Chapter 63 – There are Always People Trying to Establish Relationship
Today’s part-time servers were Lin Han and Weng Cheng. Lin Jiu instructed them to allow any elderly customers with someone waiting in line to go inside and wait.
Madam Fu initially wanted to refuse the special treatment but relented after hearing that all elderly people could wait inside. Lin Han helped her inside, along with a few other elderly customers.
Lin Jiu then went to the kitchen to prepare lunch, while continuing to keep an eye out for the Liao family.
During lunch, Lin Jiu prepared an extra portion of pan-fried lobster for Madam Fu. Both she and Fu Zhi knew it was good for her health and were very grateful. When they offered to pay for the fish along with the meal, Lin Jiu refused, saying a gift was a gift, and he couldn’t charge for it.
There was still no notification from the Chef God System during lunch, and the Liao family hadn’t arrived.
After lunch, Lin Jiu asked Weng Cheng and Lin Han to tidy up a private room, and then he took the Fu family mother and son, who had stayed behind on purpose, into the room.
Lin Jiu carefully observed the elderly lady. Her facial features were very defined, not typical of a full-blooded Asian, possibly hinting at some Western ancestry. However, when he looked at Fu Zhi, there was no sign of mixed heritage in his appearance.
Lin Jiu got straight to the point and asked, “Madam Fu, is your family’s bloodline different from ordinary people?”
The old lady’s smile remained unchanged, but as she lowered her eyes to adjust her clothing, a shadow briefly flickered in her gaze. When she raised her eyes again, she was once more kind and amiable.
“It is a bit different. My ancestors came from the West, but my branch of the family has been settled here for generations.”
Lin Jiu was surprised. Does that mean the Ruta Clan exists in the West as well?
He pondered how to proceed and called out to the system: If I directly mention the Ruta Clan, would that break the rules?
[No, as long as you don’t reveal the existence of the system or the Demon Sea dimension, it’s not against the rules.]
With that reassurance, Lin Jiu felt at ease.
Lin Jiu asked, “Madam Fu, do you know about the Ruta Clan?”
This direct question was so sudden and unexpected that the old lady was caught completely off guard. All her expressions, which she hadn’t had time to hide, were laid bare before Lin Jiu.
Fu Zhi, on the other hand, looked completely puzzled, as if he had no idea about the Ruta Clan.
The old lady’s lips trembled, her wrinkled face twitching along with them. Her old eyes stared fixedly at Lin Jiu. “How… how do you know about this race? Who sent you?!”
Lin Jiu hurriedly replied, “Please don’t be alarmed, I mean no harm.”
He was genuinely worried that, given her age, a sudden shock could cause her to faint. He quickly tried to explain.
The old lady took a few deep breaths before continuing, “This is a closely guarded secret of our clan. Each branch only passes it down to the most outstanding descendant before the elders die. How on earth do you know about it? Are you perhaps…”
The old lady scrutinized Lin Jiu in shock. “Which branch are you from?”
Lin Jiu: “…”
Lin Jiu: “I’m not from any branch. I’m not one of your people.”
Now it was the old lady’s turn to be dumbfounded. “How can that be… then how do you know about this race?”
There was no easy way to explain this.
Lin Jiu said, “Don’t worry about how I know. What’s important is that I can help you awaken and become a true Ruta Clan member…”
The old lady was so overwhelmed that her blood pressure spiked, and her eyes rolled back as she nearly fainted. Fu Zhi quickly caught her, pinched her pressure points, and gave her medication to lower her blood pressure. After a lot of effort, they managed to wake her up, nearly scaring the two young men to death.
As soon as the old lady regained consciousness, she grabbed Lin Jiu’s hand and said with a trembling voice, “You really… can…?”
Lin Jiu nodded. “Yes, I can. Please don’t get too worked up; stay calm.”
The old lady: “…”
Calm? How could she stay calm?! Lin Jiu had no idea what he was talking about! For generations, they had only passed down this secret, with no one ever seeing a true awakening of the Ruta Clan!
The Ruta Clan from the time of the ancestors had long become legend. Now, to suddenly hear that the legend could become reality—how could she remain calm?!
The old lady took her son’s hand and placed it in Lin Jiu’s, her voice trembling, “Fu Zhi is my youngest son, and he has the purest bloodline and the best potential. If anyone can awaken, it’s him.”
Lin Jiu: “…”
The old lady continued, “I don’t know if what you say is true or false. But even if there’s a chance it’s true, I’ll take a leap of faith. I entrust Fu Zhi to you. If he truly awakens, you will be our family’s greatest benefactor. Whatever you need in the future, the Fu family will do it, no matter the cost.”
Lin Jiu: “…”
The old lady added, “I’ll leave Fu Zhi here to assist you, even if it’s just doing odd jobs.”
