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No matter how many years pass, Glory remained an integral part of Ye Xiu’s life. He may have retired from the professional scene, but he never quit playing the game. The same went for Han Wenqing. No matter how stubbornly and passionately he felt about wanting to continue playing professionally, it was inevitable that he’d have to retire.
Since then, the two found things to do with their lives, such as becoming a coach, or finding a suit and collar job. It was a new chapter in their lives, but their love for Glory kept them connected to each other.
The classic, “See you on stage” turned into “See you later, don’t forget to buy [insert some mundane item here].”
That’s right, Han Wenqing and Ye Xiu were dating eachother. They have been for some number of years now. Did it cause a scene to know that these two ‘bitter rivals’ were involved romantically? Yes, there was, but who were we talking about? Neither of them cared for what the fans had to say about their relationship.
Nothing could ever make them break up with each other (‘Not even for all the hidden bosses in Glory’, as the rumor attributes Ye Xiu to saying to a reporter.)
While it was shocking, the Pro players, didn’t have that grand of a reaction to the news. Most of them already saw the signs, so they thought it was inevitable that the two would get involved with each other romantically.
If anything, the only kind of drama that stirred up among them from the news breaking was who was going to be the best man at the wedding. (No, there were no talks yet of a marriage, but some people liked to jump ahead of the game)
Huang Shaotian and Bao Rongxing kicked up such a fuss in the Pro Alliance chat about being Ye Xiu’s best man. If not for Ye Xiu putting a stop to the fight by saying his younger brother would have the honors, the two were going to pk each other to decide the winner.
At that very moment, the Pro Alliance chat erupted for an entirely different reason. This was the first time anyone had ever heard anything relating to Ye Xiu’s family. He has a brother? Since when?
In classic Ye Xiu fashion, after dropped the news, he logged out of QQ to help the guild steal a few hidden bosses. He’d dropped the news, leaving Su Mucheng behind to distract the others as he went to help the guild steal a few Hidden Bosses.
Shameless as ever, that Ye Xiu.
The Pro Alliance took the news well, but the same couldn’t be said about the fanbase.
Han Wenqing would actively ignore any comments made in bad taste while Ye Xiu would usually make a comment that had people keeling over from stomach pains. This man was a ‘Knight’ in real life with his ability to pull aggro in no matter where he went.
Most of the Glory scene went up in flames when the news hit, but it didn’t last for long, as they had other things to focus on: like whether Lu Hanwen was going to replace Huang Shaotian as the new ‘Sword Saint’ or not.
Of course, Huang Shaotian had a lot to say about this. That ‘brat’ was a million years too early to usurp him! There was still a lot to learn, and he didn’t plan on losing to his protégé so easily! They pkpkpkpkpk all the time, and Huang Shaotian still had the ability to shove Lu Hanwen back into his ‘baby pen’!
Come back when Lu Hanwen has an 80%-win rate against him, THEN you can start spreading such ridiculous rumors! Anyone who says Huang Shaotian is slipping needs to come online and 1-on-1 him. PKPKPKPKPK!
As one would expect, Ye Xiu had something to say to that, as if it would kill him if he couldn’t piss someone off daily.
Returning to the previous topic, the only ones who still cared after all these years were Tyranny fans and some of the older Excellent Era fans. More specifically, the ones who were around for the legacy of Ye Xiu’s 3 consecutive championship reign.
The Tyranny fans were more vocal about the ‘betrayal,’ but there was nothing that could be done. Even if they felt betrayed, this is what their beloved ex-Captain wanted. He was happy being with Ye Xiu (the Fans strongly doubt this to be true. The deplorable Ye Xiu must have tricked him!), and who were they to interfere?
The fans took to the forums discussing their feelings about the new couple. That’s when one person had the gall to bring up an ‘important’ point they had to consider:
[Tyranny #1 Fan]: Wait… why are we avoiding the important question here? Captain Han must be the top in this relationship, right? You can’t tell me THAT GUY can top our BEAST of a Captain. I’ll sooner eat my keyboard than admit I’m wrong!!!
[Season 4 sent me to the hospital]: Right right! Ye Xiu may have cheated our Captain out of all those championship trophies, but surely, he could never triumph over our Captain in real life! Han Wenqing will reign as king from now on! Captain, JIAYOU!
[Professional Ye Xiu Hater]: I can’t imagine Ye Xiu submitting to anyone…
[Ferocious Tiger Fan] I can’t imagine anyone loving him, but here I stand corrected. I bet Captain Han was scammed into this.
[Old Generals FTW] I bet Captain Han was scammed into this.+1
+2
+3
…
+56
[YES CLERICS NO UNSPECIALIZED]: Why don’t you think Ye Xiu can top? He can top whoever he wants!
[Professional Ye Xiu Hater]: Upstairs, stop dreaming. (You’re from the 10th server, aren’t you? My condolences)
[YES CLERICS NO UNSPECIALIZED]: Upstairs, I got the infamous ‘No Cleric’ from Lord Grim…
[Master PKPKPKPK]: The only way Ye Xiu can top anyone is if he tripped over a rock!
[Ferocious Tiger Fan]: Ye Xiu, is that you? Stop making alternate accounts. Even you know you can’t top our Captain Han.
To be frank, Ye Xiu felt indignant over these comments. This was none of their business, whoever ‘topped’ in their relationship. It didn’t feel nice to see that people were discussing it on a forum like this.
Moreover, if he applied himself, he was sure he could do it!
He absolutely could! He could give Han Wenqing a run for his money!
Why didn’t he? That sounded like it required a lot of energy, and he had to save all his energy for Glory.
It was for that reason only! If he truly tried, even Han Wenqing would struggle, obviously. His 4 championship rings are proof of his iron will and his strength!
How did their families react to the news? That… is a story for another time. To put it simply, a lot of chaos broke loose and Ye Xiu found himself suffering with a migraine for some ‘inexplicable reason’.
That inexplicable reason being his twin brother, Ye Qiu.
For now, you could say that gaining family acceptance wasn’t a major issue.
