A/N: Ahahaha. I couldn't leave you guys hanging for too long from last chapter. That and I have been able to write ahead a little more recently so I can afford to update twice this week.
There was an small edit made to the last chapter for because a reader pointed out a plot hole.
To clarify things for people who maybe read it before I made the edit, the White Robed Witched is still only level 74 at the end of last chapter. I just took out the part where Naomi was able to equip the new level 75 gears. No other changes were made. Sorry for the inconsistency. Oops on my part.
One week, that was the time frame the company gave me to move out. One week was all I had to pack up, find a new place, and move out. Since things ended badly between the company and I, they would not help with any part of the moving out.
The only good thing about the parting was the White Robed Witch no longer could be used commercially by the company. Glory Co. tried to take my account through legal means because the White Robed Witch still had very high commercial value. She was almost like a moscot for Glory for the last six months. But, Glory Co. failed. Due to the strict way the contract was reworded by Lin previously, she was free and safe with me. Thank you Lin! I really owed him big time.
Monday afternoon, I sorted out the things in my work box I brought home and in apartment. What to keep, what can be given away, and what to put in the garbage.
"This isn't mine?" I found a white envelope that I wasn't mine when I dug through my work box. On closer inspection, it was a letter addressed to me. A letter and a metal key fell out when I opened to the paper sleeve.
[Naomi:
Use this whenever you feel like you need to get away for awhile. The address for the key is #### xxxxxxxxxxx Tokyo, Japan.
Kazumi]
I smiled at the letter and the key. Kazumi was really thoughtful at times. I stored away the key and letter in a safe spot and concentrated the current problems. What to do and where to live after this week.
x
"Are you okay?" Everyone in my life seemed to wanted to know.
"Yea." I told them all halfheartedly.
My parents called and said I could go back to the state and live with them. My Aunty also called to tell me that I could move in with them until I get things figured out. I could also head to Japan like Kazumi had suggested, and study under a master for while.
They were all good suggestions. Going to Japan for a while appealed to me. I always wanted to vacation in Japan. To eat, to study all the figures in a second hand shop, and to buy some art book of my favorite artists. But at the same time, Japan wasn't an option currently with all my stuff. Shipping everything across the sea would cost a small fortune itself.
No one knew how long it would take for the hate to die down. But as of right now, the online rumors pretty much ended my career as an artist. Who would dare hire a burning potato like me right now with so much bad publicity surrounding me. Career change might not be a bad idea right now either. Sure I would have to admit to my parents about choosing art was a bad life choice and give an earful from my parents, but they would get over it, eventually.
I cleaned, packed, and taped up boxes while I thought about my next steps. For once, I was glad that a lot of my things were still sitting in boxes from the move a year ago. I haven't gotten anything new except the computer chair, computer, monitor, and computer accessories. Everything else in the apartment was company owned and furnished. I let a long sigh as I thought about everything that had happened in the last year. It had been a bittersweet year with filled with all sorts of memories.
x
After packing until sundown, I decided to have a microwave dinner and log into Facebook and Gmail. I wanted to see what my friend circle in the States knew of the situation. It seemed like my news here had reached my friends in the states. Everyone was looking into the situation for me on the States side, but no one knew who started the rumor currently.
[Some of us had contacted the eNews and ripped them a new one for false reporting. But then they reused our words create more drama. Ugh, it's a good thing you didn't come out and say anything. Can you imagine how they would twist your words to make more news?] My good friend Megan vented her frustration on her side to me. [We will help to find the culprit on our side and try to keep it down low around your parents.]
[Thanks. Keep me updated on how it goes. I owe you a drink when I visit the states sometimes.]
[Girl, you owe me a lot of drinks by now.]
[Sure. Just keep it all on a tab for me.]
[Will do. Don't be surprised by your final bill though. Take care of yourself.]
[Thanks.] Megan and I ended our chat.
I logged off my American accounts and logged into QQ. I was bombarded with new messages in various window. Oops, I forgot to log in under invisible mode. Too late to hide now.
[Hi.] I greeted all the pro players back simply in the group chat.
