Chapter 14 – Friend Request from Solve
On the way home, Ji Wei suddenly realized this was the longest sentence Yin Sijue had spoken to him in recent days.
It was just that this form of address sounded so strange…
After Lin Tao had asked him no less than ten times along the way, “Brother Wei, what do you mean by ‘all-in’?” he finally realized how sinister the nickname was.
Ji Wei: …
Ji Wei: “If you call me that again, I won’t teach you how to fold clothes into a square.”
Lin Tao: …
He was successfully intimidated. “Then should I call you Brother Ji?”
“Just call me Ji Wei!”
He recalled the intriguing expression Yin Sijue had worn when he called him that and frowned.
Why hadn’t I noticed his wicked sense of humor before?
After a quick shower, Ji Wei towel-dried his hair until it was half dry and returned to the training room.
Xuan Feng had just finished a game when he asked, “Unique, want to duo?”
Remembering how he had just turned him down that afternoon, Ji Wei said, “Sure. I’ll use my main account. Add me.”
He logged into Steam, intending to dismiss all friend requests in one click like he always did.
Earlier that afternoon, he’d played a solo game and was already being accused of cheating. This new friend request was probably just another attempt to criticize him.
Just as he was about to decline, his eyes caught on the latest message:
[ysjduckduck] wants to add you as a friend. [Accept] / [Reject] ! ! !
Ji Wei gasped and rubbed his eyes, making sure he wasn’t dreaming.
“Unique? Not online yet?”
Hearing Xuan Feng’s voice, Ji Wei snapped back to his senses and quickly pulled out his phone to take a screenshot.
“Coming right up.”
He moved his mouse and clicked [Accept].
…
The next day, the comprehensive individual scores for the tryout trainees were released, and Ji Wei ranked first overall for the seven days.
Xu Shaoqiu came to inform him that he had passed the tryout and officially become a member of the AVG youth training team, temporarily training with the second team.
No one objected to the result.
From the players trying out at the same time to the team’s coaching staff, everyone went from initial shock and disbelief to numbness, then to gradual acceptance, finally realizing that Unique was indeed a formidable player.
Xu Shaoqiu looked at the youth training contract with a worried expression.
“If someone this controversial were to become a starter one day, I wonder how much public opinion we’d have to deal with… Let’s have the PR department prepare a plan.”
When Ji Wei came to sign the contract, he thought back on the various upheavals he’d experienced during the tryouts and suddenly felt like ripping it up and returning to being a streamer.
But he signed anyway.
The contract was for one year, and the monthly salary wasn’t particularly high compared to the rest of the industry—much less than what he’d earned while streaming.
Still, Ji Wei had no regrets. This was the path he had chosen, and he would continue on it, no matter what.
Lin Tao was packing his things in his room, his face streaked with tears.
“Wow, wow, wow! My mom just called and told me to get out right now. Is that because she doesn’t love me anymore? I just ran away from home, I didn’t commit murder or arson!”
Ji Wei, embarrassed, went over to help him ball up the socks scattered across his suitcase and said earnestly,
“Don’t run away so often anymore. You’re not a kid anymore. You should go back to school and study hard.”
“My grades are bad… My dad said he’s already arranged a school for me abroad. I don’t want to go, but I did so badly on the test that I can’t disobey him.”
Thinking of this, Lin Tao was about to cry again. “I’m devastated. I finally made a good friend like you, so much better than those classmates at school who only care about eating, drinking, and having fun. What will I do now that I’m abroad? And there’s also the jet lag!”
Ji Wei patted the naive boy’s shoulder and comforted him. “It’s okay. I believe true friendship doesn’t fade with time or distance. Even if we don’t talk for a long while, we’ll still be good friends when we meet again. Besides, online chatting is so convenient nowadays. You can always message me if you need anything.”
“Wow, okay.”
After sending the crying Lin Tao away, he took Xing Zi and Xiao Hei, who were waiting at the door, home, finally putting one worry to rest.
Ji Wei returned to his room and flopped onto the sofa.
The world around him spun faster and faster. Before the dizziness overwhelmed him, he suddenly remembered what he had just said.
“True feelings don’t fade with time or distance…” he muttered to himself. “What about me and Yin Sijue?”
Three years had passed, and he’d done his best not to watch any professional competitions. But from the constant news, he couldn’t help noticing that his former friend had grown into a towering figure, excelling in tournament after tournament.
Yin Sijue might have forgotten him. For many complicated reasons, Ji Wei didn’t dare to reach out.
As time passed, those indescribable emotions and the tangled, complicated past had long since woven themselves into an impenetrable web, trapping the former [WEI] and making it impossible for him to break free.
Now, if he wanted to step onto the stage and stand beside Yin Sijue, he would inevitably have to face that web—tear it apart and rebuild the light.
…
Three years ago.
[SJUE]: [The deadline is approaching. Remember to submit your form.]
[AVG Xiao Xu]: [WEI, have you finished filling out the form? It needs to be submitted.]
When Ji Wei received the message, the deadline had already passed by two days.
Because of his poor exam results, his parents had tightened their discipline over him. On top of that, he was busy making arrangements to attend youth training, so he hadn’t gone to the internet café to play games for several days.
[WEI]: [I’m really sorry. Something came up, so I haven’t taken the photos yet. Can I submit it tomorrow?]
The reply came instantly:
[AVG Xiao Xu]: It’s fine if you don’t have the photos. Just send me the form first. You can take the photos later when you come to the team.]
Seeing that the deadline had already passed, Ji Wei was too embarrassed to make excuses. He gave the document a quick once-over and sent it.
[WEI]: [[File] Youth Training Application Form WEI20150701.docx]
[AVG Xiao Xu]: [Received / OK]
Not long after, Ji Wei’s school went on summer break.
