Chapter 90 The Timid Him (Part Two) I'm Proud to Have My Motherland by My Side…

Song Ce was taken aback. He really didn't expect that this big, carefree guy in front of him would have such a delicate mind. It seems that he had been careless.

“You always complain that I look much shorter than you when I walk next to you, but why don’t you react at all today? Hehe, look, Brother Ce, there’s a seven or eight centimeter difference in height between us! Even if I stand behind you, people can tell at a glance that I’m a head taller than you!” Zhao Mingjun grinned and said with a grin.

Seeing the smug look on Zhao Mingjun's face, Song Ce glanced at Zhao Mingjun with a helpless expression and silently withdrew his previous unnecessary thoughts.

“Brother Ce, it’s still early! Shall we go have some fun? There’s a new internet cafe called Red Moon on South Street, and the computers there are amazing! Let’s go! It’s on me!” Zhao Mingjun said, putting his arm around Song Ce’s shoulder.

The Red Moon Internet Cafe that Zhao Mingjun mentioned is a very upscale, non-smoking internet cafe near the school. It costs 10 yuan per hour to use the internet there, but its superior environment, equipment, and internet speed make it stand out among the smoky, ordinary internet cafes. Therefore, Red Moon Internet Cafe attracts many students with ample pocket money. After all, Shanghai is a large city, and the spending power of its students should not be underestimated.

Song Ce nodded slightly, looked at Zhao Mingjun, and said with a smile, "It just so happens that my family just gave me some pocket money, so I can afford the internet fee. But we can only play for two hours at most, as we still have to study in the evening! Besides, our families will worry about us if we go home late."

"Studying... Brother Ce, are you serious?" Zhao Mingjun stared at him with wide eyes, full of suspicion. "Then how come you were at the bottom of the grade in the last monthly exam?"

"That's because I studied!" Song Ce said calmly and confidently. "If I hadn't studied, I would have been at the bottom like you all year round."

"It's okay, Brother Ce, I understand! Did your dad see your math test paper where you got 9 points last time?" Zhao Mingjun thought he had seen through everything, a knowing smile on his face, and he nudged Song Ce lightly with his shoulder in a cheeky manner.

Song Ce: "..."

Speaking of the original owner of this body, apart from being handsome, she really didn't have any outstanding strengths. Although her academic performance wasn't as terrible as Zhao Mingjun's, it wasn't much better. She couldn't even get half the points on a perfect test, which was really frustrating.

The two chatted and laughed all the way, and after walking for more than ten minutes, they saw the eye-catching and impressive red signboard of Red Moon Internet Cafe in the distance.

After entering the internet cafe and choosing a seat, Zhao Mingjun couldn't wait to open the currently popular game "Fearless Heroes." While playing, he urged Song Ce to log in quickly and play together.

"You can play for now, I have important business to attend to today." Song Ce ignored Zhao Mingjun's nagging and went directly to the translation website.

Song Ce carefully sifted through the website and selected a Russian manuscript of about 15,000 words. The manuscript was priced at 500 yuan per thousand words, requiring professional translation and polishing. Considering the current price level, this was a considerable sum. Song Ce glanced through the manuscript and secretly thought to himself that this manuscript wouldn't be difficult for him.

Two weeks later was Song Mingyuan's birthday, and Song Ce planned to give him a birthday present. In the original owner's memories, Song Mingyuan had never celebrated his birthday, not even once... This made Song Ce feel a little uneasy.

Song Ce lost his father at a young age. To him, his father was a stranger, a vague figure, and also...someone he longed for.

Soon, Song Ce sent a brief self-introduction in the email and translated a few obscure technical phrases. Meanwhile, in a biomedical park in downtown Shanghai, Linda heard an email notification on her computer and quickly clicked to check it.

Recently, ANS headquarters has been aggressively expanding its overseas research operations. Due to a shortage of staff at headquarters, some tasks have been delegated to branch offices in various cities. However, the problem is that most employees at the ANS city branch are only fluent in English, with very few who understand Russian. Left with no other option, Linda had to look for freelance Russian translators on some large websites.

ANS, a company that started with scientific research, has extremely high professional requirements for translation work related to scientific research. Although the compensation offered by the Shanghai branch is quite generous, most of the trial translation emails received in the past few days are unsatisfactory and have been rejected by Linda one by one.

With only two weeks left until the deadline set by headquarters, Linda was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. Several blisters appeared on her lips overnight, and she was extremely anxious.

Linda glanced at the translator's basic information and couldn't help but sigh in disappointment.

The sender of this email provided only a very brief self-introduction, which made no mention of any work experience or translation experience related to scientific research. The email simply listed the languages ​​the sender was proficient in: English, Russian, Japanese, and French.

Linda rested her hands on her forehead and resignedly opened the trial translation email attached by the translator.

After carefully reading this seemingly ordinary, even somewhat brief, email for the trial translation, Linda couldn't help but let out a soft "Ah!" The translator had rendered both the experimental procedures and the professional research steps with precision and accuracy.

Linda encountered no awkward phrasing or comprehension difficulties while reading the email. She was certain that the sender was likely an experienced industry professional; otherwise, it would have been impossible to translate these technical terms so accurately.

Another half hour passed, and Linda opened the two more trial translation emails she received. Compared to the one she had just received, they paled in comparison. There were only two weeks left until the deadline from headquarters... Thinking of this, Linda gritted her teeth and decided to take the risk and try to be a "talent scout".

Linda picked up her now-cold coffee, took a sip, and then began replying to emails. She first generously expressed her approval and appreciation for the translator's skills, then sent the translated document, clearly stating the deadline in the email. Linda also formally attached a deposit and a confidentiality agreement.

