But Cheng Jinshuang politely declined everyone's invitations.
What kind of men were these? A cheater, a greasy guy, a backup guy, and a guy suffering from unrequited love. All of humanity's low-quality men were gathered here. Just thinking about them made Cheng Jinshuang want to throw up. How could she possibly eat with them?
If she had to choose, she would choose the girl who had let her learn the whole truth.
Cheng Jinshuang quickly walked away from them.
Lin Shengyan had been so excited on the way there, and he was just as listless on the way back.
Lin Tingyue comforted Lin Shengyan. "Second Brother, you'll have other chances."
[Second Brother, your road to love may be rocky, but your road to love is still rocky.]
So this was the art of stating the obvious? Lin Shengyan's expression grew even sourer. Folding his arms, he leaned against the car window alone, thinking he looked cool and preparing to ignore everyone else.
But at the sight, Lin Tingyue went:
[Doo doo doo doo, duang. Doo doo doo doo, duang.]
Before long, Lin Shengyan was seeing stars. Could someone tell him why there were so many speed bumps here?!
Was he not even allowed to wallow in sadness anymore?
[Sigh, leaning against a car window to look cool really isn't practical.]
Lin Shengyