Chapter 144: Lack of Consideration

（1）

The air was almost silent to the point of dead stillness.

One minute, three minutes, a full five minutes passed.

Shu Lingchen stood frozen in place, Pei Du's sentence automatically evolving in his mind, then replaying over and over with a 360-degree turn and reverb.

I. am. your. dad.

?

There's a feeling of having been scolded.

Ha!

Shu Lingchen laughed angrily, repeatedly saying in a yin-yang weird tone: "Six, six, six, six-six-six, now you're not even acting anymore?"

In a lawful society, under bright heavens, human traffickers again wish to begin their evil schemes!

It's simply too arrogant!

In the boy's pitch-black eyes burned a small blaze; he decided to go all out against Pei Du, but glanced at Pei Du's shoulder.

Damn, even seated he looks solid; plus I saw his skills in broad daylight—he's agile.

Can't. beat. him.

Shu Lingchen immediately looked left and right—searching for a weapon to use if a fight broke out later.

After a long while, he only found a pillow that had been beaten.

At that moment, he caught a glimpse of Pei Du's hand on his knee moving slightly.

What are you doing?!

Shu Lingchen instantly freaked out, instinctively grabbed the pillow and held it defensively in front of himself, then started speaking incoherently at Pei Du.

Although I know I'm not bad—ambitious, excellent, somewhat handsome—it's natural that many would want me as their son to bring them honor, but I also despise evil and cannot coexist with anyone who breaks the law and morals!

You'd better just give up on that idea!

His tone was tough, but Shu Lingchen still felt uneasy, his mind in a frantic storm:

He's rich and powerful; if he were to act shady like in TV dramas, one day he could send a bunch of black-clad people to ambush him on his way home from school, abducting him without anyone noticing.

Locked in a dark room, tortured into confessing.

He could imagine his mother and sister searching the world for him in vain, tear-stained and sorrowful all day, while he remained in a basement just a wall away from them, constantly missing each other.

That missed connection could span over ten years; by the time police rescued him, he'd probably have white hair.

As he thought and imagined himself in that scenario, Shu Lingchen shivered, then looked at Pei Du with death-defying resolve, declaring firmly: "No matter what means you use, I will not yield!"

Pei Du: ……

No one knows how much he hesitated just before he was about to speak.

Even when signing those several business agreements where losing meant ruin, Pei Du didn't even twitch an eyebrow.

But now, his emotions were occupied by tension and unease.

He wondered what reaction his son would have after he spoke, and what attitude his son would have toward him.

Would it be aversion, rejection, or perhaps hatred?

Oh, it turns out his consideration wasn't thorough enough; he should have explained more clearly, forgetting that his son's thought process is… more amazing and cute than ordinary people.

Those two short sentences first praised him from head to toe, and then within just a few minutes his imagination had run wild to who knows where.

Earlier, seeing Yinyin face her son, there had been several instances of her rubbing her forehead.

At that time, he didn't notice.

And now Pei Du also felt like rubbing his forehead, seeing his son's imagination about to blast into outer space, he paused, then said: "I really am Lingchen's dad."

Shu Lingchen opened his mouth, looking like he was about to rebut.

Pei Du directly added: "He is the father related by blood to Lingchen."

Shu Lingchen blinked: "?"

"Mu Yin, that is, the sister, is not what Lingchen thought…… I kidnapped her." Upon hitting a certain word, the usually composed Pei Du couldn't help a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, he said: "Mu Yin, she is my biological daughter."

Before Shu Lingchen could react a second time, Pei Du lifted his eyelids, his dark, cold pupils locking onto the boy's gaze, his low voice clear: "And Lingchen, too, is my biological son."

"I get it now… Yin… Shu Shu isn't Lingchen's aunt; she's the mother of Mu Yin and Lingchen."

……

Just a few short sentences.

A huge amount of information rushed at Shu Lingchen.

If his brain were likened to a CPU, then in this second its function would be directly burnt out, even emitting gray smoke.

What is the human trafficker saying?

It sounds like it's not Chinese, otherwise he wouldn't be having trouble understanding it.

Shu Lingchen stared blankly at Pei Du, only seeing the boy blink, then walk over to Pei Du as if nothing was wrong, handing over the pillow in his hand with a pleading expression.

