Biodata
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Lin Qing (林清) |
| Gender | Female |
| Affiliation | Ji family 31 394 |
| Occupation/Role | Mother of the original Ji Ting; Ji Yanzhi’s stepmother 31 34 |
| Marital Relationship | Entered the Ji family as Ji Shize’s wife, but later denied that they were ever a real married couple “in name” or “in practice” 395 394 |
| Status | Alive; psychiatric evaluation ordered by Ji Yanzhi 396 |
| First Appearance | Recalled in Ji Yanzhi’s childhood memories 31 |
Background / History
Entry into the Ji Family
Lin Qing was acquainted with Ji Yanzhi’s mother, Wen Yin, before entering the Ji household. After Wen Yin’s death, she married into the family while heavily pregnant. Ji Shize demanded that Ji Yanzhi call her “Mom”; when he refused, his father confined him in the stables for half a month, leaving him severely dehydrated and nearly dead 31 395.
On her second day in the household, Lin Qing told the young Ji Yanzhi that his mother had jumped to her death. She showed him a photograph of Wen Yin’s body in the morgue and said that she had become Ji Shize’s mistress before Wen Yin died. She used these disclosures to blame Ji Shize and ensure that his son would not forget his mother’s death 395.
Vacation Deception and Secret Return
While supposedly vacationing with Ji Shize, Lin Qing sent Ji Ting photographs every day. When he asked whether the pictures were taken that day, she answered yes. By examining the location, vegetation, season, and shoreline, Ji Ting determined that the photographs were months old 34.
She later returned unexpectedly at night without luggage and rushed to shield Ji Ting from Ji Yanzhi, mistaking their roughhousing for an attack. Ji Ting corrected her and urged her to apologize. Learning that Ji Zhenting had considered making her son take the blame for Ji Liping, she broke down and apologized for failing to protect him 57 58.
Lin Qing asked Ji Ting not to tell his father that she had returned. A phone notification made her tense, and she hurried away. Ji Ting connected her behavior with the misleading photographs but chose not to investigate 57.
New Year Reunion
Lin Qing returned with Ji Shize and Ling Xi, bringing gifts for Ji Ting. When she discovered that Ji Ting could not speak, she immediately suspected Ji Yanzhi. Ji Ting repeatedly defended him, eventually recovering his voice while insisting that his brother was not responsible 110 111.
She invited Ling Xi to stay for New Year and encouraged his reconciliation with Ji Ting. Meanwhile, Ji Shize instructed her to question their son about unfamiliar visitors who might be advising Ji Yanzhi. He also ordered her to tell Ling Xi that, after paying his uncle 1.2 million yuan, he expected Ling Xi to prove useful. Lin Qing was frightened but complied 111.
Lin Qing noticed that Ji Ting seemed like a different person and questioned him about the change. He answered that people change under the influence of their surroundings rather than revealing his transmigration 117.
Disappearance and Hidden Evidence
By the time Ji Ting and Ji Yanzhi investigated her dressing room, Lin Qing had been missing since New Year—slightly more than three months. Drawings led them into her wardrobe, and they considered whether she had sent the clues 216.
Travel itineraries showed that Lin Qing and Ji Shize had sometimes flown to different destinations on dates presented as shared vacations. Ji Yanzhi initially dismissed the evidence as a mistress investigating her partner’s infidelity with Cheng Yingyu. Ji Ting pointed out that Lin Qing had no reason to expect Ji Yanzhi to seek justice for her, prompting him to reconsider her purpose 218.
After his release from prison, Ling Xi claimed that he could reveal the truth about the death of Ji Ting’s mother. Ji Ting refused to meet him or hear the explanation. The claim remained unverified; Lin Qing subsequently returned alive 373 394.
Return and Confession
After Ji Shize was sentenced, Lin Qing returned to the Old Residence and began packing. Ji Yanzhi had her brought to his office, where she demanded to take Ji Ting away. He refused and accused her of treating her son as a tool while allowing Ji Shize to ruin him 394.
