Both Lu couples lounged lazily in their beds after a night filled with multiple rounds of 'alternative' cardiovascular activities. However, in the battle of Man vs Nature, Nature ultimately wins, and the four eventually surrendered to their need to urinate, bathe and eat.

Lu Si Cheng took Yao's hand and led her down to brunch in the informal dining room where the family normally eats around a table sized for just eight people. As expected, Lu Yue was already downstairs munching on a piece of bacon and slurping from a bowl of congee with one hand while reading Weibo with his phone using the other.

As Lu Si Cheng and Tong Yao sat down, Lu Yue said, "I had to wear earphones because you two were so loud." He promptly held out one of his palms. "I need to be compensated for the emotional and physical distress you caused me."

As Tong Yao turned the color of roast beets, Lu Si Cheng 'paid' Lu Yue by sending one of his slippers flying in Yue's direction.

At that moment, Mr. and Ms. Lu entered the room and made their way to their seats.

"Who's been traumatized?" asked Mr. Lu.

"Your tender, darling baby boy, that's who," replied Lu Yue as he rubbed the sore spot on his shoulder caused by Si Cheng's payment.

Tong Yao wanted to slide under the table and remain hidden for the remainder of the meal. She may be getting more comfortable in being intimate, but that doesn't mean that she's ready to broadcast it to the entire family.

"Aww…should I come over to kiss and make it better?" mewled Mr. Lu.

Yue jutted out his lower lip in a pout. "Yes, please."

True to his word, the elder Mr. Lu walked over to his youngest son's chair and kissed his hair affectionately. In return, Lu Yue perked up and smiled smugly.

"Brat," muttered Tong Yao.

Mr. Chen and his wife had placed the food prepared for brunch on the sideboard so that the family could fed themselves while the Chens, and the rest of the staff, busied themselves with the myriad other chores required to maintain the Lu mansion. As Mr. and Ms. Lu were filling their plates, Lu Si Cheng walked over to fill their glasses with milk and juice. It was so nice to have their dutiful son back home.

Mr. Lu seated himself then said, "So, Tong Yao, we know that you're 21 and have graduated university, but we don't know what your specialty is."

"Well, at first it was going to be Chinese Classics and Literature," she responded. "I really enjoy our nation's long history of poetry and prose, so I studied courses in those areas for the first few semesters. Unfortunately, I couldn't figure out a practical application for a Classics degree outside of academia. I knew that I didn't want to be an academic, so I switched to Finance. I love math and analysis; it seemed like a natural fit."

"Did you always want a career in eSports?" he asked. He was struggling to make the connection between Finance and OPL.

She smiled slightly before she responded. "Actually, Onmyoji requires strong math and analytical skills." She leaned forward as she became more excited. "Each character's skill represents a numeric value which exponentially increases as one moves up to higher levels. Similarly, each maneuver performed by a character adds to or deducts from both your character and your opponent's character skill value, respectively. The lanes used by characters can significantly influence the number of points a character wins or loses thereby influencing the outcome of the game."

Lu Si Cheng chimed in. "Tong Yao provided critical strategic analyses for several of our matches this season." Although his tone was causal, he was secretly bursting with pride.

"I didn't know that," said his mother. She was genuinely surprised at this news.

"She provided critical strategic analysis during the season in which you won the National Championship?" asked his father.

Si Cheng affirmed his father's statement by nodding.

"Huh," replied his father. His son didn't specialize in providing long descriptions of anything, so Mr. Lu didn't know much about Onmyoji. He certainly hadn't expected the game to be intellectually sophisticated or for his middle-class daughter-in-law to be a powerful strategist.

"But, to answer your earlier question," continued Tong Yao. "No, I didn't expect to ever have a career in eSports prior to Xiao Rui's invite to join the team. I had been offered an analyst internship with Tradewinds World Bank and I was planning to start with them in a few weeks."

"An analyst internship with TWB?" asked Mr. Lu carefully.

"Uh uhm," she affirmed and continued eating merrily.

However, Lu Si Cheng was on alert. He realized that she didn't know his parents well enough yet to pick up on their subtle mood changes, but he knew that his father thought something was wrong.

Ms. Lu shrugged off her husband's skepticism. In her eyes, it would take more than a little lie about TWB for Yao Yao to lose her support.

Tong Yao, though, wasn't done. "That internship was a bit of pain to get."

"Oh?" asked Mr. Lu, and he raised one brow to emphasize his skepticism.

"I had to take one 300-question timed exam followed by two in-person 90-minute interviews followed by another 175-question exam followed by five more in-person interviews. It was a crazy two weeks and I thought that I failed. I was really surprised when I received their offer."

