Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“I got the fucking good things too!” Su Muqiu said excitedly into the phone and heard a fond sigh on the other side of the line.

“I know, I know.”

“Ha. Just you wait. Tonight, I will be busy touching this baby,” Su Muqiu affectionately patted the bag in his hand. He didn’t know he’d find a good old and complete VCD player, yeah the thing was almost ancient, but from the weight, Su Muqiu could ascertain it had so many good old components which he could extract. Ha. Fifty Yuan well spent if he had to say so.

“As long as you don’t forget the grocery.”

“I’m not, I’ll pick it up on the way, it’s nearby,” Su Muqiu assured.

“Okay, are you going to be fine?” There was concern in Ye Xiu’s voice.

“Why?” Su Muqiu squinted slightly as the wind picked up.

“It looks like it will rain soon? A big one,” Ye Xiu said.

Su Muqiu grinned. “No worries, I have an umbrella with me,” he tapped the concrete ground with his trusty umbrella.”The grocery will be safe!”

“I’m also worried about you. If it’s too big, just stay in a shelter or something. Or do you want me to pick you up with a raincoat?”

“Ye Xiu, do you think I’m a baby?” Su Muqiu blinked. “If it’s Su Mucheng, then, yes, we should pick her up. But I am me, I’m older than you. Just leave it to me.”

“Just be careful, okay?”

“Aye, aye, dear vice-captain~” Su Muqiu said teasingly.

The call ended and Su Muqiu stuffed the old phone back into his back pocket. Now to get those groceries and extra calcium for Su Mucheng in a form of milk.

Su Muqiu groaned when it began to rain when he was about to leave the grocery store. Even if he had an umbrella, he still would rather be walking home dry, thank you, but the rain said otherwise.

Su Muqiu opened his umbrella and held his grocery and the bag where he stored his latest loot close to his chest with one hand while the other held the umbrella over his head. Five seconds past and Su Muqiu smiled bitterly. “God, it is really heavy,” he mentioned to himself. He changed his hands again, tying the grocery around the wrist of the hand that held the umbrella and felt better.

When he stepped outside, he looked at the dark sky, brewing with the storm it seemed. The wind also blew harder than before, almost shaking Su Muqiu’s grip off of his umbrella. Su Muqiu lowered his umbrella and held it by the base so it wouldn’t get upturned and began to walk with home in mind.

Honk!

Honk!

Su Muqiu frowned. The street was still quite busy but it was not as busy as before, a few people walked by but with hurried steps. Subconsciously, following the crowd, Su Muqiu also hurried his steps as the wind picked up and the rain got worse.

Many cars zoomed past by because of the mostly empty street, much to Su Muqiu’s chagrin as he had to stay off the road if he didn’t want to get splashed. What’s the need for those cars to be in a hurry? It’s not like the driver will get wet.

Su Muqiu continued to complain in his mind.

The light turned red for the pedestrians and Su Muqiu stopped, checking over his grocery and newest baby before sighing loudly as the rain got fiercer, slamming against his transparent umbrella, resulting in sounds that could be comparable to gunshots. Hmm, gunshots. Umbrella.

Fuck. Su Muqiu felt bitter once again.

“Myriad Manifestation Umbrella...” Su Muqiu sighed mournfully. He might had had given up on it and even coolly brushed it aside in front of Ye Xiu, but it would be a lie to say he was free from regret.

Aw, fuck. Fuck the dev. Fuck it. His beautiful Myriad Manifestation Umbrella... Just when he finally found the components to get it to Level 50 too!

He pouted and looked away from his transparent umbrella and across the street as the countdown for the green light had neared zero.

His warm honey brown eyes immediately found a very familiar face across the street, his heart skipped a beat and he brightened. The familiar person also caught his gaze and looked surprised.

“Ye Xiu!” Su Muqiu waved cheerfully. Internally, he shook his head in delight and exasperation. He had told his best friend that he didn’t need to get picked up, but he was a worrywart as always. Well, it didn’t matter now, they could just walk back together.

The light turned green and Su Muqiu stepped into the road, he was the only one who was waiting to cross the road from his side whereas Ye Xiu stood there with several faceless strangers. Su Muqiu picked up his pace, a fond smile etched on his face.

HONK!!!

HONK!!!

Screech---!!

Screams resounded from the passersby nearby and Su Muqiu faltered in his steps as his eyes immediately found the source of panic. It was truly out of nowhere, Su Muqiu didn’t see that car a few seconds before, but now he did.

It was going at an impossibly fast pace, skidding down the road uncontrollably. By the time Su Muqiu found a time to react, it had been too late.

Out of instinct, Su Muqiu looked for Ye Xiu again in the crowd, their eyes met yet again and Ye Xiu’s eyes were filled with terror.

Crash!

And everything went black.

The white corridor of the hospital was disturbingly speckless, a single sound would resound in an almost endless manner, resulting in a quite eerie atmosphere. The day’s specialist was don in his usual white coat as he walked through the ICU’s doors and into the eerie corridor, a man was waiting there, seemingly traumatized.

The doctor felt pity towards the young man, it was not difficult to conclude that the young man was probably on the site when the accident happened. “Mister...?” he called out to the nervous-looking young man.

Ye Qiu looked up and blinked in surprise, he quickly stood up and met the doctor halfway through. “How is he?” he asked in worry.

Ye Qiu didn’t know how he ended up in hospital, waiting for a stranger that he witnessed getting hit by a car right in front of his own eyes.

He came to H City with his brother in mind. After years of searching and many private investigators being hired with no luck, he finally found a piece of informations that his brother was in H city and lived with a friend and his little sister. Needless to say, Ye Qiu immediately flew into H City to look for his twin brother and choke him until he returned home with him.

The weather was starting to get bad when he was still walking around searching for the address by foot after he shook off his bodyguards which had been assigned to him by his overprotective mother. The bad weather made him gave up for the day and he was about to search for a hotel to stay in when it happened.

He just happened to have eye contact with the stranger and he smiled at him in a way that made Ye Qiu doubt that they hadn’t been friends for years. And he just couldn’t look away when he waved at him, one, for his own security, two, because he was curious. It was out of his own expectations that a few seconds later, the young man on the other side of the road would get involved in a car accident and ended up dying on the street.

Right before he got hit, the young man had met Ye Qiu’s eyes once again and there was fear in those eyes. Ye Qiu couldn’t exactly leave after that. He contacted his bodyguards who were proven to be much faster than waiting for an ambulance, not to mention they were also fully packed with the first med kit since they also got hurt often.

The victim was loaded to a stretcher and off to the hospital, they were while the other passersby called the police on the reckless driver.

He only wanted to meet his brother! He didn’t ask for any of this.

Yet, despite Ye Qiu’s unwillingness, he still waited for the young man. He just couldn’t leave him be even after paying for all the medical procedures. It just didn’t feel right when he had made eye contacts with him before he got hit, when he had helped him to get to the hospital when the young man also had bled in his own car that he probably wouldn’t see ever again according to his order to get rid of it just an hour ago.

