# Chapter 37
The trembling server stuttered, "R... rat poison?!"
Yu Sui nodded. The server shook his head frantically, "No!! Our restaurant has a sanitation permit, there are absolutely no rats! And we've never stocked rat poison!"
Chen Huo's train of thought was quickly steered by Yu Sui, following up, "No rat poison? Then what about arsenic? Got any of that?"
Puppy chimed in with a question of his own, "And Crown Top Red?"
The server broke down, "Crown... Crown Top Red?!"
"You don't know what Crown Top Red is?" Old Qiao looked at the server with pity, kindly offering an explanation, "It's what the Old Buddha made the Fragrant Concubine drink. Didn't your parents forbid you from watching TV dramas during summer vacation when you were little?"
Shi Luo lost patience, "All we need is a machete. Why are we making such a big deal out of this?"
The young female server hadn't encountered bandits very often. Trembling, she reached for the walkie-talkie, "You... you people..."
Yu Sui couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Don't call security!!" Zhou Huo regretted more and more taking over this club full of troublemakers. Unable to bear it any longer, he stood up and screamed, "I'm sorry, we'll leave ourselves! I'm sorry, little sister, I'll take these lunatics away immediately! Please don't call security, I beg you! We can't end up on the news, Yu Sui!! Didn't you already settle the bill?! Let's go!"
Chen Huo was pushed to stand up, still full of resentment, "We can't hit anyone, can't poison anyone, and now we just leave like that?"
"Forget it. Next time." Puppy said bleakly, "Our team just advanced through the qualifiers, we have a great future ahead. This scumbag isn't worth the trouble. Next time... when we run into him at an international competition abroad? Let's do it properly—he dies in a foreign country and nobody will ever know..."
"Abroad is also out of the question!!" Zhou Huo was so angry he wanted to hit Puppy, "I've realized it now! The quietest one is actually the worst of all! Shut your mouth!"
Everyone knew the score in their hearts—they just wanted to shoot their mouths off a bit or do something that wouldn't make the news. Zhou Huo, on the other hand, didn't want any trouble at all. He hastily grabbed the receipt and urged everyone to their feet. Helplessly, reluctantly, they grabbed their phones and stood up.
As they walked toward the exit, passing the FS private room, Chen Huo couldn't help but say, "That room right there."
Before Zhou Huo could stop the group, Shi Luo, walking on the far side, shoved the private room door open. Two servers inside cleaning the room looked toward the entrance, "Did someone leave something behind?"
Shi Luo frowned, "No."
"Talk about running fast." Chen Huo curled his lip dismissively, "He definitely saw me."
Zhou Huo breathed a sigh of relief, "They're already gone. Okay, okay, let's go too."
Zhou Huo一边给司机打电话一面赶着众人往外走。 As night had fully fallen, the group walked toward the curb. Yu Sui rubbed his stomach.
Shi Luo frowned and looked over. Puppy asked first, "Your stomach's hurting again?"
Yu Sui shook his head, "I'm fine."
"Stop pretending." Puppy frowned, "You can't go hungry in the first place, and you barely ate lunch. I saw you eating very little of the hot pot just now. Were you already having stomach pains earlier?"
"Tone it down. It's a little painful, really not serious." Yu Sui's expression remained normal, "I'll drink some冲剂 when I get back and it'll be fine."
"Hurting again?" Zhou Huo said nervously, "Nothing serious, right? Weren't your stomach problems cured?"
Yu Sui said, "Cured long ago. It just acts up a bit when my diet's irregular, nothing serious."
Zhou Huo looked at Yu Sui distrustfully, then turned to Puppy. Puppy nodded, "That's true. The doctor said sometimes irregular eating can cause minor problems, but usually some hot liquid helps. You... don't you have冲剂 on you? Go back to the restaurant and ask for some hot water."
Yu Sui was still thinking about picking up Shi Luo that evening, not wanting to waste any time, "Let's just handle it back at the base."
