Chapter 2035: 1963: What Cannot Be Achieved Is Called a Dream (Weapon Line 01 Bonus Chapter 2)

A massive influx of funds poured into the esports industry, seeking to attract attention. On the surface it looked prosperous, while at the same time countless TV dramas and short videos also added fuel to the fire.

Yet who can see the tragedy of those limited‑talent players who silently retire as 'old' athletes?

By their twenties they are already considered old players, their reflexes and game sense can't keep up, they get no attention, and can only retire in obscurity.

They have low education and no marketable skills after retirement—how will they get by in the future?

So Ye Qingqiu firmly opposes his son entering the esports industry.

But communication between father and son is dull and full of tension.

It has always been this way from ancient times to the present.

Although Ye Qingqiu is deep‑thinking, in life he can only face this kind of communication that leaves him torn.

Reasoning with his son is far more complicated than medical disputes, even harder than dealing with medical disturbances; put more strongly, it's ten times harder than communicating with his wife.

In the hospital, Ye Qingqiu knows all the needs of patients and their families; he can control the pace, follow the situation's development, and resolve problems smoothly.

Over the years, 912 Hospital has had no shocking major medical disputes, and Ye Qingqiu has been indispensable.

Yet at home, facing his own son, Ye Qingqiu has no idea what to do.

He knows what his son is pursuing—a dream!

Such an illusory term contains the thoughts of many young people.

Ye Qingqiu was also young once, once full of passion, and once had his own dream.

But after being worn down by life, he knows a dream is just a dream.

What can be achieved is called an expectation.

What cannot be achieved is called a dream.

Just having passion isn't enough; one also needs unmatched perseverance, faith, and even excellent luck to realize a dream.

Meanwhile, the youths entering the esports industry are so young they haven't even formed their own worldviews.

Ye Qingqiu sighed deeply and stared blankly at the TV screen.

It was a match from last night; his son's team was eliminated in the round of 16.

It wasn't a final, just a regional preliminary tournament with an online viewership under ten thousand.

The frame froze on the moment his son's character collapsed and 'died'.

Ye Qingqiu could imagine how the opponents were cheering at that moment, and how his son would be heartbroken and in tears.

His heart felt a faint sting.

After being worn down by life and witnessing many partings of life and death, Ye Qingqiu has gradually become numb and indifferent.

Only when facing his own biological son does he become a little more lively.

He lit another cigarette, silently watched the TV screen, and guessed at his son's inner thoughts.

A year ago, father and son had an in‑depth conversation.

In the end Ye Qingqiu compromised, because it was his son, because his son had a heart that fought for his dream.

Being young and reckless—let him be reckless, give him a chance to indulge; that's what Ye Qingqiu told himself to feel better.

If within a year he could make a name for himself in the newly risen professional league and join the ranks of top players, Ye Qingqiu would support his son continuing.

If not, he should return to study, or take the ordinary but comparatively stable path.

After gaining his consent, Ye Qingqiu could feel the surge of enthusiasm bursting from his son's body.

He trained day and night, not even having time for a proper meal.

Ye Qingqiu watched silently, seeing his son eat only fast food like hamburgers during training breaks, and he felt a pang of sympathy.

But it's fine—it's only for a year.

Last night's match gave an answer to the father‑son agreement.

Leaving the esports industry and returning to tradition is Ye Qingqiu's bottom line.

But……

Will his son agree?

He didn't go to the airport to pick him up; his lover did.

Perhaps communication between mother and son would go more smoothly, Ye Qingqiu thought.

The faint sound of the elevator reached him, and Ye Qingqiu felt his heart quicken. Even when facing the most professional medical disturbances, he had never been this nervous.

After all, blood is thicker than water; he knows how his son will think and act.

He won't give up; that stubbornness is just like his own when he was young.

The room door opened, the sound of changing shoes came in. Ye Qingqiu didn't turn around, but he could hear the shoe‑changing sound pause slightly.

This was his son seeing the TV image.

Ye Qingqiu took a deep drag of his cigarette; amid the curling smoke, out of the corner of his eye he saw his son walk straight into his room.

Without even a greeting.

After his son entered the room and a few minutes passed, Ye Qingqiu looked toward his lover.

She wore a sorrowful expression, shook her head, and indicated that her son was in a bad mood.

Ye Qingqiu extinguished his cigarette, walked to the outside of his son's room, and knocked on the door.

Respect is necessary, but sometimes one must have a bottom line when acting.

After knocking, Ye Qingqiu pushed the door open and went in.

He saw his son looking dazed, sitting on the bed, lost and dispirited.

"I failed." Ye Qingqiu said in as calm a tone as he could.

"Then let's stick to the agreement and come back." He continued, "It was just one try; failing doesn't matter. You're still young, you have chances to keep trial‑and‑error until you find the path that suits you best."

"No!"

The young man let out a stubborn, fierce sound from his mouth.

"Want to back out? Last year we had an agreement." Ye Qingqiu's tone had already turned stern.

"I could have made it through—it was just a mistake! Just a mistake!"

Ye Qingqiu looked at his son, his heart filled with mixed feelings. A mistake? In this lifetime you'll face many more mistakes, many that will doom you forever.

He didn't say those words; Ye Qingqiu looked at his son's slightly gaunt face, feeling troubled.

After giving it his all for a year, he still failed. The cause of the failure definitely wasn't that seemingly trivial mistake, but the gap in ability.

Wanting to reach the summit, to stand proudly at the peak of the pyramid, won't be a coincidence.

That is inevitable, a composite of effort, struggle, perseverance, talent, and luck.

But his own son doesn't understand this.

……

Ye Qingqiu's lover stood anxiously outside the door, listening to the father and son's argument. The son was hysterically talking about his dreams, while Ye Qingqiu calmly spoke of facts.

She knew Old Ye's emotions had also collapsed; otherwise, given his usual conduct, he would never have said these things while the son's emotions were still unsettled.

Twenty minutes passed, and the argument grew more intense.

With a crisp "crack," followed by the sound of something heavy hitting the floor inside the room, Ye Qingqiu's lover rushed in.

The son sat dazed on the ground, his hands flailing wildly before his eyes.

"Son..."

"Mom, I can't see anything."