“He’s still in a critical condition but has passed the worst of it. It was fortunate that he was rushed here as soon as possible. If you were late for just a minute, he would probably have breathed his last. In fact, he stopped breathing a few times but as I said, he was delivered at the right time,” the doctor nodded.

“Oh, thank God,” Ye Qiu staggered back and sat down on the waiting seat.

“Pardon me to ask this, are you his family?” The doctor asked.

“No. I was just passing by,” Ye Qiu said honestly.

The doctor was surprised, he knew most of the patient’s initial bill had been paid. For a stranger to do something like this... “I see... Then, we might need to contact his real family so we could have a further procedure and to inform them of his condition.”

“I don’t know him,” Ye Qiu said again.

The doctor nodded, he understood that the first time. “The ID he has with him tells us his name is Su Muqiu. He also has a phone with him but it has cracked, I’ll ask a nurse to try and search for his family’s contact information. You can just rest easy, mister.”

Ye Qiu nodded shakily. “Just... Try your best to keep him alive. He’s still so young.” He was around Ye Qiu’s age, Ye Qiu can see that. “I can pay for him if his family can’t.”

“Naturally, I will always do my best to preserve a patient’s life,” the doctor nodded and smiled. “Mister, may I know your name?”

“Ye Qiu,” Ye Qiu replied.

“I see, you’re a nice person Mr Ye Qiu,” the doctor said sincerely.

“I just happened to be there, doctor.” Ye Qiu shook his head. “I was searching for someone in H City, I didn’t even live here.”

“Yes, but any other person wouldn’t even do half of the things you’ve done for a stranger,” The doctor said. “I’m sure you’ll find the person you’re looking for soon. I have a faith in good people finding what they look for.”

Ye Qiu smiled and nodded weakly.

Ye Qiu was not a religious person per se, nor he had a faith in anything like the doctor said. But when he saw his own twin brother’s face, red and out of breath, at the other end of the ICU corridor, Ye Qiu had to admit that God really showed the way.

“Ye Qiu?” Ye Xiu spoke up, disbelieving.

“Ye Xiu...?” Ye Qiu replied in the same manner.

“Who?” The young girl beside Ye Xiu looked in between them.

Doctor Lu went out and paused in confusion when he saw another familiar face and then back to Ye Qiu. “Uhhh?”

Ye Xiu grabbed Su Mucheng’s hand and pulled her towards the doctor. “I’m Su Muqiu’s friend. This is his little sister, his only living blood relative,” he introduced.

“Oh!” Doctor Lu nodded. “Patient Su’s condition has stabilized well, though, he’ll need to spend a few more hours in the ICU. The little sister can go in to see him, but I must apologize for you...” he smiled at Ye Xiu.

“That’s fine,” Ye Xiu nodded. “Mucheng, go ahead. I’ll wait outside.”

Su Mucheng nodded and walked in with the doctor.

Ye Xiu turned around and gazed at the person who was like his own reflection on a mirror.

“That Su Muqiu guy is your friend?” Ye Qiu asked incredulously.

Ye Xiu nodded. “Were you the one who brings him here?”

“...Yes, I was just passing by and saw the accident,” Ye Qiu shifted on his feet.

Before Ye Qiu could even react, Ye Xiu suddenly threw his arms around him and pulled him into a tight hug. Ye Qiu froze in his embrace, stiff like an idiotic moron deprived of normal human interaction he was.

“Thank you...” Ye Xiu whispered. “Thank you, brother.”

Ye Qiu turned stiffer. “It’s... It’s fine, I was just being a decent samaritan,” he coughed awkwardly.

But Ye Xiu didn’t let go. He hugged his twin brother tighter. “I miss you so much...” He confessed.

Hearing that, Ye Qiu finally relaxed back and tilted his head slightly to put his chin on Ye Xiu’s shoulder. “I miss you too,” he said honestly.

When Su Muqiu opened his eyes, he blankly stared at the white ceilings in wonder as he inwardly cringed. Fuck, it hurt. It felt like he just got hit by a car.

Oh wait...

Su Muqiu finally recalled his last moment before everything blacked out and winced. Yeah, he did get hit by a car.

The memory made Su Muqiu want to shrivel up in trauma as his entire body screamed at the thought even though there was no car around. The pain seemed to be magnified by three times.

Su Muqiu wanted to groan but even an exhale from him had made him dead-tired.

Someone entered his narrow field of vision and he instantly recognized her. Su Mucheng.

Su Mucheng gasped when she saw his open eyes and teared up. “Brother.... Brother, you’re awake!” She cried out as she carefully threw herself to his chest.

Fuck, that still hurt.

Su Muqiu’s hands twitched to pat her head but he was too weak to do it, he settled for a weak reassuring smile. He couldn’t make Su Mucheng feel even more distressed.

“How are you feeling? Is it painful anywhere? I-I’ll call the doctor!” Su Mucheng extracted herself from her brother and immediately walked to the door.

Nooo, don’t leave! Su Muqiu wanted to stop her but helpless to.

It was not long, not even a minute later, Su Mucheng returned, causing Su Muqiu to suspect that the doctor was hovering around. However, there was no doctor with Su Mucheng.

Su Mucheng smiled as she placed a hand on Su Muqiu’s hand. “Ye Xiu is calling the doctor.”

Oh... Ye Xiu, right, Ye Xiu. Su Muqiu sighed. He was there, right? He must’ve had been so worried.

A few minutes later, Ye Xiu entered the room with a doctor. The doctor greeted Su Muqiu which he responded with a weak hum.

After a series of questions that Su Muqiu answered with either a hum or a slow head-shake, the doctors left after making a prescription and all Su Muqiu could think about was how expensive that would be.

Su Muqiu’s chest hurt, not because of his injury but because of the thought of the hospital bill.

“Hey,” Ye Xiu smiled when he caught Su Muqiu’s eyes. “How do you feel?”

“Not really good...” Su Muqiu responded honestly.

Ye Xiu sighed. “As expected, huh?”

“Brother, I’m so glad you’re awake,” Su Mucheng cried as she held Su Muqiu’s hand and leaned over to awkwardly hug Su Muqiu. Her sobs filled Su Muqiu’s ears and tore his heart apart.

“I’m sorry,” Su Muqiu breathed out.

“Why are you saying sorry? It’s not your fault, it’s the idiotic driver’s fault,” Ye Xiu furrowed his brows and shook his head.

“Yes!” Su Mucheng pulled away and nodded firmly with anger. What kind of little sister she was if she just forgive that reckless driver that nearly killed her brother, one minute late to the hospital and she would be alone without a family in this world.

“What about... the bill?” Su Muqiu asked.

Ye Xiu smiled bitterly, oh no, that didn’t look good. “You don’t have to worry, it’s been taken care of.”

Su Muqiu doubted that but he was not in the place to argue right now, so he shelved that question and would ask it later after he recovered enough.

“I’m sorry you have to see that...” Su Muqiu gazed at Ye Xiu sadly. “I got hit by a car right in front of you like that... Thanks for bringing me to the hospital.”

Ye Xiu’s face changed and even Su Mucheng gazed at Su Muqiu awkwardly.

“That wasn’t me,” Ye Xiu said.

