Rui, Ming, Lao K, Lao Mao, and Lu Yue embraced each other in vigorous, boisterous hugs.

"We won! We don't have to wear bags of shame or worry about being exiled," exclaimed Lu Yue. As he turned to look at his brother, he jumped back as if he had received an electric shock; his brother wore an expression that he had never seen before.

Lu Si Cheng's mouth was still partly open, but now his arms were firmly crossed over his chest. However, it was his visage that caused the most alarm. As Lu Yue watched, the blank stare of disbelief in his brother's eyes was being replaced by something fearsome; a look that was a mix of shock, anger, and jealousy. And his gaze was fixed entirely on the petite girl on stage.

"Ge, aren't you happy that China won?" asked Little Fatty nervously.

Instead of speaking, Lu Si Cheng redirected his gaze at Little Fatty first, then at the whopping and hollering men on their side of the room. If it were possible for his gaze to have the heat of a laser, then everyone he looked at would been reduced to ash.

His gaze returned to their table as he focused on his celebratory little brother. "Bug costume?!" he growled menacingly.

Lu Yue had the good sense to duck behind Lao K before answering. "Apparently, my sources were a bit unreliable," he said sheepishly.

YQCB's table was located directly behind ZGDX's. Ai Jai was, wisely, silent although he had a big grin on his face. Hierophant, however, could not contain his laughter at his friend's discomposure. He knew how much Si Cheng loved being in control and this situation was the opposite of that, but Hierophant wasn't heartless. He leaned forward and patted his friend's back to try to soothe him.

Lu Si Cheng focused his eyes again on the stage where the Emcee was still holding his girl's hand as he tried to settle down the crowd.

"That's enough, everyone," he said pleasantly but authoritatively. "Let's have a few words with our winner. Tong Yao, can you describe the thought process behind this routine?"

Lu Si Cheng was especially eager to hear this explanation too.

The Stage Manager handed Tong Yao a microphone, and she began to speak. "There has been a lot of trash talk these last few days. Now, I don't mind trash talking; it's a natural part of most sporting competitions. I've even been known to trash talk," she said with a timid smile as she thought about her interview directly before the Chinese National Championship. "However, and maybe it's just me, I feel like recent conversations have had an intentionally, unfriendly vibe, and certain things have been said. Words criticizing women in eSports. Words criticizing China's capability to win. THINGS. HAVE. BEEN. SAID," and she emphasized each word with a steely tone as she looked out at the audience. "And I thought that a memorable response was needed. As I was listening to my playlist, "Pink Venom" started playing. When I listened to the lyrics, I knew it contained the response I was looking for because it talked about being shut out of things and being bullied. So, I called up my bestie in Hawaii, Jinyang, and we discussed the interpretation that I wanted to portray. She listened, helped me tweak a few ideas, and connected me to a makeup artist that was able create an idol look."

The Emcee interrupted, "And may I say that they did a great job. Right, ladies and gentlemen?" he asked rhetorically as he encouraged and received affirmation from several audience members.

Tong Yao blushed which, as usual, enhanced her appeal. Lu Si Cheng's scowl deepened.

"Thanks. I've always looked different when my hair is black and long," she said shyly.

"What about the choreography?" asked the Emcee. "Were you a dancer or gymnast, at some point?"

She nodded vigorously. "Yep. I studied Chinese classical dance until I was sixteen. Now, I just do it for fun and as exercise."

Si Cheng, somehow, managed to stare even harder at the girl on stage. When exactly had she planned on sharing that tidbit with him? he wondered.

"Well, you did a terrific job," said the Emcee as he and most of the audience started clapping again.

"Why don't you ask her the most important question?" yelled a male voice from the Owner and Guests side of the audience.

The Emcee smiled a Cheshire-cat-like grin to show that he knew what the man meant before responding to the request. Tong Yao, on the other hand, had no idea what was going to be asked.

"Ah, Tong Yao," said the Emcee. "I think what's being asked is…," he paused for dramatic effect before continuing. "Do you have a boyfriend?"

