Chapter 2

Back home,

I brewed a strong mug of ginger tea and offered it to Caleb.

Perhaps it was embarrassment from having cried earlier.

He awkwardly turned his face away, refusing to look at me.

Out of nowhere, he blurted out:

"Why haven't you left yet?"

I sat on the sofa, carefully cleaning a framed photo of his mother.

Seeing I didn't respond,

after a long silence, he suddenly stood up and smashed the bowl on the floor.

"My mom is dead! Why aren't you gone yet?!"

I carefully placed the photo back before looking at him.

"I'll take care of you until you're an adult."

Caleb scoffed.

"Are you drunk? You really think you can be my dad?"

Leaving an enraged Caleb, I went upstairs alone.

"Your mother and I signed an agreement. I only get the inheritance if I care for you until you're an adult."

From that day on, Caleb and I settled into an unnervingly strange peace.

After accepting the reality that both his parents were gone,

he dedicated all his energy to spite me, determined to make me leave.

Because I told Caleb he needed to focus on his studies,

he'd skip school every day to hang out at the local gaming cafe.

After several days of this, I finally lost my patience.

Inside the gaming cafe, cigarette smoke hung heavy in the air.

Caleb was gaming with his friends online, headphones on. Judging by the screen, their game wasn't going so well.

Someone tapped him on the shoulder, and he impatiently swore under his breath.

He turned, saw me, and raised an eyebrow.

"Caleb, what the hell? Why'd you go AFK?"

The punk next to him yelled in frustration, his character's health bar bottomed out.

Caleb looked completely innocent, pointing at me.

"He won't let me play."

The punk shot me a dirty look, then shoved me roughly.

"Who the hell are you? Looking for a fight?"

Immediately, a few of his punk friends gathered around, their eyes narrowed menacingly.

I pulled up the nearest chair and sat down.

"Want to make a bet?"

"One game. If I win, you guys have to beat Caleb up every time you see him here, so he won't dare step foot in this place again."

The punk's eyes lit up. "What if you lose?"

I tossed a stack of a thousand dollars onto the table.

"If I lose, consider it on me for your games."

In the end, they put forward Caleb, who was supposedly the best among them, to compete against me.

Caleb raised an eyebrow, confidently launching the game.

He thought he'd completely crush me, but he was shocked when I landed headshot after headshot.

By the end of the game, Caleb's face was as dark as a storm cloud.

I couldn't help but laugh.

He had no idea that back in college, to earn money for living expenses, I'd been a professional booster for four years.

A few kids gathered around me, excitedly begging me to help them rank up.

The punk leader enthusiastically clapped Caleb on the back.

"Is he your brother? He's amazing! You should get him to help us out!"

Caleb sat there, stone-faced, not saying a word.

Seeing him so deflated, my mood brightened.

"I won. You guys have to uphold your end of the bet."

The punk glanced at Caleb but started to backtrack.

"No way, Caleb's my buddy. He covers all our internet fees. We've got a bro code!"

The group huddled around Caleb, spouting their so-called loyalty.

Caleb, seated on the chair, looked at me with a fake smile. "You really think you can control me?"

At that, the kids all started laughing, seemingly mocking my overconfidence.

But I didn't care. I just glanced at my watch.

Then I flashed Caleb a big smile.

"Technically, I can't. But right now, principles are calling."

As soon as I finished speaking, police cars swarmed outside, sirens blaring.

Operating a gaming cafe and letting minors in during school hours is a big no-no, and the owner could get fined.

Before the police could even come upstairs, the manager, looking stressed, started herding them out.

"What did you guys do to get the cops here?! Don't you dare come back!"

Once we were in the car, Caleb coldly fastened his seatbelt.

"You'd already called the police, hadn't you? Why bother with the bet then? Just to stall for time?"

My mood was excellent as I dropped Caleb off at the school gates.

As he got out of the car, I told him:

"No. I just genuinely wanted to completely crush you in a game."

Caleb glared at me, his fists clenched. One foot was already out of the car when he heard my parting words.

"Caleb, I have to say, your gaming skills are just like you: a total scrub."

Leaving a fuming Caleb behind, I drove off.

From that day on, Caleb never skipped class to go to a gaming cafe again.

Perhaps it was because of my "discipline" that day.

Or perhaps it was because I'd conveniently donated to the school's updated security system.