Chapter 32 Lin Zhi suspected that he might even want to be with Lin Qing…

“Can I call the police?” After safely arriving at Lin Zhi’s house, Yao Wenjing asked.

Lin Zhi sighed silently. It’s only right to repay debts, but calling the police probably wouldn’t help.

“Of course,” Lu Liu, who had come along, replied. “If they’re threatening your personal safety or property.”

As it stands, neither of those situations had occurred yet, and Lu Liu continued, “Actually, they’re not after you—they want to find your dad more than anything.”

Lin Zhi subtly tugged on Lu Liu’s sleeve. Lu Liu didn’t understand the situation at Yao Wenjing’s home. Yao Kangping was clearly a man without responsibility, he could hide in places even loan sharks couldn’t find. How could Yao Wenjing possibly locate him?

It was impossible for Yao Kangping to appear again. In the previous life, when Lin Zhi visited Yao Wenjing’s house again, that old house had already changed ownership. Now that he thought about it, it was likely that Yao Kangping had mortgaged the house.

From the beginning, Yao Kangping never considered that he had a son who would be tied to his debts, homeless, or even have his life ruined.

“Xiao Jing,” Lin Zhi said reluctantly, “Your dad… he might have already run away.”

Yao Wenjing, who understood his father well, lowered his head and murmured, “Hmm.”

“Also,” Lin Zhi gritted his teeth and gave him a warning, “The house is likely under your dad’s name. If he doesn’t come back, there’s a high chance it will be divided up.”

Yao Wenjing lowered his head even further.

After that, Yao Wenjing stayed at Lin Zhi’s house. Lin Zhi explained the situation to Lin Qingye, who, having been in the workforce for many years, was much more composed. He invited a few old friends to help mediate with the lenders.

As Lin Zhi expected, when Yao Kangping borrowed money from the loan sharks, the lenders, seeing him idle and irresponsible, had indeed asked for the house as collateral.

However, the house itself was old and dilapidated, barely worth the principal. These men had been waiting outside Yao Wenjing’s house every day, hoping to recover the high interest.

When the lenders lent money to Yao Kangping, they had already investigated his background and knew he had a son. They wanted to use the “son repays the father’s debt” strategy to force Lin Qingye to hand over Yao Wenjing.

But Lin Qingye wasn’t foolish. Yao Wenjing didn’t inherit his father’s property, so he wasn’t obligated to pay off the debt. Furthermore, Yao Wenjing still had a few months before turning 18. Lin Qingye felt a deep sympathy for him and, from the beginning, protected him well, never letting him face the creditors.

After the house was seized by the lenders, Lin Qingye personally went to Yao Wenjing’s home and packed up all the important documents and his belongings, bringing them back to his own house so that Yao Wenjing could settle in comfortably.

During that time, the words Yao Wenjing said most often were “Thank you,” thanking Lin Zhi one moment, and Lin Qingye the next. Lin Zhi even suspected he was close to kneeling down before Lin Qingye.

Three days after the matter was resolved, the results of the college entrance exam came out.

Both Lin Zhi and Yao Wenjing had scored according to their abilities, and the scores were enough for them to attend their desired schools.

However, on the night before they had to fill out their university applications, Yao Wenjing hesitated and told Lin Zhi he didn’t want to attend college anymore.

“Why?” Lin Zhi frowned. “Isn’t this your dream?”

“I just suddenly don’t want to go to school anymore,” Yao Wenjing didn’t dare to look Lin Zhi in the eye. He lowered his gaze and said, “It feels exhausting, and I want to work.”

“Bullshit!” Lin Zhi swore angrily. He grabbed Yao Wenjing’s shoulder and said, “Look at me and tell me the truth. Is it about money?”

Before Yao Wenjing could say the excuse he had prepared, Lin Zhi continued, “Don’t do this. My dad said he’ll take care of it.”

“I’ve already caused enough trouble for you and uncle,” Yao Wenjing said softly. “How can I…”

Lin Zhi didn’t want to waste more time on excuses. He interrupted him and loudly shouted toward the door, “Dad—come to my room for a second—”