TuxedoTranslations

Chapter 14

Xia Tong froze. He didn’t understand why this question was suddenly so pointedly directed at him.

Lin Mingfei’s gaze also shot over, heavy and full of weight, as if he cared deeply about the answer. With Shi Ya adding to the tension, Xia Tong suddenly felt nervous. He rubbed the fabric of his pants and hesitated, “I think… I think… being full is the most important! You need to be well-fed to think about desires, right?” He suddenly pointed at Zhou Yanjun and shouted, “Fatty, do you have anything else to eat?!”

“Huh? Aren’t you full yet? I only have chewing gum left!” Zhou Yanjun was confused, then shouted, “Who’s Fatty?! Don’t give people random nicknames, damn it!”

“Let’s hurry up and drive. There’ll be food when we get there,” Shi Ya returned to his indifferent demeanor, as if he had just been teasing Xia Tong.

Lin Mingfei turned his head back, and Xia Tong let out a quiet sigh of relief, quickly changing the subject, “Where are we going?”

“We’re going to find an old teammate of ours,” Lin Mingfei said.

“Your teammate? What does he play?” Xia Tong perked up, leaning forward from the passenger seat with curiosity.

“Axe Warrior. He plays really well, it’s not an exaggeration to say he’s the best Axe Warrior in the country,” Lin Mingfei said.

“Too bad such a good player was abandoned by Du Yong,” Shi Ya said coldly, propping his chin up.

“Yeah, I still had a chance to practice at KUQ, but Xiao Bo probably doesn’t even have a decent internet connection in the countryside! A whole year, wasted, a whole year!” Zhou Yanjun grew more frustrated as he thought about it. “That guy Du Yong really isn’t worth anything!”

“Who’s this Du Yong?” Xia Tong poked Lin Mingfei’s shoulder.

“Our team’s former manager,” Lin Mingfei said flatly. “Two years ago, when I left, I told him to manage Polaris well and wait for me to come back. He didn’t trust me, and he didn’t keep his promises. As soon as I left, he sold Polaris.”

“Actually, when you left, we were playing 5v5 with that substitute hunter. We were dragging four people and still not doing too badly—at least better than the current KUQ,” Shi Ya said lightly. “But back then, Du Yong’s mentality completely collapsed. It seemed like if Polaris didn’t come in first, it was trash.”

“Capitalists and esports players are on different wavelengths,” Lin Mingfei said. “He didn’t have the willpower. I misjudged him.”

“But why did you just leave without a word?” Zhou Yanjun asked, confused. “I still don’t know what you’ve been doing these last two years. If Xia Tong hadn’t told me you went to an eye doctor, I wouldn’t even know you left because of a career-related illness.”

Lin Mingfei glanced at Xia Tong, who clasped his hands over his mouth in embarrassment. “Sorry, I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to say that…”

“Forget it, it’s no big deal,” Lin Mingfei said.

“But what’s so bad about saying it? If you had, everyone would have had something to look forward to! Maybe Du Yong wouldn’t have done such a thing,” Zhou Yanjun said.

“I was afraid it was an illness that couldn’t be cured,” Lin Mingfei said, giving a faint smile.

“Yeah, if it were something like cervical spondylosis, that’d be fine, but eye diseases are rare,” Zhou Yanjun nodded, agreeing without much thought. He drove the car into a golden field, the wind blowing the wheat in waves. Xia Tong, excited, jumped up to the window and pointed at a nearby pond. “There are ducks! Colored ducks!”

“Those are wild ducks,” Lin Mingfei said with a smile. He checked the GPS. “This is the place, let’s get out!”

“Wow!” Xia Tong, who had never been to the countryside before, was ecstatic. The sky was clear, the fields were vibrant, and the gentle breeze carried the scent of grain. He was so excited, running and jumping around.

“Hey! Slow down! Do you know the way? Be careful not to get lost!” Zhou Yanjun shouted from behind.

