Chapter 1.19

Ling Xia was officially allowed to practice figure skating again.

So he did.

The past few months of training had been gruelling, to say the least. Each day went by at a snail's pace, but the months just flew by, although the competition was approaching even faster.

Because of their results in the year before, China was allowed two spots in the upcoming world figure skating championship. One of the spots was taken by Ling Xia, and the other by the person who represented China last year.

The competition last year had been fierce, and this year, it would be even fiercer.

With the technical scores at a standstill because a breakthrough to the quad axel hadn't been achieved, skaters were all focusing on their program component score, trying to improve it in any way possible. All the top contenders from the last Grand Prix had near-perfect scores on that aspect.

With March on the way, Ling Xia had to accomplish the opposite of what everybody else was. He was confident in his PCS(1), but his technical score? Another story.

When he was first allowed to practice again, he couldn't do any quadruple jumps. Now, he could do a quad lutz again, and he finally figured out how to do a quad loop as well. Additionally, he was working on his quad toe loop.

If figure skating was a game, Ling Xia would be grinding day and night, always in tryhard mode, never taking a moment to rest.

Unfortunately, video games were not real life, and Li Ming's body needed rest. After an exhausting six days of training, Ling Xia finally hit the hay on Friday night.

Saturdays were his days to rest, do whatever he desired, let it all out. Just not this Saturday. This Saturday, he was invited to attend a high-end party by Yang Lizhen. All the best businessmen were attending, arriving in their private limousines with chauffeurs and all.

Ling Xia himself came to the party in a limousine, just not his own. He came in Yang Lizhen's limo because Yang Lizhen was going in Ling Yu's family's.

The party was invitation-only, as to be expected of a party of this stature, but the people at the gate knew who he was instantly because of his recognizable plain grey mask.

They let him in without even glancing at the envelope in his hand, which made him wonder what would happen if somebody else wore a grey mask and masqueraded as him. Would they let them in as well?

Whatever. He couldn't care less about the state of the Ling family's security system, something he would come to regret soon enough.

As soon as he entered the gates, he was met with a well-dressed attendant who gave him a few instructions to carry out.

Due to the theme of the party being medieval, each guest at the party would receive a grand entrance and an ovation from the already present guests. Then the guests could converse with their friends until the hosts of the party arrived with the biggest, baddest entrance of them all.

That would have to wait though. For now, Ling Xia's entrance would have to suffice.

The attendants standing beside the humongous doors pushed them open, revealing the hidden secrets behind.

Ling Xia felt his breath catch.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Presenting Ling Xia!"

Strong applause rang throughout the mansion-sized room as Ling Xia descended the staircase, each step making only a soft sound because of the vermillion carpet laid down.

The room was filled with big shots and even bigger shots, but they all put their conversations on hold to clap for Ling Xia. As was mentioned before, Ling Xia had made a name for himself in the business world, and due to his prominence, the applause he garnered was greater than many before him.

Once the sound quieted down, Ling Xia settled into a chair at the side of the room. His eyes roamed around the room, catching the delightful decorations scattered all around the room for him to enjoy.

On the north side of the room were the gigantic marble doors that Ling Xia entered through. He marveled at the intricate carvings on the wall that swirled around each other in a magnificent display.

In the south end, there was a tower of champagne glasses delicately placed on top of each other so as not to topple. Each glass was filled to the brim with golden liquid forming a fountain of flowing champagne.

The liquid glimmered from the low-hanging chandelier in the middle of the room, seeming as if it was swaying to the beat of the soft music in the background. The crystals that dangled from it's lights shone brightly, jingling every time they made contact with each other.

In the west, there was a long table covered with a white table cloth. Trays of snacks lined the table, ready to be eaten. Fortunately, it wasn't dinner time yet, so people still had a chance to taste these delicacies.

The east had small circle tables with seats circling them, and Ling Xia was sitting at one of them. Groups of friends crowded around one table each and talked about their future plans and schemes to climb higher.

In the center of the room, in all of its resplendence and splendor, was the dance floor.

It was made of wood, which didn't quite work with the surroundings, but the designers made it work perfectly by making it a slightly elevated circle platform. The gold-rimmed circle was large enough to fit a house on top, which meant there was plenty of space for the dancing later in the evening.

Correct, there was going to be dancing.

It was just that Ling Xia didn't have to participate because he didn't have a partner that accompanied him to the party. How lucky he was.

The dancing wouldn't start for another hour though. It was the time to make conversation right now, so it was only fitting that Ling Xia was approached by a man who wanted to make a deal with him.

"Hello," Ling Xia heard from his right ear along with footsteps. He turned his head to see who it was and was taken aback by the sight in front of him.

"Mr. Nan, it's… a pleasant surprise to see you here," Ling Xia greeted, not quite knowing what to say as he offered the older man his seat to show his respect.

"Yes, I'll have to say the same to you," Nan Cheng returned after refusing the seat. Ling Xia's eyebrow perked up, expressing his perplexion. "Oh, did you not see the message I sent to you a day ago?"

