Chapter 84 – Birthday
“What are you guys playing?”
From behind the screen, Ji Wei heard the familiar voice and turned around. “You’re finally done!”
After finishing the interview, Yin Sijue was called by Xu Shaoqiu to discuss the birthday merchandise. Having talked nonstop for over half an hour, his mouth was dry, so he grabbed a bottle of mineral water and sat down next to Ji Wei, sipping it slowly.
“We’re doing a PK battle,” Da Shu said energetically, eyes wide as he watched the gift count soar. “When Unique loses, he has to do eight rounds of acting cute!”
Yin Sijue frowned. “What do you mean by ‘eight rounds of acting cute’?”
The moment the viewers on the barrage saw Yin Sijue appear, the chat exploded in excitement. When they heard his question, the amused audience quickly typed out the embarrassing lines on the public screen.
Ji Wei stared in shock, his face burning red. “I didn’t agree to that! I—!!”
Da Shu laughed. “Come on, it’s just a few words! Way easier than your training sessions, right? Which fan would rather watch you train seriously? Oh—thank you, ‘UniqueIsTheCutestInTheWorld,’ for the Rainbow Bridge gift! Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he plays fair and accepts the loss!”
Ji Wei squeezed his eyes shut and let out a final cry. “No—!”
Da Shu retorted confidently, “You’re the one who challenged me to a PK! I agreed, so you can’t go back on your word!”
Ji Wei: …
Unable to win against Da Shu’s logic, Ji Wei looked at the score difference—which was huge—and made one last desperate attempt.
“Please, everyone… send me some gifts…”
[“No way!”]
[“I didn’t even know what those lines were—looked them up and OMG they’re so embarrassing!”]
[“Actually… if Wei-bao said them, maybe it wouldn’t be that bad?”]
[“Hahaha, that face was born to act cute.”]
[“Let me soul-swap with Solve for two seconds, please.”]
Yin Sijue glanced coldly at the barrage. “I refuse too.”
Then he pulled out his phone—and sent five Rainbow Bridges to Unique’s livestream room.
Ji Wei hurried to stop him, snatching the phone away. “Don’t send them! There’s a revenue split!”
It was supposed to be Yin Sijue buying gifts for him to earn money from— now it turned into spending Yin Sijue’s money.
How was that fair!?
However, those five Rainbow Bridges still came too late.
While Ji Wei was busy snatching the phone away, Da Shu had already won the PK.
After thanking the friends who sent him gifts, Da Shu proudly grinned and said, “Let me know next time there’s an event like this, yeah? This one round was more fun than an entire day before!”
Ji Wei glared furiously and fired an imaginary crossbow at him—but missed.
Frustrated, he ended up swinging a fist instead.
It was all useless anger.
The fans were determined to hear him act cute, and Yin Sijue was held back from helping.
By the third PK round, Ji Wei still lost miserably.
On the results screen, Da Shu’s avatar expanded, spinning with a dazzling victory glow, and Ji Wei just stared at it coldly on camera.
The barrage had already started spamming [“Act cute! Eight lines!”]
He was now completely cornered—no way out of this one.
He had to say those embarrassing lines, no matter what.
Forcing a smile, chest rising and falling in frustration, he picked up his phone and followed the script, biting out each word through gritted teeth.
“Fi–ne, o–kay, jeez!”
“Ple–ase, I’m begging you!”
“Pretty please…”
The more Ji Wei spoke, the more awkward it got.
His voice grew softer and thinner, almost a whisper—low and sweet, like he was genuinely acting cute.
“Can’t I, hmm?”
“I don’t care, hmm?”
“I want it, hmm?”
The boy in front of the screen grew redder with every line.
His clear eyes shimmered slightly from frustration, and even the tips of his ears—half hidden under the headset—were glowing bright red.
[“HELP!! Someone screenshot Solve’s face!!”]
[“Solve secretly enjoying it.jpg”]
[“My guy didn’t even smile this wide when he won the championship!”]
[“So tragic… why don’t I have a wife like this? Is it because I didn’t win a championship?”]
