chsdbacks Chapter 328 Encountering Xu Damao at Repulse Bay
Chapter 328 Encountering Xu Damao at Repulse Bay
A week later
Lin Yi finished work and came to the living room, where he saw Lin Yan leaning against the sofa reading a newspaper, while Xiao Qi was curled up on his lap and dozing off.
"Young Master," Lin Yili bowed three steps away, "the end of the year is approaching, where will you be spending the New Year this year?"
The newspaper rustled to the ground. Lin Yan scratched Xiao Qi's chin. "Let's go back to Hong Kong. You'll come with me." A hint of warmth appeared in his eyes. "Send a telegram to Liu Qian, Wen Bin, and Jia Ming to see if they'd like to come back to Hong Kong for a family reunion this year. Old friends, it's time for a get-together."
"Understood." Lin Yi's lips curled into a slight smile. "I'll go to the study to send a telegram right away."
As he turned around, he heard Xiao Qi mumble sleepily behind him, "Brother...do they have custard buns in Hong Kong?"
Lin Yan chuckled softly, accompanied by the gentle rustling of newspaper pages: "Have Yuling make you a steamer basket, plenty to go."
Three days later, Deep Water Bay Villa
The warm, humid air of Hong Kong hit them like a whiff. Lin Yan and his group had just settled in when Lin Er, sporting dark circles under his eyes, grinned and approached Lin Yan.
"Young Master, you're finally back! The end of the year is so busy, it's like my head is spinning," he said, rubbing his hands together with a fawning expression. "How about... I come and be your assistant for the next few days? Leave all the driving and errands to me, let Lin Gang take a break?"
Lin Yan was teasing Xiao Qi in his arms when he heard this. Without even looking up, he scoffed, "Tch, don't give me that. I know what you're going to poop as soon as you stick your butt out. You just want to be lazy and find some peace and quiet, don't you?"
He gently flicked Xiao Qi's ear, and the little guy snored contentedly. Lin Yan then glanced at Lin Er, a knowing smile playing on his lips: "Alright, Liu Qian and Wen Bin will be home in a couple of days. I'll deliver their New Year's gifts for you on the way, to lighten your burden a bit."
He picked up Xiao Qi and carried her into the house. As he passed Lin Er, he playfully kicked him with his toe and said with a laugh, "As for other things, stop dreaming about slacking off. Go do what you're supposed to do!"
Hong Kong, street
After spending two days squeezing through the bustling New Year's market with Wang Yuling, Lin Yan was the first to give up. He slumped onto the living room sofa, watching Yuling take stock of what he considered mountains of dried goods and seafood in a warehouse. He simply couldn't understand—why did women insist on picking and haggling over the things they could easily gather with a thought?
"Ahem... well," Lin Yan suddenly stood up, awkwardly slapping his forehead, "Look at my memory! I have to go to the Tang family to deliver the New Year's gifts, it was arranged a long time ago!"
He practically rushed out of the living room and shouted at Lin Gang, who was wiping the car in the yard, "Lin Gang! Get the car ready! Take me to the Tang residence!"
Once inside the car, he finally let out a long sigh of relief: "This was even more tiring than fighting a Golden Core demon beast..."
The car gradually drove away under Yu Ling's resentful gaze.
The black sedan smoothly drove into Repulse Bay and stopped by the tree-lined road. Lin Yan silently moved his mind and took out three prepared sandalwood boxes from his spatial storage—containing three exceptionally fine century-old ginseng roots and three jars of tiger bone wine of the same age. Since he was coming to visit, he had to go all out.
He got out of the car carrying the gifts, straightened his clothes, and went up to ring the doorbell.
Not long after, the door opened. Standing in the doorway was Madam Tang. Upon seeing Lin Yan carrying gifts, her face immediately lit up with a warm smile. She quickly stepped aside to let him in, and at the same time called out loudly into the house:
"Liuqian! Xi'en! Come down quickly, Xiaoyan is here!"
