Chapter 9: Years, Don’t Push Me, I Will Not be Moved (Part 2)
On Saturday afternoon, Qiu Ying got off the elevator and walked out of her apartment entrance. There was a blue Ferrari parked on the side of the road. Ji Xiangkong was leaning back in the driver’s seat, playing with his phone in boredom. Once Qiu Ying got into the car, he straightened up his seat and leaned over to help buckle her seatbelt.
The sports car drove on the highway. Qiu Ying hadn’t expected she would be able to see him again so quickly, so her face was full of unconcealed joy. “Where are we going?”
Ji Xiangkong was wearing sunglasses and was concentrated on driving. “We’re shopping first.”
She felt like she had been splashed with a glass of ice-cold water. Though Qiu Ying couldn’t see his expression clearly, female intuition told her that he wasn’t too happy to see her.
They got out at the entrance to the supermarket, but Ji Xiangkong didn’t say a single word on the way there. Qiu Ying guessed that perhaps something had happened at the club. He didn’t speak, and she was hesitant to ask.
Ji Xiangkong didn’t say what they were buying, yet he pushed the shopping cart forward and picked out some things to put inside. Meat, vegetables, eggs, fruit… Qiu Ying kept on returning the ingredients he’d gotten back on the shelves, chattering, “This brand isn’t worth it for its price,” “This is organic and tastes good,” “The chicken breast is too tough, the chicken legs taste better.”
Ji Xiangkong looked at her in amusement. “I feel like you’re more experienced than my mom.”
Qiu Ying put the green peppers in the bag and lightly said, “I’ve had to rely on myself for a long time. Food, clothes, and shelter, I’ve had to do them all myself.”
As she bend over to pick up the bok choy, several strands of her long hair slipped down. Ji Xiangkong gazed at her profile, then stretched out his hand and carefully helped her tuck her hair behind her air. Qiu Ying jumped in surprise and turned her head slightly to see him move away nonchalantly. Her ears were filled with the quick murmur of her heart.
Standing in front of the drinks shelves, Ji Xiangkong suddenly asked, “You interviewed Pei Xi?”
“Yeah, the organizers assigned it to me.”
Ji Xiangkong casually picked out a Fanta bottle. “Why didn’t you fight to interview me?”
Qiu Ying spread her hands helplessly. “I’m a little person, my words don’t mean anything.”
Ji Xiangkong turned his eyes back to the shelves again. There was a smile on his face but not in his voice. “Streamer Qiu, your hugging ability is becoming better by the day.”1
Qiu Ying’s face was blank. After a long time, she finally reacted. He was referring to what had happened at the party, before.
**
The last day of the Fall Season, the sponsors set up a festive party in the banquet hall. While the mood was high, everyone began to play “Count the Hugs.”
Other than this season’s champions and runners-up, the sponsors also invited some of the staff members and commentators; Qiu Ying was also among them. All of the participants formed a circle, moving clockwise around the stage during the time that the music played. The host would suddenly announce a number, and all of the players had to hug each other based on this number. Those who had the wrong number or couldn’t find a group were then eliminated.
When the song started, the round began.
“Two!”
Before the host had even finished speaking, Qiu Ying reflexively ran towards Ji Xiangkong, but four girls were already pouncing on him, like tigers springing down from the top of the mountain. Qiu Ying helplessly turned back. She looked around; everyone else already speedily hugged other people, and there were only two other people left in the whole arena. The damn detective who’d been sniffing after clues, Pei Xi; as well as an apologetic-looking bald man.
Qiu Ying was very close to Pei Xi. She didn’t want to hug the bald man, Pei Xi obviously didn’t want to hug her, and the bald man wanted to hug her.
Stuck between a frying pan and a fire, Pei Xi rushed toward the bald man! The bald man rushed toward Qiu Ying!
Qiu Ying intercepted Pei Xi on his way to the bald man and hugged him!
The struggle of human nature! Bald man, out!
Feeling Pei Xi’s obvious stiffness, she didn’t even need to check before knowing that his face was definitely ugly. A cunning smile appeared in her eyes — Don’t you hate me? Too bad I won’t grant your wish.
When the second round began, Pei Xi immediately stayed far away from everyone else and was voluntarily eliminated. Qiu Ying even suspected that she had cast a psychological shadow over the game for him. As she was contemplating this, she looked over at Ji Xiangkong, who had already left the round and was off the stage. He was slouched in a chair, supporting his head in his palm. Both of his eyes were slightly narrowed toward her as he slowly took a bite of an apple.
