Chapter 32 Going Home

Chapter 32: Going Home

After Lin Xishan got into the backseat of the taxi and gave the driver the address, the slight smile on his face slowly faded, replaced by a sharp, almost unnerving calm.

He knew that asking his dad for special treatment now would break the rules they'd agreed on.

What he was really thinking about was how to get his dad to say yes while keeping his own losses to a minimum.

He knew his dad's personality well—this wasn't going to be easy.

The cab pulled up in front of a ritzy, high-end villa complex downtown. Lin Xishan paid the driver and got out. He stood in front of the familiar black iron gate, took a deep breath, and rang the bell.

The butler who'd worked for the Lins for over twenty years answered the door. The butler did a double take, then beamed, "Young Master!"

Lin Xishan smiled at him and asked, "Uncle Li, is my dad home?"

Uncle Li beamed, took the coat Lin Xishan handed him, hung it up neatly, and said, "The master's in his study, on a video call. Come on in, Young Master—I'll go tell him you're here."

Lin Xishan walked into the living room and sat down on the sofa.

The house was laid out exactly the way he'd left it before the semester started—even the lucky bamboo by the floor-to-ceiling window hadn't budged.

He'd spent almost two years as a "low-income special admit," his monthly bank balance never cracking three digits, carefully counting whether he could spring for an extra sausage in his jianbing at the school gate.

But he'd never really felt poor, because he always knew he could come back here.

A few minutes after Uncle Li went upstairs, he heard footsteps on the stairs.

Lin Yuanzhou came down from the second floor in a dark gray knit sweater and rimless glasses.

He looked under fifty, and his features were practically a carbon copy of Lin Jichuan's, but he carried the quiet, unshakable authority of a man who'd spent decades wheeling and dealing in the business world.

Lin Jichuan couldn't even hold a candle to him.

"What's with the sudden visit? Your mom asked you to come home for the holidays multiple times and you turned her down every time—it was always just Jichuan showing up alone." Lin Yuanzhou sat down on the sofa across from him, removing his glasses and placing them on the coffee table. "What's the special occasion?"

Lin Xishan cut to the chase: "Dad, I need your help with something."

Lin Yuanzhou raised an eyebrow, a flicker of amusement in his eyes.

He knew his oldest son's temperament better than anyone. In all these years, Lin Xishan had rarely ever said the word "help."

The kid was prouder than anyone—he'd rather carry the weight of the world on his own shoulders than ask for a single favor.

For him to speak up on his own now, either he was facing a huge problem, or...

Lin Yuanzhou was curious. "Let's hear it."

"There's a company called Xin Cheng Media, and the boss is a guy named Liu Guoliang." Lin Xishan spoke slowly and clearly, choosing his words carefully. "I want the Lin family to end all business with this company and cut it out of the supply chain."

Lin Yuanzhou leaned back into the sofa, spread his arms across the back, and slowly looked Lin Xishan up and down.

He didn't ask why. Instead, he said, "You're still in your probation period. You can't use the family's resources—that's a rule you agreed to."

"I know. I'm willing to pay the price for this." Lin Xishan answered quickly, clearly having thought through his response before making the request.

Lin Yuanzhou didn't answer right away. He set his phone down and took a sip of tea from the cup on the coffee table.

The silence between father and son stretched for about half a minute.

"Xishan," Lin Yuanzhou finally said, setting down his cup, his voice softening, "rules are rules. I can't just cut off a business partner because you said so."

Lin Xishan didn't rush. He pulled a file from his bag and slid it across the coffee table. Lin Yuanzhou glanced at it but didn't pick it up, just scanning the title on the cover.

"What's this?"

"The preliminary draft of Professor Chen Yuan's media industry investment analysis report," Lin Xishan said. "One section of this report is a case study on risk management. Xin Cheng Media is listed as a high-risk partner because of commercial bribery and shady deals. This case will be made public at next month's university-industry partnership launch event."

Lin Yuanzhou tapped his fingers twice on the armrest, then let out a laugh—the kind of dangerous smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Oh, so the son's all grown up. Is this a threat against your old man?"

"I'm giving you a reasonable excuse." Lin Xishan smiled too, but it only touched the corners of his mouth. "If the Lin family ends the partnership proactively, this case can be swapped out. If you don't think it's worth the trouble for a 'not-so-proper little company,' then the report goes out as planned, and the Lin family, as a partner, will be in the appendix too."

Last night, after Pei Zhi fell asleep, Lin Xishan worked on this all night. As for how he got it, being the heir to the Lin Group, he still had some pull in the company.

Lin Yuanzhou picked up a lens cloth and slowly wiped his glasses. "So you're plotting against your own father?"

"I'm not plotting against you. I'm negotiating with you," Lin Xishan corrected him. "This is what you taught me—business, at its core, is just an exchange of interests."

