Chapter Twenty-Eight: Returning Home

In the office, Lin Lang was browsing through the basketball section on MasterSpeak.com. After reading it from top to bottom, he felt deeply satisfied. Backed by his credentials as a gold-medal basketball coach, he could confidently declare: any novice, any beginner who came to this site and diligently followed the instructions, persevering for a year, was guaranteed to become a skilled basketball player.

Currently, the officially certified “Master Accounts” in the basketball section numbered over thirty or forty, all of whom were well-known basketball luminaries. The number of apprentice accounts reached into the hundreds of thousands, making this one of the largest online basketball communities.

Looking at the other categories on MasterSpeak.com, only the gaming section seemed to be thriving; the rest were rather bleak. Lin Lang recalled Li Zecheng telling him about a certain “Teacher Guo” in the gaming category—a young prodigy whose account had been recognized by the legendary former champion, Sky. Now retired, Sky had noticed this youth’s meteoric rise to the top ranks in a newly popular competitive online game. The boy had uploaded his gameplay videos to MasterSpeak.com, displaying both exceptional mechanical skill and game sense; most strikingly, his aggressive style was a mirror image of Sky’s own.

After watching just a couple of videos, Sky immediately sent an apprenticeship request. “Teacher Guo” had never imagined he would be accepted by his idol, so he agreed without hesitation—after all, it was Sky’s reputation that had inspired him to start gaming in the first place. Rumor had it that Sky had already arranged for “Teacher Guo” to join his newly founded professional team, signing a superb contract; as soon as the youth turned eighteen, he would be eligible to compete on the professional stage.

This legendary “master-apprentice event” caused a stir in the gaming world that very day. Countless young gamers dreaming of fame flocked to the site. But most were quickly dissuaded by MasterSpeak.com’s starkly honest words.

The first hurdle was the ranking score—a massive barrier. Many who thought themselves skilled found, in truth, there was a vast gulf between them and professional standards. Then came the grueling reality: ten-hour daily practice sessions, playing the same game repeatedly, possibly even flipping day and night, sleeping during the day and training at night. Day after day, and even then, one might only make the bench—only with both opportunity and unshakeable skill could anyone hope to shine on the main stage.

These blunt truths had a powerful effect, turning away most would-be hopefuls. Only a rare few, truly gifted and passionate, were undeterred by such stringent demands. They uploaded their personal information to MasterSpeak.com, hoping someone would recognize their talent, and that they too might be chosen like “Teacher Guo.”

In truth, only those who truly love something are willing to give it their all.

As Lin Lang scrolled through these young applicants’ profiles, he silently wished they would persevere, and find good mentors as well. In one’s youthful years, if you truly devote yourself to something, persist through it—even if the outcome isn’t ideal, does it really matter? Because you tried, there’s no lingering regret. Because you persisted, you won’t feel remorse.

Gazing one last time at MasterSpeak.com—a site into which he had poured all his educational philosophy—Lin Lang knew his mind still held much more advanced “knowledge,” but he couldn’t upload it all at once. Even the “Basketball Training Plan” he’d just posted was remarkable enough, but it could be explained by his love for basketball, the effort he put in, and the fact that Lin Nan, too, loved basketball and would eventually become very skilled. In that context, the training plan seemed plausible.

But if Lin Lang were to suddenly reveal advanced knowledge in another field, there’d be no way to explain it. So, he could only have the company recruit more talent in various areas, gradually building MasterSpeak.com into a complete platform.

But perhaps that was for the best. After all, young people mostly needed guidance and exposure to broaden their horizons, in order to recognize their own dreams. As long as they truly wished to learn, the means and methods would never be lacking. The most important role of MasterSpeak.com was to serve as a bridge—a bridge leading children toward their dreams.

After bidding farewell to Li Zecheng, Lin Lang left the company building, ready to go home.

He had nothing to pack—he’d arrived empty-handed, and would leave the same way. Standing by the main entrance of the office building, Lin Lang waited for a taxi on the busy street. The flow of people coming and going was unceasing; many didn’t work for the same company, but after so many comings and goings, faces became familiar to one another.

Noticing the somewhat handsome man standing at the door, passersby from various companies guessed he must be here on some business, since they didn’t recognize him. No one would have imagined that this was the very man who had single-handedly created the MasterSpeak.com that was making such waves online.

When a vacant taxi finally appeared, Lin Lang glanced at his watch: 4:20. It would take half an hour to reach the airport, and his flight was at six. There was still time.

He instructed the driver to head to a nearby electronics market. There, he spent over a thousand yuan on a high-quality miniature recording camera. Testing it in the shop, he found the image clear and the sound satisfactory when plugged into the shopkeeper’s computer.

