Grumpy Esports God Becomes a Wealthy Family’s Stepmom - Chapter 32

If Zhong Yun offered money for a divorce, President Huo would be overwhelmed by the agreement and too busy to go to work, so Lu Ziming would have to cover for him. If President Huo skipped work to delay the divorce, Zhong Yun would team up with Zhong Lu to come up with a plan, ignoring his boyfriend.

Going to work doesn’t even earn any appreciation.

After finally getting a week off, Lu Ziming, driven by the noble spirit of “helping others is helping yourself,” advised, “Times have changed. Honestly, putting the agreement aside, marrying President Huo isn’t a bad choice—he’s young, handsome, and rich. Falling in love after marriage isn’t out of the question. Isn’t telling Zhong Lu to break up a bit too direct?”

Zhong Yun replied, “It’s not too direct. You’re also young, handsome, rich, and have an emotional foundation. When I told him you were cheating, he directly told me to break up too.”

Lu Ziming gave up trying to play peacemaker. “Then what am I supposed to do if I get jealous?”

Zhong Yun put down his phone, leaned in, and pressed a light kiss to the corner of Lu Ziming’s lips, murmuring, “You can do whatever you want.”

Lu Ziming: I really don’t want to go to work!

…

Huo Zhehan rushed back the moment he got the news. He never imagined that not only did Abandon have such a huge influence, but even Abandon’s inheritance could be used for a divorce.

It was like seeing a ghost.

He had hoped the educator would say a few kind words, but in the end, he was the first to surrender.

You have to raise the white flag quickly. If you’re too slow and the educator decides to accept Zhong Yun’s offer to pay for the divorce, the situation is set, and there’s no turning back.

Zhong Lu is someone with strong opinions. You have to go along with him and coax him gently—going head-to-head won’t work.

Huo Zhehan tried to be tough once, held out for two days, and ended in failure.

From the office to home, Huo Zhehan reflected thoroughly, his approach to winning him back was all wrong. If he wanted to maintain their contract marriage and stay close, he couldn’t let the educator feel like the agreement was a shackle that had to be broken.

This wasn’t staying close. It was building castles in the air. {T.N.: Means having unrealistic hope or things that are impossible to achieve.}

When you’re caught up in jealousy, it’s far too easy to be fooled by those castles in the air.

The car screeched to a stop in front of the heavy iron gate. Huo Zhehan pushed the door open and got out, standing at the entrance to glance at his watch, a rare flicker of impatience showing in his eyes.

Moments later, the secretary arrived, bringing the urgently requested Prenuptial Agreement from a certain safe and handing it to President Huo.

Naturally, Huo Zhehan would never leave a fifty-million prenuptial agreement at home—having both parties’ copies too close together wasn’t secure.

Huo Zhehan took the agreement and went upstairs to knock on the educator’s door.

As an act of protest against the capitalist, Zhong Lu had defiantly pushed his gaming session back by… a whole hour last night!

He played for a full five hours! Huo Zhehan didn’t even come to cut off his internet!

Is this the benefit of a fight?

He couldn’t get up this morning. At eight, Aunt Su woke him up for a bowl of seaweed wontons, and after eating, he went right back to sleep.

When he heard the knock at the door, Zhong Lu groggily opened his eyes and first reached for his phone to check the time. He had a four-man squad match scheduled for two in the afternoon. Seeing a message from Zhong Yun, he rubbed his eyes.

Sixty million? Divorce?

He’s giving him all his inheritance?

Did his brother recognize him? Or is he just being kind? So this is what it feels like to have a big brother? Then shouldn’t he be walking around like a king?

He suddenly sat up. If Huo Zhehan tried to stop him from playing esports, this might be the only way.

Zhong Lu rubbed his eyes again, feeling a little empty, a bit off.

Abandon’s entire savings—trading it for a second chance at life was a huge win, but using it to buy the capitalist a divorce certificate felt like a bit of a loss.

Abandon didn’t even know President Huo yet it felt like everything he worked so hard to earn in his past life ended up going to Huo Zhehan.

Hmph.

If he ever wrote an autobiography, he would definitely make Huo Zhehan the villain.

The knocking came again. Zhong Lu thought it was Aunt Su, and since he was feeling a bit hungry, he eagerly went to open the door.

“Oh, President Huo.”

His sharp eyes immediately spotted the familiar-looking agreement in Huo Zhehan’s hand, that was the Prenuptial Agreement!

Could it be that after some serious thought, Huo Zhehan had decided he wasn’t up to the task and wanted to terminate the contract too? But doesn’t the party who brings it up first have to make concessions on the penalty fees?

Zhong Lu immediately put on a slightly troubled expression as he used all his strength to lift up the mattress, trying to find his copy.

Huo Zhehan reached out to help, effortlessly prying up half the mattress with just one hand.

