Chapter 96: Taking It One Step at a Time

"Why aren’t you eating?" Tang Rui asked Lin Fan with surprise.

"Well, I already ate in the kitchen earlier," Lin Fan said, deliberately smacking his lips. When he was cooking just now, Fei Fei and Tang Rui suddenly came back, so he ended up dividing the two portions into three and gave them each a share.

“Probably you didn’t make enough and gave your portions to Fei Fei and Rui’er,” Lin Yan quickly saw through Lin Fan’s lie with just a few words.

Heh, seeing his sister calling him out like that, Lin Fan could only chuckle awkwardly and say, "Well, I didn’t expect them to come back so suddenly."

“Brother, what do you mean? Such delicious food, if I hadn’t come back, were you planning to hog it all?” Fei Fei seized the opportunity and rattled off another string of words.

Damn, he brought it on himself, why does this girl always go against him? Lin Fan thought to himself. In truth, Lin Fan had no idea that Fei Fei was doing all this just to get his attention. Beyond that, Fei Fei really couldn’t think of any better way to make her brother notice her.

“If you don’t mind, you can have mine first. I’m already full anyway,” Tang Rui said, pushing her portion toward Lin Fan.

Thinking of how Lin Fan had stolen her first kiss, Tang Rui always saw him as a scoundrel, but now, not only did he cook a great meal, he was even willing to give up his share for her. Her opinion of Lin Fan began to shift.

Lin Fan felt a warmth in his heart. This girl was quite considerate; it seemed his efforts hadn’t been in vain. A faint smile curved his lips as he said, “No need, you eat it. I’ll just grab something light later.”

Lin Yan looked at Tang Rui in surprise. She hadn’t expected her to say that. Fei Fei had just asked for some, but Tang Rui refused. Now she was offering food to their brother instead—Lin Yan was utterly baffled.

“If you don’t want it, I’ll eat it,” Fei Fei said, snatching the food and stuffing it into her mouth. Seeing this, Tang Rui said nothing more.

“Brother, I think you should just become the family’s professional chef from now on,” Fei Fei said.

“From now on, let you handle the meals at home.”

“I think that sounds good...”

“Less salt for lunch... no chili, and the rice shouldn’t be too hard.”

“Make sure there are two soups...”

And so on.

Today, Lin Fan truly understood what it meant to have three women acting out a scene. What could he do? One was his sister, another his younger sister. He couldn’t exactly act the rogue with them. His head was spinning. Luckily, Tang Rui’s demeanor was more ladylike and she didn’t team up with Fei Fei against him; otherwise, he wouldn’t know how to handle the situation.

Just as Lin Fan was about to find an excuse to go out and look for Zhao Ying, his phone rang. Lin Fan said to the three girls, “You guys carry on; I need to take a call.” Saying that, he grabbed his phone and slipped into the bedroom.

He dared not stay any longer—who knew what the three of them would say next? This call was a lifesaver. When he answered, Lin Fan couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement and asked, “Who’s this?”

“Kid, come over to my place. I want to introduce someone to you,” came the voice of Elder Tang from the other end.

“Who? If you don’t tell me, I’m not coming,” Lin Fan said, surprised the old man would call him so suddenly, a smile tugging at his lips.

“Good kid, getting all high and mighty now, huh?” Elder Tang’s voice was full of kindness and affection, suddenly stirring something deep within Lin Fan. Perhaps it was because he often visited Elder Tang’s home as a child. Although Lin Fan’s memories were vague, meeting the old man still brought a strange sense of familiarity and warmth.

“Not at all, I wouldn’t dare be disrespectful,” Lin Fan said respectfully. Given the relationship between Elder Tang and his father, Lin Fan held him in high regard. Moreover, Elder Tang had once unified all the underworld factions across central China, earning Lin Fan’s deep admiration. Not everyone possessed such power and influence. The respect Lin Fan’s uncle showed Elder Tang only underscored the old man’s prestige.

