The Adopted Cannon Fodder Made a Comeback

Neither Manager Shang nor Xiao Li had imagined that Gu’er was Lin Shan’s daughter.

Manager Shang glanced at Xiao Li, who trembled all over. A man like him knew who he could afford to offend and who he couldn’t. He would relentlessly crush those he could, but he would bow his head to those he couldn’t.

"Mr. Lin, I honestly had no idea! If I had known, I never would have said it. Please, don’t stoop to my level. I have a filthy mouth... I... I shouldn’t have said you and Gu’er were carrying on an affair. I..."

Before Xiao Li could finish, he saw Lin Shan’s gaze shoot toward him like daggers. He trembled and quickly shut his mouth.

Manager Shang shot Xiao Li a harsh glare. ’If you’re going to apologize, then just apologize! Why repeat the insult? Are you asking for a beating? Is he an idiot?!’

"Mr. Lin, look, Xiao Li knows he was wrong. Can you do me a favor and just let this go?"

Manager Shang was anxious to resolve this. The people in the private room were still waiting. After two incidents like this in a row, people would start to question his competence.

Before Lin Shan could say anything, Chen Kui stepped forward.

"You’re Mr. Lin, correct? Even as a district chief, you shouldn’t be hitting people. What my brother said wasn’t pleasant, I’ll grant you, but you struck him without a second thought. And you’re a public official! Your actions are a violation of regulations. You’re going to have to give me an explanation for this, Mr. Lin."

Chen Kui’s expression darkened. Far from trying to smooth things over, he was demanding an explanation.

After Chen Kui spoke, Xiao Li, stunned for a moment, immediately puffed out his chest and shouted, "That’s right, that’s right! You think you can just hit people because you’re an official? Is there no law in this land? Assault is a crime, you know! Look what you did to me! If you don’t give me a satisfactory explanation, I’m reporting you!"

Xiao Li couldn’t afford to offend Lin Shan on his own, but he understood one thing very clearly: Chen Kui was his backer. Whatever stance Chen Kui took, he would take.

Gu’er hadn’t expected them to be so aggressive. She looked toward Lin Shan.

A cold light glinted in Lin Shan’s eyes. ’Did he know that assault was against the law? Did he know his actions violated regulations? Yes, he knew all of it.’ But he had struck the man anyway, because he would not allow anyone to insult his daughter. Even if it meant making a mistake and facing censure, he had no regrets. Because in that moment, he was a father.

"Heh. I haven’t demanded an explanation from you, yet you’re demanding one from me. Fine. Today, I, Lin, would like to hear it. What kind of explanation do you want?"

Lin Shan chuckled, a severe glint flashing in his eyes. ’For them to act this brazenly, they must have powerful backing.’

Manager Shang’s expression grew grim. ’I was trying to de-escalate this, but I never expected Chen Kui to step in and demand justice. He’s only acting like this because he’s relying on the influence of the person in that private room.’ He didn’t want to offend anyone, and he certainly didn’t want the commotion to continue in his establishment.

"Brother Chen, hear me out. No matter how you slice it, Xiao Li started this. Mr. Lin brought his daughter here for dinner; they’re our guests. It was wrong for Xiao Li to just walk up and insult her. You can’t blame a man for getting angry and throwing a punch. What father wouldn’t lose his temper if he heard someone insulting his daughter? We have to be understanding. Do your old brother a favor and let’s just drop it, what do you say?"

After speaking, Manager Shang turned to Lin Shan. "Mr. Lin, Xiao Li was in the wrong, but hitting him puts you on the back foot, legally. If this gets blown out of proportion, it won’t look good for you. It could even negatively affect your career. How about we each take a step back and let this be the end of it? This meal is on me. Please, Mr. Lin, grant me this favor."

Manager Shang didn’t want the situation to escalate, so he tried to reason with both sides.

