It’s no wonder Lin Wangye, who usually rode on the coattails of power, was feeling the full impact of a classic ‘cool protagonist’ moment right now.
In his past life, even though he was a young master, Lin Wangye had always been easygoing and rarely got into conflicts. In most people’s eyes, he was just a simple-minded, straightforward rich kid who didn’t take life seriously.
The store employee started getting nervous the moment they saw their supervisor. And when the mall’s highest-ranking manager showed up, they were in full-blown panic mode. Forcing themselves to explain the situation, they kept things as vague as possible, desperately trying to justify their actions by saying, ‘The customer wasn’t present when their number was called, so they were skipped automatically.’
Hearing this nonsense, Lin Qianqian’s temper flared instantly. Just as she was about to explode, Lu Chengxuan, who had been standing silently beside her the whole time, suddenly spoke up.
“Go to the arcade downstairs and check the surveillance footage. Compare it with the message timestamp to see if we arrived within two minutes of getting the notification.”
The employee was instantly speechless, stammering but unable to come up with a proper response.
At this point, nearly 50% of the major shopping malls in Ningchang City were owned by the Lu family. As for the other 50%, a good chunk of them had Lu family investments, making it almost a complete monopoly.
And that was just ‘one’ part of the Lu family’s vast business empire.
If not for the current situation, even the highest-ranking executives of the mall could work for the Lu family their whole lives and never get a chance to meet Lu Chengxuan in person.
The moment Lu Chengxuan personally stepped in to address the issue, the general manager realized—this was the biggest crisis of his career.
If he didn’t handle this properly, all the years of hard work he had put in could go straight down the drain.
Of course, someone who had climbed this high wasn’t clueless when it came to problem-solving.
Without giving the employee any leeway, the general manager immediately lashed out, harshly reprimanding them for ignoring proper procedures and disrespecting customers.
The employee, after being scolded, kept bowing and apologizing, now a thousand times more sincere than before.
But the problem remained—there were only so many seats in the restaurant. No matter how much they regretted it, there was simply no available table. They couldn’t just kick out the diners who were already eating. And who knew how long the next table would take to free up?
Luckily, the general manager had already come prepared before showing up.
He turned to face Lin Qianqian, his attitude doing a complete 180. He took a menu from his recently arrived subordinate, holding it out to Lin Qianqian with both hands.
“Apologies, ma’am, but we don’t have any available seats at the moment. However, this barbecue place has great food. My friend had booked a private room, and after speaking with him, he’s happy to transfer it to you. How about we go there for a meal instead?”
Lin Qianqian took a quick glance at the menu and saw it was a popular barbecue spot known for long wait times. Private rooms were almost always fully booked, mostly reserved by the insiders.
It’s always good to know how to handle things. The general manager’s serious attitude in solving the problem made Lin Qianqian’s frustration ease, and she turned to Lin Wangye. “How about we go there?”
Lin Wangye, always easy to please, nodded enthusiastically. “Sure, sure.”
Lu Chengxuan also nodded, indicating he was fine with whatever. Lin Shen, however, was already half asleep, playing a game on his phone.
Lin Qianqian wasn’t planning to consult him, so she turned and said, “Let’s go with this place. Lead us there.”
The general manager quickly responded, bowing slightly and gesturing toward the direction. He personally led them over, all while carefully observing Lu Chengxuan’s expression and assuring Lin Qianqian that the matter would be dealt with seriously. Those responsible would be punished, and anyone needing to be fired would be let go. Plus, this meal would be fully covered, with the cost charged to his own account.
Lu Chengxuan walked alongside Lin Shen, carrying a bag of stuffed animals. Once he saw that Lin Qianqian was in a better mood, he didn’t say much more.
As the eldest daughter of the Lin family, Lin Qianqian was fully aware of Lu Chengxuan’s background and the somewhat awkward relationship between their families.
If Lu Chengxuan were like Lin Wangye with a nice personality, that would be one thing.
