《Frost》 Chapter 1 Valley of Light - World''s Final Stage of 2019. Four years ago. Although no one knew it at the time, this one championship would go down in esports history. Nearly a hundred thousand people filled the stadium which was unheard of for an esports competition at the time. More than half of the audience were wearing something red and screaming out for their team and their members, whereas the others were all wearing something black while trying to outmatch the others in their chants! It was a day full of excitement that everyone present would remember, the adrenaline that filled the room was just so powerful! Even the MC on stage, Hei Lu wouldn''t forget this day despite going on to be one of the most renowned MCs and facing larger crowds. He hit the mic a few times, motioning for the crowd to calm down and the crowd listened, sitting politely while holding their signs up. The cameras which were sending the scene to a live stream full of millions of people zoomed in to the stage. "Welcome to Valley! It''s our third world championship, are you excited?" With the cheers answering the question, Hei Lu smiled and nodded along, "Of course! This year we have the rookie team, X fighting against the three-time champions - FFS!" Behind Hei Lu were two large screens that showcased the banners of the two teams along with portraits of the members, all ten boys depicted looked youthful. Hei Lu went on to brag about the teams, "FFS has won four world championships for Korea in a row! They are the first team in history to do so! On the other hand, it''s the first year that a Chinese team has made it so far! The arena sure is packed tonight! Ah, even I''m nervous - is FFS going to take the championship again or will X snatch it?" Hei Lu wound up the crowd and began to walk off stage. Normally the MC would stay to introduce the members, where was he going? The audience quieted down and looked at each other in confusion but that was long forgotten as a white dragon created with drones flew above their heads. It was the first time drones were used in an esports competition and to say the crowd, both in the stadium and at home, were shocked would be an understatement. The white dragon slowly circled the stadium, its long body created by drones seemed to be without any weight as it leisurely flew above the audience''s head. The camera pulled out to see it creating a circle, before bouncing up into the air once more and flying towards the stage. The crowd screamed in amazement as it breathed out white flames and let out a roar, of course, it was all effects but it was just too realistic! The dragon then seemingly dived through the middle of the stage and disappeared. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.The flames also faded, leaving the Valley of Light logo in its place as the screens with the team banners faded to show the game beginning between the two teams. "Wasn''t that quite a show, aren''t you even more excited?" Due to the live streaming of the competition many fans were able to quickly grab a screen recording and push it up to trending quite fast, many more people joined the live stream. Four years later, it would still remain the most viewed esports live stream no matter what the game was. It wasn''t just for the effects, though. Team X absolutely destroyed FFS, they hung them out to dry so shamelessly in front of the entire world that FFS members wouldn''t be able to look at one of the five boys on the other team without being fearful. Although it was a team match, one man shined. Frost. Frost was the captain of Team X, but he was also just an assassin. In all of the previous games, he''d hidden his strength unless necessary and was just seen as a pretty sneaky assassin. He was still great, but he wasn''t the largest threat on the team. They''d underestimated him. Frost didn''t quite play as an assassin, he didn''t wait in sneaky areas to ambush anyone but he would directly appear in front of them and kill them before disappearing again. He teased them a bit sometimes, like a cat playing with a mouse before mercifully killing them. At one point in the game, Frost showed new, mechanically difficult moves and won a 1v5. The worst point? Frost didn''t have one death throughout the entire 2 hours. Hei Lu found himself cheering for the rogue assassin who was clearly just doing his own thing and having fun, while his teammates were also cheering him on telling him not to hold back anymore. Eventually, the two teams came around to the stage and shook hands with one another. FFS engraved each face into their minds, so they could avoid them in the future, and Team X was just respectful. Hei Lu handed the five boys the trophy and pointed the microphone to the team,"We welcome Team X to the Valley! You are the first all-Chinese team to win the championship and bring glory to the country! How do you guys feel?" Flame put his arms around Frost and Moon''s shoulders and smiled cheekily, "It''s great, we''ll definitely win another trophy next year!" Little did he know, they would disband only a few months later. Hei Lu glanced at Frost, the captain of the team whom no one had ever seen before, still wearing his black mask mysteriously, and asked, "Our best captain and MVP of this championship¡­ Are you ever going to show your face to the fans?" A loud applause sounded from below them and Flame''s face paled as he moved to answer the question, only to be stopped by Frost''s voice, "Do I need a face to play games?" Chapter 2 Four Years Later - Yangjiang, China. An announcer beamed in excitement as she read off an announcement from nearly three years ago: "I''ve decided to officially retire as the captain of Team X, and will be preparing to leave the professional league. Although disbanding was not our choice, retiring is mine. I''m sorry to disappoint my fans, family, and friends who have supported me" There was a sigh, and then some ruffling of papers as the announcement made the audience who were previously cheerful a tad bit gloomy, confused, or downright angry: "Although this captain had left the professional esports lifestyle - his childhood friends certainly have not! Three of the four remaining members of the previous Team X have gone on to win the World Cup¡­ Even if it''s not for China! What do you think, aren''t they passing the trophy around like a hot potato?" Another announcer, a male voice appeared next to the feminine one and he chuckled: "Well, the year before last was Venus''s turn on team Red, the last year was Neptune on team Angel, and this year we''re welcoming Moon from team Solar to the champion list once again!" "I wonder if Flame will be next!" "Well, Frost has announced his retirement but Flame also hasn''t officially joined a team. This may be our last year of seeing the remnants of the team of gods, oops I mean Team X!" The audience in the stadium laughed along and although Xiao Yi couldn''t see what was happening, he listened nonetheless. He didn''t have much of a choice, he didn''t want to wake up to turn it off, and as displeased as he may have been - he felt a tinge proud of his childhood friends. Xiao Yi had announced the end of his short-lived esports career with a simple apology all those years ago, but he never expected to be mentioned like this! "¡­" He was tempted to get up, take a bus to the stadium wherever it was, and beat the announcers up. In the past four years, he had hardly been mentioned. He entered the esports world silently, allowing his teammates to take the spotlight as he silently strategized behind the scenes, but even then he was a highly valued talent. To put it lightly, his only flaw was not being commercial material. Xiao Yi was handsome, with medium black hair that fell over his eyes just the slightest bit, a jawline that looked as if it were carved from jade, and phoenix ice blue eyes that seemed as if they could see through a soul. He was an assassin who trampled over the leaderboard in the public game, stealing and staying in the top spot even in the current era despite hardly playing. His black nameplate had been embroiled in gold for nearly ten years straight. Above all else, he was one of the only assassins to be able to consistently perform the last level of every mechanical move in the game. Including a lot of other classes'' mechanical skills. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.Frost left the esports world quite silently, though. Unlike his teammates, he didn''t participate in any commercials and hardly did anything other than sign his name on posters at events. His teammates were all well-known to be handsome, but he always wore a black mask. His teammates would speak for him at events, but he never spoke. "Wouldn''t he be ashamed to come back to the game now?" "Shouldn''t he answer to the teammates he failed to lead?" "He just won one championship, how can you compare them?!" "Frost abandoned the teammates that helped him succeed!" "He didn''t answer us fans who supported him for so long¡­" The announcers read off comments from the live audience, pulling Xiao Yi''s attention back to the current situation. ''Why do you need to keep mentioning me? Is it hard to keep my name out of your mouths, it was so easy back then¡­" ''Hey - let me live in peace. I already quit the esports world, do you want me to dig six feet deep and lay inside?'' ''Haaaaaah stop bringing up old memories!'' Just in time, a hero saved him from his bitter remarks towards the stream as the window was closed by a long, beautiful white hand that belonged to someone who obviously hadn''t done hard labor in their life. Xiao Qiu''s pale face was slightly red after running across the apartment when he heard the announcers dragging on about his brother. At first, he didn''t realize they were talking about his little brother - Frost was the least mentioned member of Team X. His eyebrows furrowed at the screen before him, his brown eyes taking in the appearance of the two announcers in the bottom right of the stream and making a note to not collaborate with them in the future. Not only the fact that they mentioned Frost, but announcers for Valley of Light weren''t supposed to talk about any drama, let alone something from so long ago - what, or who made them so ballsy? He sighed a breath of relief when he saw Xiao Yi still lazily sprayed across the couch in front of the computer, not even leaving a spot for him, fast asleep. He was certain that he''d heard everything, but that didn''t matter since he didn''t get mad or upset to the point where he''d wake up. Xiao Qiu had never seen someone resemble a cat so much. His own fans called him ''Sleeping God'' proudly in chat! He leaned down to lift him up a little bit, before sitting down and placing his head on his shoulder as if it were as comfortable as a pillow. Perhaps, to Xiao Yi, it was. He could sleep in the most random places, anyway. "Xiao Yi, I''m going to start streaming." Chapter 3 "Good afternoon everyone! That''s right, I turned on stream early because I felt like surprising you all." [Sleeping God''s here today!] [Who? Why''s everyone calling Sleeping God when it''s Q''s stream? Am I in the wrong spot?] Xiao Qiu picked a few of the barrage comments as they passed, allowing the AI voice to finish speaking before replying joyfully: "Yes, yes, my little brother joins most days - welcome to the new viewers, Sleeping God is my younger sibling and he''s a resident secondary host here! Always sleeping, yet still present." Though he didn''t mention it, it was a well-known fact that his fans were his brothers, and he was convinced that his brother had even more fans than he did in his stream. None of them knew that he was Frost, but they would constantly probe for details in his chat. Not that he minded, he loved talking about his brother the most. Xiao Yi, known as Sleeping God was vastly different than the Frost known to the esports world. He had many mother, brother, and sister fans and had virtually no haters. Frost was completely different, although respected, a lot of the esports community didn''t remember him but there was still a small group of people salty that he quit his position as the leader of Team X, and then disappeared from the esports world. It just so happened that his exit was on the same day that Team X posted that they were disbanding. [''It doesn''t matter where I am - I will sleep''] "I was just thinking that he''s like a cat!" [What are we doing today?] "Hmm¡­ What would you guys like to see me do today? React to our games footage, react to other streamers or replay some of my old games and explain my thoughts to you?" [Watch the Worlds!] [We want you to commentate on the Worlds¡­] [Why didn''t you mention the Worlds? You didn''t watch last year either.] [Do you and Moon have beef?] Players paid in gifts from the streaming site for their messages to be played over voice, and Xiao Qiu had to sit and patiently wait for them to stop before replying. Xiao Yi felt his older brother shift under the strict beatings from his viewers and he thought to himself - it must be his fault because he doesn''t want to see his old teammates, and neither does Xiao Qiu. It would be in his best interest to react to it while the viewers are high, though. Was he causing his brother to lose out on getting fans, all because of his problems? Xiao Qiu had joined Valley of Light not long after the group did, Chen Qiang - Flame - was the one to bring his old laptop with him to the hospital and give it to Xiao Qiu so he could play with his brother and them when he had time. It was his gesture of saying that they were friends. Xiao Qiu then followed them into the esports realm a couple of years later as a streamer and eventually accepted an offer to join Team Blue. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.He began to frown, and was about to wake him up when his brother suddenly sat straight on the couch, cradled his head through the movements, and whispered: "We''ll watch it this year, is that okay? Wake up if it''s not." Xiao Yi didn''t wake up. He had successfully avoided content that included his previous teammates, his former childhood best friends for the past three years. He had to admit, it was excessive that his brother was even avoiding it on his behalf when he was a commentary streamer. He just had to get over it, face the hurdle, and remember not to regret it. Xiao Qiu waved his hand off and smiled: "I just didn''t think you guys would be interested in me reacting to it before, how about we do it this year huh?" [Finally!] [Be savage as always!] [Will SG be watching with us?] [Ahhh, grab your popcorn!] [Only if little brother commentates!!!] Xiao Qiu broke out into a hearty laugh at his viewers. His viewers knew his personality the best, he didn''t hold back for anyone who wasn''t his cute younger brother. Not himself, not his teammates¡­ Well, aside from their captain Lee, there was no way he''d be able to match Lee''s comments. They always hit where it hurt! His fingers flew against the keys as the barrage continued to commentate, mostly between themselves, and he found himself on the page of the official Valley of Light page. Thankfully, the two announcers he''d seen earlier weren''t on the official stream - they must have set up their personal cameras in the arena. The stream switched so the live stream of the championship covered the entire screen and a small window of the two brothers was tucked to the top right, situated just a fraction under the corner. "Ah, it looks like it hasn''t quite started yet. Why don''t we answer some questions while we wait?" The barrage flew across the stream once more, and Xiao Qiu found himself scrolling through the back end of the page to find topics. Unsurprisingly, there were still a few randoms who had no idea what Valley of Light was that had found themselves wandering to his stream - probably coming in from the recommendation section. Xiao Qiu stretched his arms out and began explaining: "Valley of Light is both an MMORPG and a MOBA. They both intertwine, but you can also be better at one than the other¡­" Xiao Yi: "¡­" The viewers who know what Valley of Light is already: "¡­ He''s explaining¡­ Again¡­ Send them to the website! Shoo!" "Shh, it''s okay. Valley of Light was released about ten years ago and has had six World championships! China has won once, and the team that whisked the trophy away was Team X! Since then, though, we haven''t won once. Not one time! My team didn''t make it, but there''s always next year!" Xiao Yi: "He''s rambling again¡­" Chapter 4 Q Shen decided to ramble on stream about Valley of Light, known by most as VOL, for a solid seventeen minutes before the viewers and younger brother were finally saved by the stream zooming in to the announcers. The new viewers got the most in-depth guide they could have asked for from Xiao Qiu. Although Q Shen was an esports player as well as a commentator who would pull apart moves, he didn¡¯t have much of a job to do in the beginning stages. He just let the official announcers do their job, and he would chime in after muting the stream every now and then. Mostly to answer questions. The announcer walked up on stage, it was Hei Lu who had made his name known after his first world championship commentary. One could say that team X, specifically Frost, was his stepping stone into the scene as he was originally a substitute nearby who took over from someone else when they fell sick. The crowd in the stadium, unlike years before, didn¡¯t need a reminder to quiet down and respectfully went silent to listen to Hei Lu. He lit up in a brilliant smile: ¡°Good afternoon, welcome to the Valley! It¡¯s already our seventh world championship, can you believe it? Valley of Light is ten years old now, almost old enough to be in middle school!¡± The crowd answered in cheers and the viewers could hear some laughing from the audience through the end of the sentence. Hei Lu waited a few moments for the crowd to silence, nodding along with the cheers in agreement as he commented: ¡°I also can¡¯t believe it! It feels like we¡¯ve watched not just the game grow up, but the players on today''s teams! It¡¯s also somewhat of a callback, isn¡¯t it?¡± The screens behind Hei Lu lit up, one brilliant golden banner with five team banners displayed. The avatar, class icon, and game name were displayed behind the silhouette of the real person. The screen to the right had a similar layout, but the background was a gorgeous ruby tone instead. ¡°On our left we have Team Solar led by Moon. Ah, I hear some cheers already. That¡¯s right, although four members haven¡¯t been on this stage yet, Moon sure has! He won the championship four years ago, and now he¡¯s back to steal it again with a new lineup¡­ Well, we¡¯ll see about that.¡± Xiao Yi listened to the introduction and although he was a bit sad, he was also a little happy. His friend, well, ex-friend and former teammate had made it so far. The five members of the previous Team X had known each other since they were children. Xiao Yi was six years old when he befriended the nine-year-old Chen Qiang, and within a few months, they had also become friends with Mu Yichen, Tang An, and Li Hao who were also nine years old. He was the silent one, always observant but never had much to say. That was an understatement. He didn¡¯t even talk when he met Chen Qiang aside from giving him his name, and afterward, Chen Qiang would do most of the talking for the two of them. It was as if he could read his mind. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.It¡¯s not that he couldn¡¯t talk, or something was wrong with his voice. He simply didn¡¯t like to talk. He was dubbed by other students as the ¡®ice prince¡¯. Chen Qiang was the glue to their friendship. Like honey to a bee, the rest of the boys originally joined the friend group because they were drawn to Chen Qiang. Whether it be his appearance, with light blond hair and honey eyes, or the contrast between Xiao Yi¡¯s silence and Chen Qiang¡¯s extroverted personality. He was extremely aware of the mood in the room and always knew how to make one laugh. It wasn¡¯t in an annoying way, though, he was just¡­ Sunny. Mu Yichen was the smart one. Although Xiao Yi was smart enough to skip grades, Mu Yichen had more knowledge. It wasn¡¯t limited to the curriculum, anything he found interesting he would throw his whole self in to learn. He looked more like an athlete than anything, though, with toned muscles paired with a six-pack and short dark black hair. He was quiet when he was younger, but under Chen Qiang¡¯s influence, he became more extroverted and was seen as the mother hen of the group. He approached them only because the library had no extra seats, and effectively stuck around. Tang An and Li Hao were originally friends before meeting the other three. They were both ¡®young masters¡¯ of wealthy families, but they found themselves drawn to the contrast between Chen Qiang and Xiao Yi and quickly became friends with them after surpassing their curiosity. Tang An was the calm, second mother to the group. He had black hair, and brown eyes and wore glasses or contacts since he was a child. He loved cooking, baking, and everything food and yet inexplicably never gained weight! Li Hao was the troublemaker. Combating Chen Qiang¡¯s pranks, he would be the first one to punch someone if needed. He had never needed a filter on his mouth, so he didn¡¯t bother pretending to have one. If he thought something, he said it. Yet, he was also the most emotional in the group. He had caused many 10,000 fines to go to Team X¡¯s mailbox from the league officials for cursing out haters. ¡°I wonder if he¡¯ll be able to steal the trophy though¡­ On our right, we have team FFS led by Xue. That¡¯s right - FFS has won four championships in the past, and they are back with their original lineup to fight against Solar for their fifth trophy! It seems like only yesterday we saw Moon snatch that trophy away with team X¡­ Will FFS be beaten so easily, though?¡± Xiao Yi would have scoffed if he was awake: ¡®Who says he can¡¯t? Sure they can beat FFS, we did it once! Mu Yichen isn¡¯t that weak!¡¯ His thoughts were nothing like his normally blank expressions. Chapter 5 Compared to Mu Yichen, FFS were like pebbles sinking into the sea. Xiao Yi could be arrogant about just one thing in his life no matter how much he wanted to stay away from his previous childhood friends and his past¡­ His previous teammates were like carefully carved gems. He had been carefully building their play style and techniques brick by brick long before the five of them had ever stepped foot into the Team X building. When Xiao Yi brought his friends to the team, it was as if it was a candy shop specially made for him. He had all the time and resources to further refine his own gameplay as well as build strategies for his teammates. Xiao Yi would spend a few hours on his own techniques and then he would re-watch the training matches of the other four with a notebook in hand. The next morning, he would sit the four of them down and show moments of each of their games before handing out the notes he''d taken and shoo them back to the hall. He wouldn''t join them until later. He would use this time to watch other teams in the league. Their live streams, their arena matches, their professional games. He carefully wrote notes on the enemy''s strengths, weaknesses, usual strategies, and tactics. Then, he created strategies to target those specific teams. All of this was done not because Xiao Yi wanted to become an esports god, but because it was originally Chen Qiang''s dream that became their dream. It was never Xiao Yi''s dream to stand in the limelight, hence he was the one who did most of the behind-the-scenes work and stayed out of the way so his teammates could shine. He deliberately suppressed his own play style to be on the same level as the other four, letting himself be reigned in until that last game. He later left the stage so that they could continue to shine on the stage. Xiao Yi was surely a scumbag in their eyes, and he was okay with taking that title. Everything was for them, so if he didn''t believe in the remnants of Team X¡­ all his efforts would have been futile. "Here they are! Oh, Xue has a new haircut. Ah, it really makes his jawline shine! Calm down ladies, he''s taken," Hei Lu played with the audience with a smirk on his face, the screens behind him showing the backstage where the players were setting up. ''He was a handsome guy, it''s a pity he got stuck with those teammates,'' Xiao Yi''s thoughts chimed in. He had a vague memory of Xue, who was also the captain and assassin on FFS. He, like Xiao Yi, was talented solo but had to pace himself for his teammates. Valley of Light was a team game, not a solo carry game. Sadly, he was nearing the edge of his reign and this would likely be his last year. Xiao Qiu chimed in, "You can see both teams now, they''re both setting up their equipment that has already been checked before the camera''s switched on. Why aren''t they on the stage? Let me tell you - a few years ago, some crazy fans started throwing water at the enemy team to distract them so their team would win!" Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.[What?] [????????????] [That''s too insane!] [Did the audience members get in trouble?] [Who won?] [Fangirls?] Hei Lu continued his crowd work and added, "I''m excited to see which weapons they choose and what map they''ll land on this time around. We haven''t seen much of Solar''s gameplay, but we know that they''re a two-person tank team which should be interesting against the ranged carry strategy FFS uses!" With those words, Xiao Yi knew that FFS was done for. He previously drilled three strategies to combat the three ranged carry formations into Team X''s minds. Even though it''d been four years since then, their memory wasn''t too bad. Even if it was, they would still have the notes that they took when leaving the base if they hadn''t shredded them out of anger. Xiao Qiu waited until Hei Lu was done announcing to answer his chat questions: "The two audience members were guys who had been long-time fans of one of the teams, they''d flown in from another country. They got in trouble, I think the team decided not to press charges though." "Don''t you think of doing something like that at one of our games, I know you guys are mischievous but water bottles are dangerous!" Xiao Yi''s eyes slowly blinked open against the bright light bouncing into the living room from the seventh-floor apartment balcony. Xiao Qiu felt movement on his shoulder and glanced down just in time to see Xiao Yi''s eye pop open, "Good morning!" [Good morning!] [Awww, SG is awake! What do we call him when he''s awake?] +1 [He''s still Sleeping God] [I just want to hear his voice, I''m innocent!] Xiao Yi''s groggy icy blue eyes glanced between the chat and Xiao Qiu for a moment, there was a pause and then he nodded lazily towards both. His hand reached up to brush his bangs out of his eyes and his oversized sleeve fell down his wrist softly. The fans in the live chat went crazy over the doting eyes of the elder brother looking down on the younger, they were too cute! Although it was obvious that the two were brothers, it could be assumed that one brother was mixed whilst the other was pure Chinese, but that wasn''t the case. Xiao Qiu followed their father''s appearance, he had beautiful almond honey eyes that sparkled like gold in the sunlight, black hair that was buzzed short, and a strong jawline. If he were standing, he''d be 185 cm with a lean body. Xiao Yi followed in his mother''s appearance and had peach blossom blue eyes that he likely inherited from his great, great, great grandmother. His black hair was textured and wavy, the back falling just above his shoulders whereas the front was still somewhat styled with his bangs parted in the middle, just long enough to fall into his eyes. He had a sharper jawline than his brother and was 180 cm with a lean body. Needless to say, the fans wanted to keep both of them. Chapter 6
Chapter 7 Xiao Yi had walked to the third floor and cursed himself for not working out anymore. His legs throbbed with a dull ache, the type that he¡¯d only previously experienced when hiking with his old friends or doing leg day at the gym. This was heaven¡¯s way of punishing him, that must be it. Lee didn¡¯t tell them about the elevator being down because he¡¯s in on it, the entire world hates him! Suddenly, his totally graceful, not at all painful, descent was interrupted by a barrage of text messages and he found an excuse to let himself rest. Xiao Yi stopped at the second-floor entrance and moved to lean against the window, out of any resident''s way if they also found themselves on the hellish track of using the stairs. [V]: Good morning sleeping beauty. [V]: I saw you leave the apartment, where are you going? [V]: Want a drink? [V]: I was originally going to ask¡­ Do you want to be an accompanying player again? I had an application come through. Xiao Yi hummed to himself as he thought it over, giving his legs a moment to rest. Xiao Yi had only just woken up in the hospital, still delirious from the high fever, when V came to visit. As the doors pushed open to welcome the visitor, both the nurse and V were surprised to see him attempting to sit up in his confusion. The nurse left, and V stared at him for a long moment as he tried to contain his emotions. It was Xiao Yi¡¯s first time seeing V face-to-face outside of a professional setting despite being friends online for nearly a year. He was his only friend outside of the original group of friends. Somehow, they had met through Chen Qiang who had found him in a party recruit for a new dungeon. V was only online to test the game, but after meeting the two players whose names he recognized from the league, he decided to play with them for a while. Chen Qiang had to train more than Xiao Yi, so the two of them became very close in a short amount of time. He learned that V was the CEO of the company that created Valley of Light, but despite that, they joked around like normal teenagers. Sometimes he¡¯d give tips on how to improve the game, but it was a similar attitude as - you¡¯re a friend, so I¡¯ll give you advice. V stood in the doorway, his normally pale face was red with anger, but his phoenix honey eyes were still wet with tears, and his face was a little puffy. His vibrant red hair which was usually styled was a mess, as if he rolled straight out of bed and ran to the hospital without brushing it. He hadn¡¯t even put on a suit. He was wearing pajama bottoms with a coat. This was the face of a CEO who had no care about his reputation when things got rough. He took one look at Xiao Yi and started cursing, ¡°You bastard! I, your father, haven¡¯t died yet so how dare you try to chase death?¡± He moved closer to the bed as he continued venting, ¡°How¡¯d you end up here huh? I know how much money you make. I¡¯m the one who gives out the budgets to the teams, the one who pays the prize money for the league - how dare you end up on the street?¡± Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.¡°Is the bench outside better than a warm, cozy bed in my mansion?¡± ¡°Were you looking to die?¡± ¡°How¡¯d I find out about my best friend not being in the hospital after not receiving a message for two weeks¡­ From his brother calling to ask if I heard from him! How dare you?¡± V stopped ranting and looked at his best friend, lying on the hospital bed looking as if he were really dying. He felt as if the other had gone through life and came back. Xiao Yi was sickly pale despite being curled up tight in a blanket and hooked up to a drip. He had bags under his eyes from not sleeping, chapped lips, and the most striking difference was how skinny he¡¯d become. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you ask me to house you? What about your brother? Parents? Even if the entire esports world is against you, we will pick you up in a second.¡± Xiao Yi, who had been silent with a straight face suddenly let a singular tear fall. He hadn¡¯t cried in more than ten years, but as the first tear fell it must have opened the flood gates and soon he was sobbing on the hospital bed with a CEO who had no idea how to calm him down. He lurched forward as his heart hurt, the fever amplifying his emotions. ¡°Wait, don¡¯t cry, I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t scold you too hard.¡± He didn¡¯t reach out to V because he¡¯d already reached out to some acquaintances from the league for help, only to get torn apart and told to go die. He didn¡¯t want to know V¡¯s reaction, he didn¡¯t want to lose another friend in such an ugly way. Xiao Yi¡¯s scratchy voice spoke out softly, ¡°I was disowned, don¡¯t tell my brother¡­¡± V¡¯s hand on the nurse button paused and he slowly turned to the voice, ¡°What? When? Why?¡± Xiao Yi¡¯s tears continued to fall and he had a small smile that wasn¡¯t quite a smile, ¡°Did you really think the company would just hand them the contracts and let them walk out? Four esports players who just won the world championship¡­ The company was planning to sell them off overseas for the highest price, I just made a little deal.¡± V¡¯s face went from red to white in a second as his hand shook. He¡¯d heard about what happened¡­ Frost, the captain of Team X led them to victory, collaborated with the company to shut down right before the brackets after making all the money, and then ripped the contracts in front of his teammates and told them to leave when they could. He didn¡¯t help them find a team. He didn¡¯t leave with them to create a new one. He told them to get out. He heartlessly abandoned them. V nearly spit out blood. The contracts the five of them signed were five-year contracts. They should have been sold off to the highest bidders when the company disbanded, they wouldn¡¯t have a choice of where to go¡­ V stared at Xiao Yi who clearly wasn¡¯t in the right mind to know that he likely wanted to keep this a secret and asked, ¡°What kind of deal did you make?¡± Chapter 8 Xiao Yi was lucid enough to add a disclaimer to the words he was speaking. "Never mention this to my brother, or anyone else¡­ Even sister-in-law. This will stay in this room." V obediently nodded. If it was something that could be fixed by him, he might be able to settle it with lawyers without Xiao Yi knowing. He wouldn''t mention that, though. He already knew he was taking advantage of this usually chilly guy''s sickness, it''s the most he''d heard the other speak. Xiao Yi stared at his hands, opening and closing them. "They weren''t supposed to disband us until after the upcoming world championship. That''s what the company told me, anyway. I swallowed my pride and went to look for our parents, Xiao Qiu''s parents, and asked them to help the company stay afloat for another year." Xiao Yi leaned back on the bed and wiped the tears from his face, his voice becoming stronger as he stared at the ceiling. "They told me they would help me if I signed a contract stating I would not step into the esports world again if we don''t win the next worlds. I added in a clause that asked that the members be freed from their contracts whether or not the company disbands¡­ They were free from the moment I made that deal." V sat on the edge of the bed and furrowed his brows. The championship was still upcoming¡­ "Why''d you disband, then?" Xiao Yi smiled wryly. "Part of the contract stated that the members of Team X could not contact other teams to buy their contracts before worlds, or the company would disband the team immediately. Mu Yichen and Chen Qiang began to contact other teams after a staff member let it slip that Team X had a chance of disbanding. The conditions were broken before I even left the lawyer''s office." "There''s still time before worlds, if you won the championship then wouldn''t the contract be void?" Xiao Yi coughed into his hands and V quickly grabbed the tissues from the table next to the hospital bed, handing it over. After the coughing receded, Xiao Yi laid back down and looked at V with empty eyes. "Do you think that any team would take me in? I contacted a few to see if they could house me for a few days, I didn''t even get the chance to speak before I was cursed out. Besides, if it''s not with them then it isn''t worth it. I don''t want to fight against them in the future¡­" V put his thoughts together and listed the things he''d heard. "So, you made a deal with your parents to keep the company afloat and they bought out the company, and would continue supporting the team." Xiao Yi hummed and nodded obediently. "The teammates had one condition - not to look for other teams before worlds. Your conditions were to win worlds again, or not step into the esports world." This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.Xiao Yi nodded again, his eyes still glassy. "You bargained all this with your contract, so they didn''t lose either way and they could choose their teams if they wanted, in case your parents went back on their words I assume. If you won, they would get money from the league, and if you lost, their son wouldn''t be in the league anymore¡­ How''d you end up getting disowned?" "Ah - that was also in the contract. I will not look to my parents for help again and will sever my ties with them. Their fame and fortune has nothing to do with me, and my fame and fortune has nothing to do with them." V glanced at his good friend''s current state. Lying in a near-dead state in a hospital room. He couldn''t keep himself from cursing the Xiao family in his heart. They did great. They raised the cub, got glory for his excellent grades and temper, sent him out into the world, and abandoned him when he wasn''t useful anymore. What a cunning, scary family. He knew the Xiao family fairly well, they were also in the business world but the two young masters of the Xiao house weren''t taken out in public since they were children. Xiao Qiu was technically the heir, whilst Xiao Yi was just a young master. Alas, when Xiao Qiu graduated high school he decided he no longer wanted to take over the family business and passed the role on to their first cousin, Xiao Shen. Were his parents taking their anger for Xiao Qiu''s disobedience out on Xiao Yi, or was it something else? He decided he didn''t want to ask anymore, he had already taken advantage of Xiao Yi''s fever to get the information he wanted and it would be too much to ask family business. V led Xiao Yi into a comfortable laying position and rubbed his hair soothingly like his mother used to do when he was ill. Xiao Yi rubbed up against his hair and closed his eyes drowsily. "I''ll raise you. Call me father and I''ll take you in." V didn''t get a response and chuckled, his previous anger having long been whisked away. He would end up helping him anyway. He got Xiao Yi''s cards unsealed and then set him up with a new card, helped him invest his savings over the years smartly, and unintentionally made Xiao Yi rich. He dragged Xiao Yi back to Valley of Light, using the excuse that he could make more money to invest if he accompanied players. Later, Xiao Yi would play even when he wasn''t accompanying anyone. He involved Xiao Yi in game development, using it as an excuse to give Xiao Yi more money. Yet, despite all of this, he couldn''t think of how to get around the contract. He couldn''t unlock Xiao Yi''s invisible shackles and drag him back into the esports world. Chapter 9 [X]: Yes to drink. [V]: No to accompanying another player? [X]: En. [V]: I¡¯m already at the coffee shop down your street, what a coincidence. [X]: ¡­ En. Xiao Yi pushed himself off the wall with a smile flickering on his lips underneath his mask and continued his journey down the stairs. He of all people knew it wasn¡¯t a coincidence. If he hadn¡¯t woken up and left, would V have stayed at the coffee shop all day? His company wasn¡¯t even in the same city! Xiao Yi quickly reached the main floor of the building and pushed the doors open, only to be nearly blinded by the soaring sun. He glanced down and blinked a few times before continuing his journey. For a period in his life, V helped him make money to invest by accompanying players. He had accompanied too many for him to count. Some players were esports pros who wanted to improve their skills, he would enter the arena in a private 1v1 match with them and guide them patiently through text. Some were newer players who wanted help leveling, he would walk them through the main story and then help them find guilds and run dungeons with them. Others simply wanted someone to accompany them through their dailies, or professions. There was a mirage of reasons why someone would ask for an accompanying player, but one thing that Xiao Yi had over the others was that he was a jack of all trades, master of all. No matter the class, he could play it well. Assassin, however, was one of the rarer classes to have as a main build. It was also the most popular class he was asked to play, as newer pro players needed to train themselves against the assassin class. Even the normal players had to train against it, with some being guild leaders who specifically asked him to play hide and seek in the real world and put up assassin hits for themselves to see if they could win against him. They never could. Many people, including his previous friends, assumed that Xiao Yi had made it rich because of esports but no one but him and V knew that he made the least of the five, despite being the captain. He had worked out a deal when he first joined the company, and split most of his salary and prize winnings into four to give his friends more money. Hence, although he had savings, he had to accompany players for a while to accumulate enough money to support his investments. Two and a half years later, he was rich and bored beyond belief. Xiao Yi was met with the calming aroma of coffee as soon as he pushed the cafe doors open. V was sitting near the window, his legs crossed lazily as he typed on the laptop before him. He had a serious look on his face that didn¡¯t match his demeanor or style. He was hard to miss, bringing attention to himself with vibrant recently dyed true red hair and a contrasting black suit. The sides of his hair were styled shorter, while the top of his hair was slicked back with gel which showcased the black earrings adorning his ears. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.All in all, because of his youthful appearance, he looked like a teenage delinquent masquerading as a businessman. He glanced up at the sound of a bell and smiled brightly. ¡°Brother!¡± The other customers glanced toward the door to see a tall man with black hair and a lazy posture glare at V. He rolled his eyes and gracefully walked over, pulling the chair in front of him and sitting down as V closed his laptop and put it to the side. Out of sight, out of mind. ¡°Who¡¯s your brother?¡± V only laughed and leaned forward with his hands propping up his head. ¡°How¡¯ve you been?¡± Xiao Yi nodded with a hum. ¡°That¡¯s good, I¡¯ve been good. Sister-in-law couldn¡¯t make it today but she told me to tell you she says hi and that you need to come over soon so she can spoil you with food.¡± Xiao Yi nodded obediently. ¡°En.¡± V leaned back and looked at the younger boy seriously. ¡°I was watching your brother stream¡­ So you know that they¡¯re back now?¡± Xiao Yi frowned with his eyebrow raised. They? They¡¯re all back? V, seeing this sighed and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll give you the inside information. All three of their contracts end four days after the championships. It seems like it was planned in advance, but Mu Yichen had the shortest term and signed it a year and a half ago. He hasn¡¯t been with Solar long, it¡¯s like he¡¯s taken a vacation to help out a small team.¡± V paused for a moment, searching Xiao Yi¡¯s masked face before adding, ¡°They¡¯re all in China now. There was no point in staying in their countries since they didn¡¯t make it to finals. I¡¯m just wondering if it was intentional to not make it to finals and let Mu Yichen win.¡± ¡°Also, although Flame hasn¡¯t joined a team, he was also abroad and just returned, he just messaged me this morning asking to catch up.¡± Xiao Yi raised his eyebrow and asked quietly, ¡°Abroad?¡± ¡°Right? He didn¡¯t tell me anything either, but I think he knows that we were pretty close back then so he probably didn¡¯t want to speak with me much. Actually, I don¡¯t know why he¡¯d message me to catch up.¡± Xiao Yi quickly evaluated the newfound information and tilted his head. ¡°They¡¯re going to create a new team.¡± In actuality, Xiao Yi didn¡¯t know why they hadn¡¯t created a new team all those years ago. They were already set free from their contracts, and if they had been smart with their money then they would have easily been able to afford a small building of their own and start their own team. Any random person on the street would have gladly filled up the fifth spot. He quickly shook his head. It wasn¡¯t his business what they did anymore. Chapter 10 The conversation moved on to other topics as the two men decided to take a stroll outside, avoiding the far-too-curious eyes of the employees of the cafe. V did 99% of the speaking, talking about various topics as Xiao Yi responded in an ''en'', nod, or in special cases, a sentence. Though he was a silent person, he listened patiently to his friend''s rant about how the shareholders weren''t taking him seriously anymore and they wanted to meet the second largest shareholder, Xiao Yi. This was all spurred on by a comment from his father-in-law. "Who knows if they exist, or if you made up this alias so you could trick us and refuse to sell more shares or decision-making power!" He spoke about how his in-laws had become increasingly greedy after getting a foot in the door, making him feel awkward and continue giving in. He gave them money, a house, a car, and 5% shares in his business. Yet, they continued to want more - it only got worse after he married their daughter with a prenuptial agreement. V looked helplessly toward his ''brother'' as he spoke. "Your sister-in-law¡­ She''s very lenient on her parents, she doesn''t know how to say no to them. It makes me look like the bad guy in these situations." Xiao Yi frowned and shook his head. "They''re wrong." V finished the last sip of his coffee and threw it away in the nearby garbage can on the side of the road. He turned and sighed. "Of course, I know they''re wrong! Can you come to the next shareholder meeting so I don''t need to vote on your behalf? You can wear a mask if you want, they''re old men who don''t pay much attention to the e-sports side." The spontaneous meeting ended with Xiao Yi nodding in agreement. It was partly his fault, V had been speaking on his behalf for three years now without him showing his face. One of the reasons he didn''t show up to the meetings in person was that he didn''t need to go when V was there. The other reason was the fact that he tried his best to stay out of the spotlight so no one could pin him to ''Frost''. He didn''t want that legacy anymore. He''d likely be suspicious too, the CEO handling the voting rights isn''t a good look but he always spoke his mind through text - it just happened that he thought similarly to V. Soon, V had to leave and Xiao Yi made his way back to the apartment. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.Xiao Yi had his head lowered as he scrolled through his phone. As he thought, the commentators from earlier had brought up his name and reminded the world of his existence, so he was being thoroughly scolded once more. "We should be thankful he left, we don''t need a scum like him in the industry!" "Who''s Frost? Isn''t that the guy who abandoned his teammates and ran off with the money?" "I can''t believe I used to be his fan¡­" "So young and talented but so ruthless!" "Didn''t you watch LSY-Minho''s stream? That bastard went trying to mooch off others after the team disbanded. He tried to dirty our Minho''s name!" "!!! Upstairs, he even posted proof." Xiao Yi remained expressionless as he read the scoldings but his mind was in a fight of its own, rebuking everything. ''I, this scumbag, am your father!'' ''Ran off with what money? Wasn''t I almost broke?'' ''Haaaah what a bastard, he should be happy I''m not petty enough to release his dirty laundry too.'' There seemed to be two little demons on his shoulder, one yelling that he should create an alt and drag them through the mud whilst the other one screamed that he shouldn''t disturb his peace. The cell phone slid back into his pocket and the little demon his left shoulder disappeared in a puff of smoke while the other little demon laid back leisurely. He wandered around for a while, only approaching the apartment building when the sun had begun to fall. A group of men who looked like they could be models stepped out of a taxi in front of the entrance. He approached them step by step, watching as they began to retrieve their bags from the car. Once he was closer, he could hear the shortest in the group complain. "I''m so tired, ah, I could pass out on a sofa at this point!" "Shh, we''re in public. Don''t be so loud." A taller one in the group spoke coldly as he bent down and received a bag, handing it over to one of the members. Xiao Yi walked past the group of men and entered the building, not leaving the door open in case they had bad motives. If they were relatives of a tenant or had Lee''s permission, they should have a code for the building themselves. Anyway, it wasn''t his business unless they bothered him. He turned to go up the stairs and vaguely heard the doors open, then a few groans about the broken elevator. He wasn''t the only one to share the pain of walking up the stairs today. Chapter 11
Xiao Yi swung open the door to the two-bedroom apartment and swiftly slipped on black slippers with embroidered yellow smiley faces.
¡°You¡¯re home? Did you have a good trip?¡± Xiao Qiu stretched awkwardly to glance back at his younger sister from the desk, only to see the younger member standing in a daze. It was as if he were about to tumble over from a gust of wind.
Simultaneously, Xiao Yi felt his energy drain with each step he took as he lifted his veiled eyes, gazing longingly at the coach that his brother was sitting on.
Xiao Qiu wanted to ask about his day, but the younger stiffly ventured into the bedroom and shut the door under the watchful eyes of both him and the stream audience.
Xiao Qiu turned back to the stream with a helpless expression that seemed to say ¡®My brothers abandoning me, look how pitiful I am¡¯.
Just a moment later, the door flew open and Xiao Yi reappeared with lidded eyes and a new outfit. He had changed into another oversized sweater, a burgundy sweater that covered part of his thighs, and black sweatpants that had been rolled up so they wouldn''t drag on the floor.
Xiao Qiu gawked at the outfit. ¡°Aren¡¯t those mine? When did you steal them? I thought my closet was getting bigger but it turns out you¡¯ve been stealing my clothes.¡±
A collection of laughs rang out from the barrage and Xiao Qiu turned back to turn the text to speech off and glared wordlessly at the camera before turning back.
Both the audience and brother watched as the sleepy younger brother ignored Xiao Qiu¡¯s questions and walked as if in a trance to the couch. The couch was the only thing in his eyes from beginning to end.
Just a moment later, Xiao Yi plopped on the couch, curled his legs up and his head fell onto Xiao Qiu¡¯s expectant shoulder. His hair fell over his eyes, shielding part of his face from view, and his breathing evened out.
Little did the brothers know, the sequence of events would be clipped and uploaded around the Internet with captions such as¡­
¡®Q Shen is feeding dogs again with his cute little brother.¡¯
¡®Where to find an obedient brother who likes to sleep and doesn¡¯t fight?¡¯
¡®Sleeping God shamelessly steals clothes.¡¯
Xiao Qiu turned back to the stream with an aggrieved expression and sighed. ¡°My brother only uses me as a pillow, ah.¡±
¡°Am I only good as a pillow?¡±
Xiao Qiu bent one of his arms and softly brushed the bangs out of the younger''s eyes as he sighed. ¡°No one can be a better pillow than me, I¡¯ve had so much practice.¡±
[Q Shen is acting again!]
[Q Shen is acting again!] +1 [Should we vote for him to be the best actor?]
¡°Hey, if I get the best actor I won¡¯t have the time to practice! Don¡¯t vote, don¡¯t vote!¡±
[Sleeping God resembles my cat a little¡­]
¡°He¡¯s my cat then.¡±
[At least you get to be a pillow! My little brother hits me away when I even try to pat his head!]
¡°Have you tried spoiling him? I spoiled my little brother to the moon and back when he was a child, it¡¯s only right that he¡¯d use me as a pillow.¡±
[You¡¯re the best pillow¡­ It would be best if you changed your career]
¡°Maybe I should stop streaming ah, my fans are so mean to me.¡±
[Don¡¯t move, you¡¯ll disturb Sleeping God¡¯s rest!]
Xiao Qiu shook his head and leaned back slightly, pulling Xiao Yi down with him while one of his hands gently protected him from falling. He brought his mouse closer and moved the stream windows so the live stream was the larger bubble and the camera was back in the corner.
Only two games were completed in the time when Xiao Yi went out to play.
The first game was forty-five minutes and consisted of Xiao Qiu nearly flipping his desk as he ruthlessly commented on the decisions of FFS teammates.
To say he was disappointed would be an understatement. He already guessed in his heart that Solar would win but just for the dignity and a bit of petty revenge for the sake of his brother, he really wanted FFS to beat them up.
He had watched thousands of matches in his lifetime, both on stream and in his personal life to hone his own skills and study the matches of would-be-enemies on the playing field. Hence, he had a lot of respect for FFS. They had previously won the worlds when they were an up-and-coming team, and they were present through the growth period that spurred Valley of Light into becoming a mainstream game.
Overall, they could be said to be the only OG team of Gods that hadn¡¯t retired from the playing field.
It¡¯s just that they were unlucky a few years ago and got bullied by Team X, more specifically, Frost. It left a psychological shadow on them, and they acted like cute little new players when they met Solar on the playing field.
It was pathetic, really. Moon wasn¡¯t even the person who bullied them, but they were terrified of him.
If his cute little brother was on Solar he wondered if they would have even dared to participate in the finals.
