Chapter 17: Thick-Skinned Qi Feng
Looking at Qi Feng lying on the hospital bed on an IV drip, face haggard, Chi Jing couldn’t get angry no matter what.
Wu Cheng: “How did he get a fever?”
Chi Jing shook his head, indicating he didn’t know.
“When I went downstairs to boil water this morning, I saw him sleeping on the sofa. I wanted to wake him up to go back to his room to sleep, but he didn’t move. I was worried something happened, felt his forehead, and realized he had a fever.”
Wu Cheng: “I’ll send a message to ask them later.”
Team FM had a daily life group chat containing the head coach and assistant team manager.
[Wu Cheng: What did you guys do after going back last night? Why does Qi Feng have a fever?]
[Mo Jingchun: After he came back, he sat on the balcony the whole time. When I went downstairs past 7 AM, he was still there. Probably caught a chill from the wind.]
Wu Cheng relayed the message to Chi Jing. Chi Jing was so angry he couldn’t speak. No wonder he smelled of smoke; no wonder he had a fever. He purely did it to himself.
Chi Jing: “Sorry to trouble Brother Cheng early in the morning. You go back first and see if any of the others are feeling unwell. I can just watch him here.”
Wu Cheng thought about it and didn’t decline. After giving a few instructions, he hurriedly drove back.
Chi Jing sat in the chair staring at Qi Feng, feeling a bit bored. He opened his phone to scroll through Tieba posts and saw a relevant thread.
The title of the thread was: [FM five members plus manager and coach getting drunk late at night, specifics unknown.]
Chi Jing forwarded the post to the group chat, instantly receiving a bunch of question marks.
[Wu Cheng: I saw the post. Doesn’t affect anything, just focus on your training.]
[Yuan Jibai: I have never been this speechless in my life.]
Chi Jing scrolled through posts for a while until his eyelids grew heavy. He lasted until Qi Feng’s IV drip finished, then slumped by the bedside, dizzy, and fell asleep.
In the winter of Shanghai, the sun rarely came out at noon. Sunlight spilled into the room through the gaps in the curtains. Qi Feng frowned subconsciously, struggling to open his eyes. What came into view was Chi Jing sleeping prone by his bedside. He was a bit dazed. He lifted his arm to grab his phone, only to find medical tape on the back of his hand.
He looked up at the environment again—in a hospital. He understood in his heart; he had a fever.
He wasn’t in a rush to get up, just staring at Chi Jing like that. Not long after he woke up, Chi Jing woke up too. Opening his eyes and finding Qi Feng awake, he hurriedly poured him a cup of warm water to moisten his throat first.
Chi Jing: “Are you sick in the head? Sitting on the balcony all night in winter?”
Qi Feng didn’t answer his words but asked, “How did I get here?”
Chi Jing blurted out, “Nonsense, of course I carried you here.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Chi Jing froze. So this guy was setting a trap for him? Chi Jing had indeed misunderstood Qi Feng. Although this person was usually shameless, he hadn’t reached the level of setting traps for people.
Qi Feng: “Do you remember?”
He didn’t say it explicitly, but Chi Jing knew what he was talking about.
“Mn, I remember. I don’t blackout when I drink.”
Qi Feng smiled and said, “I won’t take advantage of your precarious state. If you are willing, can you carry me up?”
The hint in these words was obvious. If you are willing to forgive me and give me a chance to pursue you, then fulfill the agreement and hug me/carry me.
Chi Jing rolled his Adam’s apple but didn’t make a sound. The smile at the corner of Qi Feng’s mouth grew fainter. Just as he was about to say something to alleviate the awkwardness, Chi Jing’s arm rested by his side, head pressing against his neck. Qi Feng finally smiled from the bottom of his heart. Forgiven?
After hugging for a while, Chi Jing looked up and asked him, “Going back?”
Qi Feng licked the corner of his mouth and said, “Going back. My legs are weak; you carry me.”
Great. It was indeed still that thick-skinned Qi Feng. What to do then? Accept fate. Chi Jing brought his shoes, held his waist, and led him out of the hospital. They flagged down a random car on the road. Just as they got in, a message came to the phone.