Lin Yan had just sat down on the living room sofa when he heard footsteps on the stairs. Tang Liuqian, adjusting his suit cuffs, came downstairs. Seeing Lin Yan sitting there, his eyes lit up, and he quickly walked over and sat down beside him, smiling as he patted him on the shoulder.
"You little rascal, Xiao Yan! You've been playing hide-and-seek for almost eight years, and finally decided to show up? You've really gone all out as a hands-off boss!" He deliberately put on a stern face, but his eyes were full of laughter. "No, no, this is a big deal, I can't just scold you. I have to call Jiaming and Wenbin over, we have to give you a good 'criticism'!"
After saying that, he turned to the servant and instructed, "Quickly go to the Li family and the Zheng family and tell them that Young Master Lin has finally shown up. Please make sure they come over for a gathering."
Before long, Li Wenbin's familiar loud voice could be heard coming from outside the door, growing louder as it approached: "Ayan! Ayan! You're really back!"
Lin Yan sighed and rubbed his forehead. Li Wenbin rushed in, carrying a beautiful little girl, about a year old, in his arms. His wife, He Zhiqing, followed behind with a gentle smile. Behind them, Zheng Jiaming, still all alone, strolled in slowly.
Li Wenbin pretended to give Lin Yan a bear hug, but Lin Yan reacted quickly, stretching out her arm instead of going to meet him. Instead, she steadily took the little girl from his arms and used the momentum to subtly pull Li Wenbin off balance, causing him to fall directly into the sofa next to her.
"Li Wenbin, you're a father now, can't you be a little more composed?" Lin Yan scolded, holding the soft little baby in his arms. "You're still so clumsy and lunging at me while holding the baby. What if you hurt him?"
The little girl in his arms was not only unafraid of strangers, but also looked at Lin Yan with her big, dark eyes and let out a soft "ee-yah".
Upon seeing this, He Zhiqing, who was standing nearby, immediately raised her eyebrows, took two steps forward, and precisely grabbed Li Wenbin's ear, who was just trying to get up.
"Ouch! Honey! Honey, be gentle! It hurts!" Li Wenbin screamed like a pig being slaughtered, begging for mercy repeatedly, "I was wrong, I'll never do it again! I really won't!"
Zheng Jiaming looked at Li Wenbin, who was grimacing on the sofa, and shook his head helplessly. Even as a father, he was still so unreliable. He ignored the clown and turned to Lin Yan, a sincere smile on his face, and gently punched Lin Yan on the shoulder.
"Ah Yan, you've really been out of contact for far too long. Every year, a few of us send a telegram to Charles, but we still can't get any definite news from you. Everyone... misses you a lot."
This sudden expression of emotion sent a shiver down Lin Yan's spine. He rubbed his arms exaggeratedly, as if goosebumps were about to fall off.
"Hiss—" He gasped, looking at him with a "terrified" expression. "Jiaming, say something a normal person would understand! Your sudden display of affection is giving me the creeps. It might make me think you have some ulterior motive!"
Upon hearing this, He Zhiqing, who had been "lecturing" her husband, couldn't help but burst out laughing. Tang Liuqian and Yang Xi'en, who had just come downstairs, also couldn't help but chuckle. Even Li Wenbin, who had just escaped from the clutches of the devil and was rubbing his red ears, temporarily forgot his pain and pointed at Zheng Jiaming, laughing heartily.
"Hahaha! Jiaming, you've finally met your match!"
"Brother Zheng, I never knew you were like this!"
For a moment, the entire Tang family living room was filled with a cheerful atmosphere, overflowing with the warmth and joy of old friends reuniting. Zheng Jiaming was a little embarrassed by the laughter, and in annoyance, he punched Lin Yan again, this time with a bit more force.
