<h4>Chapter 698: a ''serious'' talk</h4>


    LUO YAN was currently watching the fights that Su Yuqi had recorded, doing analysis of all the possible opponents he might face in tomorrow''s quarter finals. And that also included Luo Jin. This was not only for the quarter finals but also in preparation to all the matches he had to fight tomorrow – including the semi-finals and the finals.


    Yes, he was that confident that he would be the one prevailing until the end.


    It''s not just his usual narcissistic self saying that, he simply had confidence with his skills. If he couldn''t even believe in himself, then, that''s just too sad. He truly believed that a person''s first cheerleader should always be themselves. It would not only make one more confident, it could also help them get through a lot of tough times. That was how it was for him at least.


    As Luo Yan was watching, he remembered again the announcement that the Duke of Hearts made at the end. That was indeed unexpected. He was already preparing himself to face Ying Chen at the quarter finals. But because of that announcement, there''s a high chance that the other wouldn''t be his opponent.


    He did not see Ying Chen''s reaction after that. But he must be seething. After all, the two of them made that bet. Now with that announcement, that bet might not even happen.


    He had gone to Arcadia''s official website to look at how the people would decide who would fight with who during the quarter finals. It''s the first thing he did after they logged out of the game. The steps on how to do it was stered on the front page of the site. It was really simple too.


    Those who wanted to participate only had to click the link provided. That would take them to a new page where they could type the names of the participants they wanted to fight each other. Once they paired one participant with another, they could no longer pair them with another participant. They were also required to enter four pairings which were equivalent to the number of matches in the quarter finals.


    The system they ced would probably tally the result by midnight. And the four pairings with the highest votes would then be the final match-up for tomorrow''s quarter finals.


    Luo Yan didn''t mind the changes. Because whoever he had to face, what he needed to do wouldn''t change. He still had to defeat them.


    And so, he continued on watching the videos. Analyzing and etching everything that he could in his brain.


    -----


    While Luo Yan (and also Luo Jin) was busy preparing for tomorrow, a serious conversation was about to begin at the study.


    Luo Ren entered the study, his father told him before he logged out to go here because they had to talk. His father sounded so serious when he said that that he started to wonder if something happened in one of the projects he''s handling or if it''s about his brothers.


    Walking inside, he saw his father already seated behind his desk with the same serious expression. He walked forward and sat down on one of the seats in front of the desk.


    "Dad, what is it that you want to talk about?" he started.


    "Ah Ren, you know that I will always support the three of you no matter what kind of decision you make in life. As long as it''s something you really want and you won''t be breaking anyws for doing it, then, I won''t stop you and I will give you my unwavering support."


    "Yes, I know, Dad," Luo Ren said, not really sure where his father was going with this.


    "If it''s something that won''t hurt anyone, I won''t ever stand in front of the choices you n to make." Then, his father stopped and took a deep breath before continuing, "That''s why it''s fine if you want toe out of the closet now. I won''t get angry about it. So, you can be honest with me about your sexuality."


    Luo Ren nked out for a few seconds. And it''s only then that what his father said slowly registered in his mind. When he fully understood what his father was trying to say, the other was already looking at him with an expression of understanding. As if he fully understood why he suddenly became speechless.


    "You''re probably worried what my reaction would be, that''s why you haven''t talked to me about this," his father continued. "But you should know that it doesn''t matter. Whatever your sexuality is, it wouldn''t change the fact that you''re my son, one of my three treasures. My love for you won''t be any less just because of it."


    Although Luo Ren was truly moved by everything that his father said, the only problem here was, he''s not exactly gay. And this moving speech should probably be heard by another son of him instead of Luo Ren.


    "Dad, calm down first," he said. "May I ask what led you to believe that I''m gay? Or whatever sexuality you think I have?"


    Luo Wei Tian looked at his eldest patiently. The other was still probably trying to hide the truth from him. "It''s that handsome young man, Xiao Yan''s ssmate. I can see from your interaction with him that he''s someone very special to you. So, there''s no need for you to deny things."


    Luo Ren stopped and then quickly bit his inner cheek to stop himself fromughing. No wonder his father came to this conclusion. When he''s sure that he wouldn''t burst outughing, he said;


    "Dad, Jiao Jiao is a girl. She''s just using a male avatar in the game. Since was given a special VR helmet, you probably didn''t know that yers of Arcadia could choose whether they wanted to y as a female or as a male regardless of their real gender. And Jiao Jiao just happened to choose the male one for her avatar."


    His father''s face promptly turned red after his exnation.


    Luo Wei Tian seriously wanted to cover his face because of pure embarrassment.