Disclaimer: I don't own The King's Avatar or any of its characters.
Title: the kind of girl you could write novels about
Summary: Ye Xiu had said it as a joke, that if anyone could beat her in a match, she would go on a date with them. She did not realize that many players would actually take her word for it. Always-a-girl!Ye Xiu
Rating: K+
Warnings: Potential spoilers for the novel
Author's Notes: I had a mighty need to write about Fem!Ye Xiu, mostly because we need more female gamers! And I thought the idea of a snarky, trolling female Ye Xiu was too fun not to write. In addition, there isn't as many stories in this fandom so I thought I contribute a little. I hope I managed to get all the characterizations right. I also deliberately did not write a lot from Ye Xiu's perspective, hoping to add some more ambiguity on her side of things, occasionally switching from her pro name "Ye Qiu" and her actual name. I also enjoy tormenting Huang Shaotian too much.
" Ye Qiu, please go out with me!" a player shouted earnestly just prior to his battle with Ye Xiu.
While Su Mucheng received the majority of proposals and propositions from adoring fans, it was not uncommon for the Battle God Ye Qiu to receive the same thing. Her unmatchable skill and technique more often than not left players stunned and impressed and quick to propose to her.
Excellent Era's managers encouraged such things, seeing it as good publicity, but Ye Xiu found it more of an annoyance.
" You have determination, I'll give you that," she laughed, leaving her opponent slightly hopeful. " But I'll only go out on a date with someone who manages to beat me in a fight."
And thus, she utterly demolished the opposing team in the ensuing 1v3 fight, thinking that would be the end of it.
If Ye Xiu had known that the next few years would be so troublesome for her, she would have never made that public statement in the first place.
~.~.~
Shortly after winning the fourth season of the Glory tournament, and after much deliberation, Han Wenqing finally mustered up the courage to send a message to Ye Xiu. Nowadays, if he had something to tell her, Han Wenqing would message her in the online group chat. But matters like this should be made private.
" Ye Qiu, I would like to speak to you."
Han Wenqing was sitting on the edge of his seat waiting for her answer when she responded. " Yes, Brother Champion?" she cheekily said.
" Are you busy?"
He huffed an agitated sigh at how clumsy and hesitant his words sounded, making some passing Tyranny players pause. As if he did not know the championships were over and this was the reprieve where all pros could finally rest and recover before the next season.
" Maybe. Why the interest?"
Gritting his teeth (if he chose to turn around, Han Wenqing would have seen other Tyranny players turn pale with alarm over their captain who was behaving unlike himself), he hit the keyboard a little harder than he would like, in his determination to get the words out.
" I wanted to know if you will keep your promise."
A puzzled emoji flickered across the screen.
Han Wenqing frowned. He wasn't certain if she genuinely couldn't remember or was currently teasing him. It was hard to tell with the ever mischievous Ye Qiu. It was best to be straightforward and assertive, he reasoned to himself. " You said before if someone won against you, you would go out on a date with them," he bluntly reminded her. " And I beat you in our last individual fight."
No response.
He could not tell if she was too shocked to reply or if she was repulsed by his bold statement. He would have preferred Ye Qiu to laugh at him or make a shameless joke at his expense than this current silence. A part of him wondered if he should take back his words. Perhaps he had been too curt. Han Wenqing quietly dreaded that Ye Qiu might mistake his intention as bragging and arrogance.
It had taken only less than a minute but for Han Wenqing, it felt like almost an eternity before she replied.
" All right. Where do you want to meet?"
The weight on his chest lifted. He could breathe freely again. Even his impeccable self-control slipped and Han Wenqing couldn't help but smile a little.
He sent her the address and the date. Ye Qiu sent a thumbs up in return.
" I warn you though, I'm no beauty like Su Mucheng," she teasingly added before she logged off.
It didn't matter to Han Wenqing. Ye Qiu could have a raccoon or fox face for all he cared. He did not respect and admire his rival because of her physical appearance.
The fact that she did not make light of his words and she was as straightforward as possible meant that Ye Qiu was taking him seriously and genuinely consented to go with him. This was more than Han Wenqing could have hoped for.
A slight gasp from behind made Han Wenqing turn around, his pleasant mood suddenly ruined.
