WG - 67

In every family, there is always a mother and a father.

But when Xie Ye came to Yangcheng that day, there were only two people.

Him and Jian Yazhi.

Without a father, it wasn’t necessarily wrong—there are usually two reasons: divorce or death.

Xie Ye’s father passed away from illness.

Chi Zhiyu first learned about it in the second year after Xie Ye moved here. Jian Yazhi also told her.

At the same time, she met Xie Xuyou, who had come to visit—the first member of the Xie family she had ever seen.

Chi Zhiyu didn’t know the specific cause of his father’s death and never asked. But on the last days of March each year, she would stay with Xie Ye.

Always by his side.

She hoped to be there for that proud ten-year-old boy until he no longer needed to wear such a sorrowful expression.

She wanted to tell him:

She would treat him well.

And she wouldn’t leave.

...

“That’s Xie Ye’s cousin. He just came to see us today.”

Jian Yazhi sat on the sofa, gently patting the head of ten-year-old Chi Zhiyu as she softly explained.

Chi Zhiyu nodded. “Does he not get along well with Xie Ye?”

“Hmm?” Jian Yazhi raised an eyebrow. “Why do you ask that?”

At that moment, Chi Zhiyu was simply expressing what she noticed. “Xie Ye didn’t seem very happy when he saw him coming over.”

Upon hearing this, Jian Yazhi chuckled. “No, Little Ye’s unhappiness isn’t because of that. He just doesn’t like today.”

Chi Zhiyu: “Why?”

“Because,” Jian Yazhi paused for a few seconds, then reached out to ruffle her hair, her voice soft, “his father passed away on this day last year.”

It was the anniversary of his death.

So how could he possibly like this day?

Chi Zhiyu hadn’t expected this reason and froze in place.

At the time, Jian Yazhi realized that telling a ten-year-old girl something like this might be a bit shocking, so she gently reassured her that it was nothing serious—it was just that Xie Ye’s father had fallen ill.

Hearing this, Chi Zhiyu’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, and she suddenly said, “Xie Ye must have really loved his father.”

Jian Yazhi paused, as if recalling something, her lips curling slightly, her voice hoarse as she murmured, “Mm, he did love him.”

His father.

Was the best father in the dazzling and radiant life of that young boy.

...

That day, after Jian Yazhi took Xie Ye out, they didn’t return until evening.

Chi Zhiyu went to Xie Ye’s room and waited for a while before pushing the door open. She saw the boy sitting on the floor, turned sideways to the door, holding a game controller.

Noticing the movement, Xie Ye glanced at her. “Wanna play?”

Chi Zhiyu nodded. “What are you playing?”

Xie Ye: “Racing.”

Chi Zhiyu walked over and sat beside him, taking another controller. “Then I’ll play too.”

Xie Ye looked at her. “Do you even know how?”

Chi Zhiyu hummed. “I do.”

Xie Ye lifted his chin. “Then let’s start.”

The game screen changed again. As soon as the whistle blew, Xie Ye skillfully maneuvered his car forward. Chi Zhiyu awkwardly handled her controller, and the car on the screen seemed to lose direction, crashing into rocks or getting stuck, spinning around in circles.

“...”

Xie Ye turned to look at her. “Do you actually know how to play?”

“No.” Chi Zhiyu looked at him honestly. “Can you teach me?”

“...”

The boy frowned slightly, clearly in a bad mood, but still took her controller and coldly instructed, “This is acceleration. Forward, turn, and reverse are these four buttons. If you don’t understand, figure it out yourself.”

“Alright, I’ll try it first.”

The game started again, and Chi Zhiyu’s performance compared to the previous round didn’t improve much.

Seeing her keep crashing, Xie Ye sneered. “Are you playing bumper cars?”

“...” Chi Zhiyu struggled to control the car, trying to suppress her frustration. “This is my first time playing; how can I expect to get it right immediately?”

Xie Ye ignored her, letting her continue crashing while he focused on controlling his own vehicle to race forward.

