translator: Oyen editor: Ciel
After returning to his bedroom, Li Muran was a little restless. Shen He talked about the ‘goddess’ in his heart, which reminded him of a past he didn’t want to remember—— When he was younger, his goddess was his mother Ming Hui, a beautiful and strong woman.
When he was younger, his father was extremely busy with the business, and seldom took care of the family. It was his mother who look after both him and his younger brother at home.
His mother has a master’s degree in business administration from a prestigious college. After giving birth to twin sons, she resigned from her job, and became a full-time housewife because she didn’t trust the babysitter.
Li Muran had been different when he was a child, as lively as his younger brother. Both of them often played with the other children in the community. Their mother was also different from other parents in terms of her education methods. She did not overly emphasise academic achievements, but instead paid more attention to cultivating their character and special skills. Every holiday, while other children went to cram school, their mother brought them out to play and increase their knowledge.
By the age of seven, Li Muran had followed his mother to many cities, and knew a fair bit more than his same-aged peers. He had always been very proud of having a mother who was beautiful and talented. She even knew astronomy, geography, music and art. Even if they were children, she respected their views and taught them how to be men.
Li Muran loved his mother very much, but because his father was seldom home, his impression of this father was very vague. Every time he came home, he stayed for only a week at most, and seldom took him and his younger brother out. On the contrary, every time his father was around, he would quarrel with his mother. Li Muran didn’t know the reason for their quarrel, but his father continuously stressed that “I am raising you”, “You do nothing but look after the children at home”, and “It’s hard for me to earn money to support my family, and it’s enough for you to bring up my children. I don’t have time to care about them…”
Every night, despite being in his room, Li Muran would hear the raised voices from downstairs. Confused and afraid, he dared not interrupt when his parents argued, and could only listen to their quarrel in fear, until the loud roars finally ended.
Every time his father came home, scars would appear on his mother’s body. Li Muran suspected that his father had hit her, but his mother refused to talk.
Li Muran was eight years old when his father returned home with an extremely ugly expression. He offered Muran and his younger brother no gifts, instead silently chasing them upstairs to go sleep. Li Yueran had never been discerning even from young. Seeing no abnormalities with his father, he soon fell asleep and began to snore. However, Li Muran could not sleep. He stayed awake to listen, and sure enough, another quarrel began downstairs, more terrible than any he had ever heard before. He heard the sound of heavy objects being slammed against the wall, the sound of a cup being smashed, and his mother’s hoarse cries.
Terrified, Li Muran pushed open the door, only to see something that he would never forget for the rest of his life——
He saw his father holding her mother’s hair, pressing her up against the wall and forcefully slamming her head against it. Her knees were bruised and cut by the glass shards on the floor, appearing almost shredded. The usually elegant and dignified woman was almost at death’s door; because her face was covered in blood, Muran couldn’t even see her appearance clearly.
That man had his hand tangled up in her hair, was still slamming her head into the wall, and Li Muran saw red. Like a feral wolf, he ran over to grab the man’s leg, biting it with as much force as he could. “Let go of my mother! Let go of my mother!”
Furious, the man slapped Li Muran aside. Dizzy, Li Muran fell to the flood, his mouth filled with the metallic tang of blood. At this moment, Ming Hui, whose face was covered in blood, suddenly opened her eyes, and spoke in a trembling voice. “Let’s get a divorce…”
Hearing this, the man’s rage exploded. Reaching out to pull Ming Hui up, he stretched out his hand to slap her, only for Li Muran to pick up the fruit knife on the table. One moment was all it took for the knife to land in the man’s back, and in that moment, time itself seemed to have stopped.
In Li Muran’s memory, the scene from that night was incomparably clear. The floor was dyed red, the man lay in a growing pool of his own blood, and his mother’s bloodstained face as she gazed at him with loving eyes.
It was a long while later by the time an ambulance came, and they were rushed to the hospital together. Because Li Muran was a child and had little strength, the knife wound he inflicted was not fatal. However, the man was temporarily unconscious after losing too much blood. On the other hand, the bruises on his mother’s knees and face looked terrible, but were in fact surface injuries, which were not serious.
Only in the hospital corridor did Li Muran finally calm down. “Mother, are you going to divorce him?” he asked quietly.
Ming Hui hugged her son close. “Muran, if you don’t have a father in the future, will you feel unhappy?”
Li Muran had very resolutely replied, “As long as I have mother, it’s enough. He hit you. I don’t want a father like him.”
