, Yu Ming walked back to center stage as soon as the last person went backstage. The spotlight shone on him and the stadium suddenly dropped silent, even a pin could be heard dropping onto the floor. Ming God slowly put the microphone to his lips and began to speak.

"Today, I want to say sorry to you. Maybe some people already know. I finally decided to say goodbye to this stage. Several years ago I was just a freshman who just got into the professional team. Yes, I was just at your age. At that time, most people think playing games is not a proper job and has no prospects. Of course, my family thinks the same. They always asked me with doubt that what e-sport is and is there any future in e-sports. At that time, I didn't know how to answer. But when I see the looks in their eyes, I didn't want to give up. Because my heart told me that this is my dream. The e-sport must have a bright prospect. For this, I quarreled with my family, refused to talk to them, and even left without saying goodbye. I took the train to Shenzhen and came to Team ZGDX to become a professional e-sport player. In this short but much experienced time of struggling, I've been with Chessman, Lao Mao, Lao K, and Xiao Pang of our team. We failed, but we got up again. After all these ups and downs, I've found my position and direction. But unfortunately, today I decided to put down my dream. The failure of today's game is a reminder of reality. It's telling me to put down the persistence that can only make myself feel touched and give way to the younger players. Although I can't do it, I know as long as this dream exists, there's always someone replacing me to stand on this stage and carry on my dream and I hope they can make the decision quicker. I hope one day, when Team ZGDX gets that trophy, I'll still be there and you will still be here too. Now, I, Yu Ming, a member of Team ZDGX, will officially retire after this Spring Championship." (This moving speech came from the drama, NOT MINE)

With that Ming God took a long deep bow towards the audience. For a moment there were only sounds of sniffles which filled the stadium. There was not a dry eye in the audience, not even the CK fans. Tong Yao was not an exception either. His speech had made her reflect on her own relationship with her parents and as to why she has not even gone back home to see them yet. She had argued and fought with her parents on the topic of gaming on multiple occasions. While she understood their stance on having a stable career, she could not bring herself to follow down that path for herself. His speech made her realize that she too shares his dreams. She knows what she has to do. So as cheers and encouragement erupted from the audience for Ming God, Tong Yao took out her phone and sent a text that would change the course of her life.

[Smiling: Rui Ge, where do I sign?]

******Bonus Scene******

What had ever happened to that staff member who was supposed to guide Tong Yao to her seat? Wellll…….

Xiao Wei was chatting with his friends in the staff break room when he received the notice from security that Cheng Ge’s special guest had arrived and he needed to meet with that person at the back entrance. Xiao Wei quickly bid farewell to his friends and hastily made his way over to the back door. As he headed over, all he could think about was to not mess up on this task. This task was personally asked by THE LU SICHENG. HIs idol. His idol had trusted him, a mere mortal, with the task of guarding and guiding (well, he had only said guiding BUT GUARDING WAS IMPLIED OK) Cheng Ge’s special guest. He wondered what type of person this special guest was for Cheng Ge to make a fuss and give special treatment to. Is it a celebrity? A boyfriend? A girlfriend? It must be a really important person as Cheng Ge doesn’t usually care about these things, Xiao Wei heard that once, Cheng Ge’s parents came to see a match and he still made them go through the front entrance like everyone else. Luckily, Xiao Rui, the manager, was there and had offered to lead them to the back entrance instead.

Xiao Wei arrived at the back door to find….that it was completely empty. WHERE WAS THE SPECIAL GUEST? Xiao Wei was not panicking, not panicking, ok so maybe he’s panicking a little bit. He turned his head to face the two giant guards and asked them where the special guest has gone but unlucky for Xiao Wei, the guards had just changed shifts so the new guards don’t even know who is talking about.

The Special Guest must have wandered off. They couldn’t have gone far. Xiao Wei took off immediately, frantically looking for someone who wasn’t wearing a team uniform or a staff uniform.

After searching every nook and cranny in areas he had access to, Xiao Wei had to text Cheng Ge on WeChat to tell him that he had lost his special guest. What a sad day for Xiao Wei.

Chapter Text

Tong Yao decided to head backstage and leave from there to avoid the crowd. The halls were quite quiet as staff members were out in front cleaning up and escorting fans to the exits, even the two security guards at the exit door were missing. Suddenly someone grabbed her arm forcefully and forced her against the wall. She took a look at who was brave enough to do so and saw it was her ex. She snarled and struggled against his hold.

"Jian Yang, release me!" she snarled.

"Yao Yao, answer me. What are you doing here? What's your relationship with the manager of ZGDX? Why did you look so intimate earlier?" Jian Yang asked forcefully though with a hurt tone.

"It's none of your business! Let go of me!" Tong Yao fired back. She pushed back forcefully and finally broke her arm from his hold. However as she turned to leave, he suddenly was caging her in between him and the wall.

"Yao Yao, are you together with him? He's too old for you," he said. Tong Yao sent him a cold glare.

"Jian Yang, have you lost your mind?" Tong Yao said coldly. "What I do, where I am, why I'm here is none of your business. We are and will forever be finished. You can go back and fool around with your fans and showgirls now."

"Yao Yao, it's all a misunderstanding! You have to believe me!" Jian Yang practically beg as he took her hands in his, Tong Yao pulled back forcefully and removed her hands from his.

"Jian Yang, I don't want to hear your explanation nor do I care. It's time to move on. Just for your information, the only time we will see each other now is on the competition stage. I will be joining Team ZGDX next season," Tong Yao declared.

"ZGDX? Why are you joining them? We crushed them today. Yao Yao, I was the one who introduced you to the game and taught you personally. Really, you should be joining my team if you want to play professionally," Jian Yang tried to reason. This only earned him a more cold glare.

"So what if you were the one that taught me? Do you want tuition money? So what if you crushed ZGDX today? We will come back and grab that trophy right from your hand soon. Just you wait!" Tong Yao exclaimed.

"Such bold words from a newbie," said a cold voice.

Tong Yao and Jian Yang turned their attention to the voice to see the captain of ZGDX along with the entire ZGDX team, all glaring at Jian Yang.

"C-Cheng Ge," Jian Yang greeted. Even if his team had crushed XGDX, respect still needed to be given to this intimidating man or else he would be abandoned by his fans if they caught wind of his disrespect to the literal God of this sport.

"I see you have met our new Mid. Please don't say anything until the announcement or else. Now, please step aside so she can leave," Lu Si Cheng commanded.

Jian Yang can't help but nod then reluctantly walk away and into his own team's lounge.

Immediately everyone bar the captain rushed over to make sure that Tong Yao was ok.

"Tong Yao, are you ok? Did he hurt you?" Yu Ming asked immediately. Tong Yao immediately shook her head and gave them all a reassuring smile.

"I'm ok. He didn't do anything. Promise!" she said encouragingly.

"What's your history with CK's captain?" Lao K asked curiously.

"Long story but what's important is it's in the past and will stay in the past," she declares determinedly. Everyone else looked at each other and decided not to pursue the topic anymore.

"Then Tong Yao, do you want to go to dinner with us? We're going to go celebrate Ming God's retirement," offered Xiao Rui.

"No, that's ok. I don't want to intrude on your celebration. Besides, I think today is enough excitement for me," Tong Yao said with a slight chuckle.

"Well, ok if you are sure. Then can we at least give you a lift ack to the hotel?" Xiao Rui asks.

"Rui Ge...I don't think that's a good idea. There's a lot of fans out there and I'm not quite ready to face that yet," Tong Yap replied nervously. Everyone nodded in agreement. "Besides, I already called a car and they should be here soon!"

Just at that moment, her phone chirped a notification. She checked then immediately turned her screen for the rest to see that it was the taxi app notifying her that the car was there.

"Then travel safely. I'll add you to the team group chat and you can let everyone know when you get back to the hotel safely," Xiao Rui said.

"Ok!" Tong Yao agreed. "Enjoy your dinner everyone! It was nice meeting everyone!"

With that Tong Yao gave one last wave and quickly exited the stadium and quickly located her taxi. Once in the car she quickly sent a text to her boyfriend.

[Your favorite teammate: Got to my taxi safely! Enjoy your dinner. Also, are you mad?]

[Your captain: not at you. text me when you get back and don't forget to eat something. let me know if you want me to bring you something]

[Your favorite teammate: I'm ok. I'll make do with room service or something. I'm thinking of heading back tonight because Jin Yang is coming back later and she said she can drop off your daughter to me then. Your daughter is so mischievous and refuses to eat anything but wet food you know that????]

[Your captain: why is she my daughter when she is mischievous? Just let her eat whatever she wants...It's not like I can't afford it.]

[Your favorite teammate: THE VET SAID SHE'S OVERWEIGHT AND NEED TO GO ON A DIET!!!]

[Your captain:.....Wait for me later and I'll take you back.]

[Your favorite teammate: ok!]

By the time she ended her conversation with Cheng Ge the taxi was already turning into the hotel entrance. She quickly paid then made her way up to her hotel room. As the elevator almost came to a close, she saw a figure in purple and white frantically running into the hotel as if he's looking for someone. Tong Yao didn't realize she had held her breath until the doors finally closed. She prays to whoever was watching over her that he did not spot her. This was the last place that she wanted to run into him.

When the elevator got to the fourth floor, she quickly made her way to her room and hurriedly unlocked the door. Logically she knew that there was a low percentage that he had seen her and followed her there but she wasn't willing to risk it. Her heart was racing rapidly even when she had managed to unlock the door and closed it behind her. Unsure what to do or feel, she calls the one person who she can rant to at this moment - Jin Yang.

[Phone call dialogue between TY and JY:

JY: Hello?

TY: Jin Yang...you will never guess who I saw when I came back to the hotel near the stadium! Jian Yang!

JY: What?!?! Why is he there? I thought the two team were not allowed to stay at the same hotel in case of confrontation? Did you run into him?

TY: I don't know why he was there. I saw him coming into the hotel when my elevator doors closed. I actually ran into him backstage at the stadium today.

JY: What? Did he do anything? Did Cheng Ge see?

TY: He pushed me to a wall and asked, no, demanded! He demanded to let him explain! Can you believe the nerve of him! I was about to knee him when Cheng Ge and the rest of the team showed up. Thinking about what had happened makes me angry again!

JY: JieMei you should've kneed him anyways! How dare he even approach him! You should've made out with Cheng Ge right then and there and show him what an upgrade you got from him! The next time I see him I am going to give him a good beating! Are you ok though? Did he hurt you in any way?!?!?!

TY: I'm ok, don't worry. How did the pick up go? Is my Da Bing well behaved?

JY: Your Da Bing is anything but well behaved! She is such a princess! Did you know she refuses to touch the dry food I had laid out for her? Even your parents say she will only eat it if it's the specific brand of wet food that costs 50 RMB (~ $7 USD) a can. Even then she won't even touch the food until it's topped with some fresh meat. Tell me which cat is more spoiled than yours?

TY: hehehehe, you should blame her father. He's the reason she's this way! How are my parents?

JY: They still don't know you are back in the country. Your mom is still angry as to why you changed your major from accounting to computer science. She's worried you know. You should let them know that you're back. Do they even know about Cheng Ge?

TY:.......My mom would rather shave my head and send me to a Buddhist temple than let me become an e-sport player AND dating an e-sport player. They didn't really like Jian Yang either, more so when he quit school to become a pro.

JY: But Lu Sicheng is Lu Sicheng. He's not Jian Yang. Cheng Ge graduated in law and public policies. Cheng Ge is a decent man. Jian Yang is trash.

TY: still.....AHHH don't talk about this. I'm going to get a headache. How are things between you and Ai Jia?

JY: Don't talk about that kid! I already broke up with him! I'm going to drop Ah Mao off at his dad's then go on vacation and find myself a Lu Sicheng. That kid knows nothing except for playing games and getting rockets on his streams. When should I drop off Da Bing?

TY: I'm coming back to the L hotel later tonight. I'll text you when I get back and you can drop her off then.

JY: Ok, I'll see you then. I'm hanging up now.

TY: Bye!]

During her conversation with Jin Yang she had crashed onto her bed in exhaustion and now has no energy to get up. She opened her text messages to see that she was added to a new group chat. This must be the Team ZGDX group chat.

[Tong Yao: Hello? This is Tong Yao]

[Xiao Rui: Hi! Did you make it to the hotel ok?]

[Tong Yao: Yes! I've been here for a while now but I didn't see this gc until now.]

[Xiao Rui: We're going to head back tomorrow morning. Do you need a ride back?]

[Tong Yao: oh, no thank you! I am planning to head back tonight. My friend is dropping off my cat today...]

[Lao K: You have a cat? Are you planning to bring it to the base?]

[Tong Yao: ...is that ok?]

[Xiao Rui: Yes! Very ok! There's no one here allergic to cats.]

[Xiao Pang: Can you send us a picture of your cat?]

[Tong Yao: *pic of Da Bing being cute*]

[Xiao Pang: Ahhhhh how cute!]

[Lao Mao: what a cute cat you have.]

[Lu Sicheng: tell your furry beast to stay away from my sons]

[Tong Yao:??????]

[Lu Sicheng: *pic of Xiao Si, Xiao Cheng, Xiao Sicheng* ]

[Xiao Rui: Cheng Ge...that's just called the food chain...if an accident happens, it can't be helped...]

[Lu Sicheng: just keep the beast away from my fish]

[Xiao Rui: anyways...Tong Yao, why don't you come by the base tomorrow afternoon, say 4 pm, and we can discuss your contract. Where do you live? I'll have a car pick you up.]

[Tong Yao: Ok! But you don't need to pick me, I can get there on my own. Your base is next to YQCB right?]

[Xiao Rui: Yes. How did you know?]

[Tong Yao: My friend is Ai Jia's ex-girlfriend so I often tag along when she comes by to drop things off for him.]

[Xiao Rui: .....I see. Well then we'll see you tomorrow!]

*******

[Your favorite teammate: Whose furry beast?]

[Your captain: mine. my furry beast. Don't be mad.]

[Your captain: hey, have you eaten yet? We're on our way back to the hotel right now.]

[your favorite teammate: I have no energy to do anything]

[your favorite teammate: *play dead gif*]

[Your captain: then rest on the bed. I'll come by in a little bit and help you pack then I'll take you to buy food and we can head back.]

[your favorite teammate: *crying thanks* My boyfriend is the best!]

Chapter Text

Tong Yao was scrolling on Weibo when there was a knock on the door. She excitedly toss her phone onto the bed and skipped to open the door. She really needs to get into the habit of not assuming anything because when she opened the door, she came face to face with the absolute last person she wants to see - Jian Yang. The strong smell of alcohol plague her nose. Tong Yao immediately slam the door close again and only took a breathe when she heard the auto lock engage. Jian Yang was on the other side pounding at the door and yelling her name. How the fuck did he find her? While she wanted to open the door to beat him up, she realized that it was not a good idea to meet him here...in a hotel...given their stature difference. Tong Yao locked the latch lock and quickly went back to the bed and grab her phone and dialed Cheng Ge.

[phone convo:

LSC: *whispers* hello?

TY: Cheng Ge, Jian Yang is pounding outside my door. I think he's drunk.

LSC:....Stay inside the room. I'm in the elevator right now. Did you call security yet?

TY: not yet

LSC: call down to lobby and ask for security to come up. Wait for me inside the room.]

With that, her boyfriend hung up. She quickly obeyed and dialed the lobby using the hotel room phone and told them the situation. They let her know that security was on their way and had also asked for her to stay in her room.

After a couple of minutes she heard the pounding stop. She rushed over to the door and put her ears against it to see if she could hear anything.

***Outside the room*****

"Yao Yao!!! Open the door! I just want to talk to you! Yao Yao!!" Jian Yang shouted with a slur in his voice as he pounded on the hotel door.

This was the scene that Lu Sicheng was greeted with when the elevator door opened. He became even more irritated. He was already irritated from the scene backstage today but this pest couldn't take a hint. He exited the elevator and tried to calm down his anger as he walked towards the obviously drunk captain of the team that had defeated ZGDX today.

"Jian Yang," he called out. Immediately Jian Yang stopped banging on the door and turned around to see the captain of ZGDX glowering at him.

"C-Cheng Ge," greeted Jian Yang. "What a coincidence. What are you doing here?"

"The team booked this hotel to stay at. What are you doing here?" Lu Sicheng answered with a casual tone.

"O-oh. I didn't know that," Jian Yang answered nervously. "Your new Mid. We have a bad history between us and I just want to clear it with her. That's all."

"I think she already made herself known where she stands earlier. I suggest you leave her alone," Lu Sicheng said coldly.

Jian Yang looked at him in distress before grabbing the other man's bicep in his hands, almost as if he's pleading for his life.

"Cheng Ge, please help me convince her to talk to me. I can't live without her. Everything that happened isn't what she thinks. I'm going to win the championship for her! I'm working hard so we can have a future together, so that she can proudly be with me because I became world champion," begged Jian Yang.

"Jian Yang, you're drunk," Lu Sicheng answered back. At that moment, the elevator door opened up to reveal two security guards. They quickly approach the two men, one obviously bothered and one obviously drunk.

"He's drunk. Take him away and help him sober up and call someone to pick him up," Lu Sicheng instructed. The security guard help peel Jian Yang off of Lu Sicheng and took him away. He watched as the elevator door closed before he approached the door and knocked. He heard footsteps backing away from the door. He couldn't help but snort at his girlfriend's antics. He heard the latch lock undid and the door opened to reveal his messy hair girlfriend. She smiled widely at him and opened the door wider for him to come in. He entered the room and as soon as she closed the door behind him, he felt an arm wrap around his waist. He smiled and brought a hand up to pet the messy hair.

"Are you ok?" he asked worriedly and then dropped a kiss on the top of his girlfriend's head.

She nodded and replied into his chest, "Just miss you, that's all."

His smile grew wider as he pull her into a tighter hug. It was rare for them to be able to do this even though they have been together for nearly half a year. Their dates have been more or less in the Summoner's Rift or through texts or quiet phone calls in the dead of nights. They had attempted to go on actual dates but those always had to end quickly because Lu Sicheng would end up being swarmed by fans or he would get called back to base because of some issues or another. Because of that, they appreciate the time when they can see each other and hold each other much more. Because of that, Lu Sicheng is kind of glad that she will be joining the team soon as that means he can see her on a daily basis and dote on her more.

The intimate moment had come to an end when Lu Sicheng's ringtone started playing. Without completely letting his girlfriend out of his embrace, he reached one hand behind him and grabbed his vibrating phone from his back pocket. He looked at the caller ID before picking it up and putting it on the loudspeaker.

"Hello? Sicheng?" came a female voice. Tong Yao immediately pulled her face away from the very nice chest and looked up at her boyfriend, almost scandalized.

"Hello, mom," he answered casually while looking down at his girlfriend mischievously.

"Son, did Yao Yao ever tell you when she is coming back from abroad? I just got back from France and I bought so many pretty clothes for her and my granddaughter. Speaking of my granddaughter, when can you bring Da Bing to see her grandmother? My poor Da Bing was probably starved by you. You should see all the pretty collars and dresses that I bought her. Let me tell you, son -"

"Auntie!" stopped Tong Yao. She was still not used to his mother's excitement.

"Tong Yao? Are you with Sicheng right now? When did you get back? Sicheng, you brat! How can you not tell me when my Yao Yao is back in the country?" his mother admonishes. Lu Sicheng could only sigh and raise his eyebrow at his girlfriend as if to say 'see what I have to deal with?'

"Auntie, how are you? I just got back recently. You really didn't have to get all those things for Da Bing and I," Tong Yao said nervously to the phone.

"Nonsense! My two brat of sons never let me dress them up and my dumb husband refuses to give me a daughter. I'm angry just thinking about it," Mrs. Lu complains. "Really I'm just counting down the days until you call me Mom as well."

Tong Yao blushes immensely when she hears her boyfriend's mom say that. Lu Sicheng chuckled at seeing her blush but decided to take pity on her.

"Mom," he warns.

"Oh you are so slow and boring. Honestly Yao Yao, why are you with him? Fine, I'll let you two be. Sicheng, take Yao Yao and Da Bing home soon. This time you had better let me keep Da Bing for a while! Tong Yao, come by soon and Auntie will cook you a full Chinese dinner!" Mrs. Lu said before abruptly hanging up the call.

Tong Yao can't help but giggle at his mother's antic. Cheng Ge must have gotten his dad's temperament.

"We're never getting Da Bing back if we leave her with your mom," Tong Yao commented half jokingly.

"Mmm," he replied as he hugged her tight again. He took a deep breath of her scent and dropped another kiss on her head before letting her go. "Have you eaten yet?"

Tong Yao shook her head then said, "I really don't have an appetite to eat right now."

He frowned at his girlfriend's response and took a look at the time on his phone. It was almost past dinner time already and she hasn't eaten anything yet.

"How about some porridge?" he suggested through his tone suggestions that it was anything but a suggestion. She looked at his determined face and nodded in defeat. He smiled again then started walking with her in his arms to the bed where he directed her to sit. He went over to the hotel phone and called for room service to order some porridge for her. She can't help but get butterflies in her belly when seeing him take care of her. He may seem cold and indifferent to others but he's really the most caring and attentive boyfriend.

Lu Sicheng hung up the phone with room service and turned over to see his girlfriend smiling stupidly at him. "What?"

Tong Yao leaned up and pulled his shirt for him to lean down and gave him a peck on the lips. "Thank you."

Lu Sicheng smiled widely at his girlfriend's sudden affection. He can't help but lean forward and give her another kiss before standing back up again.

"Just relax on the bed. I'll pack for you," he said warmly. She could only nod and watch him walk towards her open luggage. He went around the room and tossed whatever was hers into the open luggage before closing it up and setting it on the wheels. He went over to the fridge and pulled out the almost finished bottle of milk and walked it over to her and told her to finish it. She did so with much gusto, not realizing how hungry she was. Soon after, there was a knock on the door which Lu Sicheng opened. It was room service and after paying, he pushed the cart into the room. Tong Yao got out of bed and sat at the table just as he brought the bowl in front of her. She ate as quickly but cautiously as she could and soon the two of them had left the hotel and were speeding down the highway in his beautiful Aston Martin.

They were about to turn into the hotel parking lot when Jin Yang texted Tong Yao.

[Ah Mao's Mom: I just parked in the hotel parking lot. Where are you?]

[Da Bing's Mama: Just turned into the parking lot. We'll find you, hold on]

It was not difficult to spot Jin Yang's bright red Porsche. Lu Sicheng parked the car in the empty space next to Jin Yang. Both he and Tong Yao got out of the car. While he went to get her luggage from the back, Tong Yao turned and knocked on the driver's window of the familiar red Porsche. She took a step back when she heard the car unlocked and the door opened. Jin Yang stepped out and waved excitedly at her best friend before wiggling her eyebrows to tease her.

"Your Da Bing has been yelling for her parents for the last hour!" Jin Yang complains as she opens the back door and gently takes out a cat carrier and a backpack.

"Meow! Meow!" Da Bing yelled.

Tong Yao gently took the carrier before cooing at her Da Bing from the mesh opening at the top of the carrier. She flung a backpack handle over her shoulders. She looked at Jin Yang and said, "Thanks Jin Yang. I owe you one!"

Jin Yang just waves her off and smiles. "Don't worry about it. We'll talk after I get back from vacation, hm?"

Tong Yao nodded excitedly before she walked over to where Cheng Ge was standing patiently with her luggage and bag in hand. "Bye Jin Yang!"

Jin Yang waves back and watches as her best friend gets into the elevator with the God of the e-sport world. She sighed contently before getting back into her car and driving off. She absolutely deserve the vacation.

******up in the room******

The first thing Tong Yao did when she entered the hotel room was set the carrier and the backpack down on the floor and open the carrier. Immediately the cat darted out and made a beeline towards her father and rubbed against his ankle, begging to be picked up. Tong Yao could only stand up and look at them with her hands on her hips as she watched her boyfriend indulgently pick up his daughter and pet her lovingly.

"Da Bing, did you forget about your mama? Are you still mad that I left?" Tong Yao asked as she walked closer to her boyfriend. Da Bing hissed as Tong Yao's hands approached her fur.

"Da Bing. Be good," Lu Sicheng admonishes though there was no real heat in his tone. Da Bing immediately ceased her hissing.

Tong Yao pouts and tracts her hand and sticks her tongue out at the cat. "He was mine first you know."

"Childish," he said with a smile. She looks at him with a pout and playfully stomps to the chair and sits down with a huff.

"Da Bing. Let's let Mama pout. Have you eaten dinner yet?" He cooed at his daughter. It has been a while since he had last seen her. He walks over to the backpack and gets out two dishes and finds a place to place it in the hotel room. He filled one with water from the complimentary hotel water bottles and the other with a can of expensive cat food. "Da Bing, listen to dad. Don't be picky with your food, hm?"

As he was taking care of Da Bing, Tong Yao couldn't help but pull out her phone and take photos of this cute scene. There was no father more doting than Cheng Ge. She was about to send the photos to Jin Yang when she noticed the Team ZGDX group chat were very active and chatting away. She can't help but enter to take a look at what was going on.

[XP: Has anyone seen the captain? He rushed out of the room while packing and I haven't seen him since.]

[LK: our captain seems to be constantly missing these days....is he seeing someone?]

[XP: our captain? Not possible. Our captain has committed to a life in the monastery and has no interest in the women species.]

[LM: Just saw Jian Yang leaving our hotel...?]

[LK: Jian Yang? Why is he here?]

[YM: Tong Yao, are you ok? Did he come to find you?]

Tong Yao giggled as she read their text messages before replying.

[TY: Yes, but I called security and they took care of it.]

[XP: That's good. We can't have our new Xiao JieJie be harassed by the enemy.]

"My new teammates...they're pretty funny," Tong Yao said with a giggle. "Apparently my new captain has no interest in women."

Lu Sicheng smirked at her from where he was sitting with Da Bing.

"You should know how much interest I have in women. Do you need a redemonstration?"

Tong Yao's cheeks heated up and she yelled, "LU SICHENG! You're a pervert!"

Chapter Text

Tong Yao woke up to a pair of paws smacking her face impatiently. She opened an eye to see her cat letting her know that it was breakfast time and that the princess needs to be fed...IMMEDIATELY.

"Da Bing, go call your dad. Mama needs sleep," she mumbled sleepily. This earned her another smack from the impatient cat.

Tong Yao reached under the blanket and tapped the arms holding her waist and mumbled, "Cheng Ge, go feed your chubby daughter."

This got a groan out of the sleeping figure behind her. His face snuggled into her hair further and in a raspy voice said, "Weren't you the one crying because she wouldn't give you any attention? Go receive the attention. Go feed her quickly then come back to bed."

Tong Yao groaned loudly then pushed the arms off of her waist. She slowly rolled out of bed and made her way to where Cheng Ge had set Da Bing's bowls last night. She can hear the quick scampering of the cat behind her. She knelt down on one knee and blindly reached into Da Bing's backpack and randomly grabbed a can of food. She opened the can and used the lid of the can to portion off half of it into the food bowl. Then she stood up and went to toss the lid. She looked over to see Da Bing just standing next to her bowl and not eating.

"Da Bing, go eat breakfast. You were crying so loudly about how hungry you were," Tong Yao admonished. The cat looked at the bowl then back at Tong Yao, as if to say, "Really?"

Tong Yao placed the can on a counter and walked over to Da Bing and knelt down next to the cat. She brought her hand behind the cat's ear before scratching the area.

"Da Bing ah. Be a good girl and listen to the vet. The vet says you need to lose weight or else there will be health complications if you become too fat. Listen to Mama ah," Tong Yao said gently. If cats could glare then Tong Yao was on the receiving end of one. Da Bing brought a paw up and smacked the hand that was scratching behind its head. It stood up from where it had been sitting then lazily strolled over to the bed and effortlessly hopped on. It went over to its other parent's face and began meowing loudly, as if crying in injustice.

Tong Yao got up and quickly went over to the side of the bed and picked up the meowing cat. "Da Bing, you need to let your dad sleep. Be good and eat your breakfast."

She placed the cat back in front of the bowl. The cat looked up at her in betrayal then begrudgingly started eating. Tong Yao smiled in triumph and skipped back to bed. She picked up her phone from the bedside table and noticed that Mrs. Lu had texted her earlier in the morning.

[Mrs. Lu: Yao Yao, are you up yet? I tried texting Sicheng but my stinky son is probably still dead asleep. Tell him to take you over for lunch today. I will go into the kitchen personally today and cook you a feast! If you don't come I will cry! No need to text back.]

Tong Yao could only stare at the message, unsure how to react. Lu Sicheng's mom was formidable and deserved to be chairwoman of the Lu Corporations indeed. She looked at the time on her phone and noticed it was already late morning. If they wanted to get there in time for lunch they would need to leave soon. She took one look at her snoozing boyfriend and she can't help but smile giddily. He really did have a pretty face and much better to deal with when asleep. She can't help but bring both of her hands up to his face, gently cup it, then pinch his perfect cheeks! Lu Sicheng's eyes shot wide open to see his girlfriend happily smiling at him while pinching his cheeks.

He let out a sigh then asked, "What craziness are you on now? Why are you even awake?"

Tong Yao let go of his cheeks and retreated to the safety of the bed.

"Your mom texted saying she wants us to come for lunch. She said she texted you but you were sleeping. I'm going to go get ready," she reported. With that she scampered off to the bathroom to go about her morning routine. Lu Sicheng could only sit up and watch her make her way to the bathroom. He sleepily reached for his phone on the nightstand and saw that his mom had indeed texted him at the crack of dawn.

[Mom: Sicheng...are you awake?]

[Mom: you're probably still sleeping...no matter though since you never reply to your dear mother's text messages]

[Mom: I am cooking today so you best bring Yao Yao and Da Bing for lunch today.]

[Mom: AND Lu Sicheng AND]

[Mom: If you come home without BOTH my granddaughter and my Yao Yao I will give Xiao Rui the override permission to make you go to all of the events and you can't veto it.]

[Mom: Remember BOTH Da Bing AND Yao Yao]

Lu Sicheng scoffed as he read his mom's text messages. Was he even her son anymore? He closes his phone with a sigh and got out of bed. He walked over to Da Bing who was pitifully just staring at her empty food bowl. Da Bing looked up and saw that it was her dad then let out a whimpering meow.

"Da Bing, did Mama not feed you enough? Are you still hungry?" he asked the cat gently as he bent down to pet it. He looked over at the counter to see the can of cat food with half of it still in there. He reached over and took it then put it on the floor for Da Bing to finish. He stroked the cat's back as it greedily scarfed down the rest of the can like it had been starved for an eternity. Of course, this was the scene that Tong Yao came out of the bathroom to see.

"Cheng Ge! Da Bing is supposed to be on a diet!" Tong Yao admonished.

Lu Sicheng looked up at her and said, "She's a growing girl. Let her eat."

She could only look at her boyfriend in disbelief. She's growing alright. She's growing too big to be healthy, that's why she was put on a diet.

After petting the cat for a while, Lu Sicheng went to the bathroom to do his morning routine while Tong Yao got dressed. He came out to see Tong Yao checking to make sure she had everything in her purse and Da Bing lazily stretched out on the bed. He went over to the cat and gently picked her up and brought her over to the carrier.

"Da Bing, be good. We're going to see your crazy grandma," he said as he zipped her in the posh carrier. He looked over to see if his girlfriend was ready so he picked up the carrier and said, "Let's go."

Of course before exiting, both humans made sure to wear their hood/cap and a mask to cover their face. With how popular Lu Sicheng is, it's better to assume that he would be recognized than not so it's always a good idea to cover up, even if he doesn't like it. Tong Yao is determined to not be the downfall to his career because she was selfish.

They made it into the car with relative peace and so was the drive over to the Lu residence. Even though it was not her first time at the Lu Residence, Tong Yao could not help but be amazed at how luxurious the Lu Residence was. Lu Sicheng pulled up right in front of the door and parked. He got out of the car and immediately walked over to Tong Yao's side to open the door for her. He gently picked up Da Bing's carrier and moved aside so that Tong Yao could come out. Tong Yao can't help but giggle at her boyfriend's actions. It was very heartwarming. He closed the door after she got out and they both walked side by side up to the front door where he quickly input the code to unlock it. Once the door was open, they both went inside and Lu Sicheng promptly closed the door behind them. Then he placed the carrier gently on the floor and took his daughter, who was letting out pitiful whimpers the moment the car had stopped, out.

"My granddaughter!" a female voice yelled. The two looked towards the voice to see a beautiful older woman wearing an apron coming towards them with her arms stretched out.

"Hello Auntie," Tong Yao greeted nervously with a polite bow. "How are you?"

Mrs. Lu rushed towards her and gave her a tight squeeze before releasing her and pinching her cheeks.

"My Yao Yao. It has been so long since I've last seen you. You have become skinnier!" Mrs. Lu greeted them ecstatically. Tong Yao could only laugh nervously, not used to the excitement. How did her boyfriend come out of such an energetic lady. Da Bing let out a loud meow from she was in her dad's arm. This got Mrs. Lu's attention to shift onto the cat and she let go of Tong Yao to snatch the cat from her son's arms.

"My beautiful granddaughter. Did you miss grandma? Has your dad not been feeding you? Why does it feel like my darling lost weight?" Mrs. Lu cooed at Da Bing in a baby voice.

"Actually Da Bing's vet wants to put her on a diet," Tong Yao said. This got a glare from the scary woman holding her cat, which got chills running down Tong Yao's back.

"What Diet? My Da Bing is a growing girl. She needs the extra calories," Mrs. Lu said domineeringly.

Tong Yao could only look at her in disbelief. Like mother, like son. She could only watch as the older woman doted the cat in pets, kisses, and attention.

Lu Sicheng could only watch the scene with a smile on his face. He turned to his girlfriend and brought a hand to ruffle the hair on the back of her head to get her attention.

"Stay here with my mom. I'm going to go take a shower," he whispered to her. She nodded at him and waved as he walked towards the stairs.

Mrs. Lu noticed her son had gone somewhere and became excited.

"Tong Yao, come with Auntie. I want to show you everything I got for you and Da Bing while abroad," She said excitedly while forcefully grabbing one of Tong Yao's arms and dragging her into one of the bedrooms downstairs.

The bed was covered in shopping bags. So was the lounge chaise. So were the chairs. So was the top of the dressers and bedside table. The sight had overwhelmed Tong Yao. Mrs. Lu put some bags down on the floor and sat down on the bed, still with the cat in her arms. She gestured for Tong Yao to start looking through the bags. Tong Yao nervously walked over to the bed and looked through a random bag. She pulled out a rather short dress. It was actually pretty cute...until she saw the price on the tag. Her jaws dropped to the floor. Really….who on earth needed a dress that costs $40,000 RMB (~ $6000 USD).

Mrs. Lu saw the dress that Tong Yao took out of the bag and squealed. "Yao Yao, let me tell you. I had to search all over Paris to find this dress for you. You would look adorable in this. Like a princess!"

"Auntie, this is too much!" Tong Yao tried to refuse.

"Of course I had to! *Sigh* I only had sons so I never had any opportunity to dress up a daughter so please give me this chance," Mrs. Lu begged. Tong Yao can't help but nervously nod and put the the dress back into the bag. She continued going through the bags and pulling out everything from tops, bottoms, shoes, dresses, to even skin care. There were also mountains of collars, toys, treats, soft things for the Princess to laze around on, and clothes for Da Bing as well. After the third item, she had dare not look at the price tag anymore. She finally reached the last bag which looked pretty small, compared to all of the other bags, and she reached in it to pull out...a string of lace all tangled up…?

"A-Auntie?" Tong Yao questioned. She thinks she knows what it is but hopes it's absolutely not what she thinks it is.

"Hehehe. This is more for my son than for you," Mrs. Lu started. "Of course, Auntie would prefer if you both were married first but if an accident occurs then we can speed plan a wedding."

Tong Yao's face flush bright red and immediately shoved the offending item back into the bag. Mrs. Lu looks at Tong Yao flushed red face and can't help but let out a laugh. She could see why her son took so much joy in teasing his girlfriend. She was absolutely adorable when embarrassed. Tong Yao chose that moment to rumble loudly.

"Looks like it's lunch time," Mrs. Lu said as she stood up, still with her well behaved granddaughter in her arms. Tong Yao silently followed her out of the room and to the dining room that had a large round table covered with delicious food. Her boyfriend was already sitting at the table with slightly damped hair and lazily scrolling on his phone. He turned and smiled at her when he noticed them approaching. He pat the chair next to him and she quickly took a seat while Mrs. Lu went to settle Da Bing on a soft cushion that was placed near the window the sunlight was coming through from.

"Why is your face so red? Are you coming down with something?" Lu Sicheng asked worriedly while cupping his girlfriend's face.

"No, I'm fine. Don't worry," Tong Yao said reassuringly as she placed her own hands over his that was cupping her face. He smiled gently and turned his hands that was cupping her face so that he could take her hands that were on top of his, then brought them to his lips and gave them a gentle kiss.

"Tong Yao, only you can bring such a gentle side to my son," Mrs. Lu said as she took her seat at the table. "Come eat. I personally made all of your favorites today so you better eat a lot."

"Thank you Auntie!" Tong Yao said with a big smile. Lu Sicheng placed a little bit of everything into her bowl.

"Eat well and then we will go to the base and sign the contract," He commented as he started eating his own food.

"What contract?" His mom asked curiously.

"I'm signing with ZGDX to replace Ming God as starting Mid," Tong Yao answered.

"You're joining ZGDX? Are you sure? There are no females in the China region. It's going to be difficult for you," Mrs. Lu said concerningly.

"I'm sure! I am willing to face the difficulties in order to bring China onto the world stage!" Tong Yao declared determinedly.

"It's good for kids to have dreams," Lu Sicheng said teasingly.

"Lu Sicheng!" Tong Yao admonished with a slap on his arm.

Mrs. Lu can't help but laugh at the two's antics. "Ignore him. Come eat, eat."

The meal passed by in relative peace. By the time the meal had ended, Tong Yao's belly was so stuffed that she couldn't even get out of her chair to help clear the plates. Even when she attempted to, she was pushed down by her boyfriend who told her to just sit and digest while he helped clear the table. Tong Yao could only lazily slump in her chair and rub her belly in satisfaction. It has been a while since she had a feast with such delicious Chinese food. When the table was cleared and cleaned, Lu Sicheng took a look at the time on his phone and it was getting close to the time they needed to leave.

"Mom, we need to leave soon," he announced as he went to go look for his daughter who was sprawled out in the sunlight napping the day away.

"Oh, so soon!" Mrs. Lu exclaimed in disappointment. "Then Yao Yao, tell me where you are staying and I will have everything sent there."

"She's staying at the hotel and is moving to the base soon. Just leave it all here," Lu Sicheng said as he brought the cat to the carrier.

"Mmm," Mrs. Lu agreed with a nod. "Then I will set up a room for her here! Don't worry Yao Yao! I will make sure you will have the best room here! Even better than my two stinky sons' rooms.

Tong Yao can't help but worry about how that will turn out. She dare not voice anything or else it will just all backfire on her. She could only politely nod and nervously laugh.

With Da Bing back in her carrier and said carrier was in her father's arms, Lu Sicheng and Tong Yao left the house with a promise to come back soon.

Chapter Text

The trio entered the base at 4 PM on the dot. Lu Sicheng helped her get down a pair of guest slippers since she was holding the cat carrier. For once, Da Bing was behaving and not crying in her carrier. Tong Yao slipped out of her shoes and into the slippers effortlessly. That was the moment that Xiao Rui had decided to come see who was at the entrance.

"Cheng Ge? Why are you showing up with our new Mid and her cat?" Xiao Rui ask suspiciously.

"Saw her at the entrance and felt kind so I gave her a ride to the base or else she would die walking with her short legs here," Lu Sicheng answered lazily as he made his way to his computer. Tong Yao pouted and stomped her foot in response to his answer.

"Don't mind our captain. He really is a good person at the heart," Xiao Rui tried to diffuse what he sensed was tense air. "Come with me and we can discuss your contract."

Tong Yao just nods and follows Xiao Rui to a meeting room, still carrying the cat carrier. On the way there she can't help but look around at the base, in awe of how nice it was there. Despite being the well-known Chessman's girlfriend, she actually has never seen the inside of the base. The closest she has ever gotten was the few times she had tagged along with Jin Yang to deliver stuff to her boyfriend at the neighboring base. ZGDX base is actually more spacious than she had thought. Even the meeting room was quite modern and spacious. Whoever had designed the space has taste.

Xiao Rui took the seat in front of her then took out a stack of paper and slid it over to her to look over.

"This is the official player contract. For now, it is only for one season but if everything goes well, we can sign for a longer term at the end of the season. There is a signing bonus of 1.4 million RMB. This is slightly less than everyone else on the team but that's because you are a newcomer. If you continue to sign with ZGDX in the future, the signing bonus will naturally increase," Xiao Rui explains with a smile. In actuality, the club had originally only wanted to make the signing bonus 800k RMB but their captain was adamant on making it higher. There is no one else in the Chinese region that has a signing bonus as high as that for their first season, even as a starter. Boss Lu even said that if the club couldn't afford that price then he will make out the difference from his own personal account. What a considerate boss Lu Sicheng was.

Tong Yao's eyes bugged out when Xiao Rui mentioned how much the signing bonus was. She scanned the contract and indeed, Xiao Rui was correct. If she had known that being a pro player makes this much money, she would've gone pro ages ago.

"In addition to your signing bonus, your yearly wage is 800k RMB. Any prize money that is won in tournaments, the club gets 30% and the rest is divided amongst the players with whoever gets MVP get an extra 2%. The club will provide accommodations as well as three meals a day along with a midnight snack. The club will also provide transportations for any club related events and matches. Along with everything, we want you in top form so all medical expenses including annual check-ups, massage therapists, or any specialties doctors will be covered by the club. We take care of each other," Xiao Rui continues to explain. "Do you have any questions so far?"

Tong Yao shook her head. Xiao Rui then continues, "Then flip to page five. This is the club's requirement from you. There's a streaming quota of 45 hours a month. Since you are joining us late, I will give you a discount of only 30 hours this month. If you do not achieve the quota then your monthly wage gets deducted. We have a no smoking policy here so if you are caught smoking, your wage will be deducted. You are also required to maintain at least the Masters rank on your official account. There's an examination day at the end of every month so make sure you are at Masters at that time or else your wage will be deducted."

"...Rui Ge, has anyone ever earned a full paycheck here?" Tong Yao asked sincerely. As she heard him list out all of the possible ways for her wage to be deducted, she felt cold sweat go down her back.

"Nope," he answered nonchalantly. "Not even the captain."

Is this why the pay is so high? So that by the time all of the deductions have gone through, the players make a normal amount? Tong Yao can't help but wonder. She should ask Cheng Ge later.

"Tong Yao, you usually stream on Fish network right? Did you sign a contract with them?" Xiao Rui asks.

"No, I didn't," Tong Yao answered with a head shake.

"Good. We have a contract with Star network so you would need to start streaming on there. I need to talk to the PR team about how we're going to handle announcing that you have joined the team so for now, keep it on the down low and only tell those necessary. You can continue to stream with your camera and mic off, FOR NOW. Once we figure everything out and announce it, you will need to turn on your camera and mic," Xiao Rui instructed.

Tong Yao was taken back by this. She's not sure if she's confident enough to do that.

"How about, I wear a mask? A face covering?" she tried to barter.

"Tong Yao, are you going to wear a face covering on the team photos? How about on stage in competitions? You should get used to it," Xiao Rui answered with an odd smile. "Do you have any other questions?"

Tong Yao dejectedly shook her head.

"Ok, great!" Xiao Rui exclaimed with a big grin. "You fill out those forms and sign them. Did you bring your ID along?"

"Oh, yes I did," Tong Yao answered as she reached into her purse to pull out her wallet. She took her ID out of her wallet and handed it to Xiao Rui.

Xiao Rui took a photo of it on his phone then handed it back to her. "Thank you. I'll leave you alone to fill out those forms. When you're done just leave them here and go back to the entrance. I will give you the official tour then."

With that, Xiao Rui left the meeting room, leaving Tong Yao alone with a thick stack of papers and a pen. She sighed then began working her way through the paperwork.

It had taken her a good half an hour to fill out the paperwork which had asked everything about her including her basic information, her favorite food, her clothing size, her shoe size, her medical history, bank accounts, to even her exact computer configuration preference. She wasn't sure if she was filling out a job application or a high profile background check. She had let out an exhausted sigh when she had signed her last signature on the form. Death by paperwork, who knew. She stood up and stretched her whole body and then went over to where she had placed the cat carrier on the table. She took a peek inside through the mesh to see her daughter curled up and blissfully sleeping. What a lucky cat. Although she doesn't want to disturb the cat's nap, she doesn't want to leave her in the room alone nor does she want to carry the carrier everywhere. It was heavy. She had no choice but to unzip the carrier and gently picked up her daughter. This earned a protest meow from the cat.

"It's ok, Da Bing. It's just Mama," she cooed at the cat. She settled the cat in her arms and with a couple of strokes on her back, Da Bing fell back asleep in her mother's arms.

Seeing her daughter asleep again, she left the meeting room to return back to the entrance of the base. True to his words, Xiao rui was indeed waiting by the door, scrolling on his phone.

"Rui Ge?" Tong Yao said to get his attention. Xiao Rui looked up from his phone and smiled at her. The smile grew wider when he noticed that she had taken the cat out of its carrier.

"Who's this?" he asked.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce you. This is my cat, Da Bing. She's a little spoiled,” Tong Yao introduced. "She's usually very friendly but today she has chosen to be lazy and sleep the day away."

Xiao Rui can't help but give the cat some gentle pets. He can't wait for the cat to be living here full time so he can sneak in some snuggle sessions.

"Have you finished?" he asked cheerfully. She answered him with a smile and a nod. "Then, welcome to ZGDX! We are glad to have you a part of the team. Let me formally introduce you to the base, your home for as long as you are with us. Normally the boys would also be here but they're all off on vacation since the Spring season had just ended. As you can see, we have a state of the art environment for you to be able to train and get into tip top condition to play. Our equipment gets updated regularly. If you need anything, just let me know and I will try my best to get it for you."

Tong Yao's eyes fell onto the lone figure sitting at one of the computers at the center of the room. He was still quite handsome from the back. Tong Yao can't help but slip out a little smile. She then noticed Xiao Rui started moving so she hurriedly followed along.

"This is our kitchen and dining area. Normally we have an Auntie who comes and cooks all of the meals but since it's vacation week, she's also on vacation. If you do use the kitchen, try to keep it clean as it is a communal space. Medicine and first aid kit on the top cupboard above the fridge. There's a supply of drinks and snack in the walk in cupboard over there. Usually we order those and have them in stocks for our players so really make sure you put what you like on those forms or else you will have to buy your drinks and snacks. Over there is the rest area for the players. The TV is loaded with all of the streaming networks and cable so you can watch whatever you want on your free time. There's also enough room for a cat tower if you want to put it there. Just make sure it's far away from the fish tank. Hehehe."

Tong Yao nodded as Xiao Rui spoke. She leaned over and indeed saw the big fish tank for the three black gold fishes. Her smile grew. Her sons looked bigger than when she last saw them when Cheng Ge and her had picked them out. They were happily swimming around in the mansion of a fish tank.

"Let's go upstairs," Xiao Rui said as he made way towards the spiral staircase. Tong Yao carefully made her way up the stairs as she was holding precious cargo in her arms. When she got to the top of the stairs she noticed that the layout upstairs was pretty simple too.

"Upstairs is mainly living quarters with a more private meeting room. Your bedroom will be the one across from the stairs. To the right of it is Lao K and Lao Mao's room and next to it is the captain's and Xiao Pang's room. Each room has its own bathroom with a shower. There's also a couple of guest bedrooms available but please let me know ahead of time if there are any guests that are coming to the base, especially if they are staying the night," Xiao Rui said. He walked towards the door that he had said was supposed to be Tong Yao's room. He opened it to reveal a pretty bare room with a padded nook area by the windows.

"I thought you would want to decorate your own room so I left it empty. I'll give you a card later and you can go shopping for furniture and stuff for your room," Xiao Rui said. Actually, this was an order from the captain. To quote, the captain had said, "Have you lot ever even stepped foot in a female's room before?"

"Thanks Rui Ge!" Tong Yao answered excitedly. She was excited to have her own room again instead of living in hotels.

"That's it for the tour. Do you have any questions?" Xiao Rui asks. Tong Yao shook her head. "Then let's go downstairs. I ordered some celebratory drinks to celebrate and they should be here soon."

Tong Yao nodded then followed him downstairs to find Lu Sicheng coming in from the direction of the entrance with three cups in a cup tray. He raised his eyebrow at the pair. Xiao Rui rushed over and took the tray from him.

"I ordered drinks to celebrate. I don't know what you like so I just ordered milk tea for us and coffee for Cheng Ge," Xiao Rui said as he handed the respective cup to each person.

"Thanks Rui Ge! You're the best!" Tong Yao said as she held the cup in one hand while the other arm held her slightly chubby sleeping cat.

"Yes, celebrate now shorty. Now the PR team has to prepare for the backlash at the scandal the ZGDX is now resorting to child labor," Lu Sicheng said with a mischievous grin.

"Cheng Ge, speak nicely!" Tong Yao said angrily. Why does he like to rile her up so much!?

"Call me Dad then I'll speak nicely," he retaliated. Tong Yao responded by sticking her tongue out at him. "Childish."

"Aiya, you both are childish," Xiao Rui admonish. "How are you going to cooperate on the same team if you bicker like this all of the time? Never mind. Tong Yao, don't mind our captain. It's how he is but he will carry you to victory."

Tong Yao smiles mischievous and glances over at her boyfriend. "Maybe I will be the one carrying the Captain to victory now. I am younger after all."

"Mm, I shall wait for the day that you take me to victory. This old man will sit back and idly play," Lu Sicheng replied with a lazy smile. The eagerness in her eyes reminded him of Da Bing when it was meal time.

Xiao Rui snorted at that comment. The day the captain let someone else carry him was the day Xiao Rui will get married.

"Tong Yao, do you have a boyfriend?" Xiao Rui asked innocently.

"HAH?" Tong Yao asked in surprise.