“Huhh?” Su Muqiu slurred. Damn, why did he feel so woozy? He focused to look at Ye Xiu’s face but his vision began to spin.

“That wasn’t me, Muqiu. That was my twin brother, Ye Qiu. I’ve told you about him,” Ye Xiu repeated.

“...” Su Muqiu gawked at Ye Xiu before everything went black yet again.

Before he blacked out, he could hear Su Mucheng and Ye Xiu yelling his name.

“He’s awake!”

Su Muqiu could hear a fading voice of a stranger, he opened his eyes and squinted at the bright light.

“Brother!” Su Mucheng cried as she rushed beside him.

Her voice immediately triggered Su Muqiu’s big brother instinct and he immediately looked at her and willed himself to hold her hand. Another person came up on his other side, it was Ye Xiu.

With difficulty, he looked at Ye Xiu too who immediately leaned over for him with concern.

Su Muqiu gasped, the heart rate monitor spiked slightly as he weakly reached out for Ye Xiu’s hand. Ye Xiu grabbed his hand firmly and reassuringly and they both looked deeply into each other’s eyes. What Su Muqiu said next made Ye Xiu close his eyes and lower his head in despair...

“Ye Xiu, your twin’s hot.”

“Su Muqiu, I really would rather have you in a coma right now.”

“Sorry,” Su Muqiu said weakly. “Ah... I was dumb. Identical twins, of course you two are equally hot.”

“Wait, you think I’m hot?” Ye Xiu gazed at his friend incredulously.

“Shit, did I say that out loud?” Su Muqiu blinked blearily.

Su Mucheng facepalmed. “Brother, I think you need to rest more. The doctor said you need that.”

“But I have...” Su Muqiu said.

“Yeah, medicine-induced one. The doctor injected a painkiller and sedative to you before. You’ve been knocked out for a whole day, how do you feel?” Ye Xiu asked.

“Painkiller? Sedative?” Su Muqiu blinked. “I feel... numb. Wait, how long did I sleep for?”

“A whole day,” Su Mucheng said.

“...How long did I pass out from before the accident?”

“Around six days. The doctor said it was supposedly more than a week but your healing factor is quite good,” Ye Xiu said.

“W-what about the League?” Su Muqiu panicked.

Ye Xiu shook his head. “You think you can play with your current condition? You barely could move a finger, Muqiu. Old Tao also visited regularly, he said he didn’t mind terminating the contract for free since it is an accident, after all, you didn’t have the means to control it whatsoever.”

Su Muqiu choked. “B-but--!”

“The most important thing is for you to recover, brother,” Su Mucheng cut him off.

“W-what about the bill?” Su Muqiu asked.

“It’s been taken care of,” Ye Xiu said expressionlessly.

Su Muqiu wanted to glare at Ye Xiu and accuse him of lying. So he did just that. “Lie.”

“I’m not lying. Have you forgotten who helped you here?” Ye Xiu furrowed his brows helplessly.

“Your twin?” Su Muqiu blinked.

Ye Xiu nodded. “He paid for it all. Did you forget my family is also well-off?”

“We’ll talk about that later,” Su Muqiu winced. “What about the team? Who will replace me?”

“No one,” Ye Xiu said calmly. “The team has been notified. The former Sharpshooter sub will replace Dancing Rain for the meanwhile.”

“Xia... Xia-jie?” Su Muqiu squinted.

“Yes,” Ye Xiu nodded. “They’ve heard about your condition. Yesterday, they even came to visit together but you weren’t conscious yet.”

Su Muqiu squinted, “You know she’s easily nervous, right? She’s not going to do well as a main...” he said and inhaled deeply to refill his lungs. He chose Xia Ming to be his teammate, aside because she was one of a few people who actually wanted to join, it was also because she was a good Sharpshooter. Su Muqiu did not play Sharpshooter for the League, however, he had arranged a few playstyles and teamwork for them to use. As a Launcher, he can provide larger support and bigger damage.

But a Sharpshooter could be a help too in a scenario of which Su Muqiu and Ye Xiu had to part in the Battlefield, or Su Muqiu died first. That was where Xia Ming can come, Ye Xiu’s ability in working with a Sharpshooter was really good, as long as Su Muqiu and Ye Xiu provided enough instructions, Xia Ming can follow.

Ye Xiu tapped the bedside and absentmindedly arranged Su Muqiu’s cover and smoothened any wrinkles he saw. “I’m the captain now, I’ll take care of it.”

Su Muqiu’s heart skipped a beat and he smiled bitterly. Right, of course Ye Xiu was the captain now with Su Muqiu’s absence. His heart felt hurt, Ye Xiu shouldn’t have dealt with this, it was Su Muqiu’s problem initially, but now he had to step up as  a captain for him.

“Not to mention Old Wu is also going to be there. His down-to-earth temper is exactly what a team needs, even without you, we’ll do fine,” Ye Xiu said confidently. “Just rest assured, victory will be ours.”

“Ye Xiu...” Su Muqiu winced.

“Brother, just focus on recovering right now,” Su Mucheng said sadly. “After you recovered enough, I’ll take care of you until you can recover fully at home. So, don’t think too much, okay?”

Too late, Su Muqiu’s brain already did a few cartwheels inside his head. The gears in his brain worked tirelessly that it reacted badly with the painkiller that was still in his system, resulting in a massive headache that caused him to groan.

Su Muqiu felt a gentle cold hand smoothing down his eyebrow and gazed at Su Mucheng who looked at him with concern. Su Muqiu smiled at his sister, grabbed her hand, and put it on his chest securely. He then looked at Ye Xiu as his mind began to buzz.

“What if, what if, listen to me,” Su Muqiu, tone sounding like a little shit, said seriously. “What if your brother becomes my temporary replacement?”

“Are you kidding me?” Ye Xiu reeled back. “Su Muqiu, the League will start in less than a month!”

“If he’s as good as you, a month will suffice, right?” Su Muqiu said seriously.

“You’re crazy. He’ll never accept that.”

“What if, what if, listen to me,” Su Muqiu whined like a brat to get Ye Xiu’s attention back. “What if I seduce him to?”

“...”

“...”

“Mucheng, I’m so sorry, it seems like the accident affected your brother, after all. We should put him under for a few months it seems,” Ye Xiu said blankly to the young teenage girl.

“Brother...” Su Mucheng sighed.

“Hey, hey,” Su Muqiu fought to stay awake and glared at Ye Xiu. “Who used his twin brother’s name to register again?”

Su Muqiu smirked smugly when Ye Xiu’s face turned awkward. Ha. Serves him right. Before he blacked out again, Su Muqiu could see Ye Xiu stepping back and looked thoughtful, he counted that as a half-win. He’d win the other half when he woke up next time.

“Qiu’er!” Ye Xiu barged into the small apartment with his own key.

Ye Qiu looked up from his textbook and frowned. “What’s wrong, something happens with your friend?” he stood up and moved to grab his coat from the hanger.

“No, Qiu’er, it’s about the ID card,” Ye Xiu said.

“What ID card? And stop calling me Qiu’er,” Ye Qiu said.

“A’Qiu, I used your name to register into an E-Sport team,” Ye Xiu admitted in heartbeat.

