Chapter 21: Two years later, this was the first time he was meeting Close in reality again

translator: xiin

editors: apricot & juurensha

It wasn’t difficult to obtain information about Wei Xiao’s family.

As long as he went to the small town where his family lived, went to a shop there, and casually bought something without asking in too much detail, the other party would share everything they knew about the Wei family.

Before going there, Lu Feng had come up with many possible ideas. However, he hadn’t expected that it would be like this.

The Wei family was famous in the local area. They weren’t rich or powerful, but strange.

In fact, it wasn’t appropriate to use this word to describe them, but the people in this small town all regarded this existence that was so out of place as a strange wonder.

Wei Xiao’s father, Wei Quan, was a strange existence in the eyes of the small town’s people.

In a little place like this where everyone only thought about firewood, rice, oil, and salt, a person who lost it all for the sake of pursuing his dream was an existence that the people found very difficult to understand.

Wei Quan was a painter. Or, it should be said that he always wanted to be a painter.

Painting was a money burning business, and the Wei family wasn’t rich at all. Grandpa Wei had passed away early, and Grandma Wei raised Wei Quan on her own. It hadn’t been easy.

Wei Quan had a stubborn temper, and he insisted on doing the things he’d decided on all the way until the end. Other than painting, he was uninterested in anything else.

Fortunately, he didn’t have any special requirements. He could even go without eating as long as he had a brush, canvas, and oil paint.

Grandma Wei had indulged him at first, but she couldn’t hold on any longer in the end. She arranged a match for him, hoping that he would gain a sense of responsibility and learn to support his family after marriage.

At the start, Wei Quan hadn’t wanted to get married, but he fell in love after meeting Mother Wei.

Li Su was a person who understood him, someone who supported his painting.

She’d been born in a small town and yearned for beautiful things.

Wei Quan’s paintings were ugly and absurd, but Li Su felt that they were very beautiful. She felt that the man who crouched in front of the canvas was dazzling.

After their marriage, the sense of responsibility that Grandma Wei was waiting for didn’t come. Instead, it ushered in an even crazier son.

Li Su was fully supportive of his painting. She took on all the housework and went looking for work everywhere in order to make money, supporting the family and allowing her husband to pursue his dream.

Grandma Wei was angry at her for indulging Wei Quan, and was also distressed at how tired she had to be.

This period of time had actually been a happy one. Although the family was tired, and although Wei Quan didn’t behave as expected, the two women were enough to keep the household organized and afloat.

Until Wei Xiao was born.

This couple didn’t care about their child at all.

Wei Xiao had only turned two when Wei Quan began to go elsewhere for further study. Li Su followed him to take care of him, and left their only son back in their hometown.

Wei Xiao had a father and mother, but he grew up being taken care of by his grandmother.

When Wei Xiao was mentioned, the woman in the convenience store shook her head and sighed, “He’s really a good child. I’ve never seen such a sensible and intelligent kid. He knew how to count when he was four or five years old, and knew how to help his grandma buy things and count money. He always did well in primary school and would get full marks on tests every time. He was also very strong-willed. Nobody dared bully him, and he really made others care for him!”

“Tell me, how could there be such muddleheaded parents who would leave behind such a good child and insist on creating some paintings?”

“It would be fine if they could make some money, but the two of them were living from one meal to the next. What’s the point?”

“Ah, Wei Xiao was really the ideal child. He was so sensible, his studies were good, he had a good temper, he liked to talk and laugh, and would do housework when he went home, coaxing his grandma until a smile split her face…”

“We all say that a grandson is an old lady’s reward, and after suffering comes happiness. With such a precious grandson, she could just wait for happiness to come in the future.”

“Who could’ve known that the old lady’s life was bitter. She passed away even before her grandchild was admitted into university…”

“Two years ago, when he came back to see his sick grandma, that child Wei Xiao…” The woman wiped away a tear as she spoke, “Ah, say, how could this child be so unfortunate, how could life be so bitter!”

