Chapter 46 – The Bet
Ji Wei plopped down onto the floor.
He truly hadn’t expected Yin Sijue to dare say anything so bold. Startled, his foot slipped, and he landed in an unceremonious sprawl on the bathroom tiles.
A sharp pain shot up from his tailbone, and he sat there for quite a while, unable to get back up.
The bathroom door swung open. Yin Sijue dropped to one knee to support him, asking anxiously, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Ji Wei used his strength to stand, then complained with a hint of resentment: “Why can’t you watch what you say? You nearly scared me to death.”
“Do you really not want anyone to know?” Yin Sijue lowered his gaze, sounding inexplicably aggrieved.
“It’s not that,” Ji Wei denied quickly. “I just haven’t figured out how to say it yet. And if Brother Qiu had walked in on that scene just now, wouldn’t it have been way too embarrassing?”
“Luckily I reacted fast—ah, hiss—”
“You’re hurt? Does it hurt?” Yin Sijue’s eyes dropped to where Ji Wei was rubbing his tailbone. His small hand pressed and circled repeatedly, though there wasn’t much flesh there to cushion it.
Some people looked slim and delicate, yet had just the right amount of softness in all the right places.
Ji Wei’s movements froze. “N-no, it just feels a little numb now.”
Noticing that Yin Sijue’s eyes still hadn’t moved away, he stopped rubbing and blushed. “Don’t look!”
“Alright, I won’t look.” Yin Sijue held back a laugh, took his hand, and led him out. “UGC’s already here. Let’s go eat.”
…
“Oh ho, last ones here—penalty of three drinks!”
By the time they reached the open-air lawn, UGC’s captain KK had been busy at the grill for a while, pointing at them with a grin. “You two have been pretty popular lately!”
UGC’s manager, Youyou, a sharp and capable woman, was chatting with Xu Shaoqiu about how to handle the Wolf incident. Hearing that, she turned over to tease as well:
“What took you so long? What were you two doing upstairs?”
Yin Sijue shielded Ji Wei behind him. “We’re not late, are we? Isn’t it exactly half an hour?”
Da Shu sniped sarcastically, “Don’t ask, everyone—they already snuck out to watch a movie. My brother even gave him a pair of headphones worth tens of thousands. That feeling when two people play better behind your back in what’s supposed to be a trio friendship—hope you all never have to know it.”
Ji Wei: …
Yin Sijue walked right past Da Shu without hesitation. “You and I weren’t that close to begin with.”
Da Shu: ?
Someone slipped around Yin Sijue and handed Ji Wei a bottle of Coke.
“What are you doing, Kelly?” Da Shu spread his venom evenly, attacking everyone. “People who stood us up shouldn’t be acting all friendly now, right?”
Kelly, only a few months older than Ji Wei, had a quick temper. “The hell! I already apologized to your manager back then!”
“Don’t bully my people like that,” Youyou said, swirling her wine glass. “Highest bidder wins, that’s how it goes. I already treated Xu Shaoqiu to several meals—so no more trash-talking our team.”
Kelly awkwardly clinked bottles with Ji Wei. “You played really well in the finals. I didn’t notice you lying in the grass back then—got chewed out by the coach after.”
Ji Wei found his tsundere attitude amusing. “You played really well too. No wonder they’re all fighting over you.”
“Yeah, but it’s actually good you stood us up.” Da Shu cut in again, clearly just aiming to piss people off.
“Otherwise, without Unique, we might not have won this championship.”
Kelly: “You!!”
KK interrupted her immediately: “Alright, alright, it’s almost done, everyone come get some food.”
The two teams always fought tooth and nail on the court, but privately they had a close relationship and were open to any joke.
Yin Sijue stepped forward, grabbed the plumpest skewer of grilled wings, and handed it to Ji Wei: “Have this.”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk.” Rex, standing behind him, was disgruntled. “I’m a grown man sitting here, and you didn’t even say hello, and you didn’t even help me get a skewer.”
Seeing his captain’s longtime friend being treated differently, Da Shu felt better. “Really? Rex, you’ve known my brother for so long, has he ever gone out to the movies with you?”
Rex: “Come on, come on! I shared a video with him in a chat, and he didn’t even read it, and we went out to the movies together.”
Yin Sijue glanced at him: “Then I’ll post those videos of yours online next time, so everyone knows how much you love watching female streamers dance.”
