Death Spiral [Infinite Flow] - Chapter 49

Chapter 49 – Visiting the Gaming Exhibition

Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao sat in the back of a police car, each holding half a watermelon in their hands. Both people thought this scene was a bit funny and after holding back for a long time, they couldn’t help bursting into laughter.

The two police officers with them looked at each other helplessly, thinking that these days the world was getting weirder and weirder.

The incident of Xu RenDong jumping on the balcony caused quite a stir in the community. Fortunately, no one was injured and public safety was not endangered. The two honestly explained the reasons at the Public Security Bureau, and then the police let them go home.

Xu RenDong felt quite guilty about this. It was all due to his impulsiveness and had caused such a big fuss. Over the next few days, he was too embarrassed to even talk to Lian Qiao and stayed at the company working overtime as much as possible. Lian Qiao was also busy preparing for his performance at the gaming exhibition and did not notice Xu RenDong’s deliberate avoidance. So during this time, the two would only meet on the stairs at night. One pretended to work overtime and went home late on purpose, and the other practiced violin until his hand felt broken and had to go out for a run to relax.

Soon, the agreed upon gaming exhibition arrived.

Lian Qiao received an invitation from the organizer to appear as a guest. His event was scheduled in the afternoon but Lian Qiao still wanted to visit the exhibition in the morning. Thus, Xu RenDong and he had an appointment to meet at 8 o’clock in the morning.

Walking out of the house, Xu RenDong saw at a glance that Lian Qiao was dragging two suitcases with one hand and had a violin case on his back. He was a little surprised: “Why do you need to bring so many things?”

Lian Qiao pointed to one of the black suitcases: “This one is empty. It’s going to be used for things I buy at the exhibition.” He pointed to the white suitcase, “This is for my cosplay costume and props.”

 Xu RenDong laughed. “You are really well prepared. “

Lian Qiao smiled and swiftly picked up a suitcase in each hand. There was a violin case on his back that was swaying and all looked a bit unstable as he made his way down the stairs. Xu RenDong stopped him: “I’ll help you hold something…”

“Okay.” Lian Qiao handed over the empty suitcase.

Xu RenDong put the two suitcases in the trunk of his car. After getting in the car, he saw Lian Qiao put the violin case on the back seat. He even solemnly fastened the seatbelt around the case.

For some reason, something moved in his heart and felt that the scene seemed familiar…. That’s right, he had also fastened the seat belt around the watermelon like this.

When he did it, he didn’t feel much. How come it was so funny to see others doing it?

Xu RenDong slightly curved his mouth. Sitting in the driver’s seat, he drove Lian Qiao to the exhibition venue. Before getting out of the car, Lian Qiao put on a black mask and handed Xu RenDong one as well.

Xu RenDong was confused: “Why wear a mask? “

Lian Qiao smiled embarrassedly: “If you don’t wear it, you’ll get stopped easily.”

Xu RenDong didn’t understand their rules for visiting the exhibition but since Lian Qiao did, he followed his instructions.

After arriving outside the venue, Xu RenDong was immediately shocked by the excitement and hustle and bustle. Right now it was still before the official admission time so everyone was lined up in the fence in an orderly manner. The queue was like a greedy snake formed after playing “Snakes and Ladders” for one hour. It snaked around the entire square.

Fortunately, Lian Qiao had a VIP entry pass and he took Xu RenDong through the special entranceway which attracted the enviable eyes of the surrounding crowd. Suddenly someone called out, “Is that Milk Qiao?” “

“Yes it’s Ah-Qiao! Ahhhhhhhhh! Ah-Qiao is already here ah!”

“Ah-Qiao, Ah-Qiao look over here! I’m your male fan! Begging for an autograph ahhhhh!”

Lian Qiao whispered: “Fuck, even like this they can still recognize me.” He turned around. Curving his eyes into a smile, he was ready for business.

That group of people all seemed to be his fans. Lian Qiao greeted them all with a smile, and when he was about to leave, the fans immediately noticed the violin case behind him and began to scream again.

