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At the Ye household, Ye Qiu, age 18
...Of all days to get called into Father’s room, it had to be the day when my idiotic brother was about to make his debut as the team captain of the professional team in the latest gaming craze that has been ongoing….Ye Qiu's internal rant was not revealed on his face as he walks through the hallway. Glory. It was also because of the very same game that anchored and saved his shameless brother’s sanity when the world turns on its head. Ye Xiu reached out for him using a payphone in a hospital, which nearly took ten years off his life.
Ye Qiu thought something drastic happened to his twin when he heard him sobbing. And he could count how many times the elder let his guard before him in a palm of hands. Not. Once. After he managed to pry the details out from him, the current heir of the Ye Corporation, made a phone call to the hospital in Hangzhou and settle the bills and other miscellaneous. This friend of his, who died tragically, was supposed to join him on the stage as his co-captain, a partner. But now, all that is left is the bitterness of regrets and the determination of shouldering their dreams. Even if he couldn’t physically be there for him, at least let him support him spiritually by watching the matches his brother is participating in.
He knows he can watch reruns, but the feeling is not the same. Being twins means even if they are apart, so long they are watching the same thing, their thought processes are aligned to the point that it’s like watching a mirror. And perhaps through this, Ye Qiu will understand why Glory captivates his deceased friend and his brother so much.
A quick knock and the patriarch of the Ye family called him in. Schooling himself, he walks in.
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...Why am I even here…... Ye Qiu mentally sighs for the second time within a week. Only his brother is allowed to make him sigh, and yet this...guy...from the Bai family is wearing his patience thin.
Two weeks ago, after his father had informed him that the head of the Bai Consortium has come up with an idea to have all the young heirs and heiresses of their social circle to have a bi-weekly gathering to promote future ties for the better of their business relations, and he is to join the gathering as the Ye family representative. He has to control a sudden urge to just flip his father. Luckily sanity prevails, and he just nodded in agreement.
On the first day, upon setting his eyes on the older brunette male, with twinkling hazel eyes as the housekeeper announces his arrival, Ye Qiu knew he’ll be the death of him. Ignoring the sudden falter the young master had displayed when he saw him and the strong grip in their handshake in their introduction, the boy, named Musu, had immaculate behavior as expected within his social circle. But he always feels that those eyes kept following him even when the rest of his peers arrived.
Curious, he asks his butler to find out about the young master of Bai family. From what he learned, Young Master Musu, recently had a major accident and was hospitalized for a month. That time, the young mistress, Linyan and himself was sightseeing in Hangzhou when a truck caused a major traffic pileup, and they got caught in it. Both siblings were sent to the nearest hospital for treatment before they were picked up by a helicopter and was sent to a private hospital in Beijing. Ye Qiu blinks when the name ‘Hangzhou’ and ‘accident’ were mentioned in the same sentence.
“Which date of August did that happen, Old Li?” Throat dried, Ye Qiu asked.
“It was the same day Young Elder Master Ye called back, August 5th.” the butler replies.
Too much of a coincidence, he thought. The chills he is having is causing goosebumps across his arms. What is your connection with Hangzhou? Then he recalls the glances he receives from Musu, the way the Bai heir goes out of the way to include him into their discussion with the heirs. Nothing against them, but the scales in his eyes fell after Ye Xiu’s contact with him that day.
After that fatal phone call, Ye Qiu made his brother promise to give him a monthly update of his welfare, all tolling paid by him. When Ye Xiu gave him a long pause before answering, the younger twin took a page from his shameless brother and threatens him with the hospital bills he helped him settle. After a long world-weary sigh, the elder relents. From there, he knows his older brother really bail him out of his reckless ways. Should he succeed with his plans of running away, he would not have survived. Not that he’ll ever admit it to his brother. He’ll troll him for sure every time he pleads him to come home. He learns about his saviors; a brother-and-sister sibling, orphans, and living off the streets using their wits. Took him in after the boy realized his talent in gaming. Now that he’s gone, Ye Xiu is going to step in to care for the girl, Su Mucheng.
“Mucheng. Musu. What are the odds?” he mused as he stands before the door of the Bai family.
The butler receives him and leads him to a smaller parlor. When Ye Qiu raises his brow at the change of arrangement, the man replies.
“This is the young mistress’s private parlor, Young Master Ye. Young Master Bai is usually here to spend time with her.” With that, the servant opens the door and announces his arrival.
“Young Master Ye Qiu to visit you, Young Master.” the eighteen-year-old boy nods his head and waves a hand to Ye Qiu to take a seat. From this standpoint, Ye Qiu notices that this place is more like a gamer terminal compared to a tearoom. The study desk is currently housing two sophisticated-looking computers, each tower is connected to two large widescreen monitors that give the person a Panama view of whatever is being displayed. He walks towards their direction to stand behind one of them, and the young master of the Ye Family is very familiar with the graphics being shown.
