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One morning, Huang Shaotian was out for a run in Guangzhou. No longer early enough to be dawn, it was reaching the hour that workers and businesspeople set out to begin their days. As he was making his way back to his team headquarters, Huang Shaotian spotted someone he did not expect.
A flicker out of the corner of his eye drew his attention. There, on the other side of the street, stood a man with a remarkably familiar profile. It couldn’t be—Lao Ye?
The traffic light had already turned yellow. Huang Shaotian darted across just in time and then ran over to Ye Qiu. On his way over, he observed Ye Qiu more closely while letting his mouth run.
Ye Qiu’s back was mostly turned towards Huang Shaotian, but Huang Shaotian immediately noticed something off about him. Lao Ye in a suit? With coiffed hair and a fancy briefcase? With good posture?! There was something very wrong with that picture.
“Lao Ye, have you come to visit us? Have you come to beg for a spot in Blue Rain? Is that why you’re all dressed up? We’re the best, best team! Admission isn’t easy, not even for you. You’d better prepare to get down on your knees to ask for the chance to join us. You’ll have to PKPKPK me first!”
Huang Shaotian finally caught up with Ye Qiu and placed a hand on his shoulder, causing him to whirl around.
“Can I help you?” Ye Qiu’s expression was oddly flat, with some genuine confusion and a slight furrowing of his eyebrows in annoyance.
Huang Shaotian took a step back, his hand sliding off the stranger’s shoulder. The face, the hair, and the tailored suit were all entirely unlike the Ye Qiu that Huang Shaotian knew. This man did not stand or smile like Ye Qiu, nor did he recognise Huang Shaotian. Against all odds, Huang Shaotian was face to face with an impostor.
“Lao Ye, what happened to you? Have you been replaced by a pod person? Are you in disguise so you can sneak into Blue Rain and steal all our secrets? It’ll never work. I’ll PKPKPK you! You won’t learn anything! And did you really think Captain wouldn’t catch you? Captain is way too smart; he’ll never fall for your tricks.”
The impostor straightened his suit with a few sharp tugs before frowning at Huang Shaotian. “You’re too loud. Who are you and why are you talking to me?”
He truly did look uncannily like Ye Qiu. If Huang Shaotian didn’t know better, he might have been fooled. However, he knew how to pay attention to small details, and this was clearly not his senior. How could Ye Qiu not have told him that he had a twin?
“Ye Qiu! Don’t act like you don’t recognise me, Huang Shaotian! Did you hit your head and get amnesia? Is that how you ended up here in our city, wandering the streets like some poor lost soul? You’d better not have forgotten how to play Glory. What would Excellent Era do without you? They could never win by themselves.”
Ye Qiu’s mystery twin looked increasingly consternated, but that didn’t slow Huang Shaotian down.
“If you did get amnesia, don’t worry, I can help you. I’m your best friend! I’ll tell you everything you need to know. You play a Battle Mage in Glory, but you’re not nearly as good as me! I beat you every time we PK because you’re no match for the Sword Saint! In fact, you probably came here to beg me for a rematch before you lost your memories. I’ll oblige, and I’ll beat you soundly while I’m at it!”
The twin scoffed. “I don’t have amnesia, and I can tell you’re lying through your teeth. Go away. I have a meeting to get to, and I can’t be late.”
With that, the twin strode away briskly. Huang Shaotian jogged alongside him, unwilling to let this opportunity pass him by.
“I don’t lie, I’m not a liar! I never lie, ask anyone. Ask Captain! …Actually, don’t ask Captain. He’s very busy, and I’m sure he has better things to do. But he would tell you that I don’t lie, I’m very honest. The most honest, the honest-est!” Huang Shaotian paused for breath. “A meeting? A meeting with whom? What do you have meetings for? Why would you come all the way here from Hangzhou?”
The twin stopped mid-stride and glanced sharply at Huang Shaotian. “Hangzhou? That’s where my disgraceful brother is?”
Huang Shaotian repressed a smug smile. “Aha! You’re not Lao Ye, you’re his brother! He never told me he had a brother! Is that why you look so similar? You even give off some of the same shameless vibes that he does. This is a conspiracy, a betrayal! The world can only handle one Ye Qiu. Two is too, too many!
