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WFILIYCATU - Chapter 33
🕑 Added 2025-03-05 11:52:05 +0000 UTC"Nonsense! Zhihua is still young and has plenty of time to think about children." Lin's mother defended her son fervently. Though she and Lin's father had secretly urged Lin Zhihua about marriage and children, they refused to admit any concerns in front of others.
"Zhihua, what's the point of staying unmarried forever?" Lin’s second grandfather suddenly interjected, his eyes filled with suspicion.
The implication was clear—not only did they doubt Lin Zhihua’s interest in marriage, but they also questioned whether he could even have children.
Lin's mother’s expression flickered with panic before she quickly steadied herself. For a family like theirs, where lineage and inheritance were of utmost importance, the idea that Lin Zhihua might not have offspring was terrifying. "Zhihua is still young. What's the rush? Besides, with modern medical advancements, there’s nothing to worry about." Her voice wavered slightly, betraying her internal fear.
Master Lin closed his eyes as if he had already made up his mind about Lin Zhihua. "Let’s not discuss this anymore. I’ll get your second uncle out of prison. If you don’t want him in the company, fine—but Zhitang must be allowed to join. Lin’s legacy is an ancestral name. It must not end with you!"
This time, Lin’s mother didn’t speak. Though Master Lin’s authority had diminished over time, his words still carried weight in the family.
"Lin Changping, say something!" Master Lin slammed his cane on the ground, glaring at Lin’s father.
Lin's father hesitated. "I..." He opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say.
A mocking laugh cut through the tense atmosphere.
"Ha." Lin Zhihua, who had been leaning lazily against the sofa with his hands behind his head, finally spoke. The sound of his laughter carried a sharp, sarcastic edge that broke the suffocating silence.
"What are you laughing at?" Master Lin demanded, his face flushing with anger.
Lin Zhihua stood up, and just then, several bodyguards in black entered the room, led by Chen Yan.
"Lin Zhihua, what are you doing?" Lin’s second uncle stepped back nervously.
Lin Zhihua cast a cold, disdainful look at the group. "Take them out."
"You, you, you..." Master Lin’s hand trembled as he pointed at Lin Zhihua, his anger rendering him speechless.
Lin Zhihua's expression remained indifferent. "Send the old man back to where he should be. And as for my second uncle—ensure the sentencing proceeds. The law must be enforced impartially." His voice was calm, but the last four words carried a weight that made Zhang Jiayu, holding her baby, nearly collapse.
"Dad! Don’t let Changji be sentenced!" Zhang Jiayu cried, clutching her child and turning to Master Lin with red, tearful eyes.
Master Lin pounded his chest and gasped, his face turning red. "I will... I will..." He tried to speak, but his voice faltered under the weight of his emotions.
Lin Zhihua remained expressionless. "Keep an eye on the old man. Don’t let him interfere again."
Chen Yan bowed respectfully. "Understood."
Lin Zhihua’s gaze swept over the rest of the relatives in the room. All of them looked down, avoiding eye contact, their once-confident demeanor replaced with guilt and fear.
"Remove everyone who doesn’t belong here," Lin Zhihua ordered coldly. "And sever any economic ties they still have with the company. Cut them off completely."
The group collectively panicked.
"Zhihua, we weren’t here to plead for Lin Changji! He deserves his punishment!"
"Yes, he deserves it! Life imprisonment is too lenient for what he did!"
"We didn’t say anything earlier because we didn’t want to upset the old man!"
One by one, the so-called relatives scrambled to distance themselves from Lin Changji, their self-serving behavior transparent. They had no intention of challenging Lin Zhihua’s authority.
Lin Zhihua had expected this. He wasn’t like Master Lin—he had no tolerance for parasites. In one swift move, he’d rid the company of the lingering ties left behind by his predecessors.
"Show them out."
"Yes, sir," Chen Yan replied.
Before long, the hall was empty, leaving only Lin’s parents and Lin Zhihua. The atmosphere remained heavy.
Lin’s father spoke hesitantly. "Zhihua... wasn’t that too harsh? Some of them have been with the company for decades."
Lin Zhihua cast a sharp glance at him. "There are two kinds of people who stay long in a company: loyal ministers and parasites. Lin’s doesn’t feed parasites."
With that, he stood up to leave.
"Zhihua!" Lin’s mother called out suddenly.
He turned back. "What is it?"
Her voice was cautious, tinged with unease. "Is it... is it still possible for me to have a grandchild?"
Her question hung heavily in the air. The doubts planted by Master Lin and the others had taken root. If Lin Zhihua simply didn’t want children, it was one thing—but what if he couldn’t have them?
Lin Zhihua’s gaze sharpened, and his expression turned cold. "If I have a child, it will only be with the person I love and plan to spend my life with."
Lin Zhihua’s words were firm and left no room for argument. Unlike others in their circle, he had no interest in having children for the sake of appearances or inheritance. He wouldn’t use surrogacy or other means to satisfy societal expectations.
In his world, success wasn’t about appeasing others. His achievements spoke louder than any criticism ever could. Those who ridiculed him behind his back didn’t matter—when facing him, they all bowed their heads.
Lin Zhihua gave his mother one last look before walking away. "I’ll be staying at the apartment tonight."
"Zhihua—" Lin’s mother tried to call out again, but he was already out the door.
