Summary: When a single forgotten anniversary shatters Chen Yao's plans for a peaceful break, she finds herself storming straight into the heart of ZGDX's legendary chaos. In a world of laughter, disaster, and unexpected alliances, it's not just reputations that are at risk—it's survival.
Chapter One
The day had started well enough. Chen Yao had returned from Cambridge for her short break, intent on sleeping in, catching up on overdue thesis work, and maybe, if the stars aligned, getting some peace without being dragged into someone else's chaos. But no, somehow fate decided to remind her that best friends were, in fact, a life sentence.
It had only taken a single phone call from Jinyang, her best friend and adopted sister, voice high and tense, to shatter any illusion of tranquility. Ten minutes later, Yao learned the crime: that Ai Jia— her Ai Jia, her male best friend, the idiot she had trusted to know better, had forgotten his anniversary with Jinyang.
That had been enough to unleash the storm.
Which was why, barely an hour later, Ai Jia was sprinting like the fires of hell were nipping at his heels. He bolted from the YQCB base, located inside the same gated compound as the infamous ZGDX team, running so fast he practically left a dust trail behind him. Inside the ZGDX base, Lu Sicheng, Lu Yue, Pang, Lao Mao, Lao K, Ming, and Rui were scattered across the living room, lazily sipping drinks and reviewing game footage when the door exploded open.
Ai Jia hurtled into the room, all but diving behind the nearest couch, his face a mask of pure terror. "Sanctuary! I claim sanctuary!" he gasped, voice cracking as he peeked over the edge of the couch like a hunted animal.
Before anyone could react, a pillow flew through the air like a heat-seeking missile. It struck the back of Ai Jia's head with a dull, resounding thud, sending the poor Midlaner sprawling face-first onto the polished floor at Lu Sicheng's feet.
There was a beat of stunned silence.
The men blinked once. Twice.
And then—there she was.
Stalking through the open door with lethal intent was a figure barely 5'3 but moving with the feral grace of a predator who had cornered her prey. Dark chocolate brown hair, gleaming under the fluorescent lights, fell in tousled waves around her shoulders. Her sharp, ice-blue eyes, a rare and striking color, crackled with fury and promised immediate and painful death. Her frame, slim and compact in a fitted black jacket and worn jeans, screamed a different kind of power, one that had nothing to do with size and everything to do with raw, unrelenting will.
Lu Sicheng, who had seen his fair share of dangerous creatures both inside and outside the gaming world, raised an eyebrow in muted curiosity. Lu Yue leaned forward slightly, fascinated. Pang, Lao Mao, and Lao K shared a wary glance while Rui, wise enough to recognize incoming disasters, simply reached out and slid the nearest breakable item—his coffee cup—out of reach.
Chen Yao's cold gaze pinned Ai Jia where he lay groaning, before she slowly lifted her head and turned it toward the assembled members of ZGDX, her voice calm, deceptively sweet. "Which one of you is in charge?" she asked, her English lilt softening the Mandarin words just enough to sound unsettling.
For a moment, no one moved.
Finally, Lu Sicheng, long used to chaos, lazily uncrossed his arms and tilted his head toward her with a faint, amused smirk. "Depends," he drawled, his voice low and lazy. "Are you here to kill him or just maim him?"
Chen Yao's answering smile was chilling in its sweetness. "Neither," she said. "I'm here to educate him."
Ai Jia whimpered from the floor.
Yue, clearly fighting a grin, muttered under his breath, "I like her already."
"You should probably let her finish. Otherwise, she might chase him around the compound next, and God knows security already thinks we're a circus." Ming exhaled heavily and leaned back against the wall.
Yao, not needing permission, stepped forward and yanked Ai Jia upright by the back of his hoodie with shocking strength for someone her size. As she dragged him toward the door by his collar like an unruly toddler, she offered ZGDX's gathered team one last glance over her shoulder, a smile that promised violence wrapped in velvet. "Nice to meet you," she said smoothly, "I'm Chen Yao. I'll be around for a while." And with that, she hauled Ai Jia back out into the afternoon sun, leaving the ZGDX team to stare after her in stunned, admiring silence.
Finally, Sicheng spoke, voice low with amusement. "Remind me to never piss her off."
Pang, wide-eyed, muttered, "Bro, she's like a mini demon king."
"Correction," Lao Mao said, still watching the doorway, "She's worse. She's fun-sized."
They all nodded solemnly in agreement.
And somewhere out in the courtyard, Ai Jia's terrified screams echoed back toward them, carried by the wind.