“Ahhhh, it’s a violin! In my lifetime, I can finally see the scene of Ah-Qiao playing the violin!”

“Did you not see the preview? It is said to be a cosplay violin solo! At two o’clock in the afternoon!”

“Hey, who’s the person by Ah-Qiao’s side? His eyes are so beautiful! Does anyone recognize him?”

“Ahhhhhhhhhh how come I can’t enter the venue yet! I can’t wait any longer!”

“Ah-Qiao, Ah-Qiao can we have an autograph! Can we have a group photo ahhhh!”

Xu RenDong watched with great interest as Lian Qiao finally managed to deal with these enthusiastic fans and walked towards him quickly.

“Walk walk walk, don’t look back!” Lian Qiao dragged Xu RenDong to the venue. Somehow his ears were a little red. “Wear a mask, don’t let them see your face!”

“It turns out you’re so popular.” Xu RenDong smiled, “No wonder I have to wear a mask, it was disrespectful to ask why before.”

“I can’t help it. If I’m recognized every two steps, I won’t be able to properly explore the venue.” Lian Qiao showed his VIP pass to the guard at the door and quickly dragged Xu RenDong into the exhibition hall.

The exhibition hall was very empty at this time and mostly only staff were walking around. All the booths had been set up and visitors could only wait for the admission time to come. As soon as Lian Qiao entered the venue, he headed straight to the VR area. Along the way he explained to Xu RenDong: “This company has done a great job with VR! Every time you want to experience it, you have to line up for a long time! Let’s hurry up while there are only a few people… Ah.”

When they came to the VR exhibition area, the two discovered that there was already a line. Several people held selfie sticks and mobile phones in their hands. Xu RenDong noticed that those selfie sticks were not the same as those commonly seen outside. The structure was very exquisite and seems to have the function of shock absorption.

Seeing him staring at those people, Lian Qiao explained in a low voice: “These are also gaming anchors. They are live streaming now. If you don’t want to end up online then stay away from them.”

Xu RenDong asked, “Why don’t you live broadcast as well?”

Lian Qiao said: “If I broadcast, I won’t have time to hang out with you.”

He looked at Xu RenDong and the tenderness in his eyes were like spring water, rippling out in circles.

Xu RenDong said: “Indeed, it would be very troublesome if we got separated in such a big venue. All your stuff is in my car and it would be bad if it affected your performance.”

Lian Qiao: “…”

The ripples hit a stone and were abruptly bounced back.

Fortunately, at this time the group of anchors lining up at the VR gate spotted Lian Qiao. They yelled “Ah-Qiao! Ah-Qiao!” Lian Qiao caught onto the live-saving straw to help him cover up his embarrassment. He quickly said, “I’ll go and say hello to them.” He rushed off.

The exhibition soon officially began. Lian Qiao took Xu RenDong around and introduced him to various game categories and gameplay, as if he were the master of this exhibition. At first, Lian Qiao would personally play a few times but he didn’t expect to break the game record by playing casually. Then people started to gather around him and someone immediately recognized him.

Once recognized, he would have to sign autographs and pose for photos. This was repeated several times  and the two of them couldn’t explore properly. Seeing the clock pointing at twelve o’clock, Lian Qiao said helplessly: “Let’s go have lunch…” 

The venue provided lunch to the staff. Lian Qiao took him to the internal rest area, where there were only staff and guests, and casual visitors could not enter. Lian Qiao finally took off his mask and slumped on the table listlessly.

“I have to go get my make-up done and change my clothes after lunch. I won’t have time to play anymore….”

Xu RenDong tried to comfort him. Just then two young people, a boy and a girl, walked in through the door. When they saw Lian Qiao, they ran over with a smile.

“Hey!” The girl came up and rubbed Lian Qiao’s head. “I knew you’d be here!” 

The boy was much quieter. He sat down next to Lian Qiao and asked softly: “Did you come in the morning?”

