“Seventy-nine bucks? I’ll give you my life for that!”
After school at noon, Lin Shen, braving the cold wind, arrived at Qingsen Internet cafe. As soon as he walked in, he heard from the counter guy, Xiao Wang, that a new skin for ‘Heroes of Glory’ had just been released. He leaned casually against the counter and tapped his fingers lightly on the surface.
“Get me a pack of White Sands.”
The cashier, a girl, picked up a pack of cigarettes from the far left side of the counter—the cheapest section—and handed it to him. She casually added, “Brother, you only have twenty-five left on your card.”
“Ah? That fast?” Lin Shen grabbed the cigarettes and asked casually, “When’s Yang Qingsen coming back? I haven’t seen him for days.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Wang, the counter guy, chimed in.
“Well, he’s at a training camp in the next city, picking people. With the competition coming up and the team suddenly having issues, Yang’s under a lot of pressure.”
“What competition? What’s going on?”
Just then, Lin Wangye suddenly popped his head in, holding a thermos box. He rushed up to Lin Shen, grabbed his arm, his eyes shining with excitement. “Is it really Yang Qingsen?!”
Lin Shen, quick on his feet, immediately stuffed the cigarettes into his pocket.
Yang Qingsen was the manager of a gaming team in Lin Wangye’s memory.
At first, Lin Wangye hadn’t expected such a coincidence, but sure enough, it was! Someone he had known years later in his life had crossed paths with Lin Shen. The realization gave him a strange feeling, as if time and space had twisted around.
Before he could ask more, Lin Shen’s attention shifted to the box Lin Wangye was holding. He leaned in and sniffed.
“What’s this, food?”
Lin Wangye nodded eagerly. “Yeah, it’s your lunch.”
When Lin Shen heard it was for him, he casually took it and led Lin Wangye to a private room. “Where’d you get this lunch from? Did you get it from Lu Chengxuan’s house?”
“I made it myself! I borrowed his kitchen and ingredients.”
Lin Wangye happily tilted his chin up and sat down on the couch.
“You’re so eager to play the little hero, huh?”
Lin Shen couldn’t help but laugh at his proud little look. He sat down and opened the three thermos boxes in front of him. One contained stir-fried pork with chili peppers, another had scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and the last one was rice—perfectly balanced with both meat and vegetables.
The delicious smell that escaped from the boxes filled the private room, instantly sparking an appetite.
Lin Shen didn’t expect such a hearty meal. Surprised, he asked, “You really made this? Didn’t you have the housekeeper help? You can cook?”
Lin Wangye puffed up with pride. “Impressive, right?”
To be honest, he wasn’t an expert cook. He’d only learned a few simple home-cooked dishes from Shi Yuan back in the day, just to spend more time with him. He didn’t know many dishes, but what he did know tasted decent.
Unfortunately, he and his father hadn’t communicated much back then, and Lin Shen had been too busy.
The meals his son made, Lin Shen had never tasted.
Lin Wangye usually slept until noon, and during meals, he’d always think of his dad’s poor stomach. Too shy to ask the Lu family’s housekeeper for help, he figured he’d make lunch himself and bring it over.
It was his way of making up for lost time, a little late but still a form of filial piety.
Under the hopeful gaze of Lin Wangye, Lin Shen picked up a piece of the stir-fried pork and chewed slowly. “It’s a bit bland, not spicy enough. Major deduction of points.”
Deduction of points? Major deduction?
Lin Wangye nearly choked and almost knocked the lunch box onto Lin Shen’s face in shock.
Seeing his expression change, Lin Shen quickly raised a hand in surrender, grinning playfully.
“Just kidding, it’s really good, honestly.”
“That’s more like it,” Lin Wangye snorted, turning to his computer. “I purposely made it a bit lighter, the chili isn’t spicy at all.”
Lin Shen suggested, “Next time, put in some small chili peppers. This one’s too mild.”
“Don’t ask for so much,” Lin Wangye pretended to be angry. “What I make, you eat!”
Lin Shen obediently nodded and gave in. “Alright, alright, you’re in charge.”
After opening his computer, Lin Wangye realized there wasn’t much to do, so he turned back to continue the conversation they’d been interrupted from earlier.
“By the way, you were talking about a competition? Is the boss of this internet cafe really Yang Qingsen?”
Since Yang Qingsen was already a well-known local player, Lin Shen wasn’t surprised by Lin Wangye’s question. He casually replied as they continued to eat.
“Yeah, that’s him. The city league’s coming up at the end of the month. The team’s original jungler had to quit because his parents refused to let him play, so now they’re short a jungler and need someone fast. That’s what he’s been stressing about lately.”
“City league…”
Lin Wangye muttered, then suddenly asked, “Is there a prize?”
“Of course,” Lin Shen replied. “The champion gets two hundred thousand, second place a hundred thousand, and third place fifty thousand. But the money’s not the biggest deal. Starting next year, ‘Heroes of Glory’ will have its own official professional league. The top three teams get a chance to enter the professional league selection. It’s the only way into the official league. If the team falls apart now, that’s a disaster. Yang Qingsen’s freaking out.”
Lin Wangye thought for a moment and realized that this year was actually the year before the first ‘Heroes of Glory’ professional league. A few years down the line, esports would become a full industry with real commercial value, entering the mainstream.
