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Zhang Jiale has been keeping her phone carefully tilted away from Su Mucheng.
Unfortunately for her, Su Mucheng doesn’t need to see the screen of the blossom-pink phone to know what her friend is reading: the comments on Chen Guo’s most recent post. The post has had far more attention than anything else on Happy’s new account … though few comments have been about what Chen Guo had written.
Everything has blown up since Zhang Jiale’s first Challenger’s League appearance.
Unfortunately for all of them, Su Mucheng knows exactly what the comments look like.
How many hot girls do Happy need?
It’s just a stunt.
LOL @ Lord Grim building a harem.
Its a bETRAYAL
Actually, I’m glad she’s returned to the scene. Good for her! She’s a skillful player, no matter which uniform she’s wearing.
I’d like her better if she took the uniform off.
I never liked her, you can check my profile history if you want. She ran Hundred Blossoms into the ground and Happy has made a huge mistake.
She’s still hot though.
Still hot +1
Still hot +2
Still hot +my phone number
(At least we know Happy will come second now. 😂)
Zhang Jiale knows never to read the comments. They all know never to read the comments.
Su Mucheng sighs. She tucks her feet beneath her on the couch and tries to give Zhang Jiale privacy. Haters aside, it’s a really nice day. The room they are in is connected to the training room, and she can see everyone busy at their computers. Tang Rou is deep in concentration. Bun is chuckling as his screen flashes with another arena win. Qiao Yifan is running the kind of drills he would have learned at Tiny Herb. The constant clatter of their keyboards is oddly complementary to the traffic sounds coming from the slightly open window that Ye Xiu is leaning against near the couch. (Su Mucheng marvels that he’s desperate enough to risk Chen Guo’s wrath by smoking here again.)
She always feels so much more light-hearted whenever she's around Happy's busyness. She can hardly wait to be a proper part of the team.
When Zhang Jiale starts repeating the word “harem” with particular venom though, Su Mucheng reaches over and locks her screen. When Zhang Jiale stares at her, Su Mucheng passes over her own unlocked phone.
Su Mucheng has a collection of screenshots ready to be swiped through. “Some brain bleach,” she says. Zhang Jiale frowns.
Zou Yuan’s post is endearingly short. His support for Zhang Jiale is clear and sweet, and his braveness in posting it with his official account had made Su Mucheng feel all treacly inside.
Yu Wenzhou has written a far longer post. It includes a comprehensive review of all the players in Happy's recent match. However, you don’t need to be a detective to see how much attention he has given Zhang Jiale’s role, and the conclusion of the post includes a lengthy segue where he considers the choices he might make if he was in her position. The final few lines are particularly heartfelt.
(Su Mucheng had included Huang Shaotian’s response to Yu Wenzhou’s post in her screenshots. His outrage at the idea of his beloved captain being part of any other team had entertained her deeply.)
Each screenshot has been carefully selected. Most pros have expressed their supportive sentiments more discreetly, of course, careful of inter-team politics and negative fan reactions. However, they all show understanding. They are all genuinely kind.
Zhang Jiale is smiling brightly by the time she reaches the final screenshot.
Su Mucheng has left Sun Zheping’s words for last, though they technically belong with the first screenshot. Sun Zheping has not made a post - he has commented on Zou Yuan’s. Su Mucheng had almost not included it since she knows how complicated things are between her friend and her friend’s ex-everything.
She watches closely as Zhang Jiale’s eyebrows draw downward.
Sun Zheping has stated his public support of Zhang Jiale’s choices, has wished her success with her new team, and has declared that he is looking forward to defeating her when Heavenly Sword and Happy meet.
Su Mucheng knows she has made the correct choice when Zhang Jiale rolls her eyes, the edges of her mouth twitching back up and her usually playful expression restored. With a snort, Zhang Jiale returns Su Mucheng’s phone. “Zheping defeat me? Ha!” Zhang Jiale says cheerfully. “We’re going to destroy him.”
Over at the window (where he is still leaning against the gap like a big idiot, trying to smoke furtively through it), Ye Xiu drawls, “Destroy him with my harem.”
Su Mucheng’s cushion hits him first. Zhang Jiale’s cushion hits him harder and far more accurately, sending his cigarette flying away from him and out of the window.
