Chapter 15: Meeting the Father-in-Law

My foolish wife held me tightly for a full half hour before reluctantly letting me go. Once released, I immediately crafted paper figurines all over the room—on the bed, under the bed, on the desk, and by the windowsill—until she was comforted and no longer frightened.

After finishing the paper figures, Gu Qianxi suddenly said, "By the way, Mazi, ever since we got married, we haven't gone to greet my father. Although he's been in a vegetative state, lying in bed without consciousness, he is still my father—my dearest and closest family. I want to take you to see him."

Her words made perfect sense, and I nodded in agreement immediately. "Right, we haven't had the chance to pay respects to my father-in-law yet. As the son-in-law, it's only proper. Let's go, my wife; lead me to meet the old gentleman."

Gu Qianxi responded with a soft "hm" and took my hand, leading me out of the room and up to the third floor of the Gu family villa.

Because of his long-term bedridden condition, Gu Qianxi’s father, Gu Tingjun, had long since slept separately from her mother, Ye Qiang. Now, Gu Tingjun lay in the attic on the third floor of the villa, cared for daily by a nurse.

Upon hearing footsteps, the nurse, Aunt Li, came out to greet us. Seeing us, she smiled politely and said, “Miss, son-in-law, you’ve come to see Mr. Gu? That’s wonderful. Knowing you’re here will surely make Mr. Gu very happy.”

Aunt Li was a plump woman with a kindly demeanor.

Gu Qianxi asked with concern, “Aunt Li, how has my father been these past few days? Any sign of awakening?”

Aunt Li sighed helplessly. “To be honest, Mr. Gu remains the same. No change. Although his vital signs are stable, there’s still no indication he will wake up…”

Gu Qianxi shook her head in disappointment. “Alright, then let’s go in and see him.”

She took my hand and we entered the attic.

Inside, I saw Gu Tingjun, dressed in hospital garb, lying on a large bed. Years of immobility had left him extremely thin—skin stretched taut over his bones, his face pale and lifeless. Yet his features remained delicate and refined; he must have been a handsome man in his youth, otherwise, he wouldn’t have fathered such a beautiful daughter as Gu Qianxi.

Gu Qianxi held my hand tightly and brought me to his bedside. Facing her unconscious father, she said, “Dad, your daughter is married now. This is the man I have entrusted my life to.”

“He’s called Lin Mazi—a kind-hearted, capable man. You know, right after we married, he healed my eyes. Today, he even saved my life with those paper figurines…”

“Dad, don’t worry. From now on, with Mazi protecting me, my life will be safe and smooth. If you could open your eyes and see him, you’d surely like your son-in-law…”

Her eyes began to redden as she spoke.

I quickly took out a tissue and wiped her tears.

At that moment, I suddenly felt Gu Tingjun’s body tremble slightly. I lowered my eyes and stared for a moment, but then he stopped moving, lying still and silent like a stone statue.

The longer I looked, the more a strange sense of familiarity washed over me.

It was as if I had known Gu Tingjun before.

But logically, I had lived in the burial ground for twenty years, and he had been a vegetative patient for over twenty years. We shouldn’t have crossed paths. Why then did I feel this uncanny familiarity?

Could it be that before he became a vegetative patient, he visited the Lin family and met me then?

Lost in puzzlement, Gu Qianxi wiped her tears and bid farewell to her father, saying, “Alright, Dad, we won’t disturb your rest. You must recover well and wake up soon.”

She then took my hand and we left the attic.

Even after leaving, I couldn’t understand why I felt so strangely familiar with Gu Tingjun.

Over the next day, I waited for the mastermind behind the attack on Qianxi to show themselves, but that person seemed to have backed down after losing to me, taking no further action.

By the third day, the mastermind remained silent, but Director Feng called me.

The moment I answered, his panicked voice came through: “Hello, Mazi! Something’s wrong—something big! Following your advice, I dismantled the 'Hundreds of Rivers Flow into the Sea' feng shui arrangement at home. Instead of improving our luck, it’s brought disaster—bloodshed!”

Hearing this, my heart sank.

“That can’t be! Dismantling the 'Hundreds of Rivers Flow into the Sea' arrangement should have broken the ominous formation. How could it cause bloodshed? Director Feng, what exactly happened? Tell me everything.”

He sighed. “Sigh! It’s hard to explain over the phone. You must come here yourself! Mazi, I trusted you so much, but how could you betray me? Because of your advice, my grandson nearly lost his life!”

His words made me increasingly anxious. How was even Director Feng’s grandson involved?

Director Feng was our first client after Gu Beitang reopened. No matter what, this business couldn’t fail, or I would be the one ruining Gu Beitang’s reputation.

I hurriedly said, “Director Feng, wait for me—I’m on my way.”

I hung up, greeted Qianxi and my mother-in-law briefly, changed my clothes, and headed straight to Director Feng’s villa.

Upon arrival, I saw that Director Feng had indeed dismantled the 'Hundreds of Rivers Flow into the Sea' feng shui formation, leaving only the 'Step by Step Rise' formation in place.

From a feng shui perspective, this setup was absolutely sound.

There should have been no problems.

Yet, as I stepped out of the car, a young woman suddenly lunged at me fiercely, shouting, “Lin Mazi! You deceitful charlatan! Shameless son-in-law! You don’t have the skill for this work, so why take on what you can’t handle? You destroyed our family’s perfect feng shui and nearly got my son killed!”

I recognized her immediately—Zhang Jinyu, Director Feng’s daughter-in-law.

Behind her, Director Feng’s wife held a chubby, pale-faced little boy—Director Feng’s grandson and Zhang Jinyu’s son.

The boy, about eight or nine years old, looked terrified. His arms, shoulders, and neck bore several bloody wounds, and two vivid red handprints stained the back of his clothes.

The scene was chilling.

“What… what happened?” I couldn’t help but ask.

“What happened? It’s all your fault!” she retorted fiercely.

At that moment, a familiar voice rang out.

I turned to see my ill-intentioned younger brother, Lin Yulang, emerging from Director Feng’s villa with a gloating expression. He sneered, “Lin Mazi, you foolishly dismantled the feng shui formation I meticulously set up, ruining Director Feng’s family fortune! Not only that, you altered the feng shui arrangement without authorization, disrupting the balance of yin and yang and the five elements, attracting harmful spirits!”

“Last night, Director Feng’s precious grandson was playing in the yard when those spirits grabbed him, nearly costing him his life! Thankfully, I intervened and rescued him from the gates of death!”