Lin Shan remained silent. Across from him, Chen Kui’s eyes darted back and forth before he said, "I’ll respect your wishes, Brother Shang. How about this: I won’t make things difficult for Mr. Lin. He’s an important man, after all; it wouldn’t look good for him to apologize. Her... have her apologize to my brother. Once my brother is satisfied, we’ll call it even."

Chen Kui pointed at Gu’er.

A chill entered Gu’er’s eyes. ’Now I get it,’ she thought. ’They must have powerful connections. They aren’t afraid of my father.’

"Heh. You insult the daughter of I, Lin, and then demand that my daughter apologize to you? That’s the biggest joke I’ve ever heard. Not a chance in hell!"

Lin Shan laughed, furious. He would rather face disciplinary action than let his daughter be humiliated.

"So, Mr. Lin, you want to play hardball with us brothers?"

Chen Kui gave Lin Shan a sinister look.

"Whatever tricks you have up your sleeve, bring them on. Let’s see who’s afraid of whom."

Lin Shan stared at Chen Kui, his eyes filled with a severe light.

Manager Shang understood perfectly well why Chen Kui was being so bold. He sighed to himself, walked over to Lin Shan, and whispered, "Mr. Lin, this Brother Chen... he’s one of Yu District Chief’s people."

Lin Shan looked at Manager Shang. ’Yu District Chief... he knew him. They had extensive dealings with each other. He wasn’t even afraid of Yu District Chief himself, so why would he fear one of his underlings? If Yu District Chief was truly behind this, he’d take this fight straight to his office.’

"Mr. Lin," Manager Shang whispered again, "the Party Secretary of Yonghong District is about to be replaced, isn’t he? I heard the one taking over might be... Yu District Chief."

Manager Shang added, his voice even lower.

Lin Shan’s brow furrowed slightly. Gu’er understood in an instant. ’In a district, the most powerful person isn’t the District Chief, but the Party Secretary. That means this new Secretary would be more powerful than Dad. And if these people’s backer is about to become Dad’s new boss, and they’re already enemies... this will be terrible for Dad’s career.’

Chen Kui knew exactly what Manager Shang was saying. A cold smirk played on his lips. ’Maybe I’d have been afraid of Lin Shan in the past, but not anymore. Not only is my boss, Yu District Chief, about to be transferred here as the new Party Secretary, but even Secretary You has his own backers higher up. A piddling little District Chief like Lin Shan is nothing.’

Just then, as everyone was waiting for Lin Shan to make his choice, no one noticed that several people had appeared at the entrance leading from the main hall. On account of the man leading them, the group simply stood there in silence.

Gu’er couldn’t bear to see her father in such a bind. ’This is all my fault,’ she thought. ’If his career gets into trouble because of me, I’ll never be able to forgive myself. If this were just about me, I would never apologize. But since it affects Dad’s job... what’s the harm in lowering my head just this once?’

Gu’er glanced at her father and opened her mouth to speak.

"Gu’er."

Lin Shan said her name sharply, shaking his head at her.

"So what if they’re Yu District Chief’s men? They insulted my daughter, and now they demand an apology from her? An explanation? Fine, I’ll give you an explanation! I’ll give you one right now! If you don’t apologize to my daughter today, this matter is not over! I, Lin Shan, will face any disciplinary action, I’m not afraid! Even if You himself were standing right here, I’d still ask him on what grounds he thinks my daughter should be the one to apologize! If I don’t get a proper explanation, he can forget about this ever ending!"

Lin Shan stood up tall. He would not let his daughter apologize. ’Why should she be the one to bow her head? Just because this man’s backer is about to become my new superior? If I can’t even protect my own daughter, who can I protect? Heh. I, Lin Shan, will not be intimidated by someone like that. At worst, I’ll just have to find a new post.’

Gu’er looked at Lin Shan. In that moment, he seemed to tower in her eyes. No matter what lay ahead, no matter who their opponent was, he was willing to stand up and protect her, to keep her from being wronged. ’This,’ she thought, ’is what a father is.’