Chapter Twenty-Five: Beyond Expectations

Gratitude is a philosophy of life, a profound wisdom in living. It springs from a healthy soul, takes root in cultivated upbringing, and cannot be expected from just anyone, for to forget or be incapable of thankfulness is, after all, a part of human nature.

Because people lack gratitude, good deeds are often discouraged; because people do not know thankfulness, society becomes cold and numb.

As soon as Lin Fan arrived home, he settled Xin'er, shed his ragged Daoist robe, and plunged into the bathroom. After washing up, he found Lin Hai missing from the bedroom. Glancing into the living room, he saw Lin Hai sprawled on the sofa, still filthy. Lin Fan, standing upstairs, scrutinized Lin Hai in amusement and teased, “Uncle, don’t you think you no longer smell human? Your face is covered in blood—what a sight! Aren’t you going to wash up?”

Lin Hai remained unmoved. “What do you know? If I show up all clean and shiny, who’d believe what we went through to save that young master yesterday? If everyone were as carefree as you, our whole family would starve!”

Though Lin Hai grumbled, inwardly he longed for a team of bath attendants to scrub him spotless. But then, to elicit more sympathy—and perhaps more reward—he gritted his teeth and endured.

Lin Fan came downstairs, inwardly admiring, “This old fraud is so meticulous, just to make a bit more money. He’s still covered in the stench of corpses, yet he keeps up the act. Truly dedicated.”

Lin Hai lay on the sofa and squinted at Lin Fan. “Why’re you always using my bathroom instead of yours?”

“My room’s got nothing. Your toiletries are all top-notch!” Lin Fan flopped comfortably onto the sofa, spreading his hands.

“Use them if you must, but don’t waste them! And I’ve got tuberculosis and syphilis, so you’d best keep away from my toothbrush!” Lin Hai shot him a contemptuous look.

“Damn! Couldn’t you have said so earlier? Ugh, ugh, ugh!” Lin Fan, remembering how he’d just brushed his tongue, started gagging, wiping his mouth and sticking out his tongue, even though he knew Lin Hai was probably lying. Still, it made his skin crawl.

Seeing Lin Fan’s discomfort, Lin Hai sat up abruptly, feigning shock. “What the hell? Didn’t I give you a hundred yuan last month? Have you no shame? Even my wife’s toothbrush I wouldn’t use, and you’re using mine? What’s our relationship, huh? Use my toothbrush again and I’ll knock your teeth out and fit you with aluminum ones—you’ll never have to brush again!”

“That’s a bit much! Heh, Uncle, calm down! My toothbrush is too hard, hurts my gums, but yours is soft and just right! Shows your refined taste. I couldn’t resist! But don’t worry, I won’t use it again!” Seeing Lin Hai’s outburst, Lin Fan quickly pacified him with a grin.

“What did I do in a past life to deserve you? Where did you put Xin’er?” Lin Hai, exasperated by Lin Fan, asked wearily.

Lin Fan blinked and replied offhandedly, “On your bed.”

Lin Hai instantly leapt from the sofa, pointing at Lin Fan in fury. “Are you out of your mind? You put a child who’s been staying in a place like that for a week on my bed? You little brat! Is that what a human being does? I’m docking your wages! Your entire salary for the next year! I’m furious!” Supporting his exhausted body, he dashed to the bedroom, calling back, “Set up the scam scene before I get back, or I’ll skin you alive!”

“Sigh, what’s the big deal? Making such a fuss. Always docking my pay—so despicable, shameless, stingy, and ugly!” Lin Fan muttered under his breath, but dared not defy Lin Hai’s orders, and reluctantly headed to the storage room.

Twenty minutes later, Lin Hai emerged from upstairs carrying Xin’er.

Lin Fan had already arranged the living room for the performance. Looking up, he was startled, “Uncle! What are you doing? Switching careers? At your age, doing performance art? You cut so many holes in your robe—who are you showing all that flab to? You’re blinding me!”

