“Can’t even greet your uncle?” Lin Chen looked at Lin Nuonuo.
He hadn’t mistreated the child back at the film studio, at least not in his own opinion.
“I……” Hearing his words, Lin Nuonuo kept her head lowered and refused to answer.
She didn’t want to call him ‘uncle’.
But she also didn’t dare call him ‘dad’.
With Lin Nuonuo’s head buried, Lin Chen couldn’t see the tangled expression covering her small face— only the back of her head, dumb and motionless.
For some reason, disappointment stirred within him.
Ungrateful little brat.
He shot her a sidelong glance before walking into the house without expression.
────ρя
Night fell.
Once again, the Lin family sat neatly together at the dinner table.
Lin Zixin suddenly looked at Lin Chen and brought up the plans for tomorrow.
“Uncle, we’re leaving for K City tomorrow morning to visit Great-Grandpa. Don’t forget to pack your things.” She looked at him with exaggerated warmth.
She said that only to win a little more of his attention and goodwill.
However, the moment the words left her mouth, Lin Chaojiang— already in a foul mood— turned even more displeased.
“Hmph. You’ve been fooling around outside with that unserious job, but at least you know how to come home.” He snorted coldly at Lin Chen.
Clearly, he was unhappy that Lin Chen had only returned right when they were about to leave for the Ye family in K City.
Lin Chen gave no explanation. His lips merely curved into a cold smile.
According to his original schedule, his scenes for 《Attending Physician》 should have taken ten days to finish, but at his request, it was compressed into eight.
Tonight was supposed to be his wrap-up party, yet he had skipped it entirely and returned to the Lin residence.
Of course, he hadn’t come back early because he was eager to visit Old Master Ye.
The old man’s birthday banquet would be five days later. It was understandable for the Lin family, as in-laws, to arrive early. But Lin Chen had zero interest in going early just to ’embarrass’ himself.
As for why he had rushed home……
He himself had no idea how to explain it.
Maybe it was that vague, inexplicable uneasiness gnawing at him?
That thought made him instinctively glance toward Lin Nuonuo, only to notice the separate meal prepared for her.
This ‘special meal’…… whether it was enough to fill her stomach was questionable, and the quality……
Compared with the rich dishes on the table, the small plate before her was almost pitifully plain.
One could tell from the way her eyes sparkled at the sight of meat on the table, and from the way she occasionally stole little snacks and hid them in her sleeve.
Lin Chen didn’t expose her sneaky habit, but his brows tightened. Since when had the Lin family become so stingy? They couldn’t even feed a child properly?
Lin Chaojiang had no idea what Lin Chen was thinking. Seeing Lin Chen ignore his earlier words, his expression darkened even more.
“I’m talking to you. Didn’t you hear me?” He barked.
“I heard.” Lin Chen looked at him without any expression and asked back, “So you’re blaming me for not coming back earlier to follow you to the Ye family and show my face?”
“You—!”
Lin Chaojiang stiffened, about to erupt again, when Lin Chen laughed faintly. “You misunderstand. I’m not that enthusiastic about visiting the Ye family. I didn’t come back today to go with you. If you want to go, go. There’s no need to drag me along.” He added, “I’ll be there before the old man’s birthday banquet.”
His words made Lin Chaojiang explode. “You dare?! You’ll go pack your things later! Tomorrow, you are going to K City with us— whether you like it or not.” He ordered sharply. “Our Lin family cannot afford to lose face.”
“Tch……” Lin Chen was about to respond when he felt someone tugging at his sleeve.
He lowered his gaze and saw a small child pulling gently at his clothes, face full of anxiety, clearly trying to stop the argument.
He didn’t know what to feel, but the first thing that flashed through his mind was that this tiny hand had just stolen two pieces of char siu and hadn’t been wiped……
His brows creased, and he stared in distaste at the little paw clutching his shirt. Oddly, the irritation he felt toward Lin Chaojiang diffused somewhat.
He glanced at Lin Chaojiang again but didn’t argue further. However, the ridicule in his eyes only sharpened.
Seeing his youngest son finally quiet down, Lin Chaojiang, though still displeased, didn’t continue.
Then, thinking of something, he looked at Lin Nuonuo and said to a servant, “Help Nuonuo pack as well. Bring better clothes this time.”
The servant didn’t know— or pretended not to know— that the clothes Lin Nuonuo currently wore were far from good.
Especially compared to Lin Zixin’s. They were worlds apart.
Nearby, Gu Mingming’s expression stiffened at her father-in-law’s words.
“Dad, let’s not bring Nuonuo this time.” She said.
“Why not?” He frowned. In his eyes, even if the child wasn’t born to them, she was registered under the Lin family and counted as one of them. Bringing her to her adoptive great-grandfather’s birthday banquet was only proper.
Gu Mingming knew that too.
But she had already agreed to Lin Zixin’s request not to bring Lin Nuonuo, and was unwilling to disappoint her daughter again.
After a moment of thought, she explained, “Nuonuo hasn’t met the Ye family before. If she offends someone at Grandpa’s banquet, it won’t look good. And,” She added, “her health is poor. It’s better to let her rest at home.”
Her reasons didn’t bother Lin Chaojiang too much. Since Lin Nuonuo was legally the couple’s adopted child, the decision rested with the two of them anyway, so he let it drop.
