Chapter 244: The Night a Celebrity Waited in Vain

After leaving the Chu residence, Fang Zhou planned to return to his place.

But thinking about returning to a room filled with traces of Chu Xinran, he knew it would likely dampen his mood. So, he decided to head directly to the studio instead.

It was nearing 9 PM, just about when Li Siming was about to leave. Opening the door and seeing Fang Zhou, Li Siming perked up immediately.

“Whoa, a rare guest!”

Li Siming’s eyes lit up, and he clapped Fang Zhou on the shoulder, expressing his surprise.

Of course, his loud voice drew the attention of others in the studio.

Everyone looked up, and upon seeing Fang Zhou, they all stood up to greet him.

“Zhou Ge!”

“Hehe, Zhou Ge’s here to check on our work!”

“Zhou Ge, you’re here!”

Although Fang Zhou usually guided everyone’s work online, he was the leader of the studio. Without his initiative to bring everyone together, they wouldn’t have achieved their current success.

So, everyone regarded Fang Zhou as part of the top tier, alongside Li Siming and Su Yang.

Even Su Yang came out to greet Fang Zhou, putting an arm around his shoulder and handing him a pack of gum.

“Since you’re here, don’t leave tonight.”

“We can check everyone’s training results and prepare for the national competition.”

Su Yang’s thoughts aligned with Fang Zhou’s. He also wanted to see everyone’s training progress and identify areas for improvement.

“Alright, I’ll crash here tonight.”

Fang Zhou laughed and stepped into the studio.

Calling it a studio was a bit inaccurate. It was actually a two-story small villa.

The first floor was for work and dining, while the second floor was for resting and sleeping, similar to the treatment of top-tier e-sports players.

Initially, everyone thought it was too extravagant, considering the high cost of renting in Kyoto. But when they found out the sponsor provided the house, they were surprised.

As Li Siming put it, “Since the sponsor is footing the bill, we don’t need to save much on skincare.”

A long table was filled with players, and Su Yang stood at the front, explaining the past few days’ training outcomes and each player’s performance.

“Our team has good synergy, but we lack a standout leader who can shine during official matches. This makes us vulnerable to being wiped out.”

Su Yang concluded the training summary with this statement.

Fang Zhou knew that team synergy might not be crucial during preliminary rounds, but it was essential for national competitions.

“I think if one of us could, we should step down and take on the role of captain.”

Li Siming lightly tapped the table, sharing his view.

“We’re too old and might face restrictions.”

Fang Zhou was being realistic. Many e-sports competitions had strict age limits, and age affected reaction times and hand speed, making it hard to compete with younger players.

So, having one of them step in wasn’t the best solution.

“How about we split into two teams and have a scrimmage to analyze further?”

Hearing everyone’s opinions, Fang Zhou decided to have a direct competition to assess their true capabilities.

“Alright, let’s do it!”

“Hehe, I’ll be on the opposing team and crush Zhou Ge!”

“Watch out, my gun and I are targeting you.”

The small building was brightly lit, with everyone excitedly strategizing and making adjustments.

Finally, they chose a capable leader and an assistant leader, analyzing each player and making predictions and adjustments.

As dawn broke, everyone was exhausted, either collapsed or sleeping, leaving Fang Zhou working at the computer.

Finishing his report, Fang Zhou excitedly shouted, “I’m done with the analysis!”

Looking around, there was no response; everyone was asleep.

Except for Li Siming, who, annoyed by the noise, flipped him off without opening his eyes.

Fang Zhou chuckled, silently turning off the air conditioning and covering them with blankets.

‘Ding-dong!’

Opening the door, he found the woman who came to cook.

Fang Zhou asked her to be quiet and delay lunch until everyone had rested.

He planned to leave but tripped over Su Yang, who was heading to the bathroom and fell onto the couch, muttering, “You crazy man, get some sleep.”

Fang Zhou decided to sleep on the couch where he fell.

Spending the night and morning at the studio, Fang Zhou didn’t return home.

Which meant someone had waited in vain at his door.

The sunlight on her face revealed her weariness and paleness.

The previously radiant celebrity, after a sleepless night, looked anything but glamorous.

More troubling was her inner turmoil.

Fang Zhou hadn’t returned home all night…

Not answering calls or messages, was he really spending the night with Chu Xinran?

Once this thought emerged, Qiao Sisi’s doubts grew uncontrollably, like a spider web, expanding until it covered her entirely.

If someone passed by and saw her crouched there, they might mistake her for a rebellious daughter who had run away after a family quarrel.

When her agent, Sister Zhu, called for the third time, Qiao Sisi finally answered.

“Hello?”

“Sisi, where are you? We have an announcement today, remember?”

“You must be there by noon! Otherwise, the media will slander you as a diva! We’ve worked hard to build a good reputation, don’t ruin it over something small!”

“I’m on my way.”

Qiao Sisi hung up, giving Fang Zhou’s apartment door a final glance.

As she prepared to leave, the elevator dinged, and a girl around sixteen or seventeen, dressed simply and cleanly, emerged with a woman in her forties.

“Aunt Wei, I feel like my brother hasn’t been eating well these days, so let’s have a good meal with him today.”

“Alright, I brought several dishes. I’m sure Zhou Ge will like them.”

Fang Wenjing walked lightly, chatting with Aunt Wei.

They passed Qiao Sisi, heading straight to Fang Zhou’s door, knocking before using a key to enter when there was no response.

Qiao Sisi watched, seeing their familiar actions and hearing them call for her brother, stopping in her tracks to observe.

Their fluid motions and genuine smiles didn’t look like they were at the wrong door…