Chapter 22 – “Alright, this is your special snack now.”
The next morning.
“‘Handsome Photos of Big Brother?’.. So, Ghost, you actually have an older brother?” Wink asked cautiously while helping Qi Qiao pack his streaming gear and other equipment into a suitcase.
After checking the room and making sure everything had been packed, Qi Qiao replied expressionlessly, “Who told you that?”
Wink coughed twice. “Uh… Jiang Jiang.”
It had happened around five o’clock yesterday afternoon.
He had originally been streaming when Jiang Jiang suddenly called him.
And the moment he picked up, it was like being struck by lightning.
“Holy crap, Wink, let me ask you something. Do you know if Ghost has an older brother?”
Wink was confused. “Who has an older brother?”
On the other end of the call, Jiang Jiang sounded unusually excited.
“Come on, Ghost, obviously! Today when he came to sign the contract, I added him on WeChat, and he accidentally tapped into his photo album.”
“Guess what? In the album categories, I saw one labeled ‘Handsome Photos of Big Brother?’!”
Wink froze for a long moment before slowly asking, word by word, “You’re saying… Ghost has a folder in his gallery called ‘Handsome Photos of Big Brother?’?”
Only after saying that did Wink realize he was still live streaming.
But by then, muting was already too late.
The screen had already been flooded with comments:
[“Handsome Photos of Big Brother???”]
After ending the stream, Wink nervously waited for Qi Qiao to come looking for him to settle the score.
But even after waiting until midnight, the dreaded “death call” never came.
Wink figured that after their solo match that day, Qi Qiao probably hadn’t been paying attention to platforms like Azure TV or Weibo anymore.
So he had gotten up early this morning and rushed over to help Qi Qiao move his luggage.
His goal was simple: apologize first and strike preemptively.
Maybe then he could at least keep his corpse intact.
Qi Qiao let out a cold laugh.
“As expected.”
Wink dragged the suitcase downstairs for him, feeling uneasy.
“Well, Ghost… Jiang Jiang meant well. He told me you’re joining the team soon, and he wanted to learn more about you so he could take better care of you.”
The moment the words left his mouth, Wink wanted to slap himself twice.
Qi Qiao gave a dry laugh.
“Take care of me? More like he wants to learn about me so he can sell the information all over the internet.”
Wink: “……”
The truth was, by now the whole internet already knew.
The two of them carried the luggage to the front entrance of the training base and stopped.
“So, Ghost…” Wink rubbed his hands together, carefully choosing his words before probing, “About ‘Handsome Photos of Big Brother?’… is that maybe some idol you like, or…?”
Qi Qiao replied, “I don’t have an idol.”
Wink’s eyes immediately lit up.
“So it really is your brother?”
Qi Qiao neither confirmed nor denied it.
Wink said, “Man, I’ve known you for so long, and this is the first time I’ve heard you have a brother. Back when we talked about your family, why didn’t you ever mention him?”
Wink knew a little about Qi Qiao’s family situation.
From what he understood, after Qi Qiao’s mother remarried, he had lived with his father.
His father was an alcoholic, and when Qi Qiao was eleven, he died from heart disease.
After that, Qi Qiao had basically been living on his own.
“Nothing worth talking about.” Qi Qiao wrapped a scarf around his neck.
“Alright, alright. But seriously, if you’ve got an older brother, how are you still this broke?”
Qi Qiao shot him a glare. “What, my brother can’t be broke too?”
Wink snorted. “I don’t buy it. Even if he’s poor, there’s no way he’d let an eighteen-year-old kid earn money by livestreaming and live off instant noodles every day. Don’t tell me he’s not actually your biological brother?”
Qi Qiao paused mid-motion while adjusting his scarf, lowering his eyes.
“He is. We’re blood-related.”
Wink put his hands on his hips.
“Wow, if he’s your real brother, then that’s even worse.”
Qi Qiao finished wrapping his scarf.
“Oh.”
After thinking for a moment, he added,
“Yeah… I guess it is a little.”
Seeing that Qi Qiao didn’t seem to be in a particularly bad mood right now, Wink figured if he didn’t bring it up now, and the little plague god’s mood worsened later, he’d definitely get slaughtered.
So he cleared his throat.
“Ahem… Ghost, there’s… something I probably need to tell you.”
Qi Qiao glanced at him in confusion.
Wink took a deep breath and gathered his courage.
“So… yesterday, when Jiang Jiang told me about ‘Handsome Photos of Big Brother’… I was livestreaming.”
Qi Qiao replied, “Oh. And?”
Only after saying that did he realize something was off.
Wink said he had been livestreaming.
And Jiang Jiang had called him while he was livestreaming.
Don’t tell me—
A sudden, deeply ominous feeling rose in Qi Qiao’s chest.
Wink gave an awkward smile.
“And then… well, uh… I accidentally said it out loud on stream.”
Qi Qiao blanked out for a moment.
“You mean… you said it out loud?”
Wink nodded.