Surrounding him was a group of Tyranny players with a wide range of emotions from shock, concern and envy. Zhang Xinjie was the only one smart enough to school his expression into impassiveness even if his eyes were gleaming with amusement.
Han Wenqing's smile promptly became a frown. " Why are you all standing around here?" he snapped.
They quickly scattered.
~.~.~
Tyranny captain caught dating mysterious girl?!
That was what various newspapers were trilling out after getting a hold of a secret photo of Han Wenqing and a girl. While the girl could not be clearly identified underneath the thick layers of her scarf, Han Wenqing's austere features were easily recognizable.
There was a softened expression on Han Wenqing's face that the photo managed to capture, causing many to squeal and others to gasp in horror at such exposed emotions.
It wasn't before long that the entire Glory community and fan base exploded with speculation. Several fangirls cried in disappointment that Han Wenqing was taken, with others wondering how it was even possible for the scary-faced pro to even get a girl. But soon, another side of gossiping emerged with the supposition that there was only one girl who interacted with Han Wenqing on a frequent basis, one whom he had shown hints of affection for (or so people boldly claimed).
" Was that girl Ye Qiu?!"
The online group chat erupted messages all about the latest scandal. Some were even brave enough to ask Han Wenqing about it.
" Believe what you want to believe," Han Wenqing coldly said, his ferocity seeping through his typed words. " And don't ask me again."
It was enough to silence the inquirers but not enough for them to proceed to harass the rest of Team Tyranny.
" Those in Tyranny! I know you are listening! Don't be playing dead! Speak up about your captain!" Huang Shaotian rapidly fired off. " Ye Qiu! You too! Tell us all the details! What's going on between you and Han Wenqing? Tell us! Tell us!"
When Han Wenqing refused to comment and Ye Xiu did not come online, Huang Shaotian only became more violent and furious in his typing.
" Ye Qiu! I know you are listening! Did you really go out on a date with Han Wenqing? With that unmoving face of his? Why all the secrecy? What are you two hiding?"
" Why do you want to know so badly? Are you jealous?" someone mocked.
Huang Shaotian spluttered indignantly, causing many to laugh at him. " Jealous? Why would I be jealous? Jealous of Han Wenqing's mug face?" he shouted. " I'm better looking than him!"
" It was through our captain's skill that won him that date!" One Tyranny player was unable to stand the insult against Han Wenqing.
Silence descended over the group chat as those words slowly sunk in. Did Ye Qiu go on a date with Han Wenqing because he had beat her in the championship? It was then that they recalled the bold announcement Ye Qiu had made earlier. Some still felt it was a dream when they heard those words.
Would that mean, there was a slim chance that if they too defeated Ye Qiu, she would accept to go on a date with them?
~.~.~
Wang Jiexi still wasn't entirely certain what possessed him to march up to Ye Qiu's hotel room on the last night of the All Star Event.
He had caught glimpses of her at his first All Star Event, the only public event that Ye Qiu would attend and even then, she refused to show her face to the media and the fans. If she bothered making an appearance, Ye Qiu was almost always standing next to Su Mucheng – a good tactic, Wang Jiexi noted. Most people would immediately swarm over the gentle beauty that was Su Mucheng, quickly ignoring the other girl whose appearance paled in comparison to Su Mucheng.
Not that Ye Qiu was ugly by any means. There were certain features about her that could be considered attractive to others. In Wang Jiexi's case, it was her eyes that drew him in the most. They were sharp, radiant and analytical, constantly observing and taking in every little detail, befitting of one of the Four Master Tacticians.
Wang Jiexi could have sworn that Ye Qiu caught him staring at her and gave him a playful wink before vanishing in the dark once again. Perhaps it was that brief eye contact that would be the cause of his lacklustre performance in the rookie competition.
Taking a deep breath to pull himself back into the present, Wang Jiexi stared resolutely at the door. He had seen Su Mucheng joining Chu Yunxiu to eat at the lobby. If he knew Su Mucheng was in the room with Ye Qiu, he would not have done this.
He managed to knock twice before the door opened and Ye Xiu looked up at him.
