Chapter 4

Over the next few days, Zachary stayed in the hospital, but Yasmine never visited him. She was having her coffee when she scrolled through Queenie's Instagram post. In the photo, Queenie wore a short pendant necklace, and the caption read, "A love traded for a life. I'll keep it." Yasmine's fingers froze before she continued scrolling calmly. Her visa had been approved, and the flight would be three days later. She had been busy finding out what Xavier liked these days, and she had also gone to the mall to buy him a lot of gifts. She had bought a limited Montblanc pen, an Arsenal scarf, and many more. She picked everything out carefully, as if to make up for everything she had missed over the years. When she arrived home with all the shopping bags, she opened the door to see Zachary sitting on the couch. Yasmine was stunned for a brief moment before regaining her composure. "You're back." Zachary looked up at her with a slight frown. Yasmine had never visited him even once when he was in the hospital these days. He thought she would've at least called him, but the chat with her was silent all the time, as if it didn't exist at all. Zachary somehow felt a lump in his chest when he was greeted with her indifferent response. "Didn't you know I was admitted to the hospital?" His voice was deep. "Yeah." Yasmine placed the shopping bags at the entrance and asked casually, "What's wrong?" "Why didn't you come to visit me?" he asked. "I was busy in the company," she explained. Zachary stared at her back, his fingers brushing against the armrest unknowingly. She was always occupied with work, but before this, she would prioritize him no matter how busy she was. Just when he was about to say something, his gaze fell on the bags she brought back. All of them were for men. He wondered if she had bought all this for him. The strange feeling he felt deep down gradually dissipated, but he heard Yasmine say, "You've been badly injured. Why have you already been discharged?" "Tomorrow will be the global competition." Zachary looked her in the eyes. "Yasmine, go with me." Yasmine froze. As the son of a rich family in Jinhal, Zachary never had to worry about money. However, he had given up on taking over his family business to pursue his career in esports. Now, he had more than 100 million fans and was the ultimate star in the esports circle. The competition on the following day was crucial to his career. He would achieve a grand slam if he won this, too. This was his dream, and Yasmine used to be the only supporter of it. Back then, he had insisted on making esports his career. The entire Smith family had been against it, and even his grandfather, Daniel Smith, had forced him to give up. Zachary and Yasmine had just gotten together that time. After knowing that, she had gone to look for Daniel with a bottle of liquor. No one knew what they had discussed, but since then, the Smith family hadn't stopped Zachary again. Later, he asked her, "Why did you help me? Don't you think I'm just fooling around?" "You're not fooling around when you're doing something you like. Actually, I'm envious of people like you who have dreams." Smiling, she tapped his dimple. "My only goal now is to make money. Even if I don't have a dream, my boyfriend has one. And I'm happy about that, too." Ever since then, she had always been there for every one of his competitions. No matter how busy she was, or even if she had to turn down projects that were worth hundreds of billions of dollars, she would show up in the audience on time. But this time, Yasmine rejected him nonchalantly. "I'm not going." Her reply took Zachary by surprise. He hadn't expected her to reject him, and the sense of anxiety surged within him again. "No, you must go." He grabbed her wrist. Seemingly thinking of something, he softened and said, "Are you busy with Norwale's project? The Smith family is involved, too. I'll have my family reduce the price. "You don't have to worry. I'll get rid of any obstacles for you. You just have to follow me to the competition at ease." Yasmine fell silent for a brief moment before eventually nodding. "Okay." Only then did Zachary feel relieved. … The next day, the competition venue was crowded with his fans. They were holding lightsticks and shouting, "Prince Zach, Grand Slam!" That was his dream and what his fans had been anticipating. When the car stopped at the venue's entrance, Yasmine said, "Get out first. I'll park the car." After Zachary got out of the car, Yasmine realized that he had left his phone behind on the seat. The screen lit up as soon as she picked up the phone. It was a message from Queenie. "Zach, I'm here to watch your competition, too! My second request is to see you fail. So, for this global competition, could you make mistakes ten times and lose the game?" Yasmine was startled. Before she could react, Zachary noticed that he had left his phone behind and came back to retrieve it. He glanced at the message, and there was a subtle change in his expression. But soon, he composed himself again. After he took his phone and was about to leave, Yasmine called him, "Zachary, I wish you'll achieve a grand slam." She was trying to hint that he'd better not do anything foolish. Zachary's face froze for a moment. Then, he flashed a faint smile and replied, "I will." … The crowd's loud cheers filled the entire hall. As Yasmine walked into the hall, she looked up at the big screen. The camera zoomed in on Zachary, showing his face on the screen. He wore a black jacket and had his earphones on. He had a sharp nose, chiseled features, and eyes that burned with a bold, defiant spark. He was so charming that his fans couldn't stop screaming. Only Yasmine could sense something was wrong with him. His fingers were tapping the keyboard unknowingly, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly. She knew what he was struggling with. Then, the game began. He fed the enemy several times. For the tenth time, he deliberately walked into the enemy's encirclement. In an instant, the screen dimmed. Zachary had fed the enemy ten times. Everyone gasped in shock, and the commentator was so startled that he was at a loss for words. The fans exchanged looks, and some even smashed the support banners furiously. He had lost!