Reborn: The Return of the Villainous Mr. Liu-Chapter 1240: Two fathers

His words hung in the air for a few long moments. The silence felt as if it dissipated the little comforting atmosphere that was present between them. Lin’s neither agreement nor denial to that question made Hou Fa confident about his assumption.

"I am not saying anything against it," he added when the silence stretched too long to feel comfortable.

"I had been thinking about it for a while. His claim to adopt you seemed ridiculous at the time, but then it made sense to me. Not like I was any great of a father to you. But he was there when you needed him. He wants to give you everything that I couldn’t. He supported your decisions. Which is good. I guess you will finally have a father to lean on. So...wh-when are you going to do the adoption formalities?"

When he finally met Lin’s gaze after speaking his mind, he was taken aback to witness disappointment in his eyes.

"Is this your way of disowning me for good?"

"Disowning?" Hou Fa only weakly smiled. "Isn’t it the other way around? I know it. You are going to accept his proposal, aren’t you?"

"Yes," he didn’t beat around the bush.

Hou Fa gave a slow nod, as if he had already come to terms with this future.

"I understand. He was good to you. When he put forth his decision to adopt you, no matter how arrogant that had looked, I felt his sincerity towards you. He looked like..." his gaze dropped slightly, shame flickering in his eyes, "like a real father at that time. So I thought it wouldn’t be surprising if you would choose him."

"This isn’t about choosing him or you. The adoption process is just some legal formalities. I am not changing my last name."

Hou Fa stared at him as if what he just said didn’t make sense to him at all.

"Huh? Sorry, what?"

"I am not changing my last name."

"...How come? Then what’s the adoption for?"

"It’s more of a legal recognition between Mr. Zhong and me. I wasn’t in favor at first, but then I thought..." his gaze became somber as he slowly said, "that if he really, really wants this, then I don’t want to be disrespectful to his wishes because you are right. He has done a lot for me. He was there for me and in his own way, he cared for me. I would have treated him as my family irrespective of any legal status, but if putting my name on paper comforts his heart, then I don’t want him to keep living in a constant anxious state of mind. You and him both are too old for that."

His brow faintly twitched at the last part.

"But...how can you still keep your last name when..."

He blinked. "I am an adult, not a child so this adoption doesn’t function as giving custody or replacing parents. Being his son is the same as being yours - having social acknowledgement as his son, inheritance rights, and next-of-kin status. It doesn’t mean that you will stop being my father. It just means that I have two fathers now."

Hou Fa couldn’t form a response for a long time. He found his hyperventilating condition hitting him back with all force.

"But why? You don’t have to keep the name that didn’t...really give you any happiness. I think Zhong Sihan will be happier to see his name with yours."

"He is happy enough to see my name on all the legal papers. He is not actually fussing about a name change that much. Even if he had, I wouldn’t have agreed. I don’t see a need for it. I was Hou Lin. I am Hou Lin. Hou Lin has always been my identity. It’s not about which name gives me more happiness."

Hou Fa breathed out and a tear slipped on his cheek that he quickly wiped away. A tremor gripped his heart as he felt his entire being dissolve in shame and self-loathe. He had prepared himself for the inevitable, yet somewhere in his heart, he couldn’t help but be selfish and cling to his sons - even though he knew he had no right.

The lost years mounted on him yet again like an undefeatable obstacle, and he was aware it would always be this way for the rest of his life. For a son who could have easily discarded his name yet chose to keep it only bombarded the truth at him once again just how he failed him as a father.

"Are you crying?"

"No," he immediately refuted, looking away.

"I can see that you are crying."

"It’s just some dust that went into my eyes."

Lin held an almost blank expression. "Did Shui teach you that excuse?"

"What? No."

"Is that so? I feel that dust is a common factor whenever I see somebody cry."

His gaze almost fumed into a glare which toned down as quickly as it had flared. "..I wasn’t crying like I said."

"I see," he didn’t comment further but it was clear that he was far from convinced.

When Cai returned, the odd air hit him at once, seeing that Hou Fa seemed weird.

"Were you crying?"

"..."

Lin looked up. "Apparently, some dust went into his eyes."

Cai threw a disdainful look at Hou Fa, offended that they were being treated like idiots.

Can you two not leave me alone!?

Shui’s footsteps sounded at the entrance before any of them noticed her presence.

"Did I miss something?" she asked, her tone light but careful, shifting her gaze from one man to another.

Cai glanced at her and shrugged. "Apparently, the house is very dusty today."

Hou Fa cleared his throat a little too forcefully and stood up. "I’ll go check on the kitchen."

He retreated a bit too quickly. Shui watched his back shaking her head, then turned to Lin. She reached out and straightened the collar of his shirt, her fingers brushing past his shoulder.

"Boxes are done outside," she said. "We should load them soon."

Lin nodded. "Okay."

Cai exhaled slowly. "I’ll get the car."

"Hehe, don’t worry, Cai. Bro will be our chauffeur for today~"

"Definitely forced to be a chauffeur," he clicked his tongue.

"The source doesn’t matter," she coughed.

As he left, she leaned closer and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I am proud of you."

His head slightly lowered, meeting her bright eyes. "Really?"

"Two hundred percent," she chuckled.

Lin met her gaze briefly, then gently pinched the tip of her nose.

Shui slightly pouted. "Don’t baby me."

He paused for a moment and nodded. "Indeed. I should boyfriend you then."

"What’s that supposed to mean?"

He smiled and dropped his head further, making their lips meet soft and slow.