Lin Mingfei took a few steps, but Shi Ya placed a hand on his shoulder.

“If you thought your illness couldn’t be treated, how could you give such an accurate two-year deadline?” Shi Ya’s voice was low and smooth.

Lin Mingfei’s brow furrowed slightly, his gaze sharpening. But Shi Ya only smiled faintly and released his hand. “Don’t worry, I’m not Zhou Yanjun. I don’t have the habit of asking too many questions. I won’t ask anything you don’t want to answer.”

“You’re just the right amount of likable,” Lin Mingfei huffed, smiling slightly. The two walked down the dirt path toward a self-built two-story house in the distance, where a sign on the wall read “Bojia Village No. 23.”

Shi Ya dialed Bo Yu’s old number, but no one answered. He frowned. “Did Xiao Bo change his phone number?”

Just then, an elderly man riding a small tricycle passed by. Shi Ya quickly stepped forward and politely asked, “Excuse me, does Bo Yu live here?”

“Bo what?” the man asked.

“Bo Yu,” Shi Ya repeated.

“Bo what rain?”

“…” Shi Ya was at a loss for words.

Lin Mingfei placed a hand on Shi Ya’s shoulder, holding back his frustration, and pointed at the building. “Him! Where did he go?”

The old man suddenly seemed to realize something. “Ah! Xiao Bo’er? He’s out picking big plums!”

“We’ll wait for him here,” Lin Mingfei said to Shi Ya.

Shi Ya sighed. “Fine.”

—

Zhou Yanjun had been running across the scattered field ridges for a while and had successfully lost track of Xia Tong. The little guy didn’t look strong, but when he went wild, it was like a runaway horse—so quick and agile. Zhou Yanjun bent over to catch his breath and spotted someone at the other end of the pond who looked oddly familiar.

“Bo Yu?” he blurted out.

The young man was wearing a light, rural-style shirt, sweating profusely as he bundled a pile of branches together. He turned his head at the sound and froze for a moment when his eyes met Zhou Yanjun’s.

Zhou Yanjun: “Damn it, Bo Yu!!! Little Bo!! Don’t run, goddammit!!”

It would have been fine if he hadn’t called out, but as soon as he did, Bo Yu immediately turned and ran. Zhou Yanjun gave it everything he had and chased after him, finally leaping from a high point to tackle Bo Yu to the ground.

“Run, my ass! Damn it! I’ve been looking for you forever!” He held onto Bo Yu’s thigh tightly. “Come on! Let’s go back to Polaris! Captain’s waiting, Timer’s waiting! They’re all waiting for you!”

Bo Yu struggled desperately. “Let go…” he hoarsely said. “Don’t look for me anymore! I can’t play games anymore!”

“You’re talking nonsense! You’ve only been away for a year and you say you can’t play games anymore? Are you stupid?!” Zhou Yanjun roared.

“I’m not playing professionally anymore! Stop wasting your time on me! It’s not worth it for either of us!” Bo Yu pushed Zhou Yanjun off, backing away while straightening his clothes. He shouted, “Go find someone else!”

Zhou Yanjun had never hated his 200+ pounds more than at that moment. When he finally managed to climb out of the muddy pit, Bo Yu was nowhere to be seen.

—

Xia Tong chased two fluttering butterflies, unknowingly wandering into a small forest. The trees were heavy with deep purple fruits, shiny and slick. His attention was immediately drawn to them. Forgetting about the butterflies, he tiptoed and curiously touched the fruit. It was cool and smooth, with plump, full flesh.

“Don’t touch other people’s crops. Do you think this is a free orchard?” A voice reprimanded softly in his ear. Xia Tong jumped, and saw a tan arm reach into his field of vision, picking the fruit from the tree with a soft “crack” and dropping it into a bamboo basket. The arm was long and firm, beautifully shaped, the simple cotton sleeve neatly rolled at the elbow. It belonged to a young man. This man had thick eyebrows and big eyes, an attractive face with an indifferent expression, giving off a “don’t approach me” vibe.

