During the summer break of 2017, Qin Chunxiao accomplished quite a lot. For example, he won the championship in the Asian Championships, reached the quarterfinals in the National Games, and signed a million-dollar contract with the Hamster Club.
30,000 US dollars converted into RMB is over a million, no problem there.
And this was also the biggest club contract signed by the Chinese men’s volleyball team that year. Although it may not be considered expensive among top-level men’s volleyball contracts, considering Qin Chunxiao’s age, earning a million-dollar salary at the age of 16 was already a big sensation, right?
The volleyball association didn’t usually intervene in which country’s league athletes choose to play in. They may restrict some popular athletes from going abroad to sell tickets for their domestic volleyball events, but in terms of the overall volleyball community, it was common for high-level athletes to go to stronger and higher-paying leagues as foreign players.
Everyone wanted to improve themselves and made more money, even the Chinese volleyball league brought in talented foreign players.
In 2017, the Chinese Men Volleyball League was officially renamed the Chinese Volleyball Super League, marking a further step towards the professionalization of players and an increase in their salaries.
The newly appointed leaders of the volleyball association were savvy. In order to promote the healthy development of the volleyball market and made the public believe that playing volleyball also had prospects, thus attracting more talented individuals to participate in the sport, they publicly disclosed the salaries of several players who had signed million-dollar contracts domestically.
Although they were still far from the top salaries earned by world-class women’s volleyball stars, they did have individuals here earning a seven-figure annual income!
The talent reserve work of the Chinese men’s volleyball team during the 2020 Olympic cycle was well done, but what about the future? Now, there were no players on the national team born before the 1990s. Can the post-2000 generation step up in a few Olympic cycles? Qin Chunxiao and Min Yaoyang, both born after 2000, alone could not sustain a team.
Children, ignite your volleyball dreams and contribute to the talent reserve of the Chinese men’s volleyball team for the years 2024, 2028, and 2032!
The new leader had just celebrated his 60th birthday a few days ago, and taking on this position had a retirement vibe to it. By the time he turned 75 in 2032, even if he was still alive, he probably wouldn’t be able to work anymore. So he only planned the strategy until 2032, cough, cough.
Volleyball Association: The more people learn volleyball, the greater our chances of drawing UR and SSR cards!
This wave could be understood as the official expansion of the card pool, assisting coaches in card drawing.
Due to the emergence of Qin Chunxiao and Gao Depi, although coaches still favored tall players, they wouldn’t mind having players with quick reactions, sharp ball reception, and high volleyball IQ. If such players came along, they wouldn’t hesitate to imitate Newton’s wielding of the frying pan.
With the contract announcements, fans who follow men’s volleyball also know that this year’s Chinese Men’s Volleyball Super League, abbreviated as the C-Volleyball, will likely not include a group of players led by Qin Chunxiao, Li Ling, and Qiao Mingming. This was because the volleyball leagues in various countries had similar schedules, with matches held from November to December.
But the C-Volleyball was only a domestic-level club league, and players signing with any club won’t affect their participation in national team matches. So the onlookers could only sigh that this time the Volleyball Association was determined to send players abroad to train, showing their commitment to develop men’s volleyball.
The departure of these popular players also meant that the tickets were given away. Of course, the players themselves had the courage to go to unfamiliar places to play, which was worthy of praise.
Fans had always been like this. They were not afraid if athletes were not as talented as others, but they fear if athletes lack the motivation and willpower to strive for a stronger and more glorious future. If their determination is lacking, what good is even the best talent from heaven?
On the other hand, the leaders of the women’s volleyball team received some criticism because there were not many players with records of going abroad in the women’s team. Meng Yuqing and the ace player were exceptions, while most others were left in the domestic volleyball league. However, considering the competitiveness of the Chinese Women’s Volleyball Super League, it was not shabby to use it as a training ground. Fans just murmured a few words and let it go.
Qin Chunxiao, who signed the first million-dollar club contract at the age of 16, was currently at the top of men’s volleyball.
Although he didn’t win a medal at the National Games due to injury, his handsome appearance could not be denied. He even had a former top star who recently escaped from the entertainment industry to regularly release a volleyball guide, and even came to the venue to watch the game on time. Such a presence was quite significant.
After the news of the big contract was announced, the Russian Hamster Club successfully registered its Weibo account and publicly expressed their belief that Misha Qin would be a great puzzle piece for championship contention.
Such high praise, when placed on a 16-year-old kid, instantly pushed him into the spotlight. Qin Chunxiao was busy brushing up on his Russian language skills. He was the type who didn’t care about external opinions. Otherwise, with the various comments, he would have been overwhelmed as a minor.
In order to improve his Russian language skills, Qin Chunxiao stayed at his grandparents’ house before the start of the school year.
As September approached, the Good Taste Cake Shop in Foshan, Guangdong, was already preparing for business at 6 a.m.
The Good Taste Cake Shop opened in 1981 when Qin Chunxiao’s grandfather built a two-story building here for his grandmother. The shop was on the first floor, and they lived on the second floor. There was a backyard with flowers and plants, with a total area of 350 square meters.
The cake shop was located outside the side gate of the Green Leaf Tongxin Elementary School in Foshan. There were several old and new residential areas nearby, and it was 600 meters away from the subway station. The location was good, and the business was decent. In the morning, elementary school students and office workers came to buy egg cakes and milk for breakfast. At noon and in the afternoon, they made pastries and also took orders for birthday cakes.
Their signature products were milk residue cakes and Russian-style pancakes, also known as Oreshki.
The aroma of the pastries was very strong and could be smelled several meters away in the wind. Qin Chunxiao carried the exhausted Bernese Mountain Dog named Cuihua back, entered through the back door, and was greeted by a sea of light yellow flowers. Osmanthus, Milan, Marigold, and roses were all blooming vibrantly, and the fragrance filled the air.
The backyard was most beautiful from May to June when Qin Chunxiao’s grandfather planted many roses for his grandmother. The flowers were intoxicatingly beautiful when they bloomed. Every morning, Qin’s grandfather would cut the most beautiful one, put it in a glass with water droplets, and place it on the bedside table to ensure that Qin’s grandmother would see it as soon as she woke up.
Qin Chunxiao had always had extremely high standards for his romantic interests. As a result, he remained single until death in his previous life. It was because he had seen too many fairy-tale-like love stories from his grandparents and was unwilling to lower his standards and settle.
Cuihua leaned against her chest and let out a cute sneeze. Her furry paws rested on Qin Chunxiao’s shoulder, and the pads of her feet pressed against his skin. Her tail wagged slowly, giving off an air of comfort and enjoyment.
For a gentle and affectionate dog like Bernese Mountain Dog, although the morning run was tiring, the happy time spent being carried home by the owner was enough to make up for it.
Qin Chunxiao put the dog in its kennel and placed a dinosaur plush toy in its embrace. The dog fell asleep peacefully. Only then did Qin Chunxiao change out of his sweaty clothes and head to the front of the shop.
“Grandma, Grandpa, I’m back.”
A tall and handsome old man, standing at 1.85 meters with silver-white curly hair and sharp facial features, brought out small pastries from the oven. He spoke fluent Northeastern dialect, saying, “Misha, you’re practicing Russian, right? You should call me ‘Yagong1‘ in Russian.”
Qin Chunxiao replied, “Uh, Ivan?”
Slap!
Qin’s grandmother slapped Qin Chunxiao on the back. “You have no sense of propriety.”