“...”

“I only have your ID card,” Ye Xiu said as he patted his back pocket and pulled out an outdated leather wallet. He pulled out an ID card and Ye Qiu stared at his own face. Of course, he wouldn’t mistake his own face for his brother despite them being identical twins.

“Change it!” Ye Qiu shrieked. “No wonder I can’t find my ID card! You stole it!”

“It was the closest thing,” Ye Xiu looked away shamefully. “Also, Su Muqiu woke up just now.”

Ye Qiu inhaled deeply and repressed his anger. “How is he?”

“Better. He also said he wanted you to join the E-sport team too to replace him.”

“...”

“...”

“...I’ve been accepted to National University. When the summer ends, I’ll go enroll there,” Ye Qiu’s eyes twitched.

“Yeah, I also think education is important,” Ye Xiu nodded. “You can study in my place,” he smiled.

Ye Qiu paused. “What the heck do you mean by that?!”

“Well? I can’t return home and I didn’t even graduate high school. I’d like to work as a professional gamer for the meanwhile---“

“Wait, wait, wait, so who will be the heir, then? If you, the eldest son who did not even graduate high school, continue on like this... and I, the youngest son and supposed spare, go ahead and study in National University...” Ye Qiu gazed at Ye Xiu in terror while the eldest son gazed back at his twin with a shrug.

Ye Qiu gasped, “Give me back my ID card!” he tried to grab his ID card.

“What for?”

“I’m going abroad!”

“A’Qiu!” Ye Xiu dodged his little brother. “Our parents will never let you do that!”

“Then, what should I do?” Ye Qiu asked desperately. “I don’t wanna!”

“There, there,” Ye Xiu hugged his baby brother and crooned as he patted his back.

“I’d rather be with you in an E-sport team than be the heir!” Ye Qiu said.

“...” Ye Xiu looked up to the ceilings of the expensive apartment his brother had rented for the summer. “Well...”

Chapter Text

“So, that’s how it is,” Ye Xiu expressionlessly ended his presentation to a whole team who gawked at him in absolute disbelief. “It’s not really that complicated to digest, right?”

Beside him, Ye Qiu facepalmed.

“OI! DON’T JUST EASILY SAID THAT!”

“NOT COMPLICATED?! NOT COMPLICATED HE SAYS?!”

“YE QIU- I mean, Ye Xiu! You straight-up faked your identity!”

“It’s not fake, the ID is real. It’s just not mine, but my twin brother’s. Pretty sure I’ve mentioned that three times in slide two.” Ye Xiu mocked a disappointment as he closed his PowerPoint.

“Aaaarrggghhh---!!” Inhumane growls came from the few members of Excellent Era, expressing their despair and desire to be anywhere else but this place.

“Okay, everyone, please calm down. This can still be solved as long as we re-registered Ye Qiu- I mean, Ye Xiu,” Tao Xuan stood up to calm down his team.

“Yes, it can be reversed, where’s your ID card?” Wu Xuefeng said patiently to Ye Xiu.

“Ah, that’s actually another issue I was about to bring up,” Ye Xiu said and everyone felt cold sweats drenching their back. “But putting that aside-“

“Ye Xiu, this can’t be put aside just like that,” Wu Xuefeng said desperately.

“There’s also an issue of re-registering my name, the Alliance will surely have questions,” Ye Xiu said, holding a hand to Wu Xuefeng to signal him to settle down.

“Well, duh. Of course they will ask!” Qin Tianran interjected.

“Okay, we’ll get to that,” Ye Xiu said calmly. “I also have a message from Su Muqiu.”

“He’s awake?” Tao Xuan hastily asked.

“For a minute, yes,” Ye Xiu nodded. “Anyway, Su Muqiu acknowledged that he couldn’t join the team with his current condition. I’ve talked to him about your words too, Old Tao.”

Tao Xuan nodded. “Just tell him to rest. I’ll visit him when I’m free.”

“Yes, so, he knows Dancing Rain will have no player, right? Not to mention we don’t even have a sub anymore. So he proposed to get my darling brother to be his replacement,” Ye Xiu proposed as he patted Ye Qiu’s shoulder lovingly.

“Your twin...” Xue Mingkai started.

“Yes,” Ye Xiu interjected before he could finish. “So, in a way, if we exchanged IDs when we re-register later, we can just say because of the internal problem we were switching the characters. Since the ID is real, after all, the Alliance wouldn’t even bat an eye aside for, of course, having a pair of identical twins playing in their League.”

“That’s a good idea,” Yin Xiong said quietly with a nod.

“Your twin can play?” Wu Xuefeng asked calmly.

“No, he doesn’t even know Glory until today,” Ye Xiu said optimistically.

“Tell me why I agreed to be on this team again?” Xue Mingkai’s eyes twitched.

“Don’t worry, you’re still needed,” Ye Xiu looked at Xue Mingkai who dearly wished he could grab Ye Xiu and shake him senseless. “I’m planning to have Ye Qiu as a sub. Just to have more available strategies and a much looser schedule, you know? With our current line-up, if one of us got sick, everything will fall to ruin.”

“Every other normal team are the same,” Xia Ming pointed out.

“Well, that’s their problem. Not ours,” Ye Xiu said calmly.

“Does your brother even want to be on the team?” Wu Xuefeng asked as he eyed Ye Qiu who never said anything since the beginning.

“He does,” Ye Xiu nodded.

“Ye Xiu...” Wu Xuefeng sighed. “I was asking your brother’s opinion,” he said disapprovingly.

Ye Xiu looked at Ye Qiu who tilted his head awkwardly.

“My brother speaks for me. I do want to be in this team,” Ye Qiu finally spoke up.

“Why? Did Ye Xiu ask you to?” Wu Xuefeng asked seriously.

“This is the lesser of two evils,” Ye Qiu said blankly.

“...What the more evil option?” Wu Xuefeng asked.

“Going to university,” and be the heir.

“...”

“...”

“...Little brother, education is important. Don’t follow your brother’s wayward footsteps,” Xue Mingkai said seriously.

“Well, if you two are sure about it, I’ll have it solved and we can re-register you now,” Tao Xuan addressed to Ye Xiu. “As for the contract and the salary, we can talk about it slowly.”

Ye Xiu looked at Ye Qiu again. “How about it? Salary?” he asked vaguely.

Ye Qiu shrugged.

“Independent?”

Ye Qiu shook his head.

Ye Xiu furrowed his brows and crossed his arms and Ye Qiu looked away.

“Um?” Qin Tianran started. “Excuse me? Please use words, none of us know how to translate twins’ bond.”

“Ah,” Ye Xiu nodded distractedly. “You want one?” He asked Ye Qiu.

Ye Qiu rolled his head slightly, not opening his mouth.

“A’Qiu...” Ye Xiu sighed. “As for salary, he’s not a full-fledged player, no? Just... half of my salary in the contract is enough,” he poked his twin’s shoulder.

“Are you sure?” Tao Xuan asked unsurely.

“Maybe less?” Ye Xiu asked, not to Tao Xuan but to Ye Qiu. “How much do you have in your credit card?”

