WCG Chapter 81

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Jiang Shi finished a game and picked up his phone, immediately seeing messages from Bamboo:  

[Bamboo: Xu called me to ask about your family. I told him.]  

[Bamboo: Your dad came to the base? Are you okay?]  

Bamboo confessed this to Xie Xu because of the situation. After all, Bamboo had seen Jiang Youcai a few times and knew he couldn’t be called a father. He was a complete scoundrel. Jiang Shi had already cut ties with him long ago.  

Now that Jiang Youcai had shown up at the TLG base, it was unlikely for any good reason. Bamboo, worried that Jiang Shi’s stubbornness might lead him to hide the truth from the team and cause misunderstandings, decided not to keep it from Xie Xu.  

[Obedient Jiangjiang: I can handle it. I won’t give that bastard a single penny.]  

[Obedient Jiangjiang: Even if you hadn’t said anything, I’d still explain it to the captain or Yuan Yang.]  

Since Jiang Youcai could find the TLG base, he wouldn’t give up easily. Jiang Shi needed to warn the team in advance to keep him out.  

TLG’s security measures were solid—even Xiao Hei couldn’t sneak past the guards, let alone a man like Jiang Youcai.  

After replying to Bamboo, the training room door opened. Jiang Shi turned and made eye contact with Xie Xu, who handed him a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.  

Jiang Shi instinctively took it. “Thanks, Captain.”  

“I need to tell Yuan Yang about my dad—” 

He stopped mid-sentence, his nose twitching slightly.  

There was a faint smell of smoke.  

Smoking was strictly forbidden in the training room, and Yuan Yang didn’t allow it in the base either. If he caught someone, he’d lecture them for at least half an hour.  

During the day, Jiang Shi had never seen his teammates smoke. At most, he might run into Yu Hui sneaking a cigarette on the balcony when he went downstairs for a midnight snack.  

Jiang Shi looked at Xie Xu. 

Was the smoke smell coming from him?  

Xie Xu pocketed his hands and replied, “No need to tell Yuan Yang.”  

Jiang Shi let out an “oh” but didn’t get a chance to ask about the smoke before a sweet scent of bread wafted in from the room next door, completely overpowering the faint smoke smell.  

Jiang Lele had pulled out a small cake from his snack stash, tearing open the package and taking a big bite.  

Sensing Jiang Shi’s gaze, Jiang Lele fished out another pack from below. “Want one?”  

“No, I have no appetite,” Jiang Shi refused.  

Jiang Lele, surprised, spoke with a mouth full of cake, “You not hungry?” 

Jiang Lele has a not-so-secret snack stash, and Jiang Shi has a bread one. He usually ate one after finishing a couple of games, like a bottomless pit.

Usually, Jiang Lele often shared his snacks with him, so Jiang Shi’s refusal today was strange.  

And what is that thing about Jiang Shi’s father…

Before Jiang Lele could ask further, Xie Xu interrupted, “Yuan Yang said everyone’s been training hard lately, so we’re going out for barbecue tonight.”  

Jiang Shi’s eyes lit up at those words.  

During competitions, TLG’s diet was strictly controlled. Aside from the three base meals and limited snacks, Yuan Yang didn’t allow junk food. Even Jiang Lele’s favorite snail noodles had been confiscated, let alone barbecue.  

It had been so long since Jiang Shi tasted barbecue that he’d almost forgotten what it was like.  

Jiang Lele, immediately distracted, stuffed the rest of his cake into Yu Hui’s hand. He excitedly said, “Yang-ge is the best! I’m skipping snacks this afternoon to save room for barbecue!”  

Jiang Shi glanced at the orange juice in his hand, hesitating. 

Beside him, Xie Xu spoke with a smile, “Drinking orange juice won’t affect your barbecue appetite.”  

Then, he adjusted Jiang Shi’s headphones, saying, “Wearing them like this pinches the edges of your ears.”  

Jiang Shi had always meant to fix this bad habit. He usually wore the headphones slightly askew so he could hear external sounds more clearly. But now, there was no need for that.  

As Jiang Shi raised his hand to adjust the headphones, he accidentally touched Xie Xu’s hand.

He froze for a moment.  

Xie Xu’s hand was colder than usual.

Was it from smoking outside in the wind? 

Was Jiang Youcai causing trouble for TLG?  

Jiang Shi lowered his hand, saying nothing more.  

By evening, when it was time for barbecue, Jiang Shi still hadn’t finished the orange juice.  

Yuan Yang came upstairs to gather everyone. “The barbecue place is less than a five-minute drive from the base. The food’s good, clean, and safe. Eat to your heart’s content.”  

