Chapter 43: Summer Tournament

Chapter 43: Summer Tournament

The cool gray metal strap of the watch still carried the warmth of his skin, perfectly concealing the long scar.

As he put the watch on his wrist, Chen Bai realized what his good neighbor had just done.

He glanced at the watch, snugly fitted around his wrist, then looked up at his neighbor who had straightened himself up again.

His neighbor said, "I thought this watch suits you."

Chen Moubai lowered his head. "Does it?"

In any case, the watch was now on his wrist, and the attention from those around them faded away.

Thanks to his little brother who helped with the grocery list, their supermarket trolley was full, and everything ended up in Brother Xu's hands.

Exiting the supermarket again, Xu Sinian carried bags brimming with groceries in one hand and supported his eighty-year-old grandfather, whose legs were tired from walking too long, with the other as they headed back home together.

Chen Moubai, who had moved much more than usual, was led upstairs and didn't come down again. With his room, pajamas, and toiletries all there, he was too exhausted to do anything else. He lay down where he was and fell into a peaceful sleep.

"…"

After a restful night's sleep, the eighty-year-old grandfather woke up at six in the morning with a head full of tousled hair.

Moving like a sleepwalker, he washed up, grabbed his keys and phone, and stepped out. Before he left, he was stopped by his good neighbor, who had also woken up early.

His neighbor promptly put a hat and a mask on him, ensuring that every part of his face was covered.

With his head and face protected, Grandpa waved his hand and finally stepped outside.

It was another bright, sunny day, and by six o'clock in the morning, the sky was already illuminated. The early morning clouds were bathed in a purplish-red glow, casting light directly onto the urban buildings.

The hotel glass reflected the sunlight, appearing dazzling and opulent.

By six o'clock, the outdoors began to feel increasingly stifling, but stepping inside the hotel instantly brought a sense of coolness.

When Grandpa arrived at the makeup room, his agent and assistant were already there, but the makeup artist and others were not present.

Removing his hat to reveal his disheveled hair, he sat down in his designated seat. His half-open eyes scanned the room once more but failed to spot the makeup artist.

His agent informed him, "The makeup and styling teams have gone for a short meeting. They should be back in about ten minutes."

Chen Moubai nodded and accepted the breakfast handed over by his assistant, expressing his gratitude.

Holding the soy milk cup in both hands, he took a sip, feeling instantly rejuvenated. His body sank further into the chair, and his eyes narrowed in contentment.

As he savored his soy milk, the agent noticed something and sat up slightly, giving him an extra look.

"Hmm?"

Aware of the gaze from his money-making partner, Chen Bai followed her line of sight and looked down.

At first glance, he saw the soy milk in his hand; at second glance, he finally noticed the watch that was still on his wrist.

It was his good neighbor's watch. Last night, his mind was preoccupied with sleep, so he forgot to take it off before bed. This morning, his brain was still offline, and he completely forgot about it.

…He had unknowingly taken his good neighbor's watch with him.

Master Watch Thief Chen rubbed his face and said, "It's my friend's watch. I forgot to take it off."

As he removed the watch, he asked, "Is there a problem?"

"No," the agent replied, "it's just that this watch seems quite expensive."

Master Chen lifted his head. "How so?"

The agent explained, "The combined earnings from your three recent roles wouldn't even cover a fraction of its price."

"…"

When Zhou Jing entered the makeup room, he happened to see the person with tousled hair carefully placing something wrapped tightly into his agent's bag, looking as serious as if he were making an offering.

He asked what was going on.

The person making the offering turned around and said, "I'm storing a family heirloom-like object."

Zhou Jing: "?"

The agent, holding her bag, nodded and said, "Okay, okay," assuring that she would carry the family heirloom with her at all times.

Not quite understanding what the two were discussing, Zhou Jing sat down on the other side.

Shortly after, the makeup artists and assistants who had been in a brief meeting entered the room and started preparing.

