Volume One, Chapter 115: New Year's Eve

The host on stage was speaking eloquently when, prompted by something heard in his earpiece, his expression suddenly stiffened.

"To all our viewers here and those watching online, I am deeply sorry. We have just received news that Ghost, the player from the Imperial Dragon team, has fallen ill and been rushed to the hospital. He will unfortunately be unable to participate in today's competition. However, do not worry; we have many other excellent players who will be taking the stage shortly..."

His subsequent words were drowned out by the gasps of the audience. Sitting in a private box, Chi Xingwan could not hear clearly.

Chen Qifan widened his eyes. "What is going on? The most popular player is absent?"

Zhang Shaodan’s brow furrowed so tightly she could have crushed a fly. Although this was not her assigned project, she immediately picked up her phone to inquire. After hanging up, her expression was grim. "Something happened backstage. I need to go check it out."

Chen Qifan, familiar with Zhang Shaodan, immediately asked, "What happened?"

Zhang Shaodan shook her head. "It’s hard to explain over the phone. I’m just as confused; all I know is that it seems Ghost was injured."

Injured, not ill.

Chen Qifan stopped asking. After Zhang Shaodan left, he muttered, "How strange. The tournament has been running for so many years, and we’ve never had such a major problem."

Not long after, Xiao Rui returned. His face was as pale as a sheet of paper. The person who had been so full of energy moments ago now looked completely wilted.

"What happened?" Chen Qifan nudged him.

Xiao Rui sighed. Everyone in the box was part of his inner circle, so he didn't hold back. "Ghost was attacked in the restroom. A shard of glass was driven into his arm. There was blood everywhere."

"What?"

Not only Chen Qifan, but everyone else was stunned.

"Who could be so wicked? Isn't a player's hand their most important asset?"

"Is the arm injury serious? Will there be lasting damage, like a loss of strength?"

"Did you call the police? Was the attacker caught? Was it someone who snuck in, or someone from inside?"

With the younger ones firing off question after question, Xiao Rui, who was never the sharpest tool in the shed, became even more confused and could only mumble vague answers.

"I don't know the extent of the injury. He was sent to the hospital and needs an examination before we know anything. As for the attacker, they haven't been found. The attack came from behind, and Ghost didn't see the person's face."

The All-Star match officially began, and the stage was proceeding with the schedule, but due to Ghost's absence, the audience became restless and dissatisfied. Fortunately, the performances of the other players remained brilliant, and the host managed the situation well. Although the All-Star match was imperfect, it eventually concluded smoothly.

Zhang Shaodan did not return until the end. Everyone tacitly agreed not to disturb her, and Xiao Rui sent her a message before taking everyone home. Chi Xingwan followed the Xiao family quartet. On the way back, Xiao Rui kept staring at news updates on his phone.

The usually carefree guy wore an expression of rare distress. The last time Chi Xingwan had seen him like this was when he was scammed out of money while opening a club.

"It's all over the internet; it's trending in several places," Xiao Rui sighed.

Xiao Ming said with a deadpan expression, "That’s normal. It’s an emergency with so many people around; it's impossible to keep it under wraps."

"Netizens are furious now. Some are even saying they want to go to the League headquarters to protest. Aunt Dan is going to have a headache."

With the Lunar New Year approaching, such an event meant that the Zhang family was unlikely to have a peaceful holiday. Because of the attack on Ghost, the entire e-sports circle was in chaos, both online and offline. Fans were rioting, and Ghost’s team, the Imperial Dragon team, was also causing an uproar, pressuring the League for an explanation.

However, progress was not smooth. Although the police were called, the backstage area had been crowded with people coming and going. Furthermore, the attack occurred just before the start of the match when everyone was busy. Most crucially, the surveillance camera at the entrance of the restroom had been maliciously destroyed, capturing no useful information.

Ghost himself had been wearing headphones, so he hadn't heard the attacker clearly, and since he hadn't seen the attacker's face, he could only confirm based on his intuition that the perpetrator was male. No further information could be provided. The matter hit a stalemate.

Chi Xingwan's knowledge of e-sports came only from Xiao Rui and Zhang Shaodan. Outside of them, she had no interest in the affair and naturally paid little attention to it.

She was preoccupied with another matter.

Charlie had helped contact the collector who owned the ivory jade pendant. Very fortunately, the collector was returning to the country for a visit this year and had agreed to bring the piece with him.

"Also, Uncle Charlie said the collector's hometown is not far from Yanjing. It takes less than an hour by high-speed rail."

After learning the news, Chi Xingwan told Xiao Yue immediately.

Watching Chi Xingwan’s beaming face, Xiao Yue’s mood suddenly lifted. He teased, "So, I guess I can't ask for an international gift anymore."

Chi Xingwan said with a smile, "Do you want a gift from the neighboring city instead? Or would you rather pick it out yourself? Are you coming with me?"

"Yes, let's go together," Xiao Yue agreed without a second thought.

The collector’s flight was scheduled to arrive on New Year’s Eve. Since he would be busy visiting ancestral graves and relatives for the first few days, there was no time to meet, so they agreed to visit on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year.

Soon, it was New Year's Eve. The atmosphere in the Xiao household was quite lively. During the New Year, even if the relationships between the different branches of the family were strained, everyone put on a show of harmony.

The New Year's Eve dinner was the most comfortable meal Chi Xingwan had ever had at the Xiao residence.

Few people in modern times followed the tradition of staying up all night, but young people rarely went to bed early. After dinner, the elders watched the Spring Festival Gala, while the younger generation, organized by Xiao Rui, went to the garden for a barbecue.

Xiao Duo was there, which was rare. He usually looked down on his younger siblings and rarely associated with them, but this time, for Chi Xingwan's sake, he had joined them.

However, Xiao Yue was also there. He was highly vigilant, practically glued to Chi Xingwan’s side, determined not to let her be alone. Finding no opportunity, Xiao Duo sat there gloomily for a while before he could no longer stand it; he grabbed his car keys and left to find his girlfriends.

Once Xiao Duo was gone, the atmosphere immediately relaxed. Xiao Rui pretended to be a street food vendor, shouting as he grilled and refusing to give anyone food unless they paid, until he was finally beaten up by the joint efforts of Xiao Yu and Xiao Ming.

Xiao Jin, who had been depressed over the Chi Yueyao incident, had her gloom swept away by the antics of the three troublemakers and joined in the fun.

Chi Xingwan and Xiao Yue sat to the side, drinking wine and eating barbecue. They didn't speak much, and while there were occasional lulls in conversation, neither cared; they felt completely at ease in each other's company.

Chi Xingwan felt this was the most comfortable day she had experienced since her rebirth.

But joy can lead to sorrow; the next day, her mood soured.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the five members of the Chi family arrived at the Xiao residence in full force to pay their New Year respects.