The smiling k

The universe is with me

After the interview the captain and smiling got into his car. He could see her anxiety as she fidgeted with her fingers in the seat next to him. He knew that the conversation he was going to have now was the most critical one of his life. It was going to make or break his life. He racked at his brain trying to calm her. He switched to an 90s pop station and it seemed the universe was with him today because, Wonderwall was playing.

"Today is gonna be the day that they're gonna throw it back to you And by now, you should've somehow realised what you gotta do

I don't believe that anybody feels the way I do about you nowAnd backbeat, the word is on the street that the fire in your heart is out
I'm sure you've heard it all before, but you never really had a doubt
I don't believe that anybody feels the way I do about you nowAnd all the roads we have to walk are winding
And all the lights that lead us there are blinding
There are many things that I would like to say to you, but I don't know howBecause maybe
You're gonna be the one that saves me
And after all
You're my wonderwall "

'How appropriate', he thought as she looked up at him in surprise. He said casually, " The universe is with me today. Somehow the song says what I wanted to say." She was suddenly much calmer as well.

" Where are we going?"

" Dinner. I thought you would appreciate some a place we could talk in private without worrying about the entire house listening" She stayed silent as they parked in front of what appeared to be an expensive Italian restaurant. She hesitated but followed him inside anyway.

The whole place had a very upscale romantic ambiance. Tang Yao was suddenly grateful for Jiyang's help getting dressed today. Jiyang had brought her a beautiful red dress to wear for the interview claiming it would complement the captain's black suit. She had given Tang Yao a earful about not using all the pretty clothes they had bought together on their shopping spree.

They ordered foot and both spoke at the same time " So..."

Lao K - " You first..."

Tang Yao was suddenly flustered. " I....I" He placed his palm on hers causing her to look up.

Lao K - " We have all the time in the world. Relax, breathe"

She took a deep breath and started speaking, " I...um was attracted to you from the moment I saw you in the elevator that day. Then you shocked me by letting me drive your car. No one had shown so much confidence in me before. Then you took me to my graduation that even my parents didn't bother showing up for.... I think I had fallen for you by then but stubbornly refused to admit", she smiled at him as he caressed her palm with his thumb. She continued, " Then Jiyang started teasing me after she saw our photos. I didn't understand how to react to them. I know that your name has never been associated with anyone, you are the only person in the e-sports field about whom even rivals will say good things about. I didn't want to upset that. That day when you walked in on me, I was mortified. Then you saved my contact with that stupid nickname. I was irritated but I couldn't bring myself to be angry with you. Then you took care of me on my period without making a big deal about it and the other night when I was drunk. I don't even remember the last time someone too care of me like that. I had fallen in love with you, but still didn't want to acknowledge it. Mostly because I didn't know how you felt and I was scared by the depth of my own feelings for you...It wasn't like this with Jian Yang. What I felt then, wasn't even a fraction of what I feel for you! Do you know how hard it was for me to not hold your hand and snuggle on your shoulder at the movie theater?"

Lao K grinned broadly, " If you had gone for it, I might have kissed you right there. Next time, I look forward to it" , he winked.

She swatted him and continued, " The more time I spent with you , the more I'm drawn in. I feel powerless , out of control. I ...."

He brought her hands to his lips and said " love me" and finished for her. She nodded shyly.

Lao K - " On the contrary, you have all the power. You could tell me to do anything and I'd do that for you. I wanted to tell you how I felt the moment I figured it out. I was scared you would reject me as you did the others. I also didn't want to make things uncomfortable at ZGDX for you in case you didn't like me back ...so I kept struggling"

Tang Yao- " You were so hot and cold , I was so confused! But Lao K , I...worry for us. If people find out, it will be all over Weibo, and all the gossip forums. What people will say about you? I don't mind people calling me names because I'm going to reveal I'm amora and Cheng Xiao Wang soon but I worry for you. Jian Yang already called me a gold digger but I proved him wrong . But above all this, more importantly, how will our teammates feel? I..don't want them to think I joined the team to get to you... I worry about the timing for this relationship. I.."

Seeing she was getting antsy, he moved closer to her and put his arms around her snuggling her to him. He said," Please try to relax. I ..know this is not going to be easy but I don't regret telling you how I feel. We don't have to figure everything out today...we can do this slowly. Personally, I'd like to shout from the rooftops that you are my girl! Look, for the record, I don't care about what the netizens say. I know it is important to you, so I respect that. I also know you could care less about my money or power because you're way more rich. That is one of the first things that surprised me about you. Let's take this one step at a time. We can keep this between us till we figure things out. As for our friends and teammates, I will leave that to you. You don't have to figure everything out today. Besides, it will be exciting to keep a secret relationship"

He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at her and she rolled her eyes and kissed his check. " Day 1 of our relationship and you are already rolling eyes at me."

Tang Yao teased him back -" I thought you were raised to follow the traditional Chinese virtue of being henpecked"

Lao K countered- " So, we're getting married now? Wow, you move fast" Seeing her horrified look he burst out laughing. " OMG, you should have seen your face. I thought you were going to start running now"

Tang Yao grumbled whacking him lightly on his arm, " Not funny...I...I", she struggled to articulate.

Lu Sicheng- " Relax love, I meant what I said earlier, I know you have things to accomplish and I will support you every step of the way. Right now, people respect you as a great gamer. You will accomplish all your dreams and I'll be there for you like you will be for me. This is not a phase or fad for me. I haven't felt this way about anyone in the past either. So I won't say the M-word till you are ready. But from now on, you are my girl and I'm yours" She sagged in relief and just relaxed putting her arms around him. He really did understand how she felt. She had an epiphany, " That's what you told Kun, didn't you"

'Wow, nothing gets by her! she'll really keep me on his toes. ', he thought but smiled sheepishly. That night reluctantly they returned home after many soft kisses and hugs. Yu Ming noticed something was subtly different between them but chose not to comment. Lao Yue had no such reservations, " Ge, if the two of you keep coming home like this, we'll never know when you actually get married. " Neither party commented and they just went upstairs.