Author's Note: Hey y'all! I nearly forgot I had tons of ideas written in my like physical journal so I just checked and I have been inspired. Now, I know a lot of you want part 2 for yesterday's chapter, but it will have to wait while I plan it out. In the meantime, I will present you another idea. Also, I realize that my author notes include the mini summary of the chapter sometimes so if possible, do try and read them. Additionally, I love you all for reading my stories❤️Also I got to do my henna today so that's slay and I even played badminton. So yes, I do actually go outside and touch grass😭Also I got my new glasses yesterday!
I'm going to set this after the Xu Tailun event. He's been suspended and is bloodthirsty for revenge. Say it's been like a week or two since. Now, Tong Yao is once again on her period and the boys go out to eat to celebrate a match they won after making sure she has everything. Cue dramatic drumroll.
Tong Yao POV:
I was grateful for my team, but right now needed them to be on the other side of the planet. My stomach rumbled like a volcano and the lava- my anger- that was gradually boiling up by the minute would've burst all over my teammates. After today's match- which had once again reminded the audience that I was one of the crazy dogs on the team- I was ready to take a nap. After Xiao Pang overheard me in the hallway complaining to Jin Yang about my cramps, he went and told the rest of the team who proceeded to spend the rest of the afternoon babying me, not that I minded though. I was glad I didn't have to do any chores. Lao K and Fatty constantly brought me fruit and snacks as I rested on the couch. Lao Mao even went out to the store to get me my favorite dried mangos. Lu Yue pouted at the special treatment I got, but one speech on how even Godzilla couldn't defeat me right now had his mouth shut. Truthfully, he seemed a little scared after the last time I was on my period and gave him a scolding. Everyone was extra wary this time around.
Lu Si Cheng, on the other hand, had gone about his way and made me a warm tomato soup. It was extremely tasty, so much that I would've mistaken him for a Michelin chef if I didn't already know who he was. He had Xiao Rui essentially monitor me the rest of the day to make sure my slippers were on and that I stayed wrapped up in a blanket on the couch. In fact, after talking to his mother, they cut down my livestreaming from here onwards by ten whole hours so I could rest during this time of month. Everyone was extra careful and I noticed it, so I did my best to control my temper no matter how much I wanted to hit Lu Yue in the face with a pillow. By now, the sun had set and it was almost dinner time.
"Tong Yao, would you like to go out and eat? We won today's match again, a celebration is due now," Xiao Pang asked gently.
"Fatty I don't think I can leave the house in this pain. You guys go ahead and just bring me something back." I shifted on the couch, trying to find a comfortable position.
"Nonsense! We can't leave you in this state at home; we'll just eat in," Lao K exclaimed.
I would really enjoy some alone time.
"Tong Yao, are you sure you will be fine alone?" Lu Si Cheng had joined the conversation now.
After last time, he was also more wary of my emotions and I had a feeling he sensed the aura of annoyance around me even if I was trying to hide it.
"Honestly guys, go out and eat. I will be extremely thankful if I'm left alone right now. As much as I love you guys, I am this close," I said pinching my fingers together. "To fighting someone. Please go, and bring me back some nice food."
Thankfully, my passive-aggressive statement worked.
"Alright Smiling! Guys let's go, we'll be back soon." Lao Mao saluted me and immediately headed for the door.
"I would like to avoid pillows today so I will..." Lu Yue said pointing at the entrance before rushing out.
Lu Si Cheng handed me a hot water bag before ruffling my hair.
"Call me if you need anything at all."
"Alright, now go already Captain! Right now, I'm even tempted to bite your head off," I bit the air in front of me, attempting to scare him off.
He nodded with a small smile as he and the rest of the team made their way out. As the door finally shut, I breathed a sigh of relief. Now, I could scream and lay on the floor or do whatever it takes to combat these cramps. Firstly though, I made my way to the kitchen cabinets and scouted out my favorite chocolates. I had no energy to climb the stairs, so I settled on the couch. I wrapped the blanket around me as Da Bing stealthily made his way next to me. He stretched himself out right by my stomach where the hot water bag was, sharing and taking the warmth.
"Good boy." I stroked his fur.
Xu Tailun POV:
The past two weeks had been hell. I lost all my fans and the public hated me; the team that would never say no to me had kicked me out, all because of a little girl. I was suffering all because Tong Yao was in over her head. She shouldn't have ever joined e-sports in the first place; it's no place for girls. Even if she did, she would've been better off laying low. Today, she was going to pay the price. My career, my life, everything? She ruined it. Destroyed it and now gets to sit on her high throne innocently. I wouldn't let this slide. She brainwashed everyone. My girlfriend left me after the cheating allegations. The photographer had escaped the country before I could confront her on her posts. I had her trapped so well and she was the perfect side piece. Tong Yao messed everything up. I knew Tong Yao was the one who influenced her. My fan never had the guts to speak out against me and I had my own way of silencing her if she tried. Ning Jia Qi was so good for my image and I was the star of the e-sports scene because we were a successful couple. Tong Yao that brat, she was constantly caught up in issues with her ex-boyfriend. Why didn't anyone call her a cheater? No one knows why the two broke up anyways.
