The person: ...
Their mouth twitched for a moment, but then they raised their hand and scanned the payment code.
Coincidentally, the pearl milk tea was ready at that moment, and Lin Qiong took it from the shop assistant, intending to turn and leave.
"Wait!" The person reached out and trapped Lin Qiong's hand.
Lin Qiong turned back, with raised eyebrows.
The person, feeling a bit anxious as Lin Qiong was about to leave, said, "Thank you for helping me earlier. Can I know your name?"
Confidently, Lin Qiong smiled and replied with a carefree attitude, "Lei Feng." The red scarf on his chest became even more vibrant.
(A/N: If you remember from a previous chapter he also said Lei Feng. It is slang in China meaning a selfless person who helps others.)
The person: ...
Taking a step forward, the person tried to find common ground with Lin Qiong and asked, "You're really kind, where are you from?"
With a slightly embarrassed gesture of scratching his head, Lin Qiong answered without thinking, "The successor of socialism."
(A/N: Meaning he is a good Chinese citizen in carrying on the values and ideas of socialism. A very weird answer to give when someone asks where you are from and you say you are a good citizen of China lol)
The person took a deep breath, "Um, then may I have your WeChat?"
Lin Qiong shook his head.
The other person widened their eyes and asked, "Why?"
Lin Qiong's tone was natural as he replied, "Don't you have your own on your phone?"
The person lowered their head and looked at the app on their phone.
"..."
In the end, Lin Qiong walked out of the shop carrying two cups of pearl milk tea with ice and took a taxi home.
By the time he arrived home, it was already past 6 PM. He changed his shoes at the entrance and happily went up to the third floor with his gift.
The study door was knocked on.
"Come in," said Fu Xingyun.
Lin Qiong walked in and waved the milk tea in his hand, saying, "I brought you a gift."
Fu Xingyun glanced at it without any change in expression on his face.
Lin Qiong didn't mind, after all, this old gloomy guy had a deadpan face most of the time.
Lin Qiong took out a cup of milk tea, inserted a straw, and placed it in front of Fu Xingyun. Fu Xingyun glanced at it and turned his head away, saying, "I don't drink it."
Who could refuse milk tea?
"This is specially bought for you," Lin Qiong said, holding the milk tea in front of Fu Xingyun, crouching down to meet his eyes, with sparkling eyes.
He enthusiastically recommended the milk tea in his hand, resembling a pyramid scheme owner for a moment.
Fu Xingyun remained stubborn. "I don't drink this kind of stuff."
"What kind of stuff?" Lin Qiong asked in confusion.
"Junk food from outside," Fu Xingyun replied, looking at him seriously.
"Milk tea is junk food?" Lin Qiong was surprised. "Who said that?"
"I did," Fu Xingyun said.
"..." Lin Qiong found it hard to believe. "You've never had milk tea before?"
Fu Xingyun raised his chin as if it was some kind of proud achievement. "That's right."
There are actually people in this world who have never had milk tea.
Lin Qiong pouted and muttered, "How pitiful."
"What did you say?" Fu Xingyun asked.
"Nothing," Lin Qiong waved his hand. "Milk tea is not junk food!" He held up his pearl milk tea. "Pearls make your skin fair, milk provides calcium, and tea is good for your health. So, pearl milk tea is not junk food."
Fu Xingyun looked at the person in front of him with a cold expression as their mouth moved up and down nonsensically
Once he finally stopped talking, Lin Qiong once again brought the milk tea closer to Fu Xingyun.
Fu Xingyun coldly refused, saying, "No."
Undeterred, Lin Qiong insisted, moving the cup closer and saying, "Just give it a try!"
Fu Xingyun hesitated and started to say, "Even if I..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Lin Qiong took the opportunity to shove the straw right into Fu Xingyun's open mouth forcing him to take a sip.
Looking at Fu Xingyun's expression, Lin Qiong cautiously asked, "How is it?"
Fu Xingyun: ...
"It's delicious," he finally admitted.
