WIL CH 20

Chapter 20: We’ll All Grow Up Someday

Lin Xi took small sips of his milk tea when he suddenly heard a click. Looking up, he saw Assistant Liang holding a phone and snapping photos of him—tilting his head slightly to find a better angle.

Lin Xi stared at him in confusion.

Assistant Liang quickly put away his phone and said, “President Wen asked me to report on the progress.”

That only made Lin Xi more puzzled. What did taking pictures of him have to do with reporting work?

Just as he was about to ask, Lu Mingyu walked in.

“You two, get ready. Lin Xi, you go first. Kong Zhao, you’ll be next.”

Lin Xi immediately put down his half-finished milk tea and followed Lu Mingyu backstage.

“Mr. Lin, wait—you forgot your mask!” Assistant Liang hurried after him, handing over the mask that had been left on the table. President Wen had given him strict instructions not to mess this part up.

Lin Xi took the mask and quickly put it on, covering most of his face. He smiled with his eyes curved into crescents. “Thank you.”

Assistant Liang made a cheering gesture at him.

“You’re welcome, Mr. Lin. President Wen and I are both rooting for you. Go get ’em!”

“Okay.”

Lu Mingyu also gave him a reassuring nod. “Lin Xi, don’t be nervous.”

All those voices of encouragement turned into strength, breaking through the tension coiling inside him.

Lin Xi exhaled deeply, clenched his fists, and stepped forward one step at a time until he was standing in the center of the stage.

The venue buzzed with energy—lights flared, and the sound of voices filled the air. Most of the audience were players, many dressed as their favorite characters. Lin Xi loved those characters too—not only did he love them, he was the one who created them. That kind of love, stretching across dimensions, created a powerful sense of resonance between him and the audience. At that moment, his nervousness seemed to fade away.

The prompter displayed scrolling lines of text, but he didn’t need to look. Holding the microphone naturally, Lin Xi fluently introduced each character—their names, abilities, and defining traits.

The cheers from the players were overwhelming. Each time he introduced a character, the audience’s excitement drowned out his voice. He had to pause and clear his throat softly before raising his voice a little louder, a little clearer.

At some point, Assistant Liang had come out from backstage. He stood among the crowd, dressed sharply in a black suit that made him stand out from the cosplayers around him. Lin Xi spotted him right away—he was holding his phone, recording everything, even turning on the flash like a professional photographer.

Lu Mingyu and Kong Zhao stood by the side of the stage, watching him with focused expressions.

This was Lin Xi’s second time being the center of attention. The first had been when the rumors spread. But this time, it was different—this time, he was seen, supported, and acknowledged.

In the end, Lin Xi introduced every artist behind each game character. It wasn’t just him; there were many other illustrators who had worked quietly in the background. Lin Xi hoped they, too, could be remembered.

The crowd erupted into thunderous applause. Even Lu Mingyu was surprised—Lin Xi’s composure and poise on stage far exceeded his expectations.

When the crowd finally quieted down, Lin Xi looked at the players below the stage with bright, shining eyes and said, “May everyone find endless happiness and joy in the game—and create your very own life story within it.”

The audience erupted again—cheers and thunderous applause filled the venue.

When Lin Xi stepped off the stage, he realized his palms were drenched in sweat.

Lu Mingyu patted his shoulder. “Good job.”

Standing beside Lu Mingyu, Kong Zhao was brimming with excitement. “Xi Xi, you were so cool just now—I almost fell in love with you!”

As he said this, Assistant Liang approached, still holding up his phone, apparently recording Lin Xi again.

Lin Xi glanced at him briefly, then turned back to Kong Zhao. “You’re exaggerating.”

Next, it was Kong Zhao’s turn to take the stage. He spoke with fiery enthusiasm, punctuating key points with dramatic hand gestures. Watching from the side, Lu Mingyu couldn’t help but smile helplessly. “He really can’t stay still, can he?”

