Yun Qi didn’t deny it. It was the best decision of his life.
After sharing his current situation with Xue Yan, Yun Qi remembered why he’d called. “Was there something you needed from me?”
Xue Yan hesitated. “Well, there is one thing…”
Seeing how hard it was for Xue Yan to bring it up, Yun Qi wiped the smile from his face, set the cat down, and leaned against the railing. “Just spit it out, Brother Yan. No need to stand on ceremony with me.”
Xue Yan ruffled his hair before speaking. “Brother Li asked me to get in touch with you and take back that account you’ve got. He wants to hand it off to someone else.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it. But I figured you might still need it yourself. You’ve built that account up from nothing over a long time. Brother Li said they’d pay to buy it back—you name the price. Honestly, I don’t get why they’re so dead set on reclaiming it. You’ve left the team, so what’s the point? Even if they get the account, the fans won’t care if it’s not you behind it.”
The Qiluo account’s only remaining value to Li Meng was its massive fanbase, but without Yun Qi, seizing it was pointless. Xue Yan couldn’t make sense of the team’s decision.
Yun Qi, however, knew exactly what was going on.
“I’ve pissed them off,” he said, gazing off into the distance. “The account doesn’t mean much to them anymore, but it’s different for me. Without it, I’d have to start from scratch, and building up a new one from zero is no easy task. Li Meng probably doesn’t want things to go too smoothly for me. As long as I hold onto that account, I could still stir up trouble with it, right?”
Xue Yan sighed. “Probably.”
Yun Qi had opened his eyes to it. He quickly added, “In that case, don’t take it from me. I’ll tell them I couldn’t get it. Maybe someone at KRO can vouch for you and help you hold onto the account…”
“No need. Hand it over.” Yun Qi’s response was decisive.
“You don’t want it?” Xue Yan asked.
“Nope,” Yun Qi said. “I know exactly what they’re after. I was ready to start fresh the moment I left. I haven’t even logged into that account since, and now I’ve got a new one assigned. No point hanging onto it. If he wants to buy it back at a premium, great—let him come negotiate with me directly.”
“Brother Li?”
“Yep.” Yun Qi smiled. “He wants it, doesn’t he? Let him haggle over the price with me. I’m curious what he’s willing to pay.”
Xue Yan instantly caught on to Yun Qi’s scheme and let out a chuckle. “You’ve gotten devious.”
Yun Qi replied, “You should be praising me for finally growing a spine.”
Xue Yan said, “Fine, you’ve grown a spine. But don’t push it. If you really demand thirty million, Li Meng would have to sell the lot of us just to afford it.”
“That won’t happen,” Yun Qi assured him. “An account isn’t the same as a player. I’ll give him at least a ten percent discount.”
Xue Yan shook his head, and the two of them chatted a bit longer about that “thirty million” transfer fee.
As evening deepened, Yun Qi ended the video call and turned to head back. That’s when he spotted Rong Rong in the hallway.
Rong Rong had just come up the stairs. They came face-to-face, and Rong Rong clearly had no intention of speaking first, but Yun Qi couldn’t hold back. “Brother Rongrong.”
Rong Rong paused.
Yun Qi stepped forward. Rong Rong turned to face him squarely. “Something you need?”
Yun Qi cut straight to the chase. “Do you have a problem with me?”
Rong Rong shrugged. “What makes you say that?”
At five foot nine, Rong Rong was about Yun Qi’s height, with a gentle air about him utterly unlike Ziwu’s cool-guy edge. Yun Qi still remembered the time they’d met backstage. He knew a guy like this wouldn’t target someone without reason. Rong Rong’s reputation in the scene was stellar—every support player measured themselves against him or sang his praises. It wasn’t just raw skill; his personality played a big part too.
“During team practice today, I could feel it. You might’ve thought I messed up somewhere but held back because I’m the new guy. Now that it’s just us, though, team discord isn’t good for the esports team. Captain Yu wouldn’t stand for it, right? That’s why I want to clear the air with you.”
“It’s hardly a conflict,” Rong Rong said, meeting Yun Qi’s eyes with frank honesty. “I just have firm principles when it comes to friends. I don’t like people who cross a bridge and then burn it behind them.”
Yun Qi kept his cool. “You mean me?”
Rong Rong came across mild-mannered on camera, but when he got serious, his intensity sharpened. “SK put you on the map—not so you could turn around and trash them, right? Leaking your teammate’s privacy for clicks? Not exactly honorable.”
“So that’s what this is about.” Yun Qi’s tension finally eased. “You’ve seen my original video, then?”
Rong Rong said, “Sorry, I haven’t been following you, so I haven’t watched it.”
“Oh, so you heard one-sided stories from those marketing accounts and already have all these grudges against me?” Yun Qi glanced over at him. Rong Rong didn’t argue back, which confirmed it.
Yun Qi smiled and said, “I’ve seen lately that the public opinion has completely shifted in another direction. My old team has pulled out their usual tricks again—buying news, buying trending topics, twisting the truth—and now I’ve been painted as the ungrateful traitor who burned bridges and bites the hand that feeds him.”
Rong Rong’s gaze sharpened. “What you’re saying is that you’re innocent?”
“No, of course not,” Yun Qi replied. “I’m the one who badmouthed my old team. I’m the one who broke the story. And I’m the one standing right in front of you who dragged SK into this whole public scandal.”
He stepped right up to Rong Rong and saw the deep-seated hatred in the other man’s eyes.
Yun Qi spoke unhurriedly, “Since you trust your own eyes so much, I won’t bother explaining too much. I only have one thing to say: seeing is believing. Right now, the Qiluo account is still on me, and the video hasn’t been taken down. Why don’t you, Brother Rongrong, take two minutes to watch the whole thing, and then you can judge me? Does that work?”