“Everyone loves beauty! I just took a look, I didn’t do anything special. Isn’t he much better than that Wolf on your team before?”
Everyone was silent for a moment, then burst into laughter.
It had clearly happened so recently, when AVG’s future was still uncertain. Now, it was just a passing cloud, something to be brushed aside like a joke.
“Is your hand really okay?” KK asked from the side. “We’re still going to PGC together. I don’t want to win unfairly.”
Yin Sijue shook his head. “The stitches can be taken out when we get back. You can’t win.”
Mi Li swallowed a mouthful of beef: “I’ll beat you.”
The laughter and noise faded into the dense forest on a summer night. Ji Wei sat quietly in a corner, nibbling on a chicken wing, his heart soaking in warm rice wine.
“Why don’t you come sit with us?” Yin Sijue approached him, carrying a plate of sweets.
Ji Wei shook his head.
“I want to watch from the side.”
Tomorrow there were outdoor games. No one drank alcohol, just soda, but everyone played like they were drunk.
Ji Wei, immersed in the lively atmosphere of the fireworks, was actually a little intoxicated.
He whispered to Yin Sijue, “Actually, I’ve never had many friends.”
“Before, my parents’ jobs moved us around several districts and cities, and I was constantly switching schools, so I didn’t keep in touch with anyone.”
“After entering high school, I became pretty close to my deskmate.”
“But then… my deskmate did me a favor, and my parents came to my house, so he didn’t dare play with me anymore.”
Yin Sijue felt a little distressed and handed him a small cake. “You have a lot of friends now.”
Ji Wei took the sweets and devoured them one by one. He always liked to stuff everything into his mouth like a hamster, chewing slowly with a puffed-up face.
Yin Sijue poked Ji Wei’s cheek and added, “Not only do you have a lot of friends, you also have a boyfriend.”
Ji Wei nearly choked on his food. After a moment he sighed, “Good thing I signed up when I did.”
“I’m so happy now — it feels like a dream.”
“So easily content?” Yin Sijue raised an eyebrow. “Wake up. We still have a lot of championships to win.”
“Yeah.” Ji Wei crossed his legs, chin resting on his knees, a gesture that made him look a little insecure.
He watched their lively teammates and echoed Yin Sijue’s words to himself: “We still have a lot of championships to win.”
…
After finishing the meal, everyone headed back early to rest up.
Xu Shaoqiu took a few photos and muttered, “We got a lot of footage today.”
Da Shu passed by and peered over. “Let me see before you edit. My ugly photos can’t leak.”
Kelly drifted over. “Can’t leak? I’ve already seen quite a few on Weibo.”
Da Shu: “Come here, let’s fight.”
How childish. Xu Shaoqiu sighed. “Don’t stay up too late. Meet downstairs tomorrow at 2 p.m.”
“Oh, and one more thing I just talked over with your manager.” He paused, then smirked. “I think without punishments and rewards you all aren’t motivated. So we’ve decided: anyone killed in-game will have their Weibo profile picture changed to a photo of their killer.”
“Holy crap!” Da Shu shivered. “That’s brutal! I need to find Zhang Shuai and get ready.”
Xu Shaoqiu ignored him. “No team matches — solo queue. We’ll settle any team grudges together.”
Mi Li looked at Da Shu. “Are you done?”
Da Shu: ?
Yin Sijue and Ji Wei lagged behind the others and walked back to their room slowly.
Ji Wei looked up awkwardly. “If we don’t team up, I probably won’t be able to beat them.”
Yin Sijue smiled. “We can team up — unofficially.”
Ji Wei: “…then forget it.”
Although their rooms were next door, Yin Sijue still walked him to the door and watched Ji Wei swipe his card to open it.
“Go to bed early. I won’t go in.” Yin Sijue leaned on the door handle and whispered in Ji Wei’s ear, “If you can’t beat them, find a place to hide tomorrow.”
“Do we have to hide even in real-life CS?” Ji Wei complained. “Then I’ll have no gaming experience.”
Yin Sijue narrowed his eyes, voice lazy: “But I don’t want to see my boyfriend change his Weibo profile picture.”
“…”
Ji Wei resigned himself. “Then I’ll hide.”
Yin Sijue leaned in and kissed a little chocolate sauce off the corner of Ji Wei’s mouth. He smiled. “Hide yourself. I’ll come and kill you.”
…
The next day, well fed and rested, everyone arrived at the venue, ready to go.
