Chapter Text
The breeze in the air started warming up, and the scent of blooming flowers now lingered in the air as spring slowly approached. The breeze rang the hanging door chime at the front door. Lin Qiushi looked up from his laptop and checked the time; it was 6 pm, and he started to close his computer repair shop for the evening. He quickly locked the shop and quickly had his dinner before going online.
Today was a day he eagerly anticipated, as one of the biggest boss hunts of the Spirit Realm Online will be released. In the latest game patch that was just released, one of the main events is this newly released boss, and the first player to defeat it would have their name etched on the game's leaderboard and stay at the top. A recently formed team called white deer invited him to fill in one of the main DPS roles in the party for the upcoming event.
As a well-known solo player who has played this game since the Beta was released, he continued playing it until it was officially released. Receiving such invitations was usual, but he always picked the one with whom he would be partying, and as one of the veteran players, he could both DPS and tank the boss. He logged on to his character, Yu Linlin; when his character was already online, he then used the NPC to teleport to the meeting place with the leader of the white deer.
He PM'Ed the leader Meng Yu, "I'm here. Where are you?"
"I'm in the middle, white spiky hair." Meng Yu reply
He found him quickly as his spiky white hair stood out in the crowd. The area is crowded with all the Veteran and New players of the game, as everyone wants to see the new boss and have a go at this boss. The world clock of the game is running at the top of the screen. 7:45 pm and 15 more minutes, the boss will respawn at the arena field in front of them.
Yu Linlin and Meng Yu went to a corner. They introduced his members to Yu Linlin, "This is my teammates, Xia Rubei wizard, Jin Yurui wiz, Wang Di healer, Xiao Mei DPS and Zhu Ruyuan, our tank" Yu Linlin nodded at all of them. The team sent him different emojis in the chat.
"No need for an introduction on this one, as you all know who he is," Meng Yu said. "by the way, I'm the Enchanter of the team and main strategist. It's a pleasure working with you, Yu Linlin," he said.
They were still talking when the world chat started to buzz and flood with a single sentence: "Obsidian party is here!" upon hearing the name, Yu Linlin looked around at the incoming party. It was like the sea of players got divided side to side as the team walked towards the middle, and in front of it was the famous leader of the team raid party, Ruan Baijie, wearing a white coat; the front part stopped at her waist, and the back continues to flow down to her ankle, below she was wearing a long flare bluish white pants pair with a high heel boots. Adorned in her waist is a belt where her Nodachi and Wakizashi are sheaths.
The leader of this team is an Enigma, a female player who is so good at her hand control that many of the veteran players in the game are in awe of her fighting style. She is brutal at fast but still maintains her elegant and graceful gameplay. Lin Qiushi had to admit that he was mesmerized every time he watched her play across the screen and imagined how a woman like her could maneuver such fast gameplay and still be graceful about it.
Ruan Baijie stopped in the middle of the platform. She looked around the area, and her eyes landed on the player she was looking for. Their eyes met, and they stared at each other silently when the world clock started its countdown. When the 5-minute countdown starts, players position themselves in the outside boss arena tank in front, mainly aggroing the boss attack DPS and AOE attack on the 2nd and 3rd flank, buffer and healer at the back. Enchanters buff their equipment as the countdown nears the end, and the DPS ready their weapons.
"3...2...1..." A summoning circle lit up the arena. The summon was a four-legged beast that had an affinity to fire and earth attack; its body is a molten scale and has immunity to 50% physical and magical damage, but once staggered, its resistance will go down to 10%, making the players deal significant damage. Tank starts their taunting, and enchanters buff the melee players and wizards. Yu Linlin exchanged glances at Ruan Baijie and jumped at the boss for an attack. Other players started their attack on the boss, lowering its stagger bar; they were all working together when Ruan Baijie jumped and moved a circle slash that staggered the boss. Upon stagger, multiple players swarm in and continue hacking its health bar away; AOE attacks from wizards are cast simultaneously. After a minute of a barrage of attacks, one player shouts, "The boss stagger stage is at its end. Non-melee players, back out!" Veteran players knew this and stepped behind the tanks; most of the new players who were too engrossed with their damage did not move back, so when the boss stagger ended, it howled to bring its defence back, causing a shock wave at the area, killing most of the players that were around it. "Stupid new players," Xia Rubie mumbles behind him.
