Chapter 1

He walks very upright, which is in stark contrast to the carefree sitting posture he just had, as if he were two different people

The blonde glanced at him and said knowingly, "Did you stay up late again last night?"

It has been a long time since we last met, and I miss you dearly. The two little girls sat in the car, laughing and crying. Once they regained their composure, the sky brightened. Cheng Xue drove through winding roads, taking Su Zhan to enjoy the most distinctive Shengjianbao in Yajiang.

Indeed, the first keyword that popped into Su Zhan's mind when he saw Xu Jiayan for the first time was "unrestrained"

Cheng Xue parked the car, took out the car keys, reached out to touch her head, and said in a tone of surprise: "Baby, are you okay? You didn't used to say this to me before"

While parking, Su Zhan suddenly remembered something, "Your younger brother is in his third year of high school this year, right"

Do you want a signature

Completed

That year, she had just graduated from university for one year

Captain TED, pot

It is indeed beautiful, but unfortunately, it has a naturally indifferent appearance

The first bite of Lao Yang's pan-fried buns brings a genuine sense of returning home to Su Zhan

Cheng Xue solemnly imitated her tone as she held it: "You see, games are something that should not be touched, just like cigarettes, they should not be touched"

A group of people stood by the baggage carousel, chatting and laughing as they waited for their luggage to be delivered. Su Zhan immediately spotted Xu Jiayan surrounded by a group of boys, a black mask loosely hanging from his ears. His luggage had been the first to arrive, and now he was sitting on his suitcase with his legs apart, playing on his phone, waiting for his companions' bags to be delivered one by one.

After finishing the meal and bidding farewell to Lao Yang, Cheng Xue took Su Zhan home

In the conversation, it is evident that the foreigner is a true fan, having followed him since he started playing games

The young man, upon hearing Uncle Yang's shengjian, instantly became more alert and cheerfully replied, "Alright."

As it is a late-night flight, the VIP lounge is not very crowded. In addition to Su Zhan and a group of boys resembling professional athletes, there is also a couple engrossed in each other, oblivious to their surroundings, and two foreigners engaged in lively conversation.

Su Zhan could not help but listen for a while, but unfortunately, he understood nothing

The most valuable esports player in the country

An hour later, he suddenly turned off his phone, casually stuffed it back into the pocket of his down jacket, rubbed the back of his neck, and said to the person next to him: "I will take a nap."

He gave a faint hum, put on his mask again, and leaned against the seat to begin resting his eyes.

The blonde-haired person curled their lips and continued to speak with someone on voice chat

Su Zhan squinted his eyes and scrutinized him once again

However, there are also unexpected moments

In the next ten minutes, Su Zhan organized the fragmented words of the boys and extracted the key points; they are professional esports players

Perhaps due to the previous widespread rumors of the apocalypse, winter arrived particularly early that year in Beixun. Cold air swept in one after another, causing the temperature to plummet by more than ten degrees. The biting north wind howled fiercely, roaring like a raging lion

This time, he pulled the mask that was hanging halfway on his ear up.

It must be acknowledged that this man is indeed alluring to her

... must have been regarded as a peeping Tom

A flashy red Audi was parked, with Cheng Xue sitting inside, wearing a low-cut short skirt and smoking a cigarette, waving vigorously at her. Su Zhan dragged her luggage over, tossed it into the trunk, and sat in the passenger seat. As soon as she got in the car, Cheng Xue pinched her cheek without mercy, saying, "You actually remembered to come back? I thought once you entered the city, you would forget about us kids from the mountains."

After graduating, I stayed in the north for a year, and then hurriedly packed my bags and returned.

She had booked a flight with China Southern Airlines, a notoriously unreliable airline, and the flight was delayed by two hours. At that time, she was sitting in the airport lounge, idly flipping through magazines, when she was captivated by a group of young men.

"That's not true!"

The boarding announcement has been made

The bridge of the nose is straight and firm like a pillar, the lips are very thin, and the contours are sharp.

Xu Jiayan suddenly smiled, revealing a perfect set of eight teeth, like a big boy, waved at them, and turned to leave

The dish they loved the most during their school days was the pan-fried buns from this restaurant. To their surprise, after so many years, this restaurant is still in operation. Su Zhan truly finds this to be an unexpected delight

Su Zhan pretended to strike him again, and Cheng Hui hurriedly ran into the living room to have breakfast

Su Zhan leaned against the windowsill and lit a cigarette. Through the morning mist, the western light was bright. She brushed off the ash and casually said, "Have you been playing games until you're dazed? If your sister were as muddled as you, I would still be freezing at the airport right now"

As a new wave of cold air approached, Su Zhan swiftly rolled up his bedding and fled back to the Yajiang.