The game area was built to resemble the Sanhok map from PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, with tropical cabins scattered amidst lush greenery. It was clear the owner had put a lot of thought into the design, and the steep price was justified.
The housekeeper brought over several sets of camouflage uniforms. “Everyone, change into your clothes and follow me. Here are knee pads and wrist guards—come get them if you need them.”
Ji Wei’s hair was still messy from sleep. Rubbing his eyes, he raised his hand. “I want some.”
Xu Shaoqiu nudged Yin Sijue. “Go get a wrist guard to protect your hand.”
Yin Sijue had gone to the gym that morning and just showered; his hair was still slightly damp. “I don’t want one. It’s too hot, and the cut is already closing.”
Xu Shaoqiu ignored him and was about to ask the housekeeper for a pair when Ji Wei walked over with a wrist guard. “Stretch out your hand. I’ll put it on for you.”
“Okay,” Yin Sijue agreed.
Xu Shaoqiu rolled his eyes but dutifully raised his camera to capture the scene of teammates doting on each other.
“Where do we change?” Da Shu asked.
“The locker rooms are on the right.”
Da Shu frowned. “Not enough rooms for all of us.”
Xu Shaoqiu tugged him inside. “We’re all men. Just squeeze in. Come change with me.”
Lao Ma glanced back at his teammates, his older-brother instinct kicking in. “Mi Li, let’s go together.”
In the end, only two were left standing outside.
Yin Sijue smiled at Ji Wei. “Looks like I can only room with you.”
Ji Wei smirked. “Does that bother you?”
“Not at all.” Yin Sijue grinned and opened the locker room door. “After you, Liu Shen.”
Ji Wei: …
The locker room was spacious, with a small sofa and a floor-to-ceiling mirror—more than enough space for two people.
Ji Wei glanced at the mirror, his face flushing. He muttered timidly, “How about I count 3, 2, 1, and we change at the same time?”
Yin Sijue raised an eyebrow. “No need.” He grabbed the hem of his shirt with both hands and pulled it up.
Ji Wei was caught off guard by the sudden display of masculine physique, embarrassed yet impressed.
How could someone who trained regularly not look good? Yin Sijue’s muscles were lean but defined, his lines sharp, and his mermaid line enough to make one’s blood run hot.
When Yin Sijue’s hands went to his waistband, ready to tug his pants down, Ji Wei clapped both hands over his nose with a loud smack.
Yin Sijue chuckled. “Shouldn’t you be covering your eyes?”
Ji Wei blinked at him. “I’m afraid I’ll get a nosebleed…”
His boyfriend was so endearing that Yin Sijue couldn’t help lowering his head to kiss the back of Ji Wei’s hand. “Hurry up and change. They’ll be calling us soon.”
“Okay.” Ji Wei turned his back like an ostrich, quickly stripping off his clothes.
Ji Wei was probably truly embarrassed; his movements were quick, but in the flurry of fluttering sleeves, Yin Sijue still caught a glimpse of a slender, pale waist.
His sharp dynamic vision came in handy—he even saw Ji Wei’s back. The butterfly bones stood out like delicate patterns painted on fine porcelain, stretching with every subtle movement, both youthful and alluring.
Remembering the kiss that had been interrupted that afternoon, Yin Sijue felt an itch in his heart and pressed the tip of his tongue against the inside of his cheek.
On the other side, Ji Wei had already finished changing and was now fretting over a belt he couldn’t tie.
“I’ll help you.” Yin Sijue’s hands slipped around his waist as if encircling him in an embrace, carefully fastening the belt.
Once tied, Ji Wei’s slim waistline became even more pronounced. Unable to resist, Yin Sijue gave it a playful flick.
“Don’t touch…” Ji Wei flinched sensitively and tugged at his sleeve. “I’ve been thinking about it—I won’t just hide later.”
“But don’t worry.” Remembering how Yin Sijue didn’t want him changing his profile picture, Ji Wei added with confidence, “I’ll try my best not to get killed.”
“Mhm.” Yin Sijue folded his arms and studied him. Strange—when something seemed out of character, it usually meant Ji Wei was plotting something.
Sure enough, Ji Wei rose on tiptoe, leaning close to whisper in Yin Sijue’s ear:
“So… let’s play another bet. Something besides just changing profile pictures.”
“Whoever wins gets to make one request of the other—no conditions, and you have to agree.”