“I don’t know,” Ye Qiu said honestly.

“Half it is,” Ye Xiu nodded. They would never know if their parents decided to block that credit card. “He’s not a player and the League will start in just a week. But don’t worry, I’ll train him. The most important thing is to have his name on the paper first.”

“His name is already there. Yours, however,” Wu Xuefeng sighed helplessly.

Tao Xuan nodded helplessly. “I understand.”

The sound of the heart monitor slowly penetrated Su Muqiu’s drowsy hearings, pulling him back to the surface of consciousness when he grasped to it firmly. He opened his eyes blearily to see the white ceilings of his hospital room.

There was someone by his side.

Su Muqiu groaned and turned his head slightly to see his caretaker. “Ye Xiu...” He murmured, his hand weakly reached out to grab Ye Xiu’s wrist.

“Huh?”

“Your twin...” Su Muqiu breathed out. “Where’s your twin...? Let me persuade him...”

Su Muqiu stopped talking for a bit to wet his mouth. He licked his lips before continuing again.

“I’ll seduce him...”

“Um... I’m not Ye Xiu.”

Later on, when Su Muqiu was more conscious, he’d be ashamed to admit it took him literally a whole minute to register those words.

Su Muqiu blinked slowly, once, twice. He stared at Ye Xiu’s face. Looking closely, this one has slightly styled hair- a little more sophisticated than Ye Xiu’s, he also didn’t have eyebags underneath his eyes, nor did he have that small scar above his ear courtesy of Su Muqiu’s stupid attempt of cutting Ye Xiu’s hair at home a month ago.

Su Muqiu gasped loudly and dramatically. “Oooohhh!!” He nodded slowly. “I can see that... now.”

Ye Qiu smiled awkwardly. “Yeah...”

Su Muqiu smiled lopsidedly. “Ye Qiu, right?” Su Muqiu shook his head slightly to get rid of his drowsiness. Damn, what medicine the doctor injected into him? How long did he pass out?

“Yes.”

“We have the same name...” Su Muqiu pointed out happily. “The Mu in my name is... dunno, generational I think. But we share the Qiu.”

“Haha, yeah,” Ye Qiu agreed awkwardly with the sick patient.

“Mmm, it’s fate, don’t you think?” Su Muqiu nodded in satisfaction when he heard Ye Qiu’s agreement. “So, little brother, as fellow Qius, I have a... request,” Su Muqiu breathed out quietly.

“What is it?” Ye Qiu asked.

“Play my Glory’s character for me?” Su Muqiu requested seriously. “It will mean a lot to me. A season or maybe two... Ye Xiu will help you.”

“Ah, you don’t have to ask that. I already accepted,” Ye Qiu said kindly.

“Really?” Su Muqiu blinked. “That was easy.” He blurted out.

“Pardon?” Ye Qiu blinked.

“Never mind, as long as I succeeded in seducing you into the team,” Su Muqiu blabbered.

“Seducing?” Ye Qiu tilted his head. “You mean coaxing?” he shook his head, not taking Su Muqiu seriously at all.

“Right... coaxing?” Su Muqiu frowned. “Seducing. Same difference.”

Click.

Someone entered after that.

“Oh, brother,” Ye Qiu smiled and greeted his brother. “Your friend is awake.”

“Ye Xiu,” Su Muqiu turned his head and smiled lopsidedly to his friend.

Ye Xiu didn’t respond to Su Muqiu and looked pointedly at him.

What? What did he do wrong? Su Muqiu tried to think of the problem. But he just woke up, it was impossible for him to do any wrongs.

“Still not letting go?” Ye Xiu asked coldly.

“Huh?” Su Muqiu dumbly responded and then followed Ye Xiu’s line of sight to his hand that was still holding Ye Qiu’s wrist.

Uh-oh.

Su Muqiu let go of Ye Qiu’s wrist and smiled apologetically, miraculously more aware and awake than before. “Sorry, little brother Ye. I wasn’t fully awake.”

“It’s fine,” Ye Qiu nodded. He would never hold it against a patient.

“Why do you call him ‘little brother Ye’? He’s the same age as me,” Ye Xiu said as he dropped a paper bag filled with clean clothes by the couch off to the side and walked to Ye Qiu’s side.

“Ye Qiu, then,” Su Muqiu easily agreed. “Where’s Mucheng?” Su Muqiu smartly redirected the conversation to his darling sister who was absent.

“She’s in Ye Qiu’s flat for a shower. I told her to, she needed it,” Ye Xiu sighed. That girl had been by her brother’s side 24/7. Unwilling to return alone until Ye Xiu urged her earlier. And she was only convinced to go home when Ye Qiu, her brother’s savior, told her to go and that Ye Qiu would be waiting on Su Muqiu while they were gone. “She should be here in a few minutes.”

“I see,” Su Muqiu sighed in relief. “So, I heard Ye Qiu has agreed to temporarily replace me?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Ye Xiu nodded. “We’ll be going to the headquarter to fix the team’s data tomorrow, the two of us. So Mucheng is the only one who will be available for the next two days.”

“I’m going to be fine,” Su Muqiu reassured.

“Old Tao said hello.”

“Hello back to him,” Su Muqiu said lazily. “So, are you two switching names or...?” He asked curiously.

“Of course not, are you crazy?” Ye Xiu disdained.

“Hehe,” Su Muqiu chuckled, full of humor. “Thank you to both of you. Especially you, Ye Qiu. I know it’s late, but I can’t thank you enough for helping me. I won’t be here if you weren’t there,” he said sincerely as he looked at Ye Qiu.

“It’s fine, Mr. Su. It was only natural for me to help,” Ye Qiu said solemnly.

“You can call me Muqiu,” Su Muqiu interjected. “And no, I owe you my life. Thank you. I can’t thank you enough, if you weren’t there, I would have failed Mucheng and Ye Xiu... Even though now, I have basically failed Ye Xiu—“

“Muqiu,” Ye Xiu interjected, disapproving.

Su Muqiu sighed. “It’s selfish for me to ask more after what you have done for me. Now you’re going to continue on Dancing Rain, I basically owed you twice. Next time, if you have anything you need, just tell me. I, Su Muqiu, will pay off my debt. Even if you ask me to jump off of a cliff for fun, I’ll do it,” he said solemnly.

“Rest assured Su Muqiu, I’m not one to ask someone to jump off of a cliff for fun,” Ye Qiu’s lips twitched.

“How about for research?” Su Muqiu inquired solemnly.

“The only research for him to do that is a research to measure human stupidity. You’ll bring down the number by a lot,” Ye Xiu said scathingly.

“I’m a patient, you know?” Su Muqiu coughed weakly. He gazed at Ye Qiu again. “Ye Qiu, I can’t thank you enough. If I’m able to move freely, I would train you myself. For now, I can only rely on you two, brothers.”

“You just have to focus on recovering. Little Su Mucheng will be happy if you do,” Ye Qiu said.

“What my brother said.” Ye Xiu nodded. “Recover well, don’t stress out too much. I’ll train my brother, for now, he’ll be a sub.”

Click.

