Chapter 6: The Grudge Between Father and Son
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The young man was Hong Yu.
Gazing at the pristine red carpet laid out before him, he composed himself and feigned calm as he stepped forward. Although Hong Yu had always known he was the sole heir of the Hong family, he had experienced walking on red carpets at supermarket openings, but never imagined a day when such a carpet would be rolled out solely for him.
“Damn! The big shot turns out to be a young man?”
“Which family’s young master is this? He looks so composed, as if he’s long accustomed to such grandeur.”
“Sigh, in Fengzhou we have at most two Rolls-Royces, treated more dearly than our wives. Yet this big shot casually lets his servants drive them.”
...
The crowd exclaimed in awe. The men were focused on status and luxury cars, while the women couldn’t take their eyes off Hong Yu’s physique and silhouette.
“He looks so good, honestly, his back is so straight.”
“His shoulders are broad, he really suits a suit. I wish I could get closer to see his face.”
“If I could have a boyfriend like him, I’d gladly lose ten years of my life.”
“Sigh, with that status, and still keeping such a figure—wealthy families are just different.”
Lin Shufeng and Lin Shuqing squeezed in among the women, listening to the murmurs and feeling even more anxious. Being the last to be driven out, they hadn’t secured good spots and could only glimpse vague silhouettes.
Lin Shufeng complained, “These bitches, have they never seen a man before? Why squeeze so much, my chest is about to pop out.”
“Exactly, so annoying!” Lin Shuqing grumbled, “Sigh, I heard he’s a young man with a great physique. If only he fancied me.”
Lin Shufeng laughed, “You little brat, aren’t you married to Fang Rui? What, bored already after just a few years?”
Lin Shuqing replied helplessly, “Not really bored, it’s just Fang Rui is so mediocre. Nothing like brother-in-law, who’s set to inherit billions.”
“Don’t mention him. Haven’t we embarrassed ourselves enough today?” Lin Shufeng said impatiently, “Not to mention distant possibilities, if the man up there is willing, I’d kick Zhao Minghui aside and go straight to him. With a big shot like this, the benefits will surely follow.”
Lin Shuqing laughed, “Sis, if you get such a chance, don’t keep it to yourself. Make sure to call me along. Who knows, maybe sisters together will please him more. Don’t men enjoy such scenarios?”
The two sisters whispered conspiratorially, while the elders of the Lin family harbored their own schemes.
As the saying goes, dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes, and the son of a rat will dig holes.
The eldest and second branches of the Lin family were thinking exactly what their daughters were, all imagining that if this young man became their son-in-law, they too would bask in boundless glory.
Chen Lan, Lin Shuyu’s mother, who had suffered countless humiliations today, was even more envious than the others.
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“Hmph! Isn’t the eldest son-in-law always acting like he’s king of the world? Now he’s met a real big shot, let’s see him humbled,” Chen Lan snorted, then began scrutinizing the silent Lin Shuyu beside her.
The more she thought, the more indignant she became.
Lin Shufeng and Lin Shuqing weren’t half as good as her daughter. From childhood, Xiaoyu had always been the best among the Lin children—so why should she marry a useless man who married into the family?
Chen Lan leaned close and whispered to Lin Shuyu, “Daughter, why not get divorced?”
Lin Shuyu was stunned, “Mom, what are you saying? What mother advises her daughter to divorce?”
“Precisely because I’m your mother, I’m telling you!” Chen Lan waved impatiently, “If I were just a relative, I’d love to see you embarrassed. Haven’t you been laughed at enough today? Are you going to let this define your life?”
Lin Shuyu interrupted, “Enough! Mom, don’t bring this up again.”
Chen Lan replied angrily, “Why are you so stubborn? You know better than me how useless Hong Yu is! You might endure it, but as your mother, I ache for you!”
“Look at that young man over there—someone like him is worthy of you.”
“Don’t talk nonsense!” Lin Shuyu was also irritated, “Do you think our Lin family is some prestigious clan? How could such a big shot ever notice us?”