Lin Yan smiled and had Lin Gang bring in the New Year's gifts he had brought for the two old men, Li Yaozu and Zheng Yizhi. He solemnly handed them to Li Wenbin and Zheng Jiaming, telling them to remember to take them back. Then, he turned his gaze to the younger generation in the room, handed the little girl back to He Zhiqing, and then gestured for the three children from Tang Liuqian's family to come over.
"Come, come, all of you come to Uncle Lin and stand in order of height." He greeted them with a smile, and the children obediently lined up in front of him, even little Duoduo, who had just learned to walk, was held by her older brothers and sisters and stood at the end.
Lin Yan pretended to rummage through the inner pocket of his coat, but actually took out a small brocade bag from his spatial storage. He untied the drawstring and poured the contents into his palm—several large, pure, and brightly colored emeralds and rubies, which refracted a breathtaking light under the bright lights of the living room, attracting the attention of the adults.
"Come, come, this is a gift from Uncle Lin to you all," he said casually, distributing the priceless gems to the four children, two for each of them. "Take them and play with them!"
The children excitedly accepted the beautiful "stones," their little faces beaming with delight. The adults exchanged wry smiles; this guy's extravagant spending habits hadn't changed at all.
The living room was filled with the lively chatter of a long-awaited reunion, the laughter of children mingling with the conversations of old friends, allowing Lin Yan to relax for a rare moment. However, he soon noticed that Yang Xi'en and He Zhiqing's gazes were constantly, almost imperceptibly, fixed on his face.
Tang Liuqian followed his wife's gaze and asked softly, "Xi'en, what's wrong?"
Yang Xi'en frowned slightly and said in a low voice, "Liu Qian, look at Xiao Yan..."
These words silenced everyone, and they all turned to look at Lin Yan. Under so many gazes, Lin Yan put down his teacup, his face full of suspicion: "Why are you looking at me? Is there some crumb on my face?"
He Zhiqing stood up and walked straight up to him, her eyes filled with disbelief: "Ayan, you really haven't changed at all! You looked exactly the same when I first met you in Paris, and now you don't even have a single fine line around your eyes!"
Lin Yan chuckled upon hearing this, his fingertips casually tracing the rim of his cup. His cultivation had long since made him indifferent to worldly appearances, and being asked about his unchanging appearance was as commonplace as listening to people discuss the blooming and withering of flowers.
"I've been practicing medicine under Grandpa Dan, which has given me the ability to maintain my youthful appearance." He spoke calmly, his gaze sweeping over the astonished faces of the crowd. "But what about you all? How have you been these past few years?"
This nonchalant attitude only brought silence to the room. Li Wenbin opened his mouth, but ultimately let out a soft sigh: "He really is still the same arrogant Young Master Lin from back then..."
It was already 4:30 in the afternoon when they left the Tang family's house. Lin Yan asked Lin Gang to bring the car over, while he, Li Wenbin, and Zheng Jiaming stood by the roadside, continuing their unfinished chatter.
Just then, a white sedan screeched to a halt in front of them. The driver's side window rolled down quickly, and a head popped out, looking both surprised and uncertain.
"Xiao Yan? It's Xiao Yan, isn't it!"
Lin Yan looked up at the sound, paused for a moment, then took two steps forward: "Brother Da Mao! It's me, long time no see!"
Just as the two exchanged a few pleasantries, Lin Gang had already smoothly parked the black Mercedes-Benz on the side of the road. Lin Gang quickly got out of the car, walked around the front, respectfully opened the rear door, and bowed slightly.
"Young master, please get in the car."
The address "Young Master" froze Xu Damao, who was about to get out of the car with great enthusiasm. He leaned forward, his eyes wide behind his glasses, his mouth slightly open, looking at the distinguished Lin Yan, then at the expensive luxury car and the respectfully standing Lin Gang. His face was filled with disbelief and shock, as if he were seeing this "Little Yan" for the first time.
Seeing this, Lin Yan smiled bitterly to himself, but remained calm on the surface. He nodded to Xu Damao and said, "Brother Damao, let the car follow me. We'll talk in detail when we get home."