A/N: Thank you so much for all your support! As thanks, I present to you an extra long chappie! In response to previous reviews made (I know I PM'ed yall, but I'll just rewrite my replies here again)
Dear KabeHinate, you mentioned: why did Chen Guo easily let Jing Jing freeload? Well, she pitied Jing Jing and Cai Lin because she thought they were like her - orphans. Thus, she wanted to give them a helping hand, just like how she helped Ye Xiu. Plus, she is also quite lonely, even with Tang Rou. More details in my PM.
Dear ScarletShad0w, Ye Xiu exposed himself in chpt 7, when Jing Jing and Cai Lin were talking about their ships. YX never made it a point to hide his identity after retiring, and forgot that he only told Chen Guo. Thus, in his haste, he exposed himself. And yes, you brought up a great point about Jing Jing knowing all the pros' names despite being a new fan. Don't worry, I'll try to fix it ASAP. As for Shao Tian and Jing Jing being a couple? *LE GASP* As a fujoshi, how can I have my own OCs pair up with any of the pro players?! Though I have to admit, it's super interesting to see what yall think of my OCs, and who they can pair up with.
Dear Cai Lin, don't worry. It came as a shock to me too when I discovered that my story didn't move up after I updated it. But oh wells, no biggie :)
So a quick reminder to all readers, be sure to read chapter 10! (If you haven't already) As always, feel free to point out any mistakes I made, I'd greatly appreciate it. Here's hoping that my story will not end up like Swiss Cheese - riddled with holes. :/
Several days later, Jing Jing saw the staff of Happy Internet Cafe setting up a huge screen and projector.
"Oh? Whose match tonight?"
"Excellent Era vs Blue Rain."
Does this mean Huang Shao Tian is dropping by tonight?! Jing Jing smiled brilliantly, her eyes sparkling eagerly.
"How come I didn't see you so excited for the previous match?! Wait, don't tell me you have a crush on Huang Shao Tian?! " Chen Guo exclaimed, her eyes full of disbelief at Jing Jing's supposed betrayal. Damn! I was hoping to bring Jing Jing under the banner of Excellent Era, don't tell me she's already fallen for Huang Shao Tian! I should have known not to put up the Sword Saint's posters!
Jing Jing sweatdropped. Since when?! I just can't wait to see Huang Shao Tian and Brother Ye interacting up close and personal! Jing Jing vigorously shook her head. "No no no of course not. I just wanna see Excellent Era win beautifully against a strong opponent." She continued cajoling Chen Guo, and managed to convince the latter that she is just eager to watch the match.
Nodding smugly, Chen Guo started extolling the strengths of Excellent Era, intent on converting Jing Jing into an Excellent Era fan. Jing Jing listened quietly, nodding at the appropriate moments and agreeing with Chen Guo's opinions. After all, Chen Guo will end up disliking Excellent Era when she discovers the truth, so why not let her stay happy and blissfully ignorant for awhile more?
Later on in the evening, when Cai Lin woke up, Jing Jing eagerly whispered to her that Huang Shao Tian will be popping by tonight to help Ye Xiu set Boneyard's record, which led to another round of hushed squeals. Thankfully, Chen Guo was too busy to notice Cai Lin's excitement, or else she might reconsider her decisions to keep Huang Shao Tian's posters up. Ye Xiu smiled wistfully at their behaviour, recalling how close he and Ye Qiu were back in their childhood, but quickly squashed that memory and continued eating his dinner. At 8.30pm sharp, the match started.
…
"Fuck that piece of shit!" Chen Guo raged, along with other fans in Happy Internet Cafe. For this match, it was clear that Excellent Era had the home advantage, and would have won beautifully if Liu Hao had not made so many noobish mistakes. Many of the enraged fans left, too disappointed to play Glory, and some had even ran over to Club Excellent Era to protest. Jing Jing and Cai Lin internally sneered at Liu Hao, scorning him for his unprofessionalism. You reap what you sow, you should have listened to Brother Ye's teachings. Now, your idiocy is laid out for the whole world to see.
Chen Guo turned to Jing Jing and Cai Lin, dying to rant her frustrations. Instead of seeing two angry girls, Jing Jing and Cai Lin had cold looks on their faces.
"You're not angry at Liu Hao?" Chen Guo said incredulously.
"Of course we are. But Liu Hao's not worth our anger. It will only make us age faster." Cai Lin disdained, flicking a stray lock of hair behind her shoulder.
Jing Jing nodded her head in agreement. "His idiotic performance just proves how unprofessional he is. Us fans screaming and raging at him isn't gonna turn back time and give him a do-over." Jing Jing shrugged, her eyes full of contempt. "So, why bother?"
