Chapter 64 - 1#
Sent by Uncle#
He didn’t know when he had left.
The people around were still there, all cheering, but that specific spot was empty, exceptionally conspicuous.
The moment he and his teammates held up the trophy, the entire venue erupted.
Shen Fang was smiling, but his movements were stiff. When his teammate handed him the trophy, he took it and didn’t move.
The heavy trophy in his hand had a lot of weight and a strong presence, but Shen Fang found it hard to truly smile.
He had always wanted to win a championship in front of that person.
This was his last match, and his last championship.
He thought Mo Xuzhi would keep watching him.
He had already thought about what to talk to him about in a while.
Shen Fang draped the national flag over himself and stood on the podium holding the trophy, but his smile wasn’t as happy as it was at the end of the previous match.
The host came over and asked him many things, everyone having smiles on their faces. Shen Fang didn’t let the atmosphere grow cold and would chime in from time to time.
Tonight, the group of young people standing on the stage draped in national flags were the most eye-catching existence.
The award ceremony after the match had many segments and lasted for a long time before ending.
When the TTK members went backstage from the stage, they could still hear the surging screams from behind.
Xiao Zhou clutched his chest and said, “Damn, my heart is still pounding.”
A teammate glanced at him: “That’s not what you said when you were on stage.”
On stage, when the host asked if he was nervous, Xiao Zhou said he wasn’t, and even shamelessly claimed he had long expected to win, so there was no need to be nervous at all.
Another teammate also laughed and said, “Today’s cameras are very good. The cold sweat on your forehead can be captured clearly. Just wait to be mocked.”
Xiao Zhou wasn’t afraid at all and took the lead to rush forward a few steps, “Wuhu! Phone time! Posting on Weibo!”
Shen Fang walked with his teammates, but his pace gradually slowed down.
A teammate on the side asked him what was wrong. He stuffed the trophy into the other’s hand, said “Please,” and rushed even faster than Xiao Zhou.
Shen Fang didn’t have time to change clothes; he just added a coat over his team uniform. After putting on the hood and a mask, he grabbed his phone from the coach and went to the audience stands.
Many people in the stands hadn’t left, and some who did just moved to the stadium entrance to wait.
Shen Fang first checked the stadium entrance meticulously, not missing any corner, but couldn’t find that figure.
He returned to the stadium, making a call while walking to the seat where Mo Xuzhi had originally sat.
It was still empty, and the call wasn’t answered.
He stood there for quite a while. Among the boys nearby who were watching the replay, one looked up at him a few times.
Shen Fang only thought for a second before asking, “Excuse me, earlier…”
“Oh oh, it’s you, right!”
Before he could finish, the boy seemed to suddenly remember something, pointed to Mo Xuzhi’s seat and asked, “You’re looking for the person who sat here, right?”
Shen Fang nodded.
“He seemed to have something to do and already left.” The boy stood up and handed him a cup of pinkish-looking milk tea, saying, “This is for you from him.”
Shen Fang’s eyes moved. He took the milk tea and asked again, “Then do you know when he left?”
“Just when the match was won. He even stood up and clapped,” the boy said. “After watching so many matches, his emotions were so calm he didn’t even look like a spectator. This was the first time he stood up.”
His heart skipped a beat. Shen Fang subconsciously gripped the milk tea in his hand and continued to ask, “Then… did he say anything?”
“He said Shen Shen performed very well this time, very impressive.”
Mo Xuzhi saw him win.
And he praised him.
Shen Fang let out a breath. His heart suddenly felt like it was filled with something—a bit heavy, but not unpleasant. He said thank you.
After Shen Fang left, a commotion came from behind.
“Damn, R-god posted on Weibo!”
After the match, while the audience was still processing it, Xiao Zhou recovered quickly. The moment he put down the trophy, he started surfing the net.
To maintain their state of mind these past few days, the coach hadn’t allowed them to check online news. Xiao Zhou only managed to peek a few times when Mo Xuzhi was looking at his phone. Now that he was liberated, he rushed faster than anyone.
Specifically, he posted several Weibos at once, with intervals of no more than half a minute.
He posted several photos taken these past few days in chronological order, and each post included a photo from tonight’s championship.
The first one he posted was a photo taken when eating with Mo Xuzhi.
[TTK—RoadV: The captain finally met Uncle in person. I don’t know why I was nervous during their meeting. Eh, maybe this is fatherly love. [Image] [Image] [Image]]
He posted three photos in total. The first was taken at the backstage exit, showing the backs of two people. The second was the photo taken during the meal, and the third was the customary championship photo.
Netizens always felt something was wrong with these photos.
[This atmosphere… is this really just a meeting between online friends? Really? Really? Isn’t this actually an online dating couple meeting in person?]
[Damn, this really is Uncle! I didn’t believe it when the reporters took photos before!!]
