Sorcerer’s Handbook

“Ashe? Ashe?”
Ashe, who was slumped over the dining table, was nudged twice. He groaned softly, rubbed his eyes, and sat up to see two familiar young men sitting beside him. The one on the left, though decent-looking, was plainly dressed, clearly a homebody; the one on the right was dressed appropriately but had dark circles under his eyes and a noticeable scar on his neck, giving him a somewhat intimidating appearance.
“Just a few years after graduation, and you pass out after a little beer?” The homebody chuckled helplessly, “You should have gone to the kids’ table!”
“Ashe stayed up all night working, continued working during the day, and rushed over right after work. It’s normal for him to be tired.” The one with dark circles said, “If you really can’t take it, Ashe, you can nap for a bit. We’ll wake you for the toasts.”
As his consciousness gradually returned to his body, it was as if the sensory blockages of sleep suddenly melted away, and bright colors and noisy sounds flooded Ashe’s senses.
He was in a wedding banquet hall, surrounded by mostly unfamiliar guests.
He remembered now; today was a college classmate’s wedding. Even though he had just gone through a hellish cycle of day and night overtime, Ashe was determined to come. He wasn’t particularly familiar with today’s main characters; he simply wanted to witness his peers stepping into a new life stage and catch up with his best friends.
Apparently, he was so tired that a little beer knocked him out. Ashe patted his cheeks, puzzled. He had drunk four pots of coffee last night for work; how could he still be tired? Next time, no more coffee.
He looked at the two beside him, feeling a bit nostalgic: “Long time no see.”
“Ashe joined a big company and made big bucks, looking down on us struggling friends, understandable, understandable.” Suo Zai pretended to be serious, “I actually thought about asking you out for dinner but feared you’d think I wanted to borrow money…”
“It’s just that you’re too hard to pin down, Ashe.” Lezi sighed, “I’ve passed by your company several times, wanted to ask you out, but you always said you were busy. Aren’t you working too hard? I heard someone in your company died suddenly a few days ago, what’s their name…”
“I remember that news too.” Suo Zai said, “Something like Trojan Horse… what a strange name.”
“Oh, we usually use code names at work, so there are lots of weird names.” Ashe said almost instinctively without much thought.
“Ashe, you can’t earn all the money in the world.” Lezi said seriously, “If it doesn’t work out, change jobs. I’m afraid one day I’ll see news of your sudden death.”
“Yeah, yeah, the house belongs to the landlord, life belongs to the boss, but your life is your own.” Suo Zai added, “If it really doesn’t work, quit, I’ll support you by playing games for a few years!”
“No way!”
Ashe shook his head firmly, “I’ve just been promoted to supervisor in the operations department and am in charge of a major project team. Although it’s been busy lately, once I get through it, I’ll have everything. Like the lead planner of another hit game from my company, same age as us, just recently got rewarded with a villa in Abyss City…”
Lezi sighed, “As long as you’re aware.”
Ashe didn’t like others worrying about him, so he shifted the topic away from himself: “What about you guys? How have you been lately?”
“My life has always been regular, sleep at 10, wake up at 6.” Suo Zai said, “Though you could also say sleep at 10, wake up at 18. Then eat takeout, play games, every day is a struggle to make it to the next.” ṛＡNŎʙЁs̩
“I’ve shot a few films.” Lezi smiled, “But none have been released.”
Ashe knew Suo Zai had been gaming since graduation, likely a game streamer, but Lezi becoming an actor was a bit unexpected: “What roles did you play? What films? I’ll watch them when they’re released.”
“You should catch up on sleep.” Lezi rubbed his dark circles, “I played an undercover agent, a noble villain, and a teacher. As for the films… I hope you watch them because you’re interested, not just to waste 90 minutes for me.”
“By the way, Ashe, your company’s new game is amazing.” Suo Zai said, “It’s been topping the sales charts for months. I’ve spent over ten thousand on it. When’s the next version update? What Spellcasting Sect is the new operator from? Any Limited Operator reruns?”
Ashe replied helplessly, “What can be said has already been shown in the PV, what’s confidential can’t be disclosed.”
“I won’t tell anyone!”
“Then, do you have any adult websites?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Go browse adult sites, I don’t want to answer your questions.”
As Suo Zai locked Ashe in a headlock, the banquet hall suddenly dimmed, and the wedding finally began. Today’s bride was their class president, led into the venue by her father, with all lights focused on her.
Perhaps due to too much coffee, Ashe even forgot the class president’s name, but seeing her in a wedding dress tonight, he thought it might be her most beautiful moment in life.
The wedding process was uneventful, the emcee was average, and Ashe and the others could only offer polite applause. Notably, during the vows, the groom’s voice was strong but slightly rehearsed; the bride’s voice was full of emotion, even with hints of tears, her excitement and joy resonating with every guest.
“Was the class president always this emotional?” Suo Zai wondered.
Lezi: “Honestly, Suo Zai, you should check adult sites. Though many people find weddings cumbersome, plenty still value the Ritual, sparing no effort or expense. Moreover, it’s the only chance for a woman to wear a wedding dress, most women have fantasized about their bridal look.”
Suo Zai instinctively replied, “Actually…” but he had enough sense to swallow his words, knowing the occasion.
Ashe watched the couple on stage, a complex mix of emotions surged within him, both yearning and guilt. Yearning was understandable; though he couldn’t wear a wedding dress, a wedding as a major life event was naturally appealing to a young man in his twenties.
But the guilt was puzzling, what was he guilty about?
The Ritual concluded, and waiters began serving dishes. Ashe had just taken a bite of a terribly bad fish when his phone vibrated with a message.
He glanced at it, “Ah, the project called with issues, Boss Four wants me back for overtime, I have to go.”
Lezi: “Boss Four?”
“Four bosses.” Ashe said helplessly, “We have four bosses at the company, they’re my direct supervisors now. If they think there’s a problem, I have to go back and work overtime.”
Suo Zai: “Can’t you have your operators work overtime?”
“It’s been so long since the end of the day, who would want to go back for overtime? Besides, if they do poorly or slowly, I’ll be the one getting scolded, might as well go myself.” Ashe shrugged, “That’s how it is in the middle level, taking heat from above and below.”
“Alright, see you next time.”
Lezi: “With your work intensity, next time might be at another wedding.”
Suo Zai: “I’ll send you some adult sites, that’s all a brother can do.”
“Get lost.”
Ashe hailed a cab outside, closed his eyes for a moment in the backseat, and opened them again to find himself at the company building.
From the outside, the company building looked like a giant transparent fish tank, brightly lit and bustling inside, showing how outdated the eight-hour workday had become in the new era. He passed through the security checkpoint, underwent facial recognition, and the machine greeted him with a cold female voice:
“Tactile Supervisor, welcome back.”