In the Years When I Was a Father

Chapter 61: The Weak Dad (7)

After returning to her own place, Lin Hui finally had a place to vent her anger.

She resented Qi Sheng for dragging her down her whole life, and also hated Wan Hui for being so heartless. She smashed everything in the living room and found a bottle of red wine from the wine cabinet, drinking it glass after glass.

On the other side of the city, Qi Sheng had no idea that his ex-wife was drowning her sorrows in alcohol. But even if he knew, he wouldn’t have had much of a reaction.

His son was about to start school, and Qi Sheng was standing by, watching him pack his luggage.

“Just bring some clothes you’ll need right away. I’ll mail the rest over in a few days. As for the computer, you should get a new one. This one’s pretty outdated.”

Qi Sheng kept reminding him, checking again and again to make sure his son wasn’t forgetting anything.

While folding clothes, Qi Jin was secretly calculating how much money he would need to buy a house in Haishi. But before he could figure it out, he heard his father say, “I’ve saved up some money over the years and already bought a three-bedroom apartment in Haishi with a loan. It’s not far from your school, about a forty-minute subway ride. Do you want to live at home or stay near the school for convenience?”

Qi Jin was stunned — he hadn’t known his dad had already prepared a place for him. Feeling reluctant to be apart from his father, he couldn’t help but say, “Dad, why don’t you transfer your job to Haishi too? I don’t want to be separated from you.”

Qi Sheng smiled and said, “I’ve already applied to transfer. But it’ll take some time for the paperwork to go through. Once I drop you off at school and finish handling things here, I’ll move over.”

Qi Jin cheered, and the sadness of parting instantly disappeared. Happily, he said, “If you’re coming too, of course I’ll live at home! If I have early classes, I’ll just get up earlier.” With that, he felt even more motivated to finish packing. Looking at the little keepsakes he had collected over the years, he thought he could bring some with him first. Heh, not having to be separated from his dad — that was just perfect!

By October, Qi Sheng’s transfer to Haishi had been finalized. However, because of the job transfer, he couldn’t accompany his son to the finals this year.

“Alright, don’t be so upset. I promise I’ll go with you next year,” Qi Sheng comforted him.

As they were about to board the plane, Xu Jingzhou came over and threw an arm around Qi Jin, smiling as he said to Qi Sheng, “Uncle, don’t worry. I’ll take good care of Xiao Jin!”

Inside the boarding area, Xu Jingzhou couldn’t help but tease, “You’re practically an adult now. How come you still cling to your dad like a little kid?”

Seeing Xu Jingzhou’s playful face, Qi Jin’s feelings of sadness lessened a lot, though he still gave him a light punch.

Qi Sheng followed his son’s matches online. Watching them successfully fight into the semifinals but narrowly miss a top-three placement, he wasn’t disappointed.

“This result is pretty good! Keep working hard — you might win the championship next year!”

On the other end of the call, Qi Jin listened to his dad’s encouragement and responded with a serious “Mm,” secretly making up his mind that he would win the championship next year.

Achieving fourth place in the tournament not only greatly boosted the morale of the Whirlwind Team members but also solidified their position as the top team in the domestic esports scene.

Xu Jingzhou, as the club’s manager, even raised the team’s salaries. For those who performed exceptionally well, he gave additional bonuses.

Qi Jin had handed over his salary card to Qi Sheng right after receiving it, so he honestly had no idea how much money he had made over the past few years.

The domestic gaming scene was getting livelier. King’s Battle was one of the most popular games, and many gaming-related businesses and esports organizations started eyeing the Whirlwind Team members — especially Qi Jin, who also had a great appearance. Quite a few companies wanted him to endorse their products.

Xu Jingzhou deliberately arranged for professional staff to handle these endorsement offers. As long as they didn’t interfere with training, he generally approved them, allowing players to earn extra income.

Another year passed, and the Whirlwind Team again went to the global tournament, this time with the titles of National Champion and Intercontinental Runner-up.

After a fierce battle, the Whirlwind Team narrowly defeated the top team from Country H at the last moment, winning the championship!

Winning the world championship solidified Whirlwind Team’s position as the top esports team in the country. As for Qi Jin, with his outstanding performance, he became the idolized “tech god” in the hearts of countless fans.

Two years later, after winning three consecutive championships, the Whirlwind Team became a household name across the country, and Qi Jin topped trending searches for several days in a row.

Lin Hui stared viciously at the news on her phone. The glaring numbers made her so angry she grabbed a wine glass from the table and smashed it on the floor.

At this time, live streaming was just starting to rise. Gaming livestreams, being one of the main categories, attracted a lot of attention. A major streaming platform, recognizing Qi Jin’s popularity and skill, invested heavily to sign him.

Viewers, amazed by the staggering contract amount, couldn’t help but start discussing it online.

[Is Banana Platform crazy? They’re investing so much into gaming livestreams. Wouldn’t it be better to hire a big celebrity to boost the scene?]

[What do you know? Our great god Jin Chao is totally worth that price! The person in charge at Banana Platform really has a good eye and guts. My male god will definitely make the platform soar!]

[Banana Livestream? I downloaded and registered without hesitation! Before, I could only watch recorded videos, but now I can finally watch my idol live. I’m so happy!!!]

