Archive of Our Own

The sounds of the TV drama filtered softly from the screen, though only two of the girls were even glancing at it. Chu Yunxiu knew all the episodes by heart and though it was Tang Rou and Chen Guo’s first time watching Love And Again , Chen Guo's full attention was on Su Mucheng’s hands.

She’d applied a base coat to everyone’s fingers already, including her own, and was now gently stroking white nail polish over Chu Yunxiu’s hands. One swipe down the center, then two on each side to make sure the coverage was even; Chen Guo performed the motions with the deft expertise that Chu Yunxiu’s hands had when dancing over the keyboard in battle.

“You have very steady hands,” Chu Yunxiu said, holding her hands perfectly still where they rested on the short table. “Do you do this a lot?”

“Mhm,” Chen Guo said, her cheeks flushing. “When I first took over the Internet cafe from my father, I used to sit at the reception table and paint my nails. I’d put logos from the popular games on. Then my employees saw it and wanted me to do their nails too.”

A quick glance at Su Mucheng and she added, “For playoffs, I would always do Excellent Era’s logo on everyone’s hands for luck.”

Ah. It wasn’t the strangest superstition that Chu Yunxiu had ever heard of. Thinking of her own team, she offered, “Li Hua eats tea eggs before every match.”

“What?!” Chen Guo quickly took the brush away, her hands shaking as she laughed. “Why?"

“It’s what he ate before the very first match we won as captain and co-captain. Now it’s tradition.” And a ritual, just like Chu Yunxiu always wearing her lucky socks. One time, a teammate’s cat had stolen one of her socks to play with and Chu Yunxiu had banned the cat from her room on match days.

In front of Tang Rou, however, Chu Yunxiu didn’t quite want to admit to that. Tang Rou, lovely as a goddess from an ancient painting and fierce as a dragon, surely didn’t have any superstitions. She was too forthright for that, fighting under her own power and as unstoppable as the forces of nature that Chu Yunxiu’s Elementalist controlled.

Chu Yunxiu had followed her career with interest, paying especial attention to Tang Rou as the secondary core but also as a potential God-level female player. At the moment, it was only her and Su Mucheng who qualified for that title; to have another girl in the All-Stars would be more pleasing than Chu Yunxiu could openly state.

Besides, the aggression with which Tang Rou fought, the boldness of her, was a stark contrast to Chu Yunxiu and Su Mucheng. Chu Yunxiu knew all the complaints that she was no good under pressure, that her character was too soft and weak, even though it was only under her leadership that Misty Rain had started making the play-offs. Su Mucheng, on the other hand, was thought of as the fingers to Ye Xiu’s fist; she was a good support player but her attack strength was too often overlooked.

Nobody could make such comments about Tang Rou. She was cutting through the season as cleanly and quickly as her Battle Mage’s spear cut through her enemies.

“You worked for the Internet cafe too before, didn’t you?” Chu Yunxiu asked, blowing on her fingers to help the nail polish dry. “Did Chen Guo paint your fingers for the matches too?”

“As if I wouldn’t!” Chen Guo interjected before Tang Rou could reply. She grabbed Tang Rou’s hand, curling her fingers over the back of Tang Rou’s hand and pressing her palm into Tang Rou’s palm to keep the still-wet nails safe. “Look at these hands. Who could resist?”

Obediently, Chu Yunxiu looked down at Tang Rou’s hand as if she hadn’t been surreptitiously studying them the whole night.

“They’re very elegant,” she said, knowing her compliment was poor compared to the beauty of Tang Rou’s hands. Her fingers were long and slim, her palm graceful, and her fingernails were just long enough to let her tap the keyboard easily. Su Mucheng and Chu Yunxiu wore their fingernails at a similar length but neither of their hands held the beauty that Tang Rou’s did. Tang Rou could have easily been a hand model, displaying gloves and rings to their best effect, lending them luster by association with her. “Like a musician’s.”

“I used to play the piano,” Tang Rou said, inclining her head. A smile flickered over her lips, “But I like playing Glory better.”

“Has anyone ever read your hands?” Chu Yunxiu asked, inspired by the memory that it happened on this particular episode of Love And Again . “You should let me try.”

Palm reading wasn’t superstition! Tang Rou surely wouldn’t look down on her for being interested in that.

Tang Rou’s delicate lips pursed, then she shook her head.

“No, I don’t think anyone has. Not since I was small.”

“Let her do it! Let’s see what your hands say.” Chen Guo said. Her bossy nature had already been noted by Chu Yunxiu; even if Chen Guo didn’t have the skill to be the team captain, she certainly had the attitude! Chu Yunxiu was sure no reporter would dare say Chen Guo was lacking in aggression. Perhaps that was why Tang Rou and Chen Guo were such close friends?

