In esports, being bad is the original sin; if you lose, you get flamed. Even for someone like Jiang Xun, who achieved the unprecedented “Golden Road” achievement, he only earned a one-season “immunity card” from the flaming in the competitive circle.
“That’s true. So, do you even get a chance to speak now?”
“…You’re getting a bit talkative, brother.” Jiang Xun looked dejected for a second but quickly rallied. “Although I don’t get many chances to speak now, I have thick skin. I’m not afraid of being flamed.”
“Then I should learn a thing or two from you.”
Jiang Xun spoke confidently: “There are many things about me worth learning…”
“Whoa!!”
A sudden collective cheer from the opposite side drowned out Jiang Xun’s voice. Chu Xingyun squinted and saw the other four huddled together, eyes wide as they admired the fish in Cen Jing’s hands.
“That fish is huge! It must be three, four… five pounds?” Even Chen Shu showed a rare expression of surprise.
“No way it’s five pounds, maybe three-plus,” Ye Hancheng estimated the weight. “…Mmh, we can take it back, add some ingredients, and make grilled fish.”
Lin Shen looked envious, his tone three degrees more excited than usual. “The same rods and bait. Why does it only bite your hook? Is this science? This isn’t science!”
As the only one among the six with a catch despite actually having zero fishing skills Cen Jing felt a bit embarrassed. “How about I swap spots with you?”
“Swap for what!” Lin Shen said with mock gravity. “I hereby announce you are fired. This spot, and that spot, are both mine!”
Ye Hancheng was delighted. “People talk about ‘seniors not acting their age,’ and they’re talking about this guy right here.”
“Alright.” Cen Jing didn’t mind. He put the fish into a bucket and quickly moved out of the way for Lin Shen. “I’ll go process a few of the smaller ones. Do you guys want them fried or grilled?”
“Fried,” Ye Hancheng decided. “We just had a lot of BBQ; let’s have something fresh. By the way, you can fry up the leftover potatoes, oyster mushrooms, and cabbage too.”
Chen Shu rubbed his slightly rounded belly. “My mouth hasn’t stopped once.”
When they were shopping, they kept feeling like they wouldn’t have enough, so they overbought almost everything. If they didn’t want to waste it, they had to work hard to eat it all.
“You can’t skimp on food no matter what you’re doing.” Cen Jing picked up the bucket. “I’ll save enough for dinner; I’ll figure out the rest as I go.”
Ye Hancheng gave a grand wave: “Go on then—”
“Reporting!” Chu Xingyun suddenly appeared, standing straight and giving a salute. “I apply to join the Fish Frying Squad!”
“Sure, go keep Xiao Cen company.” Ye Hancheng instinctively agreed on Cen Jing’s behalf. “Help him skewer some ingredients while you’re at it.”
Cen Jing didn’t refuse. Since he had already started the trend of “fan-service” cooperation, distancing himself now would only look forced.
Chu Xingyun: “Mission guaranteed to be accomplished~”
“Let’s go then.” Cen Jing’s voice was flat, but he reached out to smooth a wrinkle in Chu Xingyun’s hem.
“Wait a sec.” Chu Xingyun shot him an enigmatic look, took two steps to the right, and tapped Chen Shu on the back. “Chen Shu, Chen Shu.”
“Hmm?” Chen Shu turned to look at him.
“Jiang Xun told me to tell you to go find him.” Chu Xingyun sneakily pointed a finger toward the other side, where Jiang Xun was biting on a piece of foxtail grass, trying to look profound.
“Okay.” Chen Shu gave a light laugh, started packing up his rod, and prepared to head over.
Seeing his mischief work so smoothly, Chu Xingyun returned to Cen Jing’s side with satisfaction. “Alright, Ge, let’s go.”
“Mm.”
…
Back at the picnic site, after arranging Chu Xingyun’s “work,” Cen Jing began processing the small fish.
“Jiang Xun didn’t actually ask for Chen Shu, did he?” Cen Jing asked, efficiently slicing open a fish belly and pulling out the innards. “Aren’t you afraid he’ll come looking for trouble later?”
“Aiyah, I’m doing it for the good of the show.” Chu Xingyun was seriously skewering cabbage onto wooden sticks. “Teacher Lin Shen and Senior Ye cleared up their misunderstanding last night, but today they haven’t had a chance to speak alone. Is that right? The audience wants to see them open their hearts, too.”
Even though this wasn’t his true motive, it was high-sounding enough that no one could find fault with it, including Cen Jing.
“Did the production team pay you extra?” Cen Jing, as expected, didn’t suspect him.
【His heart is in the right place, but those two old men are in an awkward phase. If people are around, they can chat, but if they’re alone, there’s only silence.】
【Who dares to re-watch that ‘pure awkward minute’ clip?】
【I was holding my pancake to my mouth just now and didn’t take a bite, terrified I’d miss the moment they spoke.】
【As we all know, livestreams have a 2-3 minute delay, which is why we can ‘predict’ exciting moments… you can’t blame us for having expectations.】
【Production Team: I’ll play with this batch of viewers however I want.】
【So, did the production team really give Chu Xingyun extra money?】
“How could they?” Chu Xingyun held up the skewered cabbage and admired it with satisfaction. “I’m just being responsible to the audience.”
“You’re quite suited for show planning,” Cen Jing affirmed.
“That’s settled then.” Chu Xingyun’s face was full of pride. “In the future when I retire from the industry, I’ll have a skill to keep me from starving on the streets.”