Twenty years from now, Yang Qingsen, as a team manager, would be one of the leaders in the domestic esports scene.
However, while the future looked promising, making it as a professional player at this point was far from easy.
The career lifespan in esports was extremely short. The peak of one’s skills—reaction time, hand speed, and reflexes—was usually in their teens.
At this age, parental opposition was a huge barrier.
“Hey!” Suddenly, Lin Shen’s expression shifted as he turned to look at Lin Wangye. “I think you can do it. You’re great at jungling!”
Lin Wangye was already thinking the same thing. This was a rare opportunity for him. Back in the day, he often used to duo with professional players. He was confident he could make it to the qualifiers.
But…
“Sure, I could fill in for now, give Yang—uh, I mean, Captain Yang—some time to find a new jungler. But wait, do you only get the prize money if you’re in the top three? I can’t wait that long, I don’t have that much time.”
Lin Shen was shocked. “Are you stupid? Just join the team and play in the professional league with them! It’s a great opportunity, trust me!”
“I know it’s a good opportunity,” Lin Wangye sighed, “but I don’t want to play professionally.”
To fully help him analyze the pros and cons and come up with a plan, Lin Shen even set his chopsticks down for a moment.
“Why not? You have the skills! If you follow Yang Qingsen’s systematic training and put in the effort, you’ll only get better. He’ll cover your meals and housing, and it indirectly helps you secure a job for the future. It’s a win-win! And even if you think about it a different way, you like gaming, right?”
Lin Wangye, of course, understood all this.
Given his current background, pursuing this path made the most sense.
But after thinking it over, he still shook his head firmly.
“I like gaming, but I don’t want to play professionally.”
Lin Shen just couldn’t wrap his head around it, puzzled. “Why not?”
“Because I still want to date,” Lin Wangye said sincerely. “Playing professionally doesn’t leave time for relationships.”
Lin Shen: “…”
After all his calculations, Lin Shen never imagined this would be the reason.
It was unexpected, yet totally understandable.
He stared blankly for a while, then sighed deeply, giving Lin Wangye’s shoulder a solid pat. He spoke in a serious tone, “First page of the sword manual: strike down the one you love. A jungler who has fallen for someone can’t even hold his jungle knife properly.”
Lin Wangye shook his head vigorously, like a rattle drum.
“I’m all about love. No way I’m cutting off my heart.”
Lin Shen was still confused. “You’re making it sound so real. Who’s this ‘one you love’ anyway?”
Lin Wangye’s rebellious attitude flared up, and he answered with firm resolve, “I’m going to date. I need to make time for it. I have bigger goals, and the professional league isn’t where I belong.”
“Alright, fine. Just don’t end up falling for some online scam and losing eighty thousand.”
Though he felt it was a shame, Lin Shen respected his decision. He couldn’t be bothered to argue further. He picked up his chopsticks again and went back to eating, while pulling out his phone to browse the contact list.
“Alright, I’ll recommend you to Yang Qingsen as a temporary jungler for the next match. He’ll definitely assess you himself, but with your skills, there shouldn’t be a problem. The money part is easy, I’ll just explain your situation to him, and he’ll pay you.”
Once he found Yang Qingsen’s number, Lin Shen hit the speakerphone.
Just as the call connected, both of them suddenly heard the sound of a phone ringing from outside the room.
With the rapid pace of footsteps, the curtain of the private room was lifted.
As expected, it was a face Lin Wangye was familiar with.
The future team manager, and now the owner of the Qingsen internet cafe: Yang Qingsen.
Yang Qingsen was two years older than Lin Shen, and back then, he had been more of a senior figure to Lin Wangye. Perhaps it was because he had always been the leader, but in Lin Wangye’s memory, Yang Qingsen had always been decisive and commanding. His players had all been afraid of him.
What Lin Wangye hadn’t expected was that Yang Qingsen was actually pretty handsome when he was younger.
After spotting his target, Yang Qingsen leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, tilting his head with a smile that had a bit of a bad-boy charm to it.
“Who wants a salary? While I’m gone, someone’s already playing the boss and helping me hire people?”
Lin Shen looked up from his lunch, glaring at him with a smile. “Go away, when did you get back?”
“Just came back.” Yang Qingsen hung up the phone and stuffed it in his pocket, quickly shifting his gaze to Lin Wangye. “Who’s this?”
Lin Shen casually answered, “My son.”
Yang Qingsen was instantly furious. “I leave for a few days, and you’ve already got a son? Whose is it?”
Lin Shen kept shoveling food into his mouth with his chopsticks and smirked. “Guess.”
Hearing that, Yang Qingsen’s gaze shifted back to Lin Wangye, and he asked in a teasing tone, like he was talking to a child, “So, little one, who’s your other parent?”
Anyone could hear the underlying ambiguity in the exchange between Lin Shen and Yang Qingsen.
Lin Wangye was completely confused, scratching his head, unsure of what was going on.
Realizing the topic had turned toward him, his eyes bounced back and forth between the two, before suddenly shifting to behind Yang Qingsen. He raised a hand and pointed.
“It’s him.”
Both Lin Shen and Yang Qingsen turned around at the same time, and their eyes locked with the chilling gaze of Lu Chengxuan.
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)
