The smiling k

You'll win and lose

ZGDX had won the next couple of games with ease and they had a week before the next game. As they returned happily from the LPL venue, Xiao Rui announced, " I have a surprise for all of you tonight!"

Xiao Rui had arranged a surprise skirmish with a Koren team TAT, who had a  mid  called Ah Tai. The captain had originally been against it because Ah Tai was   ruthless and Smiling still needed to build confidence. Ah Tai was known for demoralizing   his opponent by picking the character they played best to beat them with   it.

Smiling asked excitibly - " What? "

Xiao Rui- " I have arranged a skirmish with TAT. You guys are breezing through this tournament . I feel like you need a dose of strong competition so that you don't get a big head."

K- " It's too soon. I told you not to do this."

Ming God- " Well, what's done is done. Look at it this way, finish the skirmish tonight. Take a couple of days off to relax and then back to the competition"

Everyone was excited. They ended up playing the skirmish and Ah Tai beat Smiling with   Leblanc despite every effort from her side. It seemed like the sole purpose of the skirmish for TAT was to attack ZGDX's mid.  As soon as their screens turned black and white, everyone looked at her with   concern. She had chosen Azir and  had tried to counter Leblanc well. As a master of Leblanc, she was perfectly aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the character. But today, to the observer it seemed as if Ah Tai had gone against someone who was familiar but still figuring it out.

While a volcano of turmoil erupted inside her head, she projected calm and said, " Its okay ...you win some and   lose some" .

Little Fatty " Ah! Smiling ..You are already so mature . Are you sure you are not older? You sound just like our captain"

Old Cat " Sister,  I was worried about you. Since you are ok, let's go get hotpot and put this behind us"

Smiling,  " No...you guys go ahead..I'm not that hungry" with a  forced smile. K saw right through her facade. He knew she  was a million miles  from okay. Deciding to give her some space, he went  out for dinner. When  they returned, he didn't see her at her desk but  noticed she was  online. He followed her progress on the leaderboards for four hours till 2  am . All evening, she played the champion she had chosen for the game, Azir till she had dropped two levels. At 2:30, he decided enough was enough and knocked on her door. When he didn't hear a response, he turned the knob and the door opened.

K- " Shortie, I am coming inside"

No response. He looked up to see her still in her uniform, playing at the desk non stop without even blinking almost. He went up, stood behind her and took her headphones out. She looked up with big eyes.

Tang Yao- " Let me play"

He put his fingers on hers, moved the mouse to log out. She sat unmovingly. He turned the chair towards him, squatted so he was eye level with her and said, " You can't win every game. Yes, you are one of the best Leblanc players, but someone analyzing you can figure out your reactions. If anything, their strategy was a reflection of how afraid they are of you.  You will get up and you will play well again. Think of this as an opportunity to be stronger, better and resilient."

She didn't say anything for almost 2 minutes. He stayed silent. She spoke slowly " I have never failed like this. I have never gotten such a low score on a test before. Do I even know how to play. TAT is not even a strong team, yet today, because of me, we lost. I feel like I let you down, the whole team down. I...I know no one blames me, but maybe they should" She drew her knees to her chest.

Lao K paused wondering how he could console her. He said, " Do you know what computer science and law have in common? Logic. But even logic can't cure the how the heart feels" He put is arms around her hesitantly and hugged her. It was a bit awkward considering he was crouching and she was sitting on the chair. After a few seconds she put her arms around his neck hugging him back. He picked her up and sat down on her armhair cradling her in his arms, just holding her without saying a word.  He understood that what she needed was comfort today, because tomorrow, she'd come back with renewed determination. They stayed like that for a good half hour before Tang Yao came to her senses, realizing the position she was in. But this felt so natural and comfortable to her that she knew in that moment that she liked him. Okay, maybe more than liked him.

She pulled apart and started trying to articulate her jumbled mix of emotions, " Lao K ...I..."

He just hugged her tight and said, " Sshhh, I know....rest today. You will get everything you want soon enough" He held her till she fell asleep in the comfort of his arms, then tucked her into her bed and went back to his room. The next  day, Tang Yao woke up refreshed. She sent a text to the Captain- " Good morning. My heart feels lighter. Thank you" as she came downstairs.

Lao Yue happened to be borrowing his brother's phone that moment. He asked, " Bro, who is this pink rabbit and why is this person telling you their heart feels lighter?"

Tang Yao's eyes widened hearing that. ' Pink rabbit? My bra!! Ughhhh did he really observe that closely? Lao K !'

Captain threw his sandal at Lao Yue and said, " Don't pry into my business. Hand me the phone back, since you are done using it". The texts went back and forth afterwards like this:

[pink rabbit] - PINK RABBIT? Seriously????? WTF

[ Captain]- Hard image to get out of one's head. It's cute (' Well sexy really...but I have a feeling telling you that won't go down well')

[pink rabbit] - It is inappropriate! Change my name on your phone at once! What if someone sees it and makes a connection?

[ Captain]- Are you planning on showing that particular outfit to anyone else?

[pink rabbit] - NOOOO...but that's besides the point. It was a minute detail? It's embarrassing and wrong.

[ Captain] - I'm not blind ..........

[pink rabbit] - Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. You're impossible.

For the rest of the day, Tang Yao ignored the captain who would sporadically chuckle. She focused on the upcoming match with King , watching every one of their streams and studying their playing style. She made pages and pages of notes making even Ming-ge wonder when they had hired a new analyst.  When ZGDX subsequently won against King , it was like they anticipated the opponent's every move before they made it, thanks to Tang Yao's copious notes. She was still not speaking to the captain. K got MVP and he was doing the interview post game.

Little Fatty - " Ay Smiling?  What happened between you and our captain? Why are you not speaking to each other?"

She rolled her eyes and continued to pack . When the interviewer asked K the secret behind their success he said, " It's our mid. She has become the second analyst on the team. Between her and our coach Yu Ming, they must have watched and analyzed every pattern there is to find. They both hate losing"

He saw her looking at him dumbstruck, she hadn't expected him to review her notes or give her credit in public. He winked at her and she smiled for the first time in days at him and shook her head. This boy could be so empathetic, kind, roguish and frustrating all at the same time.