Lin Xi watched from backstage too, amused by Kong Zhao’s antics. His lively personality made the whole audience burst into laughter again and again—he just had that kind of energy that could lift everyone’s mood.

After finishing his speech, Kong Zhao bounded off stage and immediately asked Lu Mingyu, “Was I awesome or what?”

Lu Mingyu chuckled. “Mm, yes—you were awesomely silly.” He deliberately emphasized the word silly.

Kong Zhao shot him a playful glare and huffed.

Then he turned to Lin Xi. “Xi Xi, wanna grab dinner tonight to celebrate?”

Before Lin Xi could respond, Assistant Liang answered for him.

“Sorry, Mr. Lin already has other plans this evening.”

Lin Xi blinked in confusion. He clearly had nothing planned tonight—and he did want to celebrate with Kong Zhao.

So he said, “I’m free tonight. I can go.”

Assistant Liang, unable to argue in front of his two colleagues, simply stepped aside and pulled out his phone.

Kong Zhao slung an arm around Lin Xi’s shoulders like a close friend.

“Then how about hotpot tonight?”

Lin Xi wasn’t picky with food. Though he couldn’t handle spicy dishes very well, he still didn’t refuse.

“Hotpot sounds good.”

“Boss, you coming?” Kong Zhao turned to ask Lu Mingyu with a grin.

“I’ll pass. The press conference isn’t over yet, and there’s still a lot to handle afterward. I’ll probably be here late. You two go ahead and eat first.” As the event supervisor, Lu Mingyu couldn’t leave until everything was wrapped up.

Kong Zhao looked disappointed, lips pouting slightly. “Alright then.”

Just as the two were about to call a cab to the hotpot place, Lin Xi’s phone rang.

It was Wen Feng. He told Kong Zhao to wait a bit, then stepped aside before answering.

“Are you done?” Wen Feng’s deep voice came through the receiver.

Lin Xi still had his mask on, his voice sounding slightly muffled. “Mm, yeah. It’s over.”

“Have Assistant Liang drive you home.”

“But I wanted to have dinner with my coworkers,” Lin Xi said, his fingers tightening around the phone.

“Lin Xi,” Wen Feng’s voice dropped low, calm but firm, “I said—let Assistant Liang take you home.”

Lin Xi couldn’t understand it. It was just a simple dinner with a colleague—why was Wen Feng acting like this again?

“Why can’t I go?” he asked softly.

“There’s no reason,” Wen Feng replied flatly.

“I’ll come home right after I eat,” Lin Xi promised.

A heavy silence lingered on the line.

Then Wen Feng spoke again, tone controlled but leaving no room for refusal.

“Be home before eight.”

Hearing that, Lin Xi immediately said, “Okay, I got it.”

But before he could feel relieved, Wen Feng added, “Have Assistant Liang take you there. Otherwise, don’t bother going at all.”

Lin Xi had no choice but to agree. “Alright.”

As soon as he hung up the call, Assistant Liang — who had just disappeared — reappeared again, smiling naturally as if nothing had happened.

“Mr. Lin, allow me to drive you and your colleague to dinner.”

Sure enough, it seemed the two had already spoken over the phone.

Lin Xi could only pull Kong Zhao along and get into the car.

After asking for their destination, Assistant Liang began driving.

Kong Zhao was utterly shocked. What on earth was going on? Not long ago, Lin Xi had told him he owed a large sum of money — so how did he suddenly become rich enough to ride in a luxury car worth tens of millions, complete with a personal driver?

Unable to contain his curiosity, Kong Zhao turned to him.

“Xi Xi, did you win the lottery? Or are you secretly some hidden young master of a top-tier family? You weren’t broke before — you were just mad at your parents, so they froze your black card, right?”

Lin Xi awkwardly hugged his small bag. He removed the mask he’d been wearing all day and took a deep breath. He really didn’t know how to explain — the car belonged to Wen Feng, the assistant too, and even the clothes and shoes he was wearing were bought by Wen Feng. None of these things actually belonged to him.

