After the head-to-head battle between the old enemies of the Hamster Club and the Beluga Club, Lu Xuandong finally broke free from his busy schedule.
He negotiated with Lu Hao, first asking for a raise in salary and position, then the two discussed whether to inherit Zhe Yue, and if Lu Xuandong wanted to inherit Zhe Yue, Lu Hao needed to make concessions in terms of management rights, and then they unanimously decided, Negotiations on management rights could continue until both parties were satisfied or one of them made a concession.
But while negotiating, they had to make two preparations, which was to make Lu Yunchen sober.
Lu Hao asked Lu Yunchen for a month’s leave from high school, and Lu Xuandong changed hands and talked to a food factory owner who had endorsed him, and found Lu Yunchen a class.
It happened that Lu Yunchen was 18 years old, otherwise Lu Xuandong would not be able to use this big move.
In order to make Lu Yunchen suffer, Lu Xuandong sealed all the famous tags on him, and Lu Hao froze Lu Yunchen’s card. The two teamed up to ensure that Lu Yunchen was penniless and could not borrow money from friends and classmates. Then Lu Xuandong drove him personally. He went to the barber, shaved a small crew cut that was easy to take care of, and took him to a shopping mall.
Lu Xuandong made a list and bought three sets of basic clothes for Lu Yunchen, a pair of snow boots, a pair of sneakers, a set of bedding, a children’s phone watch that could only call Lu Xuandong, a plastic bucket, a plastic basin, several drying racks, roll paper, toothbrush and toothpaste, shower gel shampoo, soap.
Halfway through the purchase, Lu Xuandong felt that he was too kind to Lu Yunchen, and began to put things back on the shelf.
Lu Yunchen already sensed that something was wrong, he lay on the shopping cart and shouted: “Don’t throw it away! Brother, you are my real brother! Don’t throw it away!”
Lu Xuandong withdrew his hand regretfully, saw Lu Yunchen’s bitter expression, and said simply: “Pack up these luggage yourself, and then put them in the bucket.”
Lu Yunchen opened his eyes wide: “In the bucket? Are you not even going to give me the suitcase?”
Lu Xuandong thought for a while, then nodded: “That’s right, if you put it in a bucket, even if someone touches your things, you won’t be able to notice.”
Lu Yunchen breathed a sigh of relief, and saw his brother bought a snakeskin bag and a large backpack: “These two have zippers.”
Lu Yunchen was shocked, what can a zipper do?
Lu Xuandong was also puzzled: “What’s your expression? Anyway, after you enter the factory, the factory will provide you with food and lodging. It’s up to you whether you can take care of other things.”
Lu Yunchen read his brother’s subtext, if he couldn’t even look down on his own things, then he deserved it.
He hesitated: “What about my skin care products? At least let me bring the facial cleanser.”
Lu Xuandong stared at Lu Yunchen quietly, and when Lu Yunchen showed anxiety and fear and moved his feet to run away, Lu Xuandong sneered.
Lu Yunchen touched the place where he was beaten, and remembered the exquisite technique of this brother, who beat him in pain but still did not leave any scars, so he knew that he should not think too beautifully.
He was honestly sent to the food factory, and was led in by the janitor, while Lu Xuandong went to meet the big boss of the food factory.
This boss, whose surname was Da and given name Fengshou, was quite a cunning person. He had noticed Lu Xuandong’s talent when Lu Xuandong was still a grassroots singer. He had then hired him as their spokesperson for three years at a very low price. They had become old friends over time.
The big boss leaned against the window, looking down at Lu Yunchen, who was entering the factory. “Xiaodong, you have a good handle on this little brother. He’s completely under your control.”
Lu Xuandong lowered his eyes. “It was arranged by my father.”
The big boss raised an eyebrow. “Huh? Was it Lu Dong’s decision?” He thought Lu Xuandong had decided to compete with his younger brother for the family fortune, which led to this situation.
Lu Xuandong firmly replied, “Without my father’s permission, how could I bring this young master here?”
The big boss chuckled. “Come on, my place is a good one. We provide three thousand yuan per month, including food and accommodation. There’s a team-building activity once a week, movie screenings, and insurance coverage for every worker. Working here is like being in paradise. If your brother were 20 years older, he might find a suitable girl here!”
Seventy percent of the food factory’s workers were middle-aged women aged between 35 and 55. They were efficient, clean, and had less testosterone, meaning fewer disputes. They were the big boss’s favorite employees.
Lu Xuandong sighed regretfully, “Unfortunately, my silly brother doesn’t appreciate these great girls. His taste… Tsk, both men and women must be pale, slim, and delicate to meet his standards. He even criticized the athlete he signed as an endorsement for Zhe Yue, saying she was too muscular and needed to lose weight.”
It wasn’t that being slim and delicate was bad, but suggesting that a sports athlete should lose weight… Lu Xuandong couldn’t imagine saying such a thing, even if he had a cerebral thrombosis.
His brother’s naive and self-righteous personality needed to change.
When Zhao Zhaoyan learned of this, she had some complaints, but Lu Hao quickly pacified her.
Zhao Zhaoyan asked, “He’s in his senior year of high school, and you let him work at this critical moment?”
Lu Hao persuasively said, “His grades are already enough to get into the university he wants. In that case, why not let him experience the society early and accumulate life experiences? It will be beneficial for his social skills and studies when he enters university.”
