Cheng was.. laughing. Yeah, the reaction was pretty unexpected for a person like him. He got up, dusted himself, still laughing his ass off. "That's all you got? No wonder you're so weak, Chen."
I was enraged, and pretty furious too. My stream was extremely curious, and messages were flooding it. Half defending, and the other half accusing me, from different fan-bases, but it all stopped with Cheng's reaction. Thankfully, Rui interrupted, bringing his phone to us. "Your ex-team, TAT, sent an invite for a practice match. You're the captain, so.."
"Not now." He said, and shrugged it off. Any normal captain, would've trembled just looking at it. Lu Si Cheng, not so much. I scoffed at his reaction, and he stared at me like I grew three heads. I turned off my stream, with a quick 'good-bye, see you later'. I gave the excuse that I had some work to revise for an upcoming practice match, which they just heard about, between us and TAT.
"You refused, Cheng? You can't just refuse. That brings us bad publicity. This is non-negotiable," Ming said. It was exactly what was going to happen, again, but as always, Cheng never does pay attention to that, ever since we were kids.
"I can do this, I've been learning more in last week than the last two years." Smiling butted in. K and Chubby had also come down, and it was now becoming a scene. I just slumped into my chair, ignoring the conversation.
"I think Tong Yao is ready. She's-" But Rui was cut off by a disapproving Cheng. "It's not Tong Yao I'm worried about. TAT is after Lee Chen. They know that I've been.. practicing, but she's a wild card." He said, and got up. He brought out a joker, depicting his statement. How- oh yeah, the club sends him the notification first. Cheater. He must've been practicing this more than Onmyoji.
"They want to secure their victory, and eliminate her as an opponent. They will analyze her completely, as they know she's our.. She is an old friend." He continued, cryptically. The others were confused, though I understood. This is not a topic I wanted to discuss. Not even close. But even I, Lu Si Cheng, know how to deflect things like that.
"What are you talking about?" Chubby asked. I wanted to make them leave, and K just looked at me like he understood. So he left, right then and there. Smart choice, honestly.
+---×---+
The tension was there for the last ten minutes, as I checked my watch. Seriously, what's the hold up? Then I noticed Cheng clutching onto something.. suspiciously like a lollipop.
Cheng had a bad habit of munching on sugar, any time he got. Candy, chocolates, fruits, crystallized sugar, literally anything. His mother often scolded him for eating candy as a child. And me, being his friend, never told his mother a thing, unless he angered me to the point of boiling sugar. Get it? Sorry, sorry.
"Hey, Rui, what's Cheng holding?" I said, and slyly grinned. Cheng's eyes widened, and he gave me a look.
"Cheng-ah, your subtle change in topic wasn't that helpful either. Mrs. Lu has specially reminded me. Hand it over." Rui said. Cheng reluctantly gave up his lollipop. "Who's the child now, Cheng?" I smirked. I led Rui to the desk, and emptied the cylinder with a 'GOOD MORNING' thought printed on it. Way to start a good morning, eating candy. Cheng just stormed off into his room, as I exposed all his candy stashes hidden everywhere around the base. Take that, Si Cheng.
+---×---+
I watched the live interviews, and the one which pricked me the most.. Ah Tai's. That conniving brat, he knows what's going on. This is just an invitation to a competition. He knows I'm watching.
"Congratulations, Ah Tai! Can you tell us your future plan?" The reporter asked, enthusiastically. Ah Tai shot his signature grin. "Well, of course it has to be the world match this year." He said, a matter-of-fact tone playing out.
"In the Spring Playoffs, last season, you defeated a strong opponent, Yu Niu. In this Onmyoji Arena Pro league, are there any players you'll beware of?" Another person asked excitedly. Wow.. E-sports is so easy to the people not playing, no? Players like Ah Tai give that impression.
"Our team has been sending many seniors to the opponent's team. Although these seniors were good, the Korean team has new blood joining constantly. So, we're not very nervous. The ones who caught my attention recently, are the female players they recruited. I'm quite interested." He shrugged. So he had to mention it. His sarcasm seems absent-
"It's just that they don't give me a chance. I heard that there's a different culture in China. Perhaps they don't really care about the results. Maybe the players are just to increase popularity, and they're not that skilled. That's why they don't dare to send them for a match." Sarcasm, absent? Of course not. This is Tai we're talking about. I brushed my fingers through my hair. My mother called me, told me to let them grow past my shoulders. But hey, I'm not a fan of long hair. Besides, she can't see me on a voice call anyway.