“I wasn’t trying to pick your fruit!” Xia Tong backed up two steps, hands behind his back, speaking softly.

The man remained silent, continuing to pick his fruit.

Xia Tong stood awkwardly, unsure whether to leave or stay, nervously drawing circles on the ground with his foot.

“I didn’t mean to intrude. I was chasing butterflies, and I ended up here…” he tried to explain, hoping to ease the tension. Halfway through, the man suddenly handed him a fruit.

“The rest of these are for sale, so don’t get any funny ideas.” The man picked up the basket and said indifferently, “You can go now, right?”

The fruit was clean and shiny, not a speck of dust on it. Xia Tong stared at it in a daze—he’d been mistaken for someone trying to beg for food.

“I wasn’t going to eat your fruit!” He stomped his foot in frustration.

The man didn’t respond, walking away on his own. Xia Tong quickly caught up, wanting to return the fruit. “No, you’re selling it. I can’t eat it.”

“I won’t be able to sell them all anyway. Just eat it,” the man said impatiently.

“Such good fruit, how can you not sell it all?” Xia Tong continued, talking rapidly as he walked beside him.

“I don’t know.”

“Did you try promoting it?” Xia Tong asked. “Hey, you know? I just heard today that live streaming can boost sales. Have you tried live streaming?”

“I have,” Bo Yu answered slowly. “But it didn’t seem to work.”

“Well, that’s because you’re doing it wrong!” Xia Tong declared proudly. “Let me try promoting it for you!”

Meanwhile, Lin Mingfei and Shi Ya were sitting on small stools in Bo Yu’s yard, waiting idly.

Shi Ya was bored, weaving a grass ring, but Lin Mingfei’s phone suddenly vibrated.

“Zero!” As soon as he answered, Xia Tong’s bright voice came through, “Is Timer there?”

Lin Mingfei glanced over. “He’s here.”

“I’m going to start a live stream! Can Timer come and support me?”

Shi Ya narrowed his eyes at the mention of Xia Tong’s name. “Who’s calling you? Xia Tong?”

Lin Mingfei shrugged. “Yeah, he’s starting a live stream. He wants you to retweet it on Weibo.”

“Why doesn’t he just call me directly?”

Lin Mingfei smirked. “I don’t know.”

That “I don’t know” sounded suspiciously smug, and Shi Ya raised an eyebrow, sensing Lin Mingfei was showing off.

“What’s he streaming?”

“Just watch and you’ll find out.” Lin Mingfei smiled and clicked on the live stream link Xia Tong had just created.

Shi Ya leaned in. “Where’s he at?”

They saw Xia Tong standing in a lush orchard, smiling brightly at the camera, showing off a charming set of pearly white teeth.

“Hello, everyone! I’m Xia Xiaotong! Today, I’m going to introduce Bojia Village’s big plums! Look at this color! So beautiful! And the weight! So solid!” Xia Tong held up a fruit, his delicate fingers curled around the firm, plump purple fruit.

“An eating stream?” Shi Ya’s lips twitched. “Where did he get these plums?”

Lin Mingfei stayed silent, eyes locked on the screen, watching the little Omega.

Xia Tong’s eyes were shining. “Now, let me show you how to eat it—”

He took a big bite.

The sour, bitter juice filled his mouth, almost like the sensation of wheels rolling over his mouth’s sensitive mucous membranes.

Off-camera, Bo Yu tilted his head back tactically, and saw Xia Tong’s delicate face twist into an expression of pure agony.

Xia Tong’s face instantly contorted in pain, his eyes tearing up, and it took him over ten seconds to recover. He then forced a smile that was more painful than crying.

“It’s sweet! So sweet! Who says Bojia Village’s big plums aren’t sweet?! QAQ”

Bo Yu slapped his face.

Reverse product promotion—the most lethal kind.

Feel free to donate for earlier/bonus chapter releases! Thanks for supporting me and enjoy reading 😀