He glanced at Jiang Shi and asked gently, “Xiao Shi, are you still playing?”

The others knew that they were going to have barbeque for dinner, so they all had stopped playing earlier.

Zhao Jiu wondered out loud, “Did Xiao Shi not see the dinner time Yang-ge posted earlier?”

Jiang Shi, still focused, took off his headphones briefly to reply, “Why don’t you all go first? I’ll catch up later.”  

He just started a new match.

“Alright, play well,” Yuan Yang said. “The barbecue spot’s nearby. You can ride an electric bike over when you’re done. We’ll go order food first. During this hour, that place is probably jam-packed.”

“I’ll send the menu to the group chat. Remember to see and tell us what you like, we’ll order it for you.” 

Minutes later, the room emptied, leaving Jiang Shi alone. The training room grew quiet, and the hero on his screen stood idle for a few seconds.  

Jiang Shi looked around at the empty chairs, rubbed his face, and finally downed the orange juice in one gulp. 

After wiping his mouth, he returned to the game, wondering if he could use a stomachache as an excuse to skip dinner.  

Ten minutes later, Yuan Yang posted the menu in the group chat, tagging Jiang Shi.  

[Yuan Yang: @Obedient Jiangjiang, let me know if there’s anything else you’d like. I’ll add it for you.]  

[Yuan Yang: The crayfish here is great. I ordered five portions since you and Lele love it.]  

[The Group’s Most Handsome Guy Jiang Lele: How’s the game going, T Bao? Are you on your way yet? Where are you? The entrance is a little hard to find, so I can pick you up~] 

Jiang Shi hesitated before sending the message he had drafted earlier.  

[The match is intense and might take a while. My stomach doesn’t feel great, so you all enjoy. I’ll stay at the base!]  

Just as he was debating adding a cute emoji, the training room door opened. Xie Xu pulled out the chair to his left and sat down.  

Jiang Shi stared at him, wide-eyed. “Captain?”  

“It’s windy tonight. Riding the electric bike would be cold. I’ll drive you,” Xie Xu said. Glancing at the game, where Jiang Shi had reached the opponent’s inner tower, he added, “Take your time. Play at your own pace.”  

Jiang Shi silently deleted his message draft.  

Seeing Jiang Shi didn’t reply, Jiang Lele was afraid he would get lost for real.

He tagged Jiang Shi once more.

[The Group’s Most Handsome Guy Jiang Lele: Where are you @Obedient Jiangjiang]

Xie Xu noticed Jiang Shi’s full-damage build. The younger man was rapid clicking on the inner tower.

A smile passed over his lips.

[Xu: He has reached the enemy base.]  

---

By the time Xie Xu brought him to the barbecue restaurant, the food was already on the table. Jiang Lele cheerfully gave up his seat beside him, declaring, “T Bao, you and the captain sit here!”  

Jiang Shi sat down. In front of him was a steaming plate of spicy crayfish. This flavor is his favorite.  

After the two sat down, Yuan Yang ordered several bottles of beer for everyone for the first time since… probably almost forever.

Barbeque and beer are a match made in heaven.

Yuan Yang took the initiative to distribute the ice-cold beer to everyone, “You have been training hard recently. If you feel tired or have emotions, vent them today!”

It was a rare occasion for Jiang Shi to drink openly. He didn’t pretend to Xie Xu that he couldn’t drink much. After opening the can, he tilted his head back and took a big sip. Listening to the gulps, Jiang Lele, who sat next to him, smiled sadly. However, before Jiang Shi noticed it, he quickly retracted his gaze and also took a big sip of beer.

–He choked and sprayed Yu Hui’s arm.

Yu Hui: “…”

Jiang Shi was in a bad mood, so he took a mouthful of crayfish and a sip of beer. For some reason, the others drank more than him. Maybe because of the pressure of the recent competition.

Yuan Yang complained to Zhao Jiu, “What trump card do you think ST is hiding? I tried to probe that old dog seven or eight times, but I couldn’t pry out any useful information.”

Zhao Jiu poured everyone a glass. “You’ll know when we get on the court.”

“If we really wait until then, we’ll be passive and take a beating!” Yuan Yang slammed the table, “I’ll ask other teams if they have any inside information later.”

After saying that, he clinked glasses with Jiang Lele in the air.

Jiang Lele had a very low alcohol tolerance. 

This doesn’t stop him from following Jiang Shi’s example of drinking in one gulp. 

He soon became dizzy, his words slurred. “ST makes… me mad. Th-that Korean aid’s signing.. Fee is uh… too damn expensive. Can you! Believe it! It’s twice as mine!”

