Fake Game (The System #3)

Chapter Twenty

TWENTY

JACKSON

“ S o, how long have you been dating?”

“Just a few weeks.”

It’s the same response Deer gave my sister earlier.

Every question that’s been thrown at us, she answers before I’m even able to take a breath. Deer is weaving a story, like a spider creating a delicate web in the corner of a dark room. No one knows that she is carefully trapping them in it with every detail she spins.

It helps that the narrative she’s crafted runs parallel to our real life—just with a few embellishments.

“I didn’t know he was even interested in anyone.” Mom hasn’t taken her eyes off Deer once since we’ve sat down. She seems to be analyzing her within an inch of her life.

Then again, everyone is. Deer sits at the round table like a bright pink gumball.

I reach forward and drink what is probably my fifth cup of jasmine tea in the last half hour. It’s the only thing I can do to keep myself busy other than stuff my face with food because I don’t want to say the wrong thing and screw this up when it seems to actually be working.

“Tell me about it. I’ve been crushing on him for years and had no idea either. Totally took my chance confessing to him.” She places a hand on my forearm.

“You confessed first?”

“Sure did. Jackson’s not that forward, ya know, likes to keep his cards close.”

My mom nods her head in agreement. “I have always wondered why he’s never had a girlfriend before. He mustn’t have known how to make the first move.”

My left eye twitches. Why does it feel like her narrative is painting me as a loser?

“Nope. Men can be a little emotionally closed off; they’re just not as attuned as we are.”

“You do seem like you have quite the feminine touch.”

“Thank you!” Deer runs her free hand through her hair.

“The pink is kei gwaai ,” gung gung frowns.

Auntie An smirks at my grandfather’s comment, and it causes Deer to stiffen almost imperceptibly. She might not know what kei gwaai means, but she has the social cues to deduce that it wasn’t exactly a compliment.

“I don’t think it’s strange. I think she looks like a doll, and it counteracts your grandson’s bleakness.” Auntie Lei smiles at us from across the table. “You two make a cute pair.” She didn’t bat an eye at meeting Deer and has spent the entire meal dropping reassurances, while everyone else keeps their guard up.

Auntie Lei is my dad’s younger sister, and she has always been supportive of me. She was the only family member who didn’t get pissed off when they all found out I’d dropped out of college and became a streamer—probably because she sees me as a second son since her own son has been studying at an international university in Shanghai the last few years.

“Thank you.”

“I’m confused. If you have been seeing each other, why have you been going on the blind dates we’ve all been setting up?” My uncle frowns, piling more baozi onto his plate.

Auntie An hums in agreement at her husband’s annoying observation.

“Like I said, we only just started dating. Shield, I mean Jackson and I wanted to keep our relationship private since we are both in the spotlight. Our careers are super on the up right now, and it’s really easy for things to leak, so we thought it was simpler to just to play along. Plus, it helps keep your family’s privacy intact as well.”

Damn, she is good at this.

“It seems like everything to do with this video game stuff is steeped in secrets and lies.” Auntie An narrows her eyes at us. “You said Deer was a nickname, correct?”

Deer’s hand tenses on my arm, the tips of her nails pressing into my skin ever so slightly, though her face stays a practiced, placid mask.

“Technically. It’s also my gamertag.”

“What does that mean?” Po po whispers to me, but her voice carries across the table.

“It’s a video game thing,” I whisper back.

“You play games as well?” She leans across to make eye contact with Deer.

“I do,” she smiles. “I’m not as famous as Jackson, though. He is part of an epic legacy, and everyone really respects him.”

She is laying it on thick, but I don’t really mind it. It’s nice to have someone in my corner who actually understands me, who believes in me.

That being said, she is selling herself short. I don’t think Deer realizes how many people adore her content, how she has quickly become a star in the community.

“It’s still just playing games,” Auntie An chimes in.

