Lu Jin still remembered the first time he saw his father's face without his usual gentle mask on.
****
It was raining heavily due to the storm. Because of the weather, the whole family extended their stay in the Lu Mansion. Since his father, mother, little brother, and grandfather stayed in the same house, Lu Jin felt that despite the storm, this day had become his favorite day.
His grandfather came to the living room where they were in.
"Grandpa!" Lu Jin ran to his grandfather.
His little brother could not run as quickly as him and tumbled on the carpeted floor. Because Lu Jin was already in his grandfather's arms, the child who was not even three years old got jealous and cried.
Old Lu was holding a small box in his other hand.. He could not carry the younger one while his hand was still carrying the other boy.
Lu Jin patted his grandfather's shoulder. "It's okay, Grandpa. You can put me down. Little Yin wants you to carry him."
Old Lu's smile turned a lot softer. "Oh my, how can I do that to my little prince? Since I have two hands, I shall carry you both."
He turned to his daughter who was watching them with a smile while leaning against his son-in-law. "Fan Rong, come here. This gift is for you."
"For me?" Lu Fan Rong separated herself from Ming Zhi Yi's warm embrace. She took the blue box curiously. "What is it?"
Meanwhile, Old Lu took the crying Lu Yin Ze into his arms and carried him.
Now the two boys were in his arms.
Ming Zhi Yi stepped forward to help Old Lu. "Father, be careful. The two boys are quite heavy."
"Some of my hair might have turned white, but I still have the strength to carry them both. I am not that old."
Ming Zhi Yi smiled helplessly.
"Daddy, Daddy, Little Yin is sleeping~ How can he sleep so easily?"
Ming Zhi Yi smiled at the tiny Lu Jin. He patted the sleeping Little Yin in Old Lu's arms.
Lu Fan Rong asked her father again. "What is it, father? Why did you give me a gift? Is today a special day?"
"It is nothing special. I just saw this necklace in the ancestral hall and remembered what I promised to your mother back then."
Ming Zhi Yi's hand halted.
The small Lu Jin blinked his wet round eyes at his father who stopped patting Little Yin.
His younger brother began to stir. He was probably asking for the comfortable pat of their father again.
Lu Jin noticed it and tried to take Ming Zhi Yi's attention.
"Daddy..."
"What kind of necklace?" Lu Fan Rong curiously asked as she began opening the box.
Ming Zhi Yi ignored his son's calls. His dark eyes were focused on the box that Lu Fan Rong was holding.
A flash of vivid blue light shone from inside.
Old Lu proudly showed off. "It's the millennium necklace that symbolizes long life and prosperity. Thirty years ago, this necklace cost almost a hundred million yuan. Now, it's value must be way more, maybe even a billion."
When Ming Zhi Yi saw the fancy vivid blue diamond necklace around fifteen carats, his eyes glinted with a dark light.
"Daddy?"
Inexplicably, little Lu Jin got scared of that look for a moment.
It was not like his gentle father at all.
"Oh my~ So stunning… But how can a small necklace like this become so expensive? Even if it's a blue diamond, that's too much. Is it owned by a former queen of a defeated kingdom?"
"Haha, why is your head still in fairy tales? That time, a certain family wants to attack me because I chose to marry your mother and not their candidate. So they purposely raised the price when they learned that I wanted it."
"Oh? There is a story like that? It has been so long and mother already left this world. Is that family still against us?"
"That family is now gone."
A loud cry suddenly filled the room.
"Daddy! You are hurting Little Yin!"
The two boys' cries made Ming Zhi Yi return to his senses.
"What happened?"
"Why is the Little Yin crying?"
Ming Zhi Yi took his hand away, momentarily at loss. "I..."
"Waaahhh…." Little Yin kept sobbing and crying loudly.
When Old Lu lifted up the boy's shirt, he saw a bruise on the white skin of the child.
"What did you do?!" Old Lu glowered at Ming Zhi Yi.
Ming Zhi Yi lowered his head remorsefully. "I seem to have accidentally put a lot of strength while patting him."
"You..!" Old Lu was incensed.
The way the child was crying, his precious grandchild must have been hurt quite a bit!
After telling the servants to call the doctor, she looked at her husband.
"What happened? It's not like you. Did you… did you see something again?"
Ming Zhi Yi was silent for a moment. His eyes gazed deeply at the box. "Yes. I was out of it for a moment. I'm really sorry."
Old Lu harrumphed. "I told you, Fang Rong, marrying a sick husband will not do this family any good!"
"Father, don't speak that way! Ming Zhi Yi is the father of my children."
Old Lu looked at little Lu Jin who seemed terrified of what is happening.
The old man calmed his anger.
Ming Zhi Yi looked at Lu Fan Rong. "I am sorry. I didn't mean to hurt him. I… I will step outside for a moment."
"Dear..." Lu Fan Rong worriedly looked at him.
Lu Jin looked at his father's back with wide wet eyes.
"Dear grandson, Grandpa shouldn't have shouted. Did I startle you?" Old Lu held Lu Jin's hand gently.
The little boy shook his head and remained looking at the direction where his father had gone.
Little Lu Jin clearly saw it.
His father's eyes turned dark and scary, like those villains in the movies. His father's hand that was on Little Yin's back clenched, hurting Little Yin in the process.
Earlier, his father…. was really scary.
"Jin'er?"
Little Lu Jin looked at his grandfather. "Grandpa, I will go to Daddy."
Lu Jin broke away from his grandfather and then ran out of the room to chase after his father.
His father was probably possessed by a ghost. Or else, how could his caring father act like a bad villain so suddenly? He must shoo the villain away so that his father would not hurt Little Yin again!
The little boy followed after his father until his father reached an area without anyone else around.
Little Lu Jin saw his father enter a room. He tiptoed and peeked into the room.
Then he heard a small and repressed whisper.
"Mother… I found one of your possessions. But it's in their hands."
Lu Jin looked at his father who seemed to be talking to someone. He looked towards the direction where his father was talking to.
?
Little Lu Jin was confused.
"...I know. But I can't take it yet. That cursed old man stole what is rightfully ours..."
There was nothing there but just empty air.
"...Mother… Give me some time. Soon, soon, you will rest soon..."
Little Lu jin looked at his father again who was talking to himself.
He finally confirmed that his father was really possessed by a ghost!
****