Getting off topic.. Back to Tai. "Does that mean ZGDX rejected your invite for a practice match? Does it mean they're scared?" The first reporter quizzically asked. I mentally slapped my forehead. I should've known his double meaning from the start.
"How do people say this in Chinese..? Cowards?" He said. Comments were pouring in, like:-
'Ah Tai is hard to deal with.. but so is Lee Chen. She's aware of her level.'
'Smiling too. They got ZGDX branded as cowards.'
'But does that mean ZGDX is giving up..?' As soon as I read that, I scoffed. He thinks he's superior. I guess it's time someone popped that balloon for him.
+---×---+
In response to what happened an hour ago, as you read above, a message was sent out saying ZGDX accepted the invite. Without Cheng's permission. Envision his angry scowl right about.. now.
Well, Rui and Cheng went to the terrace to have a 'talk', and the team obviously had to overhear them. Including me.
"No." Cheng said. What were they talking about? Tong Yao, K and me took a little peek. Cheng stared out the balcony, into a point in distant space. Rui still stood his ground.
"They provoked us publicly. Furthermore, after training so hard, Tong Yao and Lee Chen.. They should be able to adapt well." He explained, and I understood him. He wanted us to get involved in the matches. He wanted us to feel like a team. But Cheng thought now wasn't the time. He was right too.
"Why did they provoke us? Wasn't that because they heard some news? Now the club announces to the whole world that our Mid and Topsolo are invincible in the practice match. If we really want to prove our skills, we should talk to their operation team. Why should we respond to TAT?" Cheng argued. The adamant idiot, as always. He didn't care about image, reputation, fans.. then what did he care about, candy?
"This is the general manager's decision. I can't reject it. Everyone is out there, spreading rumours that ZGDX are cowards. We can't be real cowards, can we? Just lose one match, what's the big deal? Before the season starts, it's good that two strong teams from different countries know each other. Sooner or later, we'll meet TAT." Rui said casually. Cheng glared at him in blatant rage.
"Lose one match? Ah Tai is different. It's not as simple as losing a game." Cheng replied. He sighed, and kept staring into the distance. All of us, still listening in, got comfortable for a story.
"The club has set the time, both are appointed to go." Rui shrugged. Cheng looked him tight in the eyes.
"Up to you. But if anything happens, don't expect me to pick up the pieces." He said nonchalantly. He fiddled with a Rubik's cube he had, jumbling it.
"Aren't you being overprotective of Lee Chen? You were fine when Tong Yao got her acceptance, but when it was Lee Chen.. You fight for her every time. She can fight her own battles." Rui argued. Cheng stopped playing with the cube.
"Last time, when someone insulted Chen for her absence to our failure, you defended her on the Internet. I covered for you. It's okay. Now you're not allowing her to play the practice match. That is very strange, Captain. You know very well the improvement we can get by having a training match with the Korean team before the actual match is a lot more than playing with weaker teams. What's the big deal of losing a match? You won't lose your confidence just like that. I really don't understand you." Rui continued, and Cheng started solving the cube, his eyes closed.
"Lu Si Cheng.. Wait. Are you interested in Lee Chen? I never knew that you'd target someone around you." Rui said in astonishment. K, Chubby and Yao looked at me and Cheng in surprise. I was in shock. Really?
"I won't answer this question. Think yourself whether what you said is ridiculous." Cheng replied. I mentally breathed a sigh of relief. If his response was different.. Let's just say that would cause us both issues. But something in my heart broke a little when he said that.
"So the reason you protect her so much is because she's an old friend, and still a young girl, right? You feel that it wasn't easy for her to reach this far, and you're worried she'll be expelled from the club if she loses?" Rui guessed, and he hit the right button.
"Xiao Rui. If Sour-Face heard what you said, she'd probably jump and hit your head. She knows jujitsu and taekwondo." Cheng said, a faint ghost of a smile on his lips. That nickname, he used to call me that when we were kids. I accidentally drank lemon juice, thinking it was water. Origin story is weird, I agree.
"When can we get over the 'Sour-Face' part? And what about Tong Yao?" Rui asked.
"I don't see her as a young girl. I'm neither pitying her, or sympathetic. I don't think it wasn't easy for her to reach this far. I'm treating them both as new blood who are going to be helpful to our team in the future."
