Chapter 257

Then she saw Uncle Fu, his face filled with sorrow, clutching his head as he collapsed to the ground, rolling around and wailing uncontrollably.

Uncle Fu’s state terrified Lin Ran, while over there, Granny Wang had already fallen to the floor, her eyes hollow and lifeless.

"What’s wrong with you?" Lin Ran asked.

Granny Wang stood up and bowed deeply to Lin Ran and Luo Yao.

"Young Master Lin, Miss, thank you for taking me in all this time. I… I’ll be leaving now."

Covering her face, Granny Wang ran off.

"Granny Wang? Where are you going?"

At that moment, Uncle Fu jolted up from the ground and chased after her, grabbing her arm.

A servant approached and quietly explained the situation.

In the end, Granny Wang had no choice but to finish her tasks as quickly as possible. But even after completing her work, Uncle Fu still refused to let her go.

"None of us understood why Uncle Fu always gave Granny Wang such a hard time. She’s such a kind person. But now I get it—there’s history between Granny Wang and Uncle Fu…"

Lin Ran shot the servant a strange look.

"Did I need you to point that out? I’m not blind. Get to the point."

The servant flushed slightly, embarrassed that Young Master Lin had no interest in the backstory, and continued.

In short, Granny Wang had an appointment with a specialist at the hospital and tried to force her way out. In his desperation, Uncle Fu pushed her, causing her to fall.

She stared at him in disappointment.

"Zhang Laifu, you really are still a bad person. To get back at me, you’d even risk your own grandson’s life."

Uncle Fu froze like a stunned goose, standing there dumbfounded before finally asking, "What did you say?"

"Your grandson is at the hospital right now, waiting for the specialist’s consultation. I made the appointment. By stopping me from leaving, you’re harming him."

Uncle Fu was speechless, his face a mask of disbelief.

"My grandson?"

Tears streamed down Granny Wang’s face, her eyes filled with despair.

"I never should have had that child back then. None of this suffering would exist. It’s all karma."

"Child? What child?"

Granny Wang finally snapped, shouting, "Your own flesh and blood!"

And so, the scene from earlier unfolded.

Uncle Fu couldn’t process the revelation, staggering back before collapsing to the ground, his expression just as hollow. Then, for some reason, he suddenly broke into loud sobs.

That was when Lin Ran came downstairs.

Now, Uncle Fu was holding Granny Wang at the door. "Explain what you just said. Why is he my grandson? What’s wrong with him?"

Granny Wang sniffled. "Because you’re his biological grandfather. Is that so hard to understand? Now, I’m leaving. If you want to fire me, I’ll accept it."

With that, Granny Wang shook off Uncle Fu’s grip and walked away, leaving him rooted in place, his pupils trembling violently.

Luo Yao, standing beside Lin Ran, had also pieced together the story and had her own suspicions.

"Uncle Fu, your salary for this month is forfeited. Get out of the estate. If you don’t sort this out, don’t come back. You know how much I despise deadbeat men."

Lin Ran patted him on the shoulder. "Well? Get going."

Uncle Fu gave Lin Ran a grateful look before vanishing. Watching their retreating figures, Lin Ran felt an unbearable itch—he hadn’t gotten the full story yet.

"Yao Yao, I’m going to check on them too."

Luo Yao nodded. "Go ahead. I have work, so I won’t join you. If Uncle Fu really is that kind of man, tell him to off himself."

Lin Ran grimaced awkwardly. If being a scumbag warranted death, his past self would’ve deserved a thousand cuts. It really showed how much Luo Yao loved him.

"Alright. But I should bring something. There’s a sick kid, after all. Hmm… some fruit—kids love that. And some healthy snacks. Oh, and sunflower seeds, drinks, bottled water—"

"Are you… really going to visit a patient?"

Lin Ran grinned. "Killing two birds with one stone."

After Lin Ran left, Luo Yao’s expression darkened.

"Liu Meng, come with me."

"Yes, President Luo."

"Bring pliers."

Liu Meng: "???"

When Lin Ran arrived at the hospital, he found Uncle Fu alone in the hallway.

"Where’s Granny Wang?"

Uncle Fu had regained his composure.

"She’s inside. Said she doesn’t want to see me, so I’m waiting here."

Lin Ran sighed inwardly for Uncle Fu. No matter how old you were, love troubles never spared anyone.

Compared to them, he and Luo Yao were practically… well, disgustingly happy.

"What if Granny Wang comes out and still ignores you?"

Uncle Fu’s eyes hardened with resolve. "If I’m at fault, I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to her."

Lin Ran gave him a strange look.

"Never took you for a scumbag old man."

Uncle Fu forced a smile—more like a grimace.

"Young Master Lin, please don’t tease me. Maybe… I’m the real clown of this world."

Everyone laughs at the clown, only to realize they’re all clowns themselves.

"Fine. I came to see Granny Wang, but I also want to check on her grandson. By the way, what’s the deal between you two?"

Uncle Fu fell silent.

"If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine."

And so, Uncle Fu began his story.

Time rewound to the 1980s, in a small coastal city in the north.

The city had just been designated as a prefecture-level municipality, entering a phase of rapid development under government planning.

Such turbulent times bred chaos.

As the saying goes, chaos creates heroes—and Zhang Laifu was one such "hero" of this minor upheaval.

After graduating university, he had planned to return to his hometown for a respectable job, but the times didn’t allow for respectability.

Everywhere, there were demolitions, corruption, and collusion between officials and businessmen…

When Zhang Laifu’s ancestral home was forcibly demolished, he finally snapped and took a darker path.

From a small-time thug, he climbed his way up to become a gang leader.

And in doing so, he became the very kind of person he once despised—doing anything for dirty money.

But everything changed because of one person: Wang Dahua.

In a village on the outskirts of the coastal city, Zhang Laifu swaggered in with a dozen men in tow.

"Village Chief Wang, tell your people to sign the contracts, take the money, and get out."

The village chief glared at him. "Zhang Laifu, you’ve lost your humanity. Helping those heartless developers for a few bucks—you’ll stoop to anything. These are our homes. We’ll demolish them if we want, and we won’t if we don’t. You can’t just force us to sign!"

Zhang Laifu, provoked by the chief’s defiance, let his gangster pride flare.

Pointing at the ground, he roared, "My rules are the rules here!"