Chapter 053: Apology?

“Oh my god! It turns out to be true. That means I have a superstar sister-in-law!” Lin Wen exclaimed.

“What’s true? Dinner’s ready!” Guo Shuzhen walked out of the kitchen carrying a large platter of sweet and sour carp.

“Mom, my brother is really together with Qin Ruolin,” Lin Wen said.

Guo Shuzhen set the sweet and sour carp on the table, her face stern as she asked Lin Feng, “Is it true you’re with Qin Ruolin?”

“Mom, can we not talk about this right now?” Lin Feng picked up his chopsticks, took a bite of the fish, and praised, “I’ve had so many sweet and sour carp, but yours is always the most authentic!”

“Don’t think you can brush this off!” Guo Shuzhen said seriously. “I’ve met Qin Ruolin a few times. She’s a good person, has a great reputation in her circle, but she’s much older than you. So, I absolutely do not agree with you two being together.”

“You’re older than Dad too,” Lin Feng replied, taking another bite.

“That’s different. I’m only three years older than your father. Haven’t you heard? ‘A woman three years older is worth her weight in gold!’” Guo Shuzhen said proudly. “If your father hadn’t married me, would our family be so prosperous and harmonious now?”

“Son, your mother’s right,” Lin Changdong chimed in from the side.

Lin Feng curled his lips. “By your logic, Qin Ruolin is eight years older than me, so that’s two and a half gold bricks. Isn’t that even better?”

“That’s not how it works! If you calculate like that, you might as well find someone thirty years older and get ten gold bricks. Wouldn’t that be better?” Guo Shuzhen shot Lin Feng a glare.

“That works too—ten gold bricks straight away, and I wouldn’t have to work so hard playing basketball anymore,” Lin Feng retorted.

“I’ve been telling you to stop playing basketball for ages! Singing is so much nicer!” Guo Shuzhen insisted.

“Hold it, that won’t do. I’m counting on my son to bring Jiangning a few more championships, to make up for past regrets,” Lin Changdong said anxiously.

“What good are so many championships? One is enough.” Guo Shuzhen rolled her eyes at him, then turned to Lin Feng. “By the way, Xiao Feng, did the ‘Original Songs’ production team tell you which episode your performance will air?”

“They didn’t say. It’ll probably be later in the season,” Lin Feng replied.

“Alright, enough about singing. Let’s eat, let’s eat. Our family hasn’t sat down together for a meal in ages,” Lin Changdong said, arranging the bowls and chopsticks before opening a few bottles of beer.

“Come on, let’s raise a glass to welcome our family’s hero home!”

...

The meal was lively and cheerful. Lin Feng and his father, in high spirits, drank a few extra glasses. After a brief wash, Lin Feng lay down in his room.

Just as Lin Feng was feeling drowsy, Shen Ziqiang called.

“Where are you?” Shen Ziqiang asked.

“At home,” Lin Feng replied.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” Shen Ziqiang cleared his throat. “It’s not good news, so prepare yourself.”

“The basketball association wants to punish me?” Lin Feng asked.

“Yes,” Shen Ziqiang said. “Even though you reached an understanding with the Beicheng fans and the police are no longer pursuing the case, the basketball association can’t just let it go. No matter the reason, the fact is you hit someone.”

“Yeah, I expected this. Just tell me the result,” Lin Feng said, unsurprised. As Shen Ziqiang said, regardless of the motive, he had hit a Beicheng fan, and the association always imposes heavy penalties for such incidents.

“The result isn’t out yet, but I just got a call from the association’s leadership. They want you to post a formal apology on Weibo for the incident and delete any previous posts criticizing it. That way, they’ll be able to consider a lighter punishment for you,” Shen Ziqiang explained.

“They want me to apologize? What a joke!” Lin Feng said angrily. “The whole incident is on video. Anyone with common sense can see I did nothing wrong. Why should I apologize?!”

“This isn’t about right or wrong now. The association wants you to show an attitude of admitting fault so they can be lenient with you,” Shen Ziqiang reasoned.

“I don’t believe I did anything wrong, so I won’t apologize!” Lin Feng replied.

Shen Ziqiang became anxious. “Lin Feng, do you realize that by the rules, you could be suspended for a whole season?”

“So what? Even if I’m suspended for a season, I won’t apologize! Apologize to a bunch of hooligan fans? I have only three words: Impossible!” Lin Feng said firmly.

“How can you be so stubborn! It’s just an apology—why is it so hard?” Shen Ziqiang raised his voice.

Lin Feng was agitated as well. “Coach Shen, you’ve seen the video. They provoked me first, threw milk tea and water bottles at me, even injured Qin Ruolin’s head. Why should I apologize? Absolutely not!”

“An apology is just a formality. After all, you did hit someone,” Shen Ziqiang argued.

“My answer is still the same—impossible!” Lin Feng said seriously. “Coach Shen, tell the association leaders to follow their rules. Punish me however they see fit; whatever happens, I’ll accept it.”

“Ah...” Seeing Lin Feng’s resolute attitude, Shen Ziqiang sighed helplessly. “Alright, I’ll try to speak with the association leaders and see if I can get them to be lenient.”

With that, Shen Ziqiang hung up.

Not long after, Lin Feng’s phone rang again. He thought it was Shen Ziqiang.

But it turned out to be Wu Daren, the deputy director of the ‘Original Songs’ program.

“Director Wu, is there something you need?” Lin Feng answered.

“It’s a small matter,” Wu Daren laughed. “First, congratulations on leading Jiangning to the championship! Second, your segment in the show will air in the very first episode of this season, which is next Friday. I’m calling to let you know.”

“So soon?” Lin Feng was surprised, since he had been the last to record.

“That was the result of a team meeting. This season’s success depends on the first episode. If we make a strong start, we won’t have to worry about ratings later. The team unanimously agreed that you and your work must appear in the premiere—it’s simply too outstanding!” Wu Daren explained.

“Alright, I don’t mind. I’ll go along with whatever the team decides,” Lin Feng said. He really didn’t care which episode aired when; it would broadcast sooner or later.

“Great. Don’t forget to watch! One more thing: starting tomorrow, CCTV will launch comprehensive publicity for the show, and your screen time will be quite high!” Wu Daren added before hanging up.

...