Anyways, the twin in question often visited Ye Xiu in order to ‘explain the family businesses’ to him, but everyone knew that his true aim was to simply spend time with his brother. When the two Pro gamer retirees moved in with each other, Ye Qiu increased the regularity in which he visited.
It took no genius to figure out why he did so. He was jealous over the fact that Han Wenqing could occupy so much of Ye Xiu’s time in private.
Not only that, he would try to intimidate Han Wenqing when Ye Xiu wasn’t looking. It was too unfortunate that any of Ye Qiu’s attempts to intimidate Han Wenqing went largely ignored. If you weren’t Ye Xiu coming back to the Professional scene with a new class, then nothing could be classified as ‘intimidating’ anymore.
If Ye Qiu thought he was being smooth and keeping this a secret from his brother, he was dead wrong. Virtually nothing Ye Qiu did would ever go over Ye Xiu’s head.
Surprisingly, Han Wenqing found Ye Qiu to be the less annoying one of the twins, so he never minded Ye Qiu’s presence in their home.
Speaking of home, he finally arrived.
Han Wenqing walked through the door, locking the door behind him. He shrugged his jacket off his shoulders before hanging it properly on the rack. He slipped his shoes off, setting them aside neatly.
Next to his shoes, he could see another pair of dress shoes that were haphazardly kicked off to the side. Han Wenqing gathered them and settled them on the opposite side of the foyer.
The dress shoes were neat and polished, without a smear of mud to be seen. The laces were threaded carefully, and knotted into a tight, unmoving bow.
Treating such high-quality shoes by kicking them off haphazardly… only Ye Xiu would do such a thing.
It didn’t matter how many times he told Ye Xiu to take his shoes off properly, that man would never change. The ex-Tyranny captain furrowed his eyebrows and sighed exasperatedly, shaking his head.
Right now, he was too tired to deal with anything annoying, but he knew Ye Xiu had other plans for him.
From the doorway, he could hear people screaming. Pan Lin and Li Yibo were still commentating on Glory, and their voices were energetically discussing highlights of the previous match between Team Happy and Team Samsara.
Steady feet led him down the hallway where pictures documented their many memories of Glory. Group photos, awards, medals, and more hung on the walls. It was like their own Hall of fame in their own home.
Down at the end of the hallway was the entrance to the living room, where the TV was set to the channel the two commentators were talking. In front of the TV was a couch and two love seats.
Someone is already lounging lazily on the couch, wearing comfortable clothes.
Wearing sweatpants and a messy T-shirt, that was a signature look of Ye Xiu’s. A lazy head nod of acknowledgment was all Han Wenqing received as a ‘welcome home’ greeting.
To this, Han Wenqing’s response was to narrow his eyes slightly and grunt.
No, Ye Xiu didn’t change that much after he changed his relationship status from ‘single’ to ‘taken.’ He was still as shameless as ever. He still went at his own pace, doing whatever interested him then. When he had the free time, he would absolutely spend that time in game to torment the guilds.
Similarly, Han Wenqing didn’t change miraculously because he was in a relationship either. Their love life wasn’t like those depicted in chick flick movies where everything changes now that you’re in love. Their personalities largely remained intact, and they were comfortable spending time independently from one another.
Both men were busy, and they understood this fact. There was no desperate need to be in each other’s presence for all hours of the day. That would likely drive the other mad, in fact.
“How was work?” Han Wenqing asked as he settled himself into one of the empty love seats.
“Hm? I closed a Multi-million business deal today. It was easy.” Ye Xiu shrugged carelessly as his eyes never left the screen. His attitude suggested that closing such a big deal was nothing, and that’s because for him, it really wasn’t anything to write home about. Dealing with a few Millions of dollars was standard for the Ye family business.
Who would have expected that a ‘young master’ like Ye Xiu would have run away from home to play Glory professionally?
That was it for conversation the two shared. Both men watched the TV screen with nothing else to say to one another.
Normally, the two of them would have started discussing Glory at this point, but today was different. Han Wenqing made no move to start the conversation and neither did Ye Xiu from the looks of things.
Silence enveloped them for a few minutes before Ye Xiu propped himself up against the arm of the couch, “Are you still mad at me? Come over.” He pats the empty space on the couch for emphasis.
No response other than Han Wenqing uncharacteristically slouching into his seat. His shoulders dropped, cheek resting against the arm he propped against the arm of the love seat. Clearly, he was making himself comfortable, offering no signs of getting out of his seat.
“Wenqing, you won’t come over? It’s been days since we’ve seen each other. Didn’t you miss me?” There was the tiniest bit of a whine that was detectable in Ye Xiu’s tone, but Han Wenqing didn’t budge from his seat. His eyebrows furrowed inwards as his lips were pulled into a taut line with annoyance.
The face that could make strangers throw their wallets at him looked even more menacing than ever. At this rate, people would willingly offer their banking information to him.
This was such a dumb farce, and he didn’t have the energy for it. “Ye Xiu, come out or I’ll make you. Tell your brother to stop this.”
That’s right! The man lazily sprawled across the couch is none other than Ye Qiu, Ye Xiu’s younger twin brother.
Both men looked identical to each other aside from the slight physical differences, like in height. It was almost negligible, however, unless you were a human tape measure that could measure people with sight alone.
You could only notice the difference between the two if they were standing side by side.
When Ye Xiu first retired, there was a difference in body build and complexion as well, but after retirement, Ye Xiu had filled out some. He’s gotten healthier. There was one aspect of his eating habits improving, but there was also the fact that Han Wenqing forced Ye Xiu to exercise for the betterment of his health.
In other words, Ye Xiu not only looked healthier, but he was truly healthier. Now that he had someone who was strict with him about his health, he was eating healthier meals, exercising, and his smoking habits were being worked on. Admittedly, he still smoked, but he certainly smoked less than he used to.
It was all for the sake of his health. Han Wenqing and Ye Qiu tag teamed with each other to make Ye Xiu healthier. If he continued living as he did as a Pro player, who knew how long he’d last before he’d burn himself out? Neither of them wanted that for Ye Xiu.
Their hard work was paying off somehow, so people needed the twins to open their mouths to tell the difference between the two of them. One only spoke politely, while the other made you want to shove him into a trashcan.
