Chapter 59: “I mean, the two of you are in a relationship…”

Lin Qingye took the tangerine and silently peeled it. Lin Zhi and Yao Wenjing waited quietly beside him, and for a moment, the only sound in the living room was the rustling of the peel being torn.

Once the fruit was finished, Lin Qingye softened his tone and said, “You’ve had your own ideas since you were young. In the past two years, you’ve more or less been able to make your own decisions. I’m afraid no matter what I say, it won’t change your mind.”

Lin Zhi lowered his eyes in silent agreement. Sexual orientation was something that couldn’t be changed, and what’s more, he had been in love with the same person for two lifetimes.

Hearing Lin Qingye’s tone, he thought his father was ready to step back, but before Lin Zhi could even feel relieved, Lin Qingye continued, “Lu Liu, right? Since it’s him you’re involved with, and our two families are connected, it seems like I need to have a talk with his parents.”

“What are you going to do?” Lin Zhi suddenly panicked, exclaiming, “We’re both grown up! Are you going to use the old-school method of reporting to their parents like we’re kids misbehaving? You can’t argue with me, so you’re going to cause trouble for someone else?”

“This is your business, both of you,” Lin Qingye replied. “As your father, I know about it, so why can’t his parents know? Do you think such things should be kept in the dark?”

Lin Zhi’s eyes widened as he clearly felt the generation gap between him and Lin Qingye. He couldn’t control his emotions anymore and shouted, “I don’t think it’s something to hide! It’s you who can’t accept me! You don’t understand love at all! No wonder Mom left you, and by extension, left me too!”

“What did you say?!” Lin Qingye was so angry that he almost couldn’t catch his breath, raising his hand in a threatening gesture.

“Uncle!” Yao Wenjing, terrified, leaped forward and grabbed Lin Qingye’s arm, afraid that a slap might break the emotional bond, “Don’t.”

Yao Wenjing had been hit by his father many times growing up. He knew that no matter how close people were, violence could freeze any warmth between them. He didn’t want Lin Zhi to suffer such physical punishment, nor did he want Lin Qingye to feel guilty and remorseful after hitting Lin Zhi.

Lin Zhi instinctively closed his eyes when he saw Lin Qingye’s movement, expecting the pain he imagined, but it didn’t come. When he opened his eyes, he saw Lin Qingye’s eyes red, his arm trembling in Yao Wenjing’s grasp. His fingers curled into a fist, and eventually, he dropped his hand in frustration, pushing Yao Wenjing aside and retreating to his room.

Once the door closed behind him, Yao Wenjing moved beside Lin Zhi, concerned. “Xiao Zhi, are you okay?”

Lin Zhi’s heart was a mix of anger, sadness, and guilt, all tangled up. He felt wronged and said, “He still wanted to hit me!”

His voice wasn’t quiet, and the door wasn’t soundproof, so his words clearly reached Lin Qingye’s ears. Lin Qingye stared at his raised hand for a long time, before suddenly punching the bed.

Ten minutes later, Yao Wenjing brought a can of herbal tea and knocked on Lin Qingye’s door. Lin Qingye was still sitting on the edge of the bed. When Yao Wenjing entered, he immediately put on a nonchalant expression, but his eyes uncontrollably glanced behind Yao Wenjing.

Yao Wenjing didn’t notice his expression. After entering, he closed the door behind him and smiled as he handed the herbal tea over. “Uncle, drink some tea to cool down.”

Lin Qingye awkwardly looked away and took the tea, placing it aside without drinking it. Yao Wenjing didn’t mind, as that wasn’t the reason he had come.

The two sat in silence for a while before Lin Qingye could no longer hold it in and asked, “Wenjing, do you think I really went too far?”

Yao Wenjing, focused on his purpose, feigned mystery and said, “Uncle, do you want to hear the truth or a lie?”

“Isn’t that obvious? I want the truth,” Lin Qingye replied.

“Well, I’ll say it directly,” Yao Wenjing said seriously, “Let’s not talk about the past for now, but you really went too far when you tried to hit him.”

“I didn’t…” Lin Qingye sighed and shook his head. “Forget it, there’s no point in explaining what’s been done.”

“Yeah, Xiao Zhi said some harsh words,” Yao Wenjing shifted the blame onto Lin Zhi, then changed the subject, “But Uncle, your mistake is bigger. From the start, you didn’t plan to have a serious conversation with Xiao Zhi. You even brought up threatening Lu Liu’s parents. Xiao Zhi and Lu Liu have such a good relationship, of course, he’d get upset! If I were him, I’d be upset too.”

“I didn’t threaten him,” Lin Qingye defended himself. “I thought it was their relationship, and arguing with Lin Zhi alone wouldn’t solve the problem. Lu Liu is more mature than Lin Zhi, I noticed that during the time he was hospitalized. I wanted to bring his parents over for a face-to-face conversation. Wouldn’t that be better than fighting like we did today?”

“Then, if you didn’t explain, how would Xiao Zhi know what you were thinking?” Yao Wenjing’s mind was practically spinning, “You guys were already arguing, and when Xiao Zhi heard you mention talking to Lu Liu’s parents, wouldn’t he think you were going to report him, want them to deal with Lu Liu? When he got worried, of course, he’d say something harsh.”