I made my way past the gate, clenching and unclenching my hands as I mulled over my thoughts. I knew the security guard was sick today and no one was watching the base. Who would've suspected someone would make their way up here if they weren't on the team? It was a foolproof plan. I had been analyzing ZGDX for days now, noting down every movement, every expression of theirs. I knew they always went out to eat after winning a match. Their fat support had a huge stomach for food. I saw the match today and Smiling played just like she did in the opening match when she was sick. I was taking my chances and hoping she stayed home.
I knew the ins and outs of the base. Each team's base was designed the exact same save for the color scheme. I knew there were side windows that often are left open to vent out the air. Everyone is always under the impression that a group of boys lives in these bases. Who would willingly try something here? Except, this base had a lone girl in it that I spotted napping on the couch. I peered through the window, watching her chest rise up and down as she slept. How could she sleep so peacefully? After destroying me, HOW!?
I took a step back from the window. It was dark outside, probably eight in the evening. I had to find the power box. It would be too easy and no fun at all if the little kitten escaped.
Tong Yao POV:
"Da Bing!" My cat was meowing repeatedly and doing circles around me.
I had awaken from my slumber and checked my phone. It was half past eight now. The team would be back in maybe an hour or so if I guessed.
"Alright what do you want? Is my baby hungry?" I held Da Bing up in my arms.
He wriggled out and bounced away just as the rain started outside. Typical boys didn't check the weather. Guess they'll be drenched today. I shrugged my shoulders trying to get rid of the chills. It wasn't even that cold, but my spine was tingling as if I had entered a freezer. I stared out the front window, watching the raindrops slide down, racing each other to the bottom. Da Bing screeched at the first sound of thunder. I stood to grab him, narrowly missing him just as the lights went out. The lights never go out here. A lump had formed in my throat. Our careers depended on electricity and we had the highest quality of it in the base. I once asked the team if the lights ever go out due to rainstorms, but they said the lines were well-protected to make sure it didn't happen. I used my phone's flashlight and shone it around the base, settling on a side window. I swear a shadow had passed through there. Rushing to the kitchen, I opened the drawers trying to find a knife. I'm not going down without a fight.
"Tong Yao, would you like to play a game with me?" Oh no.
That voice, I had heard one like it before. It was unmistakable. It was definitely Xu Tailun. I heard a screeching sound grow louder, as if something were being dragged across the floor. Something sharp.
"Oh I see!" He laughed manically. "You want to play hide and seek! Of course I'll play, only one round though. You see, that's all you'll have time for."
His footsteps grew louder. I was crouched down behind the kitchen island, clutching the knife close to me. I had quickly shut the phone's flashlight off in fear of being found. I am not in the mood to be a part of a Jigsaw movie.
"Oh your cat is so cute. It would be a shame if something happened to him," He laughed.
My emotions were in override. I'd die before letting this monster touch Da Bing. I peeked out from behind the island, seeing Da Bing hiding under my desk. Xu Tailun had stopped right there, facing my computer and his back was towards me. Adrenaline was pumping through my body and my painful cramps were at the bottom of the list of things to worry about right now.
"A real shame." Suddenly, he crouched down.
No! I dove out of the kitchen. Da Bing had pounced on his face and gave him a few scratches.
"Come here." I crouched down, allowing the cat to jump into my open arms.
I shifted him under on arm and used the other one to wield the knife, hiding it slightly behind me. We were standing only a few feet apart now.
"Aha! I've found you." The room was nearly pitch dark except for the street lights shining in through the windows. Xu Tailun was more of a shadow than a person right now.
"I've won. Do you know what the prize is?" He took a step forward, swinging the machete over his shoulder.
"Leave me alone! Last time I only got you banned; this time I'll send you straight to jail!" I repositioned myself, one foot in front of the other.
Xu Tailun was towering over me like a wolf, his teeth sharp and shiny, gleaming in the dark. His face was shrouded by the darkness, his cheekbones seeming to protrude more than the last time I saw him.
"What a bold statement; that's if you get out of here alive!" He swung as he yelled.
I immediately jumped back sending me and Da Bing tumbling to the ground. I didn't let go of Da Bing no matter how much he screeched. Our safety was in my hands now. I shifted backwards as Xu Tailun took slow steps to me, stalking forward like a lion. He tossed the machete from one hand to another, as if handling a pencil rather than a deadly weapon.