"..." Chen Guo was rendered speechless by their answer. The fans' anger was proof that they cared, that they wanted Excellent Era to perform well. However, Jing Jing and Cai Lin kept their cool, making Chen Guo feel a bit foolish for her temper.
Jing Jing's eyes softened, and she smiled gently at Chen Guo. "But you know, not everyone thinks like Cai Lin and I. Our logical thinking is considered cold-blooded and cruel, while passionate fans like you are a great source of motivation."
"Mm hmm. In fact, I think fans who strongly express their love and support remind the pro players that they are not alone, that they have supporters who agree with the path they have chosen." Cai Lin added, and briefly hugged Chen Guo. "Guo Guo Jie, wanna get some supper and forget all about that idiot? We don't want him to ruin your night."
"Nah, I don't wanna gain weight, but thank you for trying to cheer me up."
"No problem!" Jing Jing and Cai Lin chorused, bringing a soft smile to her face. Nearby, Tang Rou kept an eye on the trio, worried about Chen Guo. After their conversation, Tang Rou chatted with Chen Guo for a bit, managing to cheer her up by the time she went upstairs to sleep.
"When are we going to break another record?" Tang Rou asked Ye Xiu.
"Tonight!" Ye Xiu said.
"Tonight? What dungeon?"
"Boneyard!" Ye Xiu said.
"Boneyard, that dungeon….. Didn't you say we were close enough?"
"Yesterday was close enough. But who knows about today?" Ye Xiu laughed.
Jing Jing and Cai Lin, who had been whispering between themselves for the past several minutes, suddenly started playing scissors-paper-stone. Jing Jing lost, and groaned, before turning to Ye Xiu and Tang Rou. "Brother Ye, Rou Rou, want some supper? I'm heading out to buy Macs."
"No thank you." Tang Rou replied.
"Yea sure, fries and nuggets please. And coke. Wait, get two sets."
Jing Jing nodded, and left with some cash. "I'll be back as soon as I can."
Fifteen minutes later, Jing Jing returned with her hands full, and set down Ye Xiu's orders on the counter. Luckily, there was a lot less customers that night, and as they were not close to Jing Jing, they didn't complain, but their eyes kept going back to the fries, drooling at the sight and smell of food.
She brought hers and Cai Lin's shares to their usual corner, close to but hidden from the counter. Digging into their food, they gossiped about Ye Xiu and his theoretical relationships with other pro players. Tang Rou could only shake her head and laugh silently, all the while playing on Soft Mist.
Nearing twelve midnight, a sneaky figure made his way to Ye Xiu. Cai Lin nudged Jing Jing, mouthing, Huang Shao Tian. Jing Jing nodded, shutting down her computer, and calmly walked up to the counter.
"Why do you have to be so hard on yourself? It's not like your skill dropped after retiring, no? Oh and speaking of that, why'd you suddenly retire?"
"First help me set this record and then we'll chat." Ye Xiu said.
Jing Jing grinned as she calmly walked over to Ye Xiu. Yawning, Jing Jing said, "good night Brother Ye -" she cut off her words, staring suspiciously at the hooded figure.
Huang Shao Tian grimaced, thinking, fuck! Busted! and turned to flee. Jing Jing reached out, grabbing his hoodie and exposing his yellow hair. Jing Jing hissed, "Brother Ye, is this hoodlum trying to steal from us? Or is he trying to use our computers for free? Or-"
"Calm down Little Jing, he's my friend. I asked him to come over tonight."
"Oh." Jing Jing released her hold, and Huang Shao Tian quickly flipped the hood back over his head. Smiling sheepishly, Jing Jing apologised, "I'm so sorry, I didn't know you were friends with Brother Ye." Turning to Ye Xiu, she added, "Brother Ye, let me cover your shift. Go accompany your friend. I'm sure you have a lot to catch up on." Smiling sweetly, Jing Jing quickly went behind the counter, hustling Ye Xiu out of his seat.
"Okay okay, just let me log out first." Ye Xiu relented, logging out of the game. He grabbed the already cold food, and brought Huang Shao Tian over to Area A. Halfway there, they realised that Area A was so dark that they could not find the computer's power button, and Ye Xiu had to run back to the counter for a flashlight. Upon seeing Ye Xiu's return, Jing Jing raised her eyebrow, smirking knowingly at Ye Xiu. A cold shiver ran down Ye Xiu's spine, his intuition ringing alarm bells, but he didn't stop to clarify anything, and hurriedly grabbed the flashlight, before making his hasty escape.
"Hahahahaha" Jing Jing giggled, unable to control herself. She nodded in Cai Lin's direction, and Cai Lin scooted over, having watched the whole scene with glee.