Only Lin Chen looked at Gu Mingming, then at Lin Zixin, and something flashed in his eyes— a cold, mocking glint.
────ρя
The next morning, the entire Lin household bustled as everyone packed and soon departed for K City in a grand procession.
Left behind, Lin Nuonuo stood by the villa gate watching them go, her small face showing unhidden disappointment.
Seeing that expression, Lin Zixin felt immensely proud.
What she didn’t know was that Lin Nuonuo’s disappointment had nothing to do with the Lin family at all. She wasn’t upset about being left behind. She simply couldn’t bear to part with her father.
With everyone gone, her days in the Lin residence remained unchanged.
Except she now spent more time sitting by the window, staring toward the gate.
“I wonder when he’ll come back……” She murmured to herself.
────ρя
While Lin Nuonuo languished at home in boredom, K City, on the other hand, bustled with activity.
The Ye family was a powerful clan.
They came from generations of officials, later turned to business, and built their family name into a prominent one. In recent decades, they grew low-key, stopped engaging in commerce, and lived as a scholarly noble household. But with such deep roots, their influence in the elite world remained enormous.
Back then, Lin Chaojiang’s own family had only been somewhat better off than an average household. They had a small business built through hard work and wits.
It was only after he met the Ye family’s daughter— mother of Lin Zeyu and Lin Chen— that his life changed. With the Ye family’s support, his small business grew into the Lin Group of today.
Even though the Ye family had stayed discreet in recent years, countless people still sought ties with them.
This year, rumors said Old Master Ye planned to announce his will early and divide his assets. Anyone with ties to the Ye family dared not be absent.
Though the birthday was still five days away, direct and collateral relatives of the Ye family were already arriving in K City.
At a Ye family dinner, though many had come, only the direct bloodline sat in the main private room with the old man.
Each carried their own schemes beneath polite smiles, taking turns to flatter him, and the atmosphere was warm.
Setting his wine cup down, Old Master Ye turned toward his son-in-law’s family, finally fixing his gaze on Lin Zeyu.
“I heard you adopted a child?”
The matter had made waves in wealthy circles, even reaching K City.
“Yes. Since Mingming and I only have Xinxin, adopting a child as a companion for her seemed fine. A good deed, at that.” He answered calmly, without using it to seek praise.
The old man nodded and said, “I also heard from Zhou Yuandong that their family has land near the port in B City, and they might want the Lin Group to develop it.”
“I had a preliminary talk with Chairman Zhou. It went well, but nothing’s decided yet.”
His composure pleased the old man greatly.
“Good.” Old Master Ye nodded with satisfaction. After a pause, he continued, “Speaking of land, our family also has a plot in B City. Near the Zhou family’s— and larger. If you take theirs, you might consider taking that one together.”
Everyone at the table stiffened.
Getting a ‘good’ from Old Master Ye was difficult enough. But giving away a prime land opportunity to an in-law family? That was practically unheard of.
But since the words came from the old master himself, no one dared object.
“I heard from friends in A City that your Lin Group has been doing well these past few years. My nephew seems quite capable.” Said Lin Zeyu’s uncle.
Lin Zeyu’s second aunt chimed in, “Yes, among the younger generation, Zeyu is the most reliable.”
Lin Zeyu listened to their veiled jabs with a polite smile. Their family had come to gain advantages— and they already had, so he saw no need to quarrel with them.
Unable to provoke Lin Zeyu, the aunt shifted her target to Lin Chen, who had been mostly silent and was focused on eating.
“Zeyu is successful in both career and family. He has one daughter and has now adopted another. But Xiao Chen, you really should settle down and build a life.”
Lin Chen had always been the Ye family’s bad omen— the old master’s, especially.
The Ye family disliked him, and the old master disliked him most of all.
The reason went back to Lin Chen’s mother, Ye Ling.
Old Master Ye had four children. The first three were sons. At forty, he finally had a daughter— Ye Ling— whom he adored.
Even when she insisted on marrying the unremarkable Lin Chaojiang, the old man relented and used the Ye family’s influence to support the Lin family’s business.
And it worked. Lin Chaojiang had not disappointed him.
But the real rift began with Ye Ling’s death.
She died from massive bleeding while giving birth to Lin Chen.
Old Master Ye blamed Lin Chaojiang for failing to protect her, and hated the child who had ‘killed’ his beloved daughter.
Deep down, he knew it wasn’t truly Lin Chen’s fault, but he could never let go of the resentment.
Even Lin Chen’s name reflected it.
Though Lin Zeyu bore the surname Lin, his generational name ‘Zeyu’ came from the Ye family’s genealogy, symbolizing the Ye family’s acknowledgment and love.
Lin Chen never received that honor.
And since he hadn’t grown up obedient or promising, the old man’s disdain only worsened.
For years, Lin Chen had been the Ye family’s favorite tool for sowing discord between the Lin family and Old Master Ye. And it was effective every single time.
Seeing Old Master Ye’s face go cold the moment his eyes fell on Lin Chen, the hearts of the members of the Ye family filled with glee.
Lin Chaojiang’s expression darkened as well.
But in his gaze toward Lin Chen, there was more than anger— there was complexity, and faint guilt.
Because the Ye family’s resentment toward Lin Chen came from blaming him for his mother’s death, but the ones who had truly caused Ye Ling’s death…… were him and Lin Zeyu.