Your Ex Sent You a Team Invite [Esports]

Originally titled Three Thousand Pear Trees. Main story complete, bonus chapters in progress.

(Please interact and leave comments, sob. Writing is hard, and writing to myself is even worse QwQ)

Coming next: a similarly hilarious romantic comedy, now available for pre-order

Professional claw-machine player x novelist

Hot-tempered, dominant, charismatic guy who knows how to guide people x socially anxious, poker-faced, unbelievably lucky airhead

Lu Zhao (male) x Song Huaijin (female)

Song Huaijin is a hardworking writer, but her work never gets much attention. At a young age, she was diagnosed with cervical spondylosis, until her doctor sternly gave her a warning:

"Keep writing and you'll end up paralyzed!"

Only then was she forced to take some time off. Years of writing had left her unable to fit into normal social situations. To other people, even her family, she was practically a female ghost.

Roommate 1:

"She lies in bed all day like a ghost, with pale lips and dark circles under her eyes, staring straight at her computer like she's gone mad."

Roommate 2:

"Ever since she started writing novels, she hasn't smiled once. (Wipes away tears)"

So when they heard she had to take a break, the two of them packed her things and left them outside the door.

"To stop you from working again, your computer's staying here. Get out."

Song Huaijin didn't understand, but accepted it. As she wandered around with her suitcase, she spotted a few claw machines filled with beautifully made plushies. After doing a rough calculation, she figured she still had enough money to indulge in a little claw-machine spree, so she walked up to one.

A sign was prominently displayed on the machine's door:

"This machine has a sliding claw. We don't reset it. If you pick the lock to steal a plushie, we'll beat your ass black and blue."

Song Huaijin stared at it for a long time. A flicker of confusion crossed her cool, ethereal face, then she lowered her eyes calmly.

What is all that gibberish? I don't understand.

After she'd put in 800 yuan and still hadn't won the plushie, someone who'd been watching her from a shadowy corner for a long time finally came over. He was a fair, clean-cut young man, though his upturned phoenix eyes gave him an intimidating air.

Before Song Huaijin could react, his pleasant voice came from above her.

"Are you an idiot? That plushie is worth 80, and you've spent 800."

"It's been guaranteed four times already. Why didn't you ask the front desk for it instead of putting in more money?"

At that, Song Huaijin raised her head slightly and saw the man standing behind her, more than half a head taller than she was, frowning at her.

Handsome, but a little too fierce.

"What's a guarantee?"

Her voice came from beneath her mask. Most of her face was hidden behind her dark hair, and that brief sideways glance almost looked like an eye roll.

Her question left Lu Zhao dumbfounded for a moment. He laughed in exasperation.

"You don't know what a guarantee is, and you came to play my machine?"

Song Huaijin thought for a moment, took the tokens she'd exchanged out of her arms, and asked in confusion:

"If I have money, why can't I play your machine?"

At last, Lu Zhao seemed to realize there was no way to communicate with her. More accurately, talking to her felt like talking to someone with a walnut for a brain. He unlocked the machine, took out the plushie she wanted, tossed it into her arms, and said:

"Get lost."

Song Huaijin looked at the plushie in her arms and gazed gratefully after him.

"What a good person!"

After she walked away, Lu Zhao checked the money he'd made from his machine.

1000

"What a dumbass."

That evening, when Lu Zhao got back to his rented apartment, he received a call.

"Someone needs a short-term rental. Don't you have an empty room?"

Lu Zhao frowned at that and asked impatiently:

"Man or woman?"

"Woman."

"Why the hell would a woman stay with you?"

The person on the other end sounded guilty and hurriedly tossed out:

"She's already there. You two can talk."

"What the hell? Wait..."

Before he could finish, he saw someone standing at his door, clutching a bun-shaped charm.

You...

Isn't that the dumbass?

If you like it, please add it to your favorites!

Blurb:

Bold, hilarious, sunny beauty x aloof, restrained, sharp-tongued, loyal ice prince

* Main story complete

* Reconciliation after a breakup, former lovers meet again

* Extremely goofy comedy

* The breakup had a reason. The male lead is not a jerk

Zhang Qiming, a DGH prodigy whom netizens said had everything the heavens could possibly favor, had just won the championship. Success was finally within reach when Gao Shuyue broke up with him.

Her reasons:

He wouldn't make their relationship public, wouldn't spend time with her, and kept disappearing.

And after his match, his first move wasn't to tell her the good news. After they broke up, his first move was to play ranked matches?

What a jerk!

After Gao Shuyue blocked and deleted him, completing the whole package, the two of them ran into each other in ranked play.

She stared at the game name "Gosh-Hardcore" on her phone screen, so angry that the corners of her mouth twitched.

What a piece of work. Just wait, I'll throw this game for you.

Zhang Qiming started a livestream. His refined, aloof face stood out among the other pro players, and his superb skills had earned him a huge following.

At that moment, a crowd of fans were congratulating him on winning the championship in his stream, when they saw Gao Shuyue's comically crooked movement and gameplay on his phone screen.

?

Was she throwing the game on purpose?

That night, while Gao Shuyue was drunk and heartbroken, she received an invitation from DGH's club.

[Hello, Moon. I'm Lan Yue, coach at DGH. Your stats this season have been excellent. Due to some team roster changes, we're currently short a player, so we'd like to invite you to join our club. Would you be interested?]

[Sure. Sounds great.]

When she sobered up, she stared at the two messages on her phone and fell into a strange silence.

???

Up until now, she'd been pretending she didn't know how to play games, all to get close to him as the girl next door!

She'd been drawn in by his devastatingly handsome face, slept with him, then broke up with him (even though she'd had no choice).

She'd even thrown a game against him before joining the team.

When you're in too deep, you might as well see how it goes.

She'd originally planned to show up, go through the motions, and then turn them down, but her ex caught her red-handed.

"Gao Shuyue?"

"Moon?"

"Moonlight on the West Tower?"

Clutching her ID, Zhang Qiming demanded through gritted teeth:

"Didn't you say you don't play games?"

"Ha... ha. I suddenly had an epiphany about the game, and then I got good at it."

Gao Shuyue offered a wooden explanation, but the look on his face said, "Does she think I'm an idiot?"

"Well, aren't you a little genius."

At first, Zhang Qiming ignored her completely and never gave her the time of day.

Later, he waited for her in her room. When he saw her eyes dart away, he suddenly pressed her against the wall with one hand. His refined, aloof face was full of restrained sorrow, tears glimmering in his eyes.

"Why did you break up with me?"

"Do you really not like my face anymore?"

She'd just sent herself straight into the wolf's den!

On the day they won the world championship,

Zhang Qiming, who had never once shared anything about his love life on Weibo, suddenly announced his engagement!

All his fans: [????]

All his fans: [Ming Shen got so much better at games. Is his love life moving this fast too?]

Theme: Love always finds its way back