Chapter 61: Where’s the Face to Cling to This Connection
Vera debuted at the age of 20 and met Liao Tingwang when she was 25. The two were deeply attracted to each other at first sight. Six months later, they secretly got married and started their own little family.
Liao Tingwang had always hidden his marriage from his family. He knew that Old Master Liao would never approve of him marrying an entertainer with no background. He played along with his family, repeatedly rejecting the matches Old Master Liao arranged for him.
When the Zhou family business ran into trouble, Old Master Zhou, an old friend of Old Master Liao, wanted to match his daughter Zhou Chanying with Liao Tingwang. Old Master Liao approved of Zhou Chanying and the Zhou family and wanted to make the match. At a business banquet, Liao Tingwang was drunk and sent to Zhou Chanying’s room, where they spent the night together.
Old Master Liao and Old Master Zhou believed the matter was settled, and they were just waiting for Liao Tingwang to marry Zhou Chanying and bring her into the Liao family. They waited and waited, and by the time Zhou Chanying found out she was pregnant, Liao Tingwang still hadn’t mentioned marrying her. Zhou Chanying confronted Liao Tingwang, telling him about the pregnancy, but he told her that he was already married.
Once this was revealed, both the Zhou and Liao families knew. Old Master Liao was furious and demanded Liao Tingwang divorce his wife immediately. Liao Tingwang refused, leading to constant arguments between father and son. Old Master Liao then approached Vera, forcing her to divorce and make way, as she was unfit to marry into the Liao family.
What truly broke Vera’s heart was Zhou Chanying’s pregnancy—the child was Liao Tingwang’s, and Vera couldn’t accept it.
Vera requested a divorce from Liao Tingwang, and despite his attempts to persuade her otherwise, she left him no choice but to agree.
After the divorce, Vera discovered she was pregnant. By then, Liao Tingwang, under Old Master Liao’s arrangements, had already married Zhou Chanying.
Vera was determined to raise the child herself, but her health wouldn’t allow it. During the later stages of her pregnancy, her health declined significantly. After enduring the struggle until the child was born, her condition worsened. She managed to care for the baby for three months, knowing her time was running out. She called Liao Tingwang and entrusted the child to him.
Before she became bedridden, Vera made all the necessary arrangements for her death. She sailed out to sea and never returned.
A month after the child was brought to the Liao family, the nanny took the child for a vaccination. The bodyguards waited outside the room, but after waiting for a long time and not seeing the nanny come out, they went in to find her gone. The bodyguards searched everywhere and immediately contacted Liao Tingwang.
Upon receiving the call, Liao Tingwang rushed out to find his child but got into a major car accident on the way. Although he survived after emergency treatment, he has remained in a coma to this day.
When the nanny was eventually caught, the child had already been handed off. The police followed the clues, and in Huaifeng County, City D, they captured the traffickers. However, the child was still missing. After a prolonged interrogation, the traffickers finally confessed two days later: they had thrown the child into a river.
The police officer’s first reaction was that the child was gone. A few months-old baby thrown into a river with so much time having passed—it was impossible for the child to survive. The police took the trafficker to identify the location, which was the largest river in Huaifeng County, flowing into a vast lake. There was no possibility of draining the water to retrieve a body.
Reading this, Lin Jiu let out a long breath: “What about the nanny? Who sent her to do this?”
[System: The nanny’s son had uremia and urgently needed money for a kidney transplant. She took money from the Zhou family. Their goal was to have her kill the child, but the nanny couldn’t bring herself to do it. So, the Zhou family arranged for her to hand the child over to traffickers.]
Lin Jiu couldn’t explain his feelings at that moment. He had always thought that he was abandoned by his parents, and to say he didn’t resent them would be a lie. He often wondered why, if they didn’t want him, they even gave birth to him. If they had him, why would they throw him away? What kind of parents could be so heartless?
He never expected such a tangled story behind it all. He wasn’t an abandoned child; he had fallen victim to someone else’s scheme, leading to this situation.
