Chapter 25 – Stay in bed! You must stay in bed!
The sun was shining brightly, the sky clear, and today was supposed to be a perfectly ordinary day.
That’s what the members of Team 2 thought until they heard the loud crash of something heavy falling and the clanging of metal from the second floor.
Jerry, who was the first to hear the bang, was startled and stood up to call out to the team members, “Earthquake!”
“Huh?” The others took off their headphones in surprise. From above, they heard the muffled thud of something heavy dropping and the sound of something rolling.
Ban: “Holy shit?”
Dragon: “What exploded?”
The three of them followed the sound up the second floor and finally found the gym.
Inside, the treadmill was still throbbing furiously, weight plates rolling all over the floor, and small equipment toppled over.
Jerry took two steps inside and saw Ji Wei, barely breathing, one leg dangling from the exercise bike.
Ji Wei struggled to stand up with his hands and looked awkwardly at his three stunned teammates.
“Um… I’m fine, don’t be surprised, it’s okay.”
“Oh my god!” Jerry was the first to react, running over to support Ji Wei. “Are you okay? Let me call 911 for you. Can you move? Is your hand hurt?”
Ji Wei was already feeling dizzy, and was completely bewildered by the barrage of questions, but he still chose to be brave: “Uh, it’s okay, it’s okay! It’s not a big deal. It’s just a minor injury to me. I can even jump over the stairs!”
“It’s over. You’ve been knocked unconscious. Wait, let me talk to Brother Qiu.”
Ji Wei shuddered. “Wait! Don’t tell me, I can get to the hospital myself!”
“Too late.” Dragon shook his phone. “I already told you, face the reality. Brother Qiu will definitely find you if you go to the hospital on your own.”
Ban asked the most crucial question: “How did you fall?”
…
In the first-floor living room of Team Two, everyone helped Ji Wei to the sofa and listened to his explanation (or justification) for his fall.
“That’s what happened.” Ji Wei looked longingly at Xu Shaoqiu, who had rushed over from the first team, still in his slippers, and tried to beg for sympathy. “I was just trying to get some exercise…”
“Oh my goodness! Those were professional-grade treadmills!” Xu Shaoqiu was practically furious. “The Solve setting only goes up to 8, and you cranked it up to 18! What? You want to be Usain Bolt? While esports is definitely going to be in the Olympics, there’s no need to be so eager to switch careers, right?”
Knowing he was in the wrong, Ji Wei lowered his head, not daring to speak. Whenever Xu Shaoqiu spoke, he cautiously glanced up, his pitiful eyes saying, “I know I’m wrong, please stop yelling.”
Xu Shaoqiu couldn’t bring himself to say anything harsh, so he put his hands on his hips and sighed. “The team doctor is on his way. I don’t think your condition is particularly serious, so we won’t call an ambulance, okay?”
Ji Wei was eager not to delay the evening’s duo queue, so he nodded in agreement.
Xu Shaoqiu, still furious, pinched the bridge of his nose and called Lao Ma, who had just returned from leave, to explain the afternoon’s practice match. He had to stay with Unique. If Ji Wei still needed to go to the hospital, then as his manager, he had to accompany him.
Ji Wei hunched his neck, peeking at his coach’s back as he made the call, his heart tortured by the sheer embarrassment of his social idiocy.
I wonder if Yin Sijue will hear about this. It’s truly humiliating.
I want to crawl into the ground…
Ten minutes later, the team doctor arrived, had Ji Wei lie down on the sofa, and began examining him.
The doctor pressed the reddened skin on his right rib. “Does it hurt?”
“A little, not too much.” Ji Wei, somewhat ticklish, curled up like a shrimp.
“It’s probably a strained intercostal muscle. I recommend you avoid laughing for the next two weeks.”
Ji Wei: “?”
“Ahem.” The team doctor straightened his expression. “Just kidding.”
Ji Wei: “…”
“Stand up for a moment. I’ll check your back.”
The hand holding the ice pack slapped against Ji Wei’s back, and the cold nearly made him bite his tongue.
The team doctor carefully examined each bone. He pressed a spot, frowned, and after a moment said, “It looks like a bone here hasn’t healed properly. Have you ever been injured before?”
The boy shuddered, tilted his head to hide his back, and denied it. “No.”
The team doctor looked at him for a long moment, but without further questioning, continued, “The spine is fine. There’s some soft tissue contusion in the back.”
