ATAVID CH115 [Extra]

Just before six o’clock in the morning, Jiang Qunyu woke up.

He reached out and rubbed his eyes, turning off the vibrating alarm on his phone by the bedside. He originally wanted to laze in bed a bit longer, but after thinking it over, he dragged himself up with great difficulty and sat cross-legged on the bed, staring blankly into space.

After a while, once his mind had cleared up considerably, he sluggishly got out of bed.

The apartment he lived in wasn’t large; it was rented near the base by the esports club under the team’s name. Back when the team hadn’t achieved any results, the club was dirt poor and the manager couldn’t pull in sponsorships. At that time, seven or eight of them had to squeeze together in a single room to sleep.

However, over the past few years, their team had won awards across various major and minor tournaments. The investments caught up, and their living conditions improved significantly. Most noticeably, their lodging was more than just a little bit better than before. Of course, this was also thanks to the unanimous decision made by the rest of the team: their salaries could be a bit lower, but their living space had to be good.

To use their exact words: they didn’t want to work themselves to death, come home to rest, open the door, and see a floor covered in twin-tails—forget playing esports, they’d probably find a rope and hang themselves on the spot in the next second.

Fortunately, the manager wasn’t so insane as to force them to keep crowding together, making a grand gesture to rent a private room for each of them.

Although it wasn’t particularly huge, it wasn’t small either; at the very least, it could accommodate quite a few Jiang Qunyus.

Jiang Qunyu let out a yawn, running a hand through his hair before shuffling into the bathroom in his slippers to wash up.

The mirror was covered in a thin layer of fog. Holding his toothbrush in his mouth with one hand, he pulled over a face towel with the other, wet it, and wiped the mirror thoroughly clean.

As the water vapor dispersed, the youth’s reflection was clearly revealed in the mirror.

A pair of peach-blossom eyes carried an lingering trace of groggy sleepiness, while the delicate small mole at the corner of his eye added a touch of vivid charm. His nose bridge was tall and straight above pale-pink thin lips, his skin cool and fair. His dark hair was slightly long, falling loosely behind his ears with the ends curling slightly, making his already handsome and refined features look even more exquisite.

The last time Jiang Qunyu went to the hair salon for a haircut, the stylist told him this was called a wolf cut. Jiang Qunyu originally didn’t care at all about what the hairstyle was called, but the moment he heard the other party say that this style could flatter his face shape and make his not-fully-matured face look a bit more mature and steady, he nodded and agreed without a second thought.

His main reason was that he disliked always being told he was young. Even though he was already seventeen, simply because his nutrition hadn’t kept up during childhood, his height had stalled at 178 centimeters, and his cheeks still retained a bit of baby fat, making him look exceptionally youthful.

Every time he streamed, his fans would vote and spam the live chat, urging the manager to buy him more good food to nourish his body. As time went on, Jiang Qunyu grew to dislike people calling him young.

After finishing washing up, he casually ruffled his hair twice, turned on his computer, and began practicing his aim.

It was only half-past six in the morning. Jiang Qunyu thought for a moment; the number of live streams he had promised to complete wasn’t filled yet, so he might as well turn on the stream while he was at it.

He originally thought it would be too early for anyone to be around, but unexpectedly, not long after turning on the stream, the viewer count exceeded ten thousand.

[There’s actually a stream today?]

[Kiddo, you’re up way too early! Why are you so hardworking? If Echo next door knew you were grinding like this, he’d probably pass out crying in the bathroom.]

Echo was Tao Mingxiao.

The two were on the same team. When they first met, because they were close in age and everyone else on the team was older than them, they got along quite well.

A few days ago, Tao Mingxiao had recommended a web novel to him, saying it was a male-lead power fantasy novel that Jiang Qunyu would definitely like.

In normal times, given Jiang Qunyu’s homebody nature, he would most likely have clicked on it. But recently, Jiang Qunyu didn’t have much free time, so he only glanced at it briefly and stopped reading.