[Is the news true?]
[Did you leave Glory Co. because the news is true?]
[What will happen to the Glory Figure Project?]
Questions flooded the chat one after another when I sent a greeting.
[No. The news isn't true. I had to leave because I was negatively affecting the company image. The Projects will be taken over by a new artist sooner or later.]
Sympathetic responses came one after another.
[Will we see you again?] Little Lu was the first to come out to ask.
[I don't know. I'm going to look for an opportunity. It might not be with Glory, but I'm sure there will be one.] I responded and added. [So should I leave the group now?]
[Let's vote. Those who want to kick her out type 1.] Ye Xiu typed in the chat.
I was moved. There were many people who greeted the old god, but no one typed 1. This was how all the pro players showed their support for me.
x
[Well said. You want to come to Happy for the time being? We can pick you up when we go to City B for All-Star Weekend.] Ye Xiu messaged me in private shortly after he posted in the group chat.
[Didn't take you to be the type to attend if you didn't have to.] I remembered back to almost a year ago. Ye Xiu pretty much hid in the shadows the whole time.
[We got free plane tickets. I will ask if Litte Lou would pay for your ticket too.] Ye Xiu suggested shamelessly.
[Don't bother! I can get my own ticket.] I typed back quickly.
[But you are jobless now.] He reasoned.
[I can still afford one plane ticket!] I was only recently jobless, but he made me seem homeless! I wanted to face plant into the keyboard repeatedly for how shameless and frugal he was being.
[Chen Guo said you can send your stuff over to the apartment in advance. Here is the address.]
[Tell her thanks. I appreciate all you guy's help.]
[She says no problem at all. She is sitting right here by the way.]
[Sis, I heard you are going to come here soon?] YiFan messaged me immediately after I made plans with Ye Xiu.
x
[Yes. Think I'm going to take a break and start over in City H too. It will be nice to be able to cheer you guys on in person too.]
[I will help set your things up before you arrive.]
[Thanks. That will help me out a lot.]
x
Sometimes Tuesday, I finished sorting and packing up my life. I separated my stuff that I would ship to my parents for storage in the states, a few things as gifts for my aunt's, and other things I would probably need in City H. Lin borrowed AnChen's shop van after work and helped me bring all the boxes to the postal office addressed to various places.
I paid a hefty mailing fee to ship things EMS overseas with tracking and insurance. I had a lot of limited edition figures being shipped; I wasn't going to risk anything happening to them. For the rest of stuff, I shipped 2 day express with tracking to City Y and City H. On Thursday, I got a message from YiFan's and Aunty's side that all my boxes had arrived safely. Lou GanNing also messaged me Thursday night to invite me the All-Star Weekend. I kindly rejected the offer to go to the event, but agreed to meet up with his team and Ye Xiu sometimes outside of the event. There was just still too much heat on me right now, so I rather not be recognized in public by fans at an huge event like that.
x
Friday night, Lou GuanNing had send me the address to a restaurant nearby Tiny Herb's stadium, saying everyone will be meeting there after tonight's event to chat and enjoy a night snack. I refused the invitation because I already had dinner and drinking plans with all of mine ex-co workers, maybe for the last time together. Lou GuanNing understood and didn't further persuade me otherwise.
"I'm soooo mad for you, Naomi!" Sam started to slurred his words after downing a few consecutive shots.
"Don't drink so much." I tried to take away Sam's glass, but he kept it out of my reach.
"But I'm mad. We are all." Sam spoke for everyone and nods came from around the table.
"They already found a replacement for you." Aiko frowned.
"He will also be coming from the American branch. Fresh out of school and the company wants him to take on Project Trouble Rain already. I'm a bit worried." Lin added.
"He got no experience. His art is boring." Jin agreed with Lin.
"Keep on open mind. Don't pick on the new guy who hasn't arrived yet. He could be super talented. We were all green once." I tried to lighten the mood and stand up for a fellow artist.
"I was never green." Kazumi denied with a humph by my side.
"Mhm, of course Miss Perfect." I said sarcastically. Kazumi and I clanked shot glasses and took a sip. Yum. Grilled meat and alcohol were the perfect match.
