Pokémon: What should I do? My father-in-law always wants to tear me apart

"What nonsense are you going to talk about?"

Lin Guochang rolled his eyes at his son and slammed the brown paper bag into the safe. The crisp sound of the metal lock snapping together was particularly harsh in the silence.

"This is a confidential document. Even your mother is not allowed to read it."

&34;How can I become a member of the alliance quickly? For example...&34;

He raised his head, his eyes burning with a fiery light, "Becoming the candidate king."

The air suddenly solidified.

The robotic arm holding the tea tray made a slight humming sound, and the celadon cup in Ruan Yaoyao's hand collided with the tray, splashing a few drops of amber tea.

Lin Guochang's movements froze in mid-air, and the half-smoked cigarette in the box slowly fell to the ground.

&34;Are you serious?&34;

The old father walked slowly around his son, his boots making a dull sound on the carpet.

The little girl who had a bitter face and raised the middle finger ten years ago, now standing in front of me, gradually overlapped with a familiar silhouette in my memory.

Lin Yi straightened his back: "Yes."

The living room fell into a long silence.

Lin Guochang leaned against the sofa and lit a cigarette; the curling smoke blurred his expression.

"You have all eight badges now?" He flicked the ash off his cigarette, and sparks splashed on the cover of the "Ten-Year Plan of the Huaxia Alliance".

"The Chinese League Champions League will not open for another six months. If you can make it to the top three..."

Smoke rings exploded around his lips. "I can use my connections to get you on the shortlist of candidates for the title of King of Heaven."

Lin Yi reached out and snatched the cigarette, extinguished the butt, and then returned it to Lin Guochang.

Lin Guochang's mouth twitched slightly, and he threw the cigarette butt into the ashtray. The metal ashtray made a crisp sound of impact:

"Tianli participated in the Huaxia Men's Championship twice and finished second both times. The championship podium in Huaxia has been occupied by foreigners for several years."

He stroked his chin, with a meaningful smile on his lips, "If only my son could break this situation..."

The ginkgo leaves outside the window were blown up by the wind, casting mottled shadows in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Lin Yi looked at the complex emotions in his father's eyes, and suddenly realized that behind this conversation, there were expectations heavier than the fairy slate.

Lin Guochang's shadow curled up on the wall, like a dormant old beast.

&34;Will you win?&34;

When he said this, there was a rare hint of uneasiness in his eyes - the water king who was so powerful in the alliance now looked more like an ordinary father who was worried about his children.

Lin Yi's fingertips stroked the uneven lines on the Poké Ball. He raised his head. The sunset outside the window gilded his face, but his smile was sharper than ever:

&34;Will win.&34;

Lin Guochang looked at the jumping shadow behind his son and vaguely saw himself twenty years ago.

He heard a sigh escape his throat, and he couldn't tell whether it was relief or worry.

……

The early morning sunlight came in through the gaps in the curtains, casting several long and thin strips of light on Ye Feng's bed.

He was awakened by a violent shouting:

&34;Oops! Teammate, what are you doing?&34;

&34;Hit ​​me, hit me, don't sell me! &34;

"Awesome! Counterattack!"

&34;Wuhu — won!&34;

Ye Feng rubbed his sleepy eyes and reached for the cell phone beside his pillow.

The screen lit up and the time showed 8:07 in the morning.

He reluctantly lifted the bed curtain, only to see his roommate Akai sitting at the table, typing frantically on the keyboard with one hand and holding the instant noodle bucket with the other, not even noticing the soup splashing on the keyboard.

"I said, it's finally the weekend, and you're getting up early in the morning to play games again?"

Ye Feng stuck his head out and looked at Akai's messy hair and heavy dark circles under his eyes.

Akai didn't even raise his head, stuffing noodles in his mouth and mumbling: "Oh, nothing to do anyway, why not start a game, do you want to come?"

Ye Feng sighed and glanced at the dusty Poké Ball on the table.

&34;It has been more than half a year since the start of the school year,&34;

He said earnestly, "You stay in the dormitory playing games every day. You study for yourself. We finally got into the University of Science and Technology. How long have you not trained Pokémon?"