Chi Zhiyu watched his progress and urged, “It’s my first time playing. Why don’t you go easy on me?”

Xie Ye: “Dream on.”

“...” Chi Zhiyu didn’t argue, casually crashing her car and changing the topic. “You know, this afternoon during dance practice, a girl from our class asked if you were my older brother.”

Xie Ye: “Is she blind?”

“Mm, maybe.” Chi Zhiyu retorted. “I think no matter what, you should be considered my younger brother.”

Xie Ye smirked slightly but didn’t respond.

Chi Zhiyu observed his expression and naturally began talking about other topics.

The game continued, and the gentle voice of the girl occasionally broke the silence of the room, no longer leaving him alone.

After a long time.

Xie Ye heard her constant chatter and tightened his grip on the controller, suddenly calling out, “Chi Zhiyu.”

The girl paused mid-sentence and turned to look at him. “Ah, what is it?”

Xie Ye stared at the game screen, seemingly somewhat absent-minded as he asked, “Why did you come here?”

Chi Zhiyu paused, turning to look at the game and casually replied, “I didn’t have any particular reason. I just wanted to find you to play. What’s wrong? Are you annoyed that I’m not playing well?”

Xie Ye didn’t say anything.

Chi Zhiyu continued to control her race car and naturally asked, “Did you go see your father today?”

Upon hearing this, Xie Ye’s body stiffened, and his race car seemed to lose control, gradually slowing down and stopping.

Chi Zhiyu turned to look at him.

Xie Ye held the controller in both hands, his fingertips already loosened, his eyes slightly dim as he stared at the game screen, unusually quiet.

In the dim light, the thin back of the youth bent slightly, his shoulders drooping, all traces of arrogance and unruliness gone. His shadow fell on the ground, black and thin, exuding loneliness and helplessness.

After a long while.

Xie Ye faintly hummed, “Yeah, I went.”

Chi Zhiyu also hummed, turning to look at the game screen and softly saying, “It’s okay, let’s keep playing. I’ll stay with you.”

—I won’t leave.

Xie Ye’s heart thumped heavily, and his expression finally changed slightly. He suddenly lifted his eyes, turning his head to stare at her.

Chi Zhiyu met his gaze and smiled lightly. “What is it? Are you annoyed that I’m not playing well?”

Xie Ye was silent for a moment, then re-gripped the controller, softly replying, “Mm, I’m afraid you’ll hold me back.”

Chi Zhiyu pondered for a moment. “Then I’ll practice more, and you can teach me more, alright?”

Xie Ye tightened his grip on the controller slightly, lowering his eyes, his voice extremely low and hoarse. “As long as... you stay with me, I’ll teach you.”

Chi Zhiyu smiled. “Alright.”

You can rest assured that I’ll stay with you.

•

The freshman military training at North Dance Academy lasted ten days, ending on the last day which happened to be a weekend. After resting for two days, Chi Zhiyu’s school began organizing classes, and a series of events and courses filled up her schedule.

After summer passed, autumn gradually set in, and the weather became a bit chilly.

On the day of Singles’ Day, the PUBG Asian Invitational kicked off fierce competition. The six teams representing China competed against top teams from South Korea, Japan, Thailand, and other countries for the championship title.

That day, Chi Zhiyu had to rehearse for a dance performance, which coincidentally clashed with the live broadcast of the match. She couldn’t even attend the live event or watch the stream.

However, Li Taoran and Su Le had time and directly took the tickets Xie Ye gave them, promising to watch on her behalf.

When rehearsals began, Chi Zhiyu was preoccupied with concerns about Xie Ye and made several mistakes, promptly called out by her instructor, Lin Ru.

“Chi Zhiyu, what’s wrong with your state today?” Lin Ru looked at her, frowning. “This isn’t a solo performance. If you make a mistake, others have to restart with you. If you don’t want to be the lead, step down.”

Chi Zhiyu paused, quickly bowed to apologize to her classmates and Lin Ru. “Sorry, I lost focus. Let’s start again.”

