After Being Kicked Out, Seven Sisters Turned Against the Family One After Another

Chapter 31: Dead Man:

Lin You couldn’t hold back his emotions any longer. Tears streamed down his face as he choked out, “Dad… I miss you.”

The person on the other end was silent, clearly taken aback. Xuan Chi had always forbidden Lin You and his siblings from calling him “Dad,” even though he had essentially raised them as both a father and a mother. Hearing this now must have been shocking.

“I never meant to cause you so much pain,” Lin You said, his voice breaking. “Dad, I’ll come back in a few days and take you to the hospital. This time, you have to listen to me and get proper treatment. Please.”

Xuan Chi stayed quiet for a few seconds, seemingly processing Lin You’s words. Finally, he let out a soft chuckle and said, “You’re all grown up now, so why would I want to waste your money? Don’t worry, I’m fine. I’m not going to die. I may not have given you much in life, but now that you have a chance to build a better future, don’t waste it.”

He added, “I’ve already transferred some money to your card. You’re about to take the college entrance exams, so make sure to get yourself something nutritious.”

Lin You’s bank card had been empty for so long that he had stopped checking the balance. He didn’t even know Xuan Chi had secretly sent him money. Taking a deep breath, Lin You said, “Master, I’m giving you an order. From today, don’t use that ability again. If you do, I’ll drop out of school and come home to become a monk.”

Xuan Chi laughed lightly. “It’s not as bad as you think. I’ve used this ability many times before, and I’m still here, aren’t I? And if you dare to drop out of school, I’ll spank you. It’s bad enough for me to live as a monk; I won’t let you follow in my footsteps.”

The man coughed violently again.

“Don’t overthink this, You’er. I’m really okay,” Xuan Chi said, trying to sound reassuring.

Just as Lin You was about to hang up, Xuan Chi’s tone softened, and he spoke quietly, “You’re the hope of this family. As long as you’re alive, I will never die. So, be strong.”

Lin You nodded, tears in his eyes. “You have to stay well too, Dad. We need you.”

After hanging up, Lin You sat silently on the stone pier, drained of energy. His mind was a whirlwind of emotions, and he couldn’t focus on anything else.

Next to him, Li Ruochen had overheard enough of the conversation to piece things together. Lin You had a master with incredible abilities, and he called this master “Dad,” which suggested a deep, nurturing bond. For someone as guarded as Lin You to address someone so affectionately, the relationship had to be profound.

But then there was the matter of the two women who claimed to be his sisters. What kind of family would send their child away to be raised by someone else, especially a wealthy family that could afford to drive a Cullinan?

“Lin You,” Li Ruochen asked, her curiosity getting the better of her, “are you sure those two women are your sisters?”

Lin You, still reeling from his emotions, replied bitterly, “That’s what they say. They’ve done DNA tests over and over, and every time it says I’m their child. But who asked for this? Who wants to be their kid? I had a family—my dad, my brothers, my sisters. We were happy until they decided to meddle.”

Li Ruochen frowned. “But if the DNA proves you’re their brother, shouldn’t they treasure you? Why would they let you live like this?”

Lin You let out a hollow laugh. “Because they think I’m not good enough. To them, I’m just a wild child from the countryside.”

Not wanting to dwell on the subject, Lin You turned to Zhang Xi. “You should call your parents. They think you’ve lost your legs. After losing their restaurant, they might not survive the blow of thinking you’re gone too.”

Zhang Xi snapped out of his daze, hurriedly pulling out his phone. He dialed his father’s number, and after just two rings, Zhang Hongqi’s trembling voice answered, “Son, where are you? Don’t be afraid; Dad’s coming.”

Zhang Xi quickly explained, “Dad, I’m fine! My classmate made me call you to get you out of the restaurant before the explosion. Our hotel… it’s gone. What are we going to do now?”

There was a pause on the other end before Zhang Hongqi asked quietly, “Did your classmate know the explosion was going to happen?”

Meanwhile, not far from the scene, Lin Shiyan and Lin Shengnan were reeling from the explosion. The blast had nearly flipped their car. Once they regained their bearings, Shengnan, her soldierly instincts kicking in, said, “Second Sister, that sounded like Xiangcheng Street. Let’s check it out.”

She quickly dialed emergency numbers—119, 120—and then alerted her superior. Though her boss initially didn’t recognize her voice, the gravity of the situation became clear as soon as he heard the explosion in the background. The local authorities were mobilized, and the city’s leadership was quickly summoned.

Lin Shiyan and Shengnan were among the first to arrive at the scene. They were greeted by a vision of destruction.

The twelve-story Sihai Restaurant was almost unrecognizable. The explosion had obliterated the third to seventh floors, leaving the building teetering on the brink of collapse. Shards of glass, twisted metal, and chunks of concrete littered the ground. Construction workers lay injured, some convulsing, others lifeless. Vehicles had been thrown about like toys, and the air was thick with the acrid stench of burning materials and blood.

Lin Shiyan, unaccustomed to such carnage, bent over and vomited. Shengnan, though shaken, maintained her composure. Sniffing the air, she detected a strong odor of natural gas.

“This wasn’t just a gas tank,” she murmured. “This was either a massive leak in the main pipeline or a deliberate attack.”

As she surveyed the wreckage, her eyes fell on a construction vehicle bearing the name “Dingcheng Construction.” Something about the name struck a chord. Then it hit her—this was the same company her family had dealt with years ago, a deal that had been derailed by Lin You when he exposed their shady practices.

This level of destruction would lead to colossal compensation claims, possibly exceeding a hundred million. Shengnan knew the blame game would soon begin, with everyone pointing fingers and trying to shift responsibility. And when it came to finding scapegoats, the unspoken rule was always to push blame downward, toward those least able to defend themselves.

In a disaster of this scale, with hundreds of casualties, the blame wouldn’t just stop at the construction company. The real culprits might escape unscathed, while someone else—a convenient dead man—would take the fall.