Assassin, Don’t Be Too Arrogant [E-sports] - Chapter 7

“Alright, turn right when you exit, and it’s at the very end.”

Jian Yao hurried toward the restroom sink. The moment he saw the mirror, he leaned right up to it.

Did I make a fool of myself?! Is my nose running?!

He scrutinized his eyes in the mirror and only relaxed when he saw they looked normal again.

A passerby who had just left the restroom was startled. He quickly rinsed his hands and muttered, “Is this kid crazy?”

Jian Yao glanced around, then slipped past their private room and made his way to the front counter.

“Hey, you’re the young man Xiao Zhe brought.”

“Shh!” Jian Yao gestured for Aunt Chen to lower her voice, then asked, “Aunt Chen, I’m here to pay the bill.”

“Pay the bill? Xiao Zhe already paid when he made the reservation.”

“What?!” Jian Yao was shocked. So fast? He immediately deflated, forcing a smile at Aunt Chen. “Thank you, Auntie.”

“Oh, by the way, young man, what’s your name? Are you a member of the AFG team?”

“My name is Jian Yao. Unfortunately, I’m not a member of the AFG team,” Jian Yao replied, scratching his head.

Aunt Chen smiled apologetically. “Sorry about that. It’s just that besides bringing his teammates, I’ve never seen Xiao Zhe bring anyone else here before. That’s why I asked. Please don’t take it to heart.”

“Ah, it’s fine, Aunt Chen. I won’t disturb you any further.” Just as Jian Yao was about to leave, Aunt Chen stopped him.

“Can I ask you, in your eyes, what kind of person is Xiao Zhe?”

Seeing Jian Yao look a bit confused, Aunt Chen waved her hand with a gentle laugh. “Sorry, was that question too sudden? It’s just that I’m worried…”

“Worried that Wen Zhe might get hurt?”

Aunt Chen nodded meaningfully. Before she could explain further to Jian Yao, a call for a server suddenly came from the main hall. She could only offer an apologetic look and hurry off to attend to it.

Jian Yao also pretended nothing had happened and returned to the private room. He saw that after he came back, Wen Zhe had taken all the skewers off the grill and placed them on Jian Yao’s plate, saying with a kind expression, “Eat more.”

And Jian Yao had no choice but to eat them all.

Well, now it really feels like being treated like a son.

Only after the last skewer was downed and Jian Yao let out a satisfied burp did Wen Zhe finally withdraw his gaze, which had been unintentionally fixed on the other.

“Let’s go. I’ve already paid the bill.”

Wen Zhe stood up and headed outside. Jian Yao chased after him, asking, “How much was it? Let’s split it. I can’t let you pay on our first meeting.”

“Aunt Chen, we’re leaving now.” Wen Zhe waved to Aunt Chen, pushed the door open, and quickly stepped out.

Jian Yao could only hurriedly push the door open with one hand, one foot already outside while half his body was still inside, calling out, “Goodbye, Aunt Chen! Thank you, Auntie, the food was delicious!”

“Hey, you two ride carefully!” Aunt Chen held the door that was about to close and called out to the two outside who were putting on their helmets.

“Got it,” Wen Zhe said, adjusting the handlebars after Jian Yao was seated. “Aunt Chen, you should go back inside. I’ll let you know when I get home safely.”

“Alright.” Aunt Chen only withdrew her waving hand after the electric scooter had ridden off. Recalling the scene from earlier, a genuine smile spread across her face.

Leaves take time to turn yellow…

But fortunately, in the end, all fallen leaves return to their roots, and everything settles into place.

“Wen Zhe, I’m serious. Tell me how much it was.” Jian Yao took off his helmet, his gaze firm as he looked at Wen Zhe.

“My stance is clear too. You don’t need to pay. This meal is on me.”

The two were at a stalemate. Looking into Jian Yao’s intense gaze, Wen Zhe unconsciously reached out and ruffled his hair. “Then just remember this: next time, you can treat me back.”

“No way, your schedule is packed. I definitely won’t have time to ask you out.”

“Not at all. As long as I’m not in a match, I always have time.”

“How is that possible?” Jian Yao clenched his left hand into a fist and started counting from his thumb: “Matches, training, live streams, post-match analysis, commercial events… Clearly, you’re so busy one hand isn’t enough to count it all.”

“You know so much?” Wen Zhe raised an eyebrow, looking at the slightly flustered person in front of him.

“Ah, no, not really… Don’t you know too?” Jian Yao’s throat moved slightly. “I’m your… fan.”

“I only knew you were my fan. You’re a fan of them too?” Wen Zhe’s tone was half-believing, half-doubting.

“No, no, no. You just need to know I’m your fan, that’s all.” Jian Yao waved his hands frantically.

“Got it. Even so,” Wen Zhe stared intently at Jian Yao, “I’m still looking forward to our next meeting.”

A leaf fell in front of Jian Yao, and Wen Zhe’s figure grew blurry. He couldn’t quite distinguish reality from the dream.

“Oh, right,” Wen Zhe picked up a brown paper bag that had been hanging on the bike hook for a long time and handed it to Jian Yao. “Open it and see.”

“What is this?” Jian Yao took it in a daze and looked inside. “Headphones?”

“Yeah, a gift for meeting you.”

Jian Yao took them out and saw they were the gaming headphones Wen Zhe endorsed, averaging over 500 yuan!

Angel: You can’t accept this. Have some backbone and refuse!

Devil: Just take it. It’s not your money anyway.

As the two argued chaotically, Wen Zhe chimed in, “Don’t overthink it. The brand sent these. I only have one head, so I can’t wear this many.”

“Poof—”

The angel and devil vanished into thin air.

“Thank you.”