Satisfied with his purchase, Lin Lang then went to Wanlin Plaza nearby and bought a necklace, as well as a pair of Iverson basketball shoes. The necklace was easy enough—there were plenty of beautiful options if one ignored the price. The Iverson shoes, however, were much harder to find. By now, Iverson was nearing the end of his career, and the sports stores were filled with Kobe and LeBron merchandise. Lin Lang searched for ages before finally finding a pair from a shop owner who was also an Iverson fan.

The man had bought two pairs for his own collection and initially refused to sell, no matter how Lin Lang pleaded. Only when he learned that Lin Lang wanted them for his son did he relent, selling them at the original price, no markup. As he handed over the boxed shoes, he reminded Lin Lang to be sure his child played basketball well.

He went on to say that playing basketball was a wonderful thing—it strengthened the body and built confidence. Wasn’t youth meant to be spent on the basketball court? It was just a pity, he added, that he himself had a daughter; otherwise, judging by his enthusiasm, he would have encouraged his child to play as well. Of course, if he had a son, he probably wouldn’t have sold the shoes to Lin Lang at all...

With his parcels in hand, Lin Lang took a taxi to the airport, checked all his luggage, and waited quietly for his flight home.

At six that evening, Wan Cong took a break from work to visit the company. Lin Lang had already left—he’d said he was going home, but Wan Cong hadn’t expected him to actually do it.

Having lived half his life, Wan Cong had met all sorts of people, but never anyone quite like Lin Lang. With clear goals and meticulous planning, he had sought him out, step by step creating MasterSpeak.com, a platform of tremendous potential. Yet now, just as the company was gaining momentum, Lin Lang could walk away so nonchalantly.

Such trust—wasn’t he afraid that Wan Cong might do something to harm the company? But even aside from their signed contract, Wan Cong would never stoop to betrayal. Watching the staff chatting and laughing over takeout meals, he wondered just how far MasterSpeak.com would go in the future.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that Lin Lang had mapped out the company’s development in his mind, every step in advance—especially whenever he glimpsed Lin Lang’s calm, inscrutable face. The more he thought about it, the more remarkable Lin Lang seemed. But since he himself held a stake in the company, whatever success they achieved would also be partly his own.

Just then, Wan Cong’s phone beeped—a message from his assistant: the flight to Taiwan was booked, departing in two days. Without realizing it, Wan Cong had become a true member of MasterSpeak.com; his first-ever business trip was about to begin. He chuckled at the thought.

By the time Lin Lang arrived home, it was already after ten. As soon as he entered, he tiptoed toward Lin Nan’s room. He insisted that Lin Nan be in bed by ten each night—at this age, sleep was especially important. If you wanted to play basketball well, you first had to sleep well. Once Lin Nan entered high school, bedtime could be pushed to eleven.

Gently opening the door, Lin Lang saw his son sound asleep, a trace of unyielding determination on his youthful face. It seemed that during his absence, Lin Nan hadn’t slacked off on basketball training for a single day.

Lin Lang remembered in his previous life, at this same point in time, he and Ye Xinlan would often burst into Lin Nan’s room at night to check if he was sleeping, since the boy used to sneak his phone under the covers. Prolonged use of the phone’s glare in darkness had left Lin Nan nearsighted by high school.

This time, such a thing would never happen. Lin Nan was no longer obsessed with his phone—all his attention was on basketball now. Thinking of phones, Lin Lang realized it was probably time to develop a mobile version of MasterSpeak.com. This was about the time smartphones began to take China by storm. With the advancement of technology, mobile phone usage would only increase, leading eventually to the rise of the so-called “head-down tribe.”

But Lin Lang was certain his son would never be among them. He gently touched Lin Nan’s forehead, tucked in his blanket a little tighter, and quietly left the room, softly closing the door behind him.

Back in his own room, Ye Xinlan was lying on the bed watching TV. Seeing Lin Lang return, she noticed he seemed more handsome than ever—especially that air of mature steadiness, which captivated her completely. Why hadn’t she noticed his charm before?

When Lin Lang personally put the necklace he’d bought around her neck, Ye Xinlan felt a wave of happiness. His strong hands slipped the chain around her fair, delicate neck. For a woman, there is nothing more wonderful than the moment when the man she loves places a ring or necklace on her himself. While rings carry more symbolic meaning, a necklace feels even more intimate.

Looking at herself in the bedside mirror, Ye Xinlan found herself radiant and beautiful—the white necklace, with its crystal sheen, complemented her fair skin perfectly. He really did have good taste.

Turning, she gazed into Lin Lang’s gentle eyes, lifted her arms around his neck, and the two drew closer and closer...

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