Just as she finished, her brow furrowed.
The young man had paused as he walked; Lin Shuyu found his silhouette strangely familiar.
“Mom, don’t you think that young man’s back looks a bit like Hong Yu?”
Chen Lan sneered, “Daughter, do you think that’s possible? I’d love for Hong Yu to be up there, but he doesn’t even qualify to shine shoes for those people!”
“Forget it, let’s not daydream. If you remarry and find someone on par with Zhao Minghui, I’ll be content.”
The young man soon entered Tianlan Hotel, and the crowd gradually dispersed.
※※※
In the presidential suite of Tianlan Hotel, Hong Yu had just sat down and was staring intently at the middle-aged man before him, whose face brimmed with excitement and joy.
If any outsider had witnessed this scene, they would have been utterly shocked.
What could have happened to make this man so agitated?
Given his status—given that his name was Hong Gang—anything that could excite him would surely shake all of China.
Hong Yu spoke first, “What madness have you been up to lately? It’s been over ten years—why did you suddenly come looking for me?”
Hong Gang paused a moment before replying, “I owe you an apology. In fact, I’ve wanted to…”
Hong Yu cut him off, “You owe my mother even more! You know better than anyone why she passed away!”
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“If not for you, and those old fools in the Hong family, would my mother have died at thirty-five?”
He paused, then continued his tirade, “Hong Gang, your name has ‘Gang’ in it, yet you’re as soft as noodles! That was your wife—how could you let those old men push you around? You might as well change your name to Hong Soft.”
“I know you want me to return to the Hong family. Fine! But you must make those old fools kneel before my mother’s grave, or forget it!”
Hong Gang was taken aback.
It had truly been ages since anyone dared speak to him like this.
After several minutes of silence, Hong Gang finally said slowly, “If you want them to kneel and admit their mistakes, it’s possible.”
“But you must prove your worth. Without achievements, no one will care about you.”
Hong Yu’s eyes shone as he looked at Hong Gang, “Alright! For my mother, I’ll do it!”
Hong Gang nodded, not expecting Hong Yu to stand and leave right after speaking. He called out anxiously, “Hong Yu… I’ve come all the way to Fengzhou, could I pay my respects to your mother?”
“You want to pay your respects?” Hong Yu turned, his eyes ablaze with anger. “I advise you not to do it. My mother wouldn’t want to see you!”
With that, Hong Yu left the suite. Hong Gang sat back, shaken, and the butler, who had been silent all along, immediately approached with a glass bottle of medicine.
Hong Gang swallowed a few pills, his complexion returning to normal, then instructed the butler, “Old Gong, Hong Yu’s settled down in Fengzhou, hasn’t he? My daughter-in-law is called Lin Shuyu, right?”
The butler replied softly, “Yes, sir. But the young lady’s family is quite poor. A daughter from a small Fengzhou clan and our young master…”
Hong Gang interrupted with a smile, “No matter. Marrying equals is good, but it’s the twenty-first century—those old notions of matching family status, young people won’t accept them.”
“Sigh, as long as they love each other, that’s all that matters. I don’t want my son to go through what I did.”
Remembering the past, Hong Gang fell silent again. Old Gong, ever dutiful, stood quietly, waiting.
After a while, Hong Gang spoke again, “Old Gong, send some gifts as a token of introduction. As for the bride price, we’ll deal with that when we return to the capital.”
Receiving instructions, Old Gong was about to leave when Hong Gang called him back, recalling something.
“Wasn’t there a Chen Dayong who used to drive for our family? I heard, thanks to your help, he’s been thriving here in Fengzhou?”
Old Gong quickly replied, “Yes, sir. I only helped him out a couple of times since he’d worked for us.”
Hong Gang nodded, “Good. Have him look after Hong Yu here in Fengzhou.”
“Warn him: anyone can die in Fengzhou, except Hong Yu—not him.”