Chapter Thirty-Nine: Debating the Proposal

“What do you mean by that, Yirou?” Gu Mengyan’s tone was sharp as she looked at Fan Yirou. “What do you mean you’ll take care of Chen Hao twenty-four hours a day? Does he need your care? Can’t I take care of him myself?”

“Oh, really? If Chen Hao has your care, then why did he end up in a coma? Tell me, just how exactly did you ‘take care’ of him?” Fan Yirou shot back, matching Gu Mengyan’s aggression without backing down.

“Hmph! If you hadn’t talked him into opening that martial arts school, how would he have ended up in a coma?” Gu Mengyan retorted.

“I’ve already admitted my mistake, haven’t I? And to make up for it, I’ve thought of the perfect way to compensate—by taking care of Chen Hao around the clock!” Fan Yirou replied matter-of-factly, and after all the back-and-forth, the conversation had circled right back to where it started.

“Enough!” Chen Hao quickly intervened before the two girls could drag the quarrel into another endless loop.

“First, what happened with my coma is in the past now—there’s no need to dwell on it any longer.

Second, I don’t need either of you hovering over me all day. I can look after myself. Suppose—just suppose—if anything like that ever happens again, I’ll let you know in advance, or tell Mom and Dad.

Third, we’re not here today to talk about whether I fainted or not. We’re here to discuss our next steps—what we should do going forward.

So, can we please focus? What do you think: is it better to start an online gaming studio, or open a martial arts school?”

The two girls exchanged a glance, then both gave a haughty snort, as though each considered the other beneath her notice.

Fan Yirou was the first to speak up: “Honestly, I thought opening a martial arts school would be better—after all, that was my idea to begin with. I mean, working at a gaming studio doesn’t sound all that respectable. People might say we’re just wasting our lives on games.

Besides, if we open a gaming studio, it’ll mean sitting in front of a computer all day—it’s terrible for your health. A martial arts school, on the other hand, is something you’re actually good at. You’re already skilled in martial arts, and it’s a daytime job, so you’d have a regular routine and stay fit. I think it’s perfect.”

“Hmph!” Gu Mengyan scoffed, clearly unimpressed. “That’s easy for you to say! Do you know how much paperwork is involved in opening a martial arts school? How much time it’ll take? There are endless approvals, not to mention finding a location.

And don’t forget, it’s not like a gaming studio where you can just work from home. A martial arts school needs a big space. The bigger the space, the higher the rent. With a gaming studio, we can work from home, so there’s no rent at all.

Besides, if we open a martial arts school, Chen Hao will have to intensify his martial arts training again. Aren’t you worried he’ll have another episode? And what if someone comes to challenge the school? I know Chen Hao’s strong, but if he has to fight off challengers every other day, even he’ll get exhausted eventually.

But with a gaming studio, none of that’s a problem. You just register as a business on a platform and work from home. No need for a venue, no danger, and plenty of free time.

Plus, since we already work at Illusion Company, we know the ins and outs of the industry. Compared to other gaming studios, we’ll do a much better job and see results quickly. Why not? So, I think opening a gaming studio is the way to go!”

“Hmph!” Fan Yirou mimicked Gu Mengyan’s tone. “Who says you have to rent a place to open a martial arts school? Whether it’s Chen Hao’s house or mine, you really think we can’t find a free venue, and in a prime location too? Even if we can’t find a free place, with our families’ resources, do you really think we’d care about the rent?”

(2/3)

“Besides, Chen Hao isn’t that weak! He only fainted this time because he hadn’t practiced in a long time and suddenly overexerted himself. As for challengers—what do you think this is, a martial arts novel? Who has that much free time to go around challenging schools?

We’re running legitimate businesses here, not wandering the martial world. It’s all about harmony and profit. And don’t forget our family backgrounds—ordinary people wouldn’t dare cause trouble.

Even if some privileged brat wanted to stir things up—which is unlikely—do you think they could compare with Chen Hao’s skills? He could flatten them with one hand!

And besides, Chen Hao won’t be the only instructor. We’ll hire other coaches too. If someone really wants to challenge the school, let them go through the other coaches first. Chen Hao would just be the final boss. No one fights the boss without beating the underlings first!”