The rest of the night, the six of us ate, drank, and just enjoyed each other's company.
"To getting drunk tonight (不醉不归) (1)!" The six of cheered.
x
By end of the night, some of us were drunker than other. Kazumi and I were the only somewhat sober ones left.
"Have you thought about it?" Kazumi asked as she nursed her drink.
"About what?"
"Going to Japan. I can introduce you to some of your sculptor idols I know personally if you want to study under their wings for a bit. They all had good impression of you at the last WonFest."
"Thanks. I think I'm okay for now." I flashed the older woman a sincere smile and sipped my own drink. Kazumi returned my smile but didn't push anymore because she knew I was strong enough to push through block in the road and was going to be just fine.
Our beautiful shared moment was short lived. Sam, who had fallen asleep at the table after drinking too much, suddenly woke up with renewed energy.
"Let's get everyone home!" He exclaimed like a responsible leader suddenly, scaring the crap out of Kazumi and I in the process. I had to calm Kazumi down because she looked like she wanted to knock the guy out again with the glass in her hand.
"You okay, Sam? You had a lot to drink." I asked for both Kazumi and I because Kazumi went back playing mute.
"It wasn't that much! Ahaha." He tried to prove himself by standing up and walking towards the excite. But he promptly stumbles in his steps. Kazumi and I jumped up from our seats to steady the tall American man. "Ahaha. I'm fine."
I went home after I saw everyone else off from the restaurant. Kazumi woke up Jin to get his girlfriend home. Sam tossed one of Lin's arms over his shoulder and lugged him into a cab with him. I worried that if everyone would get home safely. Then again, this wasn't the first time this had happened either. After watching everyone take off, I took a taxi back to my apartment too.
[God Ye's group is coming to tour our club tomorrow, would you like to come as well?] Lou GuanNing messaged me late into the night.
I didn't have any plans the next day, so I responded, [Sure.]
x
Next morning, Lou GuanNing send a luxury sedan to pick me up from my apartment. I met up with Ye Xiu and gang arrived in front of Heavenly Sword's club. Lou GuanNing came out to greet us when we all arrived. I could tell I wasn't the only in awe as we toured the facility. From the news and rumors, it was a fact that Lou GuanNing came from money, I just didn't know how much money until I was standing in front of their club building. I mean the guy build his own Glory stadium!
"You want to hire our XiaoBaiBai here? She is looking for a new job. You can probably hire her for cheap!" Ye Xiu asked shamelessly at point. I couldn't tell if Ye Xiu was being serious or not, but I wanted to cry from the shame! Maybe he was trying to help but I felt like a useless child he need to find a nanny for. Maybe it was my pride talking, but I didn't want to be someone who got a job through personal favors and back doors.
"Ah, I don't think there is a need for us to. I'm sorry." Lou GuanNing apologized my way.
"Don't take it seriously. He is only joking. Hahaha." I quickly tried to laugh it off rather awkwardly.
"I wasn-"
Whatever Ye Xiu was going to say was stopped by my loud slap on his back. If I was taller, I would have aimed for the back of his head. Lou GuanNing looked like his eye might pop out of his head when he saw I hit Glory's current number one god.
"You hit hard." Ye Xiu grimaced.
"Stop talking if you don't want to get hit again." I threatened under my breath with a tightened fist.
"You are so violent nowadays XiaoBaiBao. You are not going to get married this way."
Smack! Glare!
"Ow. Fine,fine. I will stop talking." Ye Xiu said after finally taking a hint. Took him long enough!
x
The in the middle of the tour Lou GuanNing took us to was his practice room. I wondered if Lou GuanNing was a bit too trusting since most club wouldn't easily lead a group of strangers into their sacred training ground like a group of tourists.
Just as we were taking a look around, a person I dared to claim more annoying than Huang ShaoTian barged into the room. From the few words that came out of his mouth in the exchange made me think this guy was a pompous rich asshat.
"Hold on. I will be right back!" The random person left suddenly as he had arrived.
