Chapter 18: Truth — He Cared About Mu Jiu, Cared Deeply
Nan County, Mu Jiu’s hometown. Shi Wen followed the address provided by the private investigator and stopped in front of a coffee shop.
In a town like this, people didn’t really drink coffee to begin with. The shop was deserted, with hardly a soul in sight.
As he pushed the door open, a crisp chime from the doorbell rang out, startling the owner who was busy organizing things with her back to the door.
Perhaps to create a certain atmosphere, the lighting inside was dim. The walls were adorned with numerous photographs, and a shelf nearby displayed various models of cameras.
The owner was a young woman with her hair braided into a ponytail on one side, tied with a ribbon. she was wearing an apron.
Hearing the commotion, she turned around with a guilty expression, holding a “Closed” sign she had been preparing to hang on the door. “I’m so sorry, the shop isn’t—”
Before she could finish, she looked up and saw the visitor. She froze, slowly lowering the sign.
“Shi Wen?” she asked tentatively.
Shi Wen hadn’t expected to be recognized. With his hand still on the door handle, he felt a flicker of surprise.
“You know me?”
The young woman shook her head, a faint smile gracing her lips. “I’ve heard of you.” She then pointed toward a table in the corner. “Have a seat first.”
She quickly finished her tasks, hung the sign on the door, and returned to the counter. Looking up, she asked, “What would you like to drink? Is an espresso alright?”
Shi Wen’s gaze drifted to the photos on the wall. Aside from portraits of customers, most were landscape shots—likely the owner’s hobby. He turned back and replied, “That’s fine, thank you.”
Soon, the owner brought over two cups of coffee. Her gaze was soft as she observed Shi Wen, moving slowly but without being offensive.
She was curious to see what kind of person it was that Mu Jiu had almost sacrificed his entire life to chase. Her limited knowledge of Shi Wen came entirely from Mu Jiu; during Mu Jiu’s most difficult times, his name was the only one on his lips.
Qiu Tang’s eyes flickered. Perhaps even Shi Wen didn’t know just how important he was to Mu Jiu.
“Hello, I’m Qiu Tang, a friend of Mu Jiu’s,” she introduced herself.
Shi Wen nodded and stood up, extending his hand. “Hello, Shi Wen.”
The smile on Qiu Tang’s face deepened. She gave his hand a polite, brief shake and sat down across from him.
“You’re here because of Mu Jiu, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
He was honest, not beating around the bush in the slightest.
Qiu Tang propped her chin on one hand and looked at the scenery outside the window. She had specifically chosen this remote, quiet place to open a cafe as a way to escape reality. Outside, the shadows of the trees swayed. Though the summer, which had been annoyingly hot, was nearly over, the memory of those years made her old scars itch again.
Shi Wen waited for a moment. He wasn’t an impatient man; he could even continue to let the private investigator dig until everything was clear. But because it concerned Mu Jiu, he didn’t want to wait a single second longer. Perhaps he shouldn’t have hesitated three years ago.
If Mu Jiu was living well, he wouldn’t disturb him. But the fact was, he wasn’t.
“I want to know the truth about what happened back then.”
Qiu Tang turned her head and met his gaze directly. It was earnest and serious. Seeing that same sincerity in him, she looked down, stirred her coffee, and sighed. “I still advise you not to find out.”
Wouldn’t it be better to just accept the truth Mu Jiu wanted them to know?
That was the best choice for anyone other than Mu Jiu.
Mu Jiu was such a good person, always pointing the blade at himself. She had thought she was the only one who would feel for him; she never expected Shi Wen to come looking for him. He was truly an uninvited guest.
“If you know my attitude toward Mu Jiu, then please believe that I care about him more than you think.”
Shi Wen didn’t miss the flash of pity in Qiu Tang’s eyes. His tone was steady, as if he were stating a common fact, because he believed he had already made his feelings clear enough.
He cared about Mu Jiu, cared deeply.
Qiu Tang looked at him and smiled helplessly. Mu Jiu really did know him best, which was why he hadn’t told him.
The coffee she had made for him was an espresso, and she had intentionally messed with the extraction parameters to make it sour and bitter—a deliberate act of petty revenge. After all, if he hadn’t led Mu Jiu onto that path, Mu Jiu’s life wouldn’t have been so hard.
But perhaps she was wrong. No one had the right to dictate his life.
Lowering her head, she took a sip of her own coffee. Qiu Tang immediately frowned at the bitterness. She set it down, thinking that serving something like this was really damaging to her shop’s reputation.
She began softly, “Mu Jiu was the only child in his family. His parents had high hopes for him.”
Fortunately, Mu Jiu had been smart since he was young. He was a fast learner and worked his way from the village to the town’s key high school. How good were his grades? The director, knowing his family’s poor financial situation, would specifically bring rice, flour, and oil to his house during holidays, urging his parents to nurture him well.
In the summer after his sophomore year, Mu Jiu used his school scholarship to buy a computer.
Since he had grown up without ever making his parents worry about his life or studies, they let him be, hearing that city kids used computers for learning.
At that time, Wuxian Weidu had just entered the domestic market. With the overwhelming promotion, Mu Jiu naturally came into contact with it.
Initially, he played for relaxation, but he accidentally climbed to the top of the leaderboards. That was when Shi Wen noticed him.
Not long after the domestic server opened, the high-tier players became familiar with each other from being matched together so often.
Finally, after one match ended, Shi Wen sent an invitation to Mu Jiu.
[Swen: Nine, duo queue?]
Mu Jiu had always been a lone wolf. Furthermore, he often encountered teammates who couldn’t understand his logic and would flame him for being “trash” after the match. His first instinct was to refuse. However, Shi Wen had indeed played well in that last match. Even though they weren’t in voice chat, the other party seemed able to communicate with him, creating synergy without words. It was a rare chance for Mu Jiu to truly unleash his mechanics. He stared at the screen, hesitating for a long time before clicking on Shi Wen’s profile.
What he saw shocked him. 70 stars in the top tier, ranked number one on the Human leaderboard by a landslide, with a 90% win rate.
Then he looked at the ID: SG’s professional player, Swen. He fell silent.
A miserable high school student playing games in his spare time… a pro player is actually inviting me to duo?
[Nine: Are you serious? Because I’m believing you now.]
[Swen: Don’t worry, it’s for real.]
As if to put Mu Jiu at ease, as soon as Mu Jiu accepted his friend request, a team invitation popped up.
[Swen: Can you use a mic? I’ll give you my contact info.]
The initiative startled Mu Jiu again. He tremblingly typed back:
[Nine: Brother, aren’t you going to play a few matches with me to check my skill first? Isn’t this a bit hasty?]
Wasn’t he afraid of being stuck with a “noob” who would cling to him?
[Swen: No need.]
The people he set his sights on never missed.
Shi Wen sent over his private contact information and picked up his phone to wait for the friend request.
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