From the kitchen, a series of boisterous laughing erupted, and indignant sputtering sounded next to Han Wenqing from the couch. “How? I think I did a good job! Stop laughing, stupid brother!” Ye Qiu raged. Seeing as the gig was up, Ye Qiu sat up properly on the couch, patting down his clothes to remove the wrinkles from the clothes he was borrowing.
Ye Xiu emerged from the kitchen down the hallway holding a pair of dress shoes in his hand. They’d hidden the extra pair of shoes so Han Wenqing wouldn’t realize they had a guest over. Ye Xiu took his shoes to leave them in the foyer where they belonged.
He’d brought the shoes to the foyer to see that Han Wenqing had righted the shoes that Ye Xiu strategically placed haphazardly in the foyer. What he wasn’t expecting to see was that Han Wenqing had set the shoes on the opposite side of the foyer.
How did he know? The twins wore the same shoes and his own pair looked no different from Ye Qiu’s because they were a new pair. (Ye Qiu insisted they go shopping for new shoes earlier today.)
What was different about them? Ye Xiu couldn’t see a difference, so he didn’t know how Han Wenqing realized they had a guest over.
He’d have to ask later, he thought to himself before he settled the shoes in his hand next to Han Wenqing’s.
“I told you, dumb brother, you’re a million years too early to impersonate me. Old Han can spot a fake a Kilometer away.” The Ex-Happy Captain propped both his arms against the back of the loveseat that his boyfriend is sitting in.
Ye Xiu’s laughter died down somewhat by now, but his shoulders were still shaking from his amusement. He knew this was going to happen, but he allowed his younger twin to try since he was so determined to play a trick on Han Wenqing.
Who knew they’d be busted the moment Han Wenqing walked through the door? The thought brought a small smile onto his face.
The fact Ye Qiu felt comfortable with Han Wenqing enough to try pranking him was reassuring.
“I thought it would work! All I needed to do was be lazy and shameless, it was perfect!” Ye Qiu complained, feeling defensive after seeing his brother smile, which he assumed was a mocking gesture made towards his failure.
Ye Qiu had seen a video of identical twins playing pranks on people, and he wanted to try it for himself. He may have had a chance if he tried this against anyone else, but Han Wenqing would never make the mistake.
While it’s true that Ye Xiu was shameless beyond belief and he had a lazy streak, but he was never lazy when it came to anything Glory. If and whenever Glory was involved, everything else would get tossed aside.
It was horribly out of character for Ye Xiu to explain about his work day when Glory was on the TV screen. He normally would have responded with, ‘Why talk about something so boring when we can watch Glory together?’
Ye Qiu made a mistake with the way he greeted Han Wenqing when he first walked into the room as well. He didn’t say anything about Glory, he didn’t ask about how the team was doing, and most of all, he didn’t give Han Wenqing a genuine smile.
That was one of the many privileges he gained being Ye Xiu’s boyfriend. It wasn’t as though Ye Xiu always smiled when greeting him, however. Don’t make that mistake. The man wasn’t the sort to freely smile around others, and the same could be said about Han Wenqing.
One was a strict rock who had a resting ‘throw your wallet at me’ face, and the other had a resting ‘I can aggro you until you have nightmares about me at night’ face. A power couple who had equally powerful faces.
The two were usually rather casual with each other, but Han Wenqing had been out of the city for a few days because he went with the team for their away match. Of course, they returned with a win.
In a situation like this, it was weird for Ye Xiu not to smile at him as a greeting. Perhaps it was that, ‘separation makes the heart grow fonder’ concept, but Han Wenqing liked to believe it was because Ye Xiu was learning how to open himself more around him.
Feelings and Ye Xiu didn’t seem to fit in the same sentence, but even he wasn’t immune to having feelings. In fact, he DID have feelings, but he may not act on them, or show them often.
There are many things that hurt him (like the way he was forced to Retire from Excellent Era), but he didn’t show his hurt to others. Did this mean it hurt him any less? No, it doesn’t.
Does it make it all the more meaningful whenever Ye Xiu does show any form of genuine emotion to Han Wenqing? Of course, it does. It means the world.
Having been separated for a few days, he missed his partner that he could have rousing Glory debates with. They would discuss the potential of new Professional teams, what team had the best shot of winning the championships, and what new move combinations could be utilized in competitional play.
It's simply not the same discussing things with others on qq. It was a lot more fun discussing things in person, face to face.
“Tell me, where did I mess up?” Ye Qiu wasn’t going to let this go until he had an answer.
“Ye Xiu always calls me ‘Old Han’. He rarely ever uses my name, even in private.” That wasn’t a lie. Ye Xiu always called him ‘Old Han' and the way he said it would denote what his motives were.
Maybe he was playing coy, or he was attempting to scam him into something. Sometimes he only wanted to whine over something, and Han Wenqing wasn’t paying him any attention. Rarely ever did Ye Xiu call him ‘Wenqing.’
Of course, there were other areas Ye Qiu messed up like previously mentioned, but Han Wenqing wasn’t about to list off everything for Ye Qiu.
Ye Qiu’s flawed thought was that in private, Ye Xiu would call his boyfriend by his name. Apparently, that was not the case. In the future (should he decide on a revenge match), he would make sure not to mess that up. He noted that in his memory banks for future reference.
Ye Qiu was about to ask something, but he quickly averted his eyes, feeling the very tips of his ears heating up with embarrassment.
It was incredibly awkward to see his brother affectionately playing with someone’s hair and rubbing someone’s forearm. Gross! Being an identical twin really sucked in situations like this.
It was uncomfortable watching someone with his face be so affectionate with someone else.
HE’S BEING FED DOG FOOD RIGHT NOW! It sent shivers down Ye Qiu’s spine to see his brother being so openly affectionate like this. He was being treated like air! “Shameless! I’m still in the room!”
“Sounds like someone is jealous, shall I play with your hair too? I have a wig you can put on. I’ll braid it for you.” As one would expect from Ye Xiu, he responded to everything with a teasing comment. It was clear that family wasn’t spared from such blood boiling comments.
