CANVAS (springtofu)

The walls were filled with posters of game characters, arranged in a juxtaposition. The tables in the room were arranged perfectly in the middle of the room with the latest gaming setups for professional gaming.

Click Clack

A rhythmic sound could be heard across the unoccupied room, the slow clicking sound from the mouse and the slow creaking sound from the gaming chair.

Zhang LiQiang let out a sigh behind his hand as he scrolled through the search results. Even though the issue has passed for three months now but, people still talk about it on the gaming online forums.

He taps his finger on the desk as he stares at the medium-sized portrait hanging on the left wall.'Where did it go wrong?' he asked himself.

A cheerful presence barged into the gaming room, he had a cup of milkshake in his hand "Ah Qiang, let's do some dungeon grind today!"

He tilts his head, seeing his best friend distracted by his thoughts. Lu Yufei placed down his drink and stride across the room, stood behind Zhang LiQiang, and whispered into his ear in a feminine voice "Which pretty girl caught your attention?"

Zhang LiQiang was caught off guard by the sudden cute high-pitched voice, he turned around and smacked Lu Yufei's stomach with the back of his hand "Don't be disgusting."

Lu Yufei chuckles "What are you thinking about so seriously?"

Zhang LiQiang looks back at the portrait, his best friend can see the emotion in his eyes as he stares at the previous roster's portrait hanging on the wall. He pats his shoulder "Don't blame yourself. Instead, you need to focus on looking for your fifth player for your team."

He sighs at his reminder and opens a new tab on his browser, typing in "Glitch" into the search bar. It is the most famous streaming platform in China right now, most organizations scout for players there.

Zhang LiQiang mindlessly scrolls " I went through the recommended already yesterday. No one caught my attention."

Lu Yufei grabs a gaming chair nearby and sits next to him, reaching for the drink he placed down earlier "Maybe we need to find them in person rather than online"

Zhang LiQiang looked at his friend with questionable looks, he raised his eyebrow "And how am I supposed to do that?"

Lu Yufei mimics Zhang LiQiang's face, teasing him "At tournaments duh"

Zhang LiQiang leans back on his chair and sighs "Are you suggesting we pick up players at low-tier tournaments?"

"I am saying, not all good players will show their presence or gameplay online. There is a Shooter Legends tournament coming up soon. I know you are looking for an Underground War player but they can learn the game as long as the basics is there" he counters his best friend. 

Zhang LiQiang stares at the ceiling, knowing Lu Yufei is right. He cannot miss an opportunity because of his biased thoughts.

____________________

Her messy fluffy hair bounces each time she takes a step, one hand on her backpack strap while the other scrolling through her social media. "Dal-ah, looks like there is a BBQ restaurant around here. Maybe we should check it out after the tournament" She holds up her phone slightly higher for her cousin to see.

He looks over his cousin's shoulder to see the reviews, as he ties up his slightly long hair. " I've seen videos about that restaurant before. I heard it's good." His body only towers her slightly. 

There are always whispers wherever they go, not because of their good looks but their proportions in height. Both of them are used to the attention. They walk towards a figure from afar, she is tall enough to reach their chest. She had a black cap and mask to hide enough of herself, her sleek black ponytail with green highlights falling on her shoulder.

Even though there is a crowd around but her difficult vibe made it hard for anyone to approach her. She swipes her phone screen impatiently left and right as if she is trying to distract herself. Bao puts her hand on her shoulder " Yo Xiao Hong, did you wait long?"

Wang Chaihong jolted up by the sudden physical contact, her eyes softened when she realized it was Yang Jinbao " Jiejie, you scared the shit out of me."

She scratches her hair " Sorry sorry… What time does the event start?"

"The person at the backstage said all players just had to be on standby over there later" Wang Chaihong waves at Kang Dal, greeting him "Congratulations on getting scouted as well."

He smiled and gave a thumbs up "It's all thanks to the advice you gave me"

"I didn't do much. Your skills are what got you there" Wang Chaihong lightly punches her junior's shoulder.

Kang Dal looks ahead, seeing groups of players gathering around in one direction "I am surprised we could join the competition this easily, was there no process or anything?"

"A couple of teams pulled out at the last minute, I guess they were desperate to fill in the slot." Wang Chaihong checked her phone for the time before putting it into her pocket once more, "We should be backstage soon."

Yang Jinbao wraps her arms around Wang Chaihong's shoulder "Let's go and win then."