Then, he cried while hugging Yu Hui. “Back!! Give me your signing fee! Or else… or else… I… uh… I’ll cry in front of you.” 

Yu Hui sat next to him and gave Jiang Lele an arm to cry on. His other hand was holding a skewer, and he took a bite calmly. “But you’re crying already?” 

Jiang Lele howled even harder.

The dinner table was noisy. It made Jiang Shi’s behavior of drinking in silence seem normal in comparison. 

Jiang Lele not only troubled Yu Hui, but also Jiang Shi. He looked at him with pity, but said nothing. He just kept putting the skewers to Jiang Shi. “T Bao, eat more! “

Jiang Shi was puzzled, but he accepted all the food and gave half of it to Xie Xu.

The meat here is really delicious. Coupled with beer to wash it down, he felt much better.

He listened to his teammates complaining about a lot of things. Even Xie Xu at one poid said he couldn’t figure out ST’ tactics for the next game. 

After everyone finished speaking, they all looked at Jiang Shi.

Jiang Shi felt as if he had come to a truth-telling session. He thought about it and said seriously, “I will try my best to kill ST’s shooter, don’t be afraid.”

Yuan Yang gave him a thumbs up, “Very confident.”

Yu Hui: “6”

Jiang Lele cried while laughing. “Fuck, Little White Hair, you’re… r-really crazy.” 

Yuan Yang looked at him with heartache but said nothing.

Xie Xu chuckled. Then, he handed a peeled crayfish to Jiang Shi before wiping his hand with tissue. “Alright, then we’ll rely on Time to protect us.” 

They went for three rounds of drinking before Zhao Jiu managed to instigate Yuan Yang to give them white wine. At this point, Jiang Shi finally got drunk. But, he got more silent in return. 

No matter what others asked, Jiang Shi kept his lips sealed. Only when Xie Xu spoke, he would briefly reply with a “hmm” or “oh”.

–Then, a sharp sound of a wine bottle breaking suddenly came from the next table.

Jiang Shi, who was originally in a casual posture, jolted. His back tense as he looked over. 

Jiang Lele no longer drank, so he got some clarity back. He was gnawing on a piece of meat when he got startled by Jiang Shi. “T Bao, what happened?” 

Jiang Shi’s eyes were cold and alert. His hands were gripping on his plate, as if he could jump up and use it to smash someone’s head at any time. 

Even though Jiang Lele had bantered with Jiang Shi many times before, he had never seen Jiang Shi look so ferocious. It helped him sober up even further. 

Jiang Shi saw the fear in Jiang Lele’s eyes, and his tense back relaxed. He let go of the plate and said, “It’s okay, I’ll go to the bathroom. “

The people at the table behind Jiang Lele were apologizing to the owner, “I’m sorry, my brother drank too much and didn’t hold the bottle…”

After going to the toilet, Jiang Shi washed his face with cold water.

He had been staying at home all year and rarely heard the sound of wine bottles being smashed.

In addition, he had just met Jiang Youcai today and was stressed.

Drunk Jiang Youcai had an unpredictable temper. He liked using wine bottles to beat Jiang Shi. 

The white-haired youth splashed cold water on his face several times. He only walked out after he calmed down, where he ran into Xie Xu who was waiting at the door.

Xie Xu looked at the water dripping from his chin. Wordlessly, he took out a few tissues and handed them over. 

Jiang Xie Xu wiped his face dry.

The toilet paper in the barbecue restaurant was of poor quality. After it got wet, there were several balled pieces of tissue on Jiang Shi’s face.

Xie Xu reached out and cleaned them up bit by bit.

The barbecue restaurant was very hot. Jiang Shi, who had just washed his face with cold water, clearly felt the warmth of Xie Xu’s fingertips – whenever it touched, it made Jiang Shi’s face itchy. 

Jiang Shi’s gloomy mood improved a little bit. When Xie Xu withdrew his hand, he even rubbed Xie Xu’s fingers with his side face very lightly, like a poor puppy begging to be spoiled by his owner.

Xie Xu stopped moving and went to pat Jiang Shi’s head. He whispered, “It’s okay.”

This time, he took Jiang Shi’s hand and returned to the table.

The table was still noisy. Everyone still pushes the newly served hot dishes to Jiang Shi.

Jiang Shi was eating spicy lamb skewers, his eyes were red from the spiciness. Amid the various complaints from everyone, at a certain moment, he finally couldn’t help it–

His head lowered, his teeth gritted.

He howled, “Jiang Youcai, you fucking idiot!”