As Lin Wangye pushed aside the heavy, transparent door curtain, the thick smell of smoke immediately hit his nose, mingled with the scent of braised beef instant noodles. The warmth from the heaters only made everything smell worse, a combination of scents that was hard to describe.
Lin Wangye had been to internet cafes before.
But 20 years later, after going through intense competition, internet cafes had evolved into something quite high-end, each with a designated non-smoking area. The environment was often better than that of many cafes.
Even so, Lin Wangye rarely visited these types of internet cafes. Instead, he would choose the relatively more comfortable and expensive esports hotels.
However, even though the environment at internet cafes in this era wasn’t ideal, they were still packed and bustling—much livelier than they would be 20 years later.
The reason? Most people didn’t have a computer at home.
If they wanted to play games or watch movies, they had to head to an internet cafe.
Now that he was here, no matter how unsatisfactory the environment, Lin Wangye had to bite the bullet and go inside to find someone. This was the closest internet cafe to the Seventh Middle School, and if his dad were to rush back to school before the evening study session, there was a high chance he would be here.
Minors weren’t allowed in internet cafes.
So the owner had made some adjustments. The first-floor lobby was only for adults, but if a minor wanted to surf the web, the owner would secretly help them get a card and sneak them up to the second floor through a small door.
To avoid getting caught, the windows upstairs were all sealed shut, and the ventilation was terrible. The smell of smoke simply couldn’t escape.
As someone who didn’t touch cigarettes at all, Lin Wangye could barely breathe.
Damn, now he understood what a so-called ‘black internet cafe’ really looked like.
Yet after searching the place upstairs and downstairs a few times, Lin Wangye still couldn’t find Lin Shen. He had no choice but to leave in disappointment, covering his nose and mouth as he rushed out of the place.
What was he thinking?
Even he disliked this place, so how could his cleanliness-obsessed dad possibly tolerate staying here?
Helpless, Lin Wangye wandered aimlessly down the street.
Luckily, he had filled his stomach with the sandwich from Lu Chengxuan earlier, which had given him the energy to keep moving. Though his clothes were thin, he was still young, and the brisk walk kept the cold from getting to him too much.
As he stood at a red light, Lin Wangye’s attention was suddenly caught by a shiny new sign across the street.
Qingsen Internet cafe.
The name immediately made Lin Wangye think of a certain game team manager from many years later.
Maybe it was just a coincidence.
After all, it wasn’t exactly a rare name.
As the heir to a wealthy family, Lin Wangye kept a respectful distance from the lavish and chaotic lifestyles of his peers. His only real interest was playing video games.
As for his son’s gaming obsession, Lin Shen never really interfered.
Perhaps because compared to drugs, gambling, and other vices, gaming seemed harmless enough, so he let Lin Wangye indulge.
It felt like some invisible force was guiding him. Lin Wangye walked right through the street and straight into the internet cafe.
Given the unpleasant experience at the last place, he instinctively held his breath as he entered. To his surprise, the atmosphere inside wasn’t like the smoky, clouded mess of the previous cafe. The air was surprisingly clean, and the heater was set to a comfortable temperature.
Lin Wangye blinked in amazement, then cautiously sniffed the air.
There were a few people in the lobby smoking, but the smell wasn’t overpowering, nor was there any other strong stench, meaning the ventilation was decent. With this kind of environment, the chance of his dad being here seemed pretty high.
Excited by the thought, Lin Wangye took a step forward, but before he could get far, someone stopped him.
“ID.” The internet cafe attendant, leaning casually against the counter, stretched out an arm to block his way. “Minors aren’t allowed in.”
Lin Wangye instinctively reached into his pocket when he heard the request for an ID, but then he remembered he didn’t have one on him, especially since he was technically an ‘illegal’ customer here. He quickly explained.
“I’m over 18. I just forgot my ID. I’m not here to use the internet, just looking for someone.”
The attendant seemed to deduce from the way Lin Wangye fumbled for his ID that he was likely a student, so his tone softened, though his stance remained firm. “Still can’t let you in. If someone comes to check and sees a kid inside, there’s no way to explain it.”
Lin Wangye, a little anxious, responded, “Other places let me in.”
The attendant clearly knew exactly which place Lin Wangye was referring to, sneering sarcastically, “Whoever let you in, go look for them there. We’re a legitimate cafe. Minors can’t enter unless there’s an exceptional reason.”
Lin Wangye suddenly caught onto something. “What’s the exceptional reason?”
The attendant replied, “Family members of the owner are allowed.”
Lin Wangye: “…”
Though he was feeling urgent, it wasn’t worth breaking the rules just to get in. With a bit of lingering hope, he glanced around the cafe, but after a quick scan and seeing no one, he sighed and lowered his head.
Forget it. There was still evening study time.
He could always hang around outside the school later and wait.
As Lin Wangye was about to leave, he suddenly heard a loud crash from behind the counter—a mouse hitting the table—followed by a burst of fluent Chinese.
“Are you kidding me?! Trying to ambush me? What’s this damage? Three seconds and I’m dead, a 20% crit chance and two out of three hits are crits?! Using hacks in a ranked match, huh?!”
The voice was unfamiliar to Lin Wangye, yet something made him stop and turn around.
The counter in the cafe was raised, so unless someone approached closely, it was hard to see inside. As Lin Wangye stepped forward, the face of the person behind the counter slowly came into view.
Lin Wangye had never seen any old photos of his father, Lin Shen.
This was clearly a moment from the past he had never been part of, yet just from the profile, he was certain this person was his father.