When Akai heard Ye Feng's words, his movements suddenly froze.

He put down the instant noodle bucket and stared at the computer screen in a daze.

After a while, he murmured: "Indeed, my parents didn't give me living expenses so that I can have fun. How can I be worthy of my parents? I have to make a change!"

Just as Ye Feng showed a relieved smile, he heard a "ding" sound from the computer, indicating a successful match.

Akai instantly perked up and put his hands back on the keyboard: "Hey! I've found a match, let's start playing!"

"..."

Ye Feng opened his mouth but said nothing in the end.

In the morning light, he looked at his roommate's back as he concentrated on the game and silently closed the bed curtains.

Damn, he almost figured it out.

In the message box that popped up on the phone screen, Lin Yi's name flashed at the top of the bar.

"Hey? Xiao Linzi is back in the capital?"

Ye Feng's movements of getting dressed were slow. He nimbly got out of bed and stepped onto the cold floor barefoot. The rustling sound of his dressing startled Akai who was frantically operating the keyboard.

The boy didn't even turn his head, his fingertips tapping on the keyboard, making crackling sounds: "Looking for your girlfriend again? Be careful and take care of yourself."

&34;How dare you say that to me?!&34;

Ye Feng picked up the pillow and threw it over, accurately hitting the back of Akai's messy head.

Akai covered his head and screamed exaggeratedly, but his eyes were still glued to the screen.

Ye Feng sighed helplessly, pushed open the door, walked out of the dormitory building, and came to the downstairs of the girls' dormitory.

The late autumn wind blew ginkgo leaves across the stone road in front of the dormitory building. Ye Feng wrapped his coat tightly and shook his head helplessly at the navigation on his mobile phone.

When he pushed open the rusty iron door, the morning dew wet the tips of his sneakers. In the distance, the carved railings of the girls' dormitory building were covered with orange-red ivy.

"Feng, you got up so early too?"

A sweet voice came from behind. Su Su walked down slowly in her light pink Mary Jane shoes. Her lilac knitted skirt swayed with her steps, and the bow in her hair fluttered slightly in the wind.

There was still fine morning mist condensed on her eyelashes, as if they were dotted with a layer of crystal pearls.

Ye Feng's eyes instantly lit up like stars. He took two steps forward and held the girl's cold fingertips with his warm palm:

&34;My little Su is like a fairy descending from heaven today. &34;

His nose brushed against her cherry blossom-scented hair, and he pulled her into his arms, "This skirt makes your waist look even thinner."

&34;Smooth talk!&34;

Su Su punched his chest lightly, but let him put his arm around her shoulders.

The morning light gilded their shadows. She secretly put her red, frozen fingers into his pocket, and the touch was the expected warmth.

The taxi rolled over the stone bridge over the moat, and the outline of the imperial capital outside the window stretched out in the morning mist.

When the magnificent neon sign of "Elf Alliance Special Training Ground" came into view, Su Su gently shook Ye Feng's hand: "We're here."

The boy held her palm, and the wind created when he opened the door lifted the lace edge of her skirt.

The moment he stepped into the training ground, Ye Feng was startled by the noise coming from the hall on the first floor and stopped.

Under the crystal chandelier, Lin Guochang, who was dressed in plain clothes, was bowing, while Ruan Tianli behind him stiffened his neck.

&34;We are extremely sorry, but we will pay for the damage in full.&34;

Lin Guochang's voice was deep and powerful, but Ruan Tianli beside him suddenly exploded: "Ah? It's obvious that your equipment is not working, why do you want us to apologize?"

&34;Stop arguing! It's all your fault!&34;

Lin Guochang suddenly turned his head and glared at Ruan Tianli, who immediately fell silent and curled his lips in dissatisfaction.

Lin Guochang took a deep breath and turned to the manager with sweat on his forehead again.

The manager was so panicked that he took three steps back, wiping his forehead with his fat hands: "My two kings, please don't torture me!"

The employees behind him were whispering, their eyes occasionally glancing at the pile of twisted and deformed training equipment in the corner.