Qin’s grandmother’s name was Qin Duhe. She was born in the 1950s and was previously a female auto mechanic in the army. She met Old Ivan while studying in the Soviet Union, and they became a couple. After retiring from the army, they transferred to the northeast of China. Due to historical circumstances, although she had a marital relationship with Qin’s grandfather, for a long time, she raised their daughter, Qin Chao, on her own.
It was not until the late 1970s, when the environment became more relaxed, that Qin’s grandfather sold their property against the advice of relatives and brought all their savings to China. They had never been separated since then.
Qin Chunxiao’s name sounded a bit awkward in Cantonese because the Qin family had a mixture of Cantonese, Northeastern, and Russian accents. His name sounded much smoother in Northeastern dialect.
Both Qin’s grandparents had a habit of exercising. They ran the cake shop during the day and went to the nearby sports center to play sports in the evenings. They played badminton, tennis, basketball, and even formed a senior badminton team. They looked much more energetic than people their age. At 60 years old, they appeared to be in their fifties.
Qin Chunxiao was influenced by these two and also engaged in sports. He wore gloves with his grandmother to pack the pastries into boxes, arranged fresh cow’s milk and sheep’s milk in the refrigerator, as modern parents paid attention to providing their children with meat, eggs, and milk. Every day after school, a group of elementary school students with cards would come here to buy dairy products.
At 6:30, the Good Taste Cake Shop opened its doors. Qin’s grandmother stood at the cash register, busy with work. Qin Chunxiao handed over the plastic bags with the goods.
After the busiest breakfast time ended, Qin Chunxiao swept the shop with a mop and cloth.
Old Ivan felt helpless. “Misha, you can’t keep spraying disinfectant in the shop every day. The smell is too strong and it will affect the aroma of the cakes.”
Qin Chunxiao replied, “Don’t worry, I only put a bottle cap of disinfectant in a bucket of water. After dilution, it doesn’t have such a strong smell. Grandpa, move aside, I’ll also clean the cabinet behind you. You and grandma are getting older, it’s not convenient for you to move these heavy things around normally. While I’m here, let me thoroughly clean everything for you.”
Qin’s grandfather said, “…you brat, you’re the one who’s getting old. I always have a regular deep cleaning schedule, you know?”
Don’t doubt his strictness in hygiene as a food and beverage operator.
They spoke in Russian.2
Compared to his grandfather and mother, Qin Chunxiao and Qin Chunfeng’s facial features were already quite Chinese, although their eyes were relatively deeper, their noses were more prominent, and they had a pair of blue eyes that inexplicably passed down to the third generation.
Qin Chunxiao was the worst in the family when it came to speaking Russian. But fortunately, he had a foundation from his childhood family, recognized the Russian alphabet, and with the help of the elementary school textbooks sent by his Aunt Natasha, he could already read and write at the level of a first-grade Russian elementary school student.
His goal was to improve his Russian to the level where he could read all the textbooks of Russian elementary school by October. It only involved reading, not writing. This goal should be achievable.
When he realized that he still had the college entrance examination waiting for him two years later, Qin Chunxiao suddenly discovered that his rebirth journey was not at all like those powerful rebirth individuals who dominated in various fields.
The exams were still difficult, and there were still formidable opponents in competitions. The heavens didn’t provide any shortcuts; he could only rely on his own efforts!
Well, well, being able to start over again was the greatest stroke of luck. At least both ligaments in his right ankle were in good condition, right?
Except for the sprained ankle during the National Games, Qin Chunxiao recovered in five days. After the injury healed, he could bounce and jump without any lingering effects. This relieved all the coaches, teammates, and fans who were worried about him.
For lunch, he had mixed grain rice, steamed pumpkin, and blanched large prawns. The dessert was yogurt, and there were fruits like bananas and pomelos.
After eating, Qin Chunxiao voluntarily cleaned up the dishes and placed them in the disinfection cabinet. He also put puppy food, nutritional supplements, and calcium tablets in the dog’s food bowl. After hesitating for a moment, he added the leftover shrimp into the bowl.
He held the food bowl and called out, “Cuihua, it’s time to eat!”
Little Bernese Mountain Dog wagged her tail and ran over. She had been nestling in the air-conditioned room and only came out when she heard it was time to eat.
Qin’s grandparents went for their afternoon nap, and a breeze blew in through the open French windows. The light blue curtains fluttered, insects chirped outside, and the old fan hummed as it blew. Qin Chunxiao brought over a common solid wood chair from the countryside and sat by the small fan, reading a very old Russian book.
Qin Chunxiao needed to use a dictionary to read the book titled “Train Ticket with Stars.”
Everything was quiet, except for Qin Chunxiao’s continuously vibrating phone.
Many friends he met on the national team and provincial team loved social media. As long as he set them as special contacts, his phone would ring non-stop all day long.
As it was getting late, Qin Chunxiao put down the book and lay on the bed covered with a cool mat in the guest room. He scrolled through his phone for a while, and Cuihua sneaked in at some point, jumping onto the bed and lying down next to him.
In order to get close to her owner, Cuihua didn’t mind the heat of August at all. Qin Chunxiao casually turned on the air conditioning and scrolled through his phone with his fingers. He saw a post from Lu Xuandong.
He was standing in the brilliant sunlight, with a huge merlion statue in the background, and a young boy standing beside him who looked similar but a bit shorter.
Qin Chunxiao unexpectedly left a comment under this post.
Qin Chunxiao: [Are you running to Singapore?]
After a while, Lu Xuandong replied in a private message: [Visiting my younger brother and mom’s relatives there.]
Lu Xuandong: [My grandmother’s health isn’t good, so she settled in Singapore many years ago. Yun Chen also grew up there.]
Then Lu Xuandong explained further. The education system in Singapore was highly regarded internationally. Yun Chen had been attending primary and secondary school there since he was young. Moreover, Singapore had a system of family offices that was friendly to wealthy families, and the inheritance tax was also low. Therefore, the Lu family had considered having Yun Chen acquire Singaporean citizenship in the early years.
However, Lu eventually realized that the motherland was gradually becoming prosperous and strong, and since Zheyue’s main market was in China, it would not reflect well if his son emigrated. So they dismissed the idea and had Yun Chen return to China for high school, allowing him to choose Chinese citizenship when he became an adult.
Qin Chunxiao: [Do you plan to obtain citizenship there?]
Lu Xuandong: [No, I never had the thought of changing my citizenship. But I plan to try the A-Level exams here.]
Qin Chunxiao: [A-Level exams?]
Lu Xuandong: [It’s the equivalent of the college entrance examination here. Registration starts in March and lasts until January of next year. I came to Singapore this time for the oral exams, and the written exams will be in October. However, except for the Chinese subject, all the other subjects are in English. I’m not confident about my scores, but universities within the Commonwealth recognize A-Level results, so it’s worth considering.]
Qin Chunxiao had no knowledge of Singapore’s examination system, but he thought Lu Xuandong was quite impressive because this guy had the courage to participate in English exams after dropping out of school for several years.
This also indicated that Lu Xuandong had never stopped learning after dropping out. As he himself said, he wanted to study.
Qin Chunxiao: [You can apply to universities within the Commonwealth, such as in the UK and Australia?]
Lu Xuandong: [Yes.]
Qin Chunxiao: [But I heard that some good universities require high school grades for application.]
Didn’t Lu Xuandong drop out of school at the age of 15?
