Chapter 40 – Drunk
In Hai City’s most luxurious club, the lights blazed, and the atmosphere brimmed with revelry and extravagance.
Xu Shaoqiu took the stage, snatched the DJ’s microphone, and was so excited he nearly cried:
“Everyone stand! Please ask the lighting engineer to shine the spotlight on tonight’s champion!”
With that, he was the first to step under the beam, arms outstretched to the air, tears streaming down his face.
Ji Wei squinted against the glare, unable to resist grumbling to those around him.
“How much did he drink?”
“As soon as you guys stepped onto the podium, he went to the convenience store and cracked open a beer.”
“!” Hearing this familiar voice, Ji Wei was startled and exclaimed in surprise: “When did you get here? Brother Qiu said you were still at the hospital getting a shot.”
“I’m done.” Yin Sijue sat down beside Ji Wei, his right hand resting on the back of the chair behind him. From the side, it looked as though he were holding the boy in his arms.
“He went to the police station to give a statement. He originally said he’d come back to pick me up, but when he saw you guys win, he ran off saying he was going to greet the champions.” Yin Sijue’s tone carried a strangely aggrieved note.
“I had no choice but to wait in line at the hospital for the shot.”
“Ah… okay.” Ji Wei looked a little bewildered.
His intuition told him that Yin Sijue’s attitude toward him had subtly changed, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
Ji Wei asked the most pressing question first: “Is your injury okay?”
Having been asked the same thing no fewer than a hundred times that day, Yin Sijue reluctantly bared the wound for Ji Wei.
“Take a look.”
The glare of the spotlight faded, the room dimming. Yin Sijue’s fingertips accidentally brushed against the boy’s soft lower lip.
“Hm!” Ji Wei jerked his head back like a frightened cat, a tingling sensation like an electric current shooting from his lips.
The air before his eyes seemed to thicken into a jelly-like mass. The dim lights blurred the surrounding scene. Ji Wei only saw the bony hand pause for a moment, fingertips slowly lingering, as though savoring something.
The ever-composed Unique, who had calmly assessed the situation on the court, now found himself in a daze.
“AVG has booked the whole venue tonight! We’re all family here, so let’s drink!”
Xu Shaoqiu’s hoarse voice shattered the atmosphere, and the staff in the audience cheered, calling for waiters to order drinks.
The overhead lighting revealed the coach’s dark circles and wrinkles. Ji Wei, looking at his aged face, sighed softly.
“Brother Qiu must have been under a lot of pressure these past two days.”
“Yes.” Yin Sijue nodded, though his gaze darkened with displeasure as he noticed a group of people approaching.
Lao Ma plopped down beside Ji Wei. “Why are you sitting so far off? I couldn’t even find you just now.”
“These are our signature snacks.” Xu Shaoqiu had the waiter bring over a spread of food. “Eat more, Unique! You’re too thin.”
Though Xu Shaoqiu put on a cheerful face, his heart still hadn’t recovered from his brother’s recounting of the past. The joy of winning the championship had yet to wash over him. Instead, what he felt for Ji Wei was a heavy, protective affection.
“Here, and this too.” Xu Shaoqiu pulled out a pile of food like a magician.
“These are my special dishes—I had someone order them. Come on, eat some.”
Ji Wei stared blankly at the mountain of food before him, unsure where to even start.
Da Shu and the others carried over a can of Tsingtao beer and plopped it down on the table.
“Wow, why don’t the other tables have this much food? I want to sit here. Give me a portion!”
“Those who died in the final round don’t deserve to eat!” Xu Shaoqiu snatched up the food.
Da Shu: “Where did you even buy this? Hey, isn’t the line at that place ridiculously long?”
Xu Shaoqiu: “People who got killed right after parachuting shouldn’t ask so many questions!”
Da Shu: “…”
“Fuck you!” He gritted his teeth in anger. “That time I got blasted right at the start!”
Xu Shaoqiu jabbed a finger at him. “That time, your coach nearly sent me to the emergency room!”
“I was just thinking of going to the bathroom in the opening round, and you guys got shot three at once—forced me to sit there holding it in.”
“Who told you to have such a weak bladder?!”
Mi Li leaned against the back of his chair, all the fire he had on the field gone, his eyes a little empty.
“To be honest, it was really thrilling. I thought about the chance of making a mistake, but I didn’t expect to choke in the last round. Luckily, Unique managed to survive.”
