4: Lin family and Su family

After speaking, Lin Yu bowed deeply to the closed door.

Inside the door were Mother Lin's heart-wrenching cries and his father's suppressed sobs.

Lin Yao was also crying, hitting the door panel, begging her brother not to leave.

Lin Yu stood outside the door, listening to his family's cries, his face devoid of any expression.

He also wanted to cry.

But he couldn't.

To not be controlled by others, an epic-level profession alone... was not enough!

From then on, the Lin family acted as if they no longer had this son. They thought he had gone incurably mad and even considered forcibly bringing him back for treatment.

But Lin Yu's refusal was incredibly firm, and since they had already severed ties, they were helpless.

Now, five years had passed.

Only Lin Yao, still stubbornly and secretly, occasionally came to see him.

This family's heart had been broken by him.

"Brother..."

Lin Yao's cries pulled Lin Yu out of his bottomless memories.

She clutched Lin Yu's arm, her nails digging into his thin clothing.

"It's been five years!"

"Five whole years! What exactly have you been doing?!"

Lin Yao's voice was sharp, filled with despair.

She looked at her brother's disheveled appearance, at this "home" worse than a junkyard, and her heart ached in waves.

"You weren't like this before! You're my brother, you're Lin Yu! You're the omnipotent Brother Lin Yu!"

"Look at you now! Look around!"

She pointed at the stinking garbage, at the insulting graffiti on the walls.

"Is it worth it for these broken stones? Is it worth it to torment yourself like this?"

Her tears flowed like a broken string of pearls, unstoppable.

"Please, brother, let's go home. Throw all this away, let's start over."

"I beg heaven, I beg the gods, give me back my brother..."

She cried until she collapsed, squatting on the ground like a helpless child.

Lin Yu watched her silently.

Every tear from his sister was like a searing brand, burning his heart.

Had he gone mad?

In everyone's eyes, he had long been mad.

A madman who abandoned the limitless future of an epic-level profession to hide in a junkyard and play with stones.

But he knew clearly that he was more sober than ever.

He was incredibly rational, incredibly resolute.

He knew exactly what he wanted and walked with absolute certainty on this sole path.

Lin Yu slowly squatted down, reached out his hand, and stopped just above Lin Yao's trembling shoulder, but did not let it fall.

He was afraid the dirt on his hand would stain his sister's clean school uniform.

"Xiao Yao."

His movement was very light, as if afraid to startle this wounded little beast.

"I'm not mad."

Lin Yao suddenly looked up, her tear-stained face full of disbelief.

"You're not mad? Then tell me, what exactly have you been doing these past five years?!"

"What's the point of everything you've done? What use are these cards, besides turning to dust at midnight?!"

Lin Yu withdrew his hand and slowly straightened up.

He didn't answer directly.

He had said this answer many times, but... to be honest, what he was doing was not much different from gambling.

But he was certain that there would be a day when he would win the gamble.

Card makers' cards are not infinite.

There will be a day when he can "D" it.

Lin Yao and the others didn't understand.

They didn't know what kind of card could make Lin Yu pay such a huge price.

"Brother, stop deceiving yourself..."

"I'm not deceiving you, nor am I deceiving myself."

Lin Yu interrupted her.

He turned around, and in his sunken, bloodshot eyes, there was a light Lin Yao couldn't understand.

It was a burning, resolute flame, misunderstood by everyone.

"This path is very difficult, very difficult. But it will surely lead to success."

"Everything I've done is part of the plan. Every step, every choice, is within my calculations."

He looked at his sister, and an extremely rare gentleness appeared on his face.

"Thank you for still being willing to come see me, Xiao Yao."

He stepped forward, this time without hesitation, and reached out his rough hand, gently wiping away a tear stain on Lin Yao's cheek.

"But you should have your own life. Prepare well for the College Entrance Examination, and don't be distracted by me anymore."

The College Entrance Examination.

These two words made Lin Yao's body stiffen.

Lin Yu continued: "If I'm not mistaken, the professional awakening ceremony for your class is coming up soon, isn't it?"

Lin Yao subconsciously nodded, but avoided Lin Yu's gaze.

Inside her, a fierce internal struggle was taking place.

On one side was her brother, whom she once deeply admired but now caused her immense heartache.

On the other side was her own impending turning point in life.

She looked at her brother, at the almost stubborn calmness on his face.

She suddenly understood.

She couldn't persuade him.

No one could persuade him.

Because in his world, everything he did was right.

A huge sense of powerlessness and sorrow welled up in her heart.

She bit her lip and nodded forcefully.

"I will."

She stood up from the ground, brushing the dust from her school uniform, her movements a little stiff.

She swore.

She would absolutely not become like her brother!

She would awaken a powerful profession, get into the best university, and live a glamorous life!

She wanted everyone to know that the Lin family didn't just have a fallen genius, but also a rising star!

"I'm leaving, brother."

Lin Yao took one last look at the dilapidated tin box, and one last look at that isolated figure.

Then, she didn't look back, turned, and ran out.

In the wind, only the sound of her footsteps fading away and a tear stain rapidly evaporating in the sunlight remained.

At the end of the small path Lin Yao ran down, by a withered tree, another girl was quietly waiting.

She was dressed in a tasteful casual outfit, completely out of place with the desolation of this abandoned factory area.

Seeing Lin Yao run over in tears, she went to meet her, but her gaze went over Lin Yao's shoulder, looking far into the rusty container.

After just one glance, she withdrew her gaze and focused all her attention on Lin Yao in front of her.

"Xiao Yao."

"Sister Qingxue."

Lin Yao threw herself into her arms, once again sobbing uncontrollably.

The person who came was Su Qingxue.

The Su family and the Lin family were old family friends.

Mother Su and Mother Lin had even grown up together as close friends, like sisters.

Su Qingxue and Lin Yu were the same age. When the two families visited each other as children, Mother Su would always jokingly say that she would marry Qingxue to Lin Yu in the future, making the two families even closer.

Su Qingxue used to not mind this joke.

Lin Yu, though a bit uninteresting due to his exceptional talent, had undeniable talent and a promising future.

Marrying him was equivalent to getting a lifelong ticket to high society.

This deal, no matter how you calculated it, was not a loss.

Later, well... Lin Yu fell from the clouds, shattered to pieces.

Su Qingxue was not a member of the Lin family, nor was she Lin Yao, who blindly adored him.

She was merely a calm observer and an evaluator of interests.

When Lin Yu, this potential stock, turned into junk stock, she naturally turned away without hesitation.