Two days later, the players, coaches, team owners and their guests were gathered in a room that that was roughly as large and wide as a football pitch. To be fair, it was actually three large ballrooms that had been merged into one. This time, the top 10 teams from each region of the world had been invited to participate. However, the journey to Korea was too long and expensive for many clubs. As a result, all of the Korean, Chinese and Japanese top teams were present whereas only a few were present from Europe and the Americas.
At the front of the combined room was a stage with a long runway jutting out of the middle and towards the center of the room. Two-thirds of the room had been allocated to each team's primary players, alternates, managers and assistant managers. The tables on that side of the room were arranged in three columns.
The middle row was directly in front of the runway. It was a position of honor, and it had been given to the current world champion, TAT. The other two front row tables were assigned to the other two Korean teams. Behind those three tables were the remainder of the tournament's teams with Team ZGDX being in the 2nd row of the column to the left of Team TAT.
Each team member had been required to wear their team uniform. The result was an impressive array of well-groomed, handsome young men. The remaining third of the room was reserved for the tuxedo and evening gown wearing team owners, event organizers and their select guests.
The emcee of tonight's event spoke fluent English and Korean. He also firmly believed that Stanley Tucci's portrayal of The Hunger Game's Caesar Flickerman was to be taken as a role model and not as a caricature, so he had styled himself accordingly. The brightness of his perfectly tailored, gold lamé Armani jacket was exceeded only by the brightness of his teeth.
Despite his controversial fashion sense, the Emcee commanded the stage; he deftly deferred to whatever guest was speaking, and enthusiastically announced each participant in the Talent Show as they came to the stage to present their skill.
Directly before each participant's performance, their appearance was preceded by a montage of their top 3 Onamyoji performances. Since most of the participants were alternates, their performances consisted of internal team training matches or unofficial, intra-league team battles. Even so, their game play was not that impressive. It was clear that they had been for selected for their non-OPL skills.
The Russian team represented Europe and they provided a team member that played Pachabel's Cannon on his classical guitar while the member representing Japan played the 2nd movement of Beethoven's Pathétique sonata. Both were excellent.
China had been selected to present last. As the time grew closer to Tong Yao's performance, everyone at the ZGDX table grew restless; everyone, that is, except for Lu Si Cheng who continued his custom of displaying an inscrutable, stone-faced expression in public.
At one point, Lu Yue had gotten up from the table to try to learn more about Tong Yao's 'talent'. When he returned, he was considerably paler, and he carried several brown items.
"Hey, Yue-ge," said Little Little Fatty. "Did you find out more about Yao-MeiMeis routine?"
"We're doomed," said Lu Yue ominously.
"Don't be so melodramatic," chided Ming-sha.
"I learned that she is going to perform, 'Flying Bugs'!" he said referring to one of Tong Yao's favorite songs to sing when drunk.
Both Rui and Ming stared agape at Lu Yue. They had experienced that performance firsthand and to say that it wasn't competition ready would have been unduly kind.
"No, she isn't," contradicted Lu Si Cheng; his stone-faced expression was still firmly in place.
Lu Yue stared unflinchingly at his brother. "Yes, she is," he insisted. "She's even going to perform in a giant bug costume. We're doomed!"
"What's happening?!" asked Lao K. Now it was his turn to panic.
Lu Si Cheng's air of indifference faltered for a second. Tong Yao had been vague with him when he asked for details about her routine. Could she be performing Flying Bugs? When he had pressed her for more specifics, she had told him that it was a surprise.
The distance between the ZGDX table and TAT's table was less than 2 feet. As a result, TAT overheard nearly every word. Within 15 minutes, the rumor about Tong Yao's planned routine had been shared around the room. Only the Emcee and the onstage management crew were unaware of what could be coming.
As the rumor made its way to the ZGDX Owner and Guests table, President Bao Ma's expression darkened.