“You’re pretty lucky. The hospital just admitted someone last week who broke a bone falling on a treadmill. You don’t have any serious injuries. Just avoid strenuous exercise for the next two days.”
Xu Shaoqiu’s expression froze. “He dares?! Just lie in bed!”
Ji Wei said weakly, “Coach, I can train…”
“Alright, Ji Wei, stop pretending.” Xu Shaoqiu, genuinely frightened, angrily called out his full name.
“I’ve discovered you’re a real jerk! I was fooled by your good-natured facade before, but I won’t fall for it again.”
Ji Wei: “Coach, listen to my explanation—”
The team doctor, who had been writing medical notes, suddenly looked up, interrupting Ji Wei and turning to Xu Shaoqiu. “What did you say his name was?”
“Huh?” Xu Shaoqiu was a little confused. “Ji Wei. What’s wrong?”
The team doctor slowly turned, narrowing his eyes at the boy sitting on the sofa.
Ji Wei didn’t understand what was wrong with this man, but a bad feeling crept over him.
Those eyes…
The masked doctor hesitated for a moment, then said, “Nothing.”
“They just look familiar. I think I’ve seen them a few years ago.”
Xu Shaoqiu was puzzled. “How could you have? You must be mistaken. You didn’t work here before.”
He turned to Ji Wei and explained, “This guy’s my cousin, Xu Xingchen. He was transferred here from Taipei last year. The club’s previous doctor went on maternity leave, and since he was on vacation, I asked him to come over and help.”
At the mention of the place name, Ji Wei’s entire body stiffened.
Xu Shaoqiu noticed the boy’s pale face and assumed he was worried about his cousin’s professional ability. “Don’t be afraid! Don’t be fooled by his young age. He’s an associate chief physician and an orthopedic surgeon. He’ll definitely be able to treat you properly.”
The man stepped forward and showed Ji Wei his hospital ID card. It read: Deputy Chief Physician, Orthopedics (Trauma Surgery), Hai City People’s Hospital. To the left was a close-up photo of Xu Xingchen.
Ji Wei’s gaze lingered on the photo for a moment, silent.
Xu Xingchen crossed his arms, tilted his head toward the boy on the sofa, and asked, “Is this student from here?”
Xu Shaoqiu was puzzled. “Is he?”
“Okay.” Xu Xingchen looked at Ji Wei, who was clearly distressed, but said nothing further. He turned back to Xu Shaoqiu and instructed,
“Make sure he rests in bed. He seems to have an old injury, and in a situation like this, he needs proper recuperation.”
“Understood. I won’t let him get out of bed.”
…
Under Xu Shaoqiu’s watchful eye, Ji Wei lay in bed the entire afternoon.
He was terribly anxious, his mind preoccupied with the thought of playing games with Yin Sijue that evening. He didn’t dare get out of bed in front of his coach, so he lay there staring at the chandelier overhead.
Around five o’clock, Xu Shaoqiu checked his phone and said, “They’re done with their practice match. I’ll go check on them. Just lie down. I’ll have Auntie bring you food later.”
Ji Wei shook his head quickly, leaving a shadow on the pillow. “No, no, no, it’s not like I’m paralyzed! I don’t feel much pain anymore. I’ll go downstairs and eat.”
Xu Shaoqiu recalled the diagnosis. “Alright then, but stay in bed tonight. Don’t even think about sneaking up to play games. You’re already a professional—you’ll have plenty of matches to play. One more day won’t hurt. I’ll block you if I see you online on Steam.”
“…Okay.”
Half an hour later, Ji Wei had a quick dinner downstairs and returned to the training room with his teammates, waiting for Yin Sijue to call him.
Seeing him approach, Dragon chuckled. “Aren’t you afraid the coach will catch you?”
Ji Wei: “Team One just finished a scrimmage and has a real match tomorrow. He’s busy tonight, so he definitely won’t have time to check on me. He was probably just trying to scare me.”
Jerry laughed for a long time. He noticed that the more time he spent with Ji Wei, the more Ji Wei’s rebellious streak emerged—like a cat that looked harmless and well-behaved but secretly pushed glasses off the table every day.
“Okay, if you want to practice, that’s fine. But your health is the most important thing. Are you really okay after that big fall?”
Ji Wei: “It’s okay.” He even wanted to get back on the treadmill for another ten minutes to prove himself, but Xu Shaoqiu had temporarily locked the room, saying no one was allowed in until they switched to the new equipment.