Lin Qiong handed the milk tea to him and left the room with his own cup, sipping on it contentedly. After finishing dinner, he went upstairs to call Fu Xingyun down. Inadvertently, he glanced at the trash can and noticed an empty plastic milk tea cup lying peacefully inside.
Pushing Fu Xingyun out, mainly because he didn't want to walk downstairs, Lin Qiong asked, "Do you like it? If you do, I'll buy it for you next time we go out."
Fu Xingyun glanced at him but remained silent.
Once inside the elevator, everything returned to normal. After settling Fu Xingyun in the safest area of the elevator, Lin Qiong positioned himself in the corner.
One minute later...
Fu Xingyun: "... press the elevator button."
Lin Qiong hurriedly complied.
--------
"Did you send the message? Are you going to meet up tomorrow?" Chen Han approached Lin You with a tray of fruits.
Lin You's face showed some embarrassment. "Mom, Lin Qiong and I have always had a strained relationship. How can I send him a message? Maybe you should ask Dad or Xiao Shan to do it."
Chen Han's expression turned unpleasant upon hearing that. "If they could do it, I wouldn't ask you. Your father refuses to back down, and your sister has already deleted Lin Qiong's contact information." Lin You was speechless for a moment.
The Lin family was a blended family. After divorcing his first wife when Lin Qiong was three years old, Lin Huafeng found Chen Han within half a year.
Lin You and Lin Shan were fraternal twins born to Chen Han and her ex-husband, around the same age as Lin Qiong.
However, their family relationships had always been strained. Lin Qiong and Lin You were constantly at odds, and Chen Han encouraged her husband to side with Lin You.
When they were eight or nine years old, Lin Qiong and Lin You fell down the stairs during a dispute over a toy and ended up in the hospital. Since then, their relationship deteriorated even further.
Chen Han looked at Lin You and angrily patted the back of his head. "Hurry up and send the message! Is saving face so important? That brat's return is crucial for the investments in our family's company. How can we negotiate if he doesn't come back?!"
Lin You's head throbbed from the slap, and he muttered in his heart discontentedly.
If saving face isn't important, then why don't you send the message yourself?
Lin You complied, saying, "I'll send it! Can't I send it?" He began editing the message with clenched teeth and typed furiously.
'Qiong Ge, you've been married for a long time. It's time to come home and visit. Dad really misses you and wants to talk to you.'
Seeing Chen Han about to say something again, Lin You impatiently stood up and said in a disgruntled tone, "Alright, I've sent it." He then turned and went back to his room.
On the other end, Lin Qiong, after eating and drinking to his heart's content, lounged on the couch watching TV when his phone vibrated, indicating a new message. He picked it up and saw that it was from someone he vaguely remembered, his half-brother from the original host's family.
He glanced at it briefly. Did this mean he should go back to the family?
Lin Qiong glanced at Fu Xingyun, who was sitting nearby. He didn't know much about this family and didn't have any emotional attachment to them. He decided to ask for Fu Xingyun's opinion.
"If I were to go back to the Lin family tomorrow, would you come with me?"
After hearing the question, Fu Xingyun glanced at him and replied, "Whatever."
Lin Qiong nodded understandingly. He had already figured out Fu Xingyun's way of speaking. Whatever meant he agreed.
Coincidentally, since Lin Qiong arrived, he hadn't been able to find important documents like his ID card, which he thought might still be at the Lin family's home. Tomorrow would be a good opportunity to retrieve it.
The next day, neither of them rushed to leave. After having breakfast, Lin Qiong pushed Fu Xingyun around the yard for a while until they finally set off around ten in the morning.
When they arrived, the entire Lin family, including Lin Huafeng, was standing at the doorstep. Lin Qiong was slightly surprised but didn't say anything.
Lin Huafeng stood at the front, and indeed, a bald man eventually shines. Under the sunlight, his shiny bald head sparkled.