"Well, I mean, it's ok if you do. The club doesn't forbid the players from dating. We just need to know for scheduling and PR and damage control if necessary," Xiao Rui said.

While what Xiao Rui said makes sense, Tong Yao wasn't sure if she is ready to out her relationship with the captain, especially after pretending they don't know each other for some time now. Tong Yao shook her head in denial.

"Look at her. What person would want to have his girlfriend look like a kid. Does he want everyone to think he's a pervert?" Lu Sicheng said casually.

'YOU. I'm your girlfriend. You just called yourself a pervert,' thought Tong Yao. Of course, given the situation, there were words that could not be uttered out of her mouth.

Xiao Rui nodded solemnly. Esports was truly a single sport. Even the girl players are still single.

"That's good then. Focus your energy on playing well and less on dating. You should take an example from our captain here. He's old enough to get married yet refuses to allocate time and effort to find the club a lady boss," Xiao Rui said.

Tong Yao really tried to hold in her laugh. She really did. It took a lot of effort. "Cheng Ge, I'll follow in your lead."

"Mmm, a daughter should follow the example of her father," Lu Sicheng answered mischievously. At that moment, the cat in Tong Yao's arm woke up and let out a loud meow, almost as if in agreement with her father. She sleepily poked her head up and scanned the room until her gaze landed on her father. With her target locked, she wiggled in her mother's arm.

"Da Bing! Behave!" Tong Yao scold as she struggle to hold the cat with one arm. In her struggle, she loosened the hold and the cat took the opportunity to jump onto her preferred parent. Lu Sicheng automatically brought supported her bottom with an arm while her front paws was draped over a shoulder of his and her head perked up excitedly.

"Shorty, even your cat agrees with me," teased Lu Sicheng.

"Da Bing you absolute traitor!" rebuked Tong Yao.

"Cheng Ge, even cats are attracted to you," Xiao Rui said amusingly. "Tong Yao, when do you plan to move in? It's probably best to do it sometimes this week while the boys are away and before official training starts for the summer season."

"Mmm, that's probably a good idea," Tong Yao agrees. "I'm staying at a hotel right now so there's not much to move in, only clothes."

"Then let me arrange for someone to take you back and get your clothes and you can stay here tonight. I'll clean up a guest room for you to stay in temporarily. It's still early in the day so I'll tell the driver to take you furniture shopping for your room today as well so the furniture would arrive sometime this week," Xiao Rui plans.

"No need to arrange for someone else Rui Ge, I'm sure the captain can take me," Tong Yao said with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"The captain?" Xiao Rui asked in astonishment. How bold their brand new Mid was, daring to request the great Lu Sicheng to be her driver.

"Sure," the great Lu Sicheng replied casually.

"Hah?" Xiao Rui reacted in surprise. Was it really that easy to make a request from the captain? "B-but aren't you busy? Isn't the chairwoman making you go back home today?"

"No," Lu Sicheng replied. "It's like taking a daughter out to play. Not much work is needed anyways."

"T-then you two should go now while it's still early," Xiao Rui said, still not out of the shock. Tong Yao nodded in agreement. Lu Sicheng silently bent down and gently pry the feline off of him and set her down on the floor. He gave her one last pet before standing up and heading towards the door. Seeing him doing so, Tong Yao quickly follows him.

"Cheng ge, please walk slower. I have short legs. It can't keep up with your long legs," Tong Yao complains as she hurries after him.

The moment the two had stepped out the door, the base was instantly much quieter. Xiao Rui could only shake his head in amusement. Their new Mid was an interesting character indeed. There is finally brave enough to go against the formidable captain. Now, where did that fluffball go? Xiao Rui thinks it's time for it to meet its new uncle.

****Later that day****

Tong Yao walked out of the bathroom feeling quite refreshed after the long day she had. She had forgotten what it was like to shop with Lu Sicheng. No. She had discovered that his shopping tendency to mindlessly swipe his card without a care in the world was not only for clothes but extends to furniture and other house supplies as well. She was the one being dragged to go shopping yet why was she the one with a headache and exhausted.

"Why don't you ever remember to dry your hair?"

Tong Yao jumped in alarm. She turn to where the voice had come from and saw her boyfriend who had made himself very at home in the bed she would be occupying tonight,

"You scared me! Why are you here? I thought we weren't announcing us to the team?" Tong Yao questioned as she tried to regain her breath. Lu Sicheng got out of bed and stalked over to her and grabbed the towel that was hanging around her neck and draped it over her head. He began to silently towel dry her hair.

"Is this another thing a father would do for his daughter?" Tong Yao teased. She's excited to be able to see him in person everyday now instead of through a screen. While they have been together for a little over six months now, it still feels as though they have just started somehow. "Shall I start calling you Ba Ba now?"

All of a sudden, the hands ruffling her hair came to a stop. She looks up to see him looking at her like a predator about to sink his teeth into his prey. "W-what?"

"Tong Yao, try calling me that and see if you regret it tomorrow morning," He replied. It had taken Tong Yao a minute to process what he had said before abruptly moving herself away from his grasp.

"YOU PERVERT!!!" she yelled with her face increasing in shades of red. Lu Sicheng could only chuckle at her reaction. He wasn't going to do anything but seeing her reaction was worth the provocation.

"Ok, ok. I won't tease you anymore," he said and went over and gently embraced her into his arms. "Let's go to bed. Your furniture should be arriving tomorrow. I'll help you assemble and decorate your room."

"Mmm," Tong Yao responded with a yawn. Lu Sicheng saw her yawn so he gently guided her to the bed and helped her into it. He climbed in behind her and smiled at the comfort of his girl in his arms at night.

"What about Rui Ge?" Tong Yao whispered sleepily. There was something about being spooned by her boyfriend that made her fall asleep instantly.

"Don't worry about him. Something tells me that he will be busy at headquarters all week," he replied. "Go to sleep."

*****The next morning*****

True to Lu Sicheng's words, Tong Yao received a text from Rui Ge the next morning to let her know that he will be at headquarters all of that week to coordinate with the team over there over details of announcing Smiling as ZGDX's new Mid starter.

[Rui Ge: Tong Yao, I got called into headquarters for work this whole week so I will see you when the break is over. T.T The captain will still be at the base please try not to argue with him too much. Just ignore him. Also, can you keep an eye out and make sure he's not eating candy or smoking. Let me know immediately so I can give him a pay deduction to vent your anger if he provokes you!!!]

Chapter Text

The week flew by in relative peace. It was like paradise for the couple as they have never been able to spend so much time together in person before. They got to cuddle freely all day and play games all night. Her room was set up and decorated by the end of the second day and every night Lu Sicheng joins her in her new bedroom.

Their peace was interrupted by the loud swing of the front door and Xiao Pang excitedly walked in while dragging along a giant luggage. The first thing he noticed was that there was a loud voice of a girl which seemed to be coming from the main computer area. It seems as though their new Mid had made herself at home while the team was away. Xiao Pang abandoned his suitcase at the entrance and practically ran to where the voices were coming from to see the legendary Smiling play in person. Though when he got closer he only saw the back of the head of the captain while the female voice seemed to be coming from the seemingly empty chair next to him. Xiao Pang quietly stood behind the captain's chair and watched as the great Lu Sicheng played support for the girl, who effortlessly carried the whole team to victory with a score of 18 kills/0 death/0 assists. He glanced over at the captain's computer and also saw his score - 2 kills/ 0 deaths/15 assists.

"Cheng Ge, are you taking my place in the team?" Xiao Pang softly asks in amazement. He has never seen the captain be carried by someone, let alone play support for someone else. It's usually him doing the carry and milking the support.

The new voice made Tong Yao jump up in fright as she didn't expect anyone else to be here except for her and Cheng Ge.

"Hehehe, hello Tong Yao," Xiao Pang said nervously. He didn't mean to scare the new team member. "It's nice to see you again. Do you remember who I am?"

"Yes, of course! Xiao Pang right?" she answered enthusiastically. "You're back from vacation early."

"Xiao Jiejie, it's the last day of vacation. Everyone's coming back today," Xiao Pang said. "Are you all settled in yet?"

"Yep!" Tong Yao replied as she bobbed her head up and down. "The captain helped me settle in. He even helped me put together my furniture and everything since everyone else was gone. The captain really is different from his image on stage!"

Xiao Pang's jaws dropped. He can't help but look over at the captain in question in bewilderment. Was this really the same captain that he has been on the same team with since his professional career began?

"Hurry and join the queue," Lu Sicheng said in his normal monotone voice. Hearing that Tong Yao hurried and scrambled to join the queue before she missed it.

As the two continue duoing, Xiao Pang can only stand there like a statue and watch as, once again, ZGDX's main ADC becomes support for their new Mid and gets carried by her to victory. He really can't believe his own eyes. This was discrimination! He's going to report to Xiao Rui about this until the captain becomes fair and plays support for him as well!

"Tong Yao, you're so awesome. You play ADC almost as well as Cheng Ge!" Xiao Pang gushes.

Tong Yao can only laugh modestly and nervously. Little did the teammate know that Cheng Ge was the one who had taught her how to play ADC with her in his lap and his hands over hers. As she tried to think of an explanation for Xiao Pang, the sound of the front door opening caught everyone's attention. They all looked towards the door to see a very tall male following a smaller male, both rolling a pretty decent suitcase.

"Lao K! Lao Mao! You both decided to come back today as well? How was your vacation?" Xiao Pang excitedly shouted. Even though it has only been a week, it had felt like an eon had passed since he had last seen all of his teammates. They had become his brothers at this point.

The two also abandoned their suitcases by then entrance, alongside Xiao Pang's suitcase, and joined everyone else at the center console.

"Tong Yao, welcome to ZGDX," Lao K greeted upon seeing the girl with her feet dangling from the chair she was currently occupying.

"Yeah! Welcome to ZGDX!" Lao Mao shouted happily.

"Hello, Hello!!!" Tong Yao greeted back with a small wave. With that Tong Yao stood up from her seat and gave a small bow. "I look forward to fighting alongside everyone for the champion cup. Please take care of me!"

The three boys rush to get her to get her up from her bow.

"Xiao Jiejie, we're teammates! No need to be so formal," Xiao Pang hurriedly said.

"Please don't do that! We're teammates!" Lao Mao said.

"Yeah, just come to us if you need anything!" Lao K said.

Lu Sicheng could only sit off to the side and internally smile as he watched his girlfriend interact with his, now theirs, oblivious teammates. Their team was now complete. This was where she belonged, playing professionally and, most importantly, side by side with him. They will win the champion title this summer, he could tell. She was the missing link which had prevented them from winning that title in the past season. While Ming God was an excellent player, he was a cautious player. Tong Yao, on the other hand, doesn't have the map awareness that Ming God has but she is reckless in a good way. She will be able to carry the team with him to victory.

"Log into your smurfs account. Let's do a trial team up and test our new toy," Lu Sicheng commanded. The three boys turned their attention to him for a second (they totally did not forget that he was there too....) and then excitedly rushed to their seats and turned on their computer. It has been a week since they had last log on to the game and they had quite missed it.

Once everyone was booted up and logged in, Lu Sicheng added them all to the queue that he was currently in with Tong Yao. Tong Yao was very excited to be able to play with pro players instead of hoping for a decent player that the system randomly chose. They quickly matched up with an opposing team and they were quickly selecting their champions. Tong Yao got her Leblanc, Lu Sicheng got his Ashe, Xiao Pang followed with Lux, Lao K picked Nidalee, and Lao Mao eagerly picked Gnar. Their team looked promising since it was a casual game and they got to chose their best champions. Tong Yao took a look at their opponent team and the username for the ADC player looked eerily familiar.

...

"Cheng Ge, be careful. I think the ADC for the other team is Jian Yang," Tong Yao slowly warns as their champion gets teleported to the Summoner's Rift.

"Oh," came the cold reply. "Farm well."

This response left chills running down everyone's spine. This was not a suggestion. This was an order. The great God of ADC is here. With the command given, everyone on the team diligently farm and rack up enough gold and minion kills for the battle up ahead. Tong Yao was being a good little farming Mid when she noticed something was moving in the bushes so she rushed over to see it was Jian Yang's champion. At that moment the public chat came alive.

[ASunnyDay: Yao Yao is that you?]

[ASunnyDay: You still kept the account that I taught you on?]

[ASunnyDay: Let's talk. Please Yao Yao!]

That was when Jian Yang was mercilessly slain by Tong Yao's LeBlanc who moved on without much of a pause. She continued on farming and killing Jian Yang until she quickly grew to level 6 in which she started taking down turrets left and right. Her other teammates were having a little trouble keeping up with her. In the end their team won with MVP going to Tong Yao.

"Glad to see that you guys are so eager to train right after vacation," a voice said, startling Tong Yao. Everyone turned their attention to the voice to see smiling Ming God standing behind Tong Yao with his hand all wrapped up in bandages. Lao K, Lao Mao, and Xiao Pang leaped out of their seats and gathered around him.

"Ming God, you're back! What did the doctor say," Xiao Pang asked excitedly. Tong Yao gingerly got out of her seat and joined everyone.

"Tong Yao. How are you? Are you adjusting ok?" Ming God asks gently with a smile.

"Pretty well. Though I don't think I should be sitting in your seat," Tong Yao answered.

"It's no longer my seat. You are my successor so play well!" encouraged Ming God. Tong Yao had to try her best not to swoon at his words. Why can't her boyfriend be this gentle. "Besides, while my surgery went well, my hands will never be what it once was. I will support everyone as couch so everyone, jiayou!"

"We should all go celebrate our new couch and new Mid!" Lao Mao excitedly suggested.

"You lot only know how to eat," came a cold voice. Everyone turned to the captain and was surprised to see him facing them. "But this time I will agree. Let's go for hotpot, my treat."

This caused everyone to erupt into cheers and chants of the captain's name were loudly yelled out by the three energetic boys of ZGDX.

"Let's go to the hotpot place that just opened near here!" Xiao pang eagerly suggested.

___________________________________

At the hotpot place

As Tong Yao browses the menu, her eyes can't help but bulge out of her head. These prices were absolutely ridiculous. She suddenly felt a little pity for Cheng Ge's wallet. By the time her head was back into reality, everyone else had already ordered and was waiting for her.

"Oh uh...I'll just have whatever Cheng Ge is having," she replied nervously. She trusts his taste. He wouldn't order anything ridiculous would he? The waiter quickly took down her order before quickly retreating out of the private room.

"So, now Mid, what's the deal with you and the captain of CK?" Lao K asked as he took a sip of his water. " It seems you both are well acquainted."

"My first boyfriend. We broke up because he was fooling around with showgirls when he told me he was training with his team. We grew up together and started dating in high school. Though, I think I do owe him a thanks because without him I would not have gotten into gaming and the esports circle. Hahaha," Tong Yao explained.

"First boyfriend? It seems our Xiao JieJie has some dating experiences. Are you dating someone right now?" Lao Mao asks curiously.

Tong Yao laughed nervously as she quickly thought of a way to dodge the question. "I want to focus my energy on bringing home a championship!"

Everyone chuckled at her spontaneous enthusiasm.

"Ehhh. Our Xiao JieJie is the only girl in esports right now. Tell me, brothers, how many suitors do you think we would have to chase off now?" Xiao Pang asks.

Lao Mao and Lao K nodded in agreement.

"Will our base become a matchmaking shrine now?" Lao Mao wondered.

Lu Sicheng scoffed then commented, "Look at her. She's so short she practically looks like a kid. It's enough that they accuse us of resorting to child labor, which perverted player will want to date a little kid like her?"

Xiao Pang, Lao Mao, and Lao K looked at each other before shouting, "SUNFLOWER!" and bursting into uncontrollable laughter.

Tong Yao internally thought, 'YOU, oh great captain!'

At that moment, the waiter came back with a cart filled to the brim with all of the food they had ordered. He started divvying up everyone's order and promptly exited the room.

Tong Yao's eyes truly popped out of her head after seeing how much food was in front of her. She looked over at Cheng Ge. Why was there so much food? He caught her looking at him and sent her a smirk. So...it was a trap. So much for worrying about his wallet. She should've ordered the expensive abalone if she knew this was how he would treat her. Afterall, she would need her health in order to deal with him and his silliness.

Everyone dug into their meals with gusto and ate like they have never eaten anything so good before. After everyone was finished, Cheng Ge nonchalantly handed the waiter his card and paid as everyone was off in full stomach bliss.

Since the restaurant was quite close to the base, everyone had decided to walk home. Everyone walked home in very high spirits.

"Tong Yao ah, look at all these very handsome men in this group. If you were to choose, who would you choose to date?" Xiao Pang asked curiously. This caught the attention of all the other boys.

"Ming God!" Tong Yao shouted happily without missing a beat. This caused everyone to stop in their tracks and look at her in disbelief. Tong Yao looks at the disbelieving look and asks nervously, "What?"

"Our Xiao JieJie is surely different from other girls," Lao K said.

"Tong Yao...think carefully and answer again. Think very carefully," Lao Mao said cautiously, unsure why he's feeling an enormous amount of heat and pressure behind him.

"Ming God!" Tong Yao answered immediately.

Xiao Pang was also starting to feel the heat as well. "Tong Yao, take a look at our handsome, rich, and strong captain. Take a nice long look at him. He's the reason why ZGDX is able to operate however we want and to travel extremely comfortably. He is the reason why we were able to eat such a luxurious meal without a worry," Xiao Pang stressed.

Tong Yao gave a firm nod.

"I'm flattered but why me?" Yu Ming asks nervously. His back felt like it was on fire.

"Ming God, are you aware of how awe inspiring your retirement speech was? I nearly moved to tears. In fact, it had moved me enough to join ZGDX," Tong Yao explained. "Oh but don't take this the wrong way! I have no intention in mind except for that championship title!"

Yu Ming gave her a gentle smile in return. "Smiling, Jiayou!"

With that the team returned to the base in quite high spirit. In fact, they were so motivated that they immediately started playing as soon as they got back to base.

It was close to midnight when Tong Yao finally noticed the time. She let out a yawn as she stretched her arms above her head. She's quite sleepy now that she thinks about it. It was getting close to her bedtime. She turns her head to see that her boyfriend was not in his seat. She looks around to see where he had gone. She was about to ask everyone when a glass of milk was placed in front of her. She looked over to see it was Cheng Ge.

"Drink some milk then go to bed. Little kids shouldn't be up this late," he said as he got back into his seat. Tong Yao responded by sticking her tongue out at him but then obediently drank the milk. After finishing, she took the glass into the kitchen and washed it before heading upstairs. She giggled as she heard the teasing that the boys were giving to her boyfriend.

"Aiyo Cheng Ge, I would like a glass of milk too. I won't be able to play well if I don't have nourishment," someone teased.

Tong Yao took a quick shower and had finally stepped out of the bathroom when there was a knock on her door. She cautiously opened her door a crack to see who it was. Seeing that it was Lu Sicheng, she happily opened the door wider for him to come in. He shut the door behind him before pulling her into his embrace.

"What are you doing here? What if someone found out?" Tong Yao asks into his chest.

"They're too busy playing to care. We could kiss in front of them and those idiots wouldn't notice anything amiss," He replied quietly. "They won't be going to bed until the sun comes up anyways. You should go to sleep."

Tong Yao stepped out of his embrace and put her hands on her hips. "Cheng Ge, have I ever told you that you nag too much? You sound just like my mother!"

"Yu Ming nags more than me," he replied with a microscopic pout. Tong Yao can't help but smile widely at him. He was so silly sometimes. She stepped in front of him and took his arms to embrace her once again.

"Are you still pouting from earlier? It was just a hypothetical question and I wanted to throw them off our scent anyways," Tong Yao explained. Then she went on her tippy toes and gave him a peck on the lips. "I will always choose you, Lu Sicheng!"

Lu Sicheng smiled gently at her confession and gave her a kiss on her forehead. "Come on, I'll tuck you in."

Just as he promised, he tucked her in and wished her goodnight before turning off her lights and went back downstairs.

Tong Yao drifted off to sleep, excited for what tomorrow will bring as her official day as a Mid starter for ZGDX.

Chapter Text

Tong Yao woke up feeling quite refreshed. It was weird not waking up to see a handsome face after a week of doing so. She lazily stretched out her arms and looked around for her phone. When she finally found it, she scrolled her phone until she found the Weibo app. First thing she saw was the announcement from ZGDX.

She smiled happily as she reposted the announcement. She then went to the settings and changed her name to ZGDX_Smiling. It had all felt so surreal. She scrolled down from the post to read the comments and can't help but giggle. They were all trying to figure out who this mysterious person was or commenting on what her rumored appearance looks like. She can't help but screenshot the post and send it to Cheng Ge.

[Your Favorite teammate: Cheng Ge, did you know that I'm ugly with a big beer belly and beard so long I drag it around the floor. 2333333]

It was too early for him to be awake. Most likely, he had probably just gone to bed. After scrolling a little more, she decided to go get ready for the day.

Once dressed, she made her way down the stairs to see an auntie cooking in the kitchen area. She made her way over to see what was going on.

"Hello?" she greeted shyly. The auntie seems surprised to see her.

"Hello. You must be Ms. Tong," the auntie greeted back. "I am the team's auntie. I cook most of the meals for the team and do some general cleaning."

"Hehehe Auntie can just call me Tong Yao," she replied. "Do you need any help?"

"Oh no, you just go relax and play your games," Auntie said with a gentle smile. "Oh which reminds me, Mr. Lu had asked me to make some chicken soup for you. You go sit and I'll bring it to you."

With that Tong Yao was shooed away from the kitchen. She made her way to her computer and turned it on. It was still too early to start playing so she decided to catch up on the drama she was catching before she arrived in China. True to her words, Auntie brought her a steaming bowl of chicken soup that smells faintly of herbal medicine. Blech. Lu Sicheng was always trying to get her to eat all of these healthy foods to "counteract all of the junk that she eats." She begrudgingly took a sip of the soup and it actually tasted quite nice, very much like the soup that he had brought to her hotel room.

As she finishes up her soup and drama, Xiao Pang sleepily makes his way down the stairs. Tong Yao was immediately brought to attention his...attire.

"Nice superman underpants," She commented with a smile.

This caused Xiao Pang to stop in his tracks. He took a moment to process what had happened before letting out a yelp and ran back upstairs to his room. Tong Yao can't help but let out a giggle at his reaction. A couple of minutes later, he emerged again from his room and made his way downstairs again, this time with Lao Mao and Lao K in tow.

"Good morning!" Tong Yao greeted from her seat.

"Morning," they all greeted back at once. They headed over to the kitchen where Auntie had their breakfast all laid out buffet style. They all fixed themselves a plate before taking a seat at the dining table to enjoy their dinner. Tong Yao got up from her seat and got a bottle of yogurt drink before joining the boys at the table.

"WAIT! Xiao JieJie, quick put that back!" urged Xiao Pang. Tong Yao stopped all movement and gave him a bewildered look.

"Why?" she asks.

"You don't know?" Lao Mao asks as he leaned closer to her. "Those are the Captain's yogurt drinks. No one is allowed to touch them."

"YEAH, last time someone did and Cheng Ge found out, that person dropped from Master's rank to bronze right before inspection while duo queued with him. Cheng Ge could be fined to heavens and back and still be ok, us mortals can't afford that," Lao K commented.

"That's nothing. I heard Cheng Ge demoted someone back to the back up junior team when they touched his yogurt," Xiao Pang whispered scandalously.

"Hah? But Cheng Ge said that this was community property so anyone could drink it. I've been drinking it all week," Tong Yao said as she cracked open the bottle.

The three boys' jaws dropped at her answer.

"Hehehe it seems as though our captain has a soft spot for the only girl on our team," Xiao Pang said. "Speaking of our captain, Tong Yao, your cat really is daring. It had rubbed against Cheng Ge's legs and cried until he picked it up and went to sleep with it."

Tong Yao could only nervously laugh. How can she explain to them that he was the true owner of that cat?

"Shorty, come and feed your cat," a voice said as it descended the stairs. Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

"Oh," Tong Yao said as she quickly got out of her seat and made her way over to the bottom of the stairs. "Da Bing, come to mama. Let's go get some breakfast."

"Merroooooow," the cat screeched as she continued to cling to her father.

"Da Bing ah ~. Be good for Mama. Let's leave Cheng Ge alone to be grumpy," Tong Yao coaxed the cat. "Mama will even top your food with your favorite tuna."

"Merrrooooooooow," Da Bing cried louder as she tried to climb higher up on her father to avoid her mom.

"Go get breakfast with your mama," Lu Sicheng ordered the cat who obediently did as she was told and leapt into her mama's arms.

Those who were still sitting at the table could only gap in amazement. Even the cat has to obey the great Lu Sicheng. Poor whoever will be their future lady boss as they will probably have to listen to his every command too.

While they processed what had occurred, Tong Yao went to feed her cat while Lu Sicheng fixed himself a plate of food before taking a seat at the table with everyone else. Tong Yao joined them after settling the great Da Bing for her breakfast. While the three other members of ZGDX chat amicably, the other two members were busy on their phones.

[Your captain <3: Have you eaten yet?]

[Your favorite teammate: I drank some chicken soup auntie made me this morning and I'm drinking some yogurt aren't I?]

[Your captain <3: How can you be full from that? Forget it. I will tell Auntie to make some noodles for you. You're probably not used to the food here yet.]

[Your favorite teammate: Thanks Cheng Ge! Here's some love for you! <3]

[Your captain <3: By the way, what did you do to Xiao Pang that made him so scared earlier?]

[Your favorite teammate: 233333 He forgot I was here so he came down in his boxers and tank top. I just commented on it and he ran back upstairs.]

[Your favorite teammate: eh, Cheng Ge. Do you think they like me?]

[Your captain <3: Do you have to ask? Why? Did those idiots say something?]

[ Your favorite teammate: NO! No one had said anything....It's just... I want to get along with everyone. AND STOP CALLING THEM IDIOTS. They're our fellow teammates!]

[Your captain <3: Fine...if those fellow teammates say or do anything you don't like just report them to Xiao Rui and he will take care of them]

"...Xiao JieJie. Xiao JieJie? Hellllllooooo?" a voice called out which had pulled Tong Yao's attention away from her phone and back into the conversation.

"What?" Tong Yao asks, a little bit embarrassed.

"One week with the captain alone and now you act like him," teased Lao K.

"Playing on your phone and ignoring the rest of us. Answering in one word. It seems as though Cheng Ge picked up an apprentice," Lao Mao teased.

"Next thing we know, our Xiao JieJie will start dressing in all black and calling us idiots," teased Xiao Pang.

"What are you idiots going on about? Isn't just a kid following the example of her father?" Lu Sicheng commented without taking his attention off of his phone.

"Can you stop calling me a kid!? I'm a legal adult," Tong Yao objected.

"Oh. You're so short I sometimes forget," he retorted.

"I see a week together hasn't changed the two of you," a voice came from the base's front door. Everyone directed their attention to where the voice was coming from to see Xiao Rui and Ming God approaching their table. "I see that the break has been good to everyone."

"Xiao Rui ah, why do you look so tired. Didn't you also have the week off?" Xiao Pang asks.

"Aiya. You guys got the week off but I, thanks to our new Xiao JieJie, had to work at the headquarters all week to sort out PR and such. It was so sudden," Xiao Rui said with a slight whine in his tone. This made Tong Yao blush with embarrassment. "Since we're all here, let's have a quick meeting."

This causes everyone, well mostly everyone, to suddenly straighten their backs and pay attention.

"First let's all give a warm welcome to Tong Yao for officially joining ZGDX and to Ming God for becoming our head coach. Everyone makes sure to follow each other on Weibo. Second, PR has decided to slowly announce the identity of Smiling therefore, we need to take our team photos earlier than usual. I have us booked for tomorrow so uniforms will be coming in later today. Any questions?"

Everyone, except the captain, shook their heads vigorously. Xiao Rui looked over at Yu Ming and gestured to him to start talking.

"Training wise, we will do two weeks of personal training for reconvening to do team training. Tong Yao, normally we would give you an account with all of the champions unlocked but I think it would be better for you to start from scratch and relearn all of the champions again for you to better understand their team usage rather than solo. I will be personally overseeing your training. Xiao Pang, make sure you are in sync with everyone, especially with Cheng Ge. Lao Mao, please add more playable champions onto your roster. Consider these two weeks as your warm ups before we dive into training for the upcoming summer season," Ming God instructed. He gave out a sigh after finishing his spiel.

"Since we have a new member, I will remind everyone of the base rules once again. There is no smoking here and if you are caught or know someone is smoking but doesn't report it then your paycheck will be deducted. No alcohol consumption once training officially begins. We do have cleaning people to clean the base but your own room is your responsibility so please keep it relatively tidy," Xiao Rui listed. "Since we have a Xiao JieJie joining us now, we will start implementing the rule of knocking on a room before entering."

This particular rule caused Lao Mao, Lao K, and Xiao Pang to snicker. Tong Yao, being her oblivious self, didn't understand what was funny and gave them a questioning look.

"Xiao Rui ah. Did you set up this rule to protect our Xiao JieJie or our Captain's virginity?" Lao Mao teased. "One look at her and you can tell she will eat him up."

"How can a shorty like her eat me up? I can hold her head away from me before anything happens," Lu Sicheng shot back.

With that, those who were snickering quieted immediately and obediently put their dirty dishes away and quickly went to their desk to start training. Tong Yao silently snickered at their obedience. They would poke and tease at the captain until he took out his whip in which they would quickly scramble to behave.

With that, Tong Yao started, what she will quickly come to realize, the two longest weeks of her life. '

By day four, she had never wanted to stop playing so much. Everyday was to eat, train, and sleep only to start the next day the same way. Ming God looks so nice and innocent but he really is a hidden sadist. There was no slacking off with him at the reins. Tong Yao finally realizes why these boys go to bed so late. In order to complete the goal that Ming God had set for her for the day, she has been training since she woke up late into the night. She watches as the boys slowly give up and head to bed, one by one until the only person left with her is Lu Sicheng.

For a while the only sound that could be heard throughout the base was the clicking of keyboards and mices.

"Shorty, it's past bedtime," Lu Sicheng said as he took off his headphones.

"Oh. You go ahead," Tong Yao replied without taking her eyes off of the screen, "I've almost mastered this champion. I will go to bed when I'm done."

"Play, play, play," Lu Sicheng muttered under his breath with a pout. "That's all you know how to do now."

"Eh, Cheng Ge, can you get me a glass of milk before you go up?" Tong Yao asks, completely oblivious to the major pout that was happening next to her.

"Oh," he replied disappointedly yet still did as she asked. He carefully warmed the milk and made sure it was not too hot to touch before delivering it to his precious girlfriend.

As soon as he set the glass down next to Tong Yao, his phone began to ring. He nonchalantly answers the call to meet with screaming.

"YOUR MOTHER HAS GONE INSANE THIS TIME! BABA JUST SAID SOMETHING OFFHANDEDLY AND NOW SHE HAS KICKED ME OUT OF THE HOUSE. YOU NEED TO COME BACK HERE AND COAX HER TO LET ME BACK INTO THE HOUSE. BETTER YET, BRING MY DAUGHTER IN LAW HOME AND LET HER COAX HER MOTHER IN LAW!" the person on the line shouted then abruptly hung up.

This phone call got Tong Yao's attention and she had paused her training to look at her boyfriend to see what was going on.

"Cheng Ge, your mom is really amazing," Tong Yao said in amazement.

"Don't learn bad habits from her," he replied. "Drink your milk so we can go to bed. I'll tell Xiao Rui to give everyone a day off tomorrow and I'll take you out to play."

"Ok!" Tong Yao answered back excitedly. She quickly downed her warm milk.

"Drink slowly! I don't want to end up with a dead girlfriend because she choked on her milk," Lu Sicheng admonished. "Give me the empty cup and I'll go wash it while you clean up."

Tong Yao handed him her empty cup and he took it to the kitchen to wash it while she turned off her computer and tidied up her desk area. Afterwards they both headed upstairs to Tong Yao's room.

"Are you sure you want to sleep here, Cheng Ge?" Tong Yao asks when she saw that he had closed the door behind him.

"Um," he confirmed as he casually got under the cover. "Go change quickly and get in bed. We have to wake up early tomorrow."

"Oh," Tong Yao accepted, then quickly gathered her pajamas and went into the bathroom to get ready for bed.

As she was in the bathroom, Lu Sicheng began to send out instructional texts to Xiao Rui.

[The Captain: Xiao Rui, I need to go home tomorrow for family stuff. The shorty needs to go out tomorrow to do girl stuff so I will take her with me. Give everyone a day off tomorrow. Tell Auntie to take the day off tomorrow too and just order everyone's food for lunch and dinner.]

After he sent the text to Xiao Rui he received a text from his dad.

[Mr. Lu: Ignore what I had said about Tong Yao. Don't bring her or else she will learn bad things from your mother.]

Tch. How can his precious girlfriend be as dramatic as his mother?

******Bonus Scene: Noodles******

"Xiao JieJie! Ming God!" Xiao Pang yelled from the dining table. Everyone was already seated yet Tong Yao was still clicking away at her computer with Ming God supervising. "Come have dinner! It's getting cold"

"Coming, coming!" Tong Yao responded. Even with the reassurement, it had still taken her a few minutes to get up from her seat in front of the computer screen.

"Hurry up! Don't you know that it's a rule that we can't eat dinner until everyone is at the table?" Lao Mao shouted as Yu Ming and Tong Yao approached the table.

Tong Yao gave him a questioning look as she took a seat next to the captain while at the same time there was a knock on the door and Lu Sicheng went to go get it. "Is there really such a rule? I must've missed it in the handbook."

"You mean you don't know? Xiao Rui enforced that rule to promote team harmony between ALL members," Xiao Pang whispered as if it was some scandal. He also made a gesture towards the base entrance where the only occupant was Lu Sicheng. The gesturing stopped when the captain came back with food delivery?

"Cheng Ge, you ordered food?" Xiao Pang asked, slightly surprised. Cheng Ge ever ordered food when Auntie made food. Lu Sicheng didn't reply and instead placed the food in front of their Mid which grabbed everyone's attention. "Tong Yao, did you order food?"

"Don't listen to their nonsense. There's no such rules," Lu Sicheng said as he took his seat again. The four other people at the table turned their attention to their captain and gave him an incredulous gaze. Xiao Rui definitely had that rule enforced after the captain got really angry at them all once and they lost a practice match because of it.

Tong Yao blushed at the special treatment she was receiving and shyly said, "Sorry, I was craving noodles earlier and asked Cheng Ge to order me some noodles since I'm new to this area and didn't know which place was good. Apparently Cheng Ge also really like noodles too."

The four incredulous looks turned into questioning looks. Since when did their captain like noodles? They had only once gone out to eat noodles as a team and the captain ordered a rice plate instead of noodles there.

Lu Sicheng wordlessly served himself and ate. "What are you looking at? Leave if you're not hungry anymore."

The four quickly turned away their gaze and scrambled to eat their food before they tick the captain off more. It truly was too scary to be a team member of XGDX.

******Bonus Scene: the photoshoot******

"Xiao JieJie, don't look so awkward!" Xiao Pang commented as he looked at the photos coming into the computer. "Pretend you're looking at your lover and seduce the camera."

This earned him a smack on the back of his head from the captain.

"Stop spouting nonsense," the captain said rather coldly.

"Yeah, Xiao Pang! There's no love in e-sports," Lao K said. "Xiao JieJie, pretend the camera is Jian Yang's face."

The image alone made Tong Yao's face scrunched up and scowled which led to some pretty good intimidating photos.

"Eh, Lao K, you're pretty good at this," Xiao Rui said as photos of a scowling Tong Yao come through. "Cheng Ge, go and take some photos with our Xiao JieJie."

Lu Sicheng looks at him with an eyebrow raised.

"You're the male god of our team and she's the female goddess of the e-sports world. Also, we need to send a signal to the other team to not try and steal our precious Xiao jieJie away," Xiao Rui explains. Lu Sicheng looks at him for a few seconds before what seems like begrudgingly walking over to where Tong Yao was and starts following the photographer’s instructions for poses.

...

Lao Mao, Lao K, and Xiao Pang looked at each other before leaning towards where Xiao Rui was sitting.

"Ehh, Xiao Rui," Lao Mao whispers. "Doesn't this look like a wedding photoshoot?"

Xiao Rui slowly nodded his head.

"Do you think there's something happening between the two of them?" Lao K whispers.

Xiao Rui shook his head and whispered back, "Have you seen how much they argue with each other? Definitely would be a doomed relationship."

"Xiao Rui, you don't know," Xiao Pang whispers. "Our captain let her drink his yogurt. As in, he brings her one when he gets one."

Xiao Rui turned to look at Xiao Pang in shock. This was news to him.

"Oh yeah. Xiao Rui, you don't know. He also gets her a glass of warm milk at night before sending her to bed, claiming that it was getting late," Lao K whispers. "What gamer goes to bed at midnight? Only our precious Xiao JieJie."

Xiao Pang felt dizzy while turning his head to look at Lao K and Xiao Pang who were nodding in agreement. "Then.....how did our Tong Yao respond?"

"Our Xiao JieJie.....our Xiao JieJie sure is special," Lao Mao whispered with a snicker. "She said she preferred Ming God over our captain."

Xiao Rui's mind is stuck in shock. "Then.....then is our captain in a one sided love?"

"That must be it," Xiao Pang agreed in a whisper. "Our poor captain."

"We should help our captain," Lao Mao whispers. The other three nodded in agreement.

......

"Those fucking idiots," Lu Sicheng muttered under his breath when he heard the "whispered" conversations between the four other people on the side. Tong Yao can't help but let out a small giggle after hearing him say this. These teammates of hers were surely entertaining.

Chapter Text

Tong Yao woke up to her boyfriend dropping gentle kisses to the top of her head. She snuggled in closer to the warm heat of his body.

"Awake?" he whispered in a raspy I-just-woke-up voice.

"Mmmm," Tong Yao responded without opening her eyes.

"Get up if you are awake," he said gently. "I'll take you out to play today. What do you want to do? Shopping? A movie?"

Tong Yao slowly opened her eyes and looked up at her, surprisingly, awake boyfriend sleepily.

"We should probably go somewhere with less people," Tong Yao said, still not fully awake.

"Mmm," Lu Sicheng agreed. "Then...we should just date in your room then."

It took Tong Yao a few seconds to process what he had said before she abruptly sat up with a blushing face.

"Lu Sicheng you pervert!" she yelled as she got out of bed and retreated into the bathroom.

Lu Sicheng can't help but snicker at his girlfriend's reaction to his teasing. Luckily he still had clothes stored in her room from that one blissful week when the idiots were off on their vacation and he was able to share the room with his precious girlfriend. He got out of bed and quickly changed before quietly leaving the room so Tong Yao could get ready in peace. He made his way downstairs and was surprised to see Yu Ming reading on a tablet and making notes at the dining table. Lu Sicheng ignored him and headed to the kitchen and made himself some coffee as well as heating up some milk for his girlfriend. He made his way to the dining table with both a glass of milk and coffee in hand and took a seat.

"You should be more careful if you don't want people to find out you two are dating," Yu Ming said casually without even looking at the team's captain. If you look with a microscope, you can see the slight red that was on the tip of Lu Sicheng's ears from embarrassment.

"Oh," he replied, trying to sound casual.

"How long?" Yu Ming asks, finally putting down his pen and looking at Lu Sicheng.

"Almost a year," Lu Sicheng replied, taking a sip of his coffee.

"You should really tell Xiao Rui about this," Yu Ming advised. "Though, it is really none of my business but I have to warn you to treasure Tong Yao and not cause her any grievances. There are some consequences which you will not be able to shoulder."

"I know," he replied with a sigh. "I wanted to tell but she thought it was better to wait until she could prove herself."

"Eh, did you really not know your own girlfriend was Smiling?" Yu Ming asks. He tried to remember Cheng Ge's reaction that day when they had first scouted Smiling. After knowing Cheng Ge for so long, Yu Ming likes to think that he was able to read the three facial expressions that Cheng Ge expresses and the one from that particular day truly conveyed that he didn't know who was the player behind the screen. This was also the first time in the long time that Yu Ming knew Lu Sicheng was in a relationship. He, himself, was just starting to believe that Cheng Ge was not human with how little interest he had shown to both men and women.

"I forgot," Lu Sicheng confessed. "It had been awhile since I had played with her. She also did not tell me she was back in the country."

It was then when Tong Yao had made her way down the stairs and was also surprised to see Ming God at the dining table.

"Ming God? What are you doing so early?" Tong Yao asks curiously.

"Cheng Ge told Xiao Rui to give everyone a day off so he decided to drag me to report back to headquarters with him today," Yu Ming answered with a smile.

"Come here and drink your milk and we can leave," Lu Sicheng said while patting at the seat next to him. Tong Yao silently walked over and took a seat before quickly downing the glass of milk. "How many times do I have to tell you to slow down or else you will choke."

Tong Yao stuck her tongue out at him in refute as she got out of her seat to go wash and put away the milk glass. She came back and looked at Lu Sicheng expectantly. "Cheng Ge, are we going?"

Lu Sicheng scanned her up and down before getting up from his seat and went over to the console area. He grabbed the cardigan that was hanging off of her chair and headed back to where she was standing, giving him a questioning look.

"What are you doing with my cardigan?" She asks curiously.

"In case you catch a chill later. I don't want you getting sick," he responded gently then took her hand and lead her towards the front door.

Yu Ming could only look at the couple with a sour taste in his mouth after being fed so much dog food. 'Captain, it's in the middle of summer. Where is she going to be cold enough to catch a chill?'
______________________________

Outside, a flustered Tong Yao was being lead to a fancy maserati while trying to break the kind of tight grip her boyfriend happily has on her hand.

"Tong Yao?!" a surprised voice yelled out from behind them. Tong Yao turned around and luckily Cheng Ge released her hand to see Ai Jia and another person.

oh fuck.

"Ai Jia, what a coincidence," Tong Yao greeted nervously.

"What are you doing here?" Ai Jia asks curiously. "Is Jin Yang with you? Jin Yang!?"

"Jin Yang is not here," Tong Yao answered awkwardly. "Cheng Ge is taking care of Da Bing for me while I'm settling in so I asked him to take me to visit her."

"Ai Jia, who's this?" the person with Ai Jia asks.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce you. This is Tong Yao, Jin Yang's best friend," Ai Jia introduced. "Tong Yao, this is YQCB captain, Liang Sheng or Student."

They both greeted each other politely.

"Oh, Cheng Ge, I heard you guys got a new Mid. We also got a new ADC," Liang Sheng said. "Let's schedule a skirmish soon."

Lu Sicheng nodded in agreement.

"Cheng Ge, since you're taking care of Da Bing, you should take here over and let her have a playdate with my cat, Ah Mao!" Ai Jia suggested. 'If I can get Tong Yao to frequent the base then Jin Yang will have to come around eventually!'

"Oh," Lu Sicheng responded. He then turned around and walked to his car. Before getting in he turned around and said, "Shorty, get in the car. I don't have all day."

Tong Yao quickly waved the two good bye and quickly scurried over to her boyfriend's car and quickly got in.

As the car drove away, Liang Shen turned to Ai Jia and asked, "Are they together?"

"Ah? No, what makes you say that?" Ai Jia answered nervously.

"When has Cheng Ge ever shown interest in a cat let alone helping others?" Liang Sheng pointed out.

"Change of heart?" Ai Jia tried to shrug off. Why was he burdened to keep this damn secret?

__________________

"I'm angry," Tong Yao said with a pout.

"Oh," her boyfriend responded nonchalantly.

"Are you not going to ask why I am angry?" Tong Yao asks.

"Are you angry that I held your hands in front of Yu Ming?" Lu Sicheng asks in a slightly sour tone?

"Yes, I am angry about that. What happened to keep it on the down low?" Tong Yao tiraded.

"He already knew we're together," Lu Sicheng reveals.

"Oh," Tong Yao answered. "OH. How did he know?"

"Intuition. Why? Are you worried that you can't go after Yu Ming anymore?" Lu Sicheng asks.

Tong Yao saw the pout that was forming on his face and couldn't help but giggle. "You know there's only you. Stop being jealous and tell me where you're taking me."

"It's a surprise," He responded as he pulled into a parking spot.

Tong Yao looks around at the surrounding area curiously. Why were they in front of a quite run down building with lots of old people on the street?

"Where is this place?" Tong Yao wondered out loud as she took off her seat belt.

"My secret hiding spot," He responded with a gentle smile as he exited the car, leaving behind a bewildered Tong Yao who exited the car moments later. The two meet at the front of the car where Lu Sicheng gently took his girlfriend's hand into his own and softly pulled her towards the entrance of the building. Upon entering the building, Tong Yao was surprised to see that it was a fairly small but clean congee and breakfast restaurant. They were the youngest people in the store by three or maybe even four folds! The store was divided in half by a counter. On one side was the kitchen and the other a seating area with six or seven different tables with plastic chairs.

"Xiao Lu?! Is that you?" a voice shouted from behind the counter. The two turned their heads to see a jolly looking, older woman standing behind a cash register. Lu Sicheng gently tugged Tong Yao along as he headed towards the woman.

"Hello Auntie. How have you've been?" He greeted her in a respectful tone.

"Good, good! Auntie hasn't seen you in awhile! Who's this?" The lady happily said.

"My girlfriend, Tong Yao," He replied warmly.

"My, what a pretty young lady!" complimented the lady which had made Tong Yao blush. She then leaned closer to Lu Sicheng then whispered, "Last time you were here, you needed some help with a girl. Was this her?"

Lu Sicheng nodded with a smirk. He raised the hand that was holding Tong Yao for the Auntie to see and said, "I got her."

"Atta boy! Now, what can Auntie get you two?" she asks.

"Two house congee, two warm soy milk, and one dimsum plate," Lu Sicheng ordered.

The Auntie told him the total and he quickly paid. "Go have a seat and Auntie will bring out your food when it's done, ah."

The two thanked the Auntie and went over to an empty table.

"Girl trouble, huh?" Tong Yao teased. "That can't be right. What happened to the suave and smooth Lu Sicheng?"

"Shut it," Lu Sicheng shot back with mild embarrassment. "I wasn't the one who was unknowingly jealous of myself because I was completely oblivious to everything around me."

"That was so long ago!" Tong Yao cried in embarrassment. Though, in hindsight, she was pretty silly back then when she realized Cheng Ge had liked her when he had confessed after trying to gain her attention for three months.

"Mmm, I've had to endure your silliness for a long time," Lu Sicheng teased as he leaned closer to her face. "Don't you think I deserve a reward for all of my patience?"

"You rascal!" Tong Yao exclaimed as her face became heated again. Lu Sicheng chuckled at her reaction and sat back upright. As Tong Yao tried to make herself calm down again, he proceeded to get their utensils and cleaned them with the tissues on the table. It was then the Auntie brought over their order.

"You two slowly enjoy the food," the Auntie said as she placed the food onto the table. "Be careful, it's hot!"

"Thank you Auntie," Tong Yao thanked as the smell wafted into her nose. The Auntie smiled at her before going back to the kitchen.

Tong Yao excitedly picked up her spoon and stirred the congee up to cool it down. She scooped a spoonful and brought it near her lips and blew on it a couple times before taking a bite. It was absolutely delicious!

"Where did you find this place, Cheng Ge?" Tong Yao asked as she scooped another spoonful.

"Stumbled upon it when trying to get away from those idiots," he replied after swallowing his first bite. "Eat slowly or else you will burn your tongue then I will have to hear about it." Tong Yao sticks her tongue out at him before going back to devour her delicious congee. Lu Sicheng smirked as he sees his girlfriend enjoying herself. He was glad that he had taken her here. The only people who frequent this shop were older people who don't a crap about who they are. In their eyes, they were just two normal people on a date.

They both guzzled down their breakfast and finished with Tong Yao rubbing her full and warm belly. With her belly stuffed, she seemed to remember what had happened last night.

"Cheng Ge, should we go and convince your mom to let your dad back into the house?" She asks as he starts cleaning the table.

"Just ignore them. They'll work it out themselves," he replied boredly. "My mom will just go shopping and spend some of his money then they will be ok."

Tong Yao sighed. She had remembered when she had first met his mom. She was so frightened because his mom had looked so domineering and fierce. Now looking back, those were the only traits that Lu Sicheng had inherited from his mom. They were also in the early stages of their relationship when Tong Yao had met her. They hadn't told anyone about them yet but had coincidentally run into her at a restaurant that she had happened to be dining at. After interacting with the older woman for some time, Tong Yao had learned what a...unique...person's Cheng Ge's mom was. From what Tong Yao had learned, his mom doesn't really need his dad's money to spend frivolously as she does as she makes an obscene amount of money herself.

"Where are we going now? Is it still a surprise?" Tong Yao asks as she watches Lu Sicheng throw away their trash.

"Where do you want to go?" He asks as he heads back to where she was sitting and pulls her chair out.

"Let's go back to your house. I feel bad for your dad," She replied as she got out of the chair and turned to look at him.

Lu Sicheng looked at her for a moment and sighed before saying, " Remember, later when you are complaining, that you chose this."

"Yes, yes! I chose this," Tong Yao replied, mildly annoyed. "Take me to your mother so I can save your dad."

Just as they stepped through the door of the shop, Tong Yao's phone buzzed in her pocket. She stopped for a moment to check the message, just in case it was anything important.

[LSC Mama: Yaoyao! Tell my dumb son to bring you along when he comes to see me to convince me to let my dumb husband back into the house. If he doesn't want to bring you then tell him I won't let even his car pass through the gate!]

Tong Yao laughed nervously as she read the text. Lu Sicheng also read the text over her head.

"Still sure you want to go?" he teased with a smirk. Seeing the nervous look on her face, he changed his face and tone to be more gentle. "If you don't want to go, it's fine. We can go to the aquarium instead. If you want to go I will take you. Don't look so worried. Why do you have to worry if you have me, remember?"

Tong Yao looks at Lu Sicheng tenderly, absolutely moved by his words. She stood on her tippy toes and gave him a peck on the lips.

"Take me to your mom then you can take me home so I can go back to being tortured by sadists." She said,

Lu Sicheng smiled and bent down and gave her another peck. "A payment for my troubles."

**Meanwhile...back at ZGDX's base**

Lao K, Lao Mao, Xiao Pang, Yu Ming, and Xiao Rui sat around the dining table, enjoying a nice lunch that Xiao Rui, under the command of the captain, had ordered for everyone. The absence of two characters was not amiss at all. In fact, some would say that it was as a big as an elephant.

