Secret Room Book 4 - Epilogue

Translated by Team DHH at http://dhh-workshop.blogspot.com.

Playing Fish Trapped in Secret Room

Book 4: The Return of the King

Epilogue

The award ceremony was postponed to ten o’clock.  Ai Qing returned
to the SP rest area. She opened a bottle of mineral water and drank
several mouthfuls of water.  All the lights inside the stadium focused
on the stage. The players rest area was half empty since many players
had gone up on stage to receive their awards.

The nerve wracking, tense, and exciting moments had all passed.

She felt a little sore from her arm to her wrist.

Ai Qing stood in the middle of the walkway, looking at Solo on her left
and Gun to her right, and laughed in a low voice.  “Do you guys still
remember the time when we were so poor that we couldn’t even afford
to rent the training room? Bosses.”

Solo laughed and shook his head.  “Not even. We couldn’t even afford
a place to sleep at the poorest of times.”  Gun shrugged. “You still slept
on a bed, I had to sleep on the floor for several months.”

Ai Qing continued to drink.  She enviously watched the players onstage.

Her eyes stayed on the most eye-catching one, Dt.

Based on her calculation, Dt was the one who had the longest professional
career.

So many years had gone by since Dt first became famous after he fought
against Solo on Battle.net.  As she looked at him, Dt, who had put his hat
back on, quickly found where she was standing. When their eyes locked,
Dt happened to be on the big screen.

Gun cleared his throat.

She moved her eyes away and went back to drinking, acting as if nothing
happened, and kept drinking more water……

Xiao Mai excitedly held the name list.  He read through all the honors Dt
had received one by one.  He was just like Gun and Solo, both of whom
had won too many awards to count.  Dt had even exceeded what Gun had
earned: The deadliest player, the most accurate player, the most first bloods
…...and “The MVP of Chinese Regional this year!”  Xiao Mai stopped to give
the audience enough time to cheer.

All the time that would follow from this moment would be theirs.

Ai Qing felt a little bit lost, but was also very touched.

She had strived in this circle since her teenage years.  It was getting better
and better. There were more and more outstanding players.

Counter Strike, StarCraft, WarCraft, DOTA, Dungeon & Fighter, Crossfire,
League of Legend, FIFA Soccer, Need for Speed, Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm,
World of Tanks……

There had been so many games in so many years.

Experienced by so many generations……

As she was distracted by it all, Solo and Gun stretched out their hands at the
same time and pushed her forward.

Coming to her senses, she looked at them in surprise.

“Gou Gou, Gou Gou, come up here quickly.”  Xiao Mai held the microphone
and walked to the side of the stage.  He smiled at her. “Don’t stand there.
You are the main commentator of the this competition.”

He finished speaking and reached out to Ai Qing to pull her onto the stage.

The MVP trophy was stuffed into her hand.  Xiao Mai lifted his microphone again.
“I believe that all of you here are very familiar with our main commentator for
this year’s national finals, Appledog. She was the main sniper of the top national
CS team ten years ago.  She was the main force of the Chinese Regional Dota
champion team seven years ago. She was the champion of the WCG Asian
Tournament Need for Speed in the same year. Now the manager of SP’s A team……”

Xiao Mai kept talking.

Ai Qing’s signature red face was being shown on the big screen.

Xiaomi couldn’t help laughing offstage.  “Appledog re-appears again.”

All sighed.  “She was the wallpaper on so many people’s computers. That lucky
bastard.  The younger generation can’t be underestimated, really can’t be
underestimated.”

Dt was only a couple of footsteps away from Ai Qing on the stage.

She held the trophy and walked towards Dt.  She didn’t have the sharpness
during the match earlier nor the calmness when she was at the commentator
table.  It was like they were back at the Asian Tournament in ‘07 when they had
that embarrassing moment at the doorway…...Dt lowered his head slightly and
looked at her quietly.

“Stretch out your hand quickly.”  Ai Qing urged him to take it in a small voice as
her face became red all the way up to her ears.

Dt acted obediently to stretch out his hand, but it was to take off his hat instead
and put it onto her head in one smooth move.  Then he accepted the trophy from
her hand.

Their interaction was the climax of the night.

All the suspicions, attacks, and misunderstandings in the past scattered and
disappeared at this very moment.

There were words that didn’t need to be spoken.

An action could clearly clarify that he, Dt, entered this circle all because of her.  
He found the profession he loved because of her, which became his own dream
and his future path.  It didn’t matter how far he could reach or how high he would
fly, she was always the person who started this dream.

Dt, Appledog’s time.

This was my era.

This was your era, too.

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“I wondered if I was walking through a desert

There was never an ending, whatever dream I was trapped in

Just as I spread my wings, the wind becomes silent

I’m used to scars and wounds, counting them as awards

Fortunately I never look back

Finally I find there really is an oasis

The sweat makes life more meaningful

Only by leaving behind the old plight, did I see a new world

A boundless world only comes after courage

Must use persistence to break the lock of fate

The cold and indifferent people

Thank you all for looking at me dismissively

Rousing me to live vividly without lowering my head in shame

A vast and boundless world after storms

I turn my head away and laugh off the old sorrows

The person who understands me most

Thank you for silently accompanying me

And giving me a good story to tell

I watch the future arriving step by step”

-- -- <A Vast and Boundless World>

With this story

To pay homage to Moon, who I loved once. I will always remember how you
looked at the peak of your career, even though that time had passed.

To memorialize Starcraft, once my favorite game. I will always remember the
heyday of the game, even though it’s already a thing of the past.

-- --The End-- --

Translated by Team DHH at http://dhh-workshop.blogspot.com.