149. BRN Team
"Why did you go out to play for so long today?"
Faced with his mother's question, Yun Ling seemed a little flustered, but still tried to remain calm.
"I accidentally got carried away playing and forgot the time," Yun Ling explained.
His mother didn't press further, but instead urged him to eat.
"You should focus more on your studies right now..." his mother advised.
"Hmm... Have you and Dad eaten?"
Yun Ling looked at the almost untouched food on the table and asked cautiously.
"We've all eaten. This is for you."
His mother said without turning around, washing the dishes in the kitchen.
"But... I can't eat this much." Yun Ling looked at the food on the table with a headache.
It was clearly barely touched; the two plates of vegetables he had eaten at noon were completely gone.
"It's alright, eat slowly. Isn't this your favorite food? Eat more; you're growing." His mother said, seemingly unconcerned.
Hearing this, Yun Ling felt a strange pang of guilt.
Following this was a subtle, yet unnoticed, feeling of annoyance.
They were always like this, saving the best for themselves. It seemed like happiness, but Yun Ling always felt an invisible pressure weighing on his heart, making it hard to breathe.
Even though his parents weren't putting much pressure on him about his studies, he still felt exhausted.
It was an inexplicable pressure; Yun Ling didn't even know where it came from.
He shoveled food into his mouth, eating his favorite dishes, but his appetite waned quickly.
"Mom, I'm full." Yun Ling put the bowl and chopsticks in the sink.
He could wash them himself, but his mother would scold him for wasting water.
"You only ate this little bit?"
Looking at the large amount of food left on the table, his mother seemed quite angry.
"I specially made your favorite dishes, and you just waste them like this?"
"But I really can't eat anymore..."
"You must have bought snacks outside, right? Don't you know that eating too many snacks is bad for your health?"
"I didn't," Yun Ling said stubbornly.
"You didn't eat this little bit? Do you know how hard I work cooking for you every day..."
Hearing his mother's scolding, Yun Ling swallowed the words he was about to say about playing professionally.
After his mother's lecture, he returned to his room dejectedly and lay down on his bed.
The next morning.
"Do you want noodles for breakfast?" his mother asked, looking towards Yun Ling's room.
"No, I don't think I'm very hungry," Yun Ling replied loudly.
A short while later, his mother came to Yun Ling's room.
"I've made the noodles, come and eat."
"I'm really not hungry," Yun Ling frowned.
"Why are you like this, child?! I'm only doing this for your own good! What if you're hungry and I'm not here?"
"...Okay, I'll eat." Yun Ling reluctantly went to the dining table, and his mother finally stopped nagging.
Looking at the large bowl of noodles, a wave of nausea rose.
He forced himself to swallow most of the noodles, suppressing his hunger, and his mother's expression softened considerably.
At noon, it was lunchtime again.
There were three dishes on the table, one of which was leftovers from yesterday, already stale.
The other two new dishes were Yun Ling's favorites.
His father and mother ate the noodles they hadn't finished that morning and the leftovers from yesterday.
Then they kept telling Yun Ling how delicious the two hot dishes were, without even taking a bite themselves.
Yun Ling's expression became somewhat numb, and guilt welled up in his heart again.
Thinking back on his past life, it seemed like it had always been like this.
The 'special treatment' at home might have felt blissful at first.
But gradually, Yun Ling realized that all the happiness he experienced seemed to come at the expense of his parents' happiness.
Even this so-called 'happiness' had become something forced upon him.
Even if Yun Ling didn't want it, he would be shut down with a phrase like, "This is all for your own good," or "Do you know how hard I work?"
Discomfort, repression, and frustration accumulated in his heart, making Yun Ling suffer immensely.
He tried to study hard, but his grades remained mediocre.
Only on weekends could he secretly sneak into internet cafes to play games, where he could truly relax.
Soldier didn't force him, but he felt a little regretful. He had seen many promising talents, but most of them couldn't join the industry because of their family circumstances.
It was perfectly normal for parents to look down on their children for playing games; they would rather their children live an ordinary life than let them try to experience things from that perspective.
However, Soldier still tried to train Yun Ling, from explaining the strategy to practicing the hero pool and handling details.
Yun Ling consistently received perfect scores in every training test.
This talent was undoubtedly the best he had ever seen!
This further convinced him that if Yun Ling participated in professional competitions, his future would be limitless! Absolute dominance!
"There's an online training match next Saturday, want to give it a try?" Soldier patted him on the shoulder and asked enthusiastically.
"Playing against a pro…" Yun Ling took a deep breath.
He had played many ranked matches on Soldier's account, facing many skilled players and solo queue kings, but none of them had put him under pressure.
Now, being able to compete against pro players, he was already eager to do so.
"Pro players aren't as amazing as you think, but I'll talk to the captain and let you play. Choose the top lane, which you're currently most familiar with," Soldier reassured him.
"Mmm."
A week of study felt long, but finally, the day arrived, and Yun Ling arrived on time.
"Are you here? Your account is ready," Soldier said to Yun Ling.
Yun Ling eagerly put on his headphones.
"Captain, the prodigy I told you about is here," Soldier called out over the voice chat.
"Hmm? Oh, he's already here?" a female voice came through.
"He...hello everyone, I'm Yun Ling, uh...I'm the top laner for this competition, you can just call me Yun Ling." Yun Ling gave a brief self-introduction.
"Don't be so nervous, I'm the captain of the BRN team. You can call me Brownie, or Bronya, or Captain, whatever you like. I'm the marksman."
The ID with the nickname 'Metal Gear Bronya' spoke up.
"Hello, I'm 'Heavy Armor Little Rabbit 19C,' just call me Little Rabbit, I'm the support." A mischievous voice rang out.
"I'm 'Moon Sea Fish Cat Dominator'. Seriously, can't I change this ID? It's so embarrassing to introduce myself like this every time... I'm the mid laner, the vice-captain of the BRN team. Just call me 'Moon Cat' or 'Vice-Captain'."
"And lastly, it's me, Soldier, the jungler for the BRN team." Soldier also introduced himself.
...