"So...Captain Lu...our great captain...gave us the day off then took off with our Mid, the only girl in our industry?" Xiao Pang tried to clarify.

Xiao Rui eagerly nodded his head. "Yep! He said that he was called back home and she needed to do girl stuff so he just gave her a ride. Though please keep in mind that no one has completed their streaming hours yet and the end of the month is quickly approaching."

Fear ran down the spine of the three players. There's nothing scarier than Xiao Rui's smile when he is collecting livestreaming debt. Even the captain is afraid of that smile.

"Tell me brothers, has our captain given any of you rides in his fancy maserati when you asked for it?" Lao K asks.

Everyone vigorously shook their heads.

"Cheng Ge told me to call the taxi service even though we were heading to the same area," Xiao Pang answered with a pout.

"Has the iron tree began to produce blossom after 1000 years?" Lao K asks bewilderedly.

"Spring has come to our base," Lao Mao followed up.

"The spring has begun to flow again," Xiao Pang finished.

"But our Xiao JieJie.....our heartless Xiao JieJie is clueless and doesn't realize this," Xiao Rui said worriedly.

"We should help our captain to get our Xiao JieJie!" Xiao Pang excitedly suggested. This got the other three boys to eagerly nod their heads in agreement.

Yu Ming, who knows the truth, could only shake his head. "Don't meddle in things that you shouldn't."

******Bonus Scene******

"How could you not tell our own Ma that you are seeing a nice girl?!" His mom yelled as she smacked his arm.

"How did you even find me?" He asked stubbornly.

"You think it's so hard to find you?" She began her tirade. "Let me tell you something Lu Sicheng! If you don't change this attitude of yours then this nice girl will leave you so fast, you will get whiplash. Aiyo, you never tell your poor ma anything! See, I have to resort to stalking and snooping to find out anything about your life. Your brother is no help either but at least he will check in and say some honeyed words for me to hear every once in a while. You? Always make your poor, old ma have to worry about you!"

"Are you done yet?" He asked boredly as he scrolled on his phone.

"Sicheng, mama could tell that Tong Yao is a good girl. Don't get caught up in the competition and neglect her," she advised her son sincerely. She could feel that this was something special as she has never seen this look in her son before.

"I know, Ma."

Chapter Text

As Tong Yao and Lu Sicheng headed over to the Lu Estate, Tong Yao was scrolling on her phone when she noticed that she was added into another group chat. Curiously, she opened it up to see what was going on. Why was there a new team group chat? She then realized that a certain captain was not a part of this group chat.

[LK: Tong Yao ah, are you enjoying your day off?]

[XP: If you run into any trouble, call Cheng Ge.]

[XR: That's right. Our Cheng Ge is a very capable man...in every aspect. :)]

...

[XR: Eh Tong Yao. Why don't you and Cheng Ge stay out a little later today and go somewhere nice for dinner, together. Take this opportunity to bond with the captain. Which players haven't had a bonding experience with the captain? Use this time to get to know each other and get along with each other well!]

*** What was went unsaid was that the other players' "bonding" experience with the captain was him beating them up both in game and emotionally***

[LM: Listen to Xiao Rui, Xiao JieJie! Bond with the captain for team unity!]

Tong Yao can't help but laugh out loud when reading these texts.

"What?" Lu Sicheng asks curiously at his girlfriend's sudden outburst.

"I think our teammates are trying to matchmake us," Tong Yao answered in between her laughter.

She took a moment to compose herself before sending a reply to the texts to redirect everyone's attention off of the two of them.

[TY: I think that would inconvenience the captain too much! I can just grab dinner from somewhere nearby and catch the bus home!]

[XP: There's no inconvenience! Our Cheng Ge really doesn't mind driving us in his fancy car! Besides, Xiao JieJie, you just moved here so you might not be familiar with the bus routes yet.]

[LM: That's right! Plus, Cheng Ge knows all of the best restaurants so tell him to take you there.....then you can bring some home for us!]

[LK: Don't listen to Mao Mao. He's talking nonsense. Don't worry about us and just enjoy a nice dinner with Cheng Ge.]

[XP: Our captain may look cold but he's a very nice person! Just...don't tell him I said that!]

Tong Yao really can't help and continues to laugh like a maniac while her boyfriend gives her worrying glances. These boys really were too much.

"Did you forget to take your medicine for your craziness today?" Lu Sicheng asked after seeing his girlfriend in uncontrollable laughter. "What did those idiots say?"

Tong Yao tried her best to recompose herself and cease the laughing. These boys really were too much. This text thread cannot be seen by the great captain EVER as she fears for what he would do to the participants on said text thread. She muted the notification for the group chat and quickly closed her phone.

"They're just being silly," she replied, trying to sound casual. Lu Sicheng replied by raising his eyebrows in suspicion but decided to let it go. As long as his girlfriend wasn't crying then those idiots could be let off the hook.

They quickly approach the ornate gates that guarded the Lu Estate. Lu Sicheng stopped just before the entrance and lowered his window to press on the intercom to say his name as well as hers. The gate quickly (well, as quickly as giant iron gates could!) opened and allowed the car to pass through. He proceeded to drive his car directly to the house entrance and promptly parked. He quickly exited the car and was in the middle of opening his girlfriend's door when the front door burst open and out came his very own mother looking as happy as ever. Honestly, the women in his life were so dramatic.

"Tong Yao! You're finally here! Come, give me a hug!" Mama Lu greeted with an excited flourish as she rushed over to where Tong Yao was getting out of the car. "It has been so long since I've last seen you!"

"Hello, Auntie. Have you been well?" Tong Yao greeted politely as Lu Sicheng shut the car door.

Mama Lu pulled her into a tight squeeze before taking her hands excitedly. "Come. Auntie wants to show what I did for your room here!"

"Ma, don't mess around," Lu Sicheng warned his mom when he sensed the discomfort from his girlfriend. He also knows how his mom gets and was quite worried for said girlfriend.

This earned him a fierce glare from Mama Lu.

"You. Go away! Let me spend some time with my Yao Yao," She said coldly. "Go with your father and get some groceries and make dinner. Auntie Wen has the day off today and there's no food in the house. Do you expect my Yao Yao to starve? Look how skinny she is! You're probably starving her at that club of yours and working her too hard."

She ended her tangent with leading (read: pulling...well, more like dragging) Tong Yao into the house. Lu Sicheng could only stand there, shaking his head at his mother's antics. Once the door slammed shut, he let out an exhausted sigh and got back into his car to go pick up his dad and do as his mother commanded.

.
.
.

As the pair walked down the hallway to Tong Yao's newly decorated room, Mama Lu's phone began to ring incessantly. She paused her lead (read: dragging) to answer the phone and put it on speaker.

[??: Mama! Baba called me. You should take pity on him. He's getting older, you know.]

'It's my other son, Lu Yue' Mama Lu mouthed to Tong Yao before responding. "You stinky son! You and your brother only know how to pity your father. You only call me to plead for him! Now, hang up! I'm spending time with my YaoYao because she's the only person that cares about me."

[Lu Yue: who? Are you trying to set me or my brother up on a blind date again?!?!]

"Oh, I forgot! You had never met her yet!" Mama Lu responded. "YaoYao is your brother's girlfriend. Call her sister-in-law!"

[Lu Yue:...]

[Lu Yue: WAIT MY GE HAS A GIRLFRIEND!?!? YOU MEAN HE'S NO ONLY INTERESTED IN MEN??? MOMMMMM TURN ON YOUR VIDEO CHAT -]

Before Lu Yue could finish his sentence, Mama Lu had ended the call and continued to guide Tong Yao to a set of beautiful white french doors. Mama Lu excitedly pushed down in the handle and pushed the doors open to reveal the room. Tong Yao's jaw dropped to the floor at unprecedented speed (metaphorically of course, no matter how much she wanted it to be literal).

.
.
.

Oh. My. PINK. Oh so pink. Why so pink? Was that pink fluffy pillows and curtains?

"Do you like it?" Mama u asked enthusiastically. "I've always wanted to decorate a daughter's room."

"It's so....pink," Tong Yao replied carefully, not wanting to hurt the other woman's feelings.

"Isn't it so cute?" Mama Lu replied without any signs of awareness to Tong Yao's disbelief. "I had spent so long trying to track down the bed covers. I had it imported from France because french silk is so much softer on the skin. I don't know anything about computers so I got you all the same equipment as YueYue and Sicheng. If you don't like it just tell Sicheng and he can get you whatever your little heart desires. Let Auntie tell you. Lu men may look extremely handsome but they are actually incredibly dumb when it comes to womankind. Whenever you are angry with Sicheng, just take wallet and go spend his money. Lord knows he has more than enough to cover a few shopping sprees to cheer his beloved girlfriend up."

"Ah?" Tong Yao said, unsure how to respond. She was taken back a little bit. Didn't the mother-in-laws in those dramas don't want the girlfriend/wife to spend their precious sons' money?

"Didn't Sicheng give you his wallet?" Mama Lu asked, offhandedly as she made her way to the bed to take a seat.

Tong Yao shook her head no but quickly replied before any misunderstanding could occur. "But it's really ok, Auntie! I really don't need anything and he already buys me whatever I want when I'm with him anyways! I am really a lucky girl!"

"No, Tong Yao," Mama Lu said with a serious tone. "Sicheng is the lucky one. He always refused or found a way to get out of going to the blind dates that I set up for him. He always ignores me when I mention anything about dating. But, Tong Yao. One day he came home with a silly look on his face - one I have never seen on him before. Of course my stinky son doesn't tell me anything so I had to snoop, I mean thoroughly investigate, to find out that my proud and aloof son was utterly smitten. He even swore to me that he would take care of you. Let auntie tell you, Lu Sicheng never swears or promises anything in his life yet he swore to take care of you and to never make you sad. In turn, you make him so happy and gave him something to work for and that's all Auntie want for him."

Tong Yao was nearly moved to tears. She really didn't think she was that important to him but hearing Mama Lu says so really made her love him more. "I didn't know."

"Well, now that you know, don't tell him I told you," Mama Lu jokes. "Now, tell me, what are you craving? I will tell Sicheng and his dad to make it for lunch."

"Barbeque meat!" Tong Yao answered enthusiastically.

"Done!" Mama Lu responded as she took out her phone and set out a text.

[Mama Lu: buy ingredients for bbq meat. My daughter-in-law wants that for lunch. Come back and make it quickly or else she will go hungry.]

"...Auntie, if you don't mind me asking, what did uncle do to make you so angry?" Tong Yao asks.

Mama Lu smiled mischievously at her before responding. "Yao Yao ah. When you get to my age, you need to do things to keep your partner on their toes or else life will get too boring. I'm not really angry at him but he doesn't need to know that."

.
.
.

Tong Yao suddenly realized in which aspect her beloved Lu Sicheng resembles his mama. Poor her and poor Baba Lu. They were the victims. She should've listened to Cheng Ge earlier. She could’ve had a lovely date with her boyfriend at the aquarium. Tong Yao's pouting was interrupted by Mama Lu's phone ringing.

She took a glance to see who was calling before looking at Tong Yao apologetically. "Sorry Yao Yao. I have to take this. You just relax her and I'll call you when lunch is ready, ah."

With that, Mama Lu quickly picked up the phone and briskly walked out the room as she answered what Tong Yao was assuming was a work call. Sigh. Mama Lu looks so cool and domineering when she's in work mode but how come she's like a child in her normal mode - reminding Tong Yao of a certain someone.

Tong Yao surveyed around the room to make sure that she was truly alone before flopping onto the softest bed she had ever felt. Seriously, if she was not so considerate to Cheng Ge's wallet, she would've demanded he get her the same bed covers for her bed at the base. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a second. It has been a crazy few days. It feels like now she finally has a moment to breathe and process everything. She can't believe that she was training with actual pro-players. Also...Yu Ming is a scammer. He looks and sounds like a sweet person but was an actual slave driver. Tong Yao's phone chirped to notify her of an incoming text.

[Xiao Rui: Tong Yao, I know it is your day off but I am here to remind you that you still owe me 23.45 hours of livestream. Just a reminder that the end of the month is quickly approaching so please take care of this before I have to make a deduction to your first paycheck. ^_^]

Ah. Slave driver no. 2. She quickly dismissed his text and decided to scroll Weibo instead. It has been so long since she's been online. She quickly spotted the latest post that the official ZGDX account had posted which was a teaser of who Smiling was.

Tong Yao stared at the photo of her cat. When was this even taken? She certainly didn't take it. Her Da Bing would only stand long enough for her to take a proper photo if bribed with too much dried fish.

She took a glance at the comments and it was overwhelmingly positive with people commenting on how well-behaved and spoiled Da Bing looks. Wait until they see the photo of Da Bing wearing her tiara that her baba got for her on a whim. The price of the tiara alone was worth more than a year's supply of the expensive cat food that she eats. Or the, probably, thousands of photos of Da Bing in all of the outfits that her Nai Nai Lu had gotten for her from all around the world.

Tong Yao couldn't resist and replied to the post.

She continued scrolling until she got bored of seeing what everyone was doing with their amazing life while she was tortured. She tossed her phone somewhere on the bed and sat up. The room was really big. Big is an understatement; as in, an apartment was a more appropriate word than room. She got up from where she was lounging on the bed and began exploring the awfully pink place. Da Bing would really like this room. There was plenty of floor space for her to zoom around and there was a plush window nook that would be perfect for a nice afternoon nap under the warm sun. Although the room was..pink...Tong Yao does have to admit that it was tastefully decorated, even if any other color on the color wheel would have been a better choice.

Tong Yao opened a random door to find the bathroom that was bigger than her own bedroom at the base (and, don't tell Lao K, she has the biggest bedroom at the base). This bathroom looks like it should belong in some fancy hotel. The white marble walls made the room look so much bigger. There was a glass shower AND a nice size soaking bathtub. How she wishes she could stay the night just to try that bathtub out. Everything looked so shiny and clean, she was kind of afraid to touch anything in fear of messing it up. She gently closed that door and went to open the other door that was in her room. If that door leads to the bathroom then this door must be for the closet. Surely the closet can't be as big as the bathroom.

...

She was wrong.

Why was there so much clothes? Surely these all can't be hers. The carefully walked into the room, unsure what to say or feel. That is a lot of dresses. This closet could probably rival Jian Yang's own closet with the amount of clothes in here. It's not like she lives here enough to wear all of them. She turns her attention away from the forest (yes I said forest) of dresses to find a section of collars, presumably for Princess Da Bing. She excitedly padded her way over to that section. Anything having to do with her precious daughter is always more interesting. There were so many pretty collars hanging on the wall. Really, how many collars does a single cat need? Maybe she should convince Cheng Ge to let her get another cat. Maybe this cat won't be team Baba - unlike someone.

There was a collar which had a blue gem charm. This peeked Tong Yao's interest and so she picked it up and brought it closer for further examination. It kind of look like a sapphire. Surely, this can't be real sapphire. Who would put that on a pet collar anyways? (It was indeed real sapphire and when she found out about it much later, she had nearly died from shock.) She placed the collar back where she had found it and open up a closet door to find dresses presumably for Da Bing. Her Da Bing was definitely a spoiled cat between her Baba and her NaiNai. How could she compete with these two ridiculous humans? She continued to explore from cabinets to cabinets and drawers to drawers.

She must have been really distracted because she jumped in surprise when she heard Cheng Ge calling her name from the doorway.

"Don't scare me like that!" she admonished as she tried to regulate her breathing back to normal.

He smiles at her as he slowly makes his way to her. He took her into his arms and rested his head onto her shoulders. "Regret your decision to come here yet?"

Tong Yao playfully slaps him on his forearm and smiles. "What is there to regret? Your mama even taught me a thing or two."

"Don't learn bad habits from her," Lu Sicheng whined, er...commanded.

"Why? Does sit make you scared, Cheng Ge?" Tong Yao jokes. Lu Sicheng scoffed.

In an attempt to change the topic, Lu Sicheng pulled out a random drawer and froze immediately. Tong Yao looked down at the contents of the drawer to see what had caused her boyfriend to react so his face began to heat up.

The strings. THEY'RE BACK. Amongst other scandalous scrapes of ribbons and laces.

Tong Yao hurriedly pushes the drawers close.

"Uhhh," Tong Yao said awkwardly. "Your mom is really something, huh?"

"Uh," Lu Sicheng reacted, unsure what to say. " Just ignore her."

"Why-y are you here?" Tong Yao asks, trying to redirect the situation.

Just like that, Lu Sicheng snapped out of his awkwardness and went back to the suave captain.

"Missing you," he said with a peck on her cheek.

"You sweet talker," Tong Yao replied cheekily, though not really pushing him away.

At that moment Tong Yao's stomach decided to grumble loudly. That did not help the blush that was trying to go away from earlier.

Lu Sicheng smiled and let go from his embrace. Instead, he took her hand and led her out of the room.

"Let's go eat before you get hungry enough and I start looking tasty to you," he said teasingly.

"LU SICHENG! When have I ever done that?" she protested as she followed him out.

*******Bonus Scene******

At the ZGDX base

The three remaining team members of ZGDX were lounging on the sofa downstairs and watching a drama.

"Do you think we tried hard enough to push those two together?" Xiao Pang asks suddenly.

"Aiya Pang Ge, listen to me. Our Xiao JieJie is so oblivious to everything so we have to slowly push or else all of our efforts will go right over her short little head," Lao K said as he snuggled closer to Lao Mao.

"Listen to Lao K, Xiao Pang. Besides, if our captain finds out we'll get beaten so bad we won't have to wait for the season to start," Lao Mao jokes.

"I suppose you are right," Xiao Pang sighed. "AIYA WILL YOU TWO STOP SNUGGLING WITH EACH OTHER? I FEEL SO LONELY. Now that our darling little starlet is paired off with our dashing captain, I'm the only one on this team without someone."

"Don't be sad Xiao Pang," Lao K consoled. "Xiao Rui is not seeing anyone. Why don't you see if he wants to pair with you?"

Xiao Pang glared at Lao K who was all snuggled up and protected by Lao Mao's muscular arm. He would throw the snack that he was eating at the smug jungler but that's a waste of a perfectly good snack.

******Bonus Scene: Lunar New Year/ Spring Festival******

Two days before the new year, ZGDX's base residents were all in a flurry decorating, packing, and cramming in rank matches because that deadline was also coming up.

"Shorty, can you please stop jumping up and down? You're giving me a headache!" Lu Yue complained as frantically tapped away on the keyboard.

Tong Yao shot him a glare before going back to attempting to hanger the red banner. It was not her fault some idiot (the lovely and ever generous Manager Rui) gave her the task of hanging all of the new year decorations since she was one of the two who didn't have to pack and also had finished her ranking and stream requirement. "Why doesn't this stupid base have a ladder?"

"We didn't need one because we didn't expect to hire a shorty like you," Lu Yue answered back as he made his final attack onto the opponent's base. "You know, it's not too late to quit if that's a deal breaker. You'd already accomplished your goal of getting China onto the international stage so just retire already. I'll keep us there."

Tong Yao glared and stomped her foot at him. "Wait until we get home and we'll see how Mama Lu will deal with you after I tell her about what you said."

Lu Yue replied back by sticking his tongue out at her and went back to focusing on his game.

"Xiao JieJie, where is Cheng Ge? Tell him to help you," Xiao Pang suggested while also focusing on his own game.

This made Tong Yao pause for a moment to think. "Cheng Ge? I think he mentioned going to the bank earlier but I'm not sure."

For a moment, all activities in the base went on pause. The boys looked at each other before getting up and rushing to where Tong Yao was standing.

"Yao Yao, try to remember. When exactly did our Lord Captain mentioned going to the bank?" Lao K asks in a sickeningly sweet tone.

Tong Yao gave them all puzzled looks. "Huh?"

"Aiya, why are you doing these tasks? Go sit down and let us do them, ah," Xiao Pang said as he took the banner from her hands.

"Yeah Little Boss Lady. You sit and relax and remember when did Cheng Ge say when he was going to the bank," Lao Mao said as he lead her by the shoulders to the comfy couch that she suggested (made) Cheng Ge get.

Tong Yao was suddenly confused by her fellow teammates who were acting goofier than normal. She pulled out her phone to text Cheng Ge to ask if this was normal.

[Xiao Cong's Mama: Our fellow teammates wanted to know when you are going to the bank. Is this normal?]

[Da Bing's Baba: When have those idiots ever been normal? Tell them I'm leaving headquarters and going to the bank now.]

"Cheng Ge is leaving the headquarters now and is heading to the bank," Tong Yao announced.

This made all of the boys stop and suddenly they all erupted into cheers and dancing.

"Don't you weirdos have to finish your tasks before the end of today?" Tong Yao asks, mildly annoyed that she doesn't know what was going on.

The boys rushed over and squeezed in next to her on the couch.

"Xiao JieJie, don't you know what Cheng Ge going to the bank means?" Xiao Pang asks excitedly.

"Pang Ge, don't ask her. Her brain is slow," Lu Yue said. "My Ge is going to the bank to get red envelope money sooooooo."

"Soooo we will be getting red envelopes today!" Lao K finished.

"But aren't red envelopes aren't supposed to be given until AFTER the new year, you know, for luck?" Tong Yao asks curiously.

"Oh you poor soul. You wouldn't say that until you see how much the captain stuffs in the envelopes," Lao Mao says.

Lao K sighed. "She wouldn't know the feeling of receiving that much since the captain has wrapped around her tiny little finger."

That earned him a slap on the arm from an annoyed Tong Yao who stood up and said, "Just for that, I will tell him to not give you any and he will listen since he's wrapped around my tiny finger!"

With that. she stomped away, leaving four crestfallen boys on the couch.

"My Ge won't listen to that shorty right?" Lu Yue tried to reason.

"Tong Yao, wait!" Xiao Pang called out to try to console the annoyed Mid.

**************************************************

Lu Sicheng returned to the base to be greeted with a decorated base and four idiots lined up by the door. He raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"Ge, how was your trip to headquarters? Did everything go well?" Lu Yue spoke first in a very sweet tone.

"Oh," Lu Sicheng responded as he took off his shoes and replaced them with his slippers. "Where's Tong Yao?"

"Our Xiao JieJie is taking a well deserved nap after all of the hard work she has done in the last year," Xiao Pang answered also in a sweet tone. "Speaking of the end of the year..."

"HAPPY NEW YEAR, OUR DEAR CAPTAIN. MAY YOU HAVE GREAT HEALTH, YOUR BUSINESS PROSPER, AND A WIFE THIS YEAR!" The four boys shouted while grinning from ear to ear.

This earned them a knock on each of their heads.

"You wake her up, you deal with her," Lu Sicheng said but then he reached into his back pocket and pulled out four thick red envelopes. "Happy New Year. Bring me home another championship this year."

Chapter Text

By the time Lu Sicheng and Tong Yao arrived back at the base, everyone had retired back to their room. Well...mostly everyone. Xiao Pang had fallen asleep on the coach in the middle of watching a drama and the lovely teammates who he was watching it with left him there with no covering or anything. What bastards. So, that was also the place where Xiao Pang was when he had witnessed the scene which has become burned into his brain. or at least what he thought he had seen: Cheng Ge and Tong Yao walking upstairs HAND IN HAND. The problem was that Xiao Pang was half (mostly) asleep when he saw what he had thought he had saw. Really, things can't happen that quick.....can they? He wasn't sure since relationships were not exactly his forte.

He quickly got out of bed and, as quiet as he could, tip-toed up the stairs. He was greeted with the sight of two hugging figure OUTSIDE OF THEIR MID'S DOOR. WHAT IS HAPPENING?!?!? Xiao Pang crouched down on the stairs as he couldn't bear to take his eyes off of the scene. If he's quiet enough, he probably could hear what was being whispered.

"Let's tell those idiots. They're going to find out eventually," Lu Sicheng suggested, hugging her tighter.

"No, I want to prove myself first," Tong Yao whined sleepily. "Besides, you need to stop giving me special treatment or else they will misunderstand."

Lu Sicheng scoffed. "And let you tell my mom I treated you badly? No thanks."

Tong Yao suddenly let go of her embrace and stamped her foot to show her annoyance. "I'm serious."

"Ok, ok. I promise I will treat you the same as those idiots starting tomorrow," Lu Sicheng coaxed as he brought her arms back around his waist. Tong Yao looked at him for a moment to see if he was serious or not before giving in and hugging him tighter. "So childish."

"You like my childishness," Tong Yao fired back which earned a snort from her boyfriend.

"Get some sleep tonight. Team training starts tomorrow and Xiao Rui is going to be dragging everybody out of bed bright and early tomorrow morning for physical training." Lu Sicheng whispered into his girlfriend's ear. Though his words may suggest a farewell, his arms refuse to let go. "And since you want me to treat you like those idiots, I can't get you out of it. You sure you don't want to reconsider?"

Tong Yao sleepily nodded her head until she processed what he had just said which then promptly drew her out of her sleepy state to shoot a look at her boyfriend and began to whine. "Physical training? Why do we have to go through physical training?"

"For stamina, in gaming and other activities," he replied with a teasing smile.

"Ha? What other activities?" Tong Yao asks naively.

Lu Sicheng looked at her as if to ask if she was seriously asking him that. Then he tightened his hold on her and kissed her hard enough to bite her lips in punishment.

"Do you understand now or do you want me to explain again?" he asks teasingly as he loosened his hold on her.

Tong Yao's face, once again that day, heated up to tomato status and she stomped on his foot. "Lu Sicheng, you pervert!"

Lu Sicheng hugged her tightly again so that her face is against his chest and began to coax her. "Ok, Ok. I will stop teasing you. Time for bed."

"Mm," Tong Yao agreed as the sleepiness crept up on her again. "Let me go."

"No," Lu Sicheng protested (i.e whined) and hugged her tighter.

"Didn't you just say I needed to go to bed?" Tong Yao tried to reason with the ridiculous man.

Lu Sicheng pulled back a little bit then leaned down so that his face was right in front of hers. "Give me kiss first then."

Tong Yao smiles at her boyfriend's silliness then leaned in. Seeing her lean in, Lu Sicheng excitedly got ready for a kiss only to meet with the palm of her hand and the feeling of his girlfriend escaping his embrace. he opened his eyes to see that she had gone behind the protection of the door with only a crack big enough for him to see her face open.

"Dear Captain, it is now time to sleep. Captain, please remember to focus on the game. Good night, captain," Tong Yao said cheekily before closing the door and locking it.

Lu Sicheng could only look at the door in disbelief at the stunt that she had pulled before scoffing and walking to his own room and none the wiser that there was someone lurking on the stairs.

Xiao Pang, on the other hand, wasn't sure if he had died or if he was still dreaming. He stared off towards the direction that Cheng Ge had left, still not believing what he had witnessed.

'What. The. FUCK,' he thought in a panic. 'God, what did he stumble upon? There was no way that was real. There can only be one possible, reasonable explanation: there are two imposters in this base.'

As quietly as he can, Xiao Pang tiptoed to the room that he shares with the captain.

'Spy mode - activated,' he thought.

He carefully opens the door, being extra cautious and alert just in case the imposter caught on that he knows that they are imposters.

Xiao Pang came into the room just as Lu Sicheng was exiting the bathroom, towel drying his hair.

'This imposter really looks like Cheng Ge,' Xiao Pang thought. 'I need to ask him something only Cheng Ge would know to confirm my theory.'

What Xiao Pang didn't notice was how intense he was staring at Lu Sicheng while he was talking to himself in his head. Lu Sicheng looked at him weirdly as he got under the cover of his bed.

"Cheng Ge, where do I keep my underwear?" Xiao Pang asks cautiously.

Lu Sicheng cocked his eyebrows at him, as if to question if he has gone insane. hen he pointed to the closet where Xiao Pang keeps his clothes.

'That seems to be too easy,' Xiao Pang thought. 'I need a harder question to prove that it is an imposter. What is a question that only Cheng Ge absolutely knows?'

"What's my favorite pair to wear?" Xiao Pang asks bluntly.

"Did you take a crazy pill?" Lu Sicheng responded immediately with a look of warning in his eye.

Xiao Pang paused for a moment when he saw the warning look on Cheng Ge's face. Even if this could be an imposter, he couldn't afford to risk the chance of it actually being the Cheng Ge and the consequences that would follow should that be true.

'Honesty is the best policy,' he resides.

"Cheng Ge...I have to confess something," Xiao Pang said nervously.

"What?" Lu Sicheng responded with mild annoyance in his tone. "Don't tell me you suddenly have feelings for me."

"Hehe...speaking of feelings," Xiao Pang tried to drag out.

"Spit it out," Lu Sicheng said as he crossed his arms over his chest to show his growing annoyance.

"IsawyouandTongYaokissingearlier," Xiao pang said quickly then braced himself for impact.

"Oh," came the response, though the person in question looked more relaxed than before.

Xiao Pang was baffled. Oh? What does oh mean? Oh as in IT'S TRUE!?!?!

Lu Sicheng snorts at his support's baffled, disbelieving look. "You caught on quicker than I'd thought."

It took Xiao Pang a minute to process what Cheng Ge said.

"Wait...WHAT?" Xiao Pang exclaimed.

"Congratulations, you're not as idiotic as I'd thought," Lu Sicheng answered teasingly.

"Since when?" Xiao Pang questioned, still in a state of shock.

"A long time ago," Lu Sicheng answered bluntly.

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Xiao Pang continued to question as he slowly got out of his state of shock.

"She wanted to prove herself. Plus, I wanted to prove how idiotic you lots were," Lu Sicheng responded with a smirk. "Don't tell anyone."

"Oh," Xiao Pang accepted, then silently made his way to the bathroom to get ready for bed.

Lu Sicheng watched his roommate disappear into the bathroom before pulling out his phone to video call his girlfriend to update her on the situation. As the phone was ringing, Lu Sicheng considered the situation. This was actually good. Now he can spend the night in Tong Yao's room and Xiao Pang can cover for him and he can now freely video call his girlfriend in his room without worrying about blowing his cover.

After what had felt like an eternity, he was finally greeted with his girlfriend's cute sleepy face.

"Cheng Ge, why was Xiao Pang yelling earlier?" Tong Yao asks as she lets out a yell. "I was just about to sleep when I heard his yelling."

"He knows," He replied as he tried to look serious but was failing when seeing Tong Yao's cute face.

"What does he know?" Tong Yao asks naively.

"He saw when I was explaining why we need physical training outside of your room," Lu Sicheng spelled out for her. He watched as realization had finally reached her and the quick heating up her face.

"I told you to be careful!" Tong Yao admonished. "...Did he say anything? How am I going to face him now?"

Lu Sicheng scoffed at her ridiculous worrying. "Just ignore him. If he says anything, I will beat him up."

"You can't just go around beating people up because they disagree!" Tong Yao lectures though her face was still as bright as a tomato.

"Tsk. You've only known them for a couple of weeks and you're already protecting them," Lu Sicheng answered without any trace of jealousy at all. Not even a little bit. Not even an ounce. (Totally was jealous)

Tong Yao took a moment to take in the joy and sight of a jealous and pouting Lu Sicheng. "My dear captain, are you jealous?"

Lu Sicheng glared at her for even thinking of such things then smirked and said, "You can come over here and see how jealous I am."

"Lu Sicheng! Will you stop being a pervert for a second?!" Tong Yao scolded. Her sudden burst of anger quickly cleared the nervous blush that was on her face a moment ago.

Lu Sicheng smiles gently at seeing his girlfriend return to her normal self. "Ok, ok. I will listen to my darling. I won't beat anyone up."

"That's more like it," came the slightly arrogant reply.

"I was serious this morning when I asked you to go shopping with me. It's been a couple of weeks since we last went, do you need anything?" Lu Sicheng asks seriously. From his experience with girls (his mom), they're always missing something or need an excuse to go shopping.

"I've been your support for six seasons and you had never once asked me if I needed anything, Cheng Ge. Not even a bottle of face wash," Xiao Pang casually complained as he exited out of the bathroom.

The slight ting of red returned to Tong Yao's cheeks.

"I-I-I have to go to sleep," Tong Yao stuttered nervously with a fake yawn.

"Mmm. Good night. Text me what you want for breakfast and I will let Auntie know," Lu Sicheng said before hanging up the phone and a cheeky smile.

[Your favorite teammate who is mad at you: tea egg, congee, meat dumplings, milk tea]

Lu Sicheng scoffed at her new name in the text thread and also at her demands.The best course of action in this scenario is just to get her whatever she wants...at least that's what his philosophies was for every scenarios that involves her.

"Eh Cheng Ge," Xiao Pang started as he got under his own covers. "Why Tong Yao? She doesn't really seem like the type you'd go for."

Lu Sicheng glared at his support. "What kind of type do I go for then?"

Cold sweat dripped down Xiao Pang's freshly showered back as he just realized the words that had just left his mouth. "T-t-that's not what I meant. I mean, you have so many people following you and you were never interested so what makes our Mid different?"

What makes Tong Yao different from everyone else? He wasn't sure himself. She had captured his interest at first, being the first to beat him in a game. Though, he was too distracted trying to figure out who this person talking to him was about to pay attention to the actual game. Actually, he can't even remember what they were playing. His girlfriend does chatter quite a bit...especially to strangers she had just met. Yet funny enough, she is still quite shy to reveal who she really is on live streams. It's quite cute actually. Thinking about her brought a smile to his face.

"The spark of love comes from nowhere, but the feelings get deeper and deeper." (quoted from the book and drama)

Xiao Pang made a face upon hearing the Captain's response. He honestly doesn't know why he puts up with these people for teammates. He would be a treasure in other teams, ya'know. Then a thought came to his mind. "Were you two dating when Ming Shen was recruiting Tong Yao?"

"Um," Lu Sicheng responded with his eyes closed.

"Then...did you really not recognize her then?" Xiao Pang questioned.

"Go to sleep," came the disgruntled response.

With that Xiao Pang happily closed his eyes to go off to dreamland, knowing that he had found the captain's achilles heels.

Chapter Text

It was bright and early when Xiao Rui entered the ZGDX building at promptly 8:30 in the morning. He was greeted with the sight of the base's Auntie cooking up a storm in the kitchen.

"Xiao Rui, ah," Auntie greeted as she chopped her ingredients. "You're here earlier than usual."

"Good morning, Auntie," Xiao Rui greeted back. He was feeling extra perky for some reason despite it being earlier than normal for him. "Team training begins today. Eh...why are you cooking so much so early in the morning?"

"Mr. Lu asked me to make some breakfast for Tong Yao and she should be waking up soon," Auntie answered as she turned around to stir the pot of what looks like congee. She turned around to face Xiao Rui and said, "Sit and Auntie will bring you some food."

Xiao Rui happily took a seat at the table and scrolled on his phone as he waited for Auntie to bring him food.

A couple of minutes later, she brought out a small bowl of congee and a plate that held a tea egg and a couple of steam dumplings.

"Auntie also made a pitcher of soy milk so go and help yourself if you want some," Auntie said as she watched Xiao Rui dig into his food. After a short hesitation, Auntie asks, "Eh, Xiao Rui. Auntie doesn't mean to pry but is Tong Yao, Mr. Lu's girlfriend?"

"Tong Yao?" Xiao Rui repeated as he tried not to choke on the congee trying to go down his throat. "No, they're not together. Why do you ask?"

"That's too bad. I've never seen Mr. Lu so attentive to someone before," Auntie said. "Did you know he had increased the daily food budget since Tong Yao tends to wake up early in the morning? Also, he has me making chicken herbal soup for her every few days and makes sure she drinks it. Really, have you seen him or any of the boys here as attentive as that?"

Xiao Rui can't help but drop his jaw as he hears what Cheng Ge has been doing lately for their new Mid. Really, this has to mean that Cheng Ge is chasing after Tong Yao...right?

"Hehe...I'm sure it's just because she's new to the team. You know how caring our team Daddy wants us to not believe he is," Xiao Rui nervously deflected.

"Well, for whatever reason it is, they would make a cute couple," Auntie commented then went back to the kitchen to continue her duties.

Xiao Rui was finishing up his breakfast when he heard footsteps from someone coming down the stairs. He took a peek at his watch as he thought he got too caught up in eating and missed the alarm time. Alas, he could breathe a sigh of relief as he was still early. He looks towards the kitchen to see Tong Yao greeting Auntie and pouring herself a cup of soymilk. She fixed herself a bowl of congee with some dumplings and a tea egg before making her way towards the table that Xiao Rui was also seated at.

"Morning," Tong Yao greeted as she took a seat across from him.

"Morning. Sleep well?" Xiao Rui greeted me happily. There was finally someone who read the club guidelines that he had painstakingly created. "How was your day off yesterday?"

Tong Yao choked slightly on her congee at the mention of the day before. "I-I-It's too hot."

Xiao Rui worriedly pass her a napkin for her to wipe her mouth. " Slow down and blow."

"Yesterday was fun. I ate good food," Tong Yao replied as she scooped another spoonful of congee and this time she made sure to blow it thoroughly. Technically, it wasn't a lie or else she would've been found out right then and there.

"It's been a couple of weeks since you've joined, how are you adjusting?" Xiao Rui asked as he got up to pour himself a glass of soymilk.

"Mmm...everyone is really nice. I can't wait to start team training today," Tong Yao replied genuinely.

"How did you know we're doing team training today? I was going to surprise everyone since they all look so miserable during personal training lately," Xiao Rui asked, astonished that she knew.

"...Cheng Ge told me," Tong Yao replied hesitantly.

This brought a delighted smile to Xiao Rui's face. For Cheng Ge to tell a team member something that was supposed to be confidential was progress. Cheng Ge was definitely interest. Xiao Rui suddenly felt a huge responsibility placed upon his shoulders to get these two lonely souls together and so the club can finally have a lady boss. Perhaps having a lady boss around will make Cheng Ge a little bit softer...and make his job as team manager easier. Perhaps the lady boss will see reasons and convince Cheng Ge to attend those PR events as that's how the club will be able to make more money and appease their sponsors and board members. Really, was that so much to ask for?

"Tong Yao ah. What do you think of the captain now? Dashingly handsome? Easy to get along with?" Xiao Rui enthusiastically. Of course that last bit was a small fib but who's counting.

"Hah?" Tong Yao reacted as she let out a laugh. "Xiao Rui, are you ok?" Who on earth would describe our captain as easy to get along with? If anything, he's such a mother hen- always nagging. Honestly, I see why ZGDX hasn't recruited new members in awhile. They were probably all chased away by his bed temper and constant nagging.

Xiao Rui wasn't sure how to respond to that comment because it was all completely true. Ming God wants to take last season off to rest his hands but they couldn't find a suitable replacement since they all would all quit buy the third day. Anyways, Xiao Rui didn't have time to come up with a reply when his phone alarm went off. It was time to wake the remaining team members of ZGDX. He quickly cleared away his dishes into the sink and made his way to the bottom of the stairs, making sure to grab the loudspeaker conveniently placed along the way.

"IT'S TIME TO GET UP!" he yelled towards the upstairs. "GET UP!! TIME FOR TEAM TRAINING!!"

Moments later, footsteps could be heard stomping about as the other four members of the team got up and got ready for the day. Satisfied, Xiao Rui went back to the kitchen and washed the dirty plates he had placed there.

Tong Yao watched in shock. Cheng Ge only had a bad temper but the true sadist was the one standing in the kitchen happily washing the dishes.
The first one down the stairs was the great captain who descended while throwing glares at the one who had interrupted his sleep.

"M-m-morning, Cheng Ge," Xiao Rui nervously greeted, being on the receiving end of the intense glares.

Wordlessly, Lu Sicheng walked over to the counter and poured himself a glass of soymilk.

Seeing her boyfriend with a beverage reminded her of something. She took out her phone and quickly sent out a text.

[Captain's favorite teammate: I was promised milk tea.]

Lu Sicheng's phone pinged a notification and he took it out to take a look while leisurely sipping at his cup.

Moments later Tong Yao's phone also received a ping.

[My Captain <3: Get it yourself.]

A pout formed on her face when she had read the text.

"Who is our Xiao JieJie texting that is causing that pout on her face?" Xiao Rui mildly teased. He wasn't an idiot. A notification from the captain's phone right when she put down her phone? They were obviously texting each other. Things were progressing exactly as he predicted. At this rate, the club will have a lady boss by the end of this season.

"I was promised something but now this person is reneging," Tong Yao replied pettily. "Xiao Rui ah, tell me. If you promise someone something, you should follow through right?"

"Don't get other people involved in your kiddy problem," came the grumpy warning from Lu Sicheng. Tong Yao turned her head towards him and stuck her tongue out at him.

"What did Xiao JieJie do to annoy the captain so early in the morning?" came a voice from the direction of the stairs.

Tong Yao turned her attention to the stairs and was delighted to see the remaining team members coming down the stairs.

Xiao Rui cleared his throat to quickly change the subject and said, "You three come down quickly and eat breakfast. Afterwards, Lao Mao will lead us in team physical training then we will start in team training. CK has invited us to a practice match tomorrow night so train well everyone!"

"Wow! Did they even get to rest after coming back from losing in the group matches at the international competition before asking for another butt whooping" Xiao Pang joked as he fixed himself some food.

"Aiyo Pang Ge, so confident. Did you forget we don't have Ming Shen anymore? Who knows if our Xiao JieJie will hold up well!" Lao Mao retorted.

"Who cares if she doesn't hold up well. We just need to tell them that our dear Tong Yao is playing Mid against them and their captain will automatically surrender," Lao K added to the fire. This caused the three to burst into laughter but quickly died down by the intense glare of their own captain.

Breakfast was eaten in a quiet manner due to the cold aura that was coming off of the captain's body. The quietness was interrupted midway through the meal from the knocking on the door.

"Oh! That's probably my package!" Tong Yao said as she quickly got out of her seat and went to answer the door. The remaining occupants at the table minus the captain gave each other puzzling looks. Tong Yao returned holding a small cardboard box while trying to open it.

"What did you get?" Xiao Rui ask curiously.

Tong Yao managed to get the box open and took out a bottle of face cleanser and handed it to Xiao Pang.

"I saw this and thought about you so I bought it for you," Tong Yao said with a hint of embarrassment in her tone.

"T-thanks, Tong Yao," Xiao Pang thanked though hesitated in taking the bottle due to the glare coming from the captain. So it turns out the captain was the jealous type.

"Yah, Tong Yao. Why does Xiao Pang get a cleanser and we get nothing? I call favoritism!" Lao K protested jokingly.

Tong Yao turned to him and stuck out her tongue at him. "At least Pang Ge did not choose to sacrifice me to CK's captain so that they will automatically surrender," Tong Yao shot back.

Sensing that tension was building due to the intense aura that was rolling off of Cheng Ge's body, Xiao Rui decided to step in. "Come on, everyone. Quickly finish your breakfast so that we can get started on the physical training."

Xiao Pang sensed the awkward vibes from the person sitting on the chair over from him. To ease the awkwardness, he rolled over to her and whispered, "Don't worry Xiao JieJie, I won't tell anyone your secret."

"T-thanks," Tong Yao replied. Does Xiao Pang think she's a social climber? Or perhaps he thinks it's because she was with Lu Sicheng was the reason why she was able to get on to the team? She could barely sleep last night due to these questions.

"Tong Yao ah, I'm curious. How did you get Cheng Ge to turn human?" Xiao Pang asks cheekily.

"Ha?" Tong Yao reacted back in surprise.

"Did you know that before you had come, we all had a competition to see who could prove that Cheng Ge was a human and not an actual robot?" Xiao Pang said happily. "Though, I think that competition is still going on."

"Really?" Tong Yao said with a giggle. "Was he that much of a robot?"

"You don't know?" Xiao Pang whispered as if it was some scandalous fact. "Out of everyone in China's e-sport, Lu Sicheng has the most female fans yet he doesn't even look at them. He had to change his number at least four times a year because it kept getting leak and girls would call him all day and night yet he still treated this base as a monastery. You are the first girl to have slept here."

Tong Yao let out a laugh at Xiao Pang's ridiculousness. "You are exaggerating. He's such a flirt."

"With you. Us mortals are still trying to crack if he's a robot or not," Xiao Pang shot back. "He once said that he will only date girls who can beat him in games. Tell me, which mortal human girl can beat the great Lu Sicheng in gaming? That's why we all believe that Cheng Ge does not like mortal humans."

"What ridiculous things are you filling her head?" came a distinct voice from behind the duo.

Xiao Pang and Tong Yao turned around to find the captain standing behind them with his arms crossed and eyebrows cocked.

"Hehehe, I was just telling our Xiao JieJie how wonderful you are, Cheng Ge," Xiao Pang fibbed awkwardly. Tong Yao smiled cheekily and nodded along. "I'll go back to my seat now."

Xiao Pang gave her a look of relief before rolling his chair back to his station. Lu Sicheng took a seat next to her and turned on his computer.

"Don't listen to whatever he said," Lu Sicheng said coolly.

"Why? What did Xiao Pang say now?" came another voice from behind the trio.

Tong Yao turned to see the last two members of ZGDX walking towards their station looking like they both had just freshly come out of the shower.

"Irrelevant. Let's start team training. Hurry up and get on," Lu Sicheng commanded. Lao K and Lao Mao obediently followed the orders and with that came the first day of team training.

Tong Yao now understood how Lu Sicheng had become the well respected captain of the ZGDX. Every command that was given out was concise and well timed. As if they were the puppets and he was the puppetmaster, he controlled every attack and retreat of every player while also focused on his own tasks. Thanks to him, it had taken the team only the first two games to calibrate and sync with one another.

By the time Ming Shen arrived at the base, he was pleased to find that the troublemakers were already focused on training and were in sync with one another. He observed one game and concluded that adding Tong Yao on to replace him as the Mid was the best decision and was what they needed to win. Her play style was completely different from his own. Whereas he was defensive and allowed Lao K to take lead with attacks, she was aggressive and didn't require Lao K to do most of the attacking which leaves Lao K room to be able to roam to TOP and help Lao Mao when he needed it.

By dinner time, everyone had been training for close to eight hours. Their eyes were strained and their wrist sore from the intense training that had occurred.

"Come on team, dinner time!" Xiao Rui called out. "Cheng Ge, you can yell at them after they have something in their stomach. They will remember better that way!"

Cheng Ge silently dismissed everyone from his lecture and the ever grateful members quickly dashed to the table and eagerly took their seat.

"Woooow. Auntie went all out today. Braised ribs, vegetable stir-fry, steamed dumplings, and herbal duck soup?" Xiao Pang said excitedly when he saw the spread that was laid out before him.

"Xiao Rui ah, did you tell Auntie to make all of these foods to fatten us up before you slaughter us?" Lao K joked as he began to dig in.

"Xiao JieJie, you're new here so you don't know. Whenever we get to eat good like this, Xiao Rui always has some bad news to tell," Lao Mao said after stuffing a dumpling into his mouth.

"Really?" Tong Yao asked as she gave a pointed look to Xiao Rui.

Xiao Rui laughed nervously and looked towards Lu Sicheng for help. The captain just ignored his pleading look and instead, just pushed a bowl that he had just filled with soup towards Tong Yao.

"Captain, I want a bowl of soup too," Xiao Pang teased.

Lu Sicheng glared at him before saying, "Our shorty here needs all of the nutrients she can get so that her legs don't dangle from the chair."

"LU SICHENG!!" Tong Yao exclaimed with a hint of anger. Sensing that he was making her angry, Lu Sicheng silently backed down and went back to eating his dinner.

"Hehe, speaking of," Xiao Rui said as he cleared his throat. "Tong Yao, headquarter thinks it's time to do a face reveal."

******Bonus Scene******

"Jin Yang, they want me to do a face reveal! A face reveal!" Tong Yao exclaimed in horror to her best friend who she was video calling. "What am I going to do?"

"JieMei, you should've seen this day coming. I also think it's time to show your cute little face and show those damn haters that you can be both pretty and beat their asses!" Jian Yang hyped.

"That's not the point!" Tong Yao whined in an attempt to quell her best friend's anger.

"Oh? Then to show those fangirls who is the true owner of their beloved Cheng Ge! Tong Yao ah, I didn't know you were that vicious?" Jin Yang teased.

"JIN YANG! Be serious," Tong Yao yelled while blushing of embarrassment. "Where are You? Can you come here soon and help me prepare?"

"Duh. Wait for me! I'm packing right now!" Jin Yang said enthusiastically. She blew Tong Yao a kiss then ended the call to actually pack and leave the beautiful paradise she was vacationing at.

Chapter Text

After much rigorous training, it was finally time for the skirmish against CK, the true test to XGDX's compatibility with one another. While they may have just trained as a team for about 24 hours, everyone on the team was confident and comfortable with one another and each other's play style.

"Ok, everyone. CK will enter the room soon. Remember what we have been practicing for the last few rounds. Xiao Pang, Cheng Ge just like normal. Lao K supports Tong Yao and Lao Mao when he needs it," Ming Shen prepped everyone. Even though he wasn't playing, he was feeling quite nervous. This is the beginning of his role of head coach so this needs to go well.

Sitting at the center of the console, Tong Yao was feeling similar feelings. This is her first challenge as a starting member of ZGDX and she needs to do well to prove, not only to everyone else but to herself as well, that she belongs in this seat that was once occupied by the legendary Ming Shen.

Her nerves must have been physically visible as she felt a light tap on her arm. She turned to see the worried face of her boyfriend.

"Shorty, you're not going to puke on me, are you?" he asked with a hint of worry. This caught everyone's attention and they all turned to see if their Xiao JieJie was doing ok. Xiao Rui heard the captain's question from the kitchen and quickly poured a glass of water from the thermos and brought it over to her.

"Here Tong Yao. Drink some water. It's probably the nerves," Xiao Rui says semi-calmly. This was common for newcomers but it has been a while since Xiao Rui had to deal with that type of problem.

Tong Yao obediently drank the water but she unconsciously drank too fast and started choking on the water. Lu Sicheng quickly removed the glass from her hand with one hand and gently patted her back with the other.

"How many times do I have to tell you to drink slowly?!" Cheng Ge began to lecture with an annoyed tone. To others it may sound like he was getting annoyed at Tong Yao but really, he was annoyed at himself for being unable to prevent the situation nor could he do anything to help the situation given the restriction placed on him.

