TCWSITD – Chapter 75 (Extra Chapter 3)

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Chapter 75 (Extra Chapter 3) – He Gu’s Extra 3

He left the family banquet.

A long-lost sense of freedom swelled in his chest.

He hadn’t given his mother a chance to retaliate. Every possible path had been sealed shut.

In a way, he truly resembled her, because both of them preferred to crush their opponents in a single move.

That day, He Gu was in high spirits. He drank heavily at the negotiation banquet, and everyone seized the opportunity to congratulate him on getting what he wanted. Yet, all he desired was to share this moment with Lin Jiang. He took the initiative to call Lin Jiang, hoping he would come pick him up.

But Lin Jiang’s call came first. Just as He Gu was brimming with excitement, a bucket of cold water was abruptly dumped over his head. “He Gu, I want to leave KUG.”

He fidgeted with his phone, twisting it nervously between his fingers. He Gu didn’t know how to respond. This was the first time Lin Jiang had actively called him in the six months since his return.

And yet, Lin Jiang wanted to get away from him.

He Gu took a car to Lin Jiang’s apartment building. As he lifted his hand to type in the passcode, he hesitated. He wasn’t sure if Lin Jiang had changed it. He wasn’t sure if Lin Jiang would deliver the final blow.

Knock, knock. A polite rap at the door.

The door opened from the inside. The room was unlit, faintly smelling of cigarettes. Lin Jiang looked pale and worn. “Come in.”

He Gu stepped inside and closed the door behind him.

The huge floor-to-ceiling window let cold wind pour straight in. The curtains flew about wildly. The apartment, nestled among towering skyscrapers, seemed frighteningly unstable, as if it might plunge downward at any moment.

He Gu felt uneasy. Sitting on the sofa, he clasped his hands tightly together. He suddenly found himself wondering what Lin Jiang thought about when he sat alone in this darkened apartment. What exactly was he trying to leave behind?

The silence grew unbearable. He Gu spoke softly. “Lin Jiang, you know Ican’t possibly agree to you leaving KUG.”

Lin Jiang sat at the other end of the sofa. He gave a faint, tired smile. “For the sake of the years we’ve shared, can’t you just help me this once? Don’t worry about the penalty. I’ll pay for it. I just want my contract back. Or you can sell it, that’s fine too. I haven’t played in two years. If this goes on, I’ll be completely ruined.”

His interlocked hands tightened again and again. “I’m sorry. This is the one thing I can’t say yes to.”

Lin Jiang lifted his gaze, exhaustion evident in his eyes, as if he already knew how this would end. “He Gu, what else do you even want from me? I helped you save KUG. I trained your cousin. What’s left for you to exploit? Just say it outright, so I know where I stand.”

He Gu looked up at him, fingers digging deeper into his own skin. He tried to explain. “A’Wen starting in the lineup, that wasn’t something I allowed. I’m not taking advantage of you. I just…”

“Just what?”

He Gu didn’t dare say it. He was afraid that if the words left his mouth, Lin Jiang would see him for the monster he truly was.

Lin Jiang let out a cold laugh. “That day, when you were in the meeting, I was right outside. Everyone was praising Manager Chen for a job well done. You wanted to praise him too, didn’t you? Even if you refuse to admit it, I can tell. You just want to keep me trapped in the palm of your hand. He Gu, you’re no different from your mother. You both want everything under control. At your core, you’re the same kind of monster.”

The moment that word left Lin Jiang’s lips, He Gu couldn’t stop trembling. For years, he hadn’t dared to take another step closer to Lin Jiang, and this was part of the reason why.

He had never loved anyone before. He didn’t know what loving someone was supposed to be like. He was afraid of hurting Lin Jiang, and so he never dared take that final step.

Now—there was nothing left to shield him.

He rose and dragged himself toward Lin Jiang, reaching out as if to pull him into an embrace. Lin Jiang shoved him away without hesitation.

Lin Jiang stood by the window. The world seemed to tilt around him, as though with one step he could leave everything behind and disappear from He Gu’s world entirely.

He Gu couldn’t bear such an ending. “I can’t agree to this. I won’t let you go.”

He felt that things between him and Lin Jiang weren’t over yet. If he let him leave now, then it would truly be over, completely and for good.

He stepped forward and stood beside Lin Jiang, studying his reflection in the glass, trying to see the world from his perspective. “Stay. Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you.”

Lin Jiang didn’t respond, his voice weary and indifferent. “You’ll give me anything I want? Then I want the starting position back.”

He Gu didn’t hesitate. “Fine.”

He had always kept his word. First, he fired Manager Chen in front of everyone during the meeting, then he suppressed all the executives who had supported Alike, making his position unmistakably clear to the upper ranks.

That day, one of the executives couldn’t resist calling him, trying to gauge his thoughts. He replied in a low voice, “Lin Jiang was someone I personally discovered. Who do you think I’d favor?”

The shift in attitude quickly spread throughout KUG. When the day came to vote, nearly every ballot followed He Gu’s lead and went to Lin Jiang.

Lin Jiang regained his starting position, though for the sake of public perception, he still had to begin with rotations and open competition. However, everyone sensed the internal balance had shifted. People who had once sided with Alike quietly began turning toward Lin Jiang instead.

Alike’s demands grew more relentless. Calls and messages poured in without end. He Gu ignored them and pushed forward with team decisions anyway. Then Alike’s fans started making trouble at his home and stirring things up online.

