During the sign-ups for the collegiate esports league, my boyfriend insisted on adding me to his squad. But his "female bro" wasn't having it. "Why are you dragging a girl into a guy's competition?" she snapped. "Is she just here to drag us down?" I let out a soft, trembling sob. "Liam, forget it. Your friend doesn't seem to like me." "I don't need to compete. I just wanted to spend a little more time with you..." Liam was visibly moved. He spent the rest of the time hugging me, kissing me, and doting on me. He didn't even notice that his "female bro" had muted her mic in a fit of rage. So what if she's a "pick-me" girl? Has she ever met a strategic manipulator? Chapter 1 Liam was my gaming partner for two months before we started dating online. He had a great voice, cracked skills, and a handsome face. I actually had real feelings for him and agreed to meet up in person. But one day, I checked his match history. Every night at 2:00 AM, he played Elimination mode with a female account named "Jordan." "Oh, you mean Jordan? She's just one of the guys! She fights like a dude and always wants to 1v1 me." "Babe, don't be jealous. I don't even see her as a woman!" I obediently expressed my understanding. Then, I acted cute and asked if I could join his team for the upcoming esports league. "Of course! Carrying one person is easy for us." As soon as I joined the lobby, I heard a sharp female voice teasing him. "Liam, where the hell did you kidnap this little sister from? Be honest, what number is she this month?" "Don't talk crap! I'm a loyal man now! This is my official girlfriend. We've been together for two months." "Tiffany, these two are my childhood friends." I greeted them with a soft, gentle voice. Jordan went silent for a moment. Then she let out a weird laugh. "Hey sis, we aren't Liam. Why are you using that fake baby voice?" The other teammate, Kyle, laughed and tried to smooth things over. "Oh come on, Jordan just speaks without thinking. Don't mind her, sister-in-law! Your voice is top tier! Liam, you lucky dog." Liam chuckled. He made his game character perform heart emotes and hugs around me, showing off our love. "Alright, alright, get a room," Jordan snapped. "You've seen her. Now kick her, sis. We need to practice our aim." Her tone allowed for no arguments. I feigned ignorance. "But... Liam said I could join the competition." "You're joking, right?" Jordan turned her rage on Liam. "Liam, you idiot, what do you mean? It's a serious competition. Why are you dragging a girl along? To be a dead weight?" "Uh, actually, Tiffany's aim isn't bad. I taught her..." That seemed to trigger Jordan even more. "You taught her? You taught her. You sure 'teach' a lot of people, don't you?" Oh, is she jealous? I sniffled softly into the mic. "Liam, forget it. Your bro doesn't seem to like me." "I don't have to play. I just wanted to be by your side a bit more..." Liam was touched. We were in the honeymoon phase; any clingy behavior was just proof of love. So, he completely ignored his "bro" who had muted herself in anger. "It's fine, it's fine! It's settled. You're on the team!" Chapter 2 That night, a WeChat account with a basketball profile picture added me. They didn't say anything. I checked the profile. Gender: Male. I scrolled down. The posts were... interesting. [Liam's tolerance is trash. Half a bottle of vodka and he's collapsed in Daddy's arms! Hilarious!] The photo was taken from a high angle. Below a very curved tank top, you could see half of Liam's drunken face. Further down, November 12th. [Carried this son of mine to nine wins in Elimination today! My skills speak for themselves.] [Some girls are such buzzkills. Dragging people out to FaceTime in the middle of a match? Will you die if you aren't glued to your boyfriend for one minute? The gaming environment is toxic because of people like you!] I remembered that night. I was sick with Covid, lying in bed, unable to sleep, so I video-called Liam. Under that post, Liam had commented: [Okay, okay, I'm sorry. My baby was sick, I had to keep her company. I'll buy you dinner tomorrow!] She replied with a sneer: [Can you cure sickness? She's just being dramatic.] I kept scrolling. There were many similar posts. Duo queue records, photos of them