"Tong Yao calm down," Lao K reassured. "There's no way we could lose. Us brothers have to get Jian Yang back for what he did at the Spring Finals. We've been waiting for this day."

"Yeah, Xiao JieJie! Have some faith in us! With Ming Shen as our coach, we'll cream those guys!" Xiao Pang hyped.

Tong Yao took a deep breath and gave everyone a smile. "Thanks everyone!"

Everyone, well except for one person, gave her a smile back then went back to focus on their screen. Moments later, a ping could be heard to signify that the opponent team had entered the server.

Both sides battled fiercely but in the end, ZGDX had won both rounds in a landslide with Lu Sicheng taking MVP in the first round and Tong Yao in the second.

"Good job, everyone!" Xiao Rui congratulated with a round of applause. "Let's take a short water break then head to the conference room for a battle review!"

With that, both Ming Shen and Xiao Rui both headed to the conference room to set everything up and wait for everyone else.

"Tong Yao, did these brothers beat Jian Yang up enough?" Lao K asked with amusement, pleased with the results of the match.

" Hehe, we didn't even have to look for him. He automatically showed up at our Mid's door!" Xiao Pang said gleefully. "She ruthlessly slaughtered so many times that she got bored at the end. Honestly, who could tell she was a nervous wreck before the match even began!"

"Our shorty is quite terrifying isn't she?" Lu Sicheng teased, also in a good mood from the result. "I bet you no one would believe she's a girl when she turns on her camera tomorrow."

"LU. SI. CHENG!!" Tong Yao yelled, having enough teasing. Though she was quite pleased with the results herself, his comment had ticked her off. "Don't you have anything else better to do?"

"Alright. You heard our Mid. Time for review," Lu Sicheng said with a smirk. He got up and slowly sauntered to the conference room. Seeing their captain heading to the conference room, everyone also got up and followed in his lead. Since they had won, they didn't expect this review to be long.

...

Oh how wrong were they. They had forgotten how long winded Ming Shen can be. He lectured them all and spared no one. Tong Yao had played too recklessly and should've waited for Lao K for the assist. Lao Mao relied on Lao K too much. Lao K needs to learn to prioritize. Xiao Pang needs to stop wandering. Cheng Ge needs to stop bullying Xiao Pang.

By the time everyone was dismissed from the long review, they were all practically soulless. Luckily, the wonderful Xiao Rui had decided to give them the rest of the night off as a reward for winning. They all decided to lounge by the tv downstairs and watch a show together.

"Aiyo!" Xiao Pang suddenly shouted as he furiously scrolled on his phone. "Someone leaked our skirmish online!"

"What!" Lao K exclaimed as he pulled out his phone as well.

[bjnf: .....has Sunflower been beaten so badly in the group matches that he gave up on life???]

[hfi: Bah CK probably felt bad that they had beaten ZGDX so brutally at the finals that they had a staff member play Sunflower account.]

#ImposterSunflower quickly became the trending topic on Weibo.

"Woah," Tong Yao whispered in disbelief. Her first ever match as a pro was now being criticized by the melon seeders.

"Wait...there's more! Keep scrolling!" Lao K said as he continued to frantically scrolled his phone. At this point, Lao Mao had abandoned his own phone and found it faster to just look at Lao K's phone over his shoulders.

[hhaf: Big news! My friend who has a friend who was a staff member when the Finals was happening said that Jian Yang had met Smiling backstage and was absolutely smitten with him!!]

[graf: person upstairs, is that true????]

[wfjfd: I mean....it kind of makes sense. Why else would Jian Yang deliver himself to Smiling's door only to be slaughtered viciously each time?]

[vdbj: Just #whoisSmiling for Sunflower Shen to act in such a way? #ZGDXhasbecomeamatchmakingshrine]

Upon reading the last comment, Lao Mao and Lao K burst into laughter.

"I told you our base is going to turn into a matchmaking shrine with the addition of our Xiao JieJie," Lao K said, still in a fit of laughter.

"Hmph! I can't believe I'm being described as a heartless pretty boy!" Tong Yao pouted as she annoyingly tossed her phone across the coach.

"That's why you should quickly do a face reveal!" Xiao Pang added. "That way people will know that you are a heartless cutie instead! Or that Jian Yang is a womanizer!"

"Pang Ge. This is the worst time to do a face reveal," Lao K advised. "Think about it. If it is revealed that Smiling is a girl, people will say that we only won because Jian Yang was a gentleman. Our Xiao JieJie needs a few more wins before we can release her identity."

There was a pregnant pause throughout the group as realization began to set in.

"What do we do now? Rui Ge already announced the livestream time online," Xiao Pang said worriedly.

"Shorty, come play matches with me," Lu Sicheng said suddenly as he leisurely got up and sauntered to the console.

"Huh?" Tong Yao reacted but also hastily got up and tried to catch up with the Captain's long stride. "Why do you want to play all of a sudden?"

"Suddenly want to play," he answered. Luckily they haven't turned off the computers after the match against CK so he quickly invited her for a 1v1. Unbeknownst to his girlfriend, he also pulled up the streaming website and began to go live without sound. He quickly shared his screen and turned off the camera.

Unbeknownst to the two, the other three was silently freaking out over their captain's action.

"1v1?????" Xiao Pang whispered and screamed. "Cheng Ge never 1v1 with anyone!!"

The barrage in the chat was expressing similar sentiments and surprise at the sudden live.

[ybvj: Cheng Ge suddenly going live????]

[vbdb: My lawn is watered, my debt is paid, my skin is clear. Cheng Ge is finally live!]

[bbrg: where's Big Fish Ge? He's always here when Cheng Ge goes live and sends so many rockets!]

[rtbg: Why are the cam and mic off??]

[fegt: Petitioning for Cheng Ge to turn on his cam!!!]

[qhfb: CHENG GE IS 1V1 WITH SMILING!!!]

[bebe:!!!!!!!]

[ploj: REQUESTING CHENG GE REVEAL SMILING GE'S FACE!!!]

[sntj: I ALSO WANT TO SEE THE FACE THAT CAUSE SUNFLOWER TO DELIVER HIS OWN HEAD TO THE ENEMY'S DOOR!!! 233333333]

The three still seated on the couch can't take their eyes off of the phone that had the stream playing.

"Eh, our Xiao JieJie is not too shabby," Lao Mao said.

"She catches on pretty quick doesn't she?" Lao K asked in amazement. "She's known Cheng Ge for a couple of weeks yet she's able to anticipate his every move...almost as if she has played with him for a long time."

"Yeah weird," Xiao Pang answered, trying not to sound nervous.

[dirj: Smiling Ge plays pretty well.]

[hjfp: upstairs...I think you're right]

[fief: 66666 where did ZGDX find this newcomer?]

[yffe: Smiling Ge's head on style is quite refreshing from Ming Shen's gentle attacks.]

At that moment, Tong Yao's champion had managed to trap Lu Sicheng's champion and finished him off and took down her first tower.

[tnbb: 666666]

[neng: wow...the speed!!!!!!! ZGDX has found themself an ace player!!!]

[yvib: Of course!! Smiling was handpicked by Ming Shen himself so he has to be strong.]

Seeing those comments made the three understand what the captain was doing. When Tong Yao reveals herself to the public, they had already known the strength that Smiling has and it would be hard to refute unless they want to call themselves hippocrates. Their Captain was truly sage.

"Mao Mao, do you understand what Cheng Ge is doing?" Lao K asked his oblivious boyfriend.

"Of course!" Lao Mao answered, slightly offended that he would ask such a stupid question. " Cheng Ge is a caring Captain!"

Lao K and Xiao Pang unconsciously face palmed themselves.

Eventually, Lu Sicheng managed to push Tong Yao and destroyed her final turret, thus winning the match.

"Again!" Tong Yao demanded, all fired up.

"I don't want the reputation of bullying my teammate," Lu Sicheng replied to her demand drooly. "Duo with me."

Tong Yao scoffed at him. His daughter kept rubbing at her feet so she had become distracted. He probably found a way to trick Da Bing into distracting her own mother just so he could win. She begrudgingly accepted his request to team up and quickly they were placed in a random team and a match was found.

[beej: Wooooah...ZGDX's Mid is pretty decent! 66666]

[vuig: Smiling Ge works quite well with Cheng Ge!]

[jjrf: Smiling and Chessman is practically carrying the whole team!!! 2333]

'Captain, you bullying your teammates IS your entire reputation,' Xiao Pang internally thought.

While the two were mindlessly carrying people to win rounds after rounds, they had managed to run into Sunflower who happened to be on their own team as a Jungler.

"Ya, is the algorithm working? How come we're so unlucky to have this Jungler!" Tong Yao complained loudly when she saw who was placed on her team.

The barrage was also full of laughter as well.

Jian yang, who was blissfully unaware that he was being poked fun of, was absolutely elated to see that he was placed on the same team as ZGDX_Smiling and ZGDX_Chessman. Now he could prove to Tong Yao how much of a better teammate he would make compared to the trash that is ZGDX. He went against his own style and did his best to cling onto the Mid.

"WHAT IS THIS? IS HE A NOOB? HE KEEPS CLINGING ONTO ME AND I CAN'T DO ANYTHING!! ARHGHGBKGBH" Tong Yao exclaimed angrily. 'GO BACK TO THE JUNGLE AND TAKE CARE OF THE MONSTERS THERE!"

"Come down and play support for me," Lu Sicheng suggested halfheartedly, not really expecting her to come down.

"Anything to get him off of me!" Tong Yao said as she practically skipped down.

[hhfu: What the heck play is this? A fierce Mid liking Smiling can play support?]

[bdfd: If Smiling is playing support, then what is Sunflower who is clinging to Smiling Ge? The Support for the support? 23333333]

******Bonus Scene******

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" *thudd*

Lu Sicheng had just gotten out of the bathroom from his shower when he heard his girlfriend scream and the thud that had followed. Afraid that she was injured or something else drastic had happen, he dropped everything and quickly ran over to her room to check.

He panically opened the her door and rushed in to see...his girlfriend on a video call with her girlfriend and a face half done with makeup that was done by a toddler. What the fuck is happening?

"C-Cheng-Ge?" Tong Yao stammered embarrassingly and quickly ended the call with Jin Yang.

Lu Sicheng sighed then gently closed the door. "What are you doing?"

"Jin Yang might not make it in time to help me do my makeup for the livestream so I asked her to show me how," Tong Yao replied quietly.

Lu Sicheng chuckled, then quietly approached her. "I told you so many times. Just be yourself. No need for all of this."

"You don't understand!" Tong Yao protested and stood up from her bed. "I'm not as popular as you guys nor have I been in the industry as long. Historically females are not wanted in gaming. Your girlfriend fans will kill me even if we do not reveal our relationship but simply because I sit next to you and it's me on your team and not them."

Lu Sicheng pulled her into an embrace and quietly said, "I must admit, I never really consider those things. I'm sorry. However, I have full confidence that you will do well, even without all of this. You will shine on your own. If those fans don't see it then I will personally beat all of them up."

Tong Yao giggled at his silliness though his words were quite comforting. "Help me take this off?"

Lu Sicheng looked down at her colorful face then dragged her into the bathroom to help her clean her face.
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"STOP RUBBING!"

"WILL YOU STAY STILL?"

"YOU'RE HURTING ME!"

"I TOLD YOU TO STAY STILL!"

"THAT'S NOT WHERE YOU PUT IT! AHHHHHHH!"

Lao K and Lao Mao just happened to be outside Tong Yao's door when the screaming match started.

"Hahaha, what did our Xiao JieJie do that our Captain had to lecture her in her room?" Lao Mao laughed.

"I wonder...," Lao K said quietly.

"What did you say?" Lao Mao asks him.

"Never mind. It's none of our business. Let's go get some milk tea before Xiao Rui finds us," Lao K said then continued to walk towards the stairs.

Chapter Text

Due to the special occasion of Tong Yao's face reveal, Xiao Rui (reluctantly) gave everyone a day off as Tong Yao insists that she and Lao K need all day to prepare. If he only allowed Lao K to take the day off then Xiao Pang and Lao Mao would revolt and go on strike. Taking advantage of the situation, Xiao Pang dragged Lao Mao out to go do some shopping. Ming Shen and Lu Sicheng, the workaholics, took the opportunity to discuss strategies for the coming season in the conference room. Lao K and Tong Yao were currently busying themselves with keeping Tong Yao calm and relaxed.

Currently, the two were relaxing on the couch with a drama playing and face masks on their faces.

"What's the deal with you and Cheng Ge?" Lao K asks calmly with his eyes closed. "When did you guys get together anyways?"

Tong Yao jerked up from her relaxed position and looked at Lao K in surprise.

"Don't be so surprised. You and Cheng Ge are not as discreet as you think. Despite what Lu Sicheng says, some of us are not that oblivious," Lao K said calmly.

"O-oh," Tong Yao responded, still unsure what to say. "Is it ok?"

"Is it ok to be in a relationship?" Lao K asked. "Why the hell not? It's not like he abandons his duties because he's in a relationship. Look at me and Mao Mao. The fans don't need to know but we're all a family. We don't care as long as you don't go too far."

Tong Yao collapsed back into the comfy cushion of the couch in relief. "I thought we were going to have to break up."

Lao K snorted. "You would be the only human who would willingly break up with the great Lu Sicheng."

"Don't put that pressure on me. What if one day that happens?" She said with a sign.

"Tsk. You actually think that day would happen?" Lao K asks teasingly. "From the way I see it, Cheng Ge would build a taller and thicker wall if you even think about letting your branches cross the wall."

Tong Yao let out a laugh at his teasing.

"Cheng Ge is like Donghua Dijun. He never loves but when he does, it is great and powerful," Lao K says, gesturing his chin towards the drama they were watching.

"Then am I the young and gorgeous Bai Fengjiu?" Tong Yao played along.

"Otherwise?" Lao K answered. "Our young and beautiful yet lack confidence and kind of short Bai Fengjiu."

Tong Yao lightly slapped his arm in retaliation. Before she could come up with a clever reply, the timer went off for their face mask.

They both peeled off their face masks and tossed it in the trash bin nearby.

"When did Jin Yang say she was coming by again?" Lao K asked as he pat the remaining serum on his face into his face.

"Probably soon," Tong Yao replied as she mimicked his movement. "I feel bad that I had to cut her vacation time shorter though."

"If you feel bad then learn to do make up on your own, my dear JieMei," came a female voice.

Startled, Lao K and Tong Yao turned their heads to see Chen JinYang with one hand on her hips and the other holding a big makeup case.

"JinYang! How did you get in?" Tong Yao greeted happily as she got up and went over to where JinYang was standing.

Chen JinYang turned her body and pointed to Lu Sicheng who was fixing himself a cup of coffee in the kitchen. Then she turned back to Tong Yao and gestured her chin towards Lao K, "Who's that? New beau? My, my JieMei. Are we acting out the Legend of the White Snake?"

"What are you talking about?" Tong Yao answered. "That's Lao K, a fellow teammate. You can consider him a fellow JieMei."

Lao K greeted Chen JinYang with a wave as she sizes him up.

"Join us then. I need all the help I can get to fix this girl up," Chen Jin Yang says with a smile.

"HEY!" Tong Yao protested at the backhand insult.

"What are you yelling about? We only have three hours to prepare you. Might not even be enough time honestly!" Chen JinYang answered. She then grabbed Tong Yao's arm and started dragging her towards the stairs. "K, darling. Be a dear and lead us to Tong Yao's room."

Lao K shook his head at their ridiculousness then quickly went to catch up with the two girls.

...

A couple of hours later, Tong Yao descended the stairs to find that everyone was back and already gathered by the console.

"WOAAAH!" Xiao Pang reacted when he saw Tong Yao come down the stairs. "Xiao JieJie looks so cute...in a different way from normal!"

"Nice save," Lao Mao snickered at Xiao Pang's slip up.

Lu Sicheng spun his chair around and smiled at her. With or without makeup she looks beautiful in his eyes but if it makes her feel more confident then he finds her extra beautiful. Besides, Chen JinYang did a wonderful job at highlighting her beautiful eyes and timid smile. "Not bad. Though, your true face will be revealed tomorrow, when you don't have people to do your face."

"Lao K will do it," Tong Yao replied as she took her seat and started setting up to do a livestream.

"Don't pull other people into your problems," He replied back, trying to sound like a sage captain. She replied back by sticking her tongue out at him.

Chen JinYang strode over to where Tong Yao was sitting and confidently pat her shoulders. "Good Luck my JieMei. I would stay and watch but I need to leave before some idiot realizes that I'm here."

With that, Chen JinYang made her exit.

"Ok Tong Yao. It's almost time. Are you ready? Feel relaxed? Do you need anything? How about some water?" Xiao Rui fretted over her. This is the make or break moment. Having a female debut into the industry is a big risk as it is the first time it's ever happening in China's LPL.

"Are you the one live streaming or her? You're more nervous than she is," Lu Sicheng said, sounding slightly irritated.

"Yeah, don't worry Rui Ge," Tong Yao tried to reassure, trying not to sound as nervous as she felt.

'Nothing better than ripping off the bandage,' she thought. She put on the headphones and start setting up the livestreams. She meticulously adjust the camera for optimal angle. Then she took a couple of minutes to adjust the keyboard on her desk and reorganize the other things on her desk.

"I-I have to go to the bathroom," She stuttered as she weakly got out of her seat.

"Sit back down," Lu Sicheng said coldly. As captain, he needs to take care of his teammates by all means necessary. If she cannot do this task then there is no hope for her on this team. While it may sound cold coming from someone who is her boyfriend but he needs to keep his team a priority as well.

Tong Yao obediently sat back down.

"Take a breath in," He commanded. "Let it out. Don't let Chen JinYang's work go in vain."

"It's time," Xiao Rui announced. "Just try to relax and don't worry about the comments. I'll moderate it for you!"

"You're the best Rui Ge!" Tong Yao said and flashed him a grateful smile.

"You can't flag every comment," Lu Sicheng teased.

"Lu. Si. Cheng!" Tong Yao admonished as she put on her headphones. "You were so nice for a moment and almost had me fooled that you were actually a nice person!"

Lu Sicheng smiled cheekily then went back to paying attention to his own screen...which was on her stream page. She's really adorable when she's angry. It reminds him of a pufferfish. A pufferfish with balloons as its spikes.

"Hello everyone," Tong Yao started, trying not to sound nervous. "I hope everyone is well. This is Smiling. Yes I am a girl. No this is not a prank. Please don't forget to subscribe! I will be livestreaming more from now on."

[eejg:......?]

[ehge: ZGDX, since when do we let girls play pro?]

[vbbh: 2333333333 ZGDX is kissing the championship goodbye!]

[hhei: Smiling! I am a long time fan! Jiayou!!]

[pjog: What is this??????]

After seeing so many misogynist comments, Lu Sicheng was feeling quite irritated. He can also tell that she had also seen the comments as her normal chattery self was not present. He needs a way for her to forget about the stream and those damn comments. He can only do the only thing that he knows while showing her true color.

"I'm reporting ZGDX for child labor!" Lu Sicheng read.

Tong Yao immediately turned her focus onto him with an expression that could be read as 'WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?'

"Watching a little kid play is kinda cute. MeiMei, where are your parents?" he continued. "MeiMei is so cute? Buddy, I suggest you go see a neurologist!"

"LU. SI. CHENG!" Tong Yao fumed. Her face was red with anger. She kicked him lightly under the table. "What the fuck are you doing?"

Lu Sicheng turned over to her and said drooly. "You're livestreaming. Control your potty mouth."

Tong Yao replied by sticking her tongue out at him. "Xiao Pang does it all of the time!"

"Yah! Don't pull me into your conversation!" Xiao Pang shouted from his station.

"Xiao Pang is beyond teaching," Lu Sicheng answered, then turned his attention back to his own screen. He closed the stream page and pulled up the game. "Come play duo with me."

Tong Yao excitedly smiled then quickly sent him a duo request. Playing with her boyfriend was always a treat.

[bevb: What Cheng Ge meant: Xiao Pang beyond teaching but you cannot escape my grasp!]

[fbne: Cheng Ge! Why are you being so nice to Smiling??]

[fehg: I smell a CP!!!]

[uebg: person upstairs! Cheng Ge is mine and only mine! NO CP!!!]

[bbeh: wait....does anyone remember Sunflower's actions yesterday? #doesyangshenknowSmilingisagirl?]

[rbbd: How could he? ZGDX kept everything under tight wrap!!]

Quickly, Tong Yao forgot all about the stream and the comments. She focused on doing her best to be Cheng Ge's partner and bringing whatever team she's on to victory!

"YOU NOOB! WHY IS OUR AD SO TERRIBLE!" Tong Yao shouted after a string of profanities. In this particular match, someone else had begged Lu Sicheng for the position of AD therefore, he was booted to play Top Solo. "Cheng Ge, let me play AD next round. I'm going to show this noob how to play AD!"

“Um,” Lu Sicheng agreed then gave her the position when the next round loaded. He quickly selected the champion Jhin for her and Leona for himself.

“I’ve never played Jhin before!” Tong Yao excitedly responded when she saw what he had chosen. She pulled up her browser and started looking up his stats and moves.

[sdbi: Aiyo! This meimei is quite daring! She actually has the audacity to tell #ChinasADCgod to let her play AD!! 66666]

[vbrr: Cheng Ge is actually letting her????]

[brfb: 2333 he’s probably going to go afk the whole time when he sees how bad she plays!]

…

[iebg: she’s actually playing….well!???? 23333]

[ebfe: WHAT IS HAPPENING??]

[ngbg: Did ZGDX recruit a new Mid or AD?]

[ZGDX_Pang: Our Xiao JieJie second preferred position is ADC!]

{bbee: Pang Ge, go do your own live!]

[avbj: @ZGDX_Pang Get off of here and go on your own live!]

…

Without realizing it, Lu Sicheng and Tong Yao played with each other until dinner time.

“Cheng Ge! Tong Yao! Dinner time!” Xiao Rui called out from the dining table.

“OK! Finishing!” Tong Yao yelled out as she spam pressed her keyboard. Moments later the words VICTORY was flashing on both screens. Tong Yao let out a satisfied sigh.

“End your livestream and go eat dinner,” Lu Sicheng reminded gently as he also took off his own headphones and prepared to go eat.

Tong Yao excitedly opened back up the stream window. “Ok, that’s it for today. Don’t forget to subscribe as I will be livestreaming more now! Bye!”

With that she ended her livestream and took off her own headphones as well. She happily got out of her seat and practically skipped to the dinner table.

“Woah! Roasted duck, braised ribs, stir fried bamboo shoots, and pork knuckle soup!! All of my favorites!” Tong Yao exclaimed when she saw all of the dishes placed on the table. She quickly took a seat on an empty chair. “Auntie is the best!”

“My brothers tell me, which day was it that any of the dishes that Auntie made was not our Xiao JieJie’s favorite food?’ Xiao Pang teased as he picked up his chopsticks and bowl.

Tong Yao stuck her tongue out at him in response. “Auntie loves me the most, that’s why!”

“It’s because you eat too much,” Lu Sicheng said as he quickly stuffed a piece of bamboo shoot into his mouth. Though contrary to his words, he picked a piece of roast duck and placed it into her bowl. “A reward for your first actual livestream.”

“Cheng Ge, ah. I also livestream today, can I have a reward too?” Xiao Pang teased.

Lu Sicheng glared at him then smiled. “I’ll take you to level up later.”

“Really? Thanks, Cheng Ge!” Xiao Pang thanked gleefully.

‘Xiao Pang you dummy. Nothing good ever happens when Captain Lu smiles that way,’ Lao K thought.

“Eat, eat. Plenty of food for everyone! I’ll tell Auntie to make your favorite food tomorrow,” Xiao Rui pacified. Once he saw that everyone had gone back to eating, he continued to speak. “As you all know, you have agreed to livestreaming 40 hours a month and your wages will be deducted if you do not meet the required hours. I am pleased to announce that this month, only Xiao Pang’s wage will get deducted.”

Xiao Pang looked at Xiao Rui in shock which also caused him to drop his bowl and chopsticks. “W-what!? How am I the only one that’s being deducted? What about Cheng Ge? He must have smoked or ate a lollipop this month!”

Xiao Rui shook his head. “Not a single one. Cheng Ge also completed his hours this month, for the first time.”

“Have to set a good example for the newcomer,” Lu Sicheng answered dryly as he continued on eating. Hearing the responses, Xiao Pang sadly went back to eating his dinner, not sure if he still has the appetite to continue eating - almost.

After dinner was concluded and cleaned up, everyone came together again for another session of group training. By midnight, Tong Yao was given a glass of milk and was promptly dismissed by her own boyfriend and captain to go to bed because ‘kiddies need to sleep early to grow.’

Xiao Pang also understood what his dear captain meant to take him to level up when he dropped from GrandMaster to Diamond II.

******Bonus Scene******

(One random night)

It was one of those rare moments where Lao K and Tong Yao had the whole base to themselves. They decided to do a self-care night and even invited Chen JinYang over. Unfortunately, JinYang was busy with her boyfriend so it leaves just the two of them to relax and watch a drama with a face mask on.

"Tong Yao, ah," Lao K began still with his eyes on the drama and body leaned back onto the uber comfy couch cushion. "I have to ask. Why Cheng Ge?"

"What?" Tong Yao asked, in a similar position. "I thought I told you this before? Has being around Lao Mao so long started to affect you?"

"I mean why do you call him Cheng Ge? Don't you guys have cute names for each other?" Lao K asks.

"Ah? But Cheng Ge is Cheng Ge," Tong Yao replied in slight surprise. "What else do I call him?"

Lao K sighed at her dense response. "Look at JinYang and Ai Jia, they call each other 'honey', 'baby' , 'lovey'. I don't think I've heard them call each other by each other's actual name before."

Tong Yao sat up slightly from her reclined position. "Do you call Lao Mao those names?"

"Sometimes," He replied. "Don't take it the wrong way though. I was just curious, that's all."

"Oh," Tong Yao replied then reclined back to her normal position. However, what Lao K had asked stayed in her mind all night.

...Later that night...

Tong Yao was playing with her phone while laying in her bed when Lu Sicheng returned back from headquarters.

"H-honey, you're back," she greeted when he entered through the door of her room.

Lu Sicheng was taken aback at what she had said. "What did you call me?"

"H-h-honey," She replied shyly, not used to that word coming out of her mouth.
.
.
.
.
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'I AM NEVER LISTENING TO LAO K AGAIN' Tong Yao thought as she tiredly rubbed her waist and dodged the wandering hand of the other person in bed when she woke up the next afternoon.

Chapter Text

"Cheng Ge, can you get me some juice while you're up, please? Thanks!" Tong Yao requested when she saw Lu Sicheng getting up from his seat in her peripheral vision. She was deep in game mode and the heat of the battle was just beginning.

[bgbw: Aiyo! This Xiao JieJie dares to ask the great God Chessman to get her a drink! 666666666]

[engp: XiaoJie, Cheng Ge is not your errand boy!!! Unfollow! Unfollow!]

Tong Yao, having gotten used to the type of comments in her barrage, responded by sticking her tongue out at them.

Lu Sicheng scoffed, rolled his eyes at her antics before going to the kitchen to get himself a bottle of water and pour a glass of warm soy milk for his girlfriend. He brought the drinks over to the console and placed the glass in front of her and then sat back in his own seat.

"You're the best, Cheng Ge!" she thanked through her eyes and attention never left her monitor. She tapped feverishly on her keyboard as she made the final kill. Moments later, the word 'VICTORY' flashed on her screen. Pleased, Tong Yao sighed in satisfaction and slumped back on her chair while mindlessly reaching for the glass as she reviewed her stats for that game. Quickly after taking the first sip, she scrunched up her nose and pouted her pretty little lips. She reluctantly swallowed then turned to give her boyfriend a confuse 'What the fuck' look.

[oejf: 233333 Cheng Ge must have done something to it! 23333333]

[qdns: Cheng Ge: how dare you use me as an errand boy! I will make sure your drink is undrinkable! 2333333]

"Cheng Ge...what the heck is this?!" she half yelled. "Where's my juice?"

"You drank too much cold drink today. It's bad for your throat. Have some warm milk instead," Lu Sicheng answered offhandedly, eyes not leaving his screen.

Tong Yao stared at him in disbelief. Lu Sicheng noticed her stare and responded by turning his head over to look at her with a cocked eyebrow.

Meanwhile, the chat in Tong Yao's livestream also heard the conversation.

[idhf: Was that...was that really Cheng Ge?]

[afhr: Click the link in my bio to join the ChengYao ship!!!!! We're definitely sailing far, far away!!]

[qdns: Earlier, I was mistaken. I take back what I said. What Cheng Ge really meant: Raising a child is so difficult...have to make sure the child's throat isn't damaged so that she can play well...]

"Cheng Ge, I also drank a lot of cold drinks today," Xiao Pang couldn't help but tease. "Can I also have some warm milk too?"

Cheng Ge took his gaze away from Tong Yao and quickly turned to Xiao Pang with a cynical smile. "How about I help you rank instead?"

All of a sudden, Xiao Pang suddenly felt chills run through his body and sweat started to form on his forehead from fear.

"Cheng Ge, I was wrong," Xiao Pang replied with his head hung in a pitiful tone. Lu Sicheng did not reply and went back to face his computer instead. A minute later, Xiao Pang had received a team up request from the one and only, ZGDX_Chessman. He let out a pitiful whimper.

Luckily, he was saved by Xiao Rui who walked in with Ming Shen and quietly asked everyone to end their live streams for a team meeting.

Once all of the livestreams had ended and cameras and mics were doubled checked to be off, everyone spun their seats around to face the team's manager and head coach.

"I have been notified that the team next door has also a new member joining them," Xiao Rui started. "ADC. They have set up a practice skirmish tomorrow with us."

"Even though they are a regulation team, do not take this lightly," Yu Ming warned the group. "We don't know who the ADC is so take this as a serious match and don't goof off."

"They also requested everything to be tight-lipped about this skirmish and who the new ADC is so don't go blabbing!" Xiao Rui warned the team.

He received four bobbing heads as a reply.

"Ok," Yu Ming said with a clap of his hands. "Let's do some group training and practice the strategies that YQCB tend to use."

This announcement was received with four internal groans and moans and external smiles, albeit some looking a little forced.

Ming Shen was truly Ming Shen and absolutely did not disappoint. It was two o'clock in the morning and everyone was still obediently still tapping away on their keyboards at the instructions of their puppeteer, Yu Ming. Xiao Rui had given up at some point in the night and had left to go home, leaving the care of the team to Ming Shen.

When the clock had struck three, Ming Shen gave pity to the team and allowed everyone a small break to rest their hands. The troublemakers (i.e everyone but Lu Sicheng) decided to drag their seats over to Tong Yao and gossip instead.

"Eh, who do you think is the new AD?" Xiao Pang asked.

"Maybe it's someone new to the industry," Tong Yao replied as she carefully massaged her hand.

"No, no. It's not that simple," Lao K answered. "Unless it's a female AD, there could be no reason why they kept everything so tightly wrapped like this."

"Besides, there's no decent AD players lately in the China region," Lao Mao chimed in.

"Which means...they're probably pulling from the Korean league," Lao K finished Lao Mao's thought.

"Korean league, huh?" Xiao Pang thought out loud. "Do you think they signed Hierophant? Light and Shadow reunited?"

"SHHHHHHHHH," Lao k shushed him. He scanned the room to make sure Cheng Ge didn't hear what Xiao Pang had said. Luckily he was warming something up in the microwave and didn't seem like he had heard anything.

Tong Yao looked at them weirdly. "Why can't we say that?"

"Xiao JieJie, you don't know?" Lao Mao whispered, as if it was a scandalous secret.

"Know what?" Tong Yao whispered back.

"Cheng Ge's dark past," Xiao Pang whispered even quieter.

"The Legend of shadow and light," Lao K continued.

"The most tragic story in both the LPL and LCK," Lao Mao finished.

Before they could divulge into the story, they were interrupted by Lu Sicheng walking towards them with what seems to be like a glass of milk.

"What are you lot whispering about?" he asked as he reached them.

"Nothing. Hehe, nothing at all," Xiao Pang answered, trying to cover up any suspicions.

Lu Sicheng raised his eyebrows in suspicion but decided to drop it. He handed the glass of milk the Tong Yao.

"Look at your eyes drooping. It's past little kids bedtime," He said, trying to sound like he was scolding her. "Go drink your milk and go to sleep."

"Oh," Tong Yao answered and obediently took the glass of milk and began to drink it. Mmmm...Cheng Ge added some honey!

While she was finishing her glass, Lu Sicheng gave the boys a hard look which automatically dismissed the gossipers back to their own consoles.

Tong Yao had just finished rinsing her glass when Ming Shen appeared again to continue their training.

"Tong Yao, quick. Let's work on target practice," Ming Shen announced while reading his notes.

"Do pair training instead. It's past little kids' bedtime," Lu Sicheng answered coldly.

Yu Ming raised his own eyebrow and looked at the time on his phone. He internally sighed. Cheng Ge is showing off his love again. Who was he to get in the way of the pampering of the lady boss? "Oh. I didn't realize how late it was. Tong Yao, you go to bed."

"Don't worry, Ming Shen!" Tong Yao answered back energetically. "I still can keep going!"

Lu Sicheng spun his chair around furiously.

'With Da Bing on his lap, he looks like a bond villain' Tong Yao thought with an internal giggle.

"Bed. Now," he commanded with a glare.

"Oh," she replied obediently and promptly turned around to head upstairs.

"Back to training!" Yu Ming commanded like a drill sergeant.

*******

Lu Sicheng happened to be scrolling on his phone while waiting for Yu Ming to check the stats of his last game with Xiao Pang when he received a text message from his girlfriend.

[Captain's favorite teammate: *picture of her reflection in the mirror as she did a silly pose and wearing her pjs*]

[Captain's favorite teammate: Off to bed! Don't let Ming Shen keep everyone up so late!]

Lu Sicheng let out a smile but quickly retracted it and peeked around to see if anyone had noticed. Seeing that everyone else was in their own little world, he got out of his seat and went to the kitchen to get a bottle of water before heading upstairs.

"Cheng Ge! Where are you going?" Yu Ming asks when he saw Cheng Ge was walking up the stairs.

"Shorty wanted a bottle of water!" came the response though the person disappeared to the second floor.

Xiao Pang paused whatever he was doing in shock. It was like he had short circuited. So blatant!

He turned his head over to face Lao K and Lao Mao. "Psst. Psssssst!"

The two turn their attention to Xiao Pang with matching cocked eyebrows and a confused face.

"Did you hear him?" Xiao Pang whispered yell. He was answered with tandem nods.

"Hand deliver water?" Xiao Pang questioned in a gossipy manner. "Since when does the captain hand deliver water? Suspicious?"

"Definitely suspicious!" Lao K responded with a definite nod.

The three who came to such a conclusion were rewarded by a smack on the head each by Ming Shen's folder.

"Stop goofing off and get back to work!" he yelled sternly.

******Bonus Scene******

After Tong Yao had finished getting ready for bed and had gotten under her cover, she remembered the conversation that she had with the gossip group. Curiously, she looked up who Hierophant was.

…

What has she unlocked? WAS THAT A COLLECTION OF FANFICTIONS? Oh dear lord.

Chapter Text

"Ok everyone, YQCB is ready. They should be joining the server soon," Xiao Rui announced as he pockets his phone. "Last chance for water or bathroom break. Xiao pang, go now or so help me heavens if we lose this game because you forgot you had a full bladder because you had a full bladder when we started!"

"It was one time!" Xiao Pang retorted. Xiao Rui responded with a raised eyebrow.

"Too late. It's time," Lu Sicheng announced when he saw the neighbor team's profile started appearing on the server.

...

"Xiao Pang ah...your mouth is really something," Lao K said in disbelief when he saw the name: YQCB_Hierophant.

"Shadow and light reunite," Xiao Pang whispered in disbelief as he turned his look of horror to look at his captain.

"Cheng Ge, you left your lover on good terms, right?" Tong Yao asked, also in disbelief. She never thought that today would be the day that she would meet her love rival. The person who used to be the apple of Cheng Ge's eyes. The person who used to have a claim to his heart. Allegedly. According to the internet and what she could `research’, though she would be lying if she'd said she didn't ship them as well. They might actually make a better couple than her and Cheng Ge.

Tong Yao received a glare from her boyfriend in response.

"What nonsense are you lot going on about now?" he said in a cold tone. "If you idiots are tired of playing, just let me know and I can give you the retirement package right now."

With one statement, Lu Sicheng was able to strike immense fear into the four and invoke instant concentration. Despite their teasing, they were also excited to go up against the legendary Hierophant, the one person who Cheng Ge has lost a solo match with.

The first hurdle to get through was the ban and pick stage. The first to be banned by YQCB was Tong Yao's infamous Le Blanc.

"Tch...I played one match with Le Blanc and now I can't play it anymore," Tong Yao complained bitterly when she saw her favorite champion was banned by the opposing team.

"Don't tell me our Mid can only play one champion," Lu Sicheng teased. "We're doomed then. Our Mid is out before we can even begin."

Provoked by his words, Tong Yao made her choice without consulting anyone and firmly chose Twisted Fate, a notoriously difficult champion to play, Twisted Fate. So difficult in fact, that even experienced players hesitate on playing this champion due to its instability when it comes to it's ultimate attack which requires the player to be quick or else this character will be useless on the field.

"Twisted Fate? Are you sure you can play this champion?" Ming Shen asked worriedly. He wasn't aware that Tong Yao had practiced this character or not.

"It will be fine," Tong Yao tried to reassure him. "Ai Jia likes to play defensive so I need a good offensive champion to counter."

'Yeah, that's why,' Tong Yao thought internally. What she didn't say was that she had misclicked and had probably played this champion once and lost...BAD.

"Ok, if you are sure," Ming Shen said, still somewhat worried. Both Top and Jungler were safe from the ban phase so they both quickly chose their champions. Unfortunately Li Junhe got first pick and picked up Cheng Ge's favored Kalista with Liang Sheng picking up Thresh as support. "Cheng Ge, Ezreal is still open."

Lu Sicheng silently chose the recommended champion and Xiao Pang followed up with selecting Karma.

With that the match had begun. The first 15 or so minutes were quite peaceful as everyone was focused on farming and leveling up.

"K, with me!" Lu Sicheng commanded as he maneuvered himself and Xiao Pang into a hiding place near a tower. "Their AD has a habit of tower diving once he reaches level 4."

Lao K quickly made his way down to where his captain was and waited. Just as Lu Sicheng has said, YQCB_Hierophant had showed up just moments later and did indeed tower dive! Lu Sicheng smirked and quickly got out and launched an all out attack. Before he could claim victory and drain his opponent of health, his screen went black. Not only his screen but so did everyone else's as well.

Frustrated, Lu Sicheng angrily tossed his mouse.

Xiao Rui's phone rang and broke the silence.

"Hey neighbor! Did your wifi cut out too?!" someone, probably their manager, screamed over the phone.

"Yeah! You too?" Xiao Pang yelled from his spot.

"I guess that we were too much for the VPN to handle!" Someone else yelled over with a laugh. "Let's reschedule for another time."

With that, the phone line cut, signaling the person on the other side had ended the call.

"well, since the internet seems to be down for the time-being, let's do some physical training!" Xiao Rui said with an unnecessary amount of cheerfulness.

This had garnered three loud groans of anguish and one shout of excitement.

"Come on," Lu Sicheng said as he got out of his seat. There was a cold aura which surrounds his body which those close to him and very definitely see. "I will lead today's physical training."

Chills ran down those who were not exercise inclined. The three of them synchronously cursed out Xiao Rui for bringing up this idea. Not wanting to anger their captain anymore, the four remaining team members quickly got out of their seats and followed him outside.

They all lined up and followed his movements to stretch and warm up.

Once all of them were nicely stretched and warmed up, Lu Sicheng gathered them around and said, "Let's see how well you listen to directions. If any of you are further than me by 5 steps then your pay will be deducted 100 RMB (~$14.48 USD) per second until you catch up."

"What!" Tong Yao exclaimed. "Are you a sadist?"

Lu Sicheng ignored her and instead took off running. Lao Mao excitedly followed him and was happy to take on his challenge. The same can't be said for the other three as they struggle to keep up with the intense pace that Cheng Ge had set.

By the third lap, Tong Yao, Lao K, and Xiao Pang were practically wheezing trying to keep up with Lu Sicheng and Lao Mao who were barely breaking a sweat. As she sees the base coming up which signals the start of the fourth lap, she decided that she would very like to stop suffering and slow down.

"Shorty, you have too little stamina," Lu Sicheng yelled from the front when he noticed that his girlfriend had slowed down to a walking pace.

"Screw you, you sadist!" Tong Yao yelled angrily from not too far back. "Deduct my whole paycheck for all I care!"

It was that moment when Ai Jia came out of the door to witness his neighbor team doing what seems like intense physical training. Well, most of the team was. It seems as though ZGDX's Xiao JieJie was going at a more leisurely pace.

"What's going on? Why are you guys running all of a sudden?" Ai Jia asked when Tong Yao made his way towards him.

"Our captain couldn't make his kill so now he's taking out on us, that fiend," Tong Yao answered as she jogged past where he was standing.

Ai Jia can't help but shake his head at their antics before going back inside the nice and air conditioned building.

*****

Captain Lu finally allowed them to stop when they had completed five laps. Lao Mao and himself were starting to sweat a bit while the other two were on the floor trying to catch their breath. Their Mid finished her fifth lap ten minutes later at a more leisurely pace so she wasn't breathing so hard.

"Xiao JieJie," Xiao Pang said in between breaths. "Are you really not worried about your paycheck?"

Tong Yao dramatically sighed then pouted. "I will have to rely on my good brothers to feed me next month. I would rather have a thick face and beg than die at the hands of a sadist!"

What went unsaid was that she also had access to walking human atm who never let her pay for anything anyways.

Lao K and Xiao Pang answered her anger with thumb ups. With that everyone made their way inside to hit the shower as they all reek of sweat.

This is one of the moments where Tong Yao was quite happy to be the only female resident of the base as that means she doesn't have to worry about sharing a bathroom. She can take a long, relaxing shower to ease her tense muscles without worrying about another person going after her.

When she walked out of the bathroom, she was quite surprised to see her boyfriend lounging on her bed in nice clothes and freshly showered hair while scrolling mindlessly on his phone.

"Cheng Ge?" she called out as her towel dried her hair. "Are you going somewhere?"

Lu Sicheng closes his phone and smiles at her. He sits up from his lounging position and pats the space next to the bed. Tong Yao quickly shuffled over and took a seat. He took the towel in her hand and gestured for her to turn so that her back was facing him.

"Why don't you ever use the blow dryer?" he asked as he towel dried her hair.

"Then you won't do it for me," she replied in a relaxed manner. The other half of that response was that she was too lazy to do it.

"YQCB's captain called and he said he can't find Li Junhe anywhere and he can't speak Korean," Lu Sicheng explained. "He needs me to help find him."

"Oh," Tong Yao replied, not really paying attention as she was really enjoying the head massage she was receiving.

"Want to come with me?" he asks.

"To meet your old lover?" Tong Yao asked in a teasing manner. Then she felt his hands movement stopped. She turned to look at him and saw what she had interpreted as his guilty look. "So it's true then?"

"Are you jealous?" Lu Sicheng teased, trying to dodge the question.

Of course Tong Yao saw through his ploy but decided to play along instead of pursuing the matter. "Of course I am! I was watching a couple of his match highlights and he plays even better than you! He's also quite easy on the eyes too! Is he single?"

Lu Sicheng dropped the towel on her head and leaned his head closer to her ear. "Want to say that again?"

He grabs her waist and flips her onto her back. He blocks her body by placing his knees on each side of her waist then begins tickling her tummy with his fingers.

"Hahahaha!" Tong Yao can't help but laugh under his attack. "Hahaha you're hahaha not haha play haha ing hahah fair!"

"Who's better: me or Li Junhe?" he asked as he continued his tickle attack.

"Hahaha Li haha Jun haha He!" Tong Yao teased. Her stomach was really starting to get sore from all of the laughing, perhaps she will get defined abs like her boyfriend after this!

Her response made him tickle her even harder.

"Say that again!" He demanded, slightly amused at his girlfriend's struggle to get out of his hold and her heavy pants from laughing so much.

"Hahaha ok! Ok! Hahaha, You! You are better," she said in between the laughter and pants.

Pleased with her answer, he stopped his tickle attack and got off of her. He help her sit up so she could catch a breath from all of the laughing.

Once she regained her breath, she gave him a side eye and muttered, "What a jealous and petty man."

Lu Sicheng heard her mutter and looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "What did you say?"

"Nothing! I didn't say anything!" Tong Yao denied with a cute smile, hoping he would let her go. "You probably read my mind. I was going to say, I'll go with you! We should get dinner while we're out!"

He looked at her for a moment and decided to let it go. "You glutton. Am I raising a Mid or a pig?"

Tong Yao shot up and placed her hands on her hips. She looked at him with an offended look. "You're raising a girlfriend! Girlfriend! And your girlfriend wants to eat noodles for dinner!"

Lu Sicheng smiled teasingly at her. "I'm still wondering about that myself. Other people's girlfriends like to spend their boyfriend's money on shopping. Mine prefers to spend my money on food. I think I have a faulty model."

Tong Yao stamped her foot and frowned at his comment. "Fine! I will go eat by myself!"

Tong Yao turned around and was about to leave when she was suddenly pulled back onto someone's lap. Lu Sicheng hugged her close and rested his chin on her shoulder. "I was wrong. Don't be mad."

"You can apologize with noodles," Tong Yao replied. She struggled for a bit and managed to get out of his embrace. She jumped out and grabbed his arm and tried to pull him up. "Come on Cheng Geeee. Let's goooo!"

Lu Sicheng chuckled at her antics and stood up. He looked her up and down before asking, "Are you planning to go out in your sweats?"

Tong Yao looked down at her outfit before realizing what she was wearing. She quickly let go of his arm and went to her closet and randomly grabbed a pair of jeans and shirt before dashing into the bathroom to change. A couple of minutes later, she exited the bathroom, dressed and ready to go out.

She paused for a moment before looking at Lu Sicheng and said, "You go out first then I'll come down in a couple of minutes."

Lu Sicheng gave her a deadpanned look. "You do realize that everyone knows, right?"

"Not Rui Ge! Until everyone in this base knows, we keep it a secret!" Tong Yao demanded.

Lu Sicheng could only sigh and do as she said. Once the door closed behind him, he began to plan on how to get that dense Xiao Rui to find out "naturally."

Meanwhile, what were the other members of ZGDX doing while our CP ChengYao were having a tickle fight?

**On the first floor of ZGDX Base - Main console**

"Xiao Pang, where's the captain?" Lao K asked after waiting a while. "Also, where's Tong Yao?"

"Cheng Ge? H-he said he needed to talk to Tong Yao about something," Xiao Pang answered nervously. 'Why did Cheng Ge ask me to keep such a secret!!"

Lao K narrowed his eyebrows and stared at Xiao Pang. "Whatever you are hiding, spill."

Like a waterfall, Xiao Pang began to pour out what he knew and how he knew.

"It's just that?" Lao Mao questioned boredly. "Lao K told me a while ago."

"Wait...you two knew?" Xiao Pang asked in disbelief. Was he keeping a secret for nothing?!

"I had an inkling so I asked Tong Yao and she confirmed it," Lao K answered offhandedly.

"Confirm what?" Ming Shen asked as he made his way to the main console.

The three turned to look at him.

"Cheng Ge and our Xiao JieJie are together," Xiao Pang replied slowly, unsure if it was ok to say.

"Oh," Ming Shen replied nonchalantly.

"YOU KNOW TOO?" Xiao Pang exclaimed.

"I think the only person who doesn't know is Xiao Rui," Ming Shen replied as he scanned his notes, though internally he was quite amused. "Just keep quiet about it until the two say otherwise."

The three nodded their heads in agreement and decided to ignore the very obvious missing members of their team who were still upstairs doing whatever it is that couples do (or so they assume!)

A couple of minutes later, the sounds of footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs. Yu Ming turned his attention over and saw that Lu Sicheng was dressed to go out instead of the lounge wear that he's usually in when he's training at the base.

"Cheng Ge? Where are you going?" He asked, surprised.

Lu Sicheng continued to walk towards the door. "YQCB's AD is missing and their captain can't speak Korean so he asked me to help him finding the missing AD."

By the time Lu Sicheng had reached the shoe cabinet and was halfway through putting on his sneakers, Tong Yao came the stairs also dressed to go out.

"Tong Yao, where are you going?" Yu Ming asked, though he had inkling as to where she was going.

"I need to get some stuff," she replied without a pause in her step to get to the door.

Tong Yao and Lu Sicheng wordlessly left the base and a manner which left everyone else in a whirlwind.

"We better get used to eating dog food now," Lao K said amusingly.

Xiao Pang shot him a glare. "You have no room to speak."

Chapter Text

Xiao Rui was happily walking back to the base when he noticed that Cheng Ge and Tong Yao were walking out the door together. Wanting his CP to have more one-on-one time with each other, Xiao Rui went to hide at a nearby bush but also made sure he had a good view of the two.

"Wait here. I'll bring the car over," Lu Sicheng said then left to get his car after receiving a confirmation nod from his girlfriend.

Lu Sicheng pulled the car up to the front of the base where Tong Yao was standing. He parked the car, got out, and walked around to the passenger side and opened the door for her, Xiao Rui jaws nearly dropped to the floor. He saw Lu Sicheng leaned in AND KISSED TONG YAO! ON THE LIPS! This simple action has pushed Xiao Rui's soul out of his body. Lu Sicheng closed the passenger door, walked over to his side and entered, then drove off.

It was a few minutes before Xiao Rui's soul could safely return to his body. He immediately rushed into the building to tell everyone the good news! His captain wasn't so pitiful afterall.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Tong Yao and Lu Sicheng arrived at the shopping center to find the next door neighbor team's captain, Liang Sheng, pacing frantically back and forth.

"Do you have any idea where their ADC could have gone?" Tong Yao asks, feeling pity for YQCB's captain.

"An inkling," Lu Sicheng replied as he pulled into the parking garage. Luckily there happens to be an open spot near the elevator which he expertly maneuvered his car into. Once he shut off the engine, he immediately exited the car and strode over to the passenger side and opened the door for his adorable girlfriend.

