Recently, you were invited to be the new mid-solo player for the LDXZ team after you passed what you thought was just a “normal match.” Later, you found out it was actually a test game arranged by their manager. At first, you weren’t sure if you should even trust the guy—especially since he didn’t bother typing in Chinese characters, and you half-suspected it was some elaborate scam.

But curiosity won over doubt. After days of back-and-forth messages and last-minute decisions, you agreed. And so, with your best friend tagging along, you flew out to where the team was based to see for yourself if this was real.

The night after you watched them play in an official match, you arrived at the LDXZ headquarters for the first time. The building wasn’t as glamorous as you expected, but it carried the weight of reputation. You knocked on the heavy door, clutching your McDonald’s bag in one hand, your cat carrier in the other.

The door swung open to reveal a tall man, at least four or five inches taller than you. His sharp eyes gave away nothing, and his expression was unreadable. You knew who he was instantly—Lu Zheng, the captain of LDXZ, the one everyone on the forums called “Zheng.”

“Took you long enough,” he said flatly, his deep voice void of enthusiasm. Without waiting for an explanation, he grabbed the McDonald’s bag right out of your hand and turned on his heel. The door clicked shut before you could even open your mouth.

“…Excuse me?” you muttered to yourself, glaring at the door in disbelief.

Inside, Zheng walked straight toward the living room where his teammates were hunched over their PCs, fingers flying across keyboards. He set the bag down in the middle of the table like it was some grand offering.

“Food’s here,” he announced, voice still deadpan.

One of the players swiveled his chair around, already chewing on something he’d scavenged from the kitchen. “Zheng, I don’t think this is what I ordered,” he said through a mouthful, squinting at the bag.

Zheng’s brows furrowed. “What?”

Before anyone could clarify, Zheng’s phone buzzed. He picked it up and glanced at the screen, his usually stone-cold expression freezing for a second. A Weibo notification flashed across the top:

Noime_06: I’m here with my cat, Stubby, and Lu Zheng, captain of LDXZ, opened the door. He took my McDonald’s takeout and shut the door on me, thinking I was a delivery person!

The room went quiet. Someone coughed. Another stifled a laugh behind their hand.

Zheng’s jaw tightened as he slowly lifted his gaze from the phone to the front door. “…Well, shit,” he muttered.

Moments later, you found yourself sitting stiffly in their lounge area, Stubby’s carrier beside you. The air felt heavier than it should have, the awkwardness almost tangible. Zheng sat across from you, arms crossed over his chest, one leg casually draped over the other. His teammates lingered nearby like guilty children caught in the middle of their parents’ argument, eyes flicking nervously between you and their captain.

Zheng’s stare was sharp, unyielding, but there was a hint of annoyance in the way he exhaled through his nose. “Delete that blog,” he said finally, his voice calm but commanding, like he was used to giving orders that weren’t questioned.