Chapter 649: Still a Naive Sweetie

In June 2014, the corruption case in the medical system of Baiyue Province had entered the prosecution stage, with Peng Tianhua from the General Bureau overseeing it throughout.

Lin Dongfan, who had withdrawn, also returned to Jingcheng.

On one hand, it was to reunite with family long unseen; more importantly, he needed to thoroughly resolve the business problem of 'you can't have both fish and bear's paw'.

The home was still just as before, a complete mess, the spacious living room resembling a toy battlefield.

In two months, his son Lin Fuxing would turn four; Chu Lingxi had him seated on a chair to learn piano, and as soon as he entered the room he heard Chu Lingxi roar: 'You were born in the Year of the Pig, how can you be as stupid as your dad! You can't even tell do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do apart. This hand presses here, not there! How many times do I have to say it…'

This was the first time Lin Dongfan had seen such a volatile teaching scene.

Too explosive!

Indeed, only an artistically clueless idiot son could drive the naive sweetie crazy.

In five months, his daughter Lin Zhao Xia will turn three; she currently has little study pressure, sitting on the floor stacking blocks, not knowing what she's building, completely lacking any architectural talent.

The former college-student nanny Wu Yue had already quit last month to start a family, marrying a Section Chief in Jingcheng, with Chu Lingxi as the matchmaker.

There was also a nanny auntie busy cooking in the kitchen.

Lin Dongfan did not disturb the furious Chu Lingxi; upon entering, he rolled up his sleeves and tidied the living room.

His daughter Lin Zhao Xia suddenly gazed at him hopefully and blurted out: 'Are you here to collect junk? Where's your tricycle?'

Uh… I actually became a junk collector.

This is the benefit of being away on official business for so long—upon returning home, he actually became a stranger in his daughter's eyes.

If it were the son who was so visually impaired, he'd definitely get a beating.

But today, it's the daughter who's visually impaired.

Lin Dongfan truly couldn't bear to scold her, so he indeed picked her up: 'Dear daughter, look closely—who am I?'

'I don't want you to hold me, junk collector,' little Zhao Xia writhed and struggled.

Lin Dongfan puckered his lips and kissed her cheek: 'I'm your dad.'

'Wuu…' little Zhao Xia immediately lifted her hand to wipe her face—such disgust—she turned and cried out to Chu Lingxi: 'Mom, this junk collector kissed me, wuu…'

Chu Lingxi, who was scolding her son, turned her head at the sound.

She shouted as soon as she spoke: 'Lin Zhao Xia! You're blind, aren't you? He's your dad!'

After Chu Lingxi's yell, little Zhao Xia cried even harder. The youngster's limited cognition meant she still hadn't figured out what kind of creature a 'dad' is.

Her tearful, pear-blossom-in-the-rain appearance made Lin Dongfan feel a pang of heartache.

'What's wrong with you? If you're angry, take it out on your son, not my daughter.'

Lin Dongfan gently wiped the tears from little Zhao Xia's face, soothing her: 'Zhao Xia, don't cry, Daddy will protect you—I'm not a junk collector…'

Lin Fuxing, seated at the piano, turned his head to look over.

He shouted angrily: 'Dad, are you missing a brain? Every time you come home you stir up trouble! What does "take it out on me" mean? Am I picked up? I…'

'Who let you butt in? Play the piano!'

Chu Lingxi glared back with a terrifying death stare, instantly making Lin Fuxing shrink his head, hastily turn back, sit properly, and bang on the keys aimlessly.

Whatever piece he was playing, anyway, neither old lady nor old man could tell.

Chu Lingxi also couldn't be bothered to deal with that idiot son any further.

She stepped forward a few paces, took Lin Zhao Xia from Lin Dongfan's arms, and set her on the sofa: 'Sit nicely there, don't move, watch your cartoon.'

Finally, she pulled Lin Dongfan toward the bedroom.

