Author's Note: I am back! My birthday was yesterday! Y'all I'm no longer a teenager how bittersweet. I had a lot going on, but I finally got to meet my best friend after two years omg I can't believe we spent that long apart. Anyways, I signed up for AO3 and as soon as I get confirmed I'm cross-posting to there. I also have a poll up so I'd appreciate if you guys answered it.

For this chapter we have it set after the anime convention. Lu Si Cheng has been ignoring Tong Yao so she basically goes on a strike and doesn't tell anyone how she feels which everyone is going to regret treating her like this. Shall we start?

Tong Yao POV:

I have had it with my team. They're acting like I started the damn fight. Should I have just sat back and watched the girl hurt Lao Mao? No reaction at all? The team might be overcautious and I know why, but I can't watch my friends be attacked and just sit back and watch. If I were put in such a situation again I'd probably do the same thing. I can't even bear to look at the captain right now. He looks at me like I've murdered his all his fish. Every time I've tried to talk to him I've been ignored. I gave up trying by the second day. At first the rest of the team was normal, but slowly they got frustrated with me too. I had been banned for the next match and they were trying to train with Lu Yue, a player with a completely opposite playstyle of mine.

I was standing at the top of the stairs when I overheard a conversation between the team.

"Lu Yue what are you doing?! Go attack them," Lao Mao exclaimed.

"Chill out dude let me farm." Lu Yue wasn't synced with the team's playstyle anymore and it was increasingly frustrating for those involved.

"If someone could stop being so short-tempered our team wouldn't be in the headlines every other day," Lao K commented sarcastically.

It stung to hear him say this. I thought we were good friends now and he didn't have issues with me being the mid for the team. The team was being burdened by my presence, but how was it my fault I'm a girl? I turned away from the stairs, wiping the tears that had started falling, and went back into my room. My time now was spent being locked in my room. I couldn't bear the frustrating groans of my teammates every time they lost a match or when they read and cursed the multiple hate comments targeting our team. No matter what way I saw the situation, I was the root of everyone's problems.

Lao K POV:

Xiao Pang had heard my comment.

"Lao K you know Missy was trying to protect us. You can't blame her," Fatty chastised.

"Yeah! You saw how Ning Jia Qi slapped my hand. You would've fought her too if she weren't a girl. The public was just waiting for Smiling to make a mistake to jump on the hate train," Lao Mao added.

I sighed before replying, "I know you guys are right. I'm just upset that our team is being punished for something that wasn't our fault. Poor Tong Yao is facing the brunt of it. I'm really concerned how she's holding up. She won't even sit with us anymore."

I turned around, glancing in the direction of Tong Yao's room. The team had been tense for the past few days. Though we weren't specifically directed not to talk to Tong Yao, the captain would glare every time we tried. He'd get up from the table if she came over and would leave the base for hours at a time. Tong Yao started staying in her room all day. Whenever one of us went to ask her to come eat she'd say she already ate. I sensed she was lying as there was no evidence of her having any food and I even asked the Aunty who makes our breakfast. She told me Tong Yao wasn't coming down for her early morning breakfast like usual. After talking to God Ming, he also noticed the same. Our Mid was thinner and her skin was a ghastly pale. The occasional view of her we'd see showed the evident dark eyebags that were proof of her not sleeping. Xiao Rui had been taking care of Da Bing as she wouldn't open the door even for him. He'd meow sadly and scratch the door till Xiao Rui ended up taking him away.

We were discussing the upcoming game in our review room when I decided to bring the topic up.

"Captain."

"Hm?" He stared pointedly at me.

I took a deep breath before continuing, "This can't go on."

"What can't?"

"You ignoring Tong Yao." I met his gaze.

Tong Yao had been nothing but kind to the team. Her being in this situation was because she tried to protect us and it was my turn to repay the favor.

"Tong Yao has been locked up in her room ever since the incident. If you actually went to check on her you'd see that she seems tensed. Your ignorance towards her is affecting her terribly. You can't treat her like this because right now all you're doing is pushing her away from the team rather than helping her understand what went wrong."

"Leader, she acted impulsively, but her intentions were never wrong. The industry is already trying to tear her apart, how do you expect her to react if her own team joins the public?" Xiao Pang added.

Lu Si Cheng's body language completely changed. His shoulders drooped down and he was more slumped in his chair. His eyes were more relaxed and soft, pondering what we all were saying.

"Cheng-ge, I didn't recruit a new mid for you to bully her. She should be given the same respect that I was as the team's mid." God Ming put an arm around his shoulders.