As the storm grew, public opinion toward Lin Jiang turned harsher by the day. He spoke less and less, his responses to the outside world dull and delayed.

When He Gu came to see him, it took Lin Jiang a long moment to turn and acknowledge him. “You’re here.”

He Gu didn’t know what Lin Jiang was thinking. He bought a few bottles of alcohol and brought them to the secret place that belonged only to the two of them. “You’re back in the starting lineup,” he asked softly. “Aren’t you happy?”

Lin Jiang smiled faintly. The cold wind made him narrow his eyes. “I’m happy. I just didn’t expect that one day, I, Lin Jiang, would need to use this kind of method to take back the starting position. It feels a bit ridiculous.”

He drank, and his guard loosened a little. “Do you remember when I first joined KUG?”

Of course He Gu remembered. It suddenly struck him how much Lin Jiang had changed in just a few years.

Leaning against the railing, Lin Jiang lit a cigarette and exhaled slowly. “I feel like I’m becoming less and less like myself, He Gu. Abolish the fixed starting position. I want to compete with him for it.”

Competition meant mutual pressure—pushing each other to the limit. Whoever performed better in the training matches would earn the starting spot for the next game.

Given the current public opinion, things really were unfavorable for Lin Jiang. He Gu nodded and agreed to his choice. Still, he knew that this would make things very hard on Lin Jiang.

Was it really worth it?

Lin Jiang had already won two championships. He could have retired honorably, yet here he was, forcing himself into such a dangerous situation.

He Gu opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing. In his heart, he didn’t agree with Lin Jiang’s choices, but his friend had told him that respecting the other’s decisions was the best way to mend things.

After the World Championship, even though they hadn’t achieved great results, the relationship between him and Lin Jiang had indeed eased considerably. Harsh voices still surfaced online from time to time, but as KUG’s performance improved, those voices gradually faded away.

He Gu was also trying to change himself. He would make time to watch Lin Jiang’s matches, visit his training sessions, and occasionally take the initiative to engage in topics the other was interested in. After matches, he would take Lin Jiang to the aquarium.

Lin Jiang was truly easy to please. He pointed excitedly at the dolphins tumbling in the water, looking at He Gu with eyes full of wonder. They exchanged a smile, and for a moment, it felt as though they had returned to the very beginning.

When the Spring Split ended, KUG hadn’t taken the championship, but their strength was more than enough to secure a spot at Worlds.

That day, Lin Jiang was in high spirits. He took the initiative to call He Gu. “You weren’t here today. You wouldn’t believe how close the final match was. We were just a little bit away from…”

He Gu listened patiently to him on the phone. An assistant handed over a document. “Young Master He, if this isn’t signed now, it’ll be delayed.”

He Gu covered the receiver, quickly scanned through the document, and solemnly signed his name.

He lifted the phone back to his ear. Suddenly, the line went quiet. A ripple of unease passed through him. “Lin Jiang, are you done with your match?”

Lin Jiang gave a quiet “Mm,” then took a deep breath. “It’s nothing. You go ahead and get busy. Old Mao and the others are calling me out to celebrate. Just letting you know I might not see your messages.”

He Gu wasn’t reassured. He carefully weighed his words, trying not to sound controlling. “Then… give me a call when you’re done. I’ll come pick you up.”

Lin Jiang neither refused nor agreed.

It wasn’t until long after the call ended that He Gu remembered. Today was Lin Jiang’s finals. When he checked the news, he realized they had lost.

He canceled the evening meeting and arrived early at the party venue to pick Lin Jiang up.

Through the glass door, he saw Lin Jiang slouched alone in the corner of the KTV, his thoughts unreadable. Old Mao teased him, “Your Young Master He actually let you come out with us? Not afraid we’ll corrupt you?”

Lin Jiang smiled faintly and drank a sip of wine, his eyes a little cold. “Whatever.”

Zeng Yuan picked a song Red Rose for him. Amid the rowdy cheers, they pushed him toward the microphone stand. Without protest, he sat on the barstool, his voice slightly hoarse from smoking.

He Gu watched him from outside the door for a long time. He rarely saw Lin Jiang like this, as if he would truly go mad if he didn’t let loose now.

He didn’t go inside. He just stood outside, waiting for him.

Lin Jiang was drunk. Old Mao slung an arm around his shoulders, spouting nonsense. “Listen, I watched your match today. You were as fierce as ever. If you leave KUG sooner, you can still make a comeback. Trust me, I believe in you. The only obstacle now is whether your Young Master He will let you go.”

Lin Jiang nodded, as if in agreement.

Then he stumbled forward and ran straight into He Gu. No amount of alcohol could keep him from waking up at this moment.

Old Mao awkwardly let go, while Zeng Yuan and Brother Yu exchanged glances behind him. The pleasant atmosphere had instantly turned cold.

“We were the ones who wanted to take Lin Jiang out for drinks. Don’t be mad.”

“Yeah, yeah… we just wanted to celebrate with Lin Jiang. He played really well today…”

He Gu felt a sudden pang of realization. He couldn’t let Lin Jiang wander too freely. Because if he did, Lin Jiang would grow wings and soar away from him, leaving without even a backward glance.

He opened the car door, his voice still relatively calm. “Let’s go home.”

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