Dad, Please Try a Little Harder

“Who exactly are those three?”

On the bus heading back to Windsor Town, Ding Linlang couldn’t resist her curiosity after a brief silence.

“They’re friends of Sun Shaokang. I met them when 1 was working at KFC over the summer,” Qian Quan didn’t hide the truth.

“What did they want with you?”

Qian Quan chuckled, “They probably wanted to teach me a lesson. At the time, I had no idea why. But after meeting with Song Xi at the Bund, things started to become clear.”

“But he’s already in a relationship with Song Xi,” Ding Linlang protested and then turned to Qian Quan, “And you never told me.”

“I didn’t want you to worry, and the issue was already resolved by then. They thought I had connections with the manager of Riverside Hotel, backed off on the spot, and never bothered me again.”

“Then just now…” Ding Linlang caught herself, “So, you intentionally clarified things with them?”

“Yes,” Qian Quan looked straight into Ding Linlang’s eyes with sincerity, “I was concerned that they’d be too cautious to provoke me further. You know I’m generally mild-mannered and don’t like starting fights.”

“You just whooped those three guys. Now, you’re talking about being mild-mannered?”

Qian Quan grinned, “I’m serious. By all logic, 1 should have taken them on as soon as I saw them, but I didn’t. In fact, if they hadn’t insulted me, 1 probably wouldn’t have had a confrontation with them at all.”

“So, they should really thank my father and the game of chess.”

“What do you mean?”

“Learning to play chess from my father taught me some life lessons, which helped dissipate the growing aggressiveness in me due to my increased capabilities.”

“You make it sound so dramatic.”

Qian Quan laughed.

“But you’re not wrong. When a person’s power or wealth grows to a point where it can satisfy all their current desires, those desires might distort, leading them down a twisted path.”

Qian Quan burst into laughter and nodded in agreement, “That’s why you can incorporate the dialectical relationship between mindset and power into the spiritual practice aspect in your new book. Don’t write about a protagonist who, after hundreds or thousands of years of training, is powerful enough to destroy the world but remains emotionally immature- someone who’d want to bring the world down with them over failed romances. I mean, what did the world ever do to deserve that?”

“I would never write a character like that.”

“Well. 1 believe you.”

As they chatted, the bus arrived in Windsor Town.

First, they each went home to drop off their luggage and then met up again to visit the under-renovation training class venue.

The space was provided by Ding Linlang’s father, Ding Li, on the third floor of their family’s furniture store. It covered 6o square meters and was partitioned into three rooms: a calligraphy and painting class, a chess class, and a poetry appreciation class. Additionally, a reading corner and a relaxation area were set up.

“I’ve done some private research. Calligraphy, painting, and poetry appreciation are fine, but chess isn’t so popular with parents these days. They prefer to send their kids to learn the Go.” said Qian Wenlin, “We may have to hire a Go teacher later on.”

“Why don’t you learn it yourself first and then teach it?” Ding Li jokingly suggested.

“That won’t work unless 1 get a rank certification, otherwise, parents won’t be convinced,” Qian Wenlin replied.

“Then go take the test,” Ding Li encouraged.

Speaking of which, Ding Linlang added, “I’ve been thinking of learning the Go myself lately. My chess skills can’t catch up to Qian Quan’s anymore, so I’m feeling a bit discouraged. I want to make a comeback in the Go.”

“We’re pretty evenly matched in Gomoku and animal chess, aren’t we?” said Qian Quan.

“Stop beating around the bush. Are you willing to learn the Go with me or not?”

“Why not?”

Qian Wenlin smiled, “Fine, let’s learn it together. Let’s see who can get the rank certification first. With an amateur rank of 3 or 4, we could start teaching beginners.”

Hearing that his father was also interested in learning, Qian Quan became even more enthusiastic, “No problem, let’s get started!”

That evening, the two families gathered to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival as usual.