[Xiao Zhou really has to include a championship photo every time he posts on Weibo (points and clicks.jpg)]
[Even though the face is blurry, I can feel through the screen that Uncle must be very good-looking. I want an online friend like this too, woo woo woo. I have the phone, where can I get the friend?]
[md I’m crying! Shen Shen is retiring after this match. I won’t be able to see Shen Shen play games anymore in the future.]
[??? This is Uncle? Wow, I’ve been sitting next to him the whole time and didn’t recognize him, and even kept bragging to him about Uncle balabala (dazed.jpg)]
After the boy finished typing, his mind went blank for a moment, then started spinning wildly.
The person sitting next to him was Uncle.
He drank the milk tea Uncle gave him.
Then the person who just came to get the milk tea was…???
Boy: “Holy sh*t.”
Mo Xuzhi hailed a taxi immediately after leaving the stadium.
The driver asked where he was going, and he said, “Yunshan Cemetery.”
The driver glanced at him again. Seeing him all wrapped up, he felt a bit uneasy and secretly set an automatic alarm to ensure he could call the police immediately if anything happened.
Mo Xuzhi didn’t speak again after stating his destination.
The entire car was excessively quiet.
It wasn’t dark yet, but there were significantly fewer vehicles on the road to the cemetery, with only a few cars heading back.
Yunshan Cemetery was at the junction of C City and Kyoto. As they neared the entrance, the driver tremblingly began to slow down and stop.
Mo Xuzhi paid, thanked him, and quickly got out.
After getting out, the suspicious guest ran straight towards the cemetery.
The driver breathed a sigh of relief.
Someone was already waiting at the cemetery entrance.
That person led Mo Xuzhi into the cemetery.
It was very quiet in the cemetery, with only a few figures standing before a tombstone.
Someone whispered to the man standing on the side, “Chen Jun, General Director Mo is here.”
Mo Xuzhi stopped.
The stooped man turned around.
At the moment the afterglow faded, the suppressed emotions could no longer be held back.
A weight was added to his shoulders, and Mo Xuzhi lowered his eyelashes.
The man’s hoarse crying became more apparent in the gradually darkening space.
Mo Xuzhi took off his mask and hat, turning his head to look at the tombstone.
[Mother of Chen Jun, Yang Fengping]
The date of death was also written on the tombstone.
Yang Fengping passed away two years after they entered the base.
While they were still at the base, someone’s relative had already passed away silently.
Mo Xuzhi didn’t speak, waiting quietly for Chen Jun’s emotions to stabilize.
The man’s crying gradually subsided.
“I have an adoptive sister. When Mom left, she was still in high school. I wasn’t around, and her whereabouts were unknown. Relatives were afraid of getting stuck with a mess and didn’t dare help with the funeral. My sister was young and didn’t know how, so it wasn’t held.”
“My sister found the cemetery plot, and the money for it was allocated by the state.”
“She was sick, but she always remembered me.” Chen Jun choked up, almost unable to speak, “Before she died, she was still asking where I had gone.”
The rest of the people remained silent.
Chen Jun slowly squatted down, covering his face with his hands.
He had fainted from exhaustion on the way to the hospital, and after waking up, he rested for a few more days before the doctor allowed him to leave and move freely.
When he returned home, he found it empty.
All the room doors were closed, and there was a heavy smell when they were opened.
There was an extra photo in the living room.
A black and white photo.
In these years, his younger sister had also changed her number. He asked neighbors and relatives before finally getting her new number.
When he asked, the relatives and neighbors didn’t even recognize who he was.
He called his younger sister.
She was surprised at first, then very angry, saying he hadn’t come home for years and that their mother had already passed away.
He was still alive, but his mother could no longer wait for him.
Mo Xuzhi put his hat and mask aside and bowed deeply to the tombstone.
He said, “I’m sorry.”
He bowed deeply again and said, “Thank you.”
The others wanted to stop him, but he moved too fast for them to intervene, so they could only hold back.
He didn’t need to apologize.
Objectively speaking, participating in the CI Project was Chen Jun’s own will. Mo Xuzhi’s task was only to select suitable researchers. He didn’t owe anything and had no obligation to be here today.
But he came anyway.
The person who received Mo Xuzhi’s call was initially a bit dazed and went to wait at the entrance half-doubtingly, not expecting him to actually come.
Including the current bow, it was all out of his personal will. They had no reason or standing to stop him.
“Chen Jun, my condolences.”
Mo Xuzhi squatted down as well. He looked straight into Chen Jun’s eyes and said, “I will send a report to your research institute to grant you leave and reimburse your travel expenses. They told me your sister is attending university in the south. Adjust your state of mind and go see her.”
Chen Jun said blankly, “I don’t know how to face her.”
Whatever his reasons were, the final result was the same. He had been away from home for years and didn’t return even when his mother passed away.