Su Mucheng entered after that, her hair was a bit damp but it was relatively dry enough. “Is he awake yet?” She asked hopefully.

“See for yourself,” Ye Xiu smiled gently at her.

“Mucheng,” Su Muqiu called out for her.

Su Mucheng brightened considerably. “Brother, you’re awake. Are you conscious?” Su Muqiu woke up a few times but it was a half-conscious state at best. He didn’t respond much and only mumbled out his words.

“Of course,” Su Muqiu chuckled and welcomed his sister into his arms. In this world, he could give up many things except for his sister and his life that he had dedicated solely for his sister.

He can only thank Ye Qiu and God for giving him a chance to stay by Su Mucheng’s side.

“Okay, last session before the league start,” Ye Xiu clapped as he leaned close to his brother. “We’ll get through this together.”

“Brother, I barely have any knowledge on this, are you sure I’m going to be fine?” Ye Qiu frowned.

“Nonsense, you’re a sub, just relax. I will hold on the fort for you. The team will hold on the fort until you’re ready, otherwise having Xue Mingkai is going to be useless,” Ye Xiu chuckled.

“Tell me, why can’t I hit him over the head at least once?” Xue Mingkai asked expressionlessly to Wu Xuefeng.

Wu Xuefeng shook his head in exasperation. “The way you react only encourages him to do that.”

“You’ll be ready to be a proper sub who can sub into the match in three months at least,” Ye Xiu claimed.

“That’s a daring deadline,” Xia Ming readjusted her glasses.

“No need to push Ye Qiu that much, we can hold the fort longer,” Wu Xuefeng frowned.

“Yes, at least be realistic,” Qin Tianran sighed.

“I’m being realistic. Ye Qiu is my brother, after all. With me as the teacher, he’ll be great in no time. Three months is already generous of me,” Ye Xiu said.

“But what if one of you suddenly turned sick on a match day before the three months mark?” Ye Qiu asked.

“A’Qiu, don’t jinx us like that,” Ye Xiu frowned.

“Ye Qiu, please don’t worry about it. The initial idea was to have six people with in-paper sub, after all.” Wu Xuefeng reassured. “Everyone starts from somewhere, we won’t blame you if you can’t grow fast.”

“Yeah, the one to be blamed is your stubborn prick of a brother,” Xue Mingkai gestured to the offending elder twin.

“You guys are so pessimistic. Based on speed and precision alone, Ye Qiu is second only to me,” Ye Xiu said calmly as he fiddled with the cigarette pack on his pocket before deciding against smoking because he’d get smoked by Wu Xuefeng and Ye Qiu.

“Well... yeah,” Xia Ming nodded.

The twins were fast. Really fast. Based on speed alone, the two of them had no peers in the team. The difference was, while Ye Xiu was refined and a thoroughly skilled expert, Ye Qiu was a clueless newbie. Ye Qiu could beat a normal player after one loss out of sheer speed alone, but if he fought anyone in the team, he’d just lose in a record time.

“Still, I can’t believe at the age of eighteen he never touched any game, even a video game...” Qin Tianran said thoughtfully.

Ye Qiu smiled awkwardly. “I was busy studying...” it was awkward, to say the least. Ye Qiu couldn’t connect with most of his teammates because of his complete cluelessness in gaming area.

“Still, aren’t most high-schoolers nowadays crazy about games?” Qin Tianran said curiously.

“I attended a private school,” Ye Qiu shrugged. “It’s not like I never play a game. I used to play a few games back then.”

Ye Xiu interjected by snapping his fingers a few times to gather their attention. “Well, enough of that, let’s start the practice. I’m going with my brother entirely today, so you guys adjust yourselves. I’ll check in at night. Come on, I’ll show you how to do an accurate Aerial Canon in the Unseen Peak.” Ye Xiu put on his headphone.

“There it goes, they’re on their own world again,” Qin Tianran sighed.

“Why does it feel like I’m eating dog food even though they’re both brothers?” Xue Mingkai complained.

“Well, PDA is not restricted to only romantic affection, I think?” Wu Xuefeng shrugged.

It goes without saying that Ye Qiu’s unwillingness to return to B City was noticed right away by the family. Mainly because Ye Qiu berated the bodyguards to return and they all reported it to the household’s butler who in turn reported it to the madam.

Madam Ye frowned when she heard that via a phone call, she was out of the country for a month for a friend’s wedding so she didn’t know much about what happened back at home.

She did hear from Ye Qiu that he was going to search for his brother.

Madam Ye phoned Ye Qiu right away.

“Yes?”

“Qiu-bao, why did mom hear that you didn’t want to return home? You have classes, right? Summer is ending, what about your college?”

“I canceled it.”

“What?” Madam Ye was stunned.

“I want to have a gap year for a bit.”

“Qiu-bao,” Madam Ye started incredulously. “You can’t just be a gap year student simply because you want to?! Is this about your brother?”

“Kinda.”

“Did you find your brother?” Madam Ye frantically searched through her e-mails and messages to see any important updates from the people she placed by Ye Qiu’s side.

“Yeah.”

Madam Ye paused for a bit as she read the reports.

Helping a dying civilian who got a car crash right in front of him? Goodness! Right in front of him?! Wouldn’t that traumatize her poor youngest son?!

Paying for the bills for the said- Madam Ye skimmed over the details when she learned the victim was alive.

Second Young Master found First Young Master. First Young Master is going to be a professional E-sport gamer when the summer ends and already signed a contract with a club.

“Your brother is going to be a professional E-sport player?” Madam Ye spoke up incredulously.

“Oh... So you already know.” Ye Qiu didn’t sound surprised.

Madam Ye leaned back on her seat. “And you’re going to convince him otherwise? Qiu-bao, just leave him. E-Sport is not a long-term career.” She combed through her hair with her slender fingers, calm and dignified, as she calculated everything in her head. “Well, A’Xiu also didn’t even start high school, it’ll be hard on him once he returns, why not give him more time outside? He’s a clever child, he will return when it’s due.”

“...Mom, Ye Xiu is no longer a ‘child’.” Ye Qiu reminded her with a bland tone of voice.

“He’s still my child. The both of you,” Madam Ye said calmly. “If you can’t convince him, that’s not on you. Just leave him. He’s stubborn like that, you know him. Guarantee in five years or so he’ll go home by himself.” Now Ye Xiu was an adult anyway, there was no rush to get him back, he could take care of himself.

“Mom, I have decided to join my brother on his E-sport team.”

Madam Ye had to pause for a while to digest that, after a minute, the only thing that came out was one incredulous syllable, “What?”

“What?”

“Why?” Madam Ye demanded.

“Why not?”

“Qiu-bao... you...”

“What? Ye Xiu could play outside but I can’t?”

“You know it’s different!” Madam Ye jumped from her seat and started looking out of the window. Okinawa was mesmerizing around this time of the year, but it couldn’t make her mesmerized right now. “Your brother and you are not the same.”

“Why? We’re twins, we look pretty much the same.”

“Ye Qiu,” Madam Ye started. “Your brother left without even finishing high school, letting him play around is no problem. But you... National University begged for you to be there. It’s an honor!”

