The clock on the wall just pointed to eight o’clock.

Opposite the balcony, a gay couple was watering potted plants in the morning sunlight, flirting with each other.

At this moment, there were two messages displayed horizontally on Lu Manman’s phone screen.

One message was from her ex-boyfriend, Qiao Xingye:

“Manman, things are not as you think.”

The other message was from the manager of the Queen professional esports team:

“Lu Manman, come to the club this afternoon, regarding your retirement.”

Lu Manman casually glanced at these two messages, her fair hand reaching for the fries in front of her, grabbing a handful and throwing them into her mouth.

Crunch the crispy fragrance filled the air, leaving a greasy taste in her mouth.

On this sticky morning of her nineteenth birthday, the two messages Lu Manman received didn’t seem to bring good news.

She let out a sigh, flipping through the messages, contemplating which one to reply to first.

Her father, Alex, served her a bowl of corn chowder, handing it to her at the table, then kissed Lu Manman’s forehead: “Happy birthday.”

“Thank you, Dad Alex.”

Alex was warm and kind, with a smile that revealed two shallow dimples at the corners of his mouth when he smiled.

Lu Manman looked up, “Dad Alex, I want to ask you a question.”

Alex sat on the high stool beside her, “Hmm?”

“If, and I’m just saying if, there was a box of condoms in Louis’ drawer, full when you left, but empty when you returned from your business trip, what would you do?” Lu Manman asked.

Alex looked up at his lover watering the plants on the balcony, pondered for a moment, and said, “That’s impossible.”

Lu Manman furrowed her brows, “Why?”

Alex replied, “He’s the bottom.”

Lu Manman exclaimed, “Huh?”

Alex patted her head and chuckled, “You don’t understand, silly girl.”

Lu Manman persisted, “I’m just hypothetically asking.”

Alex replied, “Just buy another box when it’s used up, right?”

Lu Manman questioned, “Is that all?”

Confused, Alex asked, “What else should be done then?”

Lu Manman suggested, “Or break up?”

“Why break up?” Alex inquired.

“He betrayed you,” Lu Manman pointed out.

Alex explained, “Being happy together is what matters the most.”

“Mmm,” Lu Manman acknowledged.

Lu Manman decided to temporarily ignore her ex-boyfriend’s text messages.

….

In the afternoon, Alex drove her to the Queen’s Club. The club is located in a prominent four-story red brick house on Fifth Avenue, bathed in bright sunlight, casting a vibrant hue over the small building.

Outside the house, a large sign with the letters “queen” stands, illuminated by dazzling red neon lights at night, illuminating the entire street.

The Queen’s Professional Club is currently the world’s top professional club for live-action “PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.” The recently concluded third-quarter world championship saw the Queen’s team clinch the championship, attracting global attention.

The club was founded three years ago, with its ace player being hailed as the “Smiling Goddess of War,” W. The name “Smiling Goddess of War” stems from W’s habit of wearing a black mask with a red W imprint in every match, resembling an evil smile.

No one knows what the face behind the mask of the “Smiling Goddess of War, W” looks like, but this smiling W mask has become an immortal symbol of live-action “PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.” W is the undefeated goddess in the hearts of all fervent fans.

W-win

***

In the office, manager Danny held a smoldering cigarette butt in his hand, with wisps of smoke curling upwards. He sat at his desk, with several documents laid out in front of him. Meanwhile, several teammates who had once fought side by side stood silently along the wall, avoiding eye contact with Lu Manman.

The atmosphere was tense until Lu Manman put on the black mask with the red W imprint. This mask symbolized victory, representing the glory of Queen’s undefeated past battles.

The teammates’ feelings became even more complicated.

Manager Danny took a sip of tea, took a deep breath, and pushed a document towards Lu Manman’s hand. “W, I hope you can sign it.

“It was a retirement document.”

Your performance has been quite poor lately, of course, it’s not entirely your fault… Perhaps your professional career has come to an end.

Teammate Akko couldn’t help but interject, “But the captain is only nineteen!”

“Age is irrelevant.” Manager Danny looked at Lu Manman and said slowly, “We all know W’s condition, which clearly no longer suits professional competition.”

Lu Manman remained silent. After a pause, he continued, “Nowadays, professional teams in the United States are rising like mushrooms after the rain. The competition pressure on our Queen will only increase. As a manager, I must consider the team’s best interests.”

Ako still seemed somewhat defiant, “If it weren’t for Manman, we might have lost to those little rabbits from China in this World Championship!”

He was referring to the X Team from China, a dark horse team that made a breakthrough into the World Championship.

Before this, professional teams from China had never made it to the World Finals, but this season, the X Team created a myth.

Although they were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the World Championship, it was still the best result a Chinese team had achieved so far!

In the domestic scene, it’s an undisputed and absolute honor.

Manager Danny, however, disdainfully snorted, “The analysis report from this competition shows that Manman’s speed is nowhere near what it used to be. If it weren’t for her, the X Team might not have lasted 30 minutes before being wiped out.”

He paused, then added, “Chinese people can never win in live-action competition.”

In other words, it was actually Lu Manman who was holding the team back.

Lu Manman had already picked up the pen.

Danny’s tone softened slightly, “You’ll receive every penny of this season’s commission.”

Lu Manman looked up and asked, “If I leave, who will be the captain of Queen?”

Danny replied, “Qiao Xingye.”

Her boyfriend, Qiao Xingye.

No wonder he played truant today and didn’t show up; he probably couldn’t face Lu Manman again.

Teammate Akko exclaimed excitedly, “Danny, your actions are simply burning bridges. Without Manman, we wouldn’t be where we are today. She led us to victory in so many matches!”

