Chapter 666

Lin Dongfan chatted with the old master for over half an hour in the shade of the trees in the courtyard.

In the end, the two seemed to reach a tacit understanding; Lin Dongfan stubbornly denied having an illegitimate child outside, and the old master stopped pressing.

It was past seven in the evening.

Lin Zhenhua, usually busy with official duties, made a special trip home; after dinner he alone summoned Lin Dongfan to the study and asked him: "Over these two years and nine months, do you hate me?"

This question stirred up mixed feelings in Lin Dongfan.

In 2014, the sentencing scene at the Place Intermediate People's Court again surfaced in Lin Dongfan's mind.

Back then, although it caused a major casualty toll of four dead and nine injured.

But that incident was not completely without room for maneuver.

Lin Dongfan could have defended himself on grounds of "justifiable defense" and "legality of official conduct," and with the Lin family's influence, ensuring his innocence was not difficult.

However…

Lin Zhenhua ultimately made a ruthless decision, demanding that Lin Dongfan bravely bear the consequences—in other words, demanding that Lin Dongfan give up his defense.

Because of this, Lin Zhenhua's elder sister Lin Yuzhi even had a big argument with him.

In the end, she could not overcome Lin Zhenhua, who held real power.

The main reason Lin Zhenhua did not protect Lin Dongfan was that the incident was spread online, causing a major social impact.

On the social level:

Regardless of whether Lin Dongfan was truly a public servant serving the people, many ordinary folks first slapped him with labels like "red third generation" and "bureaucrat."

The online spectators also didn't care what the truth actually was.

After the heinous incident occurred, their first reaction was to complain, and the entire internet was filled with this mocking voice: "Do red third generations get away with murder without going to jail?"

In the eyes of those netizens who don't distinguish right from wrong, Lin Dongfan deserved death.

This is the group psychology described in *The Crowd*: they are innately hostile toward power groups like "red third generations" and "bureaucrats," believing all crows under heaven are equally black.

To quell social doubts, Lin Zhenhua chose to "sacrifice" Lin Dongfan, instructing the judicial authorities to handle Lin Dongfan's case seriously.

In the end, Lin Dongfan was sentenced to three years in prison.

In the early days of his imprisonment, Lin Dongfan did indeed have some complaints, once suspecting that Lin Zhenhua sacrificed family members to consolidate his power.

Later Lin Dongfan came to terms, believing that his uncle Lin Zhenhua merely weighed the pros and cons between "the government's social credibility" and "family personal freedom," making a reluctant choice.

From the perspective of a ruler, the government's social credibility outweighs everything.

Though much time has passed, Lin Dongfan had long let go; he did not expect his uncle to bring it up again today, seeing his regretful expression, he also felt a hint of guilt.

Lin Dongfan frankly said: "Uncle, I understand what you did back then; you needn't blame yourself. Now it's also fine—being free of office, I can do what I want."

"As long as you understand, I too am often helpless." Lin Zhenhua, filled with emotion, patted Lin Dongfan's shoulder and added: "Let me say something lofty—I am not just the son of the Lin family, but also the son of the whole nation. Sitting in this position, I too am treading on thin ice, and must discipline myself before disciplining others."

"I understand."

After so many years in officialdom, Lin Dongfan also deeply feels the meaning of "treading on thin ice"; before the final moment, you never know who nearby is human and who is a ghost.

Just like Wan Daochen, who once governed Baiyue Province, when he discovered that his personal secretary was actually someone else's spy, Wan Daochen also felt a chill down his spine, worrying day and night to the point of losing sleep and appetite.

Lin Dongfan brewed a cup of tea for Lin Zhenhua.

He also told Lin Zhenhua: "Uncle, I now want to earnestly pursue a career. Could you say hello to the Ministry of Science and Technology? I'd like to meet its leaders. This request isn't too much, is it? I also wish to contribute to the nation's scientific development."

"If your Zhengtong Group achieves breakthrough progress in tough technological fields, you won't need to seek them out—they'll come to you on their own."

Lin Zhenhua sat down and took a sip of tea.

Suddenly shifting tone, he said: "But I still hope you will seriously consider returning to politics, leaving business matters to others. Zhengtong Group, under Ye Jiaying's management, is developing steadily; as of now, she is someone worthy of your trust with important responsibilities, so you needn't worry about Zhengtong Group's future prospects."

Upon hearing this, Lin Dongfan was still somewhat surprised.

Earlier that day, the old master had given Ye Jiaying a high evaluation; unexpectedly, this high-ranking uncle of his also rated her so highly.

Even more unexpected to Lin Dongfan was that his uncle would actually tell him to abandon business and return to politics.

Lin Dongfan found it hard to grasp at first, frowning as he asked: "I've just gotten out of prison; how could I return to politics? That's unrealistic."

"I intend to have the judicial authorities retry your case and vindicate you." Lin Zhenhua lifted his tea, gently blew to cool it, appearing confident.

The more Lin Dongfan listened, the more puzzled he became: "Then wouldn't I have wasted those years in prison?"

"That prison time wasn't wasted." Lin Zhenhua explained calmly: "Back then, you were found guilty to quell social doubts, for the greater good. Now retrying the case, this is our Lin family's resolve; we have no reason to bear this guilt for no reason."

"Uncle, if you're going to retry my case, I have no objection, but returning to politics…" Lin Dongfan started to speak then stopped, his face full of conflict.

Lin Zhenhua obviously understood Lin Dongfan's meaning.

He took a file from the drawer and threw it in front of Lin Dongfan: "A major case—first see if you're interested before deciding; don't rush to refuse me."

Lin Dongfan picked up the file and glanced at it, finding it boring.

It was just an ordinary corruption case involving a senior executive of the state-owned Jiguang Group—Qian Weibing—nothing noteworthy.

Lin Dongfan said: "For such a case, there's no need for me to return to politics, right?"

"Qian Weibing confessed that someone at Jiguang Group leaked core technology and confidential data to foreign intelligence agencies, and moreover, Jiguang Group has deep ties with Li Hengbo's Rebirth Group."

When mentioning Li Hengbo, Lin Zhenhua glanced at Lin Dongfan's reaction; as expected, hearing that name triggered an intense emotional response from Lin Dongfan.

Lin Zhenhua smiled and continued to gently blow on his hot tea.

Soon, Lin Dongfan's voice volunteered for the task: "I'm willing to take this on; after eliminating Li Hengbo, I can resign later—no problem. Where do you plan to place me?"

"Currently, the relevant departments are implementing judicial reform, planning to abolish the anti-corruption bureau under the procuratorate, merge the anti-corruption department with the Commission for Discipline Inspection, and rename it the Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision."

Lin Zhenhua took a sip of tea to moisten his throat.

He continued: "Wait a bit; once your case retrial concludes, it will coincide with the abolition of the anti-corruption bureau, and then I'll assign you a specific post."