Chapter 453: Buy Back Our Family Home

"Are you my father?" Liu Guangqi's mocking voice carried a hint of self‑derision, his face wearing that same sneering expression. "You apologize to me, but I'm not worthy to accept it. You should apologize to those you once dealt with. The ones who truly need your forgiveness are them, not me, your son."

Boss.

Anything else? If not, I'm heading back to work. By the way, if you have nothing else coming up, don't have Mom come looking for me, especially don't have her pass along a message saying you want to see me. You have three sons; I'm only one of them. If you really miss having a son, have Mom call Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu.

Liu Haizhong's face stiffened.

He stood there, dazed.

He isn't stupid.

The aloofness in Liu Guangqi's words became apparent.

For the first time he felt that being a person had failed him so utterly.

As an official he was treated like cannon fodder.

Raising sons, he ended up being regarded as an enemy by them.

"Liu Guangqi, don't go—Dad had Mom call you because there's something we need to discuss."

"Get you out?" A flicker of impatience crossed Liu Guangqi's face. "You really overestimate me—I don't have the ability to spring you. It's not me, your son, saying this: at your age, why do you constantly cause trouble for your own children? Do you realize that right now is the start of my career? Because you've been eating free meals for twenty years, I failed the review; my ten years of hard work have been ruined because of you. Tell me, how is this not screwing over your son?"

Liu Haizhong lowered his head.

He really didn't have time to consider all this.

All his thoughts and energy went into his career; he gave selflessly, recklessly charging ahead like a mad dog.

All he wanted was to show his worth and leave a good impression on Deputy Factory Director Li.

But he hadn't expected to overdo it.

In the end he became the cannon fodder Deputy Factory Director Li used to win people's hearts.

Such a feeling.

It couldn't be summed up with just the word "miserable."

No career.

No family.

This is what it's like to be a father.

He was practically treated as an enemy.

"Are you my father? Have you ever considered anything for us three sons? Do you know why we moved out of the Liu family after I got married? It's because I don't want to see your way of never being able to balance a bowl of water. Having a father like you is nothing short of my misfortune, Liu Guangqi. In the whole world, is there a father who ruins his own son's prospects and almost sends him to prison? You've destroyed my life, you've destroyed everything I have."

Boss.

"If I could, I truly wish I didn't have you as a father."

Liu Guangqi's icy tone made Liu Haizhong inexplicably feel a bit sad.

In the moment, sentiment arose from the scene.

He slowly closed his eyes.

He kept them shut for over ten seconds.

He reopened his eyes.

A faint glimmer of tears appeared at the corners of his eyes.

Was he having an awakening?

No.

This merely was an accidental touch, in that special situation, of Liu Haizhong's long‑dormant heart.

"Boss, even if you hate me, I'm still your father."

"I know you're my father." Liu Guangqi said, "You probably don't realize that the day you were taken away, someone in Dayuan set off firecrackers to celebrate."

Liu Haizhong opened his mouth to explain, but the words died in his throat.

Some things are better left unsaid than spoken.

His own mistakes.

He had to accept them, tears or not.

Past cause.

Present effect.

If it weren't for Liu Haizhong's single‑minded devotion to wrongdoing, none of this would be happening now.

"If you really have nothing else to do and just want to chat, you've already achieved your goal—I still have to go to work."

"Boss, don't leave yet—Dad still has something to tell you to take care of."

Liu Haizhong called out to stop Liu Guangqi, who was about to turn and leave; the reason he had Er Da Ma summon Liu Guangqi was to give him instructions.

Why did it have to be the eldest, not the second or third?

To speak frankly.

Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu were initially within Liu Haizhong's assessment range, but because the Liu family's two wayward offspring kept straying further down the path of unfilial behavior,

This left Liu Haizhong completely disheartened.

Thus.

So he could only entrust this matter to the eldest, Liu Guangqi.

"Mom may not have told you, but she sold our Old Liu family's house, letting it go to Shazhu for a hundred less than market price. Dad called you over not for anything else—just to tell you to buy back our old home, after all it's where you were born and holds your memories. Do you understand what I mean? Buy back the Old Liu family's house; this concerns everything for our Old Liu family going forward—even if it costs extra, you must get the house back for me."

Liu Guangqi stared at Liu Haizhong, dumbfounded.

He was a bit confused.

Inside the siheyuan.

The Liu family members really ended up as the sort everyone wants to beat up.

There was no escaping it.

You bastard, you still want to rush to buy the house back.

What are you thinking?

Do you really have to move back, getting pointed at and cursed by the neighbors every day?

Besides, Liu Haizhong means to get the house back at any cost.

With infinite bewilderment.

Liu Guangqi left the reception room.

……

Liu Haizhong, who had just parted with Liu Guangqi, was also inexperienced, thinking that after being educated once, those people would no longer treat him the same.

Liu Haizhong also worried about whether Liu Guangqi could understand what he meant.

If it weren't for having to mind a comrade standing nearby, he wouldn't have to be so vague in signaling Liu Guangqi to buy back the Liu family house at any cost.

He was thinking things over.

He didn't notice his surroundings.

Liu Haizhong's butt sank, and he was about to sit on the kang.

Just as his butt was about to touch the heated kang, a fellow beside him kicked him off the kang with one foot.

"What are you doing?" Liu Haizhong demanded angrily: "Haven't you already dealt with it?"

Hey, your tone is still fierce, your temper still stubborn; we fear nothing, we don't fear the fierce and stubborn. It's nothing, we just want to tell you a bit about the rules here so you won't make a mistake.

What rules?

"It's precisely because you don't understand that we're here to teach." The bald guy asked Liu Haizhong: "Didn't someone just come to see you?"

My son.

Your son came to see you, yet you came back empty‑handed? What's that? Your son doesn't even regard you as his father—he came to see you once, brought nothing, just spouted a few empty pleasantries. A father ought to protect himself; never let yourself be bullied.

What do you mean? My son not bringing anything when he comes to see me is also against your taboo?

Liu Haizhong, you're absolutely right—you really have violated our taboo. We were hoping to bask in your glory, to get a little something, but we got nothing, and we were just happily excited for nothing.

Liu Haizhong got beaten up again.