Chapter 8

Lin Xi asked Hao Xinyan for help because he knew she had the ability. Although Lin Xi was not clear about what Hao Xinyan's parents did, he remembered from his previous life that her family's financial situation was quite good. Moreover, the fact that she had 6,000 yuan in pocket money also indicated this.

When Lin Xi agreed to He Xuan at the Dongsheng Furniture Store, he had this in mind. Now, it seemed that the result was not bad; at least Hao Xinyan had agreed to help him and go home to ask her aunt.

Through their subsequent chat, Lin Xi learned that Hao Xinyan's parents were not around, and her aunt was responsible for her daily life. As long as her aunt agreed, the matter would be settled, and she was confident that she could persuade her aunt without any problem.

After leaving the barbecue shop, Lin Xi and Hao Xinyan did not go home immediately but walked down the alley. Hao Xinyan was going to the department store to buy something, and Lin Xi, of course, had to accompany her.

After walking for a while, Hao Xinyan suddenly whispered, "Lin Xi, aren't those the people you dealt with just now? Hey, why are they with Zhang Hongtao?"

Following Hao Xinyan's gaze, Lin Xi indeed saw three or four people hurriedly getting into a white minivan at the end of the alley. After everyone got in, the door was closed, and the car quickly drove away.

"Zhang Hongtao?" Lin Xi felt the name was familiar but couldn't remember who he was.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten Zhang Hongtao?" Hao Xinyan said with a look of surprise, "One of the three bullies at Minzhong High School, his father is the boss of Minzhou Fuleju Furniture City. Don't you remember that?"

Since the morning when she called Lin Xi, Hao Xinyan had felt that something was odd about him. Whether it was his tone on the phone or his behavior when he encountered those hooligans, it gave her this feeling. Now, hearing the name Zhang Hongtao, Lin Xi's blank expression made Hao Xinyan even more puzzled. Zhang Hongtao was their classmate; even if they hadn't seen each other for over a month, he shouldn't have forgotten him, right?

Hearing the hint of doubt in Hao Xinyan's voice, Lin Xi quickly smiled and said, "You mean Zhang Hongtao? Of course I know him, he's our classmate!"

Thanks to Hao Xinyan's reminder, Lin Xi remembered Zhang Hongtao and hurriedly brought up the topic of their class to avoid making the little girl suspicious.

Hao Xinyan, hearing Lin Xi's words, felt relieved. It seemed she had overthought things earlier. She had always thought she knew the boy beside her well, but now it seemed that wasn't the case, and she needed to strengthen her connection with him in the future.

Hao Xinyan glanced at Lin Xi and thought to herself that the idea of borrowing the money he proposed earlier was a good one. She had to find a way to persuade her aunt, but under no circumstances should her parents know, or the matter would be impossible to consider.

Lin Xi, unaware of Hao Xinyan's thoughts, accompanied her to buy things and then sent her home.

After being reborn, Lin Xi had not yet seen his parents and was quite looking forward to it. After sending Hao Xinyan home, he got on his new Giant bicycle and rode to No. 1 Compound.

When Lin Xi opened the door, he saw his mother, Wang Yueqin, sitting on the sofa watching TV. Despite being well-prepared, when his mother appeared before him, Lin Xi was still a bit dazed. Her young and fresh appearance made him feel it was almost unreal.

Lin Xi's mother, Wang Yueqin, was an elementary school teacher at Qingyuan Experimental Primary School. She had no airs of being the wife of a county magistrate and was very down-to-earth and hardworking at school.

After his father's incident in his previous life, his mother had worked tirelessly day and night, and she aged rapidly. When Lin Xi was reborn, she was only in her early sixties, but her hair was already half-gray, and she looked like she was over seventy.

Seeing his much younger mother, Lin Xi felt a myriad of emotions. He thought to himself that his mother must have been a beauty in her youth, and even now, in her early forties, she still had a certain charm.

Wang Yueqin asked about her son's situation in her husband's office. Lin Xi, of course, did not tell her about what happened in the morning. Telling her would only add to her worries, so he vaguely said there was nothing wrong.

Wang Yueqin's mind was not on her son. After hearing his response, she did not press further and started preparing for dinner.

Seeing this, Lin Xi asked, "Mom, is Dad not coming back for dinner?"

"He doesn't have time to come back. He didn't even come home last night," Wang Yueqin said with a worried look.

Seeing this, Lin Xi didn't know how to comfort his mother and quietly got up to serve the rice and soup in the kitchen.

Although he had already eaten barbecue with Hao Xinyan, seeing his mother's unhappy mood, Lin Xi still ate a little. He knew that no matter how much he said, he couldn't dispel the clouds of worry in his mother's heart, so he said nothing, finished dinner, took a shower, and went to his room.

The next morning, Lin Xi was sleeping soundly when he suddenly heard someone calling, "Lin Xi, Lin Xi."

Opening his sleepy eyes, he saw a middle-aged man in his forties standing by his bed, with a square face and deep-set eyes, looking as if he hadn't slept well for a long time.

Lin Xi rubbed his eyes and finally recognized the man standing beside him—his father, Lin Jiaqiang, the county magistrate of Qingyuan County.

"Father, so early?" Lin Xi sat up and greeted him.

Although Lin Xi was not sure of the exact time, he subconsciously felt it was still early.

Lin Jiaqiang, hearing his son's words, said apologetically, "Son, I'm sorry, it's indeed early, but I have to go to the machinery factory urgently, so I had to wake you up."

High school life was very busy, and his son had a hard-earned summer break. Asking him to help and waking him up so early made Lin Jiaqiang feel a bit guilty.

"It's okay, Father, just tell me what you need," Lin Xi realized that his father had woken him up early for a reason and quickly said.

Hearing this, Lin Jiaqiang's furrowed brows eased a bit, and he said, "Today, don't go anywhere. Stay in my office. If there's anything special, call me on the pager."

Lin Xi nodded immediately. He wanted to know about the situation at the machinery factory, but seeing his father's anxious expression, he gave up the idea.

In his previous life, his father had been brought down by the bankbook hidden in the cigarettes. As long as this matter was resolved, he believed his father could handle the rest. Lin Xi thought to himself.

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