Chapter 44: Summer Tournament (Part 2)

Chapter 44: Summer Tournament (Part 2)

After pondering the message for two seconds, Chen Erbai chose to go back and re-read the messages the staff had sent earlier.

This time, he paid closer attention to the tournament schedule.

The summer tournament was already underway, with playoffs starting mid-August, followed by the finals later in the month, held at the Z City Sports Center Arena. The platform provided tickets for the finals.

Tickets for the finals hadn't gone on sale yet, but as a sponsor, the platform had already secured seats within the venue. As long as the invited guests confirmed their attendance, their spots would be reserved.

The filming schedule for the production crew was tight throughout July, and by late August, the school scenes should have been mostly completed according to plan, ready for a move to the film base to shoot scenes outside the school. The earliest available booking for the film base was later on, leaving a few days between the completion of the school and various outdoor scenes. These days were typically spent patching up scattered shots, but if they hustled and finished their work ahead of schedule, they could squeeze out a couple of days off.

Despite being able to free up some time, Chen Bai couldn't make it to either of the contacts he had replied to.

He played games, but wasn't addicted to them, and having briefly served as a commentator before, he had seen his fair share of matches. The finals didn't hold any particular allure for him.

Simply put, there was no money to be made, so he wasn't going.

After replying to the messages, he enabled 'Do Not Disturb' mode on his phone and handed it back to his assistant. He watched from the sidelines as the vice principal made repeated appearances on set until the director called him forward again.

Tonight's work ended late, and his study partner didn't fare much better. Their tasks weren't heavy, but due to the presence of the female lead and the third male lead, progress was slow, dragging on until the evening shift ended.

The rain that had been brewing all afternoon indeed fell that night, pouring down heavily, showing no signs of letting up by the next day.

The following day was Friday, a day beloved by students everywhere, and the rain did little to dampen the joy of an impending weekend.

They still came to the old teaching building after school to spectate, only to discover that due to the rain, the scheduled scenes were all indoors, making it hard to catch a glimpse of anyone, leading to their eventual disappointed departure.

The only one not disappointed was Xu Lang. Although he couldn't see anyone in the afternoon, he knew that he would meet his Second Brother Bai once night fell.

He left with the others and declined his friend's invitation to play basketball at the city sports center, rushing home as soon as he stepped out of the school gates.

His haste to return home resulted in him being thrown into the kitchen by his older brother to prepare vegetables for dinner.

His older brother stood in the doorway of the kitchen, handing him two large bags of vegetables from the fridge, saying, "I bought the ingredients you ordered. If you want to eat, you'll have to handle them yourself."

...The stone he had picked up to throw at his own brother finally landed squarely on his own foot.

When his older brother said to handle it himself, he truly meant it. The dishes were ones Xu Lang had personally requested, leaving him with no avenue for protest. Thus, he could only grit his teeth and proceed.

Thus, the entire afternoon, the pampered young master Xu squatted in the kitchen, preparing dishes for the entire afternoon, leaving him dazed and unseeing.

As dusk approached, the rain showed no sign of stopping.

By the time Chen Yibai returned to his good neighbor's house after work, upon knocking on the door, he was greeted by a certain Xu-surnamed high school student dressed in an apron, eyes brimming with tears.

Though confused, he chose to pat his head in the first instance, soothing the high school student's emotions.

As this was happening, Xu Sinian emerged from the study, casting a glance at the high school student who was passively accepting head pats with his head lowered, offering a simple evaluation: "Your acting is pretty bad."

The high school student raised his eyes to look at him, instantly holding back the tears in his eyes, turning around to complain to Second Brother Bai about his unhelpful brother.

Second Brother Bai patted his shoulder, saying, "Your brother has to work, he can't help it."

With no way to vent his grievances, the high school student could only return to the kitchen in his apron to wash the baby greens.

Xu Sinian noticed the wet hair and damp shirt of the guest who had just entered, saying, "Go take a shower first."

Chen Moubai nodded.

The clothes he had left here were washed yesterday and hadn't dried, so his good neighbor found a set of his own clothes for him, consisting of a shirt and trousers.