No matter how old a person gets, whether young or old, their appearance always carries traces of their youth.
The Lin Shen Lin Wangye knew never looked old. Even nearing forty, his face lacked any obvious wrinkles, and his striking good looks would make him a heartthrob at any age.
As his son, Lin Wangye often marveled at the great genes he’d inherited.
But as the head of the family and chairman of the Lin family business, Lin Shen was always serious, commanding without raising his voice, and very stingy with his expressions.
He was always sparing with his words, rarely showing much emotion to anyone.
The Lin Shen standing in front of him now, though, was a younger version—more youthful and lively.
The aura was completely different.
If not for the distinct facial features, Lin Wangye might not have recognized him.
To describe it more specifically, what Lin Wangye felt was a stark contrast in energy. The vitality and energy radiating from this younger version of his father was something he had never seen in the older Lin Shen.
This was his father at seventeen.
Not the stoic family head. Not the famous, powerful Lin Shen who could control everything with a flick of his hand.
He was like every other boy his age.
Rebellious in the face of the world, running wild with carefree energy.
The internet cafe attendant seemed to know Lin Shen well. Upon noticing what was going on, he immediately walked over to check and muttered a quick remark, “It’s tough to win, bro. The other side’s gear is better than yours.”
“Can you shut up for two seconds?”
Getting killed like that was frustrating enough; hearing this only added fuel to the fire. Lin Shen, irritated, lit a cigarette, holding it in his mouth as he waited to respawn. He opened the store and realized he couldn’t afford anything. Cursing under his breath, he slammed his hand on the desk.
Lin Wangye suddenly spoke up, “So you’ve played this game?”
The sudden words immediately caught Lin Shen’s attention. He looked up, meeting the eyes of the young man in front of him. Even though the face was unfamiliar, a strange sensation of heart palpitations surged in his chest.
Lin Wangye leaned over the counter, peering at the screen. After recognizing the hero Lin Shen was playing, he continued,
“I love playing that hero too.”
The young man’s eyes sparkled with tiny glimmers of light. His round dog-like eyes were filled with joy and a certain expectation, looking bright and eager, and he didn’t seem that old.
Lin Shen took the cigarette from his mouth, pinched it between his fingers, and for some inexplicable reason, a sense of showing off washed over him. Smirking confidently, he said, “Watch closely. Don’t blink. I’ll survive this and get a pentakill.”
Lin Wangye nodded eagerly, “Okay, okay, okay.”
The fact that Lin Shen was sitting behind the counter playing games was enough to prove that his relationship with the internet cafe owner wasn’t ordinary. Lin Wangye, not wanting to leave, stayed and struck up a conversation with his father. The attendant who had blocked him earlier didn’t say anything more and turned back to focus on other tasks.
Lin Wangye wasn’t just interested in games—he was also naturally talented at them. So, with the assumption that his dad couldn’t be that bad at the game, he watched, ready to see his father’s skills.
Then he saw his dad die four times in five minutes.
After bragging about his upcoming play, it was practically embarrassing to watch him hand over kills to the other team. While waiting for his respawn, Lin Shen quietly lit a cigarette, wishing he could crawl under the counter and bury himself there.
Lin Wangye kept quiet. Watching his dad die again after just respawning, he finally couldn’t take it anymore. He stormed over, grabbed his dad by the arm, and dragged him away, sitting him down in the chair.
Lin Shen grumbled, pulling at him, “Move aside. I’ve got this!”
Lin Wangye: “You wanna win or not?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Lin Shen immediately fell silent, standing aside obediently. After a long pause, he muttered, “Fine, after you die, I’ll take over.”
Although the game and heroes were the same, twenty years had passed, and the game had undergone countless updates and changes. To Lin Wangye, this was an ancient version of the game—like the creation of the world itself.
But with his expert foundation, his skills were still on point.
A mere Silver rank? Easy.
Lin Shen had been waiting for Lin Wangye to die so he could take over the match.
However, Lin Wangye didn’t die once in that match. Instead, he got more and more aggressive, cutting down enemies left and right, from Penglai East Road all the way to South Gate.
Lin Shen was left speechless, unable to believe his account could even produce such results. He was so absorbed in the game that he didn’t even notice the cigarette burning close to his fingers.
When the enemy’s base exploded, Lin Shen was so awestruck he nearly fell to the ground. He moved closer to Lin Wangye, squeezing onto the same chair and said, “Damn, man, are you from Seventh Middle School? What’s your name?”
Lin Wangye rubbed his hands together, deliberately ignoring the question from earlier. “You can just call me Lin Wangye.”
“You’re also a Lin? We’re from the same family!”
Lin Shen was overjoyed, immediately slinging his arm around Lin Wangye’s neck like they were brothers. “I’m Lin Shen. From now on, you’re my long-lost wild dad. Teach me! I’m a Bronze-level noob!”
“…”
Lin Wangye was having a hard time accepting the phrase ‘wild dad’ coming from his father’s mouth.
Isn’t this just… outrageous?
I’ve already lived my life once, don’t make me age even faster!
“No, no.” Lin Wangye shook his head and waved his hands. “Just call me Xiao Lin.”
“That’s too formal. Wild dad, don’t say things like that. I can’t handle it.”
Lin Wangye sighed in resignation. “Fine, change the way you address me, and I’ll take you to Diamond rank.”
Lin Shen inhaled sharply, his hand holding the cigarette trembling slightly, his expression becoming serious.
“Really, Godfather?”
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)