Lin Qing admitted that she had placed Cheng Yingyu’s belongings and those of her child in the East Building dressing room. She also acknowledged years of following and secretly photographing Cheng Yingyu. She claimed that Cheng Yingyu, Ji Shize, and Ling Xi’s mother, Xu Jiezhen, were responsible for Wen Yin’s death, adding that she would have killed Xu Jiezhen had the woman not died in hospital 394.
Under further questioning, Lin Qing said Wen Yin had died by suicide because Ji Shize did not love her. She admitted wanting to use Ji Yanzhi to destroy Shili, keeping his hatred alive, and looking for opportunities to kill Ji Shize herself. His imprisonment and Cheng Yingyu’s losses brought her relief 395.
Ji Yanzhi rejected her attempt to define his feelings and offered her money to leave permanently. Before departing, Lin Qing asked him to care for Ji Ting and gently told him to look after himself. Ji Yanzhi made no promise, but ordered a full psychiatric evaluation for her. Although he initially intended to conceal the meeting, he later told Ji Ting everything 395 396 397.
Appearance
Lin Qing’s outward presentation changes sharply between Ji Yanzhi’s early memories and her final return 31 394.
- Earlier appearance: An innocent-looking face; frail and timid in Ji Yanzhi’s recollection 31 394.
- After her disappearance: Much more tanned, with fine lines around her eyes and a visibly weary gaze 394.
- Changed manner: A nearly inflectionless voice and controlled expression replace her earlier frightened, ingratiating behavior 394.
Personality
Lin Qing combines maternal concern with secrecy and manipulation. She worries about Ji Ting’s safety, apologizes for failing to protect him, and tries to remove him from the Ji family. Yet she also lies about her travels and follows Ji Shize’s instructions to question their son. Ji Ting remains emotionally distant from her and avoids her attempted affectionate touch 34 57 111 394.
Her attachment to Wen Yin becomes the central explanation for her long-term behavior. Guilt over failing to save her drives revenge, surveillance, and deliberate efforts to sustain Ji Yanzhi’s hatred. Ji Yanzhi regards this devotion as so obsessive that it has consumed Lin Qing’s identity; her mental condition is not established by a confirmed diagnosis in the provided account 395 396.
Relationships
- Ji Ting — Her son, whose body is occupied by the transmigrated protagonist. Ji Yanzhi remembers mother and son as formerly close, but the current Ji Ting mutes her messages and keeps his distance. She eventually asks Ji Yanzhi to care for him 34 57 396.
- Ji Yanzhi — Her stepson and intended instrument of revenge. Their relationship is marked by his longstanding hatred and her manipulation of his childhood memories. He refuses both her demand to take Ji Ting and her attempts to dictate whom he should hate 31 394 395.
- Ji Shize — Her former affair partner and publicly presented husband. She appears frightened and submissive around him, but later reveals that she had wanted to kill him and welcomed his imprisonment 111 394 395.
- Wen Yin — Ji Yanzhi’s mother and the focus of Lin Qing’s intense devotion. Lin Qing fears that Wen Yin would blame her for immersing her son in hatred, while insisting that Wen Yin’s kindness would prevent her from doing so 395.
- Cheng Yingyu — A target of years of covert surveillance. Lin Qing blames her for contributing to Wen Yin’s death and considers the destruction of what she values more painful than death 394 395.
- Xu Jiezhen — Ling Xi’s mother. Lin Qing accuses her of involvement in Wen Yin’s death and expresses an unfulfilled desire to kill her 394 395.
- Ling Xi — Addresses her as “Aunt Lin.” She welcomes him into the household for New Year and supports reconciliation with Ji Ting, while also serving as the intermediary for Ji Shize’s demands 111.
Notable Quotes
“He's my son. He has nothing to do with your Ji Family.” 394
“Scared that Wen Yin will blame me for drowning you in hatred. But then I think, Wen Yin was so kind. She would never have the heart to hate me.” 395
“Little Zhi, take care of yourself.” 396