Chapter 04: Sticking Plaster
Evening.
Pei Zhi finished handling matters and pushed open the door to the training room. “Pack up your things, everyone.”
“Manager Cheng booked a table at a restaurant, the driver is waiting outside.”
Hearing this, the others logged off one after another.
Only Xie Jingchu was in no mood to eat, nor was he used to attending any gatherings. He sat in his seat struggling for a moment, but finally followed them out the door.
In the car, Zoe leaned on Fox’s shoulder to catch up on sleep, whispering occasionally.
In the front passenger seat, Pei Zhi was busy messaging Manager Cheng, who had already arrived at the restaurant.
Only Shen Guanchao and Xie Jingchu in the back row looked at each other in silence, the atmosphere subtle.
Pei Zhi finished chatting with Cheng Shuyi, clicked into another chat box, and messaged Shen Guanchao again.
[Pei Zhi: Why aren’t you chatting with Little Xie?] [Pei Zhi: You aren’t usually this quiet. Something’s wrong with you.] [Pei Zhi: I browsed the super-topic of you and Siren yesterday and saw a lot of dirt, don’t know if it’s true or false. Thinking back on your state these past two days, I suddenly have a bold guess. May the subject present a memorial to the throne? ~]
The other side took a while to reply.
[Shen Guanchao: …Speak properly. Don’t add the wavy line, it’s disgusting.] [Shen Guanchao: What guess?] [Pei Zhi: Er, I guess, that well, you two, were together before, right…] [Pei Zhi: Or maybe you liked him and he liked you but you two didn’t get together… Otherwise, why do your faces change like Beijing Opera masks all day, and you even asked me to switch his keyboard to your exclusive one? Anyway, I don’t believe you two are strictly straight without any dog-blood relationship!] [Shen Guanchao: …If your intuition is so damn accurate, why don’t you go play matches? Human Gaydar? Hitting wherever you point?] [Pei Zhi: Haha… not considering a career change. And then?] [Shen Guanchao: We weren’t together, and we argued. Are you satisfied with this answer?]
He tossed the phone aside, closed his eyes, and tried to calm his emotions, somewhat wanting to pull out a sniper rifle and execute Pei Zhi.
How is he so damn smart?
More than half an hour later, the driver arrived and parked. The group walked into the restaurant.
The NAVA crowd often gathered at this hotpot restaurant. Zoe found the private room with ease, collapsed onto the sofa as soon as he entered, and raised his chin slightly at Cheng Shuyi. “Brother Cheng, can we get some booze?”
“Let’s not go home until we’re drunk tonight, yeah?”
Before Cheng Shuyi could answer, Fox, who was looking down at him, said indifferently, “Not allowed to drink.”
“Last time you got drunk, you insisted on starting a live stream in the middle of the night to take fans to watch me shower. I was scared.”
“…Who watched you shower?!” Zoe’s eyes dodged, his mouth stubborn. “What you say doesn’t count, I want to drink!”
Cheng Shuyi took off his coat, pulled out a chair, and slowly sat down. Seeming somewhat helpless, he advised, “Listen to him, drink less.”
“I don’t want to see you streaking on a live stream in the social news someday.”
“I won’t!!”
While the argument was heating up over there, Shen Guanchao was marking the menu and suddenly asked, “What are we drinking? Red, white, or beer?”
Cheng Shuyi, who had been persuading for half a day: “…”
All that effort down the drain.
“You guys have no objections?” Seeing Manager Cheng silent, Shen Guanchao blinked. “Then… Waiter, bring two bottles of baijiu (white liquor)!” He waved his hand, and everyone fell silent, except for Zoe who looked like he had succeeded in a scheme.
Training would start in a few days, and alcohol would be banned then. If not enjoy now, then when?
Xie Jingchu sat between Pei Zhi and Shen Guanchao.
When he went out, he only wore a thin gray jacket. The air conditioning in the private room was on full blast, and his seat was directly facing the vent, making him feel a bit cold.
After ordering, Shen Guanchao seemed to sense something and glanced at Xie Jingchu. He said to Pei Zhi, who was near the AC controls, “Turn the AC up a bit.”
“OK.” Pei Zhi agreed readily, then added, “The All-Star Game starts in two weeks. We’re shooting posters next week. Old Cheng has to return to headquarters for a while and can’t follow you. Should I get that little assistant from last time to go with you?”