“Who cares?” Ye Qiu didn’t, apparently. “It’s the same. I want to play outside for a bit. I’ll go back to college in... a year or so.” There wasn’t a certainty in his voice, as if college was the last thing in his mind right now and he didn’t care about it.

“You... you really want to do that...?” Madam Ye was in disbelief.

“Yeah. Mom, I’m a bit busy right now, talk to you later, okay?”

“Wait! I heard you witnessed a car crash? Is everything okay? No lasting trauma, right?” Madam Ye had to make sure.

“No, mom. I’m fine. The victim survived, so that helped.”

“How am I supposed to rest easy now? Are you going to be fine out there? You know, college could be fun too, you know?”

“He’s going to be fine, I’ll look after him always.”

“...Ye Xiu...” Madam Ye’s heart softened when she heard the voice of her long-lost son.

“Mm, just leave it to me. We gotta go now, so see you later mom.”

“Not even going to talk to me now?” Madam Ye said.

“That’s ridiculous, mom. I’m talking to you right now. But we gotta go, seriously. I’m healthy, A’Qiu is healthy, so you don’t have to worry, okay? Ah, that’s our ride. Bye mum, love you.”

Piip.

Madam Ye sighed. Her first son hadn’t changed, he became even more blunt and careless.

Well, as a mother, she could only advise... What can she do when her sons want the same thing? Madam Ye sighed in dilemma.

Han Wenqing saw the bio of every club’s members when it was uploaded by the official website. He found out One Autumn Leaf’s real name that way. Ye Qiu, a predictable name, Han Wenqing had to nod in appreciation for the guy’s creative mind to name his character One Autumn Leaf.

The name was etched in Han Wenqing’s memory since One Autumn Leaf was the first one to defeat him.

So when the league started and Excellent Era fought their first match with One Autumn Leaf under the name Ye Xiu, Han Wenqing was understandably confused. After staring at the name behind One Autumn Leaf for a solid minute as his brain struggled to register it, Han Wenqing opened his phone and went to the official website.

He scrolled to Excellent Era’s name and easily found the captain’s bio, which was the first and foremost.

One Autumn Leaf – [Battle Mage]
Owner: Ye Xiu.

Han Wenqing paused and stared at the name for a few seconds before staring up the ceilings as he flipped his brain. Could his memory have failed him? That thought certainly appeared. It made sense. After all, Han Wenqing could possibly saw One Autumn Leaf’s name and then the owner’s name and his brain purposefully jumbled it up.

Only, he was sure his teammates mentioned One Autumn Leaf’s name ‘Ye Qiu’ too and complimented the Battle Mage’s player for his taste in naming things.

“Huh? His name is Ye Xiu?” A perplexed question from one of his teammates beside him basically confirmed it for Han Wenqing. They were on a break, their first match was at a latter time that night, so they decided to watch Excellent Era’s match.

“Pretty sure it was Ye Qiu, right?”

“Did the Alliance mess up something?”

“Qiu and Xiu is a bit too far, don’t you think?” regardless of how similar those two characters sounded.

“No, it’s Ye Xiu in the website,” Han Wenqing spoke up as he scrolled down and paused.

“Eeeh? So they messed up the update the first time?”

Han Wenqing stared at his phone silently. “I don’t know. But there IS a Ye Qiu in the team. He plays a Launcher called Dancing Rain.”

“...Now, that’s confusing.”

Yes. Han Wenqing had to agree to that.

Han Wenqing turned off his phone and started to focus on the match instead. Regardless, he’d get his answer when Tyranny and Excellent Era finally faced off with each other.

“You sure you didn’t just read it wrong, Old Ming?” Guo Mingyu asked.

“For the last fucking time, Guo Mingyu. Yes. It’s not a typo. Ye Qiu is not One Autumn Leaf, he plays this unknown Launcher named Dancing Rain. The real One Autumn Leaf is Ye Xiu.”

“Hmmm...” Guo Mingyu hummed, long and thoughtful. “That doesn’t make any sense, though.” He squinted. “Why would Ye Xiu played One Autumn Leaf when Ye Qiu was the one originally registered as One Autumn Leaf. And the name just doesn’t make any sense. One Autumn Leaf is an aesthetic name for Ye Qiu.”

“Captain, this isn’t about aesthetic.” An exasperated sigh.

“Maybe not for you,” Guo Mingyu disdained. “Something is suspicious here... Do you think they’re brothers?”

“Here is listed they’re the same age,” Old Ming said.

Guo Mingyu paused and straightened. “Eighteen?”

“Eighteen.”

“Interesting,” Guo Mingyu grinned. “Can’t wait to meet Excellent Era.”

As a matter of fact, among the five upper-tier teams, Royal Style and Excellent Era met first.

Xue Mingkai had been a bit on edge on the matchday while Ye Xiu was always on his phone, alternating between calling Su Mucheng and Ye Qiu who had to leave to do something. Wu Xuefeng didn’t know, but he caught the words ‘invisible funds’ and ‘sneaking them off’ from the twins earlier, Wu Xuefeng was a loyal friend but frankly, he didn’t want to know for a legal reason if it somehow blew up later.

“Good girl, Mucheng. Can you give the phone to your brother? Yes, I want to talk to him privately,” Ye Xiu said gently. “Muqiu? Speaker off? Good. Listen, if you joke about having my little brother calling you gege again, I’ll make sure to make you regret it once I’m home. I don’t care if it’s for making a closer tie as a family, the only one who Ye Qiu can call gege is me. I don’t share when it comes to him.” He lowly threatened, quite audible to the rest of the team who opted to ignore him.

Wu Xuefeng kinda pity Su Muqiu. He’d make sure to drop by for a few hours for a game of cards in the hospital room after this. He blinked when he saw a group of Royal Style coming their ways and tapped Ye Xiu’s shoulder.

“The host comes to greet us,” Wu Xuefeng whispered to his younger captain.

“Heyo! Excellent Era!” Guo Mingyu waved and welcomed them warmly.

“Gotta go, bye.” Ye Xiu turned off the phone and turned to Guo Mingyu, smiling thinly. “Peaceful Hermit.”

“One Autumn Leaf, I presume?” Guo Mingyu looked at Ye Xiu critically. “You look good, I expected the number one of First Server to be older and coarse on the edge.”

“Haha, if your type is older and coarse on the edge, you can go for Swoksaar,” Ye Xiu pocketed his phone and easily said.

Excellent Era’s members stifled in a snort, Wu Xuefeng shook his head helplessly.

“Woah,” Guo Mingyu blinked and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “That’s One Autumn Leaf’s style, alright. Without a doubt.” He smiled calmly, he didn’t look offended at all. “So, where’s Ye Qiu?” he scanned Excellent Era but didn’t find an unfamiliar face in the bunch.

“He has some business to take care of,” Ye Xiu said answered calmly. “What makes captain Guo so interested in him?”

Everyone from Excellent Era glanced nervously at Guo Mingyu. This brocon was quite overprotective of his younger twin. A wrong answer might result in complete slaughter on the match later.