"I didn't mean to ignore her. It's been a pain to listen to mother and the board trying to use this incident to kick her off the team. I've been busy trying to convince them." His eyes were downcast.

We all were shocked to hear this. Ning Jia Qi had blown this whole thing out of proportion. It was completely unfair to Tong Yao; she wasn't in the wrong.

"There has to be some way to fix this. Look, as much as I want to be mid Tong Yao earned the spot fair and square and I won't take it from her like this," Lu Yue spoke up. He wasn't so bad after all.

"What should we do? Ning Jia Qi's livestream has the whole public on her side. They've been bashing Smiling left and right. They even started attacking her appearance saying she's too fat and doesn't fit with the visual of the team," Lao Mao pouted.

"Do you think she saw the comments?" Fatty asked.

"I have an idea!" We all looked at Xiao Rui expectantly. "I'm so sorry. I can't believe I didn't think of this before, but I can get the CCTV footage of the room. It'll clearly show that Tong Yao was protecting Lao Mao."

"I'll come with you. Then we can file a complaint at Ning Jia Qi for defaming our mid online." God Ming went to shut off the television.

"It's quite late at night, you all should get some rest. We can talk to Tong Yao tomorrow after the match." God Ming shut off the lights as we all shuffled out of the room to head to bed. I gave one last glance to Tong Yao's door before heading into my bedroom. It'll all be okay by tomorrow, hang in there Tong Yao.

Tong Yao POV:

I had been stuck in my room for four days. No one bothered to check on me. I didn't bother eating anymore. Most of my day was spent reading the comments online as I couldn't play the matches till my suspension ended. It was hurtful, but I couldn't stop.

"Smiling is such a chubby girl just imagine the force when she pushed down the delicate Ning Jia Qi. Smiling should be ashamed of herself!"

"ZGDX's mid is crazy. Rather than suspending her they should've sent her to the psychiatrist to make sure her brain works. How can she just hit other people because she doesn't like what they said? So arrogant!"

"ZGDX has prayed for their own downfall by allowing her to join the team. I can't support them anymore."

I stayed up late reading all these comments. The club had informed me I should be prepared to make an apology. I didn't bother protesting. I gave in to the pressures of the public. They wanted me to lose weight? I would. They wanted me to stop playing matches? I guess I would. The team acts like I don't even exist anymore. They'll be better off without me. I was going to start packing my stuff. By the weekend, I'll be gone. Lu Yue can replace me just like everyone wanted. I made a mistake in thinking I could change the industry. They were right, a girl shouldn't play e-sports. I woke up with puffy red eyes, my cheeks stained with tears. I didn't bother leaving my room. Every time I tried to sleep my dreams were filled with strangers taunting me or my parents, old and frail. I wasn't able to help them. I'd look at my empty hands and tattered clothes, unable to save anyone. Maybe I was starting to hallucinate.

Lu Si Cheng POV:

I was afraid. After the discussion with the team, I worried for Tong Yao. I never meant to hurt her. I just didn't want to be soft-hearted. Knowing she had to struggle more than us to get here, I still somehow managed to add to her difficulties. I was regretful. Lao K had described her state and it made me just want to go to her room immediately and hug her, telling her it's okay. I had to wait though. Everything had to be solved. I'm glad Lu Yue has matured so I didn't have to choose between the girl I loved and my own brother. Yes, I said it. I loved her, but I couldn't make her choose between me and a career she just started with so much enthusiasm. With her past experience I just couldn't put her through those struggles again. I'd wait till we won the trophy, but from the looks of it she'd become a nun if I didn't do anything soon. Then be damned my popularity and prestigious name if I couldn't even express my feelings to the girl I liked.

We woke up a little late the next day, all of us disoriented and tense. With an already stressful situation I had unintentionally made it worse with my attitude. I really needed to work on my communication if I wanted Tong Yao to not worry. I glanced at her door that was still shut. The last time I saw her was at my mother's office, when she had been told she was banned for the next match. The pained look dulled her usually sparkling eyes and it hurt me that I couldn't do anything. I had no answer to any of her questions. My eyes couldn't even meet her for fear she'd sense how I'd let her down. I chose to avoid her.

I used my abilities to fix what I could. Working with the club, I tried my best to tone down the hate. Spending day and night, I argued that the incident wasn't enough to kick Tong Yao off the team. At the end I was about to threaten them that if Tong Yao goes then I also do. I had talked with my mother about what really happened and she said that although Tong Yao didn't start the fight she till hit the girl. I was glad I was able to make her understand otherwise she was also ready to kick Tong Yao off the team. One match suspension was the lightest punishment we could do without seeming like we were giving special treatment to Tong Yao for being a girl. My mother supported her, which I was grateful for. She told the club she'd pull out all her shares and stop investing if they dared to lay a finger on Tong Yao. Our mid though, was unaware to everything. I couldn't worry her more. I only wanted her to see the final result, when I was sure everything was okay.

