20 murder and chain

The car journey to the breakfast place near college was silent. This time I drove with Ling Bingchen in the front and Chief in the back. I don't know what the mood was. Everyone was quiet and doing their own thing but there was a lingering awkwardness of sorts. I had nothing to say, no face to say it either.

The hands were everything for a professional gamer. Many gamers had to retire from their occupations early due to a small injury in their wrists or fingers which started hindering their movements. What kind of a father would you be if you directly aimed for your son's Achilles heel just to stop him from chasing after his dream, just because he doesn't listen to you or doesn't reform to the kind of mold you want to put him into?

I could almost imagine the scene. Hacker standing as his Dad picked up his golf club. He would be as nonchalant as ever, very used to this happening whenever he ditched business dinners or banquets to go to the Internet café or when he was found playing on his console a day before exams when he should be studying. So he must have expected it and accepted it when it came, but instead of just venting his anger and disappointment, this time his dad must have been doing it for a purpose. He only tried to hit his hands and all Hacker must have been able to do was block it using his other body parts, so much so that he ended up squatting, folding his hands to his body and bending over to lock his head onto his knees. It must have been cruel.

"Isn't this literally murder?" Chief suddenly said, his face was pale and had a kind of helplessness that I hadn't seen on her before. I flexed my hands on the steering wheel to suddenly realize that my hands were stiff and covered with cold sweat due to holding onto the steering so tight.

It is murder. You're killing everything a person lives for, what else do they have left then.

"What do we do now, Yuyu?" I shook my head, turning my face away from the rearview mirror. I didn't want to see her like this.

"He wasn't telling you for a reason." Ling Bingchen interjected. "All you can do is show him that this incident is not going to make anything different. He ran away because he didn't want your pity or your solutions. So show him that you aren't going to give any."

He talked like he wasn't one of the people who silently instigated the revelation. If he hadn't held me back then I would have stopped Zhao Jingchen. His solution was ideal but how do you act like you don't care after something so big happens to your friend.

But he was right.

My phone rang at this moment. I looked at Ling Bingchen, "Check it for me."

He picked up my phone from the glove compartment and Chief leaned in from in between the seat to curiously see the calling ID. "Zhoufan? Who is Zhoufan?"

Really, troubles just come one after the other.

I tightened my fists back again on the steering wheel for support. "My sister."

"You have a sister? I thought you were an only child? No way. Cousin?" Chief asked. I could also sense Ling Bingchen's sight on the side of my face. I stopped the car at the signal and took the ringing phone from his hand, silencing it.

"Where to go for breakfast?" I asked instead of answering. Chief thankfully did not say anything but took out her phone to call the other car to ask where we were going.

She called Hacker.

"Hmm," his voice was awkward even on the call.

"Ask Lanyard what she wants to eat for breakfast."

"Wait…why should I ask her?"

"Because I called you."

"Why did you even call me then?!" He exclaimed.

"Because I called you so much last night that you're first on the call log. I'm too lazy to scroll."

"Wen Lili, I'm officially parentless, do you get it? Homeless, no inheritance, nothing. How can you talk to me like this?"

"What? You have a job, a place to sleep, food to eat, a decent income and free internet. What else are you crying about, are you a man?"

I couldn't control my laughter after that.

"Oh I don't know about the job. He dropped to Diamond today." Zhao Jingchen quipped from behind which sent me even further into a laughing fit.

"Yu ge, how dare you laugh? How dare you laugh! Zhao ge, you scolded me for these three women but you see they are the most heartless women. It hasn't even been half an hour since I told them of my pain but they are back again at bullying me."

"Let's go to eat Aunt Zhang's dumplings," Lanyard took over the phone laughing while I could hear Hacker telling his boss how I cheated him out of his money.

"Good", I replied back before accelerating towards the place in a good mood. Ling Bingchen reached out and turned on the stereo to play songs.

~

"Brother Zhao, even I'll call you Brother Zhao like Linping okay?" Lanyard said, "Approximately how much do you make off leading a group of internet addicts?"

"Wow, you're so polite." Chief said as she passed me the chili oil.

"What? I just want to know if the Esports industry is a good investment. Then I can make plans for my future ventures accordingly. Ju Linping barely knows anything so I should ask an insider, right?"

"It's a meaningful industry." Ling Bingchen commented, "You can use it for publicity. The prize money is not bad, it goes up to around 500 million dollars and the maintenance cost is low. You just need good internet, equipment and the player's general needs and staff taken care of. And the best part is that it's new and not very popular so you can gain attention if you support the field."