She could nearly imagine the crisp bite. Qiu Ying shrank back and inexplicably felt some pain.
**
Thinking of it, Qiu Ying couldn’t help but be slightly happy. So the reason why Ji Xiangkong had been extremely unhappy from the moment they met was because he was bothered by this?
He had always spoken in half truths and lies, but her level had considerably improved after repeatedly exchanging blows with him.
“Back then, I could only choose one out of the two. Pei Xi is handsome, with a modern beauty, and it was unconscious.” Qiu Ying said seriously, “It was a conditioned reflex, an instinct. If you were in my position, you would’ve done the same.”
“Well, that’s true!” Ji Xiangkong smiled, his eyes curving. “How did it feel? Was it exciting?”
Qiu Ying raised her eyebrows disconcertedly. “What… what felt like what?”
Ji Xiangkong’s voice was light: “Hugging him.”
Qiu Ying froze, then painted a vivid portrait: “His muscles are well-proportioned, it didn’t feel bad, but he was too nervous and his entire body was stretched into a wood pole.”
Ji Xiangkong smiled without replying.
Qiu Ying continued to poke at him: “Pei Xi is so strong, it’s like he’s going against the heavens, and he’s aloof and self-restraining. Girls like the feeling of ‘the whole world owes him money, but only she is his creditor’, get it? They love that type of special treatment.”
Ji Xiangkong still didn’t reply. Qiu Ying was secretly delighted and poked him with her finger. “Don’t feel down, there’s still a market for warm men like you.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Ji Xiangkong turned, his eyes deepening. “I’m not a warm man.”
He moved his fingers slightly and seemed to subconsciously stroke the bottle. “Looks like you’ve completely forgotten about what happened in the alley after we just met.”
Qiu Ying could no longer bear to fight this cold war. That was not his usual casual teasing. Back then, when he had trapped her in between the wall and his body, his strength was so frightening that his entire body emanated a dangerous, threatening air that made her shudder with fear.
Ji Xiangkong tilted his head, lifted his eyebrows, and lowly spoke, word by word, “I can help you remember it again.”
Qiu Ying obediently shut up.
After they finished their shopping, their final destination was an small, out-of-the-way internet cafe. As soon as Ji Xiangkong went through the door, he was elatedly surrounded by people who all said “Ji god” extremely respectfully.
“Ji god, you have so many female fans, when’ll you help introduce a girlfriend for our Sun ge?”
“Haha, but Ji god’s still single himself.”
As soon as his words were out of his mouth, the young man who had just spoken suddenly grew stiff. Behind their Ji god was standing a beautiful woman with willow eyebrows, almond eyes, long brown hair. She was unforgettably beautiful.
The young man blushed and hesitatingly asked, “Ji god, is this your little sister?”
There was someone who recognized her: “Woah! It’s Qiu Ying, the one who was in the rumor mill with Ji god before.”
Seeing everyone’s gazes sweep over her like a searchlight, Qiu Ying was slightly embarrassed. Not only was she not his girlfriend, she’d once had her confession rejected. She waved her hand: “No, we’re just friends.”
“Xiangkong.”
A mellow voice came from not far away, and Qiu Ying looked toward it. A man was walking toward them. He was slightly taller than Ji Xiangkong, his features warm and handsome. The soft yellow light made him look kind and friendly.
“Sun ge.” Ji Xiangkong smiled as he walked forward. The other person’s wide palm rubbed his head as if he was interacting with a younger brother.
Qiu Ying finally matched up his face with the pictures that had been widely circulated around the internet. Blood immediately rushed up to her head.
The ancient titan of esports, Sun Zeyi.
**
Eight years ago, he and Pei Xi’s cousin, Summer, and the legendary captain, Cris, had together gained China’s very first Conquer World Championship. In the finals, as the big brother ADC, his total kills for the entire game was an astonishing 700+. Back then, his operating was called “monstrous”!
In the few years he was active in competitions, his name was synonymous with “unyielding” in the players’ hearts. His late-stage heroes stood up again and again when the team was in a powerless situation to stage countless desperate comebacks.
Unfortunately, fate was not on his side. During the time he was at his peak, the esports conditions were extremely difficult — he was misunderstood, had a small income, and lived in poverty and distress. Later on, one of his family members fell seriously ill, forcing him into retirement; he was living was an ordinary person for the few years after. Yet he had just made a comeback last year. Because of his long absence from the battlefield, as well as his age, the former hero was reduced to a joke by the media and fans.
