Rui barged into the room. "Time's up! We have to.. wait a second. First a bouquet, then snacks? That was only a ten-minute break! What, are you planning a party here?"
"Our Top and Bot are too attractive." Yao face-palmed, dramatically sighing. "The ships may be changing course." She whispered to K, who silently nodded in agreement.
"I think the chips were bought directly from heaven," Chen said, letting out a sigh of happiness. "Heaven, huh?" He asked, giving Chen such a cold glare. That made her offer him chips, which he promptly refused. He had now shifted his attention to his phone.
"What's going on?" Rui asked to the others, keeping his voice low. It was the first time he had seen Chen so happy. "It seems FNC's Jungler may become our son-in-law." Ming said, glancing at Chen. "The chips seem to be a betrothal gift." Chubby said. Cheng forced himself to not turn and rebuke the former. "Self-control is important." He mumbled to himself, exhaling.
"Kun? Is he.. courting Chen?" Rui asked, unintentionally making the Captain cough. Chen stopped herself from choking on a chip. The tables had turned. "If he is, he's doing it wrong! During the match, he stopped at the mid-lane and killed our daughter mercilessly! Yet, he still wants to marry her?!
The romance between you pro-gamers is strange!"
"As your Captain.." Chen started, immediately interrupted by Chen. "What?"
"I advise you stay away from Kun." He snapped, earning a scoff from Chen.
"Why? The chips he got me were amazing." She retorted, narrowing her eyes. Was this revenge for his sweets? (For reference, see previous chapters. She gave his candy to Rui.)
"Someone's jealous~! I can taste.. the bitterness." Chubby sang. "So, so bitter!" Yao added, pretending to cough. Cheng stood up, and suddenly left the room.
"You all are nothing but scandalmongers." Ming said, in a disdainful tone. In reality, he was enjoying the conversation as well.
"Anyway, get up! It's time to go play!" Rui said, clapping.
---------
"Another win for ZGDX!"
The crowd burst into applause. Fan started chanting 'Chessman' and 'Chidi', 'Smiling' and 'Pang'. Team Arashi wasn't bitter about their loss either, and applauded the victors.
The teams shook hands, and the members got a few minutes to talk. Chen and Yao were congratulated for their first season's success, all while recieving glances from certain people. Hang-suk kept his focus on Chen, not looking away for even a second.
After the show of goodwill was over, the winning team lined up on the main stage, and bowed.
Chen stood between Chubby and Cheng, not wanting to disrupt Yao and K's conversation. While leaving the stage, she tripped. Chen closed her eyes, waiting for her fall.
"Pay attention to where you walk." A voice whispered to her, smiling. A genuine smile, with a teasing tone.
Cheng had almost fully picked her up.
"Y-Yah, Cheng-ah.. Let me go! Everyone's watching!" Chen replied, still in Cheng's arms. He had caught her before she could fall.
As this occurred, the crowd murmured, watching the scene intently.
"What, are you doing?! Trying to carry the princess? The crowd's watching!" Chubby whispered, in panic. "I am holding someone, but I'm not sure if it's a princess.." Cheng said, holding back his laughter. The thought itself was funny to him. He knew that Chen would rather have been the dragon in the story, than the princess.
"That's not the point! Let me go! This is not good for PR! They're gonna make a scandal out of this! Let me go, right now! Are you even listening, Cheng?!" Chen whispered, in disbelief, shock and despair. She had lost the confidence to yell at him.
He gently let her go, enjoying the flustered expression on her face. Her face flushed a light pink, in sheer embarrassment. Chen was still in shock. She could only stare at Cheng, who looked down at her, amused at her reaction.
K watched, holding back his laughter. The crowd was in uproar.
Hang-suk.. was silent. He wasn't sure of what he had seen. Was she really dating Lu Si Cheng? Or was this an act, for the Captain to save face? What had just happened?
----------
Backstage, the team, who had been unsuccessful in holding back their surprise, or in better description, shock, watched as Cheng walked ahead, unfazed.
He led Chen to the MVP Arena, and whispered a few words into her ear. She gave him a dark look, but he smiled in response, before leaving her with the interviewer.
+---×---+
"Wow. Ms. Lee, you sure have a way of drawing attention. There surely is something going on." She said, smiling. I could only sheepishly nod at the interviewers words. "Anyway, congratulations to ZGDX on beating Arashi two-to-zero! What a great performance! Is there anything you would like to say for the match results, Ms. Chidi?" She asked, and I panicked internally. After the debacle that occurred, I hadn't had time to rehearse.
"A-Ah, yes.. I'm very proud, of our teams performance. I.. would like to dedicate this victory to my teammates efforts. I.. also hope we can.. maintain our perfomance for this season." I said, somehow managing to look calm and composed. Composed, my foot. I would cried if it weren't for my public image.
The interviewer, though, seemed further encouraged by my responses.
"Well said, Ms. Lee! As you all must know, Ms. Chen is the only female Topsolo in the OPL, and one of the only two female members. So, many fans had questions. Does being a female member in the gaming industry cause inconveniences in your daily life? Do you have to go through problems, that other players don't?"
This question, honestly, felt strange to hear.
"Not really. To be completely honest, initially, I was anxious. Whether I would be accepted. It's not a common practice in China, and my nationality makes it even more difficult. But, there should be no difference in your game or people's view of your skills based on whether you're a male or not." "Narrow-minded people will only be a hindrance to the further development and growth of the industry. I believe that the netizens must change their views. I'm sure I am one of the first, but will not be the last." I finished. I was trying to and this interview as fast as I could, but sadly, I wasn't fast enough.
"So, we actually added this question last-minute, but what happened on stage, between you and Lu Si Cheng? Why did he suddenly turn and.. hug you?"
I actually was grateful to the interviewer for phrasing it slightly better than the reality. But, it would still sound as a weird, weird answer.
"Actually, I somehow tripped.. and he caught me. Xiao Pang must have stepped on my shoe." I replied, awkwardly smiling.
"But, all the gossip groups are talking about you and Lao Cheng. Is there really..?"
"There's nothing between us. We're just close.. friends. Uh, he occasionally does and says weird things like this. Please don't think much of it." I said, keeping up my smile. The audience laughed for a while.
"If it comes to it, I will personally give all of you a wedding invitation. And, just to be clear, this is highly unlikely." I added, instantly having regretted it. Why did I say wedding invitation?! Screw it. I said it already.
"Would you really?" The interviewer asked, obviously trying to get a reaction out of me. I've been to enough press conferences to know that.
"Sure. I'd announce it on a loudspeaker." I joked, laughing along with the interviewer, while truly dying inside.
After completing that interview, I rushed off stage, trying not to be too conspicuous.
The interviewer changed the topic as I left. It had shifted to the very obvious Su Luo, who somehow managed to stir up trouble for the brief period she was there. I sighed in disdain, walking off the stage. Really, that Cheng had to control his tsundere.
---------
My feet hurt considerably. The heels were something I wasn't used to, as I usually only wore them for an hour or two. But today, I hadn't taken them off since we left, so it hurt like hell. So, I was walking in the hall barefoot. Modern problems require modern solutions. Technically, it was slightly more on the primitive edge, but who cares? It got the job done.
I would still have to wear them while leaving though. Crap..
I groaned in pain as I opened the door. My feet were still sore, and the cold floor didn't help. But I'd take this over 'that' any day. Rui was scrolling through his phone, and glanced at me as I entered. It felt like a judgmental stare, as he looked at the heels clutched in my hands. After a moment of awkward silence, he got up, and handed me a pair of slippers.
"What are these?"
"Slippers."
"I know that."
"Brother Cheng got them for you."
"... oh."