Lin Jiu fumbled for his phone, dropping it to the ground. He squatted down to pick it up, then searched for Vera online. Photos and old performance videos of her popped up. Lin Jiu clicked on a picture and stared at it, lost in thought.
This was his mother. His mother’s name was Vera. His mother was already gone. His mother had loved him—she didn’t want to abandon him…
Lin Jiu felt that he should be happy, but his eyes reddened uncontrollably. He finally knew who his parents were, but his mother was no longer alive…
Jiang Xiwen came looking for Lin Jiu and found him squatting on the ground, holding his phone with red-rimmed eyes.
Jiang Xiwen quickly approached, “What’s wrong?”
Lin Jiu shook his head. He had been suppressing these feelings for too long. The thought of being abandoned by his parents had always been a thorn in his heart. He claimed he didn’t care and had moved on, but how could that be true? How could anyone completely let go of something like this? He had simply buried it deep within him, letting it fester over time.
“Wen Jie, where’s the boss?” asked Weng Cheng as he walked in.
Jiang Xiwen was about to dismiss him when Lin Jiu abruptly pulled up his face mask, covering his eyes but leaving his mouth and chin exposed.
Jiang Xiwen: “…”
Weng Cheng: “…”
Lin Jiu didn’t want anyone to see him like this. He stood up, stretched his arms out in front of him, and blindly walked out of the kitchen toward the staff break room.
Jiang Xiwen and Weng Cheng stared after him in confusion.
Weng Cheng looked stiffly at Jiang Xiwen, “What’s going on with him?”
Jiang Xiwen massaged her temples. “Nothing. Go back to work.”
Weng Cheng glanced toward the break room, thinking that the boss definitely didn’t look like he was “fine.”
* * *
After sleeping it off, Lin Jiu finally regained his composure. He now had a clearer understanding of the ugly faces behind the Liao family.
There was no way the Liao family was coming to him with good intentions. He was determined to see what tricks they were planning!
The next day, Lin Jiu went to the shop, paying special attention to the crowd, waiting for the Liao family to make their move.
Outside the shop, apart from the line of customers, a group of people had gathered around someone. Lin Jiu glanced at them, wondering if the Liao family would really make such a high-profile entrance.
Today’s part-time server was Huang Qi, and with him was a tall girl that Lin Jiu hadn’t seen before.
As Lin Jiu looked her way, the girl voluntarily took off her face mask, revealing her face to Lin Jiu. She had little expression, but she extended her hand politely. “Hello, boss. My name is Chang Beimu. I’m in the reserves.”
Chang Beimu’s eyes were a light color, and she gave off a cool, distant vibe. She had striking looks and a tall, lean figure. Her long black hair was casually tied into a ponytail, giving her an effortless, sharp appearance.
Chang Beimu also noticed Lin Jiu’s long hair. She had only heard of Boss Lin before and had never seen him in person. Now that they met… she still couldn’t see his face. Lin Jiu was wearing a mask, but his straight, long black hair was particularly eye-catching.
Chang Beimu: “…”
Chang Beimu was stunned. Did they just have the same hairstyle?
Lin Jiu didn’t pay much attention and asked Huang Qi, “What’s going on over there?”
Huang Qi angrily responded, “Those three people being surrounded claim to be your uncle and brother, and the woman with them is your brother’s fiancée, supposedly getting married soon. As soon as they arrived, they announced who they were and wanted to wait for you in the shop. Sister Wen stopped them and told them to call you, but they refused, saying they’d make us regret it. They’ve been chatting and cozying up to people for almost an hour now.”
Huang Qi wasn’t sure if they were really Lin Jiu’s relatives, but Sister Wen said it didn’t matter if they were or not — no one could break the shop’s rules. Without Lin Jiu’s permission, no one was allowed inside.
Uncle and brother?
Lin Jiu squinted his eyes. Could they really be from the Liao family?
The three people surrounded by the crowd also noticed the tall man with long black hair and a black mask standing at the entrance of the shop. His height, long legs, and cold demeanor stood out, and his exposed eyes drew everyone’s attention.
At that moment, Lin Jiu recognized them, and his gaze instantly turned icy.