"WAIT!" she exclaimed suddenly when he opened the door. She began to frantically search her purse. When she couldn't find what she was looking for, she turned to look at her boyfriend with a serious expression, "Cheng Ge do you have any more face masks in your car?"

"No," he answered abruptly, already knowing what her intentions were.

Tong Yao raised her eyebrows, questioning his abruptness. She paused a moment to think before opening up the glove box to reveal a brand new pack of black face masks. She smiled proudly and took out two. "I knew I had put a pack here somewhere!"

"Tch!" Lu Sicheng scoffed, feeling quite annoyed. He internally moved up his plans to accidentally allow Xiao Rui to find out about their relationship.

"Don't you dare make any plans for Xiao Rui to find out!" Tong Yao lectured, already reading his mind.

"Are you going to get out or not?" He asked, extra annoyed that she had seen through his plans.

Tong Yao's smile widened when she saw how annoyed he had gotten. It means that she was indeed able to read what was on his mind and now he's embarrassed about it. How adorable.

She quickly got out of the car and put on the mask. Lu Sicheng closed the door with a slam and slipped an arm around her waist and guided her towards the elevator.

"Cheng Ge, I think you should wear one too," Tong Yao said as they waited for the elevator to arrive and offered the other mask to him.

He scoffed but took the offered mask and begrudgingly put it on just as the elevator had arrived. Luckily there was no other passenger so they were able to let their guard down for the ride. Tong Yao took the opportunity to scan the directory that was posted in the elevator.

"Cheng Ge, look!" Tong Yao exclaimed excitedly. "There's an arcade here! Do you think there are claw machines here? Remember our first date? I can't wait to show you how much I've improved playing those damn machines!"

Lu Sicheng can't help but smile at his girlfriend's blabbering. She's so adorable. Then, he had a thought.

"Go and get Liang Sheng and calm him down first then come meet me at the arcade," Lu Sicheng said suddenly, cutting Tong Yao off of her tangent.

Tong Yao nodded to show her understandment though she was just as bewildered as to what his plans were.

Before she could ask any follow up questions, the elevator door opened and she felt a gentle push, forcing her out of the elevator. When she turned around to tell him off, the elevator was already closing. She could only sigh and continue on her way.

She soon found the pacing Liang Sheng and called out for him. She instantly caught his attention and he hurried over to her.

"Tong Yao!" he greeted with panic in his voice when he finally reached her. "Where's Cheng Ge? Did he come with you? I swear I saw his car pulling into the parking garage."

"Cheng Ge went to look for you AD...I think," Tong Yao answered. "Come on. Let's go get them a drink while we wait for Cheng Ge to find him. We can't do anything anyways."

"But, but, but," Liang Sheng tried to protest but was met with Tong Yao grabbing his arm and dragging him towards the nearest mall directory.

"There has to be a decent milk tea shop in this giant mall," she muttered as she scanned the directory while still holding onto Liang Sheng's arm.

Liang Sheng sighed and gave up the idea of looking for his missing AD. "There's a pretty good one on the next floor up."

"Let's go then," Tong Yao said excitedly. "That damn sadist Lu Sicheng might actually deduct my entire paycheck so I have to enjoy having money now."

"What did you get deducted for?" Liang Sheng asked curiously as they stepped onto the moving steps. "I hear ZGDX isn't that strict with their players, compared to other teams anyways."

"Not running as fast as those damn giants," Tong Yao complained as they reached the second floor. "There aren't that many rules for the players within the club but Rui Ge always seems to find ways to deduct our wages."

"Did you know that Xiao Rui was about to become the manager for YQCB?" Liang Sheng said as the two casually weaved through the traffic of people towards the milk tea shop.

"Really?" Tong Yao asked, completely surprised. She had thought that Xiao Rui was with ZGDX from the very beginning.

"Mm Hm," Liang Sheng confirmed. "YQCB was in development and was looking for a team manager right around the same time as ZGDX. Xiao Rui had applied for the position at YQCB first but then he was poached up by Cheng Ge."

That statement caused Tong Yao to burst out in giggles. "That really sounds like our Captain."

The two finally arrived at the milk tea shop and luckily it wasn't crowded. The pair ordered their drinks, including drinks for the currently missing ADs, and also received their order in a speedy manner. Just in the nick of time too, as when their order came out, Tong Yao received a text from her boyfriend.

[My Captain <3: Come to the arcade. Found him.]

"Cheng Ge found your AD," Tong Yao reported to Liang Sheng. "See, even if we went to find him, we wouldn't be as effective as Cheng Ge."

Liang Sheng chuckled at her antics. He could see why Lu Sicheng was absolutely smitten with her. Yes, of course he knows. It's pretty hard to ignore all of the signs. Lu Sicheng is not nice enough to care for others, let alone OFFER to take care of a cat for someone else or drive someone around town in his car. Also, he had coincidentally seen them holding hands on what seemed like a date a while back. Too bad really. Liang Sheng was quite a Light/Shadow shipper but it seems as though he needs to jump ship quickly.

The pair made their way to the arcade and very quickly located the two AD. They really do stand out, being probably the tallest guys standing next to each other at the claw machines with a huge plastic bag full of stuffed toys sitting in between the two.

Tong Yao practically skipped over to her boyfriend and tapped his shoulders to get his attention. Lu Sicheng turned his head and smiled gently when he saw his girlfriend's silly smile facing towards him.

"Cheng Ge! There's so many claw machines!" Tong Yao exclaimed excitedly. She was practically vibrating with excitement at the sight of so many light blinking machines.

^^This one yours?^^ Li Junhe whispered to Lu Sicheng.

Lu Sicheng nodded. ^^In life, yes. She's our new Mid.^^

Li Junhe nodded his head towards Liang Sheng and said, ^^This one is mine. In game, not yet in life.^^

Li Junhe then grabbed the plastic bag that was sitting between the two giants and thrusted it towards Liang Sheng. ^^Sorry for making you worry. These are for you.^^

"He said he was sorry for making you worried and that these are for you," Lu Sicheng translated while also trying to keep an eye on his girlfriend who has a tendency to wander.

Liang Sheng accepted the bag of stuffed toys, unsure what to say. "T-thank you."

"Cheng Ge!" Tong Yao interrupted. "Do you have any tokens left? There's a really cute rabbit that I want to try to get."

"Here," Lu Sicheng said with a goofy smile on his face as he shoved the basket full of tokens towards here.

"Thanks Cheng Ge!" Tong Yao thanked them and practically bounced over to the claw machine that had what she was going for.

Lu Sicheng sauntered after her to observe. Though she could successfully get the claw to pick up the intended rabbit, she could not get the claw to hold it to the drop area.

After watching several failed attempts, Lu Sicheng could see the frustration grow on her cute little face. He stepped in and hugged her from behind. He placed his hand over hers on the controls.

"Here, let me help you," he whispered in her ears. He expertly navigated the claw to the target and successfully picked it up and slowly brought it to the drop area where the claw let it fall to the pick up area. He bent down and retrieved the rabbit and presented it to his girlfriend with a smug look on his face. "For you."

Tong Yao swiped the rabbit from his hold, face absolutely glowing with the amount of blood that had decided to occupy her cheeks at the moment.

Lu Sicheng looked over to Li Junhe and said, ^^That's how you do it."

Li Junhe rolled his eyes at him in response.

The group was interrupted when Tong Yao's ringtone started going off. Tong Yao got retrieved her phone from her back pocket and saw that it was Xiao Rui calling her.

[XR: Tong Yao ah. Where did you and the captain disappear off to? You two should consider coming home soon. Your parents are here.]

Xiao Rui hung up before she could respond though with her in a state of shock, she couldn't respond anyways.

"What's wrong?" Lu Sicheng asked worriedly when he noticed that she had a look of horror on her face.

"My parents are here," she responded.

******Bonus Scene******

Xiao Rui excitedly rushed through the base door and didn't even bother to take off his shoes.

He found everyone gathered at the main console discussing something.

"Everyone! I have big news!" Xiao Rui exclaimed excitedly. He could jump with joy if he didn't have a reputation to keep as being a serious manager.

Everyone stopped their conversation and gave their attention to him.

"Our dear captain is no longer experiencing a one sided love!" Xiao Rui exclaimed. "Our captain has tasted the sweet flavor of loveeeeee."

"Oh," Xiao Pang answered boredly. The nuance of the captain dating has become no longer interesting for him.

"Is that all?" Lao K replied boredly.

"What do you mean that all!" Xiao Rui questioned. Why was this news not shocking for everyone?

"That's old news now Rui Ge," Lao Mao answered.

"Wait......what?!?!"

Chapter Text

"Auntie, Uncle, please have some water," Xiao Rui offered as he set the glasses of warm water on the table. He also took a seat across from the two angry (though one much more obvious than the other) parents. "Our captain and Tong Yao had stepped out to help the neighboring team for a little bit. I have already given her a call to let her know that you are here so they should be back momentarily. In the meantime, are there any questions or concerns I can answer for you?"

"Let me ask you then," Mama Tong started angrily. "How could you allow a prospering student to sign that contract? Don't you have any morals? What can she do here all day except for playing games which rots her brain away? My poor daughter is going to waste away her youth for what? Also, where are all of the females here? Is this a monastery? Let me tell you something -"

"Dear, you're scaring the poor fellow," Papa Tong interrupts, slightly embarrassed at the scene that his wife was starting.

Instead of simmering down, Mama Tong became more enraged, though now the target has become Papa Tong. She turned over and gave his arm a quick slap. "I haven't even started with you yet! Your daughter is this way because you spoil her too much! Let me tell you, Lao Tong! Later when I am lecturing you had better open your big mouth or else so help me I will not let you live easy from now on!"

As Mama Tong continued on her tirade, Xiao Rui can't help but feel bad and appreciative of Papa Tong for taking the heat off of him. As he was trying to figure out a way to diplomatically bring the heat back onto himself, the door opened and his savior descended onto ZGDX's lab like a guardian angel.

"You must be Tong Yao's parents!" A voice rang out from the entrance of the base. The three turned their attention to where the voice was coming from. Xiao Rui could almost cry (though he wasn't sure if it's joy or fear) when he saw the silhouette of his big boss approaching the table.

"Xiao Rui, be a dear and fetch me a cup of coffee. You always know how to brew it just the way I like it," Mama Lu said as she set her work purse onto the table. She watched as Xiao Rui immediately got out of his seat and headed towards the kitchen to get her cup of coffee. She took a seat in the chair that he had once occupied. "Such a darling boy. All of the boys here are really. I should introduce myself. I am Lu Sicheng's Mama. My son is currently the captain of this team. It's so rare that they have a free day like this."

"Err, Lu Mama, can you ask your son to let my daughter go?" Mama Tong asks, slightly intimidated by the woman across from her aura.

"Let her go? That sounds like he had kidnapped her," Mama Lu jokes. "Tong Yao is a strong player and she was scouted by some of the best players in the field. I've met Tong Yao on several occasions. She's such a lovely girl and fits very well into the team. They have a high chance of winning at this season's championship."

"Winning?" Papa Tong questioned curiously.

"Championship?" Mama Tong asked, confused.

"Don't tell me you don't know?" Mama Lu asked, surprised. "Oh my! Let me explain to you then. To be honest, I didn't get it at first either but then I saw how both of my sons pursued this with such passion and vigor and I had to give in! This is a professional e-sport team, meaning that they compete with other teams from across the nation and even the world! This is just as patriotic as competing in physical sports!"

"Your coffee, Madame President," Xiao Rui said as he set the steaming hot cup of coffee in front of her.

"Xiao Rui, perfect," Mama Lu answered immediately. "Why don't you take Auntie and Uncle Tong to the trophy room. I know my son well enough that he puts one in this place to boost his ego."

"Yes, Madame President," Xiao Rui answered enthusiastically. He then turned to face Tong Yao's parents and said, "Auntie, Uncle. Come with me and I can give you a tour of the facility as well."

Tong Yao's parents wordlessly followed Xiao Rui as he guided them to the trophy room while also giving a brief tour as well.

Mama Lu took a sip of her coffee, basking in the proud feeling of everything her son had accomplished. Of course she will never tell him this to his face. She was serious when she said how big her son's ego was. When he first started out, her heart ached for months on end when she saw how his physical appearance took a toll because of the constant stress of managing everything in a new industry. However, never was there a moment when she saw the fire in his eyes extinguish, not even a flicker of doubt.

She quickly finishes her cup of coffee and joins the group in the trophy room. Tong Yao's parents were looking around the room with a mixture of awe and uncertainty of everything.

"These boys, they work hard," Mama Lu commented.

"So....these are from them playing games?" Papa Tong asks curiously.

"Yes. Amazing, isn't it?" Mama Lu answered with a tone of pride as she looked at the gleam of light reflecting off of the numerous trophies and award plaques.

"This is insane! How is this all off of playing these ridiculous games?" Mama Tong started as the shock began to wear. "Is this some kind of joke?"

"I can see where you are coming from," Mama Lu said calmly. "But this is not any kind of joke. This is a new upcoming industry that earns very well. You only need to see them on the stage to see it."

"It's true, Uncle and Auntie. Everyone works extremely hard and puts in all of their efforts into training to get to where they are today," Xiao Rui explained passionately.

"B-but Tong Yao is a girl! How is she going to live with a bunch of boys?" Mama Tong protested.

"You are absolutely right!" Mama Lu agreed. Perhaps she could use this to convince Tong Yao and her silly son that Tong Yao should move into the Lu Mansion and live with her!

"You don't have to worry Auntie and Uncle!" Xiao Rui reassured me. He was prepared for this one question! "Tong Yao has her own room which only has the key to. Not even I have the key to her room. Actually a new lock is currently being delivered that automatically locks once the door closes and Tong Yao can set the password at any time. It was my negligence for not getting that lock sooner, really. We also will have female staff on the common floor at all times so Tong Yao will not be the only female here at any given time. We also have security guarding the outside and can be called at any time. We take safety very seriously here."

'The most dangerous man here is also the man your daughter is currently dating,' Xiao Rui thought, though never voiced since he still has much to accomplish in this life.

"And if you are not comfortable with this arrangement, we can always move Tong Yao into her own apartment," Mama Lu suggested.

"See, honey, she's fine," Papa Tong tried to reassure his wife. He, himself, was quite impressed with everything that he has seen and heard so far. Though when it comes to his precious daughter, he absolutely cannot refuse her anything. He only has one, so can you blame him?

"You are not allowed to speak!" Mama Tong snapped at him.

"Ma! Ba! What are you doing here? How did you even find this place?"

Everyone turned to see Tong Yao standing at the entrance of the room with Lu Sicheng standing right behind her. Mama Tong immediately rushed over to her and grabbed her hand.

"Come home with me right now!" she yelled. "That's enough fooling around. I asked my friend to get you a job at the bank. All you need to do is show up."

Tong Yao aggressively broke her mother's hold on her arm. "Ma! I'm not going anywhere with you."

The mother and daughter duo then entered into an intense staring contest. If looking closely enough, one can see the electricity waves buzzing between the two.

"Tong Yao," Xiao Rui meekly calls out in an attempt to break the tense air. "Why don't you take your parents up to your room to take a rest?"

"Yes, yes. Dear, let's go see where our daughter lives and slowly talk there," Papa Tong coaxed gleefully.

"But-" Mama Tong tried to protested but she was gently pulled away by Papa Tong.

"YaoYao ah, where is your room?" Papa Tong yelled as he guided his wife back to the main area.

"Upstairs, Ba!" Tong Yao yelled back. She let out a sigh and held her head in her hand as she felt a headache coming on. She feels someone's hand rubbing her lower back in a comforting way. She looks back to see her boyfriend's slightly worried face.

"Talk slowly with your parents," Lu Sicheng whispered. "I'll handle everything down here."

Tong Yao nodded her head then went out to find where her parents were. She found them nearly up the stairs so she hurried up the stairs to catch up to them. Unfortunately, she clumsily missed a step and her body was sent flying back.

"YaoYao!" Papa Tong screamed in horror.

Tong Yao squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself for impact when she felt she landed somewhere soft. She peeked her eyes open to the cold glaze of her dearest captain.

"C-Cheng Ge," Tong Yao managed to get out her mouth after the shock of falling wore off.

"Do I need to carry you up and down the stairs now?" Lu Sicheng asked teasingly in a low voice. "Though, I think you've gained weight since the last time I've carried you."

"Lu Sicheng!" Tong Yao admonished. She wriggles around in anger, forcing him to let her down.

"Be more careful next time," he said, then walked off. Behind him, Tong Yao stuck her tongue out at him then proceeded to go back up the stairs again, much more slowly this time.

***Meanwhile, downstairs***

"Ma, what are you doing here?" Lu Sicheng asked as he took a seat across from her on the table.

"Listen to you! Not even a hello to your dear old Ma! Or a thank you for helping you with your in-laws!" Mama Lu began her tirade. Lu Sicheng could only sigh and hold his head in his hand, feeling an upcoming headache. "What are you sighing for? Do you know how lucky you are that I happen to be here today?"

"Why are you here?" Lu Sicheng asked again.

Mama Lu looked at him as if she suddenly remembered something. "You just reminded me. I came to pick up my beautiful granddaughter. You stinky brat haven't brought my precious Da Bing over to play in so long, I wonder if she remembers who her Nai Nai is!"

With that, Mama Lu got up and went to hunt down...er...find her granddaughter.

Lu Sicheng let out another sigh and took out his phone to fiddle around with when he noticed a text message that was sent about the same time that Xiao Rui sent his text.

[Papa Lu: Son, your mother is on her way to pick up her granddaughter. I'm warning you now. Just let her bring Da Bing home. She has been extra annoyed at us for some reason...]

******Bonus Scene******

"Da Bing, my precious granddaughter," Mama Lu cooed as she picked up the car and cradled it in her arms. "Do you even remember your Nai Nai? Nai Nai missed you so much! Wait until you see the new bed Nai Nai had picked out for you. I placed it right by the window so you can nap comfortably."

"M-madame President," xiao Rui called out which brought Mama Lu out of her trance with Da Bing.

"Ah, Xiao Rui. Be a dear and bring me my granddaughter's carrier. I'm bringing her home with me," Mama Lu instructed as she continued to coo at Da Bing.

"G-granddaughter? But isn't that Tong Yao's cat?" Xiao Rui asked in slight shock. He has grown quite fond of the feline and doesn't really want the Madame President to take Da Bing, his one and only friend in this base, away. "Wouldn't Tong Yao miss her cat?"

"Then my stinky son can take her over to my house to visit my Da Bing. Great plans Xiao Rui!" Mama Lu complimented. "I knew there was a reason why we kept you around."

"B-b-but," Xiao Rui tried to protest but one look from Mama Lu had him dejectedly leaving to bring her Da Bing's carrier.

"Da Bing, ah. Your Baba is a dumb, stinky boy, isn't he?" Mama Lu baby talked. Da Bing responded with a loud meoooow. "You agree with your Nai Nai don't you, my smart baby?"

"Ma!"

Chapter Text

"Tong Yao, what were you thinking when you QUIT school to come back and play games?" Mama Tong began as soon as Tong Yao shut the door to her room.

"Ma, I did not quit school," Tong Yao rebutted.

"Then pray tell me what are you doing here instead of that school that I pay so much money for!?" Mama Tong yelled.

"I'm just taking a small break," Tong Yao practically whispered. "It's not like I'm never finishing. Just finishing a little later."

"When? When is later? Ha? Tell me. What are your plans after this? Play your silly little games and then what?" Mama Tong yelled. Papa Tong can't do anything but sit on the bed and let the mother daughter work it out. If he got involved then wouldn't a civilian blood be spilt innocently? He knows his place and quietly sit on the nice comfortable bed. He should ask Tong Yao where she got her bedding. It's quite soft.

"Ma, let's sit down and talk about this," Tong Yao said, trying to remain calm. Mama Tong huffed out a breath but took a seat next to her husband on the bed.
Tong Yao pulled the chair by her desk over to her bed and sat facing her parents. "Ba, Ma, I know you both want what's best for me but this is something I absolutely need to do. I don't want to work a job that I know I do not like and will ever like."

"If you don't want to work at the bank then we can look for other jobs. Tong Yao ah, Mama don't want to see you wasting your life away on a passing whimsy. Can you even compete for the rest of your life? What are you going to do once you get bored of playing?" Mama Tong lectured.

"Ma, I can work the job you want me to, then marry someone I neither like or hate, then have kids then grow old then die. But on the tombstone it's going to say 'Here lies a normal person who has lived a normal, boring life.' I don't want to live like that. Ba, back me up," Tong Yao argued.

"Hm?" Papa Tong was suddenly taken out of his mindless wandering.

"Ba!" Tong Yao exclaimed with a slight whine. "Are you even listening?"

"Yes, of course I'm listening," he lied. He wasn't sure where the mother-daughter argument had gone so he did what he does best in this type of situation - deflect and distract. "Eh Yao Yao ah. Tell Baba first though, where did you get this bedding? It's so soft. I might get it for my bed. You know it's been a while since -"

"Lao Tong!" Mama Tong admonished, cutting Papa Tong from his bedding tangent.

"What?!" Papa Tong reacted. "It is soft and don't you like soft bedding on your bed? Besides, look at her. Honey, our daughter is grown and she looks like she has somewhat of a plan. Just let her be and if she fails, well you can lecture her then. It's not like you stop her anyways."

Mama Tong let out a sigh of defeat. "I know but I just worry."

"Ma, don't worry. I know what I'm doing," Tong Yao reassured with a smile.

Before anyone could say another word, there was a knock on the door.

Curiously Tong Yao went to open the door just a crack to see her boyfriend standing before her. Was that nerves she detected?

"Cheng Ge?" she asked curiously. He mouthed for her to open the door wider and she did so while looking at him curiously.

He gave her parents a polite bow and said, "Hello Auntie and Uncle. I didn't get a chance to introduce myself earlier. My name is Lu Sicheng and I am the captain of this team. You may also know me as Chessman."

Tong Yao's parents acknowledged his greeting and hurriedly got up to join the two by the door.

"It's getting late so I had Xiao Rui prepare a room for the two of you. Dinner is also prepared if you would like to join us downstairs. There are also some nice restaurants nearby here, Tong Yao, if you want to take your parents out for dinner instead," he continued.

"Oh, there's no need! We don't want to intrude! We were planning on taking the last train back," Papa Tong refused.

"Ba, just stay here tonight and leave tomorrow morning. It's already starting to get dark and what if something happens?" Tong Yao persuaded with worry in her tone.

"Oh, I don't know. Your Ma and I really don't want to intrude. We came to see you and since we saw you, we can go home now," Papa Tong responded.

"Uncle, I really insist," Lu Sicheng also persuaded. "You can have a good rest before you go home tomorrow."

Mama Tong touched Papa Tong's arm to stop him from speaking before speaking to herself. "Then, please pardon our intrusion for tonight."

Lu Sicheng wordlessly nodded then made his way downstairs.

"Ba, Ma. You have to try the food that the auntie here makes. It's almost as good as your cooking, Ma!" Tong Yao said excitedly. If she had a tail it would be wagging up a storm.

"You only have a sweet mouth," Mama Tong commented though secretly pleased at the honeyed words. "Let's go wash up for dinner then."

The trio all happily went to wash up and went downstairs where they had found that only Lu Sicheng was present at the dinner table filled with various steaming dishes.

"Ah? Where is everyone else?" Tong Yao asked if she took a seat. She nearly salivated all over her bowl looking at all of the dishes that were present on the table: stir-fried bamboo shoots, steamed clams with lemongrass and chili, cabbage soup, and braised pork belly. Auntie had absolutely outdone herself today.

"They all decided to volunteer to help Xiao Rui with the mountain of paperwork he has to do at headquarters," Lu Sicheng answered.

"Ah? They're suddenly so nice today," Tong Yao commented, not suspecting anything at all. She picked up her chopsticks and picked some bamboo shoots and placed them in her mom's bowl and then went back to pick a piece of pork to place in her father's bowl. "Eat, eat. The food here is delicious!"

“This girl…only knows how to eat,” Mama Tong teased light-heartedly before taking a bite of the bamboo her daughter had placed in her bowl. She looked over and saw her daughter greedily shoveling food into her mouth. “Eat slowly or else you will choke.”

Tong Yao flashed her a cheeky grin and slowed down her pace of shoveling food into her mouth.

“Er, Captain sir. Please don’t mind my daughter. She’s been like this since she was young. Her father spoiled her too much,” Mama Tong said to Lu Sicheng. “I’m sorry for what happened earlier. As parents we worry about her, especially when she doesn’t tell us where she is and we have to learn about her whereabouts on the news.”

“Please just call me Sicheng, Auntie,” Lu Sicheng said politely. “ I understand. We should’ve made sure that Tong Yao had reached out to notify the both of you. However, it has been a pleasure having your daughter on the team and we are glad that she feels comfortable here with us.”

Tong Yao can’t help but look at her boyfriend in awe. She had never seen him this polite with anyone before, not even with his parents.

“Don’t take her words to heart ah, Xiao Lu,” Papa Tong said cheerily. “She may sound scary but she’s a big softie on the inside. Most of the spoiling was done by her!”

“Lao Tong!” Mama Tong admonished with a playful hit on the arm.

“You both spoil me, ok?” Tong Yao appeased as she felt a fight coming on.

“It’s good you know that we spoil you. Yao Yao listen to Ba ah,” Papa Tong said, pointing his chopsticks at her. “you’re male dominated field and if you ever fall for one of them, make sure that they will spoil you like BaBa does. Also, don’t look for guys who are picky eaters…Baba hates that. Actually while we’re at this topic, don’t look for anyone who has a bad attitude, they will only make you sad. And don’t - “

“Ba!” Tong Yao reacted, slightly embarrassed, especially who he was unknowingly saying this to.

‘Don’t worry Ba. The person I love possibly spoils me more than you,’ Tong Yao thought happily. ‘We’re still working on the other stuff.’

“I’m serious. Xiao Lu, since you are her captain and have been in this industry far longer than she has, Uncle will temporarily hand this duty to you. Make sure she isn’t messing with any guys who don’t appreciate her,” Papa Tong said to Lu Sicheng seriously.

To which Lu Sicheng responded with equal seriousness, “I promise, Uncle.”

“Ba! I’m a grown woman,” Tong Yao protested. She placed her chopsticks down and crossed her arms to show her displeasure.

“Ok, ok. I’m sorry, ok?” Papa Tong appeased. He picked up a piece of pork and placed it in her bowl as an apology.

Tong Yao sighed then ate the pork with a disgruntled face.

Dinner continued without a hitch. Afterwards, Tong Yao ushered her parents to the guest room that Xiao Rui had prepared and instructed them to shower and go to bed early. She then went back to the kitchen to help her captain with cleaning up.

Instead he patted the counter near the sink and said, “Sit and keep me company.”

Tong Yao shrugged and hopped on. Far be it for her to refuse cleaning up duty.

“So long do you plan on keeping us a secret from your parents?” he asked as he soap up the dirty dishes.

“Until I am sure my mom will not shave my head and send me to the Buddhist temple when I tell her,” Tong Yao answered truthfully. “Do not be fooled by her. She almost did it when I told her I was dating Jian Yang and that he had dropped out of school to go pro. That was the scariest day of my life.”

Lu Sicheng scoffed and then muttered under his breath as he scrubbed the bowl viciously. “At least he got a title.”

Tong Yao looked at him teasingly after hearing what he had said. “Cheng Ge, are you jealous?”

He paused his action and looked at her and let out a loud scoff. “You’re imagining things.”

“It’s not like I’m hiding you forever,” Tong Yao tried to appease him. “Just for a little while. Plus they just learned of my change in career. Let’s slowly ease them in.”

“Oh,” he replied.

“Are you angry?” She asked half jokingly.

“No,” he replied seriously as he rinsed the last bowl. He dried his hand on the towel then came over to where she was seated. He leaned over and placed his hands on the counter, caging her in. “I’ll charm them like how I charmed you.”

“Pssh, I pitied you,” Tong Yao said. “You kept chasing me so I pitied you.”

“Then why are you still here?” He asked with the signature Lu Sicheng arched eyebrows.

“I’m still pitying you,” she replied cheekily.

He smiled at her response and reached a hand up and pinch her cheek. “Pity me do you?”

“Yeah, if not me then who would date someone as grumpy as you?” she replied.

Before Lu Sicheng could reply, the both of them heard footsteps approaching the kitchen. Tong Yao hurriedly pushed him away and hopped off the counter just in time for her mom to come into the kitchen in her pajamas.

“What are you two still doing here?” she asked suspiciously.

“I was just helping Cheng Ge clean up,” Tong Yao responded, trying not to sound nervous or else her mom would KNOW. “What are you doing down here? You should head to bed.”

“I came down to get some water,” Mama Tong responded. “If you both are done cleaning up, you should go to bed early.”

Tong Yao opened the cabinet and took out a cup and filled it with warm water from the kettle on the counter. She carefully brought it over and handed it to her mom. “I’ll go up with you and say good night to Ba before I go to bed. Good night Cheng Ge!”

Lu Sicheng watched as she led her mom back upstairs then chuckled silently at her antics. He was glad that she had ‘pitied’ him.

******Bonus Scene******

At an expensive hotpot place nearby -

“I wonder how Cheng Ge is doing,” Xiao Pang said as he stuffed expensive meat into his mouth. “I wonder if the in-laws know that they are in-laws.”

“Most likely not,” Lao K replied as he took another serving of expensive vegetables and placed them in his boiling pot of broth. “Tong Yao’s mom would KO-ed him then and there.”

“Our poor captain,” Lao Mao said as he placed more expensive seafood into his pot.

“I agree,” Xiao Rui said as he scanned the menu, preparing to order more food. “I never thought I would see the day that Cheng Ge would be nervous to meet someone.”

“Eh, do you guys ever wonder how the two of them even got together in the first place?” Xiao Pang questioned. “I’m not saying Tong Yao is not attractive but she doesn’t seem like the type that the captain would go for. They seem so unlikely to end up together.”

Everyone looked at each other and shrugged.

“Don’t question the ways of love Pang Ge,” Lao K responded.

“To be fair though, we’ve never seen Cheng Ge date anyone so who’s to say what type he would normally go for,” Xiao Rui said. Everyone nodded in agreement.

“Should we help the captain?” Lao Mao asked.

“Mao Mao, we are helping him,” Lao K said.

“Yeah Lao Mao. We’re helping him by staying out of it and letting him show off in front of his in-laws,” Xiao Pang responded.

At the end of the night, a charge of 3000 RMB (~419.52 USD) was made to Lu Sicheng’s bank card.

Chapter Text

“Tong Yao, Mama and Baba could just take the bus to get to the train station,” Mama Tong complained as they stood outside the base entrance waiting for the car that Tong Yao had ordered to arrive. “You didn’t have to order a car just for us. Save the money and spend it on yourself.”

“Maaaa, just take the car,” Tong Yao said. “Besides, Cheng Ge ordered the car, not me.”

“Eh, speaking of. What do you think of him? Do you like him?” Mama Tong asked curiously.

“Maaaaa,” Tong Yao moaned. She knew her mom would ask this question even if she had hoped for otherwise.

“I’m serious. He seems like a nice person. Did he graduate school? He looks like he comes from a good family,” Mama Tong went on.

The car service had arrived just in time for Tong Yao to evade her questioning.

“Ma, look, the car is here,” Tong Yao tried to evade.

The driver stopped the car and got out and asked, “Hello, are you Ms. Tong Yao?”

“Yes, that’s me, hello,” Tong Yao greeted. “I’m going to trouble you to take my parents to the train station.”

“No trouble at all,” he said happily. He opened the trunk and assisted Papa Tong with putting the bags in there. He opened the back door for them.

“Tong Yao ah. Tale care of yourself ok?” Papa Tong said as he pull his daughter into a hug. He let her go and got into the car before he could get too emotional.

“I’m serious Yao Yao. You should see if he’s single,” Mama Tong said as she hugs her daughter farewell.

“Yes, yes mom. Let me get his residential household book as well,” Tong Yao said sarcastically as she let her mom go and gently pushed her into the car.

“That’s even better,” Mama Tong said as Tong Yao closed the door. She rolled down the car window. “Take care, my daughter. Call me if anything happens.”

“I will! Let me know when you get home!” Tong Yao promised. With that the car started to drive away. She watched until the car was no longer in her sight. She turned around to see her boyfriend smirking at the door.

He turned around and walked back inside while saying, “Come in for a meeting!”

She watched him saunter back into the building with her jaws dropped in disbelief and embarrassment. It took her moment to recover and she quickly stomped back into the building and made her way to the meeting room.

Back inside, everyone was already seated at the long meeting table except for Tong Yao who had just walked in. The only seat that was available just so happens to be next to the captain. She gingerly sat down and made a show of ignoring him. He replied by quirking his eyebrows in curiosity.

Seeing that everyone was present, Xiao Rui began the meeting. "Thank you everyone for being here. First, Tong Yao, did your parents leave happily?"

Tong Yao shyly nodded.

"Then we shall start this meeting off with a team bonding activity," Xiao Rui announced happily. There seems to be an evil glimmer in his eyes. "We're going to go around the room and tell each other our deepest and darkest secret that we think no one here knows about us."

Everyone gave him a questioning look.

"Xiao Rui ah. Did you hit your head somewhere? Since when did we ever do any of those team bonding exercises?" Xiao Pang asked, genuinely worried for his manager.

“We have a new member so I thought we should start doing those activities to get to know her more,” Xiao Rui explained gleefully. “How about I start first? My secret is that I have recently started taking care of a houseplant. Who wants to go next? Ming Shen?”

“Uh ok,” Yu Ming mildly annoyed. “My secret is that I hate this.”

“Oh me too!”

“Same here!”

“Yeah why are we even doing this?”

“Will you guys just participate,” Xiao Rui said exasperatedly. ‘What a bunch of ingrates. You try to do something nice for them and this is how they repay you.`

“Fine,” Xiao Pang said. “My secret is that sometimes I sneak out and go eat by myself.”

“Mine is that sometimes I wear Lao Mao’s socks,” Lao K continued drooly.

“And sometimes I take his socks,” Lao Mao continued.

Suddenly everyone’s eyes was on the two people left.

“Xiao JieJie, what secrets are you hiding?” Xiao Pang asked with a teasing tone.

“This activity is dumb,” she said with a deadpan look on her face. Xiao Rui gave her a look which made her sigh in resignation and said, “My secret is that I want another cat.”

Then everyone switches their attention to the remaining person who has not divulged a secret yet.

“My secret is that Xiao Rui is getting a pay cut,” Lu Sicheng said with a glare.

“Heh,” Xiao Rui awkwardly coughed. “The Captain is excused from this activity. Tong Yao, you give another secret.”

“Yah! Why do I have to give another secret!?” Tong Yao protested abruptly.

“Because you are the new member,” Xiao Rui reasoned with an uncomfortably evil grin. “I am absolutely positive that you have another secret that you can share with us.”

“I’m an open book,” Tong Yao replied with a deadpan expression.

“Very well then,” He said with an exasperated sigh. “Moving on then. I just want to remind everybody that the club does not have a dating ban on anyone but we do ask that you notify the club so that the PR department has time to prepare in case something leaks and we can do damage control in time.”

He casts everyone a quick glance but lingered slightly upon the general direction of a certain couple. This absolutely did not go unnoticed by a certain captain who responded with a bored expression. “If you have something to say then say it.”

“N-nothing,” Xiao Rui said nervously. “A-anyways, the summer season is quickly approaching so please focus on training and less on other problems. Remember: if you are training then you are not causing problems that I have to deal with. So, let’s all focus and listen to our coaches.”

With that, Ming Shen took over and gave everyone a thorough lecture on the different tactics and style of plays which would become part of their strategies throughout the season. Towards the end of his lecture, all of the players had felt as though their soul has been sucked out of their body and that they were back in the lecture hall at school again. Before Yu Ming had reached his conclusion, there was a knock in the door. Immediately four figures shot up from their seat and scrambled towards the meeting room entrance and got stuck there.

“I’ll get it!”

“You sit down. I’ll get it!”

“Lao Mao move your big ass and let me go get the door!”

“Tong Yao you are so violent!”

“Yah! Will you lot sit down!” Xiao Rui admonished after seeing the chaos.

In the millisecond of pausing, Lao Mao took the advantage and ran out the door excitedly.

The rest dejectedly went back to their seats. Tong Yao did so with a major pout on her face. Ming Shen could only shake his head at their antics. While everyone waited for Lao Mao to come back, Lao K decided to consult Ming Shen on something while the rest pulled out their phones to scroll.

[Grumpy old man: What do you want for dinner? I’ll take you out.]

[Grumpy old man: Did you change my name again?]

[Captain’s favorite teammate: I think this is more fitting for you. 😝]

[Grumpy old man: … ]

[Grumpy old man changed ^Captain’s favorite teammate^ to ^Pitier^ ]

[Pitier: It’s good you know that I pitied you.]

[Grumpy old man: 🙄 Dinner?]

[Pitier: I thought tonight was a training night?]

Before Lu Sicheng could reply, Lao Mao came back carrying a large box with the popular confectioner brand name on it and a large bouquet of roses.

“Xiao JieJie! It hasn’t been long since you started but you already have fans!” Lao Mao said excitedly as he set the items onto the table.

“Woah! How come your fans have a conscience and send you such nice things!” Xiao Pang said as he got up and opened up the confectioners box. “Look at these! I heard they were really hard to get because it’s so popular!”

Tong Yao watched them gleefully. She can’t believe she has fans already!

Lao Mao pulled out a card from the bouquet. “Look! You have a male fan!”

This made Lu Sicheng quirk up his eyebrows in curiosity.

“My dear Yao Yao,” Lao Mao began to read. Hearing this, Tong Yao immediately shot out of her seat and made a mad dash towards Lao Mao and attempted to get the card away from him.

“How have you’ve been lately?”

“Lao Mao!”

“Are you happy?”

“Give it to me!”

“During the 24 hours in a day, was there a minute -”

“Lao Mao!”

“- That you think of me?”

Finally Tong Yao was able to snatch the cursed card from his hand.

“The place where the sun shines? That’s an odd name,” Lao Mao said. “I wonder who that is.”

“Sunflower,” Lao K answered as he watched their Mid huffed and puffed her way back to her seat and tore apart the card into teeny tiny pieces.

“Next time, turn back anything this sender sent here. Burn it if you have to,” Tong Yao said with anger in her tone.

“With the way you are reacting, some would say you still have feelings for him,” Lao K teased.

“To hell with that!” Tong Yao snapped back. “Who the hell wants him when -”

Tong Yao immediately stopped her tirade when she realized what she was about to say.

“When what? Xiao Jie Jie you need to complete the sentence,” Xiao Pang said gleefully.

“When there’s so much training to do!” she answered. Then stood up with a huff and stomped out of the meeting room. Lu Sicheng watched her leave with an amused smile. The rest chuckled at the success of riling up their teammate.

Lu Sicheng was the first to get up and walk out, probably to look for his pouting girlfriend. “Go and train. No one leaves until we encounter Sunflower.”

All he heard when walking through the door was the collective groans of his teammates.
.
.
.
“Now that our captain has doused himself in vinegar (is jealous), we must suffer for it,” Xiao Pang groaned.

A few hours later….

“Dinner!” Xiao Rui called out after setting the last plate of food onto the table. “Come and eat!”

Immediately he heard a stampede of footsteps from the kiddos that he was co-raising.

“Woaaaaaaah!” Xiao Pang exclaimed at the feast that was laid out on the table. “I knew I could smell hotpot but I thought my brain was just playing tricks on me.”

“What a minute,” Lao K said. “Something doesn’t seem right. Why would we have hotpot on a normal day like today?”

“Yeah. Also why is it all vegetables?” Lao Mao questioned. “Where’s all the meat?”

“Maybe it’s in the soup?” Xiao Pang said not so positively as they took a seat.

“The captain requested a vegetarian hotpot for dinner,” Xiao Rui answered. “Speaking of which, where is he and our little lady boss?”

“Tong Yao said she needed to go buy something so Captain took her a while ago,” Lao K replied and started to dig in. He really didn’t mind all of the veggies and they all look pretty fresh.

Just then, the front door’s lock clicked and opened to reveal the captain holding plastic bags and a gleeful Tong Yao.

“Cheng Ge! Tong Yao! Come have dinner!” Xiao Rui called out.

Tong Yao skipped over happily. “We stopped by to eat BBQ on the way home. It was so yummy. We should go there together sometime!”

“Did you happen to bring some home?” Xiao Pang asked, nearly bringing out his puppy eyes.

Tong Yao shook her head. “Cheng Ge said that Auntie had made a feast today and we shouldn’t waste food.”

‘CAPTAIN YOU’RE PLAYING FAVORITE!’ Xiao Pang internally screamed.

“Take your stuff and go wash up,” Lu Sicheng said as he extended the bags he was holding over to her. She happily took the bag and practically skipped upstairs. He watched until she made it up the stairs before taking a seat at the table.

“Why is she so happy?” Lao Mao asked.

“The little piggy ate me out of house and home, of course she’s happy,” Lu Sicheng said, trying not to sound so happy. If she had heard what he had called her, he would pay for it.

“Cheng Ge, when do you think we should schedule with TAT?” Xiao Rui asked casually. “They reached for a skirmish when they heard we got a new mid.”

“No,” Lu Sicheng replied coldly. “She’s not ready.”

“I think she’s plenty ready,” Xiao Rui tried to argue.

“No,” Lu Sicheng said, then stood up. “This ends here.”

Then he immediately stomped upstairs.

“Xiao Rui…she’s really not ready,” Lao K said somberly. “You know what they do to new players.”

"Yeah, that's just cruel," Xiao Pang added.

"You guys just don't believe in her," Xiao Rui dismissed but also not so sure himself. He really hopes this matter ends here.

—Upstairs, Tong Yao’s Room —

“Are you sure you want to hug your piggy of a girlfriend?” Tong Yao said with her hands on her hips.

“I was wrong,” Lu Sicheng half attempted to apologize, trying to come near her to hug her.

She pushed him out the door.

“This piggy needs time to reconsider!” she hissed then slammed the door in his face.

He sighed then dragged himself to his room. He had definitely paid for that comment.

Chapter Text

[fefw: Smiling! Why don’t you respond to TAT’s taunts?]

[vdbf: Ah Tai is calling you out Xiao Jie Jie!]

Tong Yao read the comments with a look of confusion.

“Who?” she asked.

[efaf: Don’t you read Weibo?]

“Weibo? I’ve been training until my eyes are dry. I don’t even have to look at my text messages let alone scroll Weibo,” Tong Yao complains. “Let me ask Rui Ge about it later. Now stop distracting me and watch me teach this noob a lesson!”

Since it was still mid-morning, the only occupant on the main floor was her and the base’s resident Auntie. No matter how much she tried, she couldn’t adjust to the late night schedule of a pro player and it didn’t help that she was sent to bed at midnight everyday, without fail, by her beloved Captain. Luckily she still has some self-awareness and does self training to occupy herself in the morning while her fellow teammates snooze away. It’s also easier to stream when there’s no one there to distract her or bother her.

[vbdb: only came here for Cheng Ge…where is he?]

[fefb: You noob! Do you not know how to play! ZGDX is done for this season!!!!]

[dnfe: Shouldn’t you be off shopping or doing your hair or something? A meimei like you should be living the luxury life not in front of the computer screen. Send me your weChat and I can show you a good time ;) ]

“I hate shopping and my hair is short so that I don’t have to do it,” Tong Yao replied to that particular comment drooly.

[Sfsf: HAH. I’ve never heard of a girl who doesn’t like shopping. Are you sure you’re a girl not a guy in disguise? 6666]

[sdfe: It can’t be an imposter….even an imposter would know to put more on the chest region! 2333333]

“Fuck you! Who are you fucking calling an imposter!” she exploded at the commenters.

[efaf: HAHAHA Xiao JieJie, are you not afraid of Baba’s scolding?]

[dfbe: the baby knows how to use crude language now! @ZGDX_Chessman come control your kid!]

“Yah! Who are you calling a kid!” She responded. “Come out if you dare and I’ll show you who’s a kid!”

[ZGDX_Chessman: Be nice and stop using crude language. Kiddies shouldn’t have a potty mouth.]

[affe: HAHAHAHA Baba is here! Xiao JieJie watch out!]

[djkb: Oh my god!! It’s Cheng Ge!!]

[dsbe: CHENG GE! NOTICE ME!!]

[dbge: CHENG GE WHY ARE YOU UP SO EARLY!!?]

[ndnf: @ZGDX_Chessman stream! Stream! I petition for you to start your own stream! Husband, I want to see you stream where you are right now. QAQ!!! ]

“Go back to sleep! You lots are a bunch of traitors!” she yelled then shut down her stream with a huff. She had been streaming for more than an hour anyways and she was in no danger of not meeting the monthly quota.

[Pitier: You’re still not forgiven! (►__◄) ]

[Grumpy old pervert: I’ll take you out for noodles for lunch. ]

[Pitier: Ok! (●'◡'●) ]

[Grumpy old pervert: ……..]

[Pitier: Go back to sleep. 😘😘]

Giddy with her boyfriend’s promise of noodles for lunch, she exited the game and opened up her favorite streaming platform and played the drama that she had started but never got the chance (let’s be honest: TIME) to finish.

Before she could even finish one episode, she heard the front door open then closed. She paused the screen and turned her chair around to see that Xiao Rui had arrived with a face of despair.

“Rui Ge?” she called out. “What’s wrong?”

Xiao Rui saw her then sighed. He dragged himself over to the main console and plopped himself onto an open chair.

“I’m stuck between two boulders and neither one is nice,” Xiao Rui confessed despairingly.

“Does this have anything to do with TAT?” Tong Yao guessed.

“Have you been on Weibo? I thought the captain had told you to stay off of it for a while?” Xiao Rui said surprisingly.

Tong Yao rolled her eyes then said, “No, the traitors on my stream were mentioned like crazier earlier. I was going to ask you about it. What’s the deal with that?”

Xiao Rui let out another sigh. “TAT was Cheng Ge’s old team when he was still playing in South Korea. Whenever the LPL has a new player on the scene, they will challenge them to a game and completely destroy them and break their spirit. The problem is that Cheng Ge refuses to accept this challenge while all of the investors and higher ups are pushing me to accept the challenge because the netizens are calling us not so savory names.”

“Why doesn’t Cheng Ge want to play?” she asked, genuinely curious. This is the first she’s hearing of her boyfriend backing down from a challenge. His ego is too big to do that.

“He doesn’t think that we are ready,” Xiao Rui answered carefully, not wanting to stir the hypothetical pot. Having a couple on the same team is tricky because it was his job to make sure all of the players are happy and emotionally stable enough to play but if something happens to the couple in the middle of a competition season then there's not much he can do.

“...” Tong Yao hesitated then said, “Well, since I’m the reason why we’re being challenged, shouldn’t I have a say? We’ve been more than ready! We can take on anything!”

Xiao Rui could only look at her, unsure how to answer her enthusiasm. While he appreciated it, the final decisions relied on the one upstairs.

“Don’t worry Rui Ge. I’ll talk to our captain,” Tong Yao said cheerfully. She jumped out of her seat and happily went upstairs to get ready to go out.

Xiao Rui watched as she practically skipped upstairs, mostly in case she missed a step and fell which, he hates to admit, happens too frequently. He lets out another sigh and decides to move on to do other work and leave that problem for Tong Yao to solve.

While Xiao Rui was busy answering emails and doing his due diligence to manage the menagerie they call a team, Tong Yao was happily getting ready upstairs.

She had just finished applying her expensive creams and other face stuff that Mama Lu and Chen Jin Yang told her she had to put on her face in the morning when she heard a soft knock on her door before the door opened. Tch. The only person who has the audacity to give a courtesy knock then just let themself in was the person she was unfortunately dating.

“You couldn’t even wait for me to open the door could you?” Tong Yao asked sarcastically as she fluffed around with her bangs, trying to make them look presentable. Tried was the keyword but she eventually gave up and just let them be. She walked out of the bathroom to see him lounging lazily on her chair while playing on his phone. “Are you wearing a necklace? I’ve never seen you wear one.”

“Oh, I just grabbed it randomly,” he answered coolly. Then he looked at her and smirked, “Does it make you fall for me more?”

“Tch. You wish. I pitied you, remember?” she answered. “But you do look good with it.”

Lu Sicheng smiled then pulled her onto his lap. “What else do you like? I’ll wear them all for you to look at.”

“Captain, were you always this flirty?” Tong Yao teased back, having been used to his flirty teasing. “Eh, I have something I want to talk to you about.”

“What?” he asked to place his chin on her shoulder and hug her tighter.

“I want to accept the TAT challenge,” she said cheerfully. So cheerful that there was absolutely no way he could refuse her.

“No, absolutely not,” He replied harshly.

“Why?” she asked petulantly.

“I can give you anything else but this,” he replied.

“Give me a reason why then,” she said as she got up from his lap.

“We’re not ready,” he answered coldly. ‘You’re not ready.’

“What do you mean? We’ve been practicing non-stop and we’ve beaten almost every team we had practice matches with. Tell me how we’re not ready!” She tried to reason with him. “Xiao Rui said that I’m the reason why we’re being challenged so shouldn’t I have some say in this?”

It looks like reasoning wasn’t going to work. It never does anyways. Tong Yao has to employ her fail safe tactic! Her waterline began to fill and a pout began to form on her lips.

Lu Sicheng stood up and walked towards the door. “ I said no and that is final.”

With that he exited out of her room, slamming the door behind him and leaving his girlfriend wondering behind him. He took a deep breath and went downstairs.

“Cheng Ge? Why are you up so early?’ Xiao Rui asked, surprised to see him before the clock struck noon.

“You seem to have too little to do,” Lu Sicheng said snidely when he saw Xiao Rui scrolling his phone at the dining table while enjoying a cup of coffee. He took a seat across from Xiao Rui, let out a sigh and said, “Let’s talk TAT.”

Xiao Rui’s eyes bugged out from their sockets when he heard them say that. “W-what? I thought you said no and that was final?”

“A certain someone threw a tantrum and looked like she was on the verge of tears begging me to let her play,” he said with a scoff.

