"Mom, if you loved Dad, why did you divorce him? We could take care of Dad together."
Lin Tianba opened his eyes, staring at Lin Jian in disbelief. Even Liu Yuemei seemed puzzled.
A mother knows her son best—she understood Lin Jian better than anyone else.
On the surface, this son appeared harmless, but in reality, his heart was filled with darkness. He would stop at nothing to achieve his goals, and above all, he was selfish.
If it were her lying on that bed, Liu Yuemei had no doubt that Lin Jian would instantly drop the act and walk away without a second thought.
Because she knew him so well, she could tell just how abnormal Lin Jian was behaving right now.
"Jian, you really are Dad's good boy. Please take me to the hospital. From now on, you’ll be the heir to the Lin family. You’re my only son," Lin Tianba said, his hope rekindled now that Lin Jian was speaking up for him.
"Dad, do you want to be rich again?"
"Of course! But that’s something to think about later. Right now, just take me to the hospital. I promise, all of the Lin family’s assets will go to you. That ungrateful Lin Ran won’t get a single cent."
Lin Jian shook his head, looking at Lin Tianba with contempt."You should know better—the Lin family has nothing left but debt. Stop deluding yourself. Actually, success is simple. Dad, have you ever heard the saying, 'Even bad publicity is publicity'?"
Lin Tianba stared blankly at him. "What do you mean?"
Lin Jian stood up, his shadow looming over Lin Tianba. His father had never seen him like this before.
"Son, what exactly are you planning?" Liu Yuemei was genuinely confused now.
Lin Jian smirked. "The internet is thriving, and Dad’s reputation is already rock-bottom. If we capitalize on his infamy, we can monetize it—maybe even make a comeback."
Both Liu Yuemei and Lin Tianba gaped at him, as if seeing their son for the first time.
"But you’ll need to cooperate, Dad. The first step? No hospital treatment..."
"What?! You heartless brat! You’d sacrifice your own father’s life for money?" Lin Tianba roared in fury.
Lin Jian flashed a sinister smile. "Dad, I call you 'Dad' out of courtesy. We both know there’s no blood between us, right?"
"If I healed you, what’s stopping you from turning on me later? I’d just be playing with fire."
The malice in his grin sent chills down their spines. Lin Tianba was utterly stunned, frozen in shock.
Liu Yuemei spoke up, "Son, this isn’t right. Once your father and I divorce, I’ll take you with me. We’ll find a way to bounce back."
Lin Jian shot her a disdainful look.
"Bounce back how? By selling yourself? How long would that take—ten years? Twenty? Until retirement?"
"Liu Yuemei, you disgust me."
She staggered back three steps, staring at him in disbelief.ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ɴovel(ꜰ)ɪre.nᴇt
"Jian, how could you say that to me? I’m your mother! I raised you with so much hardship, and now you call me disgusting?"
Lin Jian scoffed. "What kind of mother are you? What hardship did you ever endure? You’re just a parasite, leaching off the Lin family. How dare you act like some martyr?"
His attitude completely shattered their perception of him.
They realized they had never truly known Lin Jian at all.
"From now on, I’m in charge of the Lin family. You’ll both do as I say."
His sharp gaze bore into them, stripping away any trace of his former obedient, innocent facade.
"Mom, since you’re already in that line of work, why not charge for live shows? Let’s say... 10,000 per session."
"And Dad, when you’re not busy, you’ll follow my script and livestream your misery. Only then will you get food."
Lin Jian had fully taken over, dictating his parents’ lives.
"What?! Have you lost your mind?!"
"Jian, you— slap!"
Liu Yuemei struck him across the face for the first time.
Lin Jian burst into maniacal laughter. "Hahahaha! Yes, I’m insane—driven mad by the two of you! This is all your doing. Don’t act like you’re saints."
He pointed an accusing finger at Liu Yuemei.
"You, Liu Yuemei, used Lin Tianba’s favor to embezzle the Lin family’s wealth. The moment you moved in, you shoved Lin Ran into the storage room. All these years, you’ve skimped on his living expenses, manipulating both him and Lin Tianba with your mind games."
"You turned father and son against each other, all so you could seize everything once Lin Ran was gone. Well, congratulations—he left! But what did you gain? Your failure dragged me down with you."
"You didn’t even bother reclaiming the shares before driving Lin Ran out. Pathetic."
Exposed by her own son, Liu Yuemei flushed with shame. "That’s a lie! I never did any of that!"
"Stop pretending. When I broke that antique vase as a kid, you made Lin Ran take the blame. Dad beat him half to death."
"And remember when Lin Ran wanted to ride to school with me? You said, 'An extra passenger wastes gas,' then told him, 'You’re a big boy now—be considerate.'"
"So he ended up biking on some rusty old bicycle. Wasn’t that your doing? Spare me the act. Disgusting."
Lin Tianba listened in stunned silence. He never imagined such things had been happening under his nose. Had he been wrong about Lin Ran all along?
Come to think of it, when was the last time he’d shown his own son any kindness?
He vividly remembered doting on Lin Ran as a child.
Then, years of memories flooded back.
"Honey, Ran broke the vase. It’s my fault for not watching him. Please don’t scold him."
"Honey, Jian says his room is too small. Could Ran, as the older brother, give his room to him?"
And just like that, Lin Jian’s old room became a walk-in closet, while Lin Ran’s room became Lin Jian’s.
"Dad, it was my fault. Brother didn’t hit me. Don’t blame him... I shouldn’t have made him angry..."