Fear of you
On this day, Chen Yun was busy serving food and taking orders at a tavern owned by the Shi family. The tavern was bustling with people, the shouts and laughter of the diners intertwined.
Chen Yun was already extremely busy, with beads of sweat on his forehead. A bunch of people were eating, shouting here and tasting the food there.
Shi Lu came out of the kitchen and said to Chen Yun, "Miss Chen, please remind the new guests that we are short-staffed and will need to wait a little longer to serve the dishes."
Chen Yan responded, "I understand."
As the two were talking, Li Lin suddenly appeared in front of them. Both of them looked reserved and stunned, so Li Lin asked in return, "Why, you didn't greet me?"
Chen Yun was unhappy, but he couldn't get angry, so he could only endure it and pointed to the empty seat beside him, "Sir, please follow me."
Shi Lu was about to stop them, but was attracted by a group of guests who were acting like scoundrels elsewhere.
Chen Yun took Li Lin to the table and they sat down. Li Lin said, "My favorites are emerald yellow croaker balls, large clams and egg meat, and scrambled eggs with matsutake mushrooms."
Chen Yun impatiently slammed the menu on the table. "I'm sorry, distinguished guest, but our shop doesn't have that many high-quality ingredients. Please order according to our menu."
Li Lin poured a cup of tea and handed it to Chen Yin: "Are you too busy to drink water? It's not tea, so don't worry."
Chen Yun drank it reluctantly.
Li Lin picked up the recipe and looked at it. "It's quite lively here. Is this your masterpiece?"
"I guess so. Selling coupons for 2 taels off for every 10 taels you spend will encourage people to get a bargain. And since people don't pay much attention to the amount, it will actually cause customers to spend more than usual."
Li Lin then held his cheek, his eyes scanning the surroundings, finally landing on Chen Yun. He looked at her lovingly with a slight smile, then teased, "Xiao Yun, your face is rounder than before. Have you gained weight?"
Chen Yun took a deep breath, and when he was about to turn around and leave, Li Lin grabbed Chen Yun's hand and whispered, "Come back with me, don't be angry, okay?"
Chen Yun let go of Li Lin's hand: "Sir, there are other guests here ordering dishes, please take a look first."
Li Lin said helplessly: "No need to look, a bowl of fried rice with some vegetables."
After a while, Li Lin finished his meal and stood up triumphantly. He looked around and saw that there were still many people around.
"Since you don't trust me, let me create trust for you to see."
Li Lin put the silver on the table, then walked over to Chen Yan and took the menu and pen from her hand.
"Go get another one, and I'll help you."
Chen Yun saw that there were indeed too many customers and he was too busy to handle it. He had no choice but to go along with Li Lin's trick.
Shi Lu, who was far away, saw this scene and although he was a little dissatisfied, he could only let it go.
As time went by, the number of customers in the tavern gradually decreased. However, some customers started to make a fuss for some unknown reason.
Li Lin heard the arguing in the distance and came over to find Chen Yin's hand being grabbed by a bald male customer, who was teasing her, "Madam, your belly is bigger than a watermelon, and you're still showing up in public. Doesn't your husband really care about you?"
Li Lin sniffed and smelled alcohol on the table, so he became wary of these drunkards.
Li Lin smiled and pulled the bald man's hand away, saying, "Has everyone had enough to drink? How about bringing you a few more jugs of good wine?"
After hearing what Li Lin said, the bald male customer narrowed his eyes drunkenly, with a hint of ferocity in his eyes: "Boy, stay out of what happened today!" Several other drunks also surrounded him, swearing and pushing Li Lin. The air was filled with tension.
Chen Yun's heart tightened. Although she still harbored resentment towards Li Lin, she didn't want him to be put in danger. "Stop making trouble! Go back!" Chen Yun tried to dissuade the drunks, but her voice was faint amid the clamor.
Shi Lu also rushed over at this time. Seeing the chaotic scene in front of him, he rushed forward without hesitation, protecting Chen Yan behind him, and shouted at the drunks: "What do you want to do? Bullying a pregnant woman, what kind of ability is that!"