Lu Xuandong: [I have high school transcripts, and as long as there are some honors certificates from social activities and competitions, it will make the university application process easier.]
Qin Chunxiao: [Honors certificates?]
Lu Xuandong silently displayed a bunch of photos of certificates of honor. He had been organizing these things recently to increase his chances of getting into university. His phone had quite a few pictures stored.
Qin Chunxiao was almost blinded by Lu Xuandong’s glorious past.
He had no idea that Lu Xuandong had already swept through the awards in the domestic pop music scene. Not only that, he had also participated in various performance and charity events in Asia as one of the representatives of the younger generation in China.
Don’t be surprised. With Lu Xuandong’s talent in music and his face that was always camera-ready, he was already a prominent figure in the younger generation of the Chinese pop music industry before he turned 18.
He had even performed with an erhu and a well-known foreign symphony orchestra at a famous music hall!
In addition to that, Lu Xuandong had represented a mining group in Shanxi Province to donate medical supplies to areas affected by epidemics in Africa. He had also done charity performances and delivered speeches.
It seemed that the wife of the boss of Caiwang Company was a coal mine owner. Was that her connection?
Qin Chunxiao didn’t even know that Lu Xuandong had been to Africa. After all, in the novel “The Young Master from a Wealthy Family is a Top Star,” the protagonist was Lu Xuandong’s younger brother, not Lu Xuandong himself. Many of Lu Xuandong’s past experiences were not written about, and in his previous life, Qin Chunxiao didn’t pay much attention to the entertainment industry, let alone dig into the past of a retired singer.
But Lu Xuandong’s past was actually quite remarkable. Considering his humble beginnings before he was recognized by the wealthy family, he had managed to become the representative of the post-95 generation in the entertainment industry. He had fully seized every opportunity that fate had given him.
Perhaps even without being recognized by the Lu family, Lu Xuandong would still have a good life.
Thinking of this, Qin Chunxiao quickly shook his head. With his gambler father from the Mei family, it would be difficult for Lu Xuandong to live a good life as long as he couldn’t get rid of him.
Gambling was something that could drag a family into hell.
Qin Chunxiao: [Do you have any preferred schools?]
Lu Xuandong: [London School of Economics and Political Science]
At first glance, this school may not be as famous as Oxford or Cambridge, but when Qin Chunxiao searched it, he found that their social sciences and management programs ranked in the top three in the world. They also had top-five rankings in accounting, finance, and economics. The school had 18 Nobel laureates among its alumni, and the owners of economic awards accounted for a significant portion. It was a prestigious institution in the fields of business, economics, and social sciences.
Qin Chunxiao: [Your goal is quite high. Can you do it?]
Lu Xuandong: [I don’t know. I’ll give it a try first. If the A-Levels don’t work out, there’s still the SAT and the college entrance examination.]
Was this exam god planning to challenge three major examination systems within a year?
Qin Chunxiao couldn’t imagine the intensity of Lu Xuandong’s exams because he himself was already exhausted from preparing for the college entrance examination alone. During the final exams at No. 6 High School, he had given his all and only managed to rank in the top 50 of the entire grade.
Alas, he didn’t even make it into the top ten of the entire grade after being reborn. It seemed that among the vast number of reborn individuals, he belonged to the weaker ones.
Qin Chunxiao: [Good luck. I’m going to take a nap.]
Lu Xuandong: [Then I’ll go have my meal too.]
Seeing Lu Xuandong put down his phone, Lu Yunchen immediately did the same. The two brothers looked at each other, and Lu Yunchen felt an incredibly awkward atmosphere.
If he had known that this restaurant would be so slow in serving food, Lu Yunchen would never have brought Lu Xuandong here. Faced with his brother whom he had never seen since birth, he had no idea how to communicate with him, especially since their grandmother had warned him to be cautious around this brother.
Because this brother had abandoned his career in the entertainment industry and even mentioned wanting to study at the London School of Economics and Political Science, it was clear that he hadn’t completely let go of his attachment to Zhe Yue. And as the eldest son, this family business should have originally belonged to him. If Lu Xuandong hadn’t been abducted, Lu Yunchen’s birth would have been hanging by a thread.
But the problem was, Lu Yunchen had no interest in managing the business. Instead, he wanted to enjoy the spotlight on the stage. He enjoyed being the center of attention. If this brother had the ability, it didn’t matter if he received the family inheritance from Zhe Yue. After all, their parents would definitely leave him money.
Considering these factors, Lu Yunchen was willing to have a friendly relationship with this brother. But he really didn’t know how to communicate with him. In his imagination, when the other person finally returned home, they should show some enthusiasm towards their family. Then he could take advantage of the situation and accept their goodwill.
But Lu Xuandong showed no warmth towards the family. Instead, he maintained a cautious attitude and interacted with them politely, almost testing the waters.
So far, the one who had the best relationship with Lu Xuandong in the family was surprisingly their father, Lu Hao.
As brothers, other than their similar faces, they had few similarities. They differed in height, with Lu Xuandong being much taller than Lu Yunchen. Their life experiences were different, their personalities were different, their accents were different when speaking, and even their food preferences were different. Lu Yunchen loved seafood just like his mother, but this brother of his was allergic to seafood, just like their father.
And lately, Lu Xuandong had been eating exceptionally light. When he came to the restaurant with his younger brother, he only ordered two chicken cutlets and a glass of lemonade. Lu Yunchen couldn’t understand why he ate like this. What joy was there in life?
As they were almost finished with their meal, Lu Yunchen couldn’t help but ask, “Aren’t you planning to retire from the entertainment industry? Why are you restraining yourself like this?”
Lu Xuandong looked puzzled. “I’m not restraining myself.”
Lu Yunchen said, “But you’ve been eating nutritious and fitness meals, and you go to the gym every day. Let’s be honest, in the entertainment industry, only action stars put in this much effort, right?”
Lu Xuandong suddenly realized, “I’m not doing this for my on-screen image. I just want to have a healthy physique because my previous physical condition was unhealthy.”
Lu Yunchen glanced at him, thinking that it was a good thing. He was thin, but he looked energetic and good on camera.
Lu Xuandong, seeing his brother’s skeptical expression, took out his phone and opened a video. “I prefer this physique.”
Lu Yunchen looked closely and realized that the scene in the video was a volleyball court. It seemed to be shortly after the finals of the National Games. The top attacker of the national team, Qiao Mingming, was carrying him with his strong arms, and Qin Chunxiao, the top defender of the national team, was swinging on his elbow like a swing.
Not far from them, Fu Biyang and Min Yaoyang also raised their arms.
As the beloved member and team dad of the national team, Qin Chunxiao was treated like a volleyball superstar. After the National Games, his good friends began to lift him up with their increasingly muscular arms, letting Qin Chunxiao swing on them like a toy.
Lu Yunchen understood and asked, “Do you want to have Qin’s physique?”
Everyone in the Lu family knew about Lu Xuandong’s recent actions. He terminated his contract with the entertainment company and went to watch the volleyball matches at the National Games, earning the title of “Qin Chunxiao’s fanboy” that spread across the internet. With Zhe Yue’s interest in signing Qin Chunxiao, Lu Yunchen also remembered his name.
In Lu Yunchen’s opinion, this athlete who was a year younger than himself indeed had a remarkable appearance. However, his height was not outstanding among volleyball players, and his skills were difficult to assess since Lu Yunchen didn’t understand volleyball. But by looking at Qin Chunxiao’s face, he could tell that his popularity was likely due to his facial appearance.