She appeared smaller and plainer than Wang Jiexi expected. Ye Qiu always appeared larger than life, performing such impressive and extraordinary stunts that no one else could hope to mimic.
But now that he was faced with the real thing, Wang Jiexi found himself lost for words.
Ye Xiu was the first to speak, recovering quickly from her surprise at seeing him." To what do I owe the presence of the hero of Team B?" She casually leaned against the doorway.
It was due to Wang Jiexi's unexpected tactics that allowed Team B to gain the slight advantage in the All-Star Competition and allowing him to be the one to send the final killing blow towards Ye Qiu's One Autumn Leaf.
It was also the reason why he was standing before her now so late in the evening.
" I would like to ask you for a date," he firmly said.
She blinked at him in confusion – for a brief moment, Wang Jiexi felt she might have forgotten; perhaps he should remind her of her public announcement – before suddenly dissolving into unladylike chortling, leaving Wang Jiexi flummoxed and chagrined. " You are living up to your name, Magician, for your unpredictability," she said, once she controlled herself. " Not to mention bold. To come in person to ask me. Other men weren't as brave."
A hint of pink heated his cheeks. On one hand, Wang Jiexi was pleased that he was praised by Ye Qiu for his audacity. But on the other hand, she did not actually give him a response. " Your answer then?" he pressed forward. His hands were clenched into fists fretfully at his sides.
Ye Xiu tapped a finger to her chin thoughtfully. The waiting was just enough to torture Wang Jiexi. " Want to head out now?" she suddenly said.
It was Wang Jiexi's turn to blink. He had not been expecting that answer. " Now?" he repeated, both delighted and slightly alarmed.
" Why not?" she shrugged. " I tend to stay up late anyways. So, are you up for it?"
Ye Xiu grinned impishly up at him and Wang Jiexi thought how could anyone, himself included, have ever thought of her as appearing plain and uninteresting?
~.~.~
It was to be expected that not even a pair of sunglasses and hat was enough to hide Wang Jiexi's identity from the lingering media hanging near the hotel. Although, once again, the girl could not be determined, carefully hidden under a medical face mask and a darkened hood.
Like before, the Glory fan base erupted. By now, the media had caught on to Ye Qiu's earlier declaration and were able to draw up their own conclusions. Certain commentators gleefully chattered about how social the notoriously reclusive Ye Qiu was being.
Several from Team B, including Huang Shaotian, were outraged. " Shameless! Shameless!" Huang Shaotian howled, a notion echoed by many.
" First Han Wenqing and now Wang Jiexi?!" someone grumbled.
" I was in team B too! Why wasn't I given a chance?" another whined.
" I didn't know team competitions would count!"
" At least my eyes are evenly matched, unlike Wang Jiexi."
" Wang Jiexi, you bastard!" Huang Shaotian was the most vocal about his displeasure. " Sneaking behind all our backs! You planned out the team competition on purpose so you could beat Ye Qiu and get a date with her!"
" A pro player cannot go out on a date?" Wang Jiexi mildly replied, neither confirming or denying Huang Shaotain's accusations. He was not wrong regardless, but it did not stop the insults against Wang Jiexi and his mother.
Only Han Wenqing was tactful enough to privately message Wang Jiexi. " She agreed to a date?" he gruffly asked.
" She did," Wang Jiexi confirmed, slightly smug.
"Hmph."
~.~.~
There had been a growing tinge of a certain emotion that Yu Wenzhou did not realize he was capable of. That emotion had only been thriving since he first heard the news of Han Wenqing and Wang Jiexi making fearless moves towards Ye Qiu.
Their actions regarding Ye Qiu were painfully obvious to see. How they became even more determined to defeat her once again to earn another date. How for the past season, Tyranny Ambition and Tiny Herb were locked in a particularly fierce opposition for reasons everyone knew about (certain fans were greatly pleased with the romantic overtones).
And yet, Yu Wenzhou was able to detect some level of awkwardness on Ye Qiu's part. He strongly suspected she had made her earlier statement more as a means to prevent that young player and others like him from pestering her with propositions. Unfortunately for her, there were pro players who took her word as truth.