Zhao Zhaoyan retorted, “Even if the grades are not a problem, why let him work at a dumpling factory instead of Zhe Yue? He never cooked before! Making dumplings will only lead to him being deducted performance every day! Is that considered a job? That’s subjecting him to the cruelty of society!”
Lu Hao’s true intention was to let his little brother suffer a bit. After all, if Lu Yunchen couldn’t stand on his own, their father might eventually demand that their eldest son take over Zhe Yue, and Lu Yunchen wouldn’t even be allowed to say a word about it!
However, on the surface, Lu Hao was still affectionate, “It’s precisely because he doesn’t know anything that I let him go. He has you and me protecting him at Zhe Yue, what can he learn there? Yan Yan, let’s not talk about our son for now. Xuan Dong dug up a designer in Paris, and that designer’s elder sister is a top designer for a blue-blooded brand. Recently, she plans to start her own private brand. Do you want to go take a look?”
Zhao Zhaoyan fell into deep thought.
Her husband did make some sense. Yunchen was already a grown-up, but he had been protected by his father and brother for far too long. It might be better to let him experience the society while they still had the energy to supervise him.
So, Zhao Zhaoyan took the pocket money given by Lu Hao and boarded a flight to Paris.
Lu Xuandong observed the entire exchange between his biological parents and was amazed. In the end, he concluded that they were made for each other.
Afterward, Lu Xuandong went to catch up on the match between the Hamsters and the Beluga. He found the game to be extremely exciting, with both teams playing at an exceptionally high level. His favorite player, Xiaoxin from Team Qin, was outstanding on the defensive end.
Ever since Qin Chunxiao and Li Ling joined the Hamsters, many Chinese volleyball fans naturally regarded the Hamsters as their favorite team in the Russian Super League.
Lu Xuandong was also a fan of the Hamsters and always hoped they would win. This time, seeing them fall short despite their efforts, he felt truly disappointed.
Furthermore, if he had just stayed a few more days, he could have watched the game live and comfort Team Qin afterward!
As he pondered, anger surged within him. After informing Lu Hao, he then notified Lu Yunchen that he would extend his time at the factory by another month.
Lu Yunchen asked, “Why? I don’t even want to stay here now! Brother, there isn’t even a bathtub here!”
Lu Xuandong replied coldly, “Either adapt to the food factory or I’ll send you to a construction site.”
Lu Yunchen swallowed his grievances and said, “Then, can you give me some money? I’m broke right now, I can’t even buy a bottle of water from the convenience store.”
Lu Xuandong replied, “I bought you a water bottle. You can get water from the canteen. Forget it, how much do you want?”
Lu Yunchen requested, “One thousand.”
Lu Xuandong felt that his younger brother had improved. Through his communication with Lu Hao, he learned that Lu Yunchen used to ask for five-figure allowances from home. Now, he only asked for four figures.
However, one thousand was still too much. The guy was starting work tomorrow and didn’t deserve a thousand yuan.
Lu Xuandong said, “I’ll call the gatekeeper and get you two hundred.”
After sending off his younger brother, Lu Xuandong adjusted for the time difference and contacted Qin Chunxiao.
Lu Xuandong: [I watched your match, and both you and Lingzi did great. How’s Lingzi’s calf?]
Qin Chunxiao: [He just had a cramp, it will be fine after some rest. I’ve steamed a herbal pack for him to apply heat.]
Lu Xuandong: [You seemed to have worked hard today. Are you tired?]
Qin Chunxiao: [Not really, it was just an ordinary match intensity.]
Compared to the World Youth Championship where he had to shoulder the defense while contributing on the attack, the intensity of the Russian Super League didn’t exceed Qin Chunxiao’s endurance. Even with players like Roman on the opposing team, he managed to handle the strain.
After playing against the Beluga, the Hamsters finally experienced their first defeat in the regular season of the Russian Super League, slipping from being tied at the top of the points table to the second position.
However, everyone remained calm. As long as they secured a spot within the top eight rankings, they would enter the playoffs. With the Hamsters’ solid foundation, securing a place in the top eight should be a piece of cake.
It was just unfortunate that the Hamsters, despite their rise and the potential to return to the ranks of powerhouses, couldn’t shake off the “whale-killer” label. They could only hope for a comeback during the playoffs.
Then, Qin Chunxiao received some unfortunate news from Nikolai. Their beloved third-in-command, 29-year-old Alexander, was suffering from a knee injury and would need to rest for at least six weeks.
Qin Chunxiao blurted out in English to the coach, “You’re joking?”
Nikolai replied in Russian, “Net!” (No!)
Qin Chunxiao blinked, and his confused brain finally caught up. In Russian, “no” was pronounced as “net.”
He took out a notebook from his backpack. “Coach, as far as I know, we’ll be facing six teams in the next six weeks, and five of them are playoff teams… Who made this schedule? Why is the competition intensity so high during this time?”
Nikolai responded expressionlessly, “I’m glad you keep records of your opponents. I hope you’ve studied their matches in advance. The Russian Volleyball Association arranged this crappy schedule. You know those old guys are always up to something irritating. Sasha has complained that he can’t stand it.”
Qin Chunxiao blinked again, taking a few seconds to remember that “Sasha” referred to Alexander.
Russians often use nicknames for people they are familiar with or fond of, and many names have multiple nicknames. For example, Alexander could be called Sasha, Sanya, Sashka, or Shurik, while Qin Chunxiao’s Russian name, Misha, had nicknames like Mikhaila, Mika, or Mishenka. Qin’s grandfather often called him Mishenka.