"Who was that?" We all looked to Lou GuanNing after the strange occurrence.
"My childhood friend." Lou GuanNing started to explain and then rest of big five of Heavenly Swords joined the discussion. The overall consensus was he was a bad friend.
"I'm back! Old Lou, are you ready?" When Lou GuanNing's frienemy came back, he started to trash talk again and brought someone in.
From how confident the way the Lou GuanNing's friend talked, he must have found someone really strong. A pro perhaps? I took a curiously peek at the second male who entered the room. He didn't make any eye contact with anyone before settling into the nearest open computer he found and logged in.
x
From my point of view, the person wasn't a pro player of this season or the last. Maybe someone from someone's training camp? No, he looked too old for that. There wasn't any notable features about this guy besides some white bandages wrapped around his left hand.
The pompous ass pay an injured guy to play Glory? Wow, that was just a new low. How despicable. My opinion of Lou GuanNing's friend was dropping fast. Although my opinion of Lou GuanNing wasn't high at the moment either. He actually snuck his account card to Ye Xiu to play against this injured man. Although to be fair, Lou GuanNing couldn't know about the bandages since he already asked Ye Xiu to play for him before the guy entered.
After an high intense battle between berserkers, Ye Xiu lost. Wait, what? Did I heard myself correctly. Ye Xiu lost? Was that right? I couldn't believe it. I looked to Ye Xiu to see his expression. I was a bit disappointed that he just wore his normal uncaring expression like always.
The tall mysterious male who defeated Ye Xiu said some polite words Lou GuanNing's way before yelling at Ye Xiu, "What the f**k! Why are you here?" It looked like they knew each other.
"It's you! No wonder." Ye Xiu acknowledged the other party.
"Ye Qiu!" The male almost growled when he spit out the name with much disdain.
"Sun ZhePing." Ye Xiu said calmly like seeing this person explained everything.
Almost everyone in the room seem to recognize the male after his identity was exposed and became in awe. Only BaoZi, Tang Rou, and I was still lost.
"Eh? Eh? Eh? Who?" I voiced my question and received various looks around the room. Thankfully at this moment someone else in the room said something more outrageous to take the attention off of me.
"Ah! This is the Wicked King Immolation Fist's Supreme Technique, Dragon of the Darkness Flame!" BaoZi suddenly stood up and shouted but was quickly scolded by Chen Guo.
I looked up Glory and Sun ZhePing since I was curious, and no one bothered to explain things to me. Ye Xiu and Sun ZhePing were still talking and nobody wanted to interrupt.
x
Sun ZhePing. Previous captain of Hundred Blossoms. Was the number one berserker in Glory. However due to Excellent Era's suppression in the first three seasons, Hundred Blossoms never won the championship. Then retired many seasons ago due to a serious injury to his left hand. This was the summary of all the information the Baidu gave me. Besides the old articles ranging from seasons 2 and 5, there weren't any new information after that.
While I was looking up information on the old god, the conversations in the room seemed to come to a conclusion too. Lou GuanNing had asked Sun ZhePing to join Heavenly Sword. After some persuasion, the old god agreed.
"Then, for the next half of the season, why not join Happy?" Ye Xiu requested shamelessly. He even used fighting Excellent Era for revenge as bait even though he was the one who caused this man and his team to lose the championship so many times many years ago. Sometimes I wondered myself how I was friends with someone like him.
"Hero, let's go forth together!" Ye Xiu announced dramatically like they were in some kind of adventure RPG game.
"Sign me up." Even more surprisingly, Sun ZhePing agreed easily. The two gods joined hands. Happy was becoming quite the hidden boss in the Challenger League below everyone's noses.
These Glory gods are not normal people, I concluded.
Extended Ending:
During the rest of the tour at Heavenly Sword, I asked Ye Xiu a question that had been nagging me all day after the unexpected encounter with Sun ZhePing.
"Do you think it hurts when he plays? You know from his injury. It must not be fully healed if he still wears bandages."
"Probably." Ye Xiu shrugged while his eyes and hands were glued to the monitor and keyboard in Heavenly Sword's practice room. Jeez, how obsessed is this guy with Glory? He might die from not being able to play for just one day.