[“I’m literally dying in this livestream…”]
And yes, Yin Sijue was secretly enjoying it— he even regretted not recording it on his phone.
Ji Wei’s voice was clear and bright, softening the cringiness of those lines, and instead of being ridiculous, it somehow made people feel tender toward him.
Luckily, the mark was just along his collar, safely hidden from the fans.
Yin Sijue pressed a fist to his lips, recalling how Ji Wei had said something similar the night before. It had been late—too late—and Ji Wei, restless from exhaustion, had lost his patience with Yin Sijue’s careful pace. He’d moved closer, voice low and breath unsteady, unable to hide what he wanted anymore.
That memory hit both of them at once. Ji Wei’s expression froze, then flushed a deep crimson, the embarrassment spreading all the way to his neck.
Damn… why did I have to say something like that last night…?
The barrage erupted in laughter and chaos:
[“Unique’s about to combust on the spot!”]
[“Even I’m starting to feel bad for him…”]
[“He’s too good at this—why does it look so real?!”]
[“More, more! Honest guy forced to go wild—love it!”]
[“He hasn’t finished! What’s the next line?”]
Still in “punishment mode,” Ji Wei looked a the next line on the script, clenched his fists, and finally turned toward Yin Sijue. His voice came out small and trembling.
“I… I love you.”
“You’re the best.”
This time, not even Yin Sijue’s hand could hide his grin. The soft light shimmered in his eyes, his laughter spreading like ripples on water.
He patted Ji Wei’s shoulder gently, turned his flushed face toward him, cupped a hand beside his mouth as if to whisper, and silently mouthed—
“I love you too.”
[“What did he say!! What did he say!!”]
[“Why are they blocking the camera—I hate you guys!”]
[“Wait—is that a confession?! QAQ I’m losing it!”]
[“Totally worth all those gifts for Tree.”]
[“I’m grinning like an idiot in front of my screen right now.”]
Ji Wei forced his wildly beating heart back to the game—but there was no way to keep playing PUBG now.
Da Shu was still messing around in-game, using the opportunity to secretly shoot a dozen crossbow bolts into Ji Wei’s character.
Ji Wei stared silently at the Christmas tree on the screen for two seconds. “I’m done.”
Da Shu: “Eh? You’re quitting? I still wanted to earn a bit more! Hey, how can you just log off like that? So cold-hearted! Call me again next time there’s an event like this, ahhhh!”
Ji Wei smiled at the camera like a soybean emoji, said goodbye politely, and quickly ended the stream—leaving behind a replay full of collective regret.
As for how many times that replay was clipped and reuploaded later, and how Da Shu reposted and liked it on his main account—that would all come out in the next few days.
Right now, what mattered most was Yin Sijue’s upcoming birthday next week.
…
Before they knew it, the day before his birthday arrived.
Ji Wei withdrew all his streaming earnings and even borrowed a bit from Ji Lin (under the “double repayment” version of his brother’s extortion plan), finally managing to gather enough for the gift he’d been eyeing.
That night, Xu Shaoqiu took everyone out for a feast, and by the time they returned to the base, it was nearly midnight.
Clumsily, Ji Wei tugged Yin Sijue into his room and pulled out a beautifully wrapped gift box from the drawer of his desk.
Yin Sijue seemed to sense what was coming, watching him with a soft, knowing smile.
Over the past few days, Ji Wei’s streaming frequency had been much higher than usual—and that strange PK match with Da Shu earlier had made Yin Sijue more or less guess what was going on.
“What is it?” he asked in a low, calm voice.
Ji Wei had drunk a little at the party, and his fingers weren’t very steady. It took him a few tries to peel the box open.
“Necklace.”
“For lovers…”
He held the box in both hands and offered it to Yin Sijue, as though presenting his own heart.
“I originally wanted to give you a ring, but it’s not convenient to wear one during competitions. This necklace’s pendant can be taken off later and used as a ring.”
Ji Wei reached into his collar and pulled out the one he was already wearing. “See? We’ve got matching ones.”
