Chapter 664: Son's Escape Reaction

Gave Yang Qing three days to collect Li Hengbo's information and life trajectory.

Before he had this information, Lin Dongfan had no intention of launching his revenge plan; he figured he'd just give himself a three‑day break to adjust from prison to the bustling world.

Lin Dongfan often felt that his rebirth might merely be a hallucination before death, a dream of a lifetime.

From a lowly ant in the market, he transformed into the Lin family's legitimate heir.

From a tiny screw in the bureaucracy, he rose to become the Anti‑Corruption Bureau Director, then later turned into a criminal who flew into a rage for a beauty.

After serving his time, he plunged into the business world, his ideal sword pointing straight at the richest person on earth.

All of this feels utterly unreal.

But when he clutched his chest, it really hurt, it was all too real. Su Yuhong really died, dying for him. In this world, no words can express that true, bone‑deep anguish.

In this life he has two or three sons and a daughter, yet none of them were born to Su Yuhong.

Thus, the fortune‑teller seems unreliable—at least he didn't get Su Yuhong's ending right.

But as Comrade Li Shangyin of the Tang said, "This feeling can become a memory later; it was just vague back then." Those regrets that cannot be spoken of can only be buried deep in the heart, digested silently.

By the time he got home it was already late at night.

Both children were already fast asleep.

Lin Dongfan gently pushed open the door to his daughter Zhao Xia's room. The little girl was five and a half, in the senior kindergarten class. Indeed, girls change dramatically—she kept getting prettier, just like her mother.

Lin Dongfan bent down and kissed her chubby little cheek.

Then he helped her straighten the kicked‑aside pink blanket, tiptoed out of the room, closed the door, fearing to wake his precious daughter's sweet dreams.

"Honey, want a drink before bed?"

Once back home with no one to restrain her, Chu Lingxi completely let loose. Even though it was past midnight, she felt no trace of sleepiness.

"Drink if you want." Lin Dongfan indulged Chu Lingxi's every wish: "Is there any steak left in the fridge? Go fry two pieces; I'll be over soon."

"Sure, I love steak with red wine."

In their private world undisturbed by outsiders, Chu Lingxi was like a swan set free, stepping lightly as she glided toward the fridge.

Lin Dongfan first went to the bathroom, and after finishing he pushed open his son's door.

He saw his son Lin Fusheng clutching a huge teddy bear, sleeping on his side, the pillow soaked in a large patch of drool.

Lin Dongfan raised his hand and slapped his son's butt with a sharp "pia!"

At the same time he bellowed, "Hurry up and get up! The house is on fire……

The next second.

Lin Fusheng sprang up as if hearing the call of the Grim Reaper and bolted outside. Still half‑asleep, he didn't even notice Lin Dongfan standing by the bed.

He didn't even have time to put on his shoes.

He burst into his sister's room barefoot, shouting, "Sis, the house is on fire—run!" He shook the sleeping Zhao Xia awake and dragged her out, sprinting toward the door.

This frantic scene left Lin Dongfan staring, dumbfounded.

Am I invisible?

Can't you see me?

Just as Lin Dongfan wondered about his own presence, Chu Lingxi's angry shout rang from the living room: "Lin Fusheng, what are you doing dragging your sister out at this hour? Looking for a spanking?"

"The house is on fire and you're not running? Mom, hurry up and follow."

Lin Fusheng dragged his sister Zhao Xia in a frantic sprint; when he hit the elevator button he paused, thinking it over, and realized how dangerous it would be to take the elevator in a fire—if they got stuck they'd be like roasted suckling pig.

"Let's take the stairs."

Lin Fusheng again pulled his dazed sister Zhao Xia straight for the fire escape.

He raced from the twelfth floor down to the first in one breath.

He was dead serious about escaping.

He stood downstairs looking up; the lights were on in his apartment but no smoke poured from the windows, making him wonder: "Was I just dreaming? Did no fire actually happen?"

He scratched his head, thinking hard for a while.

He asked his sister Zhao Xia, "Did you smell anything burnt just now?"

Zhao Xia sniffed, shook her head, and replied, "No."

"Silly sis, you can't smell it in here. I mean, did you notice any burnt smell while we were still inside?" Lin Fusheng pressed.

Zhao Xia thought a moment: "I did smell something burnt in the kitchen earlier, like the scorched odor when Mom cooks."

"That doesn't make sense—why isn't there any smoke coming from the kitchen?"

Lin Fuxing stared up at the kitchen window on the twelfth floor, growing more convinced something was off.

He muttered, puzzled: "I thought I heard someone call me just now—a male voice. We're the only male in the house; am I dreaming?"

"Could it be Dad coming back?" Zhao Xia asked.

Lin Fuxing thought for a moment, then took Zhao Xia's hand and headed back: "Come on, let's go settle scores with that Old Six!" He recalled that Mom had said yesterday, when she went to her parents' house, that Dad would be home soon.

They took the elevator upstairs, entered, and looked around.

On the dining table lay two plates of freshly seared snow‑marbled steak and a plate of sliced fresh fruit. Dad and Mom each held a glass of red wine, clinking them together.

Romantic red candles flickered on the table.

Lin Fuxing instantly felt that he and his sister were superfluous.

Fuming, he stepped forward and demanded, "Aren't you afraid of being struck by heavenly thunder?"

"Who are you talking to? Show some respect!" Lin Dongfan rebuked sternly.

Lin Fuxing glared at his father, righteous and bold: "Wasn't it you who slapped me awake, then lied and said the house was on fire?"

"I did wake you up, but I never told you to run. You're blind as a bat—who's to blame?" In the art of being a scoundrel, Lin Dongfan is an expert.

Lin Fuxing seemed to know that Old Six was unreasonable.

He then turned his accusation toward Chu Lingxi:

"Mom, as soon as your husband gets back, he spreads rumors! He's deceiving his own son—is that appropriate?"

"It turns out you two lured me and my sister out just so you could enjoy the good life here and have your own little world."

"If my sister and I are surplus, why did you bother giving birth to us?"

"You're going too far!"

"What strong resentment, but it doesn't affect Chu Lingxi at all as she and her husband enjoy a candlelit dinner. She sets down her stemmed wine glass, picks up her knife and fork, and slowly cuts the steak."

"She advises while cutting: 'Your dad just came back; take advantage of his good mood—I suggest you hurry back to your room to sleep, don't cause trouble here.'"

"You're not being reasonable, are you?" Lin Fuxing turns his gaze to Lin Dongfan again: "Hey you, Old Six, I'm asking you—am I really your biological son?"

"No sooner had he spoken than Chu Lingxi shot him a glare: 'How dare you talk to your father like that! You're asking for a beating, aren't you?'"

"I'm not wrong—stop trying to scare me." Lin Fuxing presses Lin Dongfan: "You've been treating me like an idiot since you got back; can't I say a couple of things to you?"

"I'm still quite pleased with your performance tonight, honestly. At least you brought your sister along in a crisis instead of just running for yourself." Lin Dongfan emphasized calmly: "You have perfectly inherited my fine qualities—you are absolutely my biological son, no doubt about it."

"So you woke me up for no reason—are you just itching to test me, or what?" Lin Fusheng still held back his anger.

Lin Dongfan cut a small piece of steak and stuffed it into his mouth.

Although it was a pan-fried steak, he chewed it with relish. After finishing that bite of charred steak, he raised his wine glass and took a sip of red wine.

Then he calmly replied to Lin Fusheng: "Just consider me testing you—congratulations, you got full marks. Now you can go back to your room to sleep; sweet dreams."