Chapter 90

Chapter 90

Cheng Jiu settled Lin Fan on his lap, pulling him close, and tilted his head to nuzzle Lin Fan’s nose, lips, and cheeks. His warm breath brushed against Lin Fan’s face, dusting a soft blush over the pale skin. In a low murmur, he said, “In my fantasies, my future boyfriend would willingly climb onto my lap, wrap his arms around my neck, and kiss me.”

“He would use all his wiles to seduce me, confess his feelings, express his love boldly, and then blush shyly at my response.”

The atmosphere grew increasingly intimate.

Lin Fan gazed down at him, his long eyelashes quivering, a faint blush blooming beneath his thin skin, winding from his cheeks and staining his neck and ears a delicate pink.

He wrapped his arms around Cheng Jiu’s neck and asked thoughtfully, “Is that so?”

Cheng Jiu captured his lower lip between his teeth, silencing him.

After a kiss, Lin Fu suddenly held Cheng Jiu's face, keeping him at bay, "General Cheng, isn't what you described the tactics of a femme fatale, rather than the methods a boyfriend should employ in pursuit?"

His eyes narrowed slightly.

When Cheng Jiu was younger, whatever fantasies he might have had, anyone daring to approach him too closely would not know how they died after being kicked away by him.

Lin Fu was one to hold grudges, still remembering the threats made against him when he first rescued Cheng Jiu from beneath the ruins.

Cheng Jiu: "..."

Of course, he harbored no such fantasies; his only fantasies were reserved for his current boyfriend. Yet, his boyfriend was too clear-headed, resisting the temptation even when breathless from kisses, refusing to fall into the trap of seduction.

He listlessly buried his head in Lin Fu's neck and shoulder, like a salted fish that had lost all its dreams.

Lin Fu couldn't help but laugh.

"Since you have no fantasies, stop dreaming. I'll do the dreaming for us." He opened his own light computer, logged into his nearly deserted and overgrown social media account, composed a text, and then sent it.

Cheng Jiu had been keeping an eye on Lin Fu's actions and, seeing this, also opened his light computer.

Then, he saw Lin Fu's update pop up in the special attention column.

"From today onwards, my greatest wish is to successfully pursue General Cheng Jiu."

There wasn't much fanfare or flowery language in the post, even a bit bland. If one ignored the identity of the poster, it seemed more like an impetuous youth secretly setting a goal for himself and then pursuing

a secret crush.

The person he admired.

With his movement, the comment section immediately went wild.

"Am I hallucinating? Major Lin actually updated his status on the social network!?"

"Holy smokes, is this a public confession? Did he forget this is his main account? Is this a disaster triggered by logging into the wrong account?"

"Oh my stars! My dear, you've finally logged on! Go forth bravely in pursuit, for in the entire empire, only General Cheng is worthy of you. Mother approves of this marriage!"

"Holy moly, though it's a bit late, the ship I've been rooting for has sailed!!! I've paid for your marriage registration and genetic testing, now go ahead and get married!!"

"Has the comment section lost its mind? Lin Fu, this sinner, actually has supporters? Now defeated, he suddenly professes love for General Cheng; the ulterior motive is clear for all to see!"

"Tsk, tsk, is it true love or ill intent?"

"Disgusting, such a scoundrel."

"Here it comes, the crown prince managed to evade, but can General Cheng really escape? Those brainless shippers are definitely going to go nuts."

The pleasant expression on Cheng Jiu's face disappeared due to the messy chaos in the comment section, his brows gradually furrowing.

He almost uncontrollably reached out, wanting to argue with these ignorant fools.

But he restrained himself in time.

Lin Fu soon headed to the Lin family home.

His public declaration of love for Cheng Jiu on the platform attracted rampant media sensationalism, with a countless number of trolls from the royal family and the council.

The Lin family, unsurprisingly, saw all these messages.

Lin Sixing was the first to receive the message from Lin Fu.

Before he could agree, the Fourth Legion's vehicle had already stopped outside the Lin family's gate.

Lin Fu alighted.

He was helped down, and this time Cheng Jiu did not accompany him.

Lin Sixing went to greet him at the door, with a fake smile he said, "Major Lin, what brings you here with such an honor?"

Lin Fu wasn't in a hurry to make amends.

He knew the Lin family's nature too well; if he tried to make amends too soon, they would only feel they could suppress him at will.

Lin Fu needed them to believe that he relied on them, but he didn't want them to think he was easy to control.