Ling Bingchen's words made Lanyard's eyes shine with dollar signs as she turned to look at Hacker and Zhao Jingchen with a newfound vigor. "If you make the players do some good advertisements, and sell official merchandise you can get some extra cash in."

"Basically it," Zhao Jingchen said, shrinking back uncomfortably at her sight. That's when he perceived another sight just as strong as Lanyard's and turned to look at me. I smiled.

"Zhao ge, can I visit the base? Just as a concerned family member I wish to see where he will be staying the majority of the time. Can you show me photos of the team? Nothing, just as a concerned family member I wish to see who he is going to associate with."

Hacker snorted and explained to Zhao Jingchen,"She's Chain's fan."

Chain was the Captain of Team Zephyr and played as a support. Though the position of support in LOL wasn't very famous, it was very integral. They didn't get as much attention as the duo carry's mid and adc did, but supports were indispensible in backing the other members and giving them the momentum needed. Chain was a player who was as good as Raptor at being Adc but insisted on playing support. Not to mention he always had a mask on and never showed his face but with his tall aesthetic body and the Swiss watches on his wrist, it was obvious that he was handsome and rich. Mysterious characters like these generally are.

"Why do you like Chain?" Zhao Jingchen suddenly sat up, taking more interest in the conversation suddenly.

"Because Janna is my favorite hero but I couldn't play it well so I studied Chain and learned so many tricks. He's so subtle that he seems like he does nothing but follow the other members but when you actually notice all his moves and study him," I enthusiastically clapped,"…Genius!"

Ling Bingchen gave me a side glance that was very inexplicable in nature. I raised my eyebrow slightly and shoved a whole dumpling into my mouth.

"You double row with Forest as his support?" Zhao Jingchen asked.

"Yes. Yes. I'm QY. We play together whenever we have time."

"Oh, I've seen your skills. Not bad." Zhao Jingchen commented. Zhao Jingchen had sharp features that seemed to cut so without doing anything he gave off a very cold vibe. However suddenly he sounded and looked so soft and gentle. "You can visit sometime but inform me in advance."

"We'll join too. Have to take care of the orphan now." Chief said, patting Hacker on the head as he lowered his head to drink soup. Zhao Jingchen smiled and nodded.

"Add WeChat," Lanyard said as she passed her phone to him. Zhao Jingchen looked a little taken aback at how forward she was but then silently scanned her when he saw how normal she seemed. Then he proceeded to scan me, Chief and Ling Bingchen too.

When I saw Ling Bingchen take out his phone, my heart flashed a little desire but then I curbed it down. My hands tightened on my phone. However, Ling Bingchen didn't follow the script in my heart.

After scanning Zhao Jingchen, he turned to me and said, "Scan yours too?"

I hesitantly nodded and showed him the QR code. He sent a request immediately. His profile picture was the Ling Enterprise company logo and his username said Ling. I added him and Zhao Jingchen.

After breakfast, Zhao Jingchen drove the others and I ended up with Ling Bingchen as my only responsibility.

"Put your address in Senior." I said as I started the car. Zhoufan's call came in again. She had been relentlessly calling but I had ignored her. I glanced at Ling Bingchen as she called in again.

"It's okay, pick it up." He said as he continued to tap in his address.

"When are you coming back?"

"In an hour." I replied.

"Breakfast?" She asked.

"Eaten."

"Have lunch with me. I want hotpot."

"Don't you want your throat?" I coughed a little and looked at Ling Bingchen to see him looking out of the car and not looking at me or paying attention to the call. I felt relieved and continued to navigate my way to his house. He really did live near college. At a well known residential area in the middle of the city, barely 10 minutes from the campus.

"It's okay, your sister is the creamy layer in the music industry. I can afford to take a break."

I sneered in reply, "You haven't debuted yet."

"Speaking of debut, come look at the contract Yin Niansu sent me. I heard you helped him sign those cute milk puppies."

"They have a name."

"Whatever. Niankai ge told me to talk to you so I'll only sign after I talk to you. Come back for lunch."

"Whatever. Hang up." I sighed.

"I'm surprised she didn't pursue piano instead went into vocals."

"What?" I looked at Ling Bingchen in horror.

"Qiu Zhoufan, I mean."

I immediately drove to the side and stepped on the brakes.

"You know Zhou Fan?" My breath getting labored.

"Qiu Yu, we went to the same school," Ling Bingchen looked confused, "I thought you knew. I was in the same year as Qiu Zhoufan but in different classes."

It was like getting plunged into a nightmare. The more I don't want people to know, the easier it is for them to know. Especially him. At least, I didn't want him to know but the joke was he came to me already knowing.