Kids Just Playing Around

The big, chubby kid had a bottle of soda in his hand.

Lin Mo didn’t even spare him a glance. This was Lin Yucheng’s son, Lin Jiahao—Lin Mo’s cousin.

He was a few years older than Lin Mo and already a junior in college. He was fat, and his hair was naturally graying—not dyed. Apparently, he had too little melanin in his hair follicles.

But this cousin was just as rotten as his other cousin, Liu Zihao.

He wasn’t a good person either. Lin Jiahao was very good at putting on an act.

When they were kids, he used his size to bully the younger children and was very good at picking his moments.

Whenever the adults were around, he would say they were only playing.

When the adults weren’t around, he really laid on the force.

Lin Mo had suffered at his hands before.

But seeing this cousin now, Lin Mo felt no particular anger.

Still, if someone insisted on sticking their face out, he didn’t mind giving it a slap.

After entering, Lin Jiahao looked at Lin Mo and spoke in a familiar tone.

“Mo-zai, you’re here too. We haven’t seen each other in ages.”

Without waiting for Lin Mo to reply, he sat down beside him and casually draped an arm around his shoulders.

The gesture looked perfectly natural.

But his hand was anything but innocent.

His five fingers clamped down on Lin Mo’s shoulder and slowly increased the pressure.

Lin Jiahao felt rather pleased with himself.

He had tried this move in his dorm. Several of his roommates couldn’t take it. Anyone he pressed like this would end up shouting in pain.

Lin Mo had been skinny since childhood, and he didn’t look particularly sturdy even now.

If Lin Jiahao made him embarrass himself on the spot, things would be much easier when it came time to discuss business.

His little scheme was going exactly as planned.

Unfortunately, his methods were as childish as ever.

Just like his name suggested—Jiahao, “excellent and mighty”!

Lin Yucheng saw what was happening but didn’t stop him.

He wanted to see what Lin Mo was really made of now.

If Lin Mo still endured everything as he had in the past, then today’s matter would be easy to handle.

Yet ten seconds passed.

Lin Jiahao stared at Lin Mo’s calm expression. Not even the slightest change had appeared on his face.

He began to wonder if there was something wrong with his “Dragon Claw.”

Lin Mo spoke first.

“It really has been a long time, Brother Hao.”

He placed a hand on Lin Jiahao’s shoulder as well.

Just once.

Lin Jiahao’s expression changed instantly.

He had been trying to maintain the warmth of an old acquaintance, but the moment Lin Mo’s fingers clamped down on his shoulder, his entire arm went numb and stopped obeying him.

He tried to endure it for half a second.

He failed.

“Ah! Damn it! Let go!”

Things were different now.

Lin Mo had no intention of letting go.

You squeezed me for as long as you did, so I’ll squeeze you for the same amount of time.

Fair was fair.

He didn’t like taking advantage of others, but he disliked being taken advantage of even more.

“Seriously, Brother Hao? You’ve gotten this weak lately? You can’t even handle a little pinch from your younger cousin? That’s pretty pathetic.”

Lin Jiahao’s pain was so intense that his butt came off the sofa. He grabbed Lin Mo’s wrist with his other hand and tried to pry his fingers loose.

He couldn’t budge them.

That was when he truly panicked.

This strength wasn’t normal.

Lin Mo hadn’t been like this before.

Only now did Lin Jiahao realize that he had kicked an iron plate.

But with so many people in the living room, he didn’t want to lose face. He raised his other hand and swung it at Lin Mo’s face.

Lin Mo leaned aside and dodged. At the same time, he increased the pressure on his hand.

“Oh? You still have enough strength to throw a punch? That means you can keep going, Brother Hao.”

Lin Jiahao’s entire face flushed red, and he could barely get the words out.

Lin Mo, however, dodged with ease and tightened his grip even further.

“L-Let go!”

Lin Jiahao’s face had twisted completely with pain.

Lin Yucheng could no longer stand by and watch.

“What are you doing? Let go of him!”

Only then did Lin Mo release him.

Lin Jiahao immediately covered his shoulder and shrank to the side, gasping twice before rubbing it frantically.

Lin Yucheng pulled his son over and instantly adopted a stern tone.