Holding back her tears, Ming Hui patted her son on the head, gently ruffling his hair. “Good, then we’ll leave him. We don’t want him any more…”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
As it was not the first time Ming Hui had been subjected to domestic violence, with testimonies from both Li Muran and a neighbour, divorce was quickly granted by the court. As the man was prone to violence, custody of both children was awarded to Ming Hui, who moved to Shenzhen with both her sons, where she intended to start a new life. Both brothers also transferred to a school in Shenzhen.
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Those vivid memories weighed heavily on Li Muran’s mind. Only rarely could he be seen with a smile on his face.
A year later, the man found their new address through means unknown to them. At that time, Li Yueran was suffering from a bad cold. Ming Hui had accompanied him to the hospital, leaving Li Muran alone at home.
Seeing his so-called ‘father’, Li Muran not only felt no sense of kinship, but was instead scared.
The man knelt on one knee before him. “I’m sorry, Muran. That time, dad was in a bad mood, and because I drank some alcohol, so I made a move on your mum…”
“You hit my mother.” Li Muran emphasized, his expression frosty.
“Muran…” The man frowned.
“No matter the reason, you shouldn’t have hit my mother,” Li Muran shook his head. “You almost killed her.”
The man: “…”
“You can leave now, I don’t want to see you.” Li Muran added.
Faced with such a cold expression, the man could barely believe that this was an eight-year old child, let alone that this was his son.
In the end, he awkwardly placed the gifts he had brought with him in the living room, before leaving.
After Ming Hui learned of this incident, she brought both children with her and moved to another location. In the end, the man never came again, and both mother and sons lived a peaceful life. A long while later, the man’s lawyer sought them out with a will, saying that the man, Mr. Li, had died in a drink-driving accident. His will left all his property to them.
At that time, Ming Hui was trying to start her own business. This huge sum of money had arrived in an hour of need, but she did not ask for the money. Instead, she entrusted the lawyer to temporarily seal it away, until Muran and Yueran were 18 years old. At that time, the brothers would decide whether or not they wished to accept their father’s inheritance.
—— She had always been a very good woman, but she married a man who was addicted to alcohol and often hit his wife after getting drunk. In the beginning, she stayed with him for the sake of the children, but in the end, she decisively left the scum man and started a new life with both her children. She was a capable woman, and her ability quickly propelled her career. Even the company she founded with a few friends gradually became more prosperous.
At the age of 17, Li Muran and his brother joined the Dragon Song club as members of the training camp. By this time, as the founder of the investment company, his mother had more capital than his father’s assets, and became a famous female entrepreneur in the industry.
The two brothers had principles of their own. Disdaining to inherit their father’s legacy, Li Muran made the decision to donate everything to charity.
……
The memories of the past were still fresh in his mind.
In those years when Ming Hui started her business from scratch, although she worked very hard, she always took time off to accompany both brothers. In Li Muran’s heart, his mother was the goddess he worshipped most.
Thinking of this, Li Muran immediately took out his mobile phone and sent a message to his mother. “Mom, how are you?”
A reply came very quickly. “Very good, it’s just that I’m a little busy, and can only watch the replays of yours and Yueran’s matches.”
Li Muran: “Make sure to rest often, don’t work too hard.”
Ming Hui sent a head-pat emoticon: “You too, my son. Good luck in becoming the strongest milk dad.”
Li Muran curved his lips slightly—— unexpectedly, she also knew that his healer was called a milk dad. She actually kept up with the times.
After closing the chat window, Li Muran called his brother and asked him to come over.
When Li Yueran knocked on the door, Shen He was lazing around the house in his underpants. Both of them stared at each other, shocked, before Li Yueran hurriedly explained. “I’m here to find my brother.”
“Oh,” Shen He nodded. “He’s in his room. I’ll go get you a glass of water.”
Although it was very hot in summer, he couldn’t just wear pants to hang around the house, right? It was a miracle that his brother could stand the unkempt appearance of Shen He when he was naked. Li Yueran sighed and pushed open the door of his brother’s bedroom and walked into the room. “Brother, why did you call me all of sudden?”
Watching him close the door, Li Muran quietly spoke. “How are you faring with your new team? Do you plan to remain an esports player?”
Li Yueran nodded. “Still okay. I fought in quite a few matches this season. I feel that participating in competitions is very good.”
Li Muran was silent for a few moments. “After my contract expires next year, I plan to return to Shenzhen to help out with the company.”
