Chapter 44: Summer Season (Part 2)
After thinking for a couple of seconds, Chen Bai decided to return to the platform staff’s message for another look.
This time, he paid more attention to the schedule of the matches.
The summer tournament had already begun. The playoffs would start in mid-August, with the finals at the end of the month, to be held at the Z City Sports Center. The platform was offering tickets for the finals.
The tickets hadn’t gone on sale yet, but since the platform was a sponsor, they had already reserved spots in the venue. As long as those invited confirmed their attendance, their seats would be secured.
Chen Bai’s film schedule was packed for July, but by late August, the scenes at the school location should be nearly finished according to the plan. After that, they would move to a film base to shoot non-school scenes. The earliest booking for the film base was set for later, with a gap of a few days between the end of the school and other outdoor scenes. Those few days would mostly be used to shoot additional footage. If they managed to finish ahead of schedule, Chen Bai could squeeze out two days of rest.
Realizing he could free up some time, Chen Bai still replied to both contacts saying he wouldn’t go.
He enjoyed gaming but wasn’t addicted, and he had watched plenty of tournaments before since he had briefly worked as a commentator. The finals didn’t hold much appeal to him.
To put it simply, there was no money to be made, so he wasn’t going.
After replying, Chen Bai put his phone on Do Not Disturb, handed it back to his assistant, and stood by to watch the school principal’s repeated appearances, until the director called him back.
That evening, work ran late, and the study session with his study partner didn’t go much later. While the workload wasn’t heavy, progress was slow because of the presence of the female lead and the third male lead, dragging the shoot until late at night.
As expected, the heavy rain that had been brewing all afternoon finally started pouring down in the evening and didn’t seem to lessen by the next day.
Friday arrived, a day beloved by students, and the rain couldn’t dampen their excitement for the weekend.
After school, some students came to watch the filming at the old school building but left disappointed, as the rainy weather had moved all the scenes indoors, leaving them unable to spot anyone.
The only person who wasn’t disappointed was Xu Lang. Even though he couldn’t see anyone in the afternoon, he knew he would be able to see his brother Chen Bai that night.
He left with the others and turned down a friend’s invitation to play basketball at the city’s sports center, hurrying home as quickly as he could.
His haste only earned him a task in the kitchen, where his older brother tossed him some vegetables to prepare for dinner.
Standing at the kitchen door, his brother handed him two large bags of groceries from the fridge, saying, “You ordered these, so if you want to eat, handle them yourself.”
The stone he had metaphorically lifted to smash his brother’s hand ended up falling on his own foot.
If his brother said to handle the food, he really meant it. Xu Lang had picked the vegetables himself, so there was no room for complaint. Resigned, he rolled up his sleeves and got to work.
Thus, the pampered young master Xu spent the entire afternoon in the kitchen preparing food, to the point where his eyes went blank.
As night fell, and the rain continued unabated, Chen Bai finally returned to his good neighbor’s house after work. When he knocked on the door, the sight that greeted him was a high schooler named Xu, dressed in an apron with teary eyes.
Chen Bai didn’t quite understand the situation but decided to pat the boy’s head to calm him down.
While Chen Bai was comforting Xu Lang, Xu Sunian came out of his study, glanced at the sulking teenager who was letting Chen Bai pat his head, and remarked, “Your acting is pretty bad.”
The teenager glanced up at him, instantly holding back his tears, then turned to complain to Chen Bai about his brother’s complete lack of help.
Chen Bai patted his shoulder and said, “Your brother has work to do; he can’t help.”
With no one left to vent to, the teenager returned to the kitchen, still in his apron, to wash some baby bok choy.
Xu Sunian noticed the rain-soaked Chen Bai, his hair and shirt still damp, and said, “Go take a shower first.”
Chen Bai nodded.
Since the clothes he had left there the previous day hadn’t dried, Xu Sunian gave him a set of his own clothes: a shirt and some pants.