“ABSOLUTELY NOT! Stop feeding me dog food already!” Ye Qiu threw a throw pillow at Ye Xiu, who nimbly dodged it by ducking.
The couple normally didn’t publicly display their affection for others to see, but they did let loose when they were around those they trusted. Family and friends fit into that category. There was no need to hide who they were in front of those they trusted. That’s how Han Wenqing thought, anyways.
It took a lot longer for Ye Xiu to come to terms with opening himself around others. He always kept everything deep within, hardly ever revealing his thoughts and feelings to others.
First, he mended his strained relationship with his family he hadn’t seen in a decade. Next, he grew accustomed to opening himself up to Han Wenqing. Finally, he accepted the fact that he could be more honest with his friends, like with Team Happy.
He didn’t have to hide his feelings under a guise of indifference or his aloof nature.
In the end, it resulted in him feeding dog food to all the single dogs in the Pro Alliance. No matter where Ye Xiu went in life, he would never forego the chance to bully others. That was a solid personality trait of his.
It was more than likely a way for Ye Xiu to show his partiality towards people. He wouldn’t care to waste his time on people who didn’t matter to him, after all. It was only those that he cared about that he’d tease and offer his time to be around.
For the ones he teased, he preferred to tease those who had exaggerated responses because it was ‘more fun that way.’
Ye Qiu, obviously fit into this category.
Han Wenqing was ignoring their sibling squabbles (as per usual) as he watched the TV screen. Right now, they were replaying an impressive kill made by Su Mucheng. She’d come a long way as Captain after Ye Xiu handed her the reigns.
The girl who was commonly referred to as the flower vase had burst out from the confines of her vase and took root in the open air.
“I’m not jealous!”
“I’m not jealous!- you say in an obviously, ‘I’m so jealous!’ kind of way.”
Han Wenqing understood that sometimes Ye Qiu would do things like this and play along with Ye Xiu’s many pranks because he wanted attention from his brother. He wanted acknowledgement. They’d lived apart for so long, and he craved for more familial bonding with his twin brother.
Even though he acted as though he couldn’t stand the way he was teased by his brother, he always came back for more. That alone made it more than obvious how badly Ye Qiu wanted to bond with his brother. How much he missed him.
Who could have known that this time, it was Ye Qiu’s idea to prank Han Wenqing. Ye Xiu was merely humoring his brother by playing along this time. For once, Ye Qiu took the initiative to suggest a prank.
Ye Xiu was so proud, his brother is learning how to be shameless from the master. Let him shed a figurative tear in celebration.
It was clear that Ye Qiu was jealous over Han Wenqing and Glory for taking Ye Xiu’s attention away from him for a decade, but he never realized how much he means to Ye Xiu.
Look, right now… Ye Xiu wasn’t paying attention to the TV at all. He was having fun teasing his brother, ignoring the TV that was playing Glory. More importantly, it was Team Happy that was being featured, but Ye Xiu was paying attention to Ye Qiu.
Glory had it’s time, but now it was time to prioritize his family. Ye Qiu deserved this much.
Ye Xiu had left the Pro Scene, and he no longer played competitively. He still involved himself with Glory, but now, he had more time and energy to spend it on his brother. Any time Ye Qiu suggested they hang out, Ye Xiu would always agree to it more often than not.
Any time he disagreed was because, ‘If I agree every time, Ye Qiu will get too cocky, and we can’t have that. My time is expensive and I’m teaching him how to value my time better.’
“Old Han, look at him. My baby brother is so immature.” It was rude to point at people, but Ye Xiu wasn’t the type to care for manners, it seemed. Especially not when he was actively trying to taunt someone.
Sometimes, Han Wenqing wondered why Ye Qiu always set himself up for being teased. Did he do that on purpose or was he truly that dumb?
“We’re the same age!” Ye Qiu raged, hair bristling with anger. If Han Wenqing had to judge, he worried that Ye Qiu would spontaneously combust into flames.
“I’m the older twin. Ah… what bliss to be an only child for those few moments.” Cue the fake and dramatic sigh. The fingers that were playing with Han Wenqing’s hair never stopped. The hand that was rubbing his forearm trailed up the arm to interlock their fingers together.
He was really trying to get under his brother’s skin. How immature, the two of them. They were fine individually, but once you put the two of them in the same room, the immaturity levels shot through the roof.
Maybe it was a way to catch up on the times they missed because Ye Xiu ran away from home. The childish bickering they missed out on, they were going to experience it now.
How embarrassing it was to watch two men in their 30’s bickering like this.
“Only by a little bit! Shameless brother! I came here to visit you, not to get bullied! If you’re going to be like this, I’m going home.” It never ceased to amaze Han Wenqing how childish the two could get when around the other. When he’d first met Ye Qiu, the man was serious and well put together.
He had a great posture, and there was something imposing about his aura.
It always broke down within seconds the moment Ye Xiu opened his mouth. Right now, he’s stomping his foot in anger. Childish.
“That comes with the territory, dear brother. Everyone gets bullied by me, ask anyone from the 10th server.” A certain person who is a horrible spy would tearfully agree. “Also, I invited you over to spend time with me, not to have you attempt to cuddle my boyfriend.” Don’t think he didn’t see you try to invite Han Wenqing into cuddling with you on the couch. Of course, Ye Xiu was only joking. That much was evident from his tone.
He even laughed after seeing how his brother reacted. That was a joke that not even Han Wenqing could ignore.
A shiver ran down Han Wenqing’s spine at the thought and he tightened his grip around Ye Xiu’s hand in warning. “Ye Xiu…” They may be identical twins, but they were two different people. Anyone would be able to tell the difference between the two of them if you watched them operate.
“I know you wouldn’t do that. Still, I wouldn’t blame him for trying, you’re quite warm.” Ye Xiu just HAD to add that to the Ye Qiu bullying fire.
“Brother!” This was the comment that broke Ye Qiu. He fell into a messy, sputtering, incoherent babble of nothingness. What sort of a thing is his brother accusing him of!? Is that something you accuse of your twin? He’s innocent!