"If it gets worse back at the base, what then?!" Zhou Huo couldn't let Yu Sui take any more risks, and said without giving room for argument, "I'll go with you back. Come on, come on. Old Qiao, the car's here waiting for us. It'll be just a moment."
Old Qiao nodded, "Hurry."
Yu Sui had no choice but to let Zhou Huo lead him back into the restaurant.
The remaining four waited by the curb.
A private car came up from the underground parking garage, slowly pulling to a stop by the roadside. The driver's side door opened, and someone got out and stood behind the car body. Only a half-profile of their back was visible.
Shi Luo had been waiting for his car. After taking two looks, he squinted his eyes and sneered, "What a coincidence."
Chen Huo茫然地顺着时洛的目光看过去："操。"
Puppy looked over, hesitated, and said, "There are cameras everywhere. Don't make trouble for yourself."
The lesson from two years ago still lingered. Shi Luo really didn't dare to cause trouble again and make others cover for him.
But Shi Luo still walked toward the private car.
Old Qiao had been staring at his phone. At the comment, he turned his head to look, "What's wrong?"
Chen Huo looked at the person nearby, "Ji Yanhan."
Old Qiao's eyes darkened.
Ji Yanhan had been drinking earlier. After sending the FS players onto the team bus, he stayed behind. Drunk and groggy, he was looking for a designated driver when footsteps made him look up. He stared blankly for a moment, "...Shi Luo?"
Shi Luo looked at Ji Yanhan coldly.
Ji Yanhan rubbed his eyes. With a hollow gaze, he looked at the approaching group, his lips trembling twice, "Old Qiao, Chen Huo, Puppy..."
Ji Yanhan looked back at Shi Luo, suddenly snapping back to alertness as if the alcohol had evaporated. His gaze dodged, trying to hide in the car, but Shi Luo was one step ahead, placing his hand on the car door.
Ji Yanhan retreated two steps nervously, "You..."
"Don't worry, there are cameras everywhere. I'm not going to hit you." Shi Luo looked at Ji Yanhan with disgust, "I just came to ask you one question. After that, I'll leave."
"Ask..." Ji Yanhan's greatest fear was seeing these people. Unfortunately, it was FS's most critical match today, so he had no choice but to come. He'd been hiding all day, only to crash into them at the very end. Now he just wanted to get away quickly. His voice shaking, he said, "You ask..."
"That Minmin." Shi Luo asked, "Is she doing okay?"
Ji Yanhan stared at Shi Luo blankly. After calculating every possible scenario, he never expected Shi Luo to ask this. Unthinkingly, he said, "After you guys left that year, the hole in her family was barely patched up. Her father had a stroke after that incident. He got sick, and now he doesn't handle family affairs anymore. After they got married... everything at home is managed by the two of us. She's... doing okay, I guess."
Shi Luo nodded, "Alright."
Shi Luo turned to leave. Ji Yanhan hadn't yet processed what had just happened—Shi Luo hadn't asked anything about himself, just asked about Minmin, someone with whom he had absolutely no connection. What did that mean?
Ji Yanhan snapped back, frantically calling out, "Old Qiao! Chen Huo!"
Ji Yanhan asked, his voice trembling, "Did you all come today for revenge? Is Yu Sui settling old scores?"
Chen Huo掏掏耳朵，失笑："报仇？"
Ji Yanhan hemmed and hawed, "That last match..."
"You and Yu Sui's business was settled two years ago. He's probably forgotten what you look like by now." Chen Huo looked Ji Yanhan up and down, "The one who can't let go is you, isn't it?"
Ji Yanhan's pupils contracted sharply. He didn't dare meet their eyes.
Indeed, over these two years, the one who couldn't move on and was constantly tormented by the tiniest bit of conscience that remained was himself.
He was the one who'd done something wrong. Yu Sui carried no burden. So what was there for the man to agonize over?
It was just one match—at most it would make them feel somewhat nostalgic about their former team.
Thinking of FS, now a thing of the past, Ji Yanhan turned to look at the group. His gaze lingered with envy as he murmured to himself, "Old Qiao, you became a coach? That's good... everything's complete now..."
