He Falcon Extra 3
Leave the family dinner.
I felt a long-lost sense of freedom.
He gave his mother no chance to fight back, blocking every avenue of her path.
In some ways, he is indeed very similar to his mother, because they both like to defeat their enemies with a single, decisive move.
He Gu was very happy that day. He drank a lot of wine at the banquet where the negotiations were held. Everyone was looking for an opportunity to congratulate him on getting what he wanted, but he only wanted to share it with Lin Jiang. He took the initiative to call Lin Jiang and asked him to come pick him up.
Lin Jiang called first, pouring cold water on He Gu's excitement: "He Gu, I want to leave KUG."
He gripped his phone tightly between his fingers, unsure how to respond. This was the first time Lin Jiang had called him since he returned to China six months ago.
But he wanted to escape from his side.
He Gu arrived at his apartment building by car, but hesitated when he raised his hand to enter the password. He was unsure whether Lin Jiang had changed it or whether Lin Jiang would deliver a fatal blow.
"Knock knock," a polite knock on the door.
The door opened from the inside. The room was dark and smelled of smoke. Lin Jiang looked unwell. "Come in."
He Hu entered the room and closed the door.
A cold draft blew in through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, causing the curtains to flutter wildly. The apartment, nestled among towering buildings, looked precarious, as if it might collapse at any moment.
He Gu felt uneasy. He sat on the sofa, his hands clasped tightly together. He suddenly wondered what Lin Jiang was thinking when he was alone in the apartment with the lights off, and what he really wanted to leave behind.
Time dragged on, and he said softly, "Lin Jiang, you know I can't agree to you leaving KUG."
Lin Jiang sat at the other end of the sofa and smiled listlessly. "For the sake of our friendship of a few years, can't you help me out? Don't worry about the penalty for breach of contract, I'll pay it. I just hope you can give me back my contract, or sell it. I haven't played in two years. If this continues, I'll really be ruined."
Her clasped hands tightened again and again. "I'm sorry, but there's one thing I can't promise you."
Lin Jiang looked up at him, as if he already knew the outcome, with obvious weariness in his eyes. "He Hu, what else do you want from me? I've helped you rescue KUG, and I've taught your cousin. What else can you use me for? Tell me clearly so I can know what's going on."
He Gu looked up at him, his fingers tightening their grip. He tried to explain, "I didn't tacitly approve of Awen starting, and I wasn't using you. I just..."
"Just what?"
He Gu dared not speak, fearing that if he did, he would truly become a monster in Lin Jiang's eyes.
Lin Jiang sneered twice, "I was outside when you had your meeting that day. Everyone was praising Manager Chen for doing a good job. You wanted to praise him too, didn't you? Even if you don't admit it, I can feel it. You just want to keep me in your hands. He Hu, you're no different from your mother. You want to control everything. You're both monsters at heart."
When that word came out of Lin Jiang's mouth, He Gu trembled uncontrollably. This was partly the reason why he hadn't dared to take another step closer to Lin Jiang for so many years.
He had never loved anyone before, he didn't know what it was like to love someone, and he was afraid of hurting Lin Jiang, so he never dared to take the final step.
But now, even that last bit of cover is gone.
He got up and walked dejectedly to Lin Jiang, reaching out to hug him, but Lin Jiang pushed him away forcefully.
He stood in front of the window, the world tilted, as if he might step out from there at any moment and be completely separated from his world.
He Gu could not bear such an ending. "I cannot agree to this. I cannot let you go."
He felt that his relationship with Lin Jiang wasn't over yet, and if he were to leave, it would truly be over.
He stepped forward and stood beside Lin Jiang, looking at his expression reflected in the glass, trying to see the world from his perspective. "Stay here, I'll give you whatever you want."
Lin Jiang didn't speak, his voice filled with exhaustion and indifference: "You'll grant me anything I want? Then I want the starting position."
He Gu replied without hesitation, "Okay."
He always kept his promises. First, he fired Manager Chen in front of everyone at the meeting, and then he completely suppressed the person in charge of supporting Alike, so that the higher-ups could see his attitude.
That day, a high-ranking official couldn't resist calling him, trying to test his thoughts. He told the other person in a deep voice, "I personally discovered Lin Jiang. Who do you think I would favor?"
The news quickly spread throughout KUG, and on the day of the vote, almost all the votes went to Lin Jiang.
Lin Jiang returned to the starting position, but based on public opinion considerations, it still had to start with rotation and free competition. However, everyone realized that the internal wind had changed, and some people who had sided with Alike also began to side with Lin Jiang.
Alike wanted more and more, bombarding him with calls and messages. He ignored them and continued with the team's decisions. His fans then went to his home and made a scene online.
During that period, public opinion became increasingly unfriendly towards Lin Jiang, and he became increasingly quiet and sluggish in his responses to external affairs.
