The Smile Turned Increasingly Sinister

Caught off guard by the sudden hostility, Li Shishi was a little slow to react.

Her gaze drifted between Li Yao and the middle-aged man, and she wondered if there was something between the two men... Then she laughed at herself. What kind of ridiculous little drama am I imagining? Isn't there a middle-aged woman standing behind him?

So...

Li Shishi looked at Li Yao, her eyes brimming with amusement. Is this your future father-in-law? Li Yao understood her look and replied with his own: I'm not, I didn't, don't make things up! Xiaoxi is a lesbian, okay! Li Yao pulled Uncle Lin aside and muttered, "Uncle Lin, what's going on with you?"

Uncle Lin was unhappy. "What's going on with you?"

I practically delivered my family's precious cabbage right to your mouth, and you didn't take a bite... No, wait, did this brat plow through two cabbages? Or did someone else pick this fool's cabbage first? Uncle Lin glanced at Li Shishi. Not bad—this girl was gorgeous.

She was mature and intellectual without being overly demure. His own daughter was still too childish, too inexperienced. Uncle Lin's expression turned grave. It's over, it's over. The pig I had in hand just ran away! What's going to happen to our cabbage? Other people's pigs might not be as handsome and agreeable as Old Li Family's pig.

How annoying!

After thinking it over, Uncle Lin said, "Da Yao, we came this time to thank you. How about we grab a meal? Miss, would you like to join us?"

Li Shishi did not know whether to laugh or cry, but... this was pretty interesting.

So she nodded readily. "Sure."

Then she returned to the reception desk, told the receptionist to cancel all of today's appointments, and went back to Old Lin and Li Yao. "Then let's go."

Comrade Old Lin's face immediately darkened.

I was only being polite. Why are you so oblivious? But I can't seem too petty now, or I'll lose face for nothing. Damn it!

Once outside, Uncle Lin said, "I'll go get the car from the parking lot."

Li Shishi said, "No need. All the cars at the entrance are mine. Please feel free to pick whichever one you like."

Comrade Old Lin swept his eyes over them. There were five cars in total: a Mercedes-Benz, a BMW X5, a Maybach, a Bentley, and a Jaguar.

Heh.

Little girl, are you trying to show me up?

Still, Comrade Old Lin refused to lose in presence. Seemingly composed, he pointed at the Mercedes-Benz. "That one." Then he glanced at Li Yao. Li Yao got the hint and stepped forward to open the door for him. Before getting in, Old Lin gave Li Shishi another look. See that!?

The amusement in Li Shishi's eyes deepened. She got into the car as well, and once Li Yao took the front passenger seat, she winked at him.

She was being very mischievous! Li Yao held his forehead and looked out the window, suddenly feeling that life was not worth living.

—Living is so tiring.

Old Lin had reserved a banquet in advance. After he gave them the location, Li Shishi took on the role of driver and headed toward the restaurant. This time, she did not argue with Comrade Old Lin. After all, he had carefully picked the place, and the restaurant really was quite good.

In the car, Old Lin secretly texted Lin Xiaoxi: "Daughter, get to Cloud Top Restaurant right away. It's an emergency!"

Lin Xiaoxi replied, "What for?"

Old Lin replied, "I'm treating you to dinner."

Lin Xiaoxi replied, "Heh. Speak human."

Old Lin replied, "...Quit messing around and get over here! Does what I say in this family not count anymore?"

Lin Xiaoxi replied, "(°ー°〃) You only just noticed?"

Old Lin replied, "..."

That was true. Most of the money he had on him had been given to him by Lin Xiaoxi. Comrade Old Lin's standing in the family had automatically dropped by one due to already being at rock bottom.

Old Lin put down his phone and gazed sorrowfully out the window, suddenly feeling as though his life were lonely as snow.

But he still wanted to struggle one last time, so he sent another message: "Li Yao is with a beautiful woman. Aren't you worried!"

Lin Xiaoxi replied: "(｀д′)???"

Why the hell would I be worried? Dad, what kind of nonsense are you spouting? Lin Xiaoxi replied, "What the hell does that have to do with me???"

Comrade Old Lin sorrowfully ruffled his hair. So the problem lay with his own cabbage. No wonder Old Li Family's pig had been led away—it was because his own cabbage was not pulling its weight.

Once Old Lin understood that, he instantly lost all interest.

Even the meal tasted bland.

After dinner, Li Shishi took Old Lin and Aunt Lin back to the company parking lot to retrieve their car. The two said goodbye to Li Yao and Li Shishi. In the car, Aunt Lin asked Old Lin, "Are we heading home?"