To maintain a sense of pride or to avoid embarrassing the inquirer, Ye Qiu stood by her word by only considering dates from those who had successfully managed to defeat her in combat while denying everyone else. Currently, Han Wenqing and Wang Jiexi appeared to be the only two she had accepted to date. They must have done something beyond her expectations in order for her to be charmed enough to consent to go with them.
Yu Wenzhou believed his hypothesis was the closest to the truth.
It was either that or Ye Qiu actually did harbour affections for either Han Wenqing or Wang Jiexi. Or both.
Now that thought made Yu Wenzhou uneasy.
Yu Wenzhou made up his mind. When it came to Ye Qiu, Yu Wenzhou could not afford to be passive and indecisive. Today presented a rare opportunity that Ye Qiu would be inside the Blue Rain building during Excellent Era's away battle that he could not afford to miss out on.
It might have been Huang Shaotian who delivered the final strike towards One Autumn Leaf but it was Yu Wenzhou's strategy that allowed them to win the 1v2 in the team competition.
Would it be enough for Ye Qiu? he wondered. If not, then his chances to gain a date with her would sadly slip further.
It was a gamble. Yu Wenzhou was no stranger to taking risks. But he could not help but wonder if he was only going to make a fool out of himself.
His slow fingers trembled slightly as he typed carefully and meticulously into the Blue Rain-Excellent Era online chat, his current and fastest means to communicate with her while Huang Shaotian was currently distracted trash talking Excellent Era.
" To D4, D5, C4. Gambit accepted?"
It was a publicly hidden message to Ye Qiu who would be the only one sharp enough to decipher his seemingly random words. It of course alluded to the infamous chess opening move called the Queen's Gambit. Fitting, as Ye Qiu was the queen that he was trying to capture.
His miniscule message was promptly buried by the rest of Huang Shaotian's cheerful trash talking and Excellent Era's resentful clamour. Yu Wenzhou was not entirely disappointed to see that everyone had been so focused between Huang Shaotian's barrage of chat boxes and the commentators' excited gossip that they did not see Yu Wenzhou's message.
He wondered if she had seen it.
Yu Wenzhou's answer came in the form of Ye Qiu herself, waiting for him at the end of the hallway.
" Asking me for a date as soon as you beat Excellent Era? I didn't expect you of all people to be so shameless," she complained. But despite the disapproving tone in her voice, Ye Xiu was grinning.
" I guess you are a better opportunist than Huang Shaotian," she continued with an emphatic sigh. " Tacticians have such black hearts."
Yu Wenzhou managed to compose himself. " We learned it best from you," he courteously said, though his heart was skipping.
She smirked.
He had anticipated Ye Qiu would approach him eventually if she had read his message. But he did not foresee that she would appear him in person so promptly while brazenly announcing it in front of the rest of his gaping teammates behind him too.
The fact that Ye Qiu was impossibly unpredictable and hard to read even for him was both frustrating and fascinating.
(he supposed this was the many reasons why he was attracted to her)
Checkmate, Yu Wenzhou thought to himself as he approached Ye Qiu.
~.~.~
Ironically, it was not the media that exposed what had transpired between Ye Xiu and Yu Wenzhou but one of Yu Wenzhou's teammates.
" Betrayed by my own captain!" Huang Shaotian wailed in the group chat.
Some players were confused but the more perceptive ones were quick to understand.
" So Yu Wenzhou made his move?" Wang Jiexi asked. One could only guess his tone was disdainful.
" He is bold to do so from under Huang Shaotian's nose." Han Wenqing was reluctant to agree with Wang Jiexi but they had a common enemy now.
" Never expected Yu Wenzhou to be so shameless."
" He learned too well from Wei Chen and Huang Shaotian."
" What do you have to say for yourself, Yu Wenzhou?"
Yu Wenzhou simply sent a smiley face and said no more. When they realized that he was hardly fazed by the taunts of his fellow players, said players soon turned their attention to Ye Xiu.
" That is now three captains she went out with!"
" Does she have a type or something?"
" Probably strong men," someone gloomily said.
" How could we compete against those three?"
" Ye Qiu! Ye Qiu! Ye Qiu!" Huang Shaotian impatiently typed out. " Hurry up and answer me! Don't you pretend you're offline! Come out! Come out!"
" So noisy." Ye Xiu finally appeared.
