C14 Part2

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Chapter 14: Sleepless Night in Seattle (Part 2)

The 5th Seattle Global Conquer Finals ended with the American team Titan defending their championship in the final round, and the curtains closed. While the Western media was revelling, they still didn’t forget to lament that after the legendary captain Cris retired, Chinese Conquer still hadn’t found anyone who could replace him.

After the game, the teenage genius Jeffery Chen shamelessly ridiculed Ji Xiangkong’s mistakes on Twitter.

“Void, I have proved that you are a loser.”

He remembered the words that had been spoken one year ago so clearly.

Ji Xiangkong’s final mistake in that game was also included in the Western media’s brilliant highlights.

A number of professional players had experienced this type of nightmare, a one-time mistake being nailed firm to their ID. As long as you were in the professional circle, you would always wear this hat of disgrace.

The forums, Tieba, and Weibo had exploded long ago. The angry fans needed a window to vent out their anger and so continued to swear at and attack Ji Xiangkong. Radical fans even blocked the entrance of the VPG club, burned up his black-and-white photos, and held up banners threatening him to retire.

“VPG’s manager said that the day their strategy got exposed, Qiu Ying went to the training room for Ji Xiangkong!”

“What kind of freaking coach for a female idol was Ji Xiangkong before, too? He’s obviously the team’s weak spot, how can he still proudly waste his training time? He doesn’t play well professionally but still wants to use a star to get popular? The atmosphere’s been all messed up by a useless person like him!”

“Get out of the esports circle, Ji Xiangkong! Blow up right there!”

It was at this moment of collective fanaticism that Cris spoke up for Ji Xiangkong on Weibo. “Even without Void’s mistakes, VPG still wouldn’t have won.”

Ji Xiangkong’s last obvious mistake drew everyone’s firepower, but before then, VPG had already been slowly declining. This just exacerbated the speed of their failure, that’s all. His mistakes became the focus, became the target, to cover up Chinese Conquer’s current disastrous situation. VPG was eliminated, but were Legend, Newland, as well was Dragon who hadn’t even qualified this year, that much better?

“In competitive sports, everyone is struggling and doing their best. Even if you were once the overlords, if you become a little bit slothful those who come after you will surpass you. In team games, even if you have overwhelming individual strength, neither is that better than five people working as one heart and mind and can cut through gold.”

After Cris made this long Weibo post, fans went completely crazy in one night.

“Too long didn’t read!”

“You can still whitewash him with that kind of playing?”

……

Irrational antifans qualified Cris’s advocacy of Ji Xiangkong as due to their interpersonal relationship, defining it as a synonym of a decaying system.

There was also someone who drove a knife into his wound: “If it weren’t for you making your own decision that year and getting Ji Xiangkong to enter Legend, Legend would’ve become the champions a long time ago!”

That night, Cris received a WeChat message from Ji Xiangkong: “C ge, when other people are stepping on me, don’t speak up for me. You’ve already achieved success and fame, I don’t want you to become infamous because of me.”

Cris looked at the screen. For a very long time, it was impossible for his heart to settle down.

One week later, VPG Club’s official Weibo, which had been forced to shut off its comments due to the rain of bullets, released a new announcement—

Void Ji Xiangkong has already left the team.

When she heard the sound of the doorbell, Qiu Ying was staring with bloodshot eyes, staring at the ceiling in a daze.

After returning to China from Seattle, she’d already been so busy she couldn’t close her eyes for several days. Tanuki Streaming Platform used legal means to defend the reputation of one of their own streamers, cooperating in every way to investigate the truth of “Recording-gate”. In the end, they discovered that the email claiming to be Qiu Ying that contacted the recording-exposing reporter had not been sent from Qiu Ying’s computer, the IP address being located from the computer area on the first floor of the hotel. At the time, Qiu Ying had been working overtime with the other commentators in the competition stadium. So, the leaker could not be her.

Who it was that had recorded it and planted the blame was still under further investigation.