Glory!
“Ha! Take that, you jerkface! Let’s see if you dare challenge me to a duel again in a Fixed Arena!” the boy, Musu, blusters his words out. He raises his head to see the other occupant, a little girl, close to ten, Ye Qiu was guessing, tapping furiously at the keyboard, her control of the mouse, clean and concise, as she evades her pursuers. Her cleric, Moonlight Sonata, responds nimbly across the screen.
“How are you hanging in there, sis?” called out the brunette.
“...Just come and get me, or they’ll PK me for the loot we KS the boss from yesterday…... ” answered the ebony-haired girl, her short bangs and page girl hairstyle giving her a Japanese doll look, but her eyes steady and sharp.
“‘Kay, ‘kay. Give me your locations.” Musu quickly teleports to the town nearest to her coordinates and made short work getting to her. Then his character, which is a Launcher, literally rains hell on the sore losers with the skill Gatling Gun.
“Die, f*cking bastards! Sore losers! Shameless scumbags!!! How dare you pick on my sister!!” Ye Qiu’s eyes widen at the explicit coming out from Master Bai's mouth.
“...Su-ge, language...we are in the presence of a guest...” the girl gently retorts back, her fingers maintaining the high tempo set by the male and cast Sacred Fire on the opponents.
“Nice work, Xiao Yan. Cover me as your Su-ge makes swiss cheese out of them.” the male jumps into the fray.
“You lunatic...I’m only a level 30 Cleric, I don’t have any skills that can revive you on the spot...” she gushes out, spamming Cure and Heal at alternate intervals. Ye Qiu walks to look at Musu’s screen before returning to look her the girl’s display. The male is using the first-person perspective for close combat, whereas the moppet is using a bird’s eye view to see the overall layout of the battlefield.
...Huh, I guess this game has its attractiveness, otherwise that deadbeat brother of mine wouldn’t get hooked… The Ye heir continues his survey of the battle, his brain racing to recall the battles he seen his brother fought in during the competition.
“Incoming, Blademaster. He’s going to use Triple Slash, Musu.” Ye Qiu warns as his body tense.
“On it, A-Ye. Missed me!...What? Can’t I have 360-degree view of my battle?! If you think you are that capable, then come! This grandpa will show you the wisdom of your acts!!” he snorts at his attacker, pedal away and BBQ his opponent back into his comrades, launching Tri-Shot at them soon after. The young mistress stifles her sigh again as the Wish Prayer she casts earlier takes effect.
“Mana, oh brother of mine...”
“You’re no fun...can’t you cuss like a normal human?” Musu pouts as the last of the assailants died. He jogs over to check for any items dropped.
“I am swearing like a proper human being, Su-ge. It’s you who is being too crude.” she slinging back the comments back at him.
“Ha! To curse is to be crude!” he counters.
“Tell that to the French people. They made swearing feels like your bottom is being swatted with silk,” she said.
“I don’t speak French!”
“Then I’ll let Father know that you desire to learn the language of love. Mother will be so proud.” She wipes an imaginary tear from her eye, her attention at the aghast look on his face.
“...Why, ...you little...”
Ye Qiu chuckles, gaining the looks from the Bai siblings. Their interaction, arguments...so much like he and his brother during one of their harmless tantrum fits at each other over minor things.
...Ahh...Xiu-ge, I missed you...he thought.
“Xiu-ge? He wouldn’t happen to be called Ye Xiu perchance?” Musu asked, his eyes sharpened. The girl pretends to be invisible, her ears perking to listen. Ye Qiu realizes belatedly of the words he let slip.
“So, I was right! You are Su Mucheng’s brother, Su Musu!” exclaimed the younger twin.
“No, my actual name is Su Muqiu, and yes. Su Mucheng is my biological sister.”
Ye Qiu straightens his posture and gives the boy in front of him an intimidating glare.
“I want answers,” he commands. Musu, a.ka. Su Muqiu, turns mulish at his choice of words.
“Quit it, Su-ge. Master Ye, can I call you Qiu-ge? Pay no attention to him. He’s like this only to people he cannot outtalk. I’ll explain it. After all, it was me who started it…...”
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“So..., A-Ye… How would you like to help us? We are going to revolutionize how Glory is!”
“Count me in, Su-ge. Join us, Qiu-ge...We do have a common goal, Ye Xiu...”
“It would be my pleasure. My brother wouldn’t know what hit him when he finds out,” snickers Ye Qiu.
Years later…...
TBC? (呵呵。。。)