132 Lin Jians Past 1 (2/2)

”I'm not a cut-sleeve, so why should you become my number one?” Yao Ying taunted Lin Jian. After all, he was in a bit of a bad mood and Lin Jian was there for him to tease. He thought for a bit and realized that whenever he was in a bad mood, Lin Jian's presence would make him feel a bit better by teasing him. En... That was a friend are for, right? If Lin Jian knew what Yao Ying was thinking about, he probably would vomit blood due to anger. This simple-minded bastard only thought of him as his punching bag to alleviate his bad mood!

”Enough! Enough! I'm tired of arguing with you,” Lin Jian gave up talking to this man. After that, he asked, ”Where do you want to go?”

”Didn't you say you want to drink wine?” Yao Ying asked while raising one of his eyebrows.

”Hua lou?”

”Sure,” Yao Ying agreed. He already had a tacit understanding with Yao Ling that he was allowed to go to the hua lou as he wished because sooner or later he had to take care of Mi Hui. If he didn't go there, how could he handle all the Mi Hui matter? As long as he didn't succumb to any temptation, he should be fine. Even a man with a playboy image like Lin Jian was able to preserve his virginity, why couldn't he do that? He already had a beautiful wife at home, besides he wasn't really that lustful --- well... except for Yao Ling. She was his weakness.

Both of them went to the hua lou just like usual, but they didn't want to be accompanied by any women. Their purpose was solely for drinking and talking --- not for Mi Hui the courtesans and Mi Hui the organization. They just wanted to relax.

”Yao Ying... are you still curious about the woman in the painting?” Lin Jian suddenly asked, while twirling the cup of wine that he held.

Yao Ying was surprised because Lin Jian was actually taking the initiative to talk to him about that matter. He nodded and admitted, ”Yes... I'm curious, but why? Why do you suddenly want to talk about it?”

Lin Jian smiled. ”I need a wine to give me the courage to talk, besides... I really need someone to talk to. It's impossible for me to talk about it with my father.” Lin Jian sighed, feeling melancholic after thinking about his mother once again.

”Then talk...” Yao Ying said. He knew that Lin Jian just wanted to vent out the things that had been locked deep within his heart. Lin Jian didn't need a noisy friend, but he needed a listener. Yao Ying knew he just had to sit there and listen.

Lin Jian was grateful that Yao Ying was able to see his mood and willing to listen. ”My real birth mother was only a lowly servant at Lin Fu. She took advantage of my father's trust and gave him an aphrodisiac, so she could climb into his bed. In his muddle-headed state, Father did it with her once and the result? She got pregnant with me. My birth mother thought that her scheme worked perfectly. But who is Father? He isn't someone that easy to deceive.”

Yao Ying shook his head. Sometimes... women used a nasty tactic just for the sake of climbing up the ladder. It was quite scary.

”Father only let her stay inside the house until the end of her pregnancy, but at that time, he didn't give her any freedom. She was guarded heavily within the courtyard. After having me, she was being chased out and the woman went crazy because of it. Luckily, my father still loves me despite my birth mother's slyness. However, you know my father's personality... he is neither hot nor cold. He was just there for me...” Lin Jian explained.

Yao Ying also knew General Lin's characters after a few brief interactions. He could see that Lin Jian was grateful because his father accepted him, but he also didn't have a warm love while growing up.

Yao Ying asked curiously, ”Have you ever blamed your father?”

”What? For chasing that woman away and make her crazy?” Lin Jian asked sarcastically.

”Yes...” Yao Ying nodded. He was a bit curious with what Lin Jian thought about that matter. At that time, he was only a baby and didn't have a way to choose his fate. Did he feel happy without his birth mother or not?

”Honestly? No. She was able to do a dirty trick like that, and I believe... if I grew up under her care, she would certainly make my life hell. She would use me as a pawn and a bargaining chip to gain footing in Lin Fu. In a way, I'm grateful to Father for being decisive and chase her away,” Lin Jian said honestly.