She found a reason that satisfied her: "Every industry deserves respect"

Two people, friends for ten years, have not seen each other for a long time. After the college entrance examination, Cheng Xue was admitted to a local normal university, while Su Zhan, the science top student of that year, went alone to the best university in the north.

Cheng Hui was still chewing on a pan-fried bun when he heard the words "game" and nodded in a daze

Cheng Hui's poor academic performance and his obsession with gaming have always been known to Su Zhan. Over the past few years, the two have intermittently kept in touch, and every time Cheng Xue brings up this issue, it causes her a headache

Cheng Xue had a meeting in the morning, and after finishing breakfast, hurried off to school. It was only when Su Zhan finished packing her luggage that Cheng Hui slowly got out of bed. The drowsy young man rubbed his face and glanced at Su Zhan, thinking it was Cheng Xue, casually greeted her, and then headed to the bathroom. After a while, he returned from the bathroom, stood in front of Su Zhan, stared at her for a long time, and exclaimed, "Little Su Jie?"

They are wearing identical white team uniforms, with several English letters printed on the chest that seem to be a logo. Over the uniforms, they have on knee-length black down jackets, and slung over their shoulders are nearly identical large black bags. A few big boys are walking in from the terminal entrance, chatting and laughing.

This time, Su Zhan pondered for a moment and said, "Perhaps this could be a way out?"

As she spoke, the image of that unruly figure and those cold, clear eyes instinctively sprang to Su Zhan's mind

After Cheng Xue started working, she came here every day to buy breakfast. She was also familiar with Old Yang. As soon as she walked into the store, she called out to him excitedly, "Old Yang, guess who came today?"

This is the principle

Because Xu Jiayan was sitting opposite her, with his legs spread apart, in a very unrestrained posture

Indeed, I have also paid attention to each of his matches

The three individuals engaged in a lively conversation

Su Zhan is not unfamiliar with the term professional esports player, as her former assistant, Xie Xi, was a devoted esports fan. From the conversations of those around her and their attitudes towards that person, Su Zhan could also tell that he seemed to be quite extraordinary

From the moment he entered, he kept his head down playing on his phone, his gaze never leaving the screen. At this moment, leaning back in his seat, he was still engrossed in the game on his device. Next to him sat a boy with dyed yellow hair, propping his feet up, occasionally sending a voice message to someone, but mostly watching the people around him play games.

Old Yang looked at her for a while, his eyes filled with infinite emotion: "You girl, it has been such a long time since we last met. I heard you went to university in the north? How is it? Is the Shengjian delicious over there?"

As Su Zhan just exited the airport, he was blinded by the headlights of Cheng Xue's car.

This time, he couldn't even be bothered to lift his eyelids, merely snorting in response.

He is quite handsome and unconventional

How did I say it

Cheng Xue also found it incredible: "Did you not expect this? This pan-fried bun is really delicious. When they initially announced the demolition, I thought this shop would close down. I didn't expect that the demolition didn't happen later. The owner just loves this location. If it were moved to another place, we wouldn't be able to taste that flavor. Look, across this small river, we can still see the little hill where we used to skip class to pick and eat small fruits."

He is taller than all the boys in this group, with jet-black hair, a clean and neat short haircut, and a pair of brows and eyes full of vigor, yet as cold as a deep pool of water. His high nose bridge is hidden beneath a black mask, and further down, only a section of his fair neck is visible, with a prominent Adam's apple. He is not wearing a logo team uniform; underneath, he has on a gray hoodie, and over it, he wears a black knee-length down jacket, just like theirs.

... ...

Su Zhan slightly leaned forward and politely greeted, "Uncle Yang, long time no see"

Occasionally, a few exclamations of surprise from the blonde could be heard from over there. Su Zhan looked over with curiosity, but the person remained with their head down, pursing their lips while playing with their phone

Both the mind and thoughts have already departed

Old Yang poked his head out from the kitchen door and asked, "Xiaoxue, who have you brought? Is it your boyfriend?"

