Chapter 44: Wine and Moonlight

Celebrate? Lin Feiyuan really was holding a jug of wine, and Gu Mingchun had a few packages of food in his hands.

“Apricot blossom wine!”

The sweet fragrance of apricot blossoms wafted over. It really was Drunken Immortal Pavilion’s apricot blossom wine, which reportedly took a year of waiting to buy a single jug.

There was also crispy duck glistening with oil, and soft, sweet osmanthus cakes. All of them were Lin Yaoyao’s favorites.

“Let’s go! We’ll drink in the pavilion and admire the moon.”

It was a full moon tonight, the moonlight unusually gentle and serene. After a cup of wine, Lin Yaoyao felt warm inside.

She hadn’t had such a relaxed and pleasant day in a long time, not since dreaming of her family’s destruction.

Fine wine and good food before her, family and friends at her side. What a wonderful life this was.

“Seeing Tang San Shao get slapped today was so satisfying!”

Smack! Lin Feiyuan slammed his palm on the stone table and rose to his feet as he spoke. He had wanted to hit that utterly hypocritical Tang San Shao for a long time.

“Yaoyao, that Zeng Old Madam has such a sharp, mean face. Where does she look like a grandmother? Your grandmother passed before you were born. You never even saw her. You let the Zeng family off too cheaply by asking for a million spirit stones.”

Lin Feiyuan really couldn’t understand why Lin Yaoyao had done it.

Gu Mingchun didn’t understand her intention either, but judging from how the Zeng family acted today, demanding two million in interest on the spot would be difficult.

“Third Brother, a thousand gold pieces can’t buy what I want to do. As for the reason… it’s a secret!”

A secret!

Another secret!

Lin Yaoyao had too many secrets. Lin Feiyuan poured himself another cup of wine and gulped it down. He wanted the alcohol to give him the nerve to find out.

Lin Yaoyao took a big gulp too. The wine was smooth going down, but its kick was strong.

The girl’s cheeks flushed. She stood up unsteadily, a poem surfacing in her mind.

“Sing while drinking, for how long is life? Like morning dew, the days gone by are many and bitter.”

Having lived two lifetimes and come to this world, Lin Yaoyao now realized how short and fleeting life truly was.

Gu Mingchun and Lin Feiyuan stared at her in a daze, both shaken by the poem that slipped out of her mouth.

“Yaoyao, are you still my good-for-nothing sister?”

“Junior Sister Lin’s poem is grand in scope and profound in meaning!”

Lin Yaoyao was already drunk. She slumped onto the table, still muttering.

“Drink while there’s wine today; worry when tomorrow’s worries come…”

Three cups and she was out. Her tolerance was terrible. Chunyu quickly helped her back to her room, leaving only Lin Feiyuan and Gu Mingchun to drink and talk.

The next day.

Lin Yaoyao woke with her head still aching faintly, rising later than usual.

Chunyu came in to tell her that Lin Feiyuan and Gu Mingchun had taken the group out early, following the debt-collection procedure Lin Yaoyao had used yesterday, and headed to the Jiang family east of the city.

‘Those two blockheads aren’t beyond saving after all.’

“Miss, Young Master Shen Bai has arrived!”

Brother Shen was here! Overjoyed, Lin Yaoyao hurried Chunyu to help her wash and dress.

Lin Yaoyao had asked her father to take Shen Bai as an adopted son. The very next day, Lin Xuanzhong had gone to the academy to personally vouch for Shen Bai, and he had also made a special visit to see him.

The bonds between people were strange.

Some were blood relatives, yet treated each other like enemies. Others had never met before, yet felt an instant closeness.

That was the case with Lin Xuanzhong and Shen Bai. Although Lin Xuanzhong had seen Shen Bai at the arena, the two had never really interacted.

Looking at the frail young man on the bed, his clear eyes carrying a hint of toughness, Lin Xuanzhong felt a fondness from the bottom of his heart.

At first, Shen Bai was reserved. He answered whatever Lin Xuanzhong asked briefly, not daring to say more.

A discarded son of a small family being able to enter the Lin family was already a great stroke of fortune. Now the head of the Lin family was personally visiting him. Shen Bai felt overwhelmed by the honor.