Lin Ru, seeing her attitude, softened her expression. “Alright, let’s start again.”

Wu Xuan, standing at the back, reformed the line and patted Chi Zhiyu’s shoulder as she passed by, whispering, “Don’t worry, Xie Ye wouldn’t let anyone worry. After practice, we’ll wait for him to win the championship.”

Amused by her confident tone, Chi Zhiyu nodded. “Got it, don’t make any mistakes either.”

Wu Xuan gave her a thumbs-up.

The music started again, and Lin Ru called out the beats to begin directing movements.

Chi Zhiyu took a deep breath, refocused, and threw herself back into the dance.

This time, Chi Zhiyu performed flawlessly and precisely. However, others made some movement errors, prompting Lin Ru to call for another restart.

By the time they finished, it was almost 3 PM. Just as Chi Zhiyu was about to leave, Lin Ru suddenly called her back and pointed out a few areas needing improvement.

Chi Zhiyu caught her breath, nodded, and listened. “Alright, I understand. Thank you, teacher.”

“No problem, hurry back and rest.” Lin Ru waved her off.

“Okay.” Chi Zhiyu turned and walked back. Before reaching her spot, Wu Xuan rushed over with her phone, picked her up, and shouted excitedly, “We won! We won! YG won!”

Chi Zhiyu was momentarily stunned, realizing what she meant, and quickly grabbed her phone. The screen was completely covered in bullet comments, all screaming 【Ahhhh Wild is amazing!! YG is amazing!!!】

Chi Zhiyu turned off the bullet comments, revealing the scene behind. A familiar group stood on stage holding the trophy, colorful confetti and jets spraying around the four of them.

Beside them, the commentator’s excited voice continued, “Congratulations to our YG team for defeating South Korea’s Wad team with an overwhelming score to win the championship of this Asian Invitational!!”

Cheers erupted all around, some thunderous. The director, equally excited, operated the camera to focus on the four individuals on stage—Ding Hui, Yang Bin, Lin Jie, and finally Xie Ye.

Together, they held the trophy high, laughing joyfully. Even Xie Ye curved his lips into a confident and proud smile.

At this moment, the worrying heart finally settled. Chi Zhiyu looked at his smile, her eyes curving upwards.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Didn’t I tell you Wild is strong?” Wu Xuan patted her shoulder and laughed loudly.

Some classmates still in the dance studio, hearing Wu Xuan’s excited voice, were slightly puzzled. “What’s going on?”

Wu Xuan waved her hand. “Nothing, nothing, nothing. My favorite esports player just won the championship today. Everyone, carry on.”

Afterward, she quickly told Chi Zhiyu, “Let’s hurry and leave, it’s embarrassing!”

Chi Zhiyu: “...”

So you know too.

After washing up and changing back into their clothes, the two went to a restaurant outside to eat and celebrate.

“Did you send a message to Lingling and Yijun?” Chi Zhiyu asked, sitting by the window.

Guan Lingling and Yi Jun were their roommates, and they usually ate together. Today, since they suddenly went out, at least they should say something.

“I did, I did.” Wu Xuan put down her backpack and looked at her. “Hasn’t Xie Ye answered your call yet?”

“No, maybe he hasn’t returned to the lounge yet.” Chi Zhiyu shook her head.

“That makes sense. They probably still have interviews and such.” Wu Xuan took out her phone, opened Weibo, and clicked her tongue. “Sure enough, your Xie Ye has taken over all the trending topics.”

Upon hearing this, Chi Zhiyu also opened Weibo and looked at the trending list. The first one was YG winning the championship.

The remaining few were basically—

#Wild Kill Count#

#Wild Sharpshooter#

#God Wild#

......

Chi Zhiyu looked at these entries, her lips curving upwards, inexplicably feeling proud and happy.

Her boy.

Should stand at the highest point, shining brightly.

And be admired by everyone.

Because he belongs at the very top.

While Chi Zhiyu was admiring the netizens’ various rainbow praises for Xie Ye, some people had already begun making high-definition photos of Xie Ye during the matches.