The LFK All-Star Game (Superstar Showdown) featured participants voted for by viewers from various regions. In addition to the main match of the All-Star team, there were entertainment modes like Rapid Fire, Duos, All-Star Exhibition, and Solo matches.
With Shen Guanchao’s traffic and strength, he was undoubtedly the star player with the highest votes in the entire region. His participation was expected by everyone.
He raised an eyebrow and didn’t answer Pei Zhi directly. “We’ll see.”
“It’s fine not to assign an assistant, I’ll travel via the sewer.”
“Come, come, drink today and get drunk today. Once the season starts, we’ll have to be monks.”
The food and baijiu were brought to the table together. Zoe warm-heartedly poured a cup for everyone.
When it was Xie Jingchu’s turn, he was blocked by Shen Guanchao. “No need.”
“He can’t drink. One cup and he topples.”
Zoe looked at Xie Jingchu and Shen Guanchao’s outstretched hand in surprise, blurting out, “Really, a one-cup topple? That weak, brother?”
“Eh…?”
“I can drink…” Zoe’s words inadvertently hit the rebellious young man’s self-esteem. Xie Jingchu frowned, took the baijiu from his hand, poured himself a full cup, and downed it in one go.
He drank it with more resolve than a warrior going to the guillotine in ancient times.
Zoe: “…”
Why did he suddenly feel like the one who would get drunk, streak, and cry into the Huangpu River would be this big brother here?
Xie Jingchu tried to be tough and go for another cup. This time, his hand was pressed down firmly.
Shen Guanchao had been chatting with Cheng Shuyi about the competition, but catching a glimpse of the “one-cup topple” player trying to be brave, he immediately grabbed his hand. “Not allowed to drink.”
Having downed a cup, Xie Jingchu’s cheeks flushed red rapidly. His eyes were a bit hazy as he tried to shake off the hand Shen Guanchao used to block him. His speech slowed down too: “I want to drink, I… can.”
“You can my ass.” Shen Guanchao suddenly regretted being so decisive when ordering alcohol just now. He speechlessly held down Xie Jingchu’s restless hand, turned his head, and continued talking business with Cheng Shuyi. “Continue about your return to headquarters.”
Being held by him, Xie Jingchu’s thoughts went blank, his mouth full of the aftertaste of the baijiu.
So nasty…
And very strong.
His handsome face scrunched up severely.
As the kick set in, he wanted to sleep and vomit at the same time.
Cheng Shuyi finished talking with Shen Guanchao and looked at Xie Jingchu, whose ears were bright red as he collapsed on the table. He asked in passing, “By the way, how did you know Siren is a one-cup topple?”
“Learned it from his stream before.” Shen Guanchao spoke casually. “He was streaming and lost a PK with another anchor. The punishment was drinking. He collapsed not long after one cup. Clearly terrible at it but insisted on showing off.”
The corners of Cheng Shuyi’s lips lifted. “You usually don’t even watch your teammates’ streams much. Why would you watch his?”
Cheng Shuyi was very sharp. Shen Guanchao didn’t want to elaborate, so he made up a random excuse: “Platform recommendation, clicked in by accident. Those awesome fans of his even ran to the opponent’s stream to send gifts just to troll him.”
Hearing this, Cheng Shuyi smiled and drank half a glass of wine.
After three rounds of drinks, the food was mostly eaten.
The aftereffects hit the drunks, revealing their true forms.
Pei Zhi shouted at the top of his lungs about being rejected by a girl on a blind date again. Zoe leaned against Fox with his eyes closed, lazily teasing, “What blind date? Just get together with our Old Cheng. Once and for all, isn’t that great?”
“Our Old Cheng has a car, a house, money, and is tall and handsome! A leader in the dating market!”
“Get lost.” Cheng Shuyi smiled and grabbed a cushion to throw at him, but it hit Fox in the face instead. Fox was woken up by the smash, staring blankly at the pillow from the sky.
The only sober one, Shen Guanchao, leaned on the sofa scrolling through his phone. His alcohol tolerance was the best among them.
A moment later, he saw Xie Jingchu beside him slowly stand up, dazedly twist open the door of the private room, and walk towards the restaurant’s restroom.
In front of the porcelain white sink in the washroom, Xie Jingchu splashed his face with cold water twice. It felt much better, but his stomach was still churning. He dry-heaved a few times and looked up raggedly.
Suddenly, in his world, the overlapping lights mixed with a familiar face—
Shen Guanchao had come.
