Food

He hesitated, standing there. After thinking it over, he forced himself to wave at him: “Captain, hello.”

His wave was perfunctory; his hand was originally in his pocket, he merely pulled it out slightly, waved it, then tucked it back into his pocket.

Xue Wei averted his gaze, staring into the night.

Wen Man looked down at him, his long, fine eyelashes making his eyes seem deep: “Waiting for someone?”

Xue Wei stood properly, still gazing at the streetlight across the road: “Mm.”

“I’m also waiting for someone,” Wen Man said.

Xue Wei gazed at the streetlight for a while longer, only after a long time seeming to remember to respond: “Pretty.”

“9:30 PM, main entrance of Building A. Micro, it’s me.”

—Wen Man gazed quietly at him.

From the moment he encountered Wen Man here, the faint suspicion that had arisen in his heart was quickly confirmed.

Xue Wei’s ears instantly turned bright red.

“I—I knew it…”

“Because if I directly approached you, you wouldn’t pay attention to me,” Wen Man said lightly, “It took adding you twice to even get through.”

This reason was acceptable.

Xue Wei took a few seconds to regain his usual calm expression.

He lifted his eyelids and glanced at him: “Oh.”

“Then, do I need to pay you back for those two weapons?” Xue Wei asked.

“No need.”

“Okay.” Xue Wei nodded, then thought for a moment, “I can’t afford to anyway.”

“Mm,” Wen Man said.

The two stood by the main entrance, cloaked in shadow.

The main road wasn’t far from them, separated by a tree-lined path and flowerbeds, a dark expanse.

The silence lingered.

Xue Wei’s lips moved; he didn’t know what to say.

Wen Man also seemed to have no intention of continuing the conversation.

Xue Wei found a topic: “Tonight’s gala…”

No sooner had he opened his mouth than his voice was interrupted by Wen Man: “Can I smoke a cigarette?”

Xue Wei glanced at him again, saying: “Oh, okay.”

He still stood properly.

The lighter clicked.

The silver slider sprang open, revealing a flame.

Wen Man, cigarette in mouth, lowered his head to light it.

The flame illuminated his dark eyes, which sparkled in the night.

Wen Man didn’t smoke often.

He stood by the door, took a puff.

The wind blew towards them, carrying smoke.

Xue Wei didn’t smell anything, and Wen Man himself stubbed out the cigarette, casually pressing it into a nearby trash can.

“That I,” Xue Wei said stiffly, “My name is Xue Wei… We knew each other before.”

Wen Man looked up at him.

Xue Wei said: “If you still remember. It’s okay if you don’t. We played games together back then. In Nancheng.”

“Mm, you… came to visit me with others,” Xue Wei added, “You might have met a lot of people online, so you might not remember me. The hospital was Nancheng Linhu Hospital—”

Wen Man interrupted him.

“And there was a nurse with big breasts, very pretty, who would bring you a box of fruit every day before getting off work.”

Wen Man’s expression showed no fluctuation, but the corners of his lips subtly curved upwards, as if he found it amusing.

Xue Wei:

‘His words halted abruptly.’

Wen Man’s voice was deep, and hearing him speak in person up close was more captivating than in the game.

“Xue Wei, 18 years old, Capricorn, B blood type, often suffers from low blood sugar, congenital immunodeficiency, always gets a fever with seasonal changes, nosebleeds in dry weather, faints on the ground in snow.” Wen Man spoke as if reciting team coordinates, devoid of emotion or intent, “Has a bad temper, doesn’t add strangers as friends, but usually accepts if you pester him twice.”

Xue Wei:

‘His words halted abruptly.’

“Loves sweets, loves spicy food, a bit short-tempered, cold in-game. A very powerful sniper.” Wen Man paused here, finally looking up at him: “Do you want me to continue?”

Xue Wei’s ears were already burning so hot they almost disappeared, but thankfully it was dark here, and no one else could see.

He said: “I thought you didn’t recognize me.”

“I don’t have Alzheimer’s,” Wen Man said lightly.

“Then you…” Xue Wei spoke.

“I just wanted to know when you would talk to me.”

Wen Man’s peach blossom eyes were slightly lowered.

He glanced at the time, then said: “Let’s go.”

Xue Wei said: “Where to?”

“Treat me to dinner,” Wen Man said, “You said you would.”

“Oh…” Xue Wei’s rationality finally returned slightly.

He was still stiff, his voice sounding small, “Okay.”

He took out his phone and searched.

It was already a bit late; proper restaurants had closed their doors.

It was cold in winter, and the closest open place was a simple snack shop.

Xue Wei said: “A snack shop, is that okay?”

Wen Man had no objection: “Can do.”

The two then walked towards the snack shop.

Xue Wei in front, Wen Man behind.

Wen Man walked almost silently; Xue Wei several times wanted to turn back to see if he had gotten lost, but he still didn’t.

The two sat down in the small, narrow, dimly lit shop.

Xue Wei ordered a portion of wontons and grilled cold noodles, and asked for hot soy milk.

Wen Man roughly scanned the menu.

After looking from top to bottom, he told the boss: “The same as his.”

Xue Wei felt he seemed a bit lacking in appetite, so he recommended: “Their steamed dumplings are also quite good; you can try them.”

“Add a steamed dumpling,” Wen Man told the boss.

The boss acknowledged and then went to the kitchen to prepare the order.

The table was a bit greasy.