Old Lin said stiffly, "We're going to see Xiaoxi."

Aunt Lin smiled. "All right."

When they arrived at the school, Lin Xiaoxi, dressed in pajamas and looking thoroughly disheveled, bounced up to her parents. "Why did you come to the provincial capital? Did you come all this way just to treat Li Yao and me to dinner? You've got too much time on your hands."

Old Lin's anger flared. He smacked Lin Xiaoxi on the back of the head. "Why are you so sloppy?"

Lin Xiaoxi was stunned. Throwing back her neck, she shouted, "Even looking like this, people confess to me every day! If I dressed up nicely, wouldn't that be even worse!"

Old Lin thought about it and realized she had a point.

So he smacked Xiaoxi on the back of the head again. "That's for not behaving yourself all day!"

Lin Xiaoxi glared furiously at her dad. Did you eat gunpowder today or something?!

"And you still dare glare at me!" Old Lin added another smack.

Lin Xiaoxi said, "..."

She ignored Old Lin and retreated a couple of steps to seek help from her mother. Yet her mother gazed at the darkening sky with a poetic look on her face. Fine, fine, Lin Xiaoxi gave in. If I can't afford to provoke you, can't I at least hide? But Old Lin took another step forward and smacked her on the back of the head again. "That's for wandering around outside at dusk!"

Didn't you call me out here?!

If you want to bully me, can't you at least find a decent excuse? Or better yet, can you just stop looking for one? I'm so wronged! Negative emotions from Lin Xiaoxi +555...

Comrade Old Lin finally felt better. He clapped his hands, turned, and got into the car. "Stay put at school and behave yourself. Money... you have your own, so don't waste it. Your mom and I are going home."

With that, he turned around and left without even pausing.

Lin Xiaoxi stood at the school gate beneath the sprawling sunset clouds, feeling as though life itself had become utterly surreal.

So you rushed all the way here just to slap me a few times? Are you all crazy?! She pulled out her phone, furiously tapped away, and sent Li Yao a message: "All men are bastards, filthy pigs. Go die!"

Li Yao replied, "???"

—After seeing Uncle Lin and the others off, Li Shishi had invited him for a drink... Well, Li Yao found it difficult to refuse that kind of invitation. They had only just sat down and ordered drinks, without even taking a sip, when he received Lin Xiaoxi's message. He was completely baffled. What is going on with the Lin family? Li Shishi noticed that something was wrong with his expression and asked, "What's wrong?"

Then a sweet female voice came from Li Yao's phone: "Alipay has received five hundred thousand yuan..." This was followed by the sound of coins clattering down.

The sound was crisp and pleasant.

Yet it was especially loud in this ambiguously intimate lounge bar...

Li Shishi rested her cheek against her fragrant hand, smiling as she looked at Li Yao. This junior is kind of interesting.

Li Yao awkwardly put down his phone. That transfer had been from Uncle Lin, with a note saying it was pocket money for him. In truth, it was a thank-you for saving Aunt Lin. Adults cared about their pride, so Uncle Lin had made up such a clumsy excuse. Fifty thousand yuan was only a token gesture, anyway. Li Yao had spent more than that running around and hiring experts for consultations.

Of course, his relationship with the Lin family could no longer be measured in money.

Besides, Lin Xiaowei was secretly urging him from another world to help the Lin family. The relationship between the two families had long since become anything but ordinary.

After they finished drinking, Li Shishi said she wanted to take Li Yao home. Li Yao felt that since they had all been drinking, he could simply take a taxi, but Li Shishi refused. She insisted on personally sending him home, saying she wanted to see things through from beginning to end.

With no other choice, they called for a designated driver.

However, on the way back, when they reached a relatively desolate stretch of road, several cars suddenly charged out of the darkness and blocked Li Shishi's car! Li Shishi immediately tensed up! None of them had drunk too much, so their judgment remained clear. Faced with this situation, Li Shishi immediately wondered whether a competitor was trying to make a move against her!

She looked at Li Yao, only to discover...

That the junior beside her had slowly stretched his lips into an unfathomable smile???

What the hell!

Could all this have been some prearranged conspiracy? Thinking of one possibility, Li Shishi's heart instantly went cold.

PS: Second update today. Are you happy? Let me recommend a friend's book, "The Golden Age of Chinese Entertainment," a million-word premium Chinese entertainment novel! Pretty impressive, right?