Neither the Lu family nor the Tong family had been able to change their plans to attend the opening dinner. In fact, they wouldn't be able to attend the tournament until the final match and the closing ceremonies. Therefore, for the next few weeks, Team ZGDX's ownership was being represented by President Bao Ma. Ma was already a Tong Yao anti-fan, so this rumor seemed extremely plausible. He immediately scribbled out a note which he handed to a waiter and insisted it be delivered to Lu Si Cheng; he was so furious that his handwriting left indentations on the tablecloth.
Lu Si Cheng received and read the note. If she performs as a giant bug, the least of your penalties is that I'll have both of your salaries docked for the next 12 months!
When Lu Si Cheng's eyes found Bao Ma's, Bao Ma emphasized his threat by drawing his finger across his neck in a slashing motion.
Lu Yue witnessed his brother's mood grow even more sour. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"Bao Ma is extremely displeased," he growled.
Lu Yue shook his head despondently and pushed the brown items he had brought with him to the center of the table. Now, everyone could see that they were brown paper bags with colorful cutouts for the eyes, nose and mouth. "I brought these so that we could hide our shame."
Team TAT laughed uproariously.
And, with the perfect timing that seems to only accompany disasters, the Emcee announced that it was now Tong Yao's turn.
"But, before the little lady performs for us," he loved clichés almost as much as he loved teeth whitener, "Let's take a look at her top 3 moments from the Chinese season."
The black screen burst into life as it displayed Tong's Yao's second game of the season.
Unexpectedly, angry murmurs started to fill the teams' side of the room. Before the next clip from the montage could start, a disgruntled, tall blonde with piercing green eyes stood, gestured at the screen, and yelled, "What the hell is this?!"
Mitchell Harridan was the debonair head coach of Team AIC based out of San Francisco, California. His handsome face, slender yet muscular body, and commanding presence made him a heartthrob with nearly as many fans as Lu Si Cheng. And, like Lu Si Cheng, he was the heir to a tremendous family fortune. Right now, however, it wasn't his good looks that had captivated the room; it was his ire.
"The rule is that the montages have to feature game play by the performers," he said as he gestured at the screen. "What is this?"
The Emcee was truly confused. "It's Tong Yao's game play."
"The montage is labeled as having come from official tournament play. Everyone knows that Tong Yao didn't play any tournament matches this season."
Now it was the Chinese teams' turn to be confused.
"What?!" exclaimed many different members from the Chinese side.
"Everyone knows that Tong Yao is just fluff," Mitchell reiterated. "She's a ploy by the Chinese Government to make it seem like they are as progressive on women's rights as the West." Many members of the non-Chinese teams nodded in affirmation.
"What?!" repeated the Chinese side, but Lu Si Cheng didn't join them in questioning the plausibility of that statement because he was certain that he'd heard a version of this criticism before. "If Tong Yao didn't play those games, then who did?" he asked. Although he was responding to Mitchell, his gaze was focused squarely on Ah Tai.
"Obviously, it was a combination Yu Ming and, your brother, Lu Yue."
Ming-sha and Lu Yue scoffed in unison.
"I'm retired," stated Ming-sha. "Major hand injury and ah…I'm the Head Coach now."
"I only played two games this season," answered Lu Yue.
Lu Si Cheng spoke again. "Our games were broadcasted in front of audiences and released on multiple Chinese platforms including Weibo. Why didn't you watch them?"
"Those videos are deepfakes created by the Chinese government and endorsed by the OPL Chinese league," responded the American coach.
"And the audiences and news casters?" asked Si Cheng.
"Obviously, they were pressured by China's Communist government to participate and legitimize the fakes," replied Mitchell. However, as he looked at the faces of the Chinese teams, doubt was starting to replace his former certainty. "And as I say this aloud, it sounds utterly ridiculous, but…", and now he too was looking directly at Ah Tai, "it's what we were told."