Li Ling was quicker to adapt in this regard. Since “chika” implies affection, some players created a nickname for Li Ling, calling him “Tulenko Chika.” Li Ling responded every time he heard it.
Qin Chunxiao began to worry, “Without him on the attacking end, we’ll be lacking a scoring point.” This wasn’t good at all. Qin Chunxiao didn’t want his first Russian Super League season to be so bad that they couldn’t even make it to the playoffs. After all, he intended to target Roman in the playoffs!
Nikolai confirmed, “Yes, that’s why during Sasha’s recovery time, I need you to play as opposite hitter. I know it’s a burden, but there’s no other way.”
Nikolai considered himself a coach who cared for his players, but when faced with a crisis, his response was similar to most coaches’: “Give that damn ball to our ace!”
This “dead bastard main player” tactic was probably something every coach understood when they entered the profession. Qin Chunxiao was used to it, especially since he had been the “ace” for Chen Aiguo for two lifetimes.
He agreed to Nikolai’s arrangement.
Alexander also apologized to his teammates, “I’m sorry, my old injury recurred at such a crucial moment.”
The teammates replied one after another, “Don’t worry about it. Take good care of your leg, and we’ll try to maintain our ranking until you come back.”
Alexander forced a smile, “I pray that the Hamsters won’t fall out of the top eight.”
The Hamsters’ next opponent was the Rapids Club, which ranked seventh in the last regular season. They were nicknamed the “Second Team Gathering Place” because all six of their main players and their libero were members of the Russian men’s volleyball national team’s second team.
The Hamsters were still annoyed by their loss to the Belugas. This time, their anger quickly shifted towards the Rapids. As Russian Super League fans saw the Hamsters’ talented libero wearing the same color jersey as his teammates, they were surprised. They soon found out that Misha Qin was back as the opposite hitter.
Fans familiar with Misha Qin were delighted because he had originally played as an opposite hitter when he first appeared. However, there were also many spectators who felt concerned.
Misha Qin looked small in stature. Could he really compete with those tall and muscular players at the net? Wouldn’t he be bullied?
But Qin Chunxiao didn’t need others to worry about him at all. With the fire burning in his heart, he displayed a terrifying presence on the court in the match between the Hamsters and the Rapids. Not only did he go all out on defense, but he also worked in tandem with the Two Leng twins at the net, assisting and attacking together.
Although Alexander was injured, he still showed up at the venue wearing a suit to cheer on his teammates. His good friend, Old Powell, was by his side.
When the Hamsters won the game 3-0, Old Powell clapped joyfully, and Alexander smiled. Then, Old Powell casually said, “Sasha, have you ever thought about what to do if you rank eighth in the playoffs?”
The Russian Volleyball Association had a knack for stirring up things. In previous Russian Super League playoffs, they often liked to arrange matches between teams with a long-standing rivalry as the opening games. But if the rival teams’ rankings were close, they would schedule the match between the first and eighth-ranked teams as the opening game. This was due to a history where the eighth-ranked team had caused an upset and defeated the first-ranked team, leading to that match becoming the most-watched in that Super League season.
#Enthusiastic fans always love to see upsets#
Alexander’s hand trembled, and he couldn’t even muster a response to Powell’s rare moment of clarity. He just crossed himself and said, “I hope that scenario won’t happen.”
What a joke! The Belugas were a surefire first place in the rankings. If the Hamsters faced the Belugas in the first match of the playoffs, they would undoubtedly be in for an intense battle, draining a significant amount of their energy. How could they expect to perform well in the subsequent matches?
But Alexander knew enough about the old folks at the Russian Volleyball Association to suspect they would indeed arrange such a schedule.
While Alexander hoped that his teammates would win more games to avoid facing the Belugas in the early stages of the playoffs, Qin Chunxiao took a leave of absence with Nikolai and boarded a plane back to his home country.
The Christmas season was approaching, and the last and only movie that Xuandong filmed before retiring, “Bright Future,” was about to premiere.
Mysterious Group Chat
Anonym No. 3: [Report! The vice-captain of the Hamsters, Alexander, has suffered a recurrence of his old injury. The Hamsters are missing someone on the attacking end, so Qin-ge will be playing opposite hitter again.]
Anonym No. 5: [Doesn’t that mean he’ll be running on both offense and defense? Wasn’t he recently dealing with a shoulder muscle strain? Can he handle it?]
Anonym No. 2: [Even if he can’t handle it, he still has to. The Hamsters can’t afford to lose Alexander and miss the playoffs. I feel sorry for my Gemini Twins. Nikolai used them quite effectively to counter certain teams, but with Alexander’s injury, I think they’ll be getting a lot more court time starting from the next match.]
Anonym No. 1: [Even if they get more court time, that’s fine. Both of them frequently played full matches during the World Youth Championship and Asian Championship. They have excellent endurance, but I’m still worried about Qin Team’s shoulder and Er Leng’s calf. One with a strain and the other with cramps, it feels like they might be prone to injuries.]
Group Owner: [Pfft! Superstitious nonsense! The Gemini Twins will always be healthy and fine!]
A few days later…
Group Owner: [Everyone, did you watch the Hamsters vs. Rapids match?]
Anonym No. 1: [Yes, I’ve been following the live broadcast of the match.]
Anonym No. 2: [I watched it too. Qin Team played incredibly fiercely today. “Ferocious” is an understatement to describe his style! I feel like the opposing attackers were completely silenced by him. In the net duels, he kept blocking with his hands, and I heard their nails got all torn up.]
