After Marrying My Childhood Friend on a Whim

Jing Mian is a game streamer who never shows his face.

Even after joining a club, all anyone could see at competitions was a player sitting in the corner, wearing a hoodie. His skin was pale, his gameplay smooth and effortless, and above his dark mask, a pair of gentle, almond-shaped eyes glimmered softly.

Then a streaming mishap gave viewers a glimpse of Jing Mian eating instant noodles at home.

That night, the chat exploded.

“Is that really him?! What kind of otherworldly good looks are those?!”

“He could make a living off his looks, but he’d rather become a world champion through skill??”

“Watching him quietly eat instant noodles makes my heart melt...”

“How can he be so well-behaved!”

A few seconds later, the sound of a lock opening came through the stream.

The chat fell completely silent.

The young man on camera froze, a hint of panic flashing across his face. But it was too late. He came face-to-face with the owner of the voice.

“Mianmian.”

The next moment, a deep, stern male voice came through the microphone. After a few terse words, he added, “I told you not to eat instant noodles when you’re home alone.”

Jing Mian was at a loss. “Why are you back ear, ”

Before he could finish, the tall man lifted him into his arms and carried him out of frame.

Everyone watching: ?!!!

*

Jing Mian had always excelled at school and been well-behaved. After secretly becoming an esports streamer, he kept a low profile and focused on his game, winning countless fans with his voice and skill.

When his family told him he was promised in marriage to a man, Jing Mian wasn’t particularly fazed. In fact, he was a little excited.

The man was his childhood friend. Jing Mian remembered him as a handsome, fair-skinned boy, gentle and refined, the perfect boy next door, unbelievably kind.

Then came the day they met

Jing Mian looked up at the tall, mature man before him, whose imposing, frosty aura seemed to sweep over him.

“…”

Jing Mian had never imagined his boy-next-door friend would become such a stern, powerful man. He held his breath, his ears turning red with shock.

The tall man looked down at him, his voice languid and low. “Still just a kid.”

Jing Mian’s lashes fluttered, and he quietly relaxed.

…Good. It seemed the other man wasn’t interested in him either.

Until the powerful man put a ring on his finger, got their marriage certificate, and hung a photo of them in the study

On their wedding night, his fans waited all night, but Jing Mian, usually so punctual, never came online to stream.

…Jing Mian, whose legs were weak, sensed that things weren’t going quite as expected.

Didn’t he think Jing Mian wasn’t mature enough?

“Looks like you’ve grown up.”

The magnetic voice brought Jing Mian back to the present.

Jing Mian: “?”

The powerful man’s expression remained stern as his fingertip brushed the corner of Jing Mian’s eye. “You don’t call me big brother anymore.”

*Same-sex marriage is legal in this setting. Marriage first, love afterward, no children, cozy everyday life.

*The esports details are mostly made up. Please don’t compare them to real life.

*Childhood friends, one-on-one, happy ending.

*Weibo: @Jiuwanyi

Upcoming story: “The Physicist Who Married an Esports Player”

Blurb:

The uke is a promising young physicist. His dream is to win the Nobel Prize, then find a suitable partner.

As it happens, the country introduces a policy: citizens can use their ID cards to register with the national matching System and marry their assigned match. (In short, the country assigns you a spouse.)

The uke signs up, full of confidence.

His match will surely be someone who loves physics just as much as he does… Chemistry would be acceptable too.

Three days later.

When he learns that his match is a man, and an esports player to boot, the uke feels as if the sky has fallen.

Setting aside the fact that he’s a man, this is the least respectable profession in the uke’s eyes.

And the nation’s people call a 100% compatibility score a soulmate match.

Following the address, the uke decides to visit the seme’s club and talk things over.

The lights flash backstage at the competition. As he waits for the players to finish, he searches around for a chance to speak with them. Just as he turns around, he crashes into someone’s arms. The man is wearing a black hoodie, tall and looking down at him.

He hears the players around him call the man their captain.

Surrounded by the man’s unfamiliar, icy aura, he suppresses his nerves and looks up. “Hello. Could you sign this divorce agreement?”

“I heard that if both parties are unhappy, the country can approve a divorce. The cooling-off period is only six months.”

As he explains earnestly, his lashes flutter. The man unexpectedly pulls his own hood over the uke’s head.

His view suddenly darkens beneath the fabric, and the weight lifts from his head. The uke is stunned.

Then the esports star speaks in a cool voice. “I’m afraid you’ve got it wrong.”

“I’m not unhappy.”

*

The country issues a new announcement! The matching System has been updated, and newlywed couples will now be able to check why they were matched.

Unable to make sense of it, the uke is the first to ask the marriage bureau. The answer is:

1. Childhood friends. 2. 100% sexual compatibility. 3. They admire each other’s professions…

…

This is ridiculous.

Unconvinced, the uke skips a lecture by an overseas professor that day and heads to an esports tournament to watch the seme compete.

After a thrilling match, the third reason is proven true.

Coming back to his senses, the uke is dazed and flushed, his neck burning. He locks the lab, goes home, and, for the first time, knocks on his match’s door late that night.

That night, the second reason is proven true too.

Uke: “…”

Fine. That just leaves the first reason.

He and the spouse assigned to him by the country are childhood friends?

…Absolutely impossible.

*

Lock is the fearsome demon king of the esports world, whose career has been smooth sailing.

Not only is he incredibly skilled, he made it through the ranks as a beginner, formed the dark horse team Teen, and dominated the competition. He is known as a demon king of talent. Whether in-game or on the professional stage, he has created countless unforgettable legends that players still talk about.

In the end, he even married his childhood friend, the person he fell in love with at first sight.

When team Teen first meets the highly intelligent, levelheaded theoretical physics PhD, who is as beautiful as a painting, he blushes when all the players call him “Sister-in-law.” The team members are green with envy.

Until one day, the seme picks up his beloved from the lab and notices a countdown in the bottom-right corner of the small blackboard used for physics equations:

[The divorce cooling-off period ends in 42 days.]

Esports star, scheming seme × beautiful physicist uke

*Marriage first, love afterward, one-on-one, childhood friends, happy ending.

*Reunion after a long separation, a sweet little story.

Theme: Shine in your own fields