Lin Xuanzhong only asked about his daily life. Shen Bai had never imagined that the head of the Lin family, a great clan in the Tian Capital Nation, could be so approachable and kind, like an ordinary father.

A young man with a rough life, a middle-aged man carrying heavy burdens. An unspoken understanding grew between them as they talked.

Lin Xuanzhong patted Shen Bai’s shoulder, his eyes firm. “From today on, you are my son. I won’t let anyone bully you.”

Shen Bai had never known the protection of close kin. Lin Xuanzhong would be the father who sheltered him.

Shen Bai’s eyes reddened. In a hoarse voice, he called out, “Adopted father.”

Many years later, Shen Bai would still remember that afternoon. A weary Lin Xuanzhong stood beside a despairing young Shen Bai, and when their eyes met, mutual respect was born.

Front hall.

Lin Xuanzhong and Shen Bai were chatting happily. Watching from a distance, Lin Yaoyao felt they even bore a faint resemblance in their expressions.

“Brother Shen!”

As soon as she entered the hall, Lin Yaoyao walked toward Shen Bai with a bright smile, not looking at anyone else. Lin Xuanzhong’s heart skipped a beat. ‘Little Five hasn’t fallen for Shen Bai, has she?’

“Cough, cough.”

Those coughs couldn’t have been more fake. Lin Yaoyao looked at Lin Xuanzhong. The old man was jealous.

“Dad, have some tea.”

Lin Xuanzhong took the cup with a delighted smile. In his daughter’s heart, he was still the most important one, her real father.

Lin Yaoyao looked Shen Bai up and down. Last time she’d seen him, his face had been covered in wounds, black and blue, with a bitter, resentful look. She never expected he was actually this handsome.

Over the past days, the Lin family had sent many heavenly treasures to nourish Shen Bai’s body, and Lin Xuanzhong had personally treated his injuries.

Now his wounds had fully healed. His complexion was great, his features were clean-cut, and he carried an air of handsome vitality. No wonder Lin Xuanzhong was worried that his boy-crazy daughter might have other ideas.

“Brother Shen, so you were this handsome all along!”

Hearing this, Lin Xuanzhong nearly spat out the tea he was about to swallow.

‘Boy-crazy! A complete boy-crazy girl!’

‘A leopard can’t change its spots. Little Five is still the same as ever!’

“A girl should show some reserve!”

Lin Xuanzhong was embarrassed for her. Shen Bai didn’t mind. He smiled and said, “Sister Yaoyao is honest and open, unlike ordinary women. That’s truly rare and admirable.”

As expected of the future Great Emperor, he had good taste. Lin Yaoyao silently gave Shen Bai a thumbs-up.

Shen Bai had come to the Lin residence this time for two reasons. One was to thank Lin Xuanzhong for healing him. The other was that he had heard about the recent events involving Lin Feiyuan and Lin Yaoyao. Now that he was their adopted brother, he naturally wanted to contribute what little strength he could.

“Sister Yaoyao, this is a small token of my heart. I’m ashamed that it won’t help you much.”

Shen Bai took out a storage ring. Inside were all the spirit stones he had saved over the years by living frugally and working.

Lin Yaoyao quickly waved her hands and refused. Lin Xuanzhong also stopped him. If they let Shen Bai fill the gap right after entering the Lin family, without even enjoying their resources yet, people would stab them in the back with their words.

Shen Bai couldn’t argue with the father and daughter. He looked a little downcast. His few spirit stones were a drop in the bucket, completely useless.

Seeing the disappointment on his face, Lin Yaoyao patted his shoulder.

“Brother Shen, I don’t want your spirit stones. I want you!”

Pfft!

Water sprayed everywhere. This time, Lin Xuanzhong really couldn’t hold it in. A mouthful of tea shot straight out.

‘Little Five wants Shen Bai?’

‘My dear daughter, so taking an adopted brother was fake, and finding a lover was the real deal!’

📚 Also on NHV Novels

Surprised! Pregnant with My Arch-Nemesis’s Child in the Future?

BLEnemies to LoversSweet Romance

Read Now →
Not interested