Bonus Chapter: Two
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Chen Jing always felt his mother was a bit too young.
Every time he went out with her, people often mistook them for siblings or even a couple, which made him exceptionally awkward. After all, his mother should be close to forty but looked like she just hit her twenties!
His father, on the other hand, was a different story.
In his forties, his face showed all the wear and tear expected of an old man, but thanks to years of keeping fit, he still had a decent physique. With clean-cut short hair and trendy clothes, he could be considered an old handsome guy.
Young men who claimed to like mature women were probably talking about mothers like his, those rich in charm but still young-looking.
And when young girls proclaimed their affection for older guys, they were probably eyeing fathers like his, mature, handsome, and well-built.
Those with bad looks or poor physiques didn’t deserve the titles of “mature woman” or “old man” but rather “auntie” and “uncle.”
His parents loved to show off their affection in front of him. Occasionally, when his father got a long holiday, they would unhesitatingly ditch him and their whole pet army to go travel.
Sometimes, he even suspected he might have been adopted.
Chen Jing’s academic performance wasn’t that great; he didn’t get into a prestigious high school and was only average at a regular one.
But thankfully, his parents didn’t have high expectations for grades—just a college degree would do. If he didn’t get one, he might end up with a broken leg courtesy of his mother.
On weekends, he came to the community basketball court with his father.
“Dad, you forgot to grab the ball from the storage room,” he said as he stepped into the indoor court, only to find his father empty-handed.
Chen Yao didn’t listen to him. After waiting a moment in the court, he peered out: “Your mom shouldn’t be watching us anymore, right?”
From the window at home, one could see the basketball court’s entrance, but it might be too high to make out individuals, although that wouldn’t be a problem for Lin Nan.
“My mom is not that free!”
“Great, then let’s go to the internet café!” Chen Yao sighed in relief, pulling Chen Jing’s arm and heading outside the community.
“Wait, but my mom didn’t say you couldn’t play on the computer!”
Chen Yao shot him a glare: “What do you know? The new Monster Hunter just came out, and your mom insisted I take her shopping instead.”
His voice suddenly turned timid: “I told her I wanted to play basketball, and that’s how I got away. Don’t spill the beans when you go back.”
“Dad, but you’re usually so busy at work! It’s a rare break, and you know Mom will definitely drag you shopping.”
“She just needs someone to carry the shopping bags,” Chen Yao muttered in complaint. “Every time she goes shopping, she buys a mountain of things, but expects me to haul it all…”
Chen Jing suddenly empathized; he often experienced Lin Nan’s shopping tyranny as well.
The father-son duo trotted toward the internet café, but because of the strict regulations, Chen Jing, at sixteen, could only hover around his dad.
At six or seven years old, Chen Yao used to wander into internet cafés alone before learning the hard way, while Chen Jing had no idea what one even looked like.
There was a internet café nearby with a good environment, strictly no smoking, high prices, and classified as an esports café, frequently hosting small tournaments. Most regulars were college students or working adults.
Inside the internet café, Chen Yao excitedly opened the already pre-ordered new Monster Hunter while Chen Jing curiously surveyed the esports-rich environment around him.
“Dad, there aren’t many people online.”
“There are more during competitions. Your mom and I often come here to watch them,” Chen Yao replied, propping his legs up comfortably on the couch, all eyes glued to the unskippable CG animation.
“Mom comes too?”
Chen Yao nodded. During the usual days, Lin Nan preferred puzzle or storyline games at home to develop Chen Jing’s intellect and interest in single-player games, steering him away from pay-to-win gacha games. So in Chen Jing’s mind, Lin Nan didn’t seem like the competitive gamer type.
If he dared to spend money on gacha games at a young age, Lin Nan would probably break his legs.
“She watches during TI and S tournaments, and every other year, she comes with me to live events,” Chen Yao yawned. “Otherwise, why do you think we always leave you with Grandma or your other grandmother for a few days?”
Chen Jing once again felt like his existence was just an accidental byproduct for his parents.
Finally, the game started up, and Chen Yao eagerly positioned his hands on the keyboard, his focus locked on the screen.
But beside him, Chen Jing suddenly had a strange expression and turned to look at the entrance of the internet café.
He had heard that most parents didn’t want their kids in internet cafés, considering them a den of vice, and since decades ago, internet cafés had often been the backdrop for scary stories about parental pangs arising from such places.
“Mom…”
Lin Nan shot him a cold glance, and he instantly shut his mouth, not daring to move a finger.
Meanwhile, Chen Yao obliviously put on his headphones.
She approached and stood behind Chen Yao, taking a glance at the character wielding a sword and shield on the screen, pursing her lips in silence.
“Kid! If you play this game, you must use the shield axe! It’s absolutely awesome! Look at my super move! Isn’t it cool?”
Chen Jing carefully poked Chen Yao’s arm.
“What’s the big deal? It’s just an empty move, right? A move’s a move, as long as it looks cool!”
“Your mom is just an old-fashioned stickler who only knows how to play the great sword, and her cat is faster than anyone else…”
Lin Nan exasperatedly reached over and pulled off his headphones.
“Hey, don’t mess with my headphones!” Chen Yao was too engrossed in the screen to notice, “Put them back on me.”
“Great sword is the best.”
Chen Yao’s expression instantly changed, turning pale as he shakily turned to Lin Nan, his voice faltering: “Wife…?”
“Didn’t we agree to take our son to play basketball?”
Chen Jing quietly got up from his chair, taking a few steps back, afraid to be caught in the crossfire.
“I…”
“And since when have I been slower than you?” Lin Nan smacked his head, “Get moving, grab my ID to open another computer.”
Chen Yao hurriedly stood up, wearing a very flattering smile: “Not going shopping anymore?”
“Shopping? What shopping?” Lin Nan turned back, seriously addressing Chen Jing, “If you play this game, you’ll use the great sword.”
“Okay~” Chen Jing nodded obediently with a look that screamed understanding.
Soon, Chen Yao was back, sitting next to Lin Nan, grinning, and asked, “What made you come to the internet café suddenly?”
“Well, since you didn’t take me shopping, I couldn’t help but come out to browse myself.”
In reality, he almost missed them at the basketball court while passing by on his way to buy something downstairs, leading him here to snatch them.
Chen Yao nodded but suddenly asked worryingly: “Has Xiong Da found a girlfriend lately?”
Lin Nan’s expression froze, and they exchanged a worried glance, both sighing heavily.
Initially, they thought Tu Junhui was the most likely bachelor, but that guy got married at thirty and now has kids who could buy soy sauce. Yet Xiong Da, after all these years, had remained single until he was forty and still showed no interest in women.
He said finding a wife would impact his quality of life and that he didn’t like kids, insisting that as long as he wasn’t married, he couldn’t get divorced…
For a while, Chen Yao and Lin Nan even questioned his s*xual orientation, but seeing that his paper characters were all girls and he occasionally played VR girlfriend games, they dismissed that idea.
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Keyboard Paw Kitty, future updates delayed.
