Always In Your Smile

Chapter-4:Sunflower

Tong Yao looked down at the flag (which had the entire team of ZGDX pictured) resting on her lap, running her finger over her cousin’s hair - it was her subconscious way of trying to mess his perfectly styled hair the way she did when they met after being apart- then down at the stage where she could see the last-minute arrangements being made.

“This is going to be so strange!” She murmured loud enough for her friend to hear. “If…”

“If!” Jin-Yang repeated in sarcastic bemusement.

“Stop pretending, you know you’re going to take it!”

She narrowed her eyes at her for a moment then continued, “…if I decide to take this, I could be down there one day.”

Before she could say anything further, the lights over the audience dimmed as the host for the spring tournament came out.

Before she knew it, she found herself scoffing at the description of Jian Yang, aka God Yang aka Prince Charming. “Seriously!” She growled lowly. “If they only knew!”

“Careful Yao-er, almost revealed how badly your friendship has fallen to pieces!” Jin-Yang murmured but this time with no amusement. Her dark eyes were even darker with concern for how her friend was reacting.

“That ship sailed and sank a while back and he was the iceberg!” The smaller girl replied glaring down at CK Gaming before looking over to where ZGDX were standing.

“They look better today than when they arrived at the hotel yesterday.”

“I noticed both Lao K and Ming-Shen gave Lu Si Cheng a smirk just then.”

“What else can he say, what else should he say!” Tong Yao rolled her eyes. “That question irritated me when I was asked it.”

“Yes Miss…” A hand covered her mouth before she could finish.

“Jin-er!”   

“Yao-er!”

Before either of them could continue with their childish argument, the camera man’s spotlight hit a couple in the section over, and premonition or otherwise, the two sat back in their seats swiftly – which as it turned out was a good thing – because the spotlight turned on them.

Looking at each other, they smiled, turned back to the light, leant their heads together and made v signs at the cameraman and others watching, their smiles becoming grins.

Those grins became even wider when the news was announced that there would be a slight delay because CK’s Jungler had spilt water over his keyboard.

Even ZGDX looked up at that – “Is it me or does Sunflower look like he’s seen a ghost?” K murmured in actual amusement.

“Was anyone looking at the screen to see what caused it?” Xiao Pang asked and took the lack of response as no. “Chalk that up to one of life’s mysteries then.”

Her grin broad and unrepentant, Jin-Yang leaned over. “Well, at least we know for certain that he’s seen you!” before continuing: “You do know that he is going to come looking for you now that he knows you are here?”

“If he does, he won’t like the response he gets,” came the almost absent reply. Her attention was fixed on ZGDX rather that her former friend’s team and she gave a sigh of relief when she realised that they had not seen her face on the big screen.

“I take it you’re still flying under the radar where your cousin is concerned?” The taller girl smiled at the relieved nod she received. “The goddess of luck is surely on your side.”

Tong Yao merely rolled her eyes and settled into her seat to watch the first game.

“I cannot believe that he messed up so badly!” Tong Yao shook her head so hard, her bangs actually bounced. “I’m glad for ZGDX but really, he’s been playing long enough to improve by now; he just kept making the same mistakes over and over again!”

“Is that the gamer in you or the ex-girlfriend?” Her friend’s responding glare had Jin-Yang holding up her hands in surrender.

“Alright, alright, I forgot for a moment you’ve been playing longer that him!”

“You are really pushing the boundaries today, jiejie.” Tong Yao put her flag in her friend’s lap and stood up, “I need to stretch my legs and have a toilet break,” then turned to glare at her: “No height jokes!”

Jin-Yang merely grinned back before her eyes grew concerned. “Are you alright really, or are your…”

Tong Yao shook her head swiftly, “I’m fine really,” and before another word could be said, she moved away as carefully as she could, trying not to step on people’s feet as she moved down the line.

Blinking her eyes slightly as she moved out into the daylight, she shook herself and loosened up her muscles, just in time to hear her name called out by a familiar voice. She closed her eyes for a moment, heaved a sigh of long suffering and turned to face the one person she had hoped not to meet.

“Jian Yang.”

“What are you doing here in Shanghai? Did you come to watch me play? I saw you on the screen earlier?”

She tilted her head to the side and looked at him. “Jian Yang, you have a very inflated opinion of yourself. Why would I come to Shanghai and watch YOU?  You have absolutely nothing to do with me anymore.”

He tried to catch hold of her hand, “Yao-Yao, don’t be…”

“Don’t call me that – you lost the right to call me that when you didn’t come to see me.” She stepped away from him and started to move away but he caught hold of her arm.

“Then what other reason do you have for being here? Tong Yao, you’re a girl!” It was almost as if the last part of her sentence had gone completely over his head.

“Why else would you be here if not for me!”

Tong Yao heaved a put-upon sigh, shook him off and turned to face him. “Not that you have any right to know but I’ll tell you anyway if it will get rid of you: ZGDX are recruiting me professionally.”

Yang scoffed in disbelief. “Be serious, why would a girl with your background play professionally?”

Tong Yao merely raised an eyebrow at him. “And why can’t a girl with my background play professionally? Or are you implying that a girl can’t play.”

She shook her head. “You haven’t change at all, Jian Yang, you’re still as stupid and self-centred as ever, your first-round performance demonstrated that so how dare you criticise me!”

She started to walk away but stopped to look back at him. “Oh secondly, and more importantly, you’re not the only person I know who plays for a professional team and they are down on that stage today as well.”

With that she left the fuming man alone.