Lin Xinyuan’s eyes met Lin Chongshan’s, and she immediately flinched.
Remembering that night still made her heart pound in panic, but now there was more complexity.
When she looked up unintentionally and saw the middle-aged man standing at the courtyard gate, she quickly lowered her gaze.
Her eyes held not just instinctive timidity, but deeper emotions.
Qin Nanfeng naturally noticed her reaction and followed her gaze.
There he saw the man he had only known from memories—a man who had caused her such trauma.
Even though he had prepared himself for this possibility, seeing the actual person couldn’t erase the psychological wound.
In both memory and reality, the man treated her like less than grass.
There was no trace of goodwill; any so-called belated familial affection was worthless.
But when his gaze shifted to the exceptionally outstanding young man sitting beside Lin Xinyuan, he roughly understood who the other party was.
Lin Chongshan, standing not far away, noticed the hatred in the girl’s eyes but wasn’t surprised. Instead, his gaze hardened with a trace of coldness.
He took a small step forward, then took a deep breath and walked toward the two.
Feeling the warning in the young man’s gaze, he couldn’t help but step back, but finally forced himself to approach.
This motion naturally attracted the attention of many in the courtyard, and murmurs broke out.
Those who recognized Lin Chongshan began whispering to friends or family, and the noise grew louder.
When they saw Lin Chongshan stop beside Lin Xinyuan and her companion, the commotion increased.
“Hey, that seems like Uncle Huanyong’s nephew? He divorced his wife last year, and his son went with her. Probably because he’s broke?”
“Why is he here? His family didn’t hold the Nianli?”
“Look, who are those handsome young people? Why is he going over to them?”
“What’s that? He couldn’t even keep his son?”
“Tsk, no shame at all?”
“Dunno…”
Lin Chongshan’s brow twitched slightly, but he pretended not to hear the discussions. He stopped behind the two.
Lin Xinyuan naturally sensed the middle-aged man’s approach, even felt him stop behind her.
But she didn’t turn around, just kept her head down and picked at her food.
Qin Nanfeng, however, grew sharper, having already put down the chopsticks he used to pick vegetables for her, ready to act if needed.
Seeing the girl who ignored him and the young man who stared at him with hostility, Lin Chongshan’s mouth moved, but the words he had prepared somehow got stuck in his throat.
Finally, as if relieved, he forced out a few words: “I’m sorry…”
Lin Xinyuan’s mind was in turmoil. Thinking of what Lin Chongshan had done, she felt deep disgust.
At the same time, though she no longer wanted to acknowledge him as her father, he had still raised her.
So even though she hated him and couldn’t bear to face him, she still planned to send him a monthly allowance after graduation—that was the extent of her duty.
Now she had a better life, and the fatherly love she had once hoped for had completely vanished after the words he said that night.
Moreover, he was the one who had caused her mother’s death.
So when she heard Lin Chongshan say “I’m sorry,” her hatred reached its peak.
One thing was another; this was unforgivable.
At that moment, she seemed to find the courage to face him.
Before Qin Nanfeng could say anything to mock Lin Chongshan, she suddenly stood up and slowly turned around.
This action surprised everyone watching.
Qin Nanfeng looked at her stubborn little face, already glistening with tears, and chose not to stop her, silently guarding her.
Staring at the middle-aged man who looked stunned and surprised, Lin Xinyuan glared at him like she would an enemy.
Her beautiful eyes were full of resentment, and suppressed negative emotions made her voice tremble uncontrollably.
“What… does ‘sorry’ mean?”
She took a deep breath to steady herself. “Can you… tell me?”
Recalling those bad memories, she really wanted to cry, but she barely held it together and asked in the calmest tone she could manage.
“I…” Lin Chongshan choked, but after stammering for a while, he still couldn’t get any words out.
Finally, he said hoarsely, “I don’t know…”
“Don’t know… don’t know…” Lin Xinyuan murmured, repeating the words over and over.
Then suddenly, she let out a soft “pfft” of bitter laughter.
“Yeah… you really shouldn’t know. You never cared about me, so how could you possibly know…”
The more she spoke, the softer her voice became, like the calm before a storm.
Then she paused, her tone turning resolute.
“Dad… this is the last time I’ll call you that. Don’t worry, I’ll send you monthly alimony from now on. It’s my duty, and I won’t short you a single cent. Consider it repayment for raising me…”
Her smile was sweet, but her words were like knives: “But I don’t need your fake affection, and I have nothing to do with you anymore.”
Without any hysterics, she finished speaking, lowered her head, ignored the growing whispers and exclamations around her, took Qin Nanfeng’s hand, and tried to lead her boyfriend away.
Qin Nanfeng followed without resistance, not even giving the middle-aged man another glance.
Inside the house, Aunt Yi and the others were disturbed by the commotion and came out in confusion, thinking there might be a fight or argument.
But when they saw Lin Chongshan standing stupidly in the courtyard, and the couple just turning to leave through the gate, they understood the situation and frowned.
“What the hell, you still dare to come?” Lin Xinyu, seeing the middle-aged man, thought he had come to cause trouble for the girl and force her to leave, and flared up.
He had always despised this man, especially since that night when he heard Lin Chongshan say such inhuman things to his own child.
He was about to rush up, but his father stopped him. “Xiao Yu, go find Xiaoyuan and Xiaofeng. Leave this to me.”
Ming Shu also shook his head. “I’m very dissatisfied with my cousin too, but no matter what, he is still a senior. It’s not up to you to discipline him; it wouldn’t sound good if it got out.”
Hearing his father and seeing his mother’s signal, Lin Xinyu quickly calmed down.
He nodded silently, and as he passed Lin Chongshan, he snorted coldly before hurrying after the couple.
After his grandson had completely left, Grandpa Da Li called out, “Chongshan, come over here. Come inside for a talk.”
The old man’s voice carried authority, pulling Lin Chongshan back from the shock of the girl’s words.
Facing the whispers and occasional laughter nearby, he dared not disobey and walked over dejectedly, following the old man into the house.
Seeing this, Ming Shu turned around and said apologetically to the guests, “Sorry, everyone, please continue eating! There’s a small matter to handle.”
“Oh, no problem at all!”
“Yeah, no worries, you handle your business; we’ll just eat!”
“Hahaha…”
Although the guests had various thoughts, they all cooperated politely since they had been invited for the Nianli feast and were either relatives or friends.
Ming Shu and the others expressed their thanks again. “Thank you, thank you! Eat and drink well!”
And followed back inside.