Chapter 17 – To Bargain
Rebirth.
Lin Xingling’s ears perked up when he heard those two words.
The first card said the child was a genius, the second card mentioned recent financial matters, and the third card… could it be implying that the person beside Cheng Che had been reborn?
“The Judgment card… hmm, I can’t interpret it…” Liu Ying frowned. “Interpreting it as rebirth is far-fetched.”
Not far-fetched…
Cheng Che didn’t want Liu Ying to overthink, so he quickly came up with an idea and used the excuse, “My joining the team is also a kind of rebirth,” to brush him off.
Lin Xingling: Thankfully, the child didn’t think too much…
Seeing that Stars beside him didn’t show any change in expression, Cheng Che finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Brother Feng: “You two, set off quickly. The location and chat records have been sent to your phones. You can check them on the way.”
Lin & Cheng: “Okay, got it.”
The two of them spoke in unison, then lowered their heads and chuckled in perfect harmony. When they raised their eyes again and met each other’s gaze, there was a hint of blush on their faces.
“Let’s go, Captain.”
“Alright.”
…
As they descended the stairs, neither of them paid attention to each other, lost in their own thoughts.
Cheng Che was accustomed to putting his hands in his pockets, whether it was his jacket or trousers. As long as there were pockets on his clothes, his hands would never be exposed.
After a few minutes, he suddenly saw a bright light at the staircase on the first floor, which dazzled his eyes without him noticing.
His vision blurred, and he missed a step on the stairs. With his hand still in his pocket, he couldn’t reach out to grab the railing, and he was about to fall forward.
“Mom!!!”
Ah… the anticipated pain of a gruesome fall didn’t come. Cheng Che opened his eyes in confusion and felt his neck being squeezed tightly.
It was Lin Xingling who had grabbed the back of his collar from behind.
“C-Captain?”
Before he could react, Lin Xingling used his other arm to wrap around Cheng Che’s waist and let go of him. That arm also wrapped around him.
Cheng Che had a slim waist; one arm was enough to hold him tightly… but he could tell from the touch that he hadn’t been eating well before.
He really can’t stop worrying about me.
“In the future, don’t put your hands in your pockets while walking.”
After setting Cheng Che firmly on the ground, Lin Xingling pointed at his nose as a form of reprimand.
Cheng Che nodded earnestly, and just as he was about to put his hands back in his pockets, he suddenly remembered what he had said and hesitated to do so… feeling a bit at a loss with his hands outside.
Lin Xingling also noticed this and reached out to grab his left hand. “It’s rush hour in the city now, and the roads will be congested. Let’s take the bus.”
“Mm.”
On the way to the bus stop, they held hands all the way. Cheng Che felt too embarrassed to look at Lin Xingling and kept his head down until they arrived before he looked up and asked which bus to take.
“Bus No. 6.”
The star-shaped diamond earring on the right earlobe of Lin Xingling reflected the dazzling morning light, just like the light in the stairwell earlier, which blinded Cheng Che’s eyes.
Cheng Che quietly let go of Lin Xingling’s hand, but Lin Xingling grabbed his hand even tighter
.
“We don’t have stairs or stairwells now… I don’t… I don’t need it anymore…”
Quick, let go of my hand! Those girls over there are giving us strange looks!
“I’m afraid you’ll get lost. I feel more at ease holding onto you.” Lin Xingling smiled, and his eyes behind the lenses narrowed into slits.
Get lost? I’m not a child… no, I am a child. Hurry up and hold my hand tightly, don’t let go!
With willow-leaf eyebrows, almond-shaped eyes, and a lively double eyelid… Stars was truly good-looking to the point of being irresistible.
Cheng Che allowed him to hold his hand without struggling.
A few girls on the side discreetly raised their phones.
“Click–“
“… We have arrived. Please exit through the rear doors… The bus is moving. Please hold on to the handrails. The next stop is… Please prepare to exit!”
The No. 6 bus was always crowded, let alone finding a seat. Even securing a hanging ring for oneself was a luxury.
Fortunately, Cheng Che and Lin Xingling managed to find their standing positions, quite close to each other, allowing them to support each other.
… Well, it was mostly Cheng Che supporting Lin Xingling.
It would take nearly an hour by bus to reach the TG Club building. Cheng Che had motion sickness, and coupled with the bumpy journey from the outskirts to the city center, he was already feeling overwhelmed after only twenty minutes.
But he still forced himself to endure, not wanting others to think he was weak.
Of course, Cheng Che’s real age was twenty-one, the same age as the current Stars, so how could he still be a burden to others?
Cheng Che gritted his teeth and let the cold sweat on his forehead slide down his cheeks and onto the ground.
I wonder if it splattered into eight pieces… after all, there’s a song that goes, “The sweat drops fall and splatter into eight pieces, I’m saving money for my daily life.”
This song can be dedicated to DCT; he was trying to make light of the situation.
“Clear?”
Noticing Cheng Che’s low spirits, Lin Xingling called out to him worriedly.
Cheng Che looked up blankly and met his gaze without saying a word.
Fine beads of sweat formed on the hand holding the hanging ring, slowly condensing into a large drop, sliding down the arm, and then softly “dripping” onto the floor.
The whole world seemed to quiet down.
Dizzy, feeling nauseous but unable to vomit, Cheng Che’s vision became blurry, and he couldn’t hear the surrounding sounds clearly. He just wanted to sit down and rest.
His body tilted and swayed with the increasing speed of the car, and his fingers were sore from being pressed against something. After three minutes, he couldn’t help but let go of the hanging ring.
“Tsk…”
At the same moment Cheng Che let go, Lin Xingling hugged the child’s body and held him in his arms. “Are you okay?”
