Little Fish and Mint - Chapter 8

Faint sounds of the pre-game show drifted from the arena into the hallway outside the lounge.

Yu Ge wore a thin jacket over his red and white team jersey, his expression as cool and impossibly handsome as ever.

Behind him, the OG team trailed, their expressions varying…

Xu Yitong froze, her face flushing crimson.

The bickering siblings instantly fell silent.

Awen and the others recognized Xu Yitong. Seeing her “entangled” with TG’s notoriously prickly ADC, seemingly arguing, they paused, confused.

What’s her deal…? they wondered.

She forced a smile at them, acknowledging their presence.

Yu Ge looked thinner than she remembered.

Her face felt hot.

She awkwardly looked away, then back at him.

Unable to tear her gaze away, she continued staring…

Yu Ge stopped, seemingly caught off guard by her intense stare.

Chen Yuzheng, who had been leaning against the wall, straightened up, glancing at Yu Ge.

His usual relaxed demeanor was replaced by a rare awkwardness.

A staff member hurried past.

Sensing the strange, tense atmosphere, they glanced back curiously, thinking, Ah, so this is what it looks like when rivals meet… Fish God and Conquer really don’t get along.

Chen Yuzheng coughed, pulling a dazed Xu Yitong aside to let the OG team pass.

She stumbled, glaring at him.

Yu Ge looked away, walking past them silently.

Awen and Will followed, glancing at them with serious expressions, offering a curt nod.

As they walked away, Little C kept looking back, whispering, “What’s with Conquer today? Did he eat something weird? He looks guilty.”

Will said seriously, “Isn’t that girl a Fish fan? Conquer’s poaching right in front of him. Of course he feels guilty…”

…

Watching them leave, Xu Yitong, still flustered, asked, “Do you think they heard us?”

Chen Yuzheng said indifferently, “With your loud voice? Of course.”

“Was I that loud?” She clung to a sliver of hope. “It’s pretty noisy here, and they weren’t that close.”

They exchanged a look.

Suddenly panicked, Xu Yitong exclaimed, “Oh no! Yu Ge must have misunderstood!”

“Misunderstood what?” Chen Yuzheng looked confused.

“That there’s something going on between us! You were practically dragging me around! How embarrassing!” She was mortified. “I don’t even know if Yiyi or Xiao Nuo told him I’m your cousin…”

Chen Yuzheng scoffed. “As if anyone cares about you.”

“…”

She took a deep breath.

“Whatever. It’s better if he doesn’t know,” she said calmly. “You’re such a mess. I wouldn’t want to be associated with you.”

✧✧✧

The cousins returned to the TG room, both frowning.

They sat on the sofa, some distance between them.

Yu Nuo, sensing the tension, opened a bottle of water and offered it to Xu Yitong. “What’s wrong? Did you guys fight?”

Xu Yitong forced a smile. “No.”

“Then what happened?”

Soothed by Yu Nuo’s gentle concern, Xu Yitong said, “We were just discussing whether your brother knows I’m Chen Yuzheng’s cousin.”

“Oh… that.” Yu Nuo thought for a moment. “He asked me who you were when you came for dinner, and I told him.”

Xu Yitong felt slightly relieved.

She paused, then sighed dramatically. “So he knew all along. That explains it.”

“Explains what?”

Xu Yitong made a face. “Explains why he ignores me.”

“Ignoring you is perfectly normal,” Chen Yuzheng chimed in.

She glared at him. “And why is that?”

He drawled sarcastically, “Because we esports players are generally uncouth.”

Xu Yitong: “…”

Ignoring him, she turned to Yu Nuo. “Compared to a great brother like Yu Ge, having a jerk like this for a boyfriend must be tough.”

Seeing another argument brewing, Yu Nuo quickly said, “No, no! Chen Yuzheng is very good to me.”

They exchanged glares, then finally calmed down.

✧✧✧

As the match approached, the TG team gathered their keyboards and equipment, heading to the stage for pre-game setup.

The TV in the lounge showed a recording of OG’s previous match. A substitute jungler for TG commented through a mouthful of rou jia mo (meat sandwich), “Fish’s Caitlyn and Aphelios are guaranteed bans.”

The data analyst sighed. “Aphelios is too strong this patch. Conquer hasn’t mastered him yet. It’ll hurt us in the draft.”