Yin Sijue picked up the gift delicately between his fingertips. Under the light, the silver-white chain shimmered like moonlight rippling over water. The pendant was a small, rounded silver ring, engraved inside with elegant cursive letters—Unique.
Noticing the teasing look in Yin Sijue’s eyes, Ji Wei bit his lower lip and showed his own necklace. “I’m wearing yours.”
“Mm.” The lights scattered in Solv’s eyes like tiny diamonds. “How much did it cost?”
Ji Wei hesitated. “A little over sixty thousand.”
“That’s quite something.” Yin Sijue bent down and brushed a quick kiss against the corner of Ji Wei’s lips. “Put it on for me.”
Ji Wei took the necklace, holding both ends as he looped it around Yin Sijue’s neck—almost like an embrace.
Yin Sijue cooperatively bent down, wrapping an arm loosely around Ji Wei’s waist, his hand resting lightly at the small of his back.
Ji Wei’s fingers trembled as he struggled with the clasp. “Stop moving…”
Once it was fastened, he stepped back slightly, lifted the pendant from his own chest, and with a small twist, joined the two rings together with a soft click.
Yin Sijue blinked in surprise. “It can do that?”
“Yeah. It’s kind of like a magic link.” Ji Wei pressed inward with his thumb, and the two necklaces separated again.
“Nice design.” Yin Sijue toyed with the pendant, lips curving faintly. “If you ever try to run away, just snap them together.”
Ji Wei: “…”
They were both at the age where sparks were easy to ignite—and once lit, they were hard to put out.
Last night, Yin Sijue had booked a luxury suite by the river. The two of them spent the night together.
When Ji Wei was pressed against the floor-to-ceiling window, his mind was hazy and chaotic—his only thought was to run.
But before he could get away, his knees slipped on the carpet, and he was dragged back by the ankles, pressed once again against the misted, one-way glass.
…
“Hey! You lovebirds upstairs, get down here and cut the cake!”
Xu Shaoqiu’s voice snapped Ji Wei out of his memory. He poked Yin Sijue’s shoulder in warning. “Don’t say anything weird.”
They went downstairs to find Mi Li and Da Shu standing around the cake, both wearing indescribable expressions.
Mi Li sighed. “Did you really have to do this?”
Da Shu circled the cake in disbelief. “I mean, fine, making a level-three helmet cake for Unique’s birthday was one thing. But now for the captain’s birthday, you went with a frying pan? What’s the meaning of this? If I land in-game and only find a frying pan, I’d rather die!”
“What are you talking about!” Xu Shaoqiu smacked him on the head. “It’s themed, okay? PUBG players should have PUBG-themed cakes!”
Ji Wei looked at the black, chocolate frying-pan-shaped cake on the table, not sure whether to laugh or cry.
Xu Shaoqiu ignored their reactions. “Hurry, light the candles! And don’t forget to make a wish this time!”
Da Shu took the pack of candles out of the bag and frowned. “Uh… what do we do? There aren’t twenty-two of them.”
“No need.”
Yin Sijue looked toward the person beside him, eyes soft and glimmering with a quiet smile.
“My wish this year has already come true.”
For a moment, no one spoke.
“…You really know how to make people jealous,” Xu Shaoqiu muttered sourly. “Even your wish has to sound like that.”
Ji Wei stepped forward, lighting the candles one by one. “Then let me make one for you. Give me your old wish.”
Yin Sijue nodded in agreement. “Alright.”
With a sharp click, Xu Shaoqiu turned off the chandelier in the living room, plunging the room into darkness. The warm orange candlelight spread in soft halos, scattering tiny golden reflections in everyone’s eyes.
Ji Wei pressed his palms together at his chest and said sincerely, “My first wish— I hope AVG can play together for a long, long time and win many championships.”
Da Shu started to speak, “Hey, if you say your wish out lou—”
Xu Shaoqiu quickly covered his mouth. “It’ll still work, trust me.”
“The second wish…”
Ji Wei’s expression turned solemn as he prayed with all his heart— “For Yin Sijue and me to be together forever.”
Across time, through day and night— forever and ever.