“Seems like it’s really my fault…” Lin Qingye murmured, then suddenly remembered another question, “Did you know Xiao Zhi was seeing that Lu Liu guy?”

“Ah,” Yao Wenjing blinked rapidly, feeling guilty, “Actually, not very long ago…”

“So, you think two men being in a relationship is completely fine?”

“No problem,” Yao Wenjing nodded, “The important thing is that they like each other, and they both feel they have a bright future together, so they started a relationship. No matter how you look at it, gender is not the primary factor.”

Lin Qingye carefully pondered this statement and realized there was no point to refute.

“To be honest,” Yao Wenjing suddenly looked a bit embarrassed, “Godfather, I actually like men too.”

Lin Qingye: “!!!”

Yao Wenjing chuckled nervously, not sure if the timing was appropriate. Either way, he blurted it out on impulse, figuring he might as well share the brunt of Lin Qingye’s anger with Lin Zhi.

“So you two brats are basically on the same side!” Lin Qingye said sharply. “And you even had the nerve to ask if I wanted the truth or a lie. I see you’ve been defending Lin Zhi this whole time!”

“That’s true,” Yao Wenjing admitted honestly. “But, Godfather, you have to admit what I said wasn’t entirely unreasonable.”

Lin Qingye, fuming, promptly kicked Yao Wenjing out of the room.

Two minutes later, Yao Wenjing returned with a can of herbal tea and knocked on Lin Zhi’s door. Lin Zhi was already curled up in bed, halfheartedly chatting with Lu Liu on WeChat. When he saw Yao Wenjing come in, the look of grievance that had almost disappeared resurfaced on his face.

Yao Wenjing closed the door behind him, knelt by the bedside with a grin, and handed over the herbal tea. “Xiao Zhi, don’t be mad. Here, have some herbal tea to cool down.”

Lin Zhi reached out to take the tea, then placed it on the bedside table. “Drinking tea this late at night—are you trying to make sure I can’t sleep?”

“Even without the tea, you wouldn’t be able to sleep,” Yao Wenjing ruthlessly exposed him. “Godfather probably can’t sleep either.”

Hearing this, Lin Zhi turned over and sat up. “Xiao Jing, was what I said too harsh?”

“A bit,” Yao Wenjing replied bluntly, not sparing him. He nodded decisively. “Saying something like that would definitely hurt Godfather’s feelings.”

“I didn’t mean it,” Lin Zhi said regretfully. “When I get angry, I say things without thinking. I didn’t actually feel that way inside…”

“Explaining it to me doesn’t do anything,” Yao Wenjing shrugged. “You’ve already said it. If you really feel guilty, go apologize to Godfather.”

“I won’t,” Lin Zhi said, lying back down. “He said stuff about me too, said I was sick, and even wanted to hit me.”

“Godfather would never really hit you,” Yao Wenjing said. “When I rushed to grab his hand, I could feel he wasn’t using any strength. At most, he just wanted to scare you.”

“Mm,” Lin Zhi turned and buried his face in the pillow, his voice muffled. “I know.”

Since his rebirth, Lin Zhi and Lin Qingye had never argued so fiercely, always maintaining a fatherly and filial harmony. However, in his previous life, when Lin Zhi was in his rebellious teenage phase, arguments like tonight’s were common. Lin Qingye would often get so angry that he’d raise his hand as if to hit him, but he never actually struck him. This was one of the reasons why, earlier, Lin Zhi neither dodged nor flinched when Lin Qingye raised his hand.

“If you know, why are you still acting so aggrieved?”

“Of course I feel aggrieved,” Lin Zhi muttered. “Look at him—he clearly won’t approve of my relationship with Lu Liu and even wants to make trouble for him. What is he trying to do? His son liking men wasn’t because Lu Liu seduced me.”

Yao Wenjing said, “Godfather wants to meet Lu Liu’s parents and have both families sit down to resolve your issues face to face.”

“What issues?” Lin Zhi completely missed the point. “We don’t have any issues. The real problem is with those people who indiscriminately hold prejudices against all gay people.”

“That’s true,” Yao Wenjing agreed. “But Godfather isn’t in good health. You should explain things to him properly, not provoke him by bringing up your mom.”

“I…” Lin Zhi mumbled, “He’s perfectly fine. He spent a whole winter day fishing by the lake in the cold wind and didn’t even catch a cold.”

Yao Wenjing was about to defend Lin Qingye again. “But Godfather—”

“What’s wrong with you, Xiao Jing?” Lin Zhi interrupted him. “Aren’t you also into guys? Why are you siding with my dad? Aren’t you letting your senior down?”

“I wasn’t siding with Godfather! I’ve been supporting you this whole time,” Yao Wenjing protested, suddenly unsure which issue to address first. “And what does my senior have to do with this? Aren’t we trying to solve the problem between you and Lu Liu?”

“I already said we don’t have any problems,” Lin Zhi replied.

“I’m not saying you two have problems,” Yao Wenjing was starting to get dizzy. “I mean the issue of you two dating.”

Lin Zhi felt a little overwhelmed as well and politely ushered Yao Wenjing out of the room.