Races: Online

Most of the day-to-day occurrences in the lives of the Han family was simple, the youngest one attended her academic life without any question and did her best to excel in that life, and perhaps Jinjing had friends.

And that was a mystery that Han Jing didn't know about.

Maybe she had problems with teachers? Was she bullied by her other classmates? Did a young girl around her age actually get crushes? Han Jing didn't think she had any of those, but who was he to know?

It was easy to take it for granted and not think about how the other people closest to him, his family actually operated in their daily lives. Han Jing wished he thought about it more often, but wasn't it kind of cringy to think about it?

At least, Han Jing knew that his twenties were usually the age where someone like him moved out of his parents home and finally separated from them. He'd gain independence, find a new life and new people to surround himself with.

He'd get to dictate his life without much input from his parents as how it was supposed to be.

Chan Lee for example didn't have parents hounding on her back as far as he knew about her.

If there were problems in the family that involved all of them getting together and having a family meeting of some sort—like, for example, leaving Han Jing with his grandparents for a summer or so, way before Jinjing was born—then it just kinda happened.

It was a natural progression and he did not want to be enmeshed thoroughly with them as it sometimes felt like right now. But sometimes it felt like he wasn't close with them enough.

What a strange but oftentimes, a constant feeling that peeved him for that matter.

After all, Han Jing spent about half of his day, his "sleeping hours", into another world that often made him feel as if he wasn't himself. That these waking hours of his with his family were nothing more but a shadow of that more exciting life.

So he was surprised about the boardgame laid down in front of him after lunch.

"Did you guys really have to bother with this?" Han Jing asked as he looked at the brand new boardgame in front of them. He didn't know what the game specifically was but it did look kind of expensive and actually interesting based on the creative designs.

Maybe ten years ago or so, when he was younger, his parents would have never bought him something like this.

Both of his parents and even Jinjing were now trying to play it with Han Jing though. All of them were gathered around their small wooden kitchen table and yet his statement made all three of them look up at him. 

It was already a no-brainer that Han Jing's  question and tone made it seem negative and he was ready to own up to it.

But it was Jinjing's look and words that made him feel terrible.

"What? Do you think it's stupid?" Jinjing asked him and there was a wobble in her tone. "You always end up playing with your mobile games or hibernating like some kind of bear. Can't you even spend a measly hour playing with us?"

Han Jing pressed a hand to his forehead and looked at her. "If there's one person—" he bit down his tongue. 

He stopped himself hard and curbed up the urge to say that she never mentioned doing something like this when she was studying, but now she was trying to get them to play when their father was around.

That was a duh.

Of course, Jinjing would want to do this when all of them were together and Han Jing was being the horrible brother again. Like how he was a horrible friend to Ellynn and to the others. And that was his terrible thoughts getting to him again.

He took a deep breath and then sighed. "I don't know how to play this damn game, where's the instructions?"

His sister rolled her eyes, but then passed him the empty box and made him read it. "I already explained it earlier but you weren't listening. Everyone at my school has a game like this and they play it during lunch break."

It was one of those moments that Han Jing blinked. The next words that came out of his mouth was something he didn't expect to say, but it might have stayed in his subconscious for a long time. "Well, do you want to play it with Bo Lifen's brother?"

"What?" Han Wenling's brows rose at the same time as her husband.

Han Jing scratched his cheek as he read the contents of the box and idly said, "A play date, I dunno?"

"Do I look five to you?" Jinjing asked.

"Well, you're pretty shortstack for a kid. So yeah." Han Jing shrugged and then dodged the die that Jinjing threw at him, and only caught it with his hand. He rolled the small die over towards her side of the table. "Easy there, you could have blinded me."

Han Jinjing pouted at him. "Well, I wasn't intentionally trying to hit you anyway, so who's the kid? Big sister Bo Lifen is the girl who used to always bring you home here on her motorcycle right?"

Han Jing coughed and would have choked on air. "Not always."

"Ah, Lifen is such a nice girl, isn't she?" Han Jing's mother sighed. "Why haven't we been seeing her? But you've been in contact with her it seems."

"Yeah, she bought some flowers," Han Jing said. He was actually surprised that Jinjing remembered Bo Lifen since she was pretty young when he was in college, but then again, kids did have good memories compared to him.

"Whatever. So what's the boy's name?" Han Jinjing asked much to the mild horror and amusement of their parents.

"She had a brother? How old is he?"

"Brothers." Han Jing corrected his father and then glanced at Jinjing to answer her question. "Er, I forgot the kid's name, but he's around your age, or younger. I'm actually not so sure either."

"Of course you forgot about it." his sister rolled his eyes and then just tapped the boardgame. "Let's talk about it next time. I assume that you know how to play the game now, right?"

"Yeah, let's play."

Han Jing's sister never really used honorifics with him and it was something he didn't actually mind. Big brother Jing seemed extra weird so when Chan Lee used it on him, the effects were always disastrous.

The next couple of hours would go on by, and it was something that he genuinely tried to enjoy.

Get his head out of the game. The Otherworld 'game' and not the board game he was playing with his family now. 

After all, there was no time to sleep or to rest for real. 

Well, Han Jing could always choose to sleep in the day and not actually login to the game or travel to the otherworld as he did for the previous two weeks, but he was a lot worried about the effects it would have on the people there.

Now that he wasn't having so much trouble with his finances here on earth, he needed to find a way to mitigate the troubles back in the city of Gloria. In a way, it was somewhat his fault that a lot of people got hurt.

Han Jing might have been inclined to put all the blame on the Demon Lord for killing people there and for others also viewing and not actually intervening, but he felt partially responsible for the demise of innocent people.

It was wrong for him to expect things from other people.

"You really have terrible luck with the die," Jinjing told him as he landed on a 'one'.

"I already know that, so don't jinx it," Han Jing chuckled as he moved his piece across the board. In this game, he was now officially in jail whereas his father and mother were actually doing decently.

Jinjing was dominating the game which was obvious for someone who played it before, but it was actually turn-and-luck based so it was hard to say that it was just experience.

If Han Jing were to look at things, putting high expectations on anything was almost just a one-way ticket to suffering and disappointment. Especially when it came to other people because he couldn't determine what path they would take.

… and that was what he was doing with his own family wasn't it?

He expected certain things from them and when they failed to live up to it, it was Han Jing who found himself dismayed when his reality didn't match up with what he wanted. It was an ongoing cycle that never quite ended.

There was good in wanting something, but always building up to it and pining for it constantly hadn't really given Han Jing much of a peace of mind. It was always a constant game of getting the next best thing.

As Jinjing played the next turn, his parents talked with one another.

"Honey, are you not going to leave tonight by the way? Traffic is always terrible in the morning." Han Jing's mother asked his father while Han Jing made a face.

Jinjing snorted at him. "You act as if you don't like the idea of that."

Han Jing raised a brow and poked her in the forehead, "And what do you know about it?"

"Ow, Han Jing hit me!" Jinjing complained loudly.

"Woah, slow down there. Everybody saw I just poked you."

"Jinjing, stop poking fun with your brother."

Han Jing glanced at his parents in surprise. He didn't expect them to take his side at all… and even though it was somewhat mundane and small, he couldn't help but chuckle at how much it mattered to him.

When he didn't expect anything from anyone, it really was one of those times where people could surprise him.

—-—-

Author's Note: If there's anything that I'm worried about as a writer is sending very concrete 'this is what I think' messages? I believe in the 'Death of An Author' that books are meant to be read, not written, so the ways readers interpret them are as important and "real" as the author's intention. (Tv Tropes) So yeah, this chapter is important to me, but it may come off differently to you. Hah. Thanks for reading!