They said to him: “This is no longer your era.”
Esports was at its core a business structured like a pyramid. Thousand of second- and third-string teams came from all over the country, but only a few dozen people could climb up to the dazzling top. Because of their absolute dominance in Starcraft, the Koreans treated the esports game as their national sports skill on the same level as soccer and Go, yet China was the leading nation in Conquer. It was the mission of every professional player to defend their overlord position that had been won by the previous generation.
They represented all of the Chinese players to fight on the world stage. If their conditions deteriorated, they would be replaced by the next generation. Even if they had once achieved great things.
Age was the eternal limiter of esports players. Summer and Cris chose to leave, but the Sun Zeyi who was nearing his 30s, this great god who was called the “faith” of his fans, turned down the streaming contract of a livestream platform and decided to stay behind in the field and fight for the championship. Even if countless people advised him not to go through unnecessary struggles.
The veteran was dead, but his blood was not yet cold.
Qiu Ying had once seen a post online that contained two simple photos.
The first picture was Sun Zeyi, 8 years ago, bearing the national flag, a hero who was passionately holding aloft a trophy. The other was Sun Zeyi, 8 years later, eliminated in the qualifiers, his figure exhausted and worn-out.
The background music of the web page slowly sang—
Years, don’t push forward, I will not be moved.
Years, don’t push forward, I will chase you.2
**
After Ji Xiangkong introduced them to each other, Qiu Ying and Sun Zeyi chatted about many past events, unable to keep themselves from lamenting that the current flourishing state of esports was truly hard-won.
There suddenly arose a clamor from the large hall. Lin Yixuan rushed through the door toward Ji Xiangkong to give him a passionate hug.
“Your VPG’s CEO is so powerful, I don’t know what deal she made with the Legend higher-ups but they suddenly let me go. She wouldn’t be helping me for so reason, so it has to be because you sold yourself!” Lin Yixuan grew more panicked the more he thought about it and brought both his hands up in fists next to his mouth. He spoke, choked up, “May… maybe you even offered away your most precious thing!”
A group of people pounded the table in an uproar.
Lin Yixuan squinted: “Xiangkong, I can’t repay this kindness, I can only promise you my body!”
Ji Xiangkong kicked him, laughing, “Do you want to go back to the cold bench?”
As Qiu Ying lamented that these two brothers had such a good relationship but unfortunately weren’t on the same team right now, she saw a small girl hiding behind a pillar, timidly watching from the side. Qiu Ying curiously went over to the little girl and discovered that she seemed to be only around 7 or 8 years old. She had two pigtails, a pinkish melon face, and large round eyes beneath neat bangs. Qiu Ying couldn’t breathe, suddenly overwhelmed by her cuteness.
Qiu Ying squatted down to talk to the little loli, but unfortunately she pressed her lips together without replying. Lin Yixuan noticed that something was going on and excitedly ran over, both eyes shining. “Xiao Qianqian, do you want to play with A’xuan gege?”
Sun Qian shook her head. As she saw him nearing, the little girl ran away and straight to Ji Xiangkong.
Qiu Ying watched the little girl tugging on the bottom of Ji Xiangkong’s clothes, sweetly saying, “Xiangkong gege.” A great sense of frustration immediately arose within her heart. Right after, as she again watched Ji Xiangkong lift up Sun Qian by her arms and put her on his lap, a burst of acid suddenly filled her stomach.
The second floor of the internet cafe was Sun Zeyi’s residence outside of his club. After Ji Xiangkong and Qiu Ying helped bring the ingredients up the stairs, Sun Zeyi warmly said, “Xiangkong, take Qianqian and Xiao Qiu out to play. I can make dinner on my own.”
Qiu Ying thought that she would be responsible for the child out of the three of them, but as it turned out, she thought wrong.
previous chapter | contents page | next chapter
1 Remember in Chapter 3 when Ji Xiangkong told Qiu Ying to learn from Qiao Xin, who was already in Pei Xi’s arms?
2 Probably a play on the song 给自己的歌, A Song for Myself, by Li Zongsheng. The true lyrics are “Years, don’t push, I will not be moved / Years, don’t push, I will not chase you.
lilypad translations 
Thanks 😍
LikeLike