Chapter 7 – They Come from Shanghai – Part 3
Even as X·FILES fell into a tough struggle again, Xi Cheng remained in Hui Hui’s home. He paced around the room like a fish swimming in a fish tank. It is becoming harder and harder for him to sit still on the couch. For some reason he can’t explain, his heart is getting more and more restless. He has a vague feeling that he must do something, or he risk losing the happiness of his life from now on.
Hui Hui’s big and intelligent eyes stare at Xi Cheng, seemingly to pierce into his mind. Yet she said nothing, and turned to head into the kitchen to cook some noodles for Xi Cheng. Outside the window, Beijing’s dark nights are lit up by spots of light.
Hui Hui once asked Xi Cheng what he likes to eat during one of their walks on Chang An street. Xi Cheng replied that it would be his mother’s noodles. How bright was the light on Chang An street that night, it was unlike any other nights. That was probably the only time the two of them went on a walk together, his hands were in his pockets, and he whistled all the way.
The water is boiling. Hui Hui dropped the noodles into the water and carefully stirred it. She rarely ever cooks, and her kitchen really is just for show. Though her co-workers and friends would often jump into the kitchen when they came to visit. While this usually makes the kitchen a mess, the food they make really is tasty.
It's not that there isn’t anyone who likes Hui Hui. Hui Hui knows that there are many who like her, and they would often find reasons to come cook for her. She couldn’t hold back her smile, but that smile soon faded away. Only that person, that person would never come to her on his own initiative. There were only a few exceptional times when he came by. Yet he usually left after sitting for a while. That person, Hui Hui sighs, why does she have to like that person? Will he like the noodles she made for him?
Hui Hui came out of the kitchen with a bowl of noodles.
The room is empty. Xi Cheng, who had been wandering around the sofa like a fish is now gone.
As sudden as when he first came, he gave no words as he left. Hui Hui sat on the couch, slightly worn out. After blanking out for a while, she poured the noodles into the trash, and began to wash dishes, pots and clean the counter. She did everything neatly, everything put back in their proper place.
Yet while doing the dishes, a drop of tear dropped into the sink from the sky, making a tiny, tiny, flower-like ripple in the water.
When Xi Cheng appeared under Jing’er’s building again, most of the lights in the building were gone. Beijing is a big city, and many have to commute for one or two hours, which is why many slept early. Though the light in Jing’er’s home is still lit.
Xi Cheng wanders below the building for a while, he feels his blood boiling. Finally, he can hold it no longer, he jumps up and roars: “Jing’er! Jing’er! Jing’er! Jing’er!”
Before any response appeared in Jing’er’s home, others already peeked out of their window and yelled: “You bastard think Mt.Ba Bao (TL Note 1: A major cemetery in Beijing is located at Mt. Ba Bao) is too empty? If you want to holler at ghosts, go do it over there!”
Xi Cheng is not moved, he continued on indomitably: “Jing’er! Jing’er! Jing’er!”
Another joins the battle from the building: “You bastard want to get taught a lesson? Interrupting me in the middle of my deeds? Do you fucking know how much Viagras cost nowadays?”
Finally, Jing’er’s little face appeared on the balcony. Xi Cheng’s eye turns watery as he finally sees Jing’er. He yelled: “Jing’er!”
Jing’er gasps on the balcony: “Are you mad?”
Xi Cheng yelled: “I love you!”
Jing’er bites her lips and hesitates for a moment before speaking again: “Wait, I’ll be right down.”
Jing’er found herself in a tight hug by Xi Cheng the moment she left the front door of the building. He hugged so tightly, as though afraid that she would suddenly disappear. Then, his lips tightly touched hers, he kissed her deeply and roughly. Jing’er is terrified, but couldn’t resist.
A Jie immediately appeared behind Jing’Er. Seeing Xi Cheng kissing Jing’er forcefully, he immediately dragged Xi Cheng aside and gave Xi Cheng a solid punch.
Xi Cheng’s nose immediately starts to bleed, the startled Jing’er begins to scream. Xi Cheng drags Jing’er behind himself, and speaks to A Jie: “I know what you are thinking --- Now let me tell you what I am thinking: Jing’er is mine, it is decided! If you two are married, best get a divorce fast; if you two live together, then separate at once; If you are her boyfriend, sorry, that’s in the past. Starting today, I am officially Jing’er’s boyfriend. You can leave!”
A Jie stares at him coldly, then drags Jing’er over and turns to walk towards the building entrance.
Xi Cheng yelled: “Hey! Hey!”
A Jie ignored him. Xi Cheng darted ahead, and threw a punch right at A Jie.
This time it’s A Jie’s turn to nosebleed. Jing’er yells with her eyes in tears: “Stop fighting, calm down, you two!”
A Jie lightly wipes away the blood, and turns to Jing’er : “You go home first.” Then he turns to Xi Cheng: “ Why do you think you deserve to be Jing’er’s boyfriend? How many girlfriends have you had? Why do you deserve to disrespect Jing’er? You said you love her, have you thought about how she felt?”
