Moon Branch [Esports]

A sword-wielding girl × a sealed sword

*

When Song Jinglu was seventeen, she developed severe depression.

When her grip on her sanity was slipping and she was close to giving up, a friend suggested she try playing video games to distract herself from reality.

She downloaded the hugely popular mobile game Pinnacle. The first time she worked up the courage to play ranked, the marksman started berating her over voice chat because she wasn't good enough.

"Why are girls even playing games? Go get married and stay home with the kids."

"If I scattered rice over the keyboard, even a chicken would play better than you."

"Push the other team. Focus the support."

Song Jinglu cried as she apologized, and had even taken out the big bottle of sleeping pills she'd bought a long time ago.

Just as she was about to stuff the handful of pills in her hand into her mouth, she saw the enemy team's mid laner, Bian Que, say, "Hou Yi, come over and take your medicine."

Her hand trembled, and the sleeping pills scattered all over the floor.

*

Later, she learned by chance that the Bian Que was a professional ADC streaming while smurfing in low-ranked games. His name was Jian Xingzhi.

She worked up the courage to open his match stream. The young man wore a black team jersey, his expression cool and his presence sharp. The hero he controlled took one kill after another, like a keen-edged sword.

The way he lifted the trophy beneath the lights made him look just like the moon.

She immediately decided she would get a little closer to the moon, and then closer still.

*

After TW brought in a new female support, they overcame widespread doubt and won the autumn split.

Later, when Song Jinglu was streaming, a fan asked her, "Why did you want to go pro?"

Song Jinglu answered calmly, "To chase the moon."

The chat went quiet for a moment, then filled with messages: "What?"

"Waaah? Does my goddess have a white moonlight?!"

"Could it be the captain of ARC next door? They seem to have known each other for a long time."

She was just about to change the subject when the person beside her reached out and toyed with her cool earlobe. His voice still carried the lazy rasp of someone who had just woken up. "Don't make wild guesses."

He paused, then added with a soft laugh, "The moon's surname is Jian. I've already caught up to him."

*

She was buried in darkness, but the moon sent branches growing from her rotting heart.

*

An insecure support fairy who likes to keep a straight face but is impossibly cute × a steady, sharp-tongued ADC who rules the team

Note: 1. This is my take on esports. The author has the final say on all explanations.

2. No personal attacks, no baseless accusations of plagiarism, and no bringing real life into it. Comments will be deleted, so fairies, please mind your words.

3. The game is based on Honor of Kings. It's fine if you don't play games; it doesn't come up much.

Here's a preview of my upcoming story next door, Reverse Gap

Blurb:

A black swan who's great at pretending and a little crazy × a tsundere, refined young master who's a hopeless romantic

*

Qin Luo was raised from childhood as the heir to the Qin family, the most untouchable black swan among Jiangcheng's wealthy elite.

She was beautiful and aloof, from a distance resembling a drift of snow atop a mountain. Yet she was forceful and ruthless in business, and many older figures felt a chill whenever her name came up.

People in their circle said that no one was worthy of such a lofty beauty.

Qin Luo thought so too.

But one summer, she was invited to an event at her best friend's university. A young man on the basketball court moved with effortless precision, looking listless as he sank a simple three-pointer.

She watched, transfixed, and for the first time felt her heart stir.

*

After the game, she planned to go ask him for his contact information.

But before she could even see him, she heard his friends joking: "...Chen Ci? His ideal type is obviously the classic sweet, delicate girl: weak and innocent, with tears in her eyes as soon as someone raises their voice."

"..."

Qin Luo frowned and compared each of those traits with herself.

Great. She didn't match a single one.

But it wasn't a big problem. If that wasn't her personality, couldn't she just act like it?

That very night, she acted swiftly, staged an encounter, and moved into Chen Ci's home under the guise of a sweet girl who'd been kept by a sugar daddy.

*

After they got together, just as she'd expected, the young man was like a haughty little kitten. He seemed cold and unapproachable, but stroke him the right way and he'd roll over to show her his soft belly.

There was just one little mishap.

Someone disobediently exposed her true nature to Chen Ci without permission. She watched him frown and leave, her expression turning cold and impassive.

Back at the little villa, the man's expression was unreadable in the dim light. Her heart skipped a beat, but then she heard him murmur, "You drank, and you came home so late."

Chen Ci looked listless, letting out a low, mocking chuckle. "Qin Luo, you don't like me. Are you not even going to pretend anymore?"

Theme: Growth