Enemies Can't Become Wives

What does it feel like to get utterly destroyed by the same person in three consecutive promotion matches?

You Jia: Thanks for asking. I swear this person is my sworn enemy.

Office drone You Jia first tried Splatoon at twenty-four. From then on, he couldn't stop, and sank into a life of gaming addiction.

After WINE sent him running in three consecutive S-rank promotion matches, You Jia was absolutely furious.

There's only so much you can bully an honest squid!

From that day on, You Jia privately put WINE on his mortal enemies list and vowed that one day, he'd use his roller to crush that show-off octopus into an octopus pancake!

But just a few days later, You Jia was horrified to discover something was wrong.

This WINE was the same person as a retired pro from another game.

And, to make matters worse, that person was his cousin's roommate.

Worse still, he'd complained to his cousin on the phone about how much he hated WINE.

Worst of all, the petty WINE had heard him say it with his own ears.

The first time they met, Zhang Jiu smiled and said, "Brother You Jia, I heard you really hate me."

You Jia broke into a cold sweat.

Could he still take that back?

Zhang Jiu is a mean-spirited guy who's great at hiding it, but somewhere along the way, You Jia seems to have fallen into his trap and become completely infatuated with him.

All You Jia can do is sigh and silently remind himself: An enemy squid is an enemy squid. An enemy squid cannot become a wife.

Just then, a message popped up.

Zhang Jiu: I'll carry you to S+50. You in?

You Jia: I'm in. I love you the most!

Lazy office drone · hardcore rank grinder · secretly domestic · roller-wielding squid · bottom

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Retired esports pro · sniper god · malicious younger top · Big Swig Express 4K-wielding octopus · top

Reader's guide:

1. A mysterious creation by an author obsessed with Splatoon. You don't need to have played the game to enjoy it; at heart, this is a sweet modern romance.

2. I can't think of anything that needs a content warning.

3. Oh, and don't play Splatoon. It's addictive.

Upcoming modern romance: The Triangle Game. Blurb below.

[Love's ashes + love triangle + rivalry for the bottom, with a touch of old-school romance, mainly romance with a secondary plot]

1.

The World Youth International Chess Championship is the premier battlefield young chess players around the world dream of reaching.

Even before the tournament began, everyone had already assumed the champion would be either Nan Jiachen or Alexei.

But no one expected the title to go to a Chinese player they'd always called a "beautiful vase."

Only when the young Ming Lin slowly stepped onto the podium did they have to admit:

Perhaps he wasn't merely a beautiful vase. Perhaps he was a hunter who had come to the tournament.

There was, however, a rumor.

After the championship, in a restroom, the Chinese champion had apparently been cornered by Nan Jiachen and Alexei, one on either side.

Some thought it was bullying. Others thought it was an argument.

But no one could have imagined that Nan Jiachen and Alexei were begging Ming Lin for forgiveness and mercy.

2.

Nan Jiachen, a Chinese American competitor representing the United States; Alexei, a Russian competitor; and Ming Lin, a Chinese competitor.

These three were hailed as the rising stars of international chess.

Few people knew that one ordinary summer, they had trained together in a small Chinese city.

At first, they had shared moments of unbreakable closeness.

But no one knew when their friendship had begun to teeter on the brink.

One of Ming Lin's best friends told him,

"To become world champion, I have to cut off all attachments. I'm sorry, but we can't see each other anymore."

His other best friend told him,

"Sorry, I'm really not gay. I'm sorry I gave you the wrong idea."

Ming Lin was baffled.

What on earth were these people talking about?

They were just playing chess. What did that have to do with dating or being gay?

As time passed, Ming Lin gradually moved on from his two friends.

But when he first stepped onto the international stage, Alexei cornered him in the dressing room and kissed him on the face again and again.

Ming Lin was stunned.

Before he could recover, a huge bouquet of roses from Nan Jiachen was waiting for him outside the hotel.

Ming Lin couldn't take it anymore.

Only then did he realize that he and his two friends seemed to have very different ideas about what their relationship meant.

3.

"This isn't a stage Chinese players should be competing on."

Twelve years ago, a Chinese chess player made it to the final of the International Chess Championship for the first time, only to suffer a crushing defeat.

Countless foreign media outlets mocked China.

From the start, this was a battle no one believed they could win.

Watching the broadcast, young Ming Lin formed a small wish.

Why couldn't he be the one to sit on the chess throne?

Twelve years later, another rising Chinese star broke into the international chess world.

No one could have predicted the storm he would unleash.

When Ming Lin finally took the seat reserved for the king of chess, reporters pointed their cameras and microphones at him from every direction. He simply ran a hand over the armrest and smiled.

"It's nothing special."

This throne, held by Europe for so long, was really...

Nothing special.

Outwardly aloof, secretly a cocky king, slow-to-realize sweet-filled bottom Ming Lin

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Dominant, straightforward, intensely possessive true top Alexei

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Gentle, elegant, secretly scheming loser top Nan Jiachen

Reader's guide:

1. Lots of love triangles, love's ashes, and rivalry for the bottom!!!

2. Includes flashbacks. The tone and plot are more serious, with an old-school feel.

3. The true top is already decided and won't change: it's Alexei. But Nan Jiachen will have plenty of scenes too.

4. The author isn't a professional chess player, but has already started studying chess seriously. This isn't based entirely on real life, and none of the characters are based on real people!!!

5. If you like it, add it to your favorites! The more favorites it gets, the sooner I'll start writing it!!! (rubs hands)

Theme: Understanding is the foundation of love