Chapter 974: MEETING AND INVITATION

TWO days after their meeting at Shen Ji Yun's home, it was the eve of the start of the Spring Festival. Team Yunyue had been training non-stop since. Their only break was when they ate and slept.

And today was no different.

After training at Heaven's Spire, the members of team Yunyue temporarily went back to their headquarters to discuss the result of their training. It had been that way ever since they started seriously training for the upcoming Arcadia Cup. Discussing what they had done wrong during the training and what else they could have improved on.

This only showed how serious the team was about this upcoming Cup.

"Tomorrow will be the opening ceremony of Arcadia Cup. Do we only have to be there?" Luo Yan asked after they finished their discussion for the day.

"Actually, there's no need for us to attend since it's not really mandatory," Bai Ze said. "But we should go, nonetheless. It's the team's first appearance after the first Arcadia Cup. We should show them that we're really back."

"As much as I don't want to agree with that guy, he's right," Su Yuqi said. "If we don't attend, they might think that we're not taking this seriously."

"I'm not opposed to it. I also think that we should attend," Luo Yan said in agreement.

"But how about the fox kid and the two dragons? Should they also go with us?" Luo Jin asked.

"Eclipse wants to go!" the fox-eared boy quickly said.

"Hmp. I'm already lowering myself by participating in your annoying training. There's no way I would attend some stupid ceremony," Rowan said, the complete opposite of Eclipse.

"Who wanted you to come?" Eclipse retorted with a sneer.

"What did you say, you impish brat?" Rowan argued back.

While the two were bickering, Dusk only gave the rest of the team a look saying that he's not interested.

"It's probably fine to have Eclipse with us since he already made his debut during the Rookie Carnival," Luo Yan said.

"Yey!" Eclipse jumped out of his seat to show his excitement. Then he made a heart shape using his arms by putting it above his head. "Love you, Master!~" Then, as if feeling Shen Ji Yun's gaze on him, he quickly added, "Of course, not as much as Captain."

Luo Yan chuckled at that. While Shen Ji Yun only raised his brow slightly, but secretly agreeing inside.

"It's alright for Dusk and Rowan to not accompany us. I think having their existence a secret until the final tournament would be better," Bai Ze suggested.

The final tournament was when the qualifiers were over and only the top 16 teams remained. Luo Yan smiled at how confident his cousin was when he said that. It's like he was already certain that their team would be part of the top 16 teams and, most of all, that they wouldn't need the help of Dusk or Rowan to achieve that.

Well, he couldn't really blame him. Because he also felt the same. With how they trained, and was still training, for the past weeks, he could say with confidence that their team wouldn't lose to the top teams in the game right now. All of them were strong individually. And now that their team work had improved by leaps and bounds, they would definitely not be an easy opponent.

"I agree. It's better to not let them appear at least until the tournament," Shen Ji Yun finally spoke. "It could be a great advantage for us during that round."

"Heh, so are you saying we're going to be your 'secret weapons'?" Rowan said with a big, satisfied smirk. "Who knew you people have the sense to recognize greatness?"

Eclipse rolled his eyes. "Oh please. Uncle Dusk is definitely great. Eclipse is not sure about you, though."

Rowan glared at Eclipse, and once again, the two started to bicker.

The discussion continued. Mostly about what time they should meet tomorrow and when should they go to the venue of the opening ceremony. After they discussed everything that was needed to be discussed, they decided to log out since it's almost time that they reach the time limit of being inside the game.

"Brother Ji Yun, are you spending New Year's eve with Uncle Yi Mu and Uncle Yue?" Luo Yan asked after everyone else left.

Shen Ji Yun nodded. "Yes. Uncle actually also wanted to spend time with Uncle Yue for the whole day tomorrow, but we have to go to Shen's ancestral house to visit the family."

Which he rather not, to be honest. But tradition was tradition. If the two of them didn't go there, who knew what the Shen family's patriarch would do? It's already too much that they wouldn't spend the reunion dinner with the rest of the family. So, they had no choice but to go there on the first day of the Spring Festival.

Luo Yan noticed the reluctance in Shen Ji Yun's voice when he mentioned that they had to visit the Shen family's ancestral house. Could it be that the other didn't have a good relationship with the people from that side of his family? If that's the case, then wasn't just that too sad?

Shen Ji Yun already didn't have a good relationship with his mother's side of the family. If he also didn't have a good relationship with his father's side, except Uncle Yi Mu, of course, then wouldn't that mean that Uncle Yi Mu was the only one he had?

Luo Yan still didn't know much about Shen Ji Yun's family circumstance, except for the things he had told him. Even if he wanted to ask the other right now about that, he couldn't. Because he still believed that it's better for Shen Ji Yun to naturally open up to him.

Just like when the other told him about what happened to his parents.

So, the only thing he could do right now was to cheer him up. He reached out and held Shen Ji Yun's hand. He raised his head and smiled in the sweetest way he could.

"Should we go to a temple fair?" he asked. "Just the two of us?"