As she finished writing, Linda paused for a moment, then quickly typed to add: "I hope the translator can complete the task on time and excellently. I look forward to a long-term collaboration in the future." After confirming everything was correct, Linda decisively clicked send.

At that moment, Song Ce, who was playing Spider Solitaire on his computer, heard the notification sound of a new email and a faint smile appeared on his lips. It seemed that things had gone smoothly.

He quickly replied: Email received, thank you! Hope we can work together successfully.

After closing the email page, Song Ce's gaze returned to the Russian manuscript on the computer screen. Beside him, Zhao Mingjun was already engrossed in the intense battle of "Fearless Heroes," occasionally shouting excitedly as his fingers flew across the keyboard, the character's skill effects flashing incessantly on the screen.

An hour flew by, and Zhao Mingjun finally finished the long game. He stretched lazily, still feeling unsatisfied, and turned to Song Ce, saying, "Brother Ce, are you still busy? It's been an hour! Why don't you take a break and play a couple of rounds with me? You didn't see it, my skills were absolutely phenomenal!"

Song Ce didn't even look up, just waved his hand and said, "You go ahead and play, I'm not done yet."

Zhao Mingjun pursed his lips, looked at the incomprehensible Russian text on the screen, muttered, "Then you go ahead and do your thing." He turned around and went back to playing the game.

Before they knew it, the sky outside the window gradually darkened, and the lights in the internet cafe came on one by one. Song Ce rubbed his sore eyes, checked the time, and realized that he and Zhao Mingjun had been online for three hours.

Meanwhile, Song Mingyuan returned home after finishing his overtime work. Chen Mei had already prepared the meal and set it on the dining table.

Looking at the empty house, Song Mingyuan frowned and asked, "Xiao Ce hasn't come back yet? What time is it?"

Seeing this, Chen Mei carefully served Song Mingyuan a bowl of rice and said softly, "He probably went out to play with his classmates. Xiao Ce is a boy after all, and he loses track of time when he starts playing."

Song Mingyuan snorted, "All he does is play all day long and doesn't know how to study properly. His grades are terrible!" Although he said that, there was still a hint of worry in his eyes.

On the other side, Song Ce stretched and loosened his sore shoulders before getting up to buy two bottles of water at the internet cafe's front desk. When he returned, he patted Zhao Mingjun on the shoulder, "Here you go. It's getting late, we should go home."

Zhao Mingjun took the water without turning his head, his eyes still fixed on the screen, and quickly said, "Thanks, Brother Ce. This is a promotion match, I have to finish it before I can leave." After saying that, he unscrewed the cap and took a few big gulps before continuing to immerse himself in the game.

Song Ce watched Zhao Mingjun's gameplay with great interest. He had to admit that Zhao Mingjun was indeed quite skilled at the game. In just a minute and a half, he had achieved a quadra kill.

"Wow, Ce-ge! Look! My play just now was amazing, a quadra kill!" Zhao Mingjun shouted excitedly, his face flushed.

Song Ce smiled and said sincerely, "He is indeed quite impressive."

Fifteen minutes later, Zhao Mingjun's team won a resounding victory. He reluctantly logged off the game, saying as he put on his jacket, "Brother Ce, how come time flew by? I haven't had enough fun yet!"

Song Ce patted him on the shoulder, "Come and play again next time you have time!"

After paying their bill, the two walked out of the internet cafe together. It was already completely dark outside, but the streetlights were bright, and pedestrians and vehicles hurried by, creating a lively atmosphere.

On the other side, Song Mingyuan sat at the dining table, watching Chen Mei reheat the food again and again, his brows furrowed.

Just then, the security door creaked open, and a female voice from the security system rang out emotionlessly: "Welcome home."

Song Ce walked in from outside. He saw that Song Mingyuan looked serious and said, "Dad, I was delayed by something outside, so I came back a little late."

Song Mingyuan was stunned for a moment after hearing this.

His son had never spoken to him so proactively since he came home, and even Chen Mei, who was standing next to him, looked over in surprise.

Just as Song Mingyuan was about to say something, Chen Mei interrupted him, saying, "Xiao Ce, you're finally back! Go wash your hands and eat."

Song Ce responded and went into the bathroom. He quickly came out after washing his hands and sat down at the dining table.

Looking at his calm son, Song Mingyuan paused, trying to soften his tone, and said, "Next time, remember to call Mom and Dad beforehand if anything happens, otherwise we'll worry too much at home..."

Before he could finish speaking, Chen Mei cautiously interrupted, "It's good that Xiao Ce is back. Don't be so harsh on him."

Song Mingyuan opened his mouth, wanting to say that he didn't mean to scold his son, but seeing Chen Mei's disapproving look, he suddenly didn't know what to say.

"I understand, Dad. Next time something happens, I'll definitely call you in advance so you won't worry," Song Ce said earnestly, taking the rice bowl Chen Mei handed him.

Song Mingyuan was stunned for a moment. He couldn't help but look at Chen Mei and found that her eyes were filled with the same surprise as his.

"Xiao Ce, did something happen to you today?" Chen Mei hesitated for a moment before asking softly.

Upon hearing this, Song Ce shook his head: "No, I just suddenly figured some things out." After saying that, he didn't say anything more and lowered his head to eat his dinner in silence.

For a moment, the Song family's dining table was very quiet. Usually, whenever Chen Mei spoke, the original owner would respond enthusiastically and share many interesting stories from school with her. But today, Chen Mei felt a strange feeling rising in her heart. She felt as if there was an invisible veil separating her and Song Ce, and the distance between them had suddenly grown much greater.

-----------------------

Author's note: I'm exhausted after a day out (cuddling)

P.S.: Don't you like modern styles? (Kneels obediently, indifferently shedding tears)