Li Yueran was startled. “You only signed with Mojue for one year?”
“En. At that time, I was still a newcomer. The team’s performance in the first season was uncertain, and the salary wasn’t too high. God Mo allowed us to sign for one year before renewing the contract.”
“God Mo’s approach is very kind, but looking at the situation, Peerless Jianghu does not demand much. It is no problem for professional players to continue until they’re twenty-five, and in one year, you’ll only have just turned twenty!” Li Yueran was full of doubts. “Is there a need to leave the team so early?”
“It’s been hard on mother. I want to go back and help her,” Li Muran calmly replied.
“…” Shen He, who was standing outside the room, was stunned upon hearing this, but quietly returned to his bedroom.
—— As it turned out, Li Muran had long since planned to leave the team.
If he left directly after the contract expired, wouldn’t Qin Mo’s efforts in training him be wasted?
Besides… He himself was also a little reluctant to part with this partner. Didn’t they agree to become first-class players together?
Shen He was so upset that he simply couldn’t take his usual noon nap.
During the afternoon training session, Qin Mo noticed that Shen He was a little restless, and Li Muran was also not in a good state. Still, he didn’t ask.
In the end, Shen He was someone who couldn’t hide his feelings; forcibly enduring for an entire afternoon felt like he was suffering from an internal injury. After returning to their dormitory that evening, Shen He could no longer keep quiet. “Brother Ran, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but when I passed by your room at noon, I heard you tell your brother that you were planning on leaving after the contract expired… is this true?”
Li Muran was silent for a few moments. “That’s my plan.”
Shen He scratched his head in frustration, unable to think of any reason to persuade him to stay.
Seeing Shen He’s silly appearance, Li Muran couldn’t help asking, “Why? Can’t bear to part with me?”
He had meant it as a casual joke. Unexpectedly, Shen He bluntly replied, “That’s right, I can’t bear to part with you.”
Seeing Shen He’s clear eyes, Li Muran’s heart was moved—— In fact, he was also reluctant to part with Shen He. It was rare to meet a living treasure like Shen He, who was willing to chat with him. He was also aware that god Mo was cultivating his tactical consciousness with the intention of making him the next-generation captain. If he were to leave halfway, he would fail to live up to gods Han and Mo’s expectations.
However, his mother had paid too much for them brothers. Now that the both of them were away, his mother was left alone in Shenzhen, and Muran felt extremely guilty.
He didn’t know how to reply, but Shen He bulldozed on. “I heard you say you want to go home and help your mother, right?” Shen He said bluntly. “In fact, if you give up your bright future of standing at the top, your mother may still not be happy. Perhaps you can try a different way.”
Li Muran was silent.
“Besides, you agreed to keep walking with me,” Shen He continued on. “You see, our masters have fought side by side. Their feelings are so good, and they will definitely retire together in the future. If our masters retire and you leave, wouldn’t it be meaningless for me to stand alone?”
Shen He didn’t know how to beat about the bush; he could only straightforwardly express his thoughts. However, this sentence accurately hit the softest part of Li Muran’s heart.
—— In fact, he could not bear to leave Shen He behind alone.
It really was strange. Since when did this feeling of being unable to part start to grow in his heart?
Since becoming partners with Shen He? Or was it after being accepted as Xiao Han’s apprentice?
Li Muran was a little confused. However, he also realised that Shen He had an unexpectedly deep influence over him, to the point where his trust in his original plan was shaken.
He had already planned to return to Shenzhen after his contract expired. Furthermore, he was a man of his word…
But now, he was wavering, because of Shen He’s earnest persuasion, but also because his heart was reluctant to leave.
Shen He grabbed onto Li Muran’s arm. “Don’t rush to make a decision, alright? Maybe your feelings will change again after a year’s time,” Shen He said very earnestly. “Besides, you have a younger brother, who can also help your mother. It doesn’t have to be you, right?”
Faced with Shen He’s expecting and pleading gaze, Li Muran could not bring himself to reject Shen He outright. “Alright,” he could only agree, “I’ll consider it again.”
Perhaps after a year, his thoughts on this matter would really change.
So this is what happened… Poor Li Muran & his mother 🥺
I hope Shen He can change his mind!
Thank you for the chapter 💜💜💜
He will stay, if not, how can he be Shen He’s CP? 😏
You’re welcome~! <3
It’s very sweet of Muran to want to help his mom but I don’t think she needs his help yet. There probably isn’t much he can do to help even if he went back. It’s not like he studied business on the side.