Only later did Tao Mingxiao mischievously reveal that the novel was actually a fanfiction his younger sister was serializing on Haitang.

Jiang Qunyu: “…”

He had heard a bit about Haitang before. Of course, that didn’t mean anything—he had zero interest in romance between men.

As a straight guy, the reason he knew about Haitang was because the male-lead novel author he liked once mentioned in an author’s note that his wife was a Haitang author.

Jiang Qunyu was very curious at the time, so he searched for it. Supposedly, the link was extremely hard to find, but by pure chance, he managed to find it.

Once he fiddled around and clicked into a random novel, he felt as if a door to a new world had opened. Ever since then, Haitang left a deeply ingrained impression in his mind.

Fortunately, the straight guy Jiang Qunyu didn’t click open that fanfiction novel, barely preserving his eyes and mental health.

Because Tao Mingxiao said the explicit content written by his sister was very high-scale, something Jiang Qunyu found hard to imagine.

Just at that moment, a bullet-chat comment floated across the computer screen.

[Is Nox busy with something today? Why up so early?]

Jiang Qunyu turned on his microphone, tapping heads on the enemy team while saying: “Yeah, this afternoon I’m meeting up in person with a friend I’ve known for a long time.”

[Wow! Someone you met online?]

[Kiddo, be careful! There are so many bad people on the internet.]

[No wonder you got up so early.]

Looking at the chat, Jiang Qunyu corrected them: “She isn’t a bad person. She’s an older sister I know.”

[An older sister? Kiddo, do you like the mature, queenly type?]

[It’s probably just a friend, right?]

[Someone’s driving over in a car! Careful!]

Jiang Qunyu snapped his attention back, reloaded his ammo, lay prone on the rooftop, opened his scope, and sniped the driver inside the car from a huge distance away.

[HOLY CRAP! That play was insane! How many hilltops away was that? And the car was moving! Nox’s recoil control is way too steady!]

[Nox is the goat, no debate.]

After practicing for a whole morning, he completed the streaming hours required by the manager. Jiang Qunyu looked at the viewer count, which had already reached over two hundred thousand. He politely bade farewell to his fans and shut down his stream before turning off his computer.

Earlier, people in the chat were actually still asking about his meet-up this afternoon, but Jiang Qunyu didn’t want to elaborate, so he didn’t say any more.

That “older sister” was actually a psychiatrist recommended to him by the manager. Because of a fire in his childhood, Jiang Qunyu had some psychological trauma. Although the manager was usually stingy, he attached great importance to their diet and physical health. The team had a hired doctor who, after assessing Jiang Qunyu, suggested he find time to chat with a professional to ease his heart.

However, Jiang Qunyu didn’t really like chatting about these things with people in real life, so the manager recommended another psychiatrist’s WeChat to him, saying there was no need to meet offline and that they could just chat online directly.

Jiang Qunyu thought it over and eventually agreed.

When they first added each other on WeChat, that older sister was even colder than him. Jiang Qunyu was naturally a chatterbox, rattling off a long string of messages, only for the other side to reply with a single sentence.

It got to the point where Jiang Qunyu almost wanted to delete this psychiatrist’s WeChat!

Zero medical ethics whatsoever!

However, as time went on, the two grew much more familiar.

When they first met, the team hadn’t achieved any results yet, and every time Jiang Qunyu opened a stream, not many people watched. That doctor sister would enter his live stream room, sometimes sending a few words of encouragement.

Gradually, Jiang Qunyu developed a favorable impression of her.

The doctor sister said her name was Wei Xun.

Jiang Qunyu thought her name sounded really nice.

The two actually only confirmed their relationship last month. Jiang Qunyu was afraid Wei Xun wouldn’t agree—because Wei Xun was seven years older than him—so he lied, falsely claiming he was already twenty.

The night they confirmed their relationship, Jiang Qunyu was so excited he couldn’t fall asleep.