“And now they all know?”
Wink nodded again.
Qi Qiao: “……”
It was like being struck by lightning five times over.
“I’m sorry, little gg! This is all my fault, all my fault!” Wink pulled a miserable face and, like a warrior marching to his execution, pointed at his own face. “If you want to yell at me or hit me, go ahead!”
Seeing Qi Qiao stay silent, he weakly added:
“Just… please don’t challenge me to a livestream solo match.”
“……”
Qi Qiao took a deep breath. Just as he was about to say “Friend, livestream, account deletion battle”—
A car horn suddenly sounded from not far away. The car stopped nearby, and Rong Qing and Jiang Jiang stepped out.
From a distance, Rong Qing called out in greeting.
“Xiao Qiao, we came to help you.”
Yesterday, Rong Qing had originally planned to hire a moving service to help.
But Qi Qiao said he didn’t have much luggage and told Rong Qing not to waste the money.
So Rong Qing dropped the idea.
Instead, he dragged Jiang Jiang along to serve as free labor.
Oddly enough, when Jiang Jiang heard about it, he hadn’t protested at all and immediately agreed.
When something unusual happens, there’s usually something suspicious behind it.
Still, having an extra pair of hands was never a bad thing.
Seeing that people had arrived, Qi Qiao couldn’t exactly blow up now, so he could only grit his teeth and say,
“I’ll remember this.”
The moment Jiang Jiang walked over, he saw Ghost’s stormy expression.
Then he glanced at Wink, who was trembling beside him, and more or less guessed what had happened.
When Jiang Jiang called Wink yesterday, he had never imagined Wink was livestreaming.
Even less had he expected him to blurt the whole thing out on stream.
If Ink hadn’t later shown him the recording, he wouldn’t even have known about it.
So when Brother Rong dragged him over today to do manual labor, he had no choice but to come running obediently.
Jiang Jiang figured that if he didn’t do something to make up for it soon, by tomorrow he might end up chopped into pieces inside the training base.
“Morning, Ghost! I’ll carry your suitcase for you.”
Qi Qiao glanced at him but didn’t stop him.
He even smiled and said, “Thanks.”
Only… his eyes were as sharp as knives.
Dragging the suitcase behind him, Jiang Jiang headed straight for the car.
He didn’t dare turn around for even a second look.
Qi Qiao really didn’t have much luggage.
With four people helping, everything was quickly loaded into the car.
Since Wink had already moved into the Monster training base, he prepared to wave goodbye after helping out.
“It’s getting late, so I’ll head off now. Safe trip, see you next time.”
Wink said his goodbyes to the others, then after thinking for a moment, cautiously added, “Ghost… maybe you should check Weibo?”
Qi Qiao: “……”
Even without Wink saying it, he already knew what kind of bloodbath his Weibo must look like right now.
Rong Qing, unaware of the whole situation, laughed.
“What’s going on that makes him need to check Weibo?”
Wink scratched his forehead awkwardly.
“Uh… it’s nothing major. Just… something related to Ghost.”
Rong Qing let out an “Oh.”
“Well then, if it’s nothing serious, better stay off Weibo. Otherwise it’s easy to ruin your mood.”
Qi Qiao: “……”
Yeah.
It was definitely ruining his mood.
Jiang Jiang had originally wanted to sit in the front passenger seat, but Rong Qing had shooed him into the back.
Now sitting beside Ghost, he didn’t even dare move.
As Qi Qiao’s expression grew darker and darker while Rong Qing kept chatting nonstop, Jiang Jiang was just about to say something for the sake of saving his own life—
When suddenly, a voice came from outside the car.
“Hey, wait! Hold on!”
Qi Qiao happened to be sitting on the side facing the base entrance, so he turned and looked out in confusion.
Bang came running out from the entrance of the Monster base, carrying a plastic bag.
Only when he reached the car window beside Qi Qiao did he finally stop, panting heavily.
“Here… this, this… you forgot to take this.”
As he spoke, Bang handed the plastic bag through the car window.
Qi Qiao took it and discovered that inside were three packs of Classy yogurt.
Classy yogurt…
He used to love drinking this yogurt.
But ever since he ran away from home, he had never bought it again.
After all, he barely had enough money for food, let alone extras.
Later, when he started earning some money from livestreaming, he saved most of it.
Every time he went to the supermarket, he would only look at it but never buy any.
Before he knew it, it had already been more than ten months since he last had one.
Qi Qiao looked confused.
“Brother Bang, I didn’t buy this. It’s probably someone else’s from the base.”
As he spoke, he moved to hand the yogurt back.
Bang quickly waved his hands in refusal.
“Hey, no, no, no.”
Realizing his reaction had been a little too strong, Bang awkwardly smiled and explained, “Uh… this was part of a previous benefit package from Monster. Both the main team and youth training players got some. I forgot to give yours to you last time.”
Jiang Jiang chimed in from the side.
“Wow, that’s nice. Unlike our team — whenever we get benefits, they just give us money.”
