Chapter 209: Take a Chance and Turn Your Bicycle into a Motorcycle!

By the time Fang Zhou left the hospital, it was already dark.

He unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief, then drove toward the bustling center of the city.

That was where Li Siming’s team members were gathering.

About an hour later, he finally arrived at the designated restaurant.

Guided by the staff, Fang Zhou pushed open the room door, greeted by the sight of seven or eight guys clinking glasses and chatting happily.

Sitting at the center, Li Siming excitedly stood up, walked over, and threw an arm around Fang Zhou’s shoulders, loudly proclaiming, “Latecomers must drink three glasses!”

The others recognized him immediately as one of the co-founders of the studio, Fang Zhou.

Although they hadn’t met in person before, he was a regular in the studio’s online meetings, so he wasn’t a stranger.

They all started cheering for him to drink three glasses first.

“Zhou-ge is late! He must be punished!”

“Hahaha, we’ve already had a round. Zhou-ge, you’re too late. Not cool!”

“Exactly, let me pour for Zhou-ge. Hehe!”

Unable to refuse the warm welcome and needing to vent after the stressful past few days, Fang Zhou obliged.

“Got stuck in traffic, sorry, brothers. I’ll take the penalty!”

He downed three glasses in a row, his boldness earning applause from his studio comrades.

A man with a lazy demeanor sitting next to him, smiling, teased, “Fang Zhou has something on his mind today. Normally, he doesn’t touch alcohol. The sun must be rising from the west.”

This man, named Su Yang, was a native Beijinger and a gaming coach Fang Zhou and Li Siming met after university.

With great skills, a good character, and shared interests, they quickly became brothers.

Su Yang had contributed significantly to the establishment of the studio.

Fang Zhou’s eyes curved into a smile as he overturned the empty glass, raising an eyebrow at Su Yang, “It’s such a happy day. If I don’t drink, wouldn’t that spoil the fun?”

They exchanged glances and laughed heartily.

It was indeed a good day. Their studio had won their first match and successfully entered the ‘Autumn Sacrifice’ Cup qualifiers.

The ‘Autumn Sacrifice’ Cup was the largest event in their gaming circle, held every two years, and currently in the qualifying stage.

If they reached the national finals and won the championship, not only would they receive a ten-million-yuan prize, but they’d also secure numerous endorsements and exposure opportunities.

This would be a huge step forward for their studio.

So many were eager to compete in this tournament.

Even without winning, placing in the top ten would still bring prizes and exposure.

Fang Zhou had initially thought if they didn’t qualify in the first round, they could participate in other competitions and he could later tailor training plans for each member.

But they had given him a big surprise by making it to the qualifiers!

So Li Siming had dragged everyone out to celebrate, drinking heartily!

“I originally wanted to invite the boss out for a drink too, but alas, she said she was busy and couldn’t make it, just told us to drink on her tab.”

Li Siming regretfully clapped his hands, disappointed at not meeting the boss.

Su Yang chuckled, explaining, “The boss is busy with multi-million yuan deals. She doesn’t have time for gatherings like ours.”

“Come on, cheers! To the hard work of our brothers and to our studio’s future success!”

Fang Zhou also raised his glass, another drink down, feeling his mind starting to blur, but he didn’t care.

This was the feeling he wanted, drowning his sorrows in drink.

Drunk, there wouldn’t be so many troubles!

The room was filled with laughter and conversation, the atmosphere electric.

In another room not far from their private room, someone sat upright, working on a laptop. A woman was processing some documents.

The phone rang suddenly, and she answered.

“Hello? She’s okay? Good, that’s all that matters. You don’t need to stay at the hospital anymore. Come back.”

After hanging up, Han Xi couldn’t concentrate on the words on her screen anymore.

Taking a deep breath, she closed the laptop and stood up to wash her hands, but then remembered that Fang Zhou and his group were nearby, deciding against it.

She walked to the window, opening it to look at the scenery below, her mind racing.

“President Han, why don’t you go meet them?”

The female assistant standing at the door thought her boss’s behavior was strange.

Why not give them a surprise, since they were already here?

And Fang Zhou was there too. Wasn’t this a perfect chance to improve their relationship?

President Han liked Fang Zhou so much, even willing to be his top supporter in his livestream, secretly funding his startup, yet she didn’t want to show her face?

The woman in her black shirt slowly shook her head, saying softly, “It’s not the right time.”

A trump card is called a trump card because it works at the most critical moment, delivering a fatal blow to the enemy.

Using it prematurely might not achieve the desired result and could even backfire, making the opponent wary next time.

Her informant at the hospital had called, saying Chu Xinran had woken up and Fang Zhou had stayed there half the day before leaving.

Honestly, Han Xi hadn’t expected the usually gentle and innocent Chu Xinran to be driven to such extremes.

Life had always been smooth for her, getting whatever she wanted easily.

What could drive her to such drastic actions but unrequited love?

Watching the distant, flickering neon lights, Han Xi’s gaze darkened.

She wondered what demands Fang Zhou had agreed to, or what compensations he had offered.

Surely, they wouldn’t reconcile now.

If that were the case, Han Xi wouldn’t sit idly by.

Moreover, she felt Fang Zhou still had too much free time, entangling with his ex-girlfriends. He needed something to occupy him.

“Call them and set a goal: win the national championship.”

Han Xi turned, instructing her assistant.

She had three assistants; this one, a woman, usually handled her personal affairs and liaised with Li Siming and others, maintaining anonymity.

The assistant nodded lightly.

“Got it, President Han.”

Just as Fang Zhou and his group were enjoying their drinks, they received a call from their sponsor, promising five million yuan if they won the national championship, half of the competition’s prize.

Li Siming immediately pounded his chest, assuring it could be done!

That’s fifteen million yuan!

“We’ll definitely win!”

Fang Zhou also smiled, knowing it wouldn’t be easy, but what if they succeeded?

Take a chance and turn your bicycle into a motorcycle!