As the boss's health lowers, it initiates phase 2, and the boss starts spewing molten rocks occasionally. The tank started its taunt and enchanted buffs, and the melee and healers put a protective barrier at them. Observing the boss's pattern, Mu Ye told Baijie, "Every 30 seconds, the boss will throw molten rock first horizontally and next vertically." She nodded at that and continued to attack the boss. "Stagger bar at 1%," Bai Ming shouted. Yu Linlin heard it and positioned himself to deliver a skill that would stagger the boss; with a double slash from him, the boss entered its second stagger. Melee then backs up, waiting for their skill to cool down and replenish their mana as the wizard whittles the boss's HP. "Baijie!" called Chen Fei; upon hearing her name, she looked and nodded. Obsidian, two wizards in the back cast their ultimate skill and shredded the boss's health bar at 10%. Everyone was amazed at what had happened; even Yu Linlin was momentarily stunned. "Holy!" Bai Ming exclaimed, and Meng Yu whistled at what he had just witnessed.
With a giant health suddenly taken out of the boss health bar, it now entered its rampage stage. Tank and healer ready their skill, every veteran player who knew how the game works ready their stance. Then the boss all of a sudden used its ultimate skill, "Oh shit! Baijie!" Gu Longming shouted; Baijie saw what would happen, used her quick step skills and hid behind the party tank. Yu Linlin looked forward, saw what happened, and did not move and stayed behind their party tank. The boss continuously stomped its rampage skill while cracking the arena floor and making it spout lava on the ground; many players, including some veterans, did not react on time and died at the boss's attack. "Mu Yu!" Mu Ye called, and Mu Yu enchanted Baijie's weapon; Meng Yu, who saw this, did the same to Yu Linlin. Realizing what would happen, Yu Linlin whispered to the tank, "Zhu Ruyuan, in 10 seconds, ready your taunt," the tank nodded.
Meng Yu looked at Xia Rubie and gave her a haste buff. With a simple nod, Xia Rubei started casting her ultimate skill. When the boss ceases its rampage mode, every tank available taunts the boss; with the boss slumping down after the rampage and the negative debuffs caused by the taunt, Xia Rubei landed her Ultimate skill, and Yu Linlin used his quick step skill at the same time Ruan Baijie also rushes towards the boss. Still, because her quick step was on cool down, Yu Linlin, who was faster than her with skill, managed to deliver the final blow to the boss, making him the MVP.
Lin Qiushi removed his headphones, jumped, screamed, and laughed at the raid's outcome. He can't believe it. He snags the boss's first kill, competing against it with the famous Ruan Baijie; he smiles as he stares at Ruan Baijie's character on the screen. He feels so pleased, and the heat in his body spreads out; he stops for a moment and clears his throat and cock his neck and takes a sip of water. He looks at the calendar on his table and checks his next heat cycle. It is still far away, but his body continues to have this shivering feeling. He took a couple of deep breaths, and the feeling faded; he thought, 'It must be because I'm so happy with the outcome of this game.'
The PM pops on his screen, and Meng Yu tells him they will tally the drop, but he can keep the MVP drops as part of their deal. He replies with Okay, and white deer members log off the game. Yu Linlin started checking his MVP drop and got a double sword of fire and earth as the main drops. Two other rare ones are a red gemstone (burning heart when forged can give 80% immunity to physical and fire damage) and the next is an Elixir that can instantly resurrect a player on the battlefield with total health, debuffs removed and 30-second full buffs. He was busy checking all the miscellaneous stuff in his inventory when suddenly a message popped out.
