National Training Base.
Birds hid in the shade of the trees to take a nap, seemingly trying to dispel the drowsiness of a summer afternoon.
The women's basketball players on the training field are still running and chasing each other.
The training of aggressive inside penetration tactics pushed everyone's physical limits. The feeling of sweating profusely was exhilarating, but it also caused the players to lose a significant amount of water and electrolytes in a short period.
"Good! Today's training went well. Take a one-hour break," Zeng Ling commanded.
Teaching assistant Wang Yuping reminded them, "Drink the electrolyte water after you've caught your breath."
Zhang Hao suddenly ran to the training ground and stood not far from the entrance, calling out to Zeng Ling to leave.
But Zhang Hao's evasive gaze and his deafening inner voice immediately alerted Lu Yu, as if a storm was about to break, and the name at the center of the storm was hers.
...
Not long after, Zhu Ying, who had gone to the locker room to change her sports headband, rushed back with her phone in her hand and handed it to Lu Yu, panting.
"Little Taro, look! This video is trending on social media."
Exclusive post: - Star player Lu Yu steps into a wealthy family, but his biological mother lives in a dilapidated rented house. The truth is...
Lu Yu's fingertips were trembling.
Biological mother?
Her surprise, anticipation, and fear were all intertwined, tugging at her nerves.
Lu Yu clicked to play the video.
The woman in the video was wearing ill-fitting dark clothes, the neckline of which was deformed. Her hair was pulled back, and some of the white hair was exposed under the camera lens. The years had left interlaced marks at the corners of her eyes, and she looked somewhat haggard.
Under the shaky camera lens, her flustered face revealed her unease.
Background audio plays in the video.
"Family members, Xiao Bao is back again. In this video, I try to look at the world from a different perspective. I found that when my perspective changes, I not only see human suffering, but also the coldness of human relationships. Our world is truly a divided world. Without further ado, please follow me."
More than 20 years ago, a mining accident in the western suburbs of Qingbei City claimed seven lives and destroyed the happiness of seven families. Time has passed; what are the lives of the victims' families like now? Today we interviewed Aunt Wu, a relative of one of the victims of the western suburbs mining accident.
As the background in the video gradually comes into focus, the dilapidated walls are covered in grime. A woman sits in a wobbly chair, smoothing her frizzy hair several times. She glances at the person behind the camera and asks, "Now... is it starting?"
The man named Xiao Bao suddenly appeared in front of the camera, smiling, and said, "Aunt Wu, don't be nervous. We're just asking a few questions. Just tell us what you want to say, it's okay. Okay, Aunt Wu, one of the victims of the western suburban mine disaster was named Lu Guangrong. What was his relationship to you?"
"husband."
"What was the situation like at home at that time? The breadwinner had collapsed. For a family, this is not only the grief of losing a loved one, but also the question of how to survive."
"My family has an orchard where we grow fruit trees."
Did you receive any compensation after the mining accident? Do you still remember how much?
“I didn’t receive the money. I’m not in that house anymore.”
A long silence followed before the camera, then the lens zoomed in, revealing the woman's cracked hands.
Xiao Bao's voice rang out again, "Aunt Wu, what kind of work do you do now?"
"Oh...the cleaning staff."
“Auntie, would you mind if I installed an air conditioner for you later? It’s so stuffy in here. Our photographer’s clothes are soaked with sweat. How do you usually endure this… sigh.” Xiao Bao’s voice was full of sympathy.
"This—it's rented, so it's not a waste of money. Right now... it's fine."
"Aunt Wu, I just saw your hands... Would you mind turning your hands over? Yes, palms up. Dear viewers, it's not that I'm being overly sensitive, but Aunt Wu's palms are covered in yellow pustules and wounds. Actually, Aunt Wu, when I was doing background research for this video, I made a surprising discovery: do you know what your child with Lu Guangrong is doing now?"
"I—I don't know." The woman's words were always fragmented, and she rarely spoke in complete sentences.
The screen suddenly went black, leaving only white subtitles on a black background.
"Lu Yu, 24 years old, is the point guard for the women's national basketball team. Her father is Lu Guangrong and her mother is unknown."
The mother whose surname is unknown in the archives is Aunt Wu, whom we meet today.
I will not speculate on the reasons behind them.
But at least I want to ask one question: how can a certain star player watch his own mother struggle on the verge of death while still enjoying a life of luxury and surrounded by fans?
What kind of deep-seated hatred could make Lu Yu abandon his mother, who was in such dire straits?
I know that once this video is released, Lu Yu's massive fanbase will show me what cyberbullying is like, and Mr. Jiao, the third son of a wealthy family, might even ruin my reputation. But I don't want to be a puppet chasing social trends for free. If this video is reported or taken down, or if I really disappear from the public eye, dear viewers, please remember me, Xiao Bao, that's enough. See you next time, family. I hope we'll have another video.
After the video ended, the comments section was filled with the word "protect".
Lu Yu rewound the video and paused it on the screen showing the woman's face.
Is this... what the other half looks like in the wedding photo?
In her dreams, her mother was always a blurry face with long, flowing hair. She had imagined her mother's appearance countless times. She imagined her with long hair, speaking softly, and even her hands would be soft and yielding.
The team members gathered silently around Lu Yu, looking at each other in bewilderment.
Weng Pei took a step closer, stood in front of Lu Yu, and turned off the phone in Lu Yu's hand.
"Xiaoyu, don't look." Luo Yan put her arm around Luyu's shoulder and said, "Brother Hao came to see Lao Zeng, probably about this matter. Let's leave it all to the team."
Lu Yu could only picture the woman's face in his mind and didn't know how to respond to Luo Yan's words.
You don't know many things until you put them on the scale; once you're on it, the weight is immense.
Zeng Ling's voice rang out from outside the door, "Lu Yu, come to my office. The rest of you are free to do as you please."
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