Tong Yao blushed deeper and said, "No, no, I don't have a boyfriend."

For the first time that night, Si Cheng's stone faced expression cracked. As the shocked faces of his teammates and others who thought they knew otherwise turned to look at him, he wondered if she was breaking up with him.

His face betrayed his panic as he considered that possibility. Maybe she had seen that he hadn't applauded and supported her the way that a normal boyfriend would, he thought. Could she be disappointed in him? Then her voice interrupted his thoughts.

"I don't have a boyfriend," she said. "I have a fiancée!"

Sounds of relief could be heard from the ZGDX table. Groans of disappointment could be heard from other spots around the room. Lu Si Cheng relaxed, and the stony expression returned to his face.

"So that ring on your right hand isn't just costume jewelry?" asked the Emcee. Yao nodded her confirmation.

"And is the lucky man here tonight?"

"Yep, it's ZGDX's captain, Lu Si Cheng," she stated brightly and proudly.

"Can we bring the house lights up so we can see the audience better?" the Emcee asked the Stage Manager. Almost immediately, the house lights over the dining area came on and the Emcee quickly found ZGDX's table.

"There's the lucky man," he exclaimed as he pointed at Lu Si Cheng. "Can someone get that man a mic so that we can hear him?" A few seconds later a mic was handed to Si Cheng as the Stage Manager directed the spotlight to focus on him.

For the first time tonight, Tong Yao could clearly see two things. Firstly, she could see that her teammates and the other China Team players were very proud of her. Secondly, she could see that Lu Si Cheng was extremely displeased.

The Emcee was ignorant of Si Cheng's legendary jealous streak, so he continued using his approving theatrical tone. "So, fiancée, what did you think?"

Now that Tong Yao could see Lu Si Cheng's terrifying expression, she swallowed hard as she anxiously waited for her hubby-to-be's response.

Lu Si Cheng counted to two silently before he raised the mic to his lips. "Hi, honey," he said in an uncharacteristically sweet tone. "So many surprises." Then his tone changed to something more like himself and his next words sounded hard and steely. "SO. MANY."

"I don't think there were surprises many," she responded somewhat meekly while managing to sound like Yoda in the process. "China won!" she exclaimed in a happy tone that she hoped would dispel some of his anger.

"China won," he mimicked in an eager, calm voice. It was like the calm of the eye of a hurricane. "Did we," he gestured to her and then to himself, "discuss the plan on how to make China win? We did not," he answered sternly before she could reply.

Now the eye had passed, and the wall of the hurricane hit. "I'm the Captain," he thundered. "I approve the makeup. I approve the clothes. I approve THE HAIR." He stopped and breathed in deeply as he tried to regain his trademark icy composure. No one made a sound. Even Tong Yao was silent and that was not like his Shorty at all.

"What's this silence I hear?" he asked her.

"Oh, I was waiting for you to finish," she replied respectfully.

"Huh?" he said. He was genuinely confused.

"Um hmm," she affirmed. "I knew that you were not finished because you forgot to pound on your chest like Tarzan before stating, 'Me man. You woman. Me say. You obey'," she said in a caveman-like voice.

Lu Si Cheng's mouth dropped open again while the audience laughed uproariously.

This time, he took a few seconds to recover before he responded. "Zzzzz," he said as he imitated the audience's laughter. "You're right. You're right. You're a modern woman; I respect that. I'm a modern man and I will support you in your decisions and your actions throughout this tournament," he said calmly and logically. "But as soon as this competition is over, we're moving to Afghanistan," he yelled. "You're wearing a burka and I'm becoming the first Chinese Taliban!" He ended his tirade with a terrible imitation of a Middle East war cry, then crossed his arms over his chest and pouted.

The room went silent for what seemed like the umpteenth time. Then, unexpectedly, Tong Yao laughed. She laughed heartily and happily.

"You are so wrong. How does someone get to be so wrong," she said jokingly. "Now the actual Taliban are going to come after us for making fun of them, and we're going to have to live the rest of our lives on the run."

