Chapter 026: Unexpected Incident

After paying the bill at the Glorious Hotel and driving home, the Lin family of three couldn’t stop discussing the dinner they’d just attended. On the whole, Lin Tiancheng and Wang Chunhua were extremely satisfied with Lin Yu’s performance that evening. They both felt he had matured significantly compared to before, and their confidence in his prospects for the position of Director at the Municipal Investment Promotion Office grew immensely. They drew this conclusion from the positive impression Yang Xiong had left.

As they chatted, Wang Chunhua suddenly asked Lin Yu if the song “Who Decides My Youth” was his own composition.

Lin Yu smiled and replied, “Of course not. It was written by a friend of mine. I just happened to be able to use it.”

It certainly wasn’t his own work—it was a song from a TV series he’d loved in his previous life, “Who Decides My Youth,” performed by Yan Zheng and written by Hu Mingxing.

“I see,” Wang Chunhua answered, her curiosity satisfied but with a tinge of disappointment in her voice. She thought to herself that had her son really written such a fine piece, even if he failed to get into a prestigious university, he could always pursue a career in music.

Afterwards, mother and son continued their conversation, while Lin Tiancheng focused on driving. He didn’t dare let his attention stray too much, though he’d occasionally chime in at red lights. The atmosphere in the car was warm and harmonious.

Thus, the distance that had once existed between Lin Yu and his parents faded entirely, one month after his rebirth. Everything, ever since he’d started flapping those butterfly wings, had slowly begun to move in a better direction.

Once home, Lin Yu found that Qi Yue was still in bed. Feeling mischievous, a devious idea popped into his head.

But as soon as he pounced on the bed, Qi Yue, who’d been pretending to sleep, lifted her leg and kicked him off, sending him sprawling onto the hard floor. He looked utterly defeated.

“Serves you right, you big pervert,” Qi Yue snickered in triumph.

“You win!” Lin Yu rubbed his sore stomach and grinned sheepishly. With his parents just outside, he didn’t dare make a fuss, so he had no way to retaliate.

“That’s what you get! Who told you to always take advantage of people while they’re sleeping?” Qi Yue stuck out her tongue, one eye closed, looking incredibly playful in her white pajamas.

“Alright, enough showing off. Hurry and get dressed—I’ll take you out,” Lin Yu said, still itching for more, but with his parents at home in broad daylight, he couldn’t do anything. He pouted and issued the command.

At this, Qi Yue cocked her head mischievously at Lin Yu and said with exasperation, “Young Master Lin, if I’m to get changed, you, the big pervert, need to step out first, don’t you think? Do you take your granny for a little white rabbit, ready to strip and throw herself at you?”

“Fine, I’m out. Haven’t I seen it all before anyway… little rascal,” Lin Yu muttered in protest as he turned to leave.

Lin Yu stared at the family’s Eight Steeds painting in the living room for about half an hour before Qi Yue finally emerged, washed and beautifully dressed. Standing before him, she looked radiant. The two greeted Lin Tiancheng and Wang Chunhua before hurriedly heading out.

“Where are we going, Little Yu?” Qi Yue, just having closed the door, immediately perked up, grabbing Lin Yu’s arm and laughing gaily.

“We’re off to Meteor Shower Internet Café to find those little lackeys… Empress Dowager,” Lin Yu replied, mimicking the tone of a palace eunuch.

Qi Yue was quite pleased with Lin Yu’s act, laughing as she continued, “Little Yu, my legs hurt. Carry me downstairs, will you?”

Lin Yu stooped on the shorter steps and thought to himself that the softness pressing against his back would be quite tempting indeed.

“Good boy,” Qi Yue grinned, “Don’t move. I’ll get on now. If you get me safely downstairs, I’ll reward you with a romantic French kiss.”

“Look at me—fit as I am, I could carry you not just downstairs but all the way to No. 1 High School! Come on,” Lin Yu laughed, stretching out his arms.

Just then, Qi Yue smirked and suddenly kicked him square on the backside.

She burst out laughing. “You dirty rascal, still bragging about what you’ve seen?”

