Chapter 2261

"How do you know these shares are a disaster and not a guarantee for your son, grandson, and great-grandson?"

Wu Hongkang sat opposite Wu Lin. No one knows a son better than a father; he knew his son too well, and he must have encountered something today.

"Tell me, what exactly happened?"

Originally, Wu Lin still had a smile on his face, but upon hearing his father's words, his expression suddenly stiffened, and then he fell into silence, because he didn't know how to talk about this matter himself, and he hadn't intended to tell his father.

After a while, hearing no answer from his son, Wu Hongkang laughed: "What, can't say it?"

"There's nothing I can't say," Wu Lin replied, then added: "I just don't want to say it!"

"It seems it's not a big deal," Wu Hongkang said very affirmatively: "And it has to do with a woman."

"Ah?" Wu Lin looked dazed: "How did you know?"

Wu Hongkang laughed out loud: "That's a secret, I can't tell you, otherwise it won't be accurate in the future."

Just then, Wu Hongkang's wife, Liu Xiuyan, came out of the room: "From childhood to adulthood, as long as you mention something about you and a girl, your face turns red."

"There's such a thing?" Wu Lin hurriedly got up and ran to the mirror, then raised his hand to touch his face: "It's not red."

The old couple looked at each other and laughed. Wu Hongkang had one daughter and two sons. The eldest brother is named Wu Di, who works in the Municipal Audit Bureau; he is twenty-eight this year, and his child is already in elementary school.

The second sister is named Wu Yi, twenty-five years old, and has a partner she has been seeing for four years; urged by both sets of parents, they are preparing to get married next year. And Wu Lin is the youngest, exactly twenty this year, and still a junior in college.

Two days ago, when meeting and chatting with Zhou Andong and Zhang Shenghui at the bar, Wu Hongkang joked about becoming in-laws with Zhang Shenghui, only to be rejected by Old Zhang, who said his son was ugly.

Actually, Wu Lin wasn't as ugly as Old Zhang said, but in this family with relatively high looks, Wu Lin was indeed the ugliest.

Liu Xiuyan took a few apples out of the refrigerator, washed them in the kitchen, and then brought them out and placed them on the coffee table.

"Eat, these were specially sent to you by your daughter. She came this morning just after you left."

Wu Hongkang nudged his son, who was still looking in the mirror: "What's going on?"

Liu Xiuyan said with a smile: "He's heartbroken, so he's hiding at home to heal."

"Heartbroken?" Wu Hongkang asked very unexpectedly: "When did he start seeing someone? How come I didn't know?"

"It's that girl named Liu Liangliang, who even came to our house to play before."

"Oh!" Wu Hongkang remembered: "Wu Lin is seeing her?"

Wu Lin returned and sat down on the sofa, his expression completely different from when Wu Hongkang had just entered the room; he was very dejected.

"I'm just puzzled, what exactly is wrong with me? It's one thing to betray me, but the one she's with is actually my good buddy."

Wu Hongkang immediately became spirited: "It's actually that exciting? Tell me about it quickly."

Seeing his father's high-spirited appearance, Wu Lin, as a son, was speechless. He had suspected since he was a child whether he was picked up somewhere.

Because he didn't look like his father or his mother, and he didn't look like his older brother or older sister either. And looking at his father's reaction now, the accuracy of this suspicion had increased to 75.9 percent.

"Mom!"

Wu Lin looked pitifully at his mother, who was already over fifty but still had a graceful figure, and asked.

"Tell me the truth, am I really your biological child, or was I picked up from outside?"

"Picked up!" Wu Hongkang's answer was consistent and clear, never dragging his feet.

"Don't listen to your father's nonsense." Liu Xiuyan glared at Wu Hongkang, then immediately laughed too: "Actually, I also suspected whether the nurse had held the wrong baby when you were born; after all, such things are not entirely impossible.

But later your father told me that there was only one pregnant woman in the delivery room at the time, and there was no possibility of holding the wrong baby at all. Moreover, it was your father who was the first to take you from the nurse's hands."

Wu Lin looked sad: "So, the older brother and older sister inherited all your excellent genes, and all the remaining inferior genes were inherited by me?"

