"Ding-ling, ding-ling, ding-ling..."
While we were chatting and laughing, a cell phone rang in the bedroom.
Lin Fan frowned, seemingly reluctant to answer.
The ringing continued, and everyone looked at her in confusion. She finally sighed and stood up helplessly.
Unexpectedly, after Lin Fan walked into the bedroom and picked up the phone, he returned to the table and sat down. After the phone was connected, he pressed the hands-free button and placed it on the table, without any intention of avoiding the people present.
She leaned back in her chair with her arms folded across her chest, frowning slightly as she said, "Hello."
Even Li Chunhua could see the obvious reluctance on Lin Fan's face.
No one had ever seen Lin Fan like this. No one knew what problem she had encountered, nor did they know who was on the other end of the line.
Everyone remained silent and listened quietly.
"Xiao Fan, why did you take so long to answer the phone?" Lin Ma's high-pitched voice came from the other end of the line.
Jin Sichen glanced at the note on her phone and saw that it was "Mom", and she couldn't help but frown.
You know, one of the reasons why Lin Fan was depressed was because of his mother.
Furthermore, Lin's mother's words and actions were the final straw that broke Lin Fan's back. In the later stages of his recovery, they were a major contributing factor to his relapses. Furthermore, her words provoked Lin Fan to jump into the river...
Of course, nothing happened in the end because of Xingchen, but it is undeniable that Lin's mother is the most unstable factor in Lin Fan's life.
Over the past six months, due to his isolation from the outside world and his lack of contact with Lin's mother, Lin Fan had recovered quite well. Just as he was about to enter a stable period, Lin's mother suddenly called.
Jin Sichen had never seen Lin Fan look so reluctant yet irresistible as he did today.
His usually calm face was now visibly worried. Just one phone call showed how much influence Lin's mother had on him.
Song Ren didn't know why, but when he saw Jin Sichen frowning, he had a bad feeling.
"...I was busy just now..." Lin Fan's tone of voice changed.
He was so funny just a moment ago, but suddenly he became depressed. He was not only reluctant to speak, but also weak.
Ji Yu stole a glance at Lin Fan, then looked at the expressions of Jin Sichen and Song Ren, then lowered his head and said nothing.
"Oh, you always say you're busy every time you call. I don't know if you're really busy or just pretending." Lin's mother scolded him unhappily, "When are you going to have your vacation? It's almost Chinese New Year. When are you planning on coming back?"
"...Didn't I say our company doesn't have holidays?" Lin Fan said helplessly.
She has no choice but to stay in 800. She is not sure when she can go out, let alone take a holiday?
"How can there be no holidays?! What unit doesn't have holidays?! I'd better go ask your leader!" Mother Lin suddenly raised her voice, startling Gao Fei who was listening attentively.
Lin Fan felt a surge of panic. He exhaled lightly, licked his lips, and replied, "This is a confidential mission. Didn't I tell you before? We have to develop it in a completely closed environment. How can we just leave like that?"
Of course, the others knew Lin Fan was lying. But she was also right. In a project team, how could one just walk away?
"The daughter of Mr. Wang next door just came back from Gaohe. I asked her, and she said she had never heard of the company you mentioned. In the past six months, there has been no news from you, and no money has been made..." Mother Lin's sharp voice was like a machine gun.
"What do you mean by confidentiality?! I've lived to this age and I've never heard of that! Tell me your company address and I'll go find your boss! How can you not have a holiday during the Lunar New Year?" Lin's mother's voice suddenly became angry. "Don't you want to come back and make an excuse to fool us?"
"Are you actually working in Gaohe? Or have you done something shameful and are afraid to go home?!"
It’s true that I don’t want to go home, it’s true that I’m trying to fool people, but it’s also true that I’m working…
Lin Fan was tired.
"Oh..." She sighed deeply.
The others had been listening quietly. Everything was normal at first, but no one understood why Lin Ma suddenly changed the subject and ended up here.
Jin Sichen instantly understood the reason why Lin Fan was depressed. With a mother like that, anyone would be depressed.
He stretched out his hand in front of Lin Fan and waved it at her, indicating that he could help.
Lin Fan hesitated for a moment, then shook his head in refusal. Now that Jin Sichen spoke up, things became even more complicated.
She continued on the phone, "Old Wang's daughter works in Gaohe, yes, but I remember she's the receptionist. What could she know?"
"What else can I do if I don't go to work? Tell me, what shameful things can I do?"
Lin Fan was so angry that he laughed. When she left home, she was a fat girl weighing 170 pounds. What shameful things could she have done?
“…” Mother Lin choked, realizing that she had said something inappropriate.
But could she admit it? Definitely not. She said stubbornly, "Then you haven't contacted me for such a long time, and you haven't returned the money. Can you blame me for not having wild thoughts?"
"...Okay, it was my negligence. I will transfer the money back in a couple of days. Is that okay?" Lin Fan looked at Jin Sichen and Song Ren, and seeing them both nod, he knew that he could make money outside and put down the burden in his heart.
Didn't Jin Sichen just say he'd give her a raise? Any problem that can be solved with money isn't a problem.
"Do I want to ask you for money? I want you to go home!" Lin's mother's voice became even more unhappy. After a pause, she asked, "How much money can you give me?"
The people who were listening were speechless. Isn't this just about wanting money?
Everyone knew that Lin Fan had depression, but they had never known the cause. Jin Sichen had not disclosed this to them out of consideration for personal privacy.
At this moment, everyone suddenly understood and looked at Lin Fan with sympathy.
"Yes..." Lin Fan paused.
She had originally agreed with Lin's mother that her annual salary plus bonus would be 300,000 yuan. It's only been six months, and it's not time to give out bonuses yet, so how much should she give?
Lin Fan, who was not good at math, calculated quickly in his mind.
"Why is there no sound?" Lin's mother waited for a while but heard no response. She tapped the microphone and said, "Hello, hello, Xiaofan? Where's he?"
"Here, here." Lin Fan roughly estimated a number. "One hundred thousand, maybe? I'll give you one hundred thousand. Is that enough for the New Year?"
"One hundred thousand..." Lin's mother's voice suddenly became quieter. After a burst of noise, Lin's father's voice came from the receiver, "What did you say to the child again?"
"What can I say? Let her come back for the New Year!" Although Lin's mother's voice became softer, she sounded even more angry.
Dad Lin didn't believe what Mom Lin said at all. He clearly heard her talking about money.
"Xiao Fan." Lin's father's gentle voice came, and everyone present saw that Lin Fan was obviously relieved and relaxed a lot.
"Dad." Lin Fan felt as if he hadn't heard his father's voice for a long time. The last time he heard it seemed to be last century.
A few sharp-eyed people have noticed that Lin Fan called out "Dad" here, but he had not called out "Mom" just now.
"How is Xiaofan doing recently? Is he feeling well?" As usual, Dad Lin first asked about his child's health.
"...very good." Lin Fan's eyes were a little sore. Sure enough, no matter how long it took, this kind of care would always touch her heart.
Others also breathed a sigh of relief.
Right, this is how a normal family call would unfold.
Did anyone notice that Lin Fan never calls his mother "Mom"? Haha, a little foreshadowing, though it doesn't seem to contribute to the overall plot. Lin Fan has a grudge against his mother and feels resentful. Vote for support.