Chen Yibai kept quiet as he let the stylists work on him, while the agent watched from the side, involuntarily lowering her gaze to look at his wrist.

The wound was mostly on the inner side, not very noticeable at first glance, but once noticed, it was hard to ignore. It was long, extending to the protruding wrist bone, without the watch strap to conceal it, it could be seen with the slightest movement.

Taking a few extra glances, the agent averted her eyes and said to him, "I'll get you a wristband in the next couple of days."

Chen Yibai tilted his eyes slightly, puzzled but nodded.

The weather in summer could change in an instant. It was sunny in the morning, but by afternoon, the sky turned overcast, and the wind picked up, making the air feel even more suffocating. Even the breeze carried a warm sensation.

A heavy rain seemed imminent, and the production coordinator quickly revised the schedule, changing outdoor scenes to indoor ones.

Chen Yibai received paid gaming time.

Paid gaming referred to shooting scenes involving video games.

Xu Yifan was a regular at internet cafes in the early stages of his story, aimlessly spending his time avoiding studies and turning to games whenever he felt troubled. Later on, he started earning money as a professional gamer, which led to numerous scenes of him engrossed in gameplay.

To make the character more believable, the props team purchased several gaming accounts. According to the staff member who bought these accounts, Xu Yifan's account was the most expensive. This was necessary to match his wealthy and skilled gamer persona, requiring hefty investments for high rankings and premium features. Negotiations for the best deals were not easy.

The props team was a specialized group capable of handling both virtual and real-world items with expertise.

Building an internet cafe set just for a few scenes was deemed impractical, so the production team negotiated with a nearby establishment and managed to reserve and take over an entire internet cafe in advance.

The director had minimal requirements for the actors; if they couldn't play games well, all they needed to do was control their characters to move around and occasionally fire a weapon. The rest could be handled by the cinematography and editing teams.

In the early stages, Xu Yifan played games with his close friends A, B, C, and D, naturally leading to game footage. Some actors confessed that they had never played games before, prompting the director to have them log into the accounts to go through the beginner tutorials.

As the temporary set was being lit up, Chen Yibai found himself with nothing to do and decided to pick up his phone to check the account information sent by the staff. He logged into the account, as one would typically do.

The game was one he usually played. Coincidentally, it was around the time he would normally log in for a live stream. As he typed in the account details, he experienced a fleeting sensation that he was preparing for a live streaming session.

Upon successfully logging in, he glanced at the account interface and noticed a row of achievements and honors strikingly similar to those of a supporting character's gaming account.

Expensive indeed has its reasons.

These scenes did not involve his study partner, leaving him alone without anyone to talk to after logging in. His friends A and B, having already logged in, found themselves equally bored. With little dialogue in the script, they decided to close their eyes and rest, after a brief moment of contemplation.

Friends C and D, unfamiliar with the game, were intensely following online tutorials to learn WASD controls, Ctrl, and Shift, lighting up with every correct press, feeling a sense of accomplishment.

"…"

Chen Bai objectively assessed that they still had some learning to do.

—Indeed, it was already the usual time for his livestreams. Initially planning to use this time to send some teasing messages to his good neighbor, he put down his phone after receiving a notification.

It was a message from his friend Qingzhou, asking if he was streaming today.

Considering that he hadn't broadcasted for three consecutive days, Chen Erbai expressed his reflection and decided against streaming today.

Returning home late meant he wouldn't be able to stream for long, so he chose to dedicate the time to studying instead, pausing his live streams.

His friend had no choice but to stream alone once again.

Beside him, others were practicing WASD controls fervently. The director approached to gauge their gaming skills among the five of them.

Although the question was directed at the five, the two individuals frantically practicing WASD were implicitly excluded.

Friends A and B, who had been resting on the table, sat up and replied that they were decent players, nothing exceptional.

Following the crowd, Chen Yibai echoed the same sentiment.