Men’s volleyball had been declining for many years, and in terms of this sport, European and American teams held significant advantages. Even if the Chinese men’s team made a comeback, it would be difficult to compete with the strong European and American teams. At most, they could dominate in Asia. With so many athletes in China and numerous world champions, why did Zhe Yue have such high expectations for Qin Chunxiao? It must be because of his looks, what else could it be?
But since Qin Chunxiao had commercial value and the support and admiration of Lu Xuandong, signing him wouldn’t be a loss.
Qin Chunxiao’s physique was considered good in Lu Yunchen’s eyes. He was lean, powerful, and had a great proportion. He had a youthful appearance, but compared to last year, he had gained some muscle. Lu Yunchen was still in high school and hadn’t been involved in Zhe Yue’s business, but if he were to manage it, he would advise Qin Chunxiao to lose some weight and regain his slender figure from last year.
As someone who maintained his physique through dance and controlled diet, occasionally indulging in desserts, Lu Yunchen preferred a slender figure with a thin back and waist and long legs. In his eyes, the muscular athletes of the national team were like gorillas.
Lu Xuandong shook his head and said, “I prefer Qiao’s physique.”
He hoped that the next time they met, he would have enough strength to swing on Qin Chunxiao’s arms. That was why he was working so hard on his fitness and muscle building.
Lu Yunchen’s face showed shock, and after a while, he stammered, “You… your taste is quite straight.”
Straight?
Lu Xuandong remained expressionless, smiled, and paid the bill with his card.
Lu Yunchen blushed and said, “I told you, it’s my treat. Let me pay.”
Lu Xuandong blocked him with a sentence, “If you say that again, we’ll split the bill.”
Back at the villa, Lu Xuandong politely greeted his grandmother and then sat with her for a while, reporting his thoughts on exploring Singapore today and praising the environment and scenery. Afterward, he said goodbye and returned to his room to continue studying.
One of the most important things that Lu Xuandong learned from Qin Chunxiao was how to handle intimate relationships rationally.
With his shrewdness, Lu Xuandong had long noticed that the elderly woman didn’t like him. He could even guess her thoughts. Lu Yunchen, being her biological grandson, was the most profitable choice for her since he would inherit the family business. On the other hand, if the previously unknown Lu Xuandong were to inherit the family’s wealth from Lu Hao, the benefits for the elderly woman would be reduced.
After spending so many years in the entertainment industry, Lu Xuandong was well aware that everything in the world could be interpreted in terms of personal gain. Even his younger brother Lu Yunchen, his biological father Lu Hao, and his birth mother Zhao Zhaoyan all had their own ulterior motives and thoughts, each considering things from their own perspectives.
But Lu Xuandong didn’t care because he had accumulated quite a sum of money before retiring from the entertainment industry. It was enough to support himself, and he had become financially independent. With that independence, he didn’t need to care about anyone’s opinion.
Lu Hao, as his father, was willing to provide him with educational resources, and Lu Xuandong could confidently accept them. After all, Lu Hao was the first elder in this family to show him kindness and closeness. The father-son relationship between them could be tried, but it would have to wait until after the exams.
Taking care of his physical health and achieving admission to his desired university was currently the most important thing for Lu Xuandong.
However, after their lunch conversation, Lu Xuandong keenly sensed one thing—his younger brother not only didn’t meet his expectations of being a “shrewd and capable successor to a prestigious family,” but his sexual orientation also didn’t seem to be entirely straight.
After all, Lu Yunchen excluded himself from the category of “straight males” in his words.
Lu Xuandong felt a bit troubled by his brother’s lack of shrewdness because he knew how much effort and consideration it took to communicate with someone who lacked emotional intelligence. There were three people in the Lu family with such low emotional intelligence—his grandmother, his mother Zhao Zhaoyan, and Lu Yunchen.
After spending some time interacting with Lu Hao, who had been in the business world for many years, Lu Xuandong also realized that the seasoned entrepreneur had some traditional aspects to him. For example, he never considered developing other people within Zhe Yue to be his successor. Instead, after noticing Lu Yunchen’s lack of shrewdness, he personally brought him back to China for training. Lu Hao probably didn’t want outsiders to get involved in his family business.
Therefore, if Lu Yunchen couldn’t shoulder Zhe Yue’s family business, Lu Xuandong might have to step in. It wouldn’t be a problem to take over the multi-billion dollar empire, but he feared that Lu Yunchen would expect him to earn money while not relinquishing control, and ultimately, he would have to take care of his adult brother for the rest of his life. If that were the case, Lu Xuandong would rather continue his own entrepreneurial journey.
However, Lu Hao had surely noticed his younger son’s issue. In that case, Lu Xuandong could inquire and intervene in Zhe Yue’s affairs and help Qin Chunxiao with small tasks. In doing so, there would be advantages and disadvantages.
As for the question of his brother’s sexuality, Lu Xuandong didn’t care. Whether he himself leaned towards one orientation or another would depend on Qin Chunxiao’s attitude in the future.
Before meeting Qin Chunxiao, Lu Xuandong had never thought about his own sexual orientation. Prior to that, the pressures of life had almost overwhelmed him, leaving him with no room to consider matters of the heart. It was only after encountering Qin Chunxiao that he had the time to focus on things beyond mere survival.
In September, Lu Yunchen returned to school. The day after he registered, he had several exams waiting for him.
Their dear teachers firmly believed that in order to prevent students from becoming too lax during the vacation, it was necessary for them to start the school year with exams. This would keep their minds on high alert.
Qin Chunxiao felt dizzy from the exams. After finally finishing them, he learned that he managed to maintain his position within the top fifty of his grade. Then, he received a message from Singapore.
Lu Xuandong: [I aced the oral exam and I’ve been practicing English test papers recently. I no longer make mistakes when reading the questions, and my English proficiency has improved significantly.]
Qin Chunxiao weakly cheered him on.
Qin Chunxiao: [666, wishing the study god success in getting into the London School of Economics.]
Lu Xuandong sent him a picture.
Qin Chunxiao took a closer look and realized it was a shoe design.
The shoe had a white base with aquamarine waves swirling around the upper, and the English words “Fly Wolf” embroidered in gold thread on the sides.
The shoes looked refreshing, sleek, elegant, and had a high level of attractiveness. They exuded a youthful aura, as if the essence of youth was engraved on their surface.
Lu Xuandong: [I discussed the issue of your custom-designed basketball shoes with my father. Your height and shoe size are similar to that of an average person, and you have a good appearance. Zhe Yue conducted research and found that there’s a basketball player in the NBA called “The Answer” who achieved great success in endorsing shoes because of these advantages. On the other hand, the sales of shoes endorsed by towering giants, who are two meters or taller, are not as high.]
Lu Xuandong: [I don’t know much about sports brands, so I had to cram a lot of knowledge last minute. For basketball shoes to sell well, they need the effect of a celebrity. This requires you to achieve results and gain fame on your own. I can’t help with that. However, both appearance and functionality are crucial. I’ve monitored the design plans, and this particular design has received the highest satisfaction within Zhe Yue. If you have any changes in mind, let me know. As for functionality, I’ll have my father assign Zhe Yue’s technical department to conduct data testing at your location. Get prepared.]
Lu Xuandong: [I hope you and Zhe Yue can have a win-win cooperation. With the shoes selling well, we can all make money together. Also, I’ve sent out the English notes I made for you. Remember to collect them.]