"Hello, Player Yu Linlin. We wanted to invite you to our team as one of the main DPS." Qiushi looked at the message, and another popped into the chat box: "My name is Mu Ye, and we would like to have you as part of our unit in the upcoming SRO competition of this game." Lin Qiushi knew what Mu Ye was talking about. As the game started to earn recognition from the public, for the first time, the E-sport launched in the first 5 vs 5 PVP (player vs player) and PVE (player vs environment or boss) competition. Lin Qiushi frowned at the name. He knew that name as Mu Ye, the second DPS of the team Obsidian. he looked around at the monitor and checked every present player in the area. There was no Obsidian member in the area, so he looked at the message suspiciously and ignored it.
He messaged Meng Yu that he would log off now. he stretched his body out, happy at the outcome of tonight's raid. He took a shower and decided to take his suppressant to be on the safe side; he went to his drawer and saw that he only had one tablet; he took it and made a mental note to check into the pharmacy tomorrow to get a whole batch. He was lying on his bed and checking online at the SPO leaderboard at today's boss hunt. He saw his name at the top, and next to him was Ruan Baijie's. he smiled at the name and was happy that he managed to play with Ruan Baijie today, even if they were on a different team. He looks at the time: 10:30 pm. He puts his phone down and sleeps.
Ruan Nanzhu saw what happened when the player Yu Linlin took the last hit to claim the MVP title; he leaned at the back of his chair and smirked.
"Ge, he is good," Yixie said quietly.
"Mhm," Nanzhu nodded.
"you want him, right?" Ruan Nanzhu smiled and nodded.
Cheng Yixie moved location on the map, and Ruan Nanzhu logged off from the game and massaged his wrist. Yixie glances at him expressionlessly but still worries about it. No one knew about Ruan-ge's wrist problem; the team only knew that he would step down for the time being and that they would look for a substitute primary damage dealer. Cheng Yixie decided to PM Yu Linlin but has not received a response from him. He told Nanzhu about this, and he just chuckled amusingly. "He probably thought you were an impersonator and decided to ignore you." then, look at Yixie, "Find out about him tonight and let me know in the morning." With that, Ruan Nanzhu went upstairs to his room.
Cheng Yixie then went to his room, changed into his evening clothes, and opened his computer. From there, he looked up at the player, Yu Linlin. Yixie worked the whole night looking for information about Qiushi. It was almost sunrise when he got the information; he collected everything, put it in one folder, and sent it to Ruan Nanzhu's phone. After hitting send, Cheng Yixie walks to bed and plops to sleep.
Ruan Nanzhu's phone vibrates at the notification; he opens the folder Yixie sent him and sees a peach blossom eye smiling at him, partnering with red lips that smile brightly. Ruan Nanzhu stared at the picture and slowly sat up. He stares at the picture long before reluctantly scrolling down to read his file.
Lin Qiushi
Age: 25
gender: male, second gender: omega
Ruan Nanzhu licks his lips at what he is reading. Included in the file were his address, phone number, occupation, family and Lin Qiushi's day-to-day activities. He took his number and saved it. He got up, changed, and went downstairs for breakfast. Lu Yanxue, Chen Fei and Yi Manman are already preparing breakfast, "Chen Fei, help me clean up the room beside mine after breakfast." Chen Fei looks up. "Yeah, sure, but why?" He looks at everyone. The only Alpha in the Villa is him and Cheng Yixie; most house members are Beta, and Cheng Qianli is the only Omega. "Well, the new member will be coming soon," the three look at him. "He is an Omega." upon hearing that, all three simultaneously made an oh face.
"Who is the Omega?" Qianli chirps behind him.
"The new guy," Yi Manman supplied.
"Huh, there's another omega coming in?" Ye Niao said, still yawning.
Ruan Nanzhu sat at the end of the table while Ye Niao prepared the utensils, and Cheng Qianli sat beside him.
"Ruan-ge, where is my gege?
"Probably still sleeping as I gave him work last night, so don't disturb him."
"Mhm," Qianli nods. He knows the consequence of disturbing his brother's sleep pretty well, and if he doesn't want to be locked in his room, he better stay away.
"Breakfast is ready," Lu Yanxue said; everyone brought the food to the table. "Qianli, I reserve a set for your brother on the countertop. Reheat it again later. "Thank you, jiejie," Qianli happily said.