He Gu came to his side, and it took him a while to turn around and look at him. "You've come."
He didn't know what Lin Jiang was thinking. He bought a few bottles of wine and went to their secret hideout. "Back in the starting lineup, aren't you happy?"
Lin Jiang smiled, but the smile was a little thin. The cold wind made him squint. "I'm happy, but I never thought that one day I, Lin Jiang, would need to get back my starting position in this way. It's a little ridiculous."
He'd had a few drinks and was feeling fairly open-minded. "Do you remember when I first came to KUG?"
He Gu certainly remembered, and he suddenly realized that Lin Jiang had undergone such a big change in just a few years.
Lin Jiang leaned against the railing, lit a cigarette, and slowly exhaled. "I feel like I'm becoming less and less like myself. He Hu, let's cancel the fixed starting lineup. I want to compete with him for the starting position."
The so-called competitive selection means that the two players compete against each other, and whoever performs better in the training match will be the starter in the next game.
The current public opinion is indeed very unfavorable to Lin Jiang. He Gu nodded and agreed with his choice. However, he knew that this would make things very difficult for Lin Jiang.
Is it really worth it?
He has already won two championships and could have retired gracefully, but he chose to put himself in such a dangerous situation.
He opened his mouth, but said nothing. He didn't agree with Lin Jiang, but his friend said that respecting the other party's choice was the best solution.
After the World Championship, although he didn't achieve great results, his relationship with Lin Jiang improved considerably. Occasionally, there were still some unpleasant comments online, but as KUG's performance improved, those comments gradually faded away.
He Gu is also trying to change himself. He will take time to watch Lin Jiang's matches, visit his training sessions, and occasionally take the initiative to participate in topics that Lin Jiang is interested in. He will also take Lin Jiang to see the aquarium after the match.
Lin Jiang is easily satisfied. He pointed at the dolphins rolling around inside and looked at him with disbelief. The two smiled at each other, as if they had returned to the beginning.
Although KUG did not win the championship after the Spring Season, they still have enough strength to qualify for the World Championship.
Lin Jiang was quite happy that day. He called him and said, "You didn't come today, so you have no idea how thrilling the decisive game was. We were really just a hair's breadth away from winning..."
He listened patiently to his phone call. His assistant handed him a document, saying, "Young Master He, if this isn't signed soon, it will cause a delay."
He covered the receiver, quickly glanced through the document, and solemnly signed his name.
He held the phone to his ear again, and suddenly there was silence on the other end. He called out anxiously, "Lin Jiang, are you done with your match?"
He hummed in agreement, took a deep breath, and said, "It's alright, you go ahead with your work. Lao Mao and the others invited me out to celebrate, just letting you know. I might not see this message."
He Gu was a little uneasy, so he carefully considered his words, trying not to sound like he was trying to control him: "Then call me when you're done, and I'll come pick you up."
Lin Jiang neither refused nor agreed.
It took He Gu a long time after the phone call ended for him to remember that today was Lin Jiang's final match. He checked the news and found out that Lin Jiang had lost.
He canceled his evening meeting and arrived early at the gathering to pick up Lin Jiang and take him home.
Through the glass of the doors and windows, he saw Lin Jiang leaning against a corner of the KTV, seemingly lost in thought. Lao Mao teased him, "Is your young master sure you're comfortable coming out to play with us? Aren't you afraid we'll corrupt you?"
Lin Jiang smiled, took a sip of his drink nonchalantly, and said with a hint of indifference in his eyes, "Whatever."
Zeng Yuan requested a song for him called "Red Rose." Everyone teased him and pushed him onto the microphone platform. He didn't refuse and sat on a high stool. His voice, which had been smoking, was slightly low.
He Gu watched him from outside the door for a long time. He rarely saw Lin Jiang like this, as if he would really go crazy if he didn't go crazy soon.
He didn't go in; he just stood outside the door waiting for him.
Lin Jiang was drunk, and Lao Mao put his arm around him, spouting nonsense: "Let me tell you, I watched your match today, and you're as impressive as ever. If you leave KUG sooner, you can really get back on your feet. Trust me, and I trust you too. Your biggest obstacle right now is whether your young master will let him go..."
He nodded, seemingly in agreement.
After saying that, he bumped into He Hu head-on. Even the strongest wine would have sobered up by now.
Old Mao awkwardly let go of her hand, and Zeng Yuan and Yu Ge behind him looked at each other, and the good atmosphere just turned cold.
"We were the ones who wanted to take Lin Jiang for drinks, please don't be angry."
"Yeah, yeah, we also wanted to celebrate with Lin Jiang, he played really well today..."
He suddenly realized that he shouldn't have been so lenient with Lin Jiang, because he really would grow wings and fly away from him without looking back.
He opened the car door, his voice relatively calm, "Let's go home."
There's one last chapter left; it'll be finished after I post it tomorrow.
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