Excited Lin Mei Mei: Dad, I won't be coming home for dinner tonight

In the back-end monitoring room of the Tang family restaurant.

"Boss, it's all set."

The tech wiped the cold sweat off his forehead, finally letting out a hint of relief.

It was like that feeling—you're slacking off at work, having a great time, and the next second your direct supervisor walks in with a whole crowd, including the company's big boss. Anyone who's been through it knows the drill: nearly scared to death.

One second earlier, he'd been messing around playing Solitaire and Minesweeper on the back end; the next, he'd stepped on a landmine.

Tang Shouye patted him on the shoulder and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "Good work. Go take a break. I'll call you if I need you again."

The tech and the restaurant manager both sighed in relief and left the monitoring room.

Lin Baizhi sat in front of the main monitoring computer, searching through footage at ten times speed while keeping an eye on several windows at once. Tang Shouye stared, completely dazzled.

What kind of operation was this?

Why were they all human, with one head and two eyes—how could she be this impressive?

"Thanks, Brother Lin. Sorry for the trouble this time," Lin Tianxiong said, breaking the slightly awkward silence in the room.

The two went way back, having crossed paths many times. Back when Lin Tianxiong took over the Lin Group, some of his business overlapped with Tang Shouye's.

Tang Shouye had gotten crushed—utterly wrecked. In the medical field especially, he'd nearly been swallowed whole. Luckily, Lin Tianxiong had chosen to leave some breathing room and stopped the full takeover of Tang's medical sector.

That was how they'd become friends.

More friends, more paths—that rule still held in this circle.

Tang Shouye waved his hand. "Don't mention it, Brother Lin. We've known each other for years. This little favor is nothing."

As he spoke, Tang Shouye fished a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, pulled one out, and offered it to Lin Tianxiong.

Lin Tianxiong shook his head with a smile. "Quit a long time ago. I want to live a few more years, see my daughter grow up..."

Tang Shouye: "..."

Brother Lin, don't say it like that. You're making it sound like I'm asking for death. Everyone else smokes just fine, and now with one sentence you've ruined the whole vibe.

Silently, Tang Shouye shoved the cigarette he'd just brought to his lips back into the pack and tucked it away.

Yeah, he decided right then—he was quitting too. He hadn't lived enough yet.

In the early days, Lin Tianxiong hadn't smoked. But after seizing power and becoming head of the Lin Group, the pressure from all sides piled up, and he picked up the habit. Then when Lin Baizhi was found again, he quit.

Just like that—quit on a whim—and never relapsed once, not even after all these years.

The guy's willpower was terrifying.

Tang Shouye put away the cigarettes, and then Lin Tianxiong pulled two packets of instant noodles from his pocket, handing one to Tang Shouye.

Tang Shouye: "???"

Tang Shouye's eyes went wide. He blinked. "Brother Lin... since when do you eat this stuff?"

Lin Tianxiong looked a bit embarrassed. He actually also had spicy strips on him—they were treats for Da Huang. He'd meant to pull out the spicy strips but decided that felt too informal, so he swapped them for the instant noodles.

"Ahem, food is food. It's just something to pass the time. Try it—it's not bad," Lin Tianxiong said, effortlessly crushing the instant noodles in his hand and starting to munch.

Tang Shouye: "..."

A few moments later, the monitoring room had two middle-aged men munching on crushed instant noodles.

"Not bad at all. Brother Lin, you're a genius!" Tang Shouye raised his thumb without hesitation and... crunch, crunch, crunch.

Delicious. He loved it.

Who even invented this stuff?

Lin Tianxiong: "..."

Believe it or not, the genius wasn't him—it was Da Huang.

Tang Shouye scooted closer, lowering his voice to barely a whisper between the two of them. "Brother Lin, what's the deal with your Young Boss Lin?"

In a way, Tang Shouye was a very reliable older brother—even at a time like this, he hadn't forgotten to gather intel for his sister. He was ready to turn things around at any moment.

After all, like his mom said, his sister had zero game in romance. If he didn't help, she'd never have a shot—she'd probably just be standing outside the door listening.