"You didn't think you could get rid of me this easily did you?"
The stairs were behind me. If I could get into my room, I could gain time to call the police.
"You've underestimated me Xu Tailun." I didn't take self-defense classes for nothing.
He paused his steps and I took the chance to attack. Taking a deep breath, I threw the knife at him piercing his leg and scrambled up the stairs, gripping closely to Da Bing, who painfully meowed in my ear.
"Tong Yao, you wench!" I heard his yell.
I quickly rushed into my room and locked the door, breathing heavily as I leaned against it. Releasing Da Bing, he hissed at the door before climbing onto the bed. Sliding down to the floor, I pulled out my phone to call the police. My fingers shook as they struggled to dial the number, my eyes blurry from the tears. They told me they'd be here as soon as they could. Then, I opened Lu Si Cheng's contact.
Lu Si Cheng POV:
I smiled at my brother's silly antiques. We were almost done and had packed up Tong Yao's food. I remembered her gesture before we left. She looked so cute mimicking a kitten's bite. I had messaged her once since we left, asking her if she took her medication. She hadn't responded yet so I assumed the silly girl had fallen asleep. I'll feed her the medicine as soon as we get back. By now, the rain that had been pouring had finally stopped, saving the team from a special scolding on colds from the mid. Just as we stood, my phone started ringing.
"Tong Yao we're just about to come back, did you need anything?"
"The lights are out," her voice whispered. "Don't come back."
Something's wrong. Her voice was shaky, as if she had been crying. The chatter of the team paused as they diverted their focus to the phone in my hand.
"Tong Yao, what happened?" I gripped the phone tighter, making the split second decision to put it in speaker seeing the stares of my teammates.
"Xu Tailun broke in. I've locked myself in my room with Da Bing. Don't come back till I tell you." We heard a loud bang through the phone and Tong Yao's yelp, causing us to exchange concerned glances.
A faded voice could be heard yelling out Tong Yao's name along with a string of curses as her heavy breaths increased.
"I called the police. Don't come back." She hung up.
"What the hell is going on?" Lao Mao questioned.
"We can't possibly just sit back and wait we don't know if the police get there in time!" Xiao Pang exclaimed.
"I'm calling the chief myself, everyone get on the bus quickly." Xiao Rui pulled out his phone and ushered us out of the restaurant.
I tried calling back Tong Yao, but she didn't pick up so I messaged her asking if she's okay, only to get no response. The team was so tense that even Lu Yue had gone silent after the phone call. We were a group of caged tigers, ready to attack the minute we were left off the bus.
"The police should be there in a few minutes, they told us to wait outside for them to come," Xiao Rui announced.
There was a silent agreement that that wasn't happening.
"Driver please go faster," God Ming called out.
The bus skidded to a stop in front of the base just as police cars pulled up behind us. I rushed out, my teammates on my footsteps as I saw the chief urge us to stop. Shortly after, an ambulance also pulled up.
"We don't know how many people are inside. I assure you your teammate will be safe just let us go in first, then you can follow." Begrudgingly, I nodded and gestured for the rest of us to wait for the uniformed people to enter first.
Unfortunately, time like this were when I wished I didn't know the law so well. The officers split up, people going to the side of the building as a few approached the door, using the key I handed them to go in. We followed closely behind and saw the others climbing in through the window. It was as dark as a cave in here till one of the officers switched the lights on from outside. They told us that someone had switched the power off to the base from the main switch.
The sight before us was worrying. Some of our chairs had been knocked over and right by the stairs was a pool of blood, slowly leading up. As we took steps forward, we saw a long line that seemed to have been carved into the floor. It smelled like rusted metal in here. I really hope Tong Yao is okay. We slowly followed behind, allowing the police to go up the steps first. The stairs had scratches all over them as if someone had dragged a sharp object up them. Certain steps had larger pools of blood, indicating that whoever was climbing them had paused every few steps. Oh God.
The team silently followed behind me, all of us unsure how to react. Something like this had never happened in the e-sports scene.
"Hands!" We paused on the stairs as the police clicked their guns, aiming it in the direction of Tong Yao's room.
Over the railing, another officer slowly went closer to the door of our mid, crouching down to feel something.
"He's unconscious sir."
A different man was told to go grab a stretcher as they pulled the body of Xu Tailun to the side, more visible now to the team and I on the stairs. He was laying on the floor covered in his own blood. As gruesome of a sight it may have been, we sighed in relief that the puddles of blood we had seen probably belonged to him rather than our mid. A female officer carefully stepped to the door.
"Miss Yao," she said knocking lightly. "We've caught the suspect. It's safe to come out now."
We heard shuffling behind the door. By now, most of the cops had brought the stretcher down with Xu Tailun in it and had left the base. A few stayed behind, presumably for a statement.