“Alright, alright, I admit defeat. Next time, we’ll just do it, no talking. And who’s the girl sneaking into my bed in the middle of the night, anyway…” Lin Yu, having tumbled to the bottom of the stairs, dusted himself off and spoke with a cheeky grin.

“Lin Yu! How dare you! I’ll kick you to death today!” Qi Yue, cheeks flushed, her ponytail swaying, charged at him.

The two bantered and bickered all the way to Meteor Shower Internet Café, arriving around two in the afternoon.

At this time, Zhang Chao was engrossed in a fierce match of Half-Life, pumping his fists in the air with each kill. Zhang Zhilong, in the corner of the private room, was drooling as he watched the latest film starring Miss Mutou Ran, clearly lost in his own sordid pleasures. Dai Peng, in another room, was playing Meteor Butterfly Sword with yet another pretty blonde girl at his side—it was no longer the sweet, well-bred Ye Yijing.

The only one missing was Wang Yan, usually the most devoted to online games. According to Dai Peng, Wang Yan had found his first love and was now on a sweet date. Hearing this, Lin Yu, who had been worried about him, smiled to himself.

Having lived two lifetimes as brothers, he didn’t want matters with Qi Yue to affect the group’s bond.

Lin Yu, who in his previous life had grown tired of games like League of Legends and CrossFire, watched the troublemakers play games he’d outgrown years before and said, “Xiao Yue hasn’t eaten yet. You guys carry on. I’ll take her to eat, then come back for you.”

“Third Brother, take me too. I’m beat and starving,” Zhang Zhilong grinned cheekily.

“Hey, my man, as the saying goes: ‘A little self-love is good for the spirit, too much will ruin your health.’ Go easy, alright?” Lin Yu replied, shaking his head.

“No worries, didn’t you see Young and Dangerous? Chicken said men can produce twenty liters in a lifetime—I’ve only gone through a few grams, plenty left,” Zhang Zhilong snickered, wiping a suspicious white substance on the wall.

“You’re too young to know the value of your essence…” Lin Yu quipped.

“Enough nonsense. If you’re hungry, let’s go. Granny hasn’t eaten breakfast, I’m about to starve!” Qi Yue shouted in protest as their banter grew more outrageous.

“Sis-in-law, did Third Brother not fill you up last night?” Dai Peng, arm around the pretty blonde, piped up with a laugh.

The group caught the double entendre and erupted in laughter, while the usually bold Qi Yue blushed.

After a brief discussion, the six of them decided to eat at Sheng Fangyuan Restaurant. It wasn’t very large, but the chef’s cooking was excellent. It was close to both No. 1 High School and the Internet café, and they were all familiar with the owners.

Joking and chatting along the way, they reached Sheng Fangyuan in under ten minutes.

But as Lin Yu and Qi Yue led the way into the restaurant, Lin Yu was struck by a jolt of alarm. He saw two burly men inside, each wielding a cleaver, locked in a brutal fight.

One of them had just been slashed on the head, collapsing limply to the ground, blood gushing from his body, his cleaver slipping from his grasp—he was likely already dead.

“What do we do?” Lin Yu realized at once that they were trapped in a perilous situation.

It was impossible to go further in, but if they ran out, there was no guarantee the man who’d just killed wouldn’t chase after them. Though all of them could handle themselves, facing a crazed, knife-wielding murderer was a different matter; panic in such a moment could prove fatal.

In that instant, Lin Yu made a decision. In a low voice, he commanded, “You all leave, quickly hail a cab, and call the police once you’re inside. I’ll hold him off here.”

“No way. Zhilong, you take the girls and go. Zhang Chao and I will stay with Third Brother and hold the line,” Dai Peng said, pushing the girl beside him forward and stepping in front of Lin Yu.

“I’m no coward. If we’re standing our ground, we do it together. It’s just a murderer—if I lose my head, I’ll be a hero again in twenty years,” Zhang Zhilong muttered.

“Enough with the rubbish! Get moving! Otherwise, we’re done as brothers,” Lin Yu shouted.

He knew the situation was on a hair trigger—every second counted.