By now, Chen Bai was used to borrowing clothes from his neighbor and didn’t care about any formalities. After his shower, he slipped into the clothes.
He didn’t even bother undoing the shirt’s buttons—since the collar was large enough, he simply pulled it on like a regular shirt. No need to fuss with buttons.
However, he did need to roll up the sleeves and pant legs. After bending over and rolling them up, Chen Bai, exhausted from a long day, finally stood up straight and wiped away some imaginary sweat from his brow.
When he emerged from the room, towel-drying his hair, his good neighbor was already waiting in the living room and waved him over.
Chen Bai walked over and noticed a hair dryer already plugged in.
His neighbor said, “The air conditioning is on, and your hair will take forever to dry. Come, let me dry it for you.”
Chen Bai thought the offer to dry his hair meant he would do it himself, but his neighbor had no intention of handing over the hair dryer.
So, Chen Bai leaned back on the couch, a pillow thoughtfully placed under his arms, and enjoyed the hair-drying service provided by his good neighbor.
As the warm air blew comfortably across his scalp, Chen Bai looked up at the person drying his hair and asked, “Which hairstylist number is Master Xu?”
Master Xu responded, “I’m No. 1.”
The Chen-named guest closed his eyes with a smile, “Your skills are pretty good. I’ll come to see No. 1 next time.”
Master Xu played along with the act, thanking him for his patronage.
Chen Bai’s hair was short, so it dried quickly. By the time little Xu finished washing the baby bok choy and came out of the kitchen, he saw his older brother calmly putting away the hair dryer and Chen Bai lounging on the couch, wearing an oversized shirt.
Seeing nothing unusual, Xu Lang wiped his hands on his apron and announced that the baby bok choy was ready.
With all the ingredients prepared, Chef Chen put on an apron and headed to the kitchen. Cooking wasn’t all that tiring once the prep work was done—it was quick and effortless.
That night, Xu Lang finally enjoyed the fruits of his labor from the afternoon. Even though he wasn’t someone who usually took many photos, he snapped several pictures of the food, determined to document his efforts.
Just as he was putting his phone away, it buzzed with a notification.
He glanced at the message, then pocketed his phone and looked at the person sitting across from him. “Are you going to watch the Summer Tournament, Brother Er Bai?”
The topic jump, from dinner to the tournament, was a bit sudden.
Fortunately, Chen Bai could follow along, replying, “No, I’m not going.”
Then he asked, “Why?”
Little Xu sighed in disappointment, explaining that he had already made plans with two friends to watch the tournament. If Chen Bai were going, they could have gone together.
His school’s summer camp ended in mid-August, just in time for the finals at the end of the month. He had thought it would be a great opportunity for another fun outing.
Chen Bai commented objectively, “If I remember correctly, aren’t the tickets hard to get?”
He had never bought tickets himself, as he always attended as staff, but he had heard countless times about how tickets sold out instantly in the first and second rounds.
Even though they had planned to watch the tournament, there was no guarantee they would get in.
Xu Lang casually waved off the concern. “As long as you pay a bit more, you can usually get tickets.”
If all else failed, there were always other ways to get tickets. One way or another, they’d manage.
“…”
Chen Bai, a regular person who always aimed for the cheapest option, wiped his face.
And so, Xu Lang’s travel plans were set over a single dinner.
In the past, he would have been subject to control by his mother, Jiang, and his father, Xu, who were living abroad. But after spending two months at school, they were so impressed by his dedication that they decided not to interfere with his dwindling summer break. As long as he stayed safe, they wouldn’t meddle.
In mid-August, the Summer Tournament progressed from the weekly matches to the playoffs, and then from the playoffs to the finals. Finals tickets went on sale a week early and sold out instantly.
Without a doubt, Xu Lang managed to get tickets—three seats in a row, close to the stage. The day he secured the tickets, he began packing his bags and made plans with his friends to fly to a hotel near the Z City Sports Center the day before the finals.