Yang Yuhua was thrilled to see that Ding Linlang had started growing her hair long and she thought highly of Ding Linlang’s recent appearance, “You look so beautiful, even more so than those celebrities. Seriously, is there any female celebrity out there who can match Linlang?”

“Mom, you’re exaggerating,” Qian Quan commented.

“Shut up!” Yang Yuhua scolded.

Linking arms with Yang Yuhua, Ding Linlang said, “Leave him alone, Mrs. Qian. He’s just jealous.”

“1 thought so, too.”

At the dinner table, the atmosphere was harmonious. The sheer joy on the parents’ faces upon their children’s return was unmistakable. They incessantly asked about their school life.

Yang Yuhua couldn’t hide her excitement when mentioning the viral short video that had made Qian Quan an overnight sensation. “It wouldn’t have gotten so popular if Rocky didn’t have such good looks. I’ve seen so many netizens praising him.”

Ye Yunlan added, “With Rocky’s good looks, becoming an Internet celebrity would be no problem.”

Qian Wenlin said, “Don’t mention it. Yuhua has been acting like a maniac these past few days. She watches that video multiple times before going to bed every night and even goes through the comments. If she sees any negative ones, she starts arguing to make her point. Does she really think the Internet is a place for rational discussion?”

“They criticize my son. Of course, I’ll argue with them,” Yang Yuhua retorted.

“Mom, it’s okay to argue a bit but don’t take it too seriously. It’s not worth it to make you angry,” Qian Quan quickly advised.

“I know, some people online just like to cause trouble. I don’t bother with them,” said Yang Yuhua, revealing her experienced netizen status.

Later, they also discussed Ding Linlang joining the women’s basketball team, Qian Quan winning a chess championship, and his involvement in drama club activities.

Both sets of parents felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction, seeing their children adapt so well and excel in college life.

Their children had indeed started to come of age.

After discussing school matters, the conversation shifted to car buying.

Qian Wenlin had a budget of around 100,000, mainly considering options among Baojun, Corolla, Geely, and Levin.

“Let’s go to an Automobile Dealership first and shop around. See which one offers the best deal,” Ding Li suggested.

“Yeah. I’ve also talked to my nephew about this. He advised me to get either a Corolla or Levin, mentioning that they hold their value well and are fuel-efficient.”

Ding Li laughed, “Exactly. Hasn’t someone said that when you drive these two kinds of cars, you’re almost afraid to step on the gas? You don’t want the fuel consumption to go above 7 liters per 100 kilometers, otherwise, it’s embarrassing to talk about it.”

“Let’s go take a look at Pearl Town tomorrow. I’ve already asked my nephew to make some inquiries for me,” Qian Wenlin added.

After dinner, Ding Linlang wanted to go play basketball with Qian Quan and wait for the moon to rise.

Without delay, Qian Quan changed into his jersey and sneakers, pumping up the basketball.

“1’11 go change. You can go ahead to the court and wait for me,” Ding Linlang said.

“Sure.”

Qian Quan took the basketball and headed to the court by himself.

By then, the moon had already risen, peacefully hanging in the eastern sky and slowly ascending.

Upon reaching the court, Qian Quan put the basketball aside and sat on the bleachers. He took the time to tighten his shoelaces while enjoying the moonlight.

Soon, Ding Linlang arrived.

Clad in her basketball shoes and sports clothes she looked even taller.

“What are you doing, playing poet?” Ding Linlang approached Qian Quan and teased him for his moon-gazing posture.

“Yes, I was inspired to write a poem just now.”

“Read it aloud,” Ding Linlang smiled, proud of her major in Literature.

Putting on a dramatic air, Qian Quan theatrically recited.

“While I waited for you on the steps, only the moon passed by.”

Ding Linlang paused for three seconds before laughing, “Are you getting sentimental?”

With that, she picked up the basketball and walked toward the court.

As she turned around, she glanced up at the moon and smiled..