Chen Guo nudged Tang Rou, pushing her to sit next to Chu Yunxiu. “I’ll paint the Happy logo onto Mumu’s nails while you get your hands read!”

“So what do my hands say?” Tang Rou’s dark eyes fixed onto Chu Yunxiu’s, that heartstopping smile back on her lips.

For a second, Chu Yunxiu nearly forgot to look down at Tang Rou’s hands, too entranced by her smile. She recovered quickly, ducking her head to stare at Tang Rou’s exposed palms. Since Tang Rou was under 30, she took Tang Rou’s right hand into hers, cradling the smooth back of Tang Rou’s hand against her own palm. Tang Rou’s hands were cool, holding the same exquisite stillness as a jade statue’s, and the lines of her hand were very clear.

Chu Yunxiu couldn’t have asked for a hand that would be easier to read.

“Your lines are very deep and distinct,” she remarked, “And your skin is very smooth. That means you’re confident, decisive, have good judgment and are wealthy.”

Tang Rou smiled slightly, but neither confirmed nor denied she was wealthy. The others were too accurate to need any comment.

“These three lines,” Chu Yunxiu let her fingertips skate gently over Tang Rou’s palm, careful not to let her drying nails scrape the skin, “Are your heart, head and life lines. They’re very smooth, so you’ll have a good smooth life. These little lines, coming up from your life line, show that you put a lot of effort into work.”

“Isn’t that true of all pro-players?” Tang Rou teased.

Chu Yunxiu made the mistake of looking up at Tang Rou. The smile on Tang Rou’s lips skewered her right through, lancing into her heart and making her squeeze Tang Rou’s hand as she fought not to blush.

Tang Rou could have played the lead in any romantic drama and not been out of place. And here Chu Yunxiu sat, holding her hand, smitten by her smile and struggling to remember how to speak.

“Yes, but this means you’ll put a lot of effort into any work you do. Even your piano playing - how much did you practice that?”

“All the time,” Tang Rou said, “Until I got so good that it was boring.”

Chu Yunxiu nodded, tracing Tang Rou’s head line on her palm.

“Yes. Your head line is very long which indicates a very good intellectual ability. And it’s smooth too, which doubles your decisiveness. If there were wrinkles, it would mean you have trouble making up your mind.”

Another palm reader might’ve called Tang Rou stubborn but Chu Yunxiu softened her words as much as possible.

Chen Guo, however, had no such reserve. She laughed and teased Tang Rou, “Chu Yunxiu means you’re stubborn! She’s just too polite to say it.”

“What about my heart line?” Tang Rou asked, ignoring her friend’s comment. Chu Yunxiu frowned down at Tang Rou’s hand, a little surprised to see that her heart line was so long. Then again, the girl was passionate in battle.

“It points up at the end. That means a happy marriage. And it’s … medium to long, which means you’re emotional.”

“Yes, yes,” Chen Guo agreed, “Tang Rou’s very fierce when she’s angry.”

“I think you’re talking about yourself,” Tang Rou shot back. Both girls laughed, making Tang Rou’s hand tremble inside Chu Yunxiu’s.

Chu Yunxiu closed her hand around Tang Rou’s to steady it and glanced at Su Mucheng. She’d been quiet for a while now. Was she watching the drama?

Su Mucheng’s gaze caught hers and a devious smile flickered over Su Mucheng’s lips as she nodded slightly in Tang Rou’s direction.

Ah. No. Su Mucheng had been watching her. Su Mucheng already knew which way Chu Yunxiu’s heart leaned; they had been friends for too long for Chu Yunxiu to keep even that from her.

“Guoguo,” Su Mucheng when the laughter had died down. “Can you come with me to get some snacks? I don’t want to ruin the beautiful art you’ve done on my nails.”

She held her hands up so that Chu Yunxiu and Tang Rou could admire the delicately painted Team Happy logo; murmurs of admiration from both girls broke out as Su Mucheng stood carefully.

“Of course,” Chen Guo said immediately as she rose as well. “Do you two want us to bring anything back?”

Tang Rou shook her head but Chu Yunxiu said, “Noodles, please. Any flavor.”

The few minutes it took to boil the water and add it to the cup wouldn’t be much, but it would still be more time alone with Tang Rou.

“Got it,” Su Mucheng said cheerfully. She even winked at Chu Yunxiu before she closed the door.

“So,” Chu Yunxiu said, turning to Tang Rou again. “Do you want--”

A pair of soft, warm lips pressed against hers, stealing her question and her breath at the same moment.

Oh, Chu Yunxiu thought a little dazedly. Of course Tang Rou would be as aggressive in love as in everything else.