The apartment was quiet when Wang Chaihong stepped through the door, the weight of the day finally crashing down on her. She kicked off her shoes and dropped her bag on the floor, her mind swirling with memories of the tournament, the incident, and the offer. She had barely sat down on the couch when her phone buzzed, the screen lighting up with Ahn Zixin's name.
She reached for her phone on the coffee table and picked it up " Hello Xinxin…"
Even though she heard the exhaustion in her voice, Ahn Zixin's voice was loud, brimming with excitement "Congratulations!!"
Resting her head on the sofa, she lets out a soft chuckle, a small smile creeping onto her lips "Thank you, Xinxin."
Ahn Zixin's tone then shifts "I heard what happened. Accusation of cheating?! They gotta come up with better excuses to make themselves feel better man. They always say the same thing!"
"Hahaha… Well, it does get tiring hearing it from time to time." Wang Chaihong runs her hand through her hair. She sighs and closes her eyes " It wasn't that bad anyways, I have heard worse."
"Wasn't that bad?!" Ahn Zixin raised her words but held back from saying more. She knows Wang Chaihong has already numbed her feelings so she changed to another topic " Fine…I heard you got scouted as well?"
"Ah…that…" Wang Chaihong thinks back to the conversation she had with Yang Jinbao and Kang Dal.
"You are thinking about joining them?" her voice mixed with curiosity and concern.
Wang Chaihong takes out the business card once more and stares at it "I need time…I have a week to respond anyway."
"Take all the time you need, I hope you do join and compete again," Zixin said gently, she remembered the days when she was competing and she would brag to her about her wins or tell her about her experiences traveling around China to compete. "Just remember, you don't have to face this alone this time."
"Thank you again, Xinxin." Wang Chaihong felt a sense of comfort in her best friend's words.
Ahn Zixin's tone brightened, shifting from concern to excitement. "By the way, you better not make any plans for tomorrow," she said, teasingly.
Wang Chaihong blinked, caught off guard. "Why?"
"Because we're going out to celebrate your win, obviously!" Ahn Zixin declared. "You just won a tournament after such a long time! That calls for good food, good drinks, and a reminder that you're amazing. No excuses."
Wang Chaihong forced out a laugh "Are you going to make me travel all the way to another town again?"
"Of course! You need to exercise! Plus we will go to your favorite hotpot place! You can't say no to that." Ahn Zixin said cheerfully.
Wang Chaihong rests the back of her hand on her eyes "You are impossible to say no…"
"Then, it's settled! See you tomorrow" Her giggles could be heard before she hung up on the phone.
_________
Zhang LiQiang was lounging on his bed, scrolling through social media to see if there are any gameplay or clips from Wang Chaihong. As he was about to switch over to his gaming PC when his phone buzzed. Seeing Lu Yufei's name on the screen, he sighed and answered.
"What now?" he grumbles.
"Ah Qiang! I need a favor," Lu Yufei's panicked voice burst through the line.
Zhang LiQiang frowned, already sensing this wouldn't be a simple request. "What kind of favor?"
Lu Yufei hesitated, then said quickly, "There's this limited-edition blind box I really need for my collection. I completely forgot about it! It's releasing in the next town over tomorrow, but I've got a photo shoot, so I can't go myself. Can you help me grab it?"
Zhang LiQiang groaned, running a hand through his hair. "You want me to travel to another town for a blind box? Seriously?"
"Come on, it's not just any blind box!" Yufei argued, his voice taking on a pleading tone. "It's part of the Wabibi series. You know how rare those are! Please, Ah Qiang? You owe me for that time I stood in line to get your signed gaming mouse."
Zhang LiQiang sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Fine. Text me the details, but you owe me dinner for this."
"Deal! You're the best!" Lu Yufei exclaimed before hanging up.
He stares at his ceiling, and shaked his head, thinking about the crazy queue he has to deal with later during the day. Sitting down on his chair, he opened his browser and started typing MapoTofu into various search engines. Articles about her recent tournament victory popped up, accompanied by clips of her gameplay, but they didn't tell him what he really wanted to know: who she was beyond the game.
He slums in his chair "Dead end…". He regrets not asking for any form of contact.