Chapter 99: Meeting the Future Father-in-Law (2)

Old Master Tang sat in his chair, watching the two with keen interest. He was curious to see how Lin Fan would react under Zhao Fanglin’s imposing presence, so he hadn’t intended to intervene at the start.

It seemed his future father-in-law wanted to assert his authority with a show of strength. Lin Fan, however, calmly poured himself some tea, a faint, composed smile lingering on his lips from the moment he entered, as if Zhao Fanglin didn’t even exist.

Since Zhao Fanglin wished to put on airs, let him do so to his heart’s content—Lin Fan had all the time in the world. He lifted the teacup before him, took three gentle sips, then drank it all in one gulp. The scalding tea flowed smoothly down his throat. “Pre-rain Longjing tea—truly excellent.”

“If you like it, take some with you when you leave,” Old Master Tang said, clearly pleased with Lin Fan’s demeanor.

“Then I shall gratefully accept,” Lin Fan replied with quiet ease.

“Good, very good. Haha. If you ever need my help, don’t hesitate to ask!” Zhao Fanglin suddenly spoke up.

Zhao Fanglin’s first impression of Lin Fan was quite favorable. After all, he was a Party Secretary at the municipal level. Yet before him, Lin Fan showed no trace of fear or guilt—only a relaxed countenance. Even Zhao Fanglin had to admire that.

As for his daughter’s relationship with Lin Fan, he intended not to interfere. Nowadays, love was about freedom. However, Zhao Fanglin knew that winning over his wife would be a formidable challenge for Lin Fan. Still, if Lin Fan couldn’t manage that, then he simply wasn’t worthy of his daughter.

Lin Fan hadn’t expected such a straightforward promise from Zhao Fanglin. Indeed, the development of Dragon Soul in China required many connections in officialdom. Since Zhao Fanglin had agreed, Dragon Soul’s operations in T City would naturally become much easier.

Yet Lin Fan understood that without Old Master Tang’s presence, Zhao Fanglin probably wouldn’t have been so quick to offer his support. He would have had to negotiate harder, employing more effort and persuasion. Old Master Tang clearly played a crucial role; after all, the old man already knew Lin Fan’s true identity. Any organization hoping to grow must maintain good relations with local government. It was likely that Old Master Tang had seen this clearly and introduced Zhao Fanglin to Lin Fan for that reason.

“I want to thank you in advance, Secretary Zhao. By the way, are you satisfied with the gift I gave you last time?” Lin Fan chuckled lightly.

Zhao Fanglin was momentarily taken aback. A gift? What gift? Meanwhile, Old Master Tang wore a faint smile, as if he understood exactly what Lin Fan was referring to.

Exchanging a surprised glance with the old man, Zhao Fanglin suddenly realized something. Could it be that the person who secretly entered his home and placed the criminal evidence against the Yuang family on his bedside table was Lin Fan? But Ying’er had said Lin Fan had no prison break; he should have been at the police station then. Yet Lin Fan’s expression didn’t seem deceitful. And if it wasn’t him, how else would he know about this matter?

Zhao Fanglin couldn’t immediately gauge the truth in Lin Fan’s words, so he turned to Old Master Tang with a questioning look. The old man gave a slight nod in response.

In truth, after learning Lin Fan’s identity, Old Master Tang had specifically asked about this incident. Lin Fan had initially tried to be evasive, but the old man pressed him until he admitted it. From Old Master Tang’s perspective, as the leader of Dragon Soul, if Lin Fan knew someone was out to kill him and did nothing, that would be truly strange.

At this, Zhao Fanglin no longer doubted. Old Master Tang had once been involved in the underworld. Though he now appeared respectable, his private influence in T City was among the top. Since T City was close to the capital and under strict scrutiny, the old man kept a low profile. Now, with Old Master Tang’s endorsement, Zhao Fanglin naturally believed Lin Fan’s involvement.

“You don’t need to call me Secretary Zhao anymore. How could I put on airs in front of the old master?” Zhao Fanglin smiled. “Just call me Uncle Zhao. I’m actually a few years younger than your father.”