By the time Chen Yao reappeared, Ai Jia shuffled miserably beside her, shoulders slumped in defeat, looking like a man facing a firing squad.
The ZGDX team, who had gathered once more in the common area after the initial chaos, turned in their seats at the sound of approaching footsteps. Lu Sicheng leaned his weight lazily against the back of the couch, one eyebrow arching high with expectation. Lu Yue perched at the edge of an armchair, looking far too entertained for Ai Jia's comfort, while Pang, Lao Mao, Lao K, Ming, and Rui wore expressions that hovered somewhere between amusement and curiosity.
Yao stopped just inside the living room, fixing Ai Jia with a pointed look sharp enough to cut steel. When he failed to immediately step forward, she gave him a none-too-gentle nudge with her elbow.
Grimacing like a man condemned, Ai Jia stumbled a half-step forward and cleared his throat, face burning. "I... I want to apologize." he mumbled, voice barely above a whisper.
Sicheng made a faint circling motion with two fingers. "Louder," he said lazily. "You scared the hell out of Pang. He thought you were a banshee."
Pang immediately protested from the couch, "I thought we were under attack!"
Ai Jia flushed deeper, glancing helplessly at Yao, who merely crossed her arms and tilted her chin expectantly. No salvation would be coming from her. "I'm sorry for... for bursting into your base without permission," Ai Jia said louder, stumbling over the words like they physically pained him. "And for... uh... screaming like a little girl... and crying for sanctuary."
Pang gave an exaggerated sniffle from his seat, pretending to wipe a tear from his eye, earning a snort from Yue.
"And why," Yao prompted smoothly, her voice sweet as poisoned honey, "did you feel the need to do that?"
Ai Jia squeezed his eyes shut briefly like he was praying for death. "Because Chen Yao was chasing me," he admitted miserably, "and... I was terrified."
There was a beat of silence.
Then Lao K lost the battle first, snorting hard enough that he nearly fell off the arm of the couch. Pang broke next, doubling over in laughter, while even Lao Mao shook his head, grinning in open amusement. Ming just sighed like a long-suffering guardian of idiots, and Rui pinched the bridge of his nose, murmuring something about insurance premiums going up.
Sicheng, ever composed even in the face of such absurdity, let a slow smirk curl over his mouth. "Well," he said thoughtfully, "you lived. Barely. And you gave us free entertainment."
Yao, arms still folded, tapped her foot once against the floor. "Apology accepted?"
Sicheng gave a negligent shrug. "Sure," he said, his dark eyes gleaming faintly with humor. "As long as he understands that next time, he runs straight past us and keeps going."
Yao allowed herself a slight, victorious smile and nodded in satisfaction. Turning to Ai Jia, she muttered something low under her breath, a sharp bark of reprimand that made him wilt visibly, before she shifted her attention back to ZGDX with a far more diplomatic expression. "My apologies again for the intrusion," she said smoothly, voice polished. "And thank you for not throwing him back over the gate yourselves."
Yue, still grinning, swung his legs idly over the arm of his chair. "We considered it," he said cheerfully. "But honestly? Watching you haul him around like a misbehaving puppy was way more entertaining."
Pang, laughing too hard to speak, simply gave her a thumbs-up of encouragement.
For a fleeting second, Yao's cool mask cracked, the faintest twitch of amusement pulling at the corner of her mouth.
Ai Jia, desperate to escape further humiliation, blurted, "Can I go now?"
Yao's sharp glance silenced him instantly. "Not yet," she said, voice calm but unmistakably dangerous. "You are coming with me to apologize to Jinyang properly next."
The entire room winced in sympathy.
Even Sicheng, never known for pity, gave Ai Jia a fleeting look of something dangerously close to compassion. "Good luck," he said dryly. "You'll need it."
With a tight, miserable nod, Ai Jia slumped after her like a condemned man, shooting one last pleading look at ZGDX as if begging them to somehow save him.
They did not.
Yao, all smooth, lethal grace, led him out of the ZGDX base with the same calm authority she had arrived with, the door closing firmly behind them.
Only once the heavy thunk of the door echoed through the base did the room erupt again.
"She's terrifying," Pang said reverently. "I think I love her."
"You wouldn't survive ten minutes," Lao Mao replied without sympathy.
Yue leaned back, chuckling. "I bet she teaches a masterclass in fear."
Sicheng watched the door thoughtfully for a long moment before speaking. "That," he said, voice low with faint admiration, "was a woman who knows exactly what she wants and isn't afraid to take it."
Ming shook his head, muttering under his breath, "The compound just got a lot more interesting."
