Chapter 97: On What He Possessed...

Click——

There was the sound of a door opening gently, but Yin, who was waiting at home, did not react, because from the footsteps she knew it was Li who came back.

"Your back [Record Player] How is he...?"

"Fortunately, they are all minor injuries. They won't cause any major problems... It's just that there is something wrong with his hand. I need to rest for a while."

"…What about his competition?"

Yin stopped typing on the keyboard, raised her head, and looked at Li, asking.

"He has no choice but to withdraw from the competition. Given his current condition, he won't be able to catch up."

Yin clenched her hands subconsciously, took a deep breath, and then slowly loosened them.

"…I see."

Her voice was still calm and without any ripples, but... Li knew that Yin was a very angry.

Obviously, Yin also cares about the [Record Player]... After all, he has brought a lot of changes here, especially making Li and the others think about quitting smoking on their own initiative, which Yin is particularly grateful for.

"...It seems that I have to rearrange the gifts for him... What about his medical expenses?"

"I paid for it first and asked him to pay it back later... I didn't let him touch the money he had saved before."

"Good."

Yin nodded and subconsciously reached out to open the candy box on the table. However, when she took the candy, she suddenly paused. Then she closed the candy box as if nothing had happened, unwrapped it, and put the candy into her mouth.

The sweetness filled her mouth, but the irritability and anger in her heart could not dissipate, and even became... stronger.

"I've already contacted the old man. Do you want to talk to him now?"

"OK."

Seeing Li nod, Yin also slightly adjusted the files still on the computer put them on the table, and made a call.

"...Oh? Girl, what do you want to ask me, an old man?"

Soon, a powerful voice was heard, along with a sturdy figure. Judging from his gray hair, he was not young.

However, his attention was focused on Yin curled up on the sofa from the beginning, and he completely ignored Li who was standing next to him.

"It's Li who's looking for you this time, old man."

"Tsk, who cares about that rebellious son? You, Yin Girl, tell me, how are you doing?"

"If you mention this again in front of the Yin, I will go back and make you explode with gold coins immediately."

Li squeezed into the picture expressionlessly and spoke in a calm and disdainful tone.

"Come if you have the ability, you rebellious son."

"...(Far Eastern swear words)"

"...Are you scolding me?"

"(Shenzhou foul language)"

"Hey, you kid!"

"(French swear word), (English swear word)..."

"You!! don't think I can't hear you scolding me, you rebellious son! Do you think it's great to learn a few languages?! (Italian swear word)..."

"(Italian swear)! (gestures)"

"(Italian swear)! (gestures)"

(TL: wow International swearing~)

......

"Have you two had enough fun?"

Looking at the two people who were swearing and gesticulating crazily, Yin rolled her eyes and said expressionlessly.

"This kid started it!"

"…."

Qu curled his lips and did not refute, but this instead attracted the other party's attention.

"...Huh? You didn't even refute me... it looks like there's something going on?"

He raised his eyebrows and leaned back a little, revealing a comfortable and complacent smile.

"Tell me what you need. I can help you if necessary."

"…Is there a base nearby? Tell me where it is. I need a few people to help me."

"Fight or trade?"

"Both."

"Wow... you have some skills, kid."

He crossed his arms over his chest, his lips slightly raised.

"But you know the rules. If you want it, go find it yourself."

"I don't have time to play with you here."

"I didn't play with you either."

The smile on his face disappeared instantly, and his tone became stern.

"If you didn't explain exactly what you were going to do, then I wouldn't provide you with direct help, which is what you promised me when you ran away."

"......"

"You are very angry, kid. You may not have noticed that the way you look at me is filled with annoyance, and the unhappy expression on your face cannot be stopped... Therefore, I can judge that you are probably acting on impulse, looking for trouble for something or someone, rather than simply going out to fight and trade as you said."

"There is no essential difference."

"Yes, but so what? Now I have the final say. If I don't want to give you the location of the base, I don't have to give it to you."

He spread his hands expressionlessly, mercilessly showing his "double standards".

"Like I said, if you want help, you can go find it yourself and get it yourself... Unless you tell me the real situation, I might be kind enough to provide you with some help."

"…My record player is broken."

"If it's broken, just buy a new one. We have plenty of money."

"I really like that [record player]. The songs it plays are clear and beautiful."

"Then find an expert to fix it. I told you, we have plenty of money."

He said casually, as if he didn't understand the hint from Li's mouth.

"…A friend of mine was beaten up."

In the end, Li sighed and gave up the awkward name he had been using.

"Oh? I see..."

He supported his face with one hand, looked at Li meaningfully, and then burst into laughter.

"Haha...it seems like you really like that record player. Okay, I'll send someone to find you then. They'll take you to the base, and you can command them as you please. Just don't make too much noise. Um...no, it's okay to make a little noise."

The corners of his mouth were slightly raised, with a hint of danger and relief.

