Chapter 232: Inviting parents to dinner

No one could have expected that, before lunch, Lin Yu would end up in—such a tug-of-war.

“Mom, you can’t go in, you really can’t go in! It’s a classified unit! A classified unit, do you understand? It’s sealed tight—forget cameras, not even a fly can get in! I’m not refusing to take you, I’ve already told you, it’s against the rules!”

“Huh? If we can’t get in… then your boss can come out, right? Call him out, we’ll treat him to a meal! You’re working under him, as parents we should at least pay a visit and thank him for taking care of you!”

“Mom! What is this, parents meeting a homeroom teacher in elementary school?! Treating him to a meal? My boss… he’s insanely busy, dealing with millions every minute, how would he have the time?!”

“Your boss is busy? Then meeting your colleagues should be fine, right? You said your company has great benefits and high-quality coworkers. Call a few out, Mom will take a look and help you judge them!”

“Meet colleagues? That’s even more impossible! My colleagues… they’ve all gone home for the holidays!”

“Gone home?”

“Yeah! One of my coworkers is Japanese! She went back to Hokkaido for the Spring Festival!”

“Nonsense! Since when do Japanese people celebrate Spring Festival?”

Father Lin Jianguo’s voice suddenly cut in from the side of the phone.

“Your old man may not have been abroad, but I watch the news! Don’t try to fool me with that!”

“Of course they do! Nowadays Japanese people absolutely celebrate it!”

Lin Yu stubbornly doubled down, shamelessly patching his lie.

“Dad, your information is outdated! There aren’t many of them left over there anyway—just Hokkaido! Most of them are living here in China now! If they don’t integrate into our customs, wouldn’t that be ridiculous? Have you heard of Huaihai Street in Suzhou? Japanese people there even launch Spring Festival set meals!”

“…”

There was two seconds of silence on the other end.

Seeing that force wouldn’t work, Zhang Lihua softened her tone, her voice carrying unmistakable worry and anxiety:

“Son, it’s not that your dad and I want to cause trouble for you, it’s just… we’re worried about you…”

“You went half a year without finding a job before, and now suddenly you’re in some ‘classified unit’ making so much money, but you won’t let us see the company—we really don’t know what you actually do!”

“What if you’ve been scammed? Your dad and I watch those anti-fraud campaigns every day. They say those telecom scammers love these so-called high-paying recruitment schemes! What if one day they trick you and send you to Myanmar… and harvest your kidneys—how would your father and I live then?!”

“Eh? You guys…”

Lin Yu felt a headache coming on as he realized he couldn’t out-argue them.

Was he touched?

Of course he was—parents’ love was always like this.

But was he desperate?

Also absolutely desperate.

“So what do you want? You won’t be satisfied unless your son shows you some official proof?”

Lin Yu paced anxiously in place, his eyes darting around the room, trying to find a way out.

Company couldn’t be shown, boss couldn’t be met, colleagues were impossible.

Who else?

Who else could prove he was a law-abiding citizen?!

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck.

Lin Yu stopped in his tracks, as if grabbing onto the last straw.

“Wait! Mom, do you remember my college friend Luo Shaotian?”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s him! He’s now a police officer in Xinhai City, even a criminal investigation team captain! My buddy!”

“He’s led teams to our company before for fire safety and security inspections—he knows our company inside out! How about this, I’ll call him over for lunch later!”

“You don’t trust me, but you trust the people’s police, right? With him there to vouch for me, if you still have questions, just ask him directly!”

Zhang Lihua’s tone immediately brightened:

“Oh? Shaotian that boy? That’s great! I haven’t seen him for years! Alright, alright, with a police officer there, I feel much more at ease! Quickly contact him and have lunch together!”

Finally calming his parents down, the moment Lin Yu hung up—

Beep.

The room fell silent again.

A breeze drifted in from the window, instantly cooling his overheated brain.

Wait.

What did I just… say?

I called… Luo Shaotian?!

“f*ck!”

Lin Yu suddenly snapped back to reality, stomping hard on the floor as he clutched his head in agony.

“Was my brain kicked by a donkey just now? Why the hell did I call him again?!”

Damn it!

Is fate messing with me?!

“What kind of sin did I commit in my past life…”

Lin Yu opened the virtual interface of his contract bracelet, on the verge of tears.

He made the call.

“Hello, Shaotian? Can you do me a favor…”

The lunch location was chosen at the well-known Zhongshan Street.