The director then positioned the trio closer to the camera lens.

While changing camera angles could allow for filming them playing games without showing the computer screens, due to commercial interests and sponsor considerations, some exposure of the game was necessary, so they made do with what they had.

Chen Yibai was agreeable to any arrangement.

The camera track was set up, and the lighting preparations were complete. The two who had just finished their tutorials and the three capable high school truants were ready.

The internet cafe was dimly lit, with yellowish lights in the corners casting an old, stale atmosphere. Nearby, other patrons leaned in their seats, cigarettes between their fingers, smoke swirling and blurring the space. On the other side, there was a smell of alcohol, and flattened empty cans littered the small tabletops.

These were guests who spent the night in the cafe.

The newly arrived students in their blue and white uniforms stood out starkly against the environment. The cafe owner initially refused entry, but the leader of the group, eyes lowered, took off his school uniform jacket and draped it over his arm, pulling out a stack of cash from his pocket and placing it on the counter, lazily stating, "We're not students."

Without the school uniform, they were no longer students.

The other friends slowly caught on and removed their jackets as well.

The owner gave them an extra glance before accepting the money on the counter, emphasizing, "You said you're not students yourselves."

This was his consent.

The jacket-less high school students entered the shop and sat down at the seats near the edge.

Even without their jackets, their faces seemed out of place, yet their air of weariness strangely matched the cafe's dim lighting.

The nearby friends turned to praise Brother Xu for his generosity and skill, their faces filled with smiles. Xu Yifan didn't smile; instead, he casually put on his headset, his eyes half-closed, and directly clicked into the game interface.

"CUT!"

The scene inside the internet cafe came to an end, followed by the segment where they were caught while gaming by an authority figure.

The director reviewed the footage on the camera, and the cinematographer adjusted the camera position.

The lighting technician had to readjust the reflectors, but the seated high school students remained in place, staying put.

Sitting there, Chen Yibai could hear the faint voice from two people away, slightly turning his head to see Friend C staring intently at the keyboard, his fingers moving oddly, muttering under his breath.

It resembled a peculiar scene, almost like an unspoken incantation, believing that speaking it would improve gaming skills.

—In a way, it was indeed a spell that made one better at gaming when recited.

Friend C spoke neither too softly nor too loudly; listening carefully revealed what he was saying.

"Space to jump, left Shift for sprint, left Ctrl for walking, Z to crouch, C to prone…"

"…"

The sudden change in schedule, demanding that they learn how to play the game in a short amount of time, proved to be an arduous task. The kind-hearted Chen Yibai corrected him, "C to stand up from crouching, Z to prone."

Friend C expressed gratitude and covered his face in pain.

He had never suffered so much even while memorizing lines. Too far away to offer a comforting pat on the shoulder, Chen Yibai provided mental support.

The camera angles were adjusted, leaving little time for Fox Friends and Dog Buddies CD to chant their spells.

As filming commenced, due to the sponsor's requirement for authentic gameplay scenes and reactions, they genuinely engaged in a match without any staged performances from others.

A team of five, forming a perfect squad, Xu Yifan was the king of solo combat, primarily because his teammates were too weak, leading him to go solo.

AB moved together, while CD employed a reckless strategy, walking towards the opposite side as a pair.

The crew had done everything they could, now the pressure was on the actors.

In this segment, they needed to capture at least one scene where one of the three high school students eliminates the others—no expectations were held for the other two, along with a scene where Xu Yifan’s game is interrupted by the appearance of the school principal, resulting in his character being killed.

Chen Bai's task was to survive until one of the three players secured a kill.

He remembered his mission, originally focused on preserving his life diligently, cautiously avoiding all dangerous areas, until he glanced sideways during an operation, noticing the character on the adjacent computer switching weapons at a snail's pace in an attempt to eliminate someone far away, only to find the target long gone after the switch. This realization dawned on him that not all his teammates were at Qingzhou's level.

