Cheng Che and Qin Lie got out of the car, but Su Miaoyin and the other two did not follow.
They're going to spend a day in Magic City and then head back to Peking University tomorrow.
Su Miaoyin stood at the car door, waved to Cheng Che, said "Good luck in the competition," and then closed the car door.
After the car drove away, Cheng Che and Qin Lie dragged their suitcases into the hotel.
The room is on the 37th floor.
The floor-to-ceiling windows face the Huangpu River, with Lujiazui on the opposite bank, and the spire of the Oriental Pearl Tower gleaming silver-gray in the afternoon sun.
Qin Lie put his luggage away, sat on the sofa, and took out his phone to browse through it.
"The tournament starts tomorrow. However, the match schedule for the qualifiers hasn't been released yet; I'll ask about it later."
Cheng Che lay on the bed, scrolled through his phone a couple of times, and suddenly chuckled.
"Could you ask me if I can skip the qualifying rounds?"
Qin Lie looked up at him. "Are you serious?"
"Just kidding." Cheng Che turned his phone over and showed it to him. "I got 500 points from winning Tokyo, but my ranking is only around 300. How could I skip the qualifying rounds?"
Qin Lie thought about it and agreed with him.
But he still took out his phone and sent a message to the organizing committee of the Magic City Masters, asking, "Has Cheng Che been released yet?"
It was just something I did on a whim; I didn't have any high hopes.
About twenty minutes later, Qin Lie's phone vibrated.
He glanced down, then sprang up from the sofa.
"Holy crap."
"What's wrong?"
Qin Lie stared at the screen, his mouth agape for a long time, then looked up at Cheng Che with an incredulous expression.
The organizing committee said you'll advance directly to the main competition.
Cheng Che was taken aback.
"What?"
"Your name is on the main draw roster for the Magic City Masters." Qin Lie handed over his phone. "They said you can get a wildcard entry to the main draw."
Cheng Che took the phone and glanced at it.
The screen displayed an official email, formally worded and simply stating that Cheng Che would directly enter the main competition without needing to participate in the qualifying rounds.
He remembered two things.
[ Zhuangyuan: You have a chance of being favored by a benefactor.]
[ Green Lights All the Way: Any transaction you initiate that requires external cooperation will automatically obtain the "optimal path".]
When he said to Qin Lie, "Why don't you ask?", he was just saying it casually.
However, the phrase "[ Green Lights All the Way ]" probably interprets it as "a proactively initiated transaction."
The fact that the Zhuangyuan scorer had the favor of a powerful figure made the organizing committee willing to make an exception for him.
The two titles working together had an effect even faster than he had anticipated.
He chuckled.
Qin Lie was still muttering to himself:
"In all my years in this business, this is the first time I've seen someone casually ask a question and skip the qualifying rounds to go straight to the main competition. Do you know what that means? You get two whole extra days of rest."
Cheng Che returned the phone to him, lay back on the bed, and looked out the window at the Huangpu River.
Two days.
It was free.
He took out his phone and called Jiang Xue to let her know he was safe.
After hanging up, he thought for a moment, then opened the dormitory group chat and sent a message.
[ Cheng Che: I bought the amulets. Two from Sensō-ji. One for your sister, Li Yuan, and one for you.]
Li Yuan replied instantly, "Godfather! My sister must be ecstatic. How much is it? I'll transfer it to you."
Cheng Che: No need, little one.
Wang Zheng suddenly appeared. "Godfather! Where's my Gundam?"
Zhou Hao then spammed the chat with "EVA! EVA!"
Cheng Che: I went to Akihabara, but didn't see anything suitable. I'll go again next time.
Cheng Che smiled and put his phone down.
Then he sent Guo Xin another message, saying that he had gone to Akihabara.
Guo Xin replied instantly, "You went to Akihabara? Did you bring me a photo album?"
Cheng Che: Get lost.
The announcement of the main draw roster for the Magic City Masters has sparked some online discussion.
A domestic player ranked around 400th posted a message on Weibo without naming names, but everyone knows who he was talking about:
"Some people get into the main draw by luck, but you can't win the main draw by luck."
The comment section was immediately flooded with Cheng Che's fans.
[Who are you talking about? You think the Tokyo Open Champion was won by luck?]
[Seven wins without losing a single set? You try playing one yourself!]
[They won the Tokyo Olympics with 500 points, how many did you get?]
[If you're so capable, why don't you go and win a Champion yourself, and ask the organizing committee to give you a wildcard entry?]
It was so sour it almost made my teeth fall out.
The contestant quickly deleted the post.
When another player ranked around 200th was interviewed and asked about Cheng Che's direct entry into the main draw, he smiled and said, "It's allowed by the rules, so there's not much to say. However, his first round in the main draw will probably be very difficult, since the intensity of the Master Tournament is different from the Challenger Tournament."
In the comments section, fans continued to retaliate.
Whether it's difficult or not, you'll only know after you try.
When he played Becker, Becker also said it would be difficult, but what happened in the end?
Why are you worrying about others? Mind your own business first.
Cheng Che didn't read these comments.
He took a nap, ate a bowl of wontons after waking up, and then waited until it got dark before heading out.
He put on a mask, took out the hat Qin Lie had given him from the box and put it on his head, and then hung the sports headphones Su Miaoyin had given him around his neck.
After leaving the hotel, it's a ten-minute walk to the Bund.
The Bund was more bustling than he had imagined at night.
The riverside walkway was packed with people—tourists, couples, people taking photos, people livestreaming—it was densely packed.
Across the river, Lujiazui was brightly lit, with the Oriental Pearl Tower glowing in a pinkish-purple light. The Shanghai Tower and the World Financial Center next to it stood like three pillars of light of different heights, piercing the night sky across the river.
Boats glide across the Huangpu River, their neon lights reflected in the water, shattering into fragments of color.
Cheng Che thought that if he drank a Mixue Ice Cream & Tea right now, he might get shot out of Magic City by the Oriental Pearl Tower with lasers.
He couldn't help but laugh.
Cheng Che walked slowly along the riverbank, music playing in his headphones.
He deliberately turned the volume down a bit to let in some of the noise from the Bund.
A breeze blew from the river, carrying moisture and coolness, leaving only a faint sensation on his skin.
He walked to a corner, and the song in his headphones happened to switch to a slow song.
He glanced down at the song title on his phone screen and slowed his pace.
Then he bumped into someone.
The girl was knocked back two steps by his bump and almost fell.
Cheng Che instinctively reached out and supported her arm.
She steadied herself and blurted out a curse in Korean.
Cheng Che was taken aback.
Then she replied in Korean, "I'm sorry."
The girl looked up.
Cheng Che saw a very beautiful face.
She has delicate features, fair skin, large eyes, and dark brown hair that falls over her shoulders.
She was wearing a light-colored coat over a white turtleneck sweater.
But Cheng Che didn't know her.
When the girl heard Korean, she paused for a moment, then looked at him warily.
She took a half step back and carefully examined Cheng Che.
Then she realized that the man wearing the mask didn't seem to recognize her.
Her expression changed from wary to puzzled, and then she asked in Korean, "Are you from Xia Country?"
Cheng Che smiled.
"I'm in Magic City, what else could I be but Xia Country?" He pushed his mask down, revealing a sliver of his mouth. "No South Korea is as handsome as me."
The girl looked at him, paused for a moment, and then smiled.