It was obvious to everyone how happy Ye Xiu was with his boyfriend. Ye Qiu wouldn’t do something that would compromise his happiness. (Trying to intimidate the said boyfriend is another matter entirely, thank you. He had a duty as a twin brother to ensure that Ye Xiu’s boyfriend was good to him. If not, he’s getting shipped to Cambodia!)
The younger twin flushed a deep red color, and if you looked closely, you could swear that there was water welling in his eyes. The poor guy was being bullied so much. Ye Xiu was truly the embodiment of shame.
The poor boyfriend in question started feeling uncomfortable in his own home. He never did anything he felt ashamed of, and he didn’t want to be involved with such a scandalous farce. Even he had to feel some sort of pity for Ye Qiu who the primary teasing target was.
“Stop bullying him, Ye Xiu. Why don’t you give him the gift you spent hours on?” As a sign of mercy for the poor younger brother, Han Wenqing threw him a bone.
“A gift?” The look of suspicion was obvious on the younger twin’s face. ‘This shameless brother of mine is able to give people gifts?’ That’s what his facial expression seemed to say. “What gift?”
Excuse, as Han Wenqing is casually ignoring the way Ye Xiu’s fingers are tightened around his fingers. “How could you betray me, Old Han? I wasn’t ready to reveal it yet.” Ye Xiu whispers his complaints into Han Wenqing’s ear, to which, he shrugs his shoulders in a wordless response.
Ye Xiu was stalling for time, which wasn’t like him, so Han Wenqing gave him one mighty push. Stop being so nervous and give him the gift already.
“What gift? Hey, what are you whispering about? Did you get me something?”
“Ye Xiu had a custom made Lo-” “Old Han, Thank you! I can take it from here. Ye Qiu, come and follow me.” Ye Xiu clamps his hand over Han Wenqing’s mouth to prevent him from saying anything else. He quickly escaped down the hallway to walk into the bedroom to fetch the gift. Ye Qiu followed him, leaving Han Wenqing alone to watch the TV that is still broadcasting a Glory match.
See? Ye Xiu walked away from Glory because of Ye Qiu. Ignore the fact that Han Wenqing tattled him out of the room. He deserved it. How could anyone deny that Ye Xiu treasured his brother? Yes, he may have ran away from home for a decade, but the brothers kept in contact with each other during that time.
They knew that Ye Xiu would return home once he retired, so it made sense why Ye Xiu could neglect his brother in favor of playing Glory. It didn’t make it any less painful for Ye Qiu who was being neglected, of course.
As such, Ye Xiu tried his best to make up for it now that he had retired.
Family was forever, while competitive Glory was a short-lived honor.
In truth, the gift Ye Xiu had prepared for Ye Qiu was Glory related, but he felt that wouldn’t change how significant the gift was. He’d spent a very long time getting something custom made for his brother. You could accuse him of being narcissistic, but Glory meant a lot to him, and he wanted Ye Qiu to understand this. In a box were two figurines that were made to look like Ye Xiu cosplaying as ‘One Autumn Leaf’ and ‘Lord Grim’.
It was common for the Alliance to make figurines as merchandise for people to buy. They would make figurines of the avatars themselves, and sometimes they’d make a special edition where the player would be wearing the all the equipment their character wore.
None of the figurines that existed of Ye Xiu’s characters sported his face. His face was never revealed while he operated the ‘One Autumn Leaf’ account. By the time his face was revealed, he had already moved onto the ‘Lord Grim’ account and ‘One Autumn Leaf’ had a new owner.
It would be in bad taste to make a new limited-edition figurine with Ye Xiu’s face when he no longer operated the account.
A figurine of Lord Grim was… to put it bluntly, a nightmare for the merchandising division. You couldn’t possibly make a Lord Grim figurine without having him hold his ‘Myriad Manifestations Umbrella.’
If you made a ‘Myriad Manifestations Umbrella,’ it must be able to transform to each of its forms, or what was the point? No one would want something that was lacking without a price cut.
It simply wasn’t cost-effective.
What gift was better to give than something no one else owned? Only the most rare and best gifts were appropriate to give to Ye Qiu, obviously.
“Be proud, brother. You are the only one in the world who owns these. Both ‘One Autumn Leaf’ and ‘Lord Grim’ have my face. These are a one of a kind. Pay attention to the paint job on these, I worked tirelessly on these myself.” Certainly, the figurines would look much better if they were painted by a professional, but Ye Xiu insisted on painting them himself.
He motioned to a small workstation in the corner of the room. The table was littered with paint swatches, specially mixed paint, paper towels, etc. Just looking at the chaotic mess revealed how tirelessly he’d worked to paint the figurines himself.
If he wanted for Ye Qiu to appreciate the gift, then Ye Xiu would have to add his own personal touch to it. He couldn’t make the figurines himself, but he could design them and attempt to paint them himself. “See here? They come with an autographed card. My signature is a rarity, so you should appreciate it.”
You could hear how Ye Xiu was trying to convince his brother over how great this gift was.
“Unfortunately, this Umbrella can’t transform into all its forms, but it can transform into the rifle form, the shield form, and the lance form. I designed these figurines myself with the merchandising team.” Uncharacteristically, he was also speaking more than he normally would, taking the time to explain the intricacies of his thoughts.
Normally people would grasp at straws trying to understand his thought process.
Anyone who has been around Ye Xiu enough would understand that he was nervous, hoping that Ye Qiu wouldn’t hate the gift. He’d specially contacted the Pro Alliance to request for these one of a kind figurines to be made.
The Merchandising department hated him (because of Lord Grim), but in the end, they pulled through. They made two amazing products, but they were under contract to not release these figures for commercial sale. Only one finished product would exist in the world and it was being gifted to Ye Qiu.
It’s a shame, really, but Ye Xiu was no ordinary person. He was a man who left a large footprint in Glory for future players to match with their own achievements. This is a special exception the higher ups decided on because of who he was, a man who started a legendary dynasty.
Don’t worry, Ye Xiu didn’t scam them out of a free stuff. He consulted with them over a fair price he’d pay for them doing him this favor. He made good money working for the family company and he was putting his money to good use, obviously.