Both girls burst into laughter at Ye Xiu’s shock.
Su Mucheng watches, amused, as his surprise morphs into the grossly affectionate expression he accidentally allows on his face now and then (Su Mucheng and Chen Guo have exchanged many words about the frequency of its appearance compared to Zhang Jiale’s proximity). Su Mucheng snickers as he shakes himself quickly and starts patting down his pockets and complaining loudly that that was his last cigarette.
Zhang Jiale laughs until she hiccups and then rests her shoulder against Su Mucheng’s. With a pretty smile, she bumps their knees together. “Thank you,” she says. “I really needed that.”
Su Mucheng doesn’t know if Zhang Jiale is thanking her for the screenshots or for the opportunity to throw things at Ye Xiu. Either way, she is very glad to see her friend has cheered up. She has been worried that Zhang Jiale might be regretting having accepted Su Mucheng’s invitation to join the team, especially after hearing Tyranny had also made an offer. She knows Zhang Jiale insists that she won’t second-guess her choices anymore, but she also knows how devastated her friend will be if they don’t make it into the pro-league and beyond.
“Any time,” Su Mucheng says. “I’m simply grateful to have you here, LeLe. I can’t wait to be fighting beside you.”
Zhang Jiale gives her a side-by-side hug. “Me too, MuMu.”
“Sempai,” Qiao Yifan says, popping up in the doorway. He is still clearly a bit scared about interrupting them, but he’s also bouncily excited. He hasn’t even remembered to take his headset off and must almost be at the limit of the cable as he gazes besottedly in Zhang Jiale’s direction. His crush is really obvious and adorable, though there’s only one person in the team who Su Mucheng has caught Zhang Jiale looking at like that, and it isn’t a rookie. “I finished my training,” he says, “I was hoping you still had time for,” and then he simply gazes a bit more. Su Mucheng waits for him to finish whatever it is that he’s trying to say.
Zhang Jiale apparently doesn’t need him to. She stands gracefully, pulling her long hair into an artfully messy bun. “You sure you don’t want back-up this time, Little Qiao?”
Qiao Yifan is so busy beaming that he gets tangled in his cable, but he’s still adamant about not wanting back-up.
Su Mucheng wonders how long One Inch Ash will survive against Dazzling Spring this time.
However, she’s far more interested in the way Ye Xiu’s eyes track the rise of Zhang Jiale’s hands to her hair and then follow her as she strides into the training room. He has that obvious look on his face again. The one only Zhang Jiale causes.
“What?” Ye Xiu says when he sees Su Mucheng watching him. Apparently, the lost cigarette actually had been his last because now he’s eating candy that Su Mucheng is pretty sure Bun gave him that one time they all went out to drink.
Su Mucheng raises an eyebrow cheekily and only barely decides against outright teasing him. She wonders, privately: if they can succeed down this gambling path towards a championship that she's pulled her friend onto, will Ye Xiu finally also dare step onto the path towards romance? She knows for a fact that his interest in Zhang Jiale is reciprocated. She also knows that her friend isn’t going to settle for anything less than a championship win as a declaration of admiration, especially not after her last disaster of a relationship.
Fortunately for both of them, Su Mucheng has great confidence in Ye Xiu’s ability to make that happen. Especially with her assistance.
“Jiale’s good for them,” Ye Xiu says, flustered into feeling the need to justify his too-obvious interest in the pink-haired spitfire.
“She is,” Su Mucheng agrees. “She’s good for all of us, big bro.”
It’s a pointed statement, but isn’t that what family is for?
Ye Xiu looks like he’s swallowed a candy by mistake. Coughing, he rubs at his hilariously blushing face.
Su Mucheng’s phone trills.
Dazzling Spring: u know i can hear you from in here
Dazzling Spring: ur rly loud
Dazzling Spring: if i get beaten by a rookie bc ur making ye xiu look all cute i’m going to be mad
Su Mucheng grins.
Dancing Rain: Love you too, bestie
In the training room, Zhang Jiale groans.
Satisfied with another job well done, Su Mucheng stretches out across the couch and pulls up her current favorite drama on her phone. It really is a very nice day.