Anonym No. 6: [I agree. Qin Team didn’t let his teammate’s injury affect him at all. He exploded on the court, giving his all in defense and offense. A guy who’s less than 1.8 meters tall actually scored 15 points in the Russian Super League.]
Anonym No. 7: [Without him and Second Leng going all out today, the Hamsters might not have defeated the Rapids 3-0. Now, I think signing him for $300,000 was a steal. As long as the Gemini twins maintain this level of performance, even if Alexander takes a temporary rest, the Hamsters’ scoring efficiency won’t drop significantly.]
Group Owner: [Little Qin Team and Second Leng are truly outstanding. Ming Ming and Fu Ji Wang also performed well in the ITA Super League. But Fu Ji Wang seems to have recently visited a local museum during an away game and ended up caught in a shootout with the mafia. Luckily, he’s fine.]
Anonym No. 3: [Not only is he fine, but it seems he also dragged several injured people into a corner where bullets couldn’t reach them. He then proceeded to break the legs of the people attempting to attack him. After the shootout, he went back to the hotel to sleep. Tsk tsk, he’s truly extraordinary. It seems he’s the top combat force in China’s volleyball scene.]
Anonym No. 9: [I saw a video secretly taken by a passerby from the second floor of the street. My goodness, Fu Biyang went all out. He carried one person in each hand and stuffed them into a trash bin, then carried a corpse to block and dragged two injured individuals into an alley. It was an adrenaline rush, wasn’t it? He must have gained a lot of fighting spirit from interacting with the top athletes of the Chinese weightlifting team on Weibo.]
Anonym No. 5: [Fu Ji Wang is amazing!]
…
What the public didn’t know was that as soon as Qin Chunxiao got off the Aeroflot plane, he received a long-distance call from Fu Biyang. As soon as the call connected, before Qin Chunxiao could even say “hello,” he heard a burst of wailing from the other end.
Fu Biyang choked and shouted, “Xiao Zai, damn it, you have no idea what I just went through. I almost thought I’d never see you guys again, you know?”
Qin Chunxiao was quite perplexed, “What did you go through?”
Fu Biyang sobbed loudly, “I saw guns, man! If Ding Rong hadn’t taught me some self-defense techniques before I left and told me how to take cover when encountering firearms, I’d be done for! Mom, it’s so dangerous abroad, I want to go back home!”
Amidst Fu Biyang’s crying on the phone, there seemed to be the comforting voice of Qiao Mingming and several soothing tones in Italian, even someone singing a lullaby.
It appeared that quite a few people were comforting this chicken.
After listening, Qin Chunxiao pondered for a moment and asked back, “Have you called Xiong Wu?”
Fu Biyang realized, “Oh, right. Xiong Wu told me that I would encounter some military troubles this year, but I didn’t believe it. Who would have thought it’d actually come true! Should I go to a church and light a candle for God?”
Qin Chunxiao replied, “Don’t light a candle. That’s not the Western way of worshiping gods, and Jehovah might not care about you as a Chinese. Who knows how the gods divide their jurisdictions… Anyway, you should ask Xiong Wu for advice. He’s the expert in metaphysics.”
Fu Biyang said, “Okay, I’ll call him right away!”
Click, the call hung up.
Qin Chunxiao thought that Fu Xiaoji had been quite frightened. As he walked outside the airport, he contemplated whether he should send something to Italy to comfort his good friend.
The temperature in Guangzhou today was 15 degrees Celsius, and Qin Chunxiao felt a bit hot. He unzipped his down jacket, revealing a thin sports outfit underneath.
Not far away, someone started playing Liu Xiaohui’s “First Love” on the harmonica. In the Cantonese-speaking area, this seemed to be a song that every driver had heard in their car.
Qin Chunxiao turned around and saw a figure wrapped up tightly, wearing a hat, scarf, and sunglasses, a tall person with a height of 1.95 meters.
He smiled and waved his hand, the sound of the harmonica stopped, Lu Xuandong came over, and took the suitcase from Qin Chunxiao’s hand.
Qin Chunxiao’s father was busy in the laboratory, his mother was on a business trip, and his sister had already returned to study at Renmin University, so he had originally planned to take the airport bus back to the city and then take the subway home. After attending the movie premiere, he would take a flight back to Russia in the early hours of the next day.
With a tight schedule, he only had two days of free time, and after accounting for the flight time and the movie premiere, there was not much time left. Besides, if he stayed here for too long, he couldn’t guarantee the safety of the food at the restaurants outside. If he accidentally consumed meat tainted with clenbuterol and failed the drug test, Qin Chunxiao would end up crying like Fu Biyang. Eating at the provincial team’s canteen was also an option, but Qin Chunxiao really didn’t want to explain to Chen Aiguo why he came back to China for these two days.
It all boiled down to the same reason – 16-year-old Qin Chunxiao didn’t want to talk to his elders about having a soulmate and explain that “we are really not in a romantic relationship.”
However, that was before Lu Xuandong found out about his situation and offered to pick him up from the airport. He also mentioned that Qin Chunxiao could stay in his apartment during this time.
In Lu Xuandong’s words, they could use this opportunity to spend some countdown time together.
Qin Chunxiao smiled at him, rolled up his sleeves, and pointed to the duty-free shop.
Qin Chunxiao: [I’m going to buy some gifts for Fu Biyang as a token of comfort.]