Elder Tang could tell Lin Fan was joking. Lin Fan had been mischievous since childhood, and his personality confirmed the old man’s suspicions. Yet Elder Tang never underestimated him for it.

Since learning Lin Fan was the internationally renowned leader of the Dragon Soul mercenaries, Elder Tang had quietly investigated their history. The conclusion was clear: Lin Fan’s leadership was no accident. What puzzled Elder Tang was that Lin Haotian had once said Lin Fan was part of the Falcon group—so how did he become a mercenary leader? What had happened in the meantime?

Elder Tang had tried to uncover these details through his connections but found nothing. In truth, all records from Lin Fan’s mission four years ago had long been sealed. Only a few elders knew the truth, and since it involved state secrets, Lin Haotian naturally kept silent. Despite his wide network, Elder Tang knew some matters were impossible to uncover—some secrets were meant to be hidden by the state, and revealing them was harder than reaching the heavens.

“The Party Secretary of T City—you should be familiar with him,” Elder Tang said with a smile.

“You didn’t tell him who I am, did you?” Lin Fan was startled. Zhao Fanglin, Zhao Ying’s father, was his future father-in-law, but Lin Fan wasn’t ready to let too many people know he was in Huaxia yet.

“Heh, kid, why so many thoughts? I just told him your father is Lin Zhentian, nothing else,” Elder Tang said straightforwardly, making Lin Fan a little embarrassed.

After hanging up, Lin Fan changed his clothes and hurried out. Elder Tang’s call had come just in time; otherwise, he wouldn’t have known what excuse to use to leave. He certainly didn’t want to be stuck at home cooking for the three girls at noon. If not for Lin Yan looking down on him, Lin Fan wouldn’t have set foot in the kitchen.

In the car, Lin Fan thought for a moment, then took out his phone and dialed. “Mo Fei, prepare a gift for me. It has to be valuable but not too flashy. It must suit his tastes. As for what to choose, I’ll leave it up to you.”

“Who’s the gift for?” Mo Fei asked. Since Fei Fei was on vacation, he probably had nothing much to do. With Lin Yan and the others around, Fei Fei’s safety was assured.

“Zhao Fanglin,” Lin Fan answered.

“Boss, you could have just said you want a meeting gift for your future father-in-law. Why take such a roundabout way?” Mo Fei said on the other end.

“Damn it, if you keep messing around, go back to Africa,” Lin Fan snapped.

“Okay, okay... when do you need it?” Mo Fei chuckled.

“Before ten. I’ll grab breakfast first. Hurry up and call me when it’s ready,” Lin Fan said. After training all morning with barely a bite to eat and little the night before, he was human after all—of course he was hungry.

“Okay, I’ll get on it,” Mo Fei said, then quickly hung up. He knew Lin Fan must have something important, or he wouldn’t be rushing so much.

Valuable but not flashy—that was tricky for Mo Fei. There were countless ways to give gifts, especially to officials. Not only did it have to suit their tastes, but it also had to feel natural, not like a bribe, so they would accept it willingly and openly.

After hanging up, Lin Fan checked the time—it was just eight o’clock. He then called Zhao Ying. “Miss me?”

Yesterday, his uncle had come, and Lin Fan had left without explaining anything, letting her go. Though Zhao Ying’s personality meant she probably didn’t mind, Lin Fan still felt guilty. She had given him everything, yet he hid so much from her.

“No, I’m definitely not missing you,” Zhao Ying said. At the police station’s entrance, Lin Fan hadn’t said a word before letting her leave. She wasn’t angry but was curious about him.

“Alright, well, another woman just invited me to breakfast. I should’ve accepted,” Lin Fan said regretfully.

“You dare,” Zhao Ying immediately became unsettled. She always had a feeling Lin Fan wouldn’t belong only to her in the future.

“Alright, alright. Where are you? I’ll come pick you up,” Lin Fan asked after confirming the address, then hung up. He certainly wouldn’t tell Zhao Ying he was about to meet her father. Some things couldn’t be explained just yet; he would have to take things one step at a time.

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