What made Qiu Ying most concerned was not this, but Ji Xiangkong’s performance in the knockout round. When she saw VPG’s announcement that Ji Xiangkong left the team, she felt as if she’d been struck by thunder. Already feeling guilty, she blamed herself as well. Again and again she wondered, if she had properly picked up the phone the night before the game, would he have not made any irredeemable mistakes…

The doorbell sounded once more. Qiu Ying got up from the bed and threw on a coat to open the door.

A tall, fairly lean, figure stood at her door. He looked much thinner, bangs slightly covering his eyes, eyes pitch-dark, lips pale. Ji Xiangkong’s voice was hoarse as well as slightly nasal. “Qiu Ying.”

In that moment, Qiu Ying felt so terrible that her heart nearly seized up.

She wanted to see him, but she didn’t dare to see him.

She knew that after being kicked out by VPG, there was no one in the first-string teams who dared withstand the pressure of public opinion to want him. Seeing that the transfer window was about to close, perhaps his professional career would reach its end.

Qiu Ying turned to let him in. His hand touched her shoulder, and she shrunk back.

Right after he finished changing his shoes, Ji Xiangkong hurriedly asked, “I want to form a new team. Will you be my manager?”

“Mhm.” Qiu Ying’s response was very quick.

Ji Xiangkong was a bit surprised. There weren’t any ups nor downs in her face, as if his invitation was completely within her expectations.

What he didn’t know was that just before this, Fu Miya had sought her out.

Fu Miya told Qiu Ying that she could help Ji Xiangkong find the sponsors to form his own team.

She and Ji Xiangkong once dated. For her path to becoming a star, she chose to leave Ji Xiangkong behind. Ji Xiangkong respected her decision, ended the relationship, and also kept silent about being abandoned.

“I started liking him when I was 15 years old. I believe that if you hadn’t appeared, he’d always be waiting for me.” The girl in front of her was just as sunny and beautiful as she was in the camera, but the words she spoke were as chilling as ice. “Don’t you understand? You’re just his heart’s comfort while he waited for me.”

As if Qiu Ying was falling into an ice cavern, her hands clenched into fists, nails pressed deep into her palms. Every pore on her whole body seemed to be violently shrinking.

After so many years had passed, Fu Miya still couldn’t forget Ji Xiangkong. She wanted Qiu Ying to leave Ji Xiangkong, not hesitating to use the team as a threat.

Once a professional player’s golden years were delayed, they would never return. For Ji Xiangkong, Qiu Ying made her decision.

“Xiangkong, before you’ve gotten out of this low point, as long as you want for it I’ll always accompany you. I can be your manager. I’ll help you handle the team affairs, help you arrange food, clothing, housing, transportation, for the team members, but…” Qiu Ying took in a deep breath and said with difficulty, “only as the manager.”

Ji Xiangkong’s face sunk. He looked at her incredulously. “You want to break up with me?”

Qiu Ying didn’t know how to respond. All of her curly insides began to throb.

“Why?”

Qiu Ying didn’t speak.

“Is it because I didn’t play normally in the competition and you’re very disappointed in me?”

Seeing that she still didn’t make a sound, Ji Xiangkong laughed. “You don’t like me?”

The air surrounding them seemed to freeze. Ji Xiangkong approached her step by step, leaving Qiu Ying without a path to retreat and forcing her to fall back on the sofa. Ji Xiangkong leaned down, knees bent on both sides of her, locking her entire body within a shadow.

“Look at me.” His smile was both warm and frightening. One hand took her chin firmly while the other lingered between her long hair and the back of her neck, moving back and forth as if caressing a most precious treasure. “Say it, that you don’t like me.”

“I don’t…ooh…”

The back of her neck was suddenly covered by his palm and her entire head moved forward. Before Qiu Ying could make a sound in response, her lips were blocked. Ji Xiangkong’s kiss was very aggressive, continuously robbing her of oxygen, burning and intense.

He released her and raised his eyebrows. There was still that smile on his lips. “Go on.”

“I… oohhh…”

Without any room to resist, her words were once again drowned out by the sound of kissing.

“Go on.”

“I don’t like…ooh…ah, ouch!”

Only when her eyebrows wrinkled and tears dropped down from her eyes did Ji Xiangkong let her go.