Once bitten, twice shy, the good neighbor no longer mentioned that the clothes were clean and unused; he didn't mind such details and simply slipped them on after his shower.

—Indeed, he slipped them on directly. With the shirt buttons fastened and the collar wide, he simply treated it like regular clothing, slipping it on without needing to unbutton anything.

No need to unbutton, but he did need to roll up his trouser legs and sleeves. After vigorously rolling up his trouser legs, the exhausted Master Chen finally straightened his back, wiping away the non-existent sweat of hard labor.

By the time he emerged from the room with a towel atop his head, his good neighbor was already waiting in the living room, beckoning him over upon seeing him walk out.

Master Chen went over, only to notice a hairdryer beside the person once he arrived, its plug already inserted.

The good neighbor said, "The air conditioning is on inside, your hair will be hard to dry. Come blow it dry."

Master Chen assumed 'blow it dry' meant to do it himself, but the good neighbor held onto the hairdryer without letting go.

He thus leaned back against the sofa in a relaxed half-reclined position, a thoughtful cushion stuffed into his hands, enjoying the good neighbor's hair-drying service.

Warm wind blew across his head, surprisingly comfortable. He lifted his eyes to look at the person above him, bent over as they dried his hair, asking, "Which number is Master Xu, the hairdressing master?"

Master Xu responded that he was number one.

The Chen-named guest closed his eyes with a smile, "Your skills are quite good, I'll come looking for Master Number One next time."

Master Xu played along with his performance, saying thank you for patronizing.

With short hair, drying was quick. By the time Xu's younger brother finally finished washing the baby greens and emerged from the kitchen, he saw his own brother calmly putting away the hairdryer while wearing a casual expression, and Second Brother Bai lying on the sofa clad in an oversized shirt.

Not sensing anything out of the ordinary compared to usual, he wiped his wet hands on his apron, announcing that the baby greens were washed.

With all the dishes prepared, Chef Chen donned his apron and headed to the kitchen. Cooking wasn't actually tiring, as long as the ingredients were prepped, the cooking process was swift and effortless.

Xu's younger brother finally got to enjoy the fruits of his afternoon labor that evening. A person who usually wasn't enthusiastic about taking photos snapped pictures of the dishes, determined to document his hard work.

After taking the photos, his phone rang just before he put it in his pocket, signaling an incoming message.

He glanced down at it, then continued to stash his phone in his pocket, directing his gaze towards the person sitting opposite him, asking, "Will Second Brother Bai be watching the summer tournament this time?"

From dinner to the summer tournament, his jump in topics was rather abrupt.

Fortunately, Chen Erbai could keep up, saying, "We're not going."

Then he asked, "Why not?"

The good younger brother sighed with regret, saying that he had already made plans with two friends to watch the match together. If they were to go, they could still join them.

The school summer camp would end in mid-August, just in time for the finals in the latter half of the month. He thought it was another great opportunity for them to hang out together.

Chen Bai stated objectively, "If I remember correctly, the tickets aren't easy to get?"

Although he hadn't tried to buy them himself, always attending as staff inside the venue, he had heard more than once about how the match tickets sold out in seconds, round after round.

Even though they planned to watch the match together, there was no guarantee they would be able to see it.

Young Master Xu waved his hand, indicating this was a minor issue: "As long as you buy the tickets at a higher price, you can generally get them."

If that didn't work, there were other methods. In short, they would find tickets somehow.

"..."

Ordinary citizen Chen Erbai, who always bought things at the cheapest price, wiped his face.

An evening meal settled Young Master Xu's travel plans.

In the past, he would have been restricted by Ms. Jiang and Mr. Xu, who were far away overseas. But after being confined to school for two months of intense study, Ms. Jiang and Mr. Xu were so moved that they decided not to interfere with what little remained of his summer vacation, as long as he took care of his safety.

In mid-August, the summer tournament progressed from weekly matches into the playoffs, and then into the finals. The final tickets went on sale a week in advance and were sold out immediately upon release.

