Chapter Text
Lu Sicheng was a strange child, even for a genius who was already showing signs of being an Alpha. Strange enough that the Lu family sought help from a professional.
Sicheng studied the doctor, his amber eyes cold as the man listened to his parents explain.
“No touch at all?” the doctor confirmed, his own eyes fixed to Sicheng’s mother, the beta of their family triad. Sicheng found it amusing that everyone assumed she was the alpha just because his father allowed her to take charge. “Not even your omega?”
“Not even me.” Lu Ping, his omega father, informed him, with a hint of rebuke, at addressing a question meant for him to his beta mother. Sicheng barely restrained from glaring at the man, displeased that he seemed to forget, to keep forgetting, that both his other parents had informed him he was to address his questions to Lu Ping.
“Thin ice, Doctor Mo,” Lu Xue, the original Lu of their family, warned darkly, allowing his alpha to come forward, his power dark and whispering of things better left in the void. Sicheng loved his father’s power. It never shied away from his own, not like the doctor’s had, not like everyone who had ever tried to touch him.
Except his other two parents.
Doctor Mo blanched at the warning.
“Don’t like touch.” He informed the doctor, all no nonsense and direct bluntness.
“Why?” Doctor Mo asked, turning his attention to Sicheng.
Sicheng met the doctor’s eyes, and saw the man flinch. “Because it’s not right.”
Doctor Mo frowned. “Does it hurt? Feel strange? Do you feel strange things when others touch you?”
With a sigh that was much older than his five years he informed the doctor, “I am not hyper sensitive to touch, nor do I have any sort of mental ability. I just don’t want anyone touching me.” He paused. “Accept Yue. Yue can touch me.”
“Because it’s not right?” Doctor Mo probed.
He nodded.
“Why?” It was his father, leaning forward in his seat, eyes locked on his eldest.
Sicheng blinked. He was not sure anyone had ever asked him that before. “Because mother and dad said you don’t touch things that aren’t yours, and I’m not theirs.”
“You’re our son.” Lu Xue’s voice was calm even as he gestured for the guard to clear the room.
“But not yours and you're not mine.” The door closed behind the guard and the doctor
“Cheng-Cheng,” his grandmother spoke for the first time, drawing their attention to the elder woman. “Who does your dad belong to?”
“Father and mother.” Sicheng wasn’t sure why she was asking such an obvious question, but it had been hours since he had been able to check in Yue and he was very much ready to be done with this. His brother had just started walking and Sicheng was well aware how much trouble Yue could get into now that he was mobile.
And fast he was fast.
Lu Yue could be accused of many things, but never slow.
“What about your mother?”
“Father and dad.”
“Your father?”
Sicheng hesitated. This was a little harder. He turned to study the man, as he thought. “Father belongs to dad and mother, and chooses to belong to you and grandpa.”
“But your mother and dad don’t?” His grandfather asked.”Belong to your grandmother and I by choice.”
“No. Dad and mother only belong to each other and father. They can’t belong to anyone else. Father won’t allow it.”
His grandfather held up a hand to stop his parents from speaking. “Have you learned about packs yet?”
Packs? This was new information. Information they didn’t have yet. He shook his head.
“A pack is a group of people, usually three or more, that form ties or bonds to each other. Each pack has an alpha who leads them, whose decisions are final, and whose word is law within the pack. Old Magic grants packs bonds. These bonds allow pack members to know when one of them is in trouble and to get a sense of what they are feeling. Every pack alpha has the ability to sense when someone is already part of a pack, whether through choice, like your father to your grandmother and I, or by bond, like your parents.”
Sicheng nodded. “Yes.” He agreed. “That.”
“Who else dear one?” His grandmother asked gently. “Who else besides Yue is part of your pack?” She expanded when he just stared at her.
“Hyeok.” The adults exchanged those glances they tended to exchange when around him. One of the ones that spoke without actually speaking. Sicheng wanted to be able to do that. Words were stupid. “Can I go?” He half demanded a few moments later, his eyes darting up and a little over to where he knew his brother was.
“One last question, then you can go check on your brother.” Grandfather told him, amusement filling his voice. “How did you meet Hyeok?”
“In my dreams. We always meet in our dreams.”
“Go ahead dear one.” Grandmother urged, and Sicheng wasted no time in leaving.
He had just closed the door behind him when something made him stop. An instinct that said whatever was about to happen next was important, so he opened the door just enough to hear inside and waited.