His departure happened to coincide with the day before Chen Bai officially started his vacation.
The final reshoots involved, unsurprisingly, the female lead and the third male lead. Even the male lead, who could have had time off, had to stay because of his many scenes with the female lead.
Chen Bai worked diligently, shooting night scenes for several days straight. The director finally agreed to give him a couple of days off, having already wrapped up all the fragmented shots. As a result, Chen Bai suddenly found himself with free time before heading to the film base.
August weather was stiflingly hot, even at night, causing sweat to pour down.
He had already arranged to have a late-night meal with his good neighbor, and after finishing work early, he left the hotel, fanning himself with a small pink fan all the way to his neighbor’s door. He knocked.
The door opened quickly, and along with it came a blast of cool air. The instant relief brought him back to life.
Taking off his hat to let his hair cool in the air conditioning, Chen Bai, nearly melted from the heat, removed his mask, leaned against the door, and finally let out a breath.
His neighbor naturally took the small pink fan from his hand and set it on the charging dock nearby.
Chen Bai looked down to change into slippers, but when he glanced to the side, he noticed a familiar pair of shoes.
They were shoes the high schooler usually wore. He looked up and asked, “Is your brother still here?”
Xu Sunian nodded and glanced toward the living room. “He’s over there.”
Chen Bai walked a few steps forward, turned his head slightly, and immediately saw the lifeless figure of a high schooler lying motionless on the couch, completely drained of energy.
Xu Sunian, standing nearby, simply said, “The plan to go to Z City is off.”
In short, Xu Lang’s two friends couldn’t make it.
The two friends had suddenly become international exchange students, heading to non-English-speaking countries for their studies. They were now cramming to learn a new language before leaving the country soon.
The situation had come about suddenly, right at the tail end of the summer holiday. Most of his other friends had made plans long in advance and were out of town, leaving no one to accompany him to Z City.
Watching the tournament alone was less appealing, so since that morning, Xu Lang had been lying on the couch, and after lunch, he continued lying there, all the way until now.
Chen Bai could somewhat understand.
If Xu Lang didn’t go out this time, it would mean he’d spent his entire summer vacation studying, without any fun trips, which would understandably be heartbreaking.
Noticing the activity around him, the person lying on the couch turned his head and weakly called out, “Brother Bai.”
His voice was feeble, lacking any energy.
Chen Bai walked over, avoiding the luggage nearby, sat down next to him, and patted his shoulder in comfort.
“You know, sometimes unexpected things happen, and when your friends have important matters, there’s nothing you can do.”
“Even though you can’t go, I’m on break now, so I can watch the broadcast with you.”
While comforting the high schooler, Chen Bai picked up the tickets on the table, glanced at them, and continued, “Actually, watching the broadcast is great too. It’s convenient, fast, and you get a clearer view than being there in person. Plus, in this heat, staying at home is more comf—”
His words paused when he saw the price of the tickets.
Chen Bai “…”
Not hearing the rest of the sentence, Xu Lang struggled to lift his head, only to meet the gaze of Chen Bai’s light gray eyes as he asked, “Do you really want to go that badly?”
——
Xu Lang was able to attend the tournament after all, and his whole demeanor brightened up again.
He was going to the match, but his companions had changed—from his friends to his brother Bai and his older brother.
Although Xu Lang didn’t fully understand why, after seeing the tickets, his superhuman brother Bai agreed to accompany him to the match.
So, things eventually unfolded into brother Bai and his older brother joining him for the trip to Z City.
Since Chen Bai had just gotten off work and needed rest, Xu Lang rescheduled the flight to the next morning, giving Chen Bai time to sleep in.
Initially, Xu Lang wanted to help with the luggage, but he later realized that both of his brothers packed light, sharing just one suitcase. His older brother was carrying it, making his help unnecessary.