‘The lady boss is awesome!’ Xiao Rui thought in awe. No one, not even his own mother, could make him willingly change his mind about anything. “Of course! I will respond to them right away!”

“Wait. There are conditions,” Lu Sicheng said, promptly stopping Xiao Rui from doing anything. “Nothing is recorded. Nothing is live streamed. Nothing gets released. Or else. Get them to agree.”

“Yes! Yes, of course!” Xiao Rui agreed excitedly. He’s so happy that he could cry. He could literally feel the boulder of pressure being lifted from his shoulders.

“And we’ll be doing closed training until that match,” Lu Sicheng said, though his intent wasn’t all purely good. He was going to make them train so hard that they would cry, especially his Mid. “Oh and tell accounting to deduct your wage this month. For talking too much.”

So, Xiao Rui became depressed again. Tong Yao never got her noodle lunch that day and the rest of them were subjected to surprise close training for two weeks. By the end of the week, at least three members of ZGDX were in tears and one was so joyful, internally.

_______________________________

The day of the match finally arrives.

“I-I-I think I need another drink of water,” Tong Yao said nervously as she weakly tried to get out of her chair.

“Tong Yao, this has been your third drink of water,” Xiao Rui said worriedly. “Are you sure it’s not the bathroom you need?”

“Sit down,” Lu SIcheng commanded. He then turned to her. He put his hand on top of hers. “Take a deep breath. Play like you normally do. I’ll take us to victory.”

“Woah. Captain, that was so cool,” Xiao Pang said. “If I was a girl, my heart would’ve skipped a beat.”

“Come on everyone,” Ming Shen tried to regroup everyone. “They’re going to sign on any minute so get ready.”

Despite feeling like her body could explode from nervousness, she got herself in the zone and prepared for battle.

TAT soon arrived and the match began.

Unfortunately, TAT was selected to have first pick at the Pick and Ban stage and immediately grabbed Leblanc for their Mid.

Lu Sicheng took a quick glance at her worriedly. He knew what they were up to and tried his best to prepare his team, especially her, but there was no saying what will happen. He hopes he will not regret the decision of allowing this match to happen.

“The best counter to Leblanc is Cassiopeia,” Ming Shen said to Tong Yao. “But you haven’t completely mastered that Champion yet.”

“It’s fine,” Tong Yao said as she selected the champion anyways. “It’s only a practice match right? It’s not like it's going to be released for the public to see.”

Yu Ming contemplated for a moment. It is true that the captain made sure that both sides agreed to keep this match completely private and nothing is leaked or else there will be large financial consequences. With that he let out a sigh of acceptance and moved on to instructing the pick for Jungler and Top.

Once all of the players had chosen their champions, the match began promptly.

Three minutes in and the announcement of the First Kill was made though it had gone to TAT’s Leblanc for slaughtering ZGDX’s Cassiopeia.

By the 10 minute mark, Tong Yao was slaughtered 6 times by Leblanc.

“Yah, this Leblanc really has it out for our Mid!” Xiao Pang yelled out when another kill announcement rang out.

Five more minutes and TAT had destroyed ZGDX’s nexus without much resistance.

There was only silence at the base, everyone unsure what else to say. What really more was there to say?

“Uhh…good job everyone! It’s good to lose sometime right?” Xiao Rui said awkwardly, trying to break up the high levels of tension in the room. His comment earned him a folder hit from Ming Shen. “Hehe, uh, how about this? Milk tea is on me today! As much as you want!”

“As much as I want?” Xiao Pang asked in awe. Never would he see the day Stingy Xiao Rui would willingly open his personal wallet to treat them to anything! “Xiao Rui, you’re so nice to us today! Maybe losing isn’t so bad every once in a while!”

This earned Xiao Pang a folder hit from Ming Shen and an arm slap from his captain.

“Since Xiao Rui is paying, I will get all of the toppings that I want,” Lao K said. “To ease the sorrow of losing today.”

“Yeah! Got to make this opportunity worth it,” Lao Mao followed. “Xiao JieJie, you have to remember this moment well. Order the most expensive thing on the menu!”

“I don’t want any. You guys have fun,” Tong Yao said somberly. She then abruptly took off her headphones and made a beeline upstairs to her room and slammed the door behind her.

“Tong Yao!”

“Xiao JieJie!”

Everyone took turns calling out to her.

“This is not good,” Lao Mao commented.

“I’ve never seen her turn down food before,” Xiao Pang said. “Especially after getting her wage deducted.”

“Losing is a lesson on reflection,” Lu Sicheng said coldly, though his heart was in a panic after seeing her pale face and watery eyes. With that he got up and headed upstairs too. “You lot make sure to spend all of Xiao Rui’s money today. Spend so he won’t even have enough to spend at the end of the month.”

“C-Cheng Ge, how have I offended you?” Xiao Rui called out in despair. “How???”

“Roger Captain!” The three saluted.

Meanwhile, Lu Sicheng had reached Tong Yao’s room but when he tried to open the door, he found that it was locked. She usually never locks her door and they haven’t found the time to switch her look to the digital one yet. All he could do was knock and call out for her.

“ Go away. I want to be alone right now,” she called out while sniffling. He could tell she was crying.

For once in his life, Lu Sicheng was unsure what to do or what to say. He was helpless. Speechless. His hand hovered over her door, deciding whether to knock again or not. He let out a sigh and decided to let her have her space and headed back downstairs.

Since he has known her, he has only seen her seriously cry twice. Once when she had found out what Jian Yang had done and the second time was when she had failed back to back exams back when she was an accounting student. Both times he had felt helpless, just like now. He wasn’t good at dealing with anyone crying, especially her. That’s why he swore he would never make her cry because his heart aches with every tear that rolls down that precious face.

He never should’ve accepted the invitations from TAT, no matter how much she begged and begged. He had thought that she was going to be ok but he had forgotten how brutal they can be with newbies. They will make sure to bulldoze any confidence a player has about and make sure it crumbles into nothing but ashes. While it may seem like the world of esports is simple and fun on the outside, it is actually a cruel world. One where if you do not have a strong sense of self and a wall of confidence then you will crumble and the industry will eat you up alive.

Everyone had already left the base and it was just him, sitting in front of the empty screen. He decided to try to lure her out with the only thing he knows might make her feel better.

[Grumpy old man: Come down and play a few rounds with me.]

[Pitier: Don’t want to…]

[Grumpy old man: … Just a few rounds. Didn’t you say you would carry me to Challenger?]

[Pitier: …]

Despite her unworded response, he heard the creak of her door and the shuffling of her tiny feet dragging themselves downstairs. He turned around in his chair to see his red rimmed eyes girlfriend slowly making her way towards him. He smiled gently and extended an arm towards her.

“Come. Sit with me,” He said gently. She gingerly took his offered hand only to be pulled directly onto his lap.

“Hey!” Tong Yao protested as she frantically looked around. “What if someone sees?”

“They’re all gone,” Lu Sicheng said as he continued to snuggle his girlfriend unashamedly happily. “Let me hold you for just a little while longer. You never let me do this anymore.”

“Lu.Si.Cheng! Watch what you’re saying!” Tong Yao admonished with a growing blush on her face. “We are in different positions now!”

“If I had known that you won’t even let me hold you like this then I would’ve never approved of you joining this team,” Lu Sicheng pouted bitterly.

Tong Yao noticeably quieted down. “Hey. Do you really regret signing me onto the team?”

“Hm?” Lu Sicheng questioned when he heard her meek voice. “Didn’t I tell you this before? You are exactly what this team needs.”

“Yeah but today…” Tong Yao tapered off, not sure what are the right words to say. She leaned into his embrace for comfort.

“Today was a fluke. A set up. No newcomer has been able to beat TAT on their first match with them. If you want to blame anybody then blame me. I knew what they were up to and I still agreed to it. Should I still be Captain of this team? Yes, because I’m that good,” Lu Sicheng said arrogantly. “Xiao Rui was right. Losing every once in a while is quite normal. Just treat this as a training match and like every training match, nothing is made public.”

“I suppose,” Tong Yao said skeptically. She then sighed. “Don’t comfort me. I’m alright.”

Lu Sicheng kissed her head then said cheekily, “Didn’t you come down here to play a few rounds with me? Should we play a few rounds upstairs instead?”

Tong Yao immediately got out of his embrace and gave him a glare. “Can you not be a pervert in a moment like this?”

Lu Sicheng smiled seeing her act more like her normal self. “Ok, sit down, let's play. I’ll even play Support for you.”

Tong Yao smiles arrogantly. “That’s more like it.”

She took a seat and reopened the game portal. “Sit back and relax, dear Captain. I’ll allow you to ride off of my wins.”

************

When the team returned back to the base much, much later, they found their Captain’s chair reclined back and the monitor next to it still on and the sound of keyboard clicking filled the empty space.

Everyone looked at each other before cautiously approaching the main console. They got close enough to see their Xiao JieJie in the middle of a game while playing as Leblanc. She was not playing like normal. It seems as though she was playing a lot more indecisive than she normally does. However, before anyone could say anything, Lu Sicheng opened his eyes from where he was napping on his chair and gave them a slight head shake, signaling for them to not say anything.

They once look at each other, unsure if this order should be obeyed. After a moment, they all reluctantly decided to leave Tong Yao alone and all went back to their room or home.

Lu Sicheng glanced over at his girlfriend to make sure she was ok and when he still wasn't noticed by her (AGAIN), he decided to close his eyes and took another nap. He found that the best way for her to work out her feelings was to let her play it out in game. He's only here to make sure she's physically ok.

The next time he opened his eyes, it was three in the morning, according to his phone's clock, and his girlfriend had switched over to mob killing practice with Cassiopeia. It was like watching a perfectionist play. Everytime she would miss one, she would quit and do the whole thing again, over and over and over again.

"Not sleeping?" he asked quietly.

She cleared one wave and the missed one so she reset the whole thing again.

"Later," she replied, not even sparing him a glance. "Don't talk to me. You're making me miss."

He needs to put a stop to this. He decided to get up and warm a glass of warm milk. He also added some honey into it to help coax her to sleep. He brought it over and silently placed the glass next to the hand that was currently controlling the mouse.

"Take a break," he tried to coax.

Tong Yao missed again when she heard him. "I miss again."

Before she could quit and reset the game again, Lu Sicheng turned her chair towards him and pressed her head to him. Finally having a moment of silence and encased in darkness, she finally let her tears flow. All Lu Sicheng could do was to let her cry it out and silently pat her head. He could feel his shirt get soaked in her tears and her sniffles were the only sound that could be heard.

************

When Xiao Rui walked into the base the next day, he was greeted with the unfamiliar sight of an empty main room. Normally the base's Auntie would be cooking and Tong Yao would be streaming but there was none of that today. Instead, he was met with the sight of his captain snuggling the lady boss on the couch. His mouth soured at the sight.

Hearing footsteps approaching, Lu Sicheng opened his eyes to see Xiao Rui. Xiao Rui opened his mouth but before any words could come out of his mouth, Lu Sicheng brought a finger to his lips to signal the other man to keep quiet. He slowly and carefully extracted himself from his girlfriend without waking her up. When he nearly extracted himself, his girlfriend started to stir and move. He quickly softly patted her back to sleep. Once he had removed himself, he pulled Xiao Rui over to the kitchen where their conversation could not be heard.

"Cheng Ge, we have a problem."

******Bonus Scene: Takes place during closed training******

“Xiao Pang! What the fuck are you doing? Go back to Bot!” Tong Yao yelled as she ferociously clicked her keyboard.

“Ah! Don’t yell at me!” Xiao Pang whined but took his character back to the bot lane.

“Where is our Top? Are you hiding out and being useless again?” Tong Yao yelled.

“I’m waiting for Lao K,” Lao Mao replied.

“Yah! This is not the time to be going on dates! You’re probably waiting to be carried by him again,” Tong Yao said. “ Lao K, come. Let’s end this. Those idiots are giving me a headache.”

Within a couple of minutes, Tong Yao was able to turn the tide and explode the opponent’s nexus. She let out a pleased sigh then slump back into her seat.

“Captain, I think we found a new bully,” Xiao Pang whispered to Lu Sicheng dejectedly. “She’s even meaner than you are.”

“Oh,” Lu Sicheng replied. Then he turned over to where Tong Yao was lazily looking at the game stats and said, “Xiao Pang thinks you’re meaner than me.”

Tong Yao perked up then threw a glare at Xiao Pang. “HE SAID WHAT?”

‘You two are the perfect couple! Both equally mean! Just a couple of bullies, the both of you!” 😭😭😭😭

Chapter Text

[BREAKING NEWS: ZGDX'S NEWLY SIGNED 'SMILING' CRACKS UNDER PRESSURE! UNABLE TO DEFEAT THE KOREAN TEAM,TAT]

[SMILING: THE DESTRUCTION OF ZGDX!]

[IS ZGDX LOSING ITS TOUCH?]

"Who released it to the press?" Lu Sicheng questioned, immediately going into boss mode, after Xiao Rui had presented him with the trending headlines. "Make sure to investigate thoroughly."

"I already had someone do that. It was one of the new players over at TAT who released the news to the public. Things got out of control before we could control it," Xiao Rui reported. "I've also contacted TAT for breach of contract compensation as well as a public apology for releasing it."

"Take it off the trending page," Lu Sicheng instructed then handed Xiao Rui's phone back to him. "When is the drawing ceremony?"

"Next week," Xiao Rui answered. "Everything is set and ready. We will be playing the opening match against CK.”

Lu Sicheng had a dark expression on his face.

“I’m going to headquarters,” He told Xiao Rui. “Watch her for me and make sure she doesn’t see anything. Same with the rest.”

“Doesn’t see what?” came a sleepy voice from behind him.

Lu Sicheng quickly turned around to see his absolutely adorable girlfriend with her just awoken look and who was rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She hasn’t seemed to notice Xiao Rui, who was standing right next to him, yet. She held her arms out and stumbled towards him. She embraced him into a sleepy hug which immediately softened the anger which was burning inside of him. She snuggled her face into his chest until she found a comfortable position.

“Why are you awake so early?” He asked softly as he also tightened his hold on her. “You should sleep more.”

“You’re not there,” she pouted cutely. “Come back and sleep with me.”

Lu Sicheng had a secret. A secret he absolutely could not tell anyone. He really wanted to burn Xiao Rui’s eyes for being able to see how cute and spoiled his girlfriend got when she had just woken up. He loved that his girlfriend is so outspoken and strong on her own so he absolutely reveled in the moments where she clings tightly to him and depended on him. Those moments were so rare and he was afraid that if told her then she would stop doing it.

“I have to go to headquarters to deal with something,” he said as he bent down and gave her a kiss on the top of her head. “Be good and go back to sleep. Stay off your phone today.”

Tong Yao only sleepily nodded her head. She was already drifting off to dreamland. Lu Sicheng looked down to find she already had eyes closed and her breathing had started to slow. He cautiously leaned down and scooped her legs up to comfortably carry her.

“I’m going to put her to bed,” Lu Sicheng whispered to Xiao Rui before turning then heading upstairs to put his girlfriend to bed.

Xiao Rui watched him go up the stairs and smiled in glee. His ice cold captain has finally melted and this was all thanks to him for recruiting Tong Yao as their Mid, He knew from the beginning that they were meant to be.

**********************************************

When Tong Yao woke up, it was much later in the day. It has been a while since she had slept in. She stretched then snuggled back into her pillow. Wait a minute. She remembered falling asleep on the couch downstairs, how did she end up in her room? Lu Sicheng probably brought her up. Where was he anyways? Usually he would stay with her until she woke up. She looked around her bed for her phone and found that it was charging on her bedside table. She pulled the charging wire out and turned on her phone only to be met with more notification than what she knows what to do with. She snuck a peek at some of them and it was people tagging her in a Weibo post. She opened up the post to see what was going on.

[dgbd: FAKE PLAYER!!!]

[fnen: #1 LeBlanc player? PLEASE! She got defeated so bad even though she’s supposed to know everything there is to know about this champion!]

[dfbe: Why did ZGDX even recruit this person! #Nolongerafan ]

[gein: I used to be a fan of ZGDX but not anymore!]

[befe: Smiling probably paid her way into the team #nolongerafan]

[nfew: How can someone be this bad as a pro player?]

[dobf: I CAN PLAY BETTER THAN SMILING! ZGDX, RECRUIT ME INSTEAD!]

Horror spread throughout Tong Yao’s body as she realized that the match against TAT yesterday was leaked to the public. As she read through the comments, the self doubt which she had harbored since yesterday had seemed to grow exponentially. All she could think was that it was a mistake going pro. She wanted to put the phone down and stop reading those comments but her hands doesn’t seem to be listening to her brain. Her fingers kept scrolling and scrolling and her eyes kept reading every single comments. They just continue confirming her thoughts. If she quit now, it’s a little close but there was still time to find someone and integrate them into the team. They will probably be much better than her and more fit to play as a professional player.

[fekn: Smiling probably only joined to find a boyfriend!]

[vdbd: She should know her limit! #Nolongerafan]

[dfsf: knew she wasn’t good enough! #Nolongerafan]

She knew she needed to put the phone away but she kept scrolling. Who knows how much time had passed. It had only occurred to her that it was noon when Xiao Pang knocked on her door to announce lunch time. She had claimed to be too tired to eat.

She didn’t know she was crying until she noticed that there were water droplets on phone screen, The tears streamed down her face uncontrollably until it blurred her phone screen. She was fine so why was she crying? She wasn’t reading those comments anymore yet why won’t her brain shut up? She feels as though her brain was going a million miles a minute and she’s struggling to keep in control. She had thought about her relationship with Cheng Ge. Was she really fit to be with him? It was better when she had only an inkling of the industry that he was in. He now seems like an unobtainable god who is unfit to be with someone like her. A pro player only has a few good years to play before they have to retire because of injury or they lose the dexterity in their fingers and cannot move as fast as the younger newbies. Lu Sicheng is actually at his prime so if she is going to bring him down by being his teammate? By being with him? Will she be enough for him? Not only is he the captain of an accomplished team in the LPL but he was also the young master of the Lu Corporation. She was just a nobody who had only happened to meet him on the train one day.

Before her self pity party went any further, her phone rang. She used her blanket to wipe away the tears which had smeared the screen to see that it was Chen Jin Yan calling her. She hesitantly picked up the call. Jin Yang would call her continuously until she picked up anyways.

“Jei Mei, have you seen what people are saying online?” Jin Yang greeted her angrily. She didn’t even wait for Tong Yao to reply as she continued her tirade. “These dumbasses don’t know when to quit. I’ve done 500 rounds with them and they’re still spewing that useless shit.”

“Why bother?” Tong Yao said listlessly. “They’re right.”

“Excuse me?!” Jin Yang replied to her friend’s depressed tone. “They are absolutely not right! I did not fight 500 rounds for you to say that! I’m so angry right now. Where are you? Let’s go get a drink!”

“Ah? Isn’t it a little early?” Tong Yao asked. She honestly doesn’t even know what time it was.

“Jei Mei, it’s already 6 in the evening!” Jin Yang exclaimed. “Anyways it’s never too early for a drink when I’m this angry. So where are you? Useless question. You’re probably at the base. Go get ready. I’ll be by in 15 minutes to pick you up, even if I have to storm in there and drag you out myself.”

With that Chen Jin Yang abruptly hung up the call. Tong Yao sighed. She wished she had Jin Yang’s confidence. She allowed herself a moment to continue to wallow in self pity before forcing herself to get out of bed and get ready. Jin Yang would really storm the base and drag her out, no matter the barrier.

She lackadaisically washed her face and changed her clothes to whatever she grabbed first. She got lucky that it kind of looked coordinated. She grabbed her purse and had to make sure that her wallet was in it. It has been a while since she had gone anywhere that she had to pay. Then again, she was going out with Chen Jin Yang, the heiress of the Chen Corporation, would she really need her wallet? She kept it in her purse just in case and headed out the door. When she made it to the top of the stairs, her phone chirped to notify her that Jin Yang had texted her that she was outside and to come quickly before the next door Mid noticed that she was there. She continued down the stairs and beelined towards the door when she heard Xiao Rui asked her where she was going.

“Jin Yang asked me out to drinks,” she replied as she continued towards the door. She heard him shouting for her to be careful and to come home early as the door closed behind her.

“Hurry!” Jin Yang yelled from her car.

Tong Yao sped up her walking and quickly got into the car. Jin Yang sped away and took them to a bar nearby.

Since it was still quite early in the evening, there weren’t that many people at that particular bar so the two were seated quite quickly. A wait staff came and dropped off the menu and waited patiently for their orders.

“I don’t know what to order. You order for me, Jin Yang,” Tong Yao said, overwhelmed with the strange names on the menu.

“Ok. I’ll have two Long Island iced teas,” Jin Yang ordered. The wait staff quickly noted their order then took back the menu and went to the bar area.

“Iced tea?” Tong Yao asked curiously. “Didn’t you say you want to drink?”

“Don’t be silly,” Jin Yang lightly teased. “Of course I am drinking. Don’t you know what a Long Island iced tea is, silly girl? Enough of that. Tell me why you look and sound so depressed?”

Tong Yao remained silent, unsure what to say or where to begin. Although it has lessened, her head was still jumbled up with all sorts of thoughts and she’s even sure herself how to sort them out. As she contemplated what to say, the wait staff came back to their table and served two tall glasses with a brown liquid and a pretty little yellow umbrella on top. She grabbed the drink and took a long sip. For something alcoholic, it doesn't taste that bad.

"You ah," Jin Yang started as she watched her best friend slurp down the drink. "Have some more confidence in yourself! Have I taught you nothing? Even if everything is in a shit fire, you still have to stand up proud or else you're going to go down with it."

"They said I sucked. They said I don't belong in ZGDX. They said I don't deserve Lu Sicheng," Tong Yao began to ramble. It was clear the alcohol was starting to affect her. She sucked the last of the Long Island iced tea until there was only the clinking of ice left. Noticing there wasn't anything left in the glass, she reached forward and placed the glass back down on the table and reached for the second glass.

"Yah! Slow down! That's a lot of alcohol!" Jin Yang warned her friend. "Why do you even pay attention to them anyways? What do they know anyways? Besides, if you don't deserve Lu Sicheng then who does? Buddha?"

Tong Yao silently sat there and slurped down her drink.

"Aiya, I took you here to have fun not to drink until you get drunk," Jin Yang said as she took the glass away from her friend's hand.
Unbeknownst to the two, there was a familiar figure watching from the bar. He quickly sent a text message to the mid laner of YQCB.

[Jian Yang: Ai Jia, your girlfriend is at XX bar near your base. Come quickly!]

Chapter Text

Jian Yang watched on from the bar, a close distance from the two. He knew his friend and fellow competitor was in a rough spot with his girlfriend at the moment so he was happy to provide the assist. Of course this was not his only motive. His main motive was the obviously drunk girl. The very one who he has been putting in much effort to even have a meaningful conversation with. The one who had broken his heart into pieces. The very one who he is trying to win back. If Ai Jia comes then he can distract Jin Yang and he, Jian Yang, could make his move.

Luckily Ai Jia did not disappoint. In under 10 minutes, Ai Jia nearly skidded into the bar with his ruffled hair and rustled clothes, heavily panting. He quickly scanned the bar as he caught his breath until he spotted his gorgeous girlfriend comforting her best friend. Before he could do anything, he pulled out his phone and sent a text to the next door captain to let him know that his girlfriend was drunk and that he should come and pick her up.

Of course the cool posturing broke when his girlfriend, finally, spotted him and sent him a glare.

“You!” she called out angrily. “What are you doing here?”

“J-Jian Yang texted me,” Ai Jia said. “Never mind that. Jin Yangggggg. You’ve haven’t paid any attention to me lately.”

“Jian Yang?” Jin Yang asked curiously. How does he know where they were? Unless… Jin Yang looked around the bar and found the culprit sheepishly waving at her from where he sat at the bar.

Jin Yang’s face turned dark when she saw his smiling face. “How long has he been here?”

“Aiya, does that matter? What matters is the one that is very obviously drunk and ordering more drinks,” Ai Jia tried to protect his friend. Even if he doesn’t agree with what Jian Yang did to Tong Yao, Ai Jia had also grown up with him from childhood.

Jin Yang snapped her head back to see that her best friend was indeed trying to order more drinks from a wait staff that was having an incredibly hard time trying to understand what this patron wanted. “Get her a jug of water.”

The wait staff gratefully noted her Jin Yang’s order and hurriedly scurried off.

“Jinnnn Yannnnnnng,” Tong Yao drawled. “I want ice tea! Ice tea!”

“What ice tea?!” Jin Yang admonished. She was semi-terrified for her life and hoped that the drunk one’s boyfriend could forgive her this time.

Tong Yao squinted her eyes and looked at the person standing next to her best friend. That person looks familiar. Her eye sight also picked up on the person standing at the bar.

“I-is that Jian Yang,” Tong Yao asked with her slurred speech while also pointing at the suspected figure. “What is he doing here? Shouldn’t he be training?”

Hearing Tong Yao say his name and put some importance to his daily routine, Jian Yang perked up like an excited puppy and rushed over to her. He quickly slid in the seat next to her before anyone could protest and took her hand into his.

“Yao Yao, you remember me? You still care for me?” he asked excitedly.

Seeing Tong Yao’s hand grasp, lightning had seemed to strike Chen Jin Yang and Ai Jia. They were doomed. If Lu Sicheng were to walk in now, they were absolutely done for. Who doesn’t know how freakishly possessive the oldest young master Lu was?

Tong Yao still had some consciousness, fortunately, and pulled her hand out of his grasp. “Not allowed.”

“What’s not allowed?” Jian Yang asked worriedly. “Is ZGDX neglecting you? Mistreating you? What are they not allowing you to do?”

Tong Yao looked at him with unsteady eyes. “Why are you here?”

“I’m trying to win you back,” Jian Yang said softly, trying to keep his excitement down in case it scares her away. “I want to show you that I care for you. Give me the chance to do that again?”

She looks at him for a moment trying to decipher what he was saying. “You don’t care about me. You’ve never asked me what I want or what I care about. What I care about…care about…I care about Le Blanc…want to win. I don’t want to be a disappointment…”

Shocked at her reply, Jian Yang was left speechless.

Seeing the other person frozen, Tong Yao became bored with the conversation and let out a big yawn. She sleepily look towards Jin Yang and in a spoiled manner said, “Jin Yannng I’m sleepy.”

Jin Yang sat back down and pulled her friend to let her snuggle in. She patted her back as if soothing a baby to sleep. “My poor Jiemei. Don’t worry, pay attention to all of the nonsense that the trash of this world is saying.”

Jian Yang reached out a hand to rub her head in pity only to be slapped away by Jin Yang.

Tong Yao reached for her phone and continued to scroll the comments section. Jian Yang saw this and took her phone out of her hand.

“Don’t read that,” he said worriedly. He did want Tong Yao’s affection back but he has also resigned himself back to playing the good childhood friend that she needs right now. The three that were here are probably the only ones in her corner now, or so he thought.

“Don’t be sad anymore,” Jin Yang said cheerfully. “How about I take you to Las Vegas and we can watch the shows that you had wanted to watch last time we were there.”

“You’re feeling sad because someone beat you with your most favored champion,” Ai Jia said directly. This caused Chen Jin Yang to glare at him. “Jin Yang, you will never know this feeling. It’s like someone taking your belief and ripping it into shreds. You had thought you had known this champion inside and out and know how to out maneuver it if on the other side. Yet, someone came in and absolutely wreck you with what you claimed to be an expert in. The feeling is unimaginable. Which LPL players haven’t had TAT wrecked them into this state before? Probably only Chessman. Tong Yao needs time to mourn the death of this belief in order to be stronger.”

What Ai Jia said may have been too direct but it was exactly what had needed to be said. This mourning that Ai Jia mentioned is exactly what Tong Yao is going through now and what he, Ai Jia, have gone through not too long ago, as well as what Jian Yang had to go through at the beginning of his pro career. It was almost a rite of passage for someone who wants to join the LPL. If they can get through this, then they are qualified to join the brutal field of e-sports. If not, their life would be considerably much worse.

Everyone was silent for a moment, knowing that Ai Jia was right and they too joined in the mourning. The moment quickly comes to an end when Jin Yang catches the silhouette of Lu Sicheng entering the bar in the corner of her eyes.

She excitedly shook her friend awake. “Jiemei, look who has come to pick you up!”

Tong Yao peeked her eyes open to see Lu Sicheng walking towards them . She suddenly remembered what he said the last time she drank too much and had gotten drunk. She quickly ducked into Jin Yang’s embrace and said in a panic, “Nooooo. I’m going to be thrown into the ocean.”

Lu Sicheng gave her an exasperated look. Of all the things she remembered, why did she remember that at a time like this? Wouldn’t that make him look like he likes to abuse his girlfriend? Also, why couldn’t she remember this threat before she had started drinking? Perhaps he should take her to see a brain specialist to check her selective memory recall problem.

Jin Yang chuckled amusingly. “Then I’ll come on a boat and fish you out tomorrow morning.”

“How did she get like this?” Lu Sicheng asked worriedly as he bends down and tried to pry her off of Chen Jin Yang.

“Noooooo,” Tong Yao protested sleepily. “Mom, don't take me home. I-I-I want to eat pork rib soup.”

Seeing that Tong Yao wasn’t willing to go home with captain Lu, Jian Yang excitedly took this opportunity. “Cheng Ge, I can bring Tong Yao home later.”

Unexpectedly, this had earned him a glare.

Lu Sicheng bent down further and tapped on his girlfriend’s head until she turned to look at him and give him a sleepy smile. “Tong Yao, look closely. Who am I?”

“Cheng Ge,” she replied in a slurred speech. “My captain.”

“That’s right,” he said softly. “It’s time to go home.”

Tong Yao obediently nodded then clumsily maneuvered her arms to wrap around his neck and legs around his waist.

"Ne Cheng Ge," Tong Yao slurred happily. "I want- I want -"

Lu Sicheng gently patted her head down as if trying to lull a baby to sleep. "Be good."

Sensing something doesn't seem right, Jian Yang stood up and shouted. "Cheng Ge, wait!"

Lu Sicheng paused on his path to get out of the bar and turn to look at Jian Yang and an eyebrow crooked.

"You and Yao Yao...what is your relationship?" he asked even though he's not sure if he's ready to know the answer.

Lu Sicheng thought for a moment and said, "I have to thank you for letting her go. She's my best asset."

With that he turned around and walked straight out of the bar.

"Pork rib souuuup," could be heard echoing into the bar.

Jian Yang defeatedly slump back into his seat. Ai Jia went over and took a seat next to his friend and patted his shoulder to comfort him.

"So, all I've been doing is for naught?" Jian Yang questioned. In terms of everything, Lu Sicheng was definitely better than him. The only thing was that he, Jian Yang, has known Tong Yao much longer than Lu Sicheng has. No. Jian Yang refused to believe any of it was true. He's going to make Tong Yao see that he was the better candidate to be her life partner. So what if she's dating someone else? Dating means she's only getting to know that person. As long as she is still dating and is not married, he will always have a shot. Determined, he shot up from his seat then fiercely stride out of the bar to go back to training. This summer season's championship belongs to CK!

Jin Yang and Ai Jia looked at each other after watching Jian Yang leave and just shrugged.

"Jin Yanggggg, there's no one here now! Pay attention to me!"

"Get away from me!"

Chapter Text

The bar was walking distance from the base so Lu Sicheng took this chance to walk while having his drunk girlfriend in his arms.

Tong Yao was starting to sober up after soaking in the fresh air and catching a couple of cool breezes. Sobering up means she’s remembering what she was trying to avoid. She took a deep breath only to fill her nose with the scent of her boyfriend’s comforting cologne.

“Sobered up yet?” he asked in an amused tone. He could feel her growing pout from where her face was hidden on his shoulders.

“Mm,” she replied, still incoherent. “I lost. Cheng Ge, I lost.”

“Mm, so you lost,” he amused her, unsure if she’s even listening to him. “So what if you’d lost? You still have me, don’t you? Didn’t I say I will make everything ok?”

“But LeBlanc,” she started. Tong Yao could feel the tears starting to well up on her tear line.

Lu Sicheng slowed down his steps when he felt his shirt was getting wet from what he guess were tears.

“Le Blanc was your belief,” he said in a comforting tone. “You thought you knew this champion inside and out and yet you couldn’t even make it past the spawn area before getting beat up. But a belief is just a belief. Your foundation gets shaken up a bit so you have to build it back stronger than before.”

“Do you ever regret letting me be on the team?” she asked meekly.

“I didn’t pick you. Ming Shen did. Why don’t you ask him that?” he said amusingly. “As your captain, I’ve always told you that you are exactly what this team needs. We just need to work out the kinks of how to work together.”

There was a moment of silence before he heard a quiet whisper. “Do you regret dating me?”

Lu Sicheng stopped walking. He wasn’t sure he had heard her correctly. “Hm?”

They had made it to the base’s entrance so he had located the outdoor swing and walked towards there. He gently placed her down before kneeling in front of her and holding her face in his hands. He used his thumbs to wipe away the tears that were flowing out of his beloved’s eyes.

“I know I’m not the prettiest nor do I come from money. I always seem to bring trouble to you and I even make you hide our relationship from everyone. Do I deserve to be by your side?”

Lu Sicheng flicked her forehead. “Which idiot told you that you don’t deserve to be at my side? Who else will you find that will feed you until you’re content? I don’t care about those other things. If I have made you feel that way then I have failed you and don’t deserve to be by your side, understand?”

Tong Yao nodded and let out a sniffle and a yawn. She reached out her arms to signal to her boyfriend that she wants to be picked up. “Cheng Ge… I really don’t eat that much.”

Lu Sicheng happily picked her up and grinned in relief. What he has been telling her is finally getting through her thick skull. “Who was it who had just asked me to get her some pork rib soup?”

“Mmmm, pork rib soup sounds so good,” she said sleepily. “I want some. Cheng Ge, I really want some”

“Look how spoiled you are,” he said amusingly. Then he thought, ‘Never change. This is exactly who I fell for and it is this person who I want by my side.’

He slowly walked into the base’s building and tried to quietly walk upstairs to tuck his girlfriend into bed before seeking out the pork rib soup that she so desires.

Tong Yao sleepily looked around the pitch black base when she thought she saw a figure sitting on her captain’s chair. This woke her up immediately. She let out a scream and clung onto her boyfriend even more tightly. “GHOST!!!”

Lu Sicheng lifted his eyebrow and looked to where she was pointing. His chair turned around to reveal that it was his younger brother who was casually dressed and playing on his computer. “What are you doing here?”

“Ge! Why are you holding her like that?” the figure yelled as he jumped up from where he was sitting. “Ma said you already have a girlfriend!”

“Girlfriend? Who’s your girlfriend?” Tong Yao asked, revealing her conscious state. “You can’t have a girlfriend!”

“Ge, I can’t believe you’re that type of person!” the figure shouted accusingly.

Lu Sicheng could feel an intense headache coming up. He turned to his younger brother and said, “You, go sit down on the couch. I will deal with you in a little bit.”

Then he continued on his way to his girlfriend’s bedroom. He slowly walked up the stairs and somehow managed to open the door while carrying precious cargo. He placed her on the bed before going to the washroom to get a damp face towel to wipe her face. He returned and was happy to see her exactly where he had placed her. He gently wiped her face.

“Ne, Cheng Ge, who was that?” she asked sleepily then immediately got worked up. “Is that my replacement?! I promise to get better so please don’t replace me!”

He took the towel and slightly smushed her face with it. “No one is replacing you. Stop thinking and go to sleep.”

Tong Yao looked down at her clothes then looked back up at Lu Sicheng. “Where are my pajamas?”

Lu Sicheng sighed then went back to the washroom to put away the towel. He then went to the wardrobe and got out one of her long pajama dress. “Can you dress yourself?”

Tong Yao nodded and took the pajamas that were handed to her. She slowly got dressed as her boyfriend went back into the washroom. By the time he went back out, he was holding a jar of expensive cream and she was dressed with her worn clothes strewn all over the floor. He opened the jar as he approached her and dipped his fingers in and swiped some and smeared it onto her face. Tong Yao sat there, half asleep, as she allowed him to massage the cream into her skin. At this point, she was practically sleep sitting. She heard the cap of the jar being twisted closed then placed onto the nightstand. Then she felt her boyfriend guiding her to laying down and tucking her into the bed and then she was gone.
Lu Sicheng looked at her peacefully sleeping for a moment before bending down to collect her strewn clothes to put into the laundry hamper. His clumsy girlfriend would trip on them if she woke up to use the restroom otherwise. He quietly exited the room and headed downstairs to deal with the headache down there.

When he got downstairs, he found Xiao Rui and Yu Ming sitting across from his younger brother. He went over and took a seat in an open space.

“Cheng Ge,” Xiao Rui greeted. “Did you find our Mid?”

“She’s sleeping,” he replied, not taking his eyes off of his brother. “What are you doing here?”

“Hehehe. I’m here for the Mid position!” his brother declared.

“Mid position? Lu Yue, don’t you know that we already filled that position?” Xiao Rui said.

“Also, wasn’t a ban placed on you?” Ming Shen asked.

“That was last year. I am all cleared to play this season!” Lu Yue shouted. “Besides, I was here first and I can handle the pressure of losing. At least I won’t get completely sloshed if I lose a match. I have also beat TAT before.”

“You mean, your team has beaten TAT for you. All you do is camp under the turret and allow your teammates to do all of the work and you reap all of the rewards,” Ming Shen said drooly.

“No difference,” Lu Yue replied, waving him off. “We won and that’s all that matters. So…can I rejoin the team?”

Xiao Rui and Yu Ming looked over at Lu Sicheng for a decision. Lu Yue saw his brother’s indifferent face and decided to change tactics to convince him. “If you say no, I will call our mother and tell her that I saw you cheating my dear sister-in-law.”

Lu Sicheng smirked and taunted, “Go ahead. Want me to call her for you?”

Sensing that this was going to go nowhere, Xiao Rui suggested, “How about we all go to bed and talk about this again in the morning?”

“What are we talking about in the morning?” A voice rang out from the pitch dark base area.

The four sitting on the couch jumped in their seats. They all turn to see Tong Yao sleepily rubbing her eyes and approaching them. Lu Sicheng immediately shot out his seat and practically ran towards her.

“Cheng Ge, I-I want some pork rib soup,” Tong Yao said with a yawn. He scooped her up and walked towards the kitchen.

“How many times have I told you to not walk around barefoot?” he admonished. He placed her on the kitchen counter. “Sit still while I go get you some hangover medicine.”

“I don’t want medicine!” She protested. He had predicted this and held her in place so she wouldn't be able to jump off the counter and run off.

“Be good,” he said. “I’ll get you your soup after you take your medicine.”

Tong Yao mulled it over and thought that the small sacrifice was worth her soup so she stayed put.

Lu Sicheng turned around and let out a quiet snicker. She was really easy to trick. He opened the cabinet on top of the fridge and took out the bottle he was looking for. He opened the bottle and shook out a pill before capping it and placing it back in the cabinet. He turned around and gave her the pill before going around the counter to pour her a cup of warm water to wash down the pill. Tong Yao obediently did as she was told and swallowed the pill and the cup of water without much fuss.

Lu Sicheng could see how much energy she was slowly losing by just how much yawns she was letting out. After he watched her finish the cup of water, he scooped her up again and headed upstairs.

“Wait,” Tong Yao slurred out, unaware that her eyes were practically closed. “My souuuup.”

“Your soup is upstairs,” Lu Sicheng said calmly. “Close your eyes and rest awhile and I’ll bring you to your soup.”

By the time he made it up the stairs, his girlfriend was completely knocked out and even snoring. He brought her to the room and tucked her back in but this time, he got in with her.

_____Meanwhile, downstairs________

The three remaining on the couch watched the couple as if they were in their own little world. Of the three, two of them were quite used to this type of scene while the remainder was sent into a shocked state.

“You’ll get used to it,” Xiao Rui consoled, though unsure if he was talking to himself or Lu Yue.

“G-Ge?” Lu Yue stuttered. He was sure he was hallucinating. There was no way that was his Ge. His Ge is an unemotional robot who only cares about e-sports and winning.

Xiao Rui sighed then comfortingly pat Lu Yue’s back.

“The little shorty made my brother into a despicable man!” Lu Yue shouted as he leaped out of his seat.

‘HUH?’ was the reaction of both Xiao Rui and Yu Ming.

Lu Yue dramatically acted sad and said in a corresponding tone, “My poor sister-in-law. Though I’ve never met her, I can’t help but pity her. Her man is being snatched up and she doesn’t even know it!”

Xiao Rui, the peacemaker, starts to think that perhaps Tong Yao was not the only one who had consumed alcohol tonight and immediately goes into pacifier mode.

“Lu Yue ah,” he said with an awkward laugh. He also got up from where he was sitting. “Come help me make up one of the guest rooms downstairs. You can stay there for tonight and we will figure everything out tomorrow.”

Lu Yue calmed himself back down from his dramatic state and nodded. He obediently followed Xiao Rui to go set up the room and settle in for the night.

Yu Ming just shakes his head at his antics and decides to play on his phone and wait for Xiao Rui to finish with Lu Yue.

It wasn’t until about 20 minutes later that he saw Xiao Rui’s haggard's face again.

“Let’s go out for a drink,” Yu Ming suggested. They both needed it considering the unexpected appearance of someone who is known to be a wild card.

******Bonus Scene******

The two men sat silently at the bar as they swirled their glass of amber liquid.

“So Lu Yue returns,” Yu Ming starts off solemnly.

Xiao Rui let out a sigh. “Things are definitely going to get interesting.”

Yu Ming let out an amused scoff. “When aren’t things interesting in our base?”

Xiao Rui smiles and agrees.

Chapter Text

Tong Yao woke up to the sunlight blinding her eyes and her head throbbing in pain. She tried to sit up but found that she was held down by a pair of arms. It was only then she realized that there was another body next to her in bed. She immediately looked over and was relieved to see that it was her boyfriend and not some random person. She would never be able to look at anyone in the face if she did commit that crime.

“Go back to sleep,” the person behind her grumbled as he tightened his arms around her and snuggled in more.

She lightly hit his arm to try to get him to release her. “Cheng Ge, I’m thirsty… and my head hurts.”

Lu sicheng groaned then let go of his girlfriend and turned around to continue sleeping.

Tong Yao managed to sit up, despite her throbbing headache. She clumsily looks around for her phone to find it on the nightstand next to a thermos and a blister pack of painkillers. Ever grateful to the man sleeping next to her, she quickly popped a pill out and unscrewed the thermos to take the medicine and hopes it kicks in soon. The warm water was much appreciated going down her dry throat.

She managed to hobble her way to the bathroom to use the restroom and wash her face. By the time she was done and dressed, her headache had significantly lessened. She sat back on the bed and scrolled her phone while she waited for her bedmate to wake up.

[BREAKING NEWS: TAT pays 1 million RMB to ZGDX for violating the breach of privacy in contract!!]

Wait..what?

She clicked on the article and quickly scrolled through it. At least the club was making money off this leak. Interestingly, there’s no other news other than that so she opened up her messages to see if she has any unread ones.

[Ah Mao’s Mama: Need me to come fish you out of the ocean this morning? 2333 ]

Tong Yao looked at the message with curiosity. What had happened last night? Before she could text out a reply to ask what had occurred last night, her stomach grumbled loudly.

Tong Yao quietly went downstairs in search of sustenance. She abandoned her phone for food instead. It was still early, well early for an esports player anyways, so she didn’t expect anyone to be downstairs. She found the auntie downstairs stirring a pot of what smells like a delicious soup.

The club auntie turned around when she heard footsteps and greeted Tong Yao with a smile. “Tong Yao ah. Auntie made some pork rib soup. Go sit down and I’ll bring it over to you.”

Tong Yao's mood immediately brightened up. “Trouble you then, Auntie. You alway seem to know exactly what I want to eat!”

The club Auntie smiled amusedly as she watched her practically run over to the table before turning around to ladle a bowl of soup. She’s no longer surprised to wake up to food requests from the pickiest eater in the team. She really hopes that Young Master Lu gets the girl. It seems that he has fallen deep.

Tong Yao, safely, guzzled down the soup and let out a satisfied sigh at the warm feeling going throughout her body. She went to wash her empty bowl before happily making her way to her seat to start her training for the day. She may not remember most of what had happened last night but she remembered the words that her dear captain had said to her. Losing is much more important than winning and she was going to come back stronger!

“AHHHHHH!” Tong Yao screamed when she turned her chair to see a stranger was occupying her chair.

Lu Yue winced when he heard the vixen scream. She’s the loudest woman he has ever heard!

“Who are you? What are you doing here?!” Tong Yao exclaimed. Her heart was racing at the sudden scare.

“Who am I? I should be asking you that!” Lu Yue fired back as he jumped out of the chair. “How dare you be a third person in my brother’s relationship!”
Not one to back down from a fight, Tong Yao matched his volume. “I don’t even know who you are. How am I supposed to know who your brother is, let alone be third person in his relationship!”

“I’m your replacement, that's who I am!” Lu Yue yelled.

“Replacement?!” Tong Yao said back in anger. “Says who?”

“Says Ming Shen, that's who!” Lu Yue exclaimed.

“When did I say that?” another voice questioned.

The two who were arguing turned to look at the owner of the voice to see Ming Shen looking at them with a raised eyebrow.

“Didn’t you and Xiao Rui say that last night?” Lu Yue questioned.

“You and Xiao Rui talked to him last night?” Tong Yao asked, feeling dejected. Now she wants to know what happened last night.

“I remember saying that we would talk about it in the morning,” Xiao Rui said as he approached the group with a coffee in his hand.

“It’s morning now so let’s talk about it,” Lu Yue said excitedly. “Raise your hands if you think I should replace this shorty!”

“That’s not how it works,” Xiao Rui said, trying to remain neutral.

“Yeah! That’s not how it works!” Tong Yao exclaimed at Lu Yue.

“Why are you guys so loud this early in the morning?” came a tired voice that seemed to be coming from the staircase.

Everyone turned to see the captain lazily walking the stairs with messed up hair and big yawns.

“Cheng Ge, it’s almost noon,” Xiao Rui said, trying to lighten up the mood.

Lu Sicheng didn’t say anything and instead beelined over to the kitchen to pour himself a cup of coffee before taking a seat at the table. Everyone else hurried over to take a seat at the table too. The true deciding person was the lazy captain who was slowly waking up and leisurely drinking his coffee.

“Ge!” Lu Yue whined.

“Ge!?” Tong Yao questioned.

“Oh, I forgot to introduce you,” Xiao Rui said to clarify for Tong Yao. “This is Lu Yue, Cheng Ge’s younger brother. The second young master of the Lu family.”

Lu Yue smiled proudly at the introduction.

“Oh,” Tong Yao replied, losing all interest in the topic now. Inside she was screaming in horror at how this was how she was meeting Cheng Ge’s brother for the first time but she was not going to give him the satisfaction of a response!

“Oh? What do you mean oh?” Lu Yue exploded after seeing her deflated response. “Also, is there something wrong with your eyes? I look just as handsome and dashing as my brother. Maybe it’s because I’m so much more handsome that you can’t recognize our familial bond.”

Lu Sicheng scoffed at Lu Yue’s words.

Tong Yao took a minute to scan Lu Yue’s face. Then took another minute to look at her boyfriend’s face. She shrugged and then said, “I don’t see it.”

“You don’t see it?!” Lu Yue exploded. He leaned over the table to where she was sitting then pointed to his own face. “Look at this face. Look at it carefully.”

Lu Sicheng, annoyed, pulled Lu Yue back down into his own seat. “Be quiet.”

“But Ge!” Lu Yue protested. The injustice of it all! He got a whack on the head in response.

“Let’s talk about the possibility of Lu Yue joining our team,” Yu Ming said, trying to steer the conversation back to the situation at hand.

“I will not be on a team with him!” a voice exclaimed.

“Xiao Pang!” another voice yelled.

Suddenly, Xiao Pang angrily marched out from where he was hiding with the other two members of ZGDX. He sent a glare to Lu Yue.

“P-Pang Ge,” Lu Yue awkwardly greeted, having perhaps an inkling as to why Xiao Pang was coming in raging hot.

“Xiao Pang, let’s calm down,” Xiao Rui said, trying to pacify the situation before it escalated.

“I will not calm down until he is no longer considered for a position here,” Xiao Pang demanded then stomped out of the base.

“Xiao Pang!” Tong Yao stood and called for him, feeling worried for her friend.

Lao K sighed then dragged Lao Mao to follow Xiao Pang.

“Why is so angry like that?” Tong Yao wondered.

Before anyone could answer her, Lu Sicheng’s phone went off. He lazily pulled it out of his pocket, looked at the call screen then showed it to his brother.

[Mrs. Wang]

“Hehehe,” Lu Yue awkwardly responded then shrunk back in his seat.

Lu Sicheng picked up the call and put it on a loudspeaker.

“YOU STINKY BRAT! WHY IS YUE YUE SAYING HE CAUGHT YOU FARENTIZING WITH SOME DRUNK GIRL? IS THIS TRUE? IF I FIND OUT THAT YOU EVER BETRAY YAO YAO THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY LU SICHENG!” Mama Lu tirade.

Tong Yao could feel her face heat up in embarrassment. Memories were quickly coming back to her in fragments. She brought her hands up to cover her bright red face.

Lu Yue smiled smugly when he saw her embarrassed. ‘HA! Serve you right!’

Then a thought hit him then he jumped in realization. “Wait a minute…Yao Yao…Tong Yao…YOU’RE MY SISTER-IN-LAW???” Lu Yue yelled out in horror.

“...Was that Yue Yue?” Mama Lu asked. She was wondering how he could report his brother’s alleged infidelity. Lu Sicheng just grunted in response. “Yue Yue, did your brother take you to meet your sister-in-law? Yao Yao are you there?”

Tong Yao slowly nodded, not willing to take her hands off of her face. Lu Yue fell back in his seat and he could feel his body deteriorating away bit by bit.

“She’s too embarrassed to answer,” Lu Sicheng teased. “She was the drunk girl in the story.”

“ I see. Yao Yao, don’t drink too much. It’s bad for your health. I’ll have someone bring you some nourishing soup later!” Mama Lu said gleefully. She was very pleased with how things were progressing. Perhaps the folder that was labeled TOP SECRET with a pair of wedding bells icon could be of use this year. “Yue Yue, don’t cause your brother trouble or else I will make you come back here and do inheritance work!”