The former FS genius lineup had reformed—just no longer under the FS banner.
Ji Yanhan murmured, "In the end, I was the one who got kicked out."
Among everyone, Old Qiao had been on the same team with Ji Yanhan the longest, and was also the one least willing to see him. Old Qiao's face darkened. He didn't want to say a single word. Just as he was about to pull everyone away, Ji Yanhan spoke again, "Shi Luo, you... joined their team too?"
Shi Luo's expression soured as he looked at Ji Yanhan, "Yes. Why?"
Ji Yanhan uncertainly said, "Didn't you and Yu Sui have irreconcilable differences? How could you..."
Ji Yanhan looked at Shi Luo, uncertain, "Are you together with him?"
Shi Luo froze for a moment, "How much did you drink? What are you talking about?"
"Then you're not together..." Ji Yanhan muttered to himself, unable to comprehend, "So why would you join his team again? He... don't you still not know anything?"
Shi Luo's eyebrows knitted together, "What am I supposed to know?"
"Nothing." Ji Yanhan shook his head, "Nothing, forget it..."
"Talking in riddles—are you trying to drive a wedge between us, or are you making threats again?" When it came to threats, Shi Luo's patience was wearing thin, "Ji Yanhan, you know perfectly well why Yu Sui was vulnerable to your threats back then. Whatever was owed has already been paid back. If you have something to say, just say it. What are you still afraid of saying?"
"I wasn't trying to threaten him!" Ji Yanhan said urgently, "I was... I was considering Yu Sui's feelings. If you..."
"Considering WHAT?! What do you know about considering anything?!"
Old Qiao had been bott up fury ever since retirement. Now on the verge of exploding, he barked, "What are you trying to drive a wedge about?! Let me tell you, Shi Luo joined our team. He's already made up with Yu Sui. What are you trying to instigate?!"
Ji Yanhan compulsively stepped back, stumbling, "I... I wanted to finally make some small compensation for Yu Sui. I..."
"Compensation? Sure." Shi Luo instantly caught the key point, "Go ahead, post a Weibo. Tell everyone exactly what scummy thing you did two years ago. How about it? You've already gotten married anyway, and your team's about to dissolve. You can't possibly run a minor league team anymore. What are you still afraid of?"
"That's not possible!!" Ji Yanhan said without hesitation, "So many of my friends are in the industry! If I tell everything, then my future..."
"Your future?" Shi Luo laughed, "You have a future, but nobody else does?"
"Two years ago you drove me around being sold from one place to another. Two years of hell, and just when I finally had a bit of stability, you had to come恶心 me one more time at the end." Shi Luo fought the urge to throw a punch, "I scraped together this broken Secret Base team from an empty shell. We can't beat anyone. A perfectly good championship team that you drove from relegation tournament losses all the way to being kicked out. Your team's trash and that's nobody's business, but you just had to play the sympathy card against Free in the final match on the brink of elimination—about to be eliminated and still had to screw us over one more time, making all the internet trolls flame my new team. Ha... you really are my goddamn nemesis!!"
If it weren't for the cameras everywhere, Shi Luo really would have thrown a punch, "I owed FS a debt back then. But I didn't owe it to YOU. What right do you have to talk about my future?!"
Ji Yanhan nervously stepped back two more steps, "You owe Yu Sui. But Yu Sui back then... I back then also..."
"Don't. Please." Chen Huo couldn't bear it, cutting Ji Yanhan off, "It's all been settled long ago. Stop telling us how good you were to him back then. Leave us some room for memories, okay? Don't make us sick every time we look back on those days, can you?"
Ji Yanhan fell silent.
After a moment, he压抑地 said, "I..."
Shi Luo烦躁地说，"不乐意就拉倒，反正都被喷习惯了。"
Old Qiao's hands trembled slightly. Without a word, he turned to leave.
"Wait..." Ji Yanhan suddenly said, "Here's a deal. You all make the statement yourselves. I won't explain. Would that work? Would..."