By the second game he only felt pity for the veteran team, and so did Solar. They stretched the match out to the last hour and fed them a few easy kills so they wouldn¡¯t lose their face.
When the third game began, the trash talker, ruthless Xiao Qiu didn¡¯t even have the heart to scold them. He only pointed out a few mistakes here and there in a weak voice.
¡°Xue is the only competent person on the team right now, he should pull the members back and hunt Solar as a team.¡±
¡°Never mind, throw them away. Xue should hide them and try to pick off Solar¡¯s members one by one while they go somewhere else and farm.¡±
¡°¡­ Just forfeit.¡± Chapter 12
Fifteen minutes before the third game¡¯s time ran out, FFS really did forfeit just two minutes after Xiao Qiu¡¯s advice.
Xiao Qiu paused the stream and looked at his audience with a serious demeanor. ¡°No, I¡¯m not a fortune teller or a prophet. No, I didn¡¯t rub my brother''s head to see the future¡­ I didn¡¯t send a telepathic message to Xue! You need to understand FFS - they laid the foundation for the esports space and paved the way for us, no matter how they did in this game¡­ Forfeiting is their pride.¡±
Xiao Yi couldn¡¯t help but nod along mentally.
FFS members were at the age to retire from the e-sports world and may not enter the next worlds. To forfeit and take second place is better than losing by a massive landslide. They were going to lose either way, they just decided how to lose.
It¡¯s a graceful way to leave the e-sports world after so many years of shining on the stage.
If Xiao Yi were in the same position he would have done the same. Xue was a good captain who signed a long contract and could only carry his team on his back so far. It could be said that if FFS didn¡¯t have Xue then they couldn¡¯t have stepped into the first bracket of the worlds, let alone make it to the finals.
Xiao Yi, who knew the situation, couldn¡¯t help but think. ¡®It probably wasn¡¯t the company¡¯s idea to forfeit - but Xue¡¯s.¡¯
¡®Interesting.¡¯
The counter until the end of the game had been changed to three minutes but the winner had already been decided. The kills generated after the forfeit wouldn¡¯t count, affect ranks, or make a difference - it was only a cooldown period added for people to give advice after the game.
In most matches, the players of both teams would just respawn to their safe zone and shit talk in the main chat while waiting for the window to switch over.
Xiao Qiu pressed play on the stream and leaned forward with a low hum. ¡°Hei Lu won¡¯t come out to comment anymore until he brings the teams forward to accept their trophies and give interviews. Do I even need to stream anymore, ah?¡±
[Continue!]
¡°Well, what should I do?¡±
[Practice matches?]
[Aren¡¯t you going to commentate on the replay?]
[Q Shen¡¯s just trying to send us off so he can monopolize Sleeping God!]
Xiao Qiu¡¯s lip twitched at the comments and he swatted his free arm as he bickered. ¡°Practice matches can¡¯t be streamed, Lee might end up killing me one day if I do - do you want me to die? I¡¯m too young and handsome to die! Commentate? There¡¯s not much I can say that I haven¡¯t already said, but you¡¯re welcome to look for another streamer.¡±
[Where¡¯s Xue going?]
The mouse that had moved to the close button on the window paused and Xiao Qiu leaned forward. Xue¡¯s character had turned invisible and he was stalking through the forest, looking for the members of Solar who decided not to respawn.
¡°Is he¡­ Going for revenge?¡± Xiao Qiu contemplated.
Xue¡¯s live cam popped up on the bottom of the stream, showcasing the insane situation backstage.
The four players of FFS were in various stages of emotions.
Their healer sat lifelessly, staring down at the headphones in his hands as he thought about the second defeat on the world stage.
Their tank was screaming, but the audio was turned off already so no one knew what he was saying - only that he was looking viciously at Xue who sat patiently next to him, guiding his character in the forest.
Their mage was fighting with their manager, but they couldn¡¯t see anything but the manager''s back.
Their lance had also removed his headphones, but instead of putting them back in his bag, he sat with his arms crossed as if he were a child as he glared at the computer screen.
Really¡­ Was this an esports team?
Were these middle-aged men?
Yet, the captain of the team sat in the middle of his teammates with his headphones still on, calmly guiding his character. He had no emotional reflections on his face and completely ignored the situation around him.
Xiao Qiu looked at him in a whole new light, his fans could swear that they saw stars in his eyes. A god! A true god!
Just as he opened his mouth to comment, Xue began to power up an attack. Xiao Qiu¡¯s finger twitched. ¡°He found someone. Let¡¯s call this¡­ Hunting time.¡±
Xue didn¡¯t find one person.
He found the entirety of Team Solar in the middle of the arena.
Still invisible, his slender fingers quickly moved across the keyboard, and the tank who was screaming widened his eyes.
¡°No way¡­¡±
The invisible Xue cheekily stood in the middle of the five Solar members and tilted his head with a smirk as he hit the last key. His character became visible and hundreds of swords made of ice spawned into the frame circling the group.
Moon was the first to react. He raised his sword while the other members instinctively attempted to flee from the radius.
Xiao Qiu glanced at his barrage and chuckled. ¡°Why isn¡¯t Moon fleeing? Frost was the first person to reach perfect the mechanics for form seven of the ice blades - he knows very well what the radius is. Hence, he¡¯s opted to 1v1 Xue to cancel the attack.¡±
Xue met Moon¡¯s great sword with two twin daggers and the two danced around the arena, neither taking damage nor damaging the other player.
Ten seconds later, the swords rained down on the arena.
[Xue has defeated Solar-Flen]
[Xue has defeated Solar-RRun]
[Xue has defeated Solar-Ash]
[Xue has defeated Solar-Laaazy]
[Xue has defeated Solar-Moon]
Xiao Yi opened his eyes at that moment. ¡°Fuck, that¡¯s so sexy.¡±
The barrage. ¡°!!!¡±
Xiao Qiu. ¡°¡­ Close your eyes!¡± Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas and happy holidays to those who celebrate! I won''t be publishing the next chapter of Frost as I want to give myself a day to relax, but I''ve released 7 free chapters of my novels over on Patreon as a treat for Christmas if you want to check them out. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. One is a female lead novel following a silver dragon, while the other is a BL novel following a mortal cultivator. There are links in the most recent post on my Patreon for you to find them easier. [I do have to note I need to edit a few terms & fix grammar, but it''ll roughly stay the same when they serialize late next year]. Thank you for the support and I''ll see you soon with another update. [Tomorrow or the day after] Wandering Phoenix. Chapter 13 Xiao Yi¡¯s head tilted in confusion as his view of the stream was interrupted by a hand. Although he couldn¡¯t see his brother''s reaction, the audience would clip this scene later. Xiao Qiu¡¯s aghast expression as he looked back and forth between the stream that showed a lone Xue standing in the middle of the arena in the last few moments of the game, and Xiao Yi. The barrage was equally as shocked. [We finally heard him speak!] [!!!!] [Sleeping God¡¯s first words were ¡®fuck, that¡¯s sexy¡¯¡­ Who taught him those words!] [Q¡¯s teaching his brother weird things!] [SG perfectly vocalized my inner thoughts, new spirit animal.] Xiao Yi raised one of his hands and parted Xiao Qiu¡¯s finger to look through the crack, only to see the game finally send the players back to the victory screen which showed that Solar won. He sighed in disappointment and leaned back. He wanted to see more. Xiao Qiu looked down at his brother in deep thought but removed his hand to finish up the stream. Did his brother like people like Xue? Was Xue going to be his brother-in-law? Although he liked Xue as a person and professional player¡­ What if he hurt Xiao Yi? He wasn¡¯t ready to let his cute little brother fly the coupe! With Xiao Yi¡¯s personality, Xiao Qiu had never had to think about his younger brother being stolen by some greasy man or woman. In fact, he thought his brother was asexual because he¡¯d never been in a relationship or talked about falling in love. Although there were rumors about him and Chen Qiang in their childhood the two men never dated so they were only chalked up to be rumors. Now that he thought about it further - did they date? Chen Qiang was the person who understood Xiao Yi¡¯s personality most¡­ When they were younger and someone asked Xiao Yi a question, Chen Qiang would glance over at the younger one and examine his face for a moment before he answered for him - Xiao Yi would always nod in agreement to the answer, too! Xiao Yi would be expressionlessly sitting, minding his own business and Chen Qiang would appear out of nowhere, take a look at him, and say. ¡°He¡¯s hungry.¡± ¡°Xiao Yi wants to know where the bathroom is.¡± ¡°He thinks you¡¯re an idiot.¡± ¡°He refuses your confession.¡± ¡°Can you shut up? He has a headache.¡± His mind ran in circles and his face became more complex as he looked at his younger brother. Xiao Yi didn¡¯t know his thoughts but if he did he¡¯d definitely stare at him like he was an idiot and say. ¡°Idiot, I thought the pentakill and ice blades were sexy.¡± Although he was the first person to show off the seventh form of the ice blades in worlds, there weren¡¯t many who could afterward. Players would usually stop at the fifth or sixth stage in fear of not having a move at all in a tournament. When a player couldn¡¯t hit even the last key in time their entire move would be worthless, there would be a cool down, and they would have exposed themselves to the enemy. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.To be that confident¡­ Xue must have spent hours upon hours practicing. He finally had a kin! On top of that - he was also an assassin! Chen Qiang¡­ He also couldn¡¯t explain how he could understand him so easily. There were some points he thought that sunny-faced boy could read his mind. Despite that, they didn¡¯t date or have any romantic feelings for one another. [Q Shen looks like he¡¯s just walked his brother down the wedding aisle.] [Will Xue be part of the family register soon?] [Will Xue be part of the family register soon?]+1 [Does he know?] [Are we witnessing love?] Xiao Qiu coughed lightly and directly bypassed the conversation. ¡°For those who are watching for the first time or coming in late, the worlds have ended with Solar bringing home the trophy. The next few minutes will just be replays clipped from the match while the teams pack up and get ready to go on stage.¡± [It¡¯s already replaying¡­ The shock made Q Shen dumb.] Xiao Yi had already slept most of the day away so he continued watching the stream with the audience and his brother since he didn¡¯t particularly feel like moving. He grabbed a pillow and placed it between his curled-up legs and his stomach, hugging it as he leaned on the arm of the sofa. While doing so, he mentally prepared himself to see one of his childhood friends for the first time in four years. He could have just walked away, but he found himself unable to find a reason why he should avoid even seeing his previous friends through a computer screen. He had avoided them like the plague for four years for what? His friends were obviously doing good without him which was what he wanted to happen. Why had he been moping around for four years? Just why had he been feeling regret, anger, betrayal, sadness¡­ He was the one who signed the contract and didn¡¯t explain to them. Why should he feel betrayed? They were right in feeling that way, but Xiao Yi had no right to feel those emotions. His avoidance of his previous teammates impacted his own brother''s career, and that''s when he realized how childish he¡¯d been. They¡¯re esports players, his brother is an esports player and streamer, and he¡¯s a previous captain. There¡¯s no reason to avoid them to this extent. Xiao Qiu just let the replays play without commentary as he¡¯d already said most of what he wanted to say, but what surprised both brothers was the fact Xue¡¯s last move was added into the highlights as MVP of the night despite the forfeit. The live stream switched at that moment, and the wide stadium packed with fans cheering came into the frame before the camera panned to the stage where Hei Lu stood next to a large trophy holding a microphone that could be passed around. ¡°What a way to end this year''s worlds!¡± No update today Copied from THYM chapter on Wattpad and Webnovel from yesterday, but with an update at the end. There are no updates today, I''m very ill at the moment but looking on the bright side. I looked through the analytics for all sites and Frost has over 100k readers over the 5 sites I publish on, so I''d like to say thank you for being supportive and for giving both V1 and V2 a chance. THYM hardly gets attention, but it''s still been fun to write in my free time as it''s the only novel I can just sit down and write with hardly any research. It''s supposed to be a very light novel to both read and write, a little sweetness after the bitterness that most of my projects will showcase. [Although I say no research, I''ve watched way too many dating shows in preparation...] Now that I say this... Frost''s new version is also quite an easy piece to write compared to my backend projects. Anyway, thank you for reading my novels and showing me that I shouldn''t give up my passion. I was very close to discontinuing my novels a year ago, but I decided to take a seasonal position at a job and save up all my money so I could focus on writing for a few months and give myself a chance. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Because there''s no update today, I''ve unlocked 2 more chapters of OOTTY that can be read for free over on my Patreon - 7 chapters altogether. You can find them by going to my Patreon and clicking on collections > One and Only: Ten Thousand Years. If there''s an issue with seeing 1-7 for free just leave a comment. Tomorrow if the local hospital is open I''ll be going in or going to the doctor''s office when they open Tuesday. Holidays are a bit confusing. When I''m feeling better I''ll do a double update of both Frost and THYM, catch up on the days I missed in the December event, and get everything back on schedule before I go job searching. Happy New Year, Wandering Phoenix. Update: The hospital was closed today, I''ll be trying to get a doctor''s appointment tomorrow. I had an asthma attack for the first time last night, which was an experience, to say the least, but it prompted me to take a Covid at-home test which I did test positive for. Thankfully right now I''m only having a hard time breathing, eating, and sleeping, but there''s no fever and a very mild headache. Chapter 14
Xiao Qiu sat with one leg up on the couch, his arms wrapped around it as he sat forward. He wasn''t paying attention to the live broadcast or his viewers, instead, he paid attention to his little brother on the camera preview.
He wasn''t going back to sleep?
He wasn''t leaving?
Why?
He riddled his brain for the answer but he couldn''t come up with anything, let alone find anything on his brother''s expressionless face.
Should he just end the stream? Obviously, Solar won and there wasn''t anything else he could commentate on. His viewers could just switch to the official broadcast¡­
He couldn''t at this point. If he ended his stream now his Weibo would be bombarded with fans asking if he had beef with Solar, and his team might get into heat because of him.
Ah, he shouldn''t have chosen today to stream.
In fact, he had beef with the previous members of Team X, not Solar! Alas, he couldn''t vocalize this or it''d be worse.
What''s wrong with having private beef with other teams? Why did they have to go around passing the championship trophy to each other like a hot potato?
Xiao Qiu had two points of private beef with his old friends.
Firstly, they abandoned him!
He had nothing to do with Xiao Yi''s ''betrayal'' but they completely disregarded their years of friendship and cut off contact with him, blocking him on all platforms the moment they left the company.
They didn''t even dare to explain the reason or say goodbye!
Of course, Xiao Qiu knew the reason was that his little brother was being cut off by them, but isn''t it just too ridiculous? He had a separate friendship with those assholes, he could have been neutral.
They met because they followed Xiao Yi to the hospital where he was receiving cancer treatment but afterward, they talked and hung out on their own through the game, and phone, and when he went back to school they were even in the same classes.
He even handed his cute little brother over to Chen Qiang when he found his parents neglecting him.
The other reason¡­
Xiao Yi and V were blissfully unaware of the fact that Xiao Qiu heard everything in the hospital that day.
He couldn''t find Xiao Yi''s doctor after he led V to the room, so he just went back and leaned on the wall outside the cracked open door to see if she''d come to him herself.
Perhaps he could have been neutral before hearing everything, but he certainly couldn''t have been afterward. Those idiots were the reason his little brother was receiving death threats, being turned away from old friends, and laying half-dead on a hospital bed - how could he not have beef with them?
Don''t even get him started on his parents. He saw red every time he thought of that couple.
Hei Lu continued rambling on, going over the best moments of the season and mentioning facts such as ''These teams are retiring, but their legendary plays will forever remain¡­'' and ''We''ve seen a lot of new teams this year, here''s to hoping they prosper¡­''.
Neither brother was present in the moment, but the switch of the camera panning to the side of the stage brought them back to earth.
"Introducing this year''s champions, Solar!"
Five men in matching black uniforms with yellow outlines made their way on stage amidst the blaring cheers of the audience.
It was quite a sight, four frail men with varying levels of joy on their faces followed after Mu Yichen''s athlete-like figure as if they were little ducklings following their mother. Mu Yichen was the one who looked out of place in this lineup.
Xiao Yi''s eyes flickered as he glanced at his old friend for the first time in years. He seemed to have grown taller and his hair was no longer the short black hair it''d been when he last saw him, instead styled like he''d just returned from military service.
The screen switched and showed a team with black uniforms and white lettering approaching the middle of the stage from the opposite side. Xue looked like he was just taking a stroll in his neighborhood with a lazy expression gracing his face, but the rest of the FFS teammates looked as if they''d just lost the war.
Both teams met in the middle and greeted each other with words left to the imagination of the audience, likely along the lines of ''good game'', ''congrats'', and ''thank you for the game'', while FFS walked down the line shaking hands with each member of Solar.
Then, FFS left the stage and went behind the stage to do their interviews with the program that would be uploaded after being edited later on, while Solar turned toward the trophy and walked towards it, and Hei Lu who stood next to the towering silver trophy with a beaming smile.
Seeing the men approaching the trophy he stood back and motioned for them to grab it while commentating. "Congratulations on becoming this year''s champions!"
The five men nodded to be polite before turning to the trophy and placing their hands around the five handles and lifting it while the crowd in the arena, and at home, went wild. Then, they took turns lifting it one by one before placing it back on the stand.
Mu Yichen lifted the trophy last and held it up triumphantly toward the camera, and then the audience in the stadium before he brought it to his lips and kissed it with a sparkling face.
Xiao Yi''s eyebrow twitched as he thought.
''Why does it seem like that was provocative?''
''Gross, do you know how many hands have touched that?''
Solar basked in the glory in front of the audience for a few more moments before turning to Hei Lu.
Hei Lu was prepared with questions, leaving the captain of the team for last as was standard for these playoffs. Otherwise, the audience may leave before hearing what the other players have to say as captains are usually the most popular on their team.
When he finally got to Mu Yichen, he reached his arms out for a hug and said. "Welcome back to China!"
Mu Yichen leaned in for a hug with a large smile on his face and his voice could be heard faintly through the mic held behind his back. "Thanks."
The two men straightened out and Hei Lu passed the second mic to Mu Yichen and asked the questions that had been prepared by the program.
"Congratulations on winning today''s game and bringing home the trophy once more. The question on everyone''s mind is¡­ Why did you choose Solar?"
"I just wanted to come back to China and Solar was looking for a captain and a coach."
"How does it feel to win the championship?"
"Not much different than the first time, though this trophy¡­ Isn''t it larger?"
"We use the same mold, are you getting rusty?"
"I haven''t seen our old trophy for a few years¡­"
"Is there anything else you''d like to say today?"
Usually, it would be a thank you to the fans or family, but Mu Yichen just looked at the camera and tilted his head with a small smirk.
"My kid went missing a few years ago¡­ Can someone find Frost for me? He usually wears a mask, has blue eyes, and is quite cold like his name. Thank you."
Xiao Yi, the kid: ... What the hell? Chapter 15 In four years a lot can change. Lifelong friendships can be ruined. Brother-like bonds can be erased. Legends can be erased from the world, canceled, ostracized by the Internet, and still be in everyone''s mind four years later. Alas, within those four years, some people''s sense of shame hadn¡¯t changed one bit. Xiao Yi stared at the screen with various thoughts and feelings running through his body, yet unlike his brother who was visibly turning red while scrambling to end the stream, his face was still expressionless. Aside from the one, slightly raised eyebrow. ¡®When did I become someone else''s son?¡¯ ¡®Hah, I should have gone back to sleep or stayed out with V longer.¡¯ ¡®What a bastard.¡¯ Xiao Qiu leaned back into the couch after quickly turning off the stream just moments after the big ¡®announcement¡¯ with the reasoning he gave his fans. ¡°Well, there¡¯s nothing left for me to commentate on! See you guys tomorrow.¡± The brothers sat in silence for a long moment. Neither of them knew what the other was thinking, struggling with their own thoughts. Xiao Qiu was angry, but he was also scared. What would happen if they really found his cute little brother? Why were they looking for him? Wouldn¡¯t this affect Xiao Yi more? Frost had a horrible reputation within the gaming community but it was normally kept within a smaller circle of old Chinese fans or the industry. First, the amateur announcers had the balls to mention him, and now it was Mu Yichen. No matter what the previous members of Team X wanted with his brother, it could never turn out well for him. Doing this would only dig up the past even more than it had been and since the esports scene has grown tremendously in the previous four years - his little brother could find himself in a literal witch hunt. Who knew what the fans of the remaining members were like now, let alone the rest of the netizens? This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Actually, he was scared that his brother would be targeted by people with ill intentions, those who cared too deeply about the lives of their favorite teams and individual esports players. If Xiao Yi was found by someone malicious¡­ Xiao Qiu bounced up from the couch with eyes seeing red and cursed. ¡°That bastard! Stay there, I¡¯m calling Lee.¡± Xiao Yi hummed and closed his eyes as his thoughts progressed. He understood why his brother was angry. If anyone knew the waves of the internet and industry, it would be the captain of the previous Team X. He wasn¡¯t too bothered by that, though. He was more curious - why now? It wasn¡¯t that hard to find him. He still used the same account and character that he used before joining Team X. The famous character was named X-Frost, while the one he¡¯d used previously was just Frost, and only his teammates, brother, and V were added to that character. Furthermore - he¡¯d never changed his phone number. Were these guys so stupid? Xiao Yi knew the answer to that question - they weren¡¯t stupid. They knew his phone number, they knew the account, so why did they look for him publicly? Simply put¡­ Xiao Yi would never willingly reach out to them. If they had tried to reach out to him previously, he would have disappeared again. They were forcing him into a hole by using the public to do so. Xiao Yi examined the information gained by V and nodded with a small hum. They wanted to force him out of hiding and get him to be their assassin again, or they wanted to get revenge - it was one of the two options and he wasn¡¯t keen on finding out what their goal was. Frost was the best assassin in Valley of Light, but Xiao Yi was also great at hiding. Meanwhile, Xiao Qiu was in the stairway of the apartment complex ranting to Lee, his captain. ¡°Four years! It¡¯s been four years and they haven¡¯t reached out once, they didn¡¯t help clear any rumors or mention him at all¡­ Why now?¡± Lee¡¯s deep voice came through the phone. ¡°I¡¯m not sure but it¡¯s unlikely that they haven¡¯t seen clips from your streams before so they should have reached out to us to find either of you, but we haven¡¯t received inquiries.¡± Xiao Qiu sat down and put his head in his arms while he held his phone out with one hand, his muffled voice sounding. ¡°I didn¡¯t think of that¡­ He¡¯s been on my stream daily for years, they should know where he is. What if those fans harm Xiao Yi?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give two options. Move into the team building until the fans forget about this, or continue staying there - it¡¯s secure enough and I¡¯ll add some security. You forgot that the fans don¡¯t know what ¡®Frost¡¯ looks like, have there been connections to him on your stream?¡± ¡°If we move to the team building wouldn¡¯t that just give them more access to him?¡± ¡°¡­ We have a side building.¡± ¡°You want to put my brother in the annex?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I give you two options? We don¡¯t have extra rooms here anyway unless he wants to bunk with me. Why not ask him?¡± Xiao Yi of course agreed to move to the team building for a little bit. Not for his safety, but he thought about Xiao Qiu - how is he supposed to bond with his teammates when he hardly goes to the building? Isn¡¯t it better for his career and training to stay in the same space and get taught by Lee directly? A little scolding wouldn¡¯t hurt his brother. A/N: Another A/N is on my Patreon but TLDR: All my MCs are shou''s. Chapter 16 Xiao Qiu hung up and leaned against the staircase briefly, staring at the wall across from him with distant eyes. On the staircase, right below him, there was a tall young man with short black hair who had stopped walking when he heard Xiao Qiu''s voice. He heard everything and felt it was rude to come up now. He stood in a shadow, held a take-out container in one hand and a coffee in the other, and looked up meaningfully with deep brown eyes. He was wearing a black sweater and sweatpants. He had also just gotten back to China after participating in a few talk shows abroad to promote his team whose logo was neatly printed on the left of his chest - EDGE. He couldn''t sleep, unlike the rest of his team, and ventured out to get food and heard secrets that he really didn''t need to hear. Xiao Qiu returned to his apartment after he calmed down. However, he didn''t see the other person in the stairwell who walked up and quietly entered his apartment after hearing the door shut. The two siblings had a long, stressful night after deciding to move out temporarily. Xiao Yi sat next to his brother on the larger couch in the living room, his laptop on his lap with his back leaning against the arm and his feet across Xiao Qiu¡¯s lap. He had been trying to keep his mind off the past for the previous day, but it was hard to push them away as if they¡¯d met nothing, especially as Xiao Qiu was silently scrolling through Weibo on the phone and wasn¡¯t chatty. Seeing Mu Yichen shining on the stage so brightly reminded him of the good times he¡¯d spent growing up with the four boys. Nostalgia reigned over his mind as he found himself pulled back and forth. The time he met each of his friends, growing up together, moving in with Chen Qiang¡¯s family, being reached out to by the company behind Team X, and the painful separation. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. He wasn¡¯t sure what his feelings toward the group were anymore, but he knew that he didn¡¯t want to see them again. Moreover, he didn¡¯t want to explain that they¡¯d been wrong in hating him all these years¡­ He didn¡¯t want them to know his sacrifices or regrets. Let them hate him with all their might, let them shine on stage once more without him. That was his original goal. Xiao Qiu broke his gaze away from his phone and wearily smiled at Xiao Yi, who was also scrolling on Weibo on his computer. ¡°No one¡¯s connected the dots between you, Frost, and Sleeping God.¡± Xiao Yi blinked and broke away from his thoughts, meeting Xiao Qiu¡¯s concerned eyes while nodding. He¡¯d noticed it as well. ¡°You always wore a mask to the games so I think you¡¯re fine. Plus, you¡¯ve grown up a lot since then, and even your hairstyle¡¯s changed.¡± Xiao Yi nodded once again. He¡¯d be fine anyway, Frost was never known as a boy who slept all the time. Back then he was an insomniac who would stay up half the night working on game notes or playing Valley of Light. If someone really did put the dots together they should be given a trophy! Xiao Qiu was about to get up to go to sleep when he suddenly froze while staring at his phone. ¡°Those idiots¡­ They bought a hot spot, you¡¯re trending!¡± Xiao Yi blinked with a thought. ¡®That¡¯s a touch overkill. I¡¯m not missing.¡¯ He looked down at his computer and scrolled through the trending page and saw posts from all the top players in China including some directly from companies. ¡®Why can¡¯t they keep my name out of their mouth?¡¯ He could already feel a headache coming on. His fingers swiftly danced around the keyboard and for the first time in four years, Team X¡¯s previous captain Frost logged on to his discarded Weibo. ¡®Will this be enough to drive it into their brains?¡¯ Xiao Yi typed up a post, glanced over it for a few seconds, and contently smirked as he posted it. [@X-Frost]: ¡°I¡¯m retired and I will stay retired. Stop bothering me.¡± He swiftly logged out of the account and logged back into his alt account that he¡¯d been using to browse and closed his laptop. ¡°Going to pack." I ended up creating a website while I was still sick if you''re interested. Finally back on schedule! https://wanderingphoenixx.wordpress.com/ Chapter 17 True to his word, Xiao Yi went to his room and began packing while Xiao Qiu finally headed off to bed. Although they were in their twenties, the two brothers had severely different sleep schedules. Xiao Yi usually slept throughout the day with his first pillow option being his brother''s shoulder while his second option was literally anywhere else, no matter if it were a desk, couch cushion, headrest¡­ Xiao Yi hadn¡¯t told Xiao Qiu about going to another city for V¡¯s company¡¯s shareholder meeting yet but he was fully taking advantage of this chance to gather everything that he couldn¡¯t replace with money. He was planning to look for an apartment when he went on a business trip. The thought process came and went quickly, but everything that happened yesterday made him realize just how dependent he¡¯d been on his older brother in these past few years. His brother was forced to tiptoe around certain topics, like his past teammates - a few years ago he skipped around the topic of esports in general. As an esports player who ran a stream! During that time Xiao Qiu even played farming sims on stream instead of Valley of Light until Lee got involved. Furthermore, living in this apartment was never supposed to be a permanent thing for Xiao Qiu. The original plan that Lee had come up with was for him to bring Xiao Yi back and nurse him back to health, perhaps take a few months to help him settle in, and scoop Xiao Qiu back to the base. It was only a few minutes walk, he could visit the apartment daily. Obviously, Lee¡¯s plan had failed. Xiao Qiu decided to run away with his little brother and, like a child going to college, go back to the base only when he was called back. Not the plan! Xiao Yi also found this quite idiotic but it was Xiao Qiu¡¯s life and he couldn¡¯t exactly boot him out the front door - he should thank Mu Yichen for the opportunity to make his brother run back to the base all on his own. He, a former captain, understood Lee¡¯s pain and would send his brother straight to the door. Admittedly, he also couldn¡¯t wait to see his older brother get scolded. It should be quite a show. Xiao Yi hummed contently as he zipped up his suitcase and a duffel bag he¡¯d stolen from the company when he left. Both were pitch black, only with the English letter ¡®X¡¯ written in white on the sides. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. X could mean anything. It could be a fashion statement, a letter of a name, etc, so Xiao Yi wasn¡¯t too concerned. No one had said anything when he was living on the streets with them out in the open. His sharp eyes glanced around the apartment and he sighed dejectedly. ¡®When did we become so messy?¡¯ Xiao Yi glanced at the counter littered with take-out containers and frowned. ¡®Should I call a cleaner?¡¯ His eyebrow twitched as he found a similar situation in the living room. ¡®Gosh, we¡¯re such slobs. Who¡¯s going to marry Xiao Qiu like this?¡¯ It was quite normal for the two siblings to throw out trash once a week but¡­ Weren¡¯t they leaving in the morning? When did they have time to clean? His shoulders sank as he glimpsed around the apartment, seemingly seeing everything for the first time - as if he hadn¡¯t contributed to the mess. Garbage not in the proper place - the garbage or recycling bins. Clothes everywhere¡­ His clothes. The ones he was too lazy to put in the hamper in his room. Mainly sweaters. Dirty dishes were left in their spots as neither brother bothered to throw them in the dishwasher. He could see his older brother''s marriage prospects running away the more he looked at the mess. Xiao Yi stared at the apartment with a speechless expression for a few moments before he promptly grabbed his phone and a can of soda and made his way outside, onto the balcony connected to the apartment by a sliding door into the living room. He sat on the chair and placed the soda on the little table next to the balcony before he turned his phone that he¡¯d abandoned earlier back on and entered V¡¯s conversation. [V]: Wow, I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d be that shameless. [V]: Chen Qiang reached out to me for your contact information. [V]: He¡¯s asking where you are now. [V]: Now he¡¯s asking me where I am, am I being dragged into a trap? [V]: God damn it - while I was gone, the bastard really tried framing me! I told them to hold a shareholder meeting in three days, I¡¯m buying you a ticket. [V]: Why am I dealing with your drama and my drama at the same time? Xiao Yi stared at the messages for a moment and chuckled softly. He¡¯d messaged nearly every hour since Mu Yichen¡¯s speech, the last being only a half hour ago. Although he didn¡¯t want to get V involved any deeper into the strained relationship between old friends, he certainly didn¡¯t want to be the one to see or talk to them. Hence, after a few moments of contemplation, he sent two messages. [X]: Tell Chen Qiang to inform everyone that both my wrists are injured, I can¡¯t play even if they begged the gods. [X]: OK. After he pressed send he leaned back and closed his eyes. Those boys could never know what he did, but they also needed to know that they should search for another teammate. Even if the contract didn¡¯t exist, it was unlikely he¡¯d join the esports world again. He had nostalgia towards his time playing professionally¡­ Spending time with his friends, the late nights he spent trying to write plans, management duties, shining on the stage in front of millions. Alas, he also found that he quite valued his peaceful little life. Chapter 18 Xiao Yi spent a few hours on the balcony gazing at the night sky while occasionally taking a sip of his soda or reaching for his vape. He didn¡¯t smoke nor vape often as he¡¯d never found himself addicted, but tonight was a special occasion. Too much had happened in just one day which threatened to take his normally peaceful, tranquil life away. He¡¯d had four very peaceful years, though he could admit that those four years were stagnant. Before he¡¯d met Chen Qiang, the first boy of the group to become his friend, he grew up in a very independent manner. Xiao Qiu had been diagnosed with cancer when he was seven and Xiao Yi was four. Thankfully, it was in the early stages but the family dynamic completely shifted. Their parents, who had raised both children equally with as much love as they had despite their long workdays, had changed over the course of just a few weeks. Xiao Yi became the abandoned son while Xiao Qiu was naive to the happenings. The family of three had moved into a home closer to the hospital to make treatment easier and Xiao Yi was left in the hands of one, very lazy, nanny. He would spend five days at the family''s old home and would join the family of three on weekends if Xiao Qiu was in good condition. Otherwise, he was basically alone. Xiao Qiu was under the impression that their parents were spending time with Xiao Yi each day when they went out to work, as that¡¯s what they told him and Xiao Yi knew not to refute those claims. They also told him that he was staying with their uncle¡¯s family since he still needed to go to school. Needless to say¡­ Xiao Yi grew up unloved, neglected, and borderline abused by his nanny who eventually only visited to cook food and check if he was alive before leaving. She was from the branch family and had originally thought to manipulate the boy, but realized quickly that Xiao Qiu would be the successor of the family business so there was no need to cozy up to the younger brother. It was a mess. A mess that their parents were well aware of. Hence, Xiao Yi¡¯s life had never been peaceful. During this time he would spend his entire day holed up in the house studying and learning new skills on his own as his escape from the loneliness. He began to close himself up, and after being told to ¡®be silent¡¯ and to ¡®man up because men don¡¯t cry¡¯ enough times from his father, he would stop speaking or showing emotions altogether. He knew from a very young age that he was a burden on the family of three and despite the love he held for Xiao Qiu, he distanced himself in fear that his elder brother would someday get tired of him and abandon him as well. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Xiao Yi was completely mute for three years in his childhood and had gained the nickname ¡®ice prince¡¯ from his classmates, that¡¯s when he met Chen Qiang. He spoke for the first time in three years in order to tell Chen Qiang, a new transfer student who looked like a delinquent, his name. Meeting Chen Qiang¡­ Even if Xiao Yi had the chance to do everything over, he¡¯d likely still decide to become Chen Qiang¡¯s best friend. He also wouldn¡¯t change his decision four years prior. Chen Qiang decisively barged through Xiao Yi¡¯s invisible barrier, shattering it into pieces and dragging him out whether he wanted it or not. Xiao Yi wasn¡¯t alone anymore. He had someone who understood him whether he spoke or not, and the two boys in different classes quickly became inseparable, soon to be joined by three others. Meeting Chen Qiang was the turning point in Xiao Yi¡¯s life. He used to spend five days of the week feeling trapped in the empty house, but he soon began coming home well after the sun had left the sky. He used to walk on eggshells around his family, unwilling to skip grades although he had far outgrown the content being taught in his classes due to not wanting his brother to feel inferior. That also changed, he skipped three grades and entered his friend''s class. Although he never told anyone, he could have skipped more grades if he felt like it. He just simply didn¡¯t want to. The largest change in his life, though, was when he was eleven years old. Xiao Qiu¡¯s health took a turn for the worse and he was hospitalized for a few weeks, so Xiao Yi stopped going to the family of three¡¯s new home and he¡¯d never be invited back. Due to this, his nanny became increasingly neglectful, to the point that Xiao Yi had been out of school for three days and the teachers couldn¡¯t get in contact with an adult to figure out why. They brought this to his friend''s attention to see if they knew where he¡¯d gone, and they¡¯d call authorities the next day if there were no answers. Of course, the four boys didn¡¯t know what was going on and although they hadn¡¯t been inside Xiao Yi¡¯s house yet, they at least knew where it was and decisively skipped school. Xiao Yi had a habit of leaving his doors unlocked for the nanny to come in as she¡¯d had a history of ¡®forgetting¡¯ her keys and they lived in a gated community with security. Moreover, his parents had taken most of their belongings to their new house so there wasn¡¯t anything that couldn¡¯t be replaced. This was the day that his friends learned of his situation. They found him passed out from a fever, face planted on his notebook as he¡¯d been studying in the kitchen, and quickly called Chen Qiang¡¯s mother to take him to the hospital. Xiao Qiu was also in the hospital, so it wasn¡¯t difficult to locate Xiao Yi¡¯s parents and pull them into the room where their youngest was hooked up to machines, severely malnourished, and with a high fever. Needless to say¡­ Chen Qiang¡¯s parents had a wordy conversation with Xiao Yi¡¯s and after realizing the situation, they threatened to report them to the authorities and reporters if they didn¡¯t hand over custody. Of course, the Xiao couple readily agreed. He was raised by Chen Qiang¡¯s parents, moved to an apartment with Chen Qiang, and started an esports team with his childhood friends. The past four years, though, were like a breath of fresh air. It was a new chapter in his life, no matter how stagnant it was. Chapter 19 The two brothers left the apartment in the early hours of the morning, appearing nine parts tourist and one part zombie with suitcases in one hand and coffee in the other. Yet, they still attracted looks from the businesswomen who passed by. Everyone likes a beautiful face and these two siblings were effortlessly beautiful, even in sweatpants and sweaters. Xiao Qiu had scolded Xiao Yi before leaving the house, so his mask which used to be his essential accessory was obediently left behind due to his former public appearances. ¡°No mask. You can be recognized if you wear a mask. Gosh, I never thought I¡¯d say that - your normal appearance is your disguise!¡± Xiao Yi stared at the black mask in his palms for a moment before he glanced up and saw that Xiao Qiu was really serious - he looked like he was prepared to snatch it from him! Needless to say, the pedestrians could thank Xiao Qiu for allowing them to catch a glimpse of two beautiful faces early in the morning instead of one. The walk to the base was quite peaceful. The sun was shining down and there was only a light, occasional breeze making it a fast travel. It was the most ideal sweater weather in Xiao Yi¡¯s opinion, it wasn¡¯t hot but it wasn¡¯t freezing either, it felt like the beginning of autumn. It was so nice out that Xiao Yi debated going on a morning walk every day, only to throw the thought out of his mind when he remembered his painful broken elevator experience. Neither brother spoke after they left the apartment. Xiao Yi wasn¡¯t a talkative person and Xiao Qiu was simply too exhausted to start a conversation so they decided to share airpods and listen to music. He had the bright idea to go to a small coffee shop and grab two coffees bright and early, though. Lee would have him roasted on a stick if he passed out as soon as he entered the base! Aside from those rushing to get to work on time, families could be seen walking hand in hand or in groups as they enjoyed the rare but welcome nice weather. It wasn¡¯t a weekend, but due to being on the outskirts of the city, there wasn¡¯t too much traffic, making it easy to head to the park or go shopping. In no time, the two brothers reached the base. It was an old community hall that had been abandoned for a few years with no buyers so Lee bought it and renovated it. It didn¡¯t look anything like it had a few years ago, the old bricks covered with ivory siding, the windows expanded, balconies added. Hell, the roof had even been renovated - Lee took up gardening and turned it into a small garden with a seating area, and BBQ. Next to the three-story building was a smaller building that used to be an extra classroom, added to the property nearly a decade ago and used for storage after the school was moved and expanded. Lee also renovated it, turning it into a bachelors apartment but it hadn¡¯t been used since he finished the apartment building. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Xiao Qiu fixed his gaze on the small black-sided building and sighed. That was going to be his little brother¡¯s home. It felt like he was the eldest young master sending his illegitimate brother to the side courtyard to stay out of his way in a historical drama. After that thought, he felt like an idiot. His brother doesn¡¯t sleep during the night. Wasn¡¯t he just going to use it as storage and to change? The brothers made their way to the base door and Xiao Qiu inputted his code - Xiao Yi¡¯s birthday - and swung open the door with a loud. ¡°Honey, I¡¯m home! Where¡¯s dinner?¡± ¡°Asshole, make your own dinner! We just finished breakfast, want a piece of toast?¡± A rough voice came from another room and Xiao Yi recognized it as one of his brother''s teammates, Alex. The brothers took off their shoes and walked through the building, leaving their suitcases behind. Xiao Yi admired the interior as he took a sip of his coffee and slowly followed behind Xiao Qiu. The three floors were connected by a spiral staircase in the far left corner, but that wasn¡¯t what impressed him. Xiao Yi could see the roof of the building with a large, open skylight from where he was, along with the two floors above him that had hallways wrapping around the room. The room he entered had a seating area, a long bar with fridges filled with soda and other drinks, and an oven behind the counter. Xiao Qiu led Xiao Yi to meet his teammates in their training den, the room directly to the right of the room they were currently in. It was split in two, a meeting room with windows as walls to spy on the players, and the training space with ten high-end computer stations set up. Xiao Yi nearly gulped seeing the equipment. It was¡­ So sexy. The best chairs, keyboards, and computers sat in front of him on expensive wood tables. Of course, four of them were occupied. Xiao Yi stopped drooling over the setups and turned to greet Xiao Qiu¡¯s teammates with a small nod. He recognized their voices from Xiao Qiu¡¯s streams and watched his tournaments as a supportive brother, but he never took the time to remember their appearances. ¡°Ah, you brought the infamous Sleeping God!¡± Xiao Yi nodded toward Alex, the speaker, and was able to easily depict two identities. Alex, or Jia Li, had joined the team with his twin brother. They were Chinese-American twins who had joined the team a month after Xiao Qiu signed his contract. Aside from their voices being different, Alex had slightly dirtier blond hair than his brother whilst Sam, or Jia Hao, had bright blond hair with a natural wave. Other identities¡­ He didn¡¯t think Lee was the type to dye his hair light pink, so the other man must be Hei. Despite this, Hei didn¡¯t look like feminine. His eyes were sharp as he focused on the game in front of him, with a cute little mole under the left eye. He looked a bit like a K-pop idol whose persona was a delinquent or ¡®bad boy¡¯. That only left Lee, the big boss of Xiao Qiu¡¯s team and likely the only person his elder brother considered a close friend. He, like Hei and Sam, didn¡¯t glance up as he effortlessly moved his mouse but he greeted with a deep. ¡°Welcome.¡± His hair was a deep brown, nearly black, and he looked like the type of person who went to the gym twice a week. He wasn¡¯t too muscular but he had a figure. After a few moments, the notification for the winning team popped up on Lee¡¯s screen and he turned with a raised eyebrow. ¡°He looks tired, what did you do to him?¡± Xiao Qiu glanced over at his sibling before he let out an animated sigh and pressed his temples. ¡°You should be asking what you did to him. He didn¡¯t sleep yet, he was packing all night.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s my fault? You could have come later, it sounds like it¡¯s your fault. We have beds.¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t use them, he¡¯ll be fine.¡± Chapter 20 The brothers arrived at the base an hour earlier than Xiao Qiu had said they¡¯d be there due to his sleepless night so while the other members were still doing their daily matches, Lee brought the two to the meeting room. Lee couldn¡¯t keep his eyes off Xiao Yi, even when he was talking to Xiao Qiu. Xiao Yi could swear that he looked like a kid in a candy store which was strange to see from a CEO and captain with a pretty stoic face. Just how was this the scary captain that Xiao Qiu always complained about? Xiao Yi made himself comfortable, his back facing the glass that overlooked the training room, leaning back in his chair with one leg propped up while the other dangled off the floor as the chair tipped. Xiao Qiu was to his left, sitting in the best posture he¡¯d ever seen his brother pull off, and Lee sat across from them looking graceful with eyes that contradicted his noble appearance. Moments later, he tore his eyes away and turned to Xiao Qiu with a stern expression. ¡°I see you finally found the ability to act like a human. Are you going to stay long term?¡± Xiao Qiu sat back in the chair and sighed. ¡°We¡¯ll go back when everything calms down.¡± Xiao Yi sat patiently as the ¡®adults¡¯ spoke, he had a feeling that he was the child in this relationship between two married elders. Lee frowned. ¡°Do you still remember you¡¯re on a team? You barely show up, Hei has only seen you a handful of times since you joined - it feels like we¡¯re in an online relationship with you half the time!¡± Xiao Qiu started to speak, but Lee interrupted him before he could even get a word out. ¡°I understand you care for your brother, but he can live here or in the apartment. How can I help you improve when I can¡¯t see what you¡¯re doing? Do you even know how many meetings you¡¯ve missed?¡± This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Xiao Qiu looked down at his hands like a reprimanded puppy while Xiao Yi stared straight ahead, agreeing with Lee. If this happened on his team¡­ He¡¯d probably have kicked the person out by now. Four years may not be a long time in a normal career but in the esports world, it could be the difference between winning a medal or retiring due to growing older. As much as he respected Lee for everything he¡¯d done for the two of them, he certainly wouldn¡¯t be surprised to see him kick Xiao Qiu out. Xiao Qiu had used up too much favor. Xiao Qiu seemed to grasp this as well, he sat silently playing with his fingers in his lap. Lee sighed and bitterly glanced away from the other man. ¡°Liu Haoyu went back to his hometown, did he tell you? No, because you went and distanced yourself so well that he felt like you wouldn¡¯t care!