The gala lights were blinding — too bright, too clean.
They always were.
I preferred the glow of monitors, the hum of fans, the silence before a match.
But tonight, Lyra Technologies was unveiling its newest VR engine, and as its heiress, I had to play the perfect role — poised smile, diamond dress, polite lies.
> "Miss Qin, the investors from Seoul have arrived."
"Send them to the demonstration hall," I answered, taking the champagne flute I wouldn't drink.
Cameras flashed. Names blurred.
Everything moved in patterns I could predict — until one didn't.
Standing near the model display, black suit, hands in pockets, eyes calm and unreadable — Lao K.
I froze for half a breath.
He didn't belong here. This was my field. My world.
When he noticed me, he inclined his head slightly, the faintest trace of a smile curving his mouth.
"Didn't expect to see you in formal armor," he said when I finally reached him. His voice was lower here, warmer, stripped of headset static.
"And I didn't expect you to walk into a nest of shareholders," I replied, taking a slow sip just to hide the flicker of surprise.
"How did you get in?"
"Invitation," he said. "Lyra sponsors half the league. Guess who sent mine."
I narrowed my eyes. My assistant. Of course.
---
He followed me as I made my rounds — quiet, observant, the same way he stalked through a jungle in-game.
Every time I turned, he was there: listening when I spoke with investors, watching when I signed contracts.
It should have annoyed me. It didn't. It unsettled me.
When the lights dimmed for the demo, we ended up side by side, the screen before us coming alive with the newest VR map — ECLIPSE Arena.
My design. My rules.
> "Looks familiar," he murmured.
"It should," I said. "You bled on the prototype version last week."
"Planning to make it my grave next time?"
"That depends," I said softly. "Will you follow me in again?"
He turned toward me then — slow, deliberate.
There was no crowd, no roar of fans, only the hum of machines and the pulse of proximity.
His voice brushed the edge of a challenge.
"I think you like it when I do."
Before I could reply, my assistant appeared, flustered.
"Miss Qin, the media wants a photo of you with the players."
Of course they did.
When I faced the cameras, Lao K stood beside me — close enough that I could feel the faint heat of him even through fabric and glassy smiles.
To the crowd, we looked like two professionals promoting the future of gaming.
But to me, it felt like a warning — or a promise.
---
Later, when the event ended, I found a small envelope tucked into my clutch.
No sender.
Inside: a single message on a match ticket.
> Private scrim. One on one. Midnight.
If you're not afraid of losing control — come.
— K.
I stared at it, heartbeat steady but too loud in my ears.
For the first time in a long while, I wasn't sure whether the next game was about victory… or surrender.
---
✨ End of Chapter Five — "Uninvited Proximity."
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