“It’s too early for him to form a pack.” Dad’s voice held that note that said he was worried.
“Not for him.” Grandfather told him.
“Father?” his father asked, and it said more than a single word did. Sicheng wanted to be able to do that. To say one word and mean many things, like how his father’s single word had asked what his grandfather knew, if it was dangerous, if they should be afraid, and what they should do next.
“Our Sicheng is a twin soul.” His grandmother answered. The women tended to say more in his family than the men anyway. Well, except for dad, but Sicheng was sure dad was actually part girl, cause he had given birth to Yue.
“Twin soul?” Mother demanded, he could hear the unease that lay underneath those biting words.
“Somewhere another alpha, a boy from the name Sicheng gave us,” his grandmother began in her teaching voice. It was a soft voice with a core of steel, that told the listener that paying attention was in their best interests. Yue didn’t listen very well, but he was still young. He had time. Sicheng’s reflections had made him miss the rest of her words and he gave an inner growl.
“They’re tied together? By Old Magic?” Dad’s voice carried a sharper, more desperate edge to it.
“It isn’t something to fear, son.” Grandmother soothed. “A twin soul means that he will always have someone at his back. They will more than likely share an omega, and have one large pack.”
“Or two smaller ones.” Grandfather added. “One for each of them. Though they would often come together to form one larger one, and either alpha would be capable of punishing, rewarding, or defending any member of either pack.”
“What does this mean for Sicheng?” Father asked.
“Very little right now.” Grandmother admitted. “He was already going to be receiving lessons in Old Magic and how to pursue an omega and build a pack. We will simply add training in bond sensing and blocking, and as many forms of martial arts and war tactics as he wants.”
“You think there'll be a war?” Mother’s voice was a horrified whisper.
“Not necessarily.” Grandmother assured them. “It is just a precaution. Our family has had several Twin Souls throughout its history, and while they often prelude a coming war, they don’t always.”
“What they all do have in common is that each and every single one of them has heralded something that ended up world changing, even if no one realized it at the time.” Grandfather added. “For now, we keep an eye out for anything Sicheng seems especially interested in, and for anyone whose touch he welcomes, as they will no doubt be part of his pack.”
“He’s not going to be a zeta alpha is he?” Father’s voice was quiet, as if he already knew the answer and didn’t like it.
“No.” His grandfather agreed. “If we are lucky he will be a theta alpha.”
“If we’re not?” Mother once more. Her voice was tight and too controlled.
“Then he’ll be a sigma alpha.”
Sicheng, having heard enough, closed the door quietly behind him and started up the stairs. He would have plenty to talk to Hyeok about tonight.
“Sigma.” Hyeok rolled the word around on his tongue as he ideally kicked his feet from where they dangled over the edge of the cliff overlooking the mountains winter vista that spread out before them, two large siberian tigers playing far below. He shook his head after a few minutes. “No. Not that.”
Sicheng nodded and offered an alternative. “Psi.”
Hyeok froze the same way Sicheng had when he had read the strange word in one of the books he had liberated from his father’s library sometime after the doctor had left.
“It’s the strongest,” he offered to his soul twin, another new phrase that, while they had not needed to define what they were, had been interesting to find.
Hyeok nodded his head, his legs resuming the lazy swinging. “Psi.”
He was here.
His fucking brat of his soul bond was here not just here in Korea, but in the same fucking building and he hadn’t said anything!
Hyeok was going to slaughter him.
“Hye-Hye, slow down.” Kun called after his brother as they moved swiftly through the base's halls.
Hyeok barely heard him, too intent on tracking down his asshat of a twin. People ducked and dodged to get out of the way as he strode with purpose and he knew some of his power was leaking, the tight grip on his control wavering.
Good.
That brat deserved to know he was coming and that he wasn’t happy.
He stopped beside the station Lu Sicheng had claimed, everyone else having long since left the room, and his brother standing guard for them at the door, the way Kun had been doing for him since he was old enough to understand.
He wasn’t theirs. Not forever
Like Yue, Kun was an omega who acted like an alpha and would be someone else's one day. Until then they claimed Kun and Yue as theirs and they acted like it. Even as they dreaded the day they would find their own mates, their own packs, and break both their hearts when they could no longer be their brother’s protectors.
Sicheng turned his full attention onto Hyeok, craning his neck to look up at the other man.
“When?” Hyeok demanded.