After rushing out of the base, we immediately boarded the bus. God Ming had done his best to make sure we were prepared with the change of our mid as the new obstacle for this match. The hosts had been warned against mentioning anything about Tong Yao's suspension. If anything, a direct warning from Madam Lu definitely shut them up. The public, on the other hand, was not something we could control. Xiao Rui said he talked to the club and with mother's support he was able to convince the club that although they did punish Tong Yao, it wasn't entirely her fault. The club would soon be releasing a statement in support of our mid along with the CCTV that would bring the truth to light. Ning Jia Qi had to deal with the consequences of her actions now.

Tong Yao POV:

I had been up all night. My eyes were glued to the ceiling, my thoughts plagued with the sudden nightmares I was having. I imagined myself being alone, the public scrutinizing me as I struggled to keep up with their demands. No matter what I seemed to do, I couldn't satisfy the people around me. Over and over, I kept hurting them without even trying to. I only snapped out of it when I heard the main door slam shut downstairs. I picked up my phone, squinting at the date. Today was the match. Everyone would be out for a while. I tried sitting up, holding my head that started to pound. It felt there were bees buzzing in my head, repeatedly bumping against my skull. I felt weak, but I had lost weight. Maybe the comments would finally stop. At least I could leave the team with some dignity that I tried to fit in.

Carefully, I was able to wash up, but not without almost slipping and cracking my head open on the tiled floor. It was probably one in the afternoon as I made my way downstairs. Passing the kitchen I went straight for the room where we reviewed matches. I pulled up the live game of our team and watched them get ready to play. My eyes started to water from the brightness of the screen and I had to keep looking away. Despite my best attempts to remain focused, my thoughts sped like a thousand racecars. I had thought of just about every type of scenario, most of them involved with leaving the team. I always ended up alone in the end. I should've known, but I thought it would be different this time. Jian Yang had also abandoned me. I had worked hard to trust e-sports again, deciding to involve myself in the very scene that wrecked my heart before; However, I was mistaken thinking that I'd find comfort here.

I felt I had spent hours staring at the wall. My attention had been completely diverted from the television. It was only when a loud roar arose that I glanced again to see our team had won the match. They were smiling and high-fiving each other. So harmonized, like it should be. That was my cue to go back upstairs. I couldn't face the team when they came back. I was only able to reach halfway to the stairs before I had to stop. My vision was starting to blur and black spots danced at the corners of my view. The base seemed distorted, the stairs more curved than I remembered. Before I knew it, I was on the ground unable to lift myself back up. I couldn't see anything anymore and my last thought was hoping my teammate were happy. I longed to see my parents' smile once more.

God Ming POV:

The team was more lighthearted now. Lu Si Cheng had told us that Tong Yao's dismissal from the team was no longer an issue. The club would release a statement soon and clear everything up. We were all excited to finally talk to Tong Yao. With training for the match and the team trying to gauge Lu Si Cheng's attitude, none of us had been able to have a proper conversation with her. The most anyone talked to her was asking her to come eat, that she always denied. I hoped she didn't take the comments to heart. The public was always quick to hate, not having faced the struggles and pressure on the other side of their screen.

Xiao Pang was the first to rush into the base, excited to find Missy. We were only a few steps behind him when we heard a thud. Fatty had dropped his bag and was frozen in place, staring wide eyed at a figure on the floor. Tong Yao lay there completely still, disturbingly thinner than before. Her skin seemed to be whiter than paper. We all rushed forward, Lu Si Cheng quickly kneeling next to her and laying her head in lap.

"Tong Yao." He patted her cheeks. "Tong Yao wake up, please."

"Lao Mao call the ambulance. Xiao Pang bring a glass of water." I kneeled down next to Cheng-ge, lifting Tong Yao's wrist in my hands.

Her pulse was dangerously slow and skin felt cold to the touch, as if I had stuck my hand in a freezer.

"Here." Lao K handed me a cup of water.

I splashed a few drops on her face as Lu Si Cheng gently moved strands of hair away from her face. Tong Yao didn't even stir. Lao Mao rushed back in to let us know the ambulance would be here in a few minutes. This was not supposed to happen. I didn't realize Tong Yao was taking the situation so roughly. My heart ached for her, knowing I brought her to the team and this was the treatment she got. I saw hints of regrets in the others' eyes as we glanced at each other. Xiao Pang looked like he was about to cry. Lu Si Cheng's worried voice echoed in the base as he kept calling her name, hoping she'd wake up.