He stood by the door, arms crossed, sneering. “Told you not to drink earlier, had to show off and pretend?”
“Die to save face and live to suffer, don’t you understand?”
While complaining, he walked toward the drunkard. Just as he supported him, he suddenly felt a tightness below his waist—
Xie Jingchu had grabbed the hem of his clothes, holding on for dear life.
Shen Guanchao felt a bit stifled, annoyed, and self-mocking from this action.
Clearly, he had spoken harsh words to this person just a few months ago.
So what was this now?
He always subconsciously looked out for Xie Jingchu’s feelings, always rushing to be cheap.
Usually, Shen Guanchao would also look out for Zoe, the youngest and noisiest in the team, but he didn’t have so many complex emotions when facing Zoe.
He simply attributed these unclear emotions and care to a man’s twisted “first love complex”—just pure filters and reluctance to let go.
He absolutely, definitely, had no other extra thoughts.
He couldn’t have them either.
Xie Jingchu was dragged out of the restaurant by Shen Guanchao. Cheng Shuyi paid the bill, and the group took the car back to the base.
On the way, Zoe, high on alcohol, clamored to go wild swimming in the Huangpu River to prove he wasn’t drunk, but his hands were tearing at Pei Zhi’s pants.
Fox didn’t stop him either, calmly holding up his phone to record the “beautiful” life.
The back row was chaotic. Shen Guanchao secretly rejoiced that fortunately, the “one-cup topple” classmate next to him wouldn’t go into a drunken frenzy.
Unfortunately, he rejoiced too early.
Back at the villa, Shen Guanchao did a good deed to the end and sent Xie Jingchu back to his room. But Xie Jingchu clung to the door frame with a death grip, using both hands and feet, refusing to enter the room while lingering in the hallway.
“…”
Shen Guanchao didn’t indulge him; he dumped the person and walked toward the kitchen.
The housekeeper at the base knew they were going out for dinner tonight and had prepared hangover soup in advance, keeping it warm in the pot.
Shen Guanchao first brought a few bowls to Zoe and the others, who were the most drunk. Then he found a brand new thermos cup, filled it, and brought it up to the third floor for the “one-cup topple” who loved clinging to doors.
The hallway lights were bright, making Xie Jingchu’s figure particularly conspicuous. He lay unconsciously on the floor, his clothes wrinkled into many folds, the black hair on his forehead messy. He looked exactly like a large dog that had been kicked out of the house.
Hearing footsteps, Xie Jingchu slowly opened his eyes, and then—hugged the newcomer’s calf.
Shen Guanchao, who had struggled internally for a long time before deciding to come up and deliver the soup: “…”
He saw through it now.
This guy was like a sticking plaster when drunk. First pulling clothes, then clinging to door frames, and now hugging thighs… as if there was nothing he couldn’t grab onto.
What can I say?
Shen Guanchao shook his leg speechlessly. Seeing the guy on the ground remain motionless, he rolled his eyes and took his phone out of his pocket. Click, click—he took a set of AAA blockbuster photos of Xie Jingchu, ready to submit them tomorrow to send him to the esports headlines.
“Hey… get up.” Shen Guanchao had taken enough photos of this drunkard’s gaffes. He put away his phone, squatted down, and manually pried him off.
Xie Jingchu felt the calf in his arms being pulled away and instantly panicked. “No.”
He murmured groggily, as if he had lost some supreme treasure in a dream: “Mm… don’t go.”
“Why do you want to think about… that person?”
Daytime thoughts become nighttime dreams. After drinking, the scene from the second-floor stairwell window that afternoon resurfaced in Xie Jingchu’s mind—the hazy lights, the smiling first love, speaking of longing and worry to someone else.
He felt everything that originally belonged to him slipping away silently at this moment.
“What dog-crazy fit are you throwing? What are you saying?” Shen Guanchao couldn’t hear clearly, nor did he have the heavenly ability to know what Xie Jingchu was thinking in his dream. His patience reached its end. He struggled to pry the person off and dragged Xie Jingchu back to the room like a mop.
Xie Jingchu was hoisted up like a sack of rice and thrown onto the bed, then violently force-fed half a cup of hangover soup. “Mmph…”
In the darkness of the room, Shen Guanchao carefully cleaned up the mess and stayed on guard for quite a while before leaving.
The dreaming Xie Jingchu wasn’t behaving. After the door closed, the quilt covering him slipped quietly off the bed during a turn, taking that person’s tenderness away with it.
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