¡± Liu Haoyu was originally the fifth person on the team but was the first to leave due to a wrist injury. Hei had only joined the team three months before, flying in from Korea with the prospect of being part of a team from one of his homelands. His father was Chinese so he always wanted to return to China, if only for a short time. Xiao Yi now understood how powerful Lee was and decisively shut his eyes as he leaned back in the chair, looking as innocent as ever despite being the reason Xiao Qiu neglected his profession. Xiao Qiu glanced at his younger brother and poked his arm. When they locked gazes, he waved his hand and spoke while hiding his expression. ¡°Go unpack. It¡¯s the house outside.¡± He didn¡¯t have to be told twice, he pushed himself off the chair and left the windowed room having heard enough. His brother deserved the scolding, and he was happy that someone else gave him a reality check. As much as he loved his brother, he couldn¡¯t help but feel guilty for becoming a burden to him. He was well off, old enough to live on his own, and he didn¡¯t need nor deserve all the attention Xiao Qiu gave to him. He couldn¡¯t say that he didn¡¯t understand where his brother was coming from, though. They had grown up close, then they parted and hardly saw each other after their parents moved him away. Xiao Qiu had missed seeing him grow up, missed important events, and wasn¡¯t part of many memories. Then, a few years after they became brothers again, he found his younger brother in the hospital. Xiao Yi dragged his suitcase outside of the main building and pushed open the door to the small bachelor pad outside while typing on his phone. [X]: Give me an earlier flight. Chapter 21 Xiao Qiu wanted to leave him out of the serious conversations in the adult world, while V wanted to thrust him into the adult world. Xiao Yi came to this realization a long time ago, but something in his mind fought against the notion that he needed to grow up. After his turbulent upbringing, he found himself latched onto the love and affection that Xiao Qiu gave him, he allowed himself to fall further and further into laziness and let himself impact his brother''s career. He took advantage of the rope that Xiao Qiu gave him, and the elder didn¡¯t put his foot down. He enabled him, happy to be family again. Xiao Yi didn¡¯t unpack his belongings, instead aiming to sit at the edge of the bed while he came to the realization that he had not only put his life on pause for three years, but his brother and his brother''s teammates were on pause due to his selfishness. He needed to distance himself and learn to be human again and Lee¡¯s words only fueled his flames. Was he depressed? Did he have some mental condition? How did he turn from the child who took care of himself in every way, took care of his teammates, and was a competent captain into such a person who did nothing all day for three years straight? Where did his life go? Why? The thoughts ran through his mind for the rest of the afternoon until Xiao Qiu pulled him back into the training room and he passed out on Xiao Qiu¡¯s shoulder, like always. Just, this time¡­ He felt guilty. Why couldn¡¯t he sleep on his own? When did this change? He came to another realization this day. ¡®Fuck, I¡¯m pathetic.¡¯ Meanwhile, four men sat in a spacious condo living room as they scrolled through their respective phones. Mu Yichen, the person who inadvertently caused Xiao Yi to question his existence, sat on the floor with his legs nearly tucked to his stomach as he complained. ¡°He¡¯s so heartless, retired, and don¡¯t bother him? He didn¡¯t even reach out!¡± If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Chen Qiang frowned as he glanced over Mu Yichen to see the response on his phone. ¡°He¡¯s running away. I told you we should have kept looking for him silently, do you think he¡¯s dumb enough to stay in one place?¡± They hadn¡¯t had time to look over social media since Mu Yichen¡¯s bold statement. That bastard didn¡¯t even consult them before asking the world to track down Xiao Yi so they weren¡¯t prepared. Chen Qiang, Li Hao, and Tang An had just flown back to their hometown to spend some time with their families before their plan was supposed to be set in motion when they received a text. [The-Best-Moon]: We¡¯ll find him soon. Afterward, he linked the live stream and the three men decided to hasten their plans while cursing him to the ends of the earth as they hopped on yet another plane. Mu Yichen worked on moving his belongings into the condo and finished building the five beds on his own, acknowledging his hastiness and wrongdoing. Then, he had to go pick them up from the airport and they completely crashed as soon as they returned to the condo. Thankfully they¡¯d bought the condo in advance so they didn¡¯t have to stay in a hotel or mooch off other teams. Li Hao sighed. ¡°If they aren¡¯t posting his pictures, they¡¯re scolding him.¡± Tang An began laughing and sent a link in their group chat titled ¡®Frost exposed for being a leech - LSY-Minho¡¯. ¡°What, did he want to mooch off someone to preserve his money or something?¡± The video played in the background, Minho telling an exaggerated version of his conversation with Xiao Yi with a few text messages and a phone log as proof. Underneath the post, a few esports players from the same generation mentioned that they too had been contacted. Chen Qiang scrolled through the comments and leaned back with a complicated expression on his face. Just what in the world was Xiao Yi thinking back then? He probably felt the most betrayal from the youngest. He was the person to approach him first, he was the person with the dream to stand on stage and pursue this career, and he was the one who asked his family to take in Xiao Yi. They shared a room and he¡¯d comfort the younger boy night after night, take care of him when he was sick¡­ He treated him like his own blood-related brother. Mu Yichen sneered. ¡°He¡¯s probably spent all that money by now at least. It should be easy to get him to sign the contract.¡± Chen Qiang didn¡¯t agree with this method, but he understood the other''s anger. They planned to get Xiao Yi to sign a contract to become their assassin because he¡¯d never been surpassed. Of course, his benefits and pay would be much worse than their cut since he betrayed them once. They planned to use his guilt as a method to sign it, but they never planned to become friends with him again. Alas, he felt like he missed something back then, especially with the information that he was mooching off others. The Xiao Yi he knew was too prideful to look to others for help, especially when he already had the money. What was he playing at? They were only right about one thing - Xiao Yi wasn''t going to stay put, though it wasn''t because he had a target on his back. He had only just opened his eyes when he received a text. [V]: I booked you for tomorrow night, then. Why so soon? Did you miss this brother already? I''m flattered. Chapter 22 Xiao Yi didn¡¯t tell anyone about his decision nor the plane ticket prepared by V. Instead, he booked a hotel room in case things went down with V¡¯s in-law family. It¡¯s not that he didn¡¯t trust V or his wife, but judging from the stories told the last time V visited it was a good idea to have a safe place to run away to. He avoided drama like the plague if it involved himself. Otherwise, he didn¡¯t mind watching it unfold before his eyes while eating melon seeds. The rest of the day was just like any other, aside from the fact that he had four extra spectators in the real world to witness his twelve-hour sleep on Xiao Qiu¡¯s shoulder. One brother knew that this would be his last time taking advantage of his sibling''s shoulder, whilst the other had no idea that this would be the last time he¡¯d be used as a pillow. Did Xiao Yi feel a little guilty by not telling Xiao Qiu anything? Yes. Did he know it was a necessary step? The answer was also yes. He planned to let Xiao Qiu know about the investor''s meeting, flee from the nest, and then broach the topic of wanting to find an apartment elsewhere. Slowly and surely ease him into being okay with him being independent. Besides, he knew full well that if his old teammates found his brother''s stream they would bother his brother¡¯s team until they found out where he was. He didn¡¯t want to cause unnecessary work for Lee, though he had an inkling that the elder would jump at the chance to let Xiao Yi be a bother for him. Lee¡¯s bright eyes when he stared at him, as if he were looking at a piece of gold made it seem like he was probably a huge fan of ¡®Frost¡¯. Alas, Xiao Yi couldn¡¯t hold that mantle. By the time Xiao Yi woke up, Xiao Qiu and the others were completely exhausted both mentally and physically and decided to pass out, leaving only him in the training room with free reign. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. He went to grab a can of soda from the kitchen, sat at Xiao Qiu¡¯s computer and his fingers danced over the keys as he logged out of Xiao Qiu¡¯s Valley of Light account and into his own. Two Chinese dragons made of particles followed each other in a circle as it loaded and Xiao Yi held the can off to the side and opened it as he waited. It automatically loaded into his Frost account, but thankfully he logged off in his house so he spawned out of the public eye. He immediately threw on a disguise potion which did nothing but change his shown name, it would look different in each person''s eyes. He had a few houses, but this one was his favorite. It was in the last capital city which was the least traveled, and he rarely left the last continent to do anything. Everything he needed to do was on the continent. He could gather everything he needed to craft on the continent, grow in his garden, or buy at the market. He did two things when he played the game on his own. Either he worked in his professions which were cooking, gathering/farming, mining, alchemy, and blacksmithing or he killed people. This was because his class was an assassin class. He made a good amount of gold, but he wanted to have everything leveled to the max and it kept him from being bored while helping the game economy so he lost as much gold as he made. He put everything that had been on Frost into his house storage. He invited his alt character, Sleepy so that he would have access to his house and storage, as well as the garden. Then he exited the door and headed to the account warehouse. There were only a few characters who weren''t AFK or operating stalls in the streets who glanced at him as he passed by. He was one of the few full-level characters that had a constant black nametag and was well-known by players for being ruthless, cold, and silent. He only had 5 friends on his character - Flame, Moon, Neptune, Venus, and V. If any of them bothered to ever get on their old accounts, they would have found him. He hardly ever replied to messages sent to him, even if they were from popular or pro players. He never joined a guild. He was a solo player in a multiplayer game and the only person who''d ever been seen on a team with him was V. A few players tried to wave at him and he passed by with a slight nod. He added his alt character to be able to access his warehouse and logged off. Chapter 23 The mouse moved on the screen leaving behind a few ripples as the character screen opened, showcasing four characters linked to one account. Frost, Sleepy, Nightmare, Asleep. If one asked Xiao Yi how he came up with his names he¡¯d have to be honest - V chose them based on his personality. Frost was chosen by Chen Qiang¡­ Only alt characters on his other account IDs were chosen by himself, but he was awful at naming. The mouse moved to the character, Sleepy, for no other reason than it was the second in the list and he had no special reason to use another. Frost simply couldn¡¯t be used because the friend list would show his real activity and name change couldn¡¯t fool friends - if those bastards were smart, they¡¯d log into their old accounts sooner than later. Xiao Yi leaned back in his chair, one leg crossed underneath his thigh whilst the other leg pushed off the ground, bouncing the chair slightly as he stared at the loading screen. As the character loaded, he raised a brow with a slight smirk. Black nameplate. ¡®Did I go on a rampage last time I logged in?¡¯ Extremely likely. The POV moved as Xiao Yi checked the appearance of his character, switching from looking at the back to the front. A Blood Elf with long black hair with a red hue in the light appeared on the screen. It wore a training outfit with one ripped sleeve that showcased a golden dragon tattooed wrapping around his bare arm with its tail at his wrist and head disappearing underneath the rest of the sleeve. Spoiler, the head rested on his shoulder. It was one of ¡®Frost¡¯s¡¯ old character customizations that V had made for his private account but it had rarely been used by him during that time. It was V¡¯s mistake to give it as a gift right before they won the championship! The POV switched again and he glanced around. Sleepy, unlike Frost, was in a bustling lower-level city in the first continent next to the city spawn. He didn¡¯t have a house yet and likely accompanied a player in this continent. In Valley of Light, there are 4 continents but despite being a low-level continent, this would also be the most popular one. Each continent had one capital city, which was where Sleepy had spawned into, and a mirage of towns, villages, camps with the usual dungeons, bandit camps, training areas, mob farms, gathering spots, etc. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Each continent had different terrain, cultures, architecture, seasons, and weather. This continent was so popular due to the lack of rain, which would cause the stalls to shut down automatically if the ¡®weather¡¯ became harsh. The architecture was boring compared to the other continents, but it was a vast grassland with lush grass and trees that branched out for miles until it hit the ocean. Another reason was that it was indeed the lowest level cap continent with new players filtering into the city at level 25. It was common for players to set up stalls to sell and buy items, scam other players, and find new players for guild recruitment, quests, dungeon recruitment, etc. Xiao Yi glanced at the bustling crowds filtering through the streets and sighed. How likely was it that he¡¯d be able to catch a boat to the fourth continent? Did he really want to waste his time traveling by boat? No - he really didn¡¯t want to. It was while he was contemplating this fact that he noticed the chat boxes above the other player¡¯s heads, their words treating him as if he were an exotic animal that couldn¡¯t understand human language. Or, they just assumed he wouldn¡¯t check the general chat. [A black-plated player?] [I thought that the guards wouldn¡¯t let those players walk around peacefully!] [Should we report him to the lord?] [Why haven¡¯t I seen his name before?] [The guards in this continent can¡¯t deal with a maxed-level character so they decide to cut their losses and leave them be.] [He¡¯s maxed level!] [He doesn¡¯t have a guild yet? Who¡¯s going to notify the assassin guild to come pick him up?] Finally, a voice of reason pulled up. A little mage typed carefully: [Guys, what if he kills us because we¡¯re annoying him?] [Isn¡¯t he AFK?] And this is why Xiao Yi rarely checks the general chat. He glanced around at the little green-name-plated players around him and playfully moved his character a few steps. The little low-level green players swiftly either ran off or logged out, all that was left were a few veteran players with yellow and orange nameplates who seemed to be AFK. ¡®It¡¯s not like I¡¯d actually kill you¡­ Did you forget you¡¯re in a safe zone?¡¯ The little leveled players did have good reasons for running off, though. Valley of Light was a typical MMORPG inspired by both Western and Wuxia fantasy worlds but some key differences made VOL oh-so-popular. Firstly, the game was visually stunning and updated its graphics every few years to stay at the top of the industry without creating a new game. The company also switched around quests, and NPCs, added new content or continents, and raised the level caps as well as some other odd changes. Secondly, the fact that this game could be played either competitively or leisurely. It pleased the PVE, PVX, and PVP players equally. Colored nameplates were one of the things that was focused toward the PVX and PVP players and could be used to show status and provide a warning label that catered to PVE players. [White] Beginner players level 1 - 20 [can''t be attacked at all] [Green] Mostly novice players 20 - 50 [can only be attacked by green players] [Yellow] World level players 50 - 100 [can be attacked by any] [Orange] Players that have killed 20 or more players in open PVP in a week [Red] Players that have killed 50 or more players in open PVP in a week [Black] MAxPlayers that have killed more than 500 opponents without cleansing. [Gold] VIP players. This includes pro players or the first 100 players to reach the max level. Those players literally couldn¡¯t have been attacked by him, so he wasn¡¯t sure why they scurried away. The ironic thing was that the green players ran, while the yellow and orange-plated players whom he could have a ¡®fun time¡¯ with stayed. Chapter 24 A transparent blue interface opened on the screen and showed a page of empty boxes and 0¡¯s next to icons for silver, gold, diamonds, and crystals. Xiao Yi¡¯s mouth twitched and he leaned back in contemplation. ¡®Where¡¯d my currency go?¡¯ ¡®Was I robbed?¡¯ ¡®I don¡¯t even have trash in my bag, what the hell.¡¯ Sadly, he¡¯d never find his answer and he was a broke little assassin. Scratch that - his class wasn¡¯t even an assassin right now, it was a sword master. He was a broke little sword master who didn¡¯t even want to be a sword master¡­ He opened the equipment button and sighed in relief. At least he¡¯d had the good sense to keep his armor and weapon, that¡¯s all he really needed. The interface closed and there were now a bunch of little players surrounding him, having gotten word that a max-level black name-plated player was in the city. These little players were smarter than the other little players in the sense that they at least realized they were in a safe zone, but it was annoying. Although he¡¯d wanted to go to the nearest warehouse before going to his house¡­ [Sleepy! Want to join a top 5 guild?] [Hello mister hidden god.] [Hey, don¡¯t steal him - we were here first!] [Open up your invites!] ¡®Fucking hell.¡¯ His fingers fluidly danced along the keys, the Blood Elf on the screen creating hand signs in the air with particles painting a symbol. A moment later, the Blood Elf disappeared in front of their eyes. Although low-level characters need to take boats to get to other continents, Xiao Yi was thankful that he¡¯d been smart enough to level his characters despite being disinterested in the questing process. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The Blood Elf appeared in another city, this one obviously reminiscent of Ancient China with shops and homes built with thatch roofs and wooden poles. It was surrounded in three directions, enclosed to the outside world by mountains overgrown with cherry blossom trees. Only a small path led through a piece of the mountain, barely wide enough to allow for a carriage to fit. The other side faced the ocean, which Xiao Yi could just barely see through the buildings but he knew that there were shops overlooking the ocean, arching off the land and into the air to be supported by pillars drilled into the ocean floor along with a magnificent boardwalk and harbor for boats. Despite its ethereal beauty and tranquility, there weren¡¯t many players in this city. Only a few stalls were open on the streets compared to the first continent¡¯s city, but it was his favorite space. Mainly because it was so calm, but it was also the most picturesque city and area in the game in his opinion. Sleepy turned and entered the class master building, located conveniently next to the spawn point. It was a seven-floor building that stuck out like a sore thumb with each floor catered toward a different class, with a different class master and weapons area that would be an old general''s wet dream. Behind the main room was a training area which he directly headed towards to access a secret staircase that led down to the basement. The eighth, hidden floor for the assassins. He changed his class and his character put down the sword he was using, disappearing into his inventory a moment later. A slimmer, yet longer sword appeared in front of him in the same spot and he placed that on his back. It was an entry-level sword, nothing special, it was made for the little new players at level ten. Just like that, he¡¯d changed his class and weapon type and walked out of the tall building, making his way toward his house. Many players didn¡¯t know that there were houses that you could buy in the capital cities, opting to have a house in the floating islands that weren¡¯t visible unless prompted. This was because they were already bought out by players a long time ago, though it was a well-known fact that some towns sold houses from time to time. The players who bought their homes in the capital cities were usually either veteran players who only logged on occasionally or pro players. Needless to say, no one wanted the fan base to figure out whose capital home belonged to whom - it would be annoying. His house was located at the edge of the city, his backyard facing the mountains and his side yard facing the ocean that was slightly blocked by the homes surrounding him. Approaching it from afar, it looked no different from his neighbors - a quaint, small house with a tiny courtyard. There wasn¡¯t even a secondary building. However, as Sleepy entered the gate, the illusion shattered and it turned into a large courtyard with three houses and a beautiful garden overtaking the backyard. Even Xiao Yi felt pained when he thought about all the hours he had to spend farming not just gold, but collecting and forging materials to build this home of his. He really had no life. Chapter 25 Tranquility. It¡¯s not a word that one would normally use to describe a popular MMORPG, but Valley of Light had its ways to cater to many different needs. Want to go on a killing rampage? Start a guild war, pick fights with like-minded players, become an assassin, or go to the arena. Just want to make a friend? Go to one of the capital cities, yell out in World Chat, or join a guild. Your goal is to be rich? Farm materials, sell profession items, grind dungeons, start a business, become an assassin, and take player requests. Valley of Light¡¯s profession system caught Xiao Yi¡¯s attention nearly a decade after joining the game. He had found himself at a loss of things to do when V was busy with the company and unable to find him a gig as an accompanying player and he didn¡¯t have anything he wanted to do. Running dungeons was boring if you were constantly joining random teams. Guilds were too annoying, they expected far too much and he wasn¡¯t a talkative person. He didn¡¯t feel like taking assassination hits for ten hours straight. His alt accounts were already maxed out, other than marrying someone and grinding up intimacy points and the currency that came from marriage, the only thing left for him to do was start professions. The profession system had tiers and quickly became time-consuming. Fishing, gathering, cooking, archeology [mining], alchemy, and forging weapons and armor. Each system had fifty-five levels and as it leveled, one would need to craft higher gear and go to another continent to level it. Xiao Yi had already maxed out his fishing level after spending months going from one body of water to the other, at one point his second house¡¯s storage of 1000 slots stackable to 100 was filled with fish and he still hadn¡¯t reached the max! That didn¡¯t include his third house¡¯s storage with loot and rewards other than fish that he found himself snagging while fishing¡­ Needless to say, Xiao Yi¡¯s account had a lot of points with the fisherman¡¯s market. He could only be thankful that the profession system was shared between all characters on his account or he¡¯d likely cry at the thought of having to do it all over on another character. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Sleepy made his way around the main house, following a stone path that had taken half a day to forge and place down. It was a short walk surrounded by various flowers until he made his way to a rustic bridge overlooking a small pond that led to a stream and out of view. Perhaps, this was his favorite spot on the property. Alas, he had a mission and after looking off the bridge for a moment, he continued through the white jade garden on the other side of the bridge until he passed a gazebo and a small garden enclosed by a wooden gate appeared before him. Xiao Yi smiled as he glanced at his plants - almost everything he had planted had finished growing and by the time he picked the ripe fruit they¡¯d be ready! He guided his character to gather the ingredients, thankful that he didn¡¯t have to make any stops to clean out his pockets previously. It was extremely peaceful, and one of his favorite things to do in the game currently. If his previous teammates or fans saw him like this they¡¯d likely be taken aback - the bloodthirsty assassin gardening? Did an alien take over him, or did his account get hacked? Nope, he just loved it. He didn¡¯t mind running dungeons and killing world bosses, especially when he needed materials or gold but he¡¯d run them so many times that they were engraved into his mind. The specific cracks in the walls of dungeons, the boss¡¯s movements before attacks, hell, he could even recite the dialog of every single boss. After plucking the last apple from the tree and double-checking that he¡¯d picked all the herbs, he turned around, closed the gate, and pressed a button next to the gate. This activated sprinklers that watered the plants on a timed system. He then jumped a few times and glided over the pond and onto the second-floor balcony that wrapped around the main house and proceeded to put away the ingredients. A moment later, Xiao Yi tapped his index finger against the table and tilted his head slightly. To cook anything and make money from his dishes, he needed two things. One, ingredients that he had already stocked up on. Two, gold. He grabbed a few weapons from the storage and threw out the entry-level sword. A set of duo swords, throwing knives, and throwing shurikens. A moment later, he nodded before turning away and left his house. Why did he choose this location for his house? Well, quite frankly, a job board was only a few steps to the left of his front door and he was too lazy to go to another one. His finger reached out to touch the ''enter'' button and a UI opened in front of him, showcasing many players asking for specific weapons, armor, materials, and ingredients or looking to hire others for businesses, guild events, dungeons, and companionship. Anything that could be asked for was requested, but a small little button at the bottom of the list opened a whole other request area that ordinary players could only request off, but not see requests. Assassination Requests. Only Assassins could truly see what was written there, who was being targeted, what their rank was, and how much was being offered. The mouse on the screen wasted no time clicking the small translucent icon shaped like a dagger. Chapter 26 Xiao Yi leaned back in the chair as he lazily scrolled through the assassination section to see if there were any that he either didn¡¯t want to deal with or something that got his blood boiling for bloodshed. An assassination could be ordered by any player above level 25 against another player, a team of 5, or even an entire guild but only assassins could view the contents of the postings. That being said, if one had an assassin friend they could figure out if they were being targeted and be ready but it was rare for the majority of players. Or, if one was an assassin they could also see if they were being targeted, too. Assassins would choose from these targets by a variety of factors, but the most important was the ranking system. Targets were ranked into S, A, B, C, and D. S being the highest skilled, most dangerous, but also most expensive missions. Assassins themselves weren¡¯t ranked, though. A little new assassin with absolutely no skills could attempt to take on a S-level target but it was often them who were embarrassed. Once the mission is accepted, they receive more information about the target from the poster''s point of view and sometimes, the exact reason they want them assassinated is part of their ramblings. It¡¯s quite entertaining. Once the job was completed, the mission would disappear and the assassin would receive full gold from the task poster, class points, and experience points from the job center. Xiao Yi carefully looked through each posting before he eventually ended up clicking on an S class target and hitting ¡®accept¡¯. If one looked closely, he barely spent time processing listings without max-level characters. He didn¡¯t like bullying anyone. A max-level human mage. Sleepy moved away from the job board in glee. He loved fighting against mages. They were always so confident toward assassins because they could stun or freeze them. It was fun to see them get angry after dying and nearly every single mage he¡¯d slaughtered would throw a cute little fit. At this point, it was just a nice bonus to get paid to kill a mage. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. He smirked and checked the map for his target before his fingers ran over the keyboard and his character became translucent. In other people''s view, there was no one standing near the job board. Invisibility. It was an assassin skill only available if the assassin was an elf race, as it was a combo skill. It required high hand speed and could only be broken if a player accurately hit them while they were invisible, otherwise, it would wear off in 10 minutes unless the assassin removed it themselves. It seemed like an overpowered move but it was quite challenging to execute. Some players could execute it on a whim, but not consistently. Some players couldn¡¯t do it at all, or they could only do the version that gave them 5 minutes of invisibility. Xiao Yi himself spent days on end practicing the steps alone in his backyard before he was able to execute the skill perfectly. The map only gave an approximate location of the player he needed to kill, his name, the reason for the assassination¡­ His target was currently in a safe zone, the first capital city which he¡¯d left only minutes prior. ¡®What a pity¡­ Does he know he has a target on his back?¡¯ Safe zones protect players against PVP attacks. They don¡¯t protect against assassins who have taken a mission on, though. He teleported into the city. His character moved gracefully around the players who were happily chatting, looking at the stalls set up on the streets as he scanned for the name of his target. Ryuk. He didn¡¯t find him on the streets, so he started to look in business establishments. He¡¯d made his way through 2 buildings before he found the target in a player-run restaurant sitting across from another player. The blood elf jumped onto an empty table and reached to pull himself onto an open wooden beam in the middle of the room and crouched as he made his way above his target. Ryuk was an orange-named player, which meant that he¡¯d killed at least 20 people in the week before Xiao Yi accepted the hit, which was quite normal. Especially given the fact that the icon next to Ryuk¡¯s name suggested he was a high-ranking official in his guild. His friend, however, was a bit more threatening to Xiao Yi than the little mage. A red-named player that had killed at least 50 players normally wasn¡¯t concerning but combined with his guild master badge and being a rare wood elf race with a hunter class¡­ That was a tad concerning. Xiao Yi tapped his finger against the table as his eyes narrowed. Hunters were similar to assassins. They could attack at any range, but they also used traps and bows. Because they were so similar to one another, hunters had an easier time with assassins. It could be said that they were natural enemies. He couldn¡¯t tell what the players were talking about. They were using their voices, judging from the little bubbles above their head, and he was just out of range to hear their conversation. He also found that, well, he just didn¡¯t care to eavesdrop. What he did care about was if that hunter would leave or if he¡¯d have to kill his friend in front of him, get placed on a guild hit list once more, and have to deal with little rodents chasing after him. Chapter 27 Xiao Yi read the details of his mission again and sighed. The little human mage was a bit pitiful. He had chosen to steal something from someone else after he was killed by a mob while AFK, mocked them, and pissed off a rich player. That was the reason given for the assassination. Simply put, he was a scumbag first and met a player that happened to have the funds to continuously send hits out until he was satisfied. If an assassination was successful, the little mage would lose a level. Sleepy held a black-throwing star shuriken with red paint adorning the tips and twirled it in his hands for a moment before throwing it at Ryuk. It hit the other''s neck, but not enough to kill him. Ryuk and his friend immediately jumped up from the table and faced the beam where Sleepy was crouched. Ryuk flashed an attack toward the beam as he landed on the ground, but Sleepy jumped down lightly before it was able to hit him. Taking his duo swords in his hands, he watched as the two looked around with stupefied expressions. ¡®¡­¡¯ He placed the swords against Ryuk¡¯s neck and unknowing if the little mage had noticed or if he was just aiming randomly, a bulb of light hit Sleepy. His figure appeared to everyone just as he slashed Ryuk¡¯s neck and the other fell to the ground pitifully. He had expected something more exciting, but Ryuk really just let himself be killed. The crowd that had gathered watched as Ryuk fell to the ground and immediately backed off as they looked at the blood elf with a black nameplate in fear. A player who killed at least 1000 players who didn¡¯t wait to cleanse his name between killing sprees. Yet, despite this¡­ This black-named player wasn¡¯t on any ¡®be warned¡¯ lists in their guild notes. Who the hell is this man? How did this person kill so many people without anyone noticing? Sleepy flicked the blood off his swords and placed them behind his back before tilting his head both in-game and in real life. He decisively typed in general chat. Sleepy: ¡°Well, that was a bit boring. Poor mage.¡± Ryuk, who was still dead on the ground: ¡°Why did you kill me?¡± Sleepy: ¡°You offended someone.¡± The crowd understood - assassins were the only people who could kill someone in a safe zone. Ryuk was always in a safe zone lately so someone hired an assassin to take him out. But who was this assassin? They weren''t on any leaderboards. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Sleepy disappeared without looking at the chat and Ryuk was revived by his friend. Ryuk: "I know I was just killed, but shouldn''t we recruit him to our guild?" Yashi: "I tried. He''s already disappeared, and he has whispers and friend requests turned off." Ryuk: "¡­" Xiao Yi, who didn''t know what was being discussed, teleported back to the last capital, walked over to the assassin board, and noticed another S target had been posted while he was completing his last assignment. ¡®Don¡¯t be boring.¡¯ An assassination request for another assassin by an assassin. Interesting. He looked over the request and it had much more information than the assassination of Ryuk. The target was a rogue assassin who used to be the leader of a guild of assassins but ended up passing the leadership to someone else and disappearing. The next time the guild saw him, he killed one of them due to a job posting. The guild had a rule, made by this person, that they would not hunt other assassins, and they felt that he had broken the rule. Xiao Yi tapped his finger against his cheek as he read. The guild leader was said to be an alt account of a pro player but it was never confirmed. He thought that was interesting. Was he said to be an alt-account because he was skilled at assassination? There was no proof? Was this to scare away assassins or to make them feel better about posting? Nothing was said about his rankings, but his name was clear. Nightmare. He knew the name, it was the second on the assassin leaderboard. Right underneath his Frost account. Furthermore, it was a blood elf just like his. He looked at the gold reward - it was the highest reward that could be offered. He raised his eyebrows. He needed gold. Well, specifically, his alt account needed gold and he didn''t feel like switching to his main account to transfer it. It would be too annoying to transfer gold between accounts every time he switched. He didn''t mind offending anyone. He also felt like it was a fun challenge. He accepted the task and looked at the map. He was very close to him, in the mountains outside of the city. His invisibility was still on cooldown, but he didn''t mind. A fair fight sounded reasonable to him. An assassin on the leaderboard deserved at least that respect. While maneuvering Sleepy through the city and along the path that split the mountain, he kept his hand on his cheek. He imagined where he would be if he were taking a leisurely stroll in the mountain terrain. Sleepy hopped gracefully up the wall surrounding the pathway and landed on the left side. In his opinion, it was the more scenic route. He jumped on a branch and gracefully glided through the trees with his eyes focused. He moved for a while before he saw a person in the distance and jumped down from the trees, moving lazily through the forest towards the person. As he got closer he could see the character in front of him and although he couldn''t see the nameplate yet, he knew he had found him. A blood elf was leaning against a shattered ruin, at the top of what seemed like a broken old castle tower. Xiao Yi could see straight up the tower from where he was - the entire side was broken, leaving just a stairway up a few feet to where the player was. He had long black hair that was tied up with a black ribbon, showing pointed ears with earrings adorning both ears. His face was covered by a mask, and only deep ruby eyes could be seen which were the signature of the blood elf class. He was wearing a neat black outfit with a sword hanging from his waist and his arms were crossed as he leaned. Sleepy moved closer to him and he could see the nametag. He wasn''t surprised that it was black. It read: Nightmare. Xiao Yi didn''t plan to attack, he didn''t know if the character was AFK. He also didn''t plan to hide. Taking his hand off his cheek, he walked through the broken stone structures around him. He sat up straight, jumping twice to ignore the stairs, and landed right in front of Nightmare. Nightmare didn''t move, so he didn''t move. He just stood there, patiently waiting. Chapter 28 Xiao Yi had been waiting patiently for five minutes. It was enough time for all his skills to reset. He could have killed his target, but he wanted to have a fair fight. It wasn''t often that an assassination request for another assassin was posted, especially not one that he could be considered on par with. Most of the time, he felt like he was just being a bully when he picked up assassination targets. He leaned back and took a sip of Pepsi that was¡­ well, not cold anymore and stared at the person in front of him with excitement. Black name. Assassination guild leader. Blood Elf. Assassin rank 2. He couldn''t wait for the fight. He was just happy that no one else would be able to snag this target as long as neither of them was killed. In another apartment, a man had just walked away from his computer for a few minutes to make coffee. While his teammates were fast asleep, he hadn''t been able to sleep, so he opted to stay in the game on his alt. He walked around the desk with his cup pressed to his mouth and nearly spit out his coffee in surprise. There were shining red eyes staring through his screen. Nightmare: ¡­ Why did I move into first-person view? He sat down and put his character into third person view and looked at his situation. There was a blood elf in front of him with a black nameplate. It was likely an assassination attempt. The blood elf was slightly shorter than his character, had long black hair with a red tint to it, ruby eyes, a black mask like his, a ripped uniform that showed a dragon tattoo, and a unique name. Sleepy. He clicked to view Sleepy''s character information. The man didn''t join a guild, nor did he have a past guild. Other than that, he couldn''t see any of the other information. He rubbed his chin and chuckled at the irony of their names. Nightmare and Sleepy. There was no one else around, only two assassins, and the person who came to assassinate him was waiting obediently and patiently. He took a sip of coffee and then moved his character to signify he was there and pulled out his sword. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Sleepy gracefully hopped away onto the ground below the ruins and flicked a throwing star at Nightmare playfully in mid-air before bouncing away. Nightmare dodged and followed behind Sleepy, jumping on every spot that Sleepy did. Sleepy stopped in the middle of the ruins and turned to meet his target. He pulled out his long sword and clicked a few keys, disappearing in a flash and arriving behind Nightmare. He had enough time to slash, but he decided not to. Nightmare turned while holding his own sword and they playfully exchanged blows, mirroring each others'' attacks back and forth. Nightmare had a light in his eyes while they exchanged blows while thinking: This Sleepy is pretty good. He didn''t recognize this young assassin, but he felt familiar with his movements. It was rare to find an assassin on par with him. He thought that this little assassin had a lot of tricks up his sleeves. Sleepy decided to get serious. He stopped using base skills and started using unique skills that relied on hand movements and skill. His fingers glided over the keyboard and he moved his mouse to build momentum. He jumped up into the air and behind him appeared 10 throwing stars floating in the air, circling around him with red particles. He aimed them carefully at Nightmare, estimated where he would run off to, and sent them flying, it happened in the span of only a few seconds. Nightmare dodged 9 of them, but one of them appeared out of nowhere and hit his character''s arm. He rolled on the ground and looked at Sleepy who had landed a few feet away. The man on the other side of the screen grinned. It was rare to see players in general that could use skills other than the base-level ones. Especially, to see players who could make it to rank 10 with their skills. The skill that Xiao Yi used was called throwing shurikens. It was a basic name, but the base skill was entirely different from the last level of the skill. Skills were divided into different ranks, and the base level of throwing shurikens was 5 shurikens that would randomly shoot out simultaneously. It was still a strong skill if a player wanted to use the base skill. But the difference in ranks would make the skill stronger, and more precise, allowing the player to aim and control each shuriken separately. Level 10 meant that Sleepy executed the steps perfectly, and that was seen in the shuriken control as well as the shurikens floating in a circle. Nightmare smirked and sat up straight. He couldn''t take the assassin lightly anymore. He copied the move and 10 shurikens appeared behind him. He aimed them all at Sleepy, and before he even shot them out, Sleepy seemed to disappear. Nightmare: ¡­ He aimed the shurikens at different places and shot them out. None of them hit Sleepy. Sleepy wasn''t even invisible, he only flashed to the top of a ruin. He looked down and scoffed at the assassin leader he was watching, thinking: What an idiot. His fingers hit the keys nimbly, and it began to lightly rain. A hundred throwing knives appeared from the raindrops and rained down around Nightmare. Nightmare flashed out of the storm but he couldn''t avoid getting hit a few times. He was half health, while Sleepy was full health. He looked around and found Sleepy on top of the ruins. Sleepy had sat down and he threw a throwing knife lazily. It hit the ground in front of Nightmare as if to say he was there. Nightmare flashed toward Sleepy as Sleepy got up and flashed towards him, meeting his sword with his newly drawn duo blades in the middle. He nimbly avoided Nightmares attacks, making his character lean back or jump around while he poked at Nightmares'' unprotected sides. They stayed like that for a few minutes, exchanging blows, dodging, and matching each other''s pace. Chapter 29 Sleepy had gotten hit a few times by hidden weapons of Nightmares, his health gradually matching the target he was supposed to kill. He realized he was having too much fun with this target, but if he didn''t kill him soon he would lose the gold he needed. Sleepy decided it was time to end the fight and his fingers ran wildly around the keyboard, matching Nightmare''s pace while executing a skill. Well, he executed three skills while avoiding Nightmares attacks. Nightmare paused when he saw a cherry blossom slowly flutter in front of his eyes. He made his character look up and cursed while jumping away. Except for him, there was only one other who had mastered the skill of thousands of cherry blossoms. The skill was just as it sounded. Any player could try to use the skill, but if they failed, their character would die instead. Thousands of cherry blossoms fell around them. It looked stunning, but it was the deadliest skill in Valley of Light. This skill was extremely challenging to execute since it didn''t even have a base skill. If skills that were ranked 10 were hard to pull off, this skill could be considered a rank 15. Without the other two skills, he might have tried to run out of range. There was an array of blades surrounding the two players. Glowing blue lines connected them together and created a ''yin-yang'' shape with the two assassins in the middle. They were trapped in the circle, which was the perfect radius for the cherry blossoms. He wouldn''t be able to destroy the array quickly enough to get out of the radius. The third skill was the rank 10, throwing shurikens, shurikens surrounded Sleepy. Nightmare cursed again. Three skills at once are not easy. Three skills with one of them being thousands of cherry blossoms means unavoidable death. He avoided the shurikens, but he couldn''t avoid the cherry blossoms that fluttered gently through the air, slowly being picked up by the wind and surrounding him. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. He ran his hands over the keyboard and ten swords flew up from the ground and circled him. He tried to slash through the petals but it was useless. He couldn''t cut through them all. The cherry blossoms slowly cut into him, as if they were a thousand blades instead of soft flowers. He fell to the ground and Sleepy deactivated the skills around him and sat down in front of the defeated blood elf with a tilted head and typed. Sleepy: "That wasn''t boring. I would''ve fought with you longer, but I really need the gold." The man laughed as he looked at the cocky assassin in front of his body, a smile adorning his face despite his defeat. Xiao Yi wasn''t lying. It was the closest fight he''d had in a long time, and if he hadn''t used the three skills together, his target would have defeated him. If he had messed up even one key, he would have died. His blood was pumping and he had a light smile on his face as he looked down at the body before him. Nightmare: "Your friend requests are turned off. Want to be friends? We can fight again." Xiao Yi sat up in his chair. He didn''t have any friends on this alt account of his, he hadn''t added V yet and he always took accompanying players off of his friend list so they couldn''t annoy him later on. He was about to deny it like he usually did, but he pursed his lips as he thought. He could possibly fight this assassin again¡­ He opened up Nightmare''s information and decided to send a friend request, which was accepted. He even revived Nightmare and waved at him before heading back to the city with a slight bounce in his step. He then accepted the two gold rewards waiting for him. He didn''t know, though, that killing Nightmare would have a ripple effect in the game. The assassin guild had cheekily put up an assassination notice, but they didn''t think that someone would accept it and that this person had actually succeeded. The new guild leader, Thorn, looked at the notification that the task had succeeded and that his gold had been taken. He ran to the board to see the video of the assassination. This feature was put in place so that buyers could trust that their task was completed and that their target didn''t just¡­ Let them kill them. He didn''t think anyone could kill Nightmare, and was ready to report this player ''Sleepy'' so he saved the video to his computer and then clicked play. He wanted to see how this little player succeeded in getting Nightmare to agree to let him kill him. He watched the video, which started from the moment Sleepy picked up the task to the end, where Nightmare died to three skills and he decided to put it on the forum after seeing the three skills being used together. The video was 29 minutes long, and all assassination tasks were terminated after 30 minutes or if the assassin died. 20 minutes were spent fighting, while 7 minutes were spent waiting patiently for his target. Sleepy wasn''t known in the game, but Nightmare was, and the fact that Nightmare had died to someone got everyone''s attention. In addition to performing thousands of cherry blossoms, Sleepy mastered two other skills. The question on everyone''s mind was: Who was this great god? Chapter 30 [Nightmare is offline.] Xiao Yi pulled up another herb, oregano, from his garden with a slight smile. It had been a few hours since their fight and he¡¯d be the first to admit that adrenaline was still pumping through his veins. Even seeing the name, Nightmare, made him excited. He¡¯d been pushed to his limits in that fight but he wasn¡¯t sure if Nightmare utilized his full skills or not, that was the most exciting part. Four years. Four years without an equal opponent. He¡¯d completed the other S-ranked hits on the board after he¡¯d added Nightmare and none of them matched even a finger on the other hand, which added to the thrill of having found a talented new friend. Without noticing, the sun rose while Xiao Yi pulled more herbs from the garden, made his trek to the storage in his house to put them away and grab more seeds, planted the seeds, pulled the vegetables¡­ repeat. Tomorrow, he¡¯d cook. Today, he was making sure he had everything he needed aside from the purchase-only base ingredients. Cars could be heard faintly, driving past the base to get to the main road. It was nearing March break so there was a bit less traffic, but traffic nonetheless. Those who weren¡¯t on vacation were off to go to work and school, while others were heading to visit their families or a much-needed vacation. The rush of the city drowned out the bird''s songs, but it didn¡¯t drown out the footsteps rushing down the stairs, nor the unintelligible shouting. Xiao Yi¡¯s hand on the mouse paused as Xiao Qiu pushed the door to the training room open, face red, with Lee following close behind looking amused. ¡®Is looking like a tomato the new look?¡¯ Xiao Qiu¡¯s gaze drifted to the computer before shifting to Xiao Yi and he waved his phone in the air. ¡°Is this your idea of staying low?¡± Xiao Yi raised his eyebrow, looked at the screen where his character was surrounded by lush farmland, and looked back at his brother with a tilted head. ¡°Eh?¡± Was gardening a problem now, too? Were people about to show up at his house and ask him for vegetables? Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Lee took in Xiao Yi¡¯s expression and chuckled. ¡°We¡¯re not talking about your farm.