“Nothing. Just curious. I remember One Autumn Leaf was signed under Ye Qiu at first, so I got curious.” Guo Mingyu gazed at Ye Xiu. “But I’m sure you are One Autumn Leaf.” So that gave him more questions.

Ye Xiu nodded in understanding. “I see, you must be confused. It will be clear with time.”

“...Don’t want to share it with me?” Guo Mingyu coaxed.

“I’m not the type to overshare, captain Guo,” Ye Xiu said.

“Cheeky One Autumn Leaf,” Guo Mingyu complained. “Fine then, I’ll wait for the reveal. See you on stage.” He waved and left with his team.

It was only by the fourth match, after Royal Style v Excellent Era, that someone decided to gather pros and made a communication web to create a chatroom for everyone and not just randomly scattered about friends-group.

As a result, after a whole train of this contact that and that invite them. They finally made a functioning group chat in about a week. The circle was quite limited so they got along quickly, sharing about their hometown, the gossips from in-game. They quickly forgot the tension as being ‘professional’ and returned to their original state. Bunch of friends in-game, joking and messing around.

Glory currently only had two servers so it helped too. The first server players got along swimmingly as they had known each other ever since Glory was created. The second server players also got along well with each other due to frequent meeting in-game.

Swoksaar: @One Autumn Leaf What’s the deal with your name? It was Ye Qiu and then Ye Xiu?

One Autumn Leaf: It’s complicated. Explaining it now is going to be redundant.

Swoksaar: Che, trying to be mysterious?

One Autumn Leaf: I’m just acknowledging the collective IQ of everyone here.

Swoksaar: Son of a...

Peaceful Hermit: In-game or not, this prick is as annoying as always.

Immovable Rock: The roast is a bit too much, don’t you think? Old Wei is the only one who asked, why dragging us with him?

One Autumn Leaf: Sorry, I didn’t know I struck a bit too close to home.

Windy Rain: Holy shit. What’s our fault?!

Total Darkness: Enough, oi.

Vaccaria: Haha, how do we evolved from asking about names and begging him to stop insulting us collectively? I’m actually more curious about something else.

Laughing Song: Shoot off.

Vaccaria: What about Autumn Tree? You guys used to be inseparable in-game, now he’s not in Excellent Era?

Swoksaar: That’s right, I was about to ask that, actually. Where’s my scamming buddy? The girlie is absolutely not him, so don’t bother lying.

Spring Heaven: Well, obviously. What part of me screams a man?

One Autumn Leaf: Got into an accident. A car crash. A month before the League started.

Swoksaar: Holy shit, is he alright?!

Desert Dust: Is he okay?

One Autumn Leaf: He’s doing fine, but is still hospitalized for better care. Couldn’t even sit without someone helping him.

Vaccaria: My condolences. I wish him a quick recovery.

Peaceful Hermit: Man, that scares me. I wish him a quick recovery too.

Desert Dust: If he’s hospitalized, do you guys need extra help?

One Autumn Leaf: Thanks everyone. But we’re doing fine. He should be able to go home in a month or so, but his condition wouldn’t be at the top.

Swoksaar: Tell him this father is wishing him a full recovery, then!

One Autumn Leaf: Will do :)

Windy Rain: I wish him a quick recovery too. Man, isn’t it scary to know that the friend you made online got into an accident and you only learned about it months later?

Laughing Song : Yeah, it is. Wish him luck, though.

Today was the day Tyranny met Excellent Era in Excellent Era’s home game. Han Wenqing already got a glimpse of the other team’s captain when they both met at the headquarter accidentally when both clubs were registering at the same time.

But at that time, Ye Xiu was using a facemask and looked a bit sick so Han Wenqing didn’t want to bother him further. Now was the chance Han Wenqing could see Ye Xiu behind the scene.

Han Wenqing expected to meet him when they entered the players’ area, but it didn’t seem to be the case. He met the other team’s captain on the corridor near the toilet instead, it was happenstance, Han Wenqing just finished his business on the toilet and saw a handsome man looking seriously at a can of orange juice in front of a vending machine.

Han Wenqing recognized him despite anything.

“I don’t know, Ye Qiu.” Ye Xiu spoke up as he turned to someone who sat by the vending machine, covered from Han Wenqing’s sight. “This orange juice seems legit, it’s not the cheapest too, so I think its fine?”

“But that brand hurts my throat.”

Ye Xiu pocketed the can of juice and stared at the vending machine seriously again. “Damn it, why didn’t they invent a vending machine that sells you warm tea?”

“There is, but not here.”

“What are you doing?” Han Wenqing asked as he approached the other team’s captain. Ye Xiu seemed to only realize Han Wenqing was there.

“Oh... Captain Han,” Ye Xiu said politely. “Not with your team?”

“They’re in the prep room,” Han Wenqing said. “What are you doing?”

“Choosing a drink for my darling brother,” Ye Xiu said indifferently.

Han Wenqing took a few steps to the side and glanced at the brother sitting there.

He did a double-take.

Ye Xiu turned around. “This is my twin brother, Ye Qiu. A’Qiu, this is Tyranny’s captain, a strong Striker. Your brother’s number one rival in the First Server.”

Ye Qiu stood up. “Hello, pleased to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Han Wenqing shook the hand that was offered calmly. “So, this is what you meant. It still doesn’t explain why the owner of One Autumn Leaf is different.”

Ye Xiu shrugged. “I initially used his identity because my ID card is not with me. It’s the closest thing, you know?” he said carelessly. “But then, he went ahead and found me. We fixed it before the league started and he joined in too, everything is fine now.”

“...”

“...”

Han Wenqing stared solemnly at Ye Xiu, not believing what he just heard. Did this man just admit he did a felony? “You initially registered under a fake name.”

“Not a fake name,” Ye Xiu interjected.

“You initially registered under an identity that is not yours.” Han Wenqing emphasized.

“He did,” Ye Qiu nodded.

“Can you keep it a secret?” Ye Xiu tilted his head leisurely. “I haven’t done the crime, I repented and fixed the problem. I deserve a second chance, right?”

“...” Han Wenqing glared at Ye Xiu. “You two never did anything else, right?”

“My darling little brother is a noob. He barely could play a Launcher, no way he could play Battle Mage, it would be stupid to do a switcheroo,” Ye Xiu happily mentioned. “I just bring him along everywhere to play with him, he’s not going to properly play in a match... at least not for another few months until his training is complete.”

Han Wenqing shook his head and sighed. “Up to you. See you on stage.”

Han Wenqing turned around and waved to them as he walked away.

“See you,” Ye Xiu easily responded as he inserted his coin into the vending machine.

The clangs of metal rang from inside the vending machine and Han Wenqing turned around. “Also, it’s a pleasure to make an acquaintance with you two. Ye Xiu, Ye Qiu.”

The twins paused and showed an identical smile. “Likewise, Han Wenqing.”

The next to meet Ye Xiu and Ye Qiu face to face was Blue Rain. Wei Chen made sure the world knew of his complaints.

Swoksaar: Fuck, this is getting out of hands. No one told me there’s two of them!

Vaccaria: What do you mean?

Peaceful Hermit: Fuck, Old Wei. He dropped by to do dramatics and didn’t explain shit!