"Guys," Lu Yue called out to us holding a piece of paper in his hands.

I stood up and grabbed the paper.

It read, "I'm sorry. I should've never joined the team. I never meant to bring this much trouble along with me. I've realized I only bring bad luck where I go. After this situation, I've understood why I'm better off alone. I will be handing in my resignation. Lu Yue can replace me officially."

The writing was scribbled messily, teardrops staining the delicate page. It was an unfinished note, but it told a story much longer than what was written.

"I had no idea she was this hurt. Guys we really messed up. She has a suitcase packed in her room too. She might've left today if she had the chance." Lu Yue said, his eyes reflecting the sadness of everyone.

We didn't have much time to dwell as the ambulance arrived. Lu Si Cheng went with her as the rest of us boarded the bus to follow behind.

Lu Si Cheng POV:

Half of us were seated while the others leaned against the wall outside Tong Yao's hospital room. There was a silent agreement amongst us that we were going to be extra caring of our mid now. She would receive nothing less of princess treatment. Jin Yang had called after saying she couldn't reach Tong Yao's cell and I told her what happened. She revealed how she noticed Tong Yao had closed herself off and shutdown to the world. Our mid was hurting inside and none of us had a clue. We might've lost her if this went on for a few more days. Jin Yang was in another country and told me to call as soon as Tong Yao woke up. I swear I was never going to repeat my mistakes again. I would cut the hands off anyone who hurt her, be it my own hands.

"How is she?" I stood straighter as the doctor exited the room.

"She's weak. It seems she hasn't eaten in a few days. The nurses will regulate her drips to try and balance out her levels. You guys have to be more careful now. She's too thin to be doing extreme dieting like this."

"Yes of course doctor, thank you so much. When can we see her?"

"She isn't awake yet. I estimate it'll be a few hours so once she wakes up I'll inform you."

We thanked the doctor and slumped down on the benches, leaning against each other.

"She'll be okay. I think she read the comments. We have to be more wary of those now. We can't leave her alone we have to be constantly checking in on her," God Ming said.

"Our poor Missy. Her life has been made hell by our so-called fans ever since she joined." Xiao Pang sighed.

Tong Yao POV:

My eyes were met with an utterly depressing white room. I blinked trying to focus with the brightness of the lights. Maybe starving myself wasn't the brightest of ideas I had.

"Miss Yao you're awake."

My gaze snapped to an old man, who I assumed to be a doctor.

"Where am I?"

"At the hospital. Your team brought you in after you passed out. Miss that was very dangerous of you. Such extreme dieting is not necessary for someone of your age. I advise you to please eat three meals a day for your own health. Your teammates have been waiting out there for hours. You gave them quite a scare." The doctor continued to scribble on his clipboard.

My team? The hospital? That couldn't be right. I was confused. I felt I was dreaming and struggling to recollect my memories.

"Nurse give her this drip as well." The doctor handed a slip of paper to the nurse I noticed just now standing beside me.

"Hey sweetheart. Are you ready to meet your teammates? They've been extremely worried about you."

I gave a slight nod and she smoothed down my hair, patting my hair as she and the doctor exited the room. Not even a second later the door opened back up and all of the team filed into the room.

"Tong Yao." The captain immediately took the seat next to me, grabbing my hand in his. "How are you feeling?"

His eyes were soft, but pained, as if he was regretting something.

"I..." I took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

I didn't meet his gaze.

"You have nothing to apologize for. Tong Yao we're your team. We chose you and we're supposed to protect you. If anything, we're sorry for not taking a stand earlier," he stated firmly.

I stared at him, shocked at his words.

"Missy you can't possibly listen to the haters. Why would you starve yourself? I know you saw the comments, but you know they just say things to say them," Fatty added.

"Tong Yao." Lao K stood on the other side of the bed, gently stroking my head. "You can consider ourselves your brothers. We're family so don't ever think you're alone. Please don't think of leaving us ever. We won't let you."

"You guys aren't upset with me?" I questioned, unbelieving of everything they were saying right now.

"Of course not! We know you were only trying to protect us. We would never replace you why did you even think of leaving?" God Ming questioned.

I opened my mouth to reply, but closed it to stare at him, wondering how he knew.

"We found the note and your packed suitcase. Smiling I wasn't serious about replacing you how could you even think that? My brother would kill me if I tried taking your spot!" Lu Yue exclaimed.

I glanced over at Lu Si Cheng who was gently rubbing circles in my cold hand.

"I guess I did a bit too much overthinking," I nervously chuckled.

