A grandpa's confession

Genesis Entertainment Town is owned by a private entity of Genesis Corp, a multi-billion dollar global investing firm, headquartered in Beijing City, that majorly invests in entertainment, media, technological, and digital platforms. Surprisingly, it has nothing to do with Hunters or their world.

The moment they stepped on the third floor of the agency, the air buzzed with the energy of assistants rushing about, directors discussing upcoming projects, and actors going through their scripts. Tianzhu almost felt dizzy, watching the chaos.

The staff member, as if waiting for the actress, led them directly to a meeting with Song Haoxi, a famed director known for his critically acclaimed Chinese historical epics.

He was in the middle of pre-production for his upcoming film, the Phoenix Throne.

"Hello, Mr. Haoxi…" "It's been a while, Ms. Xueli." "How long has it been? Three years, right?" "The last time we met personally on the set of 'How do you do?' Yeah, it was a box office bomb, but it ended up in the top 10 trending movies. Anyway, please sit. Let's talk about the project I want you in."

Xueli sat across from him, listening intently as he explained the role he had in mind for her. "Empress Wu," Haoxi said, tapping on his script, "is known to be the only female monarch of imperial China, the founder of the Zhou Dynasty…"

As the director went on speaking on the glorious history of Empress Wu, Xueli became more interested in the character.

Tianzhu, standing silently behind her, observed the interaction like a subordinate. But in reality, he was in deep thought. "A movie shoot will last for months, if not a year. And since she is the lead character, she will not have much time to do other projects either way. So, I will not have much work to do, and I could still stay closer to Jiejie. That's a good thing, I guess. Now, for the kids, Vera will be with Park Soojin. So, I'm not worried about her. But, Theo… that brat is the most troublesome. He even dared to move in with that father of mine, much to my displeasure. I wonder what he was doing, right now…"

Meanwhile, somewhere in Yuhang District, at a residential house unit;

The TV murmured low from the living room. Theo stood at the edge of the hallway.

Grandpa was there, sitting back on the couch and watching the news. He turned the volume down with the remote and said. "You are up, grandson?"

"Uhh… Yeah…" Theo stood awkwardly for a second. "Umm… Grandpa, can I ask something?"

Qin Dongzhi gave a slight nod without turning.

Theo stepped around the couch, then sat down at the far end. "I want to get a hunter license," he said.

Dongzhi glanced over at him. "Eh? You aren't even registered, though."

Theo nodded. "I know. It's just that in St. Petersburg, the laws were different. It required a guardian's approval to even register as an awakener. But here, there are no such laws. I can get one at any time as long as I take up dual citizenship. But, I might still need a guarantor for the citizenship. The Federation needs a guarantor's signature. I was hoping…" he paused. "You could sign for me."

Dongzhi sat up straighter. He blinked once. "Why not your father?"

"He said no," Theo muttered. "I wouldn't go through this entire trouble if Dad agreed to it."

Taking a brief pause, he added. "According to Dad, I didn't awaken combat ability. So I should stick to the path of music instead."

The old man gave a dry exhale. "For once, I agree with him."

Theo turned his head slowly. "Really?"

Dongzhi nodded. "A hunter's business is brutal. Too many think it's some heroic path, but all they find is debt, wounds, disabilities, or worse, deaths."

"But you hate the music thing," Theo said. "You said it during dinner last week that the music industry is even more brutal."

Dongzhi didn't answer right away.

Then, with a tired voice, he said, "Indeed, the entertainment world is a rotten place. One viral moment. That was enough to ruin a great singer like your grandma. It drove her to mental instability. Only I know how much she suffered because of those articles."

Theo's mouth opened, but nothing came out.

Dongzhi stared at the screen, continuing. "I didn't want my kids to go through the same route. I encouraged Xueli, your aunt, to go through the path of a hunter. For a while, she did and reached platinum rank, but in the end, she was too blinded by celebrity status with photoshoots and fanfare, and before we knew it, she ended up becoming an actress. Had she been a hunter, how many lives she could have saved. A platinum-ranked hunter is worth a hundred soldiers. And then… sigh… your dad. Well, since childhood, he didn't have much talent for fighting. He was a plainfolk. I encouraged him to pursue studies to become a scientist or study law in order to serve mankind, but he took the same path as his mother. I rejected his dream, trying to save him from the pain, but he defied me anyway."

Theo sat in silence for a moment. The hum of the fridge filled the gap.

"He never talked about you," the teenager said quietly. "At home, I mean. Not once. I didn't even know you were alive until two weeks ago."

Dongzhi smiled bitterly. "He made it clear he wanted it that way."

"Still…" Theo looked at him. "That's a bit much, isn't it? I mean, okay… you didn't approve of his music. You pushed him too hard. But it's not like he stuck with it either. In the end, he took the path you wanted. He's a lawyer now."

Dongzhi responded with a quiet chuckle. "I won't lie. I'm proud that your dad chose law."

He looked at Theo. "But I don't blame him for hating me."

Theo looked up in surprise. "Why?"

Dongzhi shifted on the couch, resting an arm on the armrest. "I was never there for him."

His voice had softened, and his eyes seemed distant.

"Little Grandson, the world you're growing up in is relatively calm. Sure, dungeons still pop up. Threats still exist. But there's peace on a large scale. Everything is in order and our control."

He gave a slight shake of his head.

"But back then in the 90s, it was entirely different."

Theo listened, leaning forward slightly.

"Portals weren't as stable. Cities collapsed under beast raids. Riots broke out in every major region. The remaining powers refuse to give up their control and fight for independence. Mages going rogue, syndicates smuggling essence powder. Half the continent didn't trust the other half. And in the middle of it, the World Federation was scrambling to unify everyone under one flag. Ugh… you can say it is full of chaos."

He exhaled, then let out a bitter smile.

"As a high-ranking officer, I was expected to 'maintain stability.' And somewhere in that storm… I missed what was happening with my family."

Theo remained still. He wasn't sure if he should say something. The way Grandpa was talking… it didn't feel like he was just explaining. It felt like a confession.

"I wasn't there when your grandma started breaking," Dongzhi said. "I didn't even notice. I would come home late. Some nights, I didn't come home at all. I told myself she was strong. I wasn't there for your aunt either. She was just a girl then, angry and alone. I missed her parents' meeting, and I miss her graduation day. I missed everything."

He glanced over at Theo.

"And your father… sigh… Regardless of how much I tried to suppress his dream…"

Dongzhi looked back at the screen, though it was still nothing but empty noise.

"I thought… I thought he would understand after growing up. That he would look back and realize I was protecting him. That I just didn't want him to suffer like his mother did. But… sigh… I guess I just completely destroyed the relationship between us to the point that he wished I were dead…"

Theo hesitated.

The TV kept playing news, but neither of them was watching it now. His grandfather's words hung in the air. Theo eventually reached out and slowly grabbed his hand.

"Dad's wrong," he said softly.

Dongzhi looked at him, surprised.