“No one but you will own these. Not even if Old Han or Mucheng begged me for it. This took me a really long time to get these made. Months and months of work went into these. You could ask Old Han if you don’t believe me.”
Who wanted a figurine? Han Wenqing rolled his eyes, snorting. He’s not involved, but Ye Xiu will bring his name into things.
Still, it was true that Ye Xiu worked on this personal project of his for a long time. He attended a few conference meetings himself to watch Ye Xiu work tirelessly to make the perfect gift for his brother. If you opened the drawers at Ye Xiu’s work station, you’d find it filled to the brim full of sketches during the designing phase.
“Why?” Ye Qiu was struggling to wrap his mind around why he was being gifted such a thing.
“Uh…” As one would expect, Ye Xiu wasn’t the type to speak about his feelings often so he was at a loss for words. You could say he had a very low EQ. “Read the card in the box.” With that, Ye Xiu shoved the box into Ye Qiu’s hands and he escaped from the bedroom.
A hasty escape to the living room where his boyfriend was still watching the tv, who was letting the twins have their moment.
It was embarrassing to say in words that he wanted Ye Qiu to own the two figurines because both the avatars meant a lot to him for various reasons. One was his partner through the beginning of his professional career until his forced retirement. The other held deep emotional ties for him, and this character brought him his final championship trophy.
Afterwards, he retired. He came back home, to Ye Qiu.
The typo in ‘One Autumn Leaf’s name served as comfort by allowing Ye Xiu to remember that no matter what happened to him, he still had a family to return to. His brother was home waiting for him (probably with tears in his eyes).
He threw that aside for Glory, and he wanted something to show for it. He wouldn’t let his time away from his family be wasted by doing nothing. He didn’t ‘abandon’ his brother for an empty dream he couldn’t fulfill. He vowed to return so he could tell his brother interesting stories about his accomplishments, his setbacks, and his journey through Glory.
He’d never forgotten about his family at home, no matter what Ye Qiu liked to claim. Ye Xiu had always wanted to share his accomplishments with his family, but he never had the chance to. Although belated, this was the best option he had to share his happiness with his brother at the very least.
Awkward, but he was trying his best in his own way.
Something along those lines were written in the card, albeit very clumsily. Ye Xiu wasn’t the best with words… and expressing himself emotionally. Just now, he’d escaped the room because he felt too uncomfortable.
He sat on the arm of the love seat, distracting himself by having his eyes glued to the screen. “Xiao Zhou is still playing well.”
“You escaped.” Han Wenqing wrapped an arm around Ye Xiu’s waist to ensure the other man didn’t fall off, hurting himself in the process. How embarrassing would it be to hurt yourself because you fell off from the arm of a love seat?
The Ex-Tyranny captain didn’t bother trying to help Ye Xiu escape from the awkward situation by directly referring to it. Did you expect him to? This is a man who, for most of his Professional career had ‘I never retreat’ as his personal mantra.
Of course, Ye Xiu expected as much, but he’d rather be here with Han Wenqing than anxiously watching Ye Qiu read his clumsily written card.
Silence proved Han Wenqing’s words right. Ye Xiu did run away from his brother. “What? Nonsense, I came here for something I forgot.” A derisive snort coupled with a casual shrug of the shoulders.
It was like it would kill him to be read by another person, even if that other person was his boyfriend. His emotions were privy only to himself, and no one else could get an accurate grasp of his emotions. When he was angry, he boiled inwardly, not allowing his anger to show on the surface.
You had to be paying careful attention to him to be able to note the small signs that revealed his emotions.
That’s the thing about being rivals with someone for over a decade. You pick up on a few things that others may not have picked up on.
Deciding to play along, Han Wenqing bit the bait: “What did you forget?”
Long and tidy fingers ran through his hair gently again, something that Ye Xiu found himself habitually doing when they were alone. Time was cruel, taking away their hand speed, but Ye Xiu’s hands were still pretty.
You could see the age starting to show itself in his hands, but Wenqing still found the hands pretty. It was because of that he enjoyed holding hands or rubbing his thumb over Ye Xiu’s hands.
That made sense. Ye Xiu’s constant desire to play with Wenqing’s hair? That made no sense.
It wasn’t as though Han Wenqing had long luscious locks that you’d love to run your fingers through. It wasn’t silky smooth, nor was it some exotic color.
It was normal.
Still, Ye Xiu loved playing with his hair any chance he got. “I missed you.”
“… I missed you too.”
The only sound came from the TV. Both Ex-captains were silent as they were at a loss for words. They weren’t very used to being open with each other, especially on an emotional level, but they were making small baby steps.
They’ve come a long way since the beginning of their relationship, in fact.
A chuckle, you could practically hear a smile spreading on Ye Xiu’s face. “Good.”
If Han Wenqing didn’t miss Ye Xiu at all during the few days he wasn’t home… that would be a big problem, after all. Having that feeling be mutual was comforting.
Soon, Ye Xiu started humming to himself.
This wasn’t something Ye Xiu did often, so Han Wenqing found himself questioning what this meant. Curious, he turned to see Ye Xiu with that stupid shit eating grin on his face. That very one he had before he did something ‘stupid’.
Without warning, Ye Xiu gave his boyfriend a quick peck on the cheek, located at the corner of his lips.
“Welcome home.”
Just like a criminal would, he attempted to make his speedy getaway, but Han Wenqing kept his firm hold around Ye Xiu’s waist, yanking him towards himself. Soon, Ye Xiu found himself sitting across Han Wenqing’s lap.
Right now, nothing was going his way.
He had intended to tease Han Wenqing by running away, but he failed. Curse this guy! You’re retired, can’t you act like other retired people? What are you doing working out just as much as you did while you were still a professional player?
Han Wenqing exercised enough to keep himself physically fit. It was Ye Xiu who had a horrible sense of what ‘healthy’ was.
“I’m home.” Unlike Ye Xiu, Han Wenqing didn’t feel embarrassed by expressing himself. He kissed Ye Xiu square on the lips, leaving his boyfriend speechless. That suspicious red tint on his cheeks had to be a blush, the only thing that betrayed Ye Xiu’s desperate attempt at a poker face.