Although he couldn’t see the scene from back then, Lu Feng still remembered the 17 year old Wei Xiao.

The tall and thin youth had a pair of bright eyes that sparkled like stars.

He liked to laugh, liked to make a fuss, acting as though everything that happened in the world was no big deal.

Dauntless, fearless, bold, flamboyant.

Who could’ve thought that he’d been born in such a family with no support and grown up in such a swamp of thorns?

Grandma Wei had died of illness. It was a disease that could’ve been cured if it was discovered early, but their family situation had been so bad, Grandma Wei had been worried about dragging her family down and had continuously endured it.

Finally…

She’d left this mortal world.

At that time, Wei Xiao had been one step away from the two million yuan signing fee.

He’d said that he wanted to take his grandma around the world…

He’d wanted to build a good life for his grandma who’d suffered all her life…

However, it was all gone.

Grandma Wei passed away, and Wei Quan came back.

The man who’d selfishly spent half his life pursuing an illusory dream finally woke up.

He knelt in front of the door and kowtowed with a face full of tears.

Wei Xiao barred the door tight and refused to allow him to enter.

In the heart of the 17 year old youth, the man in front of him wasn’t his father. He was the murderer who’d killed his closest relative.

“Ai, if it wasn’t for his grandma passing away, Wei Xiao would surely have been admitted to Tsinghua University!” The woman lamented, “Now, his father has woken up and is working honestly at home to earn money, but it’s been two years, and I haven’t seen Wei Xiao come back once…”

“It’s late, it’s all too late. What had this set of parents gone off to do back then? They had to harm their child irrevocably before waking up!”

Lu Feng went to visit Wei Xiao’s family.

Wei Xiao’s father wasn’t at home, but his mother Li Su was.

The small, ordinary yard was tidy and well maintained.

Li Su opened the door. Her thin face was a little nervous when she saw a stranger in front of her, “You are…?”

The person in front of her was very tall and well dressed. His face was young and handsome, and he looked like a TV star.

Lu Feng introduced himself politely, “Hello, I’m one of Wei Xiao’s friends.” There was nothing wrong with this statement.

Li Su was stunned, and then her pale face was covered in a layer of joy. She looked behind him, “Little Xiao…”

Lu Feng said, “I came by myself.”

“Oh, it’s like that.” Li Su couldn’t keep the disappointment from her face, but she soon perked up again and invited him, “Come in, quickly come in, it’s cold outside.”

Lu Feng followed her inside and saw an old but clean living room.

Li Su made him tea.

Lu Feng thanked her.

Li Su always felt a little nervous when faced with Lu Feng. She asked softly, “Did you come for something?”

Lu Feng introduced himself, “My name is Lu Feng.”

He handed his business card to Li Su.

Li Su accepted it with both hands and fell into a daze after looking at it.

“E-e-sports?”

Lu Feng, head of the FTW e-sports club.

Lu Feng: “Do you know anything about this industry?”

Li Su paused for a moment, “I know a little.”

Lu Feng continued, “Wei Xiao is very talented. We would like to invite him to join our club and play in competitions.”

Li Su stared at the business card in her hand in a daze. Her hand was so tense that her knuckles turned a little white, “He… does Little Xiao like it?”

Lu Feng stilled slightly. He hadn’t expected that she would ask this.

Li Su suddenly looked up at Lu Feng, “Does he like this kind of thing?”

Lu Feng looked at her and nodded. “Yes.”

Li Su’s tense expression relaxed slightly, and a little bit of a smile even appeared in her eyes, “That’s good. It’s great if he likes it.”

She held the business card like it was a treasure, a treasure that was linked to her distant son.

Lu Feng said, “I looked into your situation before coming here.”

Li Su wasn’t surprised. Her voice trembled, “We haven’t done right by him.”

Lu Feng continued, “In fact, we invited him to join us two years ago, but he left just before signing the contract.”

Li Su froze for a moment, her face paling, “I’m sorry.”