“Two days.” Sicheng admitted, then smirked. “Took you long enough.”
Hyeok yanked Sicheng from his chair and pulled him into a tight hug. “Thought I was dreaming.” He whispered into the other’s ear. Sicheng froze for several long seconds before wrapping Hyeok up in his own hug, gripping him tightly.
“This can’t go on.” Yue half begged, half demanded, of the two men resting comfortably in their own hospital beds.
“Yue’s right,” Kun’s voice was tight, fear still lacing it, as he trembled. “I almost couldn’t separate you.” Tears streamed unchecked down his eyes, the stench of distressed omega filling the room. Yue held the slightly younger omega as he wept out the fear and worry that had filled him since they had both gone into rut at the sametime, even as his own tears began to fall.
“We can’t lose you,” Yue whispered, and everyone in the room knew if they lost one, with no omega of their own to hold on to, they would lose the other.
“Please,” Kun pled.
“Not again.” Hyeok vowed wishing he could go to his brother, but knowing better then to try to move.
“Never again.” Sicheng gave his own vow, and the decision had been made.
“It’s just sooner than we’d planned.” Sicheng told the pouting alpha as he folded his shirt.
“Not forever.” Half statement, half desperate hope.
Sicheng met his eyes. “Not forever.” He agreed. “We call as soon as we find her.” A renewal of an old promise.
Hyeok nodded and reached for one of Sicheng’s shirts to fold.
“No.” Sicheng told his friend, voice stern, eyes hard. “He’s too young.”
Ming’s wide eyes flew to Sicheng’s, mouth dropping open. “Of course he is!” Ming hissed. “He’s way too young. He needs to finish school first.”
Sicheng sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “He wants to play.”
Ming blinked then snorted with a shake of his head. “Of course he does. What have you and your better half come up with?”
Sicheng leaned back in his chair, eyes focusing in front of him as he remembered the conversation that he had had with Hyeok, Kun and Yue not two days before. “If he can meet our standards he can play as a sub as long as he continues taking his classes, same as the puppy.”
A slight frown came to Ming’s face. “Doesn’t he want to be a physiotherapist?”
“Specializing in esports related injuries.” Sicheng confirmed.
“He’s going to be too busy for anything but sleep.” Ming muttered. “If he even has time for that.”
“He’ll make it.” Sicheng informed the other. “If his health starts to decline, he won’t be allowed to play.” Ming nodded as Sicheng turned his gaze back to the other man. “After he graduates, if he is willing you may court him.”
It was to Ming’s credit that he didn’t ask Sicheng if he had spoken to Hyeok the way many did when they discovered that he and Sicheng were twin souls.
“Yue,” Sicheng spoke gently, as he knelt next to the still shaking omega. “Yue I need you to tell me what happened.”
Yue looked up at his brother, as his shaking increased, a sob tearing from his throat. “Ming.” He barely got the name out before he crumbled. K gently pushed Sicheng aside and reached for Yue, then jerked back like he was hit when Yue flinched away from him and began a keening sob.
“Find out.” Sicheng ordered. “I want to know everything that happened tonight.”
“Is he ok?” the male voice butted in, uncaring of the barely leashed violence that was Sicheng.
Sicheng’s eyes narrowed as, who he recognized as Ai Jia, the mid from YQCB, made a mad dash to the two omegas, dropping to his knees a full foot away.
“Hay, hay. It’s alright little omega. You did so good, little warrior. Everything’s going to be ok.” Ai Jia soothed.
“His wrist!” Yue wailed even as he lunged for the other alpha, clutching at him tightly. “His wrist! They hurt his wrist! He was just defending me and they hurt his wrist! It’s my fault. It’s all my fault.”
To his credit, Ai Jia didn’t hesitate as he wrapped the younger man up in a tight hug. “Hush now, little warrior,” he soothed stroking Yue’s hair. “It wasn’t your fault. I promise you, it wasn’t your fault.”
Yue sobbed harder.
“Breathe little warrior.” Ai Jia encouraged him. “Just breathe. Everything is going to be ok.” He placed a brotherly kiss on the top of Yue’s head as he rocked him. “Trust your alpha’s. They’ll fix everything.”
Yue shook his head. “I went after them. It’s my fault. Ge-Ge will never forgive me. I got Ming hurt. They’ll never forgive me.”
