"Enough, Ji Lin."
The old man slowly opened his eyes and twisted his neck:
"Let go of my neck."
He removed Ji Lin's hand from his neck and got up.
He did not speak.
Instead, he walked over to the floor-to-ceiling windows that took up the entire wall in his shiny leather shoes, stared at the thick, opaque curtains, and looked at the silk-thread patterns on them, whispering:
"I don't want our relationship to be like this, constantly doubting and competing with each other."
"I don't want it either."
Ji Lin put his hands in his pockets:
"So why don't you just give me the answer? Could I still betray you? Over the years... we've long been in the same boat."
"Besides, you raised me, even if we each have our purposes... haven't we both worked so hard together for years just to get an invitation from the Genius Club? Doesn't that all deserve your trust?"
"Or is it that... revealing the truth would affect our receiving the Genius Club's invitation?"
...
There was a long silence.
