Yan Shouyi and Lin Zhitong did not have a good impression of Lin Fan.
So, as soon as the two walked in, they put on sour faces, gave Lin Fan no pleasantries, and didn't even greet him.
Lin Zhitong completely ignored Lin Fan, bypassed him, and sat beside Lin Ruofu, affectionately calling out, "Dad, I'm back!"
"Good to have you back! Good to have you back! Did you get used to living in Chenjia Village?" Lin Ruofu asked with a smile.
"Yes, it's very nice there, and the people are very kind. If you have the chance, you must come and stay for a while," she replied.
Yan Shouyi also sat down and said, "Dad, do you see if I've taken good care of Zhitong this past month? Has she gained weight?"
Lin Ruofu looked Zhitong up and down. "She's gained weight, she's probably gained ten pounds!"
Lin Zhitong's expression changed. "That's not an exaggeration!"
Ten pounds was devastating for a girl. Although Lin Zhitong didn't say it, she cared a lot about her image and figure. Da Feng Novel Network.
If it weren't for the inappropriate timing, she would have found a mirror immediately to see where she had gained weight.
"Dad is just joking with you!" Lin Ruofu laughed heartily.
Lin Zhitong gave him an annoyed look, flicked his hand away, and moved to sit beside Yan Shouyi.
Lin Ruofu stared blankly, then sighed helplessly after a while, "A girl grows up and doesn't want to stay!"
Lin Zhitong rolled her eyes. If her father hadn't been so mischievous, she wouldn't have been angry.
However, despite being angry, it was a warm anger, adding a bit of warmth to the home.
Long Feicheng and Ye Chengfu followed them in. Seeing Lin Fan still there, Ye Chengfu called Long Feicheng out for a smoke. Long Feicheng wasn't in the mood either and trotted after Ye Chengfu.
Only Yan Shouyi, Lin Zhitong, Lin Ruofu, and Lin Fan were left in the villa.
The atmosphere became a bit awkward for a moment.
To ease the tension, Lin Fan wanted to find a topic to chat about. He noticed that Yan Shouyi was holding something wrapped in cloth when he came in, and he curiously reached out to pick it up and weigh it. "Shouyi, what is that? Is it a local specialty from your hometown?"
"Don't touch it!"
Yan Shouyi roared, making Lin Fan flinch back as if shocked. He then reprimanded him with lingering fear, "If you don't want me to touch it, just say so. Why shout so loud? You scared me..."
Yan Shouyi silently picked up the Zanpakuto wrapped in cloth and placed it behind him, explaining,
"If you touch what's inside, I'm afraid you'll lose your life."
Lin Fan's expression changed, and he muttered quietly about what could be so powerful that touching it would lead to death.
In fact, only Yan Shouyi himself could lift the true form of his Zanpakuto. After a month, even Lin Zhitong hadn't touched it.
This was because the malevolent aura on the Zanpakuto could only be suppressed by Yan Shouyi, but not by others!
Even if Lin Zhitong touched the Zanpakuto, there would be unforeseen consequences, let alone an ordinary person like Lin Fan.
After hiding the Zanpakuto, Yan Shouyi asked calmly,
"Why are you here?"
Due to their past grievances, Yan Shouyi didn't even use polite language. He felt no need to be polite to someone like Lin Fan.
Lin Ruofu and Lin Zhitong wouldn't mind.
"Shouyi, this is a long story," Lin Ruofu sighed. "I know Lin Fan and we have some past issues, but he is still a member of our Lin family, my own brother. If he is in trouble, I cannot stand by and do nothing."
Lin Zhitong sneered, "Dad, we treat him as family, but has he ever treated us as family? Have you forgotten how he treated me before?"
Lin Ruofu's expression froze, and a look of reluctance appeared on his face.
Lin Zhitong directly took Yan Shouyi's hand and said coldly,
"Dad, if there's anything, we'll handle it ourselves. Shouyi doesn't need to be troubled."
"You..." Lin Ruofu was speechless. "I haven't said anything yet, and you're already rushing to protect your husband. Does that mean you don't even care about me, your father?"
In fact, Lin Zhitong was quite clear-headed. If Lin Fan had any problems, she would solve them herself and would certainly not involve Yan Shouyi.
However, Yan Shouyi was not someone who could rest easy. He pulled Lin Zhitong behind him and said softly,
"Although I'm very reluctant, your affairs are Zhitong's affairs, and Zhitong's affairs are my affairs. Putting aside whether I can help, let's at least hear what happened."