Lin Yuanzhou put his glasses back on, stood up, and walked to the window. With his back to Lin Xishan, he stared at the ginkgo tree in the courtyard for a while.

In winter, the ginkgo had lost all its leaves, its bare branches reaching toward the gray-white sky.

Lin Yuanzhou suddenly remembered a winter from Lin Xishan's childhood. That year, the boy had climbed that very ginkgo tree to rescue a stray cat stuck in its branches. When he fell and scraped his knee, he didn't cry—he just stood there holding the cat and said, "Dad, I'm fine, and the cat's fine too."

He had always been like that, even as a child. To protect what he wanted to protect, he didn't feel the pain of a scraped knee.

He turned around to look at his son, who was now taller than him. Nothing had changed.

"I can have the business department cut all ties with Xin Cheng Media. Liu Guoliang won't have any business opportunities in this circle from now on." Lin Yuanzhou's tone shifted back to that of a decisive corporate leader, but then he changed tack. "But since you came back to me and used family resources to solve a personal problem, the rules of your probation need to change."

This didn't surprise Lin Xishan at all, so he asked calmly, "What did you have in mind?"

"Two million doubles to four million. Deadline's still before graduation." Lin Yuanzhou smiled, holding up four fingers.

Lin Xishan didn't even hesitate. "Deal."

He answered too fast.

So fast that the thought "my son is still too young" hadn't even fully formed in Lin Yuanzhou's mind before it got cut off.

He watched Lin Xishan stand up, tuck the report back into his bag, his movements crisp and efficient, as if he'd just closed a very small deal.

"You're not going to haggle?" Lin Yuanzhou couldn't help asking.

"No." Lin Xishan slung the bag over his shoulder and flashed a smile. "Four million to make sure he never has to see someone like that again—I'd say I got the better end of the deal."

Having gotten what he wanted, he didn't plan to stay a second longer than necessary, eager to get back and take care of Pei Zhi.

Lin Yuanzhou was quiet for two seconds, then shook his head, but the corners of his mouth curved up.

Decisive. Just like his old man.

"Oh, by the way," Lin Yuanzhou called out to Lin Xishan, who was already at the door, "you said 'he' won't have to see someone like that again—who's this 'he'? Who exactly did Liu Guoliang mess with?"

Lin Xishan turned around, hand on the doorknob, a complicated look crossing his face. "It's a long story."

"Then keep it short." Lin Yuanzhou snorted.

Wanting his help but not letting him get a bit of gossip—this kid was dreaming.

Lin Xishan finally realized that if he didn't explain clearly, his father wasn't going to let him leave.

"He's the person I mentioned before. Let me correct myself—he's not some sugar daddy. He's someone I love." He paused before continuing, "He's a musician. Liu Guoliang's company said they'd fund their new album, but then... So, I'm going to make him pay for that."

Lin Yuanzhou listened with great interest. Not bad, not bad—a first love, all innocent and fluttery, falling for a sugar daddy. What a dramatic development. When his wife woke up, he'd tell her everything.

He'd been worried before that this son of his, though gentle and easygoing on the surface, was actually pretty cold-hearted deep down. While that was good for business, as a father, he'd hoped his son would be a bit more human.

No need to worry now. The heart wasn't hard anymore, true love had arrived—his son had finally grown up.

He looked at Lin Xishan, that earnest look with a touch of shyness, so much like how he himself had looked when he was young, chasing Lin Xishan's mother.

Ah, just like his old man. Lin Yuanzhou felt pretty smug.

"Got it." Lin Yuanzhou said as he sat back down on the sofa, picking up his tablet and swiping the screen. "The business department will take care of it this afternoon. You can go now. Make sure to bring him by for a meal sometime."

"We'll see about that. He scares easily, and I haven't told him who I am yet." Lin Xishan said, thinking to himself that he'd promised to tell him once everything was settled, so he'd wait until it was all over.

If Zhou Yan and the rest of Pei Zhi's band ever heard Lin Xishan call Pei Zhi timid, they'd be floored.

Who's timid? Pei Zhi, the guy who'll throw himself into a fight without a second thought? Timid?

Well, love truly is blind.

Lin Xishan pulled open the door, and cold air rushed in, making the wind chimes by the entrance jingle.

He stepped out of the gate and walked along the stone path under the ginkgo trees. After a few steps, he pulled out his phone and glanced at it.

Pei Zhi had sent a message: "Are you done with that thing?"

Lin Xishan stared at the words for a moment, then replied: "All done. Coming back now. Did you take your medicine?"

Pei Zhi replied instantly: "Took it. Zhou Yan made sure."

Lin Xishan typed again: "Wait for me at home. I'll cook dinner for you tonight."

This time, Pei Zhi didn't reply instantly. The "typing..." bubble popped up and disappeared a few times at the top of the chat, and finally, four short words came through.

"Okay, I'll wait for you."