Nan Cheng took the seat opposite the one that Ling Xia had been sitting in, and Ling Xia sat down as well. "No, I apologize, but I haven't checked any chats for some time because I was caught up in some other work of mine."

"Oh? Were you practicing for that thing in March?" Nan Cheng asked.

Ling Xia's eyes slightly widened as he tried to calm himself down. Right now, there was only one thing in his schedule for March that he was practicing for: the world figure skating championships. The only problem was that was completely separate from his identity as Ling Xia and only connected to Li Ming.

Plus, Ling Xia knew that Nan Cheng was a dangerous man. Beneath his handsome face lied a snake-like heart that was ready to betray anybody for its own gain. Nan Cheng was one man that Ling Xia would not give the benefit of the doubt.

Despite his racing thoughts and growing apprehension, he continued the conversation. "What are you talking about?" he asked, keeping his voice calm and unhurried.

"Aren't you practicing for your speech for the release of the new game?" Nan Cheng wondered with an earnest look on his face as if he was actually curious. It was all facades and ploys at the top of the food chain.

Ling Xia let out a silent sigh of relief. 'False alarm.' Or was it? Ling Xia remembered once having an otaku as a host who nestled into his bed everyday with a book, manga, or anime. There was a cliché in many of those stories where the main character and main love interest had a conversation when they were both unacquainted.

The main love interest would say something that the main character would think was about his or her secret plans, but in the end it would just be a false alarm. Or so the main character would think.

And then, it turned out that the main love interest knew all along and was just faking it. Ling Xia wouldn't fall for such a trap like this, not with his large amount of experience reading novels. His vigilance was raised at this moment and would stay like that for the rest of the night.

Still, a polite smile crossed his face, without any inkling of the thoughts that had just gone through his mind. "You must be mistaken, Mr. Nan. That's scheduled for February(2)."

"Oh? But I was sure there was something in March?" Nan Cheng looked at Ling Xia questioningly, but Ling Xia just shrugged in response.

"Ah, it's fine. I'm sure nothing will happen. Let's talk about you. What do you plan on doing after the release of this game?" Nan Cheng inquired.

"I think I'll take a break on the innovation part for some time. I found a few projects to invest in," Ling Xia truthfully answered.

Nan Cheng raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Hm? Can I interest you in a project that I think has potential?" He crossed his legs, putting his hand on his knee and leaning forward to show his earnestness.

"I'm sorry, I don't think working with the person who is trying to buy the Ling family corporation is in my best interests, especially when Ling Yu is a very good friend of mine," Ling Xia politely declined, using Yang Lizhen's host's name instead of his real name because the people in this world didn't know it.

"No, you won't be investing in one of Nan Corporation's projects, it will be a new and upcoming company's project that I find very intriguing. And we all know that friendships in this world are fleeting and not worth the trouble. I assure you, you will not suffer a loss if you agree," Nan Cheng reassured him.

Ling Xia gave him a fake smile that was unfortunately hidden beneath his mask, but the message was delivered. He discarded all of his earlier politeness, speaking curtly.

"One, I haven't the slightest idea what this project is about. Two, I cannot take my enemy's word for something, especially when that enemy is Mr. Nan himself. Three, I'm sure I will still be cooperating with you because I believe you will also be an investor. Four, I will stay friends with Ling Yu for the rest of this life."

"Well, that was unexpected," Nan Cheng remarked. "Especially that last part where you mentioned being friends with Mr. Ling in this life. Don't tell me you believe those rumors floating around about another life," Nan Cheng asked with a hand covering his mouth in shock.

Ling Xia's eyes lit up, and he became animated. "Well, when God takes me to heaven, I don't know if we'll meet again, but I really hope so. With all the good deeds he did, he'll probably go to heaven as well."

Ling Xia paused and eyed Nan Cheng with disgust. "But I don't think God will be happy if I hang out with somebody like you," he finished, successfully spouting nonsense all the way through.

Nan Cheng, who finally realized that nothing would come out of this conversation, stood with a polite smile on his face. "It seems I have to go," he said, not giving the reason because of his lack of them. He turned on his heel and took his leave, letting Ling Xia get a bit of rest before the hosts of the party arrived.

He relaxed in his chair, and his mind wandered back to something Nan Cheng had said. He mentioned that Ling Xia was working on a new game with V. But where was V?

In this large crowd of people, Ling Xia could not see any man adorning a white masquerade mask with golden vines decorating it.

V was supposed to attend this party because he was planning on cooperating with a few people here. It was for a project crucial to the development of his company too, so not being present could only be classified as being irresponsible.

Before Ling Xia could continue this train of thought, he was startled by the sound of the guards announcing another's arrival.

"Ladies and gentlemen!"

The guard paused, unlike all the other declarations he made, as if to catch everybody's attention. It worked. Everybody found the pause odd and turned their gaze to the doors curiously to see what had happened.