During the summer break of 2017, Qin Chunxiao accomplished quite a lot. For example, he won the championship in the Asian Championships, reached the quarterfinals in the National Games, and signed a million-dollar contract with the Hamster Club.
30,000 US dollars converted into RMB is over a million, no problem there.
And this was also the biggest club contract signed by the Chinese men’s volleyball team that year. Although it may not be considered expensive among top-level men’s volleyball contracts, considering Qin Chunxiao’s age, earning a million-dollar salary at the age of 16 was already a big sensation, right?
The volleyball association didn’t usually intervene in which country’s league athletes choose to play in. They may restrict some popular athletes from going abroad to sell tickets for their domestic volleyball events, but in terms of the overall volleyball community, it was common for high-level athletes to go to stronger and higher-paying leagues as foreign players.
Everyone wanted to improve themselves and made more money, even the Chinese volleyball league brought in talented foreign players.
In 2017, the Chinese Men Volleyball League was officially renamed the Chinese Volleyball Super League, marking a further step towards the professionalization of players and an increase in their salaries.
The newly appointed leaders of the volleyball association were savvy. In order to promote the healthy development of the volleyball market and made the public believe that playing volleyball also had prospects, thus attracting more talented individuals to participate in the sport, they publicly disclosed the salaries of several players who had signed million-dollar contracts domestically.
Although they were still far from the top salaries earned by world-class women’s volleyball stars, they did have individuals here earning a seven-figure annual income!
The talent reserve work of the Chinese men’s volleyball team during the 2020 Olympic cycle was well done, but what about the future? Now, there were no players on the national team born before the 1990s. Can the post-2000 generation step up in a few Olympic cycles? Qin Chunxiao and Min Yaoyang, both born after 2000, alone could not sustain a team.
Children, ignite your volleyball dreams and contribute to the talent reserve of the Chinese men’s volleyball team for the years 2024, 2028, and 2032!
The new leader had just celebrated his 60th birthday a few days ago, and taking on this position had a retirement vibe to it. By the time he turned 75 in 2032, even if he was still alive, he probably wouldn’t be able to work anymore. So he only planned the strategy until 2032, cough, cough.
Volleyball Association: The more people learn volleyball, the greater our chances of drawing UR and SSR cards!
This wave could be understood as the official expansion of the card pool, assisting coaches in card drawing.
Due to the emergence of Qin Chunxiao and Gao Depi, although coaches still favored tall players, they wouldn’t mind having players with quick reactions, sharp ball reception, and high volleyball IQ. If such players came along, they wouldn’t hesitate to imitate Newton’s wielding of the frying pan.
With the contract announcements, fans who follow men’s volleyball also know that this year’s Chinese Men’s Volleyball Super League, abbreviated as the C-Volleyball, will likely not include a group of players led by Qin Chunxiao, Li Ling, and Qiao Mingming. This was because the volleyball leagues in various countries had similar schedules, with matches held from November to December.
But the C-Volleyball was only a domestic-level club league, and players signing with any club won’t affect their participation in national team matches. So the onlookers could only sigh that this time the Volleyball Association was determined to send players abroad to train, showing their commitment to develop men’s volleyball.
The departure of these popular players also meant that the tickets were given away. Of course, the players themselves had the courage to go to unfamiliar places to play, which was worthy of praise.
Fans had always been like this. They were not afraid if athletes were not as talented as others, but they fear if athletes lack the motivation and willpower to strive for a stronger and more glorious future. If their determination is lacking, what good is even the best talent from heaven?
On the other hand, the leaders of the women’s volleyball team received some criticism because there were not many players with records of going abroad in the women’s team. Meng Yuqing and the ace player were exceptions, while most others were left in the domestic volleyball league. However, considering the competitiveness of the Chinese Women’s Volleyball Super League, it was not shabby to use it as a training ground. Fans just murmured a few words and let it go.
Qin Chunxiao, who signed the first million-dollar club contract at the age of 16, was currently at the top of men’s volleyball.
Although he didn’t win a medal at the National Games due to injury, his handsome appearance could not be denied. He even had a former top star who recently escaped from the entertainment industry to regularly release a volleyball guide, and even came to the venue to watch the game on time. Such a presence was quite significant.
After the news of the big contract was announced, the Russian Hamster Club successfully registered its Weibo account and publicly expressed their belief that Misha Qin would be a great puzzle piece for championship contention.
Such high praise, when placed on a 16-year-old kid, instantly pushed him into the spotlight. Qin Chunxiao was busy brushing up on his Russian language skills. He was the type who didn’t care about external opinions. Otherwise, with the various comments, he would have been overwhelmed as a minor.
In order to improve his Russian language skills, Qin Chunxiao stayed at his grandparents’ house before the start of the school year.
As September approached, the Good Taste Cake Shop in Foshan, Guangdong, was already preparing for business at 6 a.m.
The Good Taste Cake Shop opened in 1981 when Qin Chunxiao’s grandfather built a two-story building here for his grandmother. The shop was on the first floor, and they lived on the second floor. There was a backyard with flowers and plants, with a total area of 350 square meters.
The cake shop was located outside the side gate of the Green Leaf Tongxin Elementary School in Foshan. There were several old and new residential areas nearby, and it was 600 meters away from the subway station. The location was good, and the business was decent. In the morning, elementary school students and office workers came to buy egg cakes and milk for breakfast. At noon and in the afternoon, they made pastries and also took orders for birthday cakes.
Their signature products were milk residue cakes and Russian-style pancakes, also known as Oreshki.
The aroma of the pastries was very strong and could be smelled several meters away in the wind. Qin Chunxiao carried the exhausted Bernese Mountain Dog named Cuihua back, entered through the back door, and was greeted by a sea of light yellow flowers. Osmanthus, Milan, Marigold, and roses were all blooming vibrantly, and the fragrance filled the air.
The backyard was most beautiful from May to June when Qin Chunxiao’s grandfather planted many roses for his grandmother. The flowers were intoxicatingly beautiful when they bloomed. Every morning, Qin’s grandfather would cut the most beautiful one, put it in a glass with water droplets, and place it on the bedside table to ensure that Qin’s grandmother would see it as soon as she woke up.
Qin Chunxiao had always had extremely high standards for his romantic interests. As a result, he remained single until death in his previous life. It was because he had seen too many fairy-tale-like love stories from his grandparents and was unwilling to lower his standards and settle.
Cuihua leaned against her chest and let out a cute sneeze. Her furry paws rested on Qin Chunxiao’s shoulder, and the pads of her feet pressed against his skin. Her tail wagged slowly, giving off an air of comfort and enjoyment.
For a gentle and affectionate dog like Bernese Mountain Dog, although the morning run was tiring, the happy time spent being carried home by the owner was enough to make up for it.
Qin Chunxiao put the dog in its kennel and placed a dinosaur plush toy in its embrace. The dog fell asleep peacefully. Only then did Qin Chunxiao change out of his sweaty clothes and head to the front of the shop.
“Grandma, Grandpa, I’m back.”
A tall and handsome old man, standing at 1.85 meters with silver-white curly hair and sharp facial features, brought out small pastries from the oven. He spoke fluent Northeastern dialect, saying, “Misha, you’re practicing Russian, right? You should call me ‘Yagong1‘ in Russian.”
Qin Chunxiao replied, “Uh, Ivan?”
Slap!
Qin’s grandmother slapped Qin Chunxiao on the back. “You have no sense of propriety.”
