"Thank you for your understanding, Young Master Lin!"
Hearing that Lin Chao Ci believed him and understood his situation, Bank Manager Li felt an unexpected surge of emotion.
It was the recognition of a superior for someone beneath him.
The two signed the contract, and the money arrived shortly afterward.
After leaving the bank, Lin Chao Ci headed to the airport rather than the office.
His mother and the others' flight would arrive in a few dozen minutes.
"Have the driver take you back to the office and transfer this money to Wangzhu, Qiandu, and Soumao!"
Once they reached the airport's VIP lounge, Lin Chao Ci instructed Fang Miaoke to return and continue handling company affairs.
After all, it wasn't just his family arriving shortly. Qin Chi Chi was coming too. If that jealous little thing saw Fang Miaoke, things would certainly get lively.
Lin Chao Ci had no intention of stepping into that romantic battlefield early. He would put it off for as many days as he could.
"Yes, boss!"
Fang Miaoke nodded without giving it much thought and took the car back to the office.
Lin Chao Ci sat quietly in the VIP lounge and waited.
"Beep, beep, beep! Flight 815 has arrived at Haikou Airport!"
About ten minutes later, an announcement sounded over the speakers, announcing the flight's arrival.
Before long, a dozen or so passengers emerged through the VIP passage, and Lin Chao Ci spotted several familiar figures among them.
He recognized them at a glance.
"Mom, little brother, little sister, Chi Chi!"
A smile spread across Lin Chao Ci's face the moment he saw them.
Especially when he saw his mother, whom he hadn't seen in so long, and his younger brother and sister, who were young again, his eyes reddened slightly, tears welling up.
If there hadn't been other people around, Lin Chao Ci would have rushed over and given each of them a big hug.
"Chao Ci, what's wrong? It's only been a few weeks, and you're already crying!"
His mother, An Mingyue, adored her precious eldest son, so naturally, she noticed his reddened eyes at once.
She was both delighted and amused.
He was all grown up, yet he was crying after just a few weeks apart, like a child who never grew up.
Still, it only showed how deeply Lin Chao Ci valued his loved ones. All the affection she had lavished on him hadn't been wasted.
"Big brother, did you miss me? Hehehe!"
Lin Weiyi, the Lin family's only little princess, was overjoyed to see her eldest brother. She dropped her suitcase, ran over in a few quick steps, and threw herself straight into Lin Chao Ci's arms.
"Oof, you're crushing me! Have you put on weight?"
The melancholy Lin Chao Ci had only just begun to feel vanished completely when the little girl barreled into him.
With affectionate helplessness, he hugged her and ruffled her neatly styled twin ponytails.
Lin Weiyi was fifteen and in her final year of middle school. She was incredibly cute, the sort of girl everyone liked as soon as they met her. With her pretty hair clips, fluffy pink dress, and dainty little leather shoes, she looked like a princess from a fairy tale.
In fact, she really was treated like a little princess.
"Tsk, tsk, little sis, I remember being your favorite brother back home. Now that you've seen our eldest brother, you've betrayed me and cast me aside!"
"You're breaking your second brother's heart..."
His younger brother, Lin Qingzhou, teased her from the side, putting on an aggrieved expression.
"Hehehe, I love you too, second brother! I just haven't seen our eldest brother in ages, so I love him a tiny bit more right now!"
Lin Weiyi buried her head against Lin Chao Ci's chest and spoke in a wheedling tone.
"You three, stop fooling around. Let's go home first..."
An Mingyue was delighted to see her children getting along so well, but she also noticed the looks they were drawing and reminded them from the side.
"Mom's right. Let's go home first!"
Lin Chao Ci nodded and loosened his arms, letting his little sister climb down.
Then he stepped forward and took her suitcase.
Everyone continued toward the exit.
"Hehehe, what's wrong, my Princess Chi Chi? Are you angry because I didn't greet you first?"
Rather than walking ahead, Lin Chao Ci quietly slowed his steps and moved beside Qin Chi Chi, who had been overlooked all this time.
He couldn't help it. This was the first time he had seen his mother and younger siblings since his rebirth.
It was only natural that he felt excited and emotional.
As for Qin Chi Chi, he had already seen her right after being reborn.
Besides, Qin Chi Chi wasn't his wife or girlfriend yet, so naturally, she came later in the order.
Qin Chi Chi was smart and understood the reason, but she was still acting like a sulky young girl. She was jealous.
On top of that, she had learned from her subordinates that Lin Chao Ci had recently been spending time with quite a few pretty girls in Haikou.
Qin Chi Chi felt a little hurt.
Faced with Lin Chao Ci's playful grin, Qin Chi Chi said nothing and gave him no answer.
"Princess Chi Chi, you're adorable even when you're jealous! How have you been lately? You haven't run into any trouble at school, have you?"
Lin Chao Ci stepped forward, took Qin Chi Chi's luggage for her, and leaned close to whisper in her ear.
Although Lin Chao Ci had attracted many women in his previous life, he had mostly relied on his personal charm. Sweet talk and coaxing someone were things he genuinely wasn't very good at.
Still, even without firsthand experience, he had seen how it was done, and he had picked up a few things online.
Rather than dwelling on her jealousy, he immediately changed the subject and threw in a playful remark that could bring them closer.
"Hmph!"
Hearing Lin Chao Ci praise her, Qin Chi Chi was practically bursting with pride, but she still refused to respond and kept up her haughty act. Her attitude merely softened a little.
"Our eldest brother has it rough, suffering over love at such a young age! Not like me—I only care about studying. Little sis, you mustn't follow his example!"
Walking ahead, Lin Qingzhou kept sneaking glances at Lin Chao Ci out of the corner of his eye.
Seeing his eldest brother joking and laughing like that, he couldn't help looking a little disdainful, while taking the opportunity to earnestly advise his sister.
"Hehehe, he seems to be enjoying himself. Don't worry, second brother. Even if I look for a boyfriend someday, I'll at least find someone as good as our eldest brother!"
Lin Weiyi rather envied the childhood-sweetheart romance between her eldest brother and Chi Chi.
Young girls liked romance novels, and deep down, they inevitably longed for those fairy-tale romances.
But Lin Weiyi had high standards. She looked forward to love, but that didn't mean just anyone could catch her eye.
"You! How old are you, thinking about getting a boyfriend already? Even if you find someone suitable, you're not allowed to date him. Not until you're in college, at the very least!"
An Mingyue had been listening in from the side, and when she learned that her precious youngest daughter was thinking about finding a boyfriend, she acted.
She went straight over and flicked her on the forehead.
She was far too young to be getting ideas like that.
"Waaah, Mom, I was only saying it! That hurt!"
The flick left a red patch on Lin Weiyi's fair forehead. Although it didn't hurt much, she still clutched her forehead with an aggrieved expression.
"Even saying it isn't allowed!"
An Mingyue had no intention of letting some nobody or dyed-haired young delinquent trick her precious daughter.
Lin Weiyi wanted her brothers to speak up for her, but neither dared cross their mother. Both turned their heads away and pretended not to see.
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