The Dagger Revealed at the End of the Map

When Auntie came out of the kitchen, she happened to see what was in the other aunt’s hands, and her footsteps slowed for half a beat.

She recognized the brand too.

Lin Yucheng’s face tightened.

He had originally planned to play the family card today. The gift was only meant to be a token gesture.

After all, it wasn’t New Year yet. A casual gift would have been enough; he would still have to come again after the holiday.

Who could have expected Lin Mo to raise the stakes so dramatically the moment he made his move?

This wasn’t about how much the gift cost.

It was about how Lin Yucheng had just been putting on the airs of an elder, only for an entire skincare set to crush that elder’s dignity flat.

Lin Jiahao held it in for a long while, but finally couldn’t stop himself.

“Who knows if it’s even genuine?”

The room fell silent for a moment.

Lin Yucheng closed his eyes.

This son of his really had been sent to repay a debt from a past life.

He always chose the worst possible moment to open his mouth.

Lin Mo looked at Lin Jiahao.

He wasn’t angry.

On the contrary, he thought the man was being very helpful.

He’d been worried that the dinner wouldn’t have a lively enough opening, and Lin Jiahao had delivered the match himself.

“I don’t buy counterfeit goods.”

“Some people are different. They’re fake, their words are fake, and yet they put on a convincing act. They’re always saying they’re doing it for your own good, while secretly calculating every last detail. That’s what’s truly disgusting.”

Lin Jiahao’s face flushed.

“Who are you talking about?”

“Whoever’s feeling called out.”

Lin Mo took the receipt from the bag and handed it to his aunt.

“Auntie, this is the receipt. If there’s any problem, or if it doesn’t work properly, just take it to the official store. The sales assistants only need to see the proof of purchase.”

His aunt took it and glanced at the amount printed on it. Her hand paused.

She didn’t read the price aloud.

At a time like this, announcing the cost wouldn’t make Lin Mo look better. It would only make the people beside him more uncomfortable.

She understood the importance of tact.

“I’ll put it away for now. It’s far too valuable. If I leave it here, I’m afraid Doudou will take it apart.”

Doudou looked up.

“I won’t take Mommy’s things apart.”

Lin Mo stuffed the robot into his arms.

“You can take this one apart.”

Doudou nodded seriously.

“Then I’ll take this one apart.”

Lin Gongcheng came out carrying the last dish. Hearing that, he nearly lost his grip on the plate.

“Mo-zai, don’t teach him to dismantle things.”

“It’s fine, Uncle Gongcheng. I’m cultivating his hands-on skills early. That way, he won’t have to rely on anyone when he grows up and needs to fix something.”

“Don’t encourage him. Last time, he said he was going to put batteries in the TV remote. He put them in backward, then blamed the remote for lacking ambition.”

Laughter spread through the living room.

The interruption eased the tension.

Lin Yucheng laughed along, but his smile froze halfway.

He looked at the receipt Lin Mo had handed over, his mind spinning rapidly.

Someone who could casually buy a skincare set worth several thousand yuan and not treat it as a big deal…

This nephew of his was definitely a reckless spender.

That might make him easier to manipulate.

Everyone took their seats at the table, but for a moment, no one spoke.

Lin Jiahao lowered his head and scrolled through his phone, growing more irritated by the second.

He searched online for the price of the set.

The number that appeared made his eyelid twitch.

He turned the phone face down on his thigh.

What was he putting on airs for?

He must have bought it specifically to show off today.

But then he remembered the way Lin Mo had produced the receipt just now, and the confidence behind his stubborn denial began to waver.

Lin Mo took in everyone’s reactions.

This was exactly the effect he wanted.

He had genuinely bought the gift for his aunt.

And he had also deliberately made Lin Yucheng uncomfortable.

The dinner hadn’t even begun, yet Lin Yucheng had already been forced a step down.

Lin Gongcheng set the dish on the table.

“All the dishes are here. We’ve got fish, shrimp, chicken, goose, and the slow-simmered soup that’s been cooking since noon. I only cooked one bowl of rice per person, so make sure you fill up on the dishes.”