Deer tilts her head. “I know a lot of people have trouble understanding the video game industry, let alone streaming, but it is one of the most lucrative spaces to be in. The video game market is worth over two hundred fifty billion dollars and has an expected growth rate of over eight percent over the next few years. The esports industry alone has doubled in the last six years with a viewership of over five hundred million worldwide, and its most popular game, Gods League, has a recorded two hundred million hours’ worth of streaming watched. The people who own these companies and develop the software are making bank. Sure, there are smaller indie companies and start-ups, but even they have the power to disrupt the norm with the right console or game. And if we look into video game streaming,” she lets out a laugh, “wow. People spend more time watching people play video games than playing themselves. You would be shocked to learn the revenue you earn on a video that has over three million views. Sure, not everyone can be in that top percent, but those of us who are make more in a month than your attorney son does in a year.”

The table falls to a hum at Deer’s speech; there’s just the sound of Angela sucking through the straw of her fruit tea.

“That’s very impressive to hear.” There’s an amused glint in Auntie Lei’s eyes. “It’s lovely to hear about Jackson’s success from someone who cares about him so much.”

“ Hai meh ? You’re just going to believe what she says? Steven is successful. Steven is dating a lovely girl.” Auntie An flicks her wrist at Deer. “We don’t even know this girl’s real name or what her parents do. How can you trust an outsider?”

This time there is no denying the way Deer’s nails dig into my forearm.

No one speaks. They’re all waiting to see if she’ll answer. My back molars grind against one another as I watch them place Deer under the microscope.

She’s not some prey to be cornered, and I’m not going to feed her to the wolves.

“You don’t have to answer that.” I take her hand that is gripping my forearm and squeeze it reassuringly before stealing a look around the table. “I brought her here to meet you out of respect, not for you to interrogate her and ask private questions.”

“Jackson, you can’t spring a girlfriend on us and not expect us to ask questions.” Mom frowns.

“They’re not even hard questions,” Auntie An sniffs.

Sure, for normal people—but Deer doesn’t fall into that category.

“Did you get raided by the police?” Angela flips her tablet around, broadcasting to the entire table the Gamer Weekly article about Deer’s swatting.

“Police?” My grandparents share a concerned look.

“Fucking hell,” I mutter lowly as I rake a hand down my face. This is quickly taking a turn from great to awful.

“Egg custard, anyone?” my dad cuts in with a cheery voice.

We all stare at him as he indicates for the server to place a couple of silver platters on the table.

“Honey,” mom’s warning tone rings out.

My dad waves her off, plucking a custard and putting it on her plate. “It’s the first time you’ve met the girl. You don’t want to scare her off when all you’ve wanted is for him to find a girlfriend.” He spins the lazy Susan, bringing the dessert over to me. “Ever had an egg custard, Deer?”

Her shoulders relax slightly, and she smiles. “No, I haven’t.”

“They’re not that sweet, but I think you’ll like them.” I grab two of the custards, putting one on her plate before popping the other on my po po ’s.

“Thank you.” She picks it up and takes a bite, her eyes widening. “Oh, wow.”

“Good?”

“Mhm.” She takes another bite, some of that sparkle returning to her eyes.

I smile at her, reaching forward and tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear. My fingers ghost the shell of her ear, and I freeze, catching myself. My fingers curl back in on themselves like she’s burned me.

My other palm starts to sweat, and I realize I’m still holding onto her hand—but I don’t let go.

All my wires are getting crossed from this fake girlfriend thing.

The table remains under a hushed silence, unspoken questions floating around us. My aunts whisper to their husbands, while my mom pointedly ignores my dad. Angela is distractedly scrolling through her tablet, glancing up at us every once in a while—I don’t even want to know what she is looking up; it will just give me a headache. Overall, everyone seems to have accepted my father bulldozing the conversation in a new direction.

Po po leans into me and I angle my head down, making it easier for her to whisper whatever it is she wants to say.

“I’ll cancel your dates.” Po po flicks her eyes between Deer and me. “For now.”

The smallest sigh escapes me as relief floods my body. I have no idea how we pulled this off, but we did.

“ Do ze, po po. ”

“Don’t thank me, thank her.” A smile tugs at the corner of her wrinkled cheek. “She cares about you; I see that.”

I glance at Deer, at this woman who is slowly turning my world upside down. I’m sure she cares about me as a friend, and I won’t deny that I’m protective of her myself. But I’m starting to think that maybe I don’t dislike that sugary personality of hers as much as I thought. Maybe I’m developing a sweet-tooth—just for her.