“It’s fine. Everyone has things they aren’t good at. Missing one skill is nothing; perhaps we have talent in other areas,” Bai Shuijin said, a large bite taken out of the bright red apple in his hand.
Lei Liming turned to look at him. He hadn’t really let his gaze linger on Bai Shuijin before, but now he noticed the youth’s eyes were bright and agile, as beautiful as gemstones. He looked away after just a moment.
Bai Shuijin felt that sitting and eating fruit was dull he was bored enough to start sprouting. He pulled out his phone and asked Lei Liming, “Do you play games?”
“I don’t.” Indulgence saps the will. Lei Liming was busy with work every day; he wouldn’t waste time on such things.
The next second, Bai Shuijin said, “Then download one.” He held his phone up to Lei Liming’s face. “This game, Honor of Kings. It’s a competitive game; we can team up.”
Ten minutes later, the two began a match. Although Lei Liming was a novice, his mechanics were formidable. Bai Shuijin stared at the “Victory” icon on the screen.
“Have you played this before?”
“No.”
“Oh, I see. You just didn’t forget how to play from your past life.”
“…”
Bai Shuijin turned to him with a smile. “You’re quite talented at this. It’s nothing like golf.”
Lei Liming was stunned, his rough hand bashfully rubbing the back of his neck. “Is that so?”
“Of course.” Bai Shuijin was not stingy with his praise; perhaps this man could carry him to higher ranks in the future. With Lei Liming’s skills, he could just “lie down” and win a sweet prospect indeed.
At that moment, Wang Huanxiu returned from the course, followed by Jiang You and Fang Ming, appearing to have returned in a hurry for some urgent matter. Seeing him, Bai Shuijin immediately looked up from his phone. “Hubby-bro.”
Wang Huanxiu cast a glance at him, his expression cold as always. “I have to head out for some business. Are you staying here or going home?”
Since he was going out on a task, he couldn’t give an exact return time. Going home was boring and there was no one to play with, so Bai Shuijin decisively chose to stay. “I’ll stay here and practice my golf.”
Wang Huanxiu’s brow furrowed slightly upon hearing this, as if he had heard something incredible. “Stay safe.”
Bai Shuijin: “Hubby-bro, don’t worry too much.”
“I was talking about the caddies around you.”
“…” Just get lost already.
Wang Huanxiu left his golf bag behind. Looking at the equipment, the caddy was holding, Bai Shuijin thought it looked incredibly cool. “Go ahead, Hubby-bro. I’ll practice hard and give you a huge surprise when you get back.”
Wang Huanxiu didn’t respond; it was unclear if he believed him. After the group left, Bai Shuijin played a few more matches with Lei Liming, and then the two rose to continue learning golf skills with the coach.
Once is new, twice is familiar, and practice makes perfect.
After two hours of professional training, Bai Shuijin evolved from “clumsily missing the ball” to “skillfully missing the ball.” Meanwhile, Lei Liming had been consistently hitting the tee.
Lei Liming looked at Bai Shuijin. “You’ve made progress.”
Bai Shuijin gave a confident smile. “You too.”
The golf coach: “…” A pair of “Crouching Dragon” and “Hidden Phoenix” geniuses.
The coach felt a faint worry rising in his heart. If these two went out and told people he was their teacher, wouldn’t his reputation in the industry be ruined?
After two hours, they were tired. Bai Shuijin returned to the VIP room to eat lychees, while Lei Liming went out to take a call. Bai Shuijin planned to wait for him to return for another round of high-octane e-sports.
However, after a long time, Lei Liming still hadn’t returned with his cool mechanics. Bai Shuijin had no choice but to start a match alone the result was a crushing defeat, being rubbed into the ground by the opposing team.
Game Message: Northwest Solitary Wolf: “Hahahahaha, you’re such a scrub.”
Bai Shuijin’s defense broke. “You wait until my Jungler gets back!”
He shifted his attention back to practicing golf. Another twenty minutes passed, and Lei Liming was still missing. When things are abnormal, there’s a demon afoot. Could he have run out of paper in the restroom? Bai Shuijin picked up his golf club and went out to find him.
After rounding a few corridors to the main hall, he spotted Lei Liming. He wasn’t alone; several people he didn’t recognize were standing before him. An attendant happened to pass by, so Bai Shuijin asked a quick question.
The leader of the group facing Lei Liming was Lei Huan the “fake young master” who had been swapped into the Lei family years ago. Even after Lei Liming was recognized, the Lei family hadn’t kicked Lei Huan out, continuing to raise him.
However, the relationship between the real and fake sons was poor. Lei Huan was always making snide remarks about Lei Liming’s lack of upbringing and worldly knowledge.
Bai Shuijin stepped forward to retrieve his “Jungler.” As he got closer, he could hear what Lei Huan was shouting about. It seemed to be about some bad investments where a lot of money had gone down the drain. Lei Liming had frozen his cards, and in a fit of rage, Lei Huan had come to find him, his words laced with sarcasm.
“A boor is a boor. I’m telling you, restore my card limit right now, or I’m going home to tell Mom and Dad.”
“Those business deals you pulled off were just luck. If the Wang family hadn’t helped you, could you have done it?”
Though Lei Liming was the biological son, he hadn’t been raised by their side. Even after his return, the affection the parents gave was still skewed toward Lei Huan. Lei Liming felt a natural sense of inferiority before Lei Huan; everything he didn’t know or wasn’t familiar with, the other did not just in education, but in the relationship with their parents. Perhaps no matter how hard he worked, he could never make up for the decade he spent in that mountain village.
