42: Chapter 42 The so-called "father's status depends on his son"

Under the gazes of everyone, Lin Chen stood up and walked towards the stage.

He was surrounded by gazes mixed with curiosity, surprise, inquiry, and scrutiny, but his expression remained unchanged, while he felt secretly delighted inside.

Yes, this feeling of being the center of attention was exactly what he wanted.

Yang Xingyu watched Lin Chen's back, his mouth slightly agape, his eyes unfocused.

Lin Chen? An award? The youngest record holder? These words spun crazily in his mind, but he couldn't piece them together no matter what.

Just half an hour ago, they were both temporary assistants, sitting together and complaining about the boredom and monotony of their work.

How did the other person become the protagonist under the spotlight in the blink of an eye, and break the bureau's record in passing?

He couldn't help but look at his mother sitting beside him.

Based on past experience, at such moments, his mother would always say, "Look at him," or "Learn from him."

However, this time, his mother said nothing.

She just sat quietly, her gaze following Lin Chen's back as he walked toward the stage, her expression complex.

Yang Xingyu felt puzzled and couldn't help but ask this question.

Why didn't she say the same thing this time?

Mother Yang glanced at her son and sighed softly: "Your father has worked for so many years and only just received an award."

"He is just a child who just graduated, and still only a temporary assistant. He must have suffered a lot and endured much hardship to receive this award..."

Yang Xingyu was silent for a moment.

At the same moment, Lin Chen had already stood before Zhou Zhengping.

"Comrade Lin Chen, congratulations."

After handing over the medal, Zhou Zhengping patted Lin Chen on the shoulder. The smile on his face was purer than before, and his eyes were full of appreciation: "Welcome to the Beast Management Bureau after you graduate."

"Thank you, Director, I will work hard."

The brief exchange ended, and Lin Chen turned to walk toward the winners' standing area.

His position happened to be arranged right next to Lin Jianjun.

When he stood still and stood side-by-side with his father, he could clearly feel the body beside him suddenly tense up.

Lin Jianjun's gaze was fixed on a blank spot in the audience, his jawline tight, his chest rising and falling slightly.

He clearly had a belly full of questions and shock, but in such an occasion, he could only try his best to maintain a surface-level calm, not even daring to turn his head to look at his son.

When the winners stood in a row, the photographer stepped forward and adjusted the angle.

Accompanied by the click of the shutter, the photographer recorded the collective image of this year's winners, and also recorded this pair of father and son standing side-by-side.

After Director Zhou Zhengping finished his concluding remarks, the ceremony came to an end amidst warm applause.

However, the atmosphere in the auditorium did not cool down; the long-suppressed discussions erupted like floodwaters released from a gate.

Almost everyone's gaze drifted intentionally or unintentionally toward the side of the stage, to that young figure following the queue and exiting in an orderly manner.

"Lin Jianjun's son? Old Lin is something else; he kept quiet, but his son is so accomplished!"

"Look at other people's children, then look at you, just knowing how to play games online all day!"

"Dad, then why don't you learn from that father and get an award?"

"Hey, you brat!!"

For a time, many colleagues, whether close or just familiar faces, gathered around to congratulate Lin Jianjun, and there was no shortage of curious glances and questions directed at Lin Chen.

The expression on Lin Jianjun's face was extremely vivid; the initial stiffness and shock slowly melted away in the tide of incoming congratulations, and the smile on his face could not be stopped.

When the crowd dispersed slightly, Director Li Haotian walked over with a chuckle.

"Old Lin, congratulations, double happiness!"

Lin Jianjun grabbed Director Li Haotian, walked to a corner with fewer people, and lowered his voice: "This... what is going on? You knew about this already, didn't you?"

Director Li Haotian nodded: "I am Little Chen's supervisor, of course I knew."

"Then why didn't you tell me?"

Lin Jianjun's voice couldn't help but raise, causing a few people nearby to glance over, so he quickly lowered it again: "He didn't mention it at all at home. His mother and I were kept in the dark, and we didn't even know what he had done."

He thought of the dangerous situations he had experienced in his decades of work, and his heart tightened.

"Old Lin." Director Li Haotian's expression became serious, his voice low, "You should be very clear that some things involve confidentiality clauses and cannot be revealed at all."

Lin Jianjun took a deep breath: "Was it an accident encountered while on duty?"

Director Li Haotian nodded slightly, then glanced at Lin Chen not far away, his eyes filled with undisguised appreciation: "Old Lin, you have a good son. If you work a few more years, your position might even be able to be raised a bit thanks to Little Chen."

Lin Jianjun: "..."

He admitted that his son was indeed very outstanding, but to be able to help him, he would at least need to reach Director Li Haotian's level.

But even if Lin Chen were promoted to such a position, he would be about ready to retire, and a promotion would be meaningless.

Furthermore, as a father, what kind of talk is it to rely on one's son to get promoted?

Even if he kept his current position, even if he retired, even if he quit, he would never rely on his son to complete his career advancement.

How can there be such a logic as a father relying on his son for status?

At night.

To celebrate the fact that both father and son had received awards, Liu Hui made the decision to have hotpot at home.

In the living room, the hotpot in the center of the dining table was bubbling and boiling. The bright red and oily beef tallow base was rolling with dense bubbles, and Sichuan peppercorns and dried chili peppers floated in the boiling soup.

Lin Chen specifically fished out a few slices of tender beef coated in spicy oil from the red soup and put them into the Flame Claw Beast's food bowl: "Try the taste, you should like it."

Generally speaking, fire-type pet beasts like spicy food and do not reject human food.

The Flame Claw Beast swallowed the beef along with the scalding spicy oil without hesitation. Before it could taste it carefully, its eyes narrowed into slits, and it let out a happy cry: "Gagu~~~"

It licked its lips, wanting more, and quickly looked at Lin Chen with eager eyes, its claws eagerly pawing at the latter's calf: "Gagu gagu!"

I declare that skewers are not as good as hotpot!

Meanwhile, the Songsong Dog was curled into a soft white ball of fur, nesting itself between Lin Chen's arm and chest, with only its little head exposed.

Its obsidian-like eyes quietly stared at the pot on the table, which was boiling with terrifying red food and emitting a strong smell. Then, it looked at the Flame Claw Beast, which was eating heartily—to the point where its fur was slightly standing on end due to the heat and spice—and gently shook its head.

No, it did not like this.

So Lin Chen picked up a thin slice of chicken breast from the hotpot, rinsed it in a bowl of prepared cool boiled water to wash away the grease and excess flavor as much as possible, and then handed it to the Songsong Dog's mouth with chopsticks.

"Come, try this."

The Songsong Dog sniffed it, and after confirming there was no strong smell, it carefully opened its mouth and chewed in small bites: "Ying wu~"

Lin Chen smiled and picked up a piece of soft-cooked vegetable for it, also carefully rinsing it in clear water.

Across the table, the Flame Claw Beast, which was burying its head in a piece of spicy beef, inadvertently looked up and saw this scene, and its chewing motion slowed down unconsciously.

For some reason, it felt that this delicious spicy beef was no longer fragrant at all.

Liu Hui took this opportunity to take a group photo, opened her phone, and found the chat window labeled "Precious Daughter Yueyue."

The last chat record was from three days ago.

She sent the photo she had just taken, but her finger paused on the input box, considering the wording.

Finally, she typed this line:

"Your dad and your brother both received awards from their units today, and we are celebrating with hotpot at home. Yueyue, how is your work lately? No matter how busy you are, remember to eat on time and take care of your health."

Lin Yue did not reply.