He started laughing too. She was the only woman capable of giving him as much grief as he gave her.

As his laughter quieted, he asked in a caring, loving tone, "Aren't you hungry yet?"

"Starving," she moaned. "I haven't eaten since breakfast."

"Then come on down here so I can feed you."

She nodded and asked, "How was the food?"

"I don't know; I was waiting for you. The guys said both the American and the Korean dishes were great."

Although it seemed to Tong Yao and Lu Si Cheng that the world had shrunk to contain only them, the reality was that they were still on display in front of an audience; an audience that was shocked to see a public demonstration of their affection.

Little Fatty snatched the microphone from Si Cheng and said solemnly, "Our entire lives in Team ZGDX are now filled with PDA moments like that one."

Almost everyone laughed and that broke the spell between Tong Yao and Lu Si Cheng. As Si Cheng stood and approached the stage to collect his Yao Yao, the Emcee interceded before she could leap into her fiancée's arms.

"Sorry, darling. It's against regulations to jump off the stage," he said as he gently pointed her towards the back of the stage. "You need to use the stage exit and meet him around the side."

While she complied, Si Cheng changed directions and headed to the main doors. Although, he wanted to project his trademark icy composure, he couldn't help himself from indulging in a small grin as he thought about her hand in his.

When he met her in the hallway, in front of the merged dining rooms, she was still wearing her outfit, stage makeup, and wig from the performance. It would have taken close to an hour to remove everything, so she had decided to leave them on, and cover up her outfit by wearing her ZGDX team jacket.

As Si Cheng walked towards her, she could see lust building in his amber eyes. When he was closer to her, he maneuvered her so that her back was to a wall. She instinctively backed away from his predatory look until the wall prevented her from backing up farther.

Instead of leaning in for a kiss, he leaned over her until his lips were next to her ear and he growled, "Other male creatures were allowed to see what is mine."

The hot air from his breath tickled her ear and slightly aroused her. However, this was neither the time nor the place, so she pushed those feelings down and shoved him away in mock anger. "It was mine before it was yours," she said defiantly.

Si Cheng wasn't fooled. He smirked with a naughty twinkle in his eyes and responded, "Someone's in for a long, hard pounding tonight."

She blushed. Then, with a smirk of her own, she remembered, "That may be true, but it won't be tonight. We promised Rui-ge that on nights before any games, we would be like boxers before their bouts and refrain from engaging in any non-OPL ganking activities so that we can pour all of our energies into the matches."

Now it was Lu Si Cheng's turn to be surprised and there was nothing mock about it. "Huh?! When did we promise that?"

"On the night before we flew to Korea," she said smugly.

"Was I there?"

She crossed her hands over her chest and gave him an annoyed look.

"Was I awake?"

"Tsk," she replied before taking a truly confused Lu Si Cheng by the hand and dragging him towards the nearest dining room door. He stopped them short of the door and remained in place like a stubborn mule.

If he was going to be denied passion for the next two nights, he could, at least, get something right now. He pulled her towards him and enveloped her in his arms before looking around to see if anyone was watching. Satisfied, he pressed his hand to the back of her head and crashed her lips into his. The kiss lasted for nearly a minute as they delighted in each other's warmth and taste. He had intended for the kiss to punish her and leave her aching for more. Unfortunately, he found that he, too, was aching.

When they ended their kiss, he pressed her head into his chest, kissed the top of her head and waited until his breathing had calmed. Several seconds later, he gently grabbed her hand, led her to the doors closest to the ZGDX table, and the eSports power couple entered the dining room.

It has been said that "The world moves for love. It kneels before it in awe." Accordingly, many sets of admiring glances were sent their way.

However, it must also be noted that the world contains those who would try to crush and destroy love. Accordingly, multiple pairs of eyes – some envious, others jealous – glared at the couple, intent on their destruction.

A/N: The quote, "The world moves for love. It kneels before it in awe.", comes from the movie, "The Village." I thought that it was one of the best parts of that movie and it has stayed with me for years.