¡± Xiao Qiu walked over to the desk and thrust his phone into Xiao Yi¡¯s hands while pushing the rolling chair, with the youngest one, away from the computer. He ranted as he logged out of the game. ¡°You were trending all night! You¡¯re a bright, shining star right now! ¡± He¡¯d been in the middle of having, potentially, the best sleep he¡¯d had in months when something in him screamed at him to wake up and check his phone like an ominous premonition. Hence, he woke up, checked his phone, and was about to roll back to sleep when he noticed it. A screenshot of a video in the Valley of Light¡¯s forum. The post was talking about some new great god, and he, being the curious esports player he was, clicked on the link to the original post. He didn¡¯t think much of it at first and decided to watch the video to see if the fans were just overreacting about some new face or if he should tell Lee about a new potential threat. He nearly threw the phone out of the window when he saw the name, ¡®Sleepy¡¯. His eye twitched as he watched the video and saw his own little brother obediently waiting to beat up a well-known assassin in the game for 7 minutes. He then watched as they fought on par with each other and observed his little brother tease the assassin shamelessly before showing his trump card. His trump card was the most damning part. How many professional players on the Chinese server would have the skills to perfectly execute the mechanics for three level 10 moves at once? Especially including the Cherry Blossoms¡­ Wasn¡¯t this just him admitting that he was Frost? Midnight, a captain who usually sat out in competitions, was likely the only other person who could match Xiao Yi in terms of skills as an assassin. Hence, Xiao Qiu was able to decipher that Nightmare was that guy''s alt. The other¡­ Xue. That bastard always sent out his alt-account information in group chats, though, and Nightmare¡¯s style was closer to Midnight. Why did his brother need to go seek out trouble? He scrolled through the comments before going off to find Lee, some people had already connected the dots and mentioned it on Weibo but it hadn¡¯t made any waves yet. Xiao Qiu continued ranting. ¡°Don¡¯t go outside, stay of Valley of Light for a while¡­ At least don¡¯t accept any more assassination requests.¡± Xiao Yi realized where his brother was coming from and his head shot up to meet the eyes of Lee. ¡°They found Sleepy?¡± Lee nodded and then shook his head. ¡°They found Sleepy, only a few fans connected the dots that Sleepy might be Frost so it hasn¡¯t made waves yet.¡± Xiao Qiu chimed in. ¡°Seriously, what were you thinking? I hate to boost your ego but how many players do you think can pull off what you did? Do you think you can fool people into thinking you¡¯re simply a PVE player who hasn¡¯t made waves yet? Stupid!¡± Xiao Qiu''s voice had a tinge of anxiety laced in and Xiao Yi narrowed his eyes again. He didn''t mean to worry his brother so much. However, he was just having so much fun fighting Nightmare and he hadn''t really... Well, he hadn''t thought anything of it quite frankly. Lee spoke up once more. ¡°On top of that, you even dared to pull off Thousands of Cherry Blossoms with two other mechanic moves. The captains are already moving, trying to get your contact information.¡± He pushed himself off the chair and nodded obediently. He dared to do that. He was in a bit of demon mode last night and wasn''t thinking of the consequences. He was wrong this time and caused his brother to worry, he even brought Lee into things. Chapter 31 [V]: The four idiots marched in like they owned my company, demanding I tell them where you are. [V]: They just left. I told them that your wrists were injured and you couldn¡¯t play, that you went abroad to get treatment. [V]: I told them that you got into a fistfight the first winter when you left and showed them a picture of you when you were at the hospital back then. Xiao Yi sat on the edge of his bed, his suitcase left open with the contract he signed lying on top of his clothes. He¡¯d read this contract more times than he¡¯d like to admit, so much so that he could recite it by heart. V had some gripes with the contract. Whether it was legal or not, whether there were other ways to break it besides going back in time to win a championship. It was legal. There were technically three contracts. One for his disownment, one for his team, and one for him. The contract for disowning him was just an agreement between the two parties so his parents could officially disinherit him and have nothing to do with him without being looked down upon by the public. It also meant that if Xiao Yi got into controversy and the Xiao family was dragged into it, they could claim that he¡¯d long since left the family name behind. The contract for the team was signed preemptively to make sure that his parents would release their contracts should anything happen and wouldn¡¯t get in the way of them finding other teams to join. The contract for him was a business deal. Technically, Team X was supposed to be disbanded anyway so they were offering him a lifeline to hold onto. It was an investment with conditions and the reason why Xiao Yi couldn¡¯t step onto the stage again was due to the non-compete clause they added in if any conditions were broken. All legal, although it could be seen as morally and ethically wrong to make a non-compete clause that spanned into his mid-thirties it was also reasonable in the eyes of the court due to the industry. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. A boy took over a team before he was an adult, honed his skills, gained insider information¡­ What judge would believe that he didn¡¯t gain everything he¡¯d had from the company that gracefully gave an olive branch to a young kid? As for ways to break it¡­ Xiao Yi wasn¡¯t about to give up his investments to pay that fine. His days in the esports world were long over, and he was okay with it. V and Xiao Qiu seemed to believe he missed being on the stage. He only missed being on that stage with the particular idiots that stormed into a company building. Not the current idiots, but the old ones. There was no way that these bastards weren¡¯t scheming something. He glanced at the phone with a small smile for a moment, before his eyes widened. [X]: You took a picture? [V]: Is that all you took from what I said? [X]: En. [V]: I wanted them to feel bad for what they put you through but you asked me to stay quiet. Wanted them to feel bad? It was his fault for allowing them to misunderstand him, if he were in their shoes he¡¯d probably have done far worse than what they¡¯d done. Xiao Yi would have ruined them if they¡¯d done what they thought he did. He was a vengeful person. Hell, if his family hadn¡¯t protected themselves so well in that contract¡­ He reached down to zip up the bag with a bitter smile. Xiao Yi didn¡¯t have a chance to tell Xiao Qiu he was leaving. The boys went over to another team¡¯s base for a practice match not long after Xiao Qiu scolded him and didn¡¯t come back. Yet¡­ He glanced at his phone once more. [Your driver has arrived at your location.] ¡®Well, a text should be fine, right?¡¯ Xiao Yi stood at the door for a moment, suitcase handle in one hand and phone in the other, contemplating. Wasn¡¯t he just being a scumbag by leaving like this? He left the small secondary home and walked along the side yard of the team building, a mix of emotions running through his veins. Four years. He¡¯d been depending on his brother for four years. He¡¯d slept for four years, and hardly did anything aside from investing and playing Valley of Light. He hadn¡¯t been a person in four years. Now¡­ He had to grow up and fly the coop. He had to become his own person and stop burdening and holding back his older brother. Despite knowing all of this, as his eyes fell on the black Sudan waiting in front of the building, he suddenly wanted to turn back and find his brother¡¯s shoulder to sleep on. Xiao Yi paused just before his foot hit the concrete of the sidewalk and took a deep breath. ¡®If I continue like this¡­¡¯ Xiao Yi opened the back of the sedan and carefully placed his suitcase inside, then slid in the back. ¡°Shenzhen Bao¡¯an International.¡± Chapter 32 Xiao Yi stepped off the plane with a newfound appreciation for good parents. Despite the flight taking under two hours, the mother and child duo next to him made it feel ten hours long. The child wanted a sucker since he''d gotten one at takeoff, but there was only one left for landing, hence the tears and screaming began. The mother, aware of the strangers around her tried everything to get the child to calm down. Walking with him in her arms as he wailed, finding more snacks, pre-prepared games, and toys¡­ Nothing worked. The child wanted a sucker and only wanted a sucker. At some point, the child forgot what he wanted but wouldn''t stop throwing fits. Being a mother is hard. Being the person next to the mother and child though¡­ Xiao Yi looked paler than ever as he slowly made his way to the entrance of the airport, thankful that he could no longer hear wails from children and instead only the odd announcements, conversations between passengers, and footsteps from those passing. A figure with new, vibrant burgundy hair hurried toward the absent-minded Xiao Yi, coming to a stop right in front of him with a wide, blinding smile. "I know it''s only been a few days since I saw you, but shouldn''t you look more excited to see me?" Xiao Yi blinked and slowly ran his eyes over V, who looked as professional as he could aside from the hair color with a black suit, styled hair, and even a pair of nearly shining black slip-on shoes. V''s smile faltered as he saw Xiao Yi eying him and he swiftly stole the suitcase from the other hand and walked out of the airport with a solemn. "As much as I''d like to get you settled in¡­ We need to go to the company." This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Xiao Yi raised his eyebrow but followed V to the car. It wasn''t until V had placed the suitcase in the trunk and sat next to him in the backseat that he spoke again. "I didn''t think my father-in-law had enough power to stage a coupe, but here we are. Thankfully you came a few days early or I might be out of a company." Xiao Yi sat up in his seat and ran his icy blue eyes over V once more. "What?" The simple question sparked a rant that would last the entire drive to the company. "Xu Chun Hua isn''t doing anything. I understand that she''s in an awkward position but I''ve never been rude to her parents, never. Maybe I''ve been too nice." "At this point it''s obvious that her parents aren''t satisfied with me supporting them, giving them stocks, houses, cars¡­ No, they want my entire company! Does she understand that if I lose my company, her life will change too? Does she think her parents will support her¡­ Us?" "I feel like I''m having a mid-life crisis." V pulled out his phone and shoved it in front of Xiao Yi. "Look, an emergency shareholder meeting without the CEO? Thankfully, a few of them were smart enough to reach out to let me know¡­" Xiao Yi''s mask broke as he scoffed. Did those old men have a clue of just how much work V put into the company? If V was gone, the company would be under in a few years. Although he may look like a punk most of the time, V was far more than a CEO who sat in his office looking pretty while signing papers at the odd time. He was technically the lead innovator, accountant, investor, and software developer. There were multiple instances of V letting him test game content that hadn''t been published nor spoken about to the team, that''s the kind of CEO V was. V was wealthy from family wealth before becoming a CEO, but anyone without his connections would have run the company to the ground no matter how beautiful the game was. Xiao Yi was present when Chen Qiang asked V. "Why do you have so many projects?" His answer was. "A good developer won''t put all their eggs in one basket." With You - Sneak Peak [5 Chapters] I''ve had a hectic week so while I am planning to release the next chapter of Frost this week, it probably won''t be today. Hence, here are 5 chapters of With You, a Patreon exclusive for free. Chapter 1 ¡°Alright, it¡¯s time to go home. Thank you for staying late.¡± A feminine, small figure in an unwrinkled black suit bowed towards a group of people in well-kept uniforms of their own. Few had full black suits like hers, opting for black slacks and clean, white button-up shirts with a pin showcasing their hotel logo and their name and position. A handful of individuals had a few differences, such as the cleaners wearing soft yet black slacks to make their jobs a bit easier, and chefs with their aprons still wrapped around their bodies. The restaurant staff and chefs all had embroidery instead of pins as there¡¯d been a few occasions of pins falling into the food in previous years. After a long bow, the woman stood straight and dispersed the employees with a single wave and a slight smile before turning to the staff room on her own. As soon as the door closed shut she let out a sigh of relief and rubbed her shoulders while stretching her back and rolling her neck. Her body ached all over from the fourteen-hour workday and she¡¯d only been able to take one break as she was the only manager on the floor, yet it wasn¡¯t in her job description. She was called in for an emergency but was normally in the marketing department. She was also the only person in the office that knew how to run both hotel and restaurant, as she worked there part-time while in university and moved her way through the ranks. At this point¡­ Was her boss trying to run her off the edge of a cliff? ¡°Fuck being a jack of all trades.¡± Her murmur disappeared in the silent room as she grabbed her purse from her temporary locker and threw on her coat before turning to leave as she checked her phone. She clicked on the notification to her phone as she left the hotel from the room¡¯s entrance, into the second parking lot. She had two messages, one from her older sister, Wei Lei, telling her that she missed the nightly call. She promptly responded that she¡¯d just gotten off work, then glanced at the other notification. Zhang Yuxi: [Wei Xinyi! You stood up another blind date, are you planning to be single for the rest of your life?] Zhang Yuxi: [I¡¯m at your apartment. Did you run away due to fear or are you working late?] The two messages were sent five hours apart, the second one appearing only seven minutes prior, likely the moment when Wei Xinyi gathered the employees together. Wei Xinyi tilted her head with a smile and typed back. [I told you not to set up blind dates for me, I just got off work. I¡¯ll be there in five.] Zhang Yuxi responded immediately as if she¡¯d been staring at her phone waiting. [Good. Mom made extra homemade noodles and crayfish so I¡¯ll feed you when you come home. Also, can you be a human and clean your kitchen? When¡¯s the last time you¡¯ve checked for expired food?] How could Wei Xinyi say that she forgot to clean the fridge because she only ordered takeout? There was no doubt in her mind that Zhang Yuxi would scold her and even offer to move in! Wei Xinyi decided not to respond and continued her walk to the apartment, yet her face still donned a smile and her attitude had improved significantly. Eight years ago she, Zhang Yuxi, Zhang Jing, and Li Hua had packed their bags and left their hometown, Hangzhou, against the wishes of her parents. Actually, if those three hadn¡¯t been standing behind her when she told her parents the news of going to Beijing for university¡­ They definitely would have tied her to a chair! Only she and Zhang Yuxi stayed in the city all these years, trying to forge a path into the future despite the high cost of living. Both of them were high-functioning workaholics that lived on opposite sides of the city so they only met each other in person every few months. Wei Xinyi¡¯s apartment was only a short walk from the hotel so she didn¡¯t need to use public transit or purchase a car and after an exhaustedly long elevator wait, she opened her apartment on the twelfth floor. Zhang Yuxi was in a half-seated position on the couch, her legs propped lazily along the cushions while her shoulders were supported by the arm of the couch. She was in the midst of fiddling with her phone when the door opened, and she glanced up with a large smile. Her words spoke against the smile as she taunted. ¡°You ran off to work to avoid a blind date? That¡¯s a new one.¡± Wei Xinyi chuckled and she dropped her purse on the dining room table, pointing out. ¡°You told me you¡¯d feed me, where¡¯s the food?¡± The two girls stared at each other for a moment and Wei Xinyi pouted. If any of her coworkers or staff were able to see her expression, they would swear up and down that she¡¯d been possessed. She was always cold, and blunt, and she wouldn¡¯t hold back her opinions or bend down to anyone else which contrasted her great and elegant appearance. If she hadn¡¯t had that personality, though, she wouldn¡¯t be where she was and she¡¯d be walked over or looked down upon due to possessing the very same, alluring face. Alas, only Zhang Yuxi was present and she couldn¡¯t hold a straight face for long, her mouth twitching for a few seconds before she burst out laughing. ¡°You - you look like a lost puppy! How can you pout when you¡¯re nearly thirty?¡± Wei Xinyi¡¯s hands flew up defensively in the air. ¡°When was twenty-six almost thirty? You¡¯re older by four months!¡± The other only shook her head and waved her toward her room. ¡°Go get changed while I heat everything. By the way, Mother¡¯s been cautious about health lately after her aunt passed, she booked us an appointment for tomorrow.¡± Wei Xinyi nodded and made her way to the room. There were only a few things that kept her from leaving her job. One of them was the fact that she got paid on time and made a bit above the standard average salary for her position and the other¡­ No weekends. Over the years she¡¯d actually ignored the second part of her benefits unless she promised to visit Zhang Yuxi or her siblings flew in. She opted to sleep in on Saturdays and do work while watching dramas and movies in the background. Of course, she got paid worthwhile overtime. Sundays, she¡¯d go shopping for necessities, run errands, and go to the gym. If it weren¡¯t for an overtime hour cap, she¡¯d work on Sundays too. A moment later, Wei Xinyi emerged with a pair of white and grey plaid pajamas and another pair of pink and white plaid ones for Zhang Yuxi, which she left on the arm of the couch. Wei Xinyi leaned against the very same couch arm and observed her best friend¡¯s back as she hovered over the rarely used stove. Really, that stove should have Zhang Yuxi¡¯s name on it since she was the only person who used it. Neither friend spoke but the air was significantly lighter than when she was home alone, and she couldn¡¯t help but admit that she¡¯d missed Zhang Yuxi. They had been thick as thieves during their childhood, they even shared the same baths when they were toddlers as their parents raised them together. They pretty much had four parents, Zhang Yuxi¡¯s and Wei Xinyi¡¯s since they were so close. Neither family left their doors locked but both girls had each other¡¯s keys hung on their key chains and a designated futon in their closets ready to be laid out for sleepovers. Ironically, Zhang Yuxi was the calm one during their childhood and Wei Xinyi was the one being chased by their parents and scolded. When they were young, before they entered middle school, Wei Xinyi could convince Zhang Yuxi to be her partner in crime to take half of the heat off herself but eventually Zhang Yuxi would become the first to rat her out! Little suck up. It didn¡¯t change their friendship, though. Zhang Yuxi tilted her head to the side and held up the chopsticks she¡¯d been using to stir, a smirk on her face as she continued facing the stove. ¡°Did you miss me that much? You can¡¯t keep your eyes off me, I understand I¡¯m an unparalleled beauty but you¡¯re making me shy.¡± Wei Xinyi snorted. ¡°Yes, yes, can¡¯t I admire it?¡± Zhang Yuxi chuckled. ¡°Where¡¯s my performance fee?¡± ¡°I¡¯m broke.¡± ¡°Bullshit, you work all the time and do nothing in your free time and you¡¯re saying you¡¯re broke?¡± Zhang Yuxi spun around to glance at Wei Xinyi, who decided that the dark TV was the most interesting thing in her apartment as she avoided the gaze. A moment later, Zhang Yuxi fixed her eyes on the stove again. ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡± Wei Xinyi glanced back and waved her hand although the other couldn¡¯t see it. ¡°I¡¯m not really broke.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Zhang Yuxi grabbed a few dishes and poured the now steaming food out. ¡°I¡¯m feeding you, come here.¡± The dining table was laid, clean plates and bowls that Wei Xinyi had neglected in the past were put out for both people and they chatted as they ate. ¡°Have you heard about Li Hua lately?¡± Wei Xinyi frowned, pulling a few noodles into a bowl as she inquired. ¡°What about her?¡± Zhang Yuxi followed her lead and gossiped. ¡°Apparently she had another child, a boy, and named him Jue after your older brother.¡± It took the years of patience Wei Xinyi learned after dealing with greasy old men and snobbish customers to stop her from throwing her chopsticks across the room, but she couldn¡¯t stop herself from clenching them and cursing. ¡°Fuck. She¡¯s so bold! I can¡¯t believe her husband would let her do that, who names a baby after their ex?¡± Li Hua had met Zhang Yuxi, Zhang Jing, and Wei Xinyi in middle school. Obviously, two were biological sisters and had known each other their entire life whereas Wei Xinyi was like their chosen sister. Li Hua was different than them in that way, but it didn¡¯t stop them from cherishing their friendship with her. They didn¡¯t leave her out of anything and when they felt like they¡¯d be excluding her, they wouldn¡¯t do that thing. Such as skipping a family vacation because Li Hua had to stay for summer school, avoiding going to cafes on their way to school, and no more last-minute sleepovers. Perhaps they were too immature back then, but they didn¡¯t want Li Hua to feel like she wasn¡¯t part of their friendship so they kept themselves from doing a lot of things. They never resented her for this, but it only showed their effort. When they were eighteen they had moved to Beijing together and rented an apartment with rent split four ways during their first year of university. Everything had been going well until Li Hua disappeared with just a simple note left behind. ¡°I¡¯m quitting university and going abroad.¡± The worst part wasn¡¯t her abandoning them without paying the rent, nor was it the chaos that ensured afterward as they attempted to find more part-time work, it wasn¡¯t even the heartbreak that the friends felt when they couldn¡¯t contact her. It was the fact that she didn¡¯t even dare to tell Wei Jue, her boyfriend, and Wei Xinyi¡¯s older brother by two years, that she was leaving. She never officially broke up with him, never gave him a reason, never answered his calls or gave closure, leaving the Wei family with a shattered twenty-year-old son. Even worse¡­ Only they knew that Wei Jue was going to propose to her a few weeks later. Wei Xinyi shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t tell him.¡± With a frown, Zhang Yuxi held up her phone. ¡°It¡¯s too late, he¡¯s the one who told my sister.¡± Wei Xinyi sighed and went back to eating. Wei Jue had eight years to heal and he hadn¡¯t said anything in recent years so she must have been too worried. She wasn¡¯t the eldest sibling in this family - why does she need to worry? Chapter 2 The rest of the night was filled with laughter, a few cans of beer, and cuddling up on the couch while indulging in a much-needed break while binge-watching a newly released drama they hadn¡¯t seen due to work. Eventually, the two passed out in the living room. Wei Xinyi was lying on the floor, sprawled horizontally across a futon with one of her hands inches away from a can of beer. Zhang Yuxi had taken the honor of sleeping on the couch, one leg following the line of gravity to the floor while one of her arms lay across her face, blocking out the sun that brightened the apartment through the large balcony windows. Wei Xinyi was the first to wake up, the late night and throbbing head doing nothing to deter her internal alarm clock as she rolled over and squinted her eyes open. She stopped herself from groaning, mindful of the rouge leg that entered her vision and she spent a moment staring at the ceiling blankly, contemplating her existence. This was a normal occurrence when Zhang Yuxi came over. As if they were making up for the lost time throughout the months apart, they¡¯d chat about everything and everything. Guys, coworkers, family, old classmates, memories. Hell, even though Wei Yinxi didn¡¯t keep up to date with celebrities she was surprisingly well-informed thanks to Zhang Yuxi. She had no idea how they had so much to talk about¡­ They spoke through a video call at least once a week and sent messages during their breaks at work and after work! Wei Xinyi brushed her disobedient, straight, long black hair out of her eyes and pushed herself off the ground with a grimace, her head throbbing. She made her way to the washroom and washed her face with her cleanser before applying her skincare routine. By the time she¡¯d put on moisturizer, Zhang Yuxi ran into the washroom and went straight to the toilet to throw up. ¡°Shit, are you okay?¡± Wei Xinyi went behind her, patting her back for a moment as Zhang Yuxi practically hugged the toilet with narrowed eyes. After waiting for a few moments, the feeling passed and Zhang Yuxi pushed herself off the ground with a bold statement. ¡°I¡¯m never drinking again.¡± Wei Xinyi chuckled, walking out of the bathroom and preparing two glasses of water as Zhang Yuxi rushed to the sink to brush her teeth. She placed one of the glasses on the edge of the table closest to the washroom door and sipped her own water while leaning against the kitchen counter. She waited until she couldn¡¯t hear the water anymore and retorted. ¡°You say that every time¡­ Should we start having a tea party instead?¡± Although they¡¯d spend half the night getting drunk off the wall, the two women were very similar in alcohol tolerance, and aside from mild hangovers, they¡¯d rarely thrown up. Both of their careers required a lot of bowing to superiors with cups in their early twenties but they hardly drank in their personal life, instead wearing off the after-effects. Zhang Yuxi emerged from the bathroom and Wei Xinyi pointed at the cup on the table, which the other swiftly grabbed before sighing lightly. ¡°Well, we¡¯re both liars. You tell me you¡¯ll go to a blind date and find a man but you¡¯ve stood up¡­¡± She counted on her fingers and her eyes widened. ¡°Seven! I found you seven great men!¡± Wei Xinyi complained. ¡°I don¡¯t have time to date right now.¡± Zhang Yuxi frowned. ¡°You¡¯re in your prime age right now. How many years has it been since you¡¯ve dated?¡± With a glance across the room, Wei Xinyi placed the half-full cup on the kitchen counter and began making her way to her bedroom. She ignored Zhang Yuxi¡¯s question and turned it back on the other. ¡°How many years has it been since you¡¯ve dated? You find yourself a man, I¡¯ll become your child''s aunt and spoil them. ¡°Let¡¯s just adopt.¡± Wei Xinyi had already closed her door and began pulling off her pajamas when she heard the answer, she couldn¡¯t help but laugh as she thought of the scene. Two unmarried women with bustling careers taking care of a child. It wouldn¡¯t be a horrible idea but she wasn¡¯t in the mood to have a child yet, despite being in her mid-twenties and mostly stable. Besides, one of Zhang Yuxi¡¯s exes was vexed by their friendship and it would only stir unfounded rumors. Both females were straight as could be, but they were also closer than sisters and considered each other to be ¡®friend soul mates¡¯ as children. People who just clicked together naturally, understood one another at every turn and were the first to scold one another for bad decisions. Without Zhang Yuxi¡¯s presence in her life, Wei Xinyi likely wouldn¡¯t have grown up from a rowdy troublemaker who didn¡¯t care about her grades. She¡¯d likely be mooching off her parents or siblings, which they would have preferred her to do. The only clear answer she knew was that she wouldn¡¯t have made her way to university if Zhang Yuxi didn¡¯t drag her to the library to study so much in high school. Truly, Wei Xinyi was the worst out of the three Wei children. Since her childhood, she¡¯d been the tyrant of the house causing her parents, brother, and sister to worry greatly as she grew. The worry began before she was even born as her mother had a difficult pregnancy and there was a chance that neither she nor her mother would make it. Then, she appeared as a premature baby and had to be locked up in the hospital for observation. All appeared quite calm for the first year of her life until the unthinkable happened. Her. First. Words. In fact, this was her parent''s own mistake. They trusted her uncle to babysit for them as their parents hadn¡¯t retired yet and they needed to take the twins to a birthday party for one of their distant relatives. This uncle was notorious for being a chaotic teenager, he had parties all the time and even got himself a tattoo at the ripe age of eighteen. He¡¯d calmed since coming back from being abroad, but this inexperienced yet fun uncle in his twenties decided to ¡®teach¡¯ Wei Xinyi a few English terms. He spent a whole afternoon with her on his knee, both parties staring at one another as he coaxed the baby to say her first word, repeating it over and over until he dejectedly gave the baby back to her parents. Three hours later the Wei family found themselves waiting in a line for the cashier, the baby in the cart boldly looking around, Wei Jue and Wei Lei holding onto their father''s fingers as they wobbled about. Their mother had just engaged in a conversation with a neighbor when the baby suddenly screamed. ¡°Shit!¡± Wei Lei ecstatically pointed at the cart while her milky voice chimed. ¡°Sister spoke!¡± Wei Jue glanced at his younger sister in wonder and pulled away from his father''s finger, trying to get closer to hear his sister. The little outburst caught some attention and Wei Xinyi¡¯s parents looked at one another for a moment, thinking that they must have misheard. They hadn¡¯t had a chance to say anything before the baby started repeating and clapping her hands. ¡°Shit, shit, shit, shit!¡± She continued repeating it until they were on the road back to their house and their parents were thoroughly explaining to their three children that it was a bad word not to be repeated. Of course, Wei Xinyi continued repeating it for a few days, encouraging Wei Lei to influence her playmates and causing the three children to be banned from play dates for a few years. Needless to say, their uncle wasn¡¯t allowed to be alone with the baby anymore. Her life of troublemaking began at a young age and she often played pranks on her siblings and parents, ignored her studies in light of other, more interesting adventures, and ran around like a wild child with no leash. It could be said that Wei Jue and Wei Lei had long been conditioned into a calm mindset, nothing could phase them anymore and they could be considered monks for their tolerance levels. Though, Wei Xinyi became sensible in high school which caused her family to worry even more! What was wrong with this brat? Why was she suddenly sensible? Why did she apologize? Where are the pranks and when did she start studying? Did something serious happen to her¡­ Was she traumatized? She didn''t grow any more thoughtful, though. She chose to go to a university in Beijing instead of staying in her hometown, Hangzhou where her parents and elder brother were and completely bypassing her sister in Shanghai. Weren''t there any options close to home? How''d she get such a score on her entrance exam in the first place? The only thing stopping the family of four from tying her down on the chair were the three sensible childhood best friends of Wei Xinyi who ''volunteered'' to follow her to Beijing and ''babysit'' her. Obviously, it was a pre-planned attack but they couldn''t tear the four girls apart and sent them on the plane. Afterward, Wei Xinyi would become a bit more sensible, causing her family to worry more! She immersed herself in school work, then she immersed herself in work... She would go home once a year during the holidays and call the family daily but that¡¯s it. Zhang Yuxi was present through it all, guiding her to become a better person so she wouldn¡¯t worry her parents too much but they decided to stay due to the job opportunities. Wei Xinyi sighed as she thought about her previous behavior and threw on a grey oversized hoodie and a pair of black leggings that she reserved for days she didn¡¯t need to go into the office. She didn¡¯t plan to go anywhere special or look nice for anyone today, so she ignored the makeup on her dresser and threw her hair up in a high ponytail before leaving her room. Zhang Yuxi had already changed back into the clothes she wore the previous day and glanced up from her phone, twisting her head awkwardly from the couch. ¡°You still kept that sweater?¡± Wei Xinyi glanced down at the sweater and back at Zhang Yuxi with a raised brow. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I? It¡¯s still comfortable.¡± Wei Xinyi turned to grab her phone from the dining table and Zhang Yuxi scoffed at the logo of their previous high school on the back of the sweater with the text. ¡®Wei Jue, Class of 2014.¡¯ If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. It was his own fault that it was so comfortable. She snatched it from him the year after he left for university as he had just stored it away with his old clothes, anyway. The immense betrayal she felt when the school stopped making sweaters for their graduating class could still be felt. She wanted another one. Wei Lei was smart enough to hide hers. She even went as far as to bring it with her when she left for Shanghai! Speaking of¡­ Wei Xinyi sighed as she read the messages she¡¯d missed. Boss: [We¡¯ll need you to stay late on Monday too, no need to work overtime on the weekend.] Wei Jue: [Do you want another painting? The auction fell through.] Wei Jue: [Why weren¡¯t you in the call last night?] Wei Jue: [Fuck, some city girl started working at the coffee shop down the road - she¡¯s a beauty but she¡¯s so stuck up. She looked offended when I asked her to add more sugar.] Ignoring her boss¡¯s messages since he never expected a reply anyway, she swiftly responded to her elder brother while her lip twitched: [No more room. Late night at work. Go to another shop.] Chapter 3 The day passed quickly and Wei Xinyi soon found herself mindlessly scrolling through social media in the hospital''s waiting room as she waited for her own blood test results to be revealed and Zhang Yuxi. The latter had an earlier appointment by fifteen minutes and had already been swept into the doctor''s office like a child getting scolded by a principal. Wei Xinyi found that the two managers who ran off and left her to handle the hotel and restaurant alone yesterday had been caught, brought back to the office, scolded, and made to go back to work from the work chat. Apparently, the two had fallen in love and thought that the company would fire them due to them being coworkers. The other managers had already fled for approved vacations but they didn¡¯t know that and profusely sent their apologies to the team. How they even had time to fall in love, Wei Xinyi couldn¡¯t answer that question. She only lurked through the chat for a few minutes before closing the app without joining in on the gossip. A nurse approached her with a kind smile, her scrubs perfectly clean and ironed despite the rough workload she must be faced with. ¡°Wei Xinyi?¡± She nodded and pushed herself off the seat as she followed the nurse to the doctor''s office. The space was simple, organized and only held a few chairs across the desk from the doctor. It was larger than her boss¡¯s office and yet it had less furniture in it, making it appear bright and open. Moments after the nurse walked back into the hallway, the doctor entered. He was an older man, likely around her father¡¯s age with slightly greying hair and an inviting smile that filled your heart with warmth. He embodied the image that came when someone thought of ¡®doctor¡¯. He swiftly sat down behind the desk and introduced himself before pulling out her results and flicking through the pages. Eventually, he pushed his glasses up. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with your results.¡± That was it and she found herself being swept out of the room after a recommendation to book another appointment a year from now. Wei Xinyi stared at the wall outside the office blankly for a moment before chuckling. It was as if she¡¯d been the next customer in line at the gas station, pay and get out! She shook her head with a slight smile and turned to make her journey back to the waiting room to see if Zhang Yuxi had been handed her results yet. She didn¡¯t think there was anything strange with how long she¡¯d taken as Zhang Yuxi was a much more talkative person than she was, and she was the type to overthink and worry. She should have been more perceptive. Zhang Yuxi was waiting for her when she entered the room and stood up from her seat to meet her. ¡°How was it?¡± As the two friends began walking to the entrance of the hotel, Wei Xinyi sighed dramatically, holding Zhang Yuxi in suspense for a moment. Her lip threatened to give her away as it twitched. Zhang Yuxi¡¯s heart dropped and she opened her mouth slightly in surprise. ¡°It¡¯s that bad?¡± Wei Xinyi cracked up at the reaction and pushed the doors open, immediately covering her eyes for a moment from the bright light. She turned to Zhang Yuxi with a teasing smile. ¡°I¡¯m joking, nothing¡¯s wrong with me. How were your results?¡± Zhang Yuxi¡¯s shoulders relaxed after she heard the answer and she responded while glancing at the cars passing by. ¡°Same.¡± Wei Xinyi should have paid closer attention to Zhang Yuxi at this moment. If she had, perhaps she would have noticed her eyebrows twitch slightly, a sign that she¡¯d had since she was a child when she lied. She should have noticed that Zhang Yuxi didn¡¯t pout or bicker about her trick. Alas¡­ She too was glancing at the cars that passed by. She wasn¡¯t shocked to hear Zhang Yuxi¡¯s bloodwork was fine, the other was determined to cook for herself no matter how busy she was and even sent her videos of herself working out at the company gym on her breaks. Zhang Yuxi lived a relatively healthy lifestyle and despite the attempts to influence Wei Xinyi, that all ended when they rented their own apartments. She was, however, a bit relieved about her own results. She was the complete opposite of Zhang Yuxi, eating takeout daily, drinking far too much coffee, and hardly working out. Hell, she was even smoking during her first few years of university until the two Zhang sisters kept stealing her packs of cigarettes and hiding them. Realistically, the only reason she quit was due to her own pride. If she needed to keep buying replacement packs, she¡¯d need to work more hours and it would impact her grades and by that point in her life, she was committed to being at the top of the class. Zhang Yuxi glanced at her phone and sighed. ¡°I should get going, I¡¯ll tell Mom about our results tonight so she stops worrying.¡± Wei Xinyi nodded with understanding, a bit disappointed that Zhang Yuxi left so early. Usually, they would have gone to a street vendor or a small restaurant while she was down, and Zhang Yuxi would normally spend two nights at her place. The two left after that and life went on as normal for a month. Wei Xinyi absorbed herself into work and remembered to text her family when she worked overtime. The hotel decided to train a few people from the office and employees from the hotel to take over management if there was another issue, which Wei Xinyi recommended to the company after her break. It wasn¡¯t that she hated doing it but when she returned to the office on Monday, she realized that she had a lot to catch up on and her boss even attempted to reprimand her for being behind her usual workload. How was that her fault? She couldn¡¯t stand for it. She even found a quaint new coffee shop near her work that would deliver to nearby offices and she would swear up and down that they made the best iced teas. Forty days after their doctor''s appointment, Wei Xinyi¡¯s mundane world shattered with a single phone call. It was a normal day, the sun was shining through the window of the office. The rest of the employees had fled to get full use of their lunch break and Wei Xinyi decided to look over the business plan she¡¯d been working on while drinking coffee and eating a sandwich. She had propped a leg up on her chair as she was alone and was about to continue eating when her phone started ringing. The phone was face up on her desk and her eyebrow raised - it was Wei Jue. Her heart froze and she dropped her sandwich on the desk while her other hand shot out to pick up the phone. The siblings wouldn¡¯t call one another during the day unless it was an emergency, they all had busy professional lives and they would join a call after work anyway. It was an unspoken rule. If they called during the workday, there was either a death or emergency. Wei Xinyi abandoned her sandwich and coffee on her desk, grabbed her purse, and began to walk out of the office as she answered the phone with her heart racing. Before the phone even reached her ear, she could hear gut-wrenching sobs and someone screaming in the background. She recognized the people in the background as Zhang Yuxi¡¯s parents and sister, her heart dropped as she pressed the call button for the elevator. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What happened?¡± Wei Jue didn¡¯t answer immediately, instead, she could hear him trying to calm someone down in the background as the phone muffled for a moment. Wei Xinyi didn¡¯t speak anymore either, anxiously waiting for the elevator to arrive. The elevator opened and a few of her coworkers walked around her to go back to the office and she rushed in, not forgetting to say. ¡°I¡¯m taking the day off, it¡¯s a family emergency.¡± She had no idea what was going on but all arrows led toward something happening in either her or Zhang Yuxi¡¯s family. One of the coworkers affirmed her statement with a nod and she closed the elevator doors. On the other end of the phone, the background noise seemed to grow further away as her elder brother walked away from the chaos. Not hearing the rustling of clothes anymore, she repeated her question. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Wei Jue¡¯s voice was as calm as the ocean before a storm but his tone was like that of coaxing her when she was upset as a child, something she hadn¡¯t heard in years. ¡°Don¡¯t panic and go to the hospital.¡± Well, that didn¡¯t help. Wei Xinyi could feel her breath hitch as her voice came out small. ¡°Which one? I¡¯ll book a plane ticket right now.¡± The options in her mind were going to either Shanghai for her sister and her husband, or Hangzhou for her or Zhang Yuxi¡¯s family. ¡°You don¡¯t need to book a ticket¡­ Go to the local hospital.¡± The air in the elevator stilled as Wei Xinyi stared at the illuminated box atop the closed doors, informing her that she still had seven floors to descend before she reached the ground level. It took a moment for the statement to settle in her mind as Wei Jue let the silence linger. Wei Lei and her brother-in-law were in Shanghai. Wei Jue, her parents, Zhang Yuxi¡¯s parents, and Zhang Jing were in Hangzhou. Only she and Zhang Yuxi were in Beijing. Wei Xinyi¡¯s hand shook as she asked. ¡°What happened to Zhang Yuxi?¡± All the possibilities ran through her mind. Zhang Yuxi was in an accident. A fire broke out at Zhang Yuxi¡¯s apartment. Zhang Yuxi finally worked herself to the bone at work and fainted. Wei Jue didn¡¯t answer her question. ¡°I¡¯ll stay on the phone with you until you get here, I¡¯m already waiting outside and there¡¯s an Uber outside your hotel.¡± True to his word, Wei Jue stayed on the phone with her and only hung up the phone when he saw her getting out of the Uber in front of him. He was standing against a pillar in front of the entrance, a vape in one hand and his phone in the other. All three Wei siblings were conventionally attractive, gaining both attention and compliments from their neighbors as they grew up. Today, however, Wei Jue had obviously been pulled out of bed. His hair was a mess, he was wearing what seemed to be the first clothes he saw - a random pair of deep blue sweatpants and a gray crewneck. His face was calm, his deep brown eyes filled with warmth, but the fact that he held a vape in his hands told a different story. Wei Xinyi didn¡¯t have the time to hold a reunion with her elder brother or feel happy to see him in person for the first time since the holidays. She rushed across the road with worry clouding her heart and as she approached him she asked. ¡°Stop worrying me, what happened?¡± Wei Jue glanced at his little sister and shook his head. ¡°She didn¡¯t tell you?¡± Wei Xinyi wanted to curse at him for the first time since she turned eighteen but she held her tongue. If she knew, would she be standing here asking? Instead, she shook her head and his eyes filled with a mixture of shock and pity. ¡°Zhang Yuxi was diagnosed with cancer and the doctors think she¡¯ll pass soon.¡± Chapter 4 Wei Xinyi had never been an overly emotional person. Although she was a troublemaker and a small tyrant in her childhood, she hardly ever cried or made a fuss in lieu of fights. Perhaps, that made it harder for her family to understand why she was such a little tyrant. On this day, however, Wei Xinyi broke. As she stood in the parking lot of the hospital facing her brother, the world seemed to stop as she processed the new information. Flashes of memories from her childhood, teenage, and adult years ran through her mind as she took in those words. She and Zhang Yuxi had known each other since they were babies since their parents lived only a few houses away from one another and their parents had become friends. Their mothers had met each other when they were pushing strollers around on their walks around the neighborhood when Wei Lei, Wei Jue, and Zhang Jing were just babies. They kept passing each other for a few weeks before they decided to approach one another and when they introduced the two families together, their husbands realized they had a lot in common and became best friends. Although neither of them remembered, Zhang Yuxi had even been present when she was born. It could be said that their friendship began just a few minutes after Wei Xinyi popped into this world when Mrs. Zhang came into the ward to greet her best friend with Zhang Yuxi strapped to her chest. Hence, it was rare to think of a moment in Wei Xinyi¡¯s life when Zhang Yuxi wasn¡¯t present, nearby, or within a single call or text away. Her first steps - Zhang Yuxi was there shuffling over to her as their mothers cooed. Zhang Yuxi held her hand on the way to their first day of kindergarten, she had even been present in their ¡®first day of school¡¯ pictures. Zhang Yuxi was there when she fought with her siblings over the smallest things, like not being able to share a room with her twins. Their first friends aside from the two of them¡­ Zhang Yuxi was there and even supported Wei Xinyi to make new friends in her class who didn¡¯t need to be her own. Her first crush, her first breakup, her first love, Zhang Yuxi both cheered her on and comforted her as she made sense of her feelings. She was there through Wei Xinyi nearly burning down their kitchen in her attempts to learn how to cook, the horror show that was Wei Xinyi¡¯s first time trying to use makeup. Hell, she even supported Wei Xinyi¡¯s appalling fashion choices and bought her vibrant clothing when they both knew they were ugly. When Wei Xinyi would go to take care of her grandmother, Zhang Yuxi was right behind her to help. Zhang Yuxi helped correct her outlook on school, apply to colleges, and study. When they were betrayed by their friend, instead of focusing on her feelings, Zhang Yuxi helped find a two-bedroom apartment for the three of them and boarded with Wei Xinyi until Zhang Jing went back home. There wasn¡¯t a moment that Zhang Yuxi wasn¡¯t present in her life, these were only the monumental moments in her life but Wei Xinyi had far too many memories with her to narrow them down. All these thoughts ran through her mind within a few moments of Wei Jue¡¯s words, only cut off by her phone falling from her hand and crashing against the concrete. Wei Jue leaned to pick up the phone and as if the sound had summoned all her grief, tears silently fell from her face, a few rogue droplets falling to the ground. Although he noticed the dark spots on the ground beneath his sister, Wei Jue knew better than to say anything. He only reached out and pulled her into a hug, not wanting her tear-stricken face to be seen by anyone including himself. He also grew up with the Zhang sisters so he was sad too, but Wei Xinyi was the person attached at the hips with Zhang Yuxi. They were like chosen siblings. A few minutes passed with Wei Xinyi silently soaking Wei Jue¡¯s sweater with her tears before she pulled away, not forgetting to rub her face onto the sweater to clean it. She couldn¡¯t be weak. Not now, not when her best friend needs her. She can be weak later, she can cry all she wants later, but she can¡¯t be selfish right now. Those thoughts ran through her mind as she turned toward the entrance to the hospital, beckoning Wei Jue with her hand. ¡°Take me to her.¡± Wei Jue carefully glanced over his sister for a moment before he nodded and showed her the way. The walk through the hospital was quick, but it felt like Wei Xinyi was walking across the world, inching closer and closer only to find that her destination never existed and she¡¯d walked all that way for nothing. She kept her head held high, though. If Zhang Yuxi saw her so distraught, wouldn¡¯t that empathetic little fool cry too? The smell of sanitizer became stronger as the siblings walked further into the hospital, passing by doctors rushing to another patient and rooms full of people who could possibly die. Zhang Yuxi was one of those patients that would likely never be able to recover. By the time they made it to the hall where Zhang Yuxi¡¯s room was and were able to see her parents speaking outside, Wei Xinyi had numbed her feelings. Not only did she need to be strong for Zhang Yuxi, but for her parents, sister and her own family. Wei Xinyi had finally become sensible and thoughtful. Mrs. Zhang was the first to notice her and she broke away from her husband''s grasp on her shoulder and shakily made her way to Wei Xinyi. Her eyes were full of hurt as she tried to hold herself tall, her voice filled with agony and betrayal as she asked. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell us?¡± Wei Xinyi didn¡¯t know that her heart could twist even further until this moment. She reached forward to help stabilize Mrs. Zhang and her voice almost came out in a whisper. ¡°I didn¡¯t know, either. I just found out.¡± Mrs. Zhang dropped the arm she was about to use to push Wei Xinyi away and allowed her to hook her arm through hers as she digested the words. She had been prepared to smack some sense into Wei Xinyi only moments ago but the fact that no one knew¡­ Tears reappeared on the elder¡¯s face as they approached her husband and daughter. ¡°That brat wanted to die on her own!¡± As they got closer to the family, Wei Xinyi was able to see into the hospital room where Zhang Yuxi was resting. Three doctors and two nurses crowded around the bundled-up Zhang Yuxi, she wasn¡¯t able to see her face from this angle but she could see the strings of chords running toward Zhang Yuxi¡¯s body. She pulled her gaze away from the room and turned to Zhang Jing, who¡¯d approached her to help her mother sit down on one of the seats in the hallway. Although Wei Jue told her she had cancer, she really didn¡¯t know anything more. ¡°What did the doctor say?