Though Lin Zhentian was a businessman, Zhao Fanglin knew Lin Fan was far from ordinary. He refused to believe Lin Fan simply inherited his father’s business. No businessman could have obtained the criminal evidence against the Yuang family—he himself didn’t have access to such information.

“Kid, calling me Uncle Zhao isn’t a loss for you. Fanglin rarely makes promises to anyone,” Old Master Tang chuckled lightly at Lin Fan.

As the saying goes, the higher the rank, the more cautious one must be. Lin Fan understood that in China, the greater the official’s position, the more considerations there were to keep in mind.

As the head of a centrally-controlled municipality, and with T City so near the capital, Zhao Fanglin naturally couldn’t leave himself open to criticism. The verbal commitment he gave Lin Fan was already more than enough.

“Uncle Zhao,” Lin Fan smiled faintly and addressed him thus. Since Old Master Tang had said so, and Zhao Fanglin was Ying’er’s father, this form of address was neither inappropriate nor sycophantic.

Then Lin Fan handed over a box. “Since this is our first meeting, and I’m not sure what you like, I once bought a Tang Dynasty Duan inkstone from an antique dealer by chance. I’m no scholar myself, but you’re a man of letters, so I thought this might be a fitting gift.”

A Tang Dynasty Duan inkstone. Zhao Fanglin was visibly moved. For a calligraphy enthusiast, possessing a quality inkstone—especially one from the Tang Dynasty, when Duan inkstones flourished—was far more exciting than having millions in wealth. Moreover, such inkstones were priceless and nearly impossible to obtain nowadays.

This was no mere guess at his tastes—it was a direct appeal. Zhao Fanglin smiled wryly to himself.

“Fanglin, since this young man gave it to you, you should accept it,” Old Master Tang said knowingly. He was well aware of Zhao Fanglin’s love for calligraphy and admired his skill. He also sensed Lin Fan had already won Zhao Fanglin over without his help.

“Very well, then I shall gratefully accept,” Zhao Fanglin said with a smile, taking the gift. Deep down, he knew that whether he accepted it or not, it made no difference—Old Master Tang’s presence ensured they were now on the same side.

...

With little pretense, Lin Fan found himself favorably impressed by his future father-in-law and nodded silently, smiling slightly.

Thanks to Old Master Tang, the meeting with Zhao Fanglin went surprisingly smoothly. Lin Fan was quite satisfied. Yet throughout the conversation, both he and Zhao Fanglin tacitly avoided mentioning Ying’er.

If Zhao Ying had come to her father for help, it was inconceivable that Zhao Fanglin didn’t suspect Lin Fan’s relationship with her. But since Zhao Fanglin didn’t bring it up, Lin Fan would not foolishly broach the subject either. In his view, whether Zhao Fanglin agreed or not, Ying’er was still his woman.

After lunch at the Tang estate, it was already past two. Lin Fan found an excuse to leave. Zhao Fanglin and Old Master Tang were both men of many decades; Lin Fan always felt something was missing when he was with them.

After Lin Fan left, Zhao Fanglin didn’t stay long either. There was no denying that Zhao Fanglin was decisive and efficient. Shortly after receiving the evidence against the Yuang family, he mobilized his subordinates to launch a ruthless crackdown on the Yuang faction, swiftly igniting a power struggle in T City. But given Zhao Fanglin’s standing, the wise quickly realigned themselves.

Yuang Jiang was “invited” to the Discipline Inspection Commission for investigation, and Yuang Weihua was not spared either. Zhao Fanglin personally ordered his arrest. The evidence was overwhelming, and Yuang Weihua was immediately sentenced to life imprisonment, to be carried out forthwith. In an instant, Yuang Weihua plummeted from the heights of power to the depths of despair. Even now, he couldn’t fathom why Lin Fan, despite having reached an agreement with his father, betrayed him by sending him to prison.

Compared to the outside world, prison was no place for a human to live. Having lost his mother young, Yuang Weihua had a sullen and gloomy nature, with a penchant for women. He had caused much trouble outside, acting arrogantly and tyrannically. But suddenly cast from light into darkness, surrounded by all manner of riffraff, lacking extraordinary skills, and with his father fallen from grace, he inevitably suffered inhumane “treatment.” Cries of anguish echoed from the prison walls...

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