Qin’s grandmother’s name was Qin Duhe. She was born in the 1950s and was previously a female auto mechanic in the army. She met Old Ivan while studying in the Soviet Union, and they became a couple. After retiring from the army, they transferred to the northeast of China. Due to historical circumstances, although she had a marital relationship with Qin’s grandfather, for a long time, she raised their daughter, Qin Chao, on her own.
It was not until the late 1970s, when the environment became more relaxed, that Qin’s grandfather sold their property against the advice of relatives and brought all their savings to China. They had never been separated since then.
Qin Chunxiao’s name sounded a bit awkward in Cantonese because the Qin family had a mixture of Cantonese, Northeastern, and Russian accents. His name sounded much smoother in Northeastern dialect.
Both Qin’s grandparents had a habit of exercising. They ran the cake shop during the day and went to the nearby sports center to play sports in the evenings. They played badminton, tennis, basketball, and even formed a senior badminton team. They looked much more energetic than people their age. At 60 years old, they appeared to be in their fifties.
Qin Chunxiao was influenced by these two and also engaged in sports. He wore gloves with his grandmother to pack the pastries into boxes, arranged fresh cow’s milk and sheep’s milk in the refrigerator, as modern parents paid attention to providing their children with meat, eggs, and milk. Every day after school, a group of elementary school students with cards would come here to buy dairy products.
At 6:30, the Good Taste Cake Shop opened its doors. Qin’s grandmother stood at the cash register, busy with work. Qin Chunxiao handed over the plastic bags with the goods.
After the busiest breakfast time ended, Qin Chunxiao swept the shop with a mop and cloth.
Old Ivan felt helpless. “Misha, you can’t keep spraying disinfectant in the shop every day. The smell is too strong and it will affect the aroma of the cakes.”
Qin Chunxiao replied, “Don’t worry, I only put a bottle cap of disinfectant in a bucket of water. After dilution, it doesn’t have such a strong smell. Grandpa, move aside, I’ll also clean the cabinet behind you. You and grandma are getting older, it’s not convenient for you to move these heavy things around normally. While I’m here, let me thoroughly clean everything for you.”
Qin’s grandfather said, “…you brat, you’re the one who’s getting old. I always have a regular deep cleaning schedule, you know?”
Don’t doubt his strictness in hygiene as a food and beverage operator.
They spoke in Russian.2
Compared to his grandfather and mother, Qin Chunxiao and Qin Chunfeng’s facial features were already quite Chinese, although their eyes were relatively deeper, their noses were more prominent, and they had a pair of blue eyes that inexplicably passed down to the third generation.
Qin Chunxiao was the worst in the family when it came to speaking Russian. But fortunately, he had a foundation from his childhood family, recognized the Russian alphabet, and with the help of the elementary school textbooks sent by his Aunt Natasha, he could already read and write at the level of a first-grade Russian elementary school student.
His goal was to improve his Russian to the level where he could read all the textbooks of Russian elementary school by October. It only involved reading, not writing. This goal should be achievable.
When he realized that he still had the college entrance examination waiting for him two years later, Qin Chunxiao suddenly discovered that his rebirth journey was not at all like those powerful rebirth individuals who dominated in various fields.
The exams were still difficult, and there were still formidable opponents in competitions. The heavens didn’t provide any shortcuts; he could only rely on his own efforts!
Well, well, being able to start over again was the greatest stroke of luck. At least both ligaments in his right ankle were in good condition, right?
Except for the sprained ankle during the National Games, Qin Chunxiao recovered in five days. After the injury healed, he could bounce and jump without any lingering effects. This relieved all the coaches, teammates, and fans who were worried about him.
For lunch, he had mixed grain rice, steamed pumpkin, and blanched large prawns. The dessert was yogurt, and there were fruits like bananas and pomelos.
After eating, Qin Chunxiao voluntarily cleaned up the dishes and placed them in the disinfection cabinet. He also put puppy food, nutritional supplements, and calcium tablets in the dog’s food bowl. After hesitating for a moment, he added the leftover shrimp into the bowl.
He held the food bowl and called out, “Cuihua, it’s time to eat!”
Little Bernese Mountain Dog wagged her tail and ran over. She had been nestling in the air-conditioned room and only came out when she heard it was time to eat.
Qin’s grandparents went for their afternoon nap, and a breeze blew in through the open French windows. The light blue curtains fluttered, insects chirped outside, and the old fan hummed as it blew. Qin Chunxiao brought over a common solid wood chair from the countryside and sat by the small fan, reading a very old Russian book.
Qin Chunxiao needed to use a dictionary to read the book titled “Train Ticket with Stars.”
Everything was quiet, except for Qin Chunxiao’s continuously vibrating phone.
Many friends he met on the national team and provincial team loved social media. As long as he set them as special contacts, his phone would ring non-stop all day long.
As it was getting late, Qin Chunxiao put down the book and lay on the bed covered with a cool mat in the guest room. He scrolled through his phone for a while, and Cuihua sneaked in at some point, jumping onto the bed and lying down next to him.
In order to get close to her owner, Cuihua didn’t mind the heat of August at all. Qin Chunxiao casually turned on the air conditioning and scrolled through his phone with his fingers. He saw a post from Lu Xuandong.
He was standing in the brilliant sunlight, with a huge merlion statue in the background, and a young boy standing beside him who looked similar but a bit shorter.
Qin Chunxiao unexpectedly left a comment under this post.
Qin Chunxiao: [Are you running to Singapore?]
After a while, Lu Xuandong replied in a private message: [Visiting my younger brother and mom’s relatives there.]
Lu Xuandong: [My grandmother’s health isn’t good, so she settled in Singapore many years ago. Yun Chen also grew up there.]
Then Lu Xuandong explained further. The education system in Singapore was highly regarded internationally. Yun Chen had been attending primary and secondary school there since he was young. Moreover, Singapore had a system of family offices that was friendly to wealthy families, and the inheritance tax was also low. Therefore, the Lu family had considered having Yun Chen acquire Singaporean citizenship in the early years.
However, Lu eventually realized that the motherland was gradually becoming prosperous and strong, and since Zheyue’s main market was in China, it would not reflect well if his son emigrated. So they dismissed the idea and had Yun Chen return to China for high school, allowing him to choose Chinese citizenship when he became an adult.
Qin Chunxiao: [Do you plan to obtain citizenship there?]
Lu Xuandong: [No, I never had the thought of changing my citizenship. But I plan to try the A-Level exams here.]
Qin Chunxiao: [A-Level exams?]
Lu Xuandong: [It’s the equivalent of the college entrance examination here. Registration starts in March and lasts until January of next year. I came to Singapore this time for the oral exams, and the written exams will be in October. However, except for the Chinese subject, all the other subjects are in English. I’m not confident about my scores, but universities within the Commonwealth recognize A-Level results, so it’s worth considering.]
Qin Chunxiao had no knowledge of Singapore’s examination system, but he thought Lu Xuandong was quite impressive because this guy had the courage to participate in English exams after dropping out of school for several years.
This also indicated that Lu Xuandong had never stopped learning after dropping out. As he himself said, he wanted to study.
Qin Chunxiao: [You can apply to universities within the Commonwealth, such as in the UK and Australia?]
Lu Xuandong: [Yes.]
Qin Chunxiao: [But I heard that some good universities require high school grades for application.]
Didn’t Lu Xuandong drop out of school at the age of 15?