"Oh my gosh Jing Jing! Huang Shao Tian! And Ye Xiu! My HuangYe! My OTP!" Cai Lin squealed.
"Calm down girl." Jing Jing chuckled, patting Cai Lin on her back. Rubbing her hands together, Jing Jing added, "I know of a way we can *ahem* create some smoke." (1)
Cai Lin's smile widened. "Count me in."
Meanwhile, Huang Shao Tian and Ye Xiu have found their computers, and logged in to Glory. While the game booted up, Huang Shao Tian nibbled on a cold fry, complaining, "fuck! Why is my food so cold! Don't you at least have the decency to keep it warm or something?! I get a couple hundred thousand for every match, this is what I get?!"
"It would have been piping hot if you haven't run away just now."
"Fuck! How was I supposed to know that girl wasn't a fan?! I'm not like you, I have a lot of fans."
"I have many fans too, but I'm smart enough to not show my face." Ye Xiu replied, lighting up a cigarette.
"...Fuck!"
"Hurry up and eat, it's almost midnight." Ye Xiu grabbed a fry and stuffed it in Huang Shao Tian's mouth.
"Old Ye! I can feed myself!"
"Then hurry up."
Mumbling to himself, Huang Shao Tian inhaled his food, all the while chattering non-stop. Jing Jing you idiot! Why did you have to let us 'catch up'?! He's doing a monologue! Ye Xiu groaned internally, praying that the clock went faster.
...
At 12 A.M. sharp, Lord Grim and co. gathered outside Boneyard, whereby Lord Grim gave Flowing Tree a Vampiric Lightsaber. From Soft Mist's computer came Jing Jing's and Cai Lin's excited chatter, to which Ye Xiu said, "Little Jing, Little Lin, don't tell me no one's at the reception right now?" Yes! Let me go back to my job! Ye Xiu thought. "Give me a minute, I'll go back to the counter and do my shift."
Jing Jing's and Cai Lin's voices rang out in unison, "No need Brother Ye, the three of us are sitting at the counter right now!" "Don't worry Brother Ye, we've got your back! Enjoy your date!"
Tang Rou and Su Mu Cheng burst out into giggles, while Steamed Bun Invasion exclaimed, "Boss, you have a girlfriend? Hello, I'm Boss's underling, you can call me Steamed Bun!"
Jing Jing, Cai Lin, Tang Rou and Su Mu Cheng laughed even more uncontrollably. Huang Shao Tian raged. "No no no I'm not his girlfriend fuck fuck fuck don't sully my good name!"
Ye Xiu hurriedly explained, "Little Lin, stop joking around. Steamed Bun, Flowing Tree is an expert I brought along to help us clear Boneyard."
"Oh, who is he?" Su Mu Cheng asked. Normally, Su Mu Cheng would love to joke at Ye Xiu's expense, but in front of others, she would always be on his side.
"Shao Tian."
"Fuck, don't reveal my identity!"
"Oh, your friend?" Tang Rou said.
"Oh, that dude wearing a hoodie?" Jing Jing asked.
"Yeah." Ye Xiu replied.
"Don't reveal my identity? I like secrets, are you a Scorpio?" Steamed Bun Invasion said.
"Eh? You mean the guy sitting next to Brother Ye alone in Area A?" Cai Lin piped up.
Huang Shao Tian nearly spat out his coke. Tang Rou, Su Mu Cheng and Jing Jing chuckled. Ye Xiu rolled his eyes, exasperated. "Little Lin, what are you thinking right now?"
"What? Why? I'm just stating a fact." Cai Lin retorted sulkily.
Ye Xiu rolled his eyes again. "Little Lin, make sure to keep quiet. I need to explain the dungeon run. Little Jing, please keep an eye on her."
"Okay. Rou Rou, I think you'd better put on your headphones. We'll keep quiet." Jing Jing promised, and quietly high fived Cai Lin behind Tang Rou's back. They settled down on Tang Rou's left and right, silently watching the dungeon run.
Upon setting the record, Tang Rou yelled, "I'm going to get water" and immediately removed her headphones. She reclined in her chair for a moment, before standing up and ask, "do either of you want anything to drink?"
Both girls shook their head. "He was that bad huh." Jing Jing commented.
Tang Rou nodded her head. "I'll be right back," and off she went.
"How long more do you think it'll take for Brother Ye to drive him out?" Cai Lin asked.
"Five minutes?"
"... ...I think so too."
"Brother Ye? What are you doing out here?" Cai Lin called out.
"Throw trash. You know, it is our duty as staff here to maintain cleanliness in the cafe."
Jing Jing and Cai Lin chortled. "Riiiiiiight. It's not because you wanted to get away from your chatterbox, right?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Ye Xiu deadpanned.
