Chen Ling was not stupid, just accustomed to things going smoothly and being unable to control his temper at his young age. When he realized things were not going well, he became angry out of shame.
Now, after Lan Shi’s reminder, he realized his mistake and immediately smiled.
“Mother, are you saying…”
“Shh, I didn’t say anything.”
Lan Shi covered her mouth with her hand and raised her voice. “Ling’er, hurry up. Your father can barely see the road!”
Chen Ling regained his composure and knew that his actions had angered his father.
He immediately responded, carrying the lantern and striding forward.
“Father, it was my fault. I shouldn’t have let Brother go out alone, and I shouldn’t have let Wang Tiezhu’s words about Brother make me lose my mind and argue with Silly Zhao.”
After catching up with Chen Guangren, Chen Ling used the lantern to light the way for him while apologizing, and also didn’t forget to express his grievances, “But Father, I do care about Brother. I was just afraid that Silly Zhao was lying. If we found out too late, even if we were angry, we wouldn’t dare to speak up for Brother’s reputation.”
She sounded pitiful. Although Chen Guangren was still angry, he thought of her usual good behavior and his tone softened, only scolding, “Even if you want to seek justice for Jiu-ger, you should prioritize. Jiu-ger is still unconscious. What’s the use of arguing with others?”
“Besides, how do you know that Zhao Chen wasn’t telling the truth? Now you’ve wronged him!”
Chen Ling was furious with Chen Jiu and Zhao Chen, but didn’t dare to anger her father further and nodded, “It was Ling’er’s fault. I won’t wrong people indiscriminately in the future. Please forgive me, Father!”
“Yes, Ling’er was just confused for a moment. After all, we’ve never encountered such a situation before.” Lan Shi agreed.
Chen Guangren snorted but said nothing.
A moment later, he carried Chen Jiu along a shady path.
The moonlight was completely obscured by the dense leaves, making it impossible to move forward without the lantern’s light.
Finally, Chen Guangren spoke. “Aren’t you going to light the way?”
This meant he planned to put the past behind them.
“Yes, Father!” Chen Ling responded.
Chen Jiu had originally been touched by his father’s protection and concern, but upon hearing Chen Ling’s cheerful tone, his heart sank.
If he hadn’t been reborn and vomited the medicine, he might have been harmed by that scoundrel Qian Yun…
Why should this vicious mother and daughter be forgiven so easily?
Chen Jiu felt a block in his heart but refrained from exposing the truth immediately.
After Chen Guangren carried him back to the Chen family house and gently placed him on the bed in the bedroom, Chen Jiu pretended to wake up slowly, looking at Chen Guangren with a dazed expression, “Father?”
“Jiu-ger, you’re awake?” Chen Guangren said with surprise, a smile spreading across his honest face.
In his previous life, Chen Jiu had not seen his father for over three years before his death. Keeping his eyes closed earlier made it less obvious, but now seeing his father’s tenderness and concern, Chen Jiu’s eyes turned red.
Chen Guangren, unaware of his thoughts, assumed he felt wronged and quickly asked, “Silly child, why are you crying? Who bullied you? Tell Father, and I’ll stand up for you!”
“It’s nothing, don’t worry, Father.” Chen Jiu quickly shook his head, raising his hand to rub his eyes.
Not wanting to show his vulnerability, he changed the subject, “Did Silly Zhao bring me back?”
As soon as Chen Guangren heard this, the smile disappeared from his face. With a stern expression, he said, “You’re still asking about Silly Zhao? Don’t you know your own condition? Going so far for a walk! It’s a good thing Silly Zhao isn’t actually silly anymore and saved you, or else…”
“Father, what are you talking about? I didn’t go out to unwind!” Chen Jiu interrupted his father’s words, looking shocked.