Lu Si Cheng watched as his father said nothing after she finished, however his father had pursed his lips tightly together and his demeanor had grown even quieter. Si Cheng's mother decided to intervene before her husband could start his impersonation of a Torquemada-esque interrogation.

"Ni'ar," she said, in part, to remind her husband how she now felt about this girl. "Let's go freshen up so that we can get going on our shopping trip."

Tong Yao eagerly agreed, pushed back from the table, and pecked Lu Si Cheng's cheek with a kiss before hurrying behind Ms. Lu to go back upstairs.

Mr. Lu barely acknowledged their departure; he was deep in thought about Tong Yao's claim.

Lu Yue had also noticed the change in his father, and he leaned closer to his brother as he asked, "What's wrong with Pa? Did Shorty lie about her offer?"

Lu Si Cheng didn't have an answer, and he watched helplessly as his father rose from the table a few seconds later.

"Pa where are you going?" he asked.

"To make a phone call," was his father's terse response.

Li Si Cheng's heart sunk. Was Tong Yao so anxious to continue to win his parents' support that she had decided to lie? He didn't think she was a liar, but desperation to belong is one of humanity's classic weaknesses and few are immune to that compulsion.

After excusing himself from the table, Si Cheng returned to his room to see what he could discover about TWB's analyst internships online. After 30 minutes of searching, the only internship he could find for TWB was for a program called, "Junior Bankers".

What in the world is going on? he asked himself. And, if he asked Tong Yao that question, how much would he damage their relationship?

Around 3pm, Mr. Chen knocked on his door.

"Master Si Cheng, your father wants to barbecue for tonight's dinner and requests that you and your brother join him on the patio to help."

Lu Si Cheng nodded his acceptance and left the room to join his father.

Lu Yue was already on the patio helping their father prepare the vegetables and meats for the grill. Si Cheng sat down beside them and immediately started helping.

"What do you know about TWB?" asked his father. One of the things he loved most about his father is that he didn't waste time with useless dialog when he wanted to know something.

"They are one of the world's three largest banks in terms of assets and they have the best PE ratio in the industry. As such they are considered to have one of the top Board of Directors and Management teams in business. Our Lu Communications Group also does a significant amount of business with them."

"A significant amount?" questioned his father. He expected more from his successor.

Lu Si Cheng knew exactly what his father meant, and he provided more specifics. "30% of our payroll and 20% our of loans are with them."

His father was mollified.

The next words Lu Si Cheng spoke were some of the hardest he'd ever had to say in his life. "Tradewinds World Bank has a well-known Junior Bankers internship, but they don't have an Analyst internship program." He closed his eyes and waited for his father's rebuke.

"Officially…no, they don't."

"Officially?! What the hell does that mean?"

His father let the curse word slide. "Its existence is more of a rumor than a fact. Horatio Nielson, the bank's Chairman of the Board and majority shareholder, is notorious for secrecy and even more notorious for his demanding standards. There's a joke in upper echelon business circles that his picture is used to explain the meaning of, 'One who does not suffer fools lightly.'

Officially, the Junior Bankers internship is the most prestigious in that company and to most of the outside world. Although anyone can apply, only top grads from the top schools are usually admitted into the program. However, there's a limit to how much access they have at the bank. Although they work with the Executive Management team, they never work with the C-Suite or the Chairman.

In contrast, the people selected for the elusive Analyst internship work exclusively for the C-Suite and often present to the Chairman. The Analyst Internship program is by invitation only; Nielson won't suffer any fools in his presence."

Lu Yue scoffed. "Are you telling me that Lazy Girl," he stopped when he saw his father's stern glance. "I mean MeiMei had some of the top grades in the country?"

"No," replied his father cautiously. He was also reasonably certain that Tong Yao was not a top scholar. "But, I don't think that program considers grades as the best qualifier. Einstein didn't have stellar grades, however, in the right situation, he was a genius.

You said that Yao provided strategic analysis to the team even though she was new to OPL team play and she's a rookie. Moreover, you said that her insights were valuable in helping the team win the National Title, correct?" Both sons nodded their affirmations before he continued. "My source confirmed that the Analyst Internship interview process works exactly as Yao described. Whatever it is that Nielson is looking for, she has."

For the first time in hours, Lu Si Cheng breathed in deeply and relaxed. His girl was not a liar. And, in his eyes, she was already a genius. He expected his father's countenance to similarly relax, but it didn't.

"Pa, what's still troubling you?"

"Yao didn't accept his offer. Nielson doesn't like to lose."

"No one likes to lose."

"Yes, but the extraordinarily rich have the ability to do something about it."

Si Cheng's scowl returned. "Are you concerned that he could do something to Lu Enterprises or ZGDX?

"No…actually, I don't know." After seeing the worried look on his sons' faces, he added, "In any case, nothing has happened yet, and I'm not powerless. I'll protect us."