Once on the plane, since Xu Lang had rescheduled his ticket while the other two had booked theirs together, their seats were separate. He was decisively seated alone in the back.
Sitting alone wasn’t a problem for him. The high schooler had his own ways to pass the time, so he sat down, pulled out his earphones, and quietly played on his phone.
Xu Lang didn’t know why Chen Bai was willing to go to the match with him, but Xu Sunian did. Especially as they boarded the plane, Chen Bai was still pondering why the match tickets were so expensive.
There was no special reason—Chen Bai, who had always lived frugally, just felt it would be wasteful not to go.
Each ticket was four digits, and the high schooler had bought tickets for two days, three people, a total of six tickets, costing nearly five figures.
Even if it were to play Ludo, Chen Bai was determined they’d attend the match!
Xu Sunian, who had been quietly listening, couldn’t help but chuckle when he heard the part about Ludo.
When he laughed, the corners of his eyes drooped, and the creases of his eyelids deepened. He looked more relaxed than usual, and it was a beautiful sight.
Chen Bai pulled out his phone. “Comrade Old Xu, how about you smile for me again?”
The flight took two or three hours. The high schooler quietly played on his phone in the back while the others enjoyed themselves up front.
When the plane landed, Xu Lang noticed that the energetic Chen Bai from the boarding time was now yawning and looking inexplicably tired.
His caring little brother asked, “What’s wrong, brother Bai?”
Chen Bai lowered his hat slightly and waved it off, simply saying it was nothing.
Nothing serious—he had just tired himself out playing on the plane.
Xu Sunian, holding the suitcase, stood to the side without saying much and led the group out of the airport.
Once they stepped outside, a wave of heat hit them straight in the face, distorting the air.
Thankfully, the hotel’s shuttle arrived quickly. The driver helped load the luggage, and once everyone was in the car, they drove off.
The booking of the flight, hotel, and packing were all handled the night before, mostly by the good neighbor and little brother. After working all day, Chen Bai took a bath and immediately fell asleep, so he hadn’t been involved. He had only learned on the plane that the hotel they booked was near the sports center.
And “near” really meant near.
As they drove past the large poster-covered sports center, the vehicle stopped right in front of the hotel’s main entrance.
Chen Bai got out and saw the sports center directly across from the hotel. He couldn’t help but feel it had a striking resemblance to the kind of hotels film crews booked or the neighborhoods where he lived.
Turning to glance at the grand, luxurious hotel, he became alert. “This hotel looks pretty fancy.”
His wallet in his pocket already felt drenched in sweat.
His good neighbor, fully understanding his thoughts, said, “This is your Auntie Jiang’s hotel.”
Staying at Auntie Jiang’s hotel meant no charge.
Or, to be more precise, when Xu Lang informed Jiang, who was far across the ocean, of his travel plans, she insisted that they stay at one of her hotels for the two days.
Chen Bai silently gave a thumbs-up to the wealthy Auntie Jiang.
The hotel room had already been arranged. After giving their names, someone led them to the elevator, and they went straight up to the higher floors.
Auntie Jiang had arranged a suite—four bedrooms and two living rooms, more than enough space for three people.
The Z City coast was nearby, and from the living room and bedrooms, they could see the coastline stretching to the horizon, along with nearby malls and attractions.
Once inside the room, Chen Bai finally took off his hat and mask. He stepped out onto the balcony to enjoy the breeze, his hair tousled by the wind.
He had slept until late morning the day before, headed straight to the airport afterward, and was still wearing the loose shirt he’d slept in. The wind lifted his shirt, letting him feel the breeze against his skin.
The high schooler, who was unpacking his suitcase, turned his head and, seeing this, his eyes lit up. He was about to take out his phone when he heard a faint sound from beside him.
By the time he looked over, his older brother had already nonchalantly put away his phone.
Xu Lang “…”
The high schooler didn’t fully understand, but he sensed something strange—an inexplicable oddness.
