Go Easy on Me

There has always been a rumor in the domestic esports scene. Miel, Tang Xiu, the prodigy mid laner of Europe’s league and a lost pearl who somehow ended up abroad, has an unspeakable past back home. Three years ago, a photo taken at an airport made the rounds on social media. A flight bound for Europe was about to depart. The boy sat in the VIP lounge, eyes bloodshot, one hand braced against his forehead as he fought back a sob. Netizens sighed and captioned it: “True romantics are born only into wealthy families.” Later, when a friend brought up the photo, he merely said, “I forgot.” Then one day, the lost pearl came home. This hard-hearted romantic, who claimed to have forgotten the past, sat in the audience at the arena and gave Ji Zhixue the finger in front of millions. His friend said, “Wait, what exactly did he forget?” - Ji Zhixue, current captain of COG, the number one jungler on the Chinese server. Hundreds and thousands have fallen to his gentle blade. They say he was the one who cleaned house back then and kicked Tang Xiu out. Afterward, Tang Xiu was suspended and left the country. Ever since, the two have been like fire and water. Everyone says Miel holds a grudge. Especially against Ji Zhixue. Even during the post-match handshake with opponents, fans joke, “Better put on a bulletproof vest. Watch out, the other guy might pull a knife on you.” Ji Zhixue only smiles when he hears this. After the match that day, with cameras trained on them from every angle, Ji Zhixue pulled the boy into his arms right there on the stage. He stroked his back, then ruffled his hair. “Young master, they say you’re going to kill me.” “Go easy on me.” - A gentle, older schemer × a proud, flamboyant young master Reader’s guide: The MOBA game is fictional, so no worries if you don’t play games. Esports won’t take up too much of the story. The tournament format is partly based on real competitions, but there’s no need to scrutinize the details. Hope you enjoy reading. *A preview of a modern, sweet cat-and-dog story* Xu Qing is a hot-blooded manga artist for young readers. He’s neither young nor hot-blooded, but he looks like he walked right out of a comic. Long-haired and languid, he spends all day basking in the sun. One day, he fed a stray dog downstairs in his apartment complex. It was a huge golden retriever. Later, someone knocked on his door. That was a huge golden retriever, too. What is this? Did it turn into a person? “A couple of days ago, you fed a golden retriever a duck leg. Do you remember?” the golden retriever asked. “Are you the duck or the golden retriever?” Xu Qing said. “I’m the college student housekeeper you called. Twenty-five an hour, a little better than working at the milk tea shop by the campus gate.” The golden retriever showed him his student ID. Chen Yue. And damn, he was a graduate student at one of those prestigious 985 universities. “That dog didn’t finish the duck leg last time. It hid it downstairs, where it went rotten. They found several bones, and the building cleaner said not to feed it next time,” Chen Yue said. “Oh.” Xu Qing quietly hid the more-than-half-full bag of duck jerky. “Like dogs? Then why do you have a cat?” Chen Yue pointed at the black mango pit sleeping on its back with all four paws in the air. “Dogs don’t listen,” Xu Qing said. Later, the temporary housekeeping job turned into a live-in position, and the pay went up accordingly. All the way to thirty yuan an hour. The long-suffering Mr. Chen had lost count of how many times he’d swept up spicy manga drafts mixed with BL-flavored scenes, including one about a dog-eared butler. At last, he couldn’t take it anymore. He rushed into the study and crowded Xu Qing onto the round sofa. “What are you drawing?” “A dog-eared butler,” Xu Qing said. “Do you have a dog?” Xu Qing shook his head. “No.” “Get one.” Chen Yue leaned over him, burying his face against Xu Qing’s neck as he murmured, “A well-behaved one.” Xu Qing freed a hand to pat his cheek. “Got it. Go play.” Theme: Stand by the one you love.