Trouble, please hit me hard.

He definitely feels no pain, because he's dreaming.

No wonder, no wonder he feels so surreal—first a little demon's skin is Pei Du, then Pei Du not only knows his and his mother's secret, but also claims to be his father.

He must have been exhausted from playing baseball this afternoon, came back and didn't bother to shower, just lay down on the bed and slept deeply, then had this dream.

Right, yes.

Hahahahaha!

What a bizarre dream; when he wakes up he'll definitely tell his mom, who might also be surprised.

Shu Lingchen frowned, dead serious, still waiting for Pei Du to smash him with the pillow.

……

In the quiet room, a man's faint, helpless sigh could be heard. Pei Du did not reach for the pillow; he lowered his gaze, lifted his arm, and took hold of the boy's hand that hung at his side, pillow-less.

He gave it a light pinch.

"Ah——" a painful cry like a screaming chicken.

Pei Du let go after only two seconds.

After being released, Shu Lingchen instinctively covered the hand that had been pinched.

Good! Pain!

Then, after the brief pain faded, a wave of shock and disbelief surged in from all sides.

It seemed he could no longer deceive himself.

——Not a dream.

——It's real.

——Everything is real.

Shu Lingchen's movements seemed slowed to half speed; the boy turned his head with a creaking sound, looking at Pei Du with an indescribable gaze, his voice trembling:

"You…… are you human or a ghost?"

(2)

Pei Du expected the feedback he would get from his son after being frank.

At most surprise or bewilderment.

But…… fear?

——"You're human, or a ghost?"

In less than a breath, Pei Du inferred that his status with his son had always been:

Death.

He did not explain right away; instead, he solemnly reached out again to his son: "Want to verify whether I am real?"

""

Shu Lingchen touched his still slightly painful claw.

No need to verify this.

Just now it could already be proved; the person before him truly exists.

But!

But!!

But!!!

But he still couldn't accept it; the boy had always believed his mother's words without doubt. After taking a few deep breaths, he couldn't help but shake his head firmly: "Impossible, absolutely impossible! What kind of international joke is this? My dad is clearly already dead! Where did you come from?!"

"Oh?" Pei Du showed no surprise: "Who told Lingchen that?"

Shu Lingchen did not answer.

His gaze at Pei Du carried doubt.

This person threw out several heavyweight bombs like firecrackers, making him feel as if he were being deceived.

He wouldn't tell who said it; don't even try to pump him for information!

The next second.

Pei Du: "Is it Mom?"

A statement, with an affirmative tone.

""

Facing the boy's wary expression, Pei Du laid his cards on the table: "I know about Mom's rebirth."

""

Whether this person is aware of it or not.

The moment he opens his mouth, he speaks earth-shattering, ghost-weeping words.

"……You, you really know everything?" Shu Lingchen couldn't believe it, his scalp almost tearing apart, utterly puzzled: "No, how do you know?"

And——

"How can you still be so calm?!"

This is what Shu Lingchen finds most incomprehensible.

His mom…… is eighteen.

Rebirth plus time-travel to the future is such a fantastical, bizarre thing.

Ordinary people wouldn't dig into this direction, then easily choose to believe; even if they did, wouldn't they be lightly scared silly or heavily faint on the spot?

Pei Du: "Lingchen seems to have accepted this quite naturally."

"Of course." Shu Lingchen unconsciously lifted his chin, pursed his lips: "Because I'm not an ordinary person."

""

A child who doesn't indulge in self-doubt or feel inferior is probably something every parent wishes for.

Pei Du thought silently, then gestured with his hand: "So now, can I have a good talk with Lingchen?"

Shu Lingchen glanced at the sofa behind him; just right, he was also tired from standing, so he plopped down into a sitting position.

But after sitting down.

Silence.

Silence.

Still silence.

A prolonged quiet spread between the father and son sitting face to face.

Shu Lingchen couldn't help but ask: "My mom, she also knows that you know?"

"Hmm."

Having gotten this answer, Shu Lingchen wasn't too surprised; this person acting so calm and composed must have already had a showdown with Mom.