With a light smile and without a hint of resentment, he called out to Lin Sixing, "Dad, I'm a member of the Lin family, of course, I should come back."

Just as Lin Sixing was about to reproach him for never having acknowledged his identity as a member of the Lin family, Lin Xiujian's voice emerged from behind him, "Since you've returned, come in."

Lin Sixing turned around in disbelief. Wasn't his father always detesting Lin Fu, wishing nothing more than to eradicate him as a disgrace to the Lin family?

Ignoring Lin Sixing, Lin Xiujian's face bore a genial expression as he beckoned Lin Fu with a wave of his hand, "Little Fu, it's good that you've come back after having enough of your tantrum. As it happens, your younger siblings are also at home."

As Lin Fu approached the grand entrance, he courteously addressed him as "Grandfather" with a deferential tone. Before speaking further, he covered his mouth and coughed a few times, causing such alarm that the complexion of the aide beside him changed, and he hurriedly assisted Lin Fu into the house.

A few steps behind, Lin Xiujian’s own son hastened to catch up, lowering his voice, "Father, why did you let him in? Associating with him can only bring harm to our Lin family now!"

Lin Xiujian glanced at him, "Shut your mouth, what do you know!?"

The father and son reached no conclusion in their argument.

Lin Fu temporarily took residence in the Lin household.

The next day, numerous photographs capturing Lin Fu's entrance into the Lin residence topped the headlines of major media outlets, speculating about the reasons for Lin Fu's sudden willingness to return to the Lin family, which he had loathed.

Various theories abounded, but eventually they converged into a unified notion—that Lin Fu sought the support of the Lin family out of a sense of inferiority regarding his origins, all in pursuit of Cheng Jiu.

Although Cheng Jiu was a child exiled by the Cheng and Qi families, he was ultimately of the Cheng lineage. Lin Fu needed a respectable origin to justify himself.

As if to further substantiate the speculations of the netizens, photographs of Lin Fu inviting Cheng Jiu for an outing were posted on the Star Web the following day.

Fans of the couple rejoiced, while those who vilified Lin Fu found a precise point of attack. They furiously accused him of merely using Cheng Jiu, claiming that he was unworthy of being with Cheng Jiu. Cheng Jiu should seek a better, gentler guide rather than one who was arrogant, incompetent, unrepentant, and devoid of remorse like Lin Fu.

The reputation of Lin Fu, along with that of the entire Fourth Legion, plummeted further.

That evening, after Lin Fu had left the Lin household, Lin Sixing finally found the opportunity to speak privately with his father.

He asked irritably, "What were you thinking? He never returned to the Lin family in his days of glory, but now, when he is reviled by thousands, he knows to come back—and you even agreed to it. Now there are plenty of people on the Star Web cursing our Lin family, and even the council had some complaints today."

Lin Xiujian responded with practiced ease, "He is the commander of the Fourth Legion. No matter how far he has fallen, with a single word, there are many in the Fourth Legion ready to act on his behalf. Let those fools on the internet say what they will, what can they do to our Lin family? You are a noble, do not think like the commoners."

Lin Sixing attempted to retort, "What you're saying…"

Lin Xiujian interjected with a question, "Cheng Jiu is close to him. What do you think are the chances of this marriage happening?"

After a moment of careful thought, Lin Sixing replied, "Originally there was an eighty percent chance... but with Lin Fu's current downfall, there's a sixty percent likelihood."

Lin Xiujian, however, said, "Initially, there was a 70% chance, but now with Lin Fu's downfall, the probability has unexpectedly risen to 90%."

"Previously, Lin Fu hadn't really suffered any hardships. He had it easy, always on top. Even for Cheng Jiu, it's not certain he was taken seriously. Naturally, he's fond of Lin Fu. Back in their days at Artemis Military Academy, their relationship was already quite extraordinary. Why do you think they haven't gotten together after all this time?"

"Cheng Jiu couldn't care less about Lin Fu's family background. What he desires is for Lin Fu to be willing to lower his head. No sentinel would favor a guide more domineering and haughty than themselves. Now that Lin Fu feels threatened, he knows to cling onto Cheng Jiu, even at the cost of reconciling with the Lin family. It shows he's willing to bow down to the sentinel. Naturally, Cheng Jiu would be more satisfied."

Calculation filled Lin Xiujian's eyes as he spoke, "Just you watch, Lin Fu returning to the Lin family will bring more benefits than disadvantages... Moreover, him returning alive, approaching us proactively, he's giving us an opportunity."

Lin Sixing could only furrow his brows, tentatively trusting his father's judgment.