But he was a quiet, closed-off person, so Lin Qianqian wasn’t particularly interested in trying to be friendly with him. At the dinner table, she chatted with Lin Wangye the whole time, ignoring the two across from them.
Lin Wangye’s orphan status always triggered the motherly instincts in everyone.
When Lin Qianqian found out about his background, she couldn’t help but feel deeply sorry for him. She fussed over him, offering warmth and even money, making sure he wasn’t cold or hungry.
Lin Wangye was too embarrassed to accept it, and it took quite a bit of effort to politely refuse her generosity.
Realizing that no one else except her useless little brother could so comfortably accept money, Lin Qianqian decided to drop it. She shifted her focus to asking about sizes, thinking of buying some clothes and shoes for the kid.
Though it was their first meeting, Lin Wangye had been raised by his aunt, so the bond from their past life naturally resurfaced, and they quickly fell back into that comfortable, familiar rhythm.
On the other hand, Lin Shen seemed almost out of place, quietly eating his meal without engaging in the conversation.
In the previous restaurant, each table would’ve had a dedicated waiter, but this barbecue place was slightly cheaper, with a higher flow of customers. Each server had to look after several tables, so they couldn’t attend to everyone in detail.
But none of them really minded.
Lu Chengxuan knew exactly how long each type of meat should be grilled for the best flavor, so he naturally took over the grilling. He carefully placed each piece on the grill, and when it was done, he cut it into equal portions, using tongs to serve each person their share.
Lin Wangye and Lin Qianqian always thanked him, but Lin Shen was unusually comfortable with it. Not only was he not polite at all, but he even specifically asked Lu Chengxuan to grill his favorite pieces for him.
The more Lin Wangye got to know the young Lin Shen, the more he admired Lu Chengxuan’s calm, easygoing temperament.
If the two of them hadn’t fallen out because Lu Chengxuan had reached his breaking point, Lin Wangye couldn’t think of any other possible reason for it.
After the meal, Lin Shen and Lu Chengxuan went to the bathroom one after the other.
With a chance to be alone with Lin Qianqian, Lin Wangye’s mind quickly shifted gears. He leaned over to her and quietly asked, “Sister, can I ask you something?”
Hearing the word ‘sister’ made Lin Qianqian feel a bit dazed, but also happy.
“What is it?”
“I’ve always been curious,” Lin Wangye began. “What exactly did Lin Shen and Uncle Lin argue about? Why doesn’t he go back home?”
Lin Wangye didn’t have high hopes for an answer.
It was family business, and Lin Shen had never spoken about it, so his sister might not either.
To Lin Wangye’s surprise, Lin Qianqian, who was touching up her lipstick in front of the mirror, pressed her lips together, lowered her head, and calmly closed the lipstick case. Without hesitation, she said, “I don’t know what got into him, but he suddenly came to my dad, said he liked men. My dad’s blood pressure shot up, and you think he could come back home after that?”
“…”
What?
Came out?
Likes what!?
Lin Wangye’s breath caught in his throat, his mind went blank, and he seriously doubted he had heard incorrectly, thinking he might have hallucinated the whole thing.
In fact, at that moment, Lin Wangye would rather believe that Lu Chengxuan was Emperor Qin Shi Huang.
After living eighteen years, he never imagined that one day he’d find out that the father he had called ‘Dad’ for eighteen years liked men. The shock this news gave him was beyond anything his mind could comprehend.
Lin Qianqian didn’t look like she was joking, nor was there any reason for her to make up something like this.
And even if his father had been in some wild mood, itching for a fight, there was no way he’d come up with such an absurd excuse.
Liked men.
Men…
Lin Wangye was in a daze, his mind blank, unable to process it for a long while. Finally, after a long pause, a thought popped up in his head like a floating comment.
Where did I come from?
Where am I from!?
Was I just some random kid tossed into his pocket one day after passing by a trash can?
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
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