Book 1: Chapter 39 [FINAL]
Ai Qing didn’t expect that her suggestion would bring in such a large crowd. The second floor of the computer city was packed. They were as popular as movie stars.
They were handsome, skilled players, the top three in China and in one month, they could be ranked amongst the world’s top ten.
Who hadn’t played Warcraft before? Even if one hadn’t actually played it, at least one had heard about it.
Boys bought the game for themselves, girls bought it for their boyfriends or someone she secretly admired in the past or in the future. In any case, Slide had a blooming business.
Ai Qing ran to the other side of the floor to make room in the store. She looked at the shop across the atrium and saw three handsome men standing in a row, one had a cute, bashful smile, one smiled once in awhile, and the third never smiled. The crowd could pick and choose as they like.
The event lasted a little past six o’clock, when Slide decided to close the shop early since he felt guilty of making money this way.
Slide was the tallest among them.
When he’s closing the store, he didn’t need a stool. He simply raised his arm high and used his hand in the black glove to pull down the rolling shutter, then he knelt down to lock it.
Dinner naturally was at the street food stands.
Several big boys and a couple of twins ordered a whole case of beer. They raised cup after cup, then they discarded the cups and used the bottles instead.
Hot blooded youth.
It belonged to Grunt and Dt’s generation.
Ai Qing and Slide had become legends of the ancient past.
In the old days, esports in China had just begun to have some regulated compet.i.tions. There weren’t many talented players nor resources; to the point that top talent like Solo was having a hard time to make a decent living. Not to mention those who were less skillful, they had to work while studying on one side and use their hands and keyboards to fight players around the world on the other.
They drank to their heart"s’ content and Slide, who was the weakest to alcohol, was the first one to pa.s.s out.
Then, Grunt , followed by 97.
At the end, only Dt and Ai Qing were still standing. One on one, they were still drinking.
“I suddenly remembered the time you and Solo played a private game at the WCG Asian Tournament.” Ai Qing’s eyes were sparkling and she was full of spirit as she kept drinking, though spoke unclearly, “at that time, you and him, two to three. You two won over the three Koreans who were among the world’s top ten.”
“You still remember?” Dt asked her.
“Yeah.” Ai Qing, with one arm around her sister’s shoulder, grinned and said, “Let me tell you something. When I first arrived at the contestants village, I saw someone’s pants being pulled down.”
Ai Qing stretched out her right hand and used one finger to point to Dt.
Very quiet.
Very quiet.
Ai Qing grinned and squinted her eyes looking at Dt.
Her sister, Ai Jing, was totally speechless.
Dt slightly avoided Ai Jing’s glance. “She’s drunk.”
Because the angle of the moonlight, Dt’s whole face was hidden in the shadow of his cap. She couldn’t see any expression on his face, but it seemed, very likely, probably, a smile.
Later that whole night, Ai Qing kept talking semi-consciously.
She vaguely remembered that when at last she was put to bed by Ai Jing, Dt seemed to be standing right next to her bed.
She said to him:
2011, WCG, after ten years, would be back in Korea.
At that time, all the top players in the world would congregate there, at the place of origin, to fight for the world championship.
“I’ll tell you a secret, I truly want to go.” She recalled saying something like that.
Dt seemed to have knelt down next to her bed and said to her, “I will go with you.”
------ End of Book 1 -------