Upon seeing their arrival, Lin Huafeng hurriedly approached and smiled at Fu Xingyun. "Xingyun, you're here. Quick, Qiong, push him inside." After entering the house, Lin Qiong was completely abandoned, and the whole family surrounded Fu Xingyun.
Lin Qiong didn't mind and turned to go upstairs to look for his own identification documents.
Lin Huafeng sat down on the couch and started a conversation with Fu Xingyun, desperately trying to find a topic. "Xingyun, how has it been during this time of marriage? If Qiong has done anything wrong, just let me know, and I will make sure to teach him a good lesson."
Fu Xingyun's brows slightly furrowed, almost imperceptibly.
Lin Huafeng smiled ingratiatingly.
The man raised his head and glanced at him, his eyes deep and unfathomable.
After chatting for a while, Lin Huafeng finally got to the point. Rubbing his hands together, he smiled and said, "Xingyun, you also know that our family's company is going through a difficult time. The funding has been interrupted several times due to insufficient resources. Look..." He had always thought that by attaching himself to the Fu family, he would gain some benefits. Although Fu Xingyun wasn't as influential as before, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse.
However, little did he know that even after their marriage, neither of them would take the initiative to offer any help.
What Lin Huafeng didn't know was that this marriage alliance was not to support Fu Xingyun by the Fu family, but a blatant humiliation towards him. It was a cruel humiliation.
Fu Xingyun's slender fingers tapped on the wheelchair, his eyes dark and terrifying. "Lin Qiong is the one in charge of the family finances." This statement directly stripped him of decision-making power.
Upon hearing this, Lin Huafeng immediately smiled with joy. "Is that so? That's great... No, no, we still need to discuss this. I will go and ask Qiong's opinion later." His hands were trembling with excitement.
Fu Xingyun sat in the wheelchair, looking on with cold eyes.
The next course of action will depend on what Lin Qiong decides to do.
Lin Huafeng gave a signal to Chen Han, who immediately understood and took Lin You away.
"You go upstairs and test Lin Qiong's attitude," Chen Han said.
Lin You immediately objected, "I don't want to go." Chen Han pinched her son's arm and said, "Even if you don't want to, you have to go. Just ask for a loan first. Remember, appease him first. If he provokes you, just endure it for now. We'll deal with it later when things are settled."
Reluctantly, Lin You went upstairs.
In the room, Lin Qiong found his identification documents and put them in his pocket. When he turned around, he saw Lin You standing at the door. Lin Qiong looked at him and asked, "What's the matter?"
Lin You approached him trying to suppress his dislike.
From the subtle expressions on Lin You's face, Lin Qiong could sense his true emotions. The forced smile on his face was fake, while the disgust in his eyes was genuine.
Lin You cleared his throat and awkwardly said, "Qiong Ge, I'm a little tight on money lately. Can you lend me some? It's not much, just five million."
Not much!
Just five million!
Lin Qiong: ...
Before Lin You could say anything else, his shoulder was tapped. "Lin You," Lin Qiong spoke in a deep voice, "We're the same age. How can I have what you don't?" He directly asked for five million. That's quite a bold request.
Lin You: ...
Lin You gritted his teeth for a moment but remembered Chen Han's words and suppressed his anger.
"Qiong Ge, are you refusing to lend me money because you're still holding a grudge from the past?" Lin You asked.
Lin Qiong replied, "Am I such a petty person?"
Silence filled the air.
But when Lin You thought about it, even if their relationship wasn't strained, Lin Qiong wouldn't lend him the money. After all... he simply didn't have it.
Lin You looked at him and continued, "Qiong Ge, I call you 'Ge' (older brother). Although there were faults on both sides in the past, I believe my mistakes were greater. I hope you can be the bigger person..."
Lin You's words were interrupted by Lin Qiong. "Silly child, why apologize?"
Lin You was surprised and looked up at him. "Qiong Ge," he said.
Lin Qiong, with his beautiful eyes and eyebrows, looked at him with a smile on his face.
"I don't plan on forgiving you."