Sicheng’s heart fucking broke
“Enough of that now.” Ai Jia told Yue sternly and pulled away from him, forcing the omega to look at him. “You did what any warrior would do.” There was no room for contradictions in his words, no room for anything but truth. “You knew those fuckers were aiming at your pack, and you used your training to remove them as threats. Ming being there, getting hurt, was unfortunate, but the only ones to blame is FC for starting it in the first place.” He wiped at Yue’s checks with the back of one hand. “You did good, little warrior, and the only thing your pack is going to be is really damn proud.”
“I didn’t think it through.” Yue begged him to understand. “I should have thought about it. Sent a message to Cheng, to Ming, letting them know what was going on. I should have gotten evidence.”
“Which means you won’t make the same mistake again.” Ai Jia was quick to inform him. “You’ve learned from this, you know what you should have done to help protect your pack on top of what you did, and if it ever happens again, if your pack is ever threatened again, you’ll do it right.” He paused. “Truthfully, I don’t think I would have even had the forethinking to grab that stupid bottle of wine. I would have probably gone after them with my fists,” he gave Yue a crooked smile. “And I would have been handed my ass a hell of a lot faster than you did.”
Sicheng crouched down next to the other two and cupped the back of Yue’s head. “Next door’s mid is right.” He waited until Yue looked at him. “You did good, and the few things you didn’t think of, you’ll remember the next time a threat comes up.”
Yue studied his brother for several long seconds, searching for the things only he would know to look for, finding none of what he had feared, he launched himself into Sicheng’s arms and began to cry again, this time, with tears of relief.
Sicheng stepped from his car and headed toward YQCB’s front door, his posture casual, relaxed.
“Can I help you?” Laing Sheng asked, frowning slightly at Sicheng.
“I need to speak to your mid.” Sicheng hated wasting time.
“Is everything alright?” Liang asked, stiffening.
“I’m not here to cause trouble.” Sicheng assured them, and added. “Or because he’s in trouble.”
Liang sighed and opened the door wider, stepping back as he did. “Come on in.” He turned and shouted at the room. “Eun-Suk, go get Jia, he’s got a visitor.”
Sicheng walked in, noticing immediately that their AD wasn’t there, though everyone else, but Ai Jia, was.
“Chessman?” Jia was clearly startled to see him, though his surprise morphed into concern. “Is Yue ok? Did you get the results of the hearing?”
“The hearing isn’t set for a couple of weeks, and Yue is fine.” He paused as the tension that had entered Jia disappeared. “Thanks to you.” He faced the other alpha and gave a deep bow. “Thank you Alpha Ai Jia for your assistance with my brother. We are in your debt.”
Old magic stirred, twining around them, waiting.
“No.” Jai denied the claim and Old Magic stilled, waiting. Ai Jai may have denied it, but Sicheng had not accepted it. “There is no debt here. I only did what I would have wanted someone to do for my heart sister.”
Sicheng straightened. “Are you sure?”
“Please,” Jia gestured to a chair. “Sit.”
Sicheng did as asked, as Jia plopped down in his own chair and ran a hand over his face.
“Two years ago my heart sister attacked someone. She was defending herself from him, but when the time came to give her statement she froze, so overwhelmed with what had happened, so scared of disappointing her parents, that she didn’t say anything. It wasn’t until a nurse at the hospital she ended up in overheard a conversation between her and her attacker that we found out what was going on. If that bastard had been a little less smug, if that nurse was a little less brave, we would have never known. Even then it was-” he cleared his throat. “Really, really hard, on all of us. When I heard about what happened, I was worried Yue would have that same reaction.”
Sicheng thought over what he had just been told as Jia, hunched over on himself, clasped his hands tightly enough that his knuckles turned white. As he was thinking his gaze strayed to the coffee table in front of them, where OPL rule books and a folder sat. He tilted his head slightly and read, “YQCB AD contract”.
He picked it up and began to flick through it. “Problems with your AD?”
Eun-Suk shrugged. “Not really.”
Ai Jia jumped up from his chair, face murderous, before he clamped his lips tightly together, turned and stormed out of the room.
“He’s been making advances on Eun-Suk,” Liang told the other Captain.
“Unwelcomed.” A statement more than a question.
Eun-Suk shrugged again. “Nothing I can use to throw him out, just comments, lingering around me, never close to scent mark, just there, other little things alpha’s do when they're trying to get someone to date them.”
Sicheng suddenly understood Ai Jia’s rage. “Did you tell him you’re not interested?”