Hearing the words “retire from the industry,” Cen Jing’s knife work slowed significantly. He spoke with feigned casualness: “Are you already thinking that far ahead? By the time you retire, you’ll be at least 70, right? Will you still have the energy for planning then?”
Chu Xingyun narrowed his eyes, sensitively sniffing out a hint of something “off” in Cen Jing’s unusually long sentence. It seemed he didn’t really want Chu to talk about retiring.
“Hey… even a 70-year-old man has to be exploited?” The corners of Chu Xingyun’s mouth curled up bit by bit. He knew it. Cen Jing… still cared about him a lot.
“Mm. We should film ‘Grandpa Over Flowers’ then.” Cen Jing rinsed the processed fish with water.
“By then, ‘Grandpa Over Flowers’ will be outdated. If we film anything, we should find a few old men the same age and film ‘Waiting for Death Together’.”
【Brother, you’re a genius at planning.】
【Don’t say it! Just that title alone makes me want to watch.】
【It’s a bit ‘hellish’ though.】
Cen Jing: “Must we wait for death?”
“Then… ‘Going to Heaven Together’?” Chu Xingyun offered a “gentler” phrasing.
Cen Jing critiqued internally: Not everyone can go to heaven.
” ‘Going to Hell Together’ then.” Chu Xingyun smoothly changed his tune. Before Cen Jing could speak, he continued excitedly: “Actually, ‘Going to Hell’ is totally feasible. It’s impossible for someone to live to 70 without making a single mistake or having one regret, right?”
“That would indeed be very difficult.” Cen Jing put the fish aside and started skewering with Chu Xingyun.
“And besides, at 70, with death at the door, those mistakes, regrets, and secrets. There’s no point in keeping them hidden. Might as well tell the public everything and just go straight to hell!”
“Not caring about your descendants at all? You don’t want a legacy that lasts a hundred generations?” Cen Jing questioned.
“Who cares!” Chu Xingyun’s attitude was carefree. “I’ll be a pile of ash by then; why care about so much?”
Cen Jing nodded slowly. “Mm… if you only care about yourself, you can indeed act willfully.”
“I…” Hearing this, Chu Xingyun’s heart suddenly skipped a beat. “I-I don’t only care about myself… Hiss—!”
He was so anxious to explain that he didn’t pay attention. He used too much force while skewering a potato, and the wooden stick poked straight into his fingertip. Beads of blood quickly surfaced.
Cen Jing was quick to react, grabbing his wrist and looking down to inspect it. “What are you in such a hurry to say?”
Chu Xingyun flusteredly tried to pull his hand back to hide his embarrassment. “It’s fine, I’ll just wipe it off.”
“Don’t move.” Cen Jing tightened his grip, carefully confirming the state of the wound before slowly letting go. “I’m going to find the staff. Sit here and wait for me.”
Chu Xingyun looked at him with longing: “…But I haven’t finished what I was saying.”
“Is your mouth going to be sewn shut so you can’t talk later?” Cen Jing’s tone became a bit sharper. “Behave.”
“So fierce…” Chu Xingyun mumbled.
【Please enjoy the sweet daily life of my married parents.】
【It really feels like a couple that’s been married for thirty years and is still in love.】
【So? What was that seven-year loss of contact about then? A type of roleplay?】
【Hurry up and reveal the secret! I need the truth about the breakup back then—】
【Actually, it’s just normal colleague behavior. Believe it or not, if Jiang Xun was the one hurt, Cen Jing would do the same.】
“Pah—” While Cen Jing went to find the staff, the camera cut to Jiang Xun. “What’s the use of playing together for a long time? The best result he got with you was just one league title. Can he even compare to me?”
Since Jiang Xun changed teams, his support partners had changed frequently, and he hadn’t been able to find one that perfectly suited his style. Chen Shu, on the other hand, was more stable; he only changed ADCs three times in four years, and he had been with the latest one for a year and a half. The time and number of matches had already exceeded his time with Jiang Xun; all that was missing was the achievement.
“Always barking.” Chen Shu let out a snort, putting a newly caught fish into the bucket.
“So what? Is what I’m barking not the fact?” Jiang Xun became more annoyed as he spoke. “If he’s so good, why are there so many ‘Soul-Summoning’ posts for the 2021 Jiang-Chen duo on the community forums?”
It was a fact that the two hadn’t produced impressive results in four years and their form had declined. But seeing as the teams still insisted on using them as starters and only swapped their partners, it was clear that even with a decline, their strength had never dropped out of the top tier. Their region hadn’t won a World Championship in four years, so the audience naturally reminisced about the year they possessed absolute dominance together.
“They’re just ghosts now, what is there to say?” Chen Shu gave him a fleeting, sideways glance. “Besides, what they want is the you and me from 2021, not the current ones.”
If the current Jiang Xun and Chen Shu played together again, it would break the “filter” people had for the past and only invite a more violent backlash.
“I know…” Jiang Xun’s tone turned gloomy. “But don’t talk about them even I occasionally want to go back to 2021.”
Chen Shu: “Go back to 2021 to do what?”
“If I could go back to 2021…” Jiang Xun gazed at the distant sky and squeezed out a mischievous smile. “I’d retire at the peak of my glory, so they’d never have a chance to flame me. They’d just talk about me and miss me for the rest of their lives.”
“You’re sick.” Chen Shu cursed, then suddenly laughed. “Then I’d pin your photo to the top of my profile and write ‘Always Remembered’.”