Only after Zhong Lu pulled out the document did he gently set the mattress back in place.

“Come to the study.”

Zhong Lu followed, quickly running through negotiation techniques in his head. In order to dissolve Zhuo Yin and the others’ team contracts, God Abandon had been studying this stuff lately.

The first rule was to stay composed and in control—never let the other side see your hand.

This time, he was facing a powerful capitalist who had probably won countless times at the negotiating table.

Zhong Lu was a little nervous but made up his mind to maintain a cool and noncommittal attitude no matter what Huo Zhehan said.

Huo Zhehan said, “I’m sorry. You have a new career path, I shouldn’t stand in your way.”

Zhong Lu tugged at the corner of his mouth. Just as expected of a top executive, his negotiation tactics were flawless. He’s clearly the one considering termination, yet he spoke with such sincere concern, like it was all “for your own good.”

Without hesitation, Huo Zhehan tossed his copy of the agreement into the shredder.

The shredder whirred to life, and within seconds, it had chewed up and swallowed Party A’s contract completely.

Zhong Lu was momentarily stunned, gazing at the shredder with newfound respect. It had probably devoured countless high-value contracts.

Now, only his copy of the agreement remained. If he tossed his in too, not only would he be off the hook for the fifty million, but after the divorce, Huo Zhehan would even have to split marital assets with him.

Could it be that Huo Zhehan had failed in some investment in the U.S. and racked up massive debt during the marriage?

Huo Zhehan said, “Since you want to go pro in esports, this agreement with the educator no longer applies between us. From now on, you don’t have to follow any of the contract’s terms—no more tutoring Huo Yu, and you don’t need to complete the guaranteed phase tasks either.”

Zhong Lu opened his mouth and blurted out, “You can’t sell your health supplements anymore?”

Huo Zhehan’s brow twitched. He rested one hand on the desk, tilted his head slightly toward Zhong Lu, and smiled, “What is it I’m selling?”

Zhong Lu said, “Miracle cures for all kinds of illnesses, a blessing for patients.”

Huo Zhehan took a deep breath, held it in, and forced himself to swallow the words, “Say ‘health supplements’ one more time and I’ll fine you.”

The agreement was already torn up.

Huo Zhehan said, “I don’t want to hold you back. I don’t want the fifty million either.”

Zhong Lu stared at him in shock. “Is there a ‘but’?”

“…There is.” Huo Zhehan replied sincerely, “The reason I agreed to a contract marriage was to give Huo Yu a complete family. He’s come to accept you now, and he’s changed a lot recently. There’s no agreement anymore, but could we keep the marriage going until Huo Yu finishes the college entrance exam?”

“During that time, I won’t interfere with any of your decisions. If you meet someone you like, you can ask for a divorce, I won’t say a word.”

By tearing up the contract in advance, Huo Zhehan had essentially handed the choice over to Zhong Lu. He could divorce immediately or agree to Huo Zhehan’s request.

“You’ll keep living here—treat this place as your home. It won’t cost you anything. Is that okay?”

“Home…”

Zhong Lu held his copy of the contract, unable to handle this suddenly humble version of President Huo. The man had already torn up fifty million and if he couldn’t even agree to this one small request, wouldn’t that make him a bit of an ingrate?

Pretending to be Huo Zhehan’s husband… didn’t really seem like he would be losing anything, did it?

He and Huo Yu had both lost their parents at a young age, so he could understand a child’s longing for a real family. Zhong Lu himself wanted one too. After dropping the whole “warm family” act, the Huo household had actually felt pretty warm—Aunt Su and Aunt Zhang were both especially kind. Living in a wealthy home with free meals and a place to stay, it really did start to mess with the head a little.

Zhong Lu could also understand Huo Zhehan’s request. In China, there were plenty of couples who kept up appearances until their kids finished the college entrance exam and some even waited until their children got married themselves, afraid that coming from a single-parent family would hurt them in the dating market.

That brat Huo Yu wasn’t without his good points either…

And Huo Zhehan, as a devoted uncle, had it rough raising a child all on his own…

Zhong Lu gave his head a little shake.

Huo Zhehan said, “Since both you and Huo Yu are so fond of God Abandon. Starting up a team comes with a lot to handle, and moving houses would be a hassle too.”

Zhong Lu: “…”

It wasn’t just a hassle to move, it was extremely expensive. He would have to recruit substitutes too, and good substitutes didn’t come cheap.

That sixty million would be best kept as a reserve fund for contract termination—it would give him leverage in negotiations with the club.

If it were an unconditional termination, Zhong Lu couldn’t in good conscience refuse to pay back Huo Zhehan the fifty million. It was too much and he didn’t want to owe such a favor. After all, he had been the one at fault first.

Looking at it from every angle, a conditional termination seemed the most reasonable.

Huo Zhehan’s voice carried a tempting lilt, “Does that sound good?”