From the beginning, he shouldn't have placed his hopes for a kill on his teammates.

By the time this awareness struck him, Fox Friends and Dog Buddies CD had already met their honorable end, leaning back in their chairs with frustrated movements, their expressions uncertain whether it was regret or relief.

Reliable teammates couldn’t be counted on, so he had to rely on himself. Chen Yibai leaned forward slightly, his in-game persona becoming a silent version of Chen Erbai, his previously unhurried keystrokes speeding up.

A seemingly ordinary game character suddenly became bold, no longer skirting the edges. The others watched the computer screens from behind, only realizing belatedly that this person had already amassed quite a few good items and was adept at swiftly eliminating opponents when the kill notification popped up on the lower left corner of the screen.

Upon seeing the teammate’s kill message, the kill quota was unexpectedly met, though they didn't fully comprehend it at first, AB felt relieved, their expressions unchanged but their hearts sighing in relief.

Their claim of merely being decent gamers wasn't modest; in reality, they were perpetually stuck in low-ranking segments, only experiencing the prowess of high-level matches through the accounts provided by the production team.

Surviving was already a significant effort, aiming for kills here was indeed asking too much.

Fortunately, their teammate had good luck, securing a kill. With some editing, this footage should be usable.

That was their original thought.

Until later on, as they struggled harder to survive and more kill notifications popped up, they realized that their reliable teammate's success wasn't just luck.

Capable of moving around the internet cafe without being in the shot or making a sound, the cafe owner initially chatted passionately online with his peers in a corner, but stopped and joined the gaming staff to watch the action from a prime viewing spot behind the players.

Securing consecutive kills and passing another poison zone, Chen Erbai habitually found a building and went up to the second floor, standing by the window for a while before remembering that today, there was no buddy to serve as bait. He then quietly descended the stairs.

Descending, he faced someone about to enter the room. In a face-to-face gunfight, the quicker one survived.

Chen Erbai was undoubtedly the survivor. He collected another kill effortlessly, exiting the building just as a familiar pink skin flashed across the edge of the screen, heading in the opposite direction.

The person moved quickly, and he didn't follow, instead heading to a nearby unoccupied high point to survey the surroundings and seek out his next victim.

This high point was indeed the right choice. Upon ascending, the situation around him became instantly clear.

Everything was crystal clear, including several figures in the distance on one side. He spotted the fleeting pink figure and the three people attempting to take its kill.

The trio was perfectly aligned, exuding an intimidating presence as they rapidly approached the pink figure, constantly changing formations for movement, merging into a single entity upon closing in, setting their stances.

Then, they were swiftly eliminated by the pink figure, falling neatly in unison.

"…"

Chen Moubai's lips tightened, operating his character without hesitation to turn around.

Others could imagine and guess that he likely discovered the distant foes were formidable, coupled with the limited range of his weapon, choosing to evade.

—Controlling the character to leave, Chen Bai relied on decades of accumulated rationality to suppress his mouth's urge to speak wildly.

Had he lingered for another second, he might have directly blurted out something.

Those three people behaved like elements in a match-three game, arranging themselves neatly, only to be eliminated once they were in groups of three, making it hard for him to hold back.

Thankfully, the rational adult maintained composure. Just as they descended the mountain, the poison zone began refreshing again.

Quite coincidentally, Chen Erbai was precisely at the edge of the poison zone, collecting a kill with each person who ran into him.

He collected kills while maintaining a relaxed posture, but his fingers involuntarily twitched over the keyboard.

…If the school principal doesn't appear soon, he would win this match if it continued.

—

Qingzhou's Live Stream Room

Without a buddy, Li Qingzhou randomly grouped with four others for a four-man squad, thus exploring the map alone again.

After casually eliminating three individuals who seemed to have mistakenly entered a high-level match, he glanced at the previously occupied high point, not spotting anyone, and redirected his gaze.

