When it comes to gameplay alone, Lin Wangye might not be the best player. After all, this is the ‘Heroes of Glory’ from 20 years ago—an ancient version of the game for him, with many details different from what he’s used to.
But the previous jungler definitely taught the team a lesson.
Yang Qingsen had a clear realization: if they were going down this road, just having good gameplay wasn’t enough; the player also needed family support.
At the very least, there couldn’t be strong opposition.
The last jungler was a perfect example. Despite his solid skills, his parents completely disagreed with him playing, even taking extreme measures to intervene.
A teenager’s mind isn’t fully developed, and it’s hard to stand up to that kind of pressure.
Lin Wangye’s advantage wasn’t just in his gameplay; being an ‘orphan’ was a huge plus too.
For the team, he was incredibly stable.
Without surprise, Lin Wangye passed the trial and officially joined the Phantom Wail team led by Yang Qingsen. He also got to know the other players.
It was a strange feeling for Lin Wangye.
Phantom Wail was a legendary team, one that had struggled and persisted for over twenty years.
Apart from Yang Qingsen, Lin Wangye didn’t know the other three players at all—not even their names. But this was how the team had started. He never imagined that one day, he’d be a part of it.
He didn’t know if his arrival would change the future.
But before his rebirth, Phantom Wail had been fighting for years, always just missing out on the championship. Players came and went, and even after Yang Qingsen retired and became a coach, they still hadn’t managed to win the title.
It wasn’t until the team’s tenth year that they finally claimed the world championship.
In terms of individual achievements, Yang Qingsen, twenty years later, might not stand out among other pro players. But his unwavering support for the team and his dedication to esports were recognized by everyone.
Although Lin Wangye had never seen him compete in person, he respected him deeply.
What moved him even more, though, was that he suddenly realized something.
Before his rebirth, Lin Shen was one of the main investors in Phantom Wail.
He didn’t know exactly when it all began, but ever since he started getting involved in the game, the Lin Group had already been the financial backing for Phantom Wail. It was because of knowing his family’s involvement in the team that he began to pay attention to professional leagues, eventually meeting Yang Qingsen and getting to know the players of Phantom Wail.
Back then, he didn’t think much of it. He just enjoyed playing the game, especially with professional players leading the way.
Lin Shen had invested in too many projects to count.
And the professional league, years later, was a solid commercial venture from a business standpoint.
So, Lin Wangye had never really speculated on his father’s true motives for investing in the gaming scene.
It turned out that his investment wasn’t just about the commercial value of the game.
Letting him indulge in games wasn’t because his father didn’t care, either.
In fact, at that age, gaming was also one of Lin Shen’s biggest hobbies—something he had once been deeply passionate about.
Lin Wangye avoided thinking about these things too much.
Every time he did, he couldn’t help but feel an intense sense of regret for the things that happened in his past life.
He and Lin Shen had so much in common, they would have gotten along so well. Yet, they had so little time together, and instead of growing close as father and son, their relationship often felt distant, the awkwardness of not seeing each other for long periods taking its toll.
His father always seemed so unshakable.
Since he was a child, his father had always appeared as this imposing, untouchable figure.
So, he never thought to try and share any of the burdens.
Luckily, fate had given him a second chance. Otherwise, he couldn’t even bear to imagine what the future would be like without Lin Shen’s protection.
After joining the Phantom Wail team, Lin Wangye threw himself into the game, studying, practicing, and bonding with his teammates. In a short amount of time, he made rapid progress, which greatly pleased Yang Qingsen. Aside from his daily wage, Yang Qingsen would often slip him extra red envelopes.
Before his rebirth, 150 yuan a day wouldn’t even be enough to buy Lin Wangye a decent snack.
But in the present, that 150 yuan a day was like a lifesaver—it could really ease Lin Wangye’s immediate struggles. In this day and age, a daily wage of 150 yuan that covers meals is already a pretty decent deal.
Years later, gaming teams would have their own dedicated training bases.
But for now, Yang Qingsen was still a small-time boss, with a bit of money, but certainly not rolling in cash.
The usual training space for Phantom Wail was a small, private room on the second floor of Qingsen Internet cafe. After practice, everyone still had to head home to rest.
So, every evening after school, Lu Chengxuan had to come pick him up and take him home.
Lu Chengxuan was the kind of person who stood out at school. The moment his routine changed, it quickly became the talk of the town, spreading like wildfire and everyone knew about it in no time.