“Do you play Glory? What class do you play? I bet it’s a Battle Mage, like Lao Ye, or a Blade Master like me! Blade Master is the best, best, best, best, best class! But hey, what’s your name?” Huang Shaotian asked.
“My name is Ye Qiu,” he replied.
“Ye Qiu? Ha ha, your parents must have no imagination! They named both of you Ye Qiu? How do you spell it? How do people tell you apart?”
“No, I’m the real Ye Qiu. That brother of mine stole my name.”
“Really? I should have known that Lao Ye would be so sly as to use a fake name. He really is shameless!” Huang Shaotian could just picture Lao Ye’s face when he told him he found out his secret. It would be priceless.
“Now you know. And I don’t play Glory, so leave me alone.” The twin, apparently called Ye Qiu (that shameless senior, stealing names like he stole championships), set off again.
Huang Shaotian followed. “If you don’t play, that’s okay. I’ll teach you, and then we can PKPKPK!”
“I don’t know what this ‘PKPK’ means. You keep saying that word,” Ye Qiu said. He paused, curiosity getting the better of him.
“It means ‘Player Kill.’ I want to fight, fight, fight in Glory to see who’s the best!”
“Fighting me would be pointless. I won’t win.”
“I’ll teach you, and then you’ll be good! But not as good as me, I’ll still be the best!”
“That’s still not fair. You’re a pro, right? You must be if you know my brother. And besides, I don’t care about Glory. I’m not going to learn.”
“How could you not care about Glory? Are you sure you’re related to Lao Ye? I’m pretty sure he breathes and bleeds Glory. He probably doesn’t go a day without harassing some poor players with his black-hearted tactics. I bet he plays Glory in his sleep and still manages to bully the rest of us.”
“In his sleep? Is he not sleeping enough?” Ye Qiu asked. “He should take better care of himself.”
“He should! He should, shouldn’t he? Lao Ye always looks so tired, and he smokes all those cigarettes. Does he even stop playing to eat or sleep? He should come to Blue Rain. We are so, so healthy! We have snacks, and drinks, and the best, best beds. We’re the best team!”
“Enough about Glory. Is that all you think about?” Ye Qiu sounded harsh, but Huang Shaotian could tell he didn’t mean to be unkind.
“Glory is great, it’s the best game! But I do other things too. If you won’t PKPKPK me in Glory, then challenge me to something else. I’ll meet your challenge no matter what, and I’ll win, too. Try me, try me, try me!”
Ye Qiu scoffed again, but Huang Shaotian noticed a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Success! He was winning him over.
“You’ll accept the challenge no matter the task?”
“Yes, yes, I will, of course I will! I’ll duel you in anything. I’ll take on your challenge, and I’ll beat you no matter what.”
Ye Qiu smirked, looking so like Lao Ye for a moment that Huang Shaotian blinked. “Then I challenge you to playing a piece of music on the piano. I’ll pick the piece, and we’ll both play it. The one who’s better wins.”
Huang Shaotian lit up. It was so rare that anyone besides his close friends took him up on his challenges. This would be fun! But— “I don’t know how to play piano. I’ve never tried it, I never learned.”
Ye Qiu’s smirk grew bigger. “Are you backing down? Scared to lose?”
Huang Shaotian shook his head vigorously, waving his hands wildly as if to dismiss the very idea. “No! Me, scared? I’m never scared! I’ll do it. Tell me the piece and I’ll play it better than you ever could. My fingers are fast, the fastest! Just watch.”
“If I win, then you have to tell me everything you know about my brother,” Ye Qiu said.
“Ha! You’re a spy, a nosy, nosy spy. Does your brother not speak to you? Fine, I can tell you all about him. But! I’m not going to lose! If I win, then you have to tell me super embarrassing childhood stories about him. Then next time I see him I can use them as blackmail!”
Ye Qiu held out his hand, and Huang Shaotian shook it enthusiastically. In Ye Qiu’s eyes blazed a flame of competitiveness that was uniquely his own, and Huang Shaotian felt a similar spark within him flare in response. He could tell this was the beginning of something wonderful. No one would ever see this coming!