Yun Qi had a delicate, endearing face that looked completely harmless, but his words carried a unique charm—gentle yet highly persuasive, easy on the ears. Rong Rong’s mind tangled up for a moment; he had zero defense against that face.
“The former captain sexually harassed me for an entire year. The higher-ups stayed silent, and my teammates turned a blind eye. I don’t blame them—for when I was still on SK, I went along with the team’s decisions too. But when they tried to keep me muzzled with that sky-high transfer fee, that was the final straw that broke me. In my exposé, I didn’t drag anyone else into it—I only called out the person who harassed me. Is that not allowed?” Yun Qi continued, “Does Brother Rongrong know the full sequence of events? Do you understand the cause and effect of this whole controversy? If not, then you have no right to stand in front of me judging me, lecturing me, or targeting me.”
Even during the team-up earlier, Yun Qi had sensed it. If he’d made even the slightest operational mistake, Rong Rong would’ve jumped on it. Why had Rong Rong picked up the top laner role? Just to force him into unfamiliar positions, expose his weaknesses, and then use that to stir up this topic. Too bad for him—it hadn’t gone as planned.
The match had gone smoothly, and his Xiumu had zero mistakes.
Rong Rong fell silent.
Truth be told, he still remembered Yun Qi.
He’d been deeply impressed by him during the Grand Finals. Nothing had blown up back then yet; he’d just been an onlooker who thought SK’s young support was adorable. He’d even encouraged him before the match. He never imagined they’d be at each other’s throats today.
Yun Qi’s words left Rong Rong speechless for the moment. He really hadn’t done much research before developing this hostility toward him, and that did seem unfair. Rong Rong didn’t think his own achievements gave him the right to casually lecture others. If the guy in front of him had been the quiet type, he might not have realized how careless he’d been this time. Yun Qi’s points actually made a lot of sense to him.
Most importantly, that face was so disarming. Yun Qi looked more like the victim.
“I know Brother Rongrong isn’t the type to judge without hearing both sides. Back when I was on SK, I’d heard of your reputation. I’ve always admired and respected you. Whether I was right or wrong in this matter, I hope you’ll watch the full story before forming an opinion. I won’t disturb you anymore,” Yun Qi said. “I’m heading back to rest.”
Rong Rong’s eyes followed him closely. It looked like he’d taken it in, but also like he hadn’t heard a word.
Yun Qi left the spot and walked to his room door, pushing it open.
He returned to his room and sat on the bed, staring blankly at the floor for a good while.
After this scandal broke, tons of people had criticized him. Over the past couple of days online, he’d seen the public opinion shift too. He knew Li Meng and the others had gotten involved; the attacks against him were piling up. Some were saying it was all self-directed, that he’d been flirting ambiguously with streamers before. Yun Qi seemed more like the instigator.
Netizens were like grass in a gale—bending whichever way the wind blew. Their aim was fickle. Yun Qi had gotten used to it long ago. It was just Rong Rong’s doubts that really pissed him off.
Because he’d always really liked Rong Rong.
When he’d played support, he’d watched tons of Rong Rong’s match videos and studied his playstyle extensively.
And now to be questioned like this.
After agonizing over it for a long time, Yun Qi finally shook it off and was about to get some rest when a knock came at his door.
He thought it would be Rong Rong.
But when he opened the door, it was Yu Jin standing there.
Unsure whether to feel happy or disappointed, Yun Qi gripped the door handle and looked at him, saying softly, “What do you want?”
Yu Jin frowned at the tone. “What’s wrong with you now?”
Yun Qi opened the door wider, clasping his hands behind his back. “Nothing.”
Yu Jin reached out and pulled him close. Yun Qi looked around in a panic, but the corridor was empty. He lifted his gaze. “You… what is it?”
“What’s your problem?” Yu Jin shot back. He braced both hands against the doorframe, completely blocking the other man’s path. He looked down at the person in front of him, who thought he was hiding his emotions well. “You look all aggrieved and pitiful. Who bullied you?”
Yun Qi leaned against the doorframe, staring at the floor. “No one.”
Yu Jin’s gaze turned fierce. “Last chance.”
Yun Qi glanced at him, then pulled his hand out from behind his back. With a face full of confusion, he asked, “Was I really wrong to expose Lang Xian?”
Yu Jin didn’t answer.
Yun Qi grew uneasy. “Was I? Shouldn’t I have done that?”
Yu Jin’s expression turned deadly serious in an instant. “I don’t want to answer.” He turned to leave.
Yun Qi grabbed him fiercely, his fingers clamping tightly around Yu Jin’s wrist. In a panic, he said, “Tell me—from a bystander’s perspective, did I really go too far? I…”
“You really want to hear it?” Yu Jin turned back. “From your ex-boyfriend?”
The moment Yun Qi heard those words, the answer itself stopped mattering. He stared into Yu Jin’s eyes, the phrase “ex-boyfriend” echoing in his ears like nothing else existed.
“…Go ahead.”
Yun Qi’s fingers brushed against the hard ridges of Yu Jin’s tendons and veins, feeling the pulse throbbing beneath. His pinky grazed the ring there, almost imperceptibly.
He looked up and met a gaze roiling like dark tides.
As Yun Qi’s thoughts scattered in turmoil, Yu Jin spoke in a light, breezy tone. “Yes, you were wrong. If it were me, I’d take a knife and carve a bloody hole right in his gut.”
Yun Qi froze, staring at him. All his tangled doubts and worries vanished like smoke.
“You ask if you went too far?” Yu Jin’s gaze grew icy cold. “Even killing him wouldn’t be going too far.”
