Chapter 136: I Want to Take a Break From School and Join Youth Training

Then, as if remembering something, she looked at Ash Sinclair. “Come outside with me for a minute.”

With that, she turned and walked toward the door. Ash grimaced. He knew his sister wouldn’t let him game in peace that easily. After all, the older generation tended to be set in their ways, and he fully expected a lecture.

Ash trailed behind her with a long face. Rian Sinclair waited in the hallway, watching as he closed the door to the private room and walked over, his expression still miserable.

She frowned. “Why the long face? You look like a grumpy old man. Show a little youthful energy, why don’t you?”

Ash stretched his cheeks and forced out what he thought was a gentle smile, only to see his sister’s frown deepen.

“You know what, just stick to the long face,” she said. “Your smile is kind of creepy.”

Ash deflated like a punctured balloon. Rian didn’t dwell on it and voiced the question on her mind, “Planning to compete?”

Ash nodded.

“Then your current teammates won’t cut it. They can’t keep up with your mechanics, and you aren’t on the same wavelength. I know they’re your friends, but I have to say it.

“In esports, being bad at the game is the original sin.”

Ash kept his head down, remaining silent. Rian merely gave him a fleeting glance and continued.

“If you aren’t going pro, I won’t say a word. But if you want to play professionally, you need to choose your teammates carefully. You can’t just be out there hard-carrying a three-man dead weight, understand?”

Ash looked up in astonishment, his eyes filled with disbelief. “Sis… Sis! You’re letting me play games!”

“Let’s correct your phrasing. I never forbade you from playing games; I was only upset because you were skipping class to do it. Now that your college entrance exams are over, I have no reason to stop you.”

Thrilled, Ash threw his arms around his sister. “Sis, I knew you loved me the most! Long live my sister!”

Rian patted his back in exasperation. “Look at you, a grown man acting like a kid.”

But having finally gotten his sister’s support, Ash wasn’t about to let go that easily. He clung to her until Rian suppressed a laugh and warned, “If you don’t let go right now, your friends are going to laugh at you.”

Ash immediately released her, only to see his group of friends staring at him with their jaws on the floor. Flustered and embarrassed, he snapped, “What are you looking at? Is it a crime to hug my own sister?!”

His loud voice seemed to snap them out of their daze. One of the lackeys immediately sucked up to him, “Of course not! Whatever Ash says goes! Right, boys?”

“Yeah!”

“That’s right!”

Listening to their echoing agreements, Rian noticed the tips of Ash’s ears turn even redder. She shook her head with a smile and patted his shoulder. “My treat for late-night snacks. Let’s go.”

Hearing his sister rescue him from his embarrassment, Ash nodded frantically. Rian looked at the others and walked over to the boy who had spoken up earlier. “Pull up your payment QR code.”

Perhaps because her tone was so serious, the boy reflexively opened the app. Rian scanned it and transferred some money. Seeing the boy still standing there in shock, she gently waved a hand in front of his face. “Earth to you.”

The boy’s face visibly flushed red, but upon glancing at his phone screen, his embarrassment vanished, replaced by sheer shock. “Holy shit! Five grand!”

Several pairs of eyes immediately shot toward Rian. She smiled and said, “I’m taking Ash with me for now. Use this to buy yourselves something to eat.”

Leaving the stunned group behind, she led Ash out of the internet cafe. The moment they stepped out, a flurry of chatter erupted behind them.

“Holy shit, a sugar mommy! In the flesh!”

“Five grand for late-night snacks… Looks like my imagination was too small.”

“I told you Ash’s sister had an extraordinary aura.”

“You guys never believed me, but with Ash’s looks, I’d refuse to believe he wasn’t a rich kid!”

“Rich kid, my ass! That’s a self-made millionaire right there!”

“I’m so jealous. I’m officially friends with a millionaire!”

Rian didn’t catch their gossip. She took Ash and casually walked into a nearby barbecue joint.

Looking at the menu, she ordered some of their favorite skewers, asked the waiter for a few bottles of beer, and handed the menu back.

Rian remained silent. Though Ash had just heard her permit him to game, he still didn’t dare say a word.

The waiter first brought out a case of ice-cold beer, along with a plate of edamame and boiled peanuts. Rian pulled two bottles from the case and placed them on the table.

Before the waiter could even fetch a bottle opener, she ruthlessly popped the caps off with a chopstick. She set one bottle in front of Ash and kept the other for herself.

Rian raised her beer. “Want to talk?”

Ash grabbed his drink, and they clinked their bottles in the air, producing a crisp CLINK.

He tilted his head back, took a gulp, and said in a low voice, “Sis.”

“Spit it out.”

Rian chased her sip of beer with a peanut.

“I want to take a gap year and join a youth training camp.” Ash finally blurted out what was on his mind, not daring to look up. He was terrified of seeing disappointment in his sister’s eyes.

Rian’s hand paused mid-drink. She set her bottle down with a dull THUD, making Ash’s heart skip a beat.

“Are you serious?”

Ash nodded solemnly. He had harbored this idea for a long time but had never dared to bring it up, afraid she would accuse him of straying from a proper path.

“Is my opinion that important to you?”

Hearing this, Ash replied without hesitation, “Of course it is!”

“And if I don’t agree? Would it still be important?”

This time, Ash didn’t answer right away. Rian let out a soft chuckle. “Even if I tried to stop you, you’d still go, wouldn’t you?”

Ash stayed silent for a long time. Rian raised her beer again. “Cheers.”

At her prompt, he picked up his bottle and clinked it against hers. A crisp CLINK rang out again.

Rian took a huge swig straight from the bottle and set it aside. “It’s been a long time since we sat together like this, just the two of us, eating skewers and drinking beer.”

Ash temporarily forgot their previous conversation. His face softened with nostalgia as he recalled the past. “Sis, it’s been ages since we had late-night snacks together. You were always busy back then, and now… you’re still pretty busy.”

Rian smiled softly but didn’t respond to that, smoothly changing the subject. “Tell me your thoughts.”

Ash fell silent for a moment before speaking softly. “Sis, my passion for this game isn’t just a fleeting whim. It’s a genuine love that I can’t let go of, even after weighing all the pros and cons.

“I love gaming. I love facing off against equally skilled opponents in a virtual world. Taking up a gun in the arena and defeating my enemies brings me a kind of thrill that doing a hundred math problems could never match. It gets my blood pumping.

“At first, I thought gaming was just a good way to make money. Later, I realized I could no longer give it up. I deeply enjoy the competitive nature of esports, and I admire the pro players who fight on the global stage to bring glory to our country.

“In the past, I always felt like I could never measure up to you. With studying, your effort-to-reward ratio was one to ten, whereas I had to chew through the material endlessly just to grasp it. And later on, you were always better than me at absolutely everything.”