Looking at Shi Lu's eyes, which were firm and brave, made Chen Yun feel a little relieved. Li Lin looked at the expressions of Shi Lu and Chen Yun, and a surge of jealousy surged in his heart, but at this moment he was more worried about Chen Yun's safety.
Li Lin shook off the drunkards' hands and shouted, "You bold and unruly people! If you dare to mess around again, you will be in big trouble!" Li Lin's voice was low and majestic, revealing an unquestionable momentum.
The drunks, intimidated by Li Lin's aura, hesitated for a moment, but the alcohol kept them going. They lunged at Chen Yun. With a powerful kick, Li Lin sent the bald man in front flying backward, knocking down the two drunks behind him. But the drunks didn't back down. Instead, they roared with even greater fury and charged at Li Lin again.
Chen Ying picked up the chair next to him and wanted to help, but Shi Lu shook his head at Chen Ying to stop him.
Li Lin's eyes flashed, and his body moved like lightning. He quickly dodged a drunk's fist by moving sideways, then grabbed his arm with his backhand and twisted it hard. With a "click", the drunk's arm was dislocated and he screamed in pain.
At this time, two more drunks attacked Li Lin from both sides at the same time. Li Lin shouted loudly and swung his arms like two steel whips, instantly neutralizing the attacks of the two men. Then he grabbed the collars of the two men with both hands and threw them hard into the corner of the tavern, knocking over several tables and chairs.
A drunk rushed in front of Chen Ying. Shi Lu quickly reached out and grabbed his hand and threw it away. Although Chen Ying tried to dodge, the drunk's foot still kicked Chen Ying in the side of the buttocks. Li Lin saw this and kicked the drunk away with a flying kick.
This finally sobered up all the drunks. Realizing that they were no match for Li Lin, they supported each other and fled the tavern in disgrace.
Li Lin watched the drunks leave with a disdainful smile on his face. He turned and walked towards Chen Yan and asked with concern, "Are you okay?"
A complicated look flashed across Chen Yun's eyes. She lowered her head slightly and said softly, "I'm fine. Thank you."
Chen Yun suddenly clutched her stomach, looking uncomfortable. Shi Lu immediately supported her and gently asked, "Does it hurt?"
"I got kicked, and now I feel a little pain."
Li Lin reached out his hand to support Chen Yin, but Chen Yin pushed Li Lin's hand away without a word and let Shi Lu support her into the tavern.
Shi Lu helped Chen Yan to sit down in the back room which was dimly lit by sunlight.
"Just take a break here. There are fewer people now."
Chen Yin also nodded.
When Lu returned to the store, he saw Li Lin still helping him clean up the dishes and serve food to customers.
Shi Lu walked up to him impatiently and asked him to leave.
"I won't pay you. Get out of here."
Li Lin looked at Shi Lu, then said calmly, "I don't need your money. It's just that I'm used to helping people to the end. Besides, I don't want you to work hard for Xiao Yan."
"She needed to earn a living, so she asked my family to give her a way to make money. We originally planned to provide her with food and shelter, but she still insisted on working and earning her own money."
Li Lin put down the food for the guests, then turned around and pointed at Shi Lu's chest, forcing him to retreat. He said, "If she were with me, she wouldn't have suffered this. You have the financial resources, but I have both power and wealth. You should stay away from her."
Shi Lu grabbed Li Lin's hand and pulled him away, then took over the fight to force Li Lin back. "Mr. Li, huh? You share the same surname as our Qiankun King, but you lack their wisdom. Tell me, in your eyes, is Chen Yun a chess piece? A plaything? A trading partner? Or someone you admire?"
Li Lin's eyes flickered, then he grabbed Shi Lu's shoulders, pushed him aside, and forced him to retreat. He asked vaguely, "It doesn't matter what it is. It's not your place to interfere between us. But Brother Shi, you know that, first, you can't and dare not get Xiao Yun, and second, if your family dares to offend me again, you will face the punishment of exterminating all nine generations of your family."