Anyone else may have taken advantage of this to make a comment about it, but Han Wenqing let it go without saying anything. There was no reason to. That, by the way, was the reason why he didn’t express himself emotionally in the public.
There was no reason to. Did he have to prove himself to anyone? He didn’t. Did they have to prove anything to the public? The answer was no.
Neither of them wished to make a spectacle of their relationship in the public eye—but that didn’t mean that Ye Xiu wouldn’t purposefully flaunt it against the Pro players. Forcing them to eat Dog Food was more than amusing.
Abusing the poor single dogs was more than amusing. He can still abuse the Pro players in his retirement. Is there anything greater than this?
The Blue Rain Monastery would erupt with indignant screaming and threats. Ye Xiu would always be found laughing on the couch, going on about what sorts of complaints he was being spammed with in private by Huang Shaotian.
Once, Han Wenqing opened his private messages to see a threatening message or two, coming from a certain Happy member. That brick wielding brat is very dedicated to Ye Xiu, that’s for sure.
He never understood why, but Bao Rongxing was convinced Han Wenqing would break Ye Xiu into pieces.
What was Happy feeding his brain? What kind of terrifying image did Han Wenqing have in that small brain of his?
The couple were slowly adjusting to this cohabitating life of theirs at different paces.
Finally, Han Wenqing loosened his hold around Ye Xiu’s waist. “You should go back. I’m sure your brother has things to say to you.” Have an actual talk with your brother and have him understand once and for all how much he means to you. That was the hidden message that was implicitly understood between them.
“Yeah, thanks.”
“Hmph. Don’t come back if you fail.”
He’d finally returned home after being out of town for days, and he had to stay in the living room as his lover had a brotherly bonding moment with his twin.
Honestly speaking, he would have preferred to spend the time with Ye Xiu, catching up on what he’d missed. Instead, he was cast aside, waiting until it was his turn.
That’s what Ye Xiu was thanking him for, being understanding.
After they started dating, Han Wenqing was given a rundown of Ye Xiu’s life. He knew about how Ye Xiu ran away from home at a young age to prevent Ye Qiu from being homeless with the little life skills he possessed. How he ‘borrowed’ Ye Qiu’s name to play Professionally.
He learned about what happened to Su Muqiu, and the problems Ye Xiu struggled through during his later years in Excellent Era.
What events transpired to result in his first retirement. The struggles he faced when building Lord Grim and his new Team. It was hard listening to everything because there was nothing he could do to help. All that was in the past, and there wasn’t anything he could do about it.
All he could do was be there for Ye Xiu now and support him through life. They would support each other through whatever life threw at them.
Family was important, and Han Wenqing wouldn’t get angry with Ye Xiu for wanting to bond with his brother, who obviously deserved it given they’ve been separated from each other for a decade.
You could say that Han Wenqing and the rest of the Glory scene monopolized Ye Xiu for a decade, so he could afford to give Ye Qiu a few hours.
“I’ll baby you afterwards, look forward to it~” Ye Xiu playfully cooed before he made his strategic retreat.
Who needs to be babied?
Sometimes, Han Wenqing forgets why he loves this shameless black hearted tactician so much.
If you asked him, it was harder to give a reason to not love Ye Xiu, however.
He could make a small list of things he didn’t like about Ye Xiu, but he could write a series of books about the things he DID like about Ye Xiu. It may sound impossible to Tyranny fans, or those that Ye Xiu bullied in the 10th server, but Ye Xiu wasn’t as bad as they thought he was.
Contrary to popular belief, Ye Xiu was generous and fair. He always knew what was too much and what was too little. He never offered a deal that wasn’t within an acceptable range for the other party. Ye Xiu never tried to cheat anyone out of anything—so as long as they didn’t try to take advantage of him.
Given how he managed to bring two teams to championships, you could say that Ye Xiu was a good leader who was able to bring out the talents of those who were willing.
There’s nothing he can do to help those who didn’t want to get better with his help. Of course, that’s a jab at certain people. Ye Xiu’s drive, loyalty, and open-mindedness were traits that Wenqing particularly liked about his boyfriend.
It certainly took a certain amount of drive to be a pro gamer from the early years. It wasn’t very profitable, nor was it rewarding in the sense of notoriety. Even though Ye Xiu knew what the management had planned for him, he stayed with Excellent Era until he got ousted from the very team he built up from the bottom.
Even after he was forced into retirement, he never started a hate campaign against them. He never purposefully went out of his way to act against them. He had plenty of chances, but he never took them. All he wanted was for them to grow strong and continue the legacy.
If they could regain their strength after bringing in Sun Xiang, he’d gladly leave. This was something that Ye Xiu personally explained to Han Wenqing when he asked about how he felt about Sun Xiang replacing him as captain.
Of course, Excellent Era didn’t recover. They were relegated and had to face off against Happy in the Challenger league. Ye Xiu never felt any joy from this. The end of Excellent Era will always be a painful memory in his heart, but Qiu Fei gave Ye Xiu a reason to smile.
While ‘Excellent Era’ may not exist anymore, its spirit continues with ‘New Excellent Era’. How fitting it was for the young man Ye Xiu was raising to be his successor keep the spirit of Excellent Era going when it was on the brink of extinction.
They didn’t deserve Ye Xiu, that’s what Han Wenqing truly believed.
Wenqing never asked if the betrayal hurt Ye Xiu, because the answer was obvious. It may not show on his face, but Wenqing didn’t need to see it to feel it. Just imagining how he’d feel if Tyranny kicked him out… it’s amazing how Ye Xiu managed to keep himself together enough to fight his way back into the Professional league.
Ye Xiu was reasonable, so he could reason why management felt the way he did about him. He was understanding of why they kicked him out. He understood that the team was outgrowing him. They didn’t need him or trust his judgement anymore. He simply didn’t fit in the team anymore, and that wasn’t something that Ye Xiu blamed them for.
He’d blame them for wasting time in places they shouldn’t (ie bullying Ye Xiu in game), but he wouldn’t fault them for not appreciating him as a teammate. It was impossible to make everyone like you, and in the same vein, it was nearly impossible to force teamwork.
