Chapter 34: This Is As Far As I Can Help You, Brother

Gao He’s departure signaled that the battle was about to begin in earnest. In the privileged room at Tianyu Internet Café, once enough players had gathered, the game would start automatically; besides the regulars at the café, quite a few joined at random as well.

“Hurry, hurry, get ready! The game’s about to start!” Yang Yu’s voice rang out, brimming with excitement and focus. Out of the corner of his eye, Yang Hao caught sight of Su Xiaohan standing quietly behind Yang Yu’s chair, and he couldn’t help but frown.

Yang Hao could clearly sense that while Yang Yu was wholly absorbed in the game, Su Xiaohan behind him seemed noticeably downcast. He could guess the reason without much effort. Yang Yu was a bona fide game enthusiast; once he got involved, he cared for nothing else, leaving everything behind. As Yang Yu sat before the computer, ablaze with passion, Su Xiaohan, neglected and overlooked, was visibly uncomfortable.

Judging from her demeanor, she didn’t seem like someone who frequented internet cafés. Her presence here was most likely because of Yang Yu. With this in mind, Yang Hao felt a pang of disappointment. Yang Yu had performed admirably at the entrance just moments ago; how could he become so oblivious here?

Yang Hao felt let down by Yang Yu. Faced with the choice between a game and his gentle girlfriend, he had chosen the former, not even noticing how he’d neglected the latter. Yet, despite being left out, Su Xiaohan merely stood quietly behind Yang Yu, showing no sign of dissatisfaction. This changed Yang Hao’s impression of her significantly.

With that thought, Yang Hao nudged Wang Xin, who was sitting beside him, signaling him to stand up.

“What’s wrong, Yang?” Wang Xin, the chubby boy, was bewildered as he was suddenly forced out of his chair, and a vague sense of unease crept into his heart.

“It’s nothing. Just go stand behind.” Yang Hao’s tone softened as he turned to Su Xiaohan. “Please, come sit here.”

Caught off guard, Su Xiaohan seemed uncertain, pointing hesitantly at herself. Seeing Yang Hao nod, she was tempted, but ultimately shook her head. “I’ve never played this game.”

Yang Yu nodded as well, explaining, “Xiaohan doesn’t like games, and she’s never played this one. What if she gets eliminated right away? Let Wang Xin take the seat instead.”

Hearing Yang Yu’s words, Su Xiaohan pressed her lips together, her face growing more forlorn. Meanwhile, Wang Xin, recently ousted, eagerly nodded and prepared to reclaim his seat.

“Back off!” Before Wang Xin could take even two steps toward his chair, Yang Hao glared him into retreat.

Yang Hao glanced at Wang Xin, who looked utterly aggrieved. He used to think the chubby boy was quite sharp; today, he was oblivious. This was a family matter—what business did an outsider have meddling?

He was equally speechless at Yang Yu. Did he really not understand what mattered more, the game or his girlfriend? Could he not see even this much?

A girl who had rarely, if ever, set foot in an internet café, who hadn’t played games, willingly accompanied him to such a smoky, chaotic place. Did he really not grasp why she was here? So what if she couldn’t play? So what if she didn’t know the game?

Yang Hao wanted to ask Yang Yu, so what? Even if she did nothing, just having her sit beside him, accompanying him into the game, exploring every corner together, would have been enough for her. Hadn’t he noticed the fleeting joy on her face when Yang Hao suggested she take Wang Xin’s place? Not liking games before didn’t mean she wouldn’t want to join him, even if only to sit quietly at his side. That was better than leaving her standing alone behind him.

Yang Hao couldn’t understand why such a gentle, serene beauty would fall for someone like Yang Yu, who spent his days skipping class and gaming. After pondering for a long time, he could only chalk it up to the exceptional genes of the Yang family.

Unfortunately, Yang Yu had only inherited half of those genes. Among the two male heirs of this generation, it seemed only Yang Hao had perfectly inherited the family’s excellence.

At this moment, Yang Hao felt a kind of loneliness that words could not express—a loneliness born of invincibility. Someone as decadent as Yang Yu could never comprehend his feelings. The responsibility of carrying the Yang family’s legacy would likely fall to Yang Hao, the eldest grandson, though he was someone indifferent to fame and power, detached from worldly affairs.

Alas! The ties of the mortal world were so vexing!

After all this, Yang Hao’s point was simple: between games and girlfriends, the latter was clearly more important. Yang Yu had wandered down the wrong path for far too long and was deeply ensnared; it was time for Yang Hao, the wise elder, to intervene.

Well, what else could he do? He was Yang Yu’s brother, after all!

“Brother, Xiaohan really doesn’t play games. Let Wang Xin take the seat.” Even now, Yang Yu remained stubborn. Yang Hao sighed quietly—clearly, the illness was deep-rooted. At this point, how could he care about winning or losing?

For Yang Yu’s future happiness, Yang Hao decided to step in once more.

“Come, sit here!” With that, Yang Hao stood up and vacated his seat beside Yang Yu, taking Wang Xin’s original spot for himself.

Yang Hao’s move left Wang Xin dejected; watching his seat claimed, he could only shed silent tears in his heart.

Seated next to Yang Yu, Su Xiaohan’s face lit up with a smile. Yet, aware that she had never played the game and that the upcoming match mattered greatly to Yang Yu, she felt uneasy. Glancing at Yang Hao, she hesitated before biting her lip and saying, “Yang, maybe I shouldn’t. I really don’t know how to play. Let Wang Xin take the seat instead.”

At her words, Wang Xin’s eyes instantly sparkled, but before he could rejoice, Yang Hao replied indifferently, “Doesn’t Yang Yu know how? He can teach you.”

Already frustrated, Yang Yu nearly spat blood at that. Under other circumstances, he might let it slide, but this match was crucial, tied to his dignity, and he cared deeply.

“Brother, this is a showdown! The opposing team has experts…” He wanted to protest, but thinking of the consequences, he wisely kept silent.

“Just follow Yang Yu wherever he goes. Don’t worry if you face enemies; he’ll protect you!” Seeing Yang Yu accept reality, Yang Hao was pleased and turned to gently advise Su Xiaohan.

“Alright!” Su Xiaohan replied with a sweet smile.

Watching the girl’s spirits lift, Yang Hao cast a silent glance at the seemingly dejected Yang Yu and thought to himself:

“I’ve done all I can for you, brother!”

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This isn’t an update; I just revised yesterday’s content! Yesterday really was a bit much—my apologies!