Chapter – 09
Pay for It!
After the two of them left, Yu Wei let out a long, slow sigh. He had just taken a half-hour bath and finally made up his mind to stay away from these “paper characters,” find a small city, get a regular job at a small company as an accountant, and just live quietly.
But after hearing what Bai Sijia said, he still couldn’t help but waver.
He had been an orphan in his previous life—no father, no mother. Maybe he did have parents, but he had never seen them. In his last life, he had never experienced family affection, and in this one, he didn’t expect it either.
But right now, Yu Fu and Yu Mu treated him well. Even though Yu Wei didn’t have much emotional attachment to the Yu family, he still couldn’t bring himself to stand by and do nothing after learning what their tragic ending would be.
Yu Wei was deep in thought when his phone on the bedside table vibrated twice. While drinking the milk the maid had reheated, he unlocked his phone with one hand and checked WeChat unread messages.
Lin Hao had messaged him, asking him to have lunch together tomorrow.
The next day at noon, Yu Wei arrived on time.
Lin Hao chose a private restaurant. A staff member led Yu Wei through several twists and turns before stopping at a private room and opening the door. Yu Wei stepped in and immediately paused when he saw two people inside.
He mentally rolled his eyes.
He had thought Lin Hao wanted to discuss cooperation, but since Lin Zhe Rui was here too, it was probably not going to be about business.
“Xiao Wei, you’re here,” Lin Hao greeted warmly.
Yu Wei tugged at the corners of his mouth and forced a polite smile as he walked in. The staff behind him closed the door and left.
Lin Hao glanced at Lin Zhe Rui beside him and secretly signaled him to pull out a chair for Yu Wei. But Lin Zhe Rui’s eyes were fixed on Yu Wei and he didn’t react at all.
Lin Hao had no choice but to remind him, “Don’t just stare. Stand up and pull the chair out for Xiao Wei.”
“No need,” Yu Wei said, choosing the seat farthest from Lin Zhe Rui.
Ever since Yu Wei walked in, Lin Zhe Rui had been sitting lazily in his chair, staring straight at him. His gaze carried scrutiny and suspicion. At first, Yu Wei could ignore it, but by the end of the meal, Lin Zhe Rui hadn’t even touched his chopsticks and was still staring, as if he wanted to bore two holes into Yu Wei’s face.
At that moment, Lin Hao sighed heavily.
“Yesterday, President Lin personally called to reprimand Zhe Rui. He might be a bit upset today and hasn’t eaten.”
Yu Wei didn’t respond.
“I also don’t know how President Yu found out you two met yesterday… could it be that he really doesn’t trust you managing the company and sent someone to monitor you?”
Lin Hao quickly covered his mouth as if realizing what he had said.
“I didn’t mean he doesn’t treat you like his own son. He probably just cares about your safety…”
His words sounded like an attempt to correct himself, but every sentence subtly suggested that Yu Cheng didn’t trust Yu Wei and was monitoring him.
Anyone could see Lin Hao was trying to sow discord, but Yu Wei still took the bait.
Last night, he had already noticed that Yu’s parents didn’t seem to like Lin Zhe Rui and were hinting at his shortcomings. And today, Lin Hao was openly trying to damage his relationship with his family.
The meeting with Lin Zhe Rui yesterday had been a last-minute decision, and he hadn’t told the driver or anyone else.
Yu Wei wasn’t particularly interested in either side’s intentions, but if what Lin Hao said was true—if Yu Cheng was publicly handing him the company while secretly monitoring him—then Yu Wei felt he might need to change his plans from last night.
Seeing that he had taken the bait, Lin Hao said nothing more.
After the meal ended, Lin Zhe Rui hadn’t said a single word the entire time, acting like background scenery.
When they left, Lin Hao walked ahead, deliberately leaving the two of them alone.
“Yu Wei, you’re pretty ruthless,” Lin Zhe Rui finally said—the first and last sentence he spoke that day.
Then he turned and walked away, leaving Yu Wei standing there confused.
“Crazy,” Yu Wei muttered.
…
That evening, Yu Wei didn’t go straight back to his room when he returned home. He had been thinking about Lin Hao’s words all day.
Since Lin Zhe Rui’s character was questionable, Lin Hao’s credibility was also low. He didn’t trust him.
He decided to ask Yu Cheng directly how he found out about the meeting with Lin Zhe Rui.
Yu Wei got off work late, but no matter how late he came back, Bai Sijia and Yu Cheng always waited for him to have dinner together. Ever since he transmigrated into this world, Yu Wei often made excuses to avoid eating with them.
Even when he didn’t eat, they still waited and asked.
Today was no exception—they called him to dinner. Yu Wei didn’t refuse, washed his hands, and sat down.
Bai Sijia was visibly happy to see him come.
Yu Cheng’s expression remained calm, but he seemed in a good mood and even ate two extra bowls of rice, occasionally serving dishes to both Yu Wei and Bai Sijia.
There were no strict rules at the Yu family table. The three of them ate and chatted casually, warm and harmonious.
“Dad, how did you know I met Lin Zhe Rui yesterday?” Yu Wei asked casually.
“It was Lin Hao,” Bai Sijia replied immediately. “He sent us a message in the afternoon saying you were out with Lin Zhe Rui and might come back late.”
She immediately had the maid bring over the phone and showed Yu Wei the message after a few taps.
Yu Wei: “……”
So it wasn’t Yu Cheng monitoring him at all—it was clearly Lin Hao acting on his own.
As expected, like father, like son.
This matter could have been easily confirmed by asking directly, yet Lin Hao was so certain Yu Wei wouldn’t ask Yu Cheng and would believe him instead.
Moreover, what benefit did stirring conflict between him and Yu Cheng bring him? The only thing Yu Wei could think of was business interests.
After dinner, Yu Wei stood up to leave, but Bai Sijia called him back.
“Today is the 23rd. Be careful. If you feel unwell, contact Uncle Wang immediately and come home.”
Yu Wei didn’t understand, but still nodded.
Back in his room, he sent Lin Hao a message. Regardless of his intentions, Yu Wei decided to play along.
“After all, I’m not his biological son. It’s normal that President Yu doesn’t fully trust me with the company. But don’t worry, Mr. Lin—it won’t affect our cooperation.”
The reply came quickly.
“No need to be so formal. Just call me Uncle.”
Yu Wei chatted with him for a while before receiving a call from Yu Song.
The moment he answered, a wailing voice came through the phone.
“Brother! The figure you gave me for my 18th birthday was smashed!”
Yu Wei frowned and moved the phone away. “Lower your voice, I’m going deaf.”
Yu Song went silent for two seconds, then cried even louder.
“What happened? Did someone bully you?” Yu Wei asked, though he silently added in his mind: with your villain background, it’s already good if you’re not bullying others.
“Brother… the limited-edition figure you gave me broke…”
“So what? Just buy another one. Why are you crying over a toy?” Yu Wei said irritably.
“It’s different… it’s the one you gave me…”
“How much was it?”
“It’s a limited edition… 530,000 yuan.”
“……How much?” Yu Wei instantly woke up. “Say that again?”
Yu Song repeated it.
Yu Wei almost fainted.
Five hundred and thirty thousand yuan—just broken like that.
He gritted his teeth. “Pay for it. You must make them pay!”
Yu Song originally called for comfort, but ended up comforting Yu Wei instead. After half an hour of reassurance—and promising to make the person who broke it pay—the call finally ended.