Then he watched his older brother join Chen Bai on the balcony and casually hand him a tissue to wipe his sweat.
Chen Bai wiped his forehead and turned to his brother, asking, “Were you taking photos just now? I think I heard a sound.”
He smiled and added, “Make sure to send me a copy later. Sister Qian told me again that she’s running low on photos.”
It wasn’t a hallucination—Chen Bai felt like his money-making partner’s photo stock was always in crisis, no matter how many pictures he sent.
He suspected it was a trick to get more photos. Given her personality, she probably had a huge stash of photos already.
Kind-hearted Chen Bai didn’t expose her scheme and would always send a couple of pictures when he had some. Most of the time, he even sourced them from his good neighbor’s photo album.
His good neighbor simply agreed with a “sure.”
Xu Lang “…”
So that’s what those photos were for.
The high schooler in the living room averted his gaze, and that odd feeling disappeared again.
He glanced at the time on his phone and called out to the two on the balcony, “It looks like it’s almost time to head in.”
The two on the balcony closed the window and returned to the living room.
Before leaving, Chen Bai put on a convenient, practical medical mask, transforming from an ordinary viewer into a suspiciously flu-ridden one.
The BCL Summer Tournament Finals took place in late August, with sixteen teams competing for the championship and a prize pool of three million yuan. The entire event was streamed live, with Fruit Livestream Platform holding exclusive streaming rights across the internet.
Even before the players took their positions, the live stream began as the audience entered the venue, with real-time adjustments being made. The stream was so popular that the system briefly struggled to keep up, causing a few moments of lag before everything was fixed and returned to normal.
By now, most of the audience had taken their seats. The front-row seats along the sides were traditionally reserved by Fruit Livestream for their streamers, and they were already full—everywhere you looked, you saw familiar faces.
In the middle of the front row sat a young man in a simple white T-shirt, looking down at his phone. From the camera’s angle, only half of his profile was visible.
That half-profile was enough for regular viewers to immediately recognize him.
[I see Qingzhou! Watching him so often, I only now realize he’s actually quite handsome.]
[Where’s Erbai? Did Erbai show up?]
[I can match every streamer to their face and account, but the ones I really want to see, the ones who’ve never revealed their faces, probably didn’t come (eyes closed).]
[Today’s Qingzhou is all alone again. Did the platform not invite Erbai?]
[Erbai might be slacking off lately, but his popularity hasn’t waned. They probably invited him, but he didn’t come [crying cat face emoji].]
[Maybe the faceless streamers are just socially anxious and couldn’t sit in the streamers’ section. They might’ve come in secret, though.]
[Excluding Er Bai, of course. The Frugal Chen Er Bai would never buy a ticket that starts at three digits.]
…
Frugal ‘Chen Er Bai’ had indeed arrived, with his four-digit ticket in hand. He was grateful for the air conditioning in the venue, which had saved him from overheating under his hat and mask.
Xu Lang had clearly been to events like this before and led them directly through the VIP entrance. While it was slightly less crowded than the regular stands, the passage was still packed. Someone rushing to the front row nearly knocked off Chen Bai’s hat, but his good neighbor was quick to help, pressing the hat down securely.
With his hat firmly in place, Chen Bai kept his head down, watching his step while holding onto his neighbor’s sleeve to avoid getting separated.
His good neighbor soon let go of his sleeve. Chen Bai noticed the empty feeling in his hand, looked up, and before he could say anything, felt the warmth of a hand on his wrist, through the fabric of his wristband.
Xu Sunian was holding his wrist, turning his head to explain in a low voice, “This way, we won’t get separated.”
Chen Bai: “…”
Chen Bai looked down at the smooth muscle lines of the arm holding his wrist and thought that it made sense.
Indeed, this was a more reliable method than grabbing onto a piece of fabric.
Such a clever neighbor.
I want to be clever too.