¡± Zhang Jing made sure her mother would be comfortable before she turned to Wei Xinyi, a solemn expression coating her face though there were no tears. She had the same mindset as Wei Xinyi. ¡°She¡¯s not doing great. They said that she refused to go through chemotherapy as she didn¡¯t want her last days feeling the symptoms, she said she didn¡¯t feel too ill at that time, more tired than anything. She¡¯s at stage four pancreatic cancer. They recommend letting her stay here so they can observe and step in¡­¡± ¡°She knew for a while, then?¡± ¡°Yeah. She passed out on the street so a couple ended up calling the ambulance and that¡¯s how we found out.¡± The doctors emerged from the room, a few of the nurses and doctors going their separate ways as two male doctors approached Zhang Yuxi¡¯s parents, who stood up with concern and were quickly told to sit back down. They had a quick conversation before leaving but allowed Zhang Yuxi to take visitors. Wei Xinyi and Wei Jue decisively let Zhang Yuxi¡¯s family go in first and they sat in the now-empty chairs outside the ward. They could hear muffled sobs, a heated conversation, and pleading but they couldn¡¯t make out the words through the closed door. She wanted to die on her own¡­ Mrs. Zhang¡¯s words coursed through her veins and kept repeating in her mind as she came to terms with the fact that her best friend didn¡¯t want to worry anyone. If they never found out¡­ Wouldn¡¯t it have been lonely? Wei Jue rested his arm on the back of the chair, wrapping around Wei Xinyi¡¯s shoulder to show his support. ¡°Mom and Dad will be coming later. They didn¡¯t want to overwhelm the situation but they¡¯ve been researching hospitals along with Wei Lei on the phone.¡± Wei Xinyi stared at the door that separated her from her best friend and leaned back into Wei Jue¡¯s warmth, not trusting her own voice. He continued in a gentle tone. ¡°She really didn¡¯t say anything?¡± She shook her head and sighed. It¡¯s not like they haven¡¯t talked since the doctor''s appointment - they spoke daily for the past forty days through either text or phone calls. In fact, Zhang Yuxi had become more talkative during this time! She glanced down at her phone, then at Wei Jue before her gaze rested on the door again. Her voice was small as she asked. ¡°Did they say how much¡­ How much time does she have?¡± There was a lingering silence in the air and Wei Jue glanced away from the door, his finger tapping against the chair. Wei Xinyi may have been upset but she wasn¡¯t dumb enough to ignore his tells and probed again before she received the answer. ¡°A month, maybe more.¡± A month. Wei Xinyi ran her hands through her hair, her head hanging over her knees as her feelings threatened to bubble over once more. She could hear the soft beats and hums of machines in the hospital, chaotic shouting somewhere down the hall, and footsteps of doctors rushing past. She didn¡¯t want to be selfish in her emotions or make the day about her, but thinking of not being able to reach Zhang Yuxi in a text, call or bus ride simultaneously terrified her and broke her heart. All the plans for the future slid through her fingertips. They would never be each other''s maid of honor, godparents to their children, grow old together or get to spend holidays together again. Her thoughts were interrupted as the door to the private room opened and the Zhang family piled out in low spirits and she noticed that they had long pulled themselves together and stopped sobbing. Zhang Jing still had an arm hooked around her mothers but they didn¡¯t make their way back to the seats. Zhang Jing turned to the Wei siblings with a small smile and nodded toward the door. ¡°We¡¯re going to get some necessities and set up in her apartment for now.¡± Just like that, the Zhang family walked away. Wei Xinyi quickly composed herself, pushed herself off the seat, and headed toward the hospital room while Wei Jue stayed where he was, pulling out his phone to give the two space. Although he was close to Zhang Yuxi, he was nothing like Wei Xinyi. They had become more like acquaintances, or distant cousins who saw each other once in a while, especially after his heart was broken. The door was already open when Wei Xinyi approached it. First, she saw the large, thick windows that spanned nearly half of the wall opposite the door, allowing sunlight to illuminate the room. She could see the bed from the corner of her eyes, but it took her a moment to glance over and when she did it took everything in her not to stumble. It had only been forty days but Zhang Yuxi looked like she was already on her deathbed with sickly pale skin, dry and damaged hair, dark bags beneath her eyes and she also looked like she¡¯d lost weight. Zhang Yuxi only wearily smiled. ¡°Are you mad that I kept it from you?¡± Chapter 5 Wei Xinyi couldn¡¯t move. It¡¯s not that she didn¡¯t want to, gosh she wanted to, but her legs were locked in place as she stared at her lifelong best friend. She simultaneously wanted to run into her arms and run far away from her. A tranquil silence enveloped the room, the only sounds being the hum and beeping of the machines, with neither friend saying anything and Zhang Yuxi seemed to understand the turmoil invading her mind. She wanted to make trouble out of nothing, pick a fight with some random muscular passerby, and allow herself to be beaten up so that she could be placed in the same ward as Zhang Yuxi. Alas, her mind held her back - she knew she needed to stay as calm as the ocean. Her feelings contradicted each other and she would be the first to admit that she was a bit of a mess at this moment. If any of her coworkers passed by, they surely wouldn¡¯t be able to recognize her but instead, feel as if she were an alien invading her body. She didn¡¯t notice the tears threatening to fall from her eyes as she stared at Zhang Yuxi¡¯s deathly figure that seemed to rapidly deteriorate in the past month. Still, despite the heartache, she couldn¡¯t find the strength to glance away. She engraved each inch of the other into her mind, afraid if she looked away she would disappear with a gust of wind. A few moments, perhaps minutes, passed like so before Wei Xinyi found her strength and tilted her head with a forced smile. ¡°Why would I be mad? It¡¯s not like you lied to me about such a big thing¡­ Oh wait, that did happen.¡± Zhang Yuxi¡¯s eyes flickered as she held her hands up defensively. ¡°Gosh, I¡¯m even being scolded on my deathbed! My sister already did it.¡± ¡°You deserve it.¡± Wei Xinyi¡¯s legs suddenly remembered how to walk and led her to sit on the edge of the bed as she complained. ¡°How couldn¡¯t you tell me? What about your family? What was running through that mind of yours?¡± Zhang Yuxi laughed, breaking through the somber feeling of the sterile, white room. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you have dropped everything if you knew?¡± Wei Xinyi was speechless for a moment. Of course, she would have dropped everything! ¡°So what, isn¡¯t that what we¡¯re supposed to do? If I was in your position instead, wouldn¡¯t you take care of me? Ah, so heartless.¡± ¡°You know I would¡­ Oh, why didn¡¯t you go on the blind date I set last week?¡± ¡°I was busy. Is this the time to talk about that?¡± Zhang Yuxi turned her head to gawk at her best friend, but was instead met with Wei Xinyi crossing her arms, attempting to appear serious with wet eyes and a pout. She burst out in laughter, her hands reaching to cover her face as she leaned forward. Wei Xinyi¡¯s mouth twitched but she didn¡¯t change her expression or posture as she waited for the other''s laughter to disperse before she interrogated again. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me something so big, huh? Why was I the last to find out?¡± Silence filled the room as they both looked at each other for a few moments. Then, Zhang Yuxi tilted her head the slightest bit and fixed her gaze on the ceiling. ¡°I couldn¡¯t bring myself to say it. I thought that this must be some sick joke at first, but then I continued to come in for tests and grew weaker and it set in. Then, I thought of everyone¡­¡± Wei Xinyi grabbed her hand and rubbed her thumb in circles, something that the other did for her when she was comforting her over the death of her grandmother. Zhang Yuxi squeezed her hand and continued, her eyes still focused on the ceiling as if it were a discovery she needed to study. ¡°How could I tell my parents that their youngest daughter will leave this world before them? How could I bear to tell my sister that she¡¯ll be the one to take care of them when they¡¯re old? I¡¯ll be leaving you alone, too. They have each other, but you¡¯re a workaholic living so far from your family.¡± Wei Xinyi didn¡¯t say anything, she only continued rubbing the back of Zhang Yuxi¡¯s hand as the other spoke. ¡°Admitting that I¡¯m dying means that I¡¯m acknowledging that you¡¯ll be left alone in this city when I die. I won¡¯t be able to meet your future husband, go on double dates, comfort you when you¡¯re sad, go on the long-waited vacations we planned, try new food, or be the awesome aunt or godmother to your children.¡± Outside the room, Wei Jue had gotten up to consult with one of the doctors but had paused to listen to Zhang Yuxi¡¯s explanation. His face fell and he stumbled back as his wide eyes stared at the door. The doctor had more or less finished so he continued down the hall, leaving Wei Jue to lean on the wall beside the doorway with his eyes shut and arms crossed. Surprisingly, these words sobered her mind and Wei Xinyi waved her hand. ¡°Stop worrying about others. I¡¯m going to take off work and -¡° ¡°Don¡¯t do that, just come see me from time to time.¡± Zhang Yuxi quickly refuted the unspoken words. Wei Xinyi bit her bottom lip. ¡°I¡¯ll quit.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be taken off the visitors list if you quit.¡± Wei Xinyi gawked at her best friend, speechless in the face of the threat. ¡°Why?¡± Zhang Yuxi¡¯s lip twitched. ¡°There¡¯s no need, my family will be here during the day. Anyway, I won¡¯t be the reason you quit - do it after I die.¡± Although she said so, she didn¡¯t want her to quit. Just last week, Wei Xinyi expressed that she was being considered for a promotion to assistant marketing director instead of marketing manager, a step up from her current position. Quitting before a promotion? How did her best friend grow to be so muddle-headed¡­ She wasn¡¯t going to live long, where would she go to in a few months? Did this girl want to be homeless? Wei Xinyi wasn¡¯t the type to brag about her finances so she was under the impression that although Wei Xinyi was well off, she wasn¡¯t rich. Which¡­ Wei Xinyi wouldn¡¯t consider herself rich, but she had enough savings to last her four years without working, and if she sold her apartment she¡¯d have about six years. It¡¯s not enough to retire on, but it¡¯s not like she was broke! She went to work all day and hardly left her apartment once off work so there wasn¡¯t anything to spend her money on and she hadn¡¯t touched the inheritance her grandmother left her yet. Neither friend realized they misunderstood the other''s intention, Wei Xinyi only stared at her with a puzzled expression for a while and ended up nodding. Their conversation ended shortly after when Wei Jue entered the room to greet Zhang Yuxi and mention that the visitor hours were over. The next month and a half flew past. Wei Xinyi worked hard to hold herself together for those around her even as she watched her best friend deteriorate in front of her eyes. She, Zhang Yuxi¡¯s family, and her brother had begun a new routine during this time. Zhang Yuxi¡¯s family would visit and stay with her from the morning to the evening. Wei Jue would take care of buying groceries and cleaning Zhang Yuxi¡¯s apartment which her family was using. Wei Xinyi would work until the evening when Wei Jue would be waiting in a rented car to bring her to the hospital. She would always walk out of the office one minute after her hours ended, not a moment more or less despite the pleading for overtime. On days that Zhang Yuxi felt well enough to move around and had cautious permission from her doctors, she would be allowed to leave the hospital for a few hours with her family or the two Wei siblings. On days when it was especially rough for Zhang Yuxi, everyone would gather around to make sure she was taken care of while watching dramas with her or reminiscing. Wei Xinyi was scolded for not having a boyfriend, not taking the other on vacations, being too busy with work, not buying her ice cream, and not allowing her to drink alcohol. Gosh, she was scolded by Zhang Yuxi in this period more than her parents had done her entire life! It was just after three in the afternoon when Wei Xinyi¡¯s phone blew up with notifications. Her hands which were busy typing had paused as she glanced down at the screen. ¡°When I die, prepare to be bombarded by notifications. Sorry for the spam in advance.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Wei Xinyi remembered that moment clearly. It was one week after Zhang Yuxi was admitted to the hospital but her health was a lot better than it was now, they¡¯d gone to the park and Zhang Yuxi casually mentioned it. They were lying on the grass next to one another, gazing at the clouds and she had a brilliant smile on her face. Little Suck Up: [43 New Messages] Wei Jue: [1 New Message] The chair Wei Xinyi had been sitting on had been pushed across the room as she abruptly stood, causing a few coworkers to jump at the sudden aggressive move. She snatched her phone off the table and stormed out of the room. She could hear her boss shout out with concern, yet she ignored him. ¡°Ah? Where are you going?¡± For the second time, Wei Xinyi wished she could jump out of the window and land feet first and be fine as she waited for the elevator doors to open. Although she¡¯d been prepared for this moment, although she was rushing out of work in the middle of the day without leave¡­ She couldn¡¯t look at the phone that was clenched so tightly in her hand. She wanted to believe that Zhang Yuxi was only scaring her. Maybe she was messaging her so much because she really wanted ice cream. Wei Xinyi knew she was lying to herself. Zhang Yuxi had never sent more than seven texts in a row one after another like this. Although it felt like years had passed, Wei Xinyi walked out of the building just a few minutes later and was met with the sight of her older brother leaning against the passenger door of his car with a somber expression. He pushed himself off the car and opened the passenger door. ¡°Let¡¯s go¡­ I¡¯ll bring you home.¡± Wei Xinyi shook her head with a defeated smile. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hospital.¡± Wei Jue stared at her silently for a moment before looking down. ¡°We¡¯re going home.¡± Chapter 33 There was a time when Team X was so busy that they¡¯d need to change in their van between the drive from the airport to the venue. At this moment, Xiao Yi remembered the absolute chaos that ensured as five people attempted to change at the same time while he awkwardly twisted to put on the remainder of his suit. Aside from just being plain awkward, they¡¯d constantly bump limbs together as they changed. Even if only one of them changed at a time, somehow they¡¯d end up bumping into someone else. A small smile adorned his face as he grabbed the back of his shirt and threw it on the seat beside him, exposing his bare torso with a long, almost straight, jagged scar running diagonally across his chest to hip. Almost as swiftly as he removed his shirt, a white dress shirt was pulled over his head, covering his body in a swift move. At least this time there was no one to bump arms with as he slid his arm through the black top. Thankfully, the windows were tinted and V himself was a deterrent, standing beside the passenger side door with a livid expression was enough to keep wandering eyes from attempting to peer in. Xiao Yi leaned across the front passenger seat and flicked down the visor as he quickly fixed his hair and collar before exiting the car and walking straight into V, angrily typing on his phone. V glanced up as the door closed and quickly began typing again while gritting his teeth. ¡°There¡¯s been a slight change of plans¡­ Your sister-in-law wants a divorce.¡± Xiao Yi straightened his back and raised an eyebrow, waiting to see if V followed his train of thought as he watched the other slide his phone into his pocket and walk over to a private elevator. As soon as the elevator doors closed, V hit the emergency stop button and turned to Xiao Yi with a calm mask plastered over his features, yet his clenched fists told another story as his thoughts aligned with Xiao Yi¡¯s own. ¡°Let me fill you in so you know what you¡¯re walking into. Right now, Xu Chun Hua is standing next to her father lying for him. Firstly, they believe that you don¡¯t exist at all. This is their main point of contention, and they¡¯re using it to say that I¡¯ve been forcing votes a certain way, gaining more profit, and overall fraud. They¡¯re pretty much saying I¡¯m taking 2 votes instead of 1.¡± V was silent for a moment, before adding. ¡°Ah, they also want to claim that we stole a few character designs from another company. I should have the drafts in my safe, though.¡± Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Xiao Yi nodded and reached to fix the cuffs on his wrist. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell her that I own those shares?¡± V chuckled and raised his hand to wipe his hair out of his eyes, both amused and baffled by the situation. ¡°Well, why would she need to know what happens in the company? The files I bring home aren¡¯t important, but she does know about confirmed projects before the public does.¡± ¡®What a stupid situation¡­¡¯ Neither of the men talked for a few moments so Xiao Yi decided that he¡¯d been filled in enough and set the elevator into motion again with a sharp gaze in his eyes. Although he thought the whole situation was stupid, so stupid that he¡¯d be surprised to see this kind of behavior in high school let alone a top gaming company, he was still very serious. His blood was boiling. Perhaps V was overwhelmed right now with anger, but later he¡¯d also realize the implications. His marriage was over, there was no coming back from this betrayal. The motives were out in the open now and evidentially, it wasn¡¯t just Xu Chun Hua¡¯s father that had been preparing. How many days had she been planning this alongside her father while welcoming V home with a smile? This is why Xiao Yi hates other people. You never know when they¡¯ll put on a mask in front of you. The elevator opened into V¡¯s office, which connected to the main meeting room on the top floor of the building, separated by a plane of glass. Ironically, V had them installed so that his employees felt that he was transparent with his work. Xiao Yi couldn¡¯t see the shareholders nor wife and father-in-law from his position, nor could they see him as he decided to lean against the wall for a moment. ¡®Allow them to think they¡¯ve won.¡¯ He waved his hand slightly as V looked over, motioning him to leave the elevator, and watched as he walked over to the safe located underneath his desk. The door to the office swung open and Xiao Yi could hear a woman¡¯s voice, Xu Chun Hua, speaking boldly. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± There was an audible scoff. ¡°Getting evidence. Oh, I may as well grab the divorce papers you signed when you signed the prenuptial agreement, too.¡± An older man''s voice probed into the conversation. ¡°Even if you have some papers, what about the shares? Where are they being transferred to?¡± ¡°About that¡­¡± Another man''s voice interrupted. ¡°If you told us that you wanted to hold onto them before, that¡¯d be fine. Why did you use the vote?¡± Chaos ensured and Xiao Yi stayed in his position as more people joined the conversation, accusing V of fraud, and forgery, at one point someone even jumped in to add identity theft. Identity theft¡­ Xiao Yi decisively pushed himself off the wall at that moment and walked into the office with sharp, yet calm eyes. ¡°When did he steal my identity?¡± Silence filled the room, and Xiao Yi continued as he walked around the desk to find various documents thrown out as evidence. After examining them for a moment, he turned and met Xu Chun Hua¡¯s gaze. Xu Chun Hua immediately began sputtering. ¡°When did you get here? Why are you here? I know you¡¯re friends, but don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a bit much following him to the company?¡± ¡®What a mess, are these adults?¡¯ Something snapped inside him, and Xiao Yi tilted his head and sneered. ¡°You¡¯re really something, aren¡¯t you? Shouldn¡¯t you at least track down the bank account that the dividend goes to before trying to strip a man of his company? Do you think I wanted to be here? I¡¯d rather be sleeping.¡± V nodded his head toward Xiao Yi. ¡°He¡¯s the second largest investor and shareholder, Xiao Yi.¡± Chapter 34 V sat on the sidelines of his own conflict looking very much amused as he watched the man he unleashed go after everyone in the room. Xiao Yi stood face to face with Xu Chen Hua¡¯s father, an older man with slightly graying hair that had a deceivingly kind-looking face. V¡¯s father-in-law had the image one would think of when they think ¡®kind history teacher¡¯. Albeit, no one would be able to deny how his face twisted, red with embarrassment as Xiao Yi breaded him with calm, yet cold icy blue eyes. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t only blame her, but you as well. Who do you think you are to demand to meet me with your position in this company? You hold a tiny percentage of shares and you think you¡¯re entitled to meet me, question my decisions, and challenge the place of CEO¡­ Hilarious.¡± Xu Chen Hua was about to step in when he continued with a low laugh. ¡°And, the best part is, if he had to step down¡­ Guess who¡¯d have the largest decision-making power? Not you, that¡¯s for certain. I¡¯ll give you a little hint. It¡¯s me. If V is forced to step down, you need to choose a new CEO - wouldn¡¯t you need the opinion of me, seeing as I own more than all of you combined?¡± Throughout his rants, Xiao Yi was severely questioning both the minds and judgment of the shareholders who had decided to stick with V¡¯s father-in-law, whom he still did not know nor need to know the name of. Most of those present were business owners who decided to invest with their own money or had ownership of shares transferred by another person. Nonetheless, none of them looked stupid enough to be led around by a crooked old man with a leash in his hand. Although Xiao Yi wasn¡¯t sure about the percentage of their shares combined, he was certain that they couldn¡¯t amount to his shares. Simply for the reason that he had 25% himself, V had 51%, that only left 24% for the rest to split. Add on to the fact that V had split some shares early on for his trusted subordinates such as heads of the company, his assistant, and his family¡­ 17%. 17% is a good chunk of the company, but not enough to go against the majority shareholders who held onto more votes. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. After thinking about it, Xiao Yi finally realized what this was about as he glanced at the white faces of those involved, focusing on Xu Chen Hua who was glancing at the papers in V¡¯s hands. His mouth twitched. ¡®What a disgusting bitch.¡¯ Prenuptial agreement. The puzzle pieces seemed to be connecting in her brain as her face gradually fell. Xiao Yi¡¯s eyebrow rose just the slightest bit as he taunted. ¡°I did hear something about divorce¡­ You wanted to get the investors to distrust him enough to corner him, get him to step down from his seat, and divorce him. Perhaps, get a few shares, gift them to your father, buy out these shareholders and gain the majority, and kick him out completely, right?¡± Xiao Yi leaned down slightly, yet he didn¡¯t lower his voice. ¡°What did your agreement say¡­ I believe this company and its assets were off limits, anything he bought before your wedding, anything he bought with solely his money¡­ Thank you for showing your true colors so early on, though, I don¡¯t want a niece or nephew with a mother like you.¡± Without waiting for a reply, his gaze turned to the others present who scurried back as he smirked. "And you... are you all idiots? Did you have a collective accident where you all hit your head on something? It''s not a very pleasant group bonding experience but I suppose..." Hours passed since the confrontation and the two men sat on the balcony of one of V¡¯s apartments, just watching as the sun set. They couldn¡¯t go back to V¡¯s home, as the divorce process had yet to be started and neither of them wanted to be around Xu Chen Hua who was likely to try crawling back to V. Although it was silent, it was comfortable. Xiao Yi wasn¡¯t one to talk, and V needed time to piece together his feelings on his broken life whilst not being alone. After three hours of silence, Xiao Yi broke. He sighed as his fingers reached into the pocket of the black sweatpants he threw on almost immediately after they walked through the door, matched with a slim black sweater, and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. In his opinion, if there was a time to smoke¡­ It was now. They¡¯d both had a stressful day, Xiao Yi had to face off against shareholders and even ended up buying most of the shares back, ending at 34% ownership. V, well, he was betrayed by both his wife and father-in-law. ¡®Such scum.¡¯ Without asking, he placed the cigarette between his teeth and passed the box to the other man, followed by the lighter after he lit his. Still, neither talked as they went through one cigarette, then two. Xiao Yi was about to finish off the second when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He glanced down, one hand reaching for his phone and the other flicking the cigarette into the disposable cup-turned ashtray. [Nightmare]: I¡¯ll be busy the next few days but we should do that again sometime. His hand, which was reaching back toward his face paused for a moment and a slight smile twitched at the edge of his mouth before he typed back. [Sleepy]: Sure. Chapter 35 The days passed quickly for both men. V, who¡¯d been planning on showing Xiao Yi around the city had his hands full with his company and impending divorce in the aftermath of the chaos. Xiao Yi¡­ Corrected his sleep schedule. It may not be as important as V¡¯s life falling apart, but it did take a good few days to finally sleep a consecutive eight hours. He also found himself playing around with world designs for Valley of Light, something he occasionally did throughout the years when he was bored with the game and wanted to do something productive. Xiao Yi had stationed himself in the living room, facing the balcony much like his older brothers set up in their apartment. Two curved monitors stared back at him, his hands over a white custom-built mechanical keyboard and mouse as he zoomed in on his masterpiece. Well, three masterpieces. The first is a reworking of the ancient palaces. The next map released should have a greater focus on the culture that inspired the game, yet, it didn¡¯t mean it had to be completely realistic. There were three separate ¡®groups¡¯ that Xiao Yi laid out. White stone walls hid most of the structures, stretching approximately fifteen feet high but as one walked through the gate they¡¯d be met with a secondary wall, approximately ten feet high with towers overlooking the visitors. Once one entered the secondary wooden gate, they¡¯d find a beautiful palace in front of them and what seemed to be the backs of buildings lined up until the palace. If they made it past the first palace for the inner courts, they¡¯d be met with an extraordinary garden in front of another palace, with various walkways stretched to meet ten other, smaller palaces with their own courtyards and styles hidden within protective walls of their own. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. If a player was walking at the base speed of a new player, they may be able to reach the last palace in a half hour of continuous walking. The second is a seven-story pagoda with a phoenix situated on the very top of the roof. Alongside the phoenix, various other creatures stood guard on the different floors whether tethered to the outside of the walls, sitting in front of the doors, or hidden within the tower itself. Outside of the pagoda, a vast water garden surrounded by blooming flowers¡­ though, the gardens were not yet done, the walkways through the garden, over the waters, and gazebos had been carefully laid down. This, unlike the palace, was meant to be hidden away outside of the main city yet didn¡¯t have a spot. The third is a whole sect. Xiao Yi was still working on it, as he had to map the terrain to build structures to fit the terrain. Hence, not only would V need to import a sect¡­ He¡¯d have to import the mountains as well. Xiao Yi leaned back to look at his creations with a sly smile. He¡¯d made the buildings, yet, it was up to V or his team to create the textures for most things aside from the base layer of stone. Texturing¡­ He was far too lazy. While he was thinking about his deceit, the door to the apartment swung open at exactly 3:04 in the afternoon and Xiao Yi spun around in his chair only to find V with his shirt halfway off his torso. Xiao Yi blinked as V struggled to get the shirt over the rest of his head, the door still wide open behind him as he stumbled through the apartment and decisively pushed his foot off the ground, turning back to the monitor. ¡°Shit, is this the armhole?¡± There was silence for a few moments before the footsteps continued and a door closed, only to reopen with V sporting jeans, a black t-shirt, and a mischievous smile. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s time to get up. We¡¯re going to drink!¡± Icy blue eyes met warm honey eyes as they stared at each other. ¡°Come on¡­ I¡¯m getting divorced, you haven¡¯t seen the city, it¡¯s the perfect time to go for a drink don¡¯t you think?¡± Xiao Yi couldn¡¯t argue with him when it was himself who¡¯d pulled out a pack of cigarettes only a few nights ago because it was the perfect time to smoke. He pushed himself off the chair and grabbed his sweater from the hooks nailed to the wall. Chapter 36 Xiao Yi grimaced as his back collided with a cool brick wall, but he was quick to push himself forward and punch one of the four men who surrounded him. He¡¯d been unprepared, and he had to admit that he was fairly tipsy. Not drunk, but close, evident by the slight sway of his body as he tried to steady himself. ¡®Not the time, sober up.¡¯ One of the men dressed in black with simple half-masks that one would wear when sick tried to avenge their buddy, only for his blow to be blocked by Xiao Yi¡¯s arm. Xiao Yi took a small step back from the blow and cursed in his mind. ¡®V, this is all your fault.¡¯ One may wonder how a simple night of drinking ended up with Xiao Yi being surrounded in an alley by four men. Xiao Yi also wondered how the situation came to be. He¡¯d only come out for a smoke break, a habit he developed when drinking previously yet he was attacked before he could light his cigarette. Xiao Yi caught the wrist, then the upper arm of one of the four men, and threw him over his shoulder while contemplating. Were these his enemies or V¡¯s? Even though he¡¯d pissed off a few people the other day, most businessmen wouldn¡¯t hire goons to attack someone and it¡¯s not like he¡¯d pissed off some random drunken men. No, these guys were used to fighting. Another punch was thrown toward him, yet, other than a few grunts and curses, the goons hadn¡¯t even spoken. As he spun out of the reach of two arms, his chilly voice echoed in the alley. ¡°Isn¡¯t it rude not to introduce yourself before trying to feel someone up? Buy me dinner first.¡± He rolled his eyes as he blocked another fist, this one aimed toward his face. ¡°It¡¯s also rude to aim for the face, don¡¯t ruin someone¡¯s beauty ah.¡± Despite his words, he was confident in his analysis. These men had been fighting for some time, perhaps professionally trained at a boxing club or a mix of martial arts. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Street fighting? Xiao Yi had no desire to know where they¡¯d been trained, all he needed to know was that they weren¡¯t amateurs. ¡°How much are you getting paid?¡± Xiao Yi kicked a goon in the stomach and continued. ¡°I¡¯ll pay you four times more to tell me who sent you, I¡¯ll even let them think that you succeeded in beating me.¡± Finally, there was a brief pause as one of the men raised an arm - but it wasn¡¯t due to his offer. The man simply pointed at the smartwatch on his wrist, and the four men swiftly turned and left the alley. Just as suddenly as he¡¯d been attacked, he¡¯d been left alone. Xiao Yi chuckled and continued what he¡¯d meant to do when he first came to the alley, waving off the incident as if he¡¯d dealt with a few silly teenagers. He lit a cigarette, leaned against the cool alley wall, and stared up at the dark sky. This wasn¡¯t his first time being attacked in an alleyway, but it¡¯d been a few years since then. He didn¡¯t know whether this was connected to V or not. Other than V, he had a few enemies of his own. Most of Valley of Light¡¯s older fans, for example. It was unlikely to be them, as the world evidently hadn¡¯t found his identity yet so that only left four options. His parents, his previous friends, V¡¯s shareholders, and his cousin. Well, he could worry about it later. He hardly left his house, anyway. He put the cigarette out on the brick wall behind him and leisurely entered the small bar from the back entrance. V was still sitting at their table, engaged in a conversation with the bar owner who¡¯d been introduced to him earlier as an old classmate named Wei Leng. Ironically, Wei Leng looked more like a lawyer than a bar owner with a crisp white shirt and clean black pants that complimented his slicked-back, short brown hair. As Xiao Yi sat down, V complained. ¡°God, you¡¯re like an old man - how long does it take you to have a smoke? Here, drink!¡± Xiao Yi took the glass of tapped beer from the other¡¯s hands with curved eyes yet said nothing about the incident outside as he downed the glass. Wei Leng leaned against the counter next to the table, ready to stand to attention if another customer appeared yet taking small sips of his drink as he probed further. ¡°So, they¡¯re trying to fight the divorce?¡± V chuckled. ¡°How stupid can they be? They revealed their intentions on camera, there¡¯s no going back.¡± Wei Leng shook his head and sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for telling you to give her your number, I thought she suited you.¡± ¡°How would you have known? God, I¡¯m just happy I won¡¯t have to call her parents my in-laws again¡­¡± Another glass was placed in front of Xiao Yi, who graciously downed another glass as he drowned out the conversation with his phone. Later, he¡¯d regret taking out his phone among many other things he did this night. Chapter 37 The walk of shame. Xiao Yi had often heard of this term through social media, movies, shows, and past friends yet he had never truly experienced the feeling. That was until he rolled over and heard a crunch. Crunch. He tilted his body slightly again and there was another crunch, along with a slight pinch against his cheek. ¡®What the?¡¯ Xiao Yi groggily lifted his head yet didn¡¯t open his eyes. Not because he didn¡¯t want to, but it felt as if there was a weight holding them closed. He stayed in this position for a few moments, completely still aside from what seemed to be a rain of small objects falling around him, making small sounds as they collided with what must have been the ground. There was a bellowing laughter to the left of him, not belonging to V, and the sound of someone else trying to hold it in on the right of him. He attempted to open his eyes just to snap them shut again with his hand pointing down. ¡°Shhhh.¡± V¡¯s muffled whisper came from his right. ¡°Sorry sorry.¡± He wasn¡¯t sorry at all. While one hand covered his mouth to keep himself from laughing, his other hand was holding a phone recording Xiao Yi. Xiao Yi¡¯s head hurt as a memory passed through his mind. He was sitting by the pool table on a stool watching V and Wei Leng play against each other when suddenly, his hands appeared in front of his face. Instead of watching the two men, he sat in stunned silence with a tilted head thinking about just how big his hands were. Really big. Too big to be human-sized. ¡°Am I a giant?¡± V and Wei Leng paused and glanced over. Xiao Yi¡¯s fingers were just a few centimeters in front of his face at that time. Xiao Yi¡¯s eyes burst open and met the gaze of Wei Leng who sat across from him with a large smile. ¡°Good morning, sleeping beauty!¡± ¡®I thought I was a giant.¡¯ ¡®They know that I thought I was a giant.¡¯ Xiao Yi hadn¡¯t blushed in what must have been years, but at this moment even his ears were red as he glanced between Wei Leng, and V, who¡¯d already hidden his phone. Xiao Yi batted his hand again in an attempt to get him to quiet down and glanced at the sunlight coming in from the windows and murmured. ¡°Bright.¡± Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. V chuckled. ¡°Well, we can¡¯t stop the sun sadly.¡± ¡®It can¡¯t get worse than this¡­¡¯ His thoughts were interrupted as he glanced down and saw the reason why he¡¯d heard a crunch. Chips. There was a bowl of unassuming chips right in front of him. As he turned, a piece of a chip fell from his hair, passing right in front of his eyes as it dropped to the table. His eyes followed its descent in horror and he shook his head, only for another chip to descend. ¡®Oh my god.¡¯ Xiao Yi¡¯s gaze turned from the table to V with a pleading expression as if to tell him he hadn¡¯t embarrassed himself too much, but at the sight of this appearance, both men glanced at each other and chuckled awkwardly. V nodded towards Xiao Yi¡¯s phone, which had been faced down in the middle of the table. ¡°You made quite a statement last night.¡± Xiao Yi glanced at his phone, then at V who was trying to hide a grin, and finally landed on Wei Leng who wasn¡¯t even attempting to hide his amusement. ¡°Kiddo, you danced for us last night. You have great moves, by the way.¡± V chimed in. ¡°Your singing voice is really handsome.¡± The owner hit the table with. ¡°You¡¯re great at storytelling.¡± ¡°Right? Brother, why didn¡¯t you tell me you had a stuffed toy named ¡®Nini¡¯ before tonight?¡± ¡°What about him getting lost in his neighborhood at seventeen and having to ask a foreign couple where he lived?¡± ¡°Ah, what about the time you went outside in just your underwear because of a dream? You still didn¡¯t tell us the pattern¡­¡± Xiao Yi¡¯s face went white, and then red, and he shoved the chair back as he got up and started to scurry out of the bar before retracing his steps, grabbing his sweater with one hand, his phone with the other, and running out. He was so embarrassed. He was never drinking again. Did he sing when he was drunk? What did he sing? What did he dance to? V had the answers on his phone and laughed alongside Wei Leng, letting Xiao Yi walk home dejectedly as he hit play. Xiao Yi stood on the table to dance, nearly causing Wei Leng to faint when thinking of Xiao Yi possibly breaking his handmade table. There was no specific end to his moves, and he only stopped when the song stopped. He sang the national anthem. Three times! The first time was in the correct pitch, and although the two of them had long grown tired of hearing the song played they could put up with it. The next two times? One was in the lowest tone Xiao Yi¡¯s voice could go, and the other in the highest. He was competing with himself! Xiao Yi however did remember the two stories that were told by him. Nini was a stuffed bear he¡¯d gotten from his father on his second birthday and he used to carry it around to show everyone. He was going to the grocery store? He¡¯d hold it up and introduce it in front of every person they saw. The old grandmother at the grocery store, the cashiers, the teenage boys walking home, eventually he¡¯d showed the neighbors the toy so much that they¡¯d start saying ¡®hello Xiao Yi and Nini!¡¯. A few months after moving to Xiao Qiu¡¯s apartment when he¡¯d come home from the hospital, he¡¯d gone to get groceries and couldn¡¯t remember his apartment building so he tried asking an American couple where it was¡­ Xiao Qiu saw him on his way back from his and brought him home, since then he had never forgotten his phone. And the time with his underwear¡­ He was wearing boxers. That¡¯s all he had to say about that. Xiao Yi swiftly exited the alley with a bright red face. Random passersby seemed to know about his night, taking another glance at him as he nearly ran through the streets. He soon found out that he really looked like he was doing the walk of shame as a breeze passed by him and seemed to hit his stomach. He glanced down and swiftly threw on the sweater. Somehow, he¡¯d ripped his shirt throughout the night and it was practically falling off his shoulders making it look as if he¡¯d had a wild night out. He held his head down while swearing. ¡°I¡¯m never drinking again.¡± He¡¯d soon find that he¡¯d done much more damage while he was drunk. Chapter 38 The saying usually goes a little something like: It gets worse before it gets better. Xiao Yi had thought he had experienced the most embarrassing moment in his life until he found himself staring a 37 missed calls and 53 missed texts from Xiao Qiu. His eyes flickered slightly as he thought to himself. ¡®Crap.¡¯ There were even 6 missed calls from Lee, though he wouldn¡¯t put it past it being Xiao Qiu on the other side. What did he do last night? Did he want to know what he did? Xiao Yi pushed on his temple and swiftly ignored Xiao Qiu¡¯s messages, opting to open his Weibo instead. His reasoning was simple - V pointed at his phone earlier, and Xiao Qiu shouldn¡¯t have any idea of what happened last night as he wasn¡¯t present. His intuition was right. Frost had been out of the spotlight for some days, the fans getting tired of searching for a ghost on Weibo, and Valley of Light forums being silent on sightings of him. Fans have a fleeting mind, they pay attention to something interesting for a few days and when a new topic is brought up, they switch their attention. If he¡¯d kept quiet, perhaps even the diehard fans of his old teammates would have forgotten about him once more. Alas, he went on a rampage. [@X-Frost]: ¡°I¡¯m retired and I will stay retired. Stop bothering me.¡± That should have been his last message, yet eleven followed behind it. [@X-Frost]: ¡°Hey ah, why is it so hard to keep my name out of your mouths? You don¡¯t know the full story.¡± Xiao Yi sucked in his breath as he read his message. Was he an honest drunk? Why¡¯d he go on Weibo? How did he even log in when he was drunk¡­ His password is 17 characters long and a mix of different characters! [@X-Frost]: ¡°No, you¡¯re scum.¡± [@X-Frost]: ¡°I¡¯m not poor.¡± The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Attached is a screenshot of his bank account. Thankfully, he was smart enough to move past the topic of the full story and scratch out account details but why was he bragging about his income? [@X-Frost]: ¡°No I made the money after leaving the team, I had nothing when I left and even lived on the street. It¡¯s honest money, do you want lessons?¡± [@X-Frost]: ¡°I¡¯m a bit drunk.¡± [@X-Frost]: ¡°I can walk in a straight line thank you but I don¡¯t want to go to hell either, it¡¯s too hot.¡± [@X-Frost]: ¡°You know what else is hot? Me. How do I take off my sweater?¡± [@X-Frost]: ¡°Successfully removed sweater.¡± [@X-Frost]: ¡°Why are you looking for me? I was told not to give my name or address to strangers, creep.¡± [@X-Frost]: ¡°Why would I go crying to my parents? I don¡¯t have parents.¡± That was it. Xiao Yi was mortified. He swiftly deleted the posts from his page while cringing, but he was far too late. He didn¡¯t bother reading the response from the public, instead opting to close his phone and flop face-first into his pillow with red ears. Because he didn¡¯t bother reading the responses, he hadn¡¯t known that he had inadvertently cleared some misunderstandings about himself that he hadn¡¯t wanted to be cleared. A few blocks away, while the previous Team X members were still fast asleep, Chen Qiang sat on the balcony with a beautiful view of the city which he opted to ignore. One hand held a cigarette, while the other held his phone, watching as Xiao Yi¡¯s posts disappeared in real-time. It didn¡¯t matter if Xiao Yi deleted them. He, among thousands of other people, had already taken screenshots of his drunken ramblings hours prior. Chen Qiang brushed his finger against his screen as the last post disappeared until the only recent post in the previous four years was him announcing his retirement. Xiao Yi is active right now. He felt as if he could glance to his left and see his old best friend sitting next to him, silently enjoying the view like he used to do when they first moved to the Team X building. He wanted Xiao Yi to be here, too. Watching the early morning traffic drive past while drinking coffee. He wanted an explanation of what happened four years ago, but he wouldn¡¯t say he hated Xiao Yi or wanted revenge like the other three. He was just disappointed. Chen Qiang glanced at the cars as they passed but his mind wasn¡¯t focused on the beautiful, sunny day or the cars. What did Xiao Yi mean by ¡®you don¡¯t know the full story¡¯? The public knew what they knew, the previous staff leaked it as they left. ¡®Had nothing when I left and even lived on the street¡¯. Didn¡¯t Xiao Yi collude with the company and steal prize winnings from them? Why would he be living on the street? ¡®I don¡¯t have parents.¡¯ Chen Qiang glanced down at his lock screen. It was a photo of him and his parents. Xiao Yi hadn¡¯t contacted his parents all these years either, but he could have still approached his parents if he needed money, right? No matter how neglectful, they always gave him money so they wouldn¡¯t ruin their reputation in the circle even when he moved in with them. What was he missing? He couldn¡¯t understand Xiao Yi anymore, he hadn¡¯t been able to since the day he coldly left them. Chapter 39
