Alternate Dimension Game: Happiness is all that matters!

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself, my name is Lu Wenhao, and I am a lawyer, as well as... a private detective."

"You know, the soccer level in South Gao Country has declined terribly, with no hope of winning a championship. So I also support some foreign teams, which makes watching the games more enjoyable."

Wang Hao remained silent. Thinking about the state of soccer in Great Xia Country, which was terribly corrupt with rampant match-fixing and gambling, and it had been getting worse over the years. He even wondered if, by the time humanity entered the space age, Great Xia Country still wouldn't have made it to the World Cup a second time...

Feeling rather helpless about this, he chose not to speak on the matter.

Lu Wenhao was very polite as he narrated his story and troubles.

"My love affair with soccer began during my high school years, the most vibrant years of my life. Because of that year's World Cup, I rekindled my relationship with a girlfriend whom I had already broken up with. We put aside our past differences and watched the games seriously, sitting through several matches together."

"What I remember most was the excitement of Messi scoring a long shot from outside the penalty area in the last minutes of extra time against Iran, when I literally jumped up from the couch."

"Ah, the joys of youth, when the smallest things could make you happy for a long time."

Lu Wenhao smiled, seemingly reminiscing about a beautiful moment from the past.

Wang Hao listened attentively; as a distinguished shop owner, having professional patience was quite necessary.

Lu Wenhao continued, "Later on, that team made it all the way to the final. We agreed to watch that match together, say goodbye to the past unpleasantness, and get back together."

"However, the final result... let's just say we just didn't see eye to eye on life. The day before, we had another argument, and she didn't watch the match with me. I did something very foolish: watching the game and typing out the play-by-play to her, just like the hundreds of messages we exchanged daily, except this time, it was just my messages."

"I had already been blocked. Those words never got sent; I was just moving myself."

"In that final, emotionally, I was very fond of Argentina, but rationally, I thought Germany had the better chance. When Mario Gotze's goal settled everything, my feelings were complicated, celebrating for Germany but also sad for the team I loved."

"Especially when Messi stood gazing at the trophy, I felt that bitter-sweetness of unrequited love: it was so close, wasn't it? Why fall at the last hurdle?"

I got it, why was this gentleman here talking about these topics?

He wasn't talking about soccer; he was talking about the regrets of his past life.

Wang Hao stood up and brewed him a cup of clear tea, of course, the complimentary kind.

Lu Wenhao took a gentle sip and exclaimed, "Oh, this is really good tea! Thank you!"

"When I was in college, about to graduate and it was the World Cup again, besides my own country's team, I was firmly supporting that 31-year-old man and his team from the start. Years of watching and playing soccer meant I no longer had the enthusiasm of high school."

"By then, I was among the top three in my university grades, having completed my studies at the Judicial Research Institute, but facing some very complicated real-world problems."

At this point, he paused, hesitating before speaking, "My grades were excellent, and I was selected by a key organization. I was excited, because the terms offered by that organization were indeed very good."

"However, I was informed of a very strange secret."

"After learning this secret, I would have to serve them for a lifetime; otherwise, the cold silencing that awaited me was death."

Wang Hao couldn't help but become curious, "A secret? Feel free to talk about it; here, your privacy will be strictly protected."

Lu Wenhao was silent for a long time before he said, "This world harbors the supernatural, which has existed since ancient times... And there are corresponding Supernatural Organizations, they could even be said to be the invisible powers of this world."

So that's it, this guy knew about the existence of supernatural phenomena in the world all along.

That's why he seemed so calm when he first came into the shop.

"Knowing this secret, you're forced to join?"

Lu Wenhao nodded and sighed, "Yes, at least that's how it is where we come from. Our task is to cover up the fact that they exist."

"Back then, I was young and passionate, having just passed the judicial examination, pursuing freedom and fairness. But facing the oppression of such a towering entity, I could only play along, nod in agreement; otherwise, I'd face the risk of being silenced..."

"There was a girl in my field I had been pursuing for almost a year. It was the second match of the group stage against Croatia, the game starting at two o'clock in the morning. She told me she really wanted to watch that match, and I was pleasantly surprised."

"In a rental in a foreign town at two o'clock in the morning, the thought of watching a game with a girl I liked made it impossible to describe the situation as anything but romantic. I fantasized that if our team won, we would kiss in excitement, confess our feelings, and everything would fall perfectly into place."

"That night, she said she was afraid of waking up the other girls in her room and came to mine to sleep, asking me to wake her up on time. I gave up my bed to her and lay on the couch, setting the alarm. I slept deeply, but luckily didn't miss the alarm. After waking her up, my body felt so heavy and tired, I lay down in her spot thinking I'd nap a bit before getting up. Her spot was warm and fragrant, and it felt almost like being held by her. I slept so peacefully, right through to the next morning."