Xu Lang predictably got hold of the tickets, three in a row, in the inner field. From the day he bought the tickets, he started packing his bags and made plans with his friends to fly to the hotel near the Z City Stadium the day before the finals.

The day he left happened to be the day before Chen Yibai officially began his vacation.

The ones who needed additional footage were the protagonist and the third male character, as well as the main lead who could have taken a break but had to stay due to numerous scenes with the heroine.

Chen Moubai had diligently shot night scenes for several days, and the director felt that he deserved a two-day break. Prior to that, he had completed the scattered shots, leaving him with some free time before entering the film studio.

The August weather was hot even at night, making one sweat profusely.

Having already made plans to have a late-night snack with a good neighbor, the person who had left work early walked out of the hotel and kept blowing air onto their hands with a pink mini fan, all the way to the entrance of the good neighbor's house, where they knocked on the door.

The good neighbor opened the door quickly, and along with the opening door came the cold air. The chill on the skin instantly revived the person, nearly a lifeless corpse from the heat.

Taking off the hat on their head to let their hair enjoy the air conditioning as well, the person who almost melted into a corpse removed their mask, closed the door, leaned against it, and finally exhaled a breath of relief.

The good neighbor took the pink mini fan from their hand and placed it on the charging station nearby.

Chen Moubai lowered his head to change into slippers but caught sight of a familiar pair of shoes set aside with a glance.

They were the kind of shoes high school students wore regularly. He looked up and asked, "Is the younger brother still here?"

Xu Sinian nodded slightly, tilting his head towards the living room, saying, "He's over there."

Chen Bai took a few steps forward, tilted his head, and saw the motionless, colorless high school student lying on the sofa without any vitality.

Xu Sinian stood by and briefly explained, "The plan to go to Z City has been canceled."

To put it simply, Xu Lang's two friends couldn't make it.

Those two friends suddenly became international exchange students, going to non-English speaking countries for their studies. They would soon be leaving the country and were now being pushed to intensively practice their new language.

The sudden event coincided with the last few days of summer vacation. His other friends had already made plans for these days, most of them still out of town, and there was no one available to accompany him to Z City.

Watching the match alone wasn't as enjoyable as not watching it at all, so since morning, this person had been lying here. After lunch, he continued lying down until now.

Chen Moubai could understand somewhat.

If the high school student didn't go out to play this time, it would mean he spent the entire summer studying without going out to play even once. It was normal for him to feel sad and fade in color.

Noticing the commotion here, the person lying on the sofa turned his head and called out, "Second Brother Bai."

His voice was weak, barely audible.

Circling around the suitcase still set aside, Second Brother Bai sat down beside the person and comforted him with a pat on the shoulder.

"You understand, right? There are unpredictable changes in the weather and unforeseen circumstances with friends. There's nothing we can do about it."

"Although we can't go, I happen to be on vacation. We can watch the broadcast together."

While consoling the high school student, he casually picked up the few tickets on the table, glanced down at them, and continued, "Actually, watching the broadcast is pretty good, convenient and quick. It's clearer than watching from the stands. On such a scorching hot day, staying at home is even more comf..."

His voice paused as he clearly saw the ticket prices on the tickets.

"..."

Not hearing any further sound, Xu Lang, lying on the couch, struggled to lift his head. Just as he did, he met the light gray eyes looking over and heard the other ask, "Do you really want to go that much?"

---

Xu Lang could go watch the match again, and his whole being regained its brilliance.

Going to watch the match, but the people accompanying him had changed. Instead of friends, it was Second Brother Bai and his own older brother.

Although he didn't quite understand the reason, in short, after seeing the entry tickets, his Superman-like Second Brother Bai said he could accompany him to watch the match.

Eventually, things unfolded in such a way that Second Brother Bai and his own older brother accompanied him to Z City together.

Because the person who had just finished work that night needed rest, he rescheduled his flight to the next morning, allowing Second Brother Bai to sleep in naturally.

He had originally wanted to help carry luggage enthusiastically, but later realized that his two brothers didn't bring much stuff. Their belongings were mixed together in a single suitcase, which his brother carried, completely negating any need for his assistance.