[Little Song: ? You and Qi Feng are together?]
[Jing: ? Where did that info come from]
The other party shared a link with you.
Chi Jing clicked in and it was a Langbo page. There was a photo of him holding Qi Feng in the hospital just now.
Image caption: No wonder the FM Captain was willing to let him come to Team FM. Turns out he sold himself, huh? Does your butt hurt, little brother?
Once this Weibo post was released, it set off a huge wave. Wu Cheng logged into the FM Esports Club official account and immediately came out to respond.
[FM Esports Club: Regarding the untrue information circulating online about Chi Jing and Qi Feng
Our company hereby solemnly declares as follows:
- The rumors that Chi Jing joined the team through the “back door” or by colluding with Qi Feng are untrue. Team members are carefully selected by the management; no single person can make decisions alone.
- The intimate photo of Qi Feng and Chi Jing circulating online is actually from when Qi Feng felt unwell with a high fever and went to the hospital for an IV drip. After the fever subsided, he was still unwell, and Chi Jing supporting Qi Feng was normal behavior.
- The above content circulating online consists of rumors triggered by esports circle infighting. Our company strongly condemns such behavior of distorting facts and maliciously spreading rumors, and has conducted centralized evidence collection on relevant remarks, reserving the right to pursue legal liability. Relevant internet users and media are requested to delete untrue information as soon as possible and stop publishing and spreading false remarks.
- Our company has filed a lawsuit against the user whose Weibo post content was: “No wonder the FM Captain was willing to let him come to Team FM, turns out he sold himself,” please look for official information.
- We hope the majority of fans and friends will use the internet rationally, consciously boycott online rumors, and actively respond to the call for a clean cyberspace action.
FM Esports Club]
Chi Jing had to marvel that Wu Cheng’s PR speed was truly fast. From the post appearing to the statement release, it took less than 20 minutes in total. Qi Feng, sitting next to Chi Jing, knew what had happened. His eyes darkened. He took out his phone and sent a message, then pretended nothing was wrong and teased Chi Jing.
Chi Jing: “Old pervert wiping oil on me (feeling me up)!”
After smacking away the hand circling his waist for the nth time, Chi Jing finally couldn’t stand it anymore.
Qi Feng raised an eyebrow and honestly stopped moving. It wasn’t until the car drove back to the base that he collapsed onto Chi Jing, shouting for Chi Jing to carry him back. Chi Jing, having reached the limit of his patience, finally stopped holding back. He opened the door and directly picked Qi Feng up in a horizontal princess carry, walking straight into the living room to display to the teammates. Qi Feng’s smile froze at the corner of his mouth. Seeing this, the candy in Song Qi’s mouth fell out, Mo Jingchun’s eyes went glossy/dull, and Yuan Jibai screamed frantically.
It wasn’t until he carried Qi Feng back to the room that Chi Jing spoke: “How was it, Young Master Qi? Satisfied with this service?”
For the first time, Qi Feng felt the sensation of trying to steal a chicken only to lose the rice. His ears were red enough to drip blood, but he still refused to show weakness. While Chi Jing wasn’t paying attention, he grabbed him and pinned him underneath. Now it was Chi Jing’s turn to panic; Chi Jing struggled desperately.
Chi Jing: “Damn it, are you sick!”
Qi Feng looked at him grinningly, fingers intentionally or unintentionally rubbing Chi Jing’s lower back. Only one thought was in his mind: So thin, really want to pinch with both hands.
Qi Feng: “You already carried me. In ancient times, this would require giving yourself to me.”
Chi Jing: “I have never seen an old rogue bigger than you.”
The two argued back and forth endlessly. Qi Feng knew he couldn’t bully the person too much; after taking a little advantage, he let go.
Qi Feng: “Waist is so fine.”
Chi Jing: “If you talk nonsense again, I’ll stuff a water hose in your mouth!”
Chi Jing couldn’t help cursing inwardly. Exactly what kind of person can have such thick skin? Which creature from the Classic of Mountains and Seas is he? Rarely seen in a hundred years.
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