"Not too long, though. Preliminary rounds start in six months. We should get every minute in practice," Lixin's words echoed in Chaihong's mind.
As she walked toward the elevator, lost in thought, the sound of hurried footsteps broke through her thoughts. Zhang LiQiang jogged up behind her, slightly out of breath. "Wait!" he called out, his voice startling her. She turned quickly, her eyes wide.
"Thank you for coming today to try out," he said with a warm smile. "I hope you had fun."
Caught off guard by his sincerity, Chaihong hesitated for a moment before bowing slightly. "Thank you for inviting me," she replied earnestly. "It was an honor to play with such amazing people."
LiQiang chuckled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Amazing? We're just ordinary people passionate about gaming."
His words struck a deep chord in Chaihong's heart. Passionate about gaming… Making it a career, however, was an entirely different struggle. She'd seen it all—players burning out halfway through their journey, unable to withstand the mental and physical toll, and others who never even got the chance to show their true capabilities. It was a harsh reality, one she understood all too well.
As the elevator doors opened with a soft chime, Chaihong stepped inside, her thoughts still racing. Just as the doors began to close, Zhang LiQiang slipped inside, startling her.
"What are you doing?" she asked, her eyes widening.
LiQiang leaned casually against the wall of the elevator, adjusting his hair with the elevator's reflective walls. "Let me walk you to the train station," he said casually. Chaihong blinked, unsure how to respond. "You don't have to. I'll be fine," she stammered, shifting the strap of her bag on her shoulder.
LiQiang tilted his head slightly, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "I know you'll be fine. But just bear with me," he said, his gaze soft but steady.
As the elevator continued to descend, he let his thoughts drift to the past. He recalls every encounter he had with Chaihong had not been a good one. He decided to at least send her off safely to the station.
"Besides," he added after a moment, breaking the silence, "If you get in trouble with some weird people, I'll beat them up for you." saying in a joking manner
Chaihong glanced up at him, her expression a mix of surprise and amusement. "It's not that bad," she said with a small pout.
As they exited the building together, the evening air greeted them with a cool breeze. Chaihong glanced at him from the corner of her eye, feeling strangely comforted by his presence. She bowed slightly once more and murmured "Thank you… for today. And for walking me."
LiQiang chuckled softly. "You don't have to thank me so much. I told you, you are skilled and I think you will fit right in our team plus I just wanted to make sure you safely make it home."
Chaihong looked up at LiQiang, her expression thoughtful. "You're different from what I expected," she said quietly.
LiQiang raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Different how?"
"I thought someone as accomplished as you would be… intimidating," she admitted. "But you're just… normal. In a good way."
He laughed " Don't let anyone hear you say that, they will think you are crazy. That's the first time anyone said that to me"
Chaihong felt embarrassed, she realized her words seemed like she knew him well. "But I will take it as a compliment." he lifts his hand and slightly pats her head.
For some reason, her body did not avoid it nor hate being patted on the head.
She huffed, turning her gaze away to hide the way her face felt slightly warmer than before. "Let's just get to the station," she muttered, quickening her pace.
LiQiang chuckles and follows her along.
_________
Coach Ming's fingers hovered over the keyboard before he typed the name 'rainBow' into the search bar. The results loaded instantly, and just as he expected, a familiar face appeared—except much younger.
His eyes narrowed as he clicked on a video from three years ago. The grainy footage replayed an intense moment from an old Shooter Legends tournament.
Chaihong—no, rainBow—was the last one standing. Her teammates had already been eliminated, leaving her in a dire 1v4 situation. Most players would have panicked, played defensively, or given up altogether. But not her.
She moved with an almost unnatural precision, dodging incoming fire while landing headshots with frightening accuracy. With a swift flick of her wrist, she eliminated two enemies in a single burst, then repositioned before the remaining players could react. Her decision-making was seamless—she baited them into peeking, controlled the angles, and with a final, calculated spray, she wiped the entire squad.
The crowd in the background of the footage exploded in cheers. Even the casters were stunned into silence before one of them finally blurted out:
"Are you kidding me?! That was insane!"
Coach Ming leaned back in his chair, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. He remembered this moment. He had been there.
Back then, he had been scouting potential teams to coach, and Shooter Legends had been one of the many esports scenes he had analyzed. He had seen glimpses of her before, but the industry moved fast—players came and went, and some faded into obscurity before they ever had a real shot.
And now, here she was, standing in his training room, completely unaware of how much of an impact she had left behind as a female esports player.