Eun-Suk gave him a flat look. “I’ve made it a point to tell everyone who will listen, media, fans, him that I am being actively courted by an amazing Zeta Alpha, which he is not.”
“We don’t want to go public yet,” Rong confused, pulling the other man into his side. “My parents are leaching off of me, and if I don’t do something before we announce it, they’ll use their positions as pack alpha to try to force me to back down.”
Sicheng sat back contemplating this new information. “I’m a twin soul.”
His announcement clearly caught them off guard.
“He's an AD and has no desire to be the captain.” Sicheng’s mouth twitched upward thinking of him. “He’s easy going and laid back, only interfering if there is an outside threat, or an internal conflict the team Captain can’t or won’t handle. If your family won’t accept Liang, a Zeta class alpha as your alpha, then they should have no problem with us. Only if you’re actually interested and think he would be a good fit,” Sicheng added.
“Hirophent.” Eun-Suk breathed the name out. “You’re talking about Hirophent.”
Sicheng tilted his head slightly.
“Make the offer.” Ai Jia urged Liang, coming back into the room with a glass of water he set down in front of Sicheng. “If we have another AD lined up HQ can’t throw a tizzy fit about us terminating his contract.”
“We still need a reason why.” Liang told them, removing his glasses and rubbing at his eyes. “Without a reason to terminate the contract, we can’t do it, and that’s if Hirophent is even willing to do so. I will not have him on this team, as our alpha if he isn’t willing to work with us, if he doesn’t want to be here.”
Sicheng nodded his approval and pulled out his phone. Hyeok answered on the first ring.
“How’s Yue? Did everything go alright with YQCB?” He spoke in Korean.
“Better.” Sicheng replied in the same language. “He’s been driving Ming batties trying to wait on him.” Sicheng switched to Chinese. “I’ve found you a new team.”
Hyeok paused. “Not a captain.” Firm, resolute, a line that would never be crossed, also in Chinese
“They have one,” Sicheng informed. “A very competent one.” Much to Sicheng’s amusement, Liang blushed. “They need a new AD, and a stronger alpha.”
A pause. “Why?”
“Because people are stupid.”
Another pause, followed by a sigh. “Fair enough. Their current AD?”
Sicheng contemplated his answer for a few brief moments. “Their jungle is omega.”
Hyeok’s growl vibrated the air. “How dead?”
A simple question that meant a lot more. How dead would the AD be if it had been one of their brother’s he had been pulling those stunts with.
“From what Eun-suk admitted, socially.”
“And from what he didn’t admit?” His words were bitten off.
Sicheng eyed the wide-eyed omega, who had gone stiff at the accusation. “Socially, economically.”
“I see.” A cold fury seeped over the phone and Sicheng saw the other’s shiver. They could hear Hyeok taking a deep breath and slowly releasing it, some of the chill seeping from the air. “I’ll agree to a temporary alphaship claim until we get a chance to know each other, and see if we fit.”
“Agreed.”
As soon as they had hung up, Sicheng turned to the couple. “I’ll have the paperwork filled today, as well as get a cease and desist order for your family.” When they opened their mouths he held up a hand. “We take care of our people.” The magic that had been lingering settled on the group, and Sicheng felt preliminary bonds snap into place. Tiny and as easily broken as they were, they would be enough. With that he turned his full attention back to the contract, their soon to be ex AD was now a threat to his pack, and Sicheng did not tolerate threats to his pack.
“No.” Sicheng growled the word. “You’re not banning him.”
“We don’t have a choice.” The League board member told him, his own frustration at the situation evident in his tone.
“You have proof!” Ming yelled, jumping to his feet. “Proof that Yue acted in the defense of his pack. Ai Jia gave you the recording he took!”
That had been a surprise and one Ai Jia had almost forgotten about. As it was, he had sent the recording directly to the investigating board as well as to Sicheng.
“And we have no rules allowing for that.” The board member shot back. Ming fell back into his chair with a startled thump. “Believe me,” he hissed through gritted teeth. “I’m just as pissed as you are, and I’ve already put things into motion to change it, to offer protection to anyone who fights another team or player in defence of their pack, for now, there is nothing we can do.” He rubbed his face and the exhaustion that he had been hiding became plain as he locked eyes with Sicheng, begging him to understand, to believe. “My whole pack spent the last four days combing through every rule there is and the only thing we found was a clause stating that if the offender was significantly provoked and had no prior issues, then the player would be bannedfor one year from participating in any formal matches or events.”