"That's not right!" Liu Xiuyan said very seriously: "Your father and I rarely even speak loudly on a daily basis. We have been like guests to each other all our lives and have never turned red-faced, let alone argued with outsiders!"

Speaking of this, Liu Xiuyan paused slightly, as if recalling those calm and beautiful times of the past. Then, she sighed softly and continued.

"Look at your older brother and older sister; their tempers are incredibly foul, like firecrackers that ignite at a touch. From childhood to adulthood, how much trouble have they caused?"

Liu Xiuyan looked at her youngest son and said earnestly: "Fortunately, your personality inherited your father's and mine. Cheerful and optimistic, you can always bring happiness and warmth to those around you.

So, you must remember, no matter how good-looking the appearance is, it's just a skin bag. What's truly important is inner beauty! Only by having a kind, tolerant, and loving heart can you make yourself truly charming."

After hearing his mother's concerned words, Wu Lin's heart finally felt a little comforted: "Although that's true, in this day and age, most people still look at that face.

Take Zhang Jun, for example. Aside from that skin bag of his that is barely passable, in what way am I not better than him? But in the end, didn't Liu Liangliang still betray me?

Besides, Zhang Jun clearly already had a partner, yet he didn't care at all about the brotherhood between us and actually chose to betray me for a woman. When all is said and done, isn't it all because Liu Liangliang is good-looking?"

"How did you discover that they betrayed you at the same time?"

Wu Hongkang kept rubbing salt into Wu Lin's wounds, not afraid of causing psychological trauma to his son; it was mainly because he knew his son too well.

To put it nicely, this kid has an explosive mentality; no matter how big the matter or setback, he can act like nothing happened. But to put it bluntly, he just laughs foolishly all day long and doesn't know what worry is at all.

Generally speaking, whether male or female, once encountering something like a breakup, people often become emotionally depressed, and some people may even cry and make a scene, with their emotions completely collapsing.

However, it was a completely different scene with Wu Lin. This kid had been secretly dating since high school, and heartbreak was a common occurrence for him.

But you couldn't detect the slightest emotional fluctuation from him at all; he would still eat with relish when it was time to eat, and he would never delay a sip when it was time to drink water.

As for why Wu Hongkang knew all this, it was all thanks to his precious daughter reporting on him from time to time. However, although Wu Lin had constant puppy love, his academic performance never fell behind, so the couple turned a blind eye. Anyway, they had a boy, so he wouldn't suffer a big loss either way.

"Crack!"

Hearing a crisp sound, Wu Lin grabbed an apple from the fruit plate and took a big bite. The gnashing of teeth looked as if what was in his hand wasn't an apple, but Zhang Jun and Liu Liangliang.

"In the morning, my sister came over to deliver apples, so I thought about sending some to Liu Liangliang, and then I called to ask her out, but she said she didn't have time and had to attend a relative's wedding today."

Speaking of this, Wu Lin made another "crack" sound, took a big bite of the apple, and then mumbled: "After my sister left, I felt bored staying at home, so I went shopping by myself.

I didn't have anywhere to go, so I just wandered around the streets blindly and arrived at the cinema without knowing it. I saw people at the entrance and thought the movie must be good, so I planned to buy a ticket to watch it.

But what I never dreamed of was that I saw Liu Liangliang, who should have been attending a relative's wedding, in the crowd, and there was someone beside her—that was Zhang Jun.

If I had only seen them at the cinema at the same time, I would have thought it was a coincidence, but those two dogs were also holding hands. I couldn't even explain it for them if I wanted to.

I was furious at the time; one was my partner and the other was my good buddy, and they actually betrayed me at the same time and got together. How could I bear it?

Even if you had just said 'break up' when I called you this morning, I wouldn't have been so angry when I saw you with Zhang Jun at the cinema.

At that moment, I wanted to rush up and ask those two dogs what exactly was going on. But when I had just taken a few steps, I gave up the idea of questioning the other party.

After all, my own eyes had already seen everything clearly. If I rushed up to question them endlessly, there would be no other result than self-humiliation.