Pei Du pushed the plate of chilled watermelon toward his son, and in a fairly natural tone asked: "Lingchen, can you tell me how I "died"?"

What a horrible weird question.

It's like a lingering soul asking the living about their own past.

It feels like a ghost movie.

"You..." Shu Lingchen's expression was somewhat indescribable: "You "died", quite... quite..."

He fumbled for words for a moment before finding one he thought fitting.

"You died, quite varied."

"Are you sure you want to hear?"

Pei Du nodded: "I'd like to hear the details."

Shu Lingchen cleared his throat, put on his serious face for important matters: "You died a total of three times."

Pei Du: "Hmm, first time?"

"You were a fisherman; when you went out to sea to fish, a shark ate you."

Pei Du: "Hmm, second time?"

"You, you were a street sweeper; when you went to work in the morning, a passing car... hit and killed you."

Pei Du: "Hmm, third time?"

Besides "hmm", this person had no reaction; when Shu Lingchen got to the third time, speaking and speaking his tone grew weak: "You, you were a pilot; flying halfway up, the plane exploded, you were blown to bits... died."

"Are these all what Mom said?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm." Pei Du listened, nodded, lowered his eyes and evaluated: "Indeed, quite rich."

Shu Lingchen: "..."

Hey hey hey.

If he didn't missee, this person just curled the corner of his mouth a bit.

What is he laughing at?

Strangely, there's also a sweet feeling.

No.

What's there to be sweet about?!

Shu Lingchen still immersed in disbelief, glanced askance at Pei Du, muttering: "You really... are my dad?"

"Yes."

"... Then how exactly do you know all this?"

First, we can rule out Mom proactively telling him this, so Shu Lingchen is especially curious about Pei Du's thought process, how he determined it.

"DNA testing."

Shu Lingchen: "..."

Well, well, despicable!

They actually used an irrefutable scientific method!

"Sorry, after repeatedly considering how to tell you this, I didn't expect to still scare you." Pei Du said: "There's no intention to force you to accept me as your dad."

"But there's also some of my own selfish motives."

"I want to know what a qualified father looks like in your mind; I might not be able to pass, but I'll strive to meet your expectations."

Besides, Shu Lingchen as a child had indeed thought about this more than once.

——If his dad weren't dead, what would his ideal dad be like?

So he just blurted out:

"First, he has to be handsome."

"Otherwise how could he produce such a handsome kid?"

Shu Lingchen glanced at Pei Du's face... Oh, barely passes, just a bit worse than him.

=? =

He also said: "Second, he has to be strong."

"Otherwise how could he protect Mom and, now there's also a little sister."

Shu Lingchen glanced at Pei Du's shoulders.

That day seeing him play ball in a short-sleeve, usually he looks cold and aloof, didn't expect his arms to have just-right bulging muscles.

Also fits.

"Third, he has to be wealthy and know how to make money."

"Otherwise how could he support this family?"

After saying that, Shu Lingchen realized those three points pretty much fit Pei Du...

That's also too simple, right?

The teenager furrowed his brows, directly raising the bar on the spot:

"Fourth, he has to know how to cook, make it especially tasty, cook every meal, the kind where Mom doesn't have to lift a finger."

Shu Lingchen paused, recalling that Pei Du always cooked for them when he came back, and it was delicious.

"Fifth, he has to have a sense of responsibility, be patient no matter when or where, never lose his temper!"

While speaking, Shu Lingchen was simultaneously thinking that, before this, in his impression, Pei Du's personality was somewhat aloof, but in front of them, his tone and manner were quite gentle, never carrying any negative emotions.

"Sixth, he will protect his family, always standing on their side."

Shu Lingchen also recalled how, in the game, he had been scolded and mocked by opponents, while Pei Du, wearing a little devil's disguise, sent him skins, sent him to the top of the rich list, and even, when they were playing ball during the day, directly ordered that guy to apologize to him.

Hiss—

Shu Lingchen suddenly felt that he wasn't talking about expectations for his dad, but rather speaking according to Pei Du himself.

He couldn't even find a flaw to pick!

No, how... it's so perfect???

Wait——

Shu Lingchen narrowed his eyes, his gaze sharp as he looked at Pei Du: "Wrong, if you're this good, why did my mom still dump you?"