In the car, Lin Zhihua sat silently, staring out of the window. The tension in the air was palpable, and both Chen Yan and the driver held their breath.
The phone buzzed, breaking the silence.
Chen Yan stiffened, silently mourning whoever had chosen this moment to message the boss.
Lin Zhihua glanced at the screen, and the faintest smile appeared on his lips as he read the message.
"Jiaojiao: Are you done with your work?"
"Jiaojiao: I didn’t dare bother you earlier, but I just wanted to say thank you! Your advice on the competition questions was spot on. I avoided so many traps because of you! Brother Lin, you’re amazing!"
Lin Zhihua chuckled softly.
The driver’s hand jerked on the wheel, and Chen Yan’s eyes widened in disbelief. Was the boss... laughing?
Lin Zhihua didn’t notice their reactions. His fingers tapped lightly on the screen as he replied:
"Amazing? That’s quite the compliment."
A response came almost immediately.
"Jiaojiao: Yes, amazing! Like a god!"
Lin Zhihua’s mood visibly lightened. For the first time that day, the heaviness in his chest dissipated. He placed his phone down, leaned back in his seat, and gazed out of the window with a small, contented smile.
Chen Yan’s usually expressionless face showed a rare look of shock, his eyes wide with panic.
Lin Zhihua paid no attention to him. His fingers tapped quickly on the screen as he typed a response.
"Gods?"
The reply came back almost instantly.
"Jiaojiao: Yes! Like an immortal! Truly divine!"
"Jiaojiao: Huh? Are you in a bad mood?"
Lin Zhihua raised an eyebrow, momentarily distracted.
"Well?"
After staring at his phone for a moment, unsure how to reply, another message popped up.
"Jiaojiao: Hmm… I can sense it a little…"
"Jiaojiao: I don’t know why you’re upset, but you can talk to me about it. When I feel bad, I like talking to you! Even though I can’t give advice as brilliantly as you, I can always be a good garbage can!"
"Jiaojiao: Garbage can..."
The next message was accompanied by a cute, animated emoji—a little, dark, round garbage can spinning on the screen with a few bills popping in and out.
Lin Zhihua’s stern expression softened, his brow smoothing out as the faintest smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. The oppressive atmosphere around him dissipated completely.
Slowly, he typed back:
"You’re not a garbage can."
"You are redemption."
After sending the message, Lin Zhihua set his phone down, resting his chin in his hand. He looked out the car window, a peaceful expression on his face.
For the first time that day, his heart felt lighter.
"God has been kind to me," he murmured.
Sunday Morning
Yin Fang had been sitting in her office all night. She hadn’t even had breakfast, her eyes fixed on one spot as if deep in thought.
"Mr. Yin! How long have you been here?" The Chinese teacher walked in, nibbling on a steamed bun and sipping soybean milk. Her tone was casual, assuming Yin Fang had just arrived early as usual.
"I didn’t go home..." Yin Fang replied, her voice weary but determined.
"Pfft!" The Chinese teacher nearly choked on her soybean milk.
"Cough, cough..." She patted her chest, trying to catch her breath. "Mr. Yin, I know you’re serious about your work, but staying overnight? Isn’t that a bit much?"
At that moment, the head teacher of Class Two and the physics teacher entered, also carrying their breakfast.
"We still have a whole day to tally the results. How are you going to manage if you don’t rest?" the physics teacher remarked.
"Exactly! I’m exhausted just thinking about it. Students complain about exams, but we have it worse! They rest after the exam, but we spend the weekend marking papers and calculating scores," the Class Two teacher added with a sigh.
"Well, being a teacher means we’re destined to be overworked," the physics teacher grumbled as he set his coffee down.
As more teachers trickled into the office, they exchanged complaints about their workload and laughed about how their stress levels had already cost them their hairlines.
Suddenly, Yin Fang broke her silence. "I finished calculating all the scores for the experimental class last night."
The office fell into stunned silence. Every teacher turned to look at her, their expressions a mix of disbelief and amazement.
After a long pause, the Chinese teacher asked hesitantly, "You finished everything? English, math, and comprehensive scores?"
Yin Fang raised her stiff neck, clearly fatigued from pulling an all-nighter. "Yes. I was surprised by the English scores, so I decided to calculate math next. Then, I figured I might as well finish comprehensive and Chinese scores too."
The teachers stared at her, slack-jawed, their mouths forming perfect "O"s of astonishment.
The Class Two head teacher finally broke the silence. "Wait... what about the English scores made you decide to tally math right after?"
Yin Fang swallowed and explained, "I saw that Gu Xuejiao ranked first in English, narrowly surpassing Chu Sheng. That made me curious about the math scores. In math, Chu Sheng scored one point higher than Gu Xuejiao, but Xuejiao made up for it by ranking higher in Chinese. When I totaled everything, Gu Xuejiao was five points ahead of Chu Sheng overall. Their scores are neck and neck."
The entire office erupted into shocked murmurs.
"What?!" someone exclaimed.
"Gu Xuejiao ranked higher than Chu Sheng?" another teacher asked incredulously.
Yin Fang nodded, her exhaustion momentarily replaced by a glimmer of pride.
For a moment, the teachers forgot about their own fatigue. They had been used to Chu Sheng dominating the rankings, and Gu Xuejiao’s steady rise had surprised them all.