Yu Nuo and Xu Yitong watched silently as they discussed.

After the highlights, the camera focused on the audience.

The stadium was packed for a regular season match.

The commentator joked, “This match will be exciting! A showdown between two of our region’s most popular players!”

The screen split, showing Yu Ge and Chen Yuzheng on stage.

The crowd roared.

Xu Yitong, caught up in the excitement, clapped her hands.

Her gaze was fixed on Yu Ge.

A coach with bleached blond hair stood behind him, giving him instructions. Yu Ge pulled one side of his headset down, his arms crossed, leaning back in his chair, tapping his arm rhythmically.

So handsome, she thought, mesmerized.

It was her first time properly watching him play.

It felt strange, distant.

She was seeing a different side of him.

The abstract concept of a “professional player” suddenly became real.

His calmness and aloofness were strangely captivating.

…

…

The regular season matches were best-of-three. The first game ended quickly, with OG dominating in twenty-five minutes.

During the break, the TG team returned to the room, their faces grim.

Xu Yitong huddled in a corner, listening to the coach berate them.

“My laning was fine until that gank bot. My wave was completely ruined. Ahri does no damage, how can I play from behind?” Killer complained.

“You can roam to help, but be fast! Don’t teleport after they’re dead! What were you doing, collecting their corpses?! How did you even manage to deal only 5000 damage?!” the head coach yelled.

“And you!” he turned to Chen Yuzheng. “I told you a million times to wait for late game team fights with Kog’Maw! Why didn’t you listen?! What were you trying to prove against Fish early game?!”

“They ganked me at level four! Who was trying to prove something?!” Chen Yuzheng retorted.

“Can’t you play safe under tower?! What champion was Fish playing? What champion were you playing?! So what if they dove you?! Why did you have to get that cannon minion?! So you could conveniently recall and buy items after dying?! Are you proud of letting Fish get the MVP for that matchup?!” The coach’s questions were relentless, like a machine gun firing.

Everyone fell silent.

Xu Yitong, stunned by the outburst, glanced at a silent Chen Yuzheng. She felt bad for her cousin but didn’t dare speak.

The break ended.

As they headed back to the stage, she whispered to Yu Nuo, “Does losing this match matter?”

Sensing her concern, Yu Nuo reassured her, “It’s okay. OG is strong. One regular season loss won’t affect their standing too much. Playoffs are still a while away.”

“Oh, good.”

The second game started.

The coaches, initially chatting, fell silent as the game progressed, their faces grim.

“Fish is playing too aggressively. We shouldn’t have let him get Caitlyn,” the assistant coach said, shaking his head.

The game ended swiftly.

2:0. TG was shut out by OG.

A heavy silence filled the room.

…

Xu Yitong discreetly left.

The losing team didn’t do post-game interviews, only the handshake ritual. They packed their equipment and left, defeated.

Xu Yitong waited in the hallway for Chen Yuzheng.

As the others entered, she pulled him aside, her eyes full of concern. “Xiao Zheng, are you okay?”

He glanced at her. “I’m fine. It’s just one loss. I’m not a kid.”

“You are a kid. You can always be a kid in front of your older sister,” she said seriously. “Don’t worry, if people flame you online, I’ll get Cai Yishi to hire some bots to defend you.”

He chuckled, patting her shoulder. “I’m fine. Don’t worry. I’m going in.”

✧✧✧

After watching him go, Xu Yitong lingered outside, worried.

A sudden crash echoed from the room.

She rushed closer, trying to hear what was happening.

Her family never resorted to physical discipline. Even when Chen Yuzheng ran away during his rebellious phase in middle school, his parents hadn’t punished him physically, only grounding him. If they knew how badly he was being scolded here, they’d be heartbroken…

Does the coach have anger management issues? she wondered.

Pressing her ear against the door, she tried to listen.

Suddenly, a voice called out.

“Xu Yitong.”

She jumped, turning around.

And froze.

The person responsible for her cousin’s scolding stood before her.

…

The OG team, carrying their keyboards and mice, quickly walked past, pretending not to notice.

“Holy crap, Fish actually talked to a girl!” Little C whispered excitedly.

“Male ego, I guess,” Awen said thoughtfully. “He’s decided to reclaim his female fans.”