After finishing his IV drip in the hospital lobby, Xiao Xun walked directly back to the internet cafe.
The rain had stopped by then, and the night shift manager was Su Xiang, an old friend of Xiao Xun's.
Xiao Sanmao was nowhere to be found, likely having gone home to sleep. Otherwise, he might have died from exhaustion at the internet cafe.
Seeing Xiao Xun enter, Su Xiang emerged from behind the counter. "I heard you were sick, are you okay? What happened to your face?"
Xiao Xun explained the situation to Su Xiang and then asked, "Did you ask about that account for me?"
Su Xiang gestured for Xiao Xun to sit down. "I asked. It's the same as I told you yesterday. It's an old game, not many people play it anymore. Most players already have similar accounts. If you really want to sell it, you'll have to sell it to those second-hand dealers. They might buy it quickly, but the price won't be high. Otherwise, if you list it online, you probably won't get a good price."
Xiao Xun lowered his head and thought for a moment. "Regardless, let's sell it. Don't go below eight hundred, and preferably cash."
Su Xiang looked at him curiously. "Not many people use cash these days. And for cash, it would have to be an offline transaction."
"That's fine. I mean, cash is preferred."
Su Xiang brought out a bucket of room-temperature Coca-Cola. "My apprentice said you left this here. Also, he asked me to open a full-night package for you. You can play tonight, or another day, or I can just give you the cash equivalent."
Xiao Xun lifted his left arm. "With this arm, a full-night package is only good for watching movies or TV shows. Forget the cash. Your apprentice doesn't make money easily. Just give me a bucket of instant noodles."
Su Xiang smiled and shook his head, then turned to get him a bucket of instant noodles and a sausage. "You're still sick, eating this unhealthy food. When will you get better?"
Xiao Xun picked up the plastic bag in his hand. "This little more than six hundred yuan worth of miracle medicine. After eating this, I guarantee I'll be cured."
He temporarily placed the medicine on the counter, then tore open the package himself, poured in the seasoning packets, and went to the water dispenser to get some hot water, sealing the top with a fork.
After waiting for five minutes, he bit open the sausage with his teeth and spat it into the instant noodles piece by piece.
After finishing the noodles, he took the medicine with the noodle soup. He glanced at his watch; it was just past eleven, and the full-night package had only been active for an hour.
He chatted with Su Xiang for a while and then found a booth to sleep in.
In the dead of night, Xiao Xun was woken up by the cold. The air conditioning was too strong.
Shivering, he went to the counter and found a thicker piece of clothing from his luggage to put on.
Su Xiang was wearing headphones and watching a movie on a computer in front of the counter. It was dark outside the internet cafe entrance, and it seemed to be raining again, but the hum of the machines completely drowned out the sounds from outside.
Covering himself with his jacket, Xiao Xun felt much warmer. He took off his shoes and curled up in the corner of the booth.
When he woke up again, it was already five or six in the morning, and many of the overnight customers had left.
Xiao Xun's complexion had improved significantly. He sat down at a computer, logged into his account, and took screenshots of his warehouse and battle record pages, posting them on the local forum, hoping for a chance.
At that moment, Su Xiang walked over and gently patted Xiao Xun's shoulder. "Let's go! I'll treat you to some food."
He turned to look at Su Xiang and waved his hand. "No need. I'll get something to eat myself later."
"Why are you being so polite with me? It's just breakfast, I can afford it. Let's go!" With that, he put his arm around Xiao Xun's shoulder and walked towards the internet cafe door.
As they passed the counter, Su Xiang greeted his apprentice. "I'm heading back."
"Take care, Master."
Xiao Xun also nodded at him without saying anything and followed him out.
The two went to a breakfast stall across the street. Su Xiang ordered two bowls of wontons and two plates of xiaolongbao, added some complimentary pickled vegetables, and sat on a long stool that was already smoothed by use.
"Let's eat first. We can order more if it's not enough."
Xiao Xun softly grunted, saying nothing else.
Su Xiang handed him a pair of chopsticks and asked, "By the way, what are your plans next? Staying at the internet cafe all the time isn't a solution. How about I help you find some work?"
Xiao Xun took the chopsticks. "No need. Once I sell the account and repay the money, I want to go back to my hometown. I feel like this place isn't suitable for me."
Su Xiang understood that everyone has their own aspirations and couldn't be forced. He didn't say much more. He just felt it was a shame for Xiao Xun, with his excellent education and good character, to go back. After all, in a big city, there would be more opportunities, and he wouldn't starve doing anything.
After a simple meal, Su Xiang said to Xiao Xun, "You're still sick. Why don't you come back to my place and stay for a while until you're better?"
Xiao Xun shook his head. "I've already troubled you enough. I'm quite comfortable at the internet cafe. It's a bit noisy, but I feel more at ease doing things there, and I like the atmosphere."
"How about this, you come home with me and sleep for a bit. I know you definitely didn't rest well last night. We can go back to the internet cafe together tonight, okay?"
Xiao Xun seemed to be wavering upon hearing this.
At that moment, Su Xiang's phone rang. Hearing the content of Su Xiang's conversation on the phone, Xiao Xun knew it was no longer possible.
As expected, after hanging up, Su Xiang said apologetically, "I have something... I have to attend to..."
Xiao Xun patted his shoulder. "It's okay, brother. Go take care of your business. I'll be fine at the internet cafe."
Su Xiang was very pleased with Xiao Xun's understanding. "I'm truly sorry. I'll bring you some food tonight."
He quickly said, "Don't worry about it, they are minor matters."
Back at the internet cafe, business was extremely slow, with only the same few regulars, all playing their usual games.
It seemed like it was only a matter of time before the internet cafe went out of business.
However, the owner probably didn't pay much attention to this internet cafe, because since Xiao Xun first arrived, the owner had never shown his face.
There were only three staff members in the entire internet cafe: two managers and a cleaning lady.
Casually finding a chair in a corner, Xiao Xun sat down. The managers also had nothing to do, so they started chatting with Xiao Xun.
There wasn't much to talk about, mostly about Su Xiang, discussing how impressive he was back in the day and who he knew among the influential figures on the streets.
As noon approached, Xiao Xun ordered another bucket of instant noodles. He felt his life had become much more regulated. At this hour before, he definitely wouldn't have been able to get up.
After only a few bites, Xiao Sanmao walked in with a fried egg pancake. "Yo! Brother Xiao, are you better?"
Xiao Sanmao glanced at Xiao Xun's instant noodles. "Eating this in the middle of the day?" Then, he stopped talking.
He sat down next to Xiao Xun, opened his computer, logged in with his username and password, and turned to Xiao Xun, who was starting to drink the soup. "Brother Da Sheng, can you help me play for a bit again? We have a few team matches coming up, and they're really giving me a headache. If you help me win, we'll have beer and grilled lamb skewers tonight, drinking until we drop, how about it?"