Chapter 371

Holding power while sober, lying drunk on a beauty's lap — this should be the dream of many men.

Lin Dongfan is no exception.

The more social resources one has, the fewer worries; the fewer worries, the bolder one becomes; the bolder one becomes, the more ideas fill one's mind.

After a few drinks, Lin Dongfan squinted and chatted with Su Yuhong about love and romance.

The endless rules and scheming of officialdom are exhausting.

Sometimes Lin Dongfan wonders:

Having lived two lifetimes, with the advantage of foresight, I could easily become a billionaire — why must I still tread on thin ice in officialdom?

For the sake of unrestricted freedom, Lin Dongfan even considered quitting his post.

Fighting corruption and cracking down on black forces doesn't have to be done from within the system; outsiders can also exercise public oversight and go after whomever they choose.

Because his surname is Lin!

Unfortunately, the old master at home who holds a whip and a cane will surely not agree to his resignation, because the Lin family's heir, Choubao, hasn't grown up yet and hasn't paved the way for him.

This life of walking on thin ice must, for now, be endured with grit.

When leaving the Misty Forest Resort in the morning.

The sturdy, upright water firs by the lake are all shrouded in lingering mist; a boardwalk winds through the woods, as if leading to an unknown, foreign labyrinth.

Lin Dongfan walked ahead, with Su Yuhong close behind.

To hide the reddish strawberry mark on his neck, Lin Dongfan stuck a large band‑aid there.

Seeing the band‑aid, Su Yuhong behind him couldn't help laughing: "Why not go to the Chinese medicine clinic for cupping? Or a gua sha — it'd be better than a band‑aid."

"Put more thought into your work and strive for promotion. If you slack off, my son will lose one awesome auntie." Lin Dongfan proceeded along the winding Misty Forest boardwalk.

"Cut it out. Your Lin Family's little prince — people rush to wipe his nose at the slightest sneeze; there's no room for me to prop him up."

"Do you understand preparing for a rainy day?"

In front of Su Yuhong, Lin Dongfan has always been frank, never treating her as an outsider.

Lin Dongfan lit a cigarette.

"If we don't talk about it now, in twenty years the old man will surely be gone. Even if my uncles, aunts, and great‑aunt are still alive, they'll have retired. By then, who will look highly on our Lin Family? We can only hope you, Yang Qing, Jian Sining, and the like step up to hold the line alone."

"Is that why you originally tried to get us transferred to the province?" Su Yuhong asked with a smile.

Lin Dongfan gave a noncommittal reply: "That's part of it; mainly, you all have a heart to serve the people, and I think you deserve to be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple after a hundred years."

"Your pie is too big for me to chew; you'd better eat it yourself." Su Yuhong truly dared not even dream of being enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

"Who were the people enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple in ancient times?"

"They were all the court's main pillars, the beams supporting the state and its mountains and rivers, each meriting a separate biography in the histories."

Su Yuhong thought a moment and then laughed: "Be honest — do you lack confidence in your own future?"

"I have confidence in helping you mount the horse." Lin Dongfan said from the passageway.

Su Yuhong said: "Now we're talking about your own prospects — don't change the subject."

"I want to be a wealthy landowner, not an official." Lin Dongfan bluntly said: "I can use my wealth to support your ideal of serving the people…"

The two chatted all the way, and without realizing it they arrived at the parking lot.

After all that chatting, Su Yuhong couldn't tell whether Lin Dongfan truly despised officialdom or was just spouting off; one thing is certain: his determination to pave the way for his son is very firm.

Lin Dongfan's support for his close friends has indeed been growing stronger lately.

He even meddled in Yang Qing's marriage.

He took charge of it completely.

Also, regarding Jian Sining's younger sister Jian Qing: she entered the military academy through special admission, but finding her major unsuitable, Lin Dongfan personally intervened to help her switch majors.

Whether financial power or authority, Lin Dongfan has exerted them to the limit.

All that Lin Dongfan does is to pave the way for his son, hoping that when the boy grows up he will have a whole bunch of awesome uncles and aunts watching over him.

At parting, Su Yuhong sighed and reminded Lin Dongfan: "You can tell me about paving the way for Choubao, but don't go blabbing about it outside — it would look bad."

"I'm not as foolish as you."

Lin Dongfan opened the car door, ready to leave.

Su Yuhong's car was parked nearby; she wasn't in a hurry to leave, smiling as she stared at the large band‑aid on Lin Dongfan's neck: "You really won't go for gua sha or cupping?"

"No."

Lin Dongfan spoke toughly, but he still felt a bit of concern inside.

After hesitating repeatedly on the way home, Lin Dongfan still changed course to the Chinese medicine clinic, where the old practitioner gave him gua sha, leaving red sha marks on both sides of his neck.

Under the cover of the red sha marks, the strawberry print left no trace.

Upon returning home at noon, he entered to smell braised pork; his mother‑in‑law Shen Junlan and his wife Chu Lingxi were eating.

Wu Yue walked back and forth on the balcony holding the child, coaxing him to nap.

"Honey, you're back — I'll get you a bowl."

Chu Lingxi's face lit up with joy at the sight of Lin Dongfan; she rose to fetch bowls and chopsticks, but then noticed the two red marks on his neck.

She couldn't help exclaiming: "Eh? Honey, what happened to your neck?"

"I just had gua sha to improve circulation." Lin Dongfan acted as if nothing were wrong, set down his briefcase, changed into slippers, and sat down.

Shen Junlan said: "Work pressure's been high lately, huh?"

"It's okay; I can handle it."

The pressure is indeed considerable; we've arrested Lu Han, and we're also worried that Feng Weishan might do something desperate.

But discussing these matters with family is useless.

Lin Dongfan only told his father‑in‑law about the earlier sniper attack by Lu Han; his mother‑in‑law and Chu Lingxi don't know, so they won't worry needlessly.

Chu Lingxi served Lin Dongfan a bowl of rice, sat beside him, and said: "Honey, Grandfather just called again urging us — when are we having a second child?"

Having a second child? We'll wait until Choubao learns to walk before talking about it.

Lin Dongfan gave a light smile, picked up his bowl, and shoved rice into his mouth.

Don't just eat; you've gotten thin these days.

The meticulous mother-in-law, Shen Junlan, moved the bowl of braised pork in front of Lin Dongfan. If he eats the whole bowl, he'll definitely need to exercise three hundred rounds tonight to burn off the calories.

Lin Dongfan smiled: "Thanks, Mom."

Shen Junlan said: "Your Lin family is sparsely populated; the old master hopes you'll have more children for the Lin family, wanting to see the Lin family's descendants thrive in his lifetime—that's only natural."

"Choubao is still under one, Lin Xi's body hasn't fully recovered, and we're already talking about a second child—wouldn't that be too early?" Lin Dongfan tactfully raised objections.

Shen Junlan said: "You need to consider this from the old master's perspective. He's already over ninety; he doesn't have time to wait for you to take it slow."

It seemed his objections were about to fail.

Lin Dongfan immediately tossed the question to Chu Lingxi: "Honey, what do you think?"

Have one.

Chu Lingxi didn't even think.

This spontaneous answer left Lin Dongfan speechless; to her, having a second child was as ordinary as eating rice, and she hadn't given it a single thought.