After boarding the plane, he was separated from the other two due to his ticket being rescheduled; they had booked their tickets together, and he was quite decisively placed in a seat further back on his own.

Being alone is being alone. A high schooler has his ways of killing time; after taking his seat, he pulled out his earphones and quietly played on his phone.

The high schooler didn't understand why Chen Erbai was willing to accompany him to watch the match, but Xu Sinian did. Especially since the person beside him boarded the plane, he had been pondering over why the match tickets could be so expensive.

There was nothing particularly special about the reason—it was just that Chen Moubai, who lived a life of frugality, felt it would be too wasteful not to go.

Each ticket cost four digits, and the high schooler bought tickets for two days, three people, a total of six tickets, with the total price reaching close to five digits.

Even if playing a game of flight chess, one must do it at the competition venue!

Listening quietly to the conversation until the part about flight chess, Xu Sinian couldn't help but laugh.

When he laughed, the corners of his eyes tilted down, the creases in his eyelids deep, looking somewhat more relaxed than usual, very attractive.

Chen Moubai took out his phone: "Comrade Old Xu, how about you give me another smile?"

The flight was nearly two to three hours long. The high schooler quietly played on his phone behind, while the person beside him was engrossed in his activities.

Upon landing, when it came time to disembark, Xu Lang found that the person who was still spirited during boarding was yawning as soon as they got off the plane, looking inexplicably exhausted.

A considerate younger brother asked, "What's wrong with Second Brother Bai?"

Second Brother Bai raised his hand slightly to lower the brim of his cap, waved it aside, and only said there was nothing.

There was nothing, it was simply that he was tired from playing on the plane.

Xu Sinian held onto the suitcase and stood to the side, not saying much, leading them out of the airport.

Upon exiting the airport, a wave of heat directly hit them in the face, the air seemed to distort momentarily.

Fortunately, the hotel shuttle arrived quickly. The driver helped load the luggage onto the car, and after returning to the car, he stepped on the gas pedal right away.

Booking the flight tickets, hotels, and packing luggage were all done last night, mainly handled by the good neighbor and the good younger brother. Chen Yibai, who had worked a full day, took a shower and went straight to sleep, not participating. He only learned on the plane that the hotel they booked was near the stadium.

Nearby was truly nearby.

The vehicle just passed by the stadium with its large posters hanging, then stopped, pulling up right in front of the hotel entrance.

Chen Moubai got out of the car, staring at the stadium right across from the hotel, feeling that it shared an uncanny resemblance to the hotels used by film crews and the neighborhood where he lived.

Turning to look at the tall and magnificent hotel again, he was alert: "This hotel looks pretty high-end."

The wallet in his pocket was already breaking out in a cold sweat.

The good neighbor understood completely what he was thinking and said, "This is Aunt Jiang's hotel."

Aunt Jiang's hotel, no charge for staying.

Or rather, last night when Xu Lang informed Ms. Jiang, who was on the other side of the ocean, of their itinerary, Ms. Jiang insisted that they stay at the hotel under her management for these two days.

Chen Erbai silently gave the wealthy Aunt Jiang a thumbs-up.

The hotel room had already been arranged. After reporting their names, someone led them to take the elevator, going straight up to the higher floors.

Ms. Jiang had the hotel prepare a suite, four bedrooms and two living rooms, more than enough for three people to live in.

City Z bordered the sea. Looking down from the living room or bedroom, one could see the coastline stretching to the horizon and nearby shopping malls and attractions.

Entering the room, Chen Moubai could finally take off his hat and mask, standing on the balcony to catch some wind, his messy hair swaying in the breeze.

He slept until morning yesterday, woke up, and set out for the airport. Still wearing the loose shirt he wore before sleeping last night, the shirt fluttered in the wind, easily feeling the shape of the wind.

The high schooler, still tidying up his suitcase, turned to look, his eyes brightening. Just as he wanted to pull out his phone, he heard a faint sound coming from beside him.

When he looked over again, he only saw his brother calmly putting his phone away.

"..."