"You can share with us whenever you're tensed. I'm sorry for ignoring you, I wasn't mad. We were trying to fix the situation. It was frustrating for everyone and I apologize that you had to take the brunt of it." Lu Si Cheng cautiously glanced at me.

I smiled at his words. I was starting to realize I misunderstood them.

"Tong Yao, the captain has been so worried about you. He's spent day and night fighting the club over you, how could you think like this?" Lao Mao shook his head.

Lu Si Cheng smiled sheepishly.

"Alright that's enough. Tong Yao, you're stuck with us. No more talks about leaving or anything. If you try starving yourself again we're going to feed you double the amount that Xiao Pang eats. I'm sure you know how much that is." God Ming crossed his arms.

"No way! I can barely eat half his portion,"

"You'll be eating a full three meals like the doctor advised cooked by your one and only team members. You're not allowed to refuse anything. We have been trying to get you to eat more and you put all our efforts down the drain with this stunt," Lao K pouted.

"Seriously?"

The mood of the room had become happier. We were able to joke around more and after profuse apologies I was reassured that I wasn't going anywhere without a trophy. Lu Si Cheng hadn't let go of my hand that had him at the center of the teasing by our members. He still didn't let go though even after I tried so I just settled with it, cherishing his soft hands.

"Brother, Tong Yao just started trusting us again. Don't scare her off," Lu Yue teased while he was immediately greeted with a slipper to the face.

God Ming POV:

Seeing Tong Yao laugh at Lu Si Cheng's slipper throw had us all smiling. We all promised to take care of her and did exactly that. Lao K had Tong Yao talk to Jin Yang on the phone who scolded her before saying she was glad to see she's okay. Lao K took the opportunity to take tips from Jin Yang about skincare and haircare, that would later be used to spoil Tong Yao.

Once back home from the hospital that night, we immediately fed Tong Yao a meal that she tried refusing. It was only when Lu Si Cheng threatened to tie her up and feed her himself that she gave in and ate. Lu Si Cheng still ended up taking the spoon from her and fed her to make sure she ate enough.

"If you don't gain the weight back by the end of the month we'll all starve with you."

"Fine, fine I'm eating." Tong Yao grumbled as she ate another spoonful.

We all snickered at the obvious signs that the captain liked our mid, who was oblivious to his every attempt to confess. He made sure he saw her eat every meal with his own eyes, half the time feeding her himself. Xiao Rui had become even more attentive to the comment section and was immediately banning all the hate comments. An account, that I strongly suspected to be Jin Yang's, was praising Tong Yao in the livestreams every time she came on. We each took turns cooking, always trying to feed Tong Yao who protested, but ended up eating every time at the insistence of Cheng-ge.

Later that night the club released a statement.

"Hello fans, this is ZGDX headquarters. It has come to our attention recently that the incident our team's mid was involved in has been wrongfully told to the public and the record must be set straight. First, our member did not start the fight, as seen in the attached clip. This is evidence enough that our member did what she did to protect the team. Despite all this, she has still received her punishment of a one match suspension that she took without protest. We are extremely proud to have such a confident and caring member. We ask the public to keep the online community positive. For those that have been spreading hate comments, especially trying to defame our team and its members, strict action will be taken. Be warned that we stand with our members, not against them. Thank you for your repeated love and support."

"That's quite a passive-aggressive message," Tong Yao said.

"It's actually very nice if you consider everything that happened. The club changed its' rules too. We can't go to any events that haven't fully described and submitted a document with their expected activities from now on." I was glad for this change.

"Do you know what's also nice?" Lu Si Cheng turned and grabbed Tong Yao's hands.

"What?"

We all watched as Lu Si Cheng got down on one knee and held out a ring box. Inside, was a shining amethyst ring, the same shade of Tong Yao's favorite Shikigami. We all smiled as Tong Yao gasped at the scene before her.

"It would be nice if you promised to be mine, preferably forever." Lu Si Cheng confidently held out a hand, waiting for Tong Yao's reply.

Tong Yao stared, biting back a smile. We glanced over at the rest of the team who had positioned themselves to the side, cheering her on.

"Of course," she said smiling.

He grabbed her outheld hand and slipped the finger on. Surprisingly, Tong Yao was the one who pulled him by the collar, kissing his lips. He stood there shocked, before he reciprocated passionately.

"Mother look! Your son likes humans!" We laughed as Lu Yue was half covering his eyes, very obviously looking at the new couple and pointing his phone's camera at them.

The End! This is one of my longest chapters so I hope you all are happy. Once again I left my assignments to write this. Anyways, goodnight❤️