HE GETS A GIRLFRIEND

["Fuck! Why can't I beat him even just for once?"

"Mouth, ZhuZhu! Your brother is in his room."

Lin Zhu just arrived at his parents' house after finishing his training session today, but the first thing he did was swear loudly. In the end, he got a scolding from his dear mother.

The brown-haired boy rolled his eyes before throwing his body on the couch.

"Ah Chao is no longer a kid, Mom."

"Ah Chao is no longer a kid, but he is still a minor. I don't want him to have a foul mouth like yours!"

His hazel eyes rolled lazily once again when his father suddenly chimed in. Even his father was home to insult him today. He thought his day couldn't get any worse, but he was wrong.

"Who are you talking about, ZhuZhu?" His mother asked him in such a soft voice, and Lin Zhu's heart melted right away. When other people fed him the bitter melon, his mother was the only one who fed him the sweet cotton candy.

His mother was the best, and he snuggled into his mother before hugging her stomach tightly. "It's a bastard called Ye Quan, Mom," he answered his mother's question while gritting his teeth.

"Can you teach your mouth some manner, Lin Zhu? If you can't, then let me go to the kitchen to grab a knife," his father decided to butt in once again.

The youth glanced at his father and asked, "What are you going to do with the knife, Dad?"

The father glared at him before answering, "I'll use the knife to cut your lips so I can teach them some manners."

Lin Zhu's instantly brought his hand to cover his mouth while shaking his head. "You can't do that!" He exclaimed in a slight panic tone. "I'll teach my mouth, so you don't have to bother to teach them some manners!"

His father sneered but didn't say anything as he leaned his back on the back of the couch.

Shi Yin could only shake her head when she watched how her husband and her oldest son bickered. "Tell me more about this Ye Quan kid, ZhuZhu," she then instructed the said son.

Lin Zhu, who was still hugging his mother's stomach, looked up at his mother while pursing his lips. "I played against him in training earlier, but I lost once again! I'll never be able to beat him, Mom! That sucks!"

The mother stroked her son's brown locks gently. She always treated her son like that, and her son ended up being a spoiled brat. Meanwhile, the father just watched the drama while eating some peanuts.

"It's just a training match, right? It's not a big deal. I'm sure you will be able to beat him later in a real match. You are my son, and you are the real badminton prodigy. Don't bother about that Ye Quan kid. I'm sure his golden era will come to an end soon."]

That was his conversation with his parents two years ago when he just joined the senior team.

Ye Quan was in his best performance back then, and Lin Zhu could never beat the senior in their training matches. And the thing he hated the most was the way his seniors looked down on him after humiliating him in front of their coach.

He couldn't stop complaining about that issue back then, and even his parents knew how much he hated Ye Quan.

But when he recalled the memory again, it seemed that his mother's words came true. Ye Quan's golden era had come to an end, and he was supposed to laugh, right?

"I have no other choice, Dad," the young athlete answered his father's question. "Ye Quan can't go back to his top performance, and the coach transferred him to the men's doubles team."

"But why did you have to partner with him, ZhuZhu? You hate him so much, so how can you work together with him?"

Lin Zhu smiled wistfully at his mother's question. 'That's also my question, Mom,' he lamented inwardly.

"I just need to play well in the court, Mom. I don't have anything to do with him outside the court."

His mother stared at him with her loving gaze and raised her hand to caress her child's back. "He didn't bully you, did he?" She asked her son in a worried tone.

A grim smile remained on Lin Zhu's face upon hearing his mother's question.

'If only I could tell you the truth, Mom.'

Lin Zhu just swallowed the words as he shook his head. He didn't want to add the burden on his parents' shoulders, so it would be best if he concealed the fact that Ye Quan had treated him badly all along.

"I think you should be friends with him, Ah Zhu."

The young athlete turned to the side to find his father looking at him solemnly.

"Being a partner in the court is enough, Dad. I don't need to be friends with him."

The father shook his head at his son's stubbornness. "I'm not going to force you to do something you don't want to do, but at least don't cause any trouble for yourself. For the sake of your career, you better behave yourself, Ah Zhu."

His father wasn't the type who would talk to him harshly and force him to do something he didn't want to do. Since he was a kid, his father allowed him to do what he wanted.

Even when he told his parents that he wanted to be an athlete rather than an entrepreneur or some other job, his parents were not against the idea. Instead, they gave him full support.

"You are right, Dad," the son replied. "I don't want to be friends with Ye Quan, but I promise to behave myself in the future. I'm already 21 years old, and I'm no longer a kid who's reckless and careless."

Lin Zhu was more on the childish side than the mature side, but today he looked more mature than his usual self. His parents looked a bit puzzled by their son's sudden change of attitude.

"Why did you suddenly sound so mature, my baby ZhuZhu?"

Lin Zhu was about to answer his mother's question, but someone else's voice halted his motion.

"Maybe Lin Zhu gets a girlfriend, Mom. That's why he changed so drastically."