Lao Ma: “Who says otherwise? I almost cried on the spot when we won the chicken dinner… Unique, here’s to you!”
He was just about to pour wine for Ji Wei when the man who had been silent suddenly stretched out his hand, covering the glass.
Yin Sijue said coldly, “He’s underage. Isn’t it bad for him to drink?”
Lao Ma froze, wine still in hand. It was the first time he’d seen his captain like this, and something about it felt… strange.
Ji Wei quickly waved his hand. “It’s okay, I’ll be an adult soon.”
Then, like a thief, he tugged the glass out from under the man’s hand.
“Not tomorrow?” Yin Sijue didn’t let go, looking at him casually, one brow slightly raised.
“You—” Ji Wei was a little taken aback. He hadn’t expected Yin Sijue to remember his birthday.
He couldn’t help but think back to that dim night when he’d sneaked into the first team’s base to visit a sick person.
That man had asked his birthday under the moonlight. After Ji Wei answered, Yin Sijue had simply said it was at the end of the playoffs.
Just right… just what?
The question Yin Sijue had asked that night seemed to carry a vague, unfinished answer.
“Oh, just let him drink!” Xu Shaoqiu snatched the glass without another word.
“If he wants to drink, let him drink! Jerry’s already finished two bottles, so why can’t he? Everyone else can drink tonight—except Solve, who needs to recuperate!”
The glass of Tsingtao beer was set in front of Ji Wei. He picked it up and sniffed it, savoring the delicate wheat aroma.
Yin Sijue didn’t stop him. He simply leaned back, arms folded, watching. A faint smile played on his lips, as if to say, Let’s see if you can handle it.
Ji Wei had never touched alcohol before, but curiosity about the unknown pushed him forward.
He lowered his head, poked out the tip of his pink tongue, and took a tentative sip.
Not bad. Not unpleasant at all.
He raised the glass again and took a longer drink.
“Awesome, you know how to drink!” Lao Ma gave him a thumbs-up.
“Not drunk at all!” Ji Wei finished the glass and declared loudly, “Please pour me another!”
Jerry, already tipsy and melancholic, suddenly spoke up.
“Although this question might be a bit of a downer, I still want to ask.” He looked at Xu Shaoqiu hesitantly. “What should we do about Wolf?”
At those words, Xu Shaoqiu recalled leaving the hospital earlier to give his statement at the police station.
That once-familiar face had long since lost its usual arrogance. After hours of interrogation, Wolf looked haggard and spent. When he saw Xu Shaoqiu, he clung to him like a drowning man, pleading with a broken spine:
“I know I was wrong, Brother Qiu. I really can’t go to prison! I’m begging you!”
“They said a letter of apology could keep me from being charged. Can’t you talk to Solve about it? His injuries aren’t serious, right? Just have him sign it!”
His wrists were cuffed to the table, his dignity stripped away, eyes bloodshot with desperation.
Xu Shaoqiu calmly regarded the boy who had followed him since the age of fifteen—someone who had now grown unbearably repulsive.
“You say you know you were wrong, Wei Chengguang. But you only regret not moving sooner. You just didn’t expect the police to arrive so quickly, did you?”
“They told me you’d already bought your ticket abroad, yet you still wanted to stick around for the finals. You just wanted to watch AVG die.”
Xu Shaoqiu sneered. “But you were disappointed, weren’t you?”
The boy before him looked as though he’d been stabbed in the lungs. He wanted to leap up, slam his fists on the table—but the interrogation chair held him down, its restraints silencing his fury.
Since being taken away, he hadn’t been allowed a phone. He hadn’t seen the outcome of the match.
A gnawing premonition clawed at him, but he couldn’t stop himself from asking through gritted teeth:
“…What was the result of the final?”
When he was taken, AVG had been in second place. The four players on the field couldn’t possibly stand against UGC. The worst-case scenario, Wolf thought, would be AVG holding onto their points and finishing as runner-up.
As long as they didn’t win the championship, his efforts wouldn’t have been in vain.
“It’s the champion,” Xu Shaoqiu said, extinguishing the last shred of hope.
With that, he no longer wanted to look at the man. He turned and walked away, leaving the desperate roar shut behind him.
…
At the table.
Xu Shaoqiu looked at Jerry, unable to bring himself to tell the whole story. He lowered his head, took a sip of his drink, and sighed:
“What can we do? We wait for the court date. Even though his face wasn’t shown, the surveillance cameras along the way captured everything. There’s solid evidence of intentional injury. He’s still in custody at the station—he’ll definitely be sentenced.”
