"Crap, there's reporters. Someone must have broken the news of the fight…" V cursed as he pulled into the parking lot.
Xiao Yi glanced up from the phone but he wasn't too surprised to see six reporters standing near the entrance to the parking lot, cameras and phones rolling to try to grab a glimpse of one of the five members inside. At least, these ones were decent enough to not go snooping around for their hospital room.
He hummed and pulled open the glove box where the two black masks used earlier in the day laid and put one on whilst holding the other out for the boy reversing the car. "Mask."
V sighed, parked the car, and pulled the mask from his grasp with a glowered expression. "Do I really need it?"
'…'
A hand hit the back of his head and he yelped whilst looking at the other, an accusatory look on his face that would make his father's heartbreak. Not Xiao Yi, though. He only stared back at him for a few moments before stating. "I'm Frost. You're a CEO. Do you really think they won't recognize you without a mask?"
"You're Frost, so you shouldn't wear a mask! They'll recognize you, wait, let me see if there's a sweater…" V reached behind the seat, his hands coming up with nothing.
Xiao Yi nodded. "But they'll recognize Xiao Qiu's brother before they recognize Frost."
V retorted. "They'll put the pieces together. Why's Frost going to the hospital where -"
"So what?"
Xiao Yi slammed the door as he got out of the car. He didn't have time to fight, he had to go see his brother. So what if he was recognized? He was shocked that the public hadn't put the two pieces together by now, anyway.
Truthfully, he didn't give a shit whether or not they put two and two together anymore. It was a bit annoying and it might trouble Xiao Qiu when he wakes up but what the hell is he hiding from?
So what if he's a scum, retired esports player who sleeps on his brother's stream? Is it a crime?
V appeared next to Xiao Yi in a huff but didn't say anything as they walked toward the reporters, nor did he say anything as he watched one of the small reporters with a phone glance at the phone, then turn the camera toward them and walk out of the group.
It was only when the doors closed that he turned to the stone-faced person in the elevator and cursed. "I think that girl was live streaming."
Live streaming the entrance to a hospital?
That's a new level of low.
V, however, was right. That little reporter had been sent by her company to do a small live stream of the parking lot, deeming it as a non-emergency zone so she wouldn't get in trouble. Yet, although it was morally wrong, there were a few thousand people in the room watching whilst going about their days waiting to see if one of the members of the esports team, their staff, or families would go in so they could hear what happened.
All that was leaked was that there was a fight between some thugs and the players of a team so the world was still speculating on who those players were.
It was one of the newer viewers in the stream that pointed out. [Hey, doesn't that kind of look like Frost?]
The live streamer looked down at the comment, then back at the two men who were entering the elevator, and decided to turn her phone in that direction while quickly commentating. "One of our viewers said this man resembles Frost. Although I haven't seen him in a long time, I was able to be present at the worlds four years ago as a small intern… This person does resemble him, ah."
The viewers who had the audio on but were doing their own thing quickly came back to the screen to look, just as the doors closed.
Familiar, icy blue eyes stared directly at the phone as if they were seeing through the phone camera and at the person on the other side. The viewers felt a chill run through them.
[Those eyes…]
[Someone clip it!]
[There's no way, why would he be at the hospital?]
While the viewers were buzzing, the two men walked into the hospital room and took off their masks.
Xiao Yi glanced around the room and saw an empty spot where his brother was supposed to be. He looked toward Lee with an eyebrow raised.
Lee waved his arm. "Recovering in the ICU, doctors said he should wake up soon but no guarantee."
He turned to leave the room when Lee continued. "We can't visit him there."
He paused in his tracks, then turned and walked over to sit in the chair that was next to where Xiao Qiu's bed was supposed to be.
If all he could do was wait… He was good at that.
V greeted Lee. "It's been a while."
Lee nodded. "Sorry for showing you this side…"
"Can you still play?"
"Mmn, they said I'll recover before the next bracket begins."
The other three members had woken up, yet they were silently scrolling on their phones before Alex commented. "What the hell, someone's saying that bastard came to this hospital?"
V and Lee both froze, whilst Sam asked. "What bastard?"
"The captain that abandoned his team."
"Frost?"
"That guy, yeah."
"I guess bastards can get sick too."
Xiao Yi listened to his brother's teammates curse him out for only a few moments before snapping. "Shut the fuck up."
The room grew silent as the group collectively turned to look at the cute younger brother who always slept on their teammate's shoulders.
Alex looked at him, then back at his phone before pointing. "You - you - you…"
Xiao Yi nodded. "I'm that fucking bastard."