Some people just can’t work with others for whatever the reason, may it be personality, skill, or understanding.
If they couldn’t see him as anything but a cog that prevented their gears turning, then he had to bow out for the betterment of the team. He was that kind of person. He was open minded and willing to do whatever it took to achieve victory, even if it meant sacrificing himself.
That kind of drive isn’t easy to come by. Even after what they’ve done to him, Ye Xiu never showed any outward contempt for anyone. Su Mucheng however, she never hid her contempt.
Liu Hao was an unfortunate(?) victim of her anger. On one hand, Han Wenqing admired that selfless restraint, but on the other hand, it royally pissed him off. The very idea of his shameless and seemingly omnipotent rival allowing himself to be made into a pitiable punching bag by his teammates without as much of a fight--- it was infuriating.
This was something the two wouldn’t see eye to eye on as Ye Xiu didn’t see it as him being pitiable. It was a new start, and that wasn’t bad.
In the end, all that didn’t matter. Ye Xiu climbed his way back to the top and brought his new team to Championships. He’d more than proved his abilities as a player. He still had the ability; he could lead a team to victory.
Perhaps, he wasn’t the problem.
“Old Han, Ye Qiu doesn’t believe I annihilated you 3 years in a row! Come here and recount your experience for him.”
Why does Han Wenqing put up with his shit-talk all the time? They’re not competitive rivals anymore. Don’t use him as a stepping stool to look cool in front of your younger brother.
Ye Qiu appreciated all the effort his brother went through to make these two figurines for him. The figurines were going to have a case made specially to house them in his home. They deserved the special treatment.
While Ye Xiu escaped the bedroom, Ye Qiu took a closer look at the workstation. He opened the drawers to see the dozens of design sketches. Each had no less than 20 messily written notes about what could be improved on.
It was easy to see how much time and effort went into the design of the figurines. A different drawer housed spare parts of the figurines that Ye Xiu used as practice pieces for him to paint on before he tried on the real deal.
In hindsight, without the backstory, the contents of the drawer were rather terrifying.
He was still jealous of Glory for stealing his brother away from him, but he couldn’t reject a gift his brother worked so hard on. This was something he specifically labored over, for him. The garbage can in the corner was full of crumbled pieces of paper.
Who knew how many drafts of the card Ye Xiu wrote before he decided on a final version of his clumsily written letter? He really could feel how much he meant to his brother after seeing how much he strained over this gift.
The brothers had a heart to heart talk before Ye Xiu went into this long exposition about his Glory career. It was the exclusive right as an elder brother to brag about your achievements to your younger siblings.
He claimed that he was virtually unbeatable in the beginning years of the Pro scene and he had everyone begging for mercy. Even Han Wenqing wasn’t spared the atrocity he imparted on the masses with his God-level account.
This, Ye Qiu sincerely doubted. There was no way Han Wenqing would ever grovel for mercy. He seemed like the type of person who would rise to the occasion and fight back.
“That’s boring. I’ll tell him about how Tyranny won Season 4 by dismissing you first.”
That’s what he expected out of his future brother in law. Always ready to fight back. “I agree, tell me that story instead.”
“…Wow.”
Ye Qiu was starting to see the perks of having Han Wenqing as a future brother in law. As Ye Xiu’s ‘bitter’ rival of 13 years (including the rivalry prior to the pro-alliance), that meant there were a lot of stories he could hear—the embarrassing ones!
With a hand on the remote, Han Wenqing turned the TV off. He could always watch the VODs later, he didn’t need to watch the TV for this. He’d only end up mentally criticizing Li Yibo’s lacking commentary.
“In return, tell me a story about Ye Xiu’s childhood.”
“Deal!”
Ye Xiu felt all the betrayal in that very moment, but he supposed he deserved it. He did tease them both quite a bit earlier, and it was hard to deny Ye Qiu this pleasure when he looked so happy—even if it came at the expense of Ye Xiu’s honor.
If it would make Ye Qiu happy… Ye Xiu supposed he could tolerate it… BUT if Han Wenqing went too far embellishing his story, Ye Xiu was going to intervene! Don’t make him look bad in front of his brother! He has the pride of an older brother!
“Don’t I get a say in this?”
“No.” Two voices sounded off simultaneously.
These two were getting very familiar with each other. Soon, they may be able to tag team against him and bully him back. Perhaps he should invite Team Happy over to serve as his reinforcements. Mucheng would certainly be able to work with him in any situation.
However, there was a chance she’d find it more amusing to work for the ‘other side’ and betray him.
Accepting defeat, Ye Xiu made his way to the kitchen to make some tea, while mumbling to himself. Even though he’d invited Ye Qiu over so they could bond together, he had to admit, it wasn’t bad having a bonding moment with the 3 of them together.
There was something nice about Ye Qiu accepting the relationship he had with Han Wenqing. Having two of his favorite people getting along with each other was… nice? He didn’t exactly appreciate when they banded together to act against him (ie making him exercise), but it was proof that Han Wenqing was assimilating into their family naturally through Ye Qiu.
He was gaining acceptance one family member at a time.
Ye Xiu had to assimilate himself into Han Wenqing’s family too, and that was something he was working on.
This was nice, having moments like this.
“What are you plotting?”
“Why are you smiling like that?”
Ye Xiu takes back everything he said. These two are horrible. “How rude, can a man not smile when he’s happy?”
Ye Qiu and Han Wenqing exchanged a look, “Sounds suspicious.”
“Get your own tea.” A rare moment where Ye Xiu acquiesced to being bullied by them. Just this once. Next time, he will fight back full power, or he wasn’t the man who could send guild leaders shivering by the mere mentioning of his name.
They’re both so lucky he loves them, or they would’ve been sent running ages ago.
This is their right exclusively, and they best appreciate it.
“Hurry up… I brewed your favorites.”
The three spent the rest of the night, telling stories to each other, laughing and raging at each other for stupid reasons.
Ye Qiu may still harbor a grudge over the fact Glory stole his brother away from him for over a decade, but maybe… Glory isn’t so bad after all.
Ye Qiu got a cool future brother in law out of it.