kissing as a "truth or dare" punishment at a bar, and videos of her sitting on his lap in a gaming cafe. Doing everything a couple does, all under the guise of "bros." I was too disgusted to scroll further. Just then, a new post popped up at the top. [I was wondering why he's simping so hard. Turns out he hasn't hit it yet. Guess I'll play along this one time!] The image was a screenshot of Liam's messages in their group chat. [It's just the prelims. I'm just coaxing her. I obviously won't let her play in the finals!] [Be a brother and understanding.] [I've already booked the hotel room for when we meet up!] I let out a soft laugh. So that’s the game plan? Chapter 3 A message from Liam popped up. [Hubby <3]: Wifey, what are you doing? I tapped the screen casually. [Me]: Thinking about you, big brother. I attached a photo of myself in a low-cut knit sweater, highlighting my collarbones. Liam video-called me immediately. The background looked like his dorm room. He pulled off his headset, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Babe... why are you teasing me in the middle of the night..." "I didn't mean to~" I pouted, lowered my eyes, and let a hint of unhappiness show. "What's wrong, babe?" He realized immediately. "Is it because of the team thing earlier?" "Look, trust me. Jordan didn't mean it. She's just loud and blunt, but she has a good heart. You'll see when we meet up." "When we meet... she's coming too?" "Yeah, she insisted on checking you out for me! But my wifey is so beautiful, I don't need anyone to check..." I looked up, silent, my eyes red. I stared at him with watery, glistening eyes. Liam couldn't handle it. He swallowed hard, his eyes glazing over a bit. "Babe..." "When we meet... I don't want her there." "Okay, okay. She won't come. Whatever you say, babe..." I had trained Liam well; his willingness to pay up was high. Not long after, two transfers of $520 came through. "Holy crap, Liam, you hoes-before-bros traitor!" The camera shook as Jordan burst into the dorm, jumping onto Liam's back and pummeling him. "I was wondering why you weren't online. You're in here doing 'hand crafts'? Let Daddy check if it's real..." "Get off!" Liam's face turned red as he laughed and wrestled with her. I hung up the video call with a blank expression. This scene was common in Jordan's feed. They had even coordinated to attend this co-ed dorm university together. Their excuse: Continuing the brotherhood. Well, I suppose I should help them out. Chapter 4 I continued to join their pre-match training. During Elimination mode, Jordan deliberately picked the same team as Liam. "Sis, you go to the other team. Liam and I have been partners for a long time, we have better synergy." Kyle groaned. "No way, you two are way better than us. How are we supposed to win?" "Guess you'll just get wrecked then," Jordan grinned. Liam hesitated and tried to comfort me. "Elimination is mainly to practice my synergy with Jordan. During the actual competition, you just follow us, smoke, and loot. Just bear with it for now, babe..." "Okay then," I said, sounding wronged. The match started. Jordan always charged first. And she specifically targeted me. With a Vector SMG, she hunted me down and killed me five times in a row. Kyle tried to block for me but got melted by her hip-fire. He screamed, "Damn, why are you playing so aggressive?" She gloated, "Liam, your girlfriend can't take a hit, huh? Is that it?" "I... I'm sorry, sister..." My voice trembled with tears. "I'm not as good as you. I'm clumsy... I need Liam to protect me..." I dropped my gun and hid behind Liam's character, acting terrified. "Alright, that's enough, you're scaring my baby! Go away!" Jordan choked on her anger. Liam spoke gently, "Babe, you go back to the other team. I'll play against you two. I promise I won't be so aggressive." "O-okay." After two months of sweet duo-queuing, Liam had a conditioned reflex to protect my character. So, for the next few rounds... I would occasionally stop to make heart gestures or hug emotes at him. And he would dutifully run over to hug back. Then Kyle would blast him to death with a full magazine. Jordan screamed in the background, "Liam, you idiot!"
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