Liao Hai! Liao Hongcheng!
It was really them — father and son had come looking for him.
Fang Yingying also spotted the young man at the shop’s entrance. Just seeing his eyes was enough to make people’s imaginations run wild.
When Fang Yingying learned that Lin Jiu was Liao Hongcheng’s brother, she had looked up pictures of him online. Handsome? Absolutely. Gorgeous? Without a doubt. But no picture could compare to the real impact of seeing him in person — and this was just from his eyes!
Fang Yingying tugged at the dazed Liao Hongcheng. “What are you staring at?”
The two had been inseparable since they appeared, arms linked like conjoined twins, as if they needed to show the world how in love they were.
Liao Hongcheng snapped out of it. “Nothing… I’m just surprised. It’s been a long time.”
In his memory, Lin Jiu was a small, weak, and easily bullied boy. After all these years, he had completely changed. Liao Hongcheng could hardly recognize him — the Lin Jiu in front of him had none of the traces of his younger self.
Liao Hai also took a while to recognize Lin Jiu under the black mask. He waved at the crowd, saying, “That’s my nephew. He’s been away for a few years, making a name for himself in City A.”
People around them chimed in, complimenting Lin Jiu and expressing envy that Liao Hai had such a successful nephew.
Lin Jiu shot them a cold look before turning and walking into the shop.
Everyone: “…”
Someone let out a small laugh. They had listened to Liao Hai brag for nearly an hour, claiming that Lin Jiu’s culinary skills were all taught by his father, Liao Changde, who had been a head chef at a five-star hotel. Since retiring, Liao Changde had supposedly loved teaching the younger generation to cook. Liao Hai even boasted that his cooking was on par with Lin Jiu’s, and he planned to open a seafood restaurant soon to support each other.
But now, when Liao Hai tried to greet Lin Jiu, the man didn’t even acknowledge him and walked away without so much as a hello, let alone an invitation into the shop. Many people felt secondhand embarrassment for Liao Hai. The slap to his face had been loud and clear — how was he going to recover from this?
Someone joked, “Maybe there were too many people, and Lin Jiu didn’t see you?”
Liao Hai quickly seized the opportunity to save face. “Yes, yes, he probably didn’t see us. I’ll go check.”
With that, Liao Hai pushed through the crowd and hurried after Lin Jiu. “Lin Jiu!”
Lin Jiu didn’t even turn around as he entered the shop. Liao Hai followed but was stopped by Huang Qi and Chang Beimu.
Lin Jiu’s attitude made everything clear, so they didn’t need to show any courtesy to these so-called “relatives.”
Huang Qi said, “It’s not time yet. If you want to dine, please get in line.”
“Dine? Line up?” Liao Hai shouted, annoyed. He reached out to push Huang Qi, but Huang Qi stood firm, unmoved. Frustrated, Liao Hai turned to push Chang Beimu, thinking a girl would be easier to push around. But before he could touch her, Chang Beimu easily blocked him, causing him to stumble backward.
Liao Hai looked at the girl in surprise. She hadn’t even moved.
Huang Qi warned, “Don’t think she’s an easy target just because she’s a girl. She’s a martial arts expert. Touch her again, and you might lose that hand.”
Liao Hongcheng, who had followed behind, couldn’t take his eyes off Chang Beimu. He ogled her chest and waist multiple times.
Chang Beimu was stunning, with a beautiful face, a great figure, and a cold, indifferent demeanor — the kind that fueled a man’s desire to conquer.
Fang Yingying angrily pinched Liao Hongcheng, making him yelp in pain. He pulled back his arm, irritated, no longer clinging to her like before.
Fang Yingying glared at Chang Beimu with resentment, but Chang Beimu remained expressionless.
“Liu Jiu! You ungrateful brat! Now that you’re successful, you don’t even recognize your own uncle, huh? Don’t forget who gave you your life! Without the Liao family, you’d be nothing!” Liao Hai shouted at the shop entrance.
“Who gave him his life?” A cold voice came from behind.