After the head-to-head battle between the old enemies of the Hamster Club and the Beluga Club, Lu Xuandong finally broke free from his busy schedule.
He negotiated with Lu Hao, first asking for a raise in salary and position, then the two discussed whether to inherit Zhe Yue, and if Lu Xuandong wanted to inherit Zhe Yue, Lu Hao needed to make concessions in terms of management rights, and then they unanimously decided, Negotiations on management rights could continue until both parties were satisfied or one of them made a concession.
But while negotiating, they had to make two preparations, which was to make Lu Yunchen sober.
Lu Hao asked Lu Yunchen for a month’s leave from high school, and Lu Xuandong changed hands and talked to a food factory owner who had endorsed him, and found Lu Yunchen a class.
It happened that Lu Yunchen was 18 years old, otherwise Lu Xuandong would not be able to use this big move.
In order to make Lu Yunchen suffer, Lu Xuandong sealed all the famous tags on him, and Lu Hao froze Lu Yunchen’s card. The two teamed up to ensure that Lu Yunchen was penniless and could not borrow money from friends and classmates. Then Lu Xuandong drove him personally. He went to the barber, shaved a small crew cut that was easy to take care of, and took him to a shopping mall.
Lu Xuandong made a list and bought three sets of basic clothes for Lu Yunchen, a pair of snow boots, a pair of sneakers, a set of bedding, a children’s phone watch that could only call Lu Xuandong, a plastic bucket, a plastic basin, several drying racks, roll paper, toothbrush and toothpaste, shower gel shampoo, soap.
Halfway through the purchase, Lu Xuandong felt that he was too kind to Lu Yunchen, and began to put things back on the shelf.
Lu Yunchen already sensed that something was wrong, he lay on the shopping cart and shouted: “Don’t throw it away! Brother, you are my real brother! Don’t throw it away!”
Lu Xuandong withdrew his hand regretfully, saw Lu Yunchen’s bitter expression, and said simply: “Pack up these luggage yourself, and then put them in the bucket.”
Lu Yunchen opened his eyes wide: “In the bucket? Are you not even going to give me the suitcase?”
Lu Xuandong thought for a while, then nodded: “That’s right, if you put it in a bucket, even if someone touches your things, you won’t be able to notice.”
Lu Yunchen breathed a sigh of relief, and saw his brother bought a snakeskin bag and a large backpack: “These two have zippers.”
Lu Yunchen was shocked, what can a zipper do?
Lu Xuandong was also puzzled: “What’s your expression? Anyway, after you enter the factory, the factory will provide you with food and lodging. It’s up to you whether you can take care of other things.”
Lu Yunchen read his brother’s subtext, if he couldn’t even look down on his own things, then he deserved it.
He hesitated: “What about my skin care products? At least let me bring the facial cleanser.”
Lu Xuandong stared at Lu Yunchen quietly, and when Lu Yunchen showed anxiety and fear and moved his feet to run away, Lu Xuandong sneered.
Lu Yunchen touched the place where he was beaten, and remembered the exquisite technique of this brother, who beat him in pain but still did not leave any scars, so he knew that he should not think too beautifully.
He was honestly sent to the food factory, and was led in by the janitor, while Lu Xuandong went to meet the big boss of the food factory.
This boss, whose surname was Da and given name Fengshou, was quite a cunning person. He had noticed Lu Xuandong’s talent when Lu Xuandong was still a grassroots singer. He had then hired him as their spokesperson for three years at a very low price. They had become old friends over time.
The big boss leaned against the window, looking down at Lu Yunchen, who was entering the factory. “Xiaodong, you have a good handle on this little brother. He’s completely under your control.”
Lu Xuandong lowered his eyes. “It was arranged by my father.”
The big boss raised an eyebrow. “Huh? Was it Lu Dong’s decision?” He thought Lu Xuandong had decided to compete with his younger brother for the family fortune, which led to this situation.
Lu Xuandong firmly replied, “Without my father’s permission, how could I bring this young master here?”
The big boss chuckled. “Come on, my place is a good one. We provide three thousand yuan per month, including food and accommodation. There’s a team-building activity once a week, movie screenings, and insurance coverage for every worker. Working here is like being in paradise. If your brother were 20 years older, he might find a suitable girl here!”
Seventy percent of the food factory’s workers were middle-aged women aged between 35 and 55. They were efficient, clean, and had less testosterone, meaning fewer disputes. They were the big boss’s favorite employees.
Lu Xuandong sighed regretfully, “Unfortunately, my silly brother doesn’t appreciate these great girls. His taste… Tsk, both men and women must be pale, slim, and delicate to meet his standards. He even criticized the athlete he signed as an endorsement for Zhe Yue, saying she was too muscular and needed to lose weight.”
It wasn’t that being slim and delicate was bad, but suggesting that a sports athlete should lose weight… Lu Xuandong couldn’t imagine saying such a thing, even if he had a cerebral thrombosis.
His brother’s naive and self-righteous personality needed to change.
When Zhao Zhaoyan learned of this, she had some complaints, but Lu Hao quickly pacified her.
Zhao Zhaoyan asked, “He’s in his senior year of high school, and you let him work at this critical moment?”
Lu Hao persuasively said, “His grades are already enough to get into the university he wants. In that case, why not let him experience the society early and accumulate life experiences? It will be beneficial for his social skills and studies when he enters university.”