Xiao Yi lay face down in his bed for a half hour before he shot out of bed and ran toward the shower to wash away lingering crumbs and the smell of alcohol. Perhaps, he may have been trying to wash the feeling of embarrassment away as well. By the time he exited the shower and got changed into a cozy pair of black and white checkered pajamas, V had left a message that he¡¯d be out handling matters. Whether those matters were about his impending divorce or work, Xiao Yi didn¡¯t know. He only sent a quick reply back and decisively replied to his elder brother so as to not worry him. [X]: I got drunk, I¡¯m OK. Train well. In another province, Xiao Qiu cursed at his phone, making his chat jump. ¡°I told you not to drink!¡± [!!! Q Shen, we won¡¯t drink!] ¡°Good, you listen well. Let¡¯s continue¡­¡± Xiao Yi had no idea that he helped his brother unintentionally scold his audience as he sat down at his desk with a soda, one leg crossed underneath him and the other propped up with his knee against his desk and foot locking the other leg into position. The familiar dragons circled one another on screen as Xiao Yi opened the soda. Instead of directly logging into his character, he backed out and skimmed his character sheet. Frost, assassin, level 100. As his mouse skimmed over the name, an avatar appeared and Xiao Yi stared at it in contemplation. A blood elf with long, inky black hair with cold undertones, and light blue eyes matching his own, adorning a beautifully designed black and red robe. This was his championship outfit. Each player received a customized one after they won the world championship and if one looked closely, they¡¯d find a small X engraved on the back of his neck if they weren¡¯t paying more attention to the black tattoos winding around his neck. If he was wearing something different, one might be able to see black tattoos winding around his wrists and ankles, an intricate pattern of a spell that hadn¡¯t made it into the game. They were supposed to be shackles. When V was designing the prison and color system for the game, he came up with the idea of having tattooed shackles for assassins on the leaderboard. ¡°Assassins are cool but aren¡¯t they also criminals? All you do is go around killing people for money!¡± The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Alas, people cared too much about cosmetics and it was quickly shut down by the development team. Yet, Xiao Yi had heard about this tattoo and specifically asked for it for his championship design. It was only a tattoo, it didn¡¯t have any special enhancements or drawbacks like they were supposed to but Xiao Yi had chosen them. [Frost is online.] Xiao Yi took a sip of his soda as he loaded into the game, the disguise spell still running, showing his name as ¡°Shen Wei¡± to anyone who may pass by. Frost walked out of his mansion at a leisurely pace, not paying any mind to the passing players running through the city or auto-traveling on their mounts. He continued into the mountains where he used the branches of trees as a stepping stone into the air, and began gliding on his sword mount. Despite Sleepy being max level, his cultivation and gear score wasn¡¯t as high as Frost¡¯s was due to the lack of character-restricted stats added through titles, clothes collections, and gears that couldn¡¯t be traded over. Hence, the only character he had that could make it to the area he was heading to was Frost. Right before he encountered the ruins that he¡¯d fought Nightmare at, he dismounted his mount, fell to the top of a tree, and double-jumped back onto the mount, pointing toward the clouds. If one was on the ground and looked up, they¡¯d see a small spec on their screen that could be a piece of dust stuck to their screen. As Frost flew higher, an island floating in the sky could be seen. From this angle, though, one could only see dissipating water turning into mist underneath, further hiding it from the view of those below. Only a small bit of ground could be made out past the mist. Mid-air, he dismounted once more and performed a move called ¡®cloud steps¡¯. The first level allowed the player to walk on pre-placed clouds to avoid ground attacks. The second, well, there were just more clouds. The third, instead of clouds, one was walking on rain droplets. Xiao Yi¡¯s fingers paused. He only needed the third level. A few hundred raindrops appeared mid-air, and Frost stood on one of them while regaining stamina. After a few seconds, the drops seemed to flicker and Frost leaped into the air once more and mounted the sword as they dissipated into mist. This island wasn¡¯t exactly hidden. It was just hard to get to so players who could make the journey would usually only go once and take a few photos as if they were a passing tourist and go along with their days. Frost switched directions so he wouldn¡¯t crash into the bottom of the island, he wasn¡¯t in the mood to splat on the ground like a bug. Amidst the sprinkling of trees, a lake sat in the middle of the island with three channels leading to the edge of the island, falling off in waterfalls. Walkways paved with white jade stone lead around the island to different viewing platforms, a gazebo floating in the middle of the lake, and a small cottage situated at the edge of the lake. Frost landed next to one of the waterfalls and sat at the edge of the island. He could see three of the four continents from this platform, the housing islands and sky islands¡­ Xiao Yi smiled lightly. This was the first area the team explored after they reached the max level. They¡¯d debated making it their guild area, but it was too hard for lower-level players to get to. Still, it was the perfect place to wind down from a hangover. Chapter 40 Xiao Yi sat in blissful silence, taking in the view of the world while listening to the area¡¯s tranquil bamboo flute melody intertwining with the waterfall beside him for over an hour, lost in his thoughts. He¡¯d been feeling more and more like he should confront his old friends, even if to air the dirty truth he¡¯d been hiding from them but he knew he shouldn¡¯t. It was his burden to bear and he understood if they wanted revenge for what they thought he did but sometimes, he just wanted to not be the villain in everyone''s stories. It contradicted everything he¡¯s done to get to this point in life but having the people he loves hate him¡­ It¡¯s a strong mountain to sit atop his shoulders. Before Moon stepped on stage, Xiao Yi could convince himself that he¡¯d moved on by not watching their videos and treating them as if they were ghosts. How do you move on from losing four friendships that spanned a decade? Hell, he even lived with Chen Qiang and treated his parents as his own. He couldn¡¯t go back to see his second set of parents, because even they had cut him off because of what he supposedly did. Xiao Yi¡¯s thoughts were broken as he heard the sound of wings flapping softly, headed toward the desolate island where only he and a few low-level non-combative mythical creatures rest. Behind him, he could hear someone drop to the ground, but he didn¡¯t move his camera as the person walked closer. [Prince]: Someone still comes here? Xiao Yi glanced at the name, then wrote back. [Shen Wei]: En. The footsteps paused for a moment while Prince typed and Xiao Yi responded before they continued until they stopped right next to Frost. [Prince]: Who are you? Xiao Yi looked at the newcomer. Prince. Sword master. Golden nameplate. There was silence for a few moments before Prince sat down and crossed his legs, right next to Xiao Yi. [Prince]: Those cosmetics haven¡¯t been sold so either you¡¯re a player or a dev. Which one? This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. [Shen Wei]: Neither. Xiao Yi glanced at the sword master once more and raised his eyebrow. This little sword master was a champion as well but he didn¡¯t remember seeing a ¡®Prince¡¯ on the list. Was it a name change, or did he have the outfit sent to another character? Interesting. Prince wore a black scarf that wrapped from his nose to where it blended under the black, crossed-collar top. The top itself had no color, but the bracers that wound half of his forearm were black with red intricate designs. Otherwise, he wore a black horse skirt that seemed to be one tone, but when Prince moved and allowed the sun to shine through the outer layer of silk, one could see black roses. Unlike most characters in the game, Prince¡¯s hair was simply left to hang down. Xiao Yi hummed as he clicked his keys, throwing the other¡¯s question back at him. [Shen Wei]: Who are you? [Prince]: Who are you? Xiao Yi chuckled, but he couldn¡¯t deny that he was feeling a tad playful¡­ Well, he was in a secluded area anyway, right? Why did he need the spell on? ¡®I wonder if they¡¯ll run away if I just¡­¡¯ The mouse moved to the top of the screen where active buffs were, right-clicked, and clicked ¡®remove spell¡¯. The game had to make a show of reapplying the black nameplate as it slowly moved across the gold, like particles eating everything in its path. [Frost]: Hi. Prince didn¡¯t run away, nor did he get up and request a duel. The two sat in silence once more for a few moments until ¡®Prince¡¯ replied. [Midnight]: Wow, I wasn¡¯t expecting this. Xiao Yi pushed his chair away from the desk just the slightest bit as he leaned back, his mouth parted slightly. Midnight. Another jack of all trades who also happened to be a captain back in the day. Before he created EDGE, he was the substitute sword master for FFS for just one year. He¡¯s quite a famous tale. FFS had only planned to keep him as a temporary substitute because their sword master was temporarily ill so they offered him a one-year contract not thinking he¡¯d have to substitute any large games, but their sword master had gotten ill the night before the world championship and he had to fill in. It was their first win in the world championships. Midnight left just a month later due to his contract ending, and FFS wasn¡¯t able to talk him back into the contract despite Xue being his childhood friend. It was because the FFS staff disrespected him too much. Not long after he left, the sword master hurt his wrist and was deemed unable to continue playing Valley of Light and FFS had to go search for another member. Midnight wasn¡¯t strained on money and was just playing around in the league so he went and created a new team, EDGE, where he could be the captain behind the scenes and join as an assassin now and then. His team had never made it to the world championships but it¡¯s not because they lacked talent. It was simply because they were talented players with professional lives, so they didn¡¯t participate in every competition - only ones they were interested in or had space in their schedules for. They dominated the singles and duos tournaments. If they decided to compete in the World Cup¡­ If Xiao Yi still led Team X, he wasn¡¯t sure he¡¯d beat them. Thank god he retired. Xiao Yi rolled back to the desk and tried to calm his raging heartbeat. [Frost]: Me neither. Wanna fight? Chapter 41 Xiao Yi sat on the edge of the balcony with his legs hanging over the edge while his body leaned against one of the poles for the railings. He had been in this position for an hour, just overlooking the view of the city as the sun set whilst occasionally smoking or taking a sip from his soda. If one were to ask him if he regretted anything he did at this moment, his answer would still be a no. The first time Chen Qiang brought up esports was the day he pulled Xiao Yi into a small little Internet cafe a ten-minute walk from their old middle school, excited about this game he''d seen a few small streamers play called ''Valley of Light''. He thought it would be the ''coolest job in the world'', hence, after they made the rest of their friends create characters together, they played relentlessly. This was before they could afford good computers of their own so the five of them would rush to the Internet cafe after their classes ended and stay until the sun fell or one of their parents called. Other than the first five levels, the group main quested to 80 together, and then to 85, 90, 95, and finally 100 as the level caps increased throughout the years. Xiao Yi smiled at the memories of those days. None of the five boys were born to be esports players by any means. Back then, they were just new players and only Chen Qiang had the dream of entering the esports world. Even he, though, found it unrealistic so he often pushed it aside as a small idealization and they proceeded to just¡­ Have fun. When they were new, they''d spend hours watching streams and uploading videos detailing how to tackle dungeons, how to find certain areas, hidden areas, tips and tricks when they were home. On days when there were patches, the boys would rush to the bustling internet cafe and go to the new dungeon hoping to be the first to clear it - only to find themselves at the respawn point time and time again as they attempted to learn the new mechanics, or, before they realized they needed better gear. Despite their video-watching, the five of them were quite stubborn and wouldn''t accept help from more experienced players which also led to them practicing their PVP skills against one another instead of honing them inside of the arena. The latter would have been the smarter move, but none of them wanted the ''humiliation'' of being beaten to a pulp by strangers. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. With all that being said, one would think that they were seriously playing when 80% of their time online was spent traveling around the different continents, discovering beautiful hidden areas, and generally fooling around. Mu Yichen even took over a business at that time, a small tavern on the second continent just to fool around in his free time. The dream finally hit the rest of them when they were in high school. [World]: [Congratulations to [??] for being the first to clear Oceans Abyss!] [Neptune, Moon, Venus, Frost, Flame - Guildless - 27 minutes 54 seconds] Five teenage boys sat in the internet cafe with their uniform jackets hanging off the back of their chairs and backpacks stuffed under their tables. Xiao Yi and Chen Qiang sat on one side of the table facing Li Hao, Tang An, and Mu Yichen. Usually, the five boys could sit side by side in one row but the internet cafe was unexpectedly busy on this Tuesday afternoon. "Guys, how long do you think we took?" Chen Qiang, with newly dyed bright red hair stuck out like a sore thumb in the cafe as he leaned forward with his chin on his hands. Li Hao stretched as he responded. "I don''t know, thirty minutes?" Xiao Yi shook his head and glanced at the loading screen, a black screen with rotating silver dragons. The Ocean Abyss was like its name, a dungeon that took place in a large air pocket in an abyss near the first continent. It was not only a pain to get to, with no teleport market, but one had to hop on the ferry, jump off at the right moment, head to an abandoned island to set a resting point, fly over the ocean [or swim, it was much faster to fly, though], and then dive and hope you get there without losing too much air. It took players four days to find after the patch notes were released and so far, no one had been able to complete it due to the spider web of air pockets the dungeons swept through, some of which with barely any room to stand, and the mechanics of the last boss. The last room had continuous DPS and a boss that could stun. If he lost half his health, he would start rampaging in intervals, making it impossible to stay nearby. It took them two days to beat it. When the screen changed and they respawned on the island, Mu Yichen nearly fell out of his chair. "We were first!" Xiao Yi watched as the world chat exploded, and then as their screens filled with friend requests and guild invites by notable guilds. The boys celebrated for a few minutes on their own, even getting the attention of the boss of the internet cafe whom they''d lovingly call ''boss-man'', who gave them each a free bowl of instant noodles on the house even though he didn''t quite understand their excitement. It was only after they finished eating that Mu Yichen hummed and mindlessly said. "Well¡­ Do you think if we tried, we could join an official team?" Chapter 42 Xiao Yi sat on the edge of the balcony with his legs hanging over the edge while his body leaned against one of the poles for the railings. He had been in this position for an hour, just overlooking the view of the city as the sun set whilst occasionally smoking or taking a sip from his soda. If one were to ask him if he regretted anything he did at this moment, his answer would still be a no. The first time Chen Qiang brought up esports was the day he pulled Xiao Yi into a small little Internet cafe a ten-minute walk from their old middle school, excited about this game he¡¯d seen a few small streamers play called ¡®Valley of Light¡¯. He thought it would be the ¡®coolest job in the world¡¯, hence, after they made the rest of their friends create characters together, they played relentlessly. This was before they could afford good computers of their own so the five of them would rush to the Internet cafe after their classes ended and stay until the sun fell or one of their parents called. Other than the first five levels, the group main quested to 80 together, and then to 85, 90, 95, and finally 100 as the level caps increased throughout the years. Xiao Yi smiled at the memories of those days. None of the five boys were born to be esports players by any means. Back then, they were just new players and only Chen Qiang had the dream of entering the esports world. Even he, though, found it unrealistic so he often pushed it aside as a small idealization and they proceeded to just¡­ Have fun. When they were new, they¡¯d spend hours watching streams and uploading videos detailing how to tackle dungeons, how to find certain areas, hidden areas, tips and tricks when they were home. On days when there were patches, the boys would rush to the bustling internet cafe and go to the new dungeon hoping to be the first to clear it - only to find themselves at the respawn point time and time again as they attempted to learn the new mechanics, or, before they realized they needed better gear. Despite their video-watching, the five of them were quite stubborn and wouldn¡¯t accept help from more experienced players which also led to them practicing their PVP skills against one another instead of honing them inside of the arena. The latter would have been the smarter move, but none of them wanted the ¡®humiliation¡¯ of being beaten to a pulp by strangers. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. With all that being said, one would think that they were seriously playing when 80% of their time online was spent traveling around the different continents, discovering beautiful hidden areas, and generally fooling around. Mu Yichen even took over a business at that time, a small tavern on the second continent just to fool around in his free time. The dream finally hit the rest of them when they were in high school. [World]: [Congratulations to [??] for being the first to clear Oceans Abyss!] [Neptune, Moon, Venus, Frost, Flame - Guildless - 27 minutes 54 seconds] Five teenage boys sat in the internet cafe with their uniform jackets hanging off the back of their chairs and backpacks stuffed under their tables. Xiao Yi and Chen Qiang sat on one side of the table facing Li Hao, Tang An, and Mu Yichen. Usually, the five boys could sit side by side in one row but the internet cafe was unexpectedly busy on this Tuesday afternoon. ¡°Guys, how long do you think we took?¡± Chen Qiang, with newly dyed bright red hair stuck out like a sore thumb in the cafe as he leaned forward with his chin on his hands. Li Hao stretched as he responded. ¡°I don¡¯t know, thirty minutes?¡± Xiao Yi shook his head and glanced at the loading screen, a black screen with rotating silver dragons. The Ocean Abyss was like its name, a dungeon that took place in a large air pocket in an abyss near the first continent. It was not only a pain to get to, with no teleport market, but one had to hop on the ferry, jump off at the right moment, head to an abandoned island to set a resting point, fly over the ocean [or swim, it was much faster to fly, though], and then dive and hope you get there without losing too much air. It took players four days to find after the patch notes were released and so far, no one had been able to complete it due to the spider web of air pockets the dungeons swept through, some of which with barely any room to stand, and the mechanics of the last boss. The last room had continuous DPS and a boss that could stun. If he lost half his health, he would start rampaging in intervals, making it impossible to stay nearby. It took them two days to beat it. When the screen changed and they respawned on the island, Mu Yichen nearly fell out of his chair. ¡°We were first!¡± Xiao Yi watched as the world chat exploded, and then as their screens filled with friend requests and guild invites by notable guilds. The boys celebrated for a few minutes on their own, even getting the attention of the boss of the internet cafe whom they¡¯d lovingly call ¡®boss-man¡¯, who gave them each a free bowl of instant noodles on the house even though he didn¡¯t quite understand their excitement. It was only after they finished eating that Mu Yichen hummed and mindlessly said. ¡°Well¡­ Do you think if we tried, we could join an official team?¡± Chapter 43 The five teenage boys glanced at one another in contemplation, a small fire flickering in their eyes. They had just beaten famous streamers and official guilds to the punch. Why couldn¡¯t they try to get on a team? That was the day that Chen Qiang¡¯s dream became everyone¡¯s shared dream, one that they wouldn¡¯t joke about anymore. ¡°Honey, I¡¯m home!¡± Xiao Yi leaned his head back and saw V walking through the door with three black gym bags draped around his neck and two suitcases being wheeled side by side while the man himself bore a goofy grin. V kicked the apartment door closed behind him and Xiao Yi drew his eyes away to glance toward the city once more as he heard a few thuds and a groan. ¡°Shit, those were heavy.¡± Five minutes later, V joined Xiao Yi as he swung his legs over the edge of his balcony with a beer in one hand, a cigarette in the other. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to hear about my day?¡± ¡°Heh.¡± Xiao Yi glanced toward the other. He could already guess what happened, but he still nodded. V tilted his head and smiled. ¡°You haven¡¯t been online recently, have you?¡± Xiao Yi shook his head. He had a busy day with his thoughts, when would he have time to go online? The other chuckled before continuing. ¡°Xue came to the company with a proposal for the next world event since he plans to retire. Anyway, while he was there, someone let it slip and a few reporters were waiting to get some pictures.¡± Xiao Yi raised an eyebrow. That wasn¡¯t what he had expected at all, more along the lines of ¡®I went and got my shit from our old place!¡¯. V pulled up his phone and shoved it in front of Xiao Yi with a shit-eating grin. The headline of the article was ¡®CEO¡¯s wife seen throwing a tantrum¡¯. Underneath, V clicked the play button and Xu Chen Hua could be seen pulling up to the front door in her black BMW, walking through the doors with an annoyed expression, trying to use the elevator, and returning to the front desk with an even redder face. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ''A tomato?'' V had voided her entry card the night that she tried to get him thrown out of the company, but he really hadn¡¯t thought she¡¯d have the audacity to show up again! In the video, Xu Chen Hua¡¯s stance changed as she attempted to lecture the receptionist. V commented. ¡°Do you know who I am? That¡¯s what she was saying right here. Damn right - the whole company knows what you did, did you think it was a small matter?¡± Xiao Yi nodded and watched as the receptionist picked up the phone. The video fast-forwarded a few moments to two security guards with blurred faces walking up to the front desk, trying to calm the situation. It didn¡¯t work. Seeing the security guards, Xu Chen Hua¡¯s green tea facade started as she straightened her back and threw on the waterworks. V chimed in again with a shit-eating grin. ¡°She was saying that there must be a problem and the receptionist just doesn''t recognize her because she¡¯s new.¡± ¡®¡­¡¯ Blame the employee without outrightly blaming the employee? The security guards glanced at each other briefly before one pointed toward the door, ushering her to leave the premises which demolished Xu Chen Hua¡¯s quick little act. Her face turned bright red once more, her arms crossed over her chest, and she tried to stomp back to the elevator. Tried being the keyword, as a security guard directly blocked her way. Then, she hit him across the face. The video fast-forwarded further to where Xu Chen Hua was escorted out of the building by a police officer. She wasn¡¯t yet handcuffed, so she marched her way to the car and pulled out¡­ Three black duffel bags and two suitcases which were promptly thrown in front of the building. Now, within earshot of the reporter''s camera, she decisively screamed. ¡°Bastard, I¡¯m keeping the house!¡± V took away the phone and laughed. ¡°I wonder what she thinks of her face being known? I even bought hot spots!¡± Xiao Yi shook his head with a small smile and muttered. ¡°Why did you marry her?¡± Albeit knowing full well that Xu Chen Hua¡¯s true face was hidden by the ability of an A-list actor, Xiao Yi couldn¡¯t help himself from being curious. He hadn¡¯t asked earlier due to how happy V was, but it was uncommon for those from families like theirs to be able to choose their marriage without thinking of their businesses. A marriage was similar to a trade, and you were lucky to marry someone and fall in love with them later. Xu Chen Hua¡¯s family wasn¡¯t poor but they weren¡¯t rich either. They were in the beginnings of the middle class with no generational wealth, no businesses to their name, and no lawyers, judges, doctors, or politicians in their family line. They were, by all means, a normal two-income household. Xiao Yi didn¡¯t have this issue since he was never looked at by his parents, and he¡¯d already been disowned so they couldn¡¯t try to marry him to anyone. V was a different story, he was still a young master under pressure from not just his parents, but his entire family. V drank from his bottle silently as he contemplated his answer and the two men simply sat silently for a few moments until V answered in a low tone. ¡°I just fell in love. That¡¯s it.¡± Chapter 44 V began to swing his legs off the balcony, the feeling of cool air meeting every small kick he made but it was inexplicably calming as he recounted his story without prompt. ¡°You know¡­ I wasn¡¯t popular in school.¡± Xiao Yi lifted one of his legs from the air, propped it up on the balcony and leaned against it, and the pole, and just listened. V grew up in a loving family. His mother and father both loved him and each other dearly despite being married through a marriage alliance. His mother¡¯s family delved into the pharmaceutical and beauty world, their knowledge focused on combining both old and new techniques. They kept history alive through older, natural remedies and skincare products but as the times changed they had to adapt to the ever-growing needs of consumers, primarily looking to increase shelf life. His father''s family was more diversified in technology, retail, and real estate companies as well as a few smaller offices in finance and accounting. Originally, his family had started as simple scholars, then merchants, and progressed through time as they adapted to the developing world. All in all, neither were new money families and both had enough to benefit by marrying their children. V himself was very much coddled by both families as the only grandson. He spent most summers and weekends with his grandparents as his parents found themselves busy with their careers, but this also caused him to become spoiled under their care. V chuckled. ¡°I used to think I was a hotshot because so many kids wanted to be around me¡­ It turns out that none of them wanted to be my friend, but their parents wanted more influence. Either it was a businessman wanting to become partners with my family or a child with parents or relatives that wanted to work in the company.¡± Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. By the age of seven, V¡¯s parents recognized the motives of those parents and promptly switched him to another school. And then another. And another. They simply didn¡¯t want their child being used for adult schemes, but by the age of eleven, they realized that their son would be approached no matter where they¡¯d send him within the city. V hummed and took a sip of his beer. ¡°Well, if everyone in this city knew who I was - would foreigners? That¡¯s what my parents thought, so they decided to send me abroad to live with my mother¡¯s older brother who ran away from home.¡± ¡®Ran away from home?¡¯ He paused for a moment, glanced at Xiao Yi, and added. ¡°It¡¯s a whole story, he ran away off because he found a man he liked and didn¡¯t know if his parents would accept him. Then, once he did reach out and they accepted him, he had already built a life in America.¡± Xiao Yi met his glance and nodded slowly. It¡¯s still quite stigmatized in their country but love is love. It turns out that V¡¯s parents were right. The parents had no clue who he was, hence, kids weren¡¯t sent to butter him up. A new problem arose, though. V was the only Asian kid in school, and his English wasn¡¯t very good so instead of being worshiped, he was being bullied. Even as he learned English, he couldn¡¯t find himself holding friends and was pretty much the black sheep that sat at the table with other black sheep at lunch time, yet none of them wanted to be friends with one another. The only bonus with sending V away was that when he came back to the country to go to university - no one knew who he was since he stayed in dorms instead of going home. After another sip of his beer, V leaned back and straightened his legs in the air. ¡°We fell in love when she thought I came from an average family, I guess that changed after she married into a wealthy family? I¡¯m not really sure where things went wrong, she used to be such a shy little bunny.¡± Xiao Yi lit another cigarette and glanced at the sky, only able to see a few stars through the city lights. ¡°Envy or greed?¡± ¡°Well, whatever it was, she¡¯s not the girl I fell in love with anymore.¡± Chapter 45 In a three-story industrial building with bricks as both interior and exterior walls, one man sat alone in the row of five computers. Only one computer didn¡¯t have a keyboard, while the rest had personalized keyboards to fit the people who sat there. His character, a human with vibrant red hair, sat in the same spot that Frost had earlier and the same assassin that had sat next to Frost was now accompanying him. [Midnight]: Why did you come back? The man tapped on the keyboard lightly for just a moment before replying. [Flame]: I wanted to see what he was looking at. ¡®What was he looking at before he said those words?¡¯ Both men sat silently for a few moments, but Chen Qiang¡¯s mind was racing with thoughts as he stared off the edge of the island at the maps below him. They¡¯d discovered this together. [Midnight]: That¡¯s not what I meant. Why did you come back here? This account, this island¡­ Moon¡¯s announcement, the witch hunt¡­ Why are you guys hunting him down? [Midnight]: He disappeared because he wanted to. Chen Qiang¡¯s brows furrowed as he read the messages. Not because they were wrong, but because this random guild leader was right. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. [Flame]: We want him back. In a dark apartment, one man with a black T-shirt on snorted. ¡°Lies.¡± [Midnight]: You did all this to get him back? Do you think your fans will accept him once he¡¯s back? In front of the man were two screens. One was showcasing the game while the other screen had two pages pulled up side by side. A forum post with the rundown of the entire ¡®Team X¡¯ situation was pinned to the top of the forum and even though the situation had died down a lot since Moon¡¯s speech at Worlds, 4 of the 10 posts on the first page were about Frost. On the other tab, Frost was trending once more due to his posts the other night. People wondering if he¡¯d become an alcoholic, people wishing he¡¯d get beaten, others wondering if anyone saw someone with blue eyes at a bar¡­ All in all, there was a hate campaign against Frost. If these people had any level of respect for him, they wouldn¡¯t have brought the situation back into the eyes of the public. Midnight had searched the situation after meeting Frost. After reading the rundown, he wasn¡¯t sure why no one questioned the situation. Perhaps it was because the others were just too naive but no company would just void the contracts of five world championship players, especially not the current title holders. If the company was low enough on funds to collude with Frost and steal the player''s money, then the best decision would have been to sell the contracts in a bid. If Frost did steal, why was he asking acquaintances for a place to stay? After a moment of no response from Chen Qiang, the man typed once more. [Midnight]: You say that he stole from you, how much? Chen Qiang froze. How much? He couldn¡¯t answer. The only reason that they knew he stole from them was because Xiao Yi had told them himself. [Flame]: I don¡¯t know. [Midnight]: Do you want to know? Chen Qiang frowned but typed back an affirmative. He too, wanted to understand the situation. Why did he do it? Why did he say those words? [Midnight]: Send your bank deposit statements and contract to [redacted]. Chapter 46 How does it feel to sleep with your legs hanging down from the top floor of an apartment building? With one roll of the body, a start awake, or even a soft earthquake, one would be like a scrambled egg on the ground within a few seconds. Xiao Yi had the answer: It was uncomfortable. His body ached as he attempted to open his eyes against the blinding sun beaming from above, simultaneously trying to sit up against the wishes of his still bruised back from the adventurous night of drinking he and V embarked on. V, on the other hand, watched in amusement from the chair as the younger groaned and attempted to roll, only for his leg to hit the railing. He had been awake for a few hours now but had decided to stay home to do some work instead of going into the office. Hence, the laptop on his lap and binders full of papers are stacked on the balcony table with a bookshelf stopper on top to keep them from blowing away. ¡°Brother, don¡¯t get up too quickly.¡± Xiao Yi could hear the smirk in the other voice. He decisively raised one of his arms, closed his hand, and left the middle finger standing as he grumbled. ¡°Who¡¯s your brother? Fuck.¡± Three minutes later, Xiao Yi sat next to V with his legs crossed and slowly sipped at the coffee that he¡¯d stolen from the other, his eyes still heavy, his hair a mess, and his PJs still on. V rested his arm on his hand and looked at the other. ¡°Your biological brother misses you, Li Hao is annoying, and somehow fans have found out that you did not steal from the team. Oh, and my wife is trying to claim I had an affair with you, so she deserves alimony. That¡¯s what you missed when having a grand old nap.¡± Xiao Yi nodded at the first three, and as soon as ¡®affair¡¯ was mentioned, he spit the coffee into the air. All. Over. V¡¯s. Documents. ¡°Hey!¡± V jumped up and threw his sweater onto the paper to soak up the coffee before it could do more damage. Xiao Yi coughed. ¡°Affair? Is she insane? Just bury me six feet deep - you¡¯re not even my type!¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Not even my type. Not my type. Type. The words repeated in V¡¯s mind as he scrubbed the paper with his sweater, then, his hands paused and his head turned toward Xiao Yi. ¡°You have a type? You¡¯re gay?¡± Xiao Yi eyes glanced over like a lazy cat and lingered on V¡¯s face for a moment before he nodded. Although Xiao Yi didn¡¯t realize the severity of his small comment, V¡¯s world had been turned upside down and he was sure Xiao Qiu would go into ¡®overprotective brother mode¡¯ if he heard the youngest¡¯s words. For their entire friendship, V thought that Xiao Yi was just¡­ Asexual, or didn¡¯t care about relationships. From what he knew, Xiao Yi had never shown interest in another, had never mentioned liking anyone, and was generally a guy who seemed to want to be on his own. Relationship? Would he have a brother-in-law soon? V looked at the younger who took small sips of his coffee in the morning light and mumbled. ¡°Who¡¯s your type?¡± Xiao Yi shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Not you, though.¡± V didn¡¯t know whether to be relieved, laugh, or be offended as he stared at Xiao Yi. Inevitably, he decided to change the topic since Xiao Yi seemed talkative. ¡°What are you going to do about them?¡± Them. Both men knew who he was talking about. ¡°Nothing.¡± Xiao Yi hummed as he slid the balcony door open. ¡®Let them play, they¡¯ll get bored soon.¡¯ Meanwhile, a certain captain sat in front of two screens with six documents opened. Chen Qiang had managed not to just send his financial reports and contract, but the three other boys as well. Not only that, he had his hand on Frost¡¯s contract too. It wasn¡¯t financial reports, but it was something. He also had a list of each tournament Team X won and the payouts. ¡°Xiao Yi.¡± His finger tapped against the desk. Xiao Qiu. Xiao family. Frost was from the Xiao family. Sure, it¡¯d be a coincidence of last name, if Xiao Yi didn¡¯t mention ¡®Xiao Qiu¡¯ as his emergency contact. He hadn¡¯t planned to get involved, but he was curious about the rumors of this past god that he¡¯d never had the chance to face off against on stage. Were the rumors right? Why were these four men bringing the situation back to light? Who was Frost? Why, with that talent, did he just disappear? The answers to three of those questions were right in front of him. Each boy had 25% more of the winnings than they should have had. Not only was he not stealing from them, he was funding them while living off the very little salary he was getting through a shitty deal. He laid out all in front of him and sent Chen Qiang a message. [Midnight]: He doesn¡¯t owe you anything. The four of you are in debt of approximately 6 million yuan. Chen Qiang paled as he read the message. [Flame]: Debt? How? [Midnight]: He split his prize winnings with you four and didn¡¯t take any for himself. Chapter 47 ¡°¡­¡± Chen Qiang stared at the message in absolute silence for a moment before he kicked his sheets off, jumped out of bed, and began running through the new team complex. ¡°Mu Yichen!¡± ¡°Downstairs!¡± Mu Yichen yelled and Chen Qiang ran down the stairs with phone in hand. Mu Yichen, Li Hao, and Tang An were all circled around the counter eating a simple breakfast with a video playing in front of them, a game replay from the last world championship. Xiao Qiu¡¯s stream. Li Hao smiled as he turned in his seat. ¡°We were about to call you, we found him!¡± Chen Qiang slowed as he approached the counter. In the corner of the video was Xiao Qiu with a bundle of a human with his head on his shoulder. Xiao Yi. Although they¡¯d called up Xiao Qiu, Xiao Yi wasn¡¯t exactly close to his older brother in those years so they didn¡¯t think to investigate him further. Perhaps, it was a good thing that they hadn¡¯t, or they may have done something they¡¯d regret for the rest of their lives. Chen Qiang pushed his hair back and handed his phone to the unsuspecting Mu Yichen. ¡°He was sending us all his prize money, he wasn¡¯t stealing from us.¡± He¡¯d never wanted to believe that the kid he accepted as a brother would cheat them out of money, but the words had come out of Xiao Yi¡¯s own mouth so there was no choice but to take it. Tang An paused the livestream and leaned over Mu Yichen¡¯s shoulder with a skeptical expression. ¡°We owe him?¡± Chen Qiang nodded and took a seat at the counter, next to Mu Yichen and said. ¡°Look I¡¯m not saying that he had nothing to do with what happened but we also have to think - if he lied about this so what else did he lie about? Isn¡¯t it also weird that in all these years, he hasn¡¯t found a team to take him in?¡± Li Hao waved his hand. ¡°No one would want to take him in.¡± Mu Yichen pushed up his glasses and shook his head as he placed the phone on the counter. ¡°You¡¯re wrong. Maybe mainland teams would think twice about it, but abroad? They¡¯d scoop him up in a heartbeat whether it¡¯s to take assassin, captain, or coach positions.¡± If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Tang An nodded. ¡°You¡¯re thinking¡­¡± Chen Qiang cut him off. ¡°He wasn¡¯t released from his contract like us.¡± Li Hao crossed his arms and leaned back. ¡°Why do you think he wasn¡¯t released?¡± Chen Qiang hummed. ¡°If he was, do you think he would have stayed with Xiao Qiu and mooch off him for so long? What about reaching out to others to get free accommodation? Even if he wanted to retire¡­ He¡¯s not the type to take handouts, he could have gotten both money and accommodation from any team just for being a coach let alone stepping on the stage. He has too much pride.¡± He continued, his finger tapping against the table. ¡°Look, maybe we jumped the gun. We only know rumors from the staff and what Xiao Yi told us. It still doesn¡¯t make sense why we were released from contracts when the company could have auctioned them to other teams.¡± Mu Yichen¡¯s eyes turned cold. ¡°You¡¯re thinking that he¡¯s still locked into a contract and took the blame for the company¡¯s mistakes?¡± Chen Qiang nodded. ¡°We believed it because of Xiao Yi, but obviously we can¡¯t believe his words or actions from back then.¡± Li Hao sat in contemplation for a moment before he burst out of his seat. ¡°Fuck, what did we do?¡±He disappeared up the stairs while ranting. ¡°Our fans have blasted him for years over something that we had no proof over, all because of himself. Is he looking to drive himself to death? Why would he sit back and let the rumors slide? That Xiao Yi, was he ever evil?¡± Was he ever evil? The words hung in the air as the door slammed shut. Xiao Yi, evil? All of the boys knew that Xiao Yi could have done anything in life other than join an esports team and take it over, but he chose to pursue esports because of their love for it. He didn¡¯t take the college entrance, but if he did he would likely be among the top five spots. He didn¡¯t talk back to anyone, he didn¡¯t want revenge against his family who neglected him for his entire childhood. He sent money back to Chen Qiang¡¯s family despite not being blood-related just because they took him in for a few years. Xiao Yi was lazy, he didn¡¯t talk much, he liked to sleep, but evil? They knew the answer to that. Mu Yichen looked down at his hands with a defeated expression. ¡°Were we wrong?¡± Chen Qiang was the only person among the four of them who had trouble believing Xiao Yi was a part of the schemes. He had always been the closest to the other, and while they were all friends with Xiao Yi, it was undoubtedly hard to become as close to him as he was with Chen Qiang. Despite this, they were best friends for over a decade. Why didn¡¯t they look into it further a few years ago? Was it their own ego, Xiao Yi¡¯s words, the stress? Wanting to pin the blame on someone and place it on Xiao Yi, who was the captain? It made sense at the time. Xiao Yi was the captain, he undoubtedly would have known about the company¡¯s decisions, right? Mu Yichen stepped away from the counter and called someone. ¡°I need you to look into something from four years ago¡­¡± Because of this one lie being uncovered, the other lies began to unravel. Chapter 48 Two groups of people were investigating Xiao Yi, but the person in question was leisurely gardening on his alt paying no mind to the happenings of the world until V came home and leaned against the balcony door in front of the desk with his arms crossed. ¡°They found out.¡± Xiao Yi blinked and he felt his heart drop. ¡°Eh?¡± V brushed his hand through his hair and sighed. ¡°They know everything except for the contract you signed, they think you¡¯re still signed to the previous Team X for a longer period and they refused to sign your contract, but Chen Qiang is questioning that too.¡± Xiao Yi shut his eyes for a moment and hit himself on the forehead. ¡°Shit.¡± ¡°Shit is right, they¡¯re demanding me to get in contact with you and they¡¯ve been harassing Xiao Qiu for a week!¡± ¡°Ignore them.¡± Xiao Yi hummed, then waved V off and went back to the game as if he hadn¡¯t heard anything. It didn¡¯t matter how much they knew, they didn¡¯t know the full story and hence they would still believe he was somewhat of a scumbag. Besides, he¡¯s certain that what he said before wouldn¡¯t make them think higher than himself. They were right, though, Xiao Yi was prideful and arrogant in his own way. He would have never reached out to distant acquaintance to try to find a couch to crash on, he would have marched into their team headquarters with a contract in hand and asked if anyone wanted him. His finger twitched as he plucked another spiritual fruit off a tree and Sleepy turned to the mansion, cleared out his bag into his storage, and walked to the target board. He grabbed a random S mission, looked on his map, and teleported to the second continent. The second continent was much larger than the first, but it had fewer cities to visit and more rural towns due to the climate. The bottom half of the continent had a four-season weather system, but the top half gradually became a layer of thick ice with nearly constant snow storms. His target, a max-level sword master, was on the icy plains and Xiao Yi felt like he was about to deal with a lot more than one person because the only things that area had to offer were a guild raid, dungeon, and a few gathering missions that don¡¯t need to be completed if one¡¯s already done it. Xiao Yi hummed and checked the reason. According to the request, this person kicked him, the original guild leader, out of the guild once he used him enough and claimed that the original guild lead account was hacked. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. This is¡­ Well, not Xiao Yi¡¯s business. Sleepy flew above snow-covered pine trees and eventually tracked his target down. He smirked and jumped off the mount, landing right in front of the guild leader with his duo swords already drawn. The guild leader fell instantly and it took the others a second to realize what happened and soon, Xiao Yi was surrounded by eight players. Sleepy flicked the blood off his sword and the snow around him absorbed it as he typed. [Sleepy]: Oops, my hand slipped. No one typed in general chat, presumably using their guild or party chats to communicate, as they collectively began throwing attacks. Sleepy flipped into the air to avoid the mage¡¯s array circle, spun slightly to avoid the summoner''s spell, and landed right behind the bard. His hand ¡®slipped¡¯ again and he slashed her neck. [Sleepy]: Well, that wasn¡¯t very nice was it? Hmm¡­ Sleepy flicked his swords again and the blood fell from the tip of the blade onto the white patch of snow. He turned his attention to the remaining seven players and laughed. They¡¯re all high-level players, why can¡¯t they get close to landing a simple attack? He¡¯s been standing still! ¡®No fun.¡¯ Thousands of cherry blossoms began fluttering around the group, a truly beautiful sight against the blinding white snow stained with blood. Just then, the mage on their side seemed to get his head out of his ass and the ground beneath Xiao Yi began to shake, cracks seemingly ripping it open. Xiao Yi smirked and sidestepped, right into another ultimate performed by the rogue. Traps littered the ground, ready to grab his feet at any moment as the hunter¡¯s ultimate formed above their heads. A beautiful, giant red bow engrossed with flames appeared and hundreds of arrows engrossed in flames floated in the air in front of him. Xiao Yi felt his heart race and a genuine smile bloomed on his face. They wouldn¡¯t be able to kill him before his cherry blossoms took them, but they were formidable opponents in a group of three. The others¡­ likely newer players. Sleepy gracefully jumped into the air and stepped onto floating raindrops, followed by the hunter who¡¯d already laid his ultimate. Sleepy turned and met his twin blades with his own duo blades, dancing on the raindrops as the cherry blossoms began to enclose the group and avoiding the attacks being thrown by the remaining members. Drop. The dwarf fell to the ground as Sleepy leaned back to dodge the hunter''s blade, the hunter dodging as he swiped his own. Drop. The sorcerer fell, and the arrays threatening to catch him if he fell dissipated atop the broken ground. Sleepy turned to avoid the mage¡¯s fireball while the hunter¡¯s blades met his, not even an inch from the other''s neck. Drop. The paladin, who, sadly had no attacks to reach the sky, was the next to fall as the hunter tugged on the string of the bow. Drop. The rogue, song weaver, and mage fell together as if it were a romantic movie where neither wanted to let the other die before them. Hundreds of arrows coated in flames fell from the sky as the hunter fell to the ground, not yet dead but close enough that the remaining petals would get him in a few moments. Sleepy also fell off the rain droplets and he focused on dodging and hitting the arrows away. By the time the attacks stopped, the assassin with long black hair was the only one standing amidst the eight players he originally approached, with half HP. Xiao Yi leaned back and smiled. Chapter 49 [Nightmare is online.] The systems notification came through just as Xiao Yi handed in his third assassination mission. Truthfully, he was thinking of getting off the game but as soon as he saw the notification he propped up in his chair. ¡®It¡¯s him.¡¯ He remembered his last message from the other mentioning that he¡¯d be busy for a few days but he¡¯d like to fight again next time and his hand twitched. Just as he was thinking of what to send to the other, he received a message. [Nightmare]: You¡¯re on? [Sleepy]: En. Xiao Yi looked at his reply and wanted to bat his head against the table. Is this how you make friends, a single affirmative answer? Fuck. He was too used to just using affirmative tones or small replies, even if he¡¯d gotten better at using sentences in the weeks after meeting Nightmare it didn¡¯t change his habits. His fingers swiftly danced across the keys. [Sleepy]: You¡¯re done working? [Nightmare]: Not done but I have some free time. A new dungeon was released in the last patch, have you done it yet? A new dungeon? Xiao Yi didn¡¯t pay attention to game updates but he recalled the maps and dungeons he tested for V before release, there were a few options for being released on the main maps without increasing the level cap but he didn¡¯t know what direction his CEO friend would go. Also, he''s in the middle of a divorce and decided to release a dungeon with no marketing? ¡®Maybe I should check on his mind.¡¯ [Sleepy]: No, I didn¡¯t check patch notes. [Nightmare]: Sounds good. [Nightmare has invited you to a party] [Sleepy has joined the party] Although he didn¡¯t get to fight against this new assassin friend of his¡­ Dungeon running brings friendships, right? If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. [Nightmare]: Do you have anyone you want to invite? Xiao Yi laughed and wanted to type that his only friends on this account were him and V, who never got on, but decided against it. [Sleepy]: No, do you? It was at this moment that Xiao Yi¡¯s phone began to ring. He glanced over to see Captain Lee¡¯s ID displayed proudly and raised his brow. If it were anyone else he may have ignored it but Lee wasn''t the type to call for a friendly chat. The extent of their messages is only about Xiao Qiu, and he¡¯d never called his phone personally. Xiao Yi picked it up and placed it on speaker as he read Nightmare¡¯s message. [Nightmare]: I don¡¯t... Want to try it with just us? The line on the other side of the phone was quiet for a minute and Xiao Yi assumed Lee was waiting for him to say something. ¡°Yeah?¡± Lee¡¯s shaky voice replied. ¡°Stay calm¡­ We were attacked. Your brother''s not in great condition. I sent a private plane for you, I¡¯m sending you the information.¡± Xiao Yi, in fact, did not stay calm. His heart felt like it fell from his chest to the floor. A second later, his chair rolled halfway across the apartment from how fast he got up and was about to leave the apartment when he realized he probably needed his ID, first. He backtracked to his room and grabbed his wallet and one of V¡¯s car keys from the hook by the door. ¡°What happened?¡± Lee seemed to contemplate for a moment and there were hushed voices in the background but Xiao Yi couldn¡¯t hear the other side very well. He finally replied. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it when you get here.¡± Xiao Yi stared at the elevator door, wishing it would open faster, and nearly began cursing at Lee. He gritted his teeth and asked. ¡°How is he?¡± This time, the other side of the phone went silent and Xiao Yi realized he was likely on speakerphone. He asked again, his voice so icy it could freeze another in they¡¯re place. ¡°I. Said. How. Is. He?¡± ¡°Little Yi, it¡¯s better if we talk about it when you get here.¡± ¡°Put him on the phone.¡± ¡°We¡­ can¡¯t.¡± Xiao Yi began cursing. ¡°Fuck you, what do you mean you can¡¯t? Give me a straight fucking answer and stop talking in circles.¡± Lee reached out his arm, a hospital bracelet circling his wrist. He waved off the nurse who¡¯d been holding the phone and his arm holding the phone shook slightly. ¡°He hasn¡¯t woken up.¡± Xiao Yi clicked the set of keys a few times and looked around until he found a black Hyundai staring at him. Somewhat relieved that he didn¡¯t grab a key to a sports car, he got in and started the engine. He was suddenly happy that Chen Qiang¡¯s family forced him to learn how to drive. Hasn¡¯t woken up¡­ Xiao Yi made it to the airstrip within ten minutes, the entire time on the phone with Lee without speaking as he ran through his thoughts. As long as Xiao Qiu wasn¡¯t dead yet, he could handle anything. Suddenly, as he approached the airport a thought ran through his mind. ¡°Our parents?¡± Lee seemed taken aback but still replied. ¡°Xiao Qiu took them off everything years ago, they¡¯re not an emergency contact and can¡¯t make decisions on his behalf.¡± ¡°Who can?¡± ¡°You.¡± The two exchanged a few more words and hung up the phone. As soon as the phone disconnected, Lee dropped it on his lap and leaned back in the hospital bed as he glanced around the room. Five men were in the room and only he was awake. He glanced at the nurse and smiled mildly. ¡°Thank you for letting me call instead.¡± She placed the phone on the table beside him and smiled politely as she fixed the blankets. ¡°Does he live far?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ That kid fled from home so he¡¯s a few hours away.¡± Meanwhile, Xiao Yi called V. He didn¡¯t wait for the other party to say anything. ¡°Xiao Qiu¡¯s in the hospital, find out what happened, and send a team to guard the hospital.¡± Chapter 50 Xiao Yi was close to shoving the law-abiding driver out of his seat and taking over the wheel so he¡¯d make it to the hospital sooner, but he held himself back as he answered messages that he¡¯d missed on the flight. [Captain Lee]: We¡¯re in room 3 on the top floor. [V]: You hung up without giving me any information. I¡¯m getting on a plane, I sent people to guard around the hospital and have someone looking into the fight but where did it happen? Xiao Yi gave them both a quick message that he was off the flight, and Lee replied immediately. [Captain Lee]: Wear a mask, the fans don¡¯t know what happened and someone could recognize you. He stared at the message for a short while, felt around his pockets, and came up with nothing. He glanced at the driver and asked. ¡°Have any masks?¡± The driver just pointed to the bag on the floor behind the driver''s seat. Ah, Lee had been prepared. He glanced at the duffel bag and ruffled through it. He guessed that the driver or someone from Lee¡¯s staff prepared it while he was on the flight as it was clear by the tags on the pair of pj¡¯s, underwear, sweater, and sweatpants that it was all newly bought. He found the package of fabric black masks in another compartment that held a phone charger, shampoo, body wash, a small toothbrush, and small toothpaste and hand sanitizer. ¡®You¡¯ll be recognized with a mask on.¡¯ Xiao Qiu¡¯s sentence from earlier rang through his ears and he laughed. He¡¯d be recognized as Frost the scumbag with a mask, or Xiao Qiu¡¯s cute little brother without a mask. Either way, Frost was the lesser of two evils at this moment. While on the flight he¡¯d come up with some ideas. Perhaps, that attack in the alley was truly meant for him. If so, why would they target Xiao Qiu next? It wasn¡¯t their parents, they may be vicious to himself but they¡¯d never touch a hair on Xiao Qiu¡¯s head even if he had disowned them. Although Xiao Qiu¡¯s team wasn¡¯t terrible, they weren¡¯t stepping on anyone''s toes in the esports world yet, and even if it was¡­ Why¡¯d they target Xiao Yi, the person not on the team first? It didn¡¯t make sense. Investors and V¡¯s ex were out of the question, they had nothing to gain from attacking a team of esports players and it would have been more beneficial to wait to kidnap Xiao Qiu and hold him for their demands instead of attacking. Meanwhile, V got off the phone with his assistant as he entered his apartment to grab a suitcase already filled with everything he¡¯d need on the journey. He¡¯d been on his way to the apartment in the first place, grabbing this wasn¡¯t going to delay his journey. