Reborn, I Eloped with the Celestial Commander

This novel will go VIP on June 25, the Dragon Boat Festival. A 10,000-character update will drop that day~! Weibo: Lord Duxiao / The first book in the Vanity trilogy, a reborn, passionate esports story. See my profile for the third book. Each is a standalone story. Former title: "Vanity" / Sorry for changing the title. Ye Shi always thought Lin Lang had been the same dull person since childhood, barely able to get a word out. That is, until he was reborn eight years into the past and discovered Lin Lang was still his senior in the same department. In a shadowy alley, the wails of thugs filled the street. The young man's gaze was like a cold, poison-coated blade. "What's wrong with you?" "...I just helped you, and now you're cursing me?" "Get lost." Ye Shi: Go to hell. Fine. You tell me to get lost during the day, but at night you're calling me your sweetheart in the game, aren't you? (???) //// Ye Shi, five-time champion of the Vanity PvP Masters Challenge, represents the pinnacle of Chinese esports skill. Rumor has it he and Lin Lang, the wealthy captain of an S-Series team tournament squad, can't stand each other. Their fans are always at each other's throats, too. But Ye Shi has a secret. He was once a rising star in team tournaments, but his youthful arrogance led him into a wager and a setup that kept him from the professional scene. It was Lin Lang who pulled him out of the mire and supported him as he climbed the World PvP Glory Rankings. They weren't rivals at all. They were each other's only friend. But Ye Shi never expected... Everyone showered Lin Lang with starlight and endless flowers, never realizing that inside, he was already utterly desolate. "I have nothing but vanity." That was what he said before he took his own life. ///// Lin Lang: "The wisdom of mortals is like the world a goldfish lives in. They think they've reached the end, but all they've found is the reflection on the glass of their fishbowl. They mistake that fleeting glimmer, like a flower reflected in water or the moon reflected in a mirror, for a gift from heaven. It's laughable." "If I have to live in a world like this, I'd rather die." Ye Shi: "Mortals make fishbowls. The gods will make an ocean for you. That's the reason I was reborn eight years into the past." "Looks like heaven doesn't want you and hell won't take you, so I'm the only one who'll put up with you, Ye Shi! Hahahahaha!" Reformed troublemaker shou x eerily wise, emotionless gong Reader's guide: 1. This is the first esports novel in the Vanity trilogy. The second is sci-fi, and the third is fantasy. Each has different protagonists, so feel free to add them to your library. 2. Strong leads, one-on-one pairing, roles are not reversible. Only the shou is reborn. The gong took his own life in his previous life because he found the world dull and boring, not because he was depressed. 3. The game in the novel is entirely original and called Vanity. It is not the mobile game of the same name! It has team and individual competitions. See the main story for details. 4. Vanity's competitions are the world's top events, and everything is fictional. None of the settings are based on real life! 5. The focus is on passionate competition, with plenty of competition scenes and high-energy action throughout. It's not just a romance. 5. There are side pairings with other orientations, but they won't get much focus. The story starts with online gaming and shifts to competitive play. PS: For warnings about the online-game setting, see the author's note in Chapter One. Theme: Love can cross the divide between life and death, and life and death can follow too