Zhao Zhaoyan retorted, “Even if the grades are not a problem, why let him work at a dumpling factory instead of Zhe Yue? He never cooked before! Making dumplings will only lead to him being deducted performance every day! Is that considered a job? That’s subjecting him to the cruelty of society!”
Lu Hao’s true intention was to let his little brother suffer a bit. After all, if Lu Yunchen couldn’t stand on his own, their father might eventually demand that their eldest son take over Zhe Yue, and Lu Yunchen wouldn’t even be allowed to say a word about it!
However, on the surface, Lu Hao was still affectionate, “It’s precisely because he doesn’t know anything that I let him go. He has you and me protecting him at Zhe Yue, what can he learn there? Yan Yan, let’s not talk about our son for now. Xuan Dong dug up a designer in Paris, and that designer’s elder sister is a top designer for a blue-blooded brand. Recently, she plans to start her own private brand. Do you want to go take a look?”
Zhao Zhaoyan fell into deep thought.
Her husband did make some sense. Yunchen was already a grown-up, but he had been protected by his father and brother for far too long. It might be better to let him experience the society while they still had the energy to supervise him.
So, Zhao Zhaoyan took the pocket money given by Lu Hao and boarded a flight to Paris.
Lu Xuandong observed the entire exchange between his biological parents and was amazed. In the end, he concluded that they were made for each other.
Afterward, Lu Xuandong went to catch up on the match between the Hamsters and the Beluga. He found the game to be extremely exciting, with both teams playing at an exceptionally high level. His favorite player, Xiaoxin from Team Qin, was outstanding on the defensive end.
Ever since Qin Chunxiao and Li Ling joined the Hamsters, many Chinese volleyball fans naturally regarded the Hamsters as their favorite team in the Russian Super League.
Lu Xuandong was also a fan of the Hamsters and always hoped they would win. This time, seeing them fall short despite their efforts, he felt truly disappointed.
Furthermore, if he had just stayed a few more days, he could have watched the game live and comfort Team Qin afterward!
As he pondered, anger surged within him. After informing Lu Hao, he then notified Lu Yunchen that he would extend his time at the factory by another month.
Lu Yunchen asked, “Why? I don’t even want to stay here now! Brother, there isn’t even a bathtub here!”
Lu Xuandong replied coldly, “Either adapt to the food factory or I’ll send you to a construction site.”
Lu Yunchen swallowed his grievances and said, “Then, can you give me some money? I’m broke right now, I can’t even buy a bottle of water from the convenience store.”
Lu Xuandong replied, “I bought you a water bottle. You can get water from the canteen. Forget it, how much do you want?”
Lu Yunchen requested, “One thousand.”
Lu Xuandong felt that his younger brother had improved. Through his communication with Lu Hao, he learned that Lu Yunchen used to ask for five-figure allowances from home. Now, he only asked for four figures.
However, one thousand was still too much. The guy was starting work tomorrow and didn’t deserve a thousand yuan.
Lu Xuandong said, “I’ll call the gatekeeper and get you two hundred.”
After sending off his younger brother, Lu Xuandong adjusted for the time difference and contacted Qin Chunxiao.
Lu Xuandong: [I watched your match, and both you and Lingzi did great. How’s Lingzi’s calf?]
Qin Chunxiao: [He just had a cramp, it will be fine after some rest. I’ve steamed a herbal pack for him to apply heat.]
Lu Xuandong: [You seemed to have worked hard today. Are you tired?]
Qin Chunxiao: [Not really, it was just an ordinary match intensity.]
Compared to the World Youth Championship where he had to shoulder the defense while contributing on the attack, the intensity of the Russian Super League didn’t exceed Qin Chunxiao’s endurance. Even with players like Roman on the opposing team, he managed to handle the strain.
After playing against the Beluga, the Hamsters finally experienced their first defeat in the regular season of the Russian Super League, slipping from being tied at the top of the points table to the second position.
However, everyone remained calm. As long as they secured a spot within the top eight rankings, they would enter the playoffs. With the Hamsters’ solid foundation, securing a place in the top eight should be a piece of cake.
It was just unfortunate that the Hamsters, despite their rise and the potential to return to the ranks of powerhouses, couldn’t shake off the “whale-killer” label. They could only hope for a comeback during the playoffs.
Then, Qin Chunxiao received some unfortunate news from Nikolai. Their beloved third-in-command, 29-year-old Alexander, was suffering from a knee injury and would need to rest for at least six weeks.
Qin Chunxiao blurted out in English to the coach, “You’re joking?”
Nikolai replied in Russian, “Net!” (No!)
Qin Chunxiao blinked, and his confused brain finally caught up. In Russian, “no” was pronounced as “net.”
He took out a notebook from his backpack. “Coach, as far as I know, we’ll be facing six teams in the next six weeks, and five of them are playoff teams… Who made this schedule? Why is the competition intensity so high during this time?”
Nikolai responded expressionlessly, “I’m glad you keep records of your opponents. I hope you’ve studied their matches in advance. The Russian Volleyball Association arranged this crappy schedule. You know those old guys are always up to something irritating. Sasha has complained that he can’t stand it.”
Qin Chunxiao blinked again, taking a few seconds to remember that “Sasha” referred to Alexander.
Russians often use nicknames for people they are familiar with or fond of, and many names have multiple nicknames. For example, Alexander could be called Sasha, Sanya, Sashka, or Shurik, while Qin Chunxiao’s Russian name, Misha, had nicknames like Mikhaila, Mika, or Mishenka. Qin’s grandfather often called him Mishenka.