“Okay.” Jerry’s voice came out hoarse as he bowed his head, his eyes red. “Wolf and I have known each other for almost five years. I never thought he would turn out to be this kind of person.”
Da Shu patted him on the head in comfort. “Who could’ve guessed? I always treated him like a younger brother. Who knew he had so much darkness hidden inside?”
Mi Li muttered, “His malice toward the captain is truly inexplicable.”
“Oh, right. There’s one more thing.” Xu Shaoqiu suddenly remembered and glanced at Yin Sijue, wanting to speak but hesitating.
“Wolf’s mother called me last night, crying and apologizing, begging me not to make this public. Seems his parents divorced a long time ago, and his mother had it rough raising him alone. She’s probably worried about relatives gossiping. Of course, it’s up to you—you’re the victim here.”
Yin Sijue leaned back in his chair, gaze fixed on Ji Wei’s slightly flushed ears.
He didn’t seem drunk; the blush from his last glass lingered, and he still dared to keep drinking cold beer to cool himself down.
Only after a few seconds did Yin Sijue register what Xu Shaoqiu had said. He replied flatly, “Whatever.”
Taking advantage of Ji Wei’s daze, Da Shu slyly swiped a bag of snacks from in front of him. “I heard he was livestreaming tonight, planning to watch us celebrate. But someone knocked on his door mid-stream, and the screen went black. The internet’s sharp—people will definitely figure out what happened.”
Xu Shaoqiu said, “That’s none of our business.”
Jerry, still reeling from the shock, set down his glass and stood up.
“I’m going to the restroom.”
“Be careful,” Xu Shaoqiu reminded, sighing as he watched him go. “He used to idolize Wolf. They were the closest pair in the entire base.”
Mi Li said, “That’s only because you never told him about that training match. If he knew Wolf hoarded the AWM he found in the airdrop without reporting it, he’d spit out all the wine he just drank.”
Xu Shaoqiu: “…”
“Hello, this is Mr. Jerry’s drink.” A waiter approached with an ice-blue cocktail.
Da Shu waved. “He’s not here—just leave it on the table.”
“Alright.” The waiter set it down and left.
Jerry’s seat happened to be beside Ji Wei. Absentminded and a little glassy-eyed, Ji Wei didn’t notice when the drink was placed right in front of him.
Ji Wei had just taken a few swigs of wine. His mind told him he wasn’t drunk, but his movements had slowed, his eyes were blurry, and his body swayed.
A glass of something blue and shimmering suddenly appeared before him.
The light cast a cool, icy hue across the liquid, making it seem both near and far, yet irresistibly tempting. The feeling was all too familiar to Ji Wei.
…
By the time Yin Sijue noticed the movement beside him, the boy had already downed most of the cocktail. Propping his head up with one hand and the other resting on the edge of the table, his vision blurred further and further.
“Ji Wei, you can’t drink anymore.” Yin Sijue tugged the cocktail from his hand with a bit of force. Ji Wei’s eyes followed the retreating glass, then slowly lifted to meet the man’s beside him.
“I’m not drunk, really,” Ji Wei said, his words deliberate but unsteady. “Just a little dizzy.”
He raised his hand, pinching his index finger and thumb a short distance apart to show him.
Yin Sijue sighed softly, his tone coaxing. “I’ll buy you a cup of honey water, okay? It tastes better.”
Ji Wei looked at him, eyes sparkling, and nodded hard, his hair swaying with the motion.
After instructing Xu Shaoqiu to keep an eye on him, Yin Sijue stood and headed out. He left the club, opened a map on his phone, and searched for nearby convenience stores.
Before the app could finish loading, he felt a sudden shove on his back, heavy as a sledgehammer.
Caught off guard, Yin Sijue staggered forward and looked back—only to see a round head pressed against him. The same boy who had insisted he wasn’t drunk was now butting him like a bull.
A notification flashed at the top of his phone:
AVG Xu Shaoqiu: [Unique is coming to find you, and I can’t stop him! Just watch out.]
“Alright.”
He reached out and caught Ji Wei’s pink wrist, slender as though it might snap with a twist.
But it was the champion’s hand.
He didn’t tighten his grip, just guided it away and let the boy walk beside him.
“Then let’s go together.”
“Yeah!”
I feel like he knows or is speculating 🤔