"It was was hard to make Tong Yao understand the importance of professional e-sports. She has just joined, and has no experience. There are all types of good and bad people in this field. It is very difficult to find someone like her who only focuses on playing games for good results. Therefore, before she becomes a gem, I don't want her to be obstructed by things that could've been avoided." Cheng said. I immediately thought of Zhuang. I felt guilty for what happened with her mother. These things, you never forget. Cheng also had some examples in mind.
"I.. I'm confused." Rui said, bafflement evident on his face.
"Ah Tai.. when I was in team TAT, he was famous for his strictness. He was famous not because of how capable or experienced he was, but because he is like a quality controller. He focuses on Top and Midsolos. He's merciless. TAT once wanted to train the new players, but after the training match with Tai, the Mids and Top either gave up playing professionally, or were stuck in the secondary league with low spirits. Only two managed to survive."
"Nowadays, many Korean teams still refuse to have a match with TAT solely because of this. He views his strong teammates like enemies. To him, a training match is not about skills or experience, but for him to check the opponent's level is high enough to have a match with him. Sometimes, I feel that is he were in other industries, he would also be a heartless but capable person. Have you heard of the famous Team Star?"
"I know, about Yu Niu and the others." Rui said. Am I the only one who thinks that Rui is getting schooled about e-sports..? No? Cheng nodded.
"At that time, their output was very strong. As the champion, the game company even customized a skin for them to remember their undefeated record in the season." He said, and took a deep breath, as if he regretted what happened. I'm sure he did.
"But they have retired, haven't they?"
"During the last Spring Playoffs, Ah Tai used that skin to pass the mid lane and defeated his opponents." Cheng clenched his teeth, and forced himself to say a few more words.
"This is Ah Tai. This time, his purpose is obvious."
+---×---+
"Ah Tai! Do you have comments on the first female player who rejoined? The top Ibaraki-Doji, Aobozu and Lord Arakawa in China?" The reporter asked, continuing her interview. He just grinned, as he left the stage.
"Lee Chen is confident and aggressive. She's skilled, and she can manipulate her opponents easily. She's our Joker, or Wild Card as I said. Tong Yao is skilled, but can't control her rage. Her eagerness to perform alone and carry her team stops her from being a team player. Everyone is admiring her. If such a kid has failure, without resistance, she will be torn apart." Cheng continued his sermon to Rui, who seemed to understand. Tong Yao looked at the ground,. Cheng has a way of judging people, and he's usually right.
"Chen's confident, and being fearful is a headache. She had failure once, and it breaks her to pieces. She is always at war with herself, and this failure will lower her self-confidence and esteem to rock-bottom. Given her family's history with Tai, it'll hurt her more." Cheng said. I knew he was right. I wanted to destroy Tai. But, given his influence, I couldn't do something extreme. ZGDX was already in a bad light, I shouldn't worsen it.
"That's why I was against the club's decision." Lu Si Cheng finished, and his cube was solved.
"Cheng, do you mean Ah Tai sent the invite to us because he wants to break them both?" Rui finally asked. Chubby gulped. My forehead had broken into beads of sweat, and so had Yao's. I wasn't sure was it because of the afternoon heat, or the tension we were facing.
"Yes. He'll use Tamamo-No-Mae to defeat Tong Yao. Lee Chen's shikigami fails in front of his manipulation. That's what he's good at. He uses his opponents well-handled hero to defeat the opponent."
"But Tong Yao is the top Tamamo-No-Mae in the country. She might not lose."
"He's exactly coming after this title. He wants everyone to know who's the top Tamamo-No-Mae in the world."
"I was wrong. I should've debated with the club. I must protect both of them."
"I did say you'd apologize."
"It's not the time to talk about that. What should I do? Should I reject the invitation?"
"Cheng is right. It's not appropriate for either to join the match. Chen might handle it, but you can't." Chubby whispered, and I almost fell. What? It was sudden.
"Rui is also in a predicament."
Just then, Tong Yao moved her shoe. It made a slight squeaking sound, which brought Cheng's attention to us. Rui continued to talk to himself, as Cheng walked toward us. The door was jammed. Everyone pretended to be doing something, and Chubby was engaged in a conversation about dogs. Me and Yao hid in the back, and unlocked the door. We were immediately found, and distracted the subject with Biscuit, Yao's cat.
"Is overhearing people fun?" He said. Shit.
"We hadn't heard anything." Tong Yao blurted, and I mentally cried. She sucks at lying. It's a good quality, but a bad quality. You understand.
