After who knew how long, the two finally parted, breathing hard.
Qin Chi Chi did not dare look at Lin Chao Ci. She turned toward the window and pretended to be calm, but her pounding heart betrayed her flustered state.
Qin Chi Chi had thought that the kiss Lin Chao Ci mentioned would be no more than a light brush of their lips.
Who would have thought it would be like this... Her cheeks burned. It was mortifying.
But the feeling truly was wonderful. Being held by someone she liked made her blissfully happy.
Qin Chi Chi actually wanted to stay nestled against Lin Chao Ci's chest and enjoy that peace and quiet, but her reserve as a woman helped her recover a little composure and reason.
They were not married yet. They had not even confessed their feelings to each other, so Qin Chi Chi could not be too forward.
Lin Chao Ci looked rather awkward himself. As an adult man, it went without saying that things were getting painfully cramped...
Fortunately, he had hunched forward slightly at the time and had not pressed against Qin Chi Chi. Otherwise, he would have been even more embarrassed.
Both regained their composure and simply sat there holding hands, gazing at the scenery outside.
Soon, the car arrived.
There was still some awkwardness when they parted.
Qin Chi Chi's head felt muddled, her thoughts in disarray. After barely saying a few words, she had Uncle Chen, the driver, drive away.
Lin Chao Ci watched the car leave, feeling that this moment was utterly wonderful.
I've gotten a fresh start. There's still time for everything. In this life, I won't let anyone down!
Lin Chao Ci returned to the courtyard.
He immediately spotted Uncle Li, who had been waiting for quite some time.
"Young Master Chao Ci, the bug picked up some information!"
Uncle Li transferred everything the bug had recorded to his phone.
Lin Chao Ci took the phone and played a recording. Sure enough, he heard the voice of that scammer classmate.
"Fuck! Why does he keep getting ahead while I'm buried in debt? What's he acting so high and mighty for? Does he think being the municipal Party secretary makes him some big shot? I'll screw you over this time. I'll leave you with nothing, just like me..."
The scammer classmate had just left the drinks gathering and was driving home, ranting at length in his car.
The entire recording was filled with jealousy toward Lin Chao Ci's father, Lin Jianguo, along with an endless stream of profanity and crude language.
He had made it very clear that he intended to frame Lin Chao Ci's father.
This recording should be enough. Surely, no matter how much Dad values their friendship, this will bring him to his senses...
After all, the scammer was his father's classmate, and the person pulling the strings behind him was his father's political rival.
By any measure, Lin Chao Ci ought to tell his father about this.
Besides, he was still only a university sophomore. Getting anything done would be difficult when he had neither the standing nor the authority.
"Thank you, Uncle Li. Isn't Xiao Hua about to start elementary school? I'll find someone to arrange it for him and get him into the Imperial Capital Affiliated Elementary School!"
Lin Chao Ci's memory had improved considerably. He remembered that Uncle Li's son, Xiao Hua, would be starting elementary school next term, and that they seemed to have been looking for a school lately.
Since it had come to mind, Lin Chao Ci decided to help. It was only a small matter anyway, something he could settle with a word.
"Thank you, Young Master Chao Ci!"
Uncle Li smiled when he heard that. He had never expected the young master to remember even such a small matter.
He truly treated their family well. Uncle Li resolved to serve the young master even more faithfully in the future.
Lin Chao Ci nodded without saying anything else and went inside.
He saw only a housekeeper cleaning, with no sign of his father.
His father was probably handling documents in the study. Like him, the old man loved working and often kept at it until midnight. Without someone to remind him, he might even work through the night.
As for his grandfather, grandmother, mother, younger brother, and younger sister... none of them worked or studied in Haikou City.
Given Lin Chao Ci's college entrance exam scores, Haikou University had been his best option. His father happened to work in Haikou City too, so the two lived together and looked after each other.
Lin Chao Ci went upstairs and stopped outside the study.
Knock, knock!
"Come in!"
Lin Chao Ci knocked on the door, and a middle-aged man's voice answered from inside.
He pushed open the door and entered. The first thing he saw was a wall of bookshelves filled with all sorts of books.
At the desk, a middle-aged man with rugged features, still remarkably handsome despite his age, rubbed his throbbing temples and asked in confusion, "Chao Ci, what is it? Do you need something?"
He was Lin Chao Ci's father, Lin Jianguo, the municipal Party secretary of Haikou City.
He knew his son well. The boy would not come to him without a reason.
"Dad, that classmate you had drinks with tonight—do you really know him well?"
If he simply told him outright, his father certainly would not take it seriously.
Lin Chao Ci deliberately kept him in suspense.
"What's wrong with Wang Defa? How do you know about him? We've known each other since we were classmates over a decade ago! We haven't been in touch much these past few years, but we're still on good terms!"
Lin Jianguo frowned, puzzled as to why his son knew Wang Defa.
And how did he know that they had eaten together that evening?
Had his driver, Uncle Li, told him?
"Oh? Are you sure you're on such good terms? Does he really consider you a friend?"
Lin Chao Ci shook his head, his face full of disdain.
His father was good in every other respect, but he was a poor judge of character. He would call anyone a friend... and never even realize when they sold him out.
"What are you getting at? If you have something to say, say it. Stop keeping me in suspense!"
Hearing his son disparage Wang Defa made him a little displeased. Had anyone else said that, Lin Jianguo would have told them to get lost.
But it was his own son saying it. No matter how unhappy he was, Lin Jianguo could only put up with it.
His parents doted on their precious grandson. If Lin Jianguo actually scolded Lin Chao Ci, his own father might come after him with a whip the next day.
"Heh. Listen to this, and you'll understand!"
Lin Chao Ci found a chair, sat down, and took out his phone to play the recording.
His father knew the voice in the recording all too well. It belonged to Wang Defa, whom he had only just parted with. Lin Chao Ci watched his father's expression shift from shock to bewilderment, then anger.
Silence lingered in the study for a long while.
Only then did Lin Jianguo ask in a slightly hoarse voice, "Where did this recording come from? Could it have been fabricated?"
"Dad, are you playing dumb, or are you really that foolish? Stop being naïve. Who could fake a voice this convincingly in such a short time? As for where the recording came from, I looked into him and found something suspicious about his background..."
Lin Chao Ci's words were blunt and cruel.
He dragged what his father did not want to face straight into the open.
Since he was counting on his father to let him coast through life in the future, he had to scold some sense into him and make him wise up.
Lin Jianguo fell silent. His heart went cold, the pain like a dull blade sawing through flesh.
He had genuinely considered Wang Defa a friend. More than a decade of friendship as classmates had earned him nothing but jealousy and scheming.
Seeing his father looking so dejected, Lin Chao Ci grew exasperated and rebuked him again:
"Why should you care about someone who betrayed you? A person like that isn't worth grieving over!"
"What you should care about now is how to handle this and deal with your enemies! Act like the municipal Party secretary you are. Don't make your own son look down on you!"
Before you continue