As if suddenly remembering something, he even climbed up and asked Wei Xun very seriously: “Do I count as your patient? Doctors and patients can’t be together, right? Will you get criticized because of me?”

Wei Xun replied very quickly: 【There is no need for you to worry about this.】

Jiang Qunyu felt reassured: 【Oh!】

Thus, over the past month, when Jiang Qunyu wasn’t practicing his aim, he was busy being in love.

A few days ago, Wei Xun sent him a message saying she wanted to meet up with him in a couple of days.

Jiang Qunyu initially thought they were both in Wuchen City—mainly because the manager had told him back then that if he ever wanted to chat with the doctor in person, he could go directly to the clinic. So Jiang Qunyu naturally assumed they were in the same place.

Unexpectedly, Wei Xun said she was in Beicheng, not Wuchen City.

Beicheng and Wuchen City were over two thousand kilometers apart, taking three hours even by plane. Jiang Qunyu was somewhat dazed at the time.

However, he didn’t suspect anything, merely assuming the manager had been losing his mind back then, actually expecting him to go to Beicheng to see a doctor.

While thinking this expressionlessly, Jiang Qunyu picked out suitable clothes in his wardrobe.

For his first time meeting Wei Xun, he still decided to dress himself up nicely.

Half an hour later, Jiang Qunyu looked at himself in the mirror wearing a light-gray hoodie and dark-black straight-leg pants, feeling very satisfied.

Mm, makes me look very well-behaved.

Surely she won’t be able to tell… that I usually swear at people, right?

Jiang Qunyu felt that first impressions were very important. Although when he was matched with terrible teammates in games, he couldn’t help getting flushed with anger and blurting out a few curses, he was usually very civilized.

Harboring this thought, Jiang Qunyu took a deep breath and headed out the door.

He lived on the sixth floor. After stepping out of the elevator, he bumped into Tao Mingxiao.

Tao Mingxiao was wearing flip-flops, his hair a messy bird’s nest, holding a pile of snacks in his arms and stuffing potato chips into his mouth while exclaiming in shock: “Holy crap! Jiang Qunyu, why are you dressed up so properly like a human being today?”

Jiang Qunyu didn’t want to be touched by him, taking several steps back with a hint of disgust, letting out a small tsk: “What do you mean ‘dressed up properly like a human being’? I’ve always been like this, okay?”

“Oh boy,” Tao Mingxiao circled around him twice, “I wouldn’t even believe it if you had the nerve to say it.”

Frowning, he suddenly leaned over and asked: “You’re not going to meet up with an online friend, are you?!”

Jiang Qunyu’s body went stiff, and he then asked with a terrible expression: “You secretly watched my stream today.”

“Why would I watch your stream for no reason?” Tao Mingxiao teased, “So it really is an online meet-up? Don’t tell me it’s that doctor sister you mentioned?”

Jiang Qunyu ignored him, turning around and walking away.

Tao Mingxiao couldn’t resist being a troll, facing Jiang Qunyu and walking backward while grinning: “Look at you, getting defensive again.”

“Hey, little Qunyu,” Tao Mingxiao said, “It’s just an online meet-up, ask your big brother here, and I’ll give you some advice.”

Jiang Qunyu expressionlessly gave him a middle finger: “Get lost.”

He certainly didn’t want Tao Mingxiao’s “experience.”

Last time, Tao Mingxiao was scammed out of over ten thousand yuan because of an online relationship, only to find out later that the person on the other end was a guy. He was so angry he fainted on the spot, and while being rushed to the hospital for emergency care, he didn’t forget to crawl up, wailing that he needed to report it to the police first.

Fortunately, it turned out to just be low blood sugar in the end, but someone leaked the matter, causing Tao Mingxiao to lose all face—on every imaginable level, whether in the esports circle or in real life.

Tao Mingxiao: “…”

Jiang Qunyu didn’t want to hear Tao Mingxiao’s cautionary tale of failure. Glancing around to see no one else was present, he bolted away like smoke.

