Chapter 14: Sending Your Mother to Apologize
The Lin family mansion was ablaze with light. Yet tonight was not like any other; there were rarely any comings and goings. Even those who did enter were merely servants or members of the family—no strangers set foot inside.
“Dong, dong, dong—”
“It’s about time. Everyone, sit down and eat,” the old man announced as the ancient clock in the Lin household struck seven times. He opened his eyes abruptly and spoke.
“Father, Xiaoyu and Hongyu aren’t here yet. Something must have held them up,” Lin Jiahua said as he glanced at his phone, anxiously sending message after message to his daughter. With dinner about to start, he could only muster the courage to make a report.
The old man didn’t even acknowledge him. With a wave of his hand, he signaled to the servants to begin serving the food.
“Dad, Xiao Feng isn’t back yet either,” Lin Jiahao chimed in after glancing around the room.
At this, the old man’s expression changed completely. After a moment’s silence, he said, “Since Xiao Feng isn’t back, let’s wait another ten minutes.”
The difference in treatment was like night and day—it could not have been more obvious.
Lin Jiahua fell silent, while Chen Lan clenched her fists in anger. Were it not for a shred of reason left, she might have rushed out to hurl insults in the street.
“Grandpa, I’m back!” Lin Shufeng strode in, her tone breezy. “I would have arrived sooner, but on the way I ran into Xiaoyu and Hongyu. Can you believe they were planning to ride over on an electric scooter? As their elder sister, I couldn’t just let them do that.”
The atmosphere in the hall was tense, but with a wave of her hand, Lin Shufeng pushed Lin Shuyu and Hongyu forward.
Everyone froze for a moment, then laughter erupted throughout the room.
Second Aunt laughed so hard she could barely straighten up. “Xiao Feng, is that true? How does Hongyu manage to find new ways to be useless every time?”
“It’s rare enough for the old man to call us all together for dinner, and this good-for-nothing actually thought about coming by scooter. He’s really a master at saving money,” Zhao Minghui quipped, exchanging a look with Lin Shuqing. Then he walked up to Lin Shufeng and said softly, “Wife, I shouldn’t have yelled at you yesterday. I’ve reflected all night and felt I owed you an apology.”
Lin Shufeng had spent the night being nagged by her parents and realized this couldn’t go on, so she waved him off. “Forget it. It wasn’t a big deal. Honestly, it was good you scolded me—if I’d offended that butler from the Hong family, things could have gotten ugly.”
The couple made up quickly, exchanging knowing glances as they turned toward Hongyu and Lin Shuyu.
Zhao Minghui grinned, “Wife, didn’t you always hate giving people rides? With Hongyu dressed like that, why bring him here?”
Lin Shufeng rolled her eyes. “I didn’t pay attention just now. Besides, shabby doesn’t mean dirty. He’s got nothing else to do—he ought to keep his clothes clean.”
Zhao Minghui’s gaze fixed on Hongyu, then he laughed. “Not dirty? Didn’t you see all the oil stains on his clothes?”
“No way! You’re right!” Lin Shufeng exclaimed. “Hongyu, you bastard, covered in oil and you still dared sit in my BMW? You’re not even a chef!”
Hongyu had no intention of engaging with the pair, but with everyone’s eyes on him, he could only reply helplessly, “I was cooking just now.”
Second Aunt sneered from the side, “You really have no ambition.”
“At your age, most young men are out building careers. I’ve never heard of anyone pathetic enough to stay home as a househusband.”
The old man’s mood darkened further as he noticed Hongyu hadn’t even bothered to change his clothes. He waved his hand impatiently, barking at the servants, “No talking during meals or bedtime! Now that everyone’s here, serve the food!”
Just then, Hongyu’s phone rang, blaring an upbeat tune.
He glanced at the caller ID and said awkwardly, “Excuse me, I need to take this call.”
Second Aunt immediately shouted, “Take a call? Didn’t you hear the old man say no talking during meals? Do you have any respect at all? And with your kind of uselessness, what important call could you possibly have?”
“Hongyu, if you dare answer, don’t ever step foot in the Lin house again. Do you think we’ll just let you do as you please?” Lin Shuqing threatened coldly.
Lin Shufeng took the opportunity to stir things up. “Come now, don’t be so hard on Hongyu. He was quite the hero earlier—he gave Zhang Hao a real beating.”
Second Aunt’s curiosity was piqued. “Xiao Feng, are you serious? That useless Hongyu dared to hit someone?”
Before Lin Shufeng could answer, Lin Shuqing suddenly seemed to recall something and turned pale with shock.
