Chapter 297 — Letting Bygones Be Bygones
Years of Heartflutter · Page 1 of 5
He pushed the door open and stepped into Tian Long's room. Tian Yan was sitting face to face with Tian Long, the two of them talking, a picture of warm contentment. It seemed both were savoring this moment of peace, and it had apparently been a very long time since Tian Long and Tian Yan had shared such an amicable heart-to-heart.
Seeing Yang Ce and Sun Lin come through the door, Tian Long was slightly taken aback—he had not expected Sun Lin to appear in his room at such a time. For a moment the atmosphere in the room grew somewhat stiff.
Tian Long knew that although Yang Ce had forgiven him, Sun Lin could not possibly hold no grudge against him. Now that he had lost all his power and become a thoroughgoing prisoner, even though Yang Ce had made a promise, if Sun Lin insisted on not letting him off, Yang Ce would surely not oppose him. So Tian Long's heart was still full of unease.
"Brother Jun..." This "Brother Jun" came from the bottom of Tian Long's heart, truly full of fear and trembling—unlike before, when he had spoken to Sun Lin entirely in a mocking tone.
"Uncle... Tian. Uncle Sun has come to see you." Yang Ce had meant to call him Tian Long, but on second thought he called him Uncle Tian—after all, Tian Yan's face had to be considered, and Yang Ce was planning to send him to Africa as some sort of armchair strategist, so he was a bit more respectful.
But this "Uncle Tian" moved Tian Long deeply. He looked at Yang Ce, then at Sun Lin, his gaze flickering, his lips twitching twice, and then he suddenly stood up and dropped to his knees on the floor. Since the ropes on his body had already been untied, his movements were unimpeded. Of course, if Yang Ce had wanted to stop him, he could never have knelt at all—but Yang Ce let him do it, also wanting to lessen the resentment in Sun Lin's heart.
"Brother Jun, Mr. Yang, I, Tian Long, know I have committed an unforgivable mistake. It was all because I was bewitched before. I do not beg Brother Jun's forgiveness now—I only hope you will not vent your anger on the boy Donghua..." Though Tian Long wanted to live, under the circumstances he had to give something up. If Sun Lin truly still brooded over it, then Tian Long could only give up himself.
Seeing Tian Long suddenly fall to his knees, Sun Lin was momentarily stunned, and then somewhat shocked. Tian Long had followed him for so many years and had never made any gesture like this. Sun Lin knew Tian Long was a tough man who would not kneel to others lightly, and that he had knelt to him today showed how desperately he wanted to protect his own son.
"Forget it..." Sun Lin had still been brooding over the matter with Tian Long, but seeing him kneel, his anger dissipated considerably. He waved his hand and said, "Yang Ce, Tian Yan, you two go out first. I have something to say to Tian Long."
Though Tian Yan was somewhat worried that Sun Lin might do his father harm, his father was himself a man awaiting punishment, so he could not say much. Even if Sun Lin changed his mind and wanted to kill Tian Long, Tian Yan could not say anything either.
So Tian Yan only gave a helpless bitter smile and looked up at Yang Ce, who nodded at him in reassurance, and the two of them walked out of the room together.
"Get up too, Tian Long." Sun Lin looked at Tian Long on the floor and raised a hand toward him.
"Brother Jun, unless you agree to my request, I won't get up!" Tian Long said. "If you're still not satisfied, I'll kill myself to atone!"
Tian Long's words left Sun Lin not knowing whether to laugh or cry. True, he still felt some dissatisfaction with Tian Long, but Yang Ce had already talked with him, and the two of them had reached a consensus.
It could be said that only after Sun Lin had seen the wealth Yang Ce displayed did he loosen up. Looking back now, the Donghai Sun family's assets really did not amount to much, so Sun Lin no longer held such a grudge against Tian Long.