Lian Qiao immediately became more spirited. “Yeah yeah! I came before it even started! Ah, let me introduce to you, this is my family’s-” Before saying the words “big boss”, he suddenly felt that it was not appropriate. So he had to change his words forcibly, “-my family’s neighbor. His name is Xu RenDong.”

Xu RenDong didn’t notice the strangeness. He smiled at Lian Qiao’s two friends and nodded: “Hello.”

“Neighbor?” The girl was a little surprised and then suddenly realized, “Oh, oh, is it the one you…”

Lian Qiao interrupted her quickly. “Yes! The one I told you about, my neighbor after I moved!”

“Oh~” The girl showed a subtle smile and she glanced at the boy tacitly.

The boy politely stretched out his hand to Xu RenDong: “Hello, my name is WeiLan, I am a costume prop artist.”

Xu RenDong shook his hand, thinking if the word “Wei” was his surname. The girl beside him  smiled and said: “I’m Koala Sauce, I’m a makeup girl~”

Xu RenDong then realized that the names they said were their screen names.

“Have you eaten?” Lian Qiao asked.

“I’ve eaten already.” Koala Sauce glanced at his seat, “Hey, where’s your violin?”

“In the car, I’ll get it later.” Lian Qiao began to talk to them about the afternoon activities. There were many terms that Xu RenDong didn’t understand, so he lowered his head and ate silently.

After dinner, Xu RenDong accompanied Lian Qiao back to the car to get the big suitcase containing the props. When he returned to the venue again, Lian Qiao pointed to the large stage in the center of the venue and said: “I will be performing here in a little while. I asked Koala Sauce to reserve a place for you. It is in the VIP area near the backstage. You must come and watch me perform!” 

The afternoon performance had not officially started yet but the seats in the front of the stage were almost full. Those who come late could only stand at the back and watch. A promotional CG was being played on the big screen on the stage. It was an action game with exquisite graphics that were full of impact. The audience in the audience exclaimed from time to time. Xu RenDong thought it looked very interesting so he told Lian Qiao not to mind him and to go ahead and do his business.

After Lian Qiao left, Xu RenDong walked around the venue. There were people everywhere. You had to line up if you want to try anything out. Xu RenDong felt a little bored so he went to the corridor outside the venue. There was a rest area for visitors in the corridor, providing snacks and drinks. Xu RenDong looked for the location of the bathroom and was about to head there when he saw a familiar figure flash by his eyes.

It was the cute girl he saw at noon, called Koala…. Koala Sauce.

Koala Sauce was wearing a Japanese-style school uniform with double ponytails. She was jumping and dancing, her skirt was swaying and it looked very eye-catching. Xu RenDong wanted to say hello to her but then saw Koala Sauce sashay into the bathroom.

Xu RenDong’s gaze swept across the sign on the wall inadvertently— wait, how come it was the men’s bathroom? !

He was taken aback, thinking he saw wrong. But when he walked in, it was indeed the  men’s bathroom. The women’s bathroom was on the other side, a few meters away.

… Was Koala Sauce a man? !

Xu RenDong was shocked to the core. He stood rooted to the spot and stood at the door of the bathroom blankly. Before long, two tall girls passed him, one in a white witch costume and the other in a sailor suit. They talked and laughed, then walked into the men’s bathroom naturally.

Xu RenDong: “?”

Was there any unspoken rule here that men and women exchange bathrooms?

He ran to the door of the women’s bathroom next door in disbelief, silently observing the people coming and going. To his surprise, there were also men and women who went into the women’s bathroom.

Xu RenDong: “???”

He was completely confused about the situation.

At this time, the Koala Sauce bounced out of the men’s bathroom. She saw Xu RenDong immediately and ran over to greet him enthusiastically.

“What a coincidence, we meet again!” She smiled and looked up at Xu RenDong who was a head taller than her. “The afternoon performance is about to begin! I’ll take you to your seat!”

The voice of Koala Sauce was sweet and soft and was completely female. Xu RenDong couldn’t help looking at her neck, wanting to see if there was any Adam’s apple. Only then did he notice that she was wearing a mask around her neck, just covering her throat.