“You treat your cousin like this?”

Lin Mo looked up at him, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.

“We were just fooling around. It’s not like he got hurt.”

Lin Yucheng was left speechless.

He knew that line.

He knew it all too well.

Back when Lin Jiahao had pinned Lin Mo down and tormented him until he could barely speak from the pain, Lin Yucheng had said exactly the same thing.

They were just kids playing.

Don’t make a fuss.

Boys were supposed to be a little rough.

Now that the boomerang had come back around, the words tasted very different.

Lin Mo set the teacup back on the table.

“Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? That’s what you said back when your son did the same thing to me.”

Lin Yucheng’s face darkened.

“That’s different.”

“How is it different? Aren’t both just kids fooling around? Or are you saying your son can’t take it?”

Lin Jiahao had been rubbing his shoulder, but he exploded at those words.

“What do you mean I can’t take it? You squeezed so hard you injured me!”

As he spoke, he tugged open his collar and exposed his delicate shoulder.

Everyone in the living room looked over.

The small shoulder was fair and spotless—not even a red mark remained.

Doudou craned his neck to take a look and said honestly, “There’s no injury.”

Lin Jiahao turned and glared at him.

Doudou hugged his toy tighter and hid behind Lin Gongcheng.

The child was so frightened that he didn’t dare say another word.

Lin Mo let out a mocking laugh.

“There isn’t even a red mark, let alone an injury. Lin Jiahao, you’re making a whole scene over a little squeeze. What are you, a girl?”

That finally pushed Lin Jiahao over the edge.

His face turned bright red as he took two steps forward and lunged straight at Lin Mo.

He was fat, and when he charged, he took up a lot of space.

Lin Mo sidestepped him.

Lin Jiahao missed and nearly crashed into the coffee table. His knee knocked one of the gift boxes askew, exposing a corner of the wrapping paper inside.

His mother hurried over to steady him.

“Jiahao, stop messing around.”

Lin Jiahao shook off her hand.

“Mom, stay out of it.”

Lin Gongcheng frowned.

“Hao-ji, this is my house.”

The words weren’t harsh, but the living room fell quieter.

Lin Gongcheng rarely lost his temper. When he actually spoke up, even Lin Jiahao had to rein himself in.

Lin Mo sat back down on the sofa and looked at Lin Yucheng.

“If you won’t discipline your own son, I’ll discipline him for you.”

Lin Yucheng stared at Lin Mo.

He had originally planned to use his status as an elder to seize the upper hand before bringing up what had happened in the past.

But Lin Mo had completely disrupted his rhythm.

Lin Jiahao had taken the loss, yet there wasn’t even a bruise to prove it.

More troublesome still, Lin Mo hadn’t shouted or cursed. Every sentence had simply turned their old words back against them.

Lin Yucheng began reassessing Lin Mo.

This kid was just as difficult to deal with as he had been at the police station.

Trying to force him into submission today might not work.

Remembering the purpose of this visit, Lin Yucheng reached out and grabbed his son.

“Hao-ji! Stop!”

Lin Jiahao was unwilling to let it go and pointed at Lin Mo.

“But, Dad, he—”

“Enough.”

Lin Yucheng’s tone hardened.

“This was your fault. Go apologize to your little brother.”

The words fell, and the living room went silent again.

Lin Gongcheng glanced at Lin Yucheng but said nothing.

His wife lowered her head, still clutching the strap of her purse.

Lin Mo looked at Lin Yucheng but didn’t rush to respond.

There was no way Lin Yucheng would willingly make his son apologize.

For someone as concerned with his pride as Lin Yucheng, lowering himself today meant he definitely wanted something much bigger in return.

Without revealing anything, Lin Mo moved his teacup farther to the side.

If negotiations broke down later, he didn’t want to smash Third Uncle’s teacup by accident.

Lin Jiahao stood there, his face shifting from red to white.

Making him apologize to Lin Mo was harder than making him skip two meals of late-night snacks.

But Lin Yucheng’s hand was clamped firmly around his arm, applying no small amount of pressure.

Lin Jiahao gritted his teeth and forced the words out through them.

“Sorry. Happy now?”