Volume 1 - CH 34

Playing Fish Trapped in Secret Room

Book 1: The Storm is Coming

Chapter 34

During the short time she was registering, she had missed her sister’s bombardment of WeChat messages.  When she opened her phone again, she was shocked to find over 40 voice messages from her pleading sister.

She listened to each from beginning to end, it documented the journey of her sister’s mental struggle.  From wondering whether she should buy an airline ticket to fly here, what hotel to stay, then directly jumped to having already booked a round trip airline ticket, and asking Ai Qing if she had room for her to stay……

After she had listened to all of them, the last message said:  I am on the way to the airport.

Ai Qing had no choice but to request for an individual room that evening because she had a family member coming over to stay.

She explained to Solo and ran out of the resort village by herself at around six o’clock.  She was going to call a taxi to the airport to pick up Ai Jing, but she didn’t expect to see Grunt and Dt standing outside the gate.

Grunt saw her as she came out, then he grinned and said something to Dt.

She was too far away to hear clearly.  After she walked closer, she asked Dt, “Are you two heading out too?”

Dt nodded.

“We are waiting for you.”  Grunt sighed lightly.  He had managed to create an opportunity for Dt to meet with Ai Qing and all he does is nod, just that?  “We are going to pick up your sister together.”

Ai Qing was a little confused.  She simply replied with an “oh” and got in the taxi with them.

Originally they thought they were late, but they didn’t expect that Ai Jing’s airplane was delayed during take off.  So they were early by about 15 minutes instead.

Dt looked around. “Do you want to drink something?”

She looked around and saw a Starbucks. “I’ll go with you.”  She didn’t want to stay besides Grunt.  This brat was already too sharp and cocky when he first started in this business .  Now he was really…...  Especially since he kept teasing her and Dt on the way here and it made her very embarrassed.

When she and Dt walked into the store, it just so happened that a Korean celebrity was there with his agent buying coffee.

Excited fans were crowding outside the store.  They were waiting for the celebrity to acknowledge them or maybe even smile back. Ai Qing and Dt couldn’t get in, so they could only wait outside.  They were pushed to corner by the crowd.  At some point, she almost opened her mouth to ask him whether he really was Gun’s cousin.

“What do you want to drink?”  He said suddenly.

“Are you go in there to order?”  Ai Qing thought, “Soy Milk Latte.”

“Soy Milk Latte?”  Dt frowned.

“Doesn’t it taste good?”  She asked.

“......hard to say.”

“I’ll just try it.  Anyway I’ve never drank it before.  I just heard it because my sister mentioned it several days ago.”

He said, “Oh, ok, just giving it a try.”

He pushed into the front door through the crowd and he lowered his head amid all the young girls.  He kept shielding his body with his arms to avoid people being pushed into his arms…...After he stood in front of a cash register on the counter, the girl dressed in uniform seemed to know him.  She turned her head back to talk to a boy behind her.

The boy turned around quickly.  His face blushed the moment he saw Dt.  He came up to the cash register and kept talking with the girl in Korean.  Because he was not fluent in Chinese, he needed the co-worker to translate for him.  The unusual scene attracted the attention of some nearby fans, who started to look at Dt as well.

“I guess he’s a fan.” Grunt had come over to where Ai Qing was.

“Uhm.”  Ai Qing saw Dt was a little uncomfortable at signing an autograph for that boy.

“Is it possible for you and Solo to get back together again?”

“What?”  Ai Qing turned her head in shock.

Grunt’s eyes, which were more beautiful than most girls, were squinting behind the glasses. “Don’t  understand my question?”

Ai Qing surely understood his question, but she didn’t expect for Grunt to ask so openly.  Frankly speaking, she actually didn’t know Grunt that well.  This was a very private question……”I would never believe you were interested in gossip.”

“I am interested in anything that’s related to Solo.”  Grunt replied straightforwardly. “Of course it includes his love life.  He is an emotional person and that’s why he could never escape away from you.”

This…..how did he come up with such a conclusion?

Ai Qing was dumbfounded.  “Spare me.  You’re not an entertainment reporter.  But, I really didn’t know that you cared so much about Solo.  He’s already retired, he won’t be your opponent ever again.”

“I am at the same age as you.  Did you know?”  Grunt didn’t answer, but rather asked a question which didn’t make any sense instead.  Then he continued to talk without waiting for Ai Qing to answer, “When you were fifteen years old, you had won the championship in Guangzhou.  I, however, didn’t even know what esports was at the time.”

Ai Qing soon realized what he was talking about.  “I got it now.  You joined the esports circle because of Solo.”

Not only Grunt, but also the myth of Solo’s team had ignited the passions of a generation.

In the past ten years, she had heard too many people tell her and Solo about how much they loved him and how they would download many of his competition videos to learn and practice. In these ten years, the new generation kept replacing the old generation.  So many top players had retired one after another.  Hundreds and thousands of famous players were sunk back into the ordinary crowd of people.

But Solo was different because his myth never died away.

He, by himself alone, had already gone further and more brilliantly than his team in the past.

……

Ai Jing’s airplane landed shortly.

After they had met up with Ai Jing, Grunt walked with Ai Jing far ahead in the front while Ai Qing and Dt walked behind.

This is what they call…...hoes before bros……no?

Ai Qing lifted the coffee cup.  Now she finally had a chance to take the first sip.

Uh……

Her expressions was very colorful.

“Tastes bad?”

“Definitely.”  She looked at the cup in annoyance without an idea on how to finish drinking it all.

They looked at each other and laughed simultaneously.  He took off his baseball hat and put it on her head.  The baseball hat was still warm.  She paused. She had to lift the brim since her view was blocked by the hat.

“It’s snowing.”  He explained.

Under the lighting outside the airport gate, his entire face, rarely exposed, shone.

Just like how he looked…… on that day in Singapore when he was surrounded by many reporters on the podium after he had led his team all the way to the top.