After breakfast, Ruan Nanzhu brought his cup of coffee outside the garden and typed a message to Lin Qiushi. he was satisfied with the message, so he hit send.
Lin Qiushi woke up at the bird chirping on his window sills. He checks the time, and it's 8 am he stretches out, grabs a pillow and snuggles on it. He lazed around in bed for 30 minutes, looked outside, and thought of everything he needed to do when he got up. He had his grocery list downstairs and needed to go to the pharmacy for his suppressant. He was thinking all this when suddenly a call downstairs broke his moment of peace. "Qiushi, I'm going to go now and see you later in the evening." he heard the door close, so he got up and looked out the window. "Wu Xi!" he called. "Don't forget what I asked you to get." Wu Xi waved, made a thumbs up, and walked away towards the bus stop.
Lin Qiushi fixed his bed and changed his clothes. He climbed downstairs and went to the kitchen. Wu Xi left some hot breakfast for him. The noodles were still warm, so he ate them and checked his phone; when he opened it, the sleep mode turned off, and a message popped in. he opened it and read an unknown sender. "Hello, Mr. Lin Qiushi. I am the Obsidian Manager, and we would like to invite you to our team as a starting player in the upcoming SRO competition that is happening next month. Please respond to this message at your convenience. I am leaving you this contact number and email. We will await your reply. Thank you - Ruan Nanzhu." he frowns at the message and checks on the name. Sure enough, it said online that the manager of the team Obsidian is Ruan Nanzhu, but why are they contacting him like this? Unsure of the message, he decides to call the number later.
He went out with the grocery list and went to the supermarket. While shopping, he couldn't help but notice people's glances at him. He frowned at this and decided to end his shopping and go home. When he arrived at his doorstep, his phone started ringing; he opened his door and brought in his shopping bag, but he did not check who the caller was before answering his phone. "Hello," Qiushi placed his phone between his cheeks and shoulder and closed the door. "Hello, Mr. Lin Qiushi," came a deep, soothing voice. "My name is Ruan Nanzhu, and I am calling you regarding the offer I made this morning." Lin Qiushi was momentarily stunned at the voice ringing in his ear, and the offer from this morning started to sink into his brain. It took him a while to respond, and If Ruan Nanzhu had not repeated his hello, he would not have come out of his daze.
"Ahh-ah yes, I'm here, ah yes I'm Lin Qiushi," and he cleared his throat. "Umm, I don't know about this." hesitantly, "Let's meet and talk to you about this. We are an official team in the league, and we will pay you for your service." The other person explained. "Mhm." Qiushi bit his lips, unsure in his voice. The other person in the line sighed and said with that velvety low voice, "Think about it and contact us with your decision." Lin Qiushi shut his eyes upon hearing the voice, and it was doing something in him; a sudden shot, a shiver coursed through his body, then before he could stop himself, "Umm, okay, I can meet you." Qiushi heard the happiness in his voice. "That would be great. Then we can meet you in the afternoon." Qiushi smiled. "Okay." they talk about the time and place of their meeting and hang up.
For some reason, Lin Qiushi is eager to meet this person immediately. While waiting to meet, Qiushi forgets about getting his suppressant in the pharmacy. He took a bus to the meeting place, and because of his excitement, he failed to notice how the other passenger kept glancing at him. When his bus arrived at his destination, he got off and walked to the coffee shop where he was going to meet him. When he entered the shop, he looked for the guy he was talking to earlier and glanced at every man sitting alone inside the store. Then, a man wearing glasses stood up and walked toward him. His heart sank upon seeing him; for some reason, he did not expect it; the man laughed at his reaction and said,
"My name is Chen Fei. Ruan Nanzhu cannot make it because a call came while he was leaving."
Qiushi blushes when he realizes what is happening. "No, umm, sorry, I did not mean it like that."
Chen Fei chuckled at him; Lin Qiushi wore his heart on his sleeves; you could see all the emotion on his face. As he assessed the man before him, he could see his soft features and bright smile and remember Ruan Nanzhu's request this morning. Chen Fei smiled at the thought and invited him inside. He noticed that the shop had become quiet, and everyone was looking at them. His brows furrowed, and he sniffed, and that was when he realized the faint, sweet smell of flowers.