Once the door closed, the two children outside seemed to have nothing to do with her anymore; her anger faded, and her face lit up with an excited smile.

Just like when they were newly in love.

'Husband.'

Laughing, she wrapped her arms around Lin Dongfan's neck, then leapt onto him, legs entwining his waist!

Lin Dongfan, too, reacted instinctively, casually supporting her buttocks.

If he didn't support her with one hand, his aging waist really couldn't hold up.

Lin Dongfan said: 'I just got home, haven't even showered, I'm all sweaty—you wouldn't want me to do homework now, would you?'

'I don't mind.'

Chu Lingxi, who usually kept up her dance practice daily, although she had two children, her figure had recovered well, hardly changed from before giving birth.

Her legs, capable of doing the splits, were also excellent at wrapping.

She tightly coiled her legs around Lin Dongfan's waist, smiling and revealing two charming dimples: 'You haven't been home for three months; I miss you—let's have a quick meeting before the shower.'

'Hmm, that request is not excessive at all.'

At this moment, Lin Dongfan keenly felt the destructive power of 'lonely cold window, guarding solitude'—even hesitating a second would be an extremely irresponsible act.

Holding Chu Lingxi, he flung her onto the bed, and the thirty-minute meeting thus began.

During the meeting.

Lin Fuxing's knocking came through the door: 'Dad, your wife beats me every day, forcing me to learn the piano I don't want—do you even care?'

Chu Lingxi was so frightened she held her breath, not daring to make a single hum.

Lin Dongfan, while working, replied: 'Didn't hear your mom's wail? I'm disciplining her—go play in the living room for a bit.'

'Oh, go easy on her—after all, she's my real mom.'

Four-year-old Lin Fuxing's classmate, though a bit more mature than peers, still retained an innocent naiveté about the world, not knowing what a true wail is.

No one disturbed them outside anymore, and the two inside grew ever more playful.

Chu Lingxi also had her clever moments; to cover certain embarrassing sounds, she belatedly played a high-energy dance track on her phone, volume turned up to max.

Under the cover of the dance music, they could make whatever noises they wanted.

After half an hour of exertion, Chu Lingxi's face was flushed, while Lin Dongfan, exhausted like a spread-out puddle, rolled off the bed and leaned against the edge, lighting a cigarette.

'This time I should be able to conceive triplets, right?' Lin Dongfan still kept in mind the task assigned by his grandfather.

Chu Lingxi lay sprawled on the bed, her head rubbing against Lin Dongfan's arm, happy as a little woman unshakable for life: "The case is already settled, isn't it? This time you come back you can stay a few more days; you'll surely get pregnant."

"Mm, that makes sense." Lin Dongfan took a satisfying puff of his cigarette, then said: "This time I'm back, I have a major matter to discuss with you."

"What could be bigger than having three kids?" Chu Lingxi rolled over, looking at Lin Dongfan with a grin.

Lin Dongfan replied without hesitation: "You can't have both fish and bear's paw; if you go into politics you can't do business. I hope you can take over Zhengtong Capital and become its Chairman."

"Haha, honey, you're drunk, huh? Actually asking me to be Chairman." Chu Lingxi said: "I can't even handle two kids, and you want me to run such a big investment firm?"

"Who says you don't handle the kids well? I think you do a great job. Just now I said I'd discipline you— that idiot son is actually quite filial, huh? He even asked me to go easy on him." Lin Dongfan laughed happily.

Chu Lingxi replied dismissively: "Filial piety my ass; he's just scared I'll settle the score with him afterward. Don't look at him being only four— he's full of devious schemes, and I don't know who he inherited that from."

Saying that, Chu Lingxi gave Lin Dongfan a glance, intentional or not.

Lin Dongfan slowly exhaled a puff of fragrant smoke: "Like father, like son; I'm so outstanding, how could my son fall short? Our Lin family has had no useless genes from the root up."