Chapter 146: Mother and Son Reunited

When Lin Le shouted those two words, he felt so overwhelmed with emotion that he nearly burst into tears.

"Xiao Le!" Xie Qiushan, standing at the doorway, heard his voice and waved at him, her face full of excitement.

Xie Qiushan was a true beauty. Although she was nearing forty, she looked as if she were only in her twenties. Her natural beauty, combined with her elegant demeanor, clearly set her far above most people her age.

"Mom, it’s been three years, and you’re still just as beautiful!" Before his mother, Lin Le truly felt like an innocent child once more.

"You’ve been a soldier for three years, yet you’re still such a smooth talker!" Xie Qiushan tapped his forehead, laughing as she scolded him.

"How am I a smooth talker? I’m just telling the truth. If Dad saw you, he’d definitely think the same thing," Lin Le said casually.

At the mention of Lin Tenghui, the expression on Xie Qiushan’s face shifted slightly, but it was fleeting, and she quickly returned to her previous smile.

"Alright, enough with the chatter. Come on inside with me first," Xie Qiushan said with a smile.

"Right, get in the car, Mom. I’ll take you inside," Lin Le said, acting the gentleman as he opened the car door for her.

Just as Xie Qiushan was about to get in, her gaze landed on the body of the car.

"Xiao Le, what happened to your car?" The large, prominent scratch on the side was clearly fresh, and Xie Qiushan was very worried.

"Oh, it’s nothing! I was just in such a rush to see you that I got a little excited!" Lin Le continued to play it off with his glib tongue. He didn't want his mother to know that the car had been hit by people from her own Xie family; there was no need to add to her troubles.

"You’re making things up again!" Xie Qiushan put on a stern face, but immediately softened her tone. "You must be more careful when driving next time, do you hear me?"

"Okay, I’ll remember. I’ll be careful," Lin Le said, squinting his eyes with a grin.

Xie Qiushan shook her head with doting affection before getting into the car. Lin Le then drove into the vast Xie family estate. The estate was paved with several asphalt roads that branched out in all directions, making it feel like a small town. People were coming and going—members of the Xie family, guests, and staff—making for a bustling scene. However, none of this seemed to have anything to do with Lin Le; he had no idea who those people were, nor did he have any interest in finding out.

Guided by Xie Qiushan, Lin Le drove deep into the estate and finally stopped in front of a villa. The villa looked quite nice, and the surroundings were clean, but Lin Le still felt uneasy. The location of the villa was simply too remote. Regardless of the circumstances, Xie Qiushan was the eldest daughter of the entire Xie family. Aside from the family head, Xie Jiuling, and his wife, she should have been the most senior member of her generation. It made no sense for her residence to be tucked away in such a desolate corner of the estate.

Recalling that his mother’s information hadn't appeared in the system when they entered the mountain gate, Lin Le had already guessed the general situation.

"Mom, Dad misses you quite a bit. When do you plan to come back to Haizhou for a visit?" Lin Le asked, looking around the villa and pretending to be casual.

"This... I'll see when there's an opportunity," Xie Qiushan said, clearly evading the question.

"Oh, by the way, Xiao Le, you’ve gone back to school. Can you keep up with your studies?" Xie Qiushan asked, eager to change the subject.

"Uh, it’s going okay. I should be able to make it into the top five of my class in next month’s monthly exam," Lin Le said, throwing out a claim that had no basis in reality.

"You’re lying again!" Xie Qiushan knew his grades well. After returning from three years in the military, she would have thanked the heavens if he hadn't placed last in the class; there was no way she would believe he could crack the top five.

"I’m serious, Mom. If you don’t believe me, how about we make a bet?" Lin Le used his old trick to bait her.

"What do you want to bet?" Xie Qiushan asked with interest.

"If I can make it into the top five in the next monthly exam, you come back to Haizhou to celebrate with me. How about that?" Lin Le looked at her with a grin.

"I don't believe you have the ability," Xie Qiushan shook her head.

"Just think of it as encouraging me, okay, Mom?" Lin Le pulled out his best sonly charm.

"This... alright, I agree." Xie Qiushan finally relented. In truth, she didn't take the bet seriously, treating it as nothing more than a joke.

However, Lin Le was secretly delighted. "Great, Mom, it’s a deal. Once the exam results are out, I’ll give you a call."

The results of next month's exam weren't just about saving face in front of He Ruolan; they now held the key to whether his mother and father might have a chance to reconcile. Lin Le dared not slack off. He had already made up his mind: once he returned to Haizhou, he would give it his all, even if it meant risking his life, to fulfill his promise and rank in the top five.

While Lin Le was chatting with his mother, Xie Xinglong and Xie Dong had already returned to the estate. As soon as they entered the main gate, a team of staff in suits rushed over to greet them.

"Young Master Long, this... what happened?" It was Hao Fei, one of the family stewards. As a steward, Hao Fei was incredibly sharp, especially when it came to pandering to the Xie family members. Seeing the state of Xie Xinglong and his group, he was genuinely shocked.

Xie Dong’s face was swollen from a slap, Xie Ziyun’s arm was dislocated and hanging limp, and Qin Zhong, the bodyguard, was in even worse shape—he couldn't even stand. Even Xie Xinglong, who always carried himself with arrogance, looked absolutely livid. Hao Fei knew instantly that they had been beaten, but he couldn't imagine who in the vast city of Shangjing had the skill or the audacity to lay a hand on members of the Xie family!

"Don't ask!" Xie Xinglong barked in an icy tone. "Get a doctor here immediately to treat Xie Dong and Ziyun."

"Yes, I’ll contact the doctor right away," Hao Fei said, terrified by Xie Xinglong’s expression, and dared not ask another word.

The Xie estate had its own private hospital, and a doctor soon arrived. Xie Dong’s facial injury was just a superficial bruise, easily treated. The doctor snapped Xie Ziyun’s shoulder back into place. Qin Zhong’s injuries, however, were more complex and required further treatment at the hospital.

"Don't worry, Qin Zhong, we will get revenge for you," Xie Xinglong said coldly to the man on the stretcher.

Turning to Hao Fei, he ordered, "Call all the guards in the Xie family. Seal off the entire mountain and don't let anyone in or out!"

"This... Young Master Long, has something major happened?" Hao Fei had realized the gravity of the situation, but sealing the mountain was no trivial matter, and he felt it was safer to be sure.

"Tell them to search the mountaintop for a Cadillac with a scratch on the body." Xie Xinglong then recited Lin Le’s license plate number.

"A Cadillac, with a scratch, and that plate number..." A thought flashed through Hao Fei’s mind, and he was suddenly struck with shock. "Young Master Long, that car you’re talking about... it seems to be here on the estate right now!"

"What did you say?!" Xie Xinglong was stunned. Xie Dong and Xie Ziyun looked on in utter disbelief.

"Are you sure? What is that brat doing here?!" Xie Xinglong demanded.

"I just saw... the Eldest Miss getting into his car..." Hao Fei whispered.

"My aunt?" Xie Xinglong was bewildered, his tone laced with disdain.

"Why would that brat come to see her? Who is he to that woman?" Xie Dong asked curiously.

Since Xie Qiushan had left the family twenty years ago, she had rarely returned. To the younger members of the Xie family, there was no sense of kinship; they viewed her as an outsider.

"Uh, that brat... he seems to be her son..." Hao Fei replied.