After this dramatic pause to raise suspense, the guard dropped words that piqued everybody's interest.

"The hosts!" he shouted, his voice bouncing off the walls of the huge room and reaching everybody's ears.

A family of six strode into the room, the person in the lead being the head of the family Ling Xu(3). His white beard was longer than Ling Xia remembered, now reaching the base of his neck.

His son and daughter-in-law, Ling Penghe and Ma Ran, were right behind him, each step seeming slow and measured, but they moved like lightning. They wore benign smiles, acknowledging some of their friends with nods as they moved.

Walking in behind them was Yang Lizhen, now acting as a young master of the Ling family, Ling Yu. His gentle face attracted many eyes. Next to him was the young lady of the Ling family, who turned 20 a little while ago.

Behind the five of them were the two kids of the family. They had just turned thirteen, but they looked too mature for their age, walking in with stoic expressions that were impossible to read.

They walked as if they were the rulers of the world, their strides long and strong, and even the children emitted this feeling. They were the perfect picture of a medieval family, their clothes even matching the theme of the party, which not many guests attempted to do.

Despite all of this, not a single person clapped. Pin drop silence covered the entire room, everybody staring at the family in awe.

It was as if time had stilled for everybody but the six people in the center of it all. Like the silence was a God-given law, and nobody dared to break it.

Finally, somebody broke out of his daze and looked around. Everybody around him was silent, so he also stayed silent. But then he remembered that they were supposed to be clapping.

He hesitantly brought his hands together, the sound barely noticeable, like he was scared to blatantly start the riot that would come after.

His single clap started a chain reaction, and the others who had been transfixed on the Ling family joined in. Soon enough, the room had erupted in thunderous applause.

It went on for some time, surprising Ling Xia. There was so much clapping he thought he might have gone deaf. But it ended, like all things did, and Ling Xia approached the man, or one of the men, or the hour.

"Ling Yu," he called out while lightly jogging toward him. But he did it politely of course, because up here, somebody out of place would immediately be singled out.

Yang Lizhen heard his call and turned to him. "Ling Xia!" he exclaimed, meeting Ling Xia off to the side of the large double-doors. "Hello."

"Hi, how have you been?" asked Ling Xia, heaving a deep breath once he got there. "It's been some time since I last saw you, and you asked me to come to this party so suddenly."

Yang Lizhen didn't keep him in suspense. His voice stayed as monotone as ever as he told Ling Xia what was going on. "I might have found another trainee. I need to confirm it, but I invited him to the party, so I could get your help."

"My help? Why would you need my help?" Ling Xia wondered aloud.

"You mentioned that you learned hypnotism in one world, so you can use it on the potential trainee if he isn't actually one," Yang Lizhen enlightened him on his intentions.

Ling Xia made an 'ah' sound of understanding. "Yeah, then we can make sure any fake people don't remember about the incident. I didn't think of that last time." Ling Xia laughed awkwardly. "I kind of just… go with the flow and come up with things on the spot when I don't have time to fully plan things out."

"You didn't have time?" Yang Lizhen asked, honestly surprised because of this new piece of information.

"That might have been an overstatement, but where's the potential real person?" Ling Xia changed the subject clumsily, not really caring that he wrecked that.

Yang Lizhen stared at Ling Xia for a moment, unimpressed, before gesturing to the south side of the room where the fountain of champagne was. There was a group of people there, drinking and chatting together.

Ling Xia didn't recognize any of them, but blond or brown hair laid on top of their heads, so they were most likely not from China. Ling Xia's line of work dealt mostly with Chinese people, and he didn't think he should get involved with the affairs of people with other nationalities as well because he didn't have time. He lived a double life after all.

"His name is Burt Danvef. In the original world, he came to China a few years back for a business deal with Bu Huai. The deal was still offered in this timeline, but this is his first time visiting China. He's the only man that's sitting down."

Ling Xia's eyebrows furrowed. "Burt Danvef(4)," he slowly enunciated, tasting the English name in his mouth, finding the name a bit dissatisfactory. He was trying to get ready for a conversation in English because he hadn't spoken the language in a long time. Get a feel for the common sounds in English..

"Can you ask him? I have to perform my duties as part of the host family," Yang Lizhen questioned.

"Hm?" Ling Xia turned his gaze back to Yang Lizhen before nodding. "Yeah, sure," he agreed, not wasting any more time by heading straight for the potential military trainee.

Notes:

1: Pretty sure this is the last time I'll put it down here, so keep it in mind, but PCS stands for program component score which is the score that is more about the artistic elements and how effortless the skating looks.

2: The head of the family in China is usually the grandfather of the young masters. So in this case, Ling Yu's grandfather, Ling Xu, is the head of the family. That's why there's more than two generations.

3: Burt Danvef, I'm sure you can guess, is in the western order for names, with the first name being... first. For the names, expect the order to be reflecting the origin of the person with the name. So for a Japanese person, the order will the flipped if compared to American names.