As a responsible and dedicated man, Yan Shouyi would not hide behind Lin Zhitong at this moment. After all, Lin Fan could affect Lin Ruofu, and indirectly affect Lin Zhitong.
Anything related to Lin Zhitong was something Yan Shouyi could not ignore.
Lin Fan's expression improved slightly, and he couldn't help but praise, "Brother, you found an excellent son-in-law. I don't have a daughter, otherwise, I would definitely have her marry a man like Shouyi!"
"You'd better save it!" Lin Ruofu said with a cold face. "You don't have a daughter? All your daughters back then were aborted and died in the womb, weren't they? You only wanted to have sons, coveting the Lin family's business!"
Lin Fan said awkwardly, "Brother, you can't say it like that..."
"Then how should I say it? If it weren't for something related to our Lin family this time, I wouldn't have lowered myself to call Shouyi and Zhitong back! Lin Fan, I'm telling you, it's for the sake of our brotherhood that I want to give you one last chance. If you're still ungrateful, I'll have you thrown out right now!"
Lin Ruofu suddenly became tough, his tone something Lin Fan had never seen before.
But in fact, Lin Ruofu had suddenly figured it out. Yan Shouyi was willing to let bygones be bygones, but he, Lin Ruofu, was not. Therefore, he had to make the ugly words clear first!
Even if it meant cutting off brotherhood with Lin Fan today, he would absolutely not let his precious son-in-law suffer!
Lin Fan was stunned for a long time before finally understanding Lin Ruofu's meaning. He sighed and said, "Brother, I understand. As long as I can get through this difficulty, I will never covet the family's assets again."
"It's good that you're sensible!" Lin Ruofu said. "I'll have Old Ye draw up a contract later, and you'll sign your name on it in black and white."
Lin Fan was surprised. "Brother, this is family business, there's no need for a contract, right?"
"Brothers are clear about accounts!"
"...Alright, alright."
Lin Fan completely surrendered. Lin Ruofu had, in a way, gotten some satisfaction for Yan Shouyi and Lin Zhitong.
Yan Shouyi said calmly, "Tell me briefly what happened."
Lin Fan lowered his head, looking distressed.
"The赊刀人 (debt-collecting fortune tellers) you encountered this time were actually not after you, but after me."
Yan Shouyi's eyebrows shot up.
He had been wondering why he, who had no dealings with the 赊刀人, had provoked such people and why they had come to cause trouble at the West Lake construction site.
He had previously suspected his father, Yan Chou, or even his grandfather.
But after thinking about it, it turned out to be this scoundrel Lin Fan who had caused it.
For a moment, Yan Shouyi really wanted to ignore Lin Fan and return to Chenjia Village to continue his cultivation.
However, since he was back, he naturally had to meet the 赊刀人.
So he asked, "Did you make a deal with a 赊刀人?"
Lin Fan nodded helplessly. "That was ten years ago. I had just come of age then, young, arrogant, and full of spirit. Women who liked me lined up from my doorstep..."
"Get to the point!" Lin Ruofu punched Lin Fan directly.
Lin Fan quickly stopped boasting and continued, "At that time, I was also quite immature and got several women pregnant. Some of them were even courtesans. If I brought them home and my grandfather saw them, he would surely beat me to death. So, I gave them some money and asked them to have abortions..."
"The other women obediently aborted their children, but there was one greedy woman who secretly gave birth to the child and actually used the child to blackmail me! She initially wanted to marry into a wealthy family, but I refused. Then, she demanded a large sum of money from me every month, or she would report me to Grandpa. I was truly helpless and had to support her with money. Who would have thought she would become even more insatiable, demanding more and more money!"
"At that time, I hadn't taken over the family business yet, and I didn't have much money on hand. In the end, I didn't even have enough to pay that woman's blackmail! Just when I was at my wit's end, I ran into a 赊刀人!"
"The 赊刀人 immediately saw all my problems and described them exactly as they were. He said that as long as I took his knife and agreed to some of his demands, he could help me solve this trouble. I thought he wanted to kill someone, but he said no, he had a way to resolve it permanently without bloodshed! I didn't believe the 赊刀人 at first, but thinking it was better to try anything than nothing, I agreed to his terms. His demand was very simple: after it was done, I just had to buy him a pack of cigarettes."
"The 赊刀人 frankly told me to take the child for a paternity test. Only after the results came out did I discover that the child wasn't mine at all! I was overjoyed, immediately dumped that shameless woman, and even scolded her fiercely! In the end, I fulfilled my promise and bought the 赊刀人 a pack of good cigarettes, completing our transaction."
"But who knew that on the same night, that shameless woman jumped off a building with the child..."