“What do you know! I checked again and thought the scene wasn’t tragic enough. If you’re going to put on a show, you have to go all in—so real you almost fool yourself before you fool others. Go, put Xin’er on the floor and arrange heart-shaped candles around him.”

“Candles? Heart-shaped? Damn! Are you trying to woo his mom? Become her third husband?” Lin Fan glared.

“Get lost! Haven’t you heard of ‘Mother in Candlelight’? I’m going to move her to tears, and while she’s distracted, milk her for all she’s worth. Heh heh!” Lin Hai began fantasizing.

“Pfft!” Lin Fan spat in disdain, placed Xin’er flat on the floor, lit the candles, and frowned. “Uncle, don’t just focus on scamming money. At least care about the product quality! Why isn’t the kid awake yet—is he okay?”

Lin Hai looked down at Xin’er, pressing his chest. “He’s fine. I checked carefully. That demon brat still had some humanity left—just sealed his senses and put him into a sleep state, like animal hibernation. But if we’d arrived any later, who knows what could’ve happened.”

Lin Fan was puzzled. “Then why not wake him up now? What if something goes wrong?”

Lin Hai pinched Xin’er’s cheek with a grin. “If I wake him up in front of his mother, imagine the scene! Besides, look at this plump little thing—waiting a bit won’t hurt.”

Then, glancing at the clock, Lin Hai said, “I just called his mother—she’s bringing the money and should be here soon. What are you standing around for? Go change into your robe! And when they arrive, keep your mouth shut—your tongue’s too sharp! We’ve worked all night, it’s just this last step. I’m warning you—don’t ruin this for me! Or else…” He pulled out an iron rod as thick as his wrist and bent it with one hand.

Lin Fan inhaled sharply—such greed, such terrifying desire! He hurried off to fetch his robe.

…

An hour passed before Lin Hai grew restless, frequently checking the clock, nerves fraying.

Lin Fan lounged nearby, yawning—he hadn’t slept all night and looked exhausted.

“What’s going on? Judging by Li Fengying’s desperation yesterday, she should’ve been here long ago. Is she arranging a reception? No, she can’t be raising money—I didn’t even say how much! Besides, a bank transfer would do. I even got them a POS machine for convenience! Maybe she’s making a banner as thanks? Heh, that’d look good on the wall.”

Lin Hai, giddy as someone on drugs, let his mind run wild with thoughts.

Just then, a commotion erupted at the door, followed by a frantic ringing.

Lin Hai straightened his posture, checked his appearance, unable to hide his delight. “Disciple, open the door! A guest is a guest—we must be gracious!”

Lin Fan, pleased that things were finally wrapping up and that he could get some rest, stepped forward. But when he looked at the video intercom, he sensed something was wrong.

Li Fengying stood front and center, but Zhang Hua was missing, and behind her lurked several heavily armed SWAT officers.

Startled, Lin Fan rushed to the kitchen, peered out the window, and glimpsed more officers crouched in the shrubbery.

He dashed to the upstairs skylight and looked down—damn! The entire villa was surrounded by a hundred plainclothes, police, and SWAT, all armed to the teeth.

Though most neighbors were at work, the neighborhood was eerily deserted—no one came out to watch the commotion, all doors and windows shut tight, silently cooperating with the police, as if afraid of being implicated.

Lin Hai, holding his horsetail whisk and clad in his tattered robe, sat cross-legged, growing impatient. He squinted at Lin Fan. “What are you doing, jumping around like that? Hurry up and open the door.”

Lin Fan rushed down, panic-stricken. “Uncle, something’s wrong. There are a ton of people outside—they’ve surrounded us. Looks like they’re here for trouble. Should we fight our way out?”

Lin Hai sneered and closed his eyes, launching into a lecture. “Don’t make a fuss! After all this time with me, you’re still so provincial. Wealthy folks love making a show of things. Remember when Mrs. Zhang sent a fleet of luxury cars for us? No matter how many people come, they’re our patrons—we must greet them with a smile and proper etiquette. Enough talk, open the door—they’re waiting!”