Lei Huan’s tone was arrogant. “If I wasn’t reluctant to leave Mom and Dad, I would have left long ago.”
“Then leave.”
A voice cut in. Lei Huan was stunned. “What?”
Bai Shuijin popped up from behind. “If you want to leave, then leave. You have legs; no one is stopping you.”
“Do you not understand human speech? I said I’m reluctant to leave my parents!”
“Do you not understand human speech? He’s just telling you to leave, not telling you to never come back. Leaving the Lei house isn’t the same as vanishing from the face of the earth. Don’t you know how to use phone calls or video chat?”
Lei Huan stared at the sudden arrival, gritting his teeth. “Who are you?” He looked back and forth between him and Lei Liming. “Fine, Lei Liming, so you’re keeping someone on the side. I’m going back right now to tell Mom and Dad!”
Lei Liming’s face darkened. “Show some respect.”
“Then say it! What is your relationship?!”
Bai Shuijin jumped out, his 176cm frame standing before Lei Liming, shielding him so effectively that he was “completely exposed.” “He’s my Jungler!”
He looked at Lei Huan with disdain. “Why is your heart like a ‘dirty bread’ bun?” A filthy heart sees filth everywhere.
“You!”
Lei Huan spotted the golf club in the youth’s hand and let out a cold laugh. He had been so consumed by rage about his cards when he arrived that he had forgotten Lei Liming couldn’t play golf at all. He was here just to put on an act.
“What are you doing at a golf course? Can you even play? Don’t tell me you think waving a stick around makes you like everyone else,” Lei Huan sneered. “Lei Liming, if you ask me, you’re better suited for slaughtering pigs.”
Bai Shuijin suddenly blurted out, “I’ll slaughter you.”
“…” Lei Huan shuddered. “What nonsense are you talking about?!”
He had never seen this person before. He was good-looking and was sticking up for Lei Liming; who else could it be but someone Lei Liming was keeping? The decadent life was enticing; Lei Liming was just a pig butcher, what self-control could he have? Denying the relationship was just being a “dead duck with a stubborn beak.”
“Fine. Didn’t you come here to play golf? Well? Have you learned how to play yet?”
Bai Shuijin spoke the truth; he wasn’t in the habit of lying. “Not yet. I just haven’t learned it yet.”
Learning is endless. He felt that as long as one was willing to learn, there was nothing that couldn’t be mastered—it was just a matter of time. Unless there was a massive natural deficit, like a tone-deaf person trying to sing. As long as he and Lei Liming worked hard, they would one day play golf. They were in the learning phase; what was there to be mocked?
Lei Huan looked at them mockingly. “Some things can’t be learned; you just don’t have the aura for it.”
“You’ve been learning to speak since you were a child, and you still haven’t mastered it.”
Lei Huan realized there was a hidden meaning. “What do you mean?”
Bai Shuijin: “Not a single human word comes out of your mouth.”
“You motherf!” Lei Huan couldn’t help but swear, reaching out to grab Bai Shuijin to strike his face. Lei Liming was quick, pulling Bai Shuijin back first. In the tug-of-war, the momentum caused the golf club in Bai Shuijin’s hand to poke sharply into Lei Huan’s stomach or rather, Lei Huan had lunged straight into it.
With a muffled yue, Lei Huan nearly vomited. He clutched his stomach, his features twisted in pain; the force had clearly been significant, feeling as if his stomach had been shoved into the southern hemisphere.
“You… damn it…” Sweat beaded on Lei Huan’s forehead from the pain, making it hard to speak. His companions hurried to support him, but he shoved them away. “What are you holding me for? Grab him!”
Lei Liming stepped in front of Bai Shuijin. The group opposite felt a bit intimidated; Lei Liming was a butcher, strong enough to carry a 200-pound pig. He had only put up with Lei Huan’s arrogance out of respect for their parents.
Just as Lei Huan was about to burst into another round of cursing, a cold, sharp voice intervened. “What is going on here?”
The insults died in Lei Huan’s throat. Seeing the sudden appearance of Wang Huanxiu, he became instantly mute, wondering why he was here. He forced the arrogant mockery back down; this was someone whose family background he could not afford to offend.
But he couldn’t let the anger and the physical blow go for nothing. Just as Lei Huan was about to “preemptively” describe how he was hit, a figure was a step faster, jumping behind Wang Huanxiu.
Bai Shuijin hid behind Wang Huanxiu’s back, sounding aggrieved. “Hubby-bro, he wants to hit my ‘Suet Jade’ face!”
“…”
Wang Huanxiu glanced at Bai Shuijin’s face white, clean, and smooth without a single blemish.
Lei Huan looked at the two, standing so close in such an intimate posture. Could it be that the youth wasn’t Lei Liming’s lover, but Wang Huanxiu’s? No wonder he was so bold and dared to shout at him.
Hearing the accusation, Lei Huan stood up to defend himself. “Nonsense! I didn’t even touch you, but you hit my stomach with a golf club!”
Bai Shuijin shook his head frantically like a bamboo dragonfly. “Slander.”
He was clutching the club in his arms; it was clearly the other person who had lunged into it. Bai Shuijin whispered in Wang Huanxiu’s ear, “I didn’t hit him.”
Lei Huan was fuming. “Bullsh*t! My stomach still hurts right now!”
Bai Shuijin looked at him for a few seconds.
“Poor girl… her period must have started.”