That year, there had been a sudden notice: the upcoming sophomores had to stay an extra week for self-study before the break, so the vacation began a little later than he’d expected.
Once the official break started, summer camp would follow in just a few days. That was the excuse he had found to go to AVG Youth Training.
Ji Wei believed that as long as he performed well, he would have some leverage later when negotiating with his parents.
To do well in youth training, Ji Wei practiced almost every day at the internet café. When SJUE wasn’t around, he would run his own “training camp,” replaying the situations where he had struggled, over and over, until he built up muscle memory.
The day before the holiday, Ji Wei and Yin Sijue played several matches together in Sanhok, both wielding 416s until the very end.
When Winner Winner Chicken Dinner flashed across the screen, Ji Wei heard the boy on the mic ask:
“Are you feeling off today?”
Confused, Ji Wei nervously typed:
[WEI]: [Do you mean that fight on the hillside just now? That was my bad shot—I missed and didn’t finish the enemy.]
“I’m not saying you played badly. You’ve actually improved a lot recently. I don’t think there was any problem with that fight.”
“I just feel like you’ve been quieter today. Are you feeling unwell?”
Ji Wei froze. His heart gave a start. His eyelids had been twitching all afternoon, and there was a vague anxiety gnawing at him.
Worried that his physical discomfort might affect his performance, he had kept his head down and focused on the game—he hadn’t expected the other person to notice.
[WEI]: [Tachycardia [/crying] Probably because I didn’t sleep well last night.]
“Then let’s skip today’s game. Get some rest.”
Ji Wei saw it was almost time, so he typed a reply:
[WEI]: [Okay. The next time we play together will probably be at the AVG base. Wait for me there~]
On the way back to school, he deliberately went to look for the stray Bichon Frise by the back door.
But the dog wasn’t there today. Instead, it had wandered into the small street next to the school gate and was squatting under the wall.
Ji Wei pulled his weekly exam paper from his bag, wrapped up the dog poop, and threw it away. Then he squatted down in front of the Bichon Frise and said softly, “I might not be able to visit you for a while.”
“I can’t promise to take care of you, not with my current circumstances. But I’ve contacted the rescue center. They said they’ll pick you up in two days. Don’t run around before then, okay?”
The puppy howled.
Ji Wei’s heart softened at its cuteness, and the pressure he’d been carrying for days finally eased a little. He reached out and patted its head.
“Wait for me to come back. I’ll become a professional player, earn a salary, and then I’ll pick you up from the rescue center. I haven’t decided on a name for you yet, but since you’re my first dog, I’ll make sure it’s a good one.”
He gently pinched the Bichon Frise’s soft ears. The puppy didn’t understand what parting meant; it only grinned foolishly at its human.
Ji Wei set out enough dog food to last for two days, then turned and walked toward the school gate.
He had spent a long time last night in bed planning his escape, convinced it was foolproof. He’d bought his ticket early that morning, using the money he’d earned by playing for other people, which he’d first transferred to his deskmate’s account. In exchange, he’d bribed him with a KFC meal to buy the ticket.
Nothing would go wrong, and his parents didn’t seem suspicious.
But as he approached the parking lot, Ji Wei spotted a familiar black car parked outside the school gate.
He walked a few steps forward out of habit, and the car window slowly rolled down. It was his mother, who lowered the window halfway and looked straight at him.
…
“The teacher said in the group chat that school would be dismissed early today. I was free, so I came to pick you up.”
His mother scrolled through the messages on her phone, then looked up at Ji Wei, who was now sitting in the passenger seat. Her eyes, behind her glasses, were stern and cold.
“So, why are you coming back from outside?”
Ji Wei tried to meet her gaze. “I came through the back door of the school.”
His mother stared silently into his eyes.
After a moment, she spoke again: “Remember to wash your hands after petting the dog.”
…
Mother and son walked in silence. When they got home, Ji Wei’s tutor was already waiting in his room. His mother must have notified him to arrive early.
Two hours later, Ji Wei’s head was so crammed with knowledge that he felt dizzy. He yawned and propped his head up with his hands.
“I’ve printed your homework. That’s it for today. Once you’re done, just have your mom send it to me on WeChat for review.”
Hearing this, Ji Wei snapped back to attention and stuffed his homework into his bag.
The tutor frowned. “Aren’t you on vacation? You don’t have to go to school—why are you putting your homework in your bag?”
Ji Wei gave an awkward laugh and mumbled something vague. As he slipped the homework in, his fingers brushed against the hidden compartment inside the bag.
Confirming the ticket was still there, Ji Wei felt a wave of relief.
Over the past few days, whenever he felt low, he would touch the ticket tucked inside his bag, its weight always giving him comfort.
He was surprised that his mother hadn’t asked about his afternoon—but of course, he wouldn’t bring it up either.
He silently counted down the days until the 19th, when summer camp at school would begin.
That morning, he woke early, pushed his packed luggage to the door, and went to the dining room for breakfast.
His father sat at the table reading the morning paper, while his mother poured freshly brewed soy milk into a bowl and placed it on the counter. The atmosphere was calm and peaceful.
Ji Wei volunteered to help carry the bowls, setting the soy milk aside. He cautiously said to his parents, “Mom, Dad, you don’t have to take me today. I can just take the subway.”
His mother set a plate of fried eggs and steak on the table and asked lightly, “Where are you going?”
Ji Wei sat down, startled, and looked up at her.
“Oh, I’m going to the school summer camp. I told you before.”
His mother smiled, but the curve of her lips didn’t reach her eyes. She stood by the table, gazing down at Ji Wei with a faint cruelty.
“Wei Wei, what are you talking about? You never signed up for summer camp.”
“Change your clothes and eat your breakfast. You’re not going anywhere today.”