A few days later, Lin Wangye noticed from the second-floor window that students from the nearby school were lingering in front of the internet cafe, occasionally peeking inside.
At first, Lin Wangye didn’t quite get what was going on.
That was until he happened to go downstairs to throw out the trash and overheard two students talking as they passed by the cafe.
“They’re saying Lu Chengxuan is interested in a little girl who often comes here to surf the web.”
“Huh? I thought he was seeing a guy?”
“I don’t know. Lu Chengxuan never came here before, only Lin Shen did.”
“Could it be that both of them are after the same girl?”
Lin Wangye stood by the curb with the trash bag in hand, staring at their retreating figures in complete confusion.
A ‘little girl’? And they’re both after the same one?!
Wait… I’m the little girl?!
Where are these rumors even coming from? This is insane.
There were barely any female customers in the cafe, let alone ‘little girls.’ The only one who came in and out regularly was the cashier.
As for Lu Chengxuan, not only had he never shown romantic interest, he hadn’t even exchanged more than a few words with her.
In the past, during lunch breaks, Lu Chengxuan would usually eat at the school cafeteria, then go back to the classroom alone to read.
But ever since Lin Wangye showed up, he started hanging out at Qingsen Internet cafe more often.
Since Lin Wangye didn’t have to attend classes, he made it a habit to go home around lunchtime and before school let out in the afternoon to cook meals and bring them over.
Bringing one portion or two didn’t make much of a difference.
When Lu Wei found out, she was absolutely delighted. She liked Lin Wangye even more now and would happily join him whenever she had the time to help prepare ‘love meals.’
With homemade food from his mom, Lu Chengxuan had even less reason to resist.
By the time Lin Wangye had finished taking out the trash and went back, Lin Shen and Lu Chengxuan were still sitting in their usual spot in the two-person booth.
One was playing games, the other watching the midday news.
Casually, Lin Wangye brought up the rumor he had just heard. Before Lu Chengxuan, the actual subject of the gossip, could even react, Lin Shen sarcastically chimed in.
“School is just a mini society—rumors spread like wildfire. And besides, he’s the school prince, after all.”
It wasn’t surprising that Lu Chengxuan was the ‘school prince.’
Lin Wangye, feeling a bit curious, leaned back on the sofa and joked, “So what about you? The class prince?”
Lin Shen smirked slightly, pulling the corner of his mouth. “I’m the school goddess.”
“Yeah, right. Then I must be the class goddess!” Lin Wangye teased back, but then he suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Lu Chengxuan. “Brother Lu, when are you going to arrange for me to go to school?”
“I was just about to talk to you about that.”
With that, Lu Chengxuan paused the news and turned to Lin Wangye. “Do you want to go to Seven Middle School?”
Lin Wangye instinctively glanced at Lin Shen, then nodded repeatedly.
Lu Chengxuan noticed the small gesture but remained unfazed. “To get into Seven Middle, you’d need to transfer your household registration from the orphanage. Otherwise, you’ll be assigned to Eleven Middle.”
Lin Wangye, the young master of the Lin family, wasn’t quite sure how these things worked, scratching his head cluelessly. “So… can I transfer it?”
“There’s only one way for you to transfer your household registration,” Lu Chengxuan said after a brief pause. “You need a qualified adoptive guardian.”
“Huh?”
Lin Wangye was completely stunned. After standing there in shock for a while, he suddenly lunged forward and grabbed Lin Shen’s leg.
“Dad!”
“Hey, hey, hey, don’t distract me while I’m gaming! Get off!”
Lin Shen, in the middle of an intense battle, shook his leg in irritation, trying to shake him off without even sparing a glance away from the screen. “I’d love to help, but I don’t meet the requirements. Does kowtowing work? Go ask, and if they say yes, I’ll head to the police station and start bowing right now.”
Lin Wangye knew well that Lin Shen wouldn’t be able to help; he just didn’t know what else to do.
After thinking for a moment, he turned to Lu Chengxuan for help.
It was obvious that Lu Chengxuan wasn’t finished speaking. Seeing Lin Wangye’s expectant look, he continued, “I have an uncle—he and his wife are child-free by choice, and he has legal adoption rights. You could be registered under his name. Of course, that’s only if you’re willing.”
As soon as Lu Chengxuan finished speaking, the clicking sound of Lin Shen’s keyboard suddenly stopped.
Lin Wangye’s eyes widened in shock, and he couldn’t find a word to say. He didn’t even know how to respond.
Huh? What does this mean?
Does this mean I’d be added to the Lu family tree?