Tong Yao POV:
I peered out from behind the door, holding the doorknob tightly in case I had to shut it again. I knew I was shivering and probably looked like a terrible mess to everyone. Seeing that the officer was telling the truth, I opened the door more widely, taking small steps out into the hallway and swiftly shut the door behind me to prevent Da Bing's escape.
"Are you okay Miss?" The officer asked me.
Her more gray than blue eyes were gentle, shining like the moon tonight. I didn't have the energy for words and nodded. Lu Si Cheng stepped forward offering his jacket in his outheld hand. I smiled slightly and slipped it on, calming down to his minty scent.
"Tong Yao, are you injured anywhere?" God Ming asked.
My teammates had gathered around more closely now and I could see their worried glances.
"I don't think so."
My attention was diverted by the machete one of the officers were bagging, the plastic ripples echoing through the base. I noticed my teammates following my gaze and their eyes widening seeing the weapon.
"That's what he attacked you with?" Fatty questioned.
I nodded in reply, shifting closer to our Captain. He gently draped an arm around my shoulders which I was thankful for.
"Miss Yao, will you be able to give a statement right now?" I looked back at the kind officer and nodded once again.
We all made our way downstairs, Lu Si Cheng gently guiding me with his hands. I nearly tripped seeing the amount of blood now that the lights had been turned on, but he caught me.
"Tong Yao look at me." I forcefully look away and stared at his concerned eyes, dull like freshly harvested wheat. "It's okay."
Focusing my attention on him, I was able to get down the stairs and sat down on the couch where the team had originally left me. The officer gave me a minute to recollect myself and was very patient as I recounted the whole scene, my teammates occasionally gasping in horror. Xiao Rui had brought Da Bing down from my room, setting him on the couch next to me. He purred as he nudged my hand, meowing as I cradled him into my lap. I was half-leaning into Lu Si Cheng as he held one of my hands, rubbing soothing circles in my palm.
"Alright, thank you very much. I'm so sorry you had to experience this. Based off your account I'm sure he will be arrested. Is there a good phone number I can contact you at?" Xiao Rui stepped forward as the manager and finished off the final conversation.
Eventually, the base emptied out leaving just the team.
"Did you really stab him with a knife?" The team glared at Lu Yue as he questioned.
Of course he'd ask that.
"I took self-defense classes in college. Knife throwing was one of my strong suits." I flexed out my hand allowing our leader to clasp it.
"Remind me to not anger you ever again." Fatty stared in shock at me.
"I'm going to hire more security guards and install more cameras. This is preposterous!" Xiao Rui excused himself as he started making more phone calls.
"You did good Shorty," Lu Si Cheng smiled at me, earning one in return.
"Did you still want to eat?" Lao Mao brought out a bag of food.
The question was so out of place I laughed, starting a chain of laughter. The thick air had finally dissipated now that everything was over. Earlier, everything felt like a foggy field in the middle of nowhere. It was as if I had stepped into a dungeon.
"Lao Mao, have you lived in a society before?" Lao K slapped his brother on the back.
After Lu Si Cheng practically hand-fed me the food and forced me to take my well overdue medicine, the others started cleaning up. The police had cleaners come in as they took my statement so the blood was all gone. I still felt like I saw it though. My hands felt sticky with it, guilty that I had nearly killed someone.
"I don't think I can go back to my room," I muttered under my breath, not knowing everyone's gaze had just focused back on me.
"Tong Yao, the guest room down here is empty, how about you move there? It's even bigger than your room right now," God Ming offered.
"I'm..." I paused. "I'm not sure that would help."
He raised an eyebrow, "Would you prefer a buddy? The room has two beds you know?"
I glanced at the captain.
"I'll move in too."
I widened my eyes before asking, "Are you sure?"
He nodded. The others snickered, but didn't oppose to the changes. Today's incident lightened up the teasing load on us because I would've been deathly terrified in my room alone. At this point, I would've offered the Grim Reaper to share a room with me.
"All set then! Let's get some rest now shall we." God Ming clasped his hands together.
Lao K and Lao Mao grabbed my basic necessities from my now old room and Lu Si Cheng worked with Xiao Pang to grab his. After all of us worked together setting up the guest room, they wished us goodnight leaving the captain and I alone in the room.
"Goodnight then," I said awkwardly and hurried into the farther side of the room where my bed was. Lu Si Cheng shut off the lights after I climbed in and surprisingly, I felt calmer than I had all day. It was as if all the tensions from today had been washed away, like the sandcastles by the ocean. I hope this feeling never goes away.
THE END
Did I slay or not? Now, I do have a potential part two already lined up if y'all are willing to read it. Besides that, I might take a while for the next update so cherish these back-to-back ones please😭Once again, thank you and love you angels❤️