Wen Man took a tissue to wipe the tabletop, wiping Xue Wei’s side first, then his own.

Hot soy milk was served, one bottle for each of them.

He bit the straw, drinking very slowly.

The atmosphere remained silent; they seemed to have nothing to say.

Setting aside their identities as national team members and captain, after four years, they indeed had nothing to say.

Just like his fellow patients, some had passed away, some had recovered and gone home.

Once they left that common topic, there was nothing to say when they met again.

His world was very small; it had always been just him.

Xue Wei buried his head, eating pickled vegetables, marinated vinegar kelp, and fried golden beans.

He felt his ears were no longer hot.

Wen Man suddenly smiled from across the table: “Still loves eating these things.”

Xue Wei looked up at him, a white sesame seed still clinging to his lip, his eyes dark, surprised for a moment.

Wen Man was four years older than Xue Wei.

Their first meeting was in an internet café near Nancheng Hospital.

That year, 《FIRE》 could only be played on foreign servers, only regional servers could be opened.

But the internet café was packed, a battlefield—everyone was fiercely dueling.

They were keen on playing internet café tournaments at the time.

Not long after, a rumor started spreading in Nanyi Linhu Internet Cafe about a mysterious young sniper—with him there, they never lost.

And Wen Man had flown in from another city.

No one knew what he was there for, nor where he came from.

He played games near Nanyi for a few days, quickly dominating all the others.

At that time, Wen Man leaned back in a recliner and smiled: “Where’s your region’s number one? Let me see him.”

He was eighteen then, young and reckless, like a burning fire.

His aura was much sharper than now, and his smile was more frequent than now.

The local internet café teenagers were naturally annoyed and quickly went to call for backup.

Xue Wei appeared at the internet café entrance when Wen Man was sitting on the other side.

After a round, he asked: “Who is Ice?”

They pointed him out.

Following the direction of their fingertips, he saw a pale young man, with long, slender knuckles, wearing a patient’s gown with a jacket draped over it.

Still very young, like a child, yet very delicate-looking.

When he lowered his eyes, he appeared silent and pale, like a green rose standing against a white wall.

Others said: “A kid hospitalized at Nanyi, plays games super fiercely. His head nurse catches him every day to take him back. His personality is a bit strange, very aloof, doesn’t really interact… and a bit chuunibyou.”

He watched him.

The second round on the computer had already begun.

Xue Wei didn’t notice his gaze; he only discovered the person who wasn’t moving in the game.

He said: “Hey, are you there?”

He said: “I can kill you now, but I won’t.”

This kid had a strong sense of game ethics.

After realizing he seemed to be AFK, he turned and left.

Everything went smoothly that day.

They played until late.

No one came to check.

After both sides drew, everyone went to discuss a group meal.

“Let’s eat something good, bleed Brother Wen dry, Brother Wen is rich.” The people around him egged on, asking him, “Brother Wen, will you let us bleed you dry? We want to eat Nanyi’s buffet; I heard their buffet is even better than outside restaurants.”

“Of course, Nanyi is the best private hospital in the city, very expensive.”

Wen Man didn’t speak.

He asked Xue Wei: “Where do you want to go?”

The young man in the patient’s gown thought for a moment, then silently pointed at the street-side food stalls.

At that time, they weren’t familiar with each other.

He was four years younger than him, and didn’t follow others in calling him “Brother Wen.”

He called him “hey” or “you.”

Even after becoming very, very, very familiar, they never exchanged names.

The internet and reality were too far apart; there was no need to exchange names.

Wen Man had no special way of addressing him.

Xue Wei couldn’t quite recall how he had called him; it seemed that at any time, without calling him, if he spoke to him, he knew the person being spoken to was himself.

The wontons also arrived.

Both had the same serving size.

Xue Wei focused on eating, even drinking all the soup.

Wen Man stirred his soup with a spoon.

He didn’t eat much, but kept drinking the soy milk.

He had asked for it iced, and drank it extremely slowly.

He was drinking it before Xue Wei finished eating, and was still drinking it after.

It was already very late.

After waiting for a while, Xue Wei asked him: “Are you full?”

“Full,” Wen Man said, narrowing his eyes like a cat, “Why?”

Xue Wei honestly said: “Then I’ve treated you. I’m going to pay the bill.”

The meal cost him eighty-seven yuan.

Xue Wei paid and checked his balance.

He wondered when the national team would issue subsidies.

Would he only receive it next season?

Or could he actually receive this quarter’s EGT practice squad subsidy?

He decided to ask Wen Man: “Does the national team… provide meals?”

Wen Man was still seated, unmoving: “Yes. The auntie cooks.”

“Are the benefits the same for Team One and Team Two?” Xue Wei pressed his advantage, “The same auntie cooks?”

Wen Man said: “Yes.”

Xue Wei felt a bit relieved: “Good.”

“Then let’s go back,” Xue Wei said.

They still had a match against SSQ tomorrow; it wouldn’t be good to return too late.

Wen Man said: “Finished treating me?”

Xue Wei was silent for a moment: “You said you… were already full.”

“Two skins combined are seventy thousand; you calculated that,” Wen Man poured himself a glass of water, his voice showing no fluctuation, his gaze calm, “USP – Rose, it’s discontinued. I’ll price it at one hundred thousand for you.”

“Naonao, based on today’s calculations, figure out how many more meals you owe me.”