"Wah, it's so quiet without Erbai around, I'm not used to it."

"Woah, there was someone up there just now, right?"

"If Erbai was here, I bet he would've said those three belong to a match-three game (gunfire)."

"The one who just appeared seems like the one who was racking up kills earlier, their shooting style resembles someone we know x"

"I wonder if Qingzhou will watch the summer tournament? Will Erbai be there?"

"Not sure yet," Qingzhou glanced at the chat, saying, "I'll ask Erbai for you guys when the time comes."

The poison zone shrank, entering the final circle. The game atmosphere was considerably tenser than before, given the confined area, those who hadn't encountered each other much previously now faced off.

Then, the viewers watched as another player occasionally emerged from their field of vision, with sporadic gunfire echoing around them, continuously felling opponents.

Qingzhou also kept collecting kills, drastically reducing the already small number of survivors in the final circle.

"Woah, what kind of divine match is this? Who are these remaining players?"

"It wasn't supposed to be anything special at the start."

"I'm not eating anymore; I need to see how this one ends."

In a small area, only three people remained.

Qingzhou, outside the hill, was directly facing off against two others. He didn't know their exact location, but he could clearly hear two gunshots in quick succession.

Swiftly pinpointing the direction, by the time he aimed his scope towards it, he saw a gun already pointed his way.

In a flash, before the live-stream viewers could react, the person in the stream had already clicked the mouse and fired.

The expected gunshots never came. The person who had raised their gun towards him seemed frozen, not pulling the trigger, standing there straight as he shot them down.

A headshot, game over.

"I jumped when I saw the muzzle, thinking I was done for."

"Is this player lagging?"

"Looking at the ID, haha, xyfan, Xu Yifan. Maybe he got caught by the principal."

"LOL at the above comment."

...

Xu Yifan was indeed caught by the principal.

Fortunately, thanks to the reminder from the internet cafe owner and the staff watching, the principal made it just in time for the final crucial moment.

They managed to get through the lengthy scene without any major issues. The actors' part was over, leaving the pressure of selecting clips to the post-production team.

After finishing here, they needed to film the scene where the principal entered the cafe looking for someone. With nothing left for him to do for the moment, Chen Yibai swiftly stood up from his seat, stretching his body with some punches and kicks.

His money-making partner stood aside, looking somewhat surprised, saying that he played games pretty well. He smiled but didn't elaborate.

After praising him, the partner praised the boss. The cafe owner, a naturally outgoing person, happened to be standing nearby, close enough to casually compliment his skills.

Those who don't play games might not understand, but the owner, who watched people play every day, knew the level of skill that performance represented.

Chen Yibai smiled as usual, then heard someone ask quietly, "Can I ask why you went to the second floor of the house mid-game? I've been thinking about it and can't figure it out."

The owner's expression was genuinely curious, looking like he truly wanted to know, his face filled with pure curiosity.

"..."

"It's like this," Chen Moubai said, "the air on the second floor is good for the brain."

An impeccable answer. Owner: "Huh?"

Chen Bai nodded affirmatively: "Yeah!"

The owner felt like he was being misled, but the man's attitude was too sincere, and his eyes too honest. For a moment, he couldn't think of what to say, so he hesitated and nodded.

Good, he'd successfully evaded the question.

After Chen Hunong finished talking with the owner, his assistant mentioned that his phone seemed to have vibrated twice. He checked his phone.

There were messages, sent just now, from the platform staff member specifically responsible for him and Qingzhou. Both had sent messages related to the summer tournament.

The former sent several links and two messages, essentially stating that the platform was sponsoring the year's summer gaming tournament and had tickets available. They planned to gift these tickets to popular streamers in the gaming field, and he was on the invitation list.

He didn't reply immediately, instead returning to read the message from Qingzhou's friend.

The message from Qingzhou was also about the summer tournament:

"Saw your ID on the summer tournament invite list"

Then asked: "Wanna go together?"