God's Left Hand - Prelude: Chapter 6

Alright guys. I've graduated (though I'm going to be attending school, again, in the fall). So now that it's summer we'll be updating weekly! Also sorry for the late posting again (I'm pretty bad at this). We just got home and the flight was delayed. Things are heating up from what I can tell in the story. Enjoy.

---

She still remembered that night.

They had just finished training, sitting in the room with the lights off.  He was leaning back on the chair wearing headphones.  She knew the music he was listening to must have been Within Temptation’s “Jillian”. That’s his favorite band.

That year, all the forums and gaming websites liked to comment on her “sense of smell.”  Solo on the other hand always said that it was her women’s sixth sense.  She could foresee enemy positions or an incoming ambush.

But what she really wanted to know was that if she had a sixth sense, then she should be able to sense his feelings.

That day, the two of them sat across from each other.  She hesitated for quite some time, finally she entered few words on computer: “Love, takes two people.”

Solo’s face reflected the light from the computer screen.

At first, he just smoked quietly.  After a full 4 or 5 minutes, he slowly typed on the keyboard and punched the enter key:  “So, Solo is not suitable for love.”

Singapore at the height of summer is truly a sun-drenched place…..

The glaring sunlight came from the direction where he was standing.  Ai Qing had to squint her eyes in order to barely see his face.

Those 3 or 4 men all looked familiar, but she couldn’t recall who they were exactly.  She only saw that, after a short conversation, a man behind him patted his shoulder and he raised his head looking toward another direction.

Ai Qing looked over too; it was Dt’s team who sat at a table.

“Solo said that he came here to look for fresh blood for his club.” The person that sat next to her explained unclearly while eating the chicken wings.  “My guess is that he likes Dt.  You know Solo’s club has gotten an investment from an American company.  If Dt can take the first place in this tournament, he will be a hot item.  They do have foresight.”

Ai Qing smiled.  “Why don’t you go to his club?”

“Me?” Slide shrugged. “I plan to go to Germany.”

Ai Qing was quite surprised.  “You already signed on with them?”

Slide looked at her smilingly.  “Want to come with me?”

“No!” Ai Qing refused instinctively.  “That place won’t agree with me.  If I want to sign on to any team, it’ll be a Chinese club.”

“The most presentable team in China,” Slide took out a pack of tissues from his pocket and pulled out one, “is Solo’s.”

It so happened that there came the hit song of Within Temptation through the speakers.  It’s unexpected that there were people here who liked this Dutch symphonic metal band too……

Ai Qing thought for a while, then finally spoke, “then I’ll just study hard in college.  I’ll return to the world without video gaming competitions completely.  Fall in love, work in an office after graduation, 9 to 5.”

Slide nibbled on a piece of chicken wing so thoroughly until there was only bare bones.  “I almost forgot, you just finished the college entrance exam.”

Oh, yeah, entrance exam, college; it seemed that her life had just begun.

It seemed that Solo was doing exactly what Slide had guessed.  After exchanging a few more words with the people around him, he walked, holding a can of coke in hand, towards where Dt was.  As Ai Qing was thinking of finding an excuse to slip away, Mian Bao, right at this moment, realized that there were two people missing, searched all around and saw Ai Qing.  He waved and shouted out, “Gou Gou, Slide, over here!”

Solo stopped, turned his head to look over.

Ai Qing felt her temples were tightening up.  She wished she could flog that little substitute to death right now…...