The high schooler didn't quite understand, but the high schooler always felt something strange, an indescribable strangeness.

Then he watched as his brother also walked onto the balcony, casually handing over a tissue to wipe the sweat.

Wiping the sweat off his forehead, Chen Bai turned to look at the person beside him and said, "Were you taking photos just now? I thought I heard a sound."

He smiled and said, "Remember to send me a copy later. Sister Qian told me again that her stock is running low."

It shouldn't be a delusion. He always felt that his money-making partner's stock seemed to be perpetually in short supply, no matter how many photos were sent, it was never enough.

He felt this should be an effective way to scam photos. According to his money-making partner's personality, they definitely had a large stash of photos in reserve.

The well-intentioned Chen Yibai didn't expose this. When he had photos, he gave two, and most of the time, he replenished from his good neighbor's photo album.

His good neighbor replied with an affirmative.

"..."

So it was just taking photos for daily posting.

The high schooler in the living room retracted his gaze, that strange feeling disappeared once again.

Looking down at the time on his phone, Xu Lang said to the two on the balcony, "It seems it's almost time to enter the venue."

The people on the balcony thus turned around, closed the window, and returned to the living room.

Before leaving, Chen Moubai put on a practical medical mask, transforming from an ordinary audience member into an ordinary audience member suspected of having a cold.

The BCL Summer Finals were held on schedule in late August. Sixteen teams competed for the championship and a prize pool of three million, with the entire event livestreamed on-site. Fruit Live obtained exclusive broadcasting rights for the entire web.

The competitors hadn't taken their positions yet; the live broadcast had already started before the match began, during the audience's entry. It was being adjusted on the fly, and the system struggled to handle the heat of the live room, stuttering for a few moments before readjusting and returning to normal.

By now, most of the audience had taken their seats. The front row, near the edge, has always been reserved by Fruit Live for its own streamers, which was mostly full, with familiar faces as far as the eye could see.

A young man in a simple white T-shirt sat in the middle of the front row, looking down at his phone. Through the live lens, only half of his profile could be seen.

Half a face was enough for recognition. Regulars of the live room could identify who it was at first sight.

"I see Qingzhou! Usually, I'm so used to seeing him that I forget how handsome he is until moments like these."

"Where's Erbai, where's Erbai! Has Erbai arrived!"

"Every streamer I recognize by face and ID, but those I want to see who've never shown their faces probably didn't come (closing eyes)."

"Today's Qingzhuo is also alone. Did the platform not invite Erbai?"

"Upstairs, despite Erbai's recent lack of enthusiasm for work, his popularity remains. He was probably invited, but chose not to come [crying cat emoji]."

"My streamers who haven't shown their faces might just be socially anxious, too scared to sit in the streamer's seat, but secretly here (weeping)."

"Upstairs, first rule out Erbai. Stingy Chen Erbai would never buy a ticket starting at three digits."

...

Stingy Chen Erbai entered the venue, bringing along his four-digit ticket, grateful for the air conditioning inside that saved his life, wearing a hat and a mask.

Xu Sinian clearly had experience attending such events, leading them through the exclusive backstage passage.

The backstage passage had slightly less foot traffic than the upper stands, but it wasn't much better. Surrounded by crowds, some eager to take their seats in the front row, he walked among them, nearly losing his hat to an unknown good Samaritan, but fortunately, a good neighbor helped keep it in place, pressing down the brim for him.

With his hat firmly back on his head, Chen Erbai chose to keep his head down, focusing on the path ahead, and grabbed the sleeve of his good neighbor to avoid getting separated.

Beyond the shadow cast by the brim of his hat, his good neighbor released the hand holding onto the sleeve.

Feeling the emptiness on his hand, he looked up, unable to speak before a searing warmth reached his wrist through his wrist guard.

Xu Sinian held his wrist, turning his head to whisper, "This way, we won't get separated."

Chen Erbai: "…"

Chen Erbai lowered his gaze to the muscular arm holding his wrist, finding the logic sound.

It certainly seemed more reliable than relying on a piece of cloth.

Indeed, what a clever neighbor.