It was past midnight again when Tony finally opened the front door and crept in stealthily.

  The dark living room suddenly lit up. Grace sat on the sofa, looking at him with an expressionless face.

  "Sis."

  Seeing his sister, Tony awkwardly twitched the corner of his mouth. Sensing the anger radiating from her, he lowered his head with a guilty look.

  Grace had been fuming with anger initially. But during the two hours of waiting, she had also been reflecting on her brother's issues. By now, her anger had subsided considerably. Her mind was calm; she just wanted to have a proper talk with her brother.

  "Come with me."

  Their mother was already asleep. Not wanting to talk in the living room, Grace immediately got up and walked towards her brother's bedroom.

  Seeing this, Tony quickly followed obediently.

  Her brother's bedroom was the smallest room in the house, containing only a single bed, a desk, and a small wardrobe, nothing more.

  The walls were plastered with various certificates of merit, and over a dozen trophies of different sizes were displayed on the desk and windowsill. They were all spotless, clearly showing how much Tony cherished them.

  Grace pulled over the chair and sat down. Tony closed the door and stood by it, head bowed, secretly glancing up to gauge his sister's expression.

  The atmosphere hung heavy for a moment. In the end, it was Tony who spoke up first to admit his mistake. "Sorry, sis. I came back late."

  Looking at her brother's pitiful expression, Grace took a deep breath and said, "I won't lose my temper with you for now. I'll give you a chance to explain. But you must not lie; I want the truth."

  "Tell me, is this game really that fun?"

  Tony instinctively nodded, then quickly shook his head. He explained in a low voice, "No, sis. It's because I'm with others. We're a team, you understand? It's like... we all agreed on a time to log on together, team up, and play. We need to build team synergy. If I'm absent, the team is short one person. I don't want to affect the others because of me."

  Grace listened carefully. Although she didn't play many games, she wasn't a stranger to them, so she understood what her brother was saying.

  What surprised her was whether her brother already joined a team?

  "Did you sign with a professional team?" Grace pressed.

  Tony quickly shook his head. "No, not at all. It's not that easy to sign with a pro team. We met each other in the game. We want to form a team to participate in the national tournament this autumn. If we can rank, we'll have a chance to be selected for next year's youth training camp."

  "Only after entering the youth training camp do you have a chance to be seen by professional teams and potentially get a contract offer."

  To many outsiders, professional esports seemed like a waste of time and a frivolous pursuit. But in reality, the path was exceptionally tough. The peak period for a pro player was very short. If you didn't get signed by a pro team during your prime years, those few youthful years were essentially wasted.

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  Grace clearly remembered that in her previous life, her brother only started to become addicted to games after getting into a key university. Later, as he wished, he signed with a professional team, but unfortunately, as a substitute player.

  "Substitute" sounded nice, but in reality, it meant warming the bench. He sat on the sidelines for two whole years before getting one chance to play. And because he lacked experience in major competitions, his performance wasn't good.

  A five-year contract, one appearance, only brought him ridicule across the internet.

  He was also directly expelled from university due to neglecting his studies. Later, he relied on game streaming to make a living. But making a living online wasn't easy. He streamed for over ten hours a day, didn't earn much money, and his health deteriorated early from exhaustion.

  In Grace's memory, her brother, like her sister, had once wholeheartedly pursued and struggled for a career he loved and was passionate about. But in the end, neither of them ever achieved what they truly wanted.

  Looking at her brother standing before her now, not a trace of anger welled up in her heart anymore, only a deep sigh.

  That sigh made Tony feel even more guilty. "Sorry, sis. I know I shouldn't be distracted by gaming during such a crucial time before the college entrance exams. But I also don't want to hold the others back because of me. The competition is coming up soon. I can't quit now."

  "Then let me ask you, in your heart right now, which do you think is more important: the competition or the college entrance exams?" Grace looked at her brother and asked seriously, "Tell me the truth. I won't get angry."

  Without hesitation, Tony said, "The college entrance exams!"

  Hearing this, Grace nodded gently and asked again, "Then which university do you want to attend, and what major?"

  "Novastra University, Computer Science major."

  The university and major were the same as last time. At least his original aspiration hadn't changed yet.

  "Aethelburg University's Computer Science program is better. Don't you want to go to Aethelburg?" Grace asked.

  Tony pressed his lips together and said, "If I go to Aethelburg too, Mom will be all alone here. I want to stay in Novastra to keep her company."

  "I've bought a place in Aethelburg. If you can get into Aethelburg University, I'll bring Mom over too. Then our whole family will still be together."

  Tony's eyes lit up upon hearing this. He looked up at his sister with excited eyes. "Really, sis?"

  Grace nodded gently and added, "But the condition is that you can get in. To enter Aethelburg University, you need to score at least 660 or above. I'll let you finish the national tournament with your teammates. But if it affects your college entrance exam scores, you'll have to stay in Novastra and repeat your last year of high school on your own. Are you willing?"

  "I won't need to repeat! I can get in!" Tony vowed confidently. "Once this tournament is over, I'll focus entirely on my studies. I won't touch the games again until after the exams."

  Since childhood, studying never seemed particularly difficult for him. He was confident.

  Hearing her brother say this, Grace felt slightly relieved. She stood up and walked over to her brother, looking at him and saying, "Mom raised the three of us single-handedly; it wasn't easy. I also gave up Aerospace University and chose UST. You should know who Mom and I did that for."

  "I don't want to guilt-trip you, but you've always been sensible. You should understand that no matter what you want to do in the future, you must get into university first."

  Tony nodded vigorously. "I understand, sis. I won't let you and Mom down."

  Grace gently ruffled her brother's hair. "Go to bed early. You have to get up early tomorrow."

  "Sis, I haven't eaten yet."

  "Good, you haven't. Stay hungry!" Grace said, then turned and closed the door on her way out.

  Tony: ...

  The next day, Grace got up early. Her mother was in the kitchen making breakfast.

  "Why are you up so early? Sleep a bit more!"

  "Can't sleep. Has Tony gone to school?" Grace walked into the kitchen, came up behind her mother, and hugged her. Sniffing the plain noodles in the pot, she said, "Add some sauce."

  Audrey smiled and nodded, then asked her daughter, "Did you talk to him yesterday?"

  "Yes. I told him to aim for Aethelburg University. He said he can definitely get in."

  "And... the gaming thing?"

  Grace gently squeezed her mother's shoulders to reassure her. "Mom, don't be too anxious. Tony said he'll only play until mid-next month. After their team finishes the competition, he'll focus on studying. It's only about twenty days at most."