Lin Jiu: “…”
With tears streaming down her face, the old lady held her son’s hand and said, “Ah Zhi, the future of the Fu family depends on your potential. Leave the company matters to your brother and sister. You focus on staying with Boss Lin, protecting him, and helping him out.”
Fu Zhi, still bewildered, could only agree for now, seeing how emotional his mother was. “Alright, I’ll stay here and follow Boss Lin.”
Lin Jiu: “…”
Lin Jiu: “Wait, before you make any decisions, could you at least listen to what I have to say?”
The mother and son both turned to look at him.
The old lady said, “We are at your command.”
Lin Jiu: “…”
Rubbing his temples, Lin Jiu said, “Madam Fu, please don’t be so formal. There’s no need for Fu Zhi to stay here every day. He just needs to come over for meals. I’ll adjust his diet. The key to awakening lies in the food.”
“Alright, alright. Whatever Boss Lin says, we’ll do,” the old lady agreed, overjoyed.
After sending the Fu family away, Lin Jiu finally breathed a sigh of relief.
But that relief was short-lived because the Liao family soon came knocking.
The first to arrive was a young man, who looked quite refined. He immediately requested to speak with Lin Jiu in private.
Lin Jiu looked at the young man standing before him and asked, “And who might you be?”
“My name is Liao Yuan. My father is Liao Tingwang. I believe we share the same father but different mothers. We need to talk.”
Liao Yuan had spent two days observing from the crowd. His uncle should have already arrived in City A but had yet to make an appearance. Liao Yuan didn’t know what his uncle was up to, but he couldn’t wait any longer and feared his uncle might make a move first. So he came forward, boldly revealing his identity.
Whatever his uncle planned to do, Liao Yuan wanted to act before him. If he couldn’t bring Lin Jiu back, then he certainly wouldn’t let his uncle succeed either.
Lin Jiu scrutinized him, hoping to find some resemblance between them. Since they were half-brothers, there should be some similarities, but there were none. They didn’t look alike at all, neither in build nor in appearance.
According to the information provided by the system, Liao Yuan was only two months older than Lin Jiu, but he appeared much more mature.
Lin Jiu said, “To be honest, a couple of days ago, someone else also came to claim they were related to me. They said they were my uncle and brother.”
Liao Yuan’s mature façade cracked slightly, and he almost lost his temper. “Lin Jiu, I’m not joking with you. You’ve been away for so many years, don’t you want to go home and see your family? Dad had a car accident while looking for you, and he’s been in a coma ever since. Don’t you want to see him?”
From a biological perspective, that man was indeed his father. But after divorcing his mother, his father had nothing to do with him. Lin Jiu was raised solely by his mother, and he only acknowledged her as his parent. As for Liao Tingwang and the Liao family, the only tie between them was that the Liao family had cared for him for one month. But that month of care had been erased by the fact that they had orchestrated his near-death experience by throwing him into a river. Lin Jiu had no connection with the Liao family.
Lin Jiu looked at Liao Yuan coldly. “Yes, I’ve been lost for so many years, and no one looked for me all that time. Now you’ve suddenly remembered me? Don’t try to make it sound like you’re reuniting with me out of the goodness of your heart. I’ve grown up without any ties to the Liao family.”
Liao Yuan was shocked. “You… you know?”
“Ah Yuan!”
Liao Yuan turned around to see his uncle, Liao Tingyue, hurrying over with his secretary, his expression grim.
For the past two days, Liao Tingyue had been gathering information about Lin Jiu’s background. He had gathered enough details, but he couldn’t find out anything about Lin Jiu’s connections. This little shop called ‘Magic Fish’ seemed to have no backing—it appeared that Lin Jiu had opened it all by himself. Liao Tingyue had found nothing.
There had been a lot of buzz online about how amazing the food at ‘Magic Fish’ was, with many exaggerated claims about its effects. Liao Tingyue had dismissed it as rumor. But today, he had personally witnessed an elderly lady who had previously been wheelchair-bound, paralyzed on one side, walking with a cane, speaking clearly, and showing natural expressions.
This event had many witnesses. Someone had taken a photo of the lady on her first day and posted it online, documenting her condition daily. In just two days, after four meals at ‘Magic Fish’, the old lady was able to walk with a cane.
When the news broke, the internet exploded. Many people claimed to have seen it with their own eyes, dismissing the idea that it could be faked. Now, online discussions centered around the miracle of ‘Magic Fish’. If its food could cure partial paralysis, what couldn’t it cure?
Liao Tingyue also wanted to know. The rumors online claimed that the food was incredibly delicious and made from exceptionally fresh ingredients. Using this as a starting point, he had sent people to investigate the restaurant’s supply chain, but they found nothing. Everyone knew that Lin Jiu regularly went out to buy supplies, but no one knew where he got them.