It's better to just be like this: the road is wide, each goes their own way. Whatever woman, whatever brother, it's all just passing smoke. From now on, you can all just get the fuck away from me."

"Son!" Wu Hongkang patted Wu Lin's shoulder and said earnestly: "You handled it correctly. You didn't chase after them not to save face for them, but to maintain your own dignity.

When you see through a person without exposing them, you understand the meaning of perspective. When you dislike someone without turning against them, you understand the importance of letting go.

Living as a person, there are always things you can't stand, people you can't stand, and you will encounter many unhappy things. Tea has only two postures: sinking and floating. A tea drinker also has only two postures: picking up and putting down.

Life is like tea; be calm when sinking, indifferent when floating. You must be able to pick it up, and also be able to put it down. Having something in your heart and pretending that nothing is wrong is experience. Having nothing in your heart and still being able to act as if nothing is wrong is perspective."

Wu Hongkang took out a cigarette and asked: "Want one?"

Wu Lin was stunned, then shook his head violently: "I don't even smoke, why are you giving me a cigarette?"

Wu Hongkang laughed: "Do you really think I don't know that in high school, you not only secretly dated but also secretly smoked?"

"Ah?" Wu Lin was suddenly anxious: "Who did you hear that from? This is slandering me; it's simply malicious."

"Alright!" Wu Hongkang took out a cigarette and placed it directly in Wu Lin's mouth: "Men, you know, smoking and drinking is normal. Besides, you've grown up, and I won't manage these things for you."

Wu Lin blinked and tentatively said: "You—really let me smoke?"

"Smoke!" Wu Hongkang lit one for himself and then handed the lighter to his son.

Wu Lin took it, first secretly glanced at his mother, and seeing no anticipated obstruction, he pressed the lighter, lit the cigarette, took a deep breath, and said very unwillingly.

"Zhang Jun and I were roommates for three whole years; that's three full years of brotherhood. But I didn't expect that in the end, this brotherhood couldn't even defeat a woman."

Wu Hongkang said earnestly: "Actually, this might not be a bad thing for you. Because the sooner you see a person clearly, the smaller the loss you will suffer.

Flying with a phoenix, you must be a handsome bird; walking with tigers and wolves, you must be a beast. The kind of people you get close to determines the path you will take.

The greatest luck in life is not picking up money, but meeting a person. They break your original thinking patterns, improve your cognitive level, raise your spiritual realm, and can lead you toward higher ground."

Wu Lin couldn't help but lower his head in thought, carefully pondering his father's words, and suddenly raised his head and said: "Just like how you met Zhou Andong?"

Wu Hongkang let out a hearty laugh: "That's right, the greatest luck in your father's life is meeting Zhou Andong.

His thoughts, his ideas, and his style of doing things have always been the ultimate goal that I need to study diligently and strive to catch up with."

"Son!" Liu Xiuyan, who was on the side, couldn't help but speak up: "Since the person you met wasn't the right one, and the friend you made wasn't a good friend, then let them become the past.

Your life is still very long, and in the future, you will definitely be able to encounter a good girl who truly likes you, and you will also definitely get to know a group of close friends who truly treat you like their own brother."

Wu Hongkang said very helplessly: "If you meet a noble person to help you, you might as well plan your career first; if you meet a good person to accompany you, you can also prioritize building a family. A good circle isn't one where everyone is rich, but one where everyone is progressive.

Just like your mother said, your life is still very long, and one day you will meet the right person and also encounter a noble person."

"Child, if you are lucky enough to get help from a noble person, then you might as well temporarily focus on planning a brilliant career.

But if you happen to meet that right person who is compatible with you, you can also prioritize building a warm and happy little family.

You must understand that a good social circle doesn't just mean that everyone is wealthy; more importantly, every member in it is positive, upward, and striving.

Just as your mother said just now, your future is full of infinite possibilities. On the long journey of life, one day you will definitely meet the right person, and you will also inevitably have the fate to meet the noble person in your life!"

"By the time I meet a noble person, won't I have to wait until the year of the cat and the month of the donkey?" Wu Lin laughed, his eyes full of anticipation: "Dad, when you have a gathering with Zhou Andong, you must bring me along so I can get to know the noble person first."