Chapter 32 – Funding
After watching a SpongeBob SquarePants movie in the living room, it was already past midnight.
Lin Xingling yawned, feeling inexplicably like he was watching cartoons with his own child.
The child was an adult but even more of a handful than a small child.
After finishing the movie, Cheng Che happily drank a bottle of iced tea, “Hmm?”
Suddenly, someone took away the drink bottle from his hand.
Lin Xingling wagged his index finger at him, “If you want tea, I can brew you a cup of black tea. If you want a beverage, there’s AD calcium milk in the cabinet… Don’t drink this; it has food additives and artificial colors.”
He spoke as if he were a middle-aged parent sharing health articles on social media.
Cheng Che reached out to him, pleadingly saying, “Just… just this bottle. Can I finish it, please?”
“Drink it tomorrow,” Lin Xingling also extended his hand, “Give me the bottle cap, I’ll put it in the fridge for you.”
“Y-You… you said… opened drinks should be finished, not kept overnight, or else… there’ll be bacteria.” Cheng Che was taught to use magic to defeat magic, and he deeply understood this principle.
This… this…
For a moment, Lin Xingling was speechless. He couldn’t think of a counterargument, so he reluctantly returned the drink, saying, “Drink more plain water; it’s better than these beverages.”
“Okay… okay…” Cheng Che finished it in one gulp and prepared to cover the bottle and throw it in the recycling bag when he saw another bottle cap inside, coincidentally.
“Another… another bottle, eh!”
The child hurriedly rushed into the kitchen, washed and dried the bottle cap, and put it in his pocket, fearing that Lin Xingling would take it away.
“…”
Lin Xingling helplessly watched the entrance of the small kitchen and caught a glimpse of Brother Feng coming out of the office. “What’s the situation? Any clues?”
“Tsk…”
There were no clues.
Brother Feng had just gathered everyone in the living room to announce that the team needed to find investors, but suddenly stopped.
…Maybe he was afraid the children would overthink things and have trouble sleeping at night, so he decided to wait until the next morning to talk about it.
“Never mind, never mind, you all can go back. Don’t stay up late, get some rest.”
Wu You and the others, who were called out of their rooms, turned to go back.
But then Brother Feng called them back.
Brother Feng: “You guys… I was about to announce an important message, but then I suddenly stopped. Are you all going to keep wondering and lose sleep?”
Liu Ying, the little angel, replied seriously, “No, we won’t. You often do this.”
Everyone was used to it.
If you’re really curious, I’ll use tarot cards to figure it out myself.
Brother Feng didn’t believe it and looked at Phantom, asking, “Really?”
Phantom: “…”
Wu You put his arm around Phantom’s shoulder and said, “Really, really. Master, you worry too much. Let’s go back and sleep.”
As he spoke, his arm was shrugged off by Phantom.
“Then, Clear?” Brother Feng looked at Cheng Che.
Following Lin Xingling’s “teaching,” Cheng Che shook his head, “If… if you don’t want to say… then don’t say.”
No flaws whatsoever.
Now Brother Feng was completely relieved, waved his hand for them to go back, and returned to the office himself… The situation was getting tricky.
Lin Xingling wanted to ask him how it was going but was sent back to the room.
He washed his face, brushed his teeth, and went to bed with Cheng Che.
As the hottest period of summer approached, the weather became increasingly hot. However, the fifth-floor room in the suburbs remained cool, even somewhat chilly at midnight.
The window of Room 508 was the vent, allowing the wind to pass through the screen and exit through the small window above the bedroom door.
Whoosh…
To some people, it sounded like natural sleep-inducing music, but to those whose sleep quality was poor, it was plain noise.
Cheng Che thought to himself that he couldn’t blame the wind for his inability to sleep; if he had to blame someone, it would be the person sleeping beside him.
Lin Xingling.
Lin Xingling was strange; sometimes his sleeping position was gentle and protective, while other times it was just awful… and sometimes he even snored.
But he only snored when he hadn’t slept well. When Cheng Che patted his head, he stopped snoring.
It was mainly a matter of sleeping position…
Cheng Che tightly wrapped himself in his ancient-style sky blue blanket, glanced at the night light still on, and the faint blue-purple glow around the bedside, and then closed his eyes with reassurance.
Sleep well and have sweet dreams.
…Sleeping soundly, suddenly Cheng Che found himself struggling to breathe because Lin Xingling’s arm was pressed against his chest.
Cheng Che pushed his arm away, but a few minutes later, Lin Xingling turned over again, lying directly on Cheng Che’s chest.
Lin Xingling was spread out on the bed like a pancake, just like the long mama described by Lu Xun, occupying the whole bed in a big ‘X’ shape.
“…”
Just like Brother Xun when he was a child, Cheng Che was forced to curl up in a corner by Brother Lin.
He questioned his life choices.
I really dislike Stars…
“Mmm… Mmm, cub… hug… hug me…”
Squeeze all you want, but don’t come near me… Cheng Che couldn’t hear what he was murmuring in his dream, but he was simply annoyed by the current situation of being confined in a corner by someone.
“Captain…”
If you come any closer, I might get violent.
Lin Xingling pressed his forehead against Cheng Che’s back and rubbed it.
Cheng Che: “…”
A few minutes later, Cheng Che managed to arrange Lin Xingling’s arm that was pressing on him.
…It has been a few days since we had such a commotion. Please don’t touch or move around randomly tonight.
Cheng Che got up from under him and covered him with a blanket.
His blanket was lavender purple and always carried the scent of osmanthus… just like him.
“…Hmm? Huh?”