Xi Cheng: “You are my friend – Even if you aren’t my friend, I’d tell you the truth. The day I met Jing’er, I swore that I will love this person my entire life. I will change myself to be someone worthy of Jing’er. I also know that Jing’er likes me as well! She would have confessed to me that time near the Unnamed Lake if she didn’t have to go to the washroom. Though it is true that a friend’s wife is not to be slighted, I can’t, live, without Jing’er. So even if this is unfair to you, Jing’er has to be together with me.
A Jie: “You are absurd!” Then he turns to take Jing’er home. Seeing A Jie grabbing Jing’er’s hands again, Xi Cheng can’t hold back his rage, he charges up to fight A Jie once more.
The two of them begin to brawl under the building.
Faces begin to peek out of every window in the building to watch the scene below. Two onlookers in the 3rd and 4th floor balcony even began to munch on seed snacks as they watched. The guy on the 3rd floor asked the guy on the 4th: “How did the fight start?”
4th Floorer: “Heh, getting jealous over a girl.”
3rd Floorer: “Why isn’t the community security guard coming?”
4th Floorer: “They are having a social party with their brother company. Beside the guy at the gate, everyone else went to Karaoke.
3rd Floorer: “Who do you think is gonna win?”
4th Floorer: “The situation is not yet clear, to hard to judge.”
Xi Cheng and A Jie stopped together, raised their head and yelled: “Shut up!” and then continued their fight.
Jing’er doesn’t know who she should try to talk to, so she can only remind them on the side: “Don’t go left, there are flowers on the left, don’t crush them……. Hey, don’t push, don’t you see there is an open sewer behind there?”
The two men are locked in a brawl, A Jie’s fist is hard and precise, for a few times, he almost knocked Xi Cheng to the ground.
Xi Cheng is no pushover either. He is good with palm chops, and each chop sent A Jie staggering back.
Xi Cheng yelled as he fought: “I was one of the bosses of Xi Dan area, you can’t beat me. Give Jing’er up and stop your useless resistance.”
A Jie: “When did you meet Jing’er? With all your girlfriends, why do you have to go after Jing’er?”
Xi Cheng: “Aren’t you the same. What happened to that Shanghai woman you once loved? Despite suffering so much for her, you are now going after Jing’er as well!”
A Jie’s face darkens as he grabs Xi Cheng’s collar: “Don’t talk about Tian Nan in such disrespectful tones!”
Xi Cheng wrestles himself free, then leaned in towards A Jie’s face: “Fine! But Jing’er is mine!”
A Jie stares at Xi Cheng, the two of them locked in a staring battle, neither willing to back down.
Now it is the neighbors who are getting restless. The guy on the third floor yells: “Fight! Why stop fighting?”
4th Floor: “3rd floor, who were betting on again? 10 bucks, don’t forget!”
3rd Floor guy yells: “Bet my ass, they aren’t even fighting anymore. These two bastards, all thunder and no rain, nothing of substance, fucking boring!”
4th floor: “Well said, now they just reason with each other, let’s see some blood if you have the guts!”
Jing’er raises her head and yells angrily: “Fatty, Erhei! Don’t think I don’t know it was you two because it was dark! If you keep on yelling, I will tell your wives when they come back from their work trip tomorrow! We will see who sees blood then!”
The move worked. The two of them immediately quieted down. Jing’er turns around, seeing Xi Cheng and A Jie still locked in a staring contest. Jing’er stomps her feet: “What are you two doing, can’t you just talk it out? Don’t fight!”
Xi Cheng is unmoved: “Don’t worry, I am a sniper, he can’t stare me down!”
A Jie says nothing.
Jing Er: “Bro, please don’t be like this. I know Xi Cheng is going overboard, but he is my friend. Don’t be like this.”
A Jie: “You are still a child, don’t say things when you understand nothing. Do you know who he is? I know him! I know him too well! I will not let him lay a finger on you!”
Xi Cheng: “Youyouyouyouyouyouyou…..” Then Xi Cheng’s eyes rolled up and he almost fainted. Jing’er quickly ran up and helped Xi Cheng by knocking on his back, allowing Xi Cheng finally catch his breath. He grabs Jing’er’s hands, his voices trembling with excitement: “What did you just call him?”
Jing’er: “Bro, he is my brother.”
Xi Cheng looks towards the sky and sighs: “The heaven opened its eyes! He is your brother?! Truly heaven treats me well. I will not eat meat for three days to thank heaven for its kindness to me.”
Jing’er: “What are you talking about? Are you really going crazy?”
A Jie: “Jing’er, head up first. I have something to say to this man.”
Jing’er hesitates: “Bro, you really know him? ……. Please don’t fight with him anymore.”
A Jie: “Head back quickly, it will be trouble if dad and mom wakes up.”
Jing’er nods, she turns to look at Xi Cheng before turning to leave.
Xi Cheng’s gaze longingly followed Jing’er as she left. Then he turns to face A Jie’s stern face.
Though the situation between Xi Cheng and Jing’er is met with an unexpected turn, the battle in Seattle Net Café remains a struggling stalemate. Blood Flower is slightly behind X·FILES in the second half. Despite this, the girls remained extraordinarily tenacious, leaving X·FILES with no room for respite.