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. They were beaten up. V¡¯s eyebrows furrowed as he glanced around the apartment quickly, checking that Xiao Yi hadn¡¯t left the stove on. His eyes landed on the computer by the balcony, displaying an AFK assassin in a team. He wandered over and took a look at the party chat. It was just him, and a guy named Nightmare. [Nightmare]: Not ready yet? [Nightmare]: Did you go afk? V leaned over the chair and typed on Xiao Yi¡¯s behalf. [Sleepy]: This is his roommate, he¡¯s he had something important come up, sorry. He closed out the game, turned off the computer, and swiftly exited the apartment. Xiao Yi pulled the mask over his nose as they approached the hospital and put the duffel bag around his shoulders. As soon as the car stopped, he politely nodded to the driver, rushed through the hospital entrance, and went directly to the doors of the elevator. It was there, that he noticed the two middle-aged people getting into an argument with the poor lady at the front desk. ¡°He¡¯s my son, you can¡¯t tell me what room he¡¯s in¡­ Are you looking for a lawsuit?¡± ¡°Ma¡¯am you¡¯re listed as risks on his file, we really can¡¯t!¡± Xiao Yi¡¯s gaze lingered on them for a moment and the man noticed him. ¡°Xiao Yi?¡± Beneath the mask, Xiao Yi sneered. He walked to the front desk, gave over his ID, and bullshitted. ¡°Miss, these people were abusive for years - we really don¡¯t want to see them, if they try coming to his room please escort them out by security¡­ I¡¯m scared for my brother''s safety.¡± Mr. Xiao paled as he heard the other speak and he reached out to grab Xiao Yi¡¯s arm, furthering the front desk lady¡¯s pointed glare toward the couple. Xiao Yi avoided the hand while acting scared and ¡®fleeing¡¯ into the elevator. He pressed 3 buttons and stopped at 3 floors before he exited onto the top floor to throw off his parents if they had been watching the counter. Shameless! How could they try to show up here after all they¡¯ve put them through? He was seething as he stomped through the halls, but it dissipated once he saw the number 3 atop a painted light blue door. He stood frozen in front of the door for a few seconds before he lightly pushed it open. The light beeping and hum from the machines in the room didn¡¯t even register in Xiao Yi¡¯s brain as his eyes fluttered frantically, looking at the five beds to find his brother hooked up to a ventilator and IV drips. Xiao Yi¡¯s arm shook as he approached the furthest bed in the room while Lee, the only awake person, watched silently from his own bed. Xiao Qiu¡¯s handsome face which could be seen past the ventilator was swollen with bruises, his arms were covered in the same along with a few cuts from sharp objects and Xiao Yi could confidently say that baby blue was not his color. His finger trembled as he softly grazed Xiao Qiu¡¯s hand as if he were scared that touching any more would cause the man in front of him to shatter. Xiao Yi slowly turned around and glanced at the other sleeping boys, all of which were covered in bandages and hooked up to IVs and heart monitors of their own. Just then, Lee spoke up. ¡°They¡¯re just sleeping through recovery.¡± Xiao Yi nodded slowly and his eyes flickered to Lee, who wasn¡¯t in great shape himself with a cast around his leg and a splint wrapping his left arm. ¡°What about my brother?¡± ¡°Other than external¡­¡± Xiao Yi waited a moment for Lee to continue, but after a few seconds passed he asked. ¡°Why is my brother in a fucking coma?¡± ¡°He has a brain bleed and a surgery in a few hours." Chapter 51 ¡°There may be a need for rehabilitation but we won¡¯t know his condition until he wakes up. For now, everything looks fine.¡± ¡°Thank you¡­ When will he wake up?¡± ¡°That depends on himself, the brain is a tricky thing. He could wake up in a few minutes, hours, days, though it gets concerning when it¡¯s the latter.¡± Xiao Yi frowned as he listened to the conversation between Lee and the doctor, but he didn¡¯t look away from his elder brother¡¯s sleepless face. Ironically, this was likely the best rest he¡¯d had in months, no longer bearing bags under his eyes. He looked incredibly peaceful, the exact opposite of how his younger brother was feeling. The door closed as the doctor left and Lee sighed as he watched Xiao Yi¡¯s leg shake. ¡°There¡¯s nothing you can do.¡± Exactly, that¡¯s why he was so anxious. Despite the emotionless expression on his face, Xiao Yi was anxious, terrified and angry. This was the second time in his life that he wasn¡¯t able to gain some semblance of control over a situation, the second time that he couldn¡¯t do anything to help. He wasn¡¯t a doctor, he didn¡¯t have superpowers. He was absolutely helpless, he only had money. The first time was when Xiao Qiu was first diagnosed with cancer. Amidst the low lull of the machines, a phone buzzed once. Then again. It stopped after the third time and Xiao Yi pulled out his phone. [V]: I¡¯ve touched down, going to head to the hospital after putting our shit away. [V]: Attached is the address if you need somewhere to shower. [V]: Also, I found the security footage. To be more precise, his people found it. They¡¯d gone to the businesses in the area and were able to find one that had a camera covering part of the alleyway where the boys were attacked. Xiao Yi opened the video and skipped through, unwilling to see his brother being beaten until he found a frame where he could see one of the masked attacker''s arms as his sweater rolled up. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. There, on the inside of the wrist, is a simple yet beautiful black lotus flower. Xiao Yi¡¯s breath stopped. ¡°My parents are going to kill me once they find out¡­¡± Nearly ten years ago, he sat in the passenger seat of a red Super car eating ice cream. He glanced over at the driver, his second cousin, Xiao Huang, with an eyebrow raised. Why would his parents kill him? He¡¯d just run into him at the hospital and was bringing him home, was that a crime? Xiao Huang glanced over at the boy''s face and saw he was confused. He chuckled lightly and rolled up his black shirt to show his wrist with a fresh tattoo covered in a clear wrapping. ¡°I got this today, I showed your brother earlier when aunt and uncle went to grab lunch.¡± Xiao Yi glanced at the tattoo in wonder, it was beautiful and clear against the pale skin. In a way, it matched the gentle demeanor that his cousin carried. ¡°Aiya, it was a split-second thought but I think they¡¯ll kill me this time. It means strength and resilience, maybe if I explain they¡¯ll accept it.¡± Xiao Yi zoomed into the arm on the video and matched it with the arm in his memories. Xiao Huang. That fucking pretty-looking middle-aged bastard. What beef did Xiao Qiu have with their second cousin? Absolutely none. If his cousin should be targeting anyone, it should be their other cousin who took up the business after the two brothers left the family. How. Dare. He. Ah... Wait... He knew why his twisted brain would want to beat him and his brother up. A soft hand reached out to rub Xiao Qiu¡¯s cheek as Xiao Yi muttered. ¡°Wake up soon, I¡¯ll be back.¡± He nodded toward Lee as he left, not giving him the chance to speak as he closed the door behind him and went down to the parking lot to find the car that one of the guards V sent was in and knocked on the tinted window. The window rolled down and a toned man, probably only a few years older than himself, nodded. ¡°Boss has informed us. No suspicious vehicles or people have been around a block of the hospital.¡± Xiao Yi shook his head and slipped a piece of paper through the crack of the window. ¡°Call half the guards away, have them set up around this villa. Best fighters. Have one of them find me some rope, a baseball bat, beer, cigarettes, and a lighter.¡± The man looked at him for a moment, then at the paper, before he chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ll take a group over there now. Want to get in?¡± Xiao Yi shook his head. ¡°Wait for me there.¡± He turned away from the car and found a pillar to lean against before calling V. ¡°I¡¯m in the basement parking lot, come get me.¡± V, who had already begun driving over to the hospital to visit Xiao Qiu. ¡°¡­ Where are we going?¡± Xiao Yi hummed. ¡°Found one of the attackers.¡± ¡°Already?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to do anything illegal are you?¡± Xiao Yi paused for a second before asking. ¡°You have a mask?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°They did it first, why can¡¯t I?¡± Chapter 52 ¡°Look, I don¡¯t think this is a good idea.¡± ¡°Wait wait wait - we can just send some men to do the dirty work, why are we going?¡± ¡°What if your other cousin finds out?¡± ¡°Mmmph!¡± Xiao Yi¡¯s hand tightened around V¡¯s face, covering his mouth as his other hand guided the wheel of the car. He glanced over with clear, taunting blue eyes and a smirk under his mask. ¡°I clearly remember hearing that you used to beat people up in high school, did you finally grow up?¡± V tried to retort, only to be muffled and Xiao Yi chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s why I had you change to a different car and report it stolen to the police. The Xiao family doesn¡¯t know that we¡¯re friends, let alone the fact that I¡¯m living with you. Do you find me stupid?¡± Xiao Yi¡¯s family was rich enough to buy someone to follow him around like a criminal every day but they just didn¡¯t care enough about him to do so. Not back then, not now. If it wasn¡¯t public knowledge, his family had no access to it. Xiao Qiu on the other hand, is the apple of his parent''s eyes¡­ Xiao Yi had to take care of covering his tracks throughout the years and gradually, the people sent by his parents stopped looking for him and his parents had to sigh in defeat and accept the fact that their eldest had unofficially disowned them. That¡¯s why Xiao Shen ended up taking over the company. Xiao Qiu thought it was because he declined and fled home, but he didn¡¯t know that their parents held on until the last moment. Hell, if he walked into the head office tomorrow - they¡¯d kick Xiao Shen out immediately. He had no doubt that the shares were never passed onto Xiao Shen or their side of the family, they were being stored to be given to Xiao Qiu when his parents passed. What a shame¡­ Xiao Yi was willing to let the Xiao family off for what they¡¯d done to him, but one of them had to go and beat up his brother and the other parties had to go and try to visit said brother. V¡¯s hand tapped on Xiao Yi¡¯s and he withdrew his hand as he drove up next to a car and rolled his window down. ¡°The things I asked for?¡± Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. The guy, a bulky man in his early 30¡¯s pointed in front of him and said. ¡°Boss has them, he¡¯s around the corner.¡± Xiao Yi nodded and rounded the corner. Twenty-five minutes later, Xiao Huang¡¯s front door was kicked open and the masked Xiao Yi walked into the house alone, with a baseball bat on his shoulders while the guards dealt with the bodyguards outside. He hummed peacefully as he walked through the house until he found his one and only cousin lounging next to the pool. The elder quickly stood up and called. ¡°Guards! Who the hell are you?¡± Xiao Yi smacked his head with the baseball bat and kicked his shin, causing the other to kneel on the ground. He leaned down, grabbed a fistful of hair, and forced him to look up. ¡°You fucked up, cousin.¡± Xiao Huang¡¯s eyes widened and Xiao Yi allowed him to leave a punch on his face before stomping on his leg and kicking his stomach so he was on the ground. He got on top of him and abandoned the baseball bat as he punched. ¡°You bring a group of men to hurt my brother, why do you look so aggrieved when I do the same, hmm?¡± Xiao Yi¡¯s knee jabbed into the other''s stomach and he smiled as Xiao Huang groaned. ¡°Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know why you did it. Xiao Qiu doesn¡¯t have the shares in his hands, go to our birth parents for that.¡± He got up, picked Xiao Huang up by his collar, and looked at the bruised boy with content. ¡°Also, Xiao Qiu didn¡¯t use his connections to get into esports but you¡­¡± Xiao Yi hummed as he stared at the other''s right wrist. ¡°I¡¯d cripple you but even if I don¡¯t, you don¡¯t think the fans can¡¯t see that you suck at the game right? All you have is a pretty face and daddy¡¯s money.¡± Xiao Yi knew this was the real reason, but if caught, Xiao Huang would certainly say it was due to the shares in Xiao Qiu¡¯s hands. He closed both doors for the man, stepping on both excuse and reason before throwing him to the ground. Years ago, his cousin reached out to him right after Team X won the championship, completely unaware of the company turmoil, and asked for Li Hao¡¯s spot on the team. At the time, Xiao Yi had to reject him but was somewhat flattered that the other was inspired because of him. It wasn¡¯t a fleeting passion, Xiao Huang had genuinely enjoyed playing games but he¡¯d never dared turn to the esports world because of his parents. He¡¯d lost touch after that phone call but Xiao Yi did see that he created his own company and put himself on the team a few years ago but they¡¯d lost before they could get through the third brackets each year. Xiao Huang enjoyed playing games and he was good in terms of casual players but if you put him in a room of professional players¡­ He¡¯d be among the worst. He didn¡¯t commit to training and instead focused on tearing other teams down in the business world to clear his way. "Touch my brother again and see what becomes of you. I''d prefer if you be good, though, I have an elderly couple that should have been sent to a nursing home four years ago to deal with next." He stretched, grabbed his baseball bat, and didn¡¯t forget to step on the man¡¯s phone before turning to walk through the house, once again humming peacefully. Chapter 53 Xiao Yi had been an innocent, unassuming, sleeping fool for four years. He allowed himself to be cursed by the entire world. He swallowed the grievances brought by his neglectful parents and his non-existent childhood years that made him grow into an adult far too quickly. He allowed himself to sign a noticeably unfair contract¡­ Hell, he was silent when his own mother stabbed him because his elder brother had decided to side with him instead of staying their perfect little prince. However, he was willing to shoulder the accusations, grievances, pain, and attempts on his life as long as they didn¡¯t affect anyone else. But¡­ Xiao Yi was no saint. Everyone had a tipping point and Xiao Yi had just reached his. Instead of heading straight to the hospital, he drove to the apartment that V had set up and sent him off before heading to the apartment he shared with Xiao Qiu. He found it hard to believe that his parents had no knowledge of Xiao Huang¡¯s plot. They likely just didn¡¯t think it¡¯d end up with Xiao Qiu almost landing in a casket. Actually, he didn¡¯t care if they knew or not. The fact that they dared show up at the hospital without being summoned was already pissing him off. Whether they were innocent in this situation or not, it wouldn¡¯t change his plans. They willingly walked into his crosshairs. Xiao Yi walked into the apartment building and cursed at the broken elevator, this time, not in maintenance but truly broken as the sign read ¡®Elevator broken, please use stairs! We are working on getting it fixed as soon as possible. Indeed, Xiao Yi made the trek up the stairs, and thirty minutes later, news broke of police raids on Xiao Group. Another thirty minutes later, Xiao Group¡¯s files were released by a hacker showcasing the moving of funds from the company accounts to private, overseas accounts that tracked back to the accounts of the company¡¯s owners and their nephew. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. An hour after those files were leaked, a video was sent out by reporters with the title: This is how they treat their own children, even a tiger won¡¯t hurt its cubs! The video quality was crisp and clear, both Mrs. Xiao''s and Mr. Xiao¡¯s faces were unhidden as they marched out of the elevator and into the hallway of an apartment complex, determination fueling their steps. They could be seen looking at the door numbers before finding the one they were looking for and banging on it. No one answered, so the video fast-forwarded until a young boy with a mask on rounded the staircase with his hands in his pockets. He could be seen visibly pausing as the couple turned to him, and shaking his head at a question asked by the couple. Although the surveillance couldn¡¯t hear anything, the viewers weren¡¯t blind enough not to notice that the young boy was just taking the verbal attacks of the couple, mainly, Mrs. Xiao. The boy seemed to be patiently waiting for her to finish yelling before approaching or saying anything. When Mrs. Xiao paused to take a few breaths, the boy finally moved to enter his apartment, closing the gap between him and the couple and reaching to unlock his door. Mrs. Xiao grabbed his arm, pulled him back, and slapped him across the face. Mr. Xiao stood silently and said nothing. Then, the boy turned to his door again and successfully opened the apartment but before he could take a step inside, Mrs. Xiao pulled him back again and threw him against the opposite wall. She could be seen barging into the apartment and coming out a minute later, seemingly not finding what she was looking for as she directly landed more attacks on the young boy who only threw up his arms to protect his head, but didn¡¯t attack back. Mr. Xiao was only watching silently, not intervening or pulling her off, silently agreeing with her actions. She asked another question, to which the boy weakly shook his head. He pushed himself off the floor and avoided most of her attacks, trying to get back to the apartment to lock himself in a safe space, but she ran in front of him and swiped at him once more. The surveillance couldn¡¯t see the movement due to the camera angle, but they could see the boy fall to the ground and uncover Mrs. Xiao holding a pocket knife in her hand. Mr. Xiao took action at this, not to reprimand, but to run away. He took the knife from her and put it into his pocket, gave her a handkerchief, and pulled her into the elevator while the boy crouched over in pain. No one came to help him and the video fast-forwarded once more until viewers could see the boy roll slowly push himself off the floor which had been covered in blood and pull off his shirt to push it against his wound while rushing into his apartment. The reporters slowed down that moment, zooming into the split second that they could see the boy¡¯s wound. It dragged in an almost perfectly straight, jagged diagonal line from chest to hip. Although the apartment door had closed, the video kept rolling until a team of men in black suits came and cleaned the blood off the wooden floors lining the hallway. Along with that video, numerous police reports were found outlining complaints made by neighbors with concerns that there might be a young boy being neglected in the Xiao residence. No one was ever dispatched to the address, however, raising more questions. Xiao Yi sat on the living room couch, scrolling through his phone with a satisfied smile. Chapter 54 ¡°Crap, there¡¯s reporters. Someone must have broken the news of the fight¡­¡± V cursed as he pulled into the parking lot. Xiao Yi glanced up from the phone but he wasn¡¯t too surprised to see six reporters standing near the entrance to the parking lot, cameras and phones rolling to try to grab a glimpse of one of the five members inside. At least, these ones were decent enough to not go snooping around for their hospital room. He hummed and pulled open the glove box where the two black masks used earlier in the day laid and put one on whilst holding the other out for the boy reversing the car. ¡°Mask.¡± V sighed, parked the car, and pulled the mask from his grasp with a glowered expression. ¡°Do I really need it?¡± ¡®¡­¡¯ A hand hit the back of his head and he yelped whilst looking at the other, an accusatory look on his face that would make his father¡¯s heartbreak. Not Xiao Yi, though. He only stared back at him for a few moments before stating. ¡°I¡¯m Frost. You¡¯re a CEO. Do you really think they won¡¯t recognize you without a mask?¡± ¡°You¡¯re Frost, so you shouldn¡¯t wear a mask! They¡¯ll recognize you, wait, let me see if there¡¯s a sweater¡­¡± V reached behind the seat, his hands coming up with nothing. Xiao Yi nodded. ¡°But they¡¯ll recognize Xiao Qiu¡¯s brother before they recognize Frost.¡± V retorted. ¡°They¡¯ll put the pieces together. Why¡¯s Frost going to the hospital where -¡° ¡°So what?¡± Xiao Yi slammed the door as he got out of the car. He didn¡¯t have time to fight, he had to go see his brother. So what if he was recognized? He was shocked that the public hadn¡¯t put the two pieces together by now, anyway. Truthfully, he didn¡¯t give a shit whether or not they put two and two together anymore. It was a bit annoying and it might trouble Xiao Qiu when he wakes up but what the hell is he hiding from? So what if he¡¯s a scum, retired esports player who sleeps on his brother''s stream? Is it a crime? V appeared next to Xiao Yi in a huff but didn¡¯t say anything as they walked toward the reporters, nor did he say anything as he watched one of the small reporters with a phone glance at the phone, then turn the camera toward them and walk out of the group. Stolen novel; please report. It was only when the doors closed that he turned to the stone-faced person in the elevator and cursed. ¡°I think that girl was live streaming.¡± Live streaming the entrance to a hospital? That¡¯s a new level of low. V, however, was right. That little reporter had been sent by her company to do a small live stream of the parking lot, deeming it as a non-emergency zone so she wouldn¡¯t get in trouble. Yet, although it was morally wrong, there were a few thousand people in the room watching whilst going about their days waiting to see if one of the members of the esports team, their staff, or families would go in so they could hear what happened. All that was leaked was that there was a fight between some thugs and the players of a team so the world was still speculating on who those players were. It was one of the newer viewers in the stream that pointed out. [Hey, doesn¡¯t that kind of look like Frost?] The live streamer looked down at the comment, then back at the two men who were entering the elevator, and decided to turn her phone in that direction while quickly commentating. ¡°One of our viewers said this man resembles Frost. Although I haven¡¯t seen him in a long time, I was able to be present at the worlds four years ago as a small intern¡­ This person does resemble him, ah.¡± The viewers who had the audio on but were doing their own thing quickly came back to the screen to look, just as the doors closed. Familiar, icy blue eyes stared directly at the phone as if they were seeing through the phone camera and at the person on the other side. The viewers felt a chill run through them. [Those eyes¡­] [Someone clip it!] [There¡¯s no way, why would he be at the hospital?] While the viewers were buzzing, the two men walked into the hospital room and took off their masks. Xiao Yi glanced around the room and saw an empty spot where his brother was supposed to be. He looked toward Lee with an eyebrow raised. Lee waved his arm. ¡°Recovering in the ICU, doctors said he should wake up soon but no guarantee.¡± He turned to leave the room when Lee continued. ¡°We can¡¯t visit him there.¡± He paused in his tracks, then turned and walked over to sit in the chair that was next to where Xiao Qiu¡¯s bed was supposed to be. If all he could do was wait¡­ He was good at that. V greeted Lee. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± Lee nodded. ¡°Sorry for showing you this side¡­¡± ¡°Can you still play?¡± ¡°Mmn, they said I¡¯ll recover before the next bracket begins.¡± The other three members had woken up, yet they were silently scrolling on their phones before Alex commented. ¡°What the hell, someone¡¯s saying that bastard came to this hospital?¡± V and Lee both froze, whilst Sam asked. ¡°What bastard?¡± ¡°The captain that abandoned his team.¡± ¡°Frost?¡± ¡°That guy, yeah.¡± ¡°I guess bastards can get sick too.¡± Xiao Yi listened to his brother''s teammates curse him out for only a few moments before snapping. ¡°Shut the fuck up.¡± The room grew silent as the group collectively turned to look at the cute younger brother who always slept on their teammate''s shoulders. Alex looked at him, then back at his phone before pointing. ¡°You - you - you¡­¡± Xiao Yi nodded. ¡°I¡¯m that fucking bastard.¡± Chapter 55 Xiao Yi slept for three days straight. V remembered Xiao Qiu looking at him in all seriousness and stating. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate his sleeping ability. If he doesn¡¯t want to be awake, he won¡¯t be awake.¡± This sentence proved true. As soon as Xiao Qiu was rolled back into the room with the four men, Xiao Yi directly crawled onto the bed next to him and curled up as if he were a cat. The only difference was, that he was concerned about touching the other person so he thoughtfully laid Xiao Qiu¡¯s left arm which wasn¡¯t connected to any IV or wires onto his stomach. He didn¡¯t know when Xiao Yi would get up and use the washroom or eat, but he swore that the boy was avoiding him when he did! He¡¯d only left a few times to get some sleep on his own or go down to the cafeteria to grab a snack but whenever he¡¯d walk back into the room, there was Xiao Yi, sleeping in the same position. It didn¡¯t matter if the nurses came to change the IV, giving him strange looks as they tried to wake him up, or when the crowd of doctors came in at each shift change and surrounded the bed to give their daily reports. Xiao Yi was like a dragon that went out and caused chaos, then slid back to his den and hibernated. Of course, Xiao Qiu didn¡¯t wake up during this time either. The odd time, he¡¯d flicker his eyelids or move a finger or two but otherwise, he too, was out like a brick. At least he had a reason - what was Xiao Yi¡¯s? V sat next to the bed, arms crossed with his foot tapping against the floor, complaining. ¡°You make a mess and I¡¯m expected to clean it up, huh? The internet is going insane, Chen Qiang won¡¯t stop -¡° The phone buzzed and he glanced at the caller before continuing to curse. ¡°He won¡¯t fucking stop calling me! I have 38 missed calls from Chen Qiang alone, don¡¯t even get me started on Mu Yichen - he¡¯s close behind at 26, it¡¯s like they¡¯re taking shifts.¡± Xiao Yi obviously heard him, but he could only compliment in his mind. ¡®How resilient.¡¯ He¡¯d been lucid for the majority of the three days, aside from when he¡¯d first fallen asleep when he completely blacked out from the lack of sleep. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. After he told the team that he was Frost, there was only an eerie, awkward, stifling silence from the members. Although Lee had tried to get the conversation going, Xiao Yi just decided to sleep. Thankfully, his brother was rolled in not long after that conversation, otherwise, he¡¯s afraid he¡¯d be sharing a bed with Lee. The day after he passed out, only Lee was left after the others were discharged and went to recover with their families but he was also quiet aside from talking on the phone occasionally. V, for the past three days, has been talking his ear off so he isn¡¯t unaware of the happenings in the real world. His parents were brought in by the police and the Xiao family continued to support them, mainly due to the stocks that they held. There were attempts from the Xiao family to control the public but they weren¡¯t faring well, especially not with V countering them. Xiao Huang¡­ That pretty boy hasn¡¯t said anything yet, neither to the family nor public. He was the smartest in this situation - if he said anything to the public, fans would put him on blast and ruin his esports career. If he said anything to his family, they¡¯d likely disown him for poking the beat as Xiao Yi had been silent for years without anything happening. Meanwhile, his old friends have been pushing V¡¯s buttons trying to get information about both brothers after seeing the news. A small, ethereal flute played a few notes before drifting into the air and Xiao Yi peeled his eyes open and lazily felt around his pocket for his phone. ¡°Really? This is what it took for you to wake up?¡± V stood up, mouth open and face red as he pointedly stomped his feet. ¡°I know you could hear me!¡± Xiao Yi hummed from where he was lying and swiped open his phone. The message came to his main account, Frost. [Midnight]: I saw what happened online. I just so happen to be near that hospital, want me to clear away some reporters? Xiao Yi sneered. [Frost]: Why? So you can bring me to the others? [Midnight]: I didn¡¯t call for them that time. We aren¡¯t friends. [Frost]: What a coincidence then. [Midnight]: I didn¡¯t. Though, I did meddle a bit, sorry. [Frost]: ??? [Midnight]: You don¡¯t look like the stealing type. Xiao Yi understood what he was getting at and furrowed his brows. [Frost]: You shouldn¡¯t have meddled. ¡®Let them believe what they should believe.¡¯ Midnight also understood where he was coming from and sent a short apology. He didn¡¯t bother responding, instead, he headed to the washroom to freshen up, then to the vending machine in the waiting area of this floor, and back to the room. Just as he curled back up, Xiao Qiu opened his eyes. Schedule Change: Saturday & Sunday Hello! As the title says, the schedule will be changing to the weekends. Either Saturday and Sunday, or two posts on one of the days depending on if Saturdays get a bit busy. The reason for this is the fact that it''s confirmed that my work during July and the other position in September will both be Monday - Friday, and my uni will be Monday - Friday with the exception of one class on Saturday. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Patreon early access uploads will also be on Saturday/Sunday and will likely have multiple exclusive projects uploaded together, though there may be spontaneous weekly postings in my free time. I hope this schedule is fine for you guys. Thank you, Wandering Phoenix. Chapter 56 Xiao Yi paused as his eyes met Xiao Qiu¡¯s, his left arm was supporting his side already as he was about to curl up on the bed once more but it stiffened. He blinked. Xiao Qiu blinked. Xiao Yi shot back up and scurried off the bed, nearly falling over himself as his feet hit the cool ground. His hands shook slightly as he affirmed. ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡± Not even thirty seconds later, he was being pushed out of the room as the resident doctor, a few nurses, and two policemen entered, likely hoping to get Xiao Qiu¡¯s statement from that night. V stood next to him and sighed in relief. ¡°He woke up just in time to reign you in.¡± Reign in¡­ Xiao Yi groaned and didn¡¯t grace V with a response as he walked through the hospital corridors once more with a noticeable bounce in his step. Xiao Qiu was awake. But¡­ He¡¯d have to explain his actions later on. He hummed and entered the elevator with V following him. Why not add to the damage before Xiao Qiu gets the detailed list of all the trouble he¡¯d made, though? The two swiftly headed to the apartment but took drastically different paths. V, likely the one who lost the most sleep through these few days, practically ran to his room and crash-landed on his bed without changing into pajamas. Xiao Yi also sat on his bed, using the laptop that¡¯d been placed on his nightstand to scroll through the trending topics. The public was indeed not stupid, they were like little detectives on their own and had practically confirmed that Xiao Yi was the little boy getting beaten up in the video, the little brother who slept on Q¡¯s stream, and Frost. The little streamers'' video from the other day wasn¡¯t solid evidence on its own, but as viewers combed through old footage they were able to pinpoint 3 images together. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. A screenshot from the trending video with a small line drawn over by an editor pinpointing the scar''s approximate location. A screenshot from Xiao Qiu¡¯s stream showed Xiao Yi¡¯s sweater ridden up slightly before Xiao Qiu panicked and pulled it down. Lastly, a clip from one of Mu Yichen¡¯s old streams had only a few viewers who weren¡¯t paying attention to the camera as Mu Yichen sneaked behind an enemy player. In the background, Xiao Yi could be seen leaning back in his chair for just a moment as he lifted his shirt and wiped at his neck. It took nearly ten hours for viewers to connect the dots. ¡®Smart little detectives.¡¯ He hummed as he scrolled through some of the comments. [Frost = Sleeping God = Young Master¡­ I¡¯m conflicted.] [No wonder he turned out to be scum with parents like those.] [Although he was harmed, it doesn¡¯t make what he did right. He has loose morals but he¡¯s an adult now, is Xiao Qiu still standing beside him despite knowing his character?] [Above has a good point¡­ Frost¡¯s misdeeds are known everywhere, he¡¯s an esports player himself, so how can he support him?] [I feel betrayed. I hate Frost but I¡¯ve been gushing over Sleeping God as a mother fan for so long.] With lowered eyes, Xiao Yi looked through the photos saved on his cloud and began his work. His fingers fluttered over the keys without pause and three minutes later, a large text was posted with ten photos attached. [X-Frost]: ¡°I didn¡¯t scam my previous teammates, I didn¡¯t steal their money, I didn¡¯t knowingly cooperate with the company to abandon them, and I received no money by disbanding the team. What I did do was knowingly deceive them and let them believe these things. Before I go on, I¡¯d like to state that I am knowingly breaking part of a contract and I will pay the fines¡­ If the Xiao Group feels like having our home issues aired in another courtroom. After our team won the world championship, the company was planning to sell off our contracts to the highest bidders overseas. We had signed five-year contracts and it was up to the company to decide what to do with them, whether they kept or sold them was their decision and we would have to follow it. I made a deal with the devil, my biological parents, you can see the photo of the contract below. Also linked below, are the disownment paper between me and the Xiao family, signed on the same day. The reason Team X disbanded was because of the message exchange between my teammates and another company that was ongoing whilst I was signing the contract. Team X was disbanded before I stepped foot out the door. Again, not their fault as I didn¡¯t properly inform them of the contract as I had no knowledge of the conditions beforehand. You can also see the contract I signed allowing a portion of my earnings to be split between the four members of my team, along with some text message threads with the staff. That¡¯s all. Don¡¯t question my brother¡¯s morals or put your opinions of me onto him, he is his own person, not a clone of me.¡± With that, Xiao Yi cleared his name so his brother wouldn¡¯t have troubles in the future because of him whilst simultaneously breaking the esports circle. If he thought about it clearly - wasn''t this all Lee''s fault? He wouldn''t have walked in with a mask if it wasn''t suggested by him! Ah, he was set up. Chapter 57 [It¡¯s confirmed¡­] [There are people bothering Q Shen?] [So, we were blaming him for so long when he wasn¡¯t really at fault?!!?!] [I¡¯m going to throw up.] [Hands up, where are the people who threatened Frost before, huh?] [¡­ He was probably actually homeless and we made fun of him back then, people turned him away - where was he sleeping?] Netizens were questioning the choices of both themselves and the players they followed, whilst the players themselves¡­ Were feeling just as sick. As that last comment stated, Xiao Yi had indeed reached out to some players and captains that he was somewhat acquainted with during his years of being a captain, and most of them¡­ Cursed him out. They cursed an innocent kid out when they were older than him and gave him nowhere to go. The esports players that had been bragging about turning away the past assassin god were truly ashamed and felt that they¡¯d gone too far after getting scolded by fans, even if he was still a scum person. Meanwhile, Xiao Yi was too busy downing another piece of pizza in the back garden of the hospital to give any shits: the half-eaten, medium-sized pizza sitting right next to him on the bench. If someone asked him if he forgave the people who threw him to the streets, he did. He understood why. However, just because he forgave them, it didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t feel disgusted by them at the same time. He kicked his feet up on the bench as another cold wind swiped past him and carefully sheltered the pizza with his back. Then, he leaned down and grabbed another slice. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Food from the hospital was okay, if only for one meal. Otherwise, he really couldn¡¯t stand it! So bland! He finished another slice before he collected his things, threw the box in the garbage, and began walking back to Xiao Qiu and Lee¡¯s room where Lee was still lingering despite being told he could be discharged. As he got closer to the room with a small bounce in his step, he heard Xiao Qiu yell. ¡°He did what?!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Xiao Yi paused in the hallway. Lee could be heard chuckling. ¡°Don¡¯t be angry.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be angry? He wanted a peaceful life - how¡¯s this peaceful? I let him leave home and when he comes back, he burns the world with flames and stomps on his enemies and you tell me not to be angry? What if he got hurt too¡­¡± Xiao Yi backed up a few steps, his brother was full-on mother-hen mode already. He glanced down at his hands and sighed. He didn¡¯t have a chance to hug him yet, if he stepped into the room right now he¡¯d surely be scolded. Was Lee trying to get him killed? Lee told him to wear a mask, he wore a mask and got exposed. Lee told his brother about his online happenings right after Xiao Qiu woke up, isn¡¯t he asking his brother to beat him? Ah, Lee was definitely not on his side here. Why did it feel like he had another, troublesome older brother? Xiao Qiu could be heard asking. ¡°Give me my phone¡­ Where¡¯s my phone?¡± ¡°It¡¯s back at the base.¡± ¡°Then¡­ Give me your phone.¡± ¡°Why do you want my phone?¡± ¡°To see what he did!¡± ¡°Fine, fine.¡± Xiao Yi heard enough, he swiftly turned on his heels and power walked through the halls, mindful of the no-running signs plastered near the elevators. ¡®I am not getting scolded, not today, nope.¡¯ A half-hour later, Xiao Yi opened up Valley of Light on his computer and swiftly logged onto Sleepy, mindful of the fact that his reputation being clear was no less annoying than everyone thinking he was a scum man, and looked at his friend list. His one friend, Nightmare, was sitting proudly online and before he had a chance to message him, he received a message instead. [Nightmare]: You¡¯re finally on. [Sleepy]: Life was busy, did you do those dungeons? [Nightmare]: I got busy too so I didn¡¯t have time, I watched a few videos on it though and it¡¯s not too difficult. Xiao Yi bounced slightly on his chair, his foot pressing against the floor as he read the message. He quickly typed back. [Sleepy]: Do you have time today? [Nightmare]: I have time now. Want to try it with me? [Sleepy]: En. [Nightmare has invited you to a party] [Sleepy has joined the party] Chapter 58 Nightmare has teleported the party]. It only took a moment for the terrain on Xiao Yi¡¯s monitor to change and he quickly deciphered which dungeon V had decided to put into the game. Undying Lights. Much like its name, the dungeon dealt with defeating spirits who haven¡¯t left the world yet due to whatever reason they may have. Resentment, rebellion, the need for revenge, loneliness, or being lost or nostalgic. The later ones were the least dangerous and also needed a different method to send them to the afterlife because they were much less violent during their time as a human and spirits. Those weaker ones wouldn¡¯t be in a dungeon, but would later be added to the game during the main quest and daily tasks. [Nightmare]: This¡¯ll be fun. Xiao Yi tilted his camera to the side to view the other player who was standing at the gate reading about the dungeon. He approached and opened the interface. He scrolled down until he saw what he was looking for, the first dungeon with a timer since level fifty. ¡®The dungeon will be locked for the players for twenty-four hours if the team doesn¡¯t complete the mission in thirty minutes.¡¯ [Sleepy]: Should I switch to a support? He wasn¡¯t concerned about no entry for twenty-four hours as he didn¡¯t really run dungeons anymore, but that didn¡¯t mean that his new friend was the same. [Nightmare]: Where¡¯s the fun in that? Xiao Yi stared at the message for a second before leaning back and chuckling, his fingers just lightly tapping at the edge of the keyboard without typing anything. A kindred spirit. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. The two hit the join dungeon button and their characters automatically moved forward a few feet before music based off of ancient scripts with a soft melody began, a flute and guzheng intertwining perfectly together. In front of them, a few see-through mobs appeared on the sidelines and slowly merged toward the court. Whilst stuck in place, the mobs turned and noticed them and the aura around them became dense with black fog as they began approaching. The first section of the dungeon was defeating all mobs in the outer courtyard. In sync, the two assassins split between the two halves and began chopping away with the combination of their auto and main attacks without special attacks. As they reached the last two mobs, the spirits disappeared into the mist before them and began to grow. Sleepy and Nightmare quickly jumped away from the mass growing in the center as it solidified into a grotesque, somewhat humanoid figure with three arms on one side and one arm on the other, the other two having been clearly chopped off previously. [Nightmare]: Do you think his weak spot is his left? ¡®How dare you kill my babies?¡¯ Black smog rippled off the figure in front of them as a large sword appeared in the air, only to be caught by the boss. [Sleepy]: I don¡¯t think it¡¯s his left, I also don¡¯t think it¡¯s his right. The two were drawn into a cut scene they wouldn¡¯t be able to skip due to it being their first time through the dungeon, hence, they began chatting for the next minute and thirty seconds as they could still see the chat window at the bottom left of their screens. [Nightmare]: I thought I was too old for cutscenes. [Sleepy]: Too old? [Nightmare]: I meant too leveled. [Sleepy]: New caps are added every few years¡­ [Nightmare]: Don¡¯t remind me. Do you participate in the leveling leaderboards? Valley of the Light had a leaderboard for their leveling events that had a general one for all players and individual classes each time they raised the cap, there would be rewards given to those who were on the list with the greatest rewards going to the top ten. [Sleepy]: I did at one point but not anymore, you? [Nightmare]: It depends if my team is. [Nightmare]: Are you an alt? Xiao Yi blinked at the forwardness but replied nonetheless. [Sleepy]: I am, are you? [Nightmare]: I am too. It gets a bit hectic when I play on my main so I prefer alts. Are you on a team? [Sleepy]: I¡¯ve retired. [Nightmare]: Oh, I¡¯m getting close to retiring too. Within the next two years. [Sleepy]: Would your captain be okay with that? [Nightmare]: I¡¯ve informed myself and have accepted the resignation already. [Sleepy]: I approved my resignation, too. Chapter 59 Both men had large smiles as they looked at the screens before them. One, in a cold bedroom that still had luggage in a suitcase, and the other, in a high-rise apartment overlooking the city with rowdy conversations ongoing behind him. Xiao Yi noted: He¡¯s a captain. Nightmare noted: He¡¯s an ex-captain. Very soon, however, the smiles were wiped off their faces as they both focused on the screen. This dungeon was originally meant for a five-player team with at least one tank, DPS, healer, and a summoner or spell caster. Assassins were just DPS with a medium aoe radius and quick movement speed, attack speed, and evasion. Although each class could learn skills that fit the needs of the other classes, it was significantly weaker. If a mage and assassin used their base ¡®spell¡¯ moves, the mage would almost always win in terms of just strength. After one hit from the boss in front of them, Sleepy flew back and landed on his feet with just half of his HP left. This boss¡­ Definitely different from the one he tested. He moved out of the aoe radius and rolled his wrist. [Sleepy]: Seal? Nightmare paused briefly, his foot just off the red carpet on the ground. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. [Nightmare]: Seal. I¡¯ll keep aggro. That was all that needed to be said as the two split apart. Because it was a five-player dungeon, both of them had to take on 2.5 people¡¯s work. A seal? Sleepy stepped in a circle, stopping every 3 steps until the circle ended, Xiao Yi typing a string of numbers at each stop. When he reached the last spot and closed the circle, he moved 3 steps outside of that spot and did the same with every 6 steps, then again with every 9 steps to complete the ritual. All this happened within two minutes, while Nightmare held the boss''s aggro and applied DPS to the boss before them. When Xiao Yi finally turned back to the boss, the other assassin had already chopped away 1/3 of his HP on his own and the boss was entering his first stage of rage. Xiao Yi typed another command and Sleepy stomped one foot. One by one, circles with ancient letters appeared from the floor surrounding the humanoid figure, illuminated in blue particles. As the last one appeared, the axe in the humanoid figure¡¯s hand slowed mid-air. Sleepy stomped once more, and majestic pillars rose to the air, a thin film reaching from one pillar to the next until there were three enclosed circles. The humanoid boss completely stopped moving aside from the slight rise of his chest and blinking of his eyes. Nightmare immediately began throwing skills at the boss while Sleepy stayed in place to keep the formation. If he¡¯d been a summoner, he would have been able to hold this skill without using his character as part of the formation. [Sleepy]: 3 minutes. 3 minutes were left before the seal disappeared. [Nightmare]: Tell me when it¡¯s 1 minute. Xiao Yi didn¡¯t end up having to tell him when one minute was left, as Nightmare was able to kill the boss on his own with the help of some potions. Unfortunately, they wouldn¡¯t make it past the next hoard of mobs as the timer had run out of time and they were kicked out of the dungeon. Nightmare stood in front of Xiao Yi and did a bow emote while saying. ¡°We should try it again tomorrow.¡± [Sleepy]: If we¡¯re both free, let¡¯s try it. He wanted to see what was different about this dungeon from his initial testing, and it didn¡¯t seem like Nightmare minded not completing it in the first round anyway. Chapter 60 The phone buzzed, the familiar tone of the game¡¯s mobile app sounding to let him know he received a message as he followed behind V with a bag in one hand, a soda can in the other, and a piece of bread with butter hanging out of his mouth. V turned to look back at him with a quizzical, yet amused gaze as he commented. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯ll be answering the message?¡± Xiao Yi raised one eyebrow and motioned for V to call the elevator with his foot. All of this was, unfortunately, caught on a livestream once more. It¡¯s been a few days since he went full-blown nuclear online and the small reporters and live streamers were eager to get an interview with him to find out the full story from his mouth. Who were the two young masters? Why were they treated so differently? Would he press charges against the Xiao couple or the whole Xiao family for their mistreatment? While, all the esports reporters, live streamers, and fans wanted to know¡­ When was Frost coming back? Alas, they were blocked by the team of bodyguards V had hired at the parking lot entrance to the hospital once more, only able to catch a glimpse of the men. Xiao Yi¡¯s eyes ran over them as he stepped into the elevator. ¡®Pests.¡¯ He had nothing against reporters but¡­ At a hospital, really? They needed to have at least a little shame. ¡°Are you sure about moving out?¡± Xiao Yi glanced over at his best friend and nodded softly. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. He moved away, and his older brother got himself beaten up. If he wasn¡¯t around, wouldn¡¯t his brother be bullied once more? However, instead of moving into the team building with Lee and them, he had planned to stay at the apartment on his own and visit every day or two to help take care of Xiao Qiu until he was better. Then, he¡¯d buy his own apartment in the city to free up Lee¡¯s top floor. He awkwardly pushed the bread further into his mouth with his wrist. By the time the elevator opened again, Xiao Yi had a free mouth to use and he asked. ¡°What, will you miss me?¡± V snorted and looked away. ¡°Of course not.¡± Both of them knew that his answer was false. V¡¯s divorce was still dragging on with his ex trying to find loopholes in their prenuptial agreement, the only clause that she was able to try to dig her fingers into was the ¡®adultery¡¯ clause while painting Xiao Yi¡¯s relationship with V in a dirty light. Sadly, V had far too many text records with Xiao Yi to prove that they had a friendly relationship at best and a working relationship at worst. That being said, V didn¡¯t have many friends other than himself. His family was always on vacation somewhere and their family home was no longer in the city, but the suburbs instead. His college friends were spread across China, some having gone abroad to chase opportunities. His colleagues were only close to him because he paid them well. As the two approached his older brother''s room, Xiao Yi tilted his head and asked. ¡°Why don¡¯t you move your headquarters here?¡± V paused for just a moment before laughing, his eyes somewhat distant. ¡°My employees wouldn¡¯t follow.¡± ¡°Get more.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t need that big of a team.¡± ¡°Make more games.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Xiao Yi opened the door to his brother''s room, only to be met with a laptop turned in his direction and Xiao Qiu¡¯s aggrieved voice. ¡°This is the troublemaker!¡± [Sleeping God¡¯s back!] [You unfilial brother, why did it take you so long to visit?] [Little Frost!] [Isn¡¯t it a bit terrifying to think that this kid is the one who terrorized the circle for years?] Xiao Yi turned to leave but he couldn¡¯t, because V¡¯s arm blocked the doorway. The elder leaned his entire body over the doorway and taunted. ¡°Running away isn¡¯t your style.¡± ¡®It literally is my style, though?¡¯ Xiao Yi glared at him before turning back and holding up a bag. Xiao Qiu sighed, turned the laptop back toward him, and said. ¡°I have to leave the hospital today, they¡¯re here to take me away.¡± After saying his goodbyes, Xiao Qiu looked over Xiao Yi for a moment before stating. ¡°You seem different, more energetic¡­ Healthier? V, what did you feed him?¡± ¡°Your brother drinks too much soda.¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t have that habit before¡­¡± ¡°He definitely did.¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°The first thing he did when he settled into the apartment was buy a few packs of soda.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Chapter 61 Only an hour after picking Xiao Qiu up from the hospital, Xiao Yi found himself faced with a difficult challenge - he had to walk up seven flights of stairs with two large suitcases in tow. This time, the elevator wasn¡¯t closed due to maintenance, but it also didn¡¯t give a reason for being down which somehow irritated Xiao Yi further. The white piece of paper taped at eye level only read. ¡®Shut down. Please use the stairs instead, sorry for the inconvenience.¡¯ He cursed, thinking to himself. ¡®If I was a real, paying tenant, I¡¯d want to move out!¡¯ He even went as far as to sit on the edge of a suitcase and text Lee a picture of the sign captioned with. ¡°Can you fix your elevator someday? Do you need me to find someone?