Cai Lin squealed excitedly, her mouth split into a wide grin. "YES! The ship has sailed!" (2)
" ...Wait, he's not mine, he's Yu Wen Zhou's." Ye Xiu corrected.
"Bwahahaha!" Tears streamed down Jing Jing's face. Cai Lin, of course, pouted unhappily. "Don't go around dashing people's dreams Brother Ye. What goes around comes around."
Ye Xiu just smirked, gently ruffling Cai Lin's hair. "...Do either of you mind if I smoke here?"
"Nah, take a break. It's been hard on you." Jing Jing patted his back understandingly. Cai Lin wanted to chase Ye Xiu back to Huang Shao Tian, feeling that he should not leave Huang Shao Tian alone in that dark, isolated corner. However, she understood that his chatter can drive people crazy, so she opted to stay quiet. Tang Rou soon came back with her water, and the two of them loitered around the counter, none willing to face Huang Shao Tian immediately.
Seeing Tang Rou and Ye Xiu so reluctant to go back to Glory, Cai Lin reminded Ye Xiu that Huang Shao Tian was still waiting for him in that dark corner. Sighing, Ye Xiu plodded back to his seat.
"Rou Rou, don't you want to continue playing Glory?" Jing Jing asked.
"I do, but…" Tang Rou hesitated.
"Why not ask if they still plan to run the dungeon? If not, you can go Arena or something." Jing Jing suggested.
Tang Rou nodded, and sat down again, putting on her headphones. Upon hearing that they do not need to run the dungeon anymore, Tang Rou rushed off to do her quests.
"Jing Jing Jie, you're not sleeping?"
"Nah, I'm covering for Brother Ye. Once he comes back, I'll go off to sleep."
"It's okay Jing Jing Jie, Rou Rou Jie and I can cover until Brother Ye is back. Besides, you never know how long they're gonna take. I think they have a lot to catch up on." Cai Lin's eyes sparkled mischievously.
"I don't think they will take that long." Tang Rou chuckled. "Flowing Tree is a bit too chatty."
"Rou Rou, what Cai Lin is trying to hint is that they may end up getting cozy and...physical. Two guys sitting alone in a dark, quiet corner...you can't help but think that way. It's a good place to… workout." She shot Tang Rou a knowing smirk.
"Jing Jing Jie you know me so well." Cai Lin agreed, nodding her head vigorously.
"... …" How did education go so wrong? Kids these days… Ye Xiu paused, mourning the loss of innocence.
"... …" Rendered speechless, Huang Shao Tian turned to stare at the street outside.
"... ...oh, hi, Brother Ye." Jing Jing smiled weakly. Tang Rou kept a calm facade, and continued gaming as if nothing happened. Cai Lin smiled sheepishly, looking down at her lap, playing with her fingers.
Ye Xiu cleared his throat. "Little Jing, I'm back now, you can go off to sleep. It's been a long day for you. Little Lin, we don't need so many people at the counter, why not you and Little Tang go back to your usual corner?"
Seeing that Ye Xiu is giving them handy excuses, all three girls seized the chance and rapidly cleared out; Tang Rou logging out of Glory while Cai Lin waited, and Jing Jing wishing them goodnight. Soon, the reception was left with only Huang Shao Tian and Ye Xiu. Huang Shao Tian turned back to look at Ye Xiu, his expression serious. "You have to come back."
"Who need you say that."
"If you have any difficulties, contact me." Huang Shao Tian said earnestly.
"Give me back my Vampiric Lightsaber and the fee for two hours of Internet." Ye Xiu said.
"…."
"I'll give you the Vampiric Lightsaber later!" Huang Shao Tian slapped down ten bucks onto the reception desk. He turned around and faded into the night.
Ye Xiu calmly logged back onto the game.
"Flowing Tree went off?" Tang Rou messaged.
"Yeah."
"Dungeon?" Tang Rou asked.
Ye Xiu laughed. He immediately gathered everyone and ran to the dungeon.
(1) Create some smoke - This is something I came up with. It originates from the phrase 'where there's smoke there's fire', which means even if it's a rumor, there's got to be some truth in it. Thus, create smoke can be understood as: even if there's nothing we can fake a rumor based on their interactions.
(2) The ship has sailed - Okay, before anyone complains that I'm using the phrase wrongly, nope, I didn't. Its original meaning: an opportunity that is lost or it's too late to change. But, the context of this fanfic is that Cai Lin is imagining that Huang Shao Tian and Ye Xiu are in a relationship, so when Ye Xiu 'confirmed' that he and Huang Shao Tian are dating, she says 'the ship has sailed'.