“Huh?” Cheng Che was caught off guard, and his face hit his chest, making his nose feel sour.
Afraid that Cheng Che couldn’t recover in time, Lin Xingling gently patted his back and asked, “Car sickness?”
Indeed.
Cheng Che rubbed his nose and nodded.
Car sickness is quite troublesome… Lin Xingling sighed and coaxed him in a tone used for comforting children, “Just close your eyes, and you’ll be fine. Good boy.”
“Blindfolded donkeys grinding a millstone use the same principle, so it should work for car sickness too.”
“Okay.” Although it sounded a bit silly, Cheng Che inexplicably found it comforting.
“…”
This method was quite effective.
Cheng Che stayed curled up in Lin Xingling’s arms until they got off the bus without feeling unsteady anymore… Not that he wasn’t feeling sick anymore, but the scent emanating from Lin Xingling’s body was truly comforting.
The sweet fragrance of osmanthus.
After getting off the bus, they walked a hundred meters east from the bus stop and arrived at the TG Club building. The fourth floor was the King’s Glory division.
Taking the elevator upstairs, when they reached the doors, Lin Xingling instinctively held Cheng Che’s hand, but Cheng Che shook it off.
Cheng Che took a few steps forward and realized that what he did was not right. He stopped and waited for Lin Xingling to catch up before taking the initiative to hold his hand again. “I’m… I’m sorry.”
Children are shy and not too close… Lin Xingling knew his temperament and shook his head with a smile, not thinking too much about it.
He didn’t even think that the child might not be what he had imagined.
…
Holding Cheng Che’s hand, Lin Xingling arrived at the office of TG manager Zhang Hui. He raised his hand to knock on the door, but Cheng Che kicked the door open.
“Don’t use your hand, it’s dirty.”
Zhang Hui, who was sitting behind the desk, exchanged glances with several other team management personnel, not knowing what to say.
After all, kicking the door was their team’s signature move.
“I came here today to talk to you about terminating the contract,” Cheng Che went straight to the point, entering the office and taking a seat on a swivel chair. He appeared calm and composed, not stuttering even in critical moments.
Lin Xingling stood behind him in a daze and added, “Yes, we need to terminate the substitute contract for Clear.”
Suddenly, he felt like he hadn’t played much of a role.
The child is confident, seems like I’m unnecessary.
Zhang Hui didn’t waste any words and took out a stack of contracts from the drawer, tossing them in front of Cheng Che mockingly. “Little stutterer, who’s this new sugar daddy you’ve found? How dare you be so arrogant.”
Even when being mocked, Lin Xingling maintained a humble and polite attitude. “Manager Zhang, you’re exaggerating. It’s just a contract termination and moving to another team. There’s no sugar daddy involved.”
“Hmph.”
The implication was that they didn’t have a sugar daddy, so how dare they be so arrogant… Zhang Hui sneered. “If you want to terminate, you can. It’s written in the contract, a breach penalty of eight million yuan. Pay it, and you’ll be released from the contract.”
Everyone knows that the DCT team is so poor that they have to take a bus to the tournament venue. Let alone eight million, it would be difficult for them to come up with one million.
“What? Eight million… You’re going too far!”
Lowering his gaze, Lin Xingling thought for a moment and asked with an attitude of accepting any possible reduction, “Can it be… a little less?”
Cheng Che turned his head to look at him, only to see him still standing. “Captain, why… why aren’t you sitting?”
It’s just eight million, quickly sit down and don’t embarrass yourself.
“No need, I like standing.” Lin Xingling calmly glanced at the smooth back of Cheng Che’s neck and smiled.
Like a pure little kitten, so adorable.
“…A little less? How much do you want to give?” Zhang Hui countered.
With the impression that there might be room for negotiation, Lin Xingling quickly extended a finger and said, “How about a 10% discount?”
Seeing Lin Xingling’s compromising expression, Cheng Che wanted to give Zhang Hui the middle finger.
Zhang Hui tapped on the calculator a few times and came up with the result. “Seven million two hundred thousand, not…”
Before he could say the word “okay,” Lin Xingling interrupted, “No, it’s eight thousand… Eight million multiplied by a 0.1 discount, exactly eight thousand.”
Without waiting for Zhang Hui to speak, Lin Xingling continued, “Let’s round it up and make it a hundred thousand for you.”
“Math Genius.”
“Stars, are you kidding?” Zhang Hui half-smilingly shook his head. “At most, I can give you a five-thousand discount because Clear played as a substitute for four matches last night, and each match is worth ten thousand, so one match counts as a discount for you.”
This statement made, Lin Xingling was not a fool. “The value of Clear playing those four matches is worth more than just forty thousand, right? Don’t argue, the fact is here. If it weren’t for him playing those four matches and helping you win against DW, could your TG make it to the finals?”
Zhang Hui: “…”
“Moreover, Clear only signed a one-year contract with you as a substitute… It’s about to expire in just over a month. In theory, the breach penalty should be reduced appropriately.”
Bang!
As he was speaking, the door was kicked open.
Author’s Note:
【Mini Theater: Mathematical Genius Hamster Ball】
Yeong Meimei: What is one plus one?
Hamster Xingling: Two!
Wu You: What is one plus two?
Hamster Xingling: Mountain (three)!
Xiao Pei: What is pi equal to?
Hamster Xingling: ???
Hamster Xingling: You’re making it difficult for me…
Xiao Pei: No, it’s simple, 3.1415926535…
Everyone: Xiao Pei, stop! Star Daddy is having a meltdown!
Cat Cheche: Don’t have a meltdown, let me ask you, what is three multiplied by seven?
Hamster Xingling: … (in meltdown mode)
Cat Cheche: Mua~
Hamster Xingling: Love you (21)!
thank you for the chapter!
the manager is so shady af