Li Ling was quicker to adapt in this regard. Since “chika” implies affection, some players created a nickname for Li Ling, calling him “Tulenko Chika.” Li Ling responded every time he heard it.
Qin Chunxiao began to worry, “Without him on the attacking end, we’ll be lacking a scoring point.” This wasn’t good at all. Qin Chunxiao didn’t want his first Russian Super League season to be so bad that they couldn’t even make it to the playoffs. After all, he intended to target Roman in the playoffs!
Nikolai confirmed, “Yes, that’s why during Sasha’s recovery time, I need you to play as opposite hitter. I know it’s a burden, but there’s no other way.”
Nikolai considered himself a coach who cared for his players, but when faced with a crisis, his response was similar to most coaches’: “Give that damn ball to our ace!”
This “dead bastard main player” tactic was probably something every coach understood when they entered the profession. Qin Chunxiao was used to it, especially since he had been the “ace” for Chen Aiguo for two lifetimes.
He agreed to Nikolai’s arrangement.
Alexander also apologized to his teammates, “I’m sorry, my old injury recurred at such a crucial moment.”
The teammates replied one after another, “Don’t worry about it. Take good care of your leg, and we’ll try to maintain our ranking until you come back.”
Alexander forced a smile, “I pray that the Hamsters won’t fall out of the top eight.”
The Hamsters’ next opponent was the Rapids Club, which ranked seventh in the last regular season. They were nicknamed the “Second Team Gathering Place” because all six of their main players and their libero were members of the Russian men’s volleyball national team’s second team.
The Hamsters were still annoyed by their loss to the Belugas. This time, their anger quickly shifted towards the Rapids. As Russian Super League fans saw the Hamsters’ talented libero wearing the same color jersey as his teammates, they were surprised. They soon found out that Misha Qin was back as the opposite hitter.
Fans familiar with Misha Qin were delighted because he had originally played as an opposite hitter when he first appeared. However, there were also many spectators who felt concerned.
Misha Qin looked small in stature. Could he really compete with those tall and muscular players at the net? Wouldn’t he be bullied?
But Qin Chunxiao didn’t need others to worry about him at all. With the fire burning in his heart, he displayed a terrifying presence on the court in the match between the Hamsters and the Rapids. Not only did he go all out on defense, but he also worked in tandem with the Two Leng twins at the net, assisting and attacking together.
Although Alexander was injured, he still showed up at the venue wearing a suit to cheer on his teammates. His good friend, Old Powell, was by his side.
When the Hamsters won the game 3-0, Old Powell clapped joyfully, and Alexander smiled. Then, Old Powell casually said, “Sasha, have you ever thought about what to do if you rank eighth in the playoffs?”
The Russian Volleyball Association had a knack for stirring up things. In previous Russian Super League playoffs, they often liked to arrange matches between teams with a long-standing rivalry as the opening games. But if the rival teams’ rankings were close, they would schedule the match between the first and eighth-ranked teams as the opening game. This was due to a history where the eighth-ranked team had caused an upset and defeated the first-ranked team, leading to that match becoming the most-watched in that Super League season.
#Enthusiastic fans always love to see upsets#
Alexander’s hand trembled, and he couldn’t even muster a response to Powell’s rare moment of clarity. He just crossed himself and said, “I hope that scenario won’t happen.”
What a joke! The Belugas were a surefire first place in the rankings. If the Hamsters faced the Belugas in the first match of the playoffs, they would undoubtedly be in for an intense battle, draining a significant amount of their energy. How could they expect to perform well in the subsequent matches?
But Alexander knew enough about the old folks at the Russian Volleyball Association to suspect they would indeed arrange such a schedule.
While Alexander hoped that his teammates would win more games to avoid facing the Belugas in the early stages of the playoffs, Qin Chunxiao took a leave of absence with Nikolai and boarded a plane back to his home country.
The Christmas season was approaching, and the last and only movie that Xuandong filmed before retiring, “Bright Future,” was about to premiere.
Mysterious Group Chat
Anonym No. 3: [Report! The vice-captain of the Hamsters, Alexander, has suffered a recurrence of his old injury. The Hamsters are missing someone on the attacking end, so Qin-ge will be playing opposite hitter again.]
Anonym No. 5: [Doesn’t that mean he’ll be running on both offense and defense? Wasn’t he recently dealing with a shoulder muscle strain? Can he handle it?]
Anonym No. 2: [Even if he can’t handle it, he still has to. The Hamsters can’t afford to lose Alexander and miss the playoffs. I feel sorry for my Gemini Twins. Nikolai used them quite effectively to counter certain teams, but with Alexander’s injury, I think they’ll be getting a lot more court time starting from the next match.]
Anonym No. 1: [Even if they get more court time, that’s fine. Both of them frequently played full matches during the World Youth Championship and Asian Championship. They have excellent endurance, but I’m still worried about Qin Team’s shoulder and Er Leng’s calf. One with a strain and the other with cramps, it feels like they might be prone to injuries.]
Group Owner: [Pfft! Superstitious nonsense! The Gemini Twins will always be healthy and fine!]
A few days later…
Group Owner: [Everyone, did you watch the Hamsters vs. Rapids match?]
Anonym No. 1: [Yes, I’ve been following the live broadcast of the match.]
Anonym No. 2: [I watched it too. Qin Team played incredibly fiercely today. “Ferocious” is an understatement to describe his style! I feel like the opposing attackers were completely silenced by him. In the net duels, he kept blocking with his hands, and I heard their nails got all torn up.]