Lin Fan wanted to argue, but the bell kept ringing. Lin Hai jumped in front of him, grabbing his collar and snarling, “What, rebelling? Not listening to me? Open the damn door!”

Lin Hai’s anger nearly sent his lips flying, then he shoved Lin Fan toward the door and returned to his seat.

Lin Fan, having no choice, slouched to the entrance, grumbling, “Is this what they mean by ‘man dies for wealth, bird for food’? He’s obsessed with money. If anything goes wrong, don’t blame me!”

He reached the door, the bell now replaced by furious banging. Taking a deep breath, he grasped the handle.

Sure enough, as soon as the door opened, several SWAT officers burst in.

One burly, agile SWAT officer seized Lin Fan’s right arm, yanked it down, swept his leg, and pinned him, handcuffing him in seconds. Lin Fan offered no resistance, cooperating as he was pressed face-down and handcuffed. Several more officers followed, pinning him tightly.

Li Fengying hurried past the crowd into the living room and immediately spotted Song Xin lying on the floor, surrounded by candles. Who cared if the candles formed a heart?

“Xin’er!” she wailed, rushing forward, only to be held back by a man and an elderly gentleman.

“Don’t be rash, honey. With so many police here, he wouldn’t dare harm Xin’er,” the man said.

“Fengying, control yourself—don’t get worked up. If you anger the kidnappers, my grandson could be in danger,” the old man whispered.

Lin Hai, startled by the commotion and Li Fengying’s wail, opened his eyes. The smile on his face froze, his expression flickering between green, yellow, and red like a traffic light.

At that moment, several SWAT officers stormed in, weapons drawn. Lin Fan stood at the back, held by two officers, looking innocent. The lead SWAT pointed his gun at Lin Hai and barked, “Drop your weapon, stand up slowly, hands on your head—don’t move!”

The others closed in, weapons trained on Lin Hai.

Lin Hai could never have imagined such a scene.

Realizing what was happening, he was overwhelmed by a torrent of anger, shock, regret, and grief—emotions surging so violently that he seemed to age on the spot.

He sat, paralyzed like a thunderstruck log, his face dark.

Lin Hai had roamed the world for decades, seen countless dangerous situations, even life-or-death battles, but never had he been so humiliated. He knew he’d never committed any truly heinous, unforgivable crime. Why was fate treating him this way? If word got out, how could he ever show his face in the trade again? After a lifetime of swindling, he’d finally been outsmarted—was this karmic retribution?

Resentful, he thought, “I do a good deed and end up like this. So it’s true—no good deed goes unpunished, while villains thrive!”

“Li Fengying, you treacherous, ungrateful, shameless, hideous harpy—I’ll never forgive you!”

“Uncle! A wise man knows when to yield—surrender!” Lin Fan, knowing Lin Hai too well, saw the shock on his face and urgently reminded him.

Lin Hai, cursing Li Fengying’s ancestors in his mind, snapped out of it at Lin Fan’s shout. With so many guns aimed at him, he had no choice but to comply, slowly setting down his whisk, putting his hands on his head, and standing up.

Dressed as he was, blood still on his face, anyone unfamiliar would’ve thought him a hardened criminal. He’d meant the spectacle to win more reward money, but instead it became evidence of his supposed guilt.

Seeing Lin Hai surrender, several SWAT officers rushed in, thoroughly searching him before hauling both him and Lin Fan off to the police station for questioning.

Lin Fan remained calm and composed on the way, with a clear conscience. Lin Hai, across from him, glared fiercely, his face twitching, heart full of frustration and hatred.

Though furious, Lin Hai kept his wits about him. On the way, he quietly instructed Lin Fan: as long as nothing about the demon child was mentioned, everything else could be told truthfully.

Lin Fan smiled knowingly at this reminder, thinking, “Now I can finally seek justice for those children.”