Xu RenDong looked at her in a complicated mood and asked with difficulty: “Um… which bathroom should I go into?”

Koala Sauce was taken aback: “Huh?”

Xu RenDong was entangled and didn’t know how to express his difficulties. Koala Sauce reacted and laughed heartily: “I see, did you see me entering the men’s bathroom?”

Xu RenDong nodded. Koala Sauce pulled the mask down on his neck a little, leaned in and said in a low voice, “I’m a boy, but I prefer to wear women’s clothing~” 

{Hi, so I’m not sure if Koala Sauce is transgender or just likes to wear womens clothing for cosplay reasons. However the author has changed the pronoun from “she” to “he” so I’m just following the original text. Hope no one will get offended.}

When he leaned in, his voice had become much lower but it still sounded like a boy who hadn’t gone through puberty yet.

Xu RenDong was not accustomed to getting so close to someone. He fought the urge to take a step back and asked curiously: “Then what’s the matter with your voice?”

Koala Sauce said, “This is my pseudo-voice.” He squeezed his throat and made several different voices. His smile was quite proud, “I can do a loli girl voice, a young girl’s voice, and a mature sister’s voice too! I can do them all! Of course I can also do a young boy or an uncle as well!”

Xu RenDong expressed his heartfelt admiration.

Koala Sauce said: “Okay, you go to the bathroom! The performance is about to begin.”

Xu RenDong walked into the men’s bathroom and looked around. He found a row of… colorful people standing in front of the urinal. Not only were the clothes on their body colorful, but their hair was too. There were even fluorescent colors. He suddenly felt that he was out of place among them and he felt a bit embarrassed to go pee with them. However, he couldn’t hold back his need to urinate so he could only bite the bullet and walked to the front of the urinal.

To his left was a female… boy in a blood-stained doctor’s uniform. To his right was a man in a blue one-piece swimsuit.

…Wait, a swimsuit?! Then down below wasn’t it….

Xu RenDong couldn’t help but peeked to the right. He saw the big brother tugging the crotch of his swimsuit to the side and unhurriedly took out a magnificent little brother.

 … Okay I understand the logic now, but why is it so big!

Xu RenDong was so shocked that he forgot he was still peeing. He watched the man next door solve his physical problem and swiftly pushed the little brother back. He carefully arranged the lower body of his swimsuit. Xu RenDong stared blankly at the little brother disappearing into the swimsuit. The appearance was flat and smooth, with no PS traces! {PS= photoshop, I think he’s talking about the smoothing effect people use on photos.}

This… Where was that thing hiding? !

Perceiving Xu RenDong’s gaze, the man in the swimsuit winked at him and then suddenly said with a vigorous baritone: “Little brother, what are you looking at?”

Xu RenDong: “?????!!!”

His three views had been greatly challenged.

It wasn’t until the swimsuit man left the bathroom with a laugh that Xu RenDong realized that he was still standing in front of the urinal in a daze. He blushed immediately and hurried to wash his hands and also his face while he was there. Only then did he barely regain his composure and walked out of the bathroom.

However, as soon as he came out, he saw the swimsuit man and Koala Sauce chatting and laughing. The man in the swimsuit raised two fingers, which were more than ten centimeters in length. Koala-chan covered her mouth in surprise, chuckled and glanced at the bathroom. He happened to meet Xu RenDong’s gaze and the Koala Sauce immediately showed a meaningful smile.

Xu RenDong: “…”

Although he didn’t know what they were talking about, he felt very embarrassed…

Fortunately, the swimsuit man left soon and Xu RenDong’s embarrassment gradually eased. On the way back to the stage, Koala Sauce suddenly said: “Ah-Qiao is a gentle and considerate guy who takes care of other people’s feelings.”

Xu RenDong nodded and said, “En, he has a very good personality… But why are you suddenly saying this?”

Koala Sauce smiled slyly: “You need to give him more vitamins, otherwise the corners of his mouth will easily crack. Hehehehe.”

Xu RenDong: “???” 

He didn’t understand what they were talking about at all.