A long-established restaurant specializing in local cuisine, just as Lin Yu remembered.

An antique-style entrance, with carved redwood window frames.

Lin Yu arrived early and waited at the entrance.

Before long, three familiar figures appeared at the end of the street.

The moment he saw two of them, Lin Yu’s eyes suddenly grew a little hot.

His mother, Zhang Lihua, had put on some weight, her face rounder, still wearing the dark red down jacket Lin Yu had bought her two years ago during New Year.

But her walking posture was slightly unnatural, with a faint limp—that was the rheumatism she had developed from years of hard labor.

His father, Lin Jianguo, walked beside her with his hands behind his back. Though still fairly sturdy, his once meticulously combed hair now carried large patches of white.

Lin Yu had often heard people say that at a certain age, you suddenly realize your parents have grown old.

He never quite understood before, always thinking his parents were like immovable mountains.

But now… he seemed to understand a little.

Because when children are young, their eyes are always fixed forward—on the future, on houses, on money—rushing ahead desperately.

Only after drifting for years and finally finding a foothold do they have the time to stop and look back.

And when you truly turn around, you realize the marks time has carved onto your parents’ faces are already as deep as cuts from knives and axes.

“Dad! Mom!”

Lin Yu rubbed his slightly sour nose, putting on a bright smile as he strode forward.

“Ah! Xiao Yu!”

Zhang Lihua’s eyes instantly curved into crescents as she hurried forward, grabbing Lin Yu’s arm and looking him up and down.

“You look a bit thinner, but your complexion seems good. Is work very tiring?”

“Thinner? He looks sturdier.”

Lin Jianguo scanned his son, noticing the neat casual suit Lin Yu had deliberately worn today, and nodded in satisfaction.

“Mm, now you look like a proper working man.”

“Dad, Mom, don’t stand at the door, it’s windy outside. Come, come, inside please!”

Lin Yu led them into the reserved private room.

“Dad, Mom, here’s the menu.”

He handed over the ordering tablet, patting his chest confidently.

“Order whatever you want! Don’t worry about saving money for your son!”

They say “returning home rich without showing it is like walking at night in fine clothes.”

Right now, Lin Yu was desperate to show off in front of his parents.

He had spent so long being treated like dirt in Xinhai City—getting scolded, wearing women’s clothes, bleeding—now that he finally had a huge sum in his account, how could he not show his parents what he was capable of?

He wanted to tell them in the simplest, most direct way—

He had truly made it now!

“Ah, this place looks expensive. Let’s just order something simple.”

Zhang Lihua took the menu, swiping through it, her eyes instinctively glancing at the prices beside the dishes.

“Hiss…”

Seeing the triple-digit prices, her brows instantly furrowed as she muttered softly,

“Fifty-eight for a plate of stir-fried vegetables? That’s robbery!”

“Mom, don’t look at the prices, just look at the dish names.”

Lin Yu urged anxiously from the side.

“How can that be? Money doesn’t grow on trees.”

Muttering, Zhang Lihua carefully avoided all the meat dishes and tapped a few items.

“Alright, let’s just get West Lake beef soup, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and a plate of sliced white chicken. That’s enough for our family of four.”

“How is that enough?!”

Lin Yu panicked.

“I brought tens of thousands to this meal, and you’re ordering dishes that cost a few dozen yuan?!”

“How am I supposed to show off like this?!”

“Xiaoxue!”

Lin Yu shot his sister a look.

She instantly understood, snatching the menu and flipping to the signature dishes page, speaking to the waiter:

“This signature Shaoxing three-delicacies looks good! And one serving of drunken crab with yellow wine! Two portions of Dongpo pork… one Huadiao chicken! And a bottle of Nu’erhong—ten-year aged!”

“You child! Can we even finish that much? What a waste of money!”

Lin Jianguo glared.

“Dad! Your son is treating—just eat freely! If we can’t finish, we’ll pack it up!”

Lin Yu grinned as he poured his father a cup of hot tea, feeling extremely satisfied.

Seeing his parents scolding about “waste” but unable to hide the pride in their expressions, Lin Yu suddenly felt—

All the hardships he’d endured outside…

Were damn well worth it.

Money only truly bought happiness when spent on family.

After ordering, the waiter left and the private room door closed.

The family sipped tea, chatting casually about Lin Xue’s studies and Lin Yu’s “white-collar life.”

Everything seemed warm and harmonious.

Until—

“Son, the food’s ordered… what about that police officer you mentioned on the phone?”