Powerful Investment Chapter 41: Like

Chapter 41: Like

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

 

The night Ji Jin arrived in C City, it started to rain.

Since rain made things inconvenient, Zhao Ze contacted the local sub-league in C City to send someone to pick him up. But unexpectedly, it was Jiao Yue who came with his team.

Ji Jin didn’t have any special feelings toward Jiao Yue. Jiao Yue was thick-skinned and not easily embarrassed. His attitude was decent and not deliberately flirtatious; he seemed to be there purely to pick Ji Jin up. After arriving at the hotel, Jiao Yue just exchanged a few polite words with Ji Jin and left.

Ji Jin didn’t expect that this incident would be photographed by paparazzi and fans who happened to run into them, and then spread around by several marketing accounts. However, since Ji Jin wasn’t a celebrity, the hype died down quickly and the posts were taken down.

Lu Yao probably saw this news that night and sent many messages on WeChat, but Ji Jin didn’t read any of them. Other reasons might have been understandable, but regarding the child, Ji Jin would never abort because of anything Lu Yao said. He wasn’t going to reply until Lu Yao changed his mind.

What Ji Jin didn’t expect was how much influence he actually had on Lu Yao.

IKW lost their first game in G City… The team they played against was not the top-tier team; they usually had average results, and that night’s game had no remarkable performance either. They only won because Lu Yao performed poorly and his usual level was far better.

MOE also lost that afternoon, but Ji Jin didn’t make any mistakes. The whole team’s coordination was a bit off, and playing against an established team like TAO, losing was more or less normal.

After the match loss that night, Jiao Yue invited Ji Jin to dinner following the post-match interview. Ji Jin thought about it; he was dirt poor, so not eating that meal would be a waste. Plus, he could clear the air with Jiao Yue, so he agreed.

Jiao Yue was a local from C City, and the city was famous for its cuisine. He chose the most well-known hotpot restaurant, which had a signature dish of spicy rabbit meat.

Jiao Yue reserved a private room. The atmosphere was nice, and the room was decorated in a classical style, giving it a very elegant feel.

Ji Jin was poor but not unworldly. He commented on the nice decoration without showing surprise. He took off his shoes and sat down on a tatami-like seat. Jiao Yue sat across from him, handing him the menu.

“God Ji, order whatever you want, don’t hold back. The spicy hotpot here is the most famous; you should try it,” Jiao Yue said gently, looking at Ji Jin warmly. “It’s rare for you to come to C City. I want to take this chance to invite you out.”

Ji Jin’s heart skipped a beat, sensing things might be going the wrong way.

“Let’s do tomato hotpot,” Ji Jin said while looking at the menu, then cleared his throat, “And some vegetables. I’m pregnant, so I can’t eat spicy.”

He said that on purpose. Privately, he enjoyed spicy food immensely. Zhao Ze worried daily that he might miscarry from eating too spicy, but he just couldn’t resist.

Jiao Yue was stunned, showing an expression of disbelief.

“God Ji… you’re pregnant?” His voice trembled; he never expected Ji Jin to hit him with such a bombshell right away.

“Yeah, I just found out last week.” Ji Jin felt a little guilty about eating and drinking for free at that moment. He secretly glanced at his phone and saw that his account had some new money added, though he didn’t know when. Whether it was split between the two or fully paid for, it was enough.

It was probably Ji Huan sending money so he wouldn’t be broke outside.

“Is it… Lu Yao’s?” Jiao Yue looked shocked and somewhat dazed, unable to believe what he heard.

His expression was exactly like Zhao Ze’s when he found out.

“Yeah.” Ji Jin admitted openly. Why did everyone act like it was impossible for him to be pregnant? Everyone knew he had Ji Xingxing already, so why did pregnancy still shock them so much?

Jiao Yue gave a bitter smile but said nothing.

They quietly ordered the food. During the meal, Jiao Yue looked distracted, as if severely shaken, so Ji Jin took advantage of the moment to order the spicy rabbit meat.

Smart as Jiao Yue was, when the spicy rabbit dish arrived, he knew Ji Jin deliberately mentioned being pregnant to completely dash his slim hope.

“God Ji… do you like Lu Yao?” Jiao Yue looked up at Ji Jin, eyes full of confusion and reluctance.

They both joined the league the same year. Although one was in B City and the other in C City, they had some private contact. Before Ji Jin retired, they often kept in touch and sometimes streamed together.

In comparison, although Lu Yao was a youth trainee at IKW, the training camp and the main team were extremely busy. Lu Yao joined the youth team the year Ji Jin retired, so their time overlapping was less than half a year. How did that lead to a child and a relationship?

Ji Jin had finally returned to the country, only to be with Lu Yao again and become pregnant once more.

“… I guess… I like him,” Ji Jin looked down and was silent for a while. After some time, he quietly said it. His voice carried hesitation and uncertainty, making one doubt whether he was just brushing it off.

Only Ji Jin himself knew if this was true or not.

Four years ago, Ji Jin was still a team captain at IKW. That was the first year IKW selected youth trainees. Ji Jin was young and excited and secretly went to watch the tryouts.

At that time, most people didn’t understand esports well, thinking playing games was a waste of time, and the industry might suddenly collapse anytime. So most applicants were either unemployed or poor students, many of whom weren’t even good at gaming.

Ji Jin found it boring. Most people didn’t even qualify to join a pro league, let alone be his opponents. After looking around, he felt it was pointless. But one rookie stood out to him—good-looking, and with a nice aura.