"Ah, young people's business. I don't really understand it either," Lin Tianxiong replied, sticking firmly to the polite-but-know-nothing social script.

Especially when it came to his daughter's affairs.

A loose tongue causes trouble. Lin Tianxiong knew that better than anyone. The only people he truly trusted were his family; everyone else got a "little extra" layer of caution.

Tang Shouye: "..."

Hmph. Brother Lin—after all these years, you're still such a sly old fox. Not a single crack to exploit!

Tang Shouye had no choice. Even this casual question had been blocked by Lin Tianxiong's defense. Trying to pry further would be a waste—one more word and he'd start raising suspicion.

In the end, Tang Shouye just quietly watched from the side, chatting with Lin Tianxiong about business matters while waiting for Lin Baizhi to finish or for some new development to pop up.

Still munching on the instant noodles.

Click!

A crisp sound echoed in the monitoring room. Lin Baizhi's hand pressed the pause button, freezing the surveillance footage at that exact moment.

The moment Xiao Cheng appeared.

Click. Click. Click.

After the first image froze, a second, a third—frames from multiple windows all stopped simultaneously. These paused shots linked together seamlessly to form "a single path."

The complete escape route of Xiao Cheng!

If she hit play again, his entire escape trajectory would roll out.

Tang Shouye: "???"

Holy crap. For real? Was she that good?

Tang Shouye wiped the sweat from his forehead. He suddenly felt like, even as a boss himself, the "president" title was watered down compared to this. He could never pull off what Young Boss Lin just did.

Lin Baizhi memorized Xiao Cheng's final stop, left the monitoring room quickly, and rushed outside.

"Dad, I've got something to do. I might not be home for dinner tonight!"

Her voice was full of excitement and anticipation.

Lin Tianxiong: "..."

Daughter, Dad doesn't want to spoil your fun, but knowing Xiao Cheng... you're probably coming home for dinner tonight anyway.

Lin Tianxiong sighed, then shook his head with a gentle smile. He didn't want to be a buzzkill of a father. All he needed to do now was stand behind her and support whatever she decided.

As for whether that decision was good or bad—that wasn't for him to judge. His daughter had her own judgment.

Tang Shouye stepped forward, sat down where Lin Baizhi had been, and started studying with great interest exactly how she'd managed to watch all those monitors at once.

Why were people—and their brains—so different from each other?

Click.

By accident, Tang Shouye hit the pause button. The paused surveillance footage resumed playing. The moment the door opened, Tang Shouye was stunned.

A familiar face flashed by.

Wait, why was he in the surveillance footage too?

Not sure, let me double-check.

Tang Shouye tapped rapidly, reversing the surveillance footage until he finally froze the frame on the scene he had just glimpsed.

“Pfft!”

His youngest son’s chubby face appeared in the footage. Since it was a high-definition camera, it was very clear. Not just his youngest son—his mother, his father, his sister... and a very fat dog were all in that room.

Tang Shouye: “???”

So you really are a walking bomb!

Tang Shouye felt he had clearly underestimated Ye Cheng’s “potential.” The moment he let his guard down, that kid had already infiltrated his home!

Especially when he saw his mother laughing so happily in the footage, Tang Shouye felt like he was having a heart attack. Oh no, that succubus of a kid is working his magic again!

“Hmm? This is...”

He pressed the play button. The footage kept rolling. Lin Baizhi had hurriedly left earlier, missing the part that came next.

What Tang Shouye was now seeing was that later part of the surveillance footage.

Because he was looking for someone, Shen Ming—who had left earlier—appeared and entered the room, joining the chaos. Soon after, Shen Qinghan also appeared at the door.

She went inside.

Tang Shouye: “...”

Switching to the live feed, he saw Lin Baizhi appear at the door, open it, and also go inside.

Tang Shouye: “...”

“Uh... Brother Lin, do you want to hear some bad news?” Tang Shouye spoke up, a bit hesitant.

Lin Tianxiong was still in the back, eating crispy noodles. He had just a little left and was tipping the bag into his mouth. “What’s up, Brother Lin?”

“Well... it seems Young Boss Lin... and that icy little girl from Brother Shen’s place... have run into each other again.”

Lin Tianxiong: “???”