Oh no, have I really gone over to the enemy’s side? This is all messed up!
Lin Wangye never expected things to take this turn. Still holding onto Lin Shen’s leg, he stood there in complete disbelief.
Lin Shen quickly wrapped up his game and suddenly turned serious. He looked at Lu Chengxuan with a sharp gaze.
“Can you… really make such a big decision?”
“It’s not that big of a deal,” Lu Chengxuan replied first, then turned to Lin Wangye and said, “I’ve talked to my uncle, and he’s willing to help. However, there’s a condition: this father-son relationship will only be on paper. You’ll live your own life, they’ll live theirs, and you won’t ever need to support them in the future. They’ve already signed an agreement that all their property will go to a charity foundation when they pass, so you won’t inherit anything.”
After listening carefully, Lin Wangye found himself caught in a dilemma.
In truth, it didn’t really matter where his household registration was, whether at an orphanage or with someone else. But having it under the Lu family made him uneasy.
If he couldn’t change the future, these two people in front of him would eventually fall out.
When that day came, no matter how powerful the Lu family was, he would always choose to stand by Lin Shen’s side.
If his household registration was under the Lu family’s name, he was worried he wouldn’t be able to cut ties with them when the time came.
But at this moment, Lu Chengxuan was genuinely trying to help him.
Lin Wangye pursed his lips, feeling more torn than ever. He’d never been this conflicted before.
He really didn’t know what to do, so he simply turned to his dad for guidance, lifting his head and looking at Lin Shen with pleading eyes. “What should I do…?”
“No need to ask, of course, your education comes first,” Lin Shen decided without hesitation, giving him a reassuring look. “We’re not after money. We’ll just go our separate ways when the time comes, everyone will be fine.”
Lin Wangye immediately nodded. “Okay, I’ll listen to you!”
Lu Chengxuan observed them both carefully, his deep black eyes hiding the complex thoughts swirling inside. His expression was calm as he spoke, “My uncle is out of town. He’ll be back next week. I’ll make arrangements in advance, so just wait for the news.”
Once the important matters were settled, Lin Shen quickly switched gears, lounging on the couch with a playful tone. His gaze never left Lu Chengxuan’s face as he teased, “Why not just add him to your household register? Is the firstborn son of the family too high and mighty?”
Lu Chengxuan responded calmly, “My father wouldn’t agree. I don’t have the power to oppose him.”
“Why would you want to oppose him?”
Lin Wangye couldn’t help himself and responded enthusiastically, “A father’s love is as strong as a mountain! The greatest virtue is filial piety!”
Lin Shen’s brows furrowed for a brief moment. But the next second, he calmly adjusted his expression, instinctively reaching into his pocket for a cigarette. Finding nothing, he leaned back and closed his eyes, sinking into a moment of quiet relaxation, without saying another word.
At that moment, someone called out from outside, “Xiao Lin, time for training.”
“Alright, coming.”
With the city league approaching day by day, and the competition starting at the end of the month, every second was precious to Lin Wangye. Hearing his teammate’s call, he quickly stood up, hastily said his goodbyes, and rushed upstairs to the training room.
Once Lin Wangye left, the room returned to its usual stillness.
Lin Shen lay half-reclined on the sofa, eyes closed, though he wasn’t actually asleep. After a series of internal battles, he couldn’t resist asking the question.
“Have you ever thought about resisting?”
What he really wanted to ask, perhaps, was: ‘Have you ever thought about standing up for me just once?’
But Lin Shen couldn’t bring himself to say it. Even though he had already taken the first step and acted, he still didn’t feel he had the right to ask Lu Chengxuan for an answer. Because Lu Chengxuan wouldn’t act on something he wasn’t sure about. He wouldn’t give an answer.
And he certainly wouldn’t make any promises.
Even if that feeling had once been sincere, even if there had been an unspoken understanding between them.
Lu Chengxuan stared at him quietly, his voice low and calm. “Before having the ability to resist, any thought of it is just empty talk.”
Lin Shen stiffly tugged at the corner of his mouth, letting out a light laugh from his throat.
As expected, he wasn’t surprised. He couldn’t really blame Lu Chengxuan. After all, his own resistance was nearing a miserable failure.
It was a mess, and he still wasn’t sure what it was all for.
Suddenly, Lin Shen changed the subject. “I’m starting to envy Xiao Lin.”
Lu Chengxuan raised an eyebrow. “Envy him for what?”
Lin Shen’s voice dropped slightly. “He doesn’t have a father.”
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