After struggling for a while, Lin Xi finally said, “I didn’t win the lottery, and I’m not a rich heir.”

He only denied what Kong Zhao asked but couldn’t bring himself to explain anything further.

Seeing Lin Xi’s hesitation, Kong Zhao didn’t press on. He believed in Lin Xi’s character — at least he knew this wasn’t money stolen or robbed from someone.

Before long, they arrived at the hot pot restaurant.

As they got out of the car, Lin Xi hesitated, wondering if he should ask Assistant Liang to join them. It didn’t feel right to have him wait outside.

Before he could speak, Assistant Liang said, “Mr. Wen has some matters for me to take care of. I’ll come pick you up in an hour and a half, Mr. Lin.”

Lin Xi nodded. “Alright, thank you.”

Assistant Liang smiled politely. “You’re too kind.”

The restaurant was an authentic Sichuan-style hot pot^[1] place. As soon as they stepped inside, the spicy aroma hit their noses, making Lin Xi sneeze.

The waiter led them to an open seat.

Lin Xi glanced down at his clothes, worried about oil splatters. Carefully, he took off his suit jacket and set it on the empty chair beside him. Then he asked for an apron to protect his white shirt. Only after doing all that did he relax and look at the menu.

Kong Zhao said, “They only have spicy broth here — no half-and-half pot^[2].”

“Then let’s go with mild spice,” Lin Xi replied.

“Agreed.”

They had underestimated Sichuan’s version of “mild.”

After just a few bites of spicy beef, Lin Xi’s lips turned red and sore. Sitting across from him, Kong Zhao was both slurping and eating at the same time, tears nearly forming in his eyes.

“It’s so spicy… but so good!” Kong Zhao said, drinking a full glass of water.

Lin Xi nodded, lips tingling. “So spicy.”

They both suffered and enjoyed it — the entire jug of lemon water was emptied, yet neither stopped eating. The burn only made the food more addictive.

The waiter brought over another jug of lemon water and refilled their glasses.

Raising his glass toward Lin Xi, Kong Zhao grinned. “Here’s to our game officially launching today, and to us not messing up or dragging our boss down — cheers!”

Lin Xi clinked his glass against his, the two downing lemon water like it was liquor — whether to celebrate or to ease the spice, neither knew.

After dinner, a car from Kong Zhao’s family came to pick him up. The two said their goodbyes outside the restaurant.

Lin Xi’s familiar car was already parked by the roadside. Assistant Liang got out and opened the door for him.

Assuming the back seat was empty, Lin Xi bent down to get in — only to find Wen Feng sitting upright inside.

He froze for a moment, fingers tightening around his suit sleeve before quietly getting in.

The scent of hotpot clung stubbornly to his whole body, and in the enclosed space of the car, it became even more noticeable. Lin Xi tried his best to put some distance between them, pressing himself close to the car door.

The car was spacious, yet it felt as if an entire galaxy stretched between the two of them.

Lin Xi refused to move closer — but Wen Feng did.

He reached out, gently turning Lin Xi’s upper body toward him. Then, flicking a stray lock of hair on Lin Xi’s forehead, he said softly, “Didn’t I tell you to be home by eight? Do you know what time it is now?”

Lin Xi’s lips were still bright red from the spiciness, a faint numbness lingering on them. He licked them lightly and murmured, “I forgot to check the time.”

Then he added, “When did you come? Why didn’t you call me?”

Pulling his phone from his small bag, Lin Xi glanced at the screen — it was already past nine. Had Wen Feng really been waiting for him for over an hour?

He looked at Wen Feng, unsure what to say, guilt welling up quietly inside him.

Wen Feng didn’t respond right away. Instead, he pulled Lin Xi onto his lap, his hands resting firmly on the slender curve of his waist. The dim lighting in the car softened everything — even the depth of Wen Feng’s dark brown eyes.

His voice was low and steady as he whispered, “I’ve been waiting this long… how do you plan to make it up to me?”

(To be continued…)