You're Too Old to Grow Any Taller [Esports]

On Su Ning's first day after transferring to BQ, everyone exchanged glances as they looked at the pretty, baby-faced boy with blue eyes who seemed more like a high schooler. They felt their intercontinental tournament hopes were doomed. Only the captain, Chi Ming, smacked every downcast teammate on the head. "The Korean server was fighting over him, and now you have the nerve to look down on him?"

*

The new kid was soft, quiet, and aloof. When he entered the training room, he clung to the captain's sleeve and hid behind him. The captain even introduced him to everyone. After winning his first match, he gave the interview in just four words: "A win is a win." The interviewer couldn't help laughing.

*

The fans were worried the tyrannical captain would drive their cute, clingy new kid away. On Weibo and the fan forums, they repeatedly urged them to get along, praying for harmony within the team by dropping hints wherever they could.

Then, one day, fans happened to run into them backstage at the Mercedes-Benz tournament venue. Excitedly, they were about to rush over for an autograph when they saw the captain in a dim hallway, one hand braced against the wall as he trapped the pretty boy in the crook of his arm, smiling down at him with crinkled eyes.

As usual, Su Ning lowered his lashes, withdrawn. After waiting for a long while, he looked up in confusion, hesitated, then rose onto his toes and kissed the captain's cheek. His ears were red, but he still remembered to remind him, "Give me the first red buff, okay?"

Chi Ming suppressed a laugh and pretended to ponder. "Can drinking milk still make you grow taller?"

Su Ning: ...

*

Later, the club's owner sold the team, and Chi Ming was dragged back into the infighting of his wealthy family.

Fans watched as the pretty boy who used to clam up and barely manage two sentences on camera took charge of the mess. After a loss, he volunteered to face the interview and take the blame. When controversy erupted, he could calmly and fluently set the record straight. He no longer clung to anyone's sleeve, or watched the world with curiosity and nerves from beside someone else.

Later still, Chi Ming bought the club.

The fans looked forward to their reunion.

Su Ning submitted his retirement notice.

--

A second chance after heartbreak, with a little sourness, lots of sweetness, and misunderstandings. A sweet little story. He, 1v1, mutual pining.

A beautiful, taciturn, sickly but incredibly skilled top who loves acting cute with his partner, a tragic beauty × a fierce and powerful bottom, a treasure-guarding dragon who sometimes lowers his head to kiss his not-so-tall partner.

[Quick note]

[Su Ning is the top, Chi Ming is the bottom]

[Going VIP on March 9. Mwah!]

-- No longer updating --

[After being locked for a few days, the book has been unlocked again. It won't be updated further, so feel free to remove it from your collection. I hate people putting labels on others. I'm not going to say our tastes don't match and we should just leave each other alone and move on, because that's not going to happen anyway. My final feeling about Ningning is that when I can no longer keep writing him, I won't force myself to continue. I want to leave him with the possibility of not being written out of character.

I revised the story, removing the parts I thought weren't as good and fixing the sections that undermined the top's characterization. Everything else is unchanged.]

Theme: Stay true to what you love and remember your original purpose. Face fate with the courage to resist and strive.