“He’s had many opportunities to play professionally over the past two years, but he refused all of them.”

Li Su was stupefied.

“He likes the competition stage and is eager for a strong opponent, but he’s never taken this step.” Lu Feng stared at Li Su and continued, “He said his grandma didn’t want him to play professionally.”

As soon as this remark came out, Li Su, who’d been suppressing her mood, lost control over her emotions.

She clutched at the business card as though she was holding onto a last, life-saving straw and sobbed silently, “No, his grandmother just didn’t want him to be like his father, she just…”

Lu Feng didn’t say anything. He already knew the answer.

Li Su choked and continued brokenly, “His grandmother loved him the most and supported everything he wanted to do. She only wanted him to be happy and didn’t want to see him suffer… it’s all our fault, we were the ones who were wrong.”

Chagrin and remorse had turned into vipers after their loss, gnawing at the heart.

Lu Feng handed her a packet of tissues.

Li Su: “I’m sorry, this must be awkward.”

Lu Feng: “It’s not.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Li Su’s mood stabilized somewhat, and she lifted her head to look at Lu Feng, “I’m not very clear on what e-sports is, but as long as Little Xiao likes it, I…”

She smiled bitterly, “His father and I have no right to weigh in, but his grandmother would definitely support it… He and his father have never been the same, they’ve never been the slightest bit alike… Mister Lu, can you help me persuade him? I don’t want him to be affected by us any more. Little Xiao… this child has already suffered enough.”

Lu Feng’s voice was soft, “I will.”

Li Su suddenly stood up. “Wait a minute. There’s something here that I would like to ask you to give him. It was left behind by his grandma.”

Lu Feng nodded and agreed, “Okay.”

When he left the small town, Lu Feng had a box in his hand.

There was a painting and a notebook contained inside.

He would find a suitable opportunity to give it to Wei Xiao.

Wei Xiao hadn’t expected that someone would ever ring his doorbell at eight o’clock in the morning!

Eight!

Wei Xiao stared at the time displayed on his phone. He felt like he’d just seen a huge joke!

They were in the midst of a proper winter vacation. What had he done to deserve seeing the eight o’clock morning sun?!

The husky saw that he’d woken up and thought that he was taking it for a walk, pouncing on him in delight.

Wei Xiao couldn’t bear to kick it and could only rage at it, “Go away, go away, your daddy really wants to see who’s here to screw with me so early in the morning!”

He stuffed his feet into his slippers and opened the door, his face full of rage. He thought to himself that if it was Bai Cai, he would hammer him into rotten vegetables!

The door opened…

There was a bang. Wei Xiao thought he’d seen a ghost when he opened the door and promptly closed it again.

The husky: “Aroooo~!” What was going on? Weren’t they going out to play?

Wei Xiao was confused for two seconds. He took a deep breath, “C-C-C-Close?”

Two years later, this was the first time he was meeting Close in reality again. At eight o’clock in the morning, in his messy dog kennel place, with his hair even more of a mess, he’d just seen Close?

“F*ck!”

Wei Xiao hurriedly ran his fingers through his hair a few times, then opened the door again.

Lu Feng wore a dark colored plaid coat and had a wool scarf at his collar. His eyebrows and eyes were as cold and indifferent as ever, and people could feel the chill from outside as he simply stood there.

––The Glory cooling agent.

Had a well-deserved reputation.

“Morning.” Lu Fing looked at him without blinking.

Wei Xiao gaped at him, “Morning.”

The silly dog didn’t care what the atmosphere was like and crowded in, wanting to squeeze its way out.

Lu Feng’s gaze dropped down, “Is this the one who wants kisses?”

Wei Xiao: “………………”

Previously, Soybean’s meaty paws had pressed blindly, sending Lu Feng an emoticon that said it wanted kisses.

F*ck!

Wei Xiao must’ve gotten up the wrong way today. What kind of thundering start to the day was this?!

And then, the husky’s old bad habits just had to kick in. It let out a whimper and pounced over as soon as its misty blue eyes noticed Lu Feng.