With seafood, freshness is key. The higher the quality, the simpler the preparation. This made Liao Tingyue suspect that the true secret lay in the ingredients themselves, not in how they were cooked. The fact that Lin Jiu kept the source of his ingredients so secret only reinforced this belief.
Despite all his efforts, Liao Tingyue hadn’t uncovered anything useful. He had been debating how to approach Lin Jiu to maximize goodwill, but before he could act, Liao Yuan had recklessly gone ahead and met with Lin Jiu.
Liao Tingyue was furious with Liao Yuan. He knew exactly what Liao Yuan and his mother were after—short-term gains, personal interests, with no regard for the Liao family’s well-being.
But now wasn’t the time to argue with Liao Yuan.
Liao Tingyue forced himself to suppress his emotions and looked at Lin Jiu, softening his expression. “Let me introduce myself. My name is Liao Tingyue. Liao Yuan is my nephew. What were you two talking about?”
Lin Jiu replied coolly, “We were discussing why people keep trying to claim relations with me, always saying they’re my uncle or brother. Should I expect someone to pop up claiming to be my uncle next?”
Real uncle, Liao Tingyue: “…”
Liao Tingyue shot Liao Yuan a cold look, then smiled at Lin Jiu. “Why don’t we find a place to sit down and have a proper conversation?”
Lin Jiu stood at the shop’s entrance without moving. “There’s no need to find a place. I don’t think we have anything to discuss.”
Liao Tingyue accepted a file from his secretary. “If you prefer to talk here, that’s fine too. These are documents proving your identity. You are indeed a child of the Liao family. Your father’s name is Liao Tingwang, my younger brother. He’s in a coma, and I, as his older brother, am helping him find his son.”
Lin Jiu casually took the file and flipped through it. It contained detailed information about how he had been kidnapped by a nanny and sold to human traffickers, along with evidence and photos from the trial when the nanny and traffickers were sentenced. The file was extensive and thorough, as if they were afraid Lin Jiu wouldn’t believe it.
As he reached the last page, Lin Jiu saw a photo of a man lying silently in a hospital bed, gaunt and wearing a patient’s gown.
Seeing Lin Jiu look at the photo, Liao Tingyue sighed. “This is your father. After you disappeared, he got into a car accident while searching for you. He’s been in a coma ever since. He loves you very much and is deeply worried about you. If you visit him, it might help wake him up.”
Lin Jiu said nothing as he calmly put the documents back in the file and handed it to Liao Tingyue. “I understand.”
Liao Tingyue relaxed slightly. “When do you plan to visit him? I can take you there.”
Liao Tingyue’s approach was much more strategic than Liao Yuan’s. First, he proved Lin Jiu’s identity as a member of the Liao family. Then, he used Lin Jiu’s comatose father to draw him in, likely with more plans waiting once Lin Jiu arrived.
Lin Jiu said, “I’ll go when I feel like it.”
If they want to play emotional cards with him, then let them. After all, it’s not Lin Jiu who’s in a hurry.
Liao Yuan gloated, thinking that no matter how much effort his uncle put into this, Lin Jiu wouldn’t give him any face.
Liao Tingyue fell silent for a moment. “Do you not believe in your lineage? If you don’t, we can do a paternity test.”
Lin Jiu looked at both Liao Tingyue and Liao Yuan with a complicated expression. “Alright, you provide the materials, and I’ll take them for testing myself. I can only believe it if I see it with my own eyes.”
Liao Tingyue took out a small bag containing a few strands of hair. “This is your father’s hair. If you don’t believe it, take it for a test. In exchange, I hope to get some of your hair as well, as we also need to confirm whether you are truly a member of the Liao family.”
Lin Jiu sneered. “Mr. Liao, have you misunderstood something? You are the ones seeking a family reunion, yet you’re not even sure if I’m the person you’re looking for. So, who exactly are you trying to take advantage of by calling me brother and son this whole time?”
Liao Tingyue’s expression stiffened, but he handed the bag over and also gave Lin Jiu a business card, asking him to call once the results were ready.
Lin Jiu took the materials and turned back to his shop, eagerly poking at the system.
Lin Jiu: System, quickly! I’ve got Liao Tingwang’s hair. Help me test if he has any siren genes.
This was Lin Jiu’s main goal. He was certain that one or both of his parents carried the siren gene, otherwise, he wouldn’t have been born as one.
[The basic test will cost 1 point of magic power. If siren genes are detected, an additional 4 points will be charged. Would you like to proceed with the test?]
Lin Jiu: Proceed.
[1 point of magic power has been deducted. Testing in progress… Test complete. No siren genes detected.]
Lin Jiu was relieved. Since the Liao family didn’t have siren genes, then his must have come from his mother.
Lin Jiu didn’t think Liao Tingyue would try to trick him by giving him someone else’s hair. The Liao family was desperate to label him as one of their own, so it was unlikely they’d give him fake hair. That meant the hair was real, and the absence of siren genes in the Liao family was also real.