"After all...if you break someone else's things, you have to pay for it."

"…Thanks, old man."

"Tsk, when will you stop addressing me like that? I'm still your dad after all..."

"Shut up, old man. Goodbye."

"Hey! You (Italian swear word)..."

Li hung up the call directly and waited for a while. As expected, he received a message from an unknown number on his terminal.

"…I'm going to go out for a while, Yin."

"Okay, I'll wait for you."

Yin nodded and watched Li leave.

After a brief silence, she reached out to the candy box on the table, took out a candy, unwrapped it, and put it in his mouth.

Soon, Yin had an idea.

Gently tapping the keyboard, she connected to another communication.

"Hello, Mom, um, it's me."

"No, I'm fine. Li treats me well... No, I won't be back until some time later. Okay, thank you for your concern."

"I want to ask if my family has any influence around here..., um... it's not Li that's bullying me, I have a friend... who needs help."

"Okay, thank you, Mom. Say hello to Dad for me. Bye."

"......"

After hanging up the phone, Yin was stunned for a rare moment, and then a helpless smile appeared on her face, which had hardly changed at all.

"It's really worrying... [Record Player]."

But…

Yin felt the sweetness of the candy in her mouth, and the smile on the corner of her mouth rose a little.

Not bad at all.

'Ah...I think I've been eating too much sweets recently...I'd better not get cavities.'

Suddenly thinking of some sad things, Yin's raised mouth corners fell back down, returning to her original calm and uneventful expression. She picked up the computer, placed it on her legs, called up the data that had not been processed yet, and continued typing on the keyboard.

......

.........

At night, when everyone else had returned, Li also returned home on time, but this time when he came back, he was followed by two people... But those two people left after sending Li to the door, just like guards, leaving silently and quickly.

And all of this naturally caught the eyes of others.

"...Boss, what's going on?"

"Don't worry about it, just go to school."

"Boss, look at what you're saying. We all live together, and we're all brothers and sisters. Is there any problem that can't be solved together?"

Someone curled his lips and blamed Li in an unhappy manner.

"And boss... you're very angry, and... [Record Player] hasn't come back yet, is something wrong with him?"

"......"

"Li, tell them."

"...Alas, [Record Player] is in the hospital, his hand...was injured."

Li sighed somewhat irritably and helplessly, then told the truth.

"Ah? Is there really something wrong?"

"Damn it, where is that bad mouth of his?! I'm going to strangle you to death!"

"Then his competition..."

"He withdrew from the competition. Given his current condition, he won't be able to catch up."

"Ah, this…"

"Alright, that's all you need to know. Don't worry about the rest. I'll take care of it... Just go to sleep and go to school tomorrow. I'll beat up anyone who's late."

Li slightly pushed aside the crowd surrounding him and walked towards Yin.

Only this time, the others didn't listen to him, but instead grabbed his shoulders.

"Hey, Boss, this is your problem... You didn't tell us about such a big thing, and it seems like we can't help at all."

"…You'd better not get involved."

For the first time, Li glanced at them with a stern and fierce look, and there was a hint of threat in his words.

"This is not something you should be involved in..."

"Look at what you said, Boss... We all live under the same roof, is there anything we can't help?"

One person said with a smile, turning around and greeting the others.

"Brothers! Don't listen to the boss this time! Let's rebel against him together! If you don't help, the record player will become the boss's family alone!"

"It's a rebellion! Everyone, charge!"

As they spoke, a group of people rushed forward and pressed Li to the ground, while another group of people took out their own terminals and started contacting their families.

"I'm sorry, Big Sister. The boss really went too far this time... It's not like we can't help with everything. Everyone's family still has a little... well, a little influence, so we can help a little... It's still okay."

The man who first spoke up for "rebellion" gestured to Yin, who was sitting on the sofa without moving, with the terminal in his hand and said half-jokingly.

"After all...if you break someone else's things, you have to pay for it, right?"

"...Yes, you are right."

Yin was silent for a while, glanced at them who were whispering while holding the terminal, nodded, and did not object.

"You little bastards...are really rebelling against Tian Gang...get out of my way! I won't stop you!"

"Ha ha..."

Amidst the laughter, everyone pulled Li up from the ground again.

"You can help me if you want, but... don't leave any evidence behind. Also, don't go too far."

"Boss, how much is considered excessive?"

"Don't worry about it. I'll do this part myself."

Li narrowed his eyes, brushed off the non-existent dust on his body, and spoke softly.

"After all... no one knows how to [deal with it] better than us."

......

.........

At night, Eden returned home with worried thoughts.

"…What's wrong, dear?"

The mother asked with concern.

"Did something happen today, Eden?"

Even his father looked over and asked.

"... Dad, Mom, I... want your help with something."

Eden hesitated for a moment, then spoke.

"Is that so..."

After Eden explained Nozomi's situation clearly, the couple both frowned and looked somewhat displeased.