Outside, somewhere down the drive, a male yelp echoed faintly into the twilight, followed by a sharp bark of a female voice clearly issuing commands.
Inside, the men of ZGDX exchanged one last glance.
Yeah.
Things were definitely about to get a lot more interesting.
The sun had dipped lower, washing the compound in a soft amber glow, when the boys of ZGDX heard the distinct sound of laughter and sharp sarcasm floating up the long drive.
Sicheng straightened from his lean against the couch, ears sharpening instinctively at the familiar voice drifting closer. Beside him, Lu Yue pushed up from his slouch, Pang nearly tripped over the coffee table in his rush to reach the door, and even Lao Mao, Lao K, Ming, and Rui moved with a certain wary curiosity toward the entrance.
They stepped outside just in time to catch the ridiculous scene unfolding.
There, walking up the drive, was Ai Jia looking like a man doing penance, practically tripping over himself as he hovered around Jinyang, speaking in rapid, desperate tones that could only be described as abject kissing-up. Jinyang, dressed casually in ripped jeans and a white blouse that fluttered slightly in the breeze, wore the smug, satisfied expression of a woman enjoying her moment of supreme victory.
Trailing a few steps behind them was Yao, arms crossed over her chest, rolling her eyes so hard it was a miracle they stayed in her head. As Ai Jia offered Jinyang another over-the-top compliment, Yao dramatically lifted two fingers to her mouth and gave a theatrical fake gagging motion, loud enough that even from the porch, the boys could hear her exaggerated groan of disgust.
Yue barked a laugh without even trying to muffle it.
Pang, grinning from ear to ear, elbowed Lao Mao. "I like her even more now," he said.
Lao Mao, watching the scene unfold with an amused tilt of his mouth, muttered, "Told you she was fun-sized chaos."
As the trio drew closer, Jinyang's sharp eyes flicked up and immediately caught the small crowd gathered at ZGDX's front entrance. A smirk tugged at her lips as she nudged Ai Jia sharply with her elbow, causing him to stumble mid-sentence. "Looks like you made quite the impression, crybaby," she said sweetly, just loud enough for the boys to hear.
Ai Jia, beet red, let out a mortified whimper.
Yao, coming up behind them, lifted her voice, crisp and bone-dry. "I tried to warn him. Screaming like a horror movie victim is not the best first impression."
Sicheng folded his arms, an eyebrow quirking upward as he watched the three of them come to a stop a few feet away. His eyes, dark and shrewd, lingered on Yao for a moment longer than necessary before flicking back to Ai Jia, who looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him whole. "Tell me again," he drawled lazily, "how a Midlaner with decent reflexes ran all the way here like the compound was on fire."
Before Ai Jia could open his mouth to explain—or lie….
Yao casually stepped forward and answered for him. "Fear," she said crisply. "Pure, unadulterated survival instinct. Understandable, really. I'm not known for being forgiving when one of my idiots screws up."
The boys chuckled, low and genuine.
Jinyang, linking her arms loosely behind her back, tilted her head at ZGDX's lineup and gave a slow, deliberate once-over, her smirk deepening. "So," she said, tone light but carrying a dangerous undercurrent, "you're the infamous ZGDX. I see the rumors didn't exaggerate."
Pang, never one to miss a beat, threw his arms out wide. "All the chaos you've heard about and more."
Yue, grinning wickedly, nodded. "You're welcome to come witness the downfall firsthand."
Jinyang laughed, bright and delighted, but it was Chen Yao who spoke again, her voice dry as dust. "You're all idiots."
"Thank you," Sicheng said smoothly, the corner of his mouth twitching up. "We do try."
For a moment, the late afternoon hung between them, easy and unforced, and something unspoken shifted.
Yao gave a theatrical sigh and shook her head. "God help me," she muttered under her breath, "I'm starting to like you morons."
Pang clapped his hands together like he had just won the lottery. "She likes us!" he crowed, spinning once on his heel.
Lao K rolled his eyes but said nothing, the twitch at the corner of his mouth giving him away.
Ming, arms folded, shot a look at Rui. "We're doomed."
Rui just smiled thinly and muttered, "We were doomed the minute we opened the door."
Jinyang, clearly enjoying the madness, turned to Yao with a mischievous glint in her eye. "Looks like you're going to have your hands full, Yao-er."
Yao snorted, casting one last look at the assembled mass of chaos and testosterone before tilting her head in mock resignation. "Fine. Someone order dinner before they start trying to cook and set the kitchen on fire."
Yue, Pang, and Lao Mao whooped in victory.