Ah Tai remained cool and defiant. A smile played along the edges of one corner of his mouth. Xu Tailun had a similar smug impression. Two narcissists sitting side by side. However, the rest of team TAT and their coaching staff had the good grace to look embarrassed. Across the room, TAT's owner was simmering in anger. He had no idea what his nephew, Ah Tai, had been doing. Even so, he would wait until they were in a private location to reprimand him. The situation was serious, but only fools would have believed such a crazy story. Let each team suffer the consequences of being so easily duped, he thought.
Mitchell didn't expect an apology, and he could tell by looking at Tai that one wouldn't be given. He, and many others, had fallen into Tai's trap. Not only had they intentionally disregarded Tong Yao two days ago at the Kickoff breakfast, but they had prepped against the wrong ZGDX team members because they thought the team would feign illness for her and replace her in the lineup.
Mitchell turned his attention to man he now believed was his counterpart on the ZGDX side. "Yu Ming is this footage real?" he asked respectfully as he pointed towards the screen. "She attacked 5 CK team members alone and turned the tide?" Ming simply nodded his head.
"Show the rest of the clips," said Mitchell in a tight voice laced with frustration and anger.
The other two clips selected for Smiling's montage included ZGDX's 4-protect-1strategy used to win against the Orcs of Doom, and the final battle of the Chinese National competition in which her shikigami had singlehandedly defeated three regenerated players from YKCB.
When the montage ended, Mitchell yelled, "Tai, you misogynistic, arrogant asshole! You have doomed this competition." Tai didn't respond and his body language remained defiant and conceited.
Mitchell felt a migraine coming on. As he looked around the room, he saw that the opinion of the other, non-Korean teams seemed to be divided. The Finnish team appeared to share his concerns because they were huddled at their table in deep conversation. On the other hand, the German team seemed unfazed by this revelation. In their minds, not much had changed. Tong Yao was still a rookie, and she was on a Chinese team. No Chinese team had ever made it past the round of eight.
Mitchell was about to say something to his assistant coach, when the Emcee interrupted all conversations in the room.
"Well, that was…diverting," said the Emcee dryly as he struggled to positively describe the last few minutes. "Now that everything's resolved, let's bring out Tong Yao for her performance," and he gestured theatrically towards stage as the curtains were pulled back to reveal…nothing.
Everyone looked at the empty stage then back at the Emcee.
"Tong Yao," he announced again. "Come on out…" The stage remained empty.
At last, they heard a distant voice respond. "We're having technical difficulties."
The Emcee's glittering smile dimmed. "What?"
"We're having TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES!" the frustrated voice yelled back.
The Emcee's patience evaporated. He waved over the Stage Manager. "Find out what's going on," he ordered tersely then he turned to the audience with a smile that managed to convey both apology and irritation.
Someone waved over the Emcee and told him the rumor about Tong Yao's bug costume. He laughed it off as a silly rumor. A few minutes later, a now harried Stage Manager returned; he looked stunned and extremely pale.
Everyone looked at the poor man, but it was the Emcee that spoke, and he used his mic so that everyone could hear. "What's going on back there?"
"You have to see it to believe it," replied the Stage Director.
"What?" replied the Emcee. The rumor could not possibly be true. "Can't you describe it?"
"It defies words."
"Oh my God," said the horrified Emcee. "What are we about to watch?!"
At that moment, the Stage Manager received the signal that Tong Yao was finally ready. The Stage Manager handed Tong Yao's musical selection to the Emcee.
The Emcee tried to return to his former unflappable state. "Alright, so without further delay, we now have Tong Yao performing to a song by...", he paused as he read her musical selection, "Blackpink".
Someone was going to perform to a Blackpink song in a bug costume in Korea? The Korean audience members went from amused to insulted.
"Oh my God, we're going to be exiled. I'm too young to be exiled," cried out Lu Yue.
"That's Tong Yao representing CHINA." The Emcee emphasized the word China as if to remind everyone that the unfolding disaster was to be attributed to one country and one country only.
The Emcee moved off to the side of the stage as the lights darkened, and Tong Yao was revealed.