---------
"You know what? I'm leaving. I just came to inform you about Tai's interview. They pulled me into this." I said, bluntly. Cheng stared at us, then replied. "None of you are off the hook. We'll talk about this later. Anyway, you heard about the match. Chen, Yao, be prepared. Tai, is coming for you."
+---×---+
We all logged in. Yao was trembling, while I steadied myself, as well as her. I was more scared, and screwed. Tai knew most of my tactics. He taught them to me. "It's not too late to ban Tamamo-No-Mae. The opponent banned Mid thrice, he doesn't want to show mercy to you." Ming suggested. Yao shook it off. "It's fine. I can use Higanbana."
"Great. We can ban Poison." Rui said, enthusiastically. Seems he has high hopes. I don't. I'm not narcissistic, but logically speaking, we had a 70% chance of losing. They would demolish us. I remember Ye Qui, the Master Of Glory at the moment. But I'm not a genius. Neither can I just call him.
As suspected, Tai chose Tamamo-No-Mae. "They really did?" Chubby looked, as said in surprise. Cheng was stressed. "If you are taking Higanbana, pay attention to the development. Don't directly go to fight with Tai."
"Got it." Yao said. "His skills are so accurate!" She replied, a few seconds later. "If you can't fight, maintain development." Cheng helped. Her first death. "It's fine, don't worry." I reassured her, as I fought one-to-two.
"Chubby, settle the lane with me." Cheng said, and rushed to the bottom. "Okay." "K, go help Chen. Beware of Tamamo-No-Mae." Cheng instructed.
I was doing well without his help. "I don't need help, Cheng, it's going fine. I got first kill. I'm okay. If Tai even moves, he'll die." I said. Cheng left me alone for five minutes after that. I was ambushed, abilities on cool-down, and I died.
"Chen! K! Help in mid. Team fight." Cheng said. Me and Yao rushed there. I was in complete silence. I said nothing. I was dead. My attacks were on cool-down, and I couldn't do anything. Tai's teammate, an Aobozu, had double-killed me, and his friends were continuously dealing damage. "I-I just died." I said, in complete shock. "Respawn." Ming commanded, and I did.
"It's my third death. He's targeting." I replied. "Yao, we have to move." K shouted, and I died again. I banged my fists on the table, as it happened again. I was helpless. My teammates were occupied in the team fight, and Tai's teammate spawn-killed me five times. I just left my character alone, wondering if I should even try to fight back. Ming noticed my difficulty, and tried to advise me. But his voice was blurred to me, as I couldn't process what was going on.
I checked the stats. Yao was ahead, five kills and one death. Meanwhile, I was last, 1 kill and 6 deaths. "Don't be impulsive! Retreat!" Cheng yelled, as everyone moved back considerably. All I did was die as soon as I respawned.
I could see in my peripheral vision. Rui shut his eyes, and looked at the floor. Tong Yao looked at me sympathetically. K and Cheng were too busy fighting. Ming just took a deep breath. "Wait, Lee Chen. Don't do anything rash." I felt alone and helpless, as I tried to run, knowing it was useless, Tai's teammate killed me in orderly fashion.
The 'DEFEAT' screen showed up. We lost. It was all my fault. Cheng looked at me, as Yao bit her lip in anticipation of my reaction. She played well, and I know she felt bad for me. I just drank the glass of water in front of me. Cheng looked back at his computer. Ming and Rui exchanged glances.
"It's just a practice match, miss." Chubby said, a cautious tone in his voice. I know what they're doing. It's so obvious. But, I still felt I failed my team. I was a load to them, and I couldn't even
"Ah Tai targeted you. It wasn't fair." Tong Yao said. It was.. hard. That's all I could really say.
"No. As long it's according to rules, it is.. fair. I'm fine, really. It was just a match. We can win the next round. I'm not that fragile. I'm.. fine."
"It's late. Go and sleep, everyone. If you don't wake up tomorrow, we'll have to deduct your salary." Rui threatened. No one really took him that seriously, but today was a surprise. K yawned.
"Yes. Let's go to sleep. I'm really tired." Everyone agreed, but I knew they were acting. I have to practice more. I can't be a burden to this team. They have accepted me. I just cannot let them down. I opened another match, and the layout was being set.
"Sour-Face. Time to sleep." Cheng said, as he went upstairs.
"I'll go after this round." I called out after him.