Volume 1: The Fierce Tiger Leaves Its Leash Chapter 26: Deep Father-Son Relationship (Part 1)

  It's been over two years since Father and I last saw each other, but the atmosphere was unusually awkward. We stared at each other, as if neither of us knew what to say.

  Ling Tianxiang is not Huang Longfei's biological child, which can be seen from their surnames. Moreover, Huang Longfei is only 35 years old, while Ling Tianxiang is already 23 years old. In fact, Huang Longfei has never been married and still hasn't achieved his goal of starting a family despite his successful career. However, since he began sponsoring Li Minghan at the age of 21 and later adopted Ling Tianxiang as his first child, Huang Longfei has taken in over ten orphans, achieving prosperity for his family in another way. It seems to have verified the saying "the emperor loves his children," as Huang Longfei's business career has been smooth sailing, establishing a dynasty in the commercial world and showing great favor to Ling Tianxiang. Twelve years ago, when Huang Longfei brought Ling Tianxiang home, he was still a vagrant who had almost frozen to death on the street corner, an orphan who had lost his parents and fought with stray dogs for food in the trash heap. If it weren't for Huang Longfei's adoption, perhaps Ling Tianxiang would have already frozen or starved to death that winter.

  "Dad, is it necessary to look at me like that? I'm no less handsome than you!" Ling Tianxiang broke the silence while avoiding his father's gaze.

  Huang Longfei also took a deep breath and said as calmly as possible: "Tian Xiang, do you know what you've done?"

  "What?" Ling Tianxiang pretended not to understand.

  "What have you been doing these days? Do I need to tell you?" The fire was burning, and Huang Longfei's expression also became a bit sharper.

  "I really don't know what I did wrong." Ling Tianxiang stiffened his neck, "Did I make another mistake?"

  "Do you still think you're right?" Huang Longfei slapped the table with a loud bang, causing the teacups to jump up. "From childhood to adulthood, when have you ever admitted your own mistakes?"

  "What did I do wrong again?" Ling Tianxiang had the urge to rush out of this room, but his rationality forced him to hold back.

  "You..." Huang Longfei suppressed the urge to slap his son. "Good, good, good." After saying it three times, Huang Longfei's body slightly trembled. "You always thought you were right, always thought what you did was correct. Ten years ago, you were like this too."

  Ling Tianxiang suddenly stood up. "What about ten years ago? I've said it before, I didn't do it. You don't believe me, but instead believe others' words, who exactly is your son?"

  "I believe in my own inference!"

  "Fine, in your eyes, I'm still the same as ten years ago, right? Alright, even if it was me who did it, what's the big deal? Now, I'm not that little kid from ten years ago anymore." Ling Tianxiang seemed exceptionally agitated. "In your eyes, I'll always be the same as twelve years ago, and so are Xiaowei, Xiaomei, Afu... they're all still kids who never grew up. But when did you ever think about how much time you spent with us over these twelve years? When you were busy socializing outside every day, didn't we grow up too?"

  Huang Long's clenched fist turned a pale blue, his teeth gritted with a "ke ke" sound. Only Ling Tianxiang dared to shout at him, other kids and everyone else didn't dare be so rude to him.

  "Dad, do you know why I want to choose a military school?" Ling Tianxiang sat down with a plop. "We know you're doing it out of love, from small to large, everything seems to be arranged by you, but in this way, we almost lost our right to self-choice. Now, Xiaowei and the others are all following the trajectory you arranged for them. In those years, when I was filling out my college application, I actually didn't want to become a soldier who fights and kills, but I didn't want to follow the path you arranged for me either. I'm an adult, I want to be a successful man, not a big kid living in his father's shadow, not a second-generation rich kid who eats off his ancestors' legacy. I want my own life, not one that others have arranged for me. Dad, I'm grateful to you, you gave me a second chance at life, it was you who pulled me back from the brink of death, but this doesn't mean I must follow your arrangements, nor does it mean I will completely obey your wishes. I'm an adult with independent living abilities, and I also need my own life."

  The clenched fist slowly relaxed, and Huang Longfei suddenly appeared. The child had grown up and become an adult with independent thinking and acting abilities, no longer the scrawny little beggar he had brought home twelve years ago. Ling Tianxiang's words were like a knife, cutting away at his dignity as a father, but also making him realize that he was not a fully qualified father. In the past twelve years, Huang Longfei had spent less than two months at home, providing only a comfortable living environment for the children, but never caring about their growth or remembering their need for paternal love.

  "Dad..." Seeing the dull expression on his father's face, Ling Tianxiang also gradually calmed down after speaking from his heart. Just like he said at first, if it weren't for his father, he might have become someone else's plaything by now. "Dad, I... my words were a bit... actually, I just wanted to say..."

  Huang Longfei slightly pressed his hand, then nodded again. "I know, I know what you want to say. I don't blame you, all these years, I haven't taken good care of you either, as a father, I have my own mistakes!"

  "Dad, actually..." Ling Tianxiang also had some regrets. In fact, he had always respected his adoptive father and even unintentionally took him as a role model in life and a benchmark for learning, only he would never admit it verbally.

  "If you don't say these words today, Dad will never know what you're thinking." Huang Longfei picked up the cigar, and Ling Tianxiang immediately lit it for him. "For over a decade, I've been busy outside, thinking that providing you with a rich material life was the greatest help to you. But now I realize this idea is completely wrong. And your words aren't wrong either, you all have your own paths in life, and as a father, I shouldn't force you to do or not do something. Tianxiang, Dad wants to thank you, if it weren't for you speaking out these words, maybe Dad would never understand this principle."

  "Dad..." Ling Tianxiang suddenly became excited.

  Huang Longfei quickly controlled his expression and revealed a smile. "Alright, it's rare for us two to meet, let's have a good talk at dinner time tonight. You go call your uncle in, I have some things to discuss with him."

  Ling Tianxiang didn't hesitate, and when he plucked up the courage to say what was weighing on his mind, he suddenly felt a weight lift off his shoulders, as if he had shed a thousand pounds of burden.