Lin Xingling opened his eyes drowsily and saw Cheng Che sitting next to him. He hoarsely asked, “What’s wrong, little cub? It’s late, why aren’t you sleeping?”
You have the nerve to ask.
Cheng Che obediently lied down and wrapped himself in the blanket, “Just… just wiped my nose… I’ll sleep right away…”
Sleep right away, as long as you sleep peacefully, I can sleep until morning.
“…”
Early the next morning, Brother Feng, with two dark circles under his eyes, urgently knocked on the door of Room 508. He couldn’t wait to share his complete thoughts with Lin Xingling.
“I mean, we can give 49% of the shares to outsiders. As long as we hold 51%, we are still in control. They are just shareholders.”
He spoke as he followed Lin Xingling to the bathroom.
“Stop.”
Lin Xingling stood at the doorway with a toothbrush in his hand and spoke softly about the matter at hand, “Xiao You, Xiao Pei, Liu Ying, and Huang Yin all fought together from the city competition, national competition, and K-League. Let’s not talk about Xiao Nuo and Hua Xin temporarily. You and I can barely count as part of this big family… Oh, and the little cub.”
After finishing his explanation, he raised a question, “You know all this, but what I want to ask is, who will hold the 51%?”
Brother Feng patted his shoulder, “Well, let’s do it together. 51% together… Don’t worry, our hearts are together, there won’t be any problems.”
Lin Xingling made a sound of agreement.
Hopefully…
The world is too complicated. Hopefully, the members of the DCT team can maintain their youthful enthusiasm and original intentions no matter how many years pass.
“The only problem is our current capital… After buying Clear, we are broke. Even with some scraping and saving, we only have a little over a million… Pfft.”
Brother Feng couldn’t help but burst into laughter while talking.
It’s so pitiful for us… But why do I, as one of the main characters in this matter, find it so funny?
Lin Xingling pursed his lips, “Are you saying… that our 51% share capital is too small?”
Brother Feng nodded.
Lin Xingling didn’t say anything, silently brushing his teeth and washing his face, and then applied a milk-scented face cream.
The face cream belonged to Cheng Che, and the brand was Pippi Dog.
Although Lin Xingling always called it Dumb Donkey in his mind.
After finishing grooming, Lin Xingling left the bathroom and looked at Cheng Che on the bed, still sound asleep.
Brother Feng followed closely behind him like a shadow.
“Solve problems when they arise. Don’t keep staring at me like that. I’m not your problem,” Lin Xingling said, rubbing his forehead.
Brother Feng shook his head, “I was thinking, last time when you got the contract for Clear, you got your share, should I bring mine this time…”
“Bring it then,” Lin Xingling yawned and lazily said, “Anyway, you’re not getting married, so saving it is pointless.”
“You know, I’m waiting for Gu Xun…”
After hearing his words, Brother Feng silently lowered his head and laughed bitterly.
It’s destined that I won’t be able to wait. Still waiting, I’m even starting to despise myself for being so foolish.
“He… He must have his reasons too.” Realizing that he had mentioned something that reminded the coach of a sad memory, Lin Xingling frowned and apologized, “Sorry, brother.”
“It’s no big deal,” Brother Feng smiled and said, “I have gathered one million five hundred thousand here, and we can use it all… Well, let’s consider it as an investment, and we’ll make money out of it.”
“Tsk.”
Lin Xingling shrugged, “Then I’ll ask my dad for my ‘wife fund’ and accompany you on the investment journey.”
Brother Feng exclaimed, “Wait, you still have a ‘wife fund’?!”
Lin Xingling raised his thumb to himself and replied, “Wife fund plus.”
This is a ridiculous version.
…Actually, it means taking back the salary, bonuses, and other income from my parents.
“No wonder you’re so resourceful, Old Godfather.”
Old Godfather was Lin Xingling’s nickname when he and Brother Feng were still in the SYG team. It was a nickname given by the young trainees in the team.
They also gave a nickname to Chen En-ci, who was a good partner to the Old Godfather, and it was “Old Gandada
Because these two… in terms of personality and temperament, they were really gentle, like everyone’s father.
Later, when Lin Xingling joined the DCT team of the K-League, the kids there gave him the nickname “Dad Star,” which was later spread through livestreams, and many people started calling him Dad Star.
The nickname Dad Star spread quickly and widely, and as a result, the nickname Old Godfather was almost never used again… even by the SYG kids.
It was originally just a playful nickname within the team, and it gradually disappeared when they changed environments.
Now, it sounds quite nostalgic.
“It’s been a long time since I heard the name Old Godfather.” (Star)
Taking into account the previous life, it’s been three years.
…
“Hmm…” Cheng Che, lying on the bed, listened to their conversation for a while, then turned over and stretched his body, like a little kitten, and continued sleeping.
Lin Xingling and Brother Feng exchanged glances.
“Tsk, almost forgot about the kid. Let’s go, let’s go to the office and chat, without disturbing your kid’s sleep,” Brother Feng said, linking his arm with Lin Xingling’s and leading him away.
Lin Xingling managed to break free from his grasp and covered the child with a blanket before leaving.
Brother Feng said, “I feel like something’s wrong with you… really wrong… hey, it’s a big problem.”
“No problem, let’s go,” Lin Xingling smiled and said, walking towards him and gently closing the door.
Author’s Note:
【Mini Theater】
How many wives does the hamster have… Fund
Hamster Xingling: Saving the wife fund!
Hamster Xingling: (Saving) one for Liu Ying, one for myself, one for Xiao You, one for Xiao Pei, and one for Brother Feng.
Cat Cheche: What about me?
Hamster Xingling: What do you think?