Until the plane landed at Yajiang Airport, Su Zhan encountered them again when he went to the baggage claim area to retrieve his luggage

Su Zhan immediately spotted Xu Jiayan, who was walking behind wearing a mask. He had no backpack, one hand was playing with his phone, and the other hand was tucked in his pocket. With his dark hair tousled, he was making his way towards the lounge.

Many regular customers advised, "Old Yang, can you support your children like this?"

Su Zhan asked again: "So do you know what a pot is?"

The two foreigners behind Su Zhan have been whispering in English since that person entered through the door: "OMG, he is Pot!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Old Yang noticed Su Zhan behind Cheng Xue, and with a delighted grin, he said, "Isn't this little Su? You've become so beautiful!"

Su Zhan lowered her head again to flip through the magazine in her hands, but she could no longer read a single word.

Captain TED

Perhaps it was the intensity of the gaze this time, too close in distance, that made the person aware and lift their head, casually glancing in her direction. The plane had landed just after five in the morning, and through the faint morning light, amidst the sparse early dawn, their eyes met for the first time.

Su Zhan stood in place, reached out to ruffle his hair, and laughed: "Go wash up quickly, we brought you Uncle Yang's pan-fried buns."

Cheng Hui, panting, finished off both baskets of pan-fried buns. After Su Zhan finished smoking, he walked over, pulled up a stool, and sat down beside him. "Do you like playing games?"

Cheng Xue put away her playful demeanor and said seriously: "There are some things that you cannot change the prejudices of society"

While brushing his teeth, he did not forget to poke his head out and speak to Su Zhan: "Why did you arrive so early? I heard from my sister that your flight was in the evening?"

Su Zhan silently marked the key points in her mind

Old Yang's Shengjian shop is located at the entrance of the alley by the river. The owner has been in business here for over twenty years, opening punctually every morning and closing on time every evening. While prices have risen everywhere around, the price of the Shengjian buns here has remained unchanged, still costing 0.5 yuan for two.

As Xu Jiayan just woke up, he heard two foreigners discussing with his companion about getting autographs. He rubbed his hair, stood up, and generously signed his name before handing it to them, and exchanged a few simple words.

The announcement at the airport played the boarding reminder again. Xu Jiayan politely indicated that he had to leave first. The foreigner gave him a thumbs-up gesture while reluctantly saying in English: "You are my favorite esports player, bar none"

I have watched every match of his

Su Zhan smiled and said, "Of course, it is not as authentic as yours"

Then comes temptation

He is currently the most valuable professional esports player in China

Cheng Hui retreated a bit, "Hmph, you were already smoking in high school, don't think I don't know. I saw it all, you and my sister, hiding from Auntie, secretly smoking in the alley."

Su Zhan first met Xu Jiayan in the winter of 2012 at Beixun Airport

With a drowsy tone that was both deep and pleasant, Su Zhan looked up upon hearing the voice. She realized that the mask had been removed and set aside at some point, revealing her entire face.

"That is it." Old Yang proudly patted his chest and beckoned them to sit down: "You can find a table to sit at. What would you like to eat?"

Cheng Xue looked at the rearview mirror while reversing, and when she mentioned that kid, she gritted her teeth: "Don't mention it, the college entrance examination is just around the corner, and he is still obsessed with games. A while ago, he even went to enroll in some esports youth class, and all he knows is playing games all day long"

The blonde shook his head and advised, "I suggest you take care of your health."

I must say, foreigners are quite adept at understanding the tricks of the trade

Without any emotions, calm and uneventful, he soon lowered his head and continued to play with his phone

The lounge is filled with the sound of fragmented conversations

It is truly cold today

Cheng Hui chuckled and glanced at the cigarette in her hand, asking in a flattering tone, "Is there any left?"

Old Yang smiled and said, "How can we not thrive? The children are all growing up well, aren't they? We have been making pan-fried buns here for a lifetime, and the neighbors are all familiar with us, taking care of each other. As long as you all enjoy eating, that's enough."

Su Zhan gave him a sharp retort: "Go have breakfast, what bad things are you learning, you little brat?"

Su Zhan couldn't help but blush

Cheng Hui finished washing up and came out, standing in front of her. Su Zhan looked him over for a while, nodded, and then, just like when they were children, lightly pinched his face, saying: "Little rascal, it's good you haven't turned out ugly, you haven't embarrassed your sister."