When Chi Zhiyu scrolled through and tapped on one, she saw Xie Ye maintaining his usual aloofness, sometimes slightly tugging at the corners of his lips, exuding mockery and nonchalance.

Towards the end of the match, there was a group photo of the four of them standing on stage holding the trophy. Everyone else was smiling, but Xie Ye’s eyes carried a hint of a smile, his lips slightly curved, exuding nobility and arrogance.

Chi Zhiyu’s lips curved upwards as she saved the photos one by one into her album. While browsing other photos, Wu Xuan, sitting across from her, suddenly burst out with an exclamation.

“Holy crap, has Xie Ye gone mad?”

Chi Zhiyu frowned upon hearing this. “What’s wrong?”

Wu Xuan looked up and, seeing her, oh-ed. “No, he hasn’t gone mad.”

“?” Chi Zhiyu didn’t understand. “What are you talking about? First you say he’s mad, now you say he’s not.”

Wu Xuan gestured towards her phone with a raised eyebrow. “Go check the latest trending topic.”

Chi Zhiyu hesitated but still lowered her head, exited the photo album, and refreshed the trending list by swiping down.

The previously top-ranked #YG Championship# had been bumped to second place, and the new top entry was quite lengthy, featuring that familiar name.

——【Who’s Waiting for Wild to Come Home】

Chi Zhiyu was momentarily stunned, instinctively clicked on the entry, and her phone automatically redirected to a different interface.

It was a post by an esports blogger containing a video and text.

Chi Zhiyu skipped the text and immediately felt something was off upon seeing the video thumbnail, which showed the Drop team accepting a post-match interview.

Feeling suspicious, she clicked on it, and the video expanded into landscape mode.

Inside the frame, the four members of Drop stood in front of the interview curtain, surrounded by reporters with microphones asking them questions. This video appeared to be a hastily edited clip, lasting only a minute.

Post-match interviews are generally not too formal since it’s a time for sharing joy, mostly conducted in a relaxed chat format.

At this moment, a reporter was asking Captain Wang Yixuan a question. The main camera was on him, but you could still see Xie Ye on the far right of the neighboring YG team and Old Mu standing beside him. The two seemed to be chatting about something.

Moreover, the neighboring microphone was nearby, and the two spoke without restraint.

Although the audio quality was poor, with noise obscuring their voices, listeners could only catch individual words. But perhaps netizens were gifted, directly extracting the sound lines and amplifying the volume several times.

In this version, Chi Zhiyu heard Xie Ye lazily ask, “When are we leaving?”

Old Mu chuckled. “What’s worrying you? The interview hasn’t even started yet.”

Xie Ye impatiently urged, “Tell the neighbors to hurry up.”

Old Mu found it amusing and nodded. “Alright, give me a reason, and I’ll convey it.”

After asking, Xie Ye’s voice was suddenly drowned out by cheers behind him, and only his leisurely tone could be heard: “......Isn’t waiting for me to come home acceptable?”

The next second, the video abruptly ended. Chi Zhiyu was momentarily stunned, not yet comprehending when the concluded video automatically jumped to the next one. This time, it suddenly switched to an interview video of the YG team.

Clearly, the serious questions had already been asked earlier, and the reporter moved on to entertainment topics. Perhaps they had seen the trending topic and were now asking Xie Ye with a microphone, “Just now, netizens captured a video during Drop’s team interview where you and Manager Mu were chatting. We’re curious about the reason you mentioned. Can you repeat it?”

Upon hearing this, Xie Ye probably didn’t expect this scenario, raising an eyebrow. “Alright.”

“Ah?”

“My girlfriend waiting for me to come home isn’t acceptable?”

This sudden statement left the reporter momentarily stunned. “What?”

Xie Ye calmly responded, “That’s it, my reason.”

Reporter: “......”

Reporter: “?”

Before they could react, Xie Ye lazily continued, “So, please hurry up with the interview. If it’s late, I’m afraid my delicate girl will throw a tantrum.”