Lu Xuandong: [I have high school transcripts, and as long as there are some honors certificates from social activities and competitions, it will make the university application process easier.]
Qin Chunxiao: [Honors certificates?]
Lu Xuandong silently displayed a bunch of photos of certificates of honor. He had been organizing these things recently to increase his chances of getting into university. His phone had quite a few pictures stored.
Qin Chunxiao was almost blinded by Lu Xuandong’s glorious past.
He had no idea that Lu Xuandong had already swept through the awards in the domestic pop music scene. Not only that, he had also participated in various performance and charity events in Asia as one of the representatives of the younger generation in China.
Don’t be surprised. With Lu Xuandong’s talent in music and his face that was always camera-ready, he was already a prominent figure in the younger generation of the Chinese pop music industry before he turned 18.
He had even performed with an erhu and a well-known foreign symphony orchestra at a famous music hall!
In addition to that, Lu Xuandong had represented a mining group in Shanxi Province to donate medical supplies to areas affected by epidemics in Africa. He had also done charity performances and delivered speeches.
It seemed that the wife of the boss of Caiwang Company was a coal mine owner. Was that her connection?
Qin Chunxiao didn’t even know that Lu Xuandong had been to Africa. After all, in the novel “The Young Master from a Wealthy Family is a Top Star,” the protagonist was Lu Xuandong’s younger brother, not Lu Xuandong himself. Many of Lu Xuandong’s past experiences were not written about, and in his previous life, Qin Chunxiao didn’t pay much attention to the entertainment industry, let alone dig into the past of a retired singer.
But Lu Xuandong’s past was actually quite remarkable. Considering his humble beginnings before he was recognized by the wealthy family, he had managed to become the representative of the post-95 generation in the entertainment industry. He had fully seized every opportunity that fate had given him.
Perhaps even without being recognized by the Lu family, Lu Xuandong would still have a good life.
Thinking of this, Qin Chunxiao quickly shook his head. With his gambler father from the Mei family, it would be difficult for Lu Xuandong to live a good life as long as he couldn’t get rid of him.
Gambling was something that could drag a family into hell.
Qin Chunxiao: [Do you have any preferred schools?]
Lu Xuandong: [London School of Economics and Political Science]
At first glance, this school may not be as famous as Oxford or Cambridge, but when Qin Chunxiao searched it, he found that their social sciences and management programs ranked in the top three in the world. They also had top-five rankings in accounting, finance, and economics. The school had 18 Nobel laureates among its alumni, and the owners of economic awards accounted for a significant portion. It was a prestigious institution in the fields of business, economics, and social sciences.
Qin Chunxiao: [Your goal is quite high. Can you do it?]
Lu Xuandong: [I don’t know. I’ll give it a try first. If the A-Levels don’t work out, there’s still the SAT and the college entrance examination.]
Was this exam god planning to challenge three major examination systems within a year?
Qin Chunxiao couldn’t imagine the intensity of Lu Xuandong’s exams because he himself was already exhausted from preparing for the college entrance examination alone. During the final exams at No. 6 High School, he had given his all and only managed to rank in the top 50 of the entire grade.
Alas, he didn’t even make it into the top ten of the entire grade after being reborn. It seemed that among the vast number of reborn individuals, he belonged to the weaker ones.
Qin Chunxiao: [Good luck. I’m going to take a nap.]
Lu Xuandong: [Then I’ll go have my meal too.]
Seeing Lu Xuandong put down his phone, Lu Yunchen immediately did the same. The two brothers looked at each other, and Lu Yunchen felt an incredibly awkward atmosphere.
If he had known that this restaurant would be so slow in serving food, Lu Yunchen would never have brought Lu Xuandong here. Faced with his brother whom he had never seen since birth, he had no idea how to communicate with him, especially since their grandmother had warned him to be cautious around this brother.
Because this brother had abandoned his career in the entertainment industry and even mentioned wanting to study at the London School of Economics and Political Science, it was clear that he hadn’t completely let go of his attachment to Zhe Yue. And as the eldest son, this family business should have originally belonged to him. If Lu Xuandong hadn’t been abducted, Lu Yunchen’s birth would have been hanging by a thread.
But the problem was, Lu Yunchen had no interest in managing the business. Instead, he wanted to enjoy the spotlight on the stage. He enjoyed being the center of attention. If this brother had the ability, it didn’t matter if he received the family inheritance from Zhe Yue. After all, their parents would definitely leave him money.
Considering these factors, Lu Yunchen was willing to have a friendly relationship with this brother. But he really didn’t know how to communicate with him. In his imagination, when the other person finally returned home, they should show some enthusiasm towards their family. Then he could take advantage of the situation and accept their goodwill.
But Lu Xuandong showed no warmth towards the family. Instead, he maintained a cautious attitude and interacted with them politely, almost testing the waters.
So far, the one who had the best relationship with Lu Xuandong in the family was surprisingly their father, Lu Hao.
As brothers, other than their similar faces, they had few similarities. They differed in height, with Lu Xuandong being much taller than Lu Yunchen. Their life experiences were different, their personalities were different, their accents were different when speaking, and even their food preferences were different. Lu Yunchen loved seafood just like his mother, but this brother of his was allergic to seafood, just like their father.
And lately, Lu Xuandong had been eating exceptionally light. When he came to the restaurant with his younger brother, he only ordered two chicken cutlets and a glass of lemonade. Lu Yunchen couldn’t understand why he ate like this. What joy was there in life?
As they were almost finished with their meal, Lu Yunchen couldn’t help but ask, “Aren’t you planning to retire from the entertainment industry? Why are you restraining yourself like this?”
Lu Xuandong looked puzzled. “I’m not restraining myself.”
Lu Yunchen said, “But you’ve been eating nutritious and fitness meals, and you go to the gym every day. Let’s be honest, in the entertainment industry, only action stars put in this much effort, right?”
Lu Xuandong suddenly realized, “I’m not doing this for my on-screen image. I just want to have a healthy physique because my previous physical condition was unhealthy.”
Lu Yunchen glanced at him, thinking that it was a good thing. He was thin, but he looked energetic and good on camera.
Lu Xuandong, seeing his brother’s skeptical expression, took out his phone and opened a video. “I prefer this physique.”
Lu Yunchen looked closely and realized that the scene in the video was a volleyball court. It seemed to be shortly after the finals of the National Games. The top attacker of the national team, Qiao Mingming, was carrying him with his strong arms, and Qin Chunxiao, the top defender of the national team, was swinging on his elbow like a swing.
Not far from them, Fu Biyang and Min Yaoyang also raised their arms.
As the beloved member and team dad of the national team, Qin Chunxiao was treated like a volleyball superstar. After the National Games, his good friends began to lift him up with their increasingly muscular arms, letting Qin Chunxiao swing on them like a toy.
Lu Yunchen understood and asked, “Do you want to have Qin’s physique?”
Everyone in the Lu family knew about Lu Xuandong’s recent actions. He terminated his contract with the entertainment company and went to watch the volleyball matches at the National Games, earning the title of “Qin Chunxiao’s fanboy” that spread across the internet. With Zhe Yue’s interest in signing Qin Chunxiao, Lu Yunchen also remembered his name.
In Lu Yunchen’s opinion, this athlete who was a year younger than himself indeed had a remarkable appearance. However, his height was not outstanding among volleyball players, and his skills were difficult to assess since Lu Yunchen didn’t understand volleyball. But by looking at Qin Chunxiao’s face, he could tell that his popularity was likely due to his facial appearance.