Lu Feng was caught by surprise.

Wei Xiao pulled at the stupid dog, “Soybean, calm down!”

Lu Feng was worthy of being a man who exercised all year round. He was actually able to withstand this impact, “It’s…”

Wei Xiao’s dignity had been completely tossed away by this dog, “You won’t believe it even if I tell you, this is a licking dog!”

Lu Feng couldn’t quite figure it out, “Huh?”

Wei Xiao didn’t even try to salvage the situation, “When it sees a good looking person, it’ll pounce over and lick them.”

It was undoubtedly a real licking dog!

Damn it, how had he managed to raise such a doggy thing?!

Lu Feng: “……”

Wei Xiao finally managed to control Soybean. It wasn’t easy, and he was left half sweating all over. “It’s normally not so excited. It’s probably because you’re too attractive.”

Lu Feng: “………………”

Wei Xiao realized that there was something not quite right with what he’d just said, “I mean, this dog thinks that you’re attractive, not… you’re very handsome, and I also think.. f*ck…” The more he explained, the more toxic it became.

Lu Feng pressed down Soybean’s doggy head, “Good eyesight.”

Wei Xiao: “…………………”

You’re talking about Soybean, this stupid dog, right?!

Lu Feng glanced at him, “I brought breakfast. Want it?”

Husky: “Ao!”

It didn’t understand anything else, but it was particularly good at understanding the words breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Even by the time breakfast was on the table, the Wei Xiao who’d just taken a shower was still a little confused.

“God Lu, why did you come to find me so early in the morning?”

Wei Xiao finally asked the key point.

Lu Feng glanced at his wet, dripping hair, then said, “Bringing you to the base.”

Wei Xiao froze for a moment, “No…”

Lu Feng repeated what he’d said before, “The base has moved. It’s not easy to find a taxi here; I’ll arrange a car to pick you up.”

Wei Xiao blinked, “So… you came in person?”

Lu Feng: “Mm.”

Wei Xiao’s face was a little incredulous as he bit into a soup dumpling.

“Eat first.” Lu Feng was quite interested in the husky, “It wants to go out and play? I’ll take it downstairs.”

Wei Xiao stared on blankly as he told him, “Oh, the leash is on the shelf…”

Wei Xiao woke up completely when the door closed again behind him!

What exactly was this situation!

If he hadn’t remembered incorrectly, not only was Lu Feng FTW’s trump card, he’d also become the owner of the club two years ago.

So, he’d personally come over to pick him up to visit the base?

Was there anyone who would be so nice to him?!

He always felt that there was some trick up ahead…

Half an hour later, Wei Xiao felt that things were even more fantastical.

Lu Feng drove a Cullinan, a Rolls-Royce SUV. Having this car parked beneath his single bachelor’s apartment in the university town was really eye-catching.

That wasn’t the key point. After all, it was commonly known that God Lu wasn’t lacking for money. He could afford any car, no matter how expensive, but the problem was…

Wei Xiao spoke incredulously, “A friendly reminder, if Soybean scratches the car seats, I can’t afford to pay for it.”

Lu Feng placed the excited husky in the back seat, “It’s fine.”

Wei Xiao stressed, “It can do anything. What they say about huskies demolishing houses is real!”

Lu Feng laughed briefly, “The base is very large.”

Wei Xiao: “???”

What did he mean, the base was very large?! Did he mean to let this stupid dog do as it pleased?!

Wei Xiao had really never thought that he would actually even bring the husky along with him for a visit to FTW to watch a training match.

Who could’ve known? This aloof and indifferent great demon king of the Glory circle was actually so friendly towards a licking dog!

The author has something to say:

Small theatre––

Wei Xiao: I think that there’s a pit up ahead.

Lu Feng: Jumping in or not?

Soybean goes ahead and jumps in first: Ao!

Juurensha: …yeah, I don’t like the parents much even if they feel bad now. And hahaha, yes, Soybean, help push your master into the pit!