"Bang your MOTHER!!" Old Qiao, who had been holding back for ages, finally snapped completely. He turned around and raged, "Bang your MOTHER!! After all that talking, THIS is the only compensation you're willing to make?!"
Old Qiao崩溃地说，"Clarification? You think we haven't been clarifying for him all these years?! Has anyone believed us?! Has anyone?!"
"I've been clearing Yu Sui's name since that finals match, but what did the trolls say?!"
"They said I've been Yu Sui's sycophant for so many years, a奴才 through thick and thin, and now I'm being pushed out as the scapegoat!!" Old Qiao's new grievances piled atop old ones. He could no longer control his temper. He wanted nothing more than to tear Ji Yanhan apart, "Puppy was clarifying, Chen Huo was clarifying, has anyone believed it?! They're both following Yu Sui's lead, everyone says they dare not speak up, that if they don't whitewash for Yu Sui they'll get bullied in the new team. They also said their Weibo accounts are controlled by Yu Sui!! The more we clarified, the worse Yu Sui got dragged. What else could we possibly do?!"
"Nobody believed what we said. We couldn't produce evidence. All these years, you've been building your good reputation. Nobody believes you'd do something this rotten to the teammate you personally mentored! We try to explain and we just end up adding more mud to Yu Sui's name. What could we do?! I owed Yu Sui such a huge debt back then, and I let him shoulder all this for me. Am I not resentful?! Afraid of causing trouble and tipping off the narrative, I didn't even mention him at my retirement ceremony. Am I not furious?!"
When Old Qiao mentioned retirement, Ji Yanhan could no longer hold himself together. Gritting his teeth, tears fell.
"Shi Luo!! When he was亲手送走 by Yu Sui, he let out so many threats, but then turned around and told NSN it wasn't Yu Sui's true intention! But everyone thought he was just someone whose parents never loved him, someone who developed a幼鸟 complex after being raised by Yu Sui!" Old Qiao was beside himself with rage, bellowing, "He said similar things at IAC too! Others cursed him for being pathetic while saying he'd been forced to sign an NDA before leaving FS!! In the end, it all became evidence of Yu Sui dominating and controlling his teammates. What was he supposed to do?! He was only seventeen back then!!"
Shi Luo grit his teeth. He turned his head away, eyes closed, his Adam's apple bobbing.
"You're asking us to clarify NOW? Coming at us again? What, you can't stand that we finally get to have a few good days?" Old Qiao was apoplectic, "All you know is self-preservation. Let me tell you, your team's dissolution is well-deserved!! You deserve it the most!! You deserve to sit here drunk and alone with nobody to take care of you!! Stop talking about old feelings. If it weren't for the fact that you were the one who brought Old Qiao and Yu Sui out of Blade Edge, I'd have killed you long ago!!"
Ji Yanhan slowly crouched down, covering his eyes, finally collapsing into sobs.
Puppy尽力保持冷静，"行了，没必要跟他多话，气坏了自己不值得，走了。"
Old Qiao's eyes were bloodshot. Gasping for breath, he cursed a few more times before turning toward their car. Chen Huo flipped Ji Yanhan off, and helped Old Qiao away.
Puppy looked back at Ji Yanhan one more time, slowly saying, "Captain. If you still have a shred of conscience, post a clarification. No need to confess anything. You don't need to go into details. Just clarify what that money from selling us was actually used for. Until now, people still say Yu Sui sold us and pocketed the money. You... just think about how he's gotten through all these years."
Puppy looked at Shi Luo, "Shi Luo, let's go."
One by one, everyone left. Ji Yanhan knelt on the ground, wailing. He cried for a full half hour.
Half an hour later, being helped into the car by the designated driver, Ji Yanhan shakily pulled out his phone.
On the forums, as expected, everyone was flaying Yu Sui. The vicious language was so toxic that even Ji Yanhan couldn't bear to read it.
Ji Yanhan stared at the forums for a long time. After much hesitation, he opened the Weibo app.