Chapter 9: Cinderella
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Yan Xuan rarely played games, especially after entering university; he had barely played any ranked matches in League of Legends. However, when duo queuing with Mi Xiaoyue, his role was simple: pick Yuumi and stick to her, scrolling through videos with one hand while clicking skills with the other, watching Mi Xiaoyue rack up kills effortlessly. Whether as AD carry or jungler, within twenty minutes Mi Xiaoyue would inevitably break through the enemy base. In just two hours, they had a six-game winning streak.
“Feeling tired? Let’s take a break,” Yan Xuan said, removing his hands from the keyboard and tilting his head back to yawn.
“Tired… really?” Mi Xiaoyue looked at him in surprise. She was the one actually playing—what could make him tired?
She timidly said, “Yan Ge, I don’t need a break. How about you give me your account, I’ll help you rank up.”
Yan Xuan smiled, “Don’t worry, rest counts as time, so you won’t lose any money.”
“Oh… hehe, thanks, Yan Ge.” Hearing that it wouldn’t affect her earnings, Mi Xiaoyue smiled foolishly again.
Being paid to play all night felt pretty good.
Yan Xuan took out his phone and opened a food delivery app. “Xiaoyue, what do you want to eat?”
Mi Xiaoyue shook her head, “No need, Yan Ge. I’ll just have a few bites of instant noodles later, that’ll do.”
“How about purple perilla bullfrog?”
“What…?”
“Alright, I’ve placed the order.”
Yan Xuan didn’t give her a chance to refuse, put down his phone, and resumed watching a movie.
Mi Xiaoyue didn’t dare disturb him. With nothing else to do, she logged into her top-ranked account in Summoner’s Rift, planning to play a couple of matches to maintain her rank.
Yan Xuan glanced over and saw her ID was Cinderella—the name of the fairy-tale princess.
Girls often have a princess dream; Yan Xuan guessed that Mi Xiaoyue must have fantasized more than once about one day slipping on glass slippers, riding a pumpkin carriage, and escaping her bleak home and school life.
Yan Xuan started a conversation: “Xiaoyue, your rank is pretty high. You must get a lot of solo orders, right?”
Mi Xiaoyue shook her head, “I’m not officially listed at any gaming service shop. I just take odd jobs on the side, and the pay isn’t high. A few hundred a week is already good.”
“A high school student making a few hundred a week, even after paying for internet fees, should be enough, right?”
“Barely enough…”
Before she finished speaking, her phone suddenly rang. The caller ID was saved as “Xiao Mao.”
“Hello, Xiao Mao, why are you calling so late?”
“Sis, I want to buy a new pair of shoes, but Mom and Dad won’t let me.”
“Ah… how much?”
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“Eight hundred.”
“Okay… okay… alright, I’ll transfer it to you soon.”
“Thank you, sis! You’re the best, kisses!”
After hanging up, Mi Xiaoyue turned to Yan Xuan. Before she could say anything, Yan Xuan had already taken out his phone to send the transfer.
“I’ll give you the money first.”
“Thank you, Yan Ge! Thank you!”
Mi Xiaoyue kept thanking him, then immediately transferred 700 to Xiao Mao and left a voice message: “Xiao Mao, I only have 700 now. If that’s not enough, I’ll think of something tomorrow.”
Listening from the outside, Yan Xuan felt a pang of discomfort.
The “younger sister” who just called was probably the biological daughter of Mi Xiaoyue’s foster parents. Asking Mi Xiaoyue for money was likely not the first time, which explained why Mi Xiaoyue’s nearly 2,000 yuan monthly earnings from gaming barely covered her expenses.
Looking down, Yan Xuan noticed Mi Xiaoyue’s pink sports shoes on the floor. They were worn and tattered, a simple, affordable domestic brand.
Yan Xuan cautiously asked, “Xiaoyue, you’re close with your sister, right?”
Mi Xiaoyue kept farming jungle monsters as she answered, “Mm, yeah, we get along okay.”
“How so?”
“Well… we just do.”
When their foster parents scolded or punished her, Xiao Mao would speak a few perfunctory words to ease the situation, enough for Mi Xiaoyue to be grateful and tolerate the demands of this non-biological sister.
Seeing Mi Xiaoyue’s reluctance, Yan Xuan didn’t press further.
Still, he couldn’t understand why Mi Xiaoyue was considered such an epic-level player.
Was it because of her good nature?
Her strong values?
Or her gaming skills?
When the delivery arrived, Yan Xuan handed Mi Xiaoyue a bowl and chopsticks. “Want to eat together?”
“Thanks…”
Mi Xiaoyue took the bowl without hesitation and started eating, making Yan Xuan sigh inwardly.
She was so trusting as to eat food from a stranger without any defense—it was a miracle she had stayed safe until now.
While they ate and drank, Yan Xuan made small talk.
“Xiaoyue, do you usually nap at school during the day?”
“Yeah… I usually sleep until noon, eat, then sleep again until evening self-study when I get up.”
“Don’t your teachers care?”
“At first, they’d say something, but seeing I wouldn’t change, they gave up. We’re vocational high school students; only a few go to college each year. Sleeping in class is better than causing trouble outside.”
“What about your parents? Don’t they care?”
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“My parents don’t care. Don’t laugh, Yan Ge. They’re the couple who took me in; they don’t have much affection for me…”
“Took you in?”
Yan Xuan sneered inwardly.
Sure enough, Mi Xiaoyue’s foster parents dared not tell her the truth that she had been a victim of kidnapping. They probably feared that if she caused a scene at the police station, they’d be in serious trouble.
“Yan Ge, how much is the bullfrog? Let’s split the bill.”
Mi Xiaoyue knew the saying “eat the hand that feeds you,” and took out her phone to transfer money to Yan Xuan.
“No need, I’ll treat you.”
“That’s not right…”
“Nothing wrong with it. You can treat me next time.”
“Mm… okay.”
Awkward and unsure how to respond, Mi Xiaoyue silently noted the price on the delivery receipt.
By 5:30 a.m., Yan Xuan, who rarely stayed up late, couldn’t hold on any longer and prepared to return to the hotel.
Yawning, he stood up. “Xiaoyue, I’ll leave my account with you from now on. I’ll transfer the gaming fees on time.”
To keep in touch in the future, Yan Xuan had to find an excuse.
Mi Xiaoyue asked, “Yan Ge, what rank do you want me to reach?”
“You decide,” he replied.
“Oh…”
“I’m heading out now.”
“Bye, Yan Ge.”
Mi Xiaoyue, engrossed in farming jungle monsters, gave a perfunctory farewell.
Yan Xuan took the half-empty can of Red Bull from in front of her and softly warned, “If you’re tired, go back to school and get some sleep early. Drink less of this stuff; it’s bad for your health.”
“Okay…”
Mi Xiaoyue responded but might not have taken it to heart.
After finishing the game, she reached for the Red Bull to take a sip but found it gone. Only then did she recall Yan Xuan’s words.
“Bad for your health…”
She murmured to herself. Being cared for was an unfamiliar feeling, even if it was just a simple reminder.
She glanced at the empty space beside her and suddenly felt a hollow emptiness inside…