“Um…” Chen Hao interjected, “Final boss? Isn’t that a bit much? I’m not saying there are a lot, but there are definitely some people out there stronger than me…”

“Quiet!” the two girls snapped in unison. “When women are talking, men keep quiet!”

Startled, Chen Hao quickly covered his mouth. Then he realized—wait, wasn’t this supposed to be his meeting? Why wasn’t he allowed to speak?

As he was about to protest, Gu Mengyan pressed on: “You’re missing the point! There’s a saying, ‘the barefoot aren’t afraid of those in shoes; the king is easy to fool, but the underling is hard to deal with.’ It’s not the ones with backgrounds you have to worry about, but those reckless types who’ve learned a bit of martial arts and think they’re invincible.

If word gets out that Chen Hao’s opened a new school, they might try to make a name for themselves by picking a fight. What if Chen Hao slips up?

And about the rent—even if you don’t care about spending money, we’re starting a business to make money, not to play at being rich kids. With your taste, Fan Yirou, I bet the rent for your dream location would take us a whole year just to break even. Are we starting a business or doing charity? If you’ve got money to burn, go do it somewhere else—don’t drag me and Chen Hao into it!”

“I don’t care! Martial arts school is better!” Fan Yirou had started to get unreasonable.

“Gaming studio is better!” Gu Mengyan insisted.

Neither would back down. Chen Hao tried several times to jump in, but the two girls gave him no opportunity. Their argument escalated, and soon they were even physically squabbling—not in a vulgar way, but by tickling each other. Fan Yirou even had one more trick up her sleeve, shouting, “Let’s see how you handle a nipple twist!”

Once again, they attracted the attention of every diner and server in the restaurant. People stared, whispering, “The lives of the wealthy are both terrifying and exhilarating!”

Chen Hao couldn’t take it anymore. He raised his voice, summoning the authority of an elder brother: “Enough, you two! Stop it!”

But the girls ignored him, so he got up, walked over, and twisted both their ears, pulling them together. He leaned in, his voice gentle yet deadly, “I said… both of you, zip it.”

“Ow, ow, ow!” Gu Mengyan squirmed and cried, “It hurts! Chen Hao, stop!”

Fan Yirou’s eyes brimmed with tears, her expression pitiful.

“Are you going to stop now?” Chen Hao asked sternly.

(3/3)

The two girls shook their heads vigorously and immediately sat up straight, acting like obedient children awaiting a scolding.

Satisfied, Chen Hao let go and sat back down. But although they appeared calm, under the table their feet continued to wage silent war, each kicking the other. Chen Hao said nothing, simply stretched out his legs to pin theirs down, rendering them powerless against his martial prowess. All they could do was sit quietly and await his words.

He cleared his throat. “I understand both your viewpoints, and you each make good arguments. I know you’re both thinking of what’s best for me.

So, after giving it some thought, I don’t think the situation is as complicated or dangerous as you make it out to be. Whether it’s the gaming studio or the martial arts school, I think both are viable options.

That’s why… while you two were arguing, I realized—why don’t we do both? Open the gaming studio and the martial arts school at the same time.”

“Huh?!”

“What?!”

“Is that even possible?” Gu Mengyan asked skeptically. “Can we manage both businesses at once?”

“Yeah, won’t it be too much work?” Fan Yirou agreed.

“It’s not as exhausting as you think. Here’s my idea: Mengyan, you’ll mainly handle the gaming studio since you know the industry inside out from our time at Illusion Company. You’re perfect for the job.

As for you, Yirou, even though you don’t know martial arts, you don’t need to teach. Just oversee the school for me. In either case, we’ll be hiring people to help. If we tried to do everything ourselves, we’d burn out or go out of business.

As for me, I’ll focus mainly on the gaming studio, since that’s where my interests lie. For the martial arts school, I’ll serve as the final ‘boss’—just there to keep things in order. I’ll be present at the start, but once things are set up, the coaches can run it.

So in the early stages, Mengyan, you’ll have to work a bit harder. Later, Yirou, you’ll have more to do. But for me, honestly, I lean more toward the gaming studio.”

“Heh!” Gu Mengyan shot Fan Yirou a triumphant look. “Looks like I win this round! If you want to be the boss’s wife, you’ll have to try harder…”

“Hmph! No matter what you do, Chen Hao, from today on, I’m living and eating with you!”

“What?!”