Zhong Lu couldn’t think of a single downside. He wasn’t planning on dating anyone anyway and being married wouldn’t affect his esports career. So he gave a vague nod.

Huo Zhehan pinched the corner of Party B’s agreement and said softly, “Thank you, Lulu.”

“Don’t call me Lulu.”

Zhong Lu’s ears tingled. He raised a hand to cover them, but as his fingers loosened, Huo Zhehan snatched the agreement away and fed it into the shredder.

Ka-ka-ka… The shredder went to work once again.

Perfect, the wife is no longer someone hired.

Zhong Lu pressed his lips together. Things hadn’t gone the way he had expected. Instinctively, he replayed it all in his mind and it seemed like the moment he stepped into the study, President Huo had been leading him by the nose.

But… but it didn’t really feel like he had lost anything either…

What’s wrong here?

“Wait! I haven’t even checked if the agreement you shredded was real!”

Huo Zhehan rubbed his forehead. “Isn’t it a bit late to be concerned about that now?”

Zhong Lu: “It’s real, right?”

Huo Zhehan: “It’s real, I promise. If you don’t believe me, I can draft a statement declaring the agreement void.”

Zhong Lu gave him a skeptical look. “You write it.”

Huo Zhehan agreed readily, “Alright.”

He quickly wrote up the statement, “The agreement is void, marriage is free and equal,” his handwriting strong and assertive. He signed his name, pressed his thumb in ink, stamped it, and marked it—no regrets.

Zhong Lu folded the statement, stood on his tiptoes for a moment, and then quietly said, “I’ll make money from esports, and I’ll share it with you.”

Huo Zhehan raised an eyebrow. “Is it because it’s marital property? I can give you my salary card as well.”

Zhong Lu was surprised, “No, it’s more like a compensation.”

Huo Zhehan seemed disappointed, How could it not be considered?

He took the shredded bits from the shredder and tossed them into the trash, then carefully spoke up, “Although the agreement is void…”

Zhong Lu interrupted, “Is there a ‘but’?!”

Huo Zhehan hesitated for a moment, then bluntly said, “I won’t cut off your internet, but I still hope you can sleep before midnight.”

“Alright, alright.” Zhong Lu turned to leave the study, feeling quite uplifted.

The sixty million staying with him and his brother was, of course, great news.

As Zhong Lu was going through the preparations for the team, he suddenly remembered he hadn’t replied to his brother’s message. He quickly grabbed his phone and typed: [Not divorcing. I plan to focus on esports. President Huo agreed not to charge me any penalty fees, I’ll just wait for the contract to expire on its own.]

About half an hour later, he finally received a reply: [Can we have dinner together?]

[Zhong Lu: Sure, I’ll come find you.]

The other side sent him a new address: [It’s my new place. The old one was too small. Just come over, I’ll cook.]

Zhong Lu thought he shouldn’t show up empty-handed, so he searched for what gift to bring when visiting a family member. The results were all about engagement gifts, which were of no help at all.

His brother liked baking so he decided to buy a basket of eggs.

He tucked a red envelope underneath the eggs, then picked up a bag of “top scholar noodles.” He remembered that his brother was the first university student in their family. If Grandpa were still around, he would be so happy.

He wasn’t sure if the stingy Ye family had thrown his brother a graduation party. According to customs from Zhong Lu’s hometown, you were supposed to give four eggs and two bags of “top scholar noodles.”

The exterior of the new apartment complex was fresh and clean with great landscaping. Zhong Lu took the elevator to the sixth floor and pressed the doorbell.

Zhong Yun opened the door, and Zhong Lu noticed a pair of slippers by the entrance that looked just like Zhong Yun’s. He hesitated for a moment, wondering if they belonged to Lu Ziming.

Zhong Yun explained, “Those are your slippers.”

He gathered his courage and said, “This is me and my brother’s home, two bedrooms and a living room. We each have our own room. You can bring friends over, or you can ask them to keep quiet. Anything goes.”

Zhong Lu was stunned. “When did you prepare all this?”

Zhong Yun shrugged. “Just these past couple of days. If I don’t keep myself busy, I’ll just cry. I bought all the essentials; pajamas, toothbrush cups, slippers…”

Zhong Yun took another key from the shoe cabinet drawer and hesitated, whispering, “Do you want it?”

He didn’t ask directly, afraid of not getting the answer he hoped for, but he had still set up this home—a home for the Zhong family.

The key trembled lightly between his fingers.

Zhong Lu’s eyes reddened. He took the key, tucked it into his pocket, and handed him the basket. “Thank you, gege.”

Happy 18th birthday, gege. Wishing you happiness in your studies and may you also find a partner to bring you happiness.

Zhong Yun immediately burst into tears.

As Zhong Lu walked in, he asked, “Do I have a lot of flaws?”

