Chapter 369: Fate Weaving

This voice interrupted Chen Ling's train of thought. He pondered for a moment in the room before opening the door.

At this moment, his eyes were bloodshot, and anger, exhaustion, and helplessness were revealed in his gaze. He stood at the door, listless.

"What is it?"

Standing at the counter was the beautiful youth who had asked him about his glasses that day. He blinked at Chen Ling and asked in a crisp voice:

"Boss, I want to play basketball."

"Huh?"

"Basketball." The beautiful youth made a dribbling motion between his legs. "I want to play basketball. Do you have one here?"

"...No."

Upon hearing these two words, a look of obvious disappointment appeared on the beautiful youth's face.

Just as he was about to leave, dejected, his peripheral vision seemed to catch something, and his eyes lit up slightly.

"Boss~"

"What now?" Chen Ling was planning to continue pondering his third-tier skill, but being interrupted, he spoke helplessly.

"Is that basket still in use? Can you give it to me?"

The beautiful youth pointed to a discarded bamboo basket in the corner.

Chen Ling glanced over there and waved his hand casually. "Take it."

The beautiful youth happily hugged the bamboo basket and went into the courtyard. He quickly dismantled the bamboo weaving on it and began to re-weave it in his hands. Like a magic trick, he soon wove it into a simple hollow round ball.

This youth is quite dexterous.

A thought flashed through Chen Ling's mind, and he withdrew his gaze, no longer paying attention to the youth.

The beautiful youth ran to the backyard alone, constantly throwing and catching the ball, having a great time. Soon, another figure walked down the stairs and headed straight for the courtyard.

Her voice interrupted Chen Ling's contemplation again.

"Hello, have you seen my younger brother?" The speaker was the woman in green who had been with the beautiful youth, her voice gentle and elegant.

Chen Ling pointed to the backyard.

The woman in green saw the beautiful youth playing in the backyard, her brows furrowed slightly.

"Why are you playing with the ball again?" She walked to the beautiful youth's side, raised her hand to catch the hollow bamboo ball falling in mid-air, and spoke in a deep voice.

The beautiful youth grabbed at empty air, his eyes widening in defiance:

"I'm not playing, I'm playing basketball!"

"What you should be doing now is learning to paint and practicing dance, not wasting time playing with a ball here."

Hearing this dialogue, Chen Ling, standing by the counter, lowered his eyelids, not feeling the slightest bit of interest... This scene of a parent lecturing a child was the same, whether before or after the Great Catastrophe.

"I don't like those things!" the beautiful youth shouted, stiffening his neck.

"You brat." The woman in green's face was extremely gloomy. "If you don't learn to paint and don't have a skill to rely on, you'll have no future! Do you really want to stay in this small town for the rest of your life?"

"Why isn't playing basketball considered a skill? Why do I have no future?"

"That's how this era is! Have you ever seen anyone enter the Main City by playing basketball?"

"I don't care!" the beautiful youth shouted angrily.

"If others can't do it, does that mean I can't? I've been playing basketball since I was a kid; I'm good at this! This is my skill!

I haven't learned painting or dance, and I don't have the talent for them. Since that's the case, why can't I walk my own path? Do what I'm good at?"

"You!"

The beautiful youth's shout was very loud; even the guests on other floors heard it, but it didn't attract anyone's attention, just a sigh for the passion and persistence of youth.

And behind the counter, Chen Ling, whose train of thought had been repeatedly interrupted by the beautiful youth and the woman in green, was slightly shaken.

Walk my own path...

For some reason, after the youth said so much, these five words suddenly branded themselves into Chen Ling's mind like a steel stamp, unable to be shaken off.

He subconsciously looked toward the backyard.

"Be yourself? How old are you? Do you have the ability to distinguish right from wrong?"

"Does it matter if I can distinguish it?"

The beautiful youth gritted his teeth, crouched down slightly, and the next moment suddenly jumped high, his fingertips easily catching the bamboo ball that the woman had held high above her head.

"I remember the feel of the basketball every time I touch it, the comfort of sweating every time. They have become instincts deeply engraved in my brain, allowing me to do things you can't do!

I don't want to be those painters and big stars; those aren't me! I want to be myself!"

Bang—!

The youth seemed angry and threw the bamboo ball in his hand with force. It whistled past the woman in green's ear, hit the wall behind, and bounced high, then coincidentally hit and killed an ant that was watching the fun in the bushes.

At this moment, the youth's words fell into Chen Ling's ears like a thunderous roar!

Those aren't me... be myself.

Chen Ling's eyes became increasingly bright!

That's it!

Whether it's Sheng, Dan, Jing, Mo, Chou, or playing other roles, those aren't Chen Ling himself... No matter how he acts, no matter how much he invests, it's extremely difficult to generate a sense of belief!

Since that's the case, why should he play theatrical roles instead of playing himself?

The youth's lifelong passion and countless practices had engraved basketball deeply into his heart. When he did these things, he naturally generated a sense of belief... and this kind of sense of belief, Chen Ling had also had!

"What I'm good at... isn't Sheng, Dan, Jing, Mo, Chou, nor other roles performed on stage... All of this is just acting to me..."

"The role that belongs to me should be... a director?"

【Audience Expectation +3】

Chen Ling's eyes were as brilliant as stars!

At this moment, the fog covering his path dissipated completely, and a desolate path, one that almost no one had ever stepped on, was revealed before Chen Ling's eyes!

Chen Ling, who possessed [Faceless], naturally had the ability to play roles, but in the end, his thinking logic was still that of a director!

Killing his way through the tavern on Bingquan Street, teasing the law enforcement officer; committing suicide at the start of the Soldier Path ancient treasury, triggering a brawl behind the scenes; and driving a train to force his way into Aurora City, the magic show from not long ago... Every event Chen Ling had experienced to this day was approached from the perspective of a director to solve problems. This was the habitual thinking brought about by his years of studying directing before he transmigrated and working in the industry!

Since he didn't have the talent for Sheng, Dan, Jing, Mo, Chou, why should he walk their path instead of walking a director's path of his own? Perhaps this third-tier skill doesn't require him to play anyone else... but the director Chen Ling, his own self!

Influencing the surrounding environment with the sense of belief as a director...

The woman in green grabbed the youth's ear and walked back to the room angrily. The youth's wails reached Chen Ling's ears, but he had no intention of listening anymore.

At this moment, Chen Ling was standing behind the unattended counter, his pen hovering in the air, motionless like a sculpture.

This process lasted for a full five minutes.

Only then did the tip of the pen in his hand touch the paper heavily.

The ink bloomed on it. Chen Ling, in a state of mental storm, slowly and firmly wrote two words.

【Fate Weaving】.