Chapter 1: Outside the Venue of the Spring Esports Tournament of the Ex-Girlfriend
An Xunxing, wearing a thin esports uniform, stood forlornly under a withered tree, her right hand trembling uncontrollably. During today’s second half of the match, her hand suddenly lost control, letting several opponents escape, leading to her being substituted.
“You’ve been performing worse than an average player recently. If there’s a next time, you won’t need to play,” said Lu Jiaming, dressed in cold-toned esports attire as he exited the venue, his voice chilly.
Hearing this, An Xunxing quickly hid her trembling right hand in her pocket, “I’m sorry…”
“How was the match result?” she asked cautiously.
Lu Jiaming did not reply, walking straight past her. An Xunxing watched his departing figure, feeling the absurdity of her question; as one of the top esports gods in the country, how could he lose?
Sitting in the car back to the city, An Xunxing looked at the pinned WeChat contact, Lu Jiaming. After a long while, she sent him a message: “Are you going back to Lanwan today?”
Lu Jiaming, sitting in the front seat, opened his phone, glanced at it, and typed, “Not going back.” An Xunxing stared at those two simple words, her heart filled with bitterness.
Lanwan Villa
It was late when An Xunxing returned. This was the residence Lu Jiaming bought for her, the only place where their paths crossed. She turned on the TV, listening to the lively atmosphere, and lay on the sofa, half-asleep. Lately, she had been having nightmares, dreaming that Mr. Lu no longer wanted her…
After some time, a strong hand caressed her face.
“Star,” the familiar and tender voice woke An Xunxing. Over the five years they had been together, he only called her ‘Star’ with such gentle affection.
An Xunxing opened her eyes to see Lu Jiaming’s cold profile, the strong scent of alcohol evident. “Brother Lu, why did you drink?” As a professional player, alcohol was taboo. Lu Jiaming had always adhered to good discipline, rarely drinking. An Xunxing remembered the last time he was this drunk was five years ago. He kept calling her “Star…” That was also the day they got together.
Lu Jiaming did not respond, his demeanor eerily similar to five years ago. That night, An Xunxing slept soundly for once.
The Next Morning
As dawn broke, Lu Jiaming got up. With the emptiness beside her, An Xunxing could no longer sleep. She draped a coat over herself and, as usual, went to the walk-in closet to fetch clothes for Lu Jiaming. But as she reached the doorway, she saw him stepping out with a black suitcase.
“From now on, this house is yours,” Lu Jiaming said, his lips slightly parted.
An Xunxing froze, her voice unexpectedly humble: “Did I do something wrong?”
Lu Jiaming’s brows furrowed slightly: “We are adults; let’s part amicably.”
Part amicably… Lu Jiaming left with remarkable ease, while An Xunxing didn’t even have the right to question him. After he was long gone, she left the villa, fearing to run into colleagues from nearby.
Their relationship seemed to always be hidden from the light. No one at the company, including the teammates she trained with daily, knew about her relationship with Lu Jiaming.
Today, the TYG team was particularly lively.
“Sister Star,” a new team member, Mu Tao, waved at her, “Do you know? The founder and manager of TYG has returned from abroad, and she’s really beautiful.”
The founder and manager… An Xunxing joined the team seven years ago when she was a rookie. It was said that only the team captain, Lu Jiaming, remained from the original TYG veterans. Soon, she saw the manager. With chestnut long hair, delicate features, and a graceful long skirt, her every move exuded femininity. Accompanying her was Lu Jiaming, now in a suit.
“Don’t they look good together? I heard her name is Cheng Xinyun, our boss’s ex-girlfriend, and they almost got married,” Mu Tao commented beside her.
Cheng Xinyun, ex-girlfriend, almost married… Star… Xinyun… An Xunxing felt a loud buzz in her head, unable to hear anything around her.
Chapter 2: It’s Xinyun, Not Star
At the end of autumn, the biting wind seemed to blow into An Xunxing’s eyes at that moment. Perhaps because of Cheng Xinyun’s appearance, today’s practice was full of mistakes for An Xunxing.
Office
Lu Jiaming pointed at the training data in front of everyone, looking at An Xunxing: “Your training data has been continuously declining these past two months. What’s going on?”
Hearing this, An Xunxing’s hands in front of her trembled slightly. She couldn’t respond.
Sitting aside, Cheng Xinyun spoke up: “A Ming, this is An Xunxing, TYG’s first female sharpshooter, right?”
Lu Jiaming nodded slightly. Cheng Xinyun walked directly towards An Xunxing, extending her hand. “Hello, I’m Cheng Xinyun, formerly TYG’s manager and team leader. I’ve always admired your play style. Can we talk?”
Looking at the confident Cheng Xinyun, An Xunxing thought of her trembling hands and dared not shake: “I’m sorry, I’m not feeling well.” She got up and left the office in disarray.
Back in her personal training room, An Xunxing placed her hands on the keyboard, focusing to practice swiftly. However, within two minutes, her hands began to tremble uncontrollably again.
“Bang!” The door was pushed open from the outside. An Xunxing quickly hid her hands in the shadows, looking up to see Lu Jiaming entering.
“What’s with the attitude?” An Xunxing was stunned.
Lu Jiaming closed the door behind him, his black eyes filled with impatience. “Cheng Xinyun is one of TYG’s founders. Even if you don’t like her, you shouldn’t embarrass her in front of so many people.”
The strong defense in his words made An Xunxing’s throat bitter: “Brother Lu, I don’t dislike her, nor did I intend to embarrass her. Maybe you care so much about someone that you think I’ve wronged her everywhere.”
Lu Jiaming was taken aback.
“I’m really not feeling well today, I’ll go home first,” An Xunxing said, tucking her hands into her pockets and walking away from him step by step. But Lu Jiaming grabbed her arm at that moment: “What’s been wrong with you lately?”
An Xunxing pulled away his hand, said nothing, and left.
On her way home, An Xunxing stepped on fallen leaves, not understanding why, after five years together, Mr. Lu could part ways so calmly and treat her like an ordinary teammate afterward.
She didn’t go home but sat on a stone bench by the roadside all day.
That night, the cold wind howled. Her cold phone rang in her pocket, but An Xunxing didn’t answer, gazing at the myriad of stars above, her eyes turning red.
“Miss An,” a voice called out.
An Xunxing turned her head to see Cheng Xinyun under the streetlight, smiling gently. She hung up the phone and approached: “Why are you still out so late?” An Junxing didn’t know how to respond. Cheng Xinxin sat beside her, handing her a cup of hot milk tea as if they were about to have a long talk. “I heard from A Ming that you’ve been with him for the past five years? Thank you.” An Junxing tightened her grip on the milk tea, only to hear Cheng Xinxin continue. “A Ming isn’t exactly romantic; luckily, he met you now. He used to be like a child, always telling me about his unrealistic fantasies. The most common one was, ‘Xinxin, when we get married, I will make you the happiest woman in the world.’ Xinxin… Xinxin… In the past, when he was emotional, he also said he wanted me to be the happiest person in the world. The happiest person… not me, but Xinxin. An Junxing’s nose felt a tickle, and a bright red stream of blood began to flow uncontrollably.
Chapter 3: Marry Me