Since the whole predicament, Ye Qiu had declined to comment. She even appeared to actively avoid the group chats, having barely contributed any messages despite the multiple private messages, challenges and tags attempting to summon her.
Everyone watched with held breath at her sudden appearance online.
" Is it true? Han Wenqing, Wang Jiexi and now Yu Wenzhou?!" Huang Shaotian wasted no time spewing his frustrations. " I know you went a date with those three! All of you sneaking around like thieves! This is cheating! Shameless! So shameless!"
" Don't we have to be in a relationship for it to be called cheating?" Ye Xiu airily said.
Huang Shaotian could only mash his keyboard incoherently while some laughed at his hardship. Only Ye Qiu could render Huang Shaotian speechless.
" Fine. Fine." Huang Shaotian recovered quickly. " When Blue Rain wins the championships, will you go on a date with me then?"
Several players turned grey with shock. It was no secret that Huang Shaotian was close with Ye Qiu (and it was hard to deny that Ye Qiu was equally fond of him as well, judging from how she enjoyed teasing him repeatedly), but for him to make a public proposal like this and attempting to tip the odds in his favour was simply inexcusable, even for an opportunist like him.
" Huang Shaotian ..." Yu Wenzhou sighed, unable to finish typing his sentence.
" Such cheeky confidence," Han Wenqing growled.
" Do not think Tiny Herb will be defeated so easily," Wang Jiexi coolly added.
Other players were quick to furiously defend their teams and that how they wouldn't lose to Blue Rain and Blue Rain must be mercilessly crushed.
Only Ye Xiu appeared amused. " I'll consider it," she impertinently said, sending a mischievous emoji and causing the rest of the chat group to dissolve into chaos.
~.~.~
Blue Rain's win to claim the sixth season championships was both a delight and dissatisfaction to many. And once again, no one was as articulate about it than Huang Shaotian.
" Yes! Yes! Yes! We won! We won! We won!" he cheerfully crowed out in the group chat.
" Congratulations to Blue Rain," several players expressed, though many could sense that Han Wenqing and Wang Jiexi's acknowledgement was done less sincerely.
" Listen all of you! I said it first so Ye Qiu is mine! I'll kill you if any of you try to steal her now! Don't you try anything, even you Captain!"
" Of course," Yu Wenzhou was polite enough to say.
" Ye Qiu! Ye Qiu! Ye Qiu!" Huang Shaotian rapidly typed to summon her. " Did you see? Did you see? Don't be hiding! Come out! Come out!"
" Hmm?" Ye Xiu arrived.
" Don't play dumb! You promised me a date if Blue Rain wins!"
" Eh, I change my mind."
" WHAT?!" Huang Shaotian nearly broke his keyboard in his dismayed anger.
" Just kidding."
Huang Shaotian could have slammed his head against the table. " Shameless! Too shameless!" Others couldn't help but agree.
" Screw your sister! Give me your address so we can meet!" Huang Shaotian had reached the limit of his already short patience.
" Is this how you talk to your prospective date?" Ye Xiu deadpanned.
" Only because you are too shameless."
" Then you wouldn't mind paying for the bill?"
" You – you – you – "
This trash talking continued for some time. Everyone was left awkward and uncertain if they should leave and log out. Was Huang Shaotian and Ye Qiu really going to continue discussing their dating plans in the group chat?
They did, to the dismay of the others.
Who would have thought that Ye Qiu would cause this much trouble for pro players even outside the game?
~.~.~
" Ye Qiu, will you go out with me?"
That statement was nothing new to Ye Xiu, having heard numerous variations of it over the past years during her career as a professional player. Even after her declaration that she would only date those who defeated her in combat, those kinds of proposals had persisted, to her exasperation.
It was a hassle, to be honest, to deal with the publicity and how every action, within the game or outside, she did was now scrutinized and analyzed in ridiculous detail. The jealousy, demands and tenacity of certain people could be unbearable to deal with.
But she did have to admit that there were certain individuals who were able to say those words without irritating her.
For those men, she could hardly laugh at their sincerity. It would be too cruel to turn them down after all their hard work. Besides, seeing their flustered sides was rather endearing.
And so, Ye Xiu found this new situation not all entirely bad.