After being told off by his son, Lin Jianguo surprisingly felt little anger. Instead, he grew calmer. The desolation vanished from his face, and he regained some of his composure.
"You're right. I'm a municipal Party secretary, yet I couldn't stay as calm as a brat like you! Looks like I've been underestimating you!"
Lin Jianguo smiled, somewhat stunned by what his son had said.
He had never expected his son to be more rational and levelheaded than he was.
Instead, he, the municipal Party secretary, had been the one to lose his composure.
He had no choice but to take a fresh look at his son.
Lin Jianguo felt that his son had changed a great deal, all for the better. He had become more outgoing, more cheerful, calmer, and wiser.
"That's more like it. That's how a municipal Party secretary should be! Calm, steady, and in command!"
"So how do you plan to handle this?"
Seeing his father regain his composure, Lin Chao Ci smiled in satisfaction.
His father said nothing. He merely took a pack of special-supply cigarettes from his pocket, pulled one out, lit it, and smoked in silence.
The study fell deathly quiet, with only the faint glow of the burning cigarette and the slow drift of smoke.
Lin Chao Ci knew that his father rarely smoked. He only had a cigarette when he felt uncertain or nervous, to settle himself and clear his head.
"I'll use every means within the law to deal with them! Don't worry. I won't show them any mercy!"
After finishing his cigarette, Lin Jianguo exhaled a smoke ring. A cold glint immediately appeared in his previously vacant eyes.
They tried to frame me. There's no reason for me to hold back anymore.
Having risen to his current position, Lin Jianguo was naturally no softhearted man.
Seeing his father make up his mind and undergo such a complete change, Lin Chao Ci finally felt at ease. As long as his father remained powerful enough, he could spend his entire life as a wealthy man of leisure.
Lin Chao Ci remembered it clearly. In his previous life, his father had stepped back from the front lines too early, leaving their faction leaderless. Lin Chao Ci had been forced to step up and enter politics.
In this life, as long as his father kept advancing, Lin Chao Ci could happily coast through life without a care.
But what would happen when his father retired?
Lin Chao Ci wasn't worried about that either. His younger brother, Lin Qingzhou, would graduate from university in five years and enter politics. He would rise through the ranks at a decent pace, too, and could take over the faction.
Lin Chao Ci could still relax without worry.
Heh heh heh. The only reason I'm working so hard now is so I can coast even more comfortably later! Lin Chao Ci chuckled inwardly, delighted.
With his father's promise secured, Lin Chao Ci let out a relieved breath. "All right. I can rest easy leaving this to you. Good night, Dad!"
After Lin Chao Ci left, Lin Jianguo lit another cigarette. Watching his son walk away, he scratched his head, feeling that something was off.
"It felt like my son was guiding me and giving me orders the whole time! As if I wasn't the father—he was... damn it, the more I think about it, the stranger it feels. I'm the father, but I let a youngster lecture me!"
As Lin Jianguo gradually recalled what had just happened, he realized that his son seemed to have been teaching him how to handle things. He had become the subordinate!!!
"Still, that son of mine really does know a thing or two! He was so composed that he didn't seem like a university student at all. More like a wily old hand who'd spent decades in politics!"
"He felt even more professional than me. His expression barely changed, and just sitting there, he had this intimidating presence that made even me, a municipal Party secretary, a little nervous..."
"But that's a good thing, too. My son has a talent for politics. I can rest easy letting him take over in the future!"
After giving it some thought, Lin Jianguo actually felt rather pleased. The anger in his heart had long since disappeared.
Lin Chao Ci returned to his room.
He took out his phone and saw quite a few new messages.
He scrolled through them. Some were from family, while others were from classmates and friends.
Lin Chao Ci picked a few people and sent off some casual replies.
The messages he cared most about were from Qin Chi Chi and Liu Shuang'er.
Qin Chi Chi had written, "You big meanie, remember to go to bed early. I'll come over tomorrow morning so we can make Laba porridge together!"
Liu Shuang'er's message read, "Chao Ci, guess what I'm doing! Hee hee hee... I'll tell you—I'm thinking about you! I can't wait for the weekend to end!"
Lin Chao Ci replied to Qin Chi Chi first. "Your big meanie has received your message. Good night, Princess Chi Chi!"
Then he replied to Liu Shuang'er. "See you Monday. Go to bed early!"
Liu Shuang'er had also been one of Lin Chao Ci's close female companions in his previous life, one of the five girls who had cried outside his hospital room.
Liu Shuang'er was a year below Lin Chao Ci. He remembered their first meeting clearly: her hair had been dyed in every color imaginable, and she wore punk clothes, giving off the unmistakable air of a rebellious teenage delinquent.
Back then, Lin Chao Ci hadn't wanted anything to do with her.
Liu Shuang'er had also looked down on Lin Chao Ci, the Prince Charming everyone admired.
The two of them should never have had much to do with each other.
Then, one day after school, Lin Chao Ci heard cries for help coming from near the school gates.
It had been a thoroughly clichéd case of a hero rescuing a damsel in distress.
Several thugs had surrounded Liu Shuang'er. Though she looked like a rebellious delinquent, she was still a good girl at heart. She had only been acting out to get her parents' attention.
Who would have thought a gang of thugs would set their sights on her?
Luckily, Lin Chao Ci heard her cries for help. He hurled a brick into the alley and called over a teacher and his driver, scaring the thugs into fleeing.
Bathed in sunlight, Lin Chao Ci had looked like a real angel.
He had stirred romantic feelings in Liu Shuang'er, a girl who had never been in love before. Perhaps that was what people called love at first sight.
After that, Liu Shuang'er began turning up beside Lin Chao Ci every so often.
Driven to distraction, Lin Chao Ci finally set her a condition: if Liu Shuang'er could get into the same university as him, he would consider becoming her boyfriend.
Lin Chao Ci had assumed she couldn't meet that condition. He had only mentioned it offhandedly.
To his surprise, she really did start studying so hard for his sake that she forgot to eat and sleep. Her grades shot up, and she went from the bottom of her year to near the top.
Last year, she had also gotten into Haikou University, once again becoming his junior.
By then, Lin Chao Ci had already forgotten all about the matter.
When he saw her again, he stared for quite a while without recognizing her.
By then, Liu Shuang'er no longer looked anything like the rebellious girl she had once been.
She had blossomed into a graceful young woman, as lovely and vibrant as an early-spring flower. Her high ponytail and the dimples that often appeared when she smiled gave her a lively, adorable charm.
Even now, Lin Chao Ci remembered the startling words Liu Shuang'er had spoken when they reunited.
"Hee hee hee, Chao Ci, I got into the same university as you! Can I be your girlfriend now?"
Quite a few people had been there. After hearing those words, they stood stunned for a while before all adopting expressions of eager anticipation, ready to watch the drama unfold.
For the first time, Lin Chao Ci had been so embarrassed he wanted the ground to swallow him. He immediately grabbed Liu Shuang'er and pulled her away.
Once they reached a place where no one else was around, he rejected her request outright.
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