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Han Wenqing is not exactly sure how he ended up in this situation.
He was sitting at his usual computer in the practice room analysing Tyranny’s last match against Excellent Era- he had already gone over it multiple times, but each time he rewatched it the feeling that there was something off about the whole thing only compounded. It was irritating.
Hence when a harried looking admin-seeming lady burst into the room, he was already not in the best of moods. When she stuttered and stumbled out something like an apology, and something that seemed like it was meant to be an explanation he felt himself becoming downright annoyed. It must have shown on his face because the admin lady somehow became more miserable- he could see tears gathering in her eyes, which, he knew he had a not-so-pleasant face, okay? He knew he was intimidating on the best of days, and terrifying on any day less than that, but surely they knew he wouldn’t actually hurt anyone? Hadn’t 7 years of good behaviour proven that? The admin lady was beginning to look like she was about to pass out, so Han Wenqing swallowed his irritation as best he could and tried to school his features into something that hopefully did not imply murder somewhere in the near future.
He still didn’t know what the problem was, but he doubted he’d get anything meaningful from this woman. He stood up, and just as the admin lady was regretting not wearing something with pockets today so she could carry her wallet with her, he said,
“Lead the way.”
Even if he didn’t know what the problem was, meeting it head on was always a good start, in his opinion.
He followed the miserable admin lady down to the club’s reception area, where he was greeted with the sight of a beautiful woman in a smart forest green pantsuit with her arms crossed and eyebrow raised, glaring at the pitiful reception staff. Because they really did look pitiful- was this how others saw people behave around him as well? He suddenly felt a pang of camaraderie for this mysterious, intimidating stranger.
When the others in the room noticed his arrival, there were mixed reactions. The receptionists looked like they didn’t know whether to cry from relief that he was there, or cry because he was there and the reason he was there had to do with their own ineptitude- either way, they looked like they were about to cry. In stark contrast to this, the beautiful woman turned on her stiletto heels and cast an appraising eye towards him. Even Han Wenqing felt the need to somehow stand straighter under the weight of that gaze, and he had to catch himself from submitting to the urge to confess- confess what? He didn’t know, but surely there was something he had done wrong. It was a very alien feeling to the so-called mafia boss of the Alliance.
“Are you the boss?”
A sharp, clear voice cut through his musings, and he furrowed his brow as the woman’s words registered with him.
“I’m the captain.”
He wasn’t the boss, per se, but being the captain seemed to satisfy this woman as she nodded with an approving look on her face and with a wave of her hand said,
“Well then, lead the way.”
Han Wenqing wordlessly turned on his heel and made his way towards- where? Where would be a good place to take this woman? Why was he taking her anywhere in the first place? He didn’t even know who she was, or what she was here for. He had somehow been taken in by her attitude that seemed to assume that everything she said and did was correct, and that you would be the one to regret it if you didn’t listen. The most annoying thing about it was that the blase confidence which underlaid her entire being was not unfounded, and that she was in fact, always correct, and if she wasn’t then it was the world that was wrong. It was infuriating. Ye Qiu was infuriating.
He found himself leading the woman to Tyranny’s actual boss’s office. Fortunately (or was it unfortunately?) the boss was out today and the room was unoccupied. He sat down on one of the arm chairs placed around the coffee table, and indicated to the woman to also take a seat, and she did so with such elegance that he found himself spacing out for a few moments in amazement. Did sitting on a chair really require so much elegance? Once they were both sitting and he roused himself from his stupor, Han Wenqing sat forward with his hands clasped before him, waiting to hear what this woman had to say.
He vaguely thought that maybe he should offer her some tea or something, but he could feel a headache coming on, and couldn’t for the life of him find the motivation to offer something that would so obviously be refused.
So he waited.
Thankfully Han Wenqing’s faith in the directness of her attitude was not misplaced, as she got right down to business.
“I want my son to transfer to this team.”
“Excuse me?”
He could feel the tension building up behind his eyes.
“He’s been away from home for too long. He won’t listen to me. There’s nothing I could say to make him give up on whatever he thinks he’s doing right now, but even if he won’t inherit the company right away I want to at least see him for New Years.”
Ah. He could really feel that headache now. He silently cursed whichever spoiled brat had brought this terrible fate upon him: to somehow say no to this person who had definitely never been refused anything in her life. Rich people were the worst (he purposefully ignored that he could now be considered one of these ‘rich people’ himself). He took a slow breath through his nose, and slowly un-gritted his teeth before saying,
“I’m sorry, but Tyranny is not a team you can just get into because you want it.”
“Money’s not an issue.”
Damn rich brats.
“You’re right, money is not an issue. We are a championship team- we aim for the championship. Skill has much more pull around here. I can't accept someone if they do not have enough skill.”
He sat back in his chair, arms crossed as he delivered what he thought was something of an ultimatum. Any kid that had relied on his rich parents to get him into the Alliance would no doubt not be good enough for the two-time championship team. But to his great ire, the woman just laughed and said,
“Skill is even less of an issue. It would be impossible for A’Xiu to be anything but the best. I raised him that way.”
Han Wenqing thought, she had the nerve to look smug. He wanted to punch something. Maybe the table.
“Even so, transferring players does not lie within my jurisdiction alone. So, I’m sorry, but I can’t help you.”
He made to get up out of his chair, utterly finished with the whole ordeal, when her next words gave him pause.
“Is it the sponsorships? I know he hasn’t been showing his face all these years, but there’s really no need for him to keep doing that anymore. He’d do it if you said I was the one who told him to.”
Han Wenqing felt his brows involuntarily furrow. It couldn’t be.
He wanted to go back to bed. Maybe then this nightmare would be over.
Unfortunately, the universe had other plans.
“Excuse me, but what was your son’s name again?”
“Ye Xiu. Though I think he’s been going by Ye Qiu in these circles. Goodness knows why, I already have one A’Qiu- I’d much rather have my A’Xiu back.”
He once again silently cursed both the universe and the newly-dubbed damned spoiled rich brat and most infuriating (and only) rival Han Wenqing knew. Mostly he cursed the brat.
No amount of paracetamol would get rid of this headache.
****
“Xingjie, what would we have to do to get Ye Qiu to join Tyranny?”