He looks at Lin Qiushi and realizes it; he leans and whispers, "Mr. Lin Qiushi, did you take your suppressant?"
This question took Qiushi aback, and he shook his head. "No, I was supposed to buy it today because I ran out but forgot about it."
"Shit!" he cursed, which startled Lin Qiushi, "I'm sorry, but we need to go." then grabbed Qiushi's arm and walked out of the coffee shop. While walking toward his car, he called the home, "Xue-Jie, it's me. Please ready a suppressant when I get home and tell Yixie and Ruan-ge to stay away from the house first." then he hung up. Qiushi, who was first confused about what was happening, realized when he heard Chen Fei mentioning the suppressant, "Just bring me to the nearest pharmacy, and I can go home." Panic now sets in his voice and body. "Your place is half an hour away. Add the trip to the pharmacy. It will take you an hour, and your heat might come. Our house is 10 minutes away, and a suppressant is always ready as we have an Omega in our team." Even if Chen Fei tried to reason with him, Qiushi's panic attack started. They reach the car, and Chen Fei opens the passenger seat. Lin Qiushi is hesitant to get in. "I am a Beta, and everyone in the Villa is Beta except the two Alphas, whom I instructed to leave the Villa and one Omega." Upon hearing that, Lin Qiushi reluctantly got into the passenger seat and put his seat belt on. Chen Fei went around and got into the car; he put his seat belt on, turned on the engine and peeled off at the parking spot.
They arrive in the Villa quickly, and Lu Yanxue and Cheng Qianli are outside the door waiting for them. "Where is Ruan-ge and your brother?" Chen Fei asked when he exited the car. Lin Qiushi opened his door and stood up; he swayed and got dizzy. Qianli quickly came beside him and held him steady. Qiushi, who was now sensitive, flinched at the touch. "Don't worry, ge; I'm an Omega." Then he gave Qiushi a friendly smile. Lu Yanxue, who also came close, asked him, "Hi, I'm Lu Yanxue. I'm a Beta; can I touch you?" with all the friendly gestures and soft approach, Qiushi relaxed and nodded at Yanxue. The three of them walk to the door. Chen Fei, who is in front of them, opens the door; when Lin Qiushi enters, he catches a whiff of a particular scent, and then his knees buckle. Qianli and Yunxue were surprised at what happened. They almost lost their balance but held themselves at the door frame. "Chen Fei!" Yanxue call.
Chen Fei turned around, saw what had happened, and called for Yi Manman and Ye Niao. When the two arrived, Chen Fei told them, "Help me send him upstairs." then he turned to Qianli, "Grab me the injected suppressant that you have and tell that two outside not to come in; better yet, they should leave the villa for a day and rent a hotel for tonight." Qianli nodded, ran to his room to grab the suppressants, and then ran upstairs to the 3rd floor to give the suppressant to Chen Fei.
"Ge, is he going to be alright?" Qianli ask.
Chen Fei looked at him and smiled. "Of course, he will be; go help Xue-jie prepare some meals when he wakes up."
Qianli nods. "I'll tell Ruan-ge and gege to leave the house first."
"Okay." Chen Fei said, tapped his shoulder, and both left the room.
Qianli went downstairs to the back porch. When he exited the house, Ruan Nanzhu stood up, "What happened? What is all the commotion inside?" he worriedly asked.
"Ruan-ge, the new guy, just got his heat, and Chen Fei told me to tell you that you need to leave the house tonight and go to a hotel for the evening," Qianli said, glancing at Yixie. "You and gege."
Cheng Yixie silently stooped up and walked to the side path outside the house; the next they heard was the car peeling away from the house and driving away.
Ruan Nanzhu took a deep breath and scratched his lips while thinking of something. "okay, tell Chen Fei to take care of him." Qianli nodded, and Ruan Nanzhu took the same path Cheng Yixie took and left the house on his motorcycle.