Sicheng, ever the predator sensing an opportunity, leaned down slightly, voice low and amused as he said to Yao, "Congratulations. You just got drafted."
Yao lifted her chin, flashing him a look so cool and unimpressed it could have frozen the sun. "Don't flatter yourself," she said crisply. "You're just lucky I don't have better things to do." And with that, she turned on her heel and strode inside, Ai Jia trailing after her like a scolded puppy, and Jinyang laughing under her breath as she followed.
The boys, grinning like idiots, piled in after them.
And just like that, with the setting sun spilling gold over the compound and the scent of inevitable disaster in the air, Chen Yao's place among ZGDX was no longer a matter of if —it was only a matter of when .
Inside the ZGDX base, the heavy, lingering scent of takeout began to drift through the air, warm and comforting.
Pang had been the first to throw himself at the food like a starving animal, earning himself a flick on the ear from Ming and a muttered order to act like a civilized human being. Lao K and Lao Mao were already tearing into containers, while Rui, ever the long-suffering manager, had given up trying to enforce any semblance of order and simply grabbed a drink from the fridge, settling at the far end of the long dining table.
Sicheng, Yue, and Ming took their time, more measured but no less intent on securing their share. Yao, despite the chaos unfolding around her, moved with an easy grace, plucking a drink from the countertop and sliding into a seat at the table with the natural air of someone who belonged there. Jinyang dropped into the seat beside her, still smirking as Ai Jia hovered nervously a few seats down, no doubt wondering how much longer he would have to keep kissing up.
"Where are you going to school at?" asked Ming with a curious look to the female as she paused and eyed him closely before shrugging her shoulders some at him.
"Cambridge." she answered and watched as they all but her sister and Ai Jia froze and turn towards her with stunned looks on their faces.
Pang, mouth half-full of noodles, blurted the question first. "What are you studying at Cambridge?" he said, grinning around his chopsticks.
Yao paused, taking a slow sip from her drink before setting it down with deliberate care. Around the table, eyes turned to her with a mixture of curiosity and genuine interest. "Law and International Relations," she said simply, her voice even, steady.
There was a beat of silence.
"Of course you are," Yue muttered, shaking his head in mock despair. "As if you weren't already scary enough."
Pang leaned forward eagerly, eyes wide. "Wait, wait, so you're gonna be like... one of those badass lawyers in movies? Suing evil corporations and saving the world and stuff?"
Yao snorted quietly, the faintest smirk tugging at her mouth. "I don't know about saving the world," she said dryly. "But I plan to make sure a few very deserving people regret underestimating me."
Sicheng, sitting across from her with his usual lazy sprawl, studied her over the rim of his drink, a gleam of something sharper than amusement flickering through his dark eyes. "You don't seem like someone who leaves much to regret," he said lazily, but there was an undeniable weight behind the words, the kind that earned him a sidelong glance from Ming and a faint, knowing tilt of Rui's head.
Yao met his gaze without hesitation, cool and unflinching. "I prefer to give people fair warning first," she said, voice so calm it almost masked the warning beneath it. "After that, it's on them."
The corner of Sicheng's mouth curled upward, a slow, dangerous smile.
Jinyang laughed brightly, breaking the tension that had started to coil under the surface. "You should see her in a courtroom competition," she said, nudging Yao's shoulder playfully. "She once dismantled a smug third-year so thoroughly the poor guy switched majors."
Pang let out a low whistle, wide-eyed. "Damn. Remind me to stay on your good side, Yao-jiejie."
"You'd have to grow a brain first," Lao Mao muttered under his breath, making Lao K snort into his rice.
Pang scowled, but even he could not argue with that assessment.
Yao shook her head, a trace of fond exasperation softening her expression as she reached for a piece of beef from one of the containers. "You're all idiots," she said crisply, but there was no real heat behind it. Only a kind of reluctant affection she did not bother trying to hide.
Sicheng, still watching her with that same unreadable expression, leaned back in his chair, arms folding across his chest. "Idiots, maybe," he said, voice low and amused. "But we pick good people."
For the briefest second, something flickered across Yao's face—a flash of surprise, quickly smothered by her usual dry composure. She did not answer. She did not have to. Around the table, the noise built back up again, laughter and insults flying easily as they devoured the food, slipping back into that familiar chaos Yao had once thought impenetrable. Now, sitting here among them, her presence accepted without question, without condition, she realized something she had not expected. She was no longer just a visitor. Somewhere between Ai Jia's miserable groveling, Jinyang's gleeful revenge, and ZGDX's ridiculous, relentless acceptance, she had been claimed and somehow, without even meaning to, she had claimed them right back.