Shi Lu realized that Li Lin's identity was not simple and could not help but shake his head. But thinking of Chen Yun, he immediately grabbed Li Lin's shoulders and shouted, "Stop! No wonder Chen Yun said she was only afraid of you."
When Li Lin heard this, he realized that Chen Ying's state stemmed from his fear of him. He believed that Chen Ying was afraid of his power and being used as a pawn.
"If that's the case, I have to explain it clearly." The next moment, Li Lin hurried into the back room.
When Chen Ying was still lying on the bed in the dimly lit room, Li Lin suddenly rushed in, picked up Chen Ying and left. Chen Ying screamed and even slapped Li Lin repeatedly, shouting "Let go".
Li Lin even ignored Shi Lu's attempts to stop him and quickly knocked Shi Lu to the ground with his foot.
Chen Yun was carried back to his bed in his arms. Li Lin was so exhausted that his hands and feet were almost numb. Shoucheng saw that the situation was not good and walked out of the house silently.
Chen Ying sat up and hit Li Lin with a pillow.
"You scoundrel! You dandy! Get out of here!"
Li Lin blocked a few blows before snatching the pillow away and throwing it onto the bed. "That brat Shi Lu said a few words and gave you a few small favors, and you're so complacent, you don't even realize you've been sold out! You're just too eager for quick success!"
Chen Yun roared loudly, "You know shit!" Then Chen Yun clutched his clothes tightly and looked at Li Lin resentfully, "Do you know how I survived alone for these five months? I'm not from your royal family. Without work, I have no money to support myself and the child in my belly. I can only rely on others."
"Then why don't you rely on me?"
"Enough! I don't want to explain to you anymore. I'm tired. Li Lin, if you really want an heir, I'll give you the custody of the child after it's born. But I have the right to visit the child. And don't disturb my life anymore."
Upon hearing this, Li Lin knew that the other party was being stubborn and determined to draw a line between them. "Are you so unwilling to go back with me? I'm afraid you'll lose more support. I'm creating more support for you, such as finding your family. So please trust me once, just once."
Chen Yun's heart trembled, but she couldn't believe that the man who had once threatened to abort her child would now search for her family. She feared it was another lie. But at this point, what was his intention in asking her to return to the capital? She didn't understand, only fear and distrust filled her.
Thinking of this, Chen Yun lowered his head and pleaded in a low voice: "What on earth are you thinking? One moment you only want my child, and the next moment you want me to go back with you. How long do you want to torture me? I don't understand you, I really don't understand you!"
At this time, Shi Lu walked into the room, pulled Li Lin away, and punched Li Lin.
Shi Lu pointed at Li Lin and said, "Get out of here! I tell Chen Yan, I will protect you, even if it means killing all your clans!"
Chen Yun looked up. She couldn't believe Li Lin was threatening to kill all of his clans. Her disappointed and sad eyes pierced Li Lin's heart like a sharp knife. Chen Yun said weakly, "You're threatening to kill all of your clans? What else are you afraid to do? Get out of here!"
Li Lin shook his head and stepped back, closing his eyes in despair, then rushed out of the house in one breath.
Halfway through the journey, he was stopped by Shoucheng.
"Why are you crying, the prince? Are your relationship really that good?"
Li Lin stopped and looked at Shou Chengshi. His already shining eyes could hardly hide his sadness.
"I don't know either. I know everyone is just using each other. But there's always a sense of resentment."
Shoucheng laughed heartily, then said, "My disciple is like this too. You two always avoid discussing your relationship and your true feelings, leaving them in a state of confusion."
"Grandmaster, please help me here. I seem to have gone crazy and lost my patience and composure. Please help me. I want her to trust me."
Shoucheng shook his head and smiled slightly, then said, "First, although she has a rebellious personality, she is actually very insecure. You have to impress her with your actions. Even if it's a lie, you have to tell it when necessary. Then, the day after tomorrow, you will go to the nearby Beifeng Village. According to calculations, there is news about the foolish apprentice's family there. However... that village is very cruel."
Although he knew the danger, Li Lin decided to help Chen Ying find clues about his family.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