Sun ZhePing went with LouGuanNing somewhere to talk in private about the details about the contract.
"Why does he still play if it hurts him?" I wanted to know the answer to this question. I needed to know. My feelings for Glory was all jumbled up at the moment due to everything that just happened within the last week. Did I still like it? Do I hate it?
"The same reason why anyone plays."
"Which is?" I frown a little at Ye Xiu's unhelpful answer.
"Isn't it obvious already? Why don't you go ask him?" Ye Xiu brushed me off.
x
After Sun ZhePing came back into the room with Lou GuanNing, I went up to the old god and asked if we could speak in private for a little. With nothing to fear from a girl shorter and younger than himself, Sun ZhePing agreed to step somewhere private to talk.
"What's going on?" Lou GuanNing was curious. His eyes followed the two out of the door. It seemed strange that Naomi, who had never met Sun ZhePing before, would ask to talk to the old god in private.
"Heh. Probably love at first sight." Ye Xiu joked lightly. Lou GuanNing, however, seemed to take it seriously and choked on air.
x
Sun ZhePing and I ended up in front of a giant window with a view to the garden below. It was a gorgeous garden. It could be seen that Lou GuanNing spend a lot of time putting all these details to his club building.
"So does it hurt when you play?" I asked about his hand.
"Sometimes. If I play intensively for a long period of time." Sadness and pain flashed through Sun ZhePing's eyes. I could tell this wasn't a pleasant topic for him.
"So why do you still play then? After all these years."
"What are you trying to say? I'm not qualified because my injury?" Pain turned into rage. Sun ZhePing thought I was probably belittling him and glared my way.
"I'm sorry. That's not what I meant at all. I just want to know why you still do something that hurt you?" I explained quickly, trying to quench the fire. I then told him about all the things I was currently going through. "My feelings are all over the place. Glory, the game, fans, and company, have hurt me and had hurt me in the past too. I don't know what to do next. I just thought if I talked to you, I would have my answer too."
x
"Screw what the fans and the company wants." Sun ZhePing silently contemplated something in his head before talking boldly. "Play for your pride, dreams, ambitions, and victory. Play Glory for yourself. Play for your love of Glory. Do you still love the game?"
"Of course." Realization hit me like a ton of bricks. I had felt a bit lost since getting fired from the job and backlash from the fans. I started to believe that I wasn't a good artist; I wasn't good at what I do; I wasn't good at anything. With the help of Sun ZhePing's advice, I seem to finally seem to find my way again.
"Show them what you are made out of." Sun ZhePing let out a smirk before walking away cooly.
There were many easy ways out I could take. I could go back to the states, or Aunty's, or Japan. But if I did that, I would just be running away from my problems and giving up. But I didn't want to give up Glory, especially when I didn't do anything wrong. I felt bitterness but also a burning determination in my heart.
I still wanted to make figures and illustration for the Glory players. Over the past year, I discovered that I really enjoyed meeting and working with everyone from the different teams. Sure there were hard times, but Glory was fun. I loved Glory. I wasn't sure what my next steps were yet, but I was sure this wasn't the last time Glory and fans would see me and my work.
"Hey. Do you remember how to get back to the practice room?" Sun ZhePing come out of nowhere during my internal monologue, startling me.
"Err, which way did we come from? I have a terrible sense of direction too... let me message Lou GuanNing and Ye Xiu." I quickly type a message to the two and hoped we would be rescued soon.
(1)不醉不归: a more literal meaning would be we are not leaving until we are drunk.
Thank you for all the positive responses in the last chapter and past chapters!
Honestly when I started writing this story, I wasn't not sure if people would even read this since YeAll! and BL are what's trending (and my writing/grammar sucks a bit). This story is meant to be a bit plain and explore all the joys and difficulties one might face in the real world. So hopefully I'm doing a good job depicting them and making things interesting.
I'm super happy to hear that people are enjoying everything so far. I hope to put out more quality work/plot/chapters in the future. Thank you!