Sweat already dots Wang Bi De’s forehead, and even the normally easy going rabbit is having a sour look on his face. While Ah K remained in the strange and dreamy feeling, unable to free himself – during every match, his cannot help but gaze into the distance in hopes of seeing Xiao Xiao’s beautiful figure.
People in Seattle Net Café are conquered by Blood Flower’s courage and momentum. It is the first time that such a one sided scene happened in X·FILES’ home base, Seattle Net Café. Everyone’s gaze is focused on the screens of Blood Flower players – Cheering for their exceptional shots, silent for their unfortunate deaths.
Players of Blood Flowers earned widespread respect with their skill and courage. No one treats them as mere flower vases that’s only good for show, instead they now marvel at their exceptional skill together with their brilliant and coordinated teamwork. Especially their captain Tian Nan, her exceptional leadership and calm response to unexpected changes in the battle make the match seem like the reply of an international CS tournament. Exciting and great joys to watch.
After the 9th round, Wang Bi De lets out a heavy sigh. All X·FILES players knew, with a score of 5:4, they can’t possibly win the entire match. Even if they win all three remaining rounds, they’d still lose the match with a score of 11:13. Defeat is a certainty – the first defeat of the year is finally going to happen. Not to mention this is a loss in their base, a defeat with no excuse. The same system spec, the same Ping, the same environment and the same audience. X·FILES’s second and third line players silently gathered around the players in the match, their expression worn and concerned.
The last three rounds have nothing to do with victory, only honor. Under Wang Bi De’s lead, the teams gave up on defence, and began to rush. Meanwhile, someone people begin to call A Jie and Xi Cheng’s cellphone in hopes of getting them to the scene quickly. Perhaps they may turn things around with their presence in a second match. Yet neither of them picked up their phone. This is rather baffling – as the two of them usually have their phone turned on 24 hours a day.
Of course, their teammates in the net café could not have known that A Jie and Xi Cheng are in a silent standoff. The two best friends negotiating over a girl they both care deeply about.
The building in Office once again became a bloody battlefield. Wang Bi De anxiously commanded his comrades to hold their ground. Yet Blood Flower plays did not give up on vicious firefights just because victory is in their hands. They continued on as usual, giving no quarters and making the match a living hell for X·FILES players with their spirited will to fight and exceptional skills.
Wang Bi De did not lead his teammates to protect what remained of their honor, instead, they fell into a deeper abyss. Under Tian Nan’s leadership, the seemingly soft girls shredded X·FILES’ last line of defense with a shocking offensive. The last three rounds went like a breeze to the Blood Flowers, leading to another climax near the end of the match.
Blood Flower won the second half with the score of 7:5, and thus winning the entire match with 16:8.
As the last X·FILES players fell, the entire room is silent. After a while, applause began to sound in the net café, almost as though the crowd had finally come to term with what happened. First, the applause began in the audience, then it spread to the entire net café. Even second and third line players of X·FILES began to clap, though their face dark with the performance of their first line team, Blood Flower’s performance won the heart of everyone present.
Under Tian Nan’s lead, Blood Flower players stood up and nodded to the audience in thanks. Ah Lin’s smiling, alluring eyes sprayed the crowd like a machine gun. The men quickly flooded ahead to ask for Ah Lin’s QQ number, some even asked Ah Lin for a late night snack. Ah Lin responded with a smile: “No can do, Captain says we can’t act on our own.”
Ah K dumbfoundedly sat on the side, his eyes not leaving Xiao Xiao for a moment. He really wants to ask for Xiao Xiao’s contact, but his legs seem to be filled with lead. His throat is also dry and unable to speak.
Wang Bi De stops Tian Nan as she is about to leave: “Can you wait for a bit, we are trying to contact our captain and another sniper, maybe we can have a second match here.”
Tian Nan follows Wang Bi De’s gaze, two team members are desperately making calls on their phone, hoping to reach their Captain and Xi Cheng.
Two ringtones sounded simultaneously under a residential community building in Haidian district, Beijing, for god knows how many times tonight. A Jie and Xi Cheng did not move, letting the cellphone’s ringtone pierce the dark night sky.
Xi Cheng finally speaks: “I will not give up, I will never give up. If you insist, I quit the team. Even If I have to give up CS, I will not give up Jing’er. Goodbye.” Withthat, Xi Cheng turns to leave.
Through the noise in the net café, Wang Bi De hears Tian Nan’s cold and crisp voice: “We will not wait. Please let A Jie know that we will see each other in the finals of the national tournament. Goodbye.”
With that, all Blood Flower players left the net café.
They left with the same confidence and grace as when they came. Even they couldn’t have expected the waves of change they had unleashed. There is only one thing that is certain, Blood Flower’s charisma conquered almost everyone playing games in the net café that night. People playing Legend of Mir, MU, and Cross Gate almost all begin to play CS, and begin to spread this almost legendary CS match on the internet. CS girls is no longer a funny meme, but a force to be respected.
This night in Beijing is destined to be a sleepless one.
TL Note 1: A major cemetery in Beijing is located at Mt. Ba Bao
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