Chapter 25: Let's Just Call Each Other Whatever We Want; I'll Call You Auntie, and You Call Me Little Brother

In the end, Zhou Le accepted the red envelope. However, the completion of the film meant he could no longer stay at the hotel. Fortunately, Yu Qian had previously offered to take him in. Zhou Le had originally assumed he would be staying at the horse farm, as he had often listened to cross-talk performances and was under the impression that Yu spent all his free time there, tending to his many animals and several large villas.

When it came time to move, however, Yu Qian simply called a moving company. He had all of Zhou Le’s luggage loaded onto a truck, tossed him a set of car keys, and told him to drive to a specific address. Following the GPS, Zhou Le arrived at a residential complex.

"Godfather, this is..."
"My place."
"Do you live here normally?"
"Not really. I have other places, but I bought this property a while ago."

Only then did Zhou Le realize that Yu Qian’s earlier remark about having extra space at home was an understatement; it would have been more accurate to say he had many houses. The building was an older brick-and-mortar structure, but the courtyard was clean and well-kept. Once they reached the third floor and entered, he found the apartment fully furnished with everything needed for daily life.

"You'll live here for now. We can talk about it later once you buy your own place or get tired of this one. I have so many houses I can't live in them all anyway. You're welcome to stay as long as you like. Being an artist means running around all over the place, living a nomadic life."

Zhou Le nodded. "Thank you, Godfather. Once I earn enough money to buy my own place, I’ll move out."
"Haha, no rush."

The truck arrived shortly after, and Zhou Le’s belongings were moved inside. Afterward, Zhou Le insisted on treating Yu Qian to lunch. Regardless of their status, it was the right thing to do, both emotionally and out of duty, and he felt it was the least he could do.

Later, Yu Qian took Zhou Le to his actual home to meet his two sons, who would be Zhou Le’s younger brothers. Both boys looked at Zhou Le with curiosity. Yu Siyang was ten years old, and the younger one, Yu Gengyin, was only three. Yu Qian’s wife appeared gentle, virtuous, and grounded.

Zhou Le quickly hit it off with Yu Siyang. Since the mobile game *Honor of Kings* had just been released the previous year, Zhou Le had it on his phone. As he sat on the sofa playing, Siyang watched with great interest. After one round, Zhou Le handed the phone to the boy and held little Gengyin while they played, helping the older brother select a character named Lu Ban No. 7.

Watching how easily Zhou Le bonded with the children, Yu Qian and his wife, Bai Huimin, felt very pleased. "The kid is quite good. Though he seems a bit unconventional at times, he’s actually very steady and clever. He learns everything in a flash. Compared to Dalin, I actually think he’s better suited for cross-talk," Yu Qian remarked.

Bai Huimin rolled her eyes at her husband. "Stop trying to drag him into that mess. Being an actor suits him just fine. Didn't you say Dalin is heading in that direction anyway?"
"Yes, that's true. He’s filming right now."

After playing with the children for a while, Zhou Le was called into the study by Yu Qian.

"Le'er, I’ve made all the arrangements for your formal adoption as my godson. I checked the calendar, and the day after tomorrow is an auspicious date. We’ll hold the ceremony at a hotel, and right after that, we’ll be off to Africa."

Zhou Le nodded. "I’m ready. Director Wu Jing’s team has already sorted out the passport and other documents. I also consulted Brother Yue about the procedures, so I’ll be sure not to embarrass you."
"Don't worry, it's normal to be nervous. I just wanted to let you know. I asked the crew, and they’ve prepared a suit for you; it’s here at the house. You can try it on in a moment. Other than that, we’re all set."

Zhou Le truly felt the warmth of a home here. Although it was his first time meeting his godmother, Bai Huimin, she was very welcoming and suggested he just stay the night since there were spare rooms. Zhou Le readily agreed.

After dinner, he helped Yu Siyang with his homework. Fortunately, the curriculum was standard, so Zhou Le found it effortless to teach. That night, lying in bed in the unfamiliar yet comfortable surroundings, Zhou Le thought to himself, "So, this is what a home feels like. Even though I was the one who insisted on it, it’s a home nonetheless."

A moment later, his phone vibrated. It was a WeChat message from Gulnazar.
"Asleep yet?"
"Not yet."
Zhou Le checked the time; it was 12:01 AM.
"If you’re free, let’s go out tomorrow."
"Where to?"
"Don’t worry about it. I’ll send you the address, just come by at 9:30 in the morning."
"Alright."

As Zhou Le went to close the chat, another message popped up.
"By the way, I saw you playing games this afternoon. Why did you reject my invites?"
Zhou Le: "???"
"Did I?"
"Yes! I invited you several times, and you kept rejecting me!"
"That must have been Siyang playing. He didn't know who it was."
Nazar: "?"
"Who is Siyang? Which girl did you lend your account to this time?"
"Don't be like that. That’s my godfather’s eldest son."
"Oh, Brother Qian. That’s fine then. But I have a question—I call him Brother Qian, and he’s your godfather. Doesn't that mean we’re a generation apart?"
Zhou Le pondered for two seconds. "It’s fine, let's just stick to our own ways."

"I'll call you Aunt, and you call me little brother."
Nazar: "???"
"Aunt?"
Zhou Le quickly sent a screenshot of the chat interface. Nazar saw that he had changed her nickname to "Little Aunt."
"Is this right?"
"What’s wrong with it?" Zhou Le replied, immediately following up with: "Enough talk, get online. Let’s play a few rounds."

Once in the game, Zhou Le pulled Nazar into his party. After turning on the mic, she asked, "It’s so late, aren't you afraid your skin will suffer? Even if you're a guy, there will be plenty of reporters watching you later."
Zhou Le: "What’s to be afraid of? Filming was exhausting. Why shouldn't I reward myself with a few late nights now that it’s over?"
"That makes sense, but I heard staying up late is a slow death."
Zhou Le laughed. "It’s a slow death, but it's a happy one. Tell me, isn't playing games fun right now?"

...

Three in the morning.
"It’s not fun, it’s annoying! I shouldn't have listened to you. We’ve been losing all night, and now it’s three o'clock!"
Zhou Le sighed helplessly. "You can't blame me. I’m carrying every round, but my teammates are useless, and there’s nothing I can do. Also, that Diaochan of yours..."
"What about Diaochan?" Nazar retorted.
"The skin looks great. You’re really rich. Unlike me, all my skins are freebies; it doesn't feel as fun to play." Zhou Le sighed.
"So it's the skins, huh? Just wait."

Ten seconds later, Zhou Le’s notification bar began to flash. He opened it to find that Nazar was sending him skins.
"What are you doing?"
"Sending you skins. Didn't you say you didn't have any?"
"Actually, it's fine without them."
"How could it be? Skins feel better to play with. Besides, you called me 'Little Aunt'—I can't let you call me that for nothing."

In the next ten minutes, Zhou Le received every purchasable skin and all the heroes he was missing. His account instantly transformed from a pauper's collection into a "whale" account with every hero and every skin.

Zhou Le finally understood why so many people enjoyed living off others. It really was satisfying.