Rong Qing replied, “What’s wrong with money? Is money offending you now? Fine then, next time I won’t give you any. I’ll pack an extra share for Ghost instead.”
Jiang Jiang grumbled speechlessly.
“Come on, Brother Rong, is that what I meant? Of course money’s good. I just think little snacks like this feel more personal. Who would ever have a problem with money?”
Rong Qing smirked.
“Alright then. Next time, how about I replace your entire bonus with snacks?”
“Brother Rong, quit teasing me. You’ve been learning too much from Ink!” Jiang Jiang protested.
After laughing, Rong Qing didn’t say anything more.
He rolled up the backseat window and started driving.
Jiang Jiang glanced at Qi Qiao, who was holding the Classy yogurt, half his face buried inside his Klein blue scarf.
After thinking for a moment, Jiang Jiang decided to start a conversation.
“Ghost, this Classy yogurt is really good. I think the original flavor tastes the best.”
Qi Qiao glanced at him and nodded.
Seeing that Qi Qiao was actually responding to him, Jiang Jiang was instantly overjoyed, and his words started pouring out.
“I seriously love drinking this stuff. I had a huge stash in the fridge before, but I’ve been too lazy to go out these past two weeks, so I haven’t bought more. I’m almost out.”
“Oh, right. There are still a few left in my fridge. If you finish yours and want more, you can come grab some from me.”
As he spoke, Jiang Jiang suddenly remembered something.
“Oh wait, never mind, you probably can’t. Last time I made a bet with Captain and lost, so I ended up losing all my yogurt to him.”
Qi Qiao had originally been too lazy to respond.
But hearing the words Captain, he raised an eyebrow.
“What bet?”
Jiang Jiang replied, “Oh, it was when you and Captain had that solo match. I bet that you’d pick Frigga.”
Qi Qiao asked, “What about your captain?”
“Captain bet that you’d pick Odin. I didn’t believe him at all back then. I was thinking, No way you’d play that aggressively — and then I got completely proven wrong.”
Jiang Jiang pouted.
“Seriously though, I find it weird. Why does it feel like Captain knows you pretty well?”
Qi Qiao: “……”
How could he not?
They had lived together for so many years.
Jiang Jiang had originally wanted to keep chatting with Ghost, but somehow, he had apparently hit a sore spot.
The moment Ghost heard that last sentence, he stopped responding altogether.
Figuring that everything should be done step by step, Jiang Jiang wisely chose to mute himself.
Before long, the car arrived at the Faith Esports training base.
The three of them dragged the luggage upstairs, and after settling everything in place, it was just about lunchtime.
Rong Qing called out to Qi Qiao.
“Come eat first. You can organize your room after lunch.”
When Qi Qiao entered the dining room, there were already two people inside.
Rong Qing said, “Hold off on eating for a second. Come over and say hi to Ghost.”
Since Rong Qing and Jiang Jiang hadn’t returned yet, Ink and A-Kai had originally planned to start eating first.
The auntie had just finished cooking and placed the dishes on the table.
A-Kai greeted him with a grin and raised his hand.
“Hello, Ghost. I’m A-Kai, the team’s top laner.”
Qi Qiao nodded and shook his hand.
“Ghost.”
A-Kai said, “I used to watch your streams and thought you were using a beauty filter. Didn’t expect you to look even better in person. That green hair really suits you.”
Qi Qiao pressed his lips together slightly and replied, “Thanks.”
Ink also shook hands with him.
“Ink. Team ADC.”
Seeing that Qi Qiao’s reactions toward everyone were fairly normal, and that he didn’t seem to hold the resentment toward Faith Esports that online rumors claimed he did, Rong Qing finally relaxed.
Looking around, Rong Qing noticed someone was missing.
“Where’s Xiao Pei?”
Qi Qiao’s grip on Ink’s hand suddenly tightened.
Ink glanced at him but said nothing.
“I’m here.”
A voice came from the back of the dining room.
Everyone turned around.
They saw Pei Ming wearing a casual black long-sleeve hoodie, his hair slightly messy.
He was holding something in his hand as he walked over.
Pei Ming walked straight up to Qi Qiao, then handed him what he was carrying.
“A welcome gift.”
Qi Qiao froze slightly.
Pei Ming said, “Not taking it?”
Only then did Qi Qiao snap out of it and reach out to accept it.
It was a pack of original-flavor Classy yogurt.
On the plastic wrapping, there was still a red sticker attached.
Written on it were the words: “Jiang Jiang Cutie’s Exclusive Snacks.”
Pei Ming lowered his gaze and happened to notice the label too.
Seeing Qi Qiao standing there blankly without saying anything, Pei Ming let out a soft chuckle.
Then he reached out and peeled the sticker off.
“Alright… now it’s your exclusive snack.”
Author’s Note:
Jiang Jiang: “……”
Jiang Jiang: “Who did I offend to deserve being messed with like this by all of you?”