¡± A minute passed and Xiao Yi stretched out his legs before standing up and grabbing the handles of his suitcases. Plop. Plop. Plop. The suitcases crashed against each step as he tugged them up with no regard for the other tenants. It wasn¡¯t as if he were making a racket when everyone was sleeping, and the doors separating each floor from the staircase were quite soundproof when not propped open. His only regret was that he hadn¡¯t taken V up on his offer to drop him off on his way to the airport. He vividly remembered waving him off, thinking to himself that it was only a short walk from the team base to the apartment. Who knew that he¡¯d be hiking, instead? Four flights into his trek, Xiao Yi heard footsteps coming from above and hurriedly reached the next platform so he could shove his bags against the wall and give the people more room to move. Also, to limit the possibility of being bumped into on the staircase with his hands full. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. A moment later, three tall men in black uniforms turned the corner and the first one to see him stepped back and covered his heart as he cursed. ¡°Shit, are you a ghost?!¡± Xiao Yi raised an eyebrow as if to ask, ¡®Are you stupid?¡¯, while the two others walked into sight and burst out laughing at their other friend. One, the one who had called Xiao Yi a ghost, had short black hair with highlights. Although he was tall, he had a baby face with slightly chubby cheeks that looked deliciously pinchable. Behind him, one of the men had a red-haired mullet that matched his jaded features and demeanor, whilst the other had a buzz cut that showed off his pierced ears. The red-haired one walked past the chubby cheeks friend and bowed his head slightly, still chuckling as he apologized. ¡°Sorry about him, he¡¯s a bit stupid.¡± Xiao Yi shook his head and said nothing, still waiting for them to move out of the way. As if the pierced ears man noticed, he gently pushed the now red-faced pinch-able man down the remaining three steps and also bowed slightly as he passed Xiao Yi. None of the three men noticed when Xiao Yi¡¯s gaze faltered on the emblem of their uniform for a moment, nor did they see the thoughtful expression in his eyes as he took his suitcases up the rest of the stairs. Yet, neither did Xiao Yi notice when the red-haired man spun in his treks and stared at his back. ¡®EDGE.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t unusual for another team to crash into floor seven¡¯s second apartment, but it was a bit strange that a team that was well known to be full of wealthy young masters and businessmen who leisurely played VOL to be living rent-free in Lee¡¯s little run-down apartment building. Moreover¡­ Didn¡¯t he witness that ¡®stupid¡¯ one being scolded at the entrance before? Why was he still here, then? As Xiao Yi walked past the now-inhabited second apartment on the seventh floor, he glanced at the door for a brief moment. If EDGE was here, wouldn¡¯t their meddling leader be here? His eyes sharpened for a short moment before he entered his apartment. So what if he was? It¡¯s not like their apartment had rules that he needed to get along with his neighbors. Chapter 62 Little did Xiao Yi know, he had a lot more to worry about than having a meddlesome neighbor. ¡°What did you do?¡± Chen Qiang¡¯s mother¡¯s broken voice came from the speaker of Chen Qiang¡¯s phone, with all four of the remaining Team X members sitting around the meeting table. Each of them had a broken expression on their faces that she couldn¡¯t see, especially Chen Qiang who had been dreading the phone call. He choked as he tried to answer. ¡°We¡­ Didn¡¯t know¡­¡± Mrs. Chen gave no room to argue or retort as she began ranting. ¡°You didn¡¯t know? No wonder little Yi hasn¡¯t answered my calls in four years! No wonder! I thought you said you were still searching for him, but what were you doing all this time? Letting the netizens act up, going on a vacation, not defending him, did you even look for him?¡± ¡°I did¡­¡± Mu Yichen, Li Hao, and Tang An all sputtered. ¡°You did?¡± Chen Qiang swatted them away. ¡°I did. I did, okay? I¡¯ve sent out three private investigators to look for him but he couldn¡¯t be found and when they tried to go for Xiao Qiu, the Xiao family blocked it!¡± Chen Qiang was the only one of the four who had some small little piece of him that believed that Xiao Yi wouldn¡¯t do any of the acts that he claimed he did. He just never had the evidence to confront him with. He had hoped, that if he found Xiao Yi, he wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid the confrontation in person. Yet, he also wished that he never found Xiao Yi, because if his intuition was wrong, and Xiao Yi screwed them over, it would forever ruin the childhood that he had. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Mrs. Chen spewed out. ¡°I can¡¯t say anything about the three of you, but Chen Qiang¡­ We raised him, he was like our second son and he was also like a brother to you. Had we known all this was happening¡­¡± Chen Qiang closed his eyes. Of course, his parents wouldn¡¯t know, he had gone into their phones and blocked the words ¡®Frost¡¯ and ¡®Team X¡¯ from appearing in any social media post they could see. Even then, the odds of them knowing were slim, they hardly checked social media aside from checking in on him every now and then, and their friends had no idea that Frost was Xiao Yi due to everyone keeping it silent. He had done the same to his social media when he left the country to wander around, he didn¡¯t want to think about him anymore, he wanted to run away from the bond he¡¯d created and run away from the dreams he¡¯d had. He had no excuses, though. This time, his mother found out through a journalist who had found her after asking around about Xiao Yi. They found her after talking to a few neighbors around the old Xiao home and pieced together the story. Honestly, even Chen Qiang was a bit surprised that they¡¯d be able to remember the kid whose parents were essentially blackmailed into allowing the Chen family to take him. ¡°I know I didn¡¯t raise you like this.¡± Chen Qiang looked down as Mu Yichen finally spoke. ¡°We were wrong¡­¡± ¡°Yes, yes you were! How would you feel if it was you being attacked like that, for four years straight?¡± Li Hao piped in. ¡°Mrs. Chen, he told us he did those things himself, think of how we felt.¡± ¡°Pei, pei, pei! At least you had yourselves during this, who did he have? Do you remember how his family treated him?¡± They all paused at that. That video¡­ Of course, they remembered, but they weren¡¯t thinking correctly. When they were told that they were betrayed by their close friend, how could they think about his condition? They had to worry about their future, too, and it¡¯s not like he stuck around to figure things out with them. He disappeared. They didn¡¯t search for him, or at least, Li Hao, Mu Yichen, and Tang An didn¡¯t, but they didn¡¯t wish him death either. Mrs. Chen calmed herself down before speaking again. ¡°You¡¯ll fix this. Stop whatever you had planned for revenge, get down on your knees and apologize.¡± Despite their reasonings earlier, they still planned to do exactly that, they didn¡¯t need her to explain. Chen Qiang covered his forehead and agreed. ¡°We will¡­¡± ¡°And tell him to call me.¡± ¡°Yes, mother.¡± Chapter 63 While Chen Qiang and the others began hunting Xiao Yi down, he was busy leisurely gardening in Valley of Light. Gardening was a very time-consuming profession, each plant had a different growth time and there were restrictions on what someone could grow regarding their gathering level. There were also equipment upgrades that could be bought late-level such as auto-harvesting systems, watering, fertilizing, breeding crops¡­ Eventually, there would be levels to crops described as S - F, and year systems for rare ones. The cooking system was quite similar, although there would be no auto-cooking system, and instead, there would be a shorter timerfor the mini-game. As someone who had focused far too much on the combat system, getting geared, PVP, and dungeons before, Xiao Yi had only just begun his cooking and gathering professions in the last few months. He hadn¡¯t yet touched fishing, crafting, or alchemy, either. Each level also had its own benefits, like players getting extra stats or the profession store items discounting the further the specific professions level and there was no cap level. Pretty much, Xiao Yi was a noob. He even had plant guides open on the other monitor! Sleepy paused his gathering of fruit trees and made his way over to another portion of his garden - the herbs. He had an ingenious plan. Since cooking was a money-sinking profession to level with no set market prices, he wouldn¡¯t only focus on growing what he could use in cooking but sell to the alchemist and medicine shops in order to get some extra gold on the side. It wasn¡¯t like he was using those plots of land, anyway. He began pulling Red Ginger, White Peony, and Schisandra Berries from the ground, removed the roots from the first two, and walked back to his house to use his warehouse. He had 100 of each and estimated that he¡¯d gain approximately 54,000 gold after factoring in seed and water prices. He hummed happily and took the medical ingredients and a few ingredients he wouldn¡¯t use for his own cooking needs and left his small abode. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. One of the bonuses of creating chaos for ¡®Frost¡¯ was that almost everyone forgot about the small assassin vs assassin mission that ¡®Sleepy¡¯ had blown up for, allowing him to wander the main city without needing to switch to an alt or buy another name randomizer. It was the middle of the week so there weren¡¯t as many people online, likely either working or at school, but there were still a few players sprinkled around in their own conversation. He glanced at a team of guildmates laughing at an outdoor table of a player-owned tavern and quickly glanced away. Those kids. Hopefully, they didn¡¯t end up like him and his friends. Hopefully, they don¡¯t dare to have the audacious dreams of becoming esports players together. He shook his head as he found himself in front of one of the few player-owned apothecaries that wasn¡¯t run by a guild. It was a quaint shop that looked overcrowded with boxes meant to serve as warehouses that players who didn¡¯t work there could only glimpse into, but not take from. Within a minute of him walking into the small shop, a player rushed in the door behind him and swiftly ran behind the counter while talking through his mic. ¡°Sorry, I just went to deliver something - what can I help you with today?¡± His voice was that of an old man. Actually, if Xiao Yi were to be precise, this man sounded similar to Chen Qiang¡¯s grandfather who had already long retired. Xiao Yi perked up a bit at that and turned on his mic, replying back. ¡°I would like to sell some herbs.¡± ¡°Ah?¡± The man behind the counter moved to the left and pointed to the table. ¡°Put it down, let me see what you¡¯ve brought. There are a few things I¡¯m overstocked with as is¡­¡± Sleepy walked up to the counter and obediently laid out what he¡¯d farmed. If this man didn¡¯t need anything, it wasn¡¯t a big deal - there were a dozen more players or guild-owned apothecaries in the game. ¡°I¡¯ll take it all, is 56,000 gold a fair price?¡± Xiao Yi was hoping to make 60,000 in order to make a bit more profit after taking away the gold and time needed to grow the herbs but¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll sell to you for that price.¡± ¡°Great! If there¡¯s anything else you want to sell, let me know.¡± ¡°Is there anything that you need?¡± ¡°Well, there was an influx of gatherers a few years ago but now they¡¯ve either quit the game, gone onto other professions, only gather for their guilds, or got bored, so anything that is grown in a garden or homestead is fine. The on-ground gather-ables like mushrooms and some low-quality herbs are generally easy for me to get.¡± Sleepy nodded. ¡°I¡¯m leveling gathering right now so I¡¯ll come to you with the next batch.¡± Chapter 64 Just as Xiao Yi arrived back to his courtyard and went to check on his plants, three simple knocks came from his doorway. He looked at the time and sighed. Who knocks on an apartment door at 3 in the morning? Nonetheless, he rolled the chair back and opened the door, only to be met with a similar scene. Two old people who ought to have been put in a nursing home by now standing at his door with expressions that wained between annoyance, disgust, and hate as they took in their youngest son¡¯s face. Xiao Yi¡¯s face mimicked their own for a moment before he sneered, crossing his body against the doorframe so they couldn¡¯t get in. ¡°Why are you here?¡± He would have shooed them away, shut the door in their faces, and called it a night, but this used to be the apartment he shared with Xiao Qiu. If they were here to bother his brother, they¡¯d have an issue with him. Also¡­ How did they get into the building? Mrs. Xiao crossed her arms and said. ¡°Go to the reporters and tell them it was all a misunderstanding.¡± Xiao Yi was speechless. Truly, speechless. His mouth hung open slightly as his brain tried to comprehend what she was saying, ordering, him to do. Eventually, he let out an incredulous laugh and said. ¡°Why? Going to try to kill me again? That¡¯s a bit repetitive, don¡¯t you think?¡± Mr. Xiao stepped forward and pointed. ¡°You -¡° ¡°Yes, me. It was me who leaked the video. Didn¡¯t you read the post I made the other day? Unless you want to be dragged through court and be judged by the public¡­¡± He leaned forward and stared at them with sharp blue eyes. ¡°Go away.¡± ¡°Then, all we need is your computer.¡± His mother''s tone grew cold and three men dressed in black stepped out of the staircase. ¡°Hah.¡± Xiao Yi sighed and closed the apartment door, locking it behind him. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. A minute later, his door was being kicked down and he walked out of the bedroom door with a baseball bat in one hand and fingers full of rings that Xiao Qiu had apparently gathered. He stood in the middle of the living room with a peaceful expression, leaning against the baseball bat as he watched the door. Could he have called the police? Yes. Would he? No. His parents willingly walked into his domain, thinking that he was still the young kid they stabbed, the kid they neglected for years in favor of his older brother. He did have a small semblance of humanity, he wouldn¡¯t beat the old couple up but the ones that came with them? Well, they should have thought twice. Honestly, even he had to admit that his parents were insane. Which family fights like this? Which parents treat their kids like this? Which human would act as vile as this? Were they in the middle of a psychotic break? He was so sick of this drama, he just wanted a peaceful little life. As the thoughts ran through his mind, the door swung open and he got off the baseball bat and swung it over his shoulders, calmly stating. ¡°Think twice.¡± The men in black, in fact, did not think twice before storming in. Xiao Yi had the men on the floor in a matter of minutes and by the time he turned back to the door to confront his parents, they¡¯d left, and in their place were six men in pajamas, two of them with bats of their own. ¡°Haah¡­¡± He wiped his forehead with his hand and looked between the door and the groaning men on the ground. He pointed the bat at them while stating. ¡°I¡¯m the owner, I¡¯ve got it covered.¡± Six heads nodded slowly, each of the men aiming to get a better look at the situation through the very small doorway. One of them offered. ¡°Want us to drag them out?¡± Xiao Yi looked at the guys on the ground and shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not like I can close the door so they can¡¯t get in again.¡± He walked up to who seemed to be the leader and tilted his head forward with the bottom of the bat. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re fixing the door, right?¡± The man blinked. ¡°I¡¯ll fix it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. We have no issues then.¡± Footsteps came running down the hallway accompanied by a scream. ¡°Xiao Yi! Xiao Yi, are you okay?!¡± Xiao Qiu burst through the crowd of people to see his brother surrounded by three men, his foot on one of their backs, and a bat lifting one of their heads up. His mouth sputtered open and closed, not able to decide on what he should say as his wide eyes stared at the people on the ground. Was his brother this strong? When did his brother learn to fight? It must be Chen Qiang¡¯s fault - his cute younger brother resembled a loan shark! Xiao Yi dropped the bat, quickly moved his foot off the guy''s back, and walked a few feet away, clearly trying to look innocent. He pointed at one of the guys with the bats and stated. ¡°It was him.¡± The witnesses who watched him beat up three men with their own eyes. ¡°¡­¡± "Why is your book on Amazon?" Its not. Hello, I never thought I''d see the day when my novels were taken, rebranded, and sold by someone on Amazon who thought they were being sneaky by changing the title and cover but keeping my very own synopsis and copying and pasting my novel directly. I''m really not sure whether to be impressed, angry, or upset. However, let me say this to the little thief who wanted to make money off my novels: "You are absolutely disgusting. My books are free. I offer some benefits for Patreon, but my books are free. I make no money from any website other than Patreon, approximately $40 a month - I''m very transparent about this. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Many of my readers are young/new adults who may not have a lot of money to spend, this is the reason I publish my novels for free. So, what I''m saying, is that you''re an absolute scum. I''d understand taking my novel, translating it, and publishing it for free with my permission on another site, but selling it? You haven''t even edited it, you posted 62 chapters along with the chapters to my fans, changed my Patreon address to some random address that says your name but doesn''t lead anywhere, and you think you''re smart? Cute." To my fans: if I publish on Amazon or ever accept a contract, you''d be the first to know. Don''t buy anything. If you''re unsure, go to my Patreon and click ''about'' to see where my novels are published, or reach out through any platform messaging system, my comments, my public pages, or Discord. Thank you, Wandering Phoenix. Chapter 65
The man with the bat swiftly took over the scene and bowed slightly, holding his bat down as he admitted. ¡°Sorry for making a mess out of your apartment, they looked like they were up to no good.¡± Everyone stared at him with blank expressions, even Xiao Qiu, who was dealing with his little brother being strong enough to take down three men. The silence reigned on for a few moments as Xiao Yi took a closer look at the one who admitted to being the culprit. ¡®Isn¡¯t that their big leader?¡¯ Midnight continued. ¡°Since everything¡¯s dealt with¡­¡± He met Xiao Yi¡¯s stare and gave a small nod. ¡°We¡¯ll take out leave. Let¡¯s go.¡± Within moments, the hallway cleared, revealing Lee standing against the wall outside scrolling on his phone. He pushed himself off the wall and walked into the apartment, admiring Xiao Yi¡¯s work. ¡°Good job.¡± Xiao Yi sighed and gave up the innocent act. ¡°Yeah. These guys will fix the door.¡± Lee turned to the men who hadn¡¯t bothered to try to run away. ¡°What happened?¡± Xiao Yi stared at him blankly. ¡°You have the footage.¡± ¡°Not inside here.¡± ¡°Oh, I beat them up.¡± Xiao Qiu broke out of his mid-life crisis and joined the conversation. ¡°It was our parents?¡± Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Lee hummed and threw his phone to Xiao Qiu, who watched the footage in the hallway. Although Xiao Yi had thought that the EDGE boys must have heard the commotion, they were quite oblivious to the happenings outside the apartment since they were either sleeping or watching an action movie - hence, the sound was thought to be from their movie. Instead, the Xiao couple had walked past one of the EDGE boys on his way up and he saw the broken down door and heard Xiao Yi fighting and quickly burst into his own apartment for a bat and his teammates. The footage also confirmed that none of them stepped into the apartment at any point. The evidence was there. His parents were scum, and his brother was skilled enough to take down three thugs on his own. Meanwhile, Xiao Yi picked up the bat and hugged it as he lay on the couch. Although he looked unaware, his eyes were focused on the three on the ground as if to say ¡®Try me¡¯. ¡°The police will be here soon.¡± Xiao Yi hummed and waved off the thugs. ¡°Come back and fix the doors later.¡± They didn¡¯t need to hear anything else, they quickly pushed themselves off the floor and began to leave, only to be stopped by Xiao Qiu standing in front of them. ¡°They broke in, you¡¯re letting them run off?¡± ¡°We had a deal.¡± With that, the thugs left, leaving the three men in the apartment in awkward silence. Xiao Qiu still didn¡¯t know what to make of this situation, but he was probably as angry as he¡¯d ever been. In fact, he was quite offended that Xiao Yi had all but cleaned up his parents while he was recovering, instead of leaning on him. He wanted to be the big brother, to protect Xiao Yi from their parents, his past teammates, and anything that could hurt him in the future. Alas¡­ His little brother had grown up. This wasn¡¯t something that he hadn¡¯t known, Xiao Yi had grown up far before he did and had dealt with more than he did, but during the years after Xiao Yi left the hospital and moved into the apartment¡­ He¡¯d somehow forgotten this. Lee had the same thoughts. Xiao Qiu remembered him saying. ¡°He resembles an abandoned dragon ready to bite or flee at any time.¡± As if enough hadn¡¯t happened¡­ Four boys appeared in the broken doorway of the apartment at the same time. Chapter 66 Nothing had prepared Xiao Yi to come face to face with the four idiots from his past. He had originally thought that he could separate the past from the current and put his feelings behind him, but it seemed that he was wrong. Chen Qiang and Mu Yichen were the first two to walk into the apartment, unbeknown to Lee and Xiao Qiu who were huddled next to each other with their backs to the door, looking over the footage of the apartment once more, not only focusing on this hallway¡¯s footage. Xiao Yi, however, had noticed them from the get-go and couldn¡¯t pretend to be oblivious. As he took in their features, his heart both pounded against his chest and broke into pieces. What had he done over the years? Pretend to betray his friends, so they could have better futures in the esports world without worrying about his family interfering again. Ignore Chen Qiang¡¯s parents in shame. Ignore their pain, suffering, and heartbreak instead of focusing on how much better their future would be without him¡­ With all he did, with all he went through, why did each look worse than the last? Where did the people he grew up with go? Why¡­ Why did they look so broken? Xiao Yi¡¯s breath seemed to pause as he looked at Chen Qiang and Mu Yichen, both far too thin with deep dark circles beneath their eyes and skin as pale as snow. Chen Qiang, the designated light for their team, had lost that light, with not a single smile line adorning his face and eyes, which seemed to have seen everything. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Mu Yichen¡¯s own charm, the confident smart-ass of their team, had slumped shoulders as if he¡¯d lost all hope. Li Hao and Tang An weren¡¯t much better, neither looking to be the gentle mother of the group or the rowdy dumb ass that got them into so much trouble. They¡¯ve lost their individual sparks¡­ When did this happen? Why? Xiao Yi had no answer to his thoughts, and he watched as the men slowly came into the apartment while seemingly searching for him, who had only been able to see them through the small crack in between Lee¡¯s and Xiao Qiu¡¯s shoulders. The bat rolled out of his arms and he pushed himself up, his blank expression hiding any feeling he was experiencing as he locked eyes with Chen Qiang. ¡®Leave.¡¯ ¡®Why are you here?¡¯ Xiao Qiu jumped up, slightly startled by the bang of the bat hitting the floor and followed Xiao Yi¡¯s eyes while fixing himself. ¡°I didn¡¯t think the police would show -¡° His mouth hung open like a flustered fish trying to catch air bubbles in the water, but he swiftly moved into action after regaining his thoughts, moving to stand in front of Xiao Yi who was still sitting. ¡°You dare show your face here?¡± Chen Qiang ignored the comment, completely bypassing Xiao Qiu as he walked toward Xiao Yi whilst avoiding the broken furniture on the ground. His eyes flickered with a mixture of joy and grief as he took in his old best friend. ¡°Hey, stop, what do you think you¡¯re doing in someone else''s home?¡± Xiao Yi followed his movements and when Chen Qiang was close enough, he stated. ¡°You weren¡¯t supposed to quit.¡± Chen Qiang stopped. He wasn¡¯t supposed to quit? Was Xiao Yi supposed to? ¡°You¡­¡± Li Hao barged through the apartment and swiftly picked Xiao Yi up, shocking everyone present, while asserting. ¡°We¡¯re taking him back, we have some things to talk about.¡± Xiao Qiu objected. ¡°You¡¯re not taking him anywhere, what the hell?¡± Xiao Qiu looked at Xiao Yi, who had frozen in shock himself, being effortlessly carried like a princess by Li Hao. He shook his head to break out of his thoughts and looked at his brother. He wanted to know what they had to say after all these years. He wanted to know what they¡¯d experienced, what they felt¡­ Also, he wanted to know how Li Hao was strong enough to hold him without breaking a sweat. He nodded slightly, giving the okay. Chapter 67 Li Hao rushed toward the door, a kidnapping in progress that was only stopped when Lee threw his arm in front of the man. Lee looked at the group with a knowing gaze but reminded them. ¡°He needs to stay to give a police statement.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Li Hao turned with Xiao Yi in his arms, walked over to the couch, and sat himself in the middle without letting the other go. Then he stared at Mu Yichen and Chen Qiang, who swiftly followed, blocking them in from two sides. Tang An leaned against the wall closest to the door, with his arms crossed. Xiao Yi was amused. ¡®Do they think I¡¯ll escape?¡¯ The short answer was yes, of course, they thought he¡¯d run at the first chance he got! Xiao Yi stretched himself out so his head was on the armrest beside Chen Qiang, and his feet were in Mu Yichen¡¯s lap. ¡°What¡¯s with the bat?¡± Mu Yichen rolled the bat beneath his foot. Xiao Qiu stared at the group, then at his brother who was obviously about to pass out on top of his old friends, and gave up. He could only cross his arms and say. ¡°Someone broke in.¡± ¡°Broke in?¡± As soon as the words left his mouth, he answered himself. ¡°The guys we passed on the way up?¡± Lee nodded. ¡°That would be them.¡± Thirty minutes later, Xiao Yi finished giving his statement to the police who were all too happy to have something to pin on the Xiao couple. Normally they¡¯d be scared, but with all the attention on the Xiao family¡­ Wasn¡¯t this going to benefit the police? Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! He walked back into the apartment after sending the police off and leaned against the door. Xiao Qiu had taken the middle spot on the couch and was in the midst of threatening them. ¡° - I will ruin you.¡± He, too, knew that his brother needed closure, however, did it mean he couldn¡¯t be angry? He had beef with them too! Xiao Yi didn¡¯t hear the first part of the conversation but he assumed that they¡¯d been threatened to bring him back in one piece. Once Xiao Qiu finished staring them down individually, he turned to his brother with a slightly looser expression. ¡°Beat them up if they do anything.¡± The men got up and walked toward the door. Xiao Yi had half-expected to be picked up again, but his hopes of having a free ride down the stairs were dashed when Li Hao walked past him. He sighed and followed the group downstairs. The drive to their destination - an apartment complex a few blocks away from his own - was awkward, to say the least. It was obvious that the men didn¡¯t want to have the conversation in the car, yet they also didn¡¯t start any conversation and Xiao Yi was never the one who guided the conversations. Hence, he silently sat between Tang An and Chen Qiang and wished for the drive to be over as soon as possible. By the time they made it to the apartment, he felt like he¡¯d gone through 3 lifetimes. ¡°Take a seat.¡± Chen Qiang pointed to the living room where there were three mid-sized couches in a semi-circle that looked toward a TV. Xiao Yi hummed and sat on the smaller couch, in the corner of the U formation. Since he picked that couch, the other men seemed to avoid it and sat on the other two couches, with Chen Qiang and Mu Yichen directly across from each other closest to him and Tang An and Li Hao beside them. After a moment, Chen Qiang spoke up first. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell us what was going on?¡± Xiao Yi thought for a moment before replying honestly. ¡°I didn¡¯t want you to feel guilty.¡± Li Hao asked next. ¡°Even if we already screwed shit up, how could you just let us believe you were a villain all these years? Did our friendship mean that little?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Did their friendship mean that little? Of course not. He did everything for them, he lied for their sake¡­ Mu Yichen seemed to see where his thoughts were going, he leaned back and laughed. ¡°You think you did it for us? Do you even know how we felt back then? Chen Qiang had to run away from the country to recover, we threw ourselves into work, we second guessed everything we did - hell, I thought I was fucking worthless.¡± Tang An nodded. ¡°You destroyed us.¡± Chapter 68 Did he destroy them? Xiao Yi felt like his entire world froze over. He may as well have been dropped into the North Pole. Four years ago, they were barely adults. They had just taken their first steps into the adult world and had begun to grow into respectable young men. Before the situation with the company happened, when they were still in the dorm, some of them had even begun dating for the first time. They had all known that they would retire early, whether they had made millions or not, as the oldest player in the league was just above thirty years old and was already having a hard time catching up to the youngest players. Hence, they had plans. Tang An was considering going to culinary school so he had something to fall back on when he enviably had to retire from the esports world, Li Hao was going to learn more about his family business, Chen Qiang was going to go to school for business and Mu Yichen wanted to go to school for art. Alas, the news only showed their accomplishments in the esports world, not their personal life, and Xiao Yi hadn¡¯t exactly been keeping up with that either. He didn¡¯t know whether or not they went to school, whether their relationships worked out, where they lived, what they did in their free time and he had absolutely no idea of what they did or went through in the past four years. ¡®I¡­ am selfish.¡¯ Li Hao crossed his arms and agreed with Mu Yichen¡¯s sentiment. ¡°Of course, we were destroyed! You were our best friend, our brother for over a decade, did you think we¡¯d forget that with a few sentences?¡± This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Xiao Yi¡¯s hand shook slightly. Chen Qiang sighed. ¡°We understand why you did it now, but put yourself in our shoes¡­ You ruthlessly abandoned us and then ran away like nothing happened.¡± Xiao Yi lowered his eyes. He did. Everything that he had done, he had justified it as him protecting his friends and allowing them to flourish in the esports world, chase their dreams, and become shining stars without him. He had, of course, known that they would be hurt, but he thought they would quickly turn that hurt into anger. Chen Qiang had always been good at reading Xiao Yi, and that hadn¡¯t changed over the years. He responded to the words the other hadn¡¯t said. ¡°We are still hurt, but some of us took to anger to vent our feelings. We never stopped being upset, though.¡± Tang An lowered his eyes. ¡°I stopped enjoying cooking long ago. Every time I picked up an ingredient, I thought of the midnight snacks I¡¯d make for you guys.¡± Xiao Yi bowed his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± He couldn¡¯t think of anything else to say. He had been naive and had hypnotized himself to believe that he was in the right, he would allow himself to be a villain for them and they would eventually get over everything. Not only had they not gotten over anything, but he tore through their light like a bulldozer. Moreover, his life? He¡¯d been in stasis for years, for what? What had he done these four years? Four years is long enough to have a child entering pre-school, to have gotten married, to have gotten a house. He¡¯d only been punishing himself, and in turn, punishing the people he loved the most. What kind of idiot was he? He was left with these thoughts for the entire night because after that conversation he was shown to a guest room and everyone aside from him went to sleep. Of course, he could have gone home at any time, however, his door was broken and he had realized one very important feeling that he¡¯d been pushing away for all this time. He missed them. It wasn¡¯t just an empty, fleeting feeling, he missed them to the bone and he had no idea how he would even begin to repair the damage that had been done to any of them. Chapter 69 ¡°Hey, you bastard, dodge!¡± ¡°Do you not know fucking Chinese, should I switch to English?¡± ¡°Let Daddy give you a tutorial!¡± There was a bit of a commotion as something flew through the air before hitting what sounded like a wall and someone screamed. ¡°Li Hao, shut up! He¡¯s not awake yet!¡± Well, that wasn¡¯t entirely true. Xiao Yi rolled across the bed, nearly falling off it as he peeled his eyes open. His first image was the unfamiliar light blue walls to his side, and he almost had a heart attack before he remembered that he¡¯d been pseudo-kidnapped last night. Li Hao bantered from the living room. ¡°Shit! It¡¯s not my fault this kid doesn¡¯t know how to play the game, did he buy his account?¡± Xiao Yi closed his eyes with a slight smile, curling further into the soft blankets. This room was not as big as his own, the blankets were not as soft of heavy as his own, and the pillows were not as fluffy as his own. In all aspects, he should have had a horrible sleep and he would normally be itching to find an excuse to go home. However, for some reason, he¡¯d had the best sleep in his life despite not getting a full eight hours. He lay in bed for a while longer, allowing himself to bask in nostalgia as he listened to the voices outside. Could he find an excuse to stay with them longer? The smile faded from his face. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. He couldn¡¯t. He finally rolled out of bed and headed to the door, prepared for an awkward atmosphere. When the door opened, he felt like he¡¯d walked into a portal that led him back to the time before they had joined Team X. Everyone was in silky black pajamas that matched his own, likely a bulk order placed by the management team, wearing different colored slippers. Mu Yichen was the closest to him, sitting on the couch with a coffee in one hand, his legs crossed with a laptop balancing on his thigh, mindlessly scrolling while the local news was up on the TV. On the other side, Li Hao was sitting on a loveseat facing the window. From this position, he could only see the back of his head and half of the laptop screen. Xiao Yi could tell that he was in the waiting area for a new match to start on Valley of Light. Chen Qiang and Tang An were together, standing in the kitchen with their backs turned to each other as they focused on their own tasks. Chen Qiang was manning the stove, the sweet smell of maple-coated bacon waffling through the air. Tang An stood in front of a plate with a stack of pancakes, cutting fruit and throwing the pieces into a bowl next to him to create an impromptu fruit bowl. A tang of pain pricked Xiao Yi¡¯s being as he observed the group. Back in the day, he would have been the first one awake, lording over the TV as he watched both their and other teams'' game plays over-and-over again with a notebook on his lap. Even before they¡¯d joined the Team, he would be the first to wake up at the Chen house. Despite Mu Yichen being right next to him and Tang An facing him, Chen Qiang was the first to notice him. As if he had eyes in the back of his head, he turned with a blinding smile. ¡°Good morning!¡± Xiao Yi blinked two times. ¡°Good morning¡­¡± The three other men turned to him, greeted him, and then went back to what they were doing as Xiao Yi stood in the door frame, unsure what to do. Should he stay? Should he leave? Wasn¡¯t this awkward enough? Chen Qiang turned back around and waved his spatula. ¡°Sit down, food will be ready in a few minutes. How did you sleep?¡± ¡°It was okay. Yours?¡± Xiao Yi pulled out a stool from the island and sat directly in front of Tang An. Chen Qiang hummed. ¡°It was alright! Do you have any plans today?¡± Plans? Xiao Yi nearly laughed, but he just shook his head. Then, he realized that Chen Qiang couldn¡¯t see him so he muttered. ¡°No.¡± Tang An glanced up with a soft smile, one that seemed to calm the soul. ¡°That¡¯s good, we¡¯re kidnapping you for the day.¡± Chapter 70
Xiao Yi tilted his head slightly. Was he being kidnapped? He didn¡¯t need to leave? Why weren¡¯t they treating him like the scum he was, or were they planning to exact their revenge in another way? The thoughts ran through his mind, one coming right after another, until Mu Yichen tilted his head back and stated. ¡°You¡¯ll know when we get there.¡± ¡°Even I don¡¯t know where we¡¯re going, don¡¯t ask me!¡± Li Hao¡¯s shout came from the couch, he hadn¡¯t even bothered to turn as he swiftly attacked another person. Seeing that they weren¡¯t going to tell him anything, he decided he¡¯d go with the flow. A few minutes later, plates were passed out left and right and the boys ate. Mu Yichen and Li Hao didn¡¯t bother to move from their positions, one eating while watching TV and the other eating with one hand while playing the match. Tang An sighed. ¡°Chen Qiang¡¯s cooking has gotten better and better.¡± Chen Qiang shook his head. ¡°I learned from the best, anyway, if I didn¡¯t cook when abroad - I would have starved. I think you spoiled us too much in the past.¡± Xiao Yi couldn¡¯t help but nod. Although he knew how to cook when he was a kid, he¡¯d gone rusty over the years from the favoritism from the Chen family, Tang An, and then his brother. Hell, even Lee spoiled him a bit. Tang An chuckled, batting his hands as he denied it. ¡°I definitely didn¡¯t teach you this. Don¡¯t push it onto me.¡± Xiao Yi smiled a little as he ate. This was nice. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. An hour later, the boys pulled up to a three-story brick building with no sign and Xiao Yi¡¯s heart faltered while his face remained calm. Even Li Hao was a bit surprised, asking. ¡°Where the fuck did you bring us?¡± Chen Qiang shook his head and walked up to the door. ¡°Come on.¡± The group of five walked through the halls until they came to a door. Without knocking, Chen Qiang pushed it open as if he were the owner and walked right in. Li Hao shared a look with Xiao Yi before pulling him in, followed by Mu Yichen and Tang An. Although the building looked abandoned, this room was anything but old. The floor had a sudden switch from concrete to carpet, the walls were lined with books, awards, and credentials, and in the middle of the room was a couch, a chair, and a desk. Behind the desk, a man with glasses sat with his fingers over his forehead, scolding. ¡°I told you to knock.¡± Chen Qiang directly waved him off and went to the couch. ¡°We have an appointment.¡± Appointment? Xiao Yi stared at the scene but followed Li Hao to sit on the couch. Li Hao crossed his legs and arms and asked. ¡°Where the hell are we?¡± Mu Yichen, who had sat next to Tang An on the couch, pointed at the credentials on the wall. ¡°It¡¯s a therapist''s office.¡± The man behind the desk laughed. ¡°He didn¡¯t tell you?¡± The boys, aside from Tang An and Chen Qiang, shook their heads. ¡°They followed you here despite not knowing?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Into this building?¡± ¡°They¡¯re sitting here, aren¡¯t they?¡± The man burst into laughter and stood up. ¡°I haven¡¯t set anything up yet - do you know what this place looks like?¡± ¡®A place to murder someone and get away with it.¡¯ Xiao Yi thought though he didn¡¯t vocalize it. The man sat down in the chair across from them and introduced himself. ¡°Ji Wangshu. I¡¯m a psychiatrist, you are here for family therapy.¡± So¡­ The place he¡¯d been kidnapped to¡­ Was it family therapy? Huh? Xiao Yi¡¯s jaw dropped open slightly. ¡°What the hell, why do we need therapy? No way.¡± Li Hao went to get up, only to be pushed back by Chen Qiang. Chen Qiang frowned. ¡°I think if anyone needs therapy, it''s us. Plus, it¡¯s not individual therapy, he won¡¯t diagnose you or anything.¡± Ji Wangshu shook his head. ¡°I won¡¯t diagnose you but I might recommend individual therapy and diagnose you later.¡± ¡°See, I don¡¯t want it!¡± Mu Yichen¡¯s eye twitched and he slapped his leg. ¡°Sit down!¡± The room went silent. Ji Wangshu observed the boys for a while and his eyes faltered on Xiao Yi¡¯s face. He turned to Chen Qiang and asked. ¡°This is the boy who¡¯s photo was -¡° ¡°Shut it.¡± Ji Wangshu switched directions and smiled brightly. ¡°The appointment begins now, anything you say here will be kept in this room and I¡¯m mainly here to help mediate. There is no judgment...¡± Novel Changes/Patreon Changes Hey guys! I''ll just copy and paste my two latest Patreon author notes since I feel like it''s important for you guys to read and give opinions on, especially the first note. 1. Would you guys be mad if... So how mad would you guys be if we go back a few chapters to right after the break-in and don''t meet the boys there? I have another idea that incorporates a lot more gaming, but they wouldn''t meet for a while... There would be more Nightmare content straight off the bat though. Or, do we like the way things have been? I will wait a few days in order to get opinions from all readers. 2. Price Changes [Patreon] Although I''m slowly getting my life back on track with figuring out how to balance work, university, and writing, I still fully acknowledge that this author hasn''t given $10 worth of content this month and it''s likely that there will be moments like this in the future as I''m admittedly a bit overwhelmed at the moment with all my courses handing out tests and quizzes one after another like adults spoiling the one kid who showed up to their place on Halloween. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Hence, I''ve lowered my price by $5. Current members should have gotten an email about this and I believe you''ll see the change on the next payment period, new members will see the change immediately. I''m still going to try to hit my 2/week rule and backlog missed chapters for those weeks that I do have more time, but I still felt like lowering the price. Will I raise the price once I''m back on track? No. Here is the ideal setup if I have the time. [Likely not until I graduate or if I make enough money from this to quit my job, so estimate the fourth quarter of 2026]. 5.50 - 1 week in advance of currently publishing novel, +10 WIP a month. [Current tier, + 10 WIP/month] 10.50 - 3 weeks in advance of currently publishing novel, +20 WIP a month. If I end up making enough to become a part time author I will add: 15.50 - 5 weeks in advance of currently publishing novel, + 30 WIP a month If I end up making enough to become a full time author I will add: 20.50 - 8 weeks in advance of currently publishing novel, + 30 WIP a month. If I get far enough along: 50.00 - All written content, at least 20 weeks in advance of currently publishing novel + 40 WIP a month. Keep in mind that every novel other than Frost is set to release daily. [7 updates a week means the tiers above = 7 advances, 21 advances, 35 advances, 56 advances, 140 advances]. Thank you for all the support and the patience you''ve had. I hope to be a better author for you guys in the future. Wandering Phoenix. Chapter 71
After Ji Wangshu finished his introductory speech and had all the boys introduce themselves, he leaned back and prompted. ¡°Why are you here today?¡± He let the question hang in the air for a few minutes, yet the room was so silent that if someone dropped a needle on the ground, someone would be able to hear it down the hallway. Li Hao and Xiao Yi looked at each other and shared an unspoken agreement that although they knew exactly why they were there, they¡¯d say nothing. That only left Mu Yichen, Chen Qiang, and Tang An, two of which were in league with each other and didn¡¯t feel like starting the conversation. Mu Yichen sighed, straightened himself out, and said. ¡°To attend family therapy.¡± Li Hao began clapping. ¡°Exactly!¡± Chen Qiang looked away with a speechless expression. Tang An sat peacefully, looking as composed as Buddha himself. Xiao Yi fought against the side of his lip but ended up smirking anyway. Chen Qiang shook his head and said. ¡°Well, we need to talk things out.¡± Ji Wangshu looked toward Chen Qiang as if he were the only sane person in the room and asked. ¡°What do you need to talk about?¡± This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Chen Qiang took a deep breath and looked toward Xiao Yi with an apologetic expression. ¡°We used to be friends with him, Xiao Yi, but he deceived us into thinking he betrayed us for nearly five years and we just found out. I don¡¯t think any of us, including him, truly coped with what happened.¡± Mu Yichen agreed and sat forward. ¡°It¡¯s not that we don¡¯t understand why he did what he did, we do, but it¡¯s still hard for us to handle since we spent five years thinking he stole our money, screwed us over, and abandoned our past friendship.¡± Tang An also added. ¡°I think, we all feel at least a bit of hate toward him. It was built up over the five years, we resented him for so long.¡± Ji Wangshu listened to their concerns and fell into thought. In reality, Chen Qiang didn¡¯t tell him why he was booking an appointment in the first place and he had no interest in esports so he had never heard about what happened in the past. Hence, he stopped trying to guess what happened and asked directly about it. ¡°What happened in the past to drive you to this point?¡± To everyone¡¯s surprise, Xiao Yi answered. ¡°I ended up telling them that I collaborated with the company that owned our esports team to shut down, took their part of the prize money, ripped their player contracts up in front of them, and told them to get out.¡± Mu Yichen coughed. Xiao Yi added. ¡°I also looked at them straight in the eye and told them that I was done with them and they should start preparing backup plans because I wouldn¡¯t be helping them¡­¡± Mu Yichen coughed again. ¡°And that I couldn¡¯t care less about them, they could die on the street if they wanted to.¡± Mu Yichen stared at him. ¡°Also, I regretted bringing such useless trash into the esports industry and if they could prove me wrong one day, I¡¯d eat my keyboard in front of them¡­¡± Xiao Yi blushed as he looked at the wall. Chen Qiang coughed. ¡°I also said I didn¡¯t want to see them again in this lifetime.¡± Chapter 72 The day he said those words, everyone thought he was joking. It wasn¡¯t common for Xiao Yi to speak so much, and even his eyes were taken over in a veil of anger as if he were angry at them for making him spell his thoughts out for them. Hence, when he stormed out of the meeting room that day and didn¡¯t return to say it was a prank, the realization finally began to set in, especially as they collected the torn-up contracts from the ground. When the staff came to tell them about the company closing down, that''s when his words finally finished setting in and they packed up their bags to leave. At the time, no one realized that Xiao Yi¡¯s suitcase was lying in the kitchen. They just stormed past him when they left, throwing their own choice words at him. Ji Wangshu looked at the words he¡¯d written down and then looked at the group again. ¡°So, you didn¡¯t mean what you said?¡± Didn¡¯t mean what he said? Xiao Yi thought about it and said. ¡°It wasn¡¯t all a lie. I really didn¡¯t want to see them again, I was angry too.¡± ¡°Why were you angry?¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t tell me they were looking at other teams to buy up our contracts, it''s a taboo in the esports industry to begin with but it was because they didn¡¯t communicate with me.¡± Li Hao slammed his hand down. ¡°If we told you, do you think you would have agreed? We wanted to surprise you, asshole.¡± Xiao Yi raised his hands. ¡°I didn¡¯t say I don¡¯t understand!¡± Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Ji Wangshu clapped his hands together. ¡°So there are some trust issues, what else?¡± Tang An sat forward. ¡°I¡¯m pissed at him, pissed at myself, and pissed at my friends, what should I do?¡± ¡°Why are you pissed at yourself?¡± ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t stop and think that Xiao Yi might have been hiding something. It¡¯s pretty well known that he¡¯s a non-confrontational type of person, but we believed him so easily and I wish we looked into it more after it happened.¡± ¡°What do you want to do?¡± Tang An¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°I want things to go back to normal.¡± The therapy session ended after that, with a promise to do another one, but no one talked on the drive back to the apartments, everyone evidently lost in their own thoughts. Instead of bringing Xiao Yi back with them, they dropped him off in front of his apartment building bringing a deep sense of loss as he watched the car exit the parking lot. He didn¡¯t know if he¡¯d see them again, but at least he gave them his new phone number. By the time he made his way to his apartment, he found that the door had been replaced and a note was stuck to the door that said. ¡®Go next door for the key, thank you for not turning us in.¡¯ He turned to the door next to his and sighed. Didn¡¯t he frame someone for destroying his apartment? Didn¡¯t that person accept his accusation? He knocked on the door and waited a few seconds before a man with pink hair opened the door. Seeing him, he laughed and said. ¡°You¡¯re stronger than you look!¡± Xiao Yi hummed. He actually wasn¡¯t that strong, he just knew how to use his body effectively. The man smiled and leaned on the door, blocking the apartment. ¡°Are you here for your key?¡± ¡°En.¡± ¡°It¡¯s actually not here, it¡¯s on top of your door frame, we just put the note there so someone would think we had it.¡± Xiao Yi nodded and thanked him before turning back to his own door. Inside the apartment, the two people who¡¯d broken into Xiao Yi¡¯s apartment sat on the couch, being questioned by the police. Xiao Qiu and Lee stood behind the police, staring down the men in front of them while the guests had all either spread out or sat around watching the show. Letting them go? They weren¡¯t going to go back on the promise that Xiao Yi made, but they needed them to testify against the Xiao couple, hence, after they repaired the door, two cops walked out of the apartment next door and Lee stood in front of the staircase while Xiao Qiu walked out of Xiao Yi¡¯s bedroom in case they wanted to flee into the apartment. Important If you haven''t gotten the chance yet or haven''t joined Patreon for notifications, go check out the newest post on my Patreon. To summarize it: Due to Frost ending in the next 3 months or so, give or take schedule changes, I''ve given some options on the steps after Frost. [Most of my novels have a few free chapters to help you decide if you haven''t taken a look before, you can find them in the collections tab]. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. https://www.patreon.com/posts/lets-talk-future-115384017