Ban silently turned on custom mode. “I could be lazy, but I didn’t. I admit I’m caught up.”
Dragon: “Unique, you wanna duo queue?”
Ji Wei: “No, I have an appointment.”
Dragon asked casually, “With whom? Lin Tao from our tryouts?”
Ji Wei hesitated, but since they were all teammates, he figured there was no need to hide it. “No, I’m duo queuing with Solve.”
Ban abruptly turned his head. “What? Solve?! When did you and my idol get so close?”
Jerry: “They were already pretty good. I saw a video of them duo queuing. I heard Brother Jue even stayed to coach Unique during his last tryout.”
Ji Wei thought back and was sure Yin Sijue had only stayed to mock him for leaving his microphone on. How had it been twisted into him coaching him…
“Actually, that wasn’t coaching.” He bravely recounted the whole story, carefully skipping the part about his frantic “confession” to Yin Sijue.
The three of them fell silent for a moment, before Ban gave Ji Wei a thumbs-up.
“You’re quite the social butterfly! This isn’t nearly as embarrassing as when I forgot to mute my mic, cursed, and got caught by fans.”
Dragon asked seriously, “Will you be embarrassed when you see him later?”
Ji Wei: “A little, actually. But Solve didn’t seem to mind, so I gradually forgot about the awkwardness.”
And now you’re bringing it up again.
Jerry had been at AVG for quite a while and was relatively familiar with Solve. “A lot of people at the base are Solve fans, so he’s probably used to it. He usually helps out when staff members want autographed photos for friends and family. I think Solve just seems a bit unapproachable, but he’s actually quite nice.”
After chatting for a while, Ji Wei leisurely logged in. Noticing Yin Sijue wasn’t there, he decided to hang around and wait.
Five minutes later, the account [AVG_Solve] lit up. Just as Ji Wei was about to invite him to join the team, his phone on the table vibrated.
S: [?]
S: [No more games tonight.]
Ji Wei, who had been looking forward to a day of duo queuing, was stunned. He replied immediately:
Weiwei Dounai: [? Why!]
Weiwei Dounai: [(Cat crying jpg.)]
S: [I also want to ask you how you managed to get injured just by using a treadmill?]
Weiwei Dounai: […]
Well, what he had most worried about finally happened. Brother Qiu must have gone back and spread today’s news.
Ji Wei held his forehead, his eyes stinging from Yin Sijue’s cold question mark.
Not knowing how to explain, he began typing haphazardly.
“I took your advice this morning and went for a run…”
—No, that sounds like he’s trying to shift the blame. Delete.
“It’s okay, it’s not serious.”
—Wait, Yin Sijue didn’t even ask about his injury. Delete.
“Haha, it was just an accident today. I’m actually a pretty good runner!”
—Oh my god, no one asked about my running skills. That sounds like a greasy guy on a dating app. Delete.
S: [Is it that hard to come up with an excuse?]
Two minutes later—
Weiwei Dounai: [TvT, I was wrong.]
Weiwei Dounai: [I won’t do that next time. (Praying gif.)]
The “other person is typing” indicator flashed several times before finally stopping with a short reply:
S: [Are you injured?]
Weiwei Dounai: [No, just a few bruises. They’ll be fine in a few days, hehe.]
S: [I heard you’re supposed to stay in bed for the day.]
S: [No, we’re not playing tonight. Lao Ma just asked us to watch the replay. I’ll call you next time.]
After that, the account [Avg_Solve] in his friend list quickly went gray.
Ji Wei was stunned. He went offline that quickly?
Wait—if he’d already decided not to play, why did he even come online? Was he just checking in to see if he was online?
Since he was already at his computer, Ji Wei figured if he couldn’t duo queue, he might as well practice on his own.
He quickly started a solo four-player game on his smurf.
After frying a few rounds of fish, Ji Wei suddenly felt someone poke his elbow.
Ban had his headset hanging around his neck as he leaned over to look at Ji Wei’s screen. “Weren’t you supposed to duo queue with Solve? Why are you soloing? I was even hoping to ask if you’d let me spectate a game.”
Ji Wei replied honestly, “He just said he wasn’t playing anymore.”
Ban: “Huh? Why? Did he ditch you?”
Ji Wei shook his head, sadness showing in his eyes. “Brother Qiu told him about my fall.”
Ban gave him a sympathetic glance. “Oh, well. Don’t worry. It’s not like this is your first time embarrassing yourself in front of Solve anyway.”
Ji Wei: “…T T”