Only after Jiang Qunyu had run far away did Tao Mingxiao react, standing in place with a grim face as he cursed: “Don’t meet up with online friends so easily! If the person on the other end is a guy, aren’t you completely done for?!”

Although Jiang Qunyu had run fast enough, he still inevitably heard Tao Mingxiao’s words.

He turned his head, glaring fiercely at Tao Mingxiao, deciding that he would definitely beat him up when he got back.

His situation and Tao Mingxiao’s were completely different. Tao Mingxiao met his netizen while playing online games, so it was normal not to know the other side’s background.

But Wei Xun was recommended to him by his manager. Could a female doctor magically turn out to be a guy?

Tao Mingxiao, that terrible friend.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly afterward, and Jiang Qunyu sauntered into the agreed-upon restaurant.

The restaurant’s environment was quite nice, with warm yellow chandeliers hanging from a high, vaulted ceiling, casting just the right amount of light over every square table draped in snow-white tablecloths.

The floor-to-ceiling windows were wiped spotless, revealing a boundless sea outside where waves pushed against waves, rippling forward layer upon layer.

In the air was a faint scent of cedarwood—not overpowering, but just enough to make one relax.

Holding the gift he brought for Wei Xun in one hand, Jiang Qunyu used his phone with the other hand to type a message to her:

-qun: I’m here. Where are you? ^^

The gift was a guitar pick he had crafted himself. Last time, Wei Xun mentioned she studied abroad and would play the guitar whenever she felt bored.

Jiang Qunyu kept it in mind, later buying purpleheart wood online.

Although it was called purpleheart, its original color was actually brown. After getting the wood, Jiang Qunyu sanded it down finely and left it outside in the sun for several days before it slowly turned purple.

In short, it wasn’t very expensive, but it was something he had made bit by bit with his own hands.

So he hoped Wei Xun would like it.

If Wei Xun didn’t like it, then he would find time to learn the guitar himself and keep it for his own use.

While Jiang Qunyu was still letting his mind wander, his phone screen suddenly lit up, popping up a new message.

-xun: At the innermost seat. Walk forward after coming in.

-qun: Oh.

After replying to the message, Jiang Qunyu took a deep breath before feigning composure as he walked inward.

Thump.

Thump-thump.

For some inexplicable reason, Jiang Qunyu felt his heart beating faster and faster.

Fuck, what is there to be nervous about? Isn’t it just turning an online relationship into reality?

Jiang Qunyu thought expressionlessly.

But after taking just a few steps, he felt his palms were a bit clammy.

Fine, still super nervous.

Jiang Qunyu gave up negotiating with himself—nervous was nervous. At least if he got his nervousness out of the way now, he’d be much better off when he saw Wei Xun later. At the very least, he wouldn’t say the wrong things.

Thinking like this, he walked to the furthest corner.

It was very empty, with only two people.

A woman, and a man.

The woman sat at a table slightly toward the front, while the man sat further inside. He wore a neat slicked-back hairstyle, his nose bridge tall and straight, his long and narrow phoenix eyes deep and dark, his lip line thin and cold.

Wearing a simple white shirt paired with suit trousers, he somehow managed to project an aura of noble, imposing grandeur. One sleeve of his white shirt was casually rolled up once, revealing faint blue veins taut on his forearm, looking very strong.

Jiang Qunyu merely stole a glance without continuing to stare, quickly retracting his eyes as he sat down in front of the woman with a heart full of anxiety.

“Hello.” Gathering his courage, he opened his mouth, looking expectantly at the girl in front of him.

The woman paused. Just as Jiang Qunyu was about to hand over the gift, she asked softly: “Hello, excuse me, is there something wrong?”

Jiang Qunyu froze for a moment, not having time to react.

Suddenly, he felt a strange chill on the back of his neck. Subconsciously raising his eyes, he slammed straight into a pair of dark, deep eyes that looked eerily gloomy.

“It’s me.” The man’s thin lips parted, his tone icy cold as he uttered word by word: “Jiang Qunyu, come here.”