Morning light crept across the blinds before I noticed I hadn't slept.
The replay of last night's match still looped on my monitor — the moment I hesitated, the brush of his hand, the look that said more than words ever could.
I shut the laptop.
Distraction was a luxury I couldn't afford.
At least, that's what I kept telling myself.
---
Lyra Headquarters — 10:00 a.m.
The boardroom buzzed with voices and coffee steam.
Screens showed headlines scrolling faster than anyone could stop them:
> "ECLIPSE Captain and ZGDX Jungler — Midnight Duel?"
"Lyra Heiress and League Star: Secret Scrim or Secret Something?"
I exhaled slowly.
It took exactly eight hours for the world to notice what I wanted to ignore.
"Miss Qin," my publicist said carefully, "should we release a statement denying any… personal connection?"
I met her gaze. "No denial. No confirmation. Silence creates curiosity — and curiosity sells."
The team shifted uneasily.
They didn't realize that in the gaming world, narrative was a weapon.
And right now, I could use one.
---
Training Room — Noon
Ashen slammed his keyboard down. "They're saying we're distracted because of him! Half the comments call you ZGDX's shadow."
I smiled faintly. "Then let's give them light they can't ignore."
I called for a scrim.
Not against ZGDX — not yet.
Against every team brave enough to test us.
By the third win, my pulse steadied.
Focus returned.
Until my screen flickered with a private message.
> Lao K: Ignoring the noise?
Me: Always.
Lao K: You handle it well.
Me: I built my world on silence.
Lao K: Then I'll try not to break it.
I should've ignored that last line.
I didn't.
Because under its quiet restraint, there was something that felt dangerously close to… care.
---
League Press Conference — Evening
The hall smelled of flashbulbs and tension.
Reporters turned as I entered, microphones poised.
> "Miss Qin, any comment about your midnight meeting with Lao K?"
"Was it business or personal?"
"Do you think your relationship affects the league?"
Before I could answer, a familiar voice spoke from the side.
> "It was practice," Lao K said simply. "She pushes me to be better. That's all."
He met my eyes across the chaos — steady, composed, protective without overstepping.
And in that instant, something shifted.
He hadn't defended me for reputation.
He'd done it because he understood what silence cost.
---
Later, when the crowd dispersed, he passed by me backstage.
"You didn't have to do that," I said.
"Maybe not," he replied, "but I wanted to."
I looked at him — the calm in his expression, the quiet certainty that unnerved me more than any challenge ever had.
"You're blurring lines," I warned softly.
He smiled, barely there. "Maybe lines were meant to move."
---
That night, I watched the city again — lights reflecting off glass like fragments of unfinished code.
For the first time since I woke in this world, I wondered if I was still the one in control.
Because every game has a turning point.
And I had a feeling I'd just crossed mine.
---
✨ End of Chapter Seven — "Echoes of the Game."
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