His wife came out of the room and untied her apron.

“Exactly. Let’s eat first. We can talk after dinner.”

She had intended the words to smooth things over.

But to Lin Yucheng’s ears, they offered him the perfect opening.

He picked up his chopsticks and smiled as he addressed everyone.

“Exactly. Let’s eat first. It’s rare for all of us to get together like this. As a family, we really ought to keep in touch more.”

Lin Mo picked up a piece of roast goose and didn’t respond.

As a family.

Those three words sounded so convenient coming from Lin Yucheng.

When he needed something, they were family.

When he didn’t, Lin Mo wasn’t even as important as a stranger.

Lin Mo took a bite. The roast goose tasted pretty good. It was certainly bought from a roast-meat shop, but different shops naturally had different flavors and levels of quality.

He looked up at Lin Yucheng.

“Keeping in touch is fine.”

Lin Yucheng’s eyes lit up.

Lin Mo placed the bone in his dish and added, “But don’t come empty-handed. Things are expensive these days, after all. Even family ties need maintenance.”

Lin Gongcheng nearly choked.

His wife lowered her head to ladle some soup, her shoulders trembling.

Doudou didn’t understand, but nodded along anyway.

“Right. Maintenance.”

Lin Jiahao looked up and glared at Lin Mo.

Lin Mo didn’t even look at him.

The smile on Lin Yucheng’s face became strained, but he couldn’t afford to lose his temper.

He proactively placed a piece of chicken in Lin Mo’s bowl.

“You’re right, Xiao Mo. You’re absolutely right.”

At last, everyone began eating.

But they all knew the real matter had yet to be discussed.

Lin Mo wasn’t in a hurry.

He was waiting for Lin Yucheng to speak.

The meal didn’t last especially long. Finally, Lin Yucheng put down his chopsticks and sighed.

“Recently, my company’s marketing revenue has been pretty good. I’ve made some money, so I’m planning to renovate the house. It’ll probably take a month or two.”

Lin Mo said nothing. Instead, Lin Gongcheng was the first to react.

“Huh? Then where are you going to live?”

“We haven’t decided yet. Jiahao can stay at school, while my wife and I can find somewhere to stay for a while.”

At this point, Lin Yucheng looked toward Lin Mo.

“Xiao Mo, if I remember correctly, you have quite a few rental properties, don’t you?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t looked into it.”

Lin Mo pretended not to understand and picked up another piece of fish.

Seeing that Lin Mo wasn’t taking the bait, Lin Yucheng merely smiled faintly.

“Could you help your uncle look into it? You know we really don’t have much of a choice.”

Lin Mo slowly placed another piece of meat into his mouth.

“There’s nothing to look into. It wouldn’t be worth the effort.”

That answer was so blunt that it left no room for maneuver. But Lin Gongcheng didn’t say anything; he still hadn’t figured out what his older brother was trying to do.

“That’s true. There really isn’t much point. Oh, right, Xiao Mo, Gongcheng told me that you don’t live at home anymore.”

Oh-ho. The fox’s tail was finally showing.

Even Lin Gongcheng didn’t dare raise his head to look at Lin Mo.

His wife even stepped on his foot under the table.

“I live there, of course. Where else would I live? On the street?”

“No, I mean—you don’t stay at home while you’re at school, right? Since that’s the case, could you perhaps…”

Lin Mo put down his chopsticks and cut him off.

“Of course not. If you’re renovating your house, shouldn’t you be there to supervise it? I’m on the eastern side of Yangcheng, and your house is on the western side. Are you planning to travel back and forth every day? That would take four hours round-trip, wouldn’t it?”

Those words left Lin Yucheng completely cornered.

At last, Lin Yucheng lowered his head heavily.

“Fine. I won’t pretend anymore. The truth is, I lost a lot of money trading stocks, and I’ve already mortgaged my house.”

“So in a little while, we may be homeless. That’s why I’m hoping you can help us, Xiao Mo.”