“Don’t be like this every time!” Qiu Ying wiped away her tears with the back of her hand in a fluster. “You know that I like you, but I don’t have any way to get a single part of you. My love is too humble. As long as you’re a little gentle to me, my heart will soften. I can’t bear to leave you. Even if I’d personally seen you and Fu Miya hugging, I still couldn’t bear leaving you. But what on earth am I to you? I don’t know, I really don’t know…”

Ji Xiangkong startled. It was only after a very long time that he helplessly spoke, “Why am I never able to properly communicate my heart to you…”

The girl who was gasping for breath became startled. The light within her big eyes flickered in uncertainty.

“You received that picture too, didn’t you? She wanted to get back together that day and I rejected her. She hugged me on her own, as a farewell for the past.” He stopped for a moment, then faintly said, “Her and I are already in the past.”

“…Why didn’t you tell me?”

“There were too many things going on at the time and I truly didn’t have the strength to. I took you to see her before and declared our relationship, I thought you’d understand even if I didn’t say…”

Qiu Ying shook her head. Not only had she not understood, at one point she’d even thought he wasn’t sincere.

“The night before the knockout round, I received a stranger’s text with the picture attached to it. The other person told me that he sent the same thing to you. I called you, you didn’t pick up; I went to your room and knocked on the door, you never opened it. I obviously knew that there wouldn’t be any problems if I explained it to you afterward, either, but I still panicked…” He looked downward at her, eyes deep with an inescapable tenderness. “As long as it’s something to do with you, I’ll lose my reason.”

Qiu Ying bit her lip, hard, tears once again unwillingly falling.

“You don’t know how good you are.” Ji Xiangkong drew nearer again, forehead pressed against hers. There was a melodious inflection to his words and breath. “I’ve wanted to kiss you for a very long time.”

Qiu Ying tried to push him back but her hand stopped midair. It gradually moved up his back to grasp his shoulder, fingers pulling a row of wrinkles on his clothes.

Ji Xiangkong dropped kisses on her cheeks, kissing away her tears. “I like you. Don’t always overthink it, if anything happens in the future, tell it to me straight, alright?”

Qiu Ying didn’t respond, allowing him to slip through her teeth and keep on plundering the city. After who knew how long had passed, she suddenly bit down on his lip.

Ji Xiangkong took in a breath. There was still a gentle smile on his face. He tucked back the strands of her hair that covered her cheeks behind her ears. “What is it?”

“You too.” She looked at him aggrievedly, beating his chest with her fist. “Hiding everything in your heart, telling me nothing.”

“Yes, I was wrong.” Ji Xiangkong let her softly tickle him, then he caught her wrist and continued on with what he’d just been doing.

**

“But Fu Miya said that the requirement for helping you form a team is… is that I leave you.”

Qiu Ying held a can of cold cola and pressed it onto her stinging red lips. After the happiness passed, she thought of reality’s coldness and cruelness. She couldn’t help but look worried once again.

“So your decision was to leave me?”

Qiu Ying nodded truthfully.

Ji Xiangkong gathered her back to his lap and bit her hard, as if punishing her. “She wanted to help me and I rejected it. The boss of the new team is Cris. But C ge is just helping out with the money, I still have to do the majority of things myself.”

Qiu Ying blinked. “Who else is there now?”

“You and me.”

Qiu Ying looked at him in commiseration. “All by your lonesome?”

Ji Xiangkong’s eyebrows curved as he laughed with great happiness. “No, I have you.”

Scorching heat crept across her waist. Qiu Ying grabbed his misbehaving hand, both shy and annoyed. “I’m talking about those who can play. What do you plan to do from now on?”

“Don’t know, I’m so tired.” Ji Xiangkong hugged her tight, burying his head in the crook of her neck. “Recharge a while first.”

Qiu Ying didn’t dare to move a single inch, letting him hug her for a while. She couldn’t help but try to change her position, but he grasped her even tighter, like he wanted to embed her into his own body. A muffled voice sounded out from her neckline. “Qiu Ying, don’t leave me.”

His appearance when he had utterly no guards up was just like a cute young child. Qiu Ying’s heart went unimaginably soft. She patted his back and said softly, “Mhm, I won’t be going anywhere. It’ll get better. Everything will get better.”

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Communication is key to a healthy relationship!

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