Zhong Yun replied, “Not many, but I know your amnesia excuse won’t work.”

Zhong Lu had completely forgotten about the agreement and couldn’t cook to save his life, but aside from that, there were no other issues in his daily life. In fact, his esports skills seemed to have improved.

You can’t explain this away with amnesia. Who loses their memory but conveniently forgets only the agreement, like they’ve turned into a completely different person

Once he found out that the Zhong Lu he met at the internet cafe was Lu Ziming’s superior’s partner, he found it strange because Zhong Lu didn’t seem to know Huo Zhehan at the company.

Zhong Yun was very thoughtful, but when he and Zhong Lu were friends, there was no need to question anything. No matter how strange the other person seemed, it didn’t affect their friendship.

“What’s going on?”

Zhong Lu replied, “I don’t know either. Maybe I died and missed the chance to be reborn, so my soul wandered around for a year. Then, I just happened to run into Zhong Lu’s accidental death in the bathroom, and ended up here.”

Zhong Yun choked up, his voice wavering, “We’ll get him a longevity tablet another day.”

Zhong Lu nodded, “Mm, last time when Huo Yu burned paper for me, I took the chance to burn some for Zhong Lu too.”

Zhong Yun hesitated for a moment, then asked, “You once said ‘Lulu’ is your nickname. Can I call you that?”

Zhong Lu instinctively wanted to argue, but the name “Lulu” had been given to him by his brother Zhong Yun, and it sounded so much like something a brother would call him. It felt hard to refuse.

Moreover, hearing Zhong Yun call him “Lulu” felt different from when Huo Zhehan called him the same—he could accept it from his brother.

“Alright.”

Zhong Yun smiled softly, “Maybe it’s fate. Our parents originally planned to name you Zhong Lu, but it became Zhong Lu in the end. Now you’re Zhong Lu, just without the ‘rain’ radical at the beginning.”

And Zhong Xianyun became Zhong Yun, with the “rain” radical added to his name.

His younger brother had experienced many ups and downs over the past nineteen years, and from now on, it would be his turn to weather the storms. His brother only needed to focus on being stable and happy.

Zhong Lu said angrily, “What rain? We have a home now, with a roof over our heads, protecting us from the wind and rain.”

“Right.” Zhong Yun smiled through his tears, “Come, try the food I made.”

Zhong Lu had eaten many times before, but never this lavishly. He suspected Zhong Yun had been cooking all day.

“Did you get oil splashed on your neck here?”

Zhong Yun touched his neck, realizing something, and felt embarrassed for a second. “Uh, yeah.”

Zhong Lu frowned, “Next time, don’t make so much. Just stir-fry some vegetables and eggs, that’s enough. I bought a lot of eggs.”

Zhong Yun: “Alright.”

The two brothers enjoyed a delicious meal together before taking a tour of the house.

“When your savings come through, I’ll transfer everything to you.”

“Keep it with you for now or why don’t you buy this house?”

Esports could burn through money like water, and the returns weren’t that fast. Zhong Lu thought for a moment, and decided it was better for his brother to buy a house for security, just in case Lu Ziming tried to bully him into sleeping in an internet cafe.

Zhong Yun didn’t think too much about it, feeling that buying a house was a good idea. He could decorate it however he wanted. “Alright, I’ll talk to the landlord.”

Zhong Lu noticed that his brother had even brought over Huo Yu’s old computer from the previous rental place. He could play games here in the future.

The place felt warm and cozy, and it was the perfect home for the two brothers. No matter how they looked at it, they were both satisfied.

They discussed the things they still needed to get, and before they knew it, it was already 9:30 PM.

“How about we sleep here tonight?”

Zhong Lu bit into a crisp pear. “Sure.”

He thought to himself that he should let Aunt Su know.

Just as he was thinking that, his phone rang. It was a message from Huo Zhehan, asking if he was coming home tonight and if he needed a ride.

Zhong Lu didn’t want the electric scooter to crack the eggs, so he decided to take a taxi instead.

Zhong Lu was biting into a pear, about to type: [No need to trouble yourself—]

When he suddenly saw Zhong Yun sitting on the sofa, opening a document folder.

The scene felt strangely familiar, and his heart started to pound for no reason.

Zhong Lu asked, “Ge, what are you looking at?”

Zhong Yun said, “God Abandon’s medical records.”

Zhong Lu nearly choked on the pear. “How do you have that?!”

Huo Zhehan, as a contract husband, asked his wife to sleep by midnight after reading an unrelated person’s medical report. After reading this, wouldn’t his brother want him to sleep by 8 PM?

Zhong Yun looked confused. “I just told the police I wanted to see it, and they gave it to me.”

Zhong Lu, feeling the tension, rushed to the entrance to change his shoes. “About that… Huo Zhehan asked me to come home and sleep, so I’ll be leaving now.”

Brother: “?”