Men’s volleyball had been declining for many years, and in terms of this sport, European and American teams held significant advantages. Even if the Chinese men’s team made a comeback, it would be difficult to compete with the strong European and American teams. At most, they could dominate in Asia. With so many athletes in China and numerous world champions, why did Zhe Yue have such high expectations for Qin Chunxiao? It must be because of his looks, what else could it be?
But since Qin Chunxiao had commercial value and the support and admiration of Lu Xuandong, signing him wouldn’t be a loss.
Qin Chunxiao’s physique was considered good in Lu Yunchen’s eyes. He was lean, powerful, and had a great proportion. He had a youthful appearance, but compared to last year, he had gained some muscle. Lu Yunchen was still in high school and hadn’t been involved in Zhe Yue’s business, but if he were to manage it, he would advise Qin Chunxiao to lose some weight and regain his slender figure from last year.
As someone who maintained his physique through dance and controlled diet, occasionally indulging in desserts, Lu Yunchen preferred a slender figure with a thin back and waist and long legs. In his eyes, the muscular athletes of the national team were like gorillas.
Lu Xuandong shook his head and said, “I prefer Qiao’s physique.”
He hoped that the next time they met, he would have enough strength to swing on Qin Chunxiao’s arms. That was why he was working so hard on his fitness and muscle building.
Lu Yunchen’s face showed shock, and after a while, he stammered, “You… your taste is quite straight.”
Straight?
Lu Xuandong remained expressionless, smiled, and paid the bill with his card.
Lu Yunchen blushed and said, “I told you, it’s my treat. Let me pay.”
Lu Xuandong blocked him with a sentence, “If you say that again, we’ll split the bill.”
Back at the villa, Lu Xuandong politely greeted his grandmother and then sat with her for a while, reporting his thoughts on exploring Singapore today and praising the environment and scenery. Afterward, he said goodbye and returned to his room to continue studying.
One of the most important things that Lu Xuandong learned from Qin Chunxiao was how to handle intimate relationships rationally.
With his shrewdness, Lu Xuandong had long noticed that the elderly woman didn’t like him. He could even guess her thoughts. Lu Yunchen, being her biological grandson, was the most profitable choice for her since he would inherit the family business. On the other hand, if the previously unknown Lu Xuandong were to inherit the family’s wealth from Lu Hao, the benefits for the elderly woman would be reduced.
After spending so many years in the entertainment industry, Lu Xuandong was well aware that everything in the world could be interpreted in terms of personal gain. Even his younger brother Lu Yunchen, his biological father Lu Hao, and his birth mother Zhao Zhaoyan all had their own ulterior motives and thoughts, each considering things from their own perspectives.
But Lu Xuandong didn’t care because he had accumulated quite a sum of money before retiring from the entertainment industry. It was enough to support himself, and he had become financially independent. With that independence, he didn’t need to care about anyone’s opinion.
Lu Hao, as his father, was willing to provide him with educational resources, and Lu Xuandong could confidently accept them. After all, Lu Hao was the first elder in this family to show him kindness and closeness. The father-son relationship between them could be tried, but it would have to wait until after the exams.
Taking care of his physical health and achieving admission to his desired university was currently the most important thing for Lu Xuandong.
However, after their lunch conversation, Lu Xuandong keenly sensed one thing—his younger brother not only didn’t meet his expectations of being a “shrewd and capable successor to a prestigious family,” but his sexual orientation also didn’t seem to be entirely straight.
After all, Lu Yunchen excluded himself from the category of “straight males” in his words.
Lu Xuandong felt a bit troubled by his brother’s lack of shrewdness because he knew how much effort and consideration it took to communicate with someone who lacked emotional intelligence. There were three people in the Lu family with such low emotional intelligence—his grandmother, his mother Zhao Zhaoyan, and Lu Yunchen.
After spending some time interacting with Lu Hao, who had been in the business world for many years, Lu Xuandong also realized that the seasoned entrepreneur had some traditional aspects to him. For example, he never considered developing other people within Zhe Yue to be his successor. Instead, after noticing Lu Yunchen’s lack of shrewdness, he personally brought him back to China for training. Lu Hao probably didn’t want outsiders to get involved in his family business.
Therefore, if Lu Yunchen couldn’t shoulder Zhe Yue’s family business, Lu Xuandong might have to step in. It wouldn’t be a problem to take over the multi-billion dollar empire, but he feared that Lu Yunchen would expect him to earn money while not relinquishing control, and ultimately, he would have to take care of his adult brother for the rest of his life. If that were the case, Lu Xuandong would rather continue his own entrepreneurial journey.
However, Lu Hao had surely noticed his younger son’s issue. In that case, Lu Xuandong could inquire and intervene in Zhe Yue’s affairs and help Qin Chunxiao with small tasks. In doing so, there would be advantages and disadvantages.
As for the question of his brother’s sexuality, Lu Xuandong didn’t care. Whether he himself leaned towards one orientation or another would depend on Qin Chunxiao’s attitude in the future.
Before meeting Qin Chunxiao, Lu Xuandong had never thought about his own sexual orientation. Prior to that, the pressures of life had almost overwhelmed him, leaving him with no room to consider matters of the heart. It was only after encountering Qin Chunxiao that he had the time to focus on things beyond mere survival.
In September, Lu Yunchen returned to school. The day after he registered, he had several exams waiting for him.
Their dear teachers firmly believed that in order to prevent students from becoming too lax during the vacation, it was necessary for them to start the school year with exams. This would keep their minds on high alert.
Qin Chunxiao felt dizzy from the exams. After finally finishing them, he learned that he managed to maintain his position within the top fifty of his grade. Then, he received a message from Singapore.
Lu Xuandong: [I aced the oral exam and I’ve been practicing English test papers recently. I no longer make mistakes when reading the questions, and my English proficiency has improved significantly.]
Qin Chunxiao weakly cheered him on.
Qin Chunxiao: [666, wishing the study god success in getting into the London School of Economics.]
Lu Xuandong sent him a picture.
Qin Chunxiao took a closer look and realized it was a shoe design.
The shoe had a white base with aquamarine waves swirling around the upper, and the English words “Fly Wolf” embroidered in gold thread on the sides.
The shoes looked refreshing, sleek, elegant, and had a high level of attractiveness. They exuded a youthful aura, as if the essence of youth was engraved on their surface.
Lu Xuandong: [I discussed the issue of your custom-designed basketball shoes with my father. Your height and shoe size are similar to that of an average person, and you have a good appearance. Zhe Yue conducted research and found that there’s a basketball player in the NBA called “The Answer” who achieved great success in endorsing shoes because of these advantages. On the other hand, the sales of shoes endorsed by towering giants, who are two meters or taller, are not as high.]
Lu Xuandong: [I don’t know much about sports brands, so I had to cram a lot of knowledge last minute. For basketball shoes to sell well, they need the effect of a celebrity. This requires you to achieve results and gain fame on your own. I can’t help with that. However, both appearance and functionality are crucial. I’ve monitored the design plans, and this particular design has received the highest satisfaction within Zhe Yue. If you have any changes in mind, let me know. As for functionality, I’ll have my father assign Zhe Yue’s technical department to conduct data testing at your location. Get prepared.]
Lu Xuandong: [I hope you and Zhe Yue can have a win-win cooperation. With the shoes selling well, we can all make money together. Also, I’ve sent out the English notes I made for you. Remember to collect them.]