[Same here! +1!]

[Instant download and registration!]

…

At that moment, the mighty force of the otakus came into play, and Banana Livestream’s download count skyrocketed, breaking the 10 million mark.

The staff at Banana Platform, who were keeping a close eye on the latest figures, couldn’t help but cheer: “Boss, you really have great foresight!”

When they initially signed Qi Jin for a sky-high fee of ten million, many executives had been worried. But seeing the benefits he was now bringing in, they felt the money had been well spent.

Banana Platform also subsequently signed several other members of the Whirlwind Team, successfully establishing Banana Livestream as the go-to platform for gaming livestreams among otakus.

Watching his teammates getting signed one after another, Xu Jingzhou felt happy but couldn’t help complaining to the head of Banana Platform: “Bro, you’re practically poaching all my people to be streamers. If the team can’t maintain its results in the future, you’ll have to take responsibility!”

Xu Jingfei rolled his eyes at his younger brother, who was trying to play the victim after getting a good deal: “Aside from Qi Jin, most of them are about to retire, right? If it weren’t for your sake, I wouldn’t have offered such high prices for the others!”

Xu Jingzhou chuckled, “They’re all brothers who fought alongside me. Family must take care of each other. Plus, they’re all very talented, okay? Definitely worth the price!”

Xu Jingfei didn’t want to deal with him anymore—this ungrateful little brother who always sided with outsiders.

Qi Jin’s streaming tasks weren’t too heavy, so he didn’t feel burdened by it. On the day of his first official livestream, he prepared early and got a bit excited as he watched the viewer count climb.

Qi Sheng, seeing his son like this, came over, ruffled his hair, and teased him with a smile: “Stream well, your dad’s counting on you to support him in the future.”

Qi Jin laughed proudly, “You got it! Just wait and see!”

Over the past few years, Qi Jin had earned a substantial amount through prize money and endorsements, and with Qi Sheng’s expertise in financial management, the father and son lived a very comfortable life.

Qi Sheng had even bought two more properties in Haishi, one of which was the upscale apartment they currently lived in. He had specially designed a gaming room for Qi Jin, which made Qi Jin scream with joy the first time he saw it.

Now that his son’s career was at its peak, Qi Sheng had saved up enough for him and wasn’t worried about Qi Jin’s future at all.

The two lived busy but fulfilling lives—one teaching, the other juggling classes, training, and livestreaming—forming a sharp contrast with Lin Hui, who was at home drowning herself in alcohol.

Worried, Lin Hui’s mother came over to check on her. Seeing Lin Hui’s disheveled state, she immediately lost her temper and scolded her: “No matter how much we tried to persuade you back then, you insisted on marrying Qi Sheng. Fine, you married him. The child grew up too. But now you suddenly divorced him without a word. What exactly were you thinking?”

Lin Hui, upset that her wine was snatched away, lay back on the sofa, covering her head with a towel and trying to sleep. But her mother had no intention of letting it go.

“Stop drinking. Take good care of yourself for the next few days. I’ve found someone for you—he’s got good conditions, owns two properties in the city. His kids are all abroad, so they won’t bother you. Pack up and go meet him next week, okay?”

Frustrated, Lin Hui yanked the towel off her head and shouted, “I’m not going!”

Seeing her like this, her mother spoke earnestly: “Child, you’re not young anymore. The older you get, the harder it will be to find someone. You don’t have a job now, your spending is high. I just looked—did you sell that diamond ring in your jewelry box?”

Looking at her daughter lying there in despair, Lin’s mother felt a stab of pain and continued, “You’re neither high nor low now. You’re not some young girl anymore. Why are you still so obsessed with vanity? Meet this man properly tomorrow. If you’re satisfied, let’s settle it. Live a stable life from now on. Stop tossing yourself around.”

Lin Hui was unwilling. She had thought that once she got rid of Qi Sheng and his son, she could live a free and unrestrained life. But now it was them who were doing well, while she was the one living a miserable existence. She glanced at the photo her mother handed her—and flung it aside in anger: “You’re introducing this kind of man to me?!”

Lin’s mother was speechless, scolding angrily: “What, still dreaming of finding someone like Qi Sheng? With your temper, how many people do you think can tolerate you? I specifically asked around—this man has a good temper, and he won’t mind your bad one. What more do you want?”

Looking at her mother picking up the photo again, Lin Hui couldn’t hold back anymore and broke down, covering her face and crying.

Seeing this, Lin’s mother felt nothing but heartache and helplessness. She tried persuading her gently: “Otherwise, why don’t you go back and find Qi Sheng? He used to spoil you so much. If you sincerely apologize and treat them well, they might forgive you. After all, one is your biological son, and the other loved you for so many years.”

Even though Lin’s mother was angry at her daughter’s foolishness, she also thought that considering Qi Sheng’s good temper and patience over the years, maybe getting back together wasn’t impossible. So she continued, “If you really don’t like this new guy, go find them. Jin is your son. There’s no real grudge between mother and son that can’t be resolved. As for Qi Sheng, if you tame your temper and treat them well, they’ll forgive you eventually.”

Lin Hui didn’t respond to her mother’s words, just kept crying into the towel. But after her mother went into the kitchen to cook, she couldn’t help but start thinking seriously about what her mother had said.