With that Mama Lu cut the call. Xiao Rui and Yu Ming looked at those involved amusingly. Tong Yao still hasn’t noticed that they were also in the room as well. That is until she took a peek through her fingers and noticed that the two extra people who also happened to be in the room. Too embarrassed to speak, she ran back up to her room to hide from her shame.

Lu Sicheng chuckled, then put away his phone and slowly followed her.

“I can’t believe that shorty is my sister-in-law,” Lu Yue said in disbelief.

Yu Ming gave him a pat on the shoulder in comfort.

Xiao Rui sighed. “Looking at the state of things, I guess it’s another free day. I suppose I could just deduct the free days during the season to make up for the time.”

Yu Ming nodded in agreement.

‘These two slave drivers!’ Lu Yue thought. ‘At least my Ge isn’t here to add anything else.’
“Come on Lu Yue,” Yu Ming said as he got up and headed to the computer area. “Let’s see if you have improved over the last year.”

Lu Yue excitedly shot out of his seat and rushed over to where Ming Shen was. He was finally able to play! He glazed over the seating and noticed that one of the stations was much, much different than the others. One station had a colorful chair while the rest were standard black chairs. One station had pink headphones with LED cat ears while the rest had the standard black headphones. One of the stations had the chair much, much higher than the rest of the chairs. It was that station that Lu Yue chose to be his today and it was that station that he desired after, even if the owner of that station is his new sister-in-law.

Yu Ming rolled his eyes at his antics but proceeded to run test runs with him.

Chapter Text

Tong Yao woke up the next morning to more shocking news. She really needs to stop waking up to earth shattering, heart stopping news. It’s really not good for her health. Apparently someone had leaked a video of Lu Yue beating someone up. It was a POV video from a spectator on the scene.

She quickly sent it to her captain even if she guessed that he had already seen it. She quickly got dressed and headed downstairs. She was shocked to see that everyone was awake downstairs, along with a group of professional looking people whom she had never met before. She hesitantly approached the group. Lu Sicheng who was sitting by the edge of the couch scouted over and pulled her to sit down. He silently tapped her hand below the table as if to reassure her that everything will be ok.

“What’s going on?” She asked worriedly. No one seems to be speaking. She looked around and noticed that Xiao Pang seemed to be missing. “Did Xiao Pang not come home last night?”

Lao K and Lao Mao looked away suspiciously. Tong Yao narrows her eyes at them. “Lao K? Lao Mao? What do you know?”

Lao Mao opened his mouth but before he could say anything, Lao K gave him a sharp look which made him immediately close his mouth again.

“When the incident happened last year, the club quickly managed the news and removed the video from the place’s CCTV. The club is the only one who has the copy of the video,” Lao K slowly explained. “The video released was someone who was on the scene. It was a private party and the only ones there were people involved and people who are here.”

“So it’s an internal job?” Tong Yao confirmed curiously. Who could’ve done such a thing, especially with the new season right around the corner.

Tong Yao’s phone started buzzing like crazy with notifications and wouldn’t stop. She looked at her phone curiously and was about to unlock her phone to see what’s happening when a hand took her phone away. She looked over to see her boyfriend turning off her phone and tossing it aside.

“Better not be read nonsense,” he said. He was very worried how his girlfriend would react to the rumors and speculations that were happening online right now.

“Why? What’s going on?” She asked. They weren’t telling her something.

“They’re accusing you for the leak because someone had leaked that I was back and you’re doing it out of jealousy,” Lu Yue said offhandedly, ignoring the glare that Lu Sicheng was sending towards him.

“I swear it wasn’t me!” Tong Yao said defensively. “I didn’t even know who Lu Yue was let alone what happened or when this even happened!”

“Don’t worry Tong Yao,” Xiao Rui said comfortingly. “We know it wasn’t you.”

Tong Yao let out a sigh of relief. She didn’t even know why she was nervous. She wasn’t even in the country last year. Now that she thinks about it, it was around this time last year that she first met Cheng Ge on that one fateful train ride. Crazy how life can change so much in one year.

While Tong Yao was reminiscing, someone came up to Xiao Rui and quietly told him something. He then cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention and said, “Listen everyone. Until everything is resolved, you all need to stay logged off of everything. Don’t look at anything and especially don’t reply to anything.”

They all nodded in obedience. Happy to see that they were being all so obedient for once, he went back to working with the PR team.

“Who could’ve done it?” Tong Yao thought out loud.
“Stop speculating,” Lu Sicheng said in his captain’s voice. Tong Yao looked over at Lu Yue and saw that he seemed…sad for some reason. “I can hear your stomach grumbling. Auntie already made breakfast. Go over and get some before your rumbling stomach makes my ears deaf.”

“Aiyo, Cheng Ge. I didn’t hear anything. Mao Mao, did you hear anything?” Lao K teased, trying to lighten the mood.

“Nope!” Lao Mao followed, making sure to pop his P.

“Then…Cheng Ge you must have super ears,” Lao K continues to tease, earning the deadliest of death glares from the person he was making fun of.

All of the teasing has caused Tong Yao’s face to redden tremendously, almost resembling a perfectly ripe tomato.

It was at this moment that Xiao Pang stormed through the front entrance and made his way to the crowded area where everyone was assembled to figure the situation out. He saw how red and irritated Tong Yao had looked and had concluded that she was aware of what was going online. This had made Xiao Pang feel terrible inside. While he had wanted the destruction of a certain person, he didn’t think that it would affect anyone else that he cares for. He gave her a deep bow in apology.

“Tong Yao, I’m sorry for all of the trouble I have caused,” he apologized sincerely. Then he stood up right and glared at Lu Yue. “It was HIM I was targeting!”

“You were the one that had released the footage?” Xiao Rui asked in alarm. He couldn’t believe that it was Xiao Pang of all people who had done that.

“Yes, it was me!” Xiao Pang confessed. “He doesn’t deserve to be on the team! He caused Ming Shen’s hand to be that way!”

“ I wasn’t me!” Lu Yue stood up and yelled defensively. He was already feeling very guilty about what had happened, he didn’t need someone else to be accusing him as well.

“YOU-” Xiao Pang yelled at Lu Yue while pointing his fingers at him accusingly.

Tong Yao, sensing the tension quickly rising, immediately jumped in front of Xiao Pang and was ready to hold him back in case a fight broke out.

Lu Sicheng also immediately stood up, ready to pull Tong Yao out of the way in case something happened.

“Ok, Ok,” Tong Yao tried to appease the both of you. With all of her strength, she tried to drag Xiao Pang outside to cool down. He reluctantly follows her, as well as Lao K.
She let out a breath of relief when the door closed behind her. She pat Xiao Pang’s back in a comforting manner.

“Calm down. Don’t let him get to you,” Lao K reasoned calmly. “The more you explode, the more it’s going to hurt you in the team.”

“If I don’t do anything then he will join the team!” Xiao Pang argued. “I can’t be on the same team as that traitor!”

“You need to trust Xiao Rui and Ming Shen to do their job,” reasoned Lao K. He then looked over at Tong Yao in a teasing manner. “Besides, our Captain, the owner of this team, likes our current starter Mid so much that there’s no way he would trade her for his dumb brother.”

Tong Yao’s cheeks heated slightly at the jab. She wonders who knows about her relationship with Cheng Ge now. “Lao K’s right. We need to trust Ming Shen and Rui Ge to do their job and keep the harmony in the team. Besides, I’ve already signed the contract and the announcements have already been made. There’s no way they could take away my position now.”

Xiao Pang took a deep breath and had significantly calmed down from his rage. “I suppose you two are right.”

“Of course we are,” Lao K said haughtily. “We’re the only two people on the team with a brain.”

“Yeah so go take a walk and then come back,” Tong Yao followed.

Xiao Pang looked at the two then sighed and obediently went on a walk.

Lao K looks over at Tong Yao and high five her for a job well done at diffusing the situation. They both head inside with hopes that the tensions were resolved.

They walked in to see Lao Mao and Cheng Ge sitting at the center console, clicking away, with Ming Shen standing behind Lao Mao with the clipboard of doom. Xiao Rui and the other people in business attire were gone, most likely in one of the meeting rooms to discuss how to appropriately handle the situation online.

Ming Shen looked up from his clipboard and saw Lao K and Tong Yao. He waved them over and instructed, “Come and take a seat. We’re going to do some target training.”

Tong Yao wanted to run far, far away after hearing Ming Shen’s instruction. Target training means she’s going to be spending hours and hours, or until Ming Shen is satisfied, clearing waves after waves of minions. There is absolutely nothing fun about target training.

Lu Sicheng glanced up from his computer and saw the contemplating look in his girlfriend’s eye and cackled evilly underneath his breath. This was payback for last night. But if anyone asked, he would absolutely deny that HE was the one who put the idea of target training into Yu Ming’s head.

“Come and practice, shorty,” Lu Sicheng said with mirth in his voice. “There’s no way you would beat Ah Tai at this rate.”

The mere mention of Ah Tai had got Tong Yao’s blood boiling. She angrily marches over to her seat and aggressively plops down and opens the game server. She had used the loss against TAT to fuel her motivation to kill every minion that she saw quite aggressively.

After a couple of hours, Ming Shen had graciously granted everyone a short break while he went over the statistics with Cheng Ge.

Tong Yao tiredly closed the game page and pulled up Weibo to mindlessly scroll while she gently massaged her cramping hands. It seems to be quite busy on the internet today.

What an understatement that was.

[ Yu Ming: I want to clarify that what you all have seen on the security feed is all true. There was violence involved however, Lu Yue was acting in defense of me. However that is absolutely no excuse for choosing to respond to the taunts with violence. However, I must address the rumors that Lu Yue is the reason why I had retired. This is completely false. I repeat, completely false. I have been having problems with my hands completely before this incident. I am also getting older and am choosing to play a more background role and leave the on stage glory to the younger players. So I am asking everyone, please put this situation to rest and shift our focus on the upcoming season. GO ZGDX!]

[ZGDX_Official: We don’t condone violence in our club. The players involved have been dealt with proper consequences. Please continue to support us in this upcoming summer season. Go ZGDX!] [ZGDX_Official: Reposted YU MING post.]

[sdgd:...What?]

[afef: That’s what I’ve been saying!! All year!! #BringLuYueBack]

[geet: So…is this ZGDX announcement for bringing Lu Yue back?]

[feih: Replace the ugly girl with my beautiful Lu Yue!!!]

[dfgs: YUE YUE MOMMY LOVES YOU!!!]

[jgan: Logistically, Smiling has a wider champion pool and is more compatible playing with Chessman than Lu Yue. Smiling would be a wiser choice to continue the new season with. AND HELLLOOOOOO. Did everyone forget who was the reigning MID player on the Chinese players before she joined the club????]

Giddy that there was finally someone standing up for her amongst the sea of the mommy and girlfriend fans, she rewarded the commenter a like, with her side account of course. She was going to continue scrolling when she felt a not so light tap on her head. She looked up to see Ming Shen booping her head with his weapon of choice, the deadly clipboard.

“These computers are meant for you to train on, not for gossiping,” Ming Shen said in a warning tone. Then he grinned evilly. “Since you don’t seem exhausted yet, you should deepen your champion pool. As your coach, I order you to master Yasuo by the end of the day.”

With that Yu Ming turned around and walked towards the kitchen for some water. Tong Yao quickly spun her chair around and shouted in complaint. “Yasuo?!?! Even Cheng Ge can’t even master Yasuo! Is Yasuo even meta for mid lane anyways?!”

Tong Yao let out a puff of angry air before turning around and sadly closing the browser page and bringing back the game homepage. She looked over to her right to see her captain scrolling on phone with a stupid grin on his face and then she looked to her left to see Lao K and Lao Mao whispering happily to each other. Why must she be the only one suffering!

“Serve you right for not paying attention to your surroundings,” she heard her boyfriend teased lightly.

She turned her head towards him and glared. “Go back to looking at your phone. Not one step into my room tonight.”

Hearing her serious threat, he quickly sat up from his slouch and gently tossed his phone onto the desk. He quickly located her username from his list of friends and sent a request to duo together. “Quick. I’ll help you train Yasuo.”

Tong Yao clicked her tongue but still accepted the invitation anyways. At least she could spend some time with her perverted boyfriend.

******Bonus Scene******

For once Tong Yao and Lu Sicheng were getting ready for bed at the same time. They happened to be the last one to call it night so Lu Sicheng had conveniently become so “tired” that he couldn’t walk the extra 10 steps to go to his room so he seeked refuge in hers.

The two quickly settled into bed with Lu Sicheng hugging tightly.
There was a moment of silence then Tong Yao said quietly, “I suppose we could subtly tell everyone that we are together. Just the team though. I don’t want the public to know.”

Lu Sicheng smiled the widest smile he could muster. On the outside, he gently kissed the top of her head and told his precious girlfriend to go to sleep. On the inside, he was popping champagne bottles.

Tong Yao also absolutely forgot that there was no such word as “subtle” in Lu Sicheng’s dictionary.

Chapter Text

It was one of those rare days that Tong Yao had decided to sleep in well into the afternoon. Her pillow was particularly warm and comfy today. She felt her hands around without her eyes open to find the other side of the pillow so she pulled it closer when she felt another arm grab onto hers.

“If you go any lower, we will not be leaving the bed today,” a husky voice warned.

Her eyes shot open and she looked towards where the voice was coming from to see her boyfriend looking down at her with a quirked eyebrow. Tong Yao blushed slightly and pulled her hand back.

Lu Sicheng chuckled and pulled her closer to the point where she’s practically on top of him.

“Cheng Ge, we need to get up,” Tong Yao whined but continued snuggling into his chest.

Lu Sicheng couldn't help and smile at her coyish behavior and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “Sleep a little more. It’s too early for those idiots to be up yet.”

“What time is it?” She mumbled sleepily. This muscular chest was quite comfortable and was pulling her back to sleep.

“Just a little past noon,” He replied back quietly. He gently began patting her back.

“What are you doing so early?” Tong Yao asked with her eyes still closed.

“Thinking,” he replied. This was his favorite feeling. Her in his arms and no one else clamoring for her attention. There were only the two of them in this world and all of the problems he is facing no longer exist.

“Whatcha thinkin about?” she asked, already well on her way to half consciousness.

“How to get it across those idiots that you belong to me,” he replied with a smirk. “Maybe I should just kiss you silly during a practice match.”

“Mmm,” She replied, no longer processing what he was saying.

“I think that’s a good idea too,” He teased. He knew she was already deep in dreamland when she wasn’t acting flustered and pelting him with her little rabbit hits.

Despite his teasing, he was seriously thinking about how to reveal his true identity to everyone. Although…he’s pretty sure that everyone knows at this point.

They both got a couple of minutes of silence before a loud crashing sound was heard which shocked Tong Yao up.

“What’s going on?” She asked, frazzled from coming out of sleep.

Alerted, Lu Sicheng gently moved Tong Yao to the side and got off the bed to investigate what was going on.

“Wait! Wait! I want to see too,” Tong Yao called after him. She quickly scurried off the bed and followed behind him.

The two cautiously walked down the stairs. Lu Sicheng constantly made sure that Tong Yao was directly behind him, just in case something bad had happened. At least he can be a human shield for her. They were both met with the sight of a flustered Xiao Pang wearing an apron with multiple colors of stain on it standing in the middle of what looks to be pieces of broken ceramics.

“XIAO PANG!” Xiao Rui suddenly ran in, yelling with concern. He immediately stopped in his tracks when he saw the mess on the floor. He looked up at Xiao Pang and asked, “Are you ok?”

“Y-yeah,” Xiao Pang answered. He wanted to move but there were small shards of ceramics all over the floor and he wasn’t sure which way to maneuver.

“What are you even doing?” Tong Yao asked. She wanted to get closer but was stopped by her boyfriend.

“Nothing!” Xiao Pang denied. His cheeks flushed pink and he was doing his best to avoid eye contact with her.

“It doesn’t matter,” Xiao Rui diffused. “Xiao Pang, don’t move. Cheng Ge, come give me a hand and clean this up.”
“I can help!” Tong Yao volunteered happily.

Lu Sicheng looked down at his girlfriend’s bare feet and bent down and suddenly picked her up.

“WAH!” Tong Yao yelped in surprise. “What are you doing?”

Xiao Pang and Xiao Rui’s jaws dropped at his sudden action.

Lu Sicheng carried her over to the main console and placed her gently on her chair. He dropped a kiss onto her forehead. “Be good and stay here. Don’t go walking around without your slippers, the floor is cold.”

Too embarrassed to speak, Tong Yao only nodded and watched as he left to help Xiao Rui clean up the mess.

“Tong Yao…” Lao Mao called out in surprise. “You and the Captain…”

“Mao and Mao, we can’t call her Xiao JieJie anymore,” Lao K said in a teasing manner. “We need to call her the Lady Boss now.”

“W-what are you talking about?” Tong Yao tried to push the topic.

Lao K gave Lao Mao a look, the two pulled their chairs over to her and leaned in. The three look like a group of gossiping aunties.

“When did this start?” Lao Mao asked.

“How did he ask you?” Lao K asked.

“Did you chase him or did he chase you?” Lao Mao interrogated.

“It’s been a little under a year,” Tong Yao shyly responded. She wasn’t used to talking about her relationship with anyone else outside of Jang Jin Yang.

“Wait…but you’ve only been here for a month,” Lao Mao said, not entirely connecting the dots.

“When Rui Ge contacted me, Cheng Ge didn’t know,” Tong Yao replied sheepishly. “I also thought Rui Ge was a scammer and wanted to beat him up.”

Lao Mao and Lao K burst out laughing at her response. At some point, Lao Mao fell out of his chair in uncontrollable laughter.

“It’s not funny!” Tong Yao protested petulantly.

“You’re right!” Lao K exclaimed in between laughter. He took a deep breath then looked at her almost seriously. “It’s the truth. Xiao Rui is the biggest scammer you will ever meet!”

“HEY! I HEARD THAT!” Xiao Rui yelled from the kitchen.

This made Lao Mao and Lao K laugh even harder. Tong Yao rolled her eyes at their silliness and went to turn on her computer.

Lao K pulled himself together and scooted his chair right next to Tong Yao. He whispered quietly so only she could hear, “You know we don’t think that, right?”

“Ah-h?” Tong Yao responded, not expecting that he was going to say that.

“You are an excellent player and that is as clear as day,” Lao K told her seriously. “Besides, Xiao Rui has been shipping you two since you signed the contract.”

“W-what?” Tong Yao reacted. “Ship?”

“You do know there’s quite a large following for your CP, right?” Lao K said. He looked at her bewildered face and pulled out his phone and pulled open Weibo. “Take a look.”

Tong Yao grabbed his phone and began scrolling through the topic. Her jaws dropped at seeing all of it - from the speculations to the fanfictions. She blushed madly at the fanfictions. She pushed the phone back into Lao K’s hands.

Lu Sicheng came just in time to see her face still resembling a tomato. With one hand holding a plate and the other holding a pair of slippers, he calmly walked over to his blushing girlfriend, “What are you idiots telling her now?”

He bent down and placed the slippers by her feet. “Put these on.”

Tong Yao quickly put her feet on the slippers but when she looked down to see them, they didn’t look very familiar. “Which pretty girl’s feet did you borrow these from?”
Lu Sicheng flicked her forehead and placed the plate on the desk in front of her. “I bought them for you. Auntie isn’t here today so make do with this. Eat quickly and start streaming.”

He gave her forehead a kiss and then went back to where Xiao Rui was.

Tong Yao touched the place her boyfriend had flicked then kissed then pouted. ‘That damn rascal!’

Lao K and Lao Mao watched, then turned to face each other silently laughing. They never thought they would see the day their captain would cater to anyone.

Tong Yao ignored the two of them and began eating the food that Cheng Ge had gotten for her. It was strange to be up in the afternoon instead of the morning. It seems as though her chats thought so too. In the beginning there was a lot more negativity and egg throwing but now everyone has calmed down and it’s quite fun. She likes to do these streams in the morning when everyone else is still asleep so that it is less chaotic.

Throughout the afternoon, clanging and crashing and yelping could be heard in the background of everyone’s stream.

[dgdw: Smiling, is your base under construction or something? Why are there crashing sounds in the back?]

“We’re not under construction. Our support decided to be an idiot,” Tong Yao replied nonchalantly as she viciously attacked the other team’s nexus until the VICTORY sign flashed on her screen.

[cvsa: Xiao JieJie why are you streaming so late today? Usually you stream early in the morning]

[dfhe: Yeah, I was waiting for your stream this morning! Did something happen?]

Lao K, who happened to be in the stream chat as well, decided to tease the girl and asked, “Yeah, Smiling. Why were you late to stream today?”

“Can’t a girl choose to sleep in some days?” Tong Yao snapped back, fully aware of Lao K’s teasing. “Besides, isn’t it normal for a pro player to not be conscious until the afternoon?”

“By the way, Tong Yao. I’ve been meaning to ask if you were rearranging furniture last night. I heard so much shuffling sounds coming from your room as I was trying to sleep,” Lao K teased. He knew he had reached her bottom line when she sent a glare his way that very much resembles a certain captain. Couples really do take after each other after spending a certain amount of time together.

“I think you’re imagining things Lao K,” Tong Yao replied, trying to keep her voice calm.

[afbs: 23333 look at that glare! Are you hiding something or SOMEONE from us, Smiling?]

[gegt: maybe a certain captain? 🤔🤔🤔]

[sffh: Upstairs, are you a ChenYao shipper too??]

“What are you guys talking about?” Tong Yao responded to her chat. “Like I would have time to do anything. I wake up and stream and then train until my eyes can’t be opened anymore. With Ming Shen running the ship, I even have to use the restroom on a schedule!”

[afeb: 66666 Glad to see Ming Shen still shining, even if not on stage!]

“Food! Come and eat!” Xiao Rui called from the dining area.

‘Finally!’ Tong Yao thought. Her tummy has started to hurt probably because of hunger.

“That’s all for today everyone. Don’t forget to subscribe and watch the drawing ceremony tomorrow!” Tong Yao announced before she closed her stream. She double checked to make sure she had closed the stream along with the mic and camera before pushing her chair back and skipped over to the dining table. She wondered what was going to be for lunch if Auntie wasn’t here today.

Her wondering was answered when she got to the table and saw Xiao Rui and Xiao Pang bringing out plates of what looks like rice and yellow curry. Tong Yao tentatively took a seat next to her boyfriend. She leaned over and whispered not so quietly, “Is it safe to eat? Do we have anything else to eat?”

“HEY!” Xiao Pang protested as he placed the individual plates in front of each person.

“I agree. Do we have any instant noodles left?” Lao Mao said as he took a spoon and poke around his plate.

“Show some solidarity for your teammate,” Xiao Rui said, ever the peacekeeper. “If you don’t eat, I will deduct your pay so make sure you wipe your plate clean.”

Everyone groaned but complied and picked up their spoon. Xiao Pang brought out the last plate and placed it in front of Lu Yue. Then he took a step back and bowed real deep.

“Lu Yue. I am sorry. I assumed without knowing the truth. I blamed you wrongly. Please forgive me,” Xiao Pang apologized, keeping his bow.

“I-it’s ok,” Lu Yue said awkwardly. Internally though, he was relieved that Xiao Pang was no longer blaming him for the whole incident. He was in the wrong for using violence but he didn’t mean to sever his friendships with everyone.

Xiao Pang got up from his bow and tentatively took a seat across the table from Lu Yue.

“Good. Now we can all be a happy family,” Xiao Rui said with a big smile on his face.

“Wait a minute,” Lao Mao said when he noticed something in Lu Yue’s plate. He looked down at his own plate. “Who here has more than one chunk of meat?”

“Meat?” Tong Yao said. “I thought this was a vegetarian curry!”

She looked over at her boyfriend’s plate and saw that he had four chunks of meat on his plate. Then she looked over at Lao Mao to see a half eaten chunk of meat and then over to Lu Yue’s plate that was all meat and maybe one piece of carrot. “Xiao Pang! You’re playing favorites!”

Xiao Pang looked sheepishly at everyone and ducked his head back down, unsure what to say.

Lao K had also noticed the lack of meat. He had gotten three pieces of meat himself. He traded his plate with Lao Mao’s plate. “Here. You can have my plate. I’m cutting back on meat anyways.”

Lu Sicheng scooped some of his meat over to Tong Yao’s plate. “Here. You can have some of mine. I’ll take you out for dinner, ok?”

“Ge! How is that fair! You should take everyone out, not just the shorty!” Lu Yue complained.

“You should stay at home and deepen your champion pool!” Tong Yao said, sticking her tongue out at him.

“You should stay home and train! Maybe you should switch to being a substitute to be a better team player!” Lu Yue retorted back, not one to back down. “Besides I’m older than you so you need to respect your elders and let me play first.”

“You’re only a couple of months older than me!” Tong Yao threw back. She pushed her plate forward, losing her appetite due to her anger.

“Now, now. Let’s all try to get along.” Xiao Rui tried to pacify the two.

Yu Ming cleared his throat loudly to get everyone’s attention. “Um. Regarding Lu Yue's position on the team.”

“Lu Yue will be substituted until further notice. Tong Yao has a deeper champion pool and can hold her own on the battlefield.” Lu Sicheng said decisively.

Tong Yao stuck her tongue at Lu Yue at the decision.

Lu Yue begrudgingly shovels a spoonful of food into his mouth.

Lu Sicheng turned to his girlfriend and gave her a gentle tap on the back of her head. “Stop picking fights with everyone.”

“Oh,” she replied, then went back to eating. Despite the lack of meat, Xiao Pang’s cooking skill was not that bad. “Xiao Pang, this is not that bad! Next time I’ll cook for you!”
“I’ll look forward to it!” Xiao Pang said happily.

The person sitting next to her felt cold sweats going down his back at the mention of Tong Yao cooking.

“Well, since Lu Yue will be staying with us, at least for this season, we will need to figure out the living situation,” Xiao Rui said. “You can’t stay in the guest room forever.”

“I can just stay in the room that I stayed in last time,” Lu Yue said happily.

“Uhhh. Hehehe. About that,” Xiao Rui said with an awkward chuckle. “Tong Yao is currently staying in that room and because she’s a girl, we can’t put you in that room with her.”

“But that’s the biggest room upstairs!” Lu Yue protested. “The only other room available is the tiny storage room next to my Ge’s room!”

“He can room with Xiao Pang,” Lu Sicheng said offhandedly. He looked over at his girlfriend and noticed she had some food around the corners of her oh so kissable lips. He reached over the table to grab a tissue and leaned over to wipe it off of her face. Tong Yao, being used to it, just let him do as he pleases. It’s not like they were hiding anything more.

“Where are you going to stay then?” Xiao Rui asked. He has an idea of what the answer will be but he still wants to hear it. If he can’t be with someone then at least he can live vicariously through someone.

Lu Sicheng pointed over to the girl sitting next to him and responded, “With my pretty girlfriend.”

Gags could be heard around the table.

******Bonus Scene******

[Xiao Pang: Xiao JieJie, how could you and the captain go out for dinner and leave the rest of us at home WITH XIAO RUI!!!!]

[Xiao Rui: HEY! I am a very delightful person to be around.]

[Lao K: Point is…we’re stuck at home to finish Xiao Pang’s vegetarian curry while a certain someone is enjoying the privilege of sleeping next to the boss. 😏😏😏 ]

[Lu Yue: I don’t want to be an uncle yet!!!]

[Tong Yao: I was going to bring home food but now NONE OF YOU DESERVE IT!!]

[Xiao Pang: T.T Please take pity on us, your majesty!]
Tong Yao giggled as she read the responses from the team back at the base.

“What happened?” Lu Sicheng asked as he signed the bill. As promised, he had taken his girlfriend out to a nice dinner. His girlfriend, the every kind hearted soul, decided to take pity on the morons back at home and ordered food for them, which he had to foot the bills for. Those damn freeloaders.

“Our teammates are funny,” She replied. She pocketed her phone and looked at him. “Ready?”

He nodded and they both got up. Tong Yao grabbed the bag of food and they both headed out of the restaurant. Unfortunately, it had started to sprinkle outside and they had decided to leave the car at home and walk to the restaurant since it was quite close by.

Lu Sicheng checked on the rideshare app and they would have to wait for another 20 minutes for someone to come and take them back.

Tong Yao saw the wait time as well and said, “In 20 minutes we would have already walked back and showered. Let’s just walk back, Cheng Ge. It doesn’t look too bad right now.”

He nodded at her suggestion but paused in his step. He looked at her for a second and took off his jacket and draped it over her head. “Be careful not to get wet.”

“But what about you?” She protested as she tried to take the jacket off her head.

He placed a hand on top of her head to keep the jacket in place and held her hand with his other hand. “Come on, before it starts pouring.”

True to his words, it had started pouring on their way home and they had resulted in sprinting the rest of the way. Tong Yao was ever so thankful for the constant runs that she was encouraged (read: forced) to do in team physical training sessions.

By the time they had made it back to base, they were both drenched, Lu Sicheng most of all.

Chapter Text

Tong Yao woke up to an empty bed which was strange since she was very sure she had fallen asleep with someone beside her. She checked her phone and noticed that it was still a little too early for a certain someone to be up too.

She got out of bed and quickly got ready in her official uniform since they will be heading to the stadium for the opening and drawing ceremony. Before she headed out the door, she had noticed there was a dull pain in her lower back. She must have slept in an awkward position last night. Hopefully it will go over if she makes sure to stretch later.

She headed downstairs, hoping that Auntie or Xiao Rui had arrived already.
She was quite disappointed to find neither of them was presented downstairs. She did, however, find who she was missing when she had woken up. He was sleeping under several layers of blankets on the couch. What was he doing sleeping downstairs instead of in his, er, their room? She walked over to wake him up but she found her boyfriend pale face and sweating immensely instead. She quickly placed a hand on his forehead and noticed it's much warmer than normal.

Reacting to her cold hands on his forehead, he pulled his head back and scrunched his face. He wearily opens his eyes. He smiled when he saw her face but then immediately frowned and pulled away from her. “I’m coming down with something. Stay further away from me or else you will catch it.”

“Don’t be silly,” Tong Yao said, then stood back up. “I told you to shower first yesterday and you didn’t listen to me. Don’t move. I’ll get you some medicine and water.”

She quickly scurried over to where she had remembered Xiao Rui had said the medical supplies were stored at and found the thermometer and fever reducer. She also poured him a glass of warm water and promptly brought it over to her pale boyfriend. She placed the medicine and the glass of water on the table next to the couch first and then pressed the thermostat on his forehead.

“39.3℃! (A/N: about 101℉)” Tong Yao exclaim worriedly. She heard her boyfriend sigh. “Get up and drink some medicine first.”

She helped him sit up and handed him the medicine and water. He obediently downed the medicine and water.

“I’ve taken the medicine. You quickly go somewhere else,” He said as he laid back down and pulled the blanket over him.

“How can I leave you like this?” She protested. “You lay there and rest. I’m going to get something to wipe your sweat.”

Lu Sicheng had no energy to deal with her anymore so he just resigned to let her do as she pleases. He closed his eyes and allowed the medicine to take effect. A couple of minutes later he felt something cooling wipe across his face. It felt nice against his warm skin.

“Are you going to be able to attend today?” she whispered.

“Mm,” he replied back without opening his eyes. He can feel the medicine start to kick in as his head is no longer pounding as much. “It’s only the opening ceremony. I don’t have to do anything.”

“More the reason to stay and rest,” Tong Yao tried to reason. “Have Xiao Pang or Lao K represent us and draw our group. Anyways it’s all symbolic since we’re in the group that CK doesn’t pull.”

The mere mention of CK suddenly had Lu Sicheng feeling quite irritated.

“More the reason to go, you mean,” he sneered quietly.

Didn’t catch what he had said, Tong Yao asked, “What? Did you say something?”

Lu Sicheng pouted, too embarrassed to repeat what he had said less he wanted her to make fun of him eating vinegar (A/N: he jelly jelly). Annoyed, he clicked his tongue and pulled the blanket over his face to signal wanting to be left alone.

Tong Yao let out a long sigh. Being an adult in his mid twenties, her boyfriend really has a bad habit of acting like a little kid.

“Come upstairs,” she commanded. The couch isn’t even long enough for his long legs!

“No,” he replied petulantly.

“Go sleep upstairs,” she repeated with a sterner voice.

“Not going,” he replied back.

Tong Yao stood up right and crossed her arms, deciding how to deal with this big baby. “Go upstairs or…or…”

“Or what?” he asked defiantly.

“Or..or I will never kiss you again!” she said, kind of loudly.

Lu Sicheng, after hearing such earth shattering threats, immediately sat up, threw the blanket aside, and marched obediently to their room upstairs.

Tong Yao watched him with a conceited smile. “That’s more like it.”

Unbeknownst to the pair, Xiao Rui had just come into the base, armful of bags containing breakfast items, and was in the kitchen just in time to hear Tong Yao’s threat to her boyfriend. Shocked to hear someone threaten their valiant captain without repercussion, he dropped the bags he was holding. Luckily he was already hovering over the counter so there wasn’t that much of a fall to ruin breakfast.

Tong Yao turned towards the kitchen, planning to make some congee when she spotted the shocked Xiao Rui. Her face blushed with embarrassment, knowing that he had probably witnessed her outburst. She sheepishly made her way to him.

Luckily Xiao Rui had spotted her slight blush and quickly recovered from his shock to return to his normal team loving self. “Did he sleep downstairs last night?”

“Um,” Tong Yao nodded. “I found him like that this morning. It seems as though he caught a cold, probably from running in the rain yesterday and not showering immediately.”

Xiao Rui chuckled. “It’s been awhile since our iron willed captain had caught a cold. Lucky he has you to take care of him.”

Tong Yao nodded proudly. “Of course he is! Eh, Xiao Rui, what’s this? Is Auntie not coming today?”

“She had an emergency and asked for leave today so I picked up breakfast instead,” Xiao Rui explained as he opened the bags and took the content out. “Luckily I had bought some congee.”

“Let me pour it out in a bowl and bring it up to Cheng Ge,” Tong Yao said as she went over to the cupboard. She quickly found a bowl and took one of the congee containers and poured it out. She grabbed the disposable spoon that had come with the takeout and quickly headed upstairs. She knocked on the door twice before entering.

To her surprise, she opened the door to an empty room.

“Cheng Ge?” she called out. It was then that the bathroom door was opened to reveal her boyfriend coming out, freshly showered and towel drying his hair.

“Come to gloat in your dirty victory?” he asked (pouted).

“I came to offer my goodwill but since you don’t want it…” Tong Yao snarked back. Lately she feels as though it’s quite easy to be ticked off, especially by a certain someone. Is this the falling out of love experience?

“Oh,” he replied, then draped the towel around his neck and took the bowel of congee from her. He didn’t realize how hungry he was until the smell hit him. He plopped himself onto the office chair and began scarfing down the congee.

Tong Yao sighed and was relieved she didn’t have to put in much effort to convince him to eat. Feeling a moment of tenderness, she went to stand behind him. She took the towel around his neck and started drying his hair with it.

“You’re so nice today,” he said, trying not to sound so content. It was rare that his girlfriend showed him the tender side of her. Perhaps being sick every so often wasn’t so bad after all.

“I just don't want to be blamed for my team’s captain catching a cold,” she answered, trying not to sound soft.

Lu Sicheng knows when to shut his mouth and just enjoy the moment.

“Have you eaten yet?” he asked, finishing the last of his breakfast.

“I was too worried about MY CARELESS, ROGUE, IDIOT of a boyfriend that I didn’t get to eat breakfast yet,” she complained and she dried his hair just a bit more aggressively.

“Oh,” he replied, not sure what to say. She was clearly angry at him and it’s best not to feed that flame unless he no longer has the desire to enter this room after recovering from his cold.

He put down the bowl and placed his hand on top of hers to stop her from attacking his hair.

“What?” she asked.

He silently tugged her hand and led her around and sat her on his lap.

“What got you so worked up, ha?” he asked gently. He tucked a stray hair behind her ear as he waited for her response.

She pouted then said, “It’s not fair. You always take care of me when I’m sick, even when we’re far apart but you never let me take care of you.”

Lu Sicheng smiled brightly. “That’s because I’m a man. I don’t need a little missy to worry about me.”

Tong Yao lightly smacked him on his chest. “Who says a man doesn’t need care? Ha?! Who said that?”

Not wanting anymore anger to explode from his furious girlfriend, he decided to tuck his tail between his legs. “I was wrong, ok?”

Tong Yao took advantage of his conceding and jabbed his chest with her pointer finger repeatedly and said, “Lu Sicheng, I’m warning you now. If you ever, EVER, try to hide a cold, a flu, or even a cough from me, I will make you regret it!”

“So fierce,” he teased. He is going to soak in every moment of this. Lately, it seems as though they have been so far apart, even further than when they were in two different countries.

“Lu. Si. Cheng. Promise me!” she demanded, not amused at his teasing.

“Ok, ok. I promise. I won’t hide these things from you,” he promised genuinely. “Now we have to seal the deal. Come give me a kiss.”

Inspired by his mischievousness, Tong Yao declared, “You said that you were sick so I should stay away from you. Cheng Ge, For my own health, I think I'll refrain from kissing you until you get 100% better.”

With that, she hopped off his lap and picked up the empty bowl and gleefully made her way downstairs to eat her own breakfast.

‘......So this is what it means to shoot oneself in the foot,’ Lu Sicheng thought painfully. Then he let out a fit of cough. ‘Forget it. Best if she didn’t catch whatever he had.’

Downstairs, Tong Yao was happily enjoying her breakfast as she watched the Xiao Rui alarm go off.

“Eh Xiao Rui, we don’t have to be at the arena until later in the afternoon. Why are you calling everyone so early?” Tong Yao asked curiously as she finished up breakfast.

“Tong Yao ah. You don’t know how long it takes this bunch of people to get ready for an event,” Xiao Rui complained, almost too happy. “Besides, players actually have to get there quite a bit earlier than the start of the events so we don’t get mobbed by fans.”

“Oh,” Tong Yao replied. She supposed that had made sense. With how many teams that were going to be present at the stadium today, there’s probably a massive crowd outside. Thinking about it made her feel a little nervous. She hadn’t thought about how much fans and media attention that she would receive when she signed the contract to be a pro player.

“Eh Tong Yao, how is our captain doing? Will he make it to today’s event?” Xiao Rui asked. He’ll need to make another arrangement if the representative for their team is not able to make it.

“He said he can go,” Tong Yao answered. “The cold medicine is kicking in so I think we should bring some along just in case.”

Xiao Rui nodded in agreement. Events like these can run long and they can’t make the young master uncomfortable with the cold. He still remembered the day when their glorious captain suffered through the flu yet he told everyone else he was fine so he could carry everyone across the regional finale. There was that other time he had starved himself until his stomach hurts because he was so engrossed with training a certain support so that they would be in sync with one another. Don’t let him get started in the captain’s precious hands. There were many times his hands would act up but he would just quietly bandage it and keep playing.

“Xiao Rui is admiring the captain again,” he heard someone say. Xiao Rui snapped out of his thoughts and saw that Xiao Pang and the base’s other couple had made it downstairs dressed in proper uniforms.

“Ha?” Tong Yao asked.

“Xiao JieJie, you have been here for so long but you haven’t noticed?” Xiao Pang said in a teasing tone. “Xiao Rui here is our Captain’s biggest admirer. Whenever he stares off into the distance with that goofy smile of his is when he is mentally praising and admiring our great Cheng Ge.”

“Xiao Pang, have you finished your streaming hours this month?” Xiao Rui asked with venom in his voice.

“I was wrong,” Xiao Pang apologized, tucking his tail between his legs. He quietly sat down and ate his breakfast.

“Where’s Cheng Ge?” Lao K asked as Lao Mao put breakfast in front of him. “Don’t tell me you exhausted him last night, Tong Yao!”

“As if!” Tong Yao denied, though a faint blush creeped up her cheeks. “He caught a cold from the rain yesterday so I told him to rest upstairs. He’ll probably be down in a bit. Where’s the imposter? Is he even allowed to come today?”

“HEY! I HEARD THAT!” Lu Yue yelled from the stairs. He rushed over to where everyone was gathered at the table. “Just so you know, I am more qualified than you to be there!”

Tong Yao stuck her tongue out at him.

“Ok, ok. That’s enough,” Xiao Rui cut them off before an argument could break out. It’s like wrangling a bunch of toddlers.

Xiao Rui somehow managed to get everyone fed and watered on the bus just in time for departure. Or course, that’s not without an argument between the two Mids on seating arrangements. In the end, Yu Ming sat on the single seat on the left and Xiao Rui on the single seat on the right. Behind them were Lao K and Lao Mao on the double seat on the left and Xiao Pang on the single seat on the right. On the last row was Lu Yue on the single seat on the right and the two carries were snuggled up on the double seats on the left.

******Bonus Scene*******

“Eh, Cheng Ge,” Xiao Rui started when he caught Lu Sicheng alone, scrolling on his phone, in the kitchen. “You look well today.”

“What do you want?” Lu Sicheng asked directly.

Xiao Rui immediately pulled out a chair across the table and plopped down. “Here’s the thing. Madame President had taken Tong Yao’s cat captive when she was here last. It has been a while and I’m worried that Tong Yao will be sad with her cat being gone for so long. Can you ask Madame President to return Da Bing back to our base?”

Lu Sicheng sent a glare towards him then abruptly stood up from his seat. “If you have the guts to ask me, then ask her to return my daughter back yourself!”

“Y-Your daughter???” Xiao Rui asked, confused at what had transpired.

***Earlier that day***

“Ma,” Lu Sicheng said into his phone. “You need to bring back my daughter.”

“Why? She’s happy here. I’m happy she’s here. You just want to sabotage our grandmother-granddaughter relationship!” Mama Lu argued over the phone.

“You can’t keep her there forever,” he argued back. Then he had a genius idea! “If you don’t bring her back, Tong Yao will be sad. She’s been saying how much she misses her cat.”

“.......” then all was left was the sound of the call had disconnected.

***That night***

Tong Yao and Lu Sicheng were getting ready for bed.

“Your mom called me today,” Tong Yao said as she got into the bed.

“Oh,” Lu Sicheng answered nonchalantly as he towel dried his hair.

“She was worried that I was sad that she was keeping Da Bing with her,” Tong Yao explained. “She said that someone was dropping the princess off tomorrow. You wouldn’t have happened to know anything about this, would you? Since when did your mom ever voluntarily bring back Da Bing?”

“Don’t think too much, go to bed early,” He answered, trying to sound uncaring.

Tong Yao quietly snickered and happily tucked herself into bed.

Lu Sicheng saw that he had received a new text message and opened it.

[Mom: I’m bringing back Da Bing only because my future daughter-in-law said that she was kind of sad not seeing Da Bing recently. I bought Yao Yao lots of stuff when I went shopping recently. I’ll have it sent over as well.]

Tch, was she really his mother?

Chapter Text

The team made it to the venue in one piece. Even though they had arrived at the venue hours ahead of the event, there was still a sizable picket line of fans, waiting to greet them when they got off the bus. Everyone on the bus waited until security came to help hold the mob back before getting off the bus.

“Ah-hem,” Xiao Rui began as he faced the children. “Just like normal ha everyone. Let them snap some photos, sign some merch, and shake some hands. Oh, and remember to smile.”

Everyone nodded boredly, almost as if they had heard this until their ears bled.

Tong Yao’s stomach was doing somersaults. This was the first time she was greeting a large crowd of fans. Were they going to receive her well? Would she be beaten and screamed at?

Her nerves made her unconsciously clench her hands, which also happened to be holding Lu Sicheng’s hand, tightly.

Lu Sicheng noticed how tight his girlfriend’s grip was, pulled her into an embrace and kissed the crown of her head. “Relax.”

Lu Yue happened to look over at them at that moment and gagged at the PDA. “Xiao Rui, can we get a rule on PDA in common spaces?! It’s disrupting my motivation to play well for the glory of ZGDX.”

Xiao Rui looked over at the said couple and smiled. “I think it’s quite nice. Carry on.”

Lu Sicheng glared at him and pulled his girlfriend closer, as if in defiance.

Tong Yao pushed him away in annoyance.

It was then when they heard a knock on the bus door.

“That’s the signal everyone,” Xiao Rui said, back into his team manager persona. “Remember, smile and wave.”

Needless to say, everyone had made it through the crowd and into the building in one piece. The fans cheering them on had ignited the fighting spirit of everyone and they were excited for the season to come, especially the one currently occupying the Mid position.

“Welcome to the big league, Xiao JieJie!” Lao K said with a rare smile.

“Enjoying the feeling of having fans?” Xiao Pang asked excitedly.

Tong Yao nodded excitedly. “It’s so much more different than doing a livestream. It feels more…more…”

“More real,” Lu Sicheng finished the sentence for her. What she was experiencing for the first time was something that all of them, even Xiao Rui, had experienced when they had first entered the industry. It was a precious moment to all of them and they were excited for their newest member to go through it herself.

However, this year was different. This year, this year, they had a new vigor to win that trophy. With Tong Yao on their team, China’s, no…the world’s, e-sport stage is not ready for the monster that is Smiling.

“Cheng Ge…I have a sudden feeling,” Tong Yao whispered in realization.

“What? Don’t tell me you have to poop?” he retorted back.

“Don’t be disgusting!” she said with a slap on his biceps. “I meant to win!”

“Good!” Xiao Rui said energetically. “That’s the energy you need!”

The staff that was working the event giggled at the team’s antics and quickly got them moving to where they were needed to be.

First they stopped to get a team photo so that the league can post on their socials to create more hype for the season. Then everyone was led to where their team’s seats were. They were one of the first ones to arrive so the stadium was fairly empty.

The boys slumped back into their seats.

“Aiyooo, this is definitely the worst part of the season,” Lao Mao complained. “This waiting is going to kill me.”

“Have some patience Mao Mao,” Lao K said as he pulled out his phone.

Lu Sicheng leaned his head towards Tong Yao and closed his eyes. His headache was starting to come back again.

Tong Yao looked over and sweat beads started to form on his forehead and his eyebrows furrowed.

She placed a hand on his forehead. It felt a bit warm.

“Why are your hands so cold, Shorty?” Lu Sicheng grumbled.

“Your forehead is just hot,” she said back. “Are you feeling feverish again?”

“I feel fine,” he replied stubbornly. “If you keep talking to me, I’m going to kiss you right here.”

Tong Yao clicked her tongue at him in annoyance. She removed her hands from his forehead and looked around for Xiao Rui.

“Are you looking for Xiao Rui?” Xiao Pang asked when he noticed her swiveling head. He looked over at Cheng Ge and he looked more pale than usual. “Cheng Ge, are you ok? Do you need to go home?”

“Where is Rui Ge?” Tong Yao asked before Lu Sicheng could bother to answer.

“He went to talk to the PR people from the league,” Xiao Pang relayed back. “Do you need him for something?”

Before Tong Yao could reply, the players from CK came strutting into the stadium.

“Look at those stupid purple uniforms. I can’t wait to beat them up this season,” Lao Mao said quietly with a murderous aura to him.

“What’s with him?” Xiao Pang asked when he saw the aura surrounding Lao Mao and the cold look from Lao K.

Ever since the first time Chen Jin Yang and Lao K had first met one another, they’ve been texting almost as often as Tong Yao and Cheng Jin Yang. Obviously, ever the gossipers, their topic eventually veered towards Tong Yao and her past with a certain Jungler. Chen Jin Yang spared no details when regaling the details of the break up to vent the anger which she had to keep inside. Naturally, of course, Lao K hid nothing from the person sharing his bed and so Lao Mao also is aware of the situation. The dirty scumbag isn’t worthy of even looking at their precious Xiao JieJie!

Of course, the certain Jungler also immediately spotted the only girl in the league right as he entered and couldn’t take his eyes off of her. His heart leaped and swirled with joy at the sight of her face. It’s as if he suddenly has tunnel vision and can see nothing but her.

“-tain! Captain!” one of his teammates called out. He snapped out of his reverie. “Let’s go take our seats. It’s just across from ZGDX.”

Jian Yang nodded and followed his team members, though he still kept her in his peripheral.

“Yo, you guys are still playing? Though you would all retire by now,” the Jungler of CK jabbed playfully as he sat down.

Lao Mao wanted to jump from his seat and show the Jungler what’s what but Lao K held him down.

“At least we didn’t embarrass ourselves on the world stage. Losing before you can get out of early games. Tch,” Lao K sneered. “I was too embarrassed to even watch the full playback.”

Someone from CK was about to respond when he received a glare from his captain.

“Sit quietly or leave,” Jian Yang lectured. Everyone from CK immediately stopped fooling around like obedient children.

When the tensions between the team quickly dissolved, Tong Yao went back to quietly checking on her boyfriend.

Jian Yang snuck peeks of his, err, ZGDX’s Yao Yao and immediately felt irritated when he saw how close her body was to Lu Sicheng. How he wished that was him that she was quietly whispering to. Though, judging by how pale Lu Sicheng was, she was probably giving him her loving care. If he got sick, would she give him the same loving care?

“Captain,” the person sitting next to Jian Yang quietly called out. “You should go over and greet the other team’s Mid. Make her notice you.”

“Tch. Go away,” Jian Yang dismissed. He went back to subtly (read: very, very obviously, borderline straight staring) looking like a kicked puppy at his ex-girlfriend.

His longing gaze was caught by the ever sharp eyes of the Captain of the opposing team, however sick he was.

“Your ex-boyfriend is looking at you like a kicked puppy. Want to go comfort him?” He whispered, with his eyes closed. The various lights on the stage were starting to give him a headache.

Tong Yao smiled at him. Even when he’s sick, he’s still able to act jealous. “Maybe. We’ll have to see if you make it through this cold first.”

Lu Sicheng opened his eyes slightly and leered at her. Then closed them and pouted.

Tong Yao giggled at his very visible pout and thought how cute her boyfriend was. “I’m just kidding. His actions still disgusts me and I can’t even bear to look at him without sneering.”

“Tch. Noone asked,” He replied back petulantly.

Half an hour later, the rest of the teams in the league filtered into the stadium and sat down at their designated seats. Xiao Rui had also returned back to manage this squadron of children.

