The night air was cold as Su Xiang stood under a dimly lit streetlamp, his eyes darting nervously around. His hands were buried deep in his pockets, trying to fight off the biting chill. In front of him stood a man, his face obscured by shadows, the faint glow of his cigarette the only light between them. The man took a slow drag, the end of his cigarette flaring up as he exhaled a puff of smoke into the air.
"Good job," the man said, his voice low and raspy, extending an envelope towards Su Xiang.
Su Xiang's heart pounded in his chest as he took the envelope, feeling the weight of what was inside. He discreetly opened it, peeking inside to find thick stacks of cash—more money than he had ever seen at once. His hands shook slightly as he quickly stuffed the envelope into his bag, his eyes darting up to meet the man's gaze.
"When can I join your team?" Su Xiang asked, his voice barely hiding the eagerness he felt. This was his chance, the opportunity he'd been waiting for ever since he'd felt neglected at Excellent Era.
The man took another drag from his cigarette, the smoke swirling around him as he smiled. "Patience," he said slowly. "Let the situation cool down a bit. We can't have anyone getting suspicious, can we?"
Su Xiang nodded, though a knot of unease tightened in his stomach. The reality of what he'd done—the betrayal, the lies—was beginning to sink in, but the money and the promise of a new beginning kept him from looking back.
Meanwhile, back at the Excellent Era camp, the atmosphere was heavy with tension. Ye Xiu, Su Mucheng, and Liu Hao sat around a large table, stacks of applications and video submissions scattered in front of them. The search for a new team member had begun, but none of them could truly focus on the task. The betrayal of Su Xiang weighed heavily on their minds, gnawing at their sense of trust.
Ye Xiu, usually calm and collected, was different now—more distant, more silent. He scrolled through video after video, watching young players showcase their skills in Glory, but his mind was elsewhere. As a leader, he couldn't shake the guilt that he had failed to see Su Xiang's true intentions. He felt responsible for everything that had happened.
Across from him, Su Mucheng looked just as exhausted, her eyes glassy from watching endless streams of footage. Liu Hao was no better, his frustration evident as he shifted uncomfortably in his chair.
"No one's good enough," Liu Hao muttered under his breath, tossing another video submission aside. "We need someone who can match our skill, not just another fanboy trying to get in."
Ye Xiu, his eyes still glued to the screen, suddenly stopped on one of the videos. A young boy appeared on the screen, his face youthful but familiar in a way that Ye Xiu couldn't quite place. His gaming skills were exceptional, almost too refined for someone his age. The way he moved, the way he played—it stirred something in Ye Xiu's memory.
"Look at this," Ye Xiu said, beckoning Liu Hao over.
Liu Hao leaned in, squinting at the screen. "Who is this kid?" he asked, his tone sceptical.
"I don't know," Ye Xiu replied, his brow furrowed. "But something about him... his style, his movements... they remind me of someone."
Liu Hao watched the gameplay closely, his own eyes narrowing. "He plays like someone we know," he said slowly, recognizing the similarities in the boy's tactics. "But who?"
"I'm not sure yet," Ye Xiu said, "but I want to meet him." Without hesitation, Ye Xiu typed out an email to the boy, inviting him to a meeting. They agreed to meet at a small, unassuming coffee shop called Café Azure the next afternoon.
On the other side of the city, Huang Shaotian sat at his desk, his phone buzzing softly on the table beside him. He picked it up, his eyes narrowing as he saw the sender of the message: the man from the bar. The man who had handed him that mysterious business card on the night before the championship. Ever since then, Huang had been on edge, his curiosity eating away at him. Despite his better judgment, he had messaged the man, starting what had become an occasional exchange of cryptic texts.
The latest message was an invitation: "Meet me tomorrow. Afternoon. Café Azure."
Huang stared at the screen, his mind racing. He couldn't shake the feeling that something about this was dangerous. But his curiosity was too strong to ignore. Maybe this man had answers, or maybe it was a trap. Either way, Huang found himself typing a reply: "I'll be there."
The next afternoon, Café Azure was quiet, the soft hum of coffee machines filling the air. Ye Xiu and Liu Hao sat at a corner table, waiting for the young boy they had invited. Ye Xiu tapped his fingers on the table absently, his mind still occupied with thoughts of the upcoming meeting. Across the room, Huang Shaotian walked in, scanning the café before his eyes landed on a man sitting at a booth near the back—the man from the bar.
As Huang moved towards the man, Ye Xiu's phone buzzed on the table, notifying him that the boy had arrived. The door to the café opened again, and a figure walked in—a familiar face that immediately caught Ye Xiu's attention. He stood up, his eyes widening in surprise.
"Wait," Liu Hao whispered, standing up beside Ye Xiu. "Is that...?"
But before they could say another word, Ye Xiu's eyes shifted to the back of the café, where Huang Shaotian was sitting down with the mysterious man. A sudden sense of unease crept over him. Something about this moment felt wrong—like all the pieces were falling into place, but for the wrong reasons.
The boy they had invited stepped closer to their table, while Huang Shaotian leaned in to speak with the man in the back.
And then, as if the world had stopped, Ye Xiu's phone buzzed again—a new message, from an unknown number:
"Hello, Ye Xiu..."