“Are you mistaken, sister? Did you really see Hongyu hit Zhang Hao?”
Everyone turned to Lin Shufeng. “You’d better not be joking. Is it someone with the same name? Don’t tell me it was Zhang Hao from Zhang’s Electromechanical.”
Lin Shufeng shrugged helplessly. “I wish it were a namesake. But I saw it myself—Hongyu hit Zhang Hao from Zhang’s Electromechanical.”
“You idiot, Hongyu!” The crowd instantly turned on Hongyu, grinding their teeth.
“If you want to throw your life away, don’t drag the Lin family down too! Now we’re in real trouble.”
“We can’t just sit and wait for disaster. Hongyu, hurry to the Zhang family and beg for forgiveness. Maybe things won’t get worse.”
“Forget it. The Zhang family’s eldest grandson was hit. You think it’ll be that easy to settle?”
“If begging forgiveness won’t work, how about ritual suicide? That might do it.”
Their anxiety was understandable. The Zhang family was one of the top five clans in Fengzhou, a leader in electromechanical industries, ranking in the province’s top ten. The Lin family, meanwhile, had some local fame but didn’t even make the top thirty—a chasm as vast as heaven and earth.
As Hongyu was besieged, Lin Shuyu quickly stepped forward to explain, “It really wasn’t Hongyu’s fault. Zhang Hao tried to take advantage of me. Hongyu intervened because he couldn’t stand by and watch.”
Lin Shufeng sneered, “Oh, Xiaoyu, that’s just your side of the story, isn’t it? I only saw Hongyu hit Zhang Hao. I didn’t see Zhang Hao lay a hand on you. There’s no need to ruin your own reputation to protect Hongyu.”
She added, feigning a sigh, “It’s said a gentleman argues with words, not with fists. No wonder Zhang Hao is the eldest grandson of a great family.”
“Unlike Hongyu, who probably comes from some backwater and only knows how to solve problems with his fists.”
As head of the family, Lin Jiahao finally spoke. “I don’t care about the reasons. The fact is, Hongyu hit Zhang Hao. That cannot be changed. If this is handled poorly, it could bring disaster to the Lin family. We all need to calm down and think about what to do.”
Zhao Minghui feigned distress. “Dad, there’s nothing we can do. The Zhangs aren’t some nouveau riche—they’re a family with a hundred years’ history in Fengzhou. With their connections, bringing down the Lin family would take only a few words. Frankly, our Zhao family doesn’t dare cross a few major clans in Fengzhou, and the Zhangs are one of them.”
Second Aunt, who was just ridiculing moments ago, now realized the gravity of the situation and couldn’t sit still. She shouted, “Hongyu, this is all your fault! Go to the Zhang family and offer your life in apology. If that’s not enough, take your father with you!”
“Dong!” The old man slammed his cane on the ground.
“Enough! Silence!” he thundered. When quiet fell, he turned to Lin Shuyu. “Xiaoyu, is what Xiao Feng just said true?”
Lin Shuyu hurried to explain, “It really isn’t like that. Zhang Hao did try to take advantage of me. If it weren’t for Hongyu—”
Second Aunt cut her off, “Xiaoyu, spare us the nonsense. I just want to know one thing: did Hongyu hit Zhang Hao?”
Lin Shuyu was at a loss. She knew the truth would come out eventually. If she lied now, things would only go worse for her and Hongyu once the truth emerged.
“Damn it! He really did hit him?” The family exploded again.
“Has Hongyu lost his mind? He’s not even fit to shine Zhang Hao’s shoes, yet he dared to hit him?”
“Sigh, a woman’s beauty brings disaster. We all know how spineless Hongyu is—the root of the trouble is Xiaoyu.”
“Xiaoyu, I have to say, why are you wearing short sleeves when it’s this chilly? If you’d worn long sleeves, Zhang Hao wouldn’t have tried anything.”
A barrage of scolding and humiliation followed. Lin Shuqing rolled her eyes and said, “I have an idea. Since Zhang Hao has his eyes on Xiaoyu, why not send her to the Zhang family as an apology?”
Lin Shuyu looked at the faces of her relatives, her heart sinking into endless despair. At that moment, death seemed like release.
But as the thought crossed her mind, a pair of strong hands gripped hers tightly.
“It’s all right,” Hongyu assured her with a steadfast nod. Then he turned to Lin Shuqing, his voice cold as steel, “You filthy woman! If you’re so eager, why don’t you send your own mother to Zhang Hao as compensation?”