“Thank who?” Wen Zhe raised an eyebrow.

“Thank you, thank you, Wen Zhe.”

Hearing this, Wen Zhe was satisfied, his lips curling uncontrollably. “You’re welcome. Wen Zhe says you’re welcome to Jian Yao.”

Such a formal response.

But… it felt pretty good.

“You go on up first. I’ll reply to a message and then leave.” With that, Wen Zhe planted his feet on the ground, leaned back, and pulled his phone from his pocket.

“Okay. Be safe on the way, and if possible…” Jian Yao pulled up the hood of his sweatshirt, lowering his gaze. “Let me know you got home safe.”

“Understood,” Wen Zhe quickly ruffled Jian Yao’s hair. “Go on. Goodbye.”

“Goodbye.”

Jian Yao turned slightly, waved at Wen Zhe, and hurried inside without looking back.

Watching Jian Yao disappear, Wen Zhe silently dialed a number, quickly holding the phone away from his ear as it connected.

“Wen Zhe! What’s going on with you?!”

“What’s wrong, Sister Yan?”

“You’re asking me what’s wrong? Paparazzi took photos of you tonight and posted them online. It’s trending number one right now!”

“Huh?” Now it was Wen Zhe’s turn to look confused.

“‘Famous esports player Wen Zhe secretly meets a girl late at night.’ If you’re dating, fine, I’m not stopping you, but could you at least hide it better? Young Master Wen, with matches coming up, causing this kind of trouble—you might as well just form a sworn brotherhood with SG and WG.”

“Send it to me, let me see.”

“You’re so stubborn. Sent.”

Wen Zhe switched to the background and skimmed through it—all sensational headlines from gossip accounts.

Scrolling to the caption “sweet and delicate little girlfriend” with the accompanying photo, he laughed out loud.

“You’re laughing! You’re going to be the death of me.”

“He’s sweet, but not delicate.”

“At a time like this, you’re still defending your little girlfriend?!”

“No, I wouldn’t dare. It’s just I need to set the record straight.”

“Stop beating around the bush. What are you trying to say?”

“He’s a guy.”

“Huh? A guy?” Li Yan shot up from her office chair. “Your little boyfriend?!”

“This is Yao.”

“YAO? That streamer?”

“Yeah. I’ll handle this. I’ll make a post later.” Wen Zhe sighed helplessly, rubbing his forehead.

But then he suddenly thought about what Jian Yao would say if he saw the news. Imagining Jian Yao’s likely reaction, he couldn’t help but smile.

“You seem pretty happy about it, huh? You didn’t reply to my messages, had me worried all night, and now you’re saying you’ll make a post? Remember how long I waited for you to handle that last issue? In the end, the club had to step in.”

“Sorry, sorry, let’s not bring up last time,” Wen Zhe said with a wry smile. “I’ll treat you to a meal next time.”

“One meal isn’t enough.”

“Fine, you call the shots. I’m hanging up now.”

After hanging up, Wen Zhe took a deep breath. The quiet around him felt wonderful.

“Wen Zhe!”

Wen Zhe turned toward the source of the voice and saw a figure darting toward him. “Jian Yao…”

Did he already know about this?

“Good, you haven’t left yet,” Jian Yao said, trying to catch his breath but failing. “Wait a sec, let me catch my breath.”

“What’s the rush?” Wen Zhe put down his motorcycle’s kickstand and walked over, gently patting Jian Yao’s back. “Take it easy.”

“I was watching from the window the whole time. I was afraid if I came down, you’d already be gone.”

“You could have just called me.”

“That’s the problem,” Jian Yao looked up at him, a bit aggrieved. “Halfway down, I realized I left my phone upstairs! I couldn’t go back up or down, so I just ran all the way.”

The smile on Wen Zhe’s face only grew. “You went through all that trouble. So, what’s the urgent matter that made you rush down like this?”

“This,” Jian Yao extended his left hand, slowly opening his palm to reveal a thoroughly crumpled, heart-wrenching talisman. “How did it end up like this…”

“Is this a talisman?”

“I’m impressed you can still tell.”

Wen Zhe picked it up and examined it closely. “Invincible in Battle.”

“Yeah. For gaming, it’s all about the mystical luck.”

Seeing Jian Yao’s expression that practically screamed “Praise me!”, Wen Zhe felt like teasing him and replied with a straight face, “So, my skills aren’t good enough?”

“No, no, no,” Jian Yao panicked, waving his hands. “That’s not what I meant! It’s to prevent opponents from pulling any dirty tricks. Your skills are definitely the best.”

“Hmm, indeed.” Wen Zhe raised an eyebrow.

“So, I hope you’ll accept it.” Even though it’s a mess now…

“Alright, I’m just teasing you,” Wen Zhe said, putting the talisman in his pocket. “I like it. Thank you.”

“I should head back then. Be careful on your way home, and—”

“I’ll message you when I get home.”

“Okay, hurry back.”

“Alright. Wait for my message.”

Jian Yao watched Wen Zhe’s figure disappear into the distance, then turned and left, feeling relieved.

As soon as he got home, he heard the incessant ping of message notifications—his phone had been on Do Not Disturb when he left, and he’d forgotten to turn it off. From the moment he stepped out until now, the alerts hadn’t stopped.

He hadn’t paid much attention before, but now, seeing the flood of messages, Jian Yao was startled. He quickly ran through everything he’d done in his life. Aside from occasionally venting his frustrations online, he hadn’t done anything against the rules, right?!

With a nervous heart, he opened the private messages and was instantly bewildered.

“YAO! Wen Zhe has another scandal!”

“My poor baby, I never thought Wen Zhe would do something like this.”

“YAO, check the trending topics!”