But Danny retorted, “Professional competitions are very ruthless. We, Queen, are the world champion team, and I have to be accountable to the investors.”

At this point, there’s no need to further humiliate oneself. Lu Manman signed the retirement application.

“W.”

This signifies the end of her professional career and also marks the end of the W era.

The teammates were gloomy, feeling quite uneasy, and Lu Manman was no better off.

Perhaps the considerable sum of money as compensation could offer some consolation. That evening, Lu Manman invited two close friends to a underground bar in Manhattan.

Alex comforted Lu Manman, “Retirement is not a big deal. You’re still young, with your whole youth ahead of you. Why waste it on these violent live-action CS games? Dump that Qiao Xingye guy, go to college, find a better-looking boyfriend, and have a pure relationship without any conflicts of interest.”

Louis added, “Or for one night.”

Alex pushed him away, “Stay away, don’t corrupt my sweet daughter.”

Louis persisted, “Life is short, so enjoy it while you can. That’s the truth.”

Alex retorted, “Ignore him, Louis. When you’re alive, you owe it to yourself.”

Lu Manman nodded vigorously, then took a small sip from Alex’s glass of brandy, feeling a bit dizzy already.

She felt a bit aggrieved and reluctant. After all, she had devoted her entire youth to Queen and to the live-action “PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds” competition. As captain, she had been conscientious and responsible for the whole team and herself, but this was the outcome in the end.

That accident had rendered her unable to continue her professional path…

She couldn’t help but take another sip.

At that moment, several young Asian faces entered the bar, full of youth and vitality.

They were laughing and chatting in Chinese, but Lu Manman couldn’t make out their words anymore. The only sentence she heard clearly was, “Next spring tournament, we’ll crush the American Queen’s team!”

She couldn’t help but turn her head to look. Among the bustling crowd, she saw the faces of several unfamiliar Asian boys, but her vision quickly blurred.

Feeling woozy, Lu Manman said to Alex, “Dad, I need to pee.”

Alex replied, “Go ahead, turn left in the corridor, don’t pee your pants.”

Lu Manman pushed her chair back and walked towards the restroom.

In the narrow corridor, there were two restroom doors, one marked with a W, and the other with an M.

Disappointedly, Lu Manman said to herself, “You’re no longer W, you’re just Lu Manman, a nineteen-year-old girl who failed and feels lost.”

So she entered the restroom marked with an M.

The door of the stall seemed to be broken; she tried to close it several times but couldn’t.

Oh no, it’s too late.

Lu Manman simply ignored the broken door and quickly took off her pants to sit on the toilet.

Phew~

La la la la.

But the next moment, there was the sound of flushing from the stall.

Immediately after, a man in a black baseball jersey and a duckbill cap emerged.

As he passed by Lu Manman, his body tensed for a moment….

He slowly turned his head to look at her.

His eyes were shrouded in the shadow of the cap, deep as the night sky with a hint of starlight shining through.

He pursed his thin lips.

In short, to put it simply.

He was a man.

And a rather handsome Chinese man!

Wait, the fact that he’s Chinese isn’t the point, and his handsomeness isn’t the point either!

When a person is urinating, that should be their most vulnerable moment, right?

Lu Manman sat frozen on the toilet, locking eyes with him.

Yuan Xiu turned to stone…

She gripped the edge of her pants tightly, her fingers digging in fiercely.

The handsome Chinese man thought she was about to scream, so he immediately put his finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet.

Because there were more men laughing and chatting outside the door.

He quickly approached and closed the door of the stall.

With a creak, Lu Manman’s tense heart relaxed a bit.

“Yuan Xiu, why are you standing here?” The man outside the door spoke in Chinese.

“Just waiting for a spot.” His voice was low and magnetic.

“There are empty seats over there, though.”

“I like this one.”

“Ah, strange preference, but as the boss, your word is final. Priceless to have your likes… Wait, why are you still holding the door?”

“The door is broken.”

The air froze for a few seconds.

“So, Captain is… guarding the door for the person inside… doing their business.”

“That’s one way to put it.”

The teammate ran out in disbelief.

As the door opened, Lu Manman had already put on her pants and walked out, her face flushed with embarrassment. The man in front of her had a piercing gaze, and she dared not look at him. Her whole body was burning with embarrassment as she hurriedly bowed to him.

“Thank you for your help!”

She lowered her head to leave, but Yuan Xiu said, “My teammates might be lurking outside… They’re very curious.”

“It’s okay, nobody knows anybody,” Lu Manman said, clutching her chest in distress. “Encountering something like this on my birthday might jinx the whole year. Well, today has been unlucky enough, losing my job and accidentally wandering into the men’s restroom and being seen…”

Yuan Xiu was about to explain that he didn’t see much clearly, but seeing her feeling down, he simply kept quiet.

As she was about to leave, Lu Manman bowed slightly to Yuan Xiu again.

“Sorry for making you uncomfortable.”

“Birthdays, huh.”

A magnetic voice sounded, and as Lu Manman stood up, she felt a duckbill cap gently placed on her head.

Inside the cap still lingered the warmth of his body. As his hand fell, it seemed to inadvertently touch her soft earlobe.

A surge of electricity shot up from her feet, and Lu Manman felt a mix of confusion and tenderness.

In her dazed state, he gently lowered the brim of the cap for her.

“I hope this hat makes you feel a little better.”

Such a gentle voice.

Later, Lu Manman followed behind Yuan Xiu, her face flushed, as they walked out of the restroom.

Under the astonished and fearful gazes of a group of young Chinese guys, she dashed away.

Breathless, Lu Manman ran out of the bar and stood on the brightly lit street.

A gentle breeze brushed her cheeks, dispersing the flush on her face.

She took off the duckbill cap and discovered a letter printed on it: X.