Anonym No. 6: [I agree. Qin Team didn’t let his teammate’s injury affect him at all. He exploded on the court, giving his all in defense and offense. A guy who’s less than 1.8 meters tall actually scored 15 points in the Russian Super League.]
Anonym No. 7: [Without him and Second Leng going all out today, the Hamsters might not have defeated the Rapids 3-0. Now, I think signing him for $300,000 was a steal. As long as the Gemini twins maintain this level of performance, even if Alexander takes a temporary rest, the Hamsters’ scoring efficiency won’t drop significantly.]
Group Owner: [Little Qin Team and Second Leng are truly outstanding. Ming Ming and Fu Ji Wang also performed well in the ITA Super League. But Fu Ji Wang seems to have recently visited a local museum during an away game and ended up caught in a shootout with the mafia. Luckily, he’s fine.]
Anonym No. 3: [Not only is he fine, but it seems he also dragged several injured people into a corner where bullets couldn’t reach them. He then proceeded to break the legs of the people attempting to attack him. After the shootout, he went back to the hotel to sleep. Tsk tsk, he’s truly extraordinary. It seems he’s the top combat force in China’s volleyball scene.]
Anonym No. 9: [I saw a video secretly taken by a passerby from the second floor of the street. My goodness, Fu Biyang went all out. He carried one person in each hand and stuffed them into a trash bin, then carried a corpse to block and dragged two injured individuals into an alley. It was an adrenaline rush, wasn’t it? He must have gained a lot of fighting spirit from interacting with the top athletes of the Chinese weightlifting team on Weibo.]
Anonym No. 5: [Fu Ji Wang is amazing!]
…
What the public didn’t know was that as soon as Qin Chunxiao got off the Aeroflot plane, he received a long-distance call from Fu Biyang. As soon as the call connected, before Qin Chunxiao could even say “hello,” he heard a burst of wailing from the other end.
Fu Biyang choked and shouted, “Xiao Zai, damn it, you have no idea what I just went through. I almost thought I’d never see you guys again, you know?”
Qin Chunxiao was quite perplexed, “What did you go through?”
Fu Biyang sobbed loudly, “I saw guns, man! If Ding Rong hadn’t taught me some self-defense techniques before I left and told me how to take cover when encountering firearms, I’d be done for! Mom, it’s so dangerous abroad, I want to go back home!”
Amidst Fu Biyang’s crying on the phone, there seemed to be the comforting voice of Qiao Mingming and several soothing tones in Italian, even someone singing a lullaby.
It appeared that quite a few people were comforting this chicken.
After listening, Qin Chunxiao pondered for a moment and asked back, “Have you called Xiong Wu?”
Fu Biyang realized, “Oh, right. Xiong Wu told me that I would encounter some military troubles this year, but I didn’t believe it. Who would have thought it’d actually come true! Should I go to a church and light a candle for God?”
Qin Chunxiao replied, “Don’t light a candle. That’s not the Western way of worshiping gods, and Jehovah might not care about you as a Chinese. Who knows how the gods divide their jurisdictions… Anyway, you should ask Xiong Wu for advice. He’s the expert in metaphysics.”
Fu Biyang said, “Okay, I’ll call him right away!”
Click, the call hung up.
Qin Chunxiao thought that Fu Xiaoji had been quite frightened. As he walked outside the airport, he contemplated whether he should send something to Italy to comfort his good friend.
The temperature in Guangzhou today was 15 degrees Celsius, and Qin Chunxiao felt a bit hot. He unzipped his down jacket, revealing a thin sports outfit underneath.
Not far away, someone started playing Liu Xiaohui’s “First Love” on the harmonica. In the Cantonese-speaking area, this seemed to be a song that every driver had heard in their car.
Qin Chunxiao turned around and saw a figure wrapped up tightly, wearing a hat, scarf, and sunglasses, a tall person with a height of 1.95 meters.
He smiled and waved his hand, the sound of the harmonica stopped, Lu Xuandong came over, and took the suitcase from Qin Chunxiao’s hand.
Qin Chunxiao’s father was busy in the laboratory, his mother was on a business trip, and his sister had already returned to study at Renmin University, so he had originally planned to take the airport bus back to the city and then take the subway home. After attending the movie premiere, he would take a flight back to Russia in the early hours of the next day.
With a tight schedule, he only had two days of free time, and after accounting for the flight time and the movie premiere, there was not much time left. Besides, if he stayed here for too long, he couldn’t guarantee the safety of the food at the restaurants outside. If he accidentally consumed meat tainted with clenbuterol and failed the drug test, Qin Chunxiao would end up crying like Fu Biyang. Eating at the provincial team’s canteen was also an option, but Qin Chunxiao really didn’t want to explain to Chen Aiguo why he came back to China for these two days.
It all boiled down to the same reason – 16-year-old Qin Chunxiao didn’t want to talk to his elders about having a soulmate and explain that “we are really not in a romantic relationship.”
However, that was before Lu Xuandong found out about his situation and offered to pick him up from the airport. He also mentioned that Qin Chunxiao could stay in his apartment during this time.
In Lu Xuandong’s words, they could use this opportunity to spend some countdown time together.
Qin Chunxiao smiled at him, rolled up his sleeves, and pointed to the duty-free shop.
Qin Chunxiao: [I’m going to buy some gifts for Fu Biyang as a token of comfort.]
