CANVAS (springtofu)

Yang Jinbao watched Wang Chaihong disappear into the crowd, Kang Dal looked at her cousin worriedly "As soon as she comes back, we should leave immediately."

"Yeah, she doesn't take being around people very well." Yang Jinbao sighs.

From afar, two figures navigate through the sea of people. Zhang LiQiang and Lu Yufei scan through the players and staff for Wang Chaihong and her team.

"Do we even know what she looks like?" Lu Yufei glances at him. "All we know is their gamer tag."

Zhang LiQiang adjusts his cap "We just need to look for her other two teammates, Bao and Moon. They are not hard to find"

"You know them?" Lu Yufei smiles at one of the female staff members who is staring at him.

Zhang LiQiang nods "Coach Ming told me before that Iron Wall had some recruits. Their name was on the list."

He was not surprised that he knew, their team coach and Iron Wall's coach are close friends. Lu Yufei stops walking and points ahead "I think I found them"

Zhang LiQiang and Lu Yufei approach the cousins cautiously, he notices the player he is looking for is away. The cousins looked a bit restless, they had similar demeanor. 'They look like models, they should switch professions' Lu Yufei thought. 

Zhang LiQiang clears his throat "Excuse me, you are the winning team right?"

The cousins turned to face him, their worried expressions turned serious. Yang Jinbao waves her hand, shooing them away "Sorry, no interviews. Not interested."

Zhang LiQiang pulls down his mask "Don't worry, we are not interviewing."

Kang Dal's eyes widen "Zhang LiQiang?!"

She raised her eyebrow, her tone was friendly but it felt like a line had been drawn. "What is Heavenly Jade Gaming doing here?"

" Don't worry I am not here to take away Iron Wall's fresh blood." Zhang LiQiang assured her.

Kang Dal puts a hand in his pocket "Eh…news travels fast." The announcement for Yang Jinbao and Kang Dal has not been released yet but he is not surprised the CEO of Heavenly Jade Gaming to know about it.

"I will cut to the chase. Your third 'MapoTofu' was the one IGLing your games right?" Zhang LiQiang gazes at them sharply.

Yang Jinbao knows there is no point lying because any skilled player would know who was leading them but she is careful since it is about Wang Chaihong. She looks at Kang Dal "Yeah she did."

"I would like to talk to her about opportunities." Zhang LiQiang looks around for any signs of Wang Chaihong.

Their posture relaxed a little, Yang Jinbao shakes her head "She is not here at the moment. She went to the restroom."

The cousins know Wang Chaihong is not keen on going back to the professional scene after what happened before but they know it will be a good chance to clear her name. At the end of the day, it is Wang Chaihong's decision so they decided it is a good idea for her to hear about it in person.

"Here is my-" Zhang LiQiang's sentence was interrupted by the commotion from the far end of the corridor. Shouting voices pierced through the backstage noise, drawing the attention of everyone nearby.

Lu Yufei tried to catch a glimpse of the situation "What's going on over there?"

Kang Dal grabs his cousin's hand and exchanges glances at her "Didn't Chaihong jie jie go that way just now?"

"Chaihong? Your third teammate?" Zhang LiQiang's ears perked up hearing her name.

Yang Jinbao with a serious expression "Yes." She pushes Kang Dal's hand away, the crowd slightly parted when she approaches the commotion. Zhang LiQiang pulls his mask back on and follows behind.

"Yeah, right. Why don't you show your face then?" before she could react, his hand shot out, aiming to snatch her cap. 

Chaihong stepped back instinctively, her heart pounding as the cap slipped off her head. Before her face was revealed to the public eye, a tall figure emerged in front of her, blocking everyone's view. The two players were taken aback, her figure towered them a little. Yang Jinbao glared at them " Back off."

One of the players sneered at her after realizing it was Wang Chaihong's teammate "Oh so you are a female as well? I thought you were a guy for a second. You were in it with her too right? For cheating?"

The other player reached forward, attempting to grab her cap again. "Why don't you show yourself if you are not guilty"

Before they could make contact, Zhang LiQiang stepped in and grabbed his arm, his voice calm but commanding. "That's enough."

The players froze, startled by his sudden presence."And who the hell are you?" one of them snapped. Zhang LiQiang pulls down his mask "Someone that can make sure you won't step in the professional scene anymore."

The two players were taken aback when they saw Zhang LiQiang's unexpected appearance. The tension crackled in the air as the two troublemakers hesitated, their confidence wavering in the face of Zhang LiQiang's authority.