Although they have not seen the child that Eden mentioned, they are clear about one thing... that is, the child named Nozomi has similar talents to their daughter. In the future artistic journey, the two will definitely be very good friends or "rivals."

Therefore, the couple had some good feelings towards this child they had never met before, and encouraged Eden to build a good relationship with him. After all, if two talented children communicated with each other, their progress would definitely be accelerated.

But now... that child was treated like this... even worse, his hands were hurt. This is hard for anyone who studies art to accept.

"We understand. We will have a good talk with the school staff about this matter... Such a serious [bullying] incident actually occurred on the eve of the competition. The school must bear some responsibility."

"Compared to that... dear, how is the child now? You said you took a leave of absence in the afternoon to visit him, so his condition..."

Hearing her father's promise and her mother's concern for him, Eden smiled slightly. Especially when her mother asked about his condition in the hospital, Eden would always unconsciously think of Nozomi's smile, that smile full of joy and happiness.

Whenever she thought of that slightly "dazzling" scene, Eden would unconsciously reveal a smile similar to Nozomi's at that time.

"He's...very good. He even sang a song with me. His hand is injured, but he'll be fine if he rests well."

"I see... That's great."

The couple looked at each other and then showed different expressions.

The father naturally frowned, feeling a little unhappy in his helplessness... He obviously noticed the faint affection that Eden had for Nozomi. Although it might be the mutual admiration between the two [geniuses] and the closeness generated by their being too "similar," he still felt a little uncomfortable with the feeling that his daughter might be "stolen"... Especially since the other party was a boy! The possibility of "stealing" his daughter was even greater!

On the contrary, the mother did not react much to this, or it was not what she expected. This was why she deliberately asked about Nozomi's gender when Eden mentioned Nozomi to her... A man with similar talents and even a very "similar" personality and way of dealing with people appeared next to her daughter, and her daughter even developed a curiosity and a slight liking for him... Then the relationship between the two is not far from entering the next stage.

But of course ~ Although they had expected it, as parents, they still had to keep a close eye on their daughter and couldn't let her be deceived by a bad man.

It just so happens that this time... I can also go and meet that child.

"Dear, how about... you take us to meet him."

The mother narrowed her eyes slightly, took Eden's hand, and spoke softly.

"That child... we also want to meet him, and we can also deal with his problems at the same time."

"Hmm? Sure, I'll take you there when you guys are free."

"......"

Eden's matter-of-fact and unabashed tone stunned the couple.

What's going on, my dear daughter... In a sense, this is like meeting the parents, right? Aren't you a little nervous?

Or... she don't mean that now, or she simply... don't realize it?

"...Okay, then we'll go together."

The couple looked at each other again and obviously realized that their daughter might not have that kind of thought yet, or even though she had a crush on the boy, she hadn't realized it yet or even thought about it in that direction... In this case, they as parents should not interfere too much, and just take a look at the child as friends' parents.

As for the rest... just let it go. If you think about it carefully, your daughter is already a grown-up girl. She should realize it herself... right? But even if she don't have that idea, it's fine. Two talented children together will definitely shine more brightly.

...

On the other side, Sister Teresa was still running around in the church, taking care of the people and children who came to pray.

Suddenly, sister Teresa stopped where she was and subconsciously grasped the cross pendant hanging in front of her chest, feeling its warmth.

It seems like He is guiding something...

"sister Teresa!"

Suddenly, someone came running over and handed her a communication terminal.

"I'm looking for you. It seems like there's something urgent."

"Thank you so much."

Sister Teresa bowed habitually, took the terminal, and then... she learned about Nozomi's situation.

"...Okay, I see. Thanks for letting me know. I... will go visit him."

"Also... I hope your school can give an explanation. He is a child that [He] protects and cares for... He may not care about the consequences, but you must apologize to him."

"Yeah, I'll be there soon."

After that, Sister Teresa hung up the call and returned the terminal to the man.

"...sigh."

After standing there in silence for a while, Sister Teresa sighed and looked quite helpless... because she had never heard about this from Nozomi before, and she didn't know that the bullying Nozomi suffered in school had reached such a bad level.

She still remembered the joyful and happy smile Nozomi gave her every time they communicated... but what kind of pain was behind that smile?

Subconsciously clenching the cross pendant in front of her, sister Teresa could feel the warmth coming from the pendant, as if "He" was answering and guiding her.

"You...are such a strong child."

So strong that... it makes people feel a little weak.

She began to understand why [He] cared for him so much, favored him so much, and specially guided Father Enrique and her to be with him... If a child like this cannot be exposed to the goodness and beauty of the world from the beginning... then everything he experiences later will be accumulated and explode at a more critical moment, leading to the worst consequences.

"What a pitiful and worrying child..."

Sister Teresa smiled helplessly, but she was not disgusted. After all... the child was now on the right path.