“Everyone, please be on your best behavior now. Fans will start entering into the stadium now,” Xiao Rui warned sternly. He looked over at Lu Sicheng and saw that he looked like he’s dozing off. “Once the ceremony is over, we will head back to the base and everyone can have the evening off.”

The team members of ZGDX broke out into cheers. Xiao Rui let them be and went to take a seat behind Tong Yao. He leaned forward and tapped on her shoulders to get her attention. “How’s our captain?”

“I was looking for you earlier. I think it’s time for another round of medicine,” Tong Yao whispered back.

“I’m not taking it,” Lu Sicheng said despite his skull feeling like it was going to split in half.

“If you don’t take it, I’ll tell Lu Yue to go on stage instead of you,” Tong Yao threatened. She knew he was too vain to see if it's an empty threat or not. He would rather sacrifice his comfort than his precious fan’s image of him.

Lu Sicheng didn’t reply and instead, furrowed his brows and held a hand out.

“Hold on, Cheng Ge. Let me go get the medicine from my bag,” Xiao Rui said in surprise. He didn’t expect for the captain to actually take his medicine obediently like that. Maybe having a lady boss wouldn’t be too bad. He quickly located his bag and dug out the fever reducer he had prepared for Cheng Ge and handed it over to him along with a bottle of water. Tong Yao took the bottle and twisted the cap open. Lu Sicheng popped the pills into his mouth and took the bottle from Tong Yao’s hand and downed that down. He handed the bottle back to Tong Yao to cap and went back to his dozing position.

Tong Yao giggled at him. Her boyfriend was really too cute.

“If you keep looking at me, I’m going to kiss you,” he said, unashamedly. Tong Yao immediately sit back in her seat and faced the stage.

Xiao Rui, hearing what his captain had said, leaned forward and quietly said to the couple, “Excuse me Boss and Lady Boss, unless you’re planning to reveal your relationship to the public today, I would highly suggest that you both keep your mouth shut.”

Xiao Rui's warning was very much heeded as Tong Yao sat perfectly still and, more importantly, leaned away from a certain someone until the ceremony started.

To Tong Yao’s surprise, one of the hosts for the ceremony was her best friend, Chen Jin Yang! She discreetly sent her a little wave when they made eye contact for a brief moment.

There were 12 teams playing in the summer season and they were divided into 2 groups: A and B. Because ZGDX and CK had made it to the championship last season, they would not be playing in the same group. Group A included: ZGDX, FNATIC, Red Arrows, KING, Arashi, and Obsidian. Group B included: CK, YQCB, Doomsday, Alpha, DQ.FIVE, and ANT.

The summer season was kicked off with fanfare and excitement, especially because of a certain Mid who had recently joined the circle.

As per tradition, the season would kick off with the opening match which would be the last season champions against the runner up, in this case: CK vs ZGDX. The goal of this match was to get both fans and players to get hyped up for the upcoming season so that they would buy tickets or tune into the livestreams to see all of the matches. This was how the league made money after all.

By the time the team members of ZGDX returned back to their base in the evening, everyone was knackered. Xiao Rui promptly dismissed everyone after a reminder to wake up early tomorrow for the opening match. Tong Yao led Lu Sicheng up the stairs to their room for him to get some rest. Lao K and Lao Mao went to the gym to do some workout. Xiao Pang and Lu Yue decided to go and get some takeouts for everyone since the base's Auntie was out that day.

Xiao Rui walked to the couch, glad to have a small reprieve from the chaos of the day, when he had spotted a white puffball, snoozing on the couch. Unable to resist, he went to pet the soft fur which he then was rewarded with the soft purrs of appreciation. Xiao Rui could almost cry in thanks to Madame President for returning his beloved Da Bing.

The same could not be said for the residents upstairs as Tong Yao was horrified at the amount of boxes of clothes and trinkets that had appeared in her room.

“It was my mom,” Lu Sicheng said, feeling no shame whatsoever for throwing his mom under the bus.

******Bonus Scene*******

It was a typical morning with the only occupants awake and leisurely enjoying their breakfast was Tong Yao and Xiao Rui.

“Tong Yao, do you know how ZGDX was started?” Xiao Rui asked suddenly, breaking the peaceful quiet that was occupying the space.

“Briefly. Cheng Ge was pitiful and merciful as he let the others eat (earn) before he did. He built it from the ground up without the help of his family’s money because his parents didn’t approve at first but now they’re in full support,” Tong Yao said, with a hint of pride in her tone.

“Exactly,” Xiao Rui said, then his happy tone turned dark. “That’s why we all need to protect our pitiful Cheng Ge. He may have a gruff and tough exterior but he has the biggest heart of them all.”

Tong Yao nodded vigorously in agreement. “I know.”

“It’s good that you know,” Xiao Rui said, “If our Cheng Ge becomes sad and heartbroken in anyways, someone will have to answer to the team. We take the heart of our pitiful captain very seriously.”

“Who’s pitiful? If you no longer want to get paid then just say so.”

Chapter Text

Tong Yao woke up to soft pats on her cheeks. She blearily opened her eyes to come face to face with a white cat. “Da Binnnnng. Go call your Baba. Mama is sleeping.”

Da Bing sat back up now that she knew she caught the subpar human’s attention and replied to her with a long meow.

Knowing that she was in a losing battle with the cat, she sleepily turned her body and patted the other human laying next to her. “Cheng Geee. Get up and feed your daughter. Cheng Gee!”

Lu Sicheng groaned and grumbled at her wake up call. “I’m sick. You do it.”

“You don’t love me if you don’t get up,” Tong Yao said sleepily, already on her way to dreamland.

“That won’t work anymore,” Lu Sicheng replied, also returning to dreamland.

Da Bing, watching her human servants go back to sleep, was annoyed. All that effort in waking them up and yet she’s still not fed. The human who worshiped her hasn’t arrived at her castle yet so she will have to make do with the spare human and her favorite human. She cried out in hunger until someone answered her.

Da Bing knew her cries worked when both humans sat up sleepily while grumbling underneath their breath.

“We’re never having another kid,” Tong Yao grumbled as she stumbled out of bed.

Lu Sicheng was too tired to reply and silently slouched his way to the bathroom to wash up.

Da Bing sat on the bed, swishing her tails, pleased at her accomplishment. She’s going to sit here to supervise and make sure her humans didn’t crawl back into their warm bed. Speaking of how warm the bed was, perhaps she could take a small nap while they got ready.

Tong Yao happened to finish getting ready for the day first. She looked over at the cat and exasperation coursed through her body. The dang cat dared to rudely wake them up for food and now has the audacity to be fast asleep.

“Cheng Ge, your daughter is really too much,” Tong Yao commented.

Lu Sicheng had just exited the bathroom when he heard her comment. “Hm?”

Tong Yao nudged her chin towards the sleeping cat. “There. See?”

“Don’t be petty,” Lu Sicheng said as he opened the closet door to get his team uniform. He turned to go back to the bathroom to change when he noticed his girlfriend massaging her back. Worriedly, he asked, “What’s wrong? Did you catch my cold?”

“Ah? I probably slept weird last night so my back is aching a bit,” Tong Yao said reassuringly when she saw his worried face. He was worse than her own mother. He worries about every little thing.

“You’re already so grown yet you still sleep like a child,” he teased, more to humor himself than anything.

Tong Yao responded by sticking her tongue out at him and stomping downstairs.

It was good timing too as Xiao Rui was setting out breakfast items onto the dining table.

Tong Yao made her way over to where he was and scanned the food that he was laying out. “Rui Ge, is Auntie still out today?”

“Yeah, unfortunately she’s going to be out for a few more days,” Xiao Rui said with a light sigh. “Make do with this, ah.”

Perhaps it was nerves, but the thought of eating food causes her stomach to do somersaults.

Xiao Rui noticed that she was looking at the food more than attacking, which was very peculiar.

“Tong Yao ah,” Xiao Rui asked, sounding a little worried. “Are you alright? You didn’t catch the captain’s cold, did you?”

“No, I feel fine,” Tong Yao replied. “Why is everyone asking me that?”

“Take care of yourself ah,” Xiao Rui reminded her, and decided to drop the subject for now. Today was not the day for anyone to be missing. It’s the first official match of the season and it would be inauspicious if something like that happened. “Want me to fix you a plate?”

“Go wake up the others,” came a voice from behind him. “She won’t starve to death if you don’t serve her for one meal.”

Xiao Rui turned around to see Lu Sicheng walking down the stairs with Da Bing sitting obediently in his arms. He looked like a Bond villain.

“Tch. He only cares for his daughter,” Tong Yao said under her breath.

“I thought Da Bing was yours?” Xiao Rui asked curiously, matching the volume of her voice.

“The three black fishes are mine,” Tong Yao replied. “Look how well behaved they are.”

“Ah? B-But Cheng Ge brought the fishes here long before you came here,” Xiao Rui reacted. Just how many secrets was his captain hiding from him?

Before Tong Yao could answer, Xiao Rui caught sight of the glare that Lu Sicheng was throwing at him and awkwardly, yet silently, excused himself upstairs to wake up the other rugrats so they could have a nutritious meal before marching off to battle.

Lu Sicheng walked over to Da Bing’s food station and saw that her food bowl and water bowl had recently been filled. This was probably Xiao Rui’s doing.

Da Bing looked down and saw that there was food in her bowl and immediately jumped out of her Baba’s arms. Food must come first.

Lu Sicheng grinned and shook his head at the cat’s mischief. He went over to wash his hands and came back to the table to find his girlfriend busy scrolling on her phone instead of eating. He fixed himself a plate and sat next to her.

“Is the food not to your liking?” he asked gently.

“No, my stomach is flipping around like yesterday. I think I might actually be sick if I eat anything,” Tong Yao replied with a sigh. She closed down her phone and placed it on the table.

Lu Sicheng wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close so that she was leaning on him. “Don’t worry. You have me.”

“I know but I just want to do well,” she said quietly.

Unsure how to comfort her anymore, Lu Sicheng stayed silent. With his free hand, he began eating his breakfast, hoping to entice her to eat. Afterall, she had always said food just looks more appetizing on his plate…even if they were eating the same thing.

After half of his plate had disappeared into his stomach, his girlfriend still hasn’t said a word. He squeezed her shoulder lightly to get her attention and said, “If you don’t feel like eating, have some milk instead.”

“But I’m comfortable here,” she said petulantly. He could imagine the pout that’s on her face right now.

Lu Sicheng scanned the table and saw that there were a couple paper cups next to the fried dough sticks which he guessed was the soy milk. Xiao Rui was predictable in that way. He reached over and picked up a cup. He could feel the warmth of the liquid inside even through the cup sleeves. He brought it to her lips and slightly tipped the cup for the liquid to pour out.

Lu Yue, who surprisingly was the first to come down for breakfast, was irritated by the blatant display of affection so early in the morning. “Ge, she won’t die if you don’t serve her one meal.”

“You brothers, really,” Xiao Rui said as he came out from behind Lu Yue. “Cheng Ge also said the same thing to me earlier.

“No wonder you’re still single, Xiao Rui,” Lao K said, coming with Lao Mao from behind Xiao Rui. “What Cheng Ge meant was for you to stop feeding her so that he has the pleasure of doing it himself.”

Tong Yao blushed at the comments the spectators were making. She gingerly took the cup from Lu Sicheng’s hand and sat up straight.

Lu Sicheng sent them all a glare and said, “Stop yapping and eat so we can leave unless you all no longer need food.”

The four immediately started marching like good little soldiers to fix themselves a plate and eat quietly under their commander’s instruction.

It was close to the time they had needed to leave when the remaining member of the team came scrambling down the stairs with unkempt hair and wrinkled uniform. He was still rubbing sleep out of his eyes.

Xiao Rui checked his watch and immediately went into lecturing mode. “Xiao Pang! Do you know what time it is? Why are you only getting up now? I went to call you up an hour and a half ago! I even made you sure you were out of bed! Even Lu Yue was up and down here before you and he isn’t even playing today!”

Xiao Pang could only hang his head in shame. He really didn’t have an excuse for today. He had fallen asleep standing in front of the mirror brushing his teeth. He had only woken up when he had accidentally dropped his toothbrush and it hit his toe and sent him into a shock. He became even more awake when he checked the time on his phone.

“You can lecture me some more on the bus,” Xiao Pang pleaded when he had managed to get a word in. “Can I get something to eat first?”

“Go, go,” Xiao Rui said as he rubbed his forehead to stop the impending headache.

Xiao Pang excitedly went past the team’s manager only to see everyone else sitting around an empty table. Tears nearly welled up in his eyes. “Where’s all the food?”

“Gone,” Lu Yue said cheekily. Xiao Pang could almost faint in horror.

“Don’t listen to him,” Tong Yao said as she sent a glare towards Lu Yue. “I left a plate for you on the counter.”

“Xiao JieJie, you’re the only one who loves me,” Xiao Pang said pitifully and scurried over to gobble down breakfast before Xiao Rui called time to leave.

Twenty minutes later, the team’s bus pulled up and within five minutes, Xiao Rui had everyone boarded and counted for in an orderly fashion. Xiao Rui prided himself on being a top notch team manager, so this task was absolutely nothing in his skill set.

Luckily, the security for the match was much more strict than the opening ceremony so they had all deboarded the bus without much fanfare. The ones playing in today’s match all went through the procedure to make sure there was no alcohol intake as well as submitting their peripherals to check for any signs of cheating.

This was Tong Yao’s first time seeing and going through the motions of what happens backstage before the game even begins. Ever since she started to get to know more of the Pro Leagues, she was always abroad and had never attended an event in person until recently. It’s a shame really. It’s a lot more fun and lively in person than through the livestreams. Also…a certain person looks a lot more handsome in person than through the blasted outdated cameras that they used for the livestreams.

Once all of the necessary procedures were done, they were all guided to the team lounge where they could remain until the start of the match.

Tong Yao was leaning onto Lu Sicheng on the couch while scrolling on her phone while he discussed strategies with Ming Shen when her stomach started hurting. She tried her best not to show it on her face or else the worrywart will panic and make her sit out of the match and the stupid Lu Yue will play instead of her. He would never let her live that down for the rest of her life.

“I can’t wait to crush those bastards of CK,” Lao Mao declared. He and Lao K were watching the playbacks from the finals of last season.

“Eh, do you think they’ll leave Le Blanc open for Xiao JieJie to choose today?” Xiao Pang asked, feeling quite murderous. “It’s only us here that knows the destruction that will happen if our Xiao JieJie gets LeBlanc to level 6, right?”

“Ah?” Tong Yao responded, hearing them call her name. Then she thought about what Xiao Pang said. “They probably won’t leave it as an option. Jian Yang knows that’s my favorite champion.”

“Speaking of that bastard,” Lu Sicheng began, suddenly also obtaining a murderous aura around him.

“My blood still boils thinking about the scene that I had witnessed after our loss in the finals,” Lao Mao said in Lu Sicheng’s stead.

“My great Generals,” Xiao Rui said in a pleasant voice to try to diffuse the tension that was suddenly occurring, “It’s great that you are all so motivated to defeat the enemies but please don’t do anything to piss the league off and make us lose before we even get a chance to go into the battlefield.”

“Xiao Rui is right,” Yu Ming replied. “Remember to play along the strategies we had practiced and discussed. I’m sure they’re not expecting the strength in the new Mid we had spent a lot of money on acquiring.”

“That’s right!” Xiao Pang exclaimed. Then he turned mischievous. “We even had to give her our own captain in order to secure her into our team!”

Xiao Rui smacked the back of his head. “Will you quiet down!”

Lu Sicheng was amused at his statement. He leaned over and whispered to Tong Yao, “Look how pitiful I am. I had to give my own virtue up to keep you here. Don’t you feel sorry for me?”

“Rascal!” Tong Yao said as she stood up in protest. She then marched over to where Lao K and Lao Mao were sitting at the table and plopped herself on the chair next to them. “You can bunk with Xiao Pang tonight!”

Everyone’s jaw dropped, including Lu Sicheng’s.

“W-what happened?” Xiao Rui stuttered. He can’t let his ship sink before his eyes!

“Mom and Dad are fighting,” Xiao Pang whispered to Xiao Rui. “Dad probably said something to pissed her off. Hopefully this doesn’t affect his morale later.”

“Wait a minute,” Lu Yue said, moments after he thought about what was said. “Shorty, did you forget who is rooming with Pang Ge now? Me! I’m rooming with him now! How do you expect all of us to fit in that tiny room?”

Before Tong Yao could reply, there was a knock on the door. One of the organizer assistants stuck their heads in and announced that it was almost time for the match and that the team should assemble by the stage door.

“Let’s go,” Lu Sicheng said as he stood up.

Chapter Text

“I suddenly have a feeling,” Tong Yao said ominously as she adjusts the headset.

“It’s just nerves,” Lu Sicheng answered, having deja vu of this conversation.

“No, I think it’s poop this time,” Tong Yao replied back, quite loudly.

“Pfft,” everyone reacted, can’t help but laugh at her response.

“Xiao JieJie,” Xiao Pang said as he adjusted his own headset. “You know they record our conversations for the fans, right?”

“I know, but it’s only during the match right?” Tong Yao said. She had watched a few of those clips. Some of them were quite funny.

“Tong Yao ah,” Xiao Pang said hesitantly. He definitely was going to get hit when they got home later regardless if he told her or not. “They record EVERYTHING.”

It took Tong Yao a moment to process everything and when she did, she scrambled. “Brothers in the back. Please delete that clip!”

“The more you plead them, the more adamant they’re going to keep that clip,” Lu Sicheng said, trying to sagely.

“Xiao JieJie, just accept it,” Lao Mao said then continued laughing.

Yu Ming shook his head at the group of children he was assigned to and gave all of them a smack with his clipboard. “Will you all focus? The selection phase is going to happen soon. Who are we banning?”

And just like that, the children of ZGDX return to being obedient little angels that don’t get smacked by their coach with a clipboard.

Once the pick and ban stage was complete, Yu Ming went to shake hands with the CK’s coach at center stage, as was customary in all official matches. Then he went backstage to watch with Xiao Rui and Lu Yue, entrusting the rest for their Captain to manage.

“Ming Shen, come! Come have a seat!” Xiao Rui called out when he saw Yu Ming entering the break room. Both him and Lu Yue had migrated onto the couch with the livestream of the match on the tv.

“Eh, I don’t know if CK is testing us or is just plain dumb,” Lu Yue commented. “They actually let the shorty have LeBlanc. This round is already over before it even begins. How boring.”

“Looks like the fans all agree with you,” Xiao Rui said in amusement. Of course they have the comments turned on. He needed to jump right into action if a PR emergency had occurred. Livestreams and reputations can be a messy mix but luckily he’s an excellent team manager, if he says so himself.

“Maybe CK took pity on us cause they know my Ge isn’t feeling well and neither does that shorty,” Lu Yue said, earning a smack on the head by Yu Ming and a smack on the arm by Xiao Rui.

“Pei, Pei, Pei!” Xiao Rui exclaimed, “Members of our team are all well and healthy. Tong Yao….Tong Yao is just nervous!”

“Rui Ge, look how pale she is,” Lu Yue argued, not worried at all.

“If you don’t shut up now, I’ll tell your Ge about what you said and see how he deals with you!” Xiao Rui threatened and smiled cheekily when Lu Yue opened his mouth but no sound came out.

“Both of you shut up,” Yu Ming said, his eyes completely focused on the screen. “The match is starting.”

“Looks like the rigorous training schedule our Coach Ming Shen has set up is paying off,” Xiao Rui commented when he saw how well his team had started off.

Just then, they noticed someone lurking in the Mid section.

CK_Sunflower.

“Did Jian Yang really lose brain cells when he was abroad?” Lu Yue asked when he saw the ID jump on screen then immediately died at the hands of a certain Mid Laner. “Even if she hasn’t reached level 6 yet, she is still overpowered compared to him. Also, what is a Jungler even doing there?”

“Did Cheng Ge take the cold medicine before the match?” Yu Ming asked Xiao Rui as he made notes on a tablet. “His reactions are slightly slower than normal.”

“No way. Are you sure? I think my Ge is just as quick as ever,” Lu Yue defended.

“Don’t argue with Ming Shen. There’s nothing that escapes his eyes,” Xiao Rui consoles Lu Yue. “I gave him the pill but he probably didn’t take it since it makes his brain all foggy.”

“The first group match won’t be for another week so hopefully he can recover well before then,” Yu Ming commented. “Lao Mao needs to work on target practice some more when we get back. He’s getting sloppy and relies on Lao K too much.”

While they were so focused on the Top Lane and the Jungle, they hadn’t yet realized that Tong Yao had reached level 6 thanks to their opponent’s Jungler who had delivered himself to her twice more. Not long after, the rhythm of the game had picked up significantly with Tong Yao leading the charge and terrorizing the members of CK, who could not keep up.

“The shorty is…really is…quite terrifying,” Lu Yue said quietly when he saw her slaughter the enemy, one after the other, and receiving a pentakill. He had accepted the team’s decision on placing him on alternate but seeing her play on stage made him understand why he was alternate, not that he would ever say it out loud. His skills were definitely not up to par with hers but this only gave him more motivation to keep training.

Xiao Rui sighed then said, “We should’ve kept LeBlanc hidden away for the finals. Now there’s no way anyone would let her have LeBlanc.”

“Tong Yao has a deep champion pool,” Ming Shen said proudly. “If not LeBlanc then Ahri or Twisted Fate. There’s only three ban slots and if they ban all Mid champions then Cheng Ge would benefit.”

Xiao Rui and Lu Yue stared at him in admiration.

“Ming Shen…you truly deserve the God title,” Lu Yue said quietly.

Xiao Rui nodded in agreement. “The true mastermind. We should thank whoever is up there that you have chosen to stay with ZGDX instead of jumping to another team.”

“Stop looking at me like that. It’s creepy,” Yu Ming said, continuing to take notes on his tablet.

By the time Xiao Rui and Lu Yue returned their focus onto the screen, the game was over and ZGDX had taken the victory for the first game. However, it’s a best out of three matches to decide the victor for this competition so they have one more game to go.

There’s a 15 minute break in between each game for the players to rest and for the fans to get snacks or use the restrooms.

ZGDX returned to their break room in high spirits. Well, most of them anyways. Lu Sicheng slumped into the break room and flopped onto the couch, having no more energy to do anything.

Tong Yao immediately rushed over to check on her boyfriend, even taking off her own jacket to cover him as a makeshift blanket when she saw him shivering. “You didn’t take your cold medicine?”

“Slows me down,” he justified as he buried his head under the jacket to cover his eyes from the blinding lights. Was it always this bright here?

Before she could lecture him any longer, her abdomen sent out a sharp pain, causing her to double over.

“Take your medicine!” she shouted then ran to the bathroom.

“C-Cheng Ge, will you take your medicine now?” Xiao Rui meekly offered but got no response,

“Don’t worry, Cheng Ge,” Xiao Pang said happily as he scrolled his phone. “You can play a little careless today. People are saying that there’s TWO mad dogs on our team.”

“Cheng Ge, are you going to be ok?” Yu Ming asked in concern. Lu Sicheng’s face was getting as pale as Tong Yao and he’s sweating quite a bit despite his constant shivers. “Maybe you should take that cold medicine.”

“I’ll take it after we win,” Lu Sicheng whispered. His head was pounding so much that he didn’t realize that his girlfriend had disappeared somewhere.

With 2 minutes left until their breaks ended, Tong Yao finally returned to the break room with one hand still clutching her stomach. She had tried using the bathroom but it's of no avail. She looked over at Lu Sicheng who was quietly napping with his head still under her jacket.

“Rui Ge, has he taken the medicine?” Tong Yao asked. Her question was answered with a shake of a head. Her face formed a pout and was about to go into lecture mood when Lao K pulled her into a seat.

“Look how pale you look,” Lao K said, then reached over to his bag on the table. “Luckily we have the same face powder shade.”

“Really? Let me see,” Tong Yao said. She rummaged through his bag to find a mirror. When she found a compact, she opened it and examined her face on the small mirror. He was right, her face was paler than normal. Perhaps a retouch on lip gloss is in order too.

Quickly Tong Yao got to work, touching up on her makeup…after all, she is one of the mad dogs of ZGDX.

Right when she was putting on the final touches, there was a knock on the door and the organizer telling them that the break was over and they needed to head onto the stage for the next game.

Lu Sicheng rose up from his position and said definitely. “Let’s end this quickly.”

Everyone knows this was code for: stay out of Captain Lu’s way and be carried to victory.

As their coach, Yu Ming led them onto the stage and stayed with them as they adjusted their equipment and walked them through the selection phase.

As expected, the first champion that CK had banned was LeBlanc followed by Jhin and Kalista, two of Lu Sicheng’s favored champions.

“Cheng Ge, Ashe is available,” Yu Ming said. Lu Sicheng obediently selects the champion before anyone can snatch it up. “Tong Yao, Ahri or Syndra are good options.”

Tong Yao quickly debated between the two and opted for Ahri instead.

“This will be a quick game indeed,” Lao Mao said happily. Ashe was always banned when their captains played because of how dangerous the champion was in the hands of Lu Sicheng and Ahri was Tong Yao’s second best champion. CK absolutely did not know what they were getting themselves into.

The Select and Ban phase quickly ended and Yu Ming once again went to shake hands with the opposing head coach and went backstage.

He opened the door to see Xiao Rui packing and cleaning the break room. He looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

“Didn’t you hear Cheng Ge? This will be a quick game,” Xiao Rui said, almost too happy. “He’s going to want to leave right after.”

Yu Ming scoffed, then went to take a seat next to Lu Yue and turned on his tablet to take notes.

“Look at CK scrambling. They’re not used to this fast of a play,” Lu Yue commented seriously.

“Um,” Yu Ming agreed. Internally, he was quite pleased at how things were going. It was worth all of the rice he had fed his successor…well, more like the rice that Cheng Ge had fed. “They had adjusted well to playing against the speed Tong Yao played as LeBlanc but that was only her playing leisurely. Now they will taste what it means for her and Cheng Ge to play a quick game.”

True to his words, CK could not keep up with the speed that Tong Yao and Lu Sicheng was playing at and the game was over, even quicker than the previous game.

As per etiquette, they went over to where CK’s podium was to shake hands with them, to signify a good match was played.

When it was Tong Yao’s turn to shake Jian Yang’s hand, he held her hand tightly and wouldn’t let go. “You’ve gotten stronger.”

“Yeah, I have,” she said confidently. “I’m going to shake your hands more often now, until you retire!”

“Don’t be rude,” a coarse voice said behind her. The two looked towards the voice. Jian Yang dropped her hand when he saw Lu Sicheng glaring at him. “See you next match.”

Then Lu Sicheng exited the players area coolly and led his team to center stage to bow to the audience, as a thank you for supporting them. Then they all happily went back to pack their equipment, well not all of them. Since Tong Yao and Lu Sicheng won MVP during today’s games, they were quickly whisked away for the MVP interview and entrusting clean up to their teammates.

Xiao Rui had briefed the interviewer that their Captain was not feeling well so all the questions were reduced to a couple of basic questions. The two went back together backstage but before they made it to the break room to rejoin the others, Tong Yao had to stop by the bathroom. Lu Sicheng decided to wait for her outside, worriedly.

A couple of minutes later, Tong Yao walked out of the bathroom with her face down. She snuck a look up and saw Lu Sicheng standing outside, waiting for her. Her face flushed pink with embarrassment.

She shyly approached him and whispered, “Cheng Ge, do you have extra pants?”

Lu Sicheng's face was shocked. D-Did she…? He was too afraid to ask since he already got a strike earlier today. He raised an eyebrow at her.

“I-I-I got my period and it leaked onto my skirt,” She said quietly.

“Oh,” he responded, not sure what else to say. He looked around but there weren't many people in this corridor. He took off his jacket and gave it to her. “Wrap this around your waist first and we can go home.”

Tong Yo obediently did as he said and followed him to the back entrance. Luckily Lu Sicheng had texted Xiao Rui to order him a taxi to take him first while he took the others to go celebrate. The car was already waiting for them when they left the building.

******Bonus Scene******

[My Great Big Boss: Taking Tong Yao with me. Take them out for dinner to celebrate.]

“It looks like Cheng Ge and Tong Yao won’t be coming back,” Xiao Rui announced after reading the text. “Let’s quickly pack up and go get dinner!”

“Wait..my Ge is so sick and he’s going on a date with that shorty!?” Lu Yue shouted. “It must be that shorty doing! She doesn’t care for my Ge at all! Heartless wench!”

“Wait a minute. Xiao JieJie wasn’t looking so good either,” Lao Mao defended.

“You think something happened to her?” Lao K wondered.

“You don’t think she pooped her pants did you?” Xiao Pang whispered.

He earned a whack on the head from Yu Ming for that comment.

“Xiao Rui, ask them if they want us to bring home dinner,” Yu Ming instructed. “Let’s go before I make all of you go home and do extra training instead. Today was quite sloppy.”

Scared that Yu Ming would follow through with his threat, they all silently and quickly packed up and headed out to the team’s bus.

Chapter Text

Lu Sicheng and Tong Yao got back to the base quickly and they both leaned on each other before dropping onto the couch with no energy. The fever was really hitting Lu Sicheng while the cramps were really hitting Tong Yao now.

Tong Yao peeked over at Lu Sicheng and saw that he was sweating profusely. His fever must be climbing up. He should eat something before taking medicine.

Tong Yao shakingly stood up while holding her stomach. Perhaps she should drink a painkiller too.

“Where are you going?” Lu Sicheng asked hoarsely when he saw standing up.

“Making us some porridge,” she replied as she shuffled over to the kitchen.

He sighed, but not without a smile on his face, and got up and followed her. He found her dispensing rice out of the rice dispenser on the counter while holding an empty pot.

“This much should be enough,” he heard her mutter under her breath. He peeked over her shoulders and indeed, the amount of rice was enough.

“Go get me a hot water bottle if you’re just going to stand there,” she said, without even turning around.

It had always creeped him out when she knew he was behind her without looking. He let her do her thing while he obediently reached into the cupboard above the fridge to pull down the medical box that they mandatory had to have in the base, at least according to Xiao Rui anyways.

He dug through the box and found the hot water bottle, still pristine in its packaging, and also found the painkiller medicine as well as the cold medicine. Judging by the way she was moving, the cramps were only getting worse.

He quickly closed up the box and placed it back to where it belonged. He rounded the corner and gently took the pot from her hands and began washing the rice under the faucet. “Don’t you know you’re not supposed to touch cold water during this time?”

Lucky enough, by the time he had finished rinsing the rice, the water of the tap began to turn warmer and was getting warmer. He measured the water using the lines indicated inside of the pot and placed the pot into the rice cooker and set it on the porridge setting. Then he grabbed the hot water bottle from where he had put it on the counter and filled it with the, now, near boiling hot water into it.

“Wow Cheng Ge,” Tong Yao said amusantly. “Looks like you’re an expert at this stuff. Which girl have you been doing this for?”

Lu Sicheng grinned and screwed on the cap of the hot water bottle and turned to face her and handed her the hot water bottle. “Did you forget my mother experienced these too?”

Tong Yao let out a sigh in relief when she pressed it against her lower abdomen.

“My dad was always away during those weeks and I had to cater to her every whim,” he explained in an exasperated tone. “I left as soon as I could.”

He turned around and poured 2 glasses of water and handed one to her. He leaned over the counter and got the medicine and handed the painkillers to her. “Take some medicine while we wait.”

They both downed the pills and the glass of water.

Too bad the medicine doesn’t kick in right away as Tong Yao nearly keeled over at the intensity of the cramp.

Lu Sicheng, worried that his girlfriend might collapse on the cold hard floor, wrapped his arm around her shoulder to offer some support and started leading her back to the couch.

Tong Yao paused for a moment and looked up at his face. “Wait! I need to take care of you!”

“You can take care of me from the sofa,” he replied as he guided her. “Come, sit.”

They both collapse onto the couch. One was suffering through cramps while the other was riding a fever; what a sight they must make. Tong Yao wormed herself into Lu Sicheng’s embrace which he happily welcomed with a tight squeeze. She reached up and placed a hand on his forehead.

“You don’t feel as warm as before,” she commented. “Are you feeling better?”

“Better when you’re here,” he said with a sappy smile. “Don’t kiss me though. You might catch my cold.”

“Even sick you’re still a flirt,” Tong Yao replied but despite her comment, she can’t help but smile like a silly little girl.

“Shhh. Sleepy time,” he shushed her. He brought a hand to cradle her head and began caressing her hair gently and rhythmically. “Take a nap. I’ll wake you up to eat.”

Tong Yao took a deep breath, inhaling the familiar comforting scent of the man next to her. Everything seems to disappear at this moment.

As she was drifting off to dreamland, Lu Sicheng couldn’t help but look at her in a daze. It could be the fever talking but never in a million years would he think he would hold a woman in his arms, let alone someone who matches so perfectly with him. He has encountered so many females through the various events he had to attend with his family but he had always found them so damn irritating. Yet…the same can’t be said about the one currently snoozing away in his arms. If he could, he would just sit here and hold her all day or even steal her away to a private island and spend all day with her.

Before he knew it, the rice cooker was beeping, signaling that the porridge was finished cooking. As much as he was enjoying the peace and quiet, he also knew that his girlfriend had barely eaten anything this morning so she must be hungry. He began shaking her gently to get her to wake up.

“Hey,” he quietly called out. He pressed a kiss to her temple. “The porridge is done. Time to eat.”

“Mmmmm,” Tong Yao replied sleepily.

Lu Sicheng placed a hand on the hot water bottle and felt that it was not as warm anymore. He slowly extracted his arm from under her as he gently slipped the hot water bottle out of Tong Yao’s hands. He stood up quietly and decided to let her wake up on her own as he went over to the kitchen.

He placed the hot water bottle next to the sink first and went over to the rice cooker and opened the lid. Steamed escaped out and the familiar scent of rice filled his nostril. He grabbed a ladle from the utensil holder and stirred the porridge to inspect the doneness. He was about to reach to open the cabinets to get the bowl when he heard a shout of his name. He glanced over to the couch where he had left his girlfriend only to find her missing. He placed the ladle down and went to search for her.

“Tong Yao?” he called out.

“In the bathroom!” He heard faintly.

He quickly made his way over there and knocked on the door. “Everything ok?”

“Cheng Ge, c-can you get me my bag?” Tong Yao called out. If it wasn’t such an emergency, she would be embarrassed to call him.

Guessing she needs her feminine product, he quickly came back with her bag and left it outside the bathroom door. He knocked on the door once again and said, “It’s outside the door. I’ll be in the kitchen. Come out and eat when you’re done.”

He had already plated and sat down at the table when he spotted her hobbling towards him. “Everything ok?”

“Yeah” she replied, plopping down in front of the steam bowl of rice porridge. The scent of the porridge itself was already comforting her cramping stomach. She happily picked up the spoon and stirred the porridge to mix in the brown sugar and to cool it down faster.

“Don’t burn your mouth,” he warned worriedly, knowing that his girlfriend will dive into eating immediately. Though, ever so relieved that she wasn’t going to pass out due to lack of substance. He made a mental note to have Xiao Rui stock some feminine products in the downstairs bathroom. They should have had them stocked in the first place since there were plenty of female staff members going about in the common space throughout the day.

“Did you approve of today’s match?” Tong Yao asked, snapping Lu Sicheng out of his thoughts.

“We’re still sloppy in execution, especially into the second match,” he answered seriously. “I’ll have to talk to Yu Ming to adjust the training schedule.”

Tong Yao rolled her eyes. She didn’t even know why she had even bothered to ask. “Why can’t you ever say nice, encouraging words?”

“Getting the title of world champion should be enough encouragement,” he had pointed out, though with some amusement in his tone.

Tong Yao stared at him for a full minute to see if he was serious. She let out a sigh and went back to silently eating, needing more substance to combat her Captain's razor sharp tongue.

“Does your stomach still hurt?” Lu Sicheng asked, actually serious this time.

“Mmm,” Tong Yao replied offhandedly. “It’s not too bad now. I think the medicine is making me sleepy though.”

“A nap after then,” Lu Sicheng said gently.

They both quickly finished eating and found themselves cuddled up on the couch, drifting away to dreamland together.

******Bonus Scene******

“Can we also get the salt and pepper ribs and the fish in chili oil?” Lao K reads off of the menu for the wait staff. He continued to scan the menu some more.

“Do you have any tripe dishes here?” Xiao Pang asked.

Lao K nodded and then said, “Please also add a portion of the ginger scallion tripe and also the tripe in chili oil with peanuts.”

Lao Mao turned to Xiao Rui and asked, “Should we order for Tong Yao and Cheng Ge?”

Everyone looked at each other for a moment, unsure how to proceed.

“Order for them. The club auntie is out for the next few days. The food will be eaten regardless,” Xiao Rui said. “Some soups or something.”

Lao K nodded and ordered some easy to digest food for takeout.

“Ah, here’s the card you can charge later,” Xiao Rui said and handed a card to the wait staff.

“Of course…,” the wait staff said and looked down at the card. “Mister Lu.”

Chapter Text

“Why is everything so dark?” Lao Mao said when he swung the door open.

“Maybe they’re asleep?” Xiao Rui said as he entered and went to turn on the nearest light switch. God forbid if one of the star players trip and harm themselves. Xiao Rui quickly changed to his indoor slippers and went around turning on the lights around the base.

When he got to the living room area, Xiao Rui noticed a strange lump on the couch. When he reached for the light switch to turn on the light, he heard, “Don’t.”

“Cheng Ge?” Xiao Rui called out only to be responded with a shush.

“Xiao Rui? What are you doing standing there?” Xiao Pang called out.

Xiao Rui turned around and put a finger on his lips. “Shhhhh.”

The shush was loud enough for the other boys to hear as well which got their attention. They all quickly rush over to see why Xiao Rui was shushing them.

“What is that on the couch? Turn on the light Rui Ge,” Lu Yue said then started walking towards the sofa. Then he suddenly screamed and ran out. “PORN!!”

This made everyone else even more curious so they decided to turn on the light only to be faced with their captain glaring at them with their Mid asleep in his arms.

“C-Cheng Ge,” Xiao Pang greeted nervously.

Because of the sudden bright light and sounds, Tong Yao began to stir from her sleeping state.

That was the first time the boys had seen, for a very brief moment, fear in their Captain's eyes. They saw him gently patting her arms and whispering to her to go back to sleep. This was new to them. They were unsure on how to react with this gentle side of their captain.

Lu Sicheng truly hoped that his girlfriend would go back to sleep. Knowing from previous experiences, she was not a happy riser. Neither was he but she was worse.

Unfortunately his wishes could not be granted as Tong Yao began to slowly open her eyes, wincing as they came in contact with the bright LED lights. A pout began to form on her kissable lips, the downfall of his very existence.

“A-awake?” He asked quietly (nervously).

“It’s too loud,” she proclaimed, then immediately got up and stomped upstairs. A door slam was heard following with a clear sound of the door being locked.

Everyone watched in terror when they saw the speed at which Lu Sicheng turned from doting boyfriend to CAPTAIN LU SICHENG, the notoriously strict captain that everyone must obey at the crack of his whip.

“Today was sloppy. Special training is in order. Get to your computer,” he commanded coldly.

No one had dared to disobey. At least Coach Ming had decided to head home after dinner or else they would really never see their bed until the end of the summer season.

“G-Ge,” Lu Yue called out nervously from behind his computer. Even he doesn't have the guts to joke around with his brother when he’s like this. “I’m only an alternate, c-c-can I go to bed?”

“We need a mid to do team training,” Lu Sicheng responded coldly as he turned on his computer.

“Ch-Cheng Ge, uh how about we all head to bed? I promise I will make them all get up early to train tomorrow,” Xiao Rui attempted to coax.

Before Lu Sicheng could respond with a snide comment, his phone had rang. His mother’s contact photo was flashing on his phone. He really can’t catch a break today. Begrudgingly, he answered the phone.

Taking the opportunity that Cheng Ge was going to answer the phone from the chairwoman, Xiao Rui signaled for everyone to quickly leave and go to their room.

“Son! I saw the Livestream today. Why is my daughter-in-law’s face so pale?” She asked in a panic. “Why are you making her play when she’s clearly not doing well? Did I raise you to be so heartless? Don’t coming running to me next time you need -”

“Ma!” Lu Sicheng nearly yelled into his phone. Her yammering was starting to bring his headache back. Seriously, was she his mother’s child or was he his mother’s child? “She’s fine. She started her period today.”

“Poor thing,” Mama Lu said in sympathy. “I’ll bring over some red date tea right away!”

“She’s sleeping,” Lu Sicheng said, in hopes that his mother won’t come. That’s a headache he doesn’t want to deal with.

“Then I’ll have someone drop it off in the morning. Make sure she drinks all of it. The poor child,” Mama Lu said with a sigh. Then she perked up. “Son, how about you take her here tomorrow and I can take care of her and make her feel comfortable! You won today so you’re not doing anything tomorrow right? That’s what Yue Yue told me.”

“We're busy,” he answered curtly. He considered just hanging up but if he hung up the phone then his mother would call his sleeping girlfriend who would then go downstairs to pester him about going tomorrow then he would be in deeper trouble for not saying yes in the first place. Women.

“Busy, busy, busy. You’re always busy,” Mama Lu nagged. “You’re just like your father.”

The Lu Sicheng heard after that was the click of the call ending. It seems like….he and his father will be in the same boat for the next week.

He looked back at the sofa and sighed. Somehow the small sofa was more comfortable with two people on there instead of laying there by himself.

“Cheng Ge?” Xiao Rui called out after he made sure that his precious players had safely escaped the dragon’s grasp. “Should I make up the guest room for you? Are you feeling better now?”

“It’s fine. I’ll make do with the couch,” Lu Sicheng answered. It was off putting how quiet it was tonight. It was barely even 10 PM. At least he can have some quiet moments to play a couple of rounds.

“Ermm…hehe,” Xiao Rui started off nervously. “Cheng Ge…..it’s almost the end of the month and you still haven’t finished your streaming hours yet. You don’t have much left so you should just finish them off.”

“Oh,” Lu Sicheng answered, completely brushing him off.

“Then I’ll take my leave,” Xiao Rui said before going around for one last check. It’s better to be away from the dragon right now…especially when the dragon is being shut out by the tiny rabbit.

‘Tch. It’s not like I’m short on money or anything,’ Lu Sicheng thought as he began to load the game. Hesitantly, though, he also opened the streaming platform. He needs to set a good example for the younger generation, after all.

[Feif: My hubby is online!!!]

[aihf: Hubby good job on the win today!]

[Wff3: Cheng Ge, are you alright? You didn’t look well at today's match….]

[dvds: Don’t curse my hubby to be sick!]

[Afew: Did you break up with that loser yet?]

[woff: Don’t talk about my Smiling like that!!! ChengYao forever!!!]

[Wpfk:Speaking of…are you two ok???? You both don’t look well today!]

[Loig: Are you having a silent stream again?]

These comments were starting to give him a headache. He hovered the mouse over the ‘Hide Chat’ button to turn them off when he saw that a certain username had popped up in the chat.

{ChengGesBigFish sent 50 rockets}

[ChengGesBigFish: Here’s some rockets for you Cheng Ge! Everyone, let’s cheer some more for Cheng Ge!]

[Fefn: BigFish Ge! Where have you been?]

[Dnee: BigFish Ge is finally making an appearance! You’ve been as elusive as Cheng Ge’s stream!]

[ChengGesBigFish: I heard that Cheng Ge is streaming more often now!]

It seems that his girlfriend is not sleeping at all. He scoffed and picked up his phone to text her.

[My Captain <3: Come duo if you’re not going to sleep.]

[Fefe: Cheng Ge, who are you texting that’s making you smile like that?]

[Vnin: Is it Smiling??? #ChengYaoforever ]

Within a few minutes, he can hear a door softly opening and closing then the soft shuffling of feet making their way down the stairs. He peaked at his camera and saw Tong Yao, snuggled up in an oversized sweater that looked oddly familiar.

“Is your stomach feeling better?” He asked softly as she plopped down on her seat. How he wished to turn off the stream so he could pull her onto his lap.

“Not too bad. How’s your fever?” She asked back as she started booting up her computer.

[Afee: Cheng Geeeee. Pay attention to us!! At least turn on your mic!!]

[Dswe: Upstairs…..we’ve been begging for Cheng Ge to turn on his mic since the creation of ZGDX…..]

[Efbe: Smiling look so cute in the oversized sweater…….hey does that sweater look familiar to anyone?]

[Wdwp: I think Cheng Ge wore something like that last year…..#suspicious]

[Ebei: Did BigFish Ge go offline?]

Tong Yao peeked over at Lu Sicheng’s screen to read the comments on his stream and she was sent into amazement. His fans really are scary. They even remember an article of clothing that he wore one year ago and never again since (not because she stole it or anything!).

[Wdwp: Come to think of it….Cheng Ge was last spotted wearing this jacket last year in Japan…wasn’t Smiling also studying in Japan then too???? #Ihaveatheory ]

“Wow….Cheng Ge, your fans are really something,” Tong Yao said in amazement and slight fear.

“Ignore them,” he replied nonchalantly. He was used to how stalkerish his crazy fans were. “You want to play ADC?”

“I think your fans would murder on the spot if I took that position,” Tong Yao commented.

Lu Sicheng rolled his eyes and selected Jungler, leaving her no choice but to play ADC.

[Efew: Jungler? Cheng Ge, did you misclick? Since when do you play Jungler?]

Tong Yao looked at him in astonishment. For as long as she had known him, she had never seen him play as Jungler before.

“Cheng Ge ...you know it’s against the rule to throw right?” Tong Yao said in astonishment. “Are you sure you can play Jungler?”

Lu Sicheng looked at her, smiled, and turned back to his screen. “Who do you want me to choose for you? Do you want to play Jhin again or do you want to stick with your favorite Ezreal?”

“I haven’t played Ezreal in a while,” Tong Yao contemplated. “But I never get a chance to play Jhin…Oh forget it. If I play Jhin badly while on stream, I’ll be stoned to death by your fans.”

[Segn: I BEG YOU! Please turn on your mic!! I want to hear the intimate whispers too!]

[Febj: Smiling, tell Cheng Ge to turn on his mic!!]

[Dgej: Can we talk about Cheng Ge playing Jungler???? Since when did that happen?]

A row of question marks in the chat caught Tong Yao’s attention. She quickly pulled up her Captain’s stream to see what was going on. His chats are always more lively than her own chat.

“Stop looking at that and pay attention. The game is starting,” Lu Sicheng said when he saw her lurking through his chat. The dumbasses in there are always up to no goods anyways.

As the two played, the chats watched in awe how perfectly synced they both were even though they were not playing their typical roles.

[Efbe: uhhh did everyone forget that Cheng Ge used to play Jungler as a junior in TAT???]

[Dbfc: Woah….Cheng Ge’s dark past is resurfacing]

[Nebf: I didn’t know that and I’ve been following him since FOREVER!]

[Sddp: Even though he did play as a Jungler in TAT, it has been a while but he’s doing so well!! 66666]

[Fbes: Can we talk about how well Smiling is doing as AD!! I’m sorry everyone but I am having inappropriate thoughts on how Smiling learned to play AD!!]

[Vfeb: Upstairs, it’s better to share your dirty thoughts so we can cleanse them together!]

[Dhfs: Get that out of here! They’re only teammates! Don’t make things up here!!]

[Pwwf: Though I can't deny the chemistry between the two, I have to agree with the person upstairs. Unless they say anything else, we should give them their privacy!]

[Dfbw: No way! They chose to share their life with us so we have a right to make a judgement!]

The chat discussion was starting to distract Lu Sicheng from the game so he ended the stream altogether and continued farming. Of course, this was a regular occurrence so his regular fans took no offense to it. In fact, it made them more excited every time he did stream, which they have noticed to be more a regular occurrence recently. It also happens to coincide with when his new seat mate is also streaming. Really, it’s as if their idol, Chessman, was telling them something. They can’t really help it if some of them run off with extraneous conclusions.

When they had finished the match, Tong Yao let out a satisfactory sigh. Even though this was nothing compared to the win at today’s opening match, a win was still a win.

“Cheng Ge, you’re mom called me,” Tong Yao mentioned as she looked over at her stats.

Lu Sicheng was instantly struck paralyzed. He slowly looks over at her to gauge her reaction. Her face was too calm. Perhaps that was due to a satisfactory win.

“She said that she had wanted to invite me over but you had said that our schedule was full tomorrow. Which is really interesting because when I checked, it seemed as though a day off was scheduled for tomorrow. Isn’t that funny Captain Lu?” Tong Yao said in a very calming tone. To be honest, she did cover for him with his mom because she can be a lot sometimes but it was fun to see him sweat sometimes. These moments were VERY rare and far in between.

“Oh. Xiao Rui must have changed the schedule without notifying me first,” he replied shamelessly. With how much the club was paying Xiao Rui, he can definitely take this fall. Him, Lu Sicheng, on the other hand already had 2 strikes from earlier and didn’t want to add more oil to the fire. “Hey look at the time. It’s late. Time to go to bed. Want me to heat you up some milk? How about another hot water bottle?”

Tong Yao side eyed him for a moment and then bursted out in laughter at seeing him squirm.

Realization struck him as he realized what had happened. In retaliation, he stood up, picked her up, and threw her over his shoulders.

“LU SICHENG!” Tong Yao yelled out in surprise. Then he started moving. “Put me down!!”

“Stop being so loud or else you’re going to wake up the whole base,” Lu Sicheng said mischievously. What time is it? The only Pro Player who goes to bed at this time was the one over his shoulder.

*****Bonus Scene******

“LU SICHENG!”

“PUT ME DOWN!”

‘YOU ROUGE”

“RASCAL!”

Lu Yue grimaced at the inkling of a thought of what his brother was doing. Even with his fancy, expensive sound proof earphones, he could not escape the shrieks of a certain Captain’s girlfriend. He looked over at Xiao Pang who looked unbothered by the sounds of the shrieks that were just heard.

Xiao Pang looked up to see the grimaces on Lu Yue’s face.

“It's ok. You’ll get used to it,” he reassured happily then went back to munching on his snacks and watching his drama.

Maybe he, Lu Yue, feels a little bad for the silly girl…just a little bit.