Sicheng studied the man, taking in his scent, then nodded. “FC?”
“They,” the man grinned, all predator, “are going down, hard. I’ve got them on multiple counts of behavioral misconduct, and my counterpart is already issuing the whole team a life long ban. We, of course,” he added. “Can’t press any legal charges.”
“We can.” Sicheng’s words were a rumbling growl of approval. “We will.”
The man nodded, reached into his briefcase and pulled out several folders that he slid across the table to Sicheng. “I thought you might say that. A copy of their League records. It has every warning, every investigation, everything we have on them.”
Sicheng nodded as Rui reached for the folders. “We’ll put them to good use.” He assured the man as he stood, Ming following his lead.
“That’s not fair!” Mao yelled, slamming his fist into the wall. “He was just defending us!”
“There’s nothing that can be done,” Madam Wang stated. “The representative was right, there is nothing that protects any but an alpha from punishment if they are caught fighting with another team or player.”
K, ever composed, ever calm, picked up a glass and threw it against the wall, shattering it.
“It’s not that bad.” Yue spoke for the first time since the verdict had been delivered. Everyone turned to stare at him.
“Not that bad?” Pang hissed with a growl. “Not that bad! You’ve been banned for a whole year!”
“And now I can actually go to Stanford to take the in-person classes I need to take to finish my degree, without feeling like I’m letting everyone down.” Yue stated, not looking at anyone.
Sicheng sighed through his nose. “You’ve been talking to the neighbors.”
Yue shrugged and glanced up at Sicheng. “They’ve got a different perspective on things, and now that their dumbass AD is gone, it's really relaxing and chill over there. Besides, Ai Jia says his best friend is an omega who’s working on her doctrits, and she’s there right now, preparing to defend her thesis, so I’ll have somebody who can help me get settled.”
“Will she have time?” Lan asked her son. “That’s not an easy thing to do, and is very time consuming.”
“She offered.” Yue was quick to assure her. “She was on video call with Ai Jia last week when I was over there, when she found out what I was thinking, she started telling me about all the places she would take me to, and what life on campus was like. When I told her I didn’t want to be a bother, she assured me that she could use a reason to take a break every now and then.”
Lan nodded. “We’ll have to thank her.”
“Are you really going?” Mao asked, his face a picture of misery.
“Just for a year Mao-Mao,” Yue assured him. “I’ve got one year’s worth of classes to take and then I’ll be home, degree in hand.”
Mao sighed and rubbed his forehead before nodding. “We’ll celebrate.” He decided. “As soon as you come home, with that degree in hand, we’ll throw a huge party for you and eat all your favorites.”
“I’ll make curry.” Pang declared with a firm nod. “With tons of meat.”
“You,” Yue told the alpha with a slight hint of worship. “Are a god among men.”
Pang blushed as the others laughed.
“We can’t tell him.” Ming informed Sicheng, breaking the silence that had settled over them after the doctor had excused himself. “He’s got less than a month left, and he’ll still be banned for another three.” He met Sicheng’s eyes. “We can’t tell him. He’ll only end up feeling guilty.”
Sicheng studied the older man for a few moments. “He’ll be pissed.”
Ming nodded as he rubbed his wrist. “I know, but he’s just starting to get better, to relax, and he’s got that trip all planned out.”
“You mean the one where he’ll end up camping in the hotel and playing the entire time?” Sicheng’s lips twitched up at the thought of his baby brother actually venturing into the heat of the African wild. Yue, like him, preferred the cold to the heat, but had insisted he would be fine.
“What’s the point of traveling if I only go someplace cold?” He had pointed out. “Besides, it's my graduation gift and I can go where I want.”
As both were valid points, Sicheng didn’t argue even though he knew Yue would be miserable the entire time he was there, and that he would be too stubborn to come home early. Ming grinned at him remembering a similar conversation he had had with the young man when Yue had informed Ming of his plans.
“We’ll need to find your replacement.” Sicheng told him. “Yue’s already said he won’t be good enough to play the starting position until he’s had a chance to deepen his pool.”
Ming sighed. “There’s actually someone I’ve had my eye on for a while now.” He admitted. “Yue was the one who brought her to my attention.”
Sicheng’s eyebrow rose.
“Her gamer tag is Smiling.”