Maybe it was fate; among so many, Ji Jin chose Lu Yao and even soloed a match against him.

However, at that time, Lu Yao was completely crushed by Ji Jin. Ji Jin’s reaction speed was incredible. He had led IKW to several championships, naturally beyond Lu Yao’s level. In one match, Ji Jin killed Lu Yao ten times.

After the match, Ji Jin felt he shouldn’t bully a kid so much. He saw Lu Yao’s potential and talent and thought it’d be a pity to discourage him outright. So he called Lu Yao out and personally comforted him.

Unexpectedly, Lu Yao’s eyes sparkled like he’d found the most precious treasure in the world.

At first, Ji Jin simply appreciated Lu Yao’s talent and didn’t want to hold him back. But over time, he grew to admire Lu Yao more and more. Outside of regular training, he secretly brought Lu Yao in for extra sessions.

The teenage Lu Yao had a bit of a dramatic streak and loved to act cute. His eyes seemed to hold a whole galaxy—sparkling and bright. Just locking eyes with him made it feel like you were his entire world.

Originally, Ji Jin only saw Lu Yao as a kindred junior. He never expected that, after the celebration banquet for their championship win three years ago…

Even though he had gone into heat because he’d forgotten to take his suppressant, if he hadn’t liked it—liked him—no one could have ever… had him.

“I get it now,” Jiao Yue said, lowering his head, looking utterly dejected. Ever since Ji Jin had returned to professional play, Jiao Yue had wanted to contact him, to confess. He hadn’t wanted to miss any chance—he was even willing to fight for one, even if Ji Jin already had someone else’s child.

But what he hadn’t expected was that… maybe he had been one step too late from the very beginning. And he hadn’t even known.

If… if he hadn’t been so focused on the championship back then, if he hadn’t had so many concerns, if he had confessed to Ji Jin earlier… maybe everything would have turned out differently. Maybe Ji Xingxing would’ve been his little baby. Ji Jin would’ve been his Omega—now pregnant with his child.

But he had been too late. And everything was different now.

Now that it had all been said clearly, Ji Jin no longer held back. Ever since getting pregnant, he had constantly felt tired and hungry. No matter what he ate, it wasn’t enough. His cravings had gotten intense—sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, salty—he wanted to try them all. If he ate even a little less, he’d feel dizzy with hunger.

Zhao Ze had his hands full carrying a huge bag of snacks everywhere, just in case Ji Jin suddenly got shaky from hunger. Especially on the day they flew, Ji Jin’s blood sugar had dropped from hunger, and Zhao Ze had pulled out a mountain of snacks to rescue him. Ji Jin had even thought that if Zhao Ze ever quit as team manager, he could totally get hired at a postpartum care center—his prenatal and postnatal care skills were that good.

Meanwhile, in the hotel room, Zhao Ze suddenly sneezed hard. He rubbed his nose, wondering if someone was cursing him behind his back.

Just then, there was a knock on his door.

Back on Ji Jin’s side, he was eating happily. Jiao Yue didn’t have much of an appetite, but still tried to keep the conversation going, smiling and chatting with Ji Jin over dinner.

Jiao Yue spent most of the meal watching Ji Jin—focused on every movement and smile. Occasionally, he’d space out for a second, but he always quickly pulled himself back together.

They had dinner a little late, and by the time they were done, the sky had gone completely dark. The hotpot had them both sweating, and the weather outside was sweltering too.

C City was in the south, and this time of year was its hottest. The street outside the hotpot restaurant bustled with life, radiating the city’s vibrant energy.

“Thanks for dinner today,” Ji Jin said, rubbing his stomach. He’d been under Zhao Ze’s strict supervision lately—this guy wouldn’t study match strategies properly but had instead been obsessing over pregnancy diets: small meals, frequent snacks, and so on. Ji Jin never felt full.

“There’s no need for thanks between us,” Jiao Yue replied with a smile—though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Besides, I lost today.”

“It’s just the regular season, no big deal,” Ji Jin said with a casual shrug. “But I’m not going easy on you in the finals.”

Jiao Yue chuckled. MOE had done better this year than usual, but not well enough to seriously contend for the title. He didn’t think Ji Jin could actually take the championship either, but as adults, there was no need to crush someone’s dreams. So he just smiled and said nothing.

“I’ll take you home,” Jiao Yue offered.

“It’s fine, you can go ahead. I’ll just call a ride.” Ji Jin pulled out his phone, only to find his notifications overflowing. He felt a flicker of confusion but didn’t open them—just switched over to order a car.

“That’s not safe. You’re an Omega and you’re pregnant—going out alone at night is…” The word dangerous had barely left Jiao Yue’s mouth before he trailed off.

Ji Jin instantly sensed something was wrong and looked up.

Across the street stood Lu Yao, quietly watching them. His gaze was fixed and unreadable, filled with something Ji Jin couldn’t quite place.

Lu Yao… Why was he in C City? Wasn’t he supposed to be in G City for a match? That was over a thousand kilometers away. He had been playing this afternoon…

Ji Jin watched as Lu Yao raised a hand in greeting and then sprinted across the street toward him.

At that moment… Ji Jin actually felt a little guilty.

 

Author’s Note:

God Ji: I mean… maybe I liked him just a little bit, hmm.

Lu Yao: If I don’t see my brother for even one day, he goes off and cheats on me 😤

 

 

 

 

 

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