Liao Hai whipped around to see another tall man in a black coat, wearing a black mask. His eyes were like cold, deep pools, and the sharpness of his gaze was intimidating.
Startled by the man’s aura, Liao Hai was momentarily speechless.
Huang Qi and Chang Beimu greeted him with a nod. “Captain.”
The man glanced at them. “Why are you letting troublemakers stand here? Just throw them out next time.”
They both responded with a firm “Yes” and stepped aside to let their newly appointed team captain enter the shop.
Lin Jiu, who was about to head to the kitchen, paused when he heard Si Xu’s voice and turned back. “Why are you here? Don’t you have work to do?”
Busy, but no matter how busy, I had to come and check. He was worried that Lin Jiu might suffer a loss.
“It’s not that busy right now. I just came to see how things are.” Seeing Lin Jiu, Si Xu’s expression softened involuntarily.
Lin Jiu knew that Si Xu was worried he couldn’t handle the Liao family, but now that he knew the truth, how could he be deceived by them?
“There’s nothing to worry about here. If you have things to do, go ahead. You don’t need to worry about me…”
“Lin Jiu! You ungrateful wolf! How dare you treat me like this! Believe it or not, I’ll expose everything and ruin your reputation! Let’s see who still wants to dine at your restaurant, a heartless and ungrateful wolf like you—what good food can you make?”
Lin Hai refused to leave, shouting loudly in front of all the guests, caring nothing for his dignity or appearance.
He pointed at Lin Jiu, cursing, “My father took you in, raised you with so much hardship, didn’t even buy medicine when he got sick because he spent all his money on you. And what did you do? The moment my dad died, you moved to the big city to become some big celebrity. We’re poor, is that it? We’re not good enough for you anymore, huh? Embarrassing you, are we? Let me tell you something: never forget where you come from! Without our Lin family, you’d have died in some nameless river twenty years ago!”
Liao Tingyue, standing in the crowd, observed with a flicker in his eyes. He had been waiting to see how things would unfold before deciding what to do, but he hadn’t expected to witness this scene.
Lin Jiu was about to step forward when Si Xu grabbed his hand. He wanted to handle it for Lin Jiu, but Lin Jiu grasped his hand in return.
“Let me go. I need to handle this myself.”
Si Xu stared at him for a few seconds before saying, “Alright.”
Lin Jiu stepped out, standing at the door, looking at Lin Hai, who was trying to escalate the situation. “Lin Hai, what is it that you want?”
Lin Hai was taken aback. He didn’t expect Lin Jiu to give in so easily. He had already calculated his next move and was about to state his demands when Lin Jiu spoke again.
“I don’t care what you want, but before you even say anything, you must do one thing to be qualified to talk to me.”
Lin Hongcheng quickly interjected, “What is it? If it’s something we can do, we’ll do it!”
Lin Jiu coldly replied, “Go back to the old house where Grandpa Lin passed away and kowtow all the way to his grave. Then, mourn for him for forty-nine days straight, twenty-four hours a day, without stopping. Once you’re done, come find me. Your whole family must go—miss one person or one day, and it won’t count!”
Everyone was stunned.
Lin Hai and Lin Hongcheng were equally shocked. Lin Hai’s hand trembled as he pointed at Lin Jiu, stammering, unable to form a complete sentence.
Lin Jiu’s voice was ice-cold: “Grandpa Lin took me in, and you all cut ties with him because of that. For years, you ignored him, but when the house was being demolished, you were quick to ask for money. When Grandpa Lin was on his deathbed, he held on, hoping to see you one last time. But did you come? You didn’t come when he was dying, and you didn’t show up for the funeral either. Now you have the nerve to come here and cling to me? How dare you?! You disowned Grandpa Lin—what connection do I have with you?! If I owe anyone, it’s Grandpa Lin, not you!”
By the end, Lin Jiu was nearly shouting, his eyes red, and his whole body trembling.
Si Xu held his hand, pulling him into an embrace.
Lin Jiu turned his face away, not wanting the customers to see him like this. He couldn’t bear to think about it—every time he remembered the way Grandpa Lin looked toward the door as he lay dying, Lin Jiu couldn’t handle it. Grandpa Lin wanted nothing more than to see his biological children one last time. Lin Jiu had called them, but they didn’t answer. He even went to beg them in person, but they wouldn’t open the door. They were that heartless!
Grandpa Lin died waiting for them. Even at the funeral, it was the community and neighbors who helped out. Lin Jiu couldn’t remember how he got through those days. Adults told him to kneel, and he knelt. They told him to kowtow, and he kowtowed. They told him to cry, but he couldn’t. It wasn’t until Grandpa Lin was being cremated, as the coffin was pushed in, that Lin Jiu broke down and cried—he cried until he couldn’t stop.
That’s when he finally understood—Grandpa Lin was gone. The man who loved him, raised him, and was the only family he had was gone. From then on, he was completely alone.
Si Xu gently patted him, comforting him in a low voice, “Don’t be sad. I’ll always be with you.”
Lin Jiu calmed down, pulling away from Si Xu’s embrace. His eyes were still red.
“If you want to reconnect with me, first prove that you were connected to Grandpa Lin. Go kowtow until he forgives you! Now get lost!”
Huang Qi didn’t hesitate any longer, dragging Lin Hai away.
Two tall, burly customers pushed Lin Hongcheng out, saying, “Better leave. Don’t keep Boss Lin from preparing lunch.”
“Never seen such heartless people—didn’t even visit when their own father died. Are they even human?”
“Bragging so much, and yet they didn’t even act like decent people.”
“Can’t believe people like that exist. After what they did, they still have the nerve to come and cling to him?”
“They’re not human—just beasts in human skin!”
Liao Tingyue, standing in the crowd, felt thoroughly humiliated. It was as if these insults were aimed directly at the Liao family. Thinking back to how they had forced Vera to give up her place years ago and now trying to take advantage of her child—it was shameful.
Si Xu led Lin Jiu back into the restaurant.
Lin Jiu didn’t speak, and Si Xu quietly stayed by his side.
Lin Jiu went to the kitchen, taking out ingredients to prepare lunch. After a long while, he realized Si Xu was still there.
“I’m fine now. I just got a bit angry earlier. It’s all good now.” Lin Jiu had calmed down.
Si Xu didn’t ask further, changing the topic. “Need any help?”
Thinking about how Si Xu had once dealt with tentacles, Lin Jiu couldn’t help but laugh. “I think it’s better if you don’t. I’d be faster on my own.”
Si Xu said, “I detect a hint of disdain.”
“Everyone has their strengths. You’re just not good at cooking.” Lin Jiu picked up a peeled shrimp tail, looked around to make sure no one was watching, dipped it in soy sauce, quickly pulled down Si Xu’s mask, and popped the shrimp into his mouth.
Jiang Xiwen, Huang Qi, and Chang Beimu, who were secretly watching: ‘…’
“What’s going on? Are they already so close that they can hug and feed each other anytime?”
“Does it taste good?” Lin Jiu asked, smiling.
Si Xu nodded, “Delicious, a divine chef’s skills are unrivaled!”
Lin Jiu’s mood brightened instantly, his earlier gloom vanishing into smiles.
“By the way, my seven-man team has been approved. Let me know whenever you need people to come and eat,” Si Xu said, almost forgetting to mention it.
Lin Jiu was surprised. “So fast?”
It had just been decided last night, and it was already approved today. Could it be that the approval had already been in place, but Si Xu hadn’t taken the opportunity before now, letting it sit?
Lin Jiu’s guess was probably right. The “Special Security Department” was desperate to keep Si Xu. Whatever he asked for, they’d grant. He asked for a seven-man team, and it was approved in minutes. Even if there were no second, third, fourth, fifth, or sixth teams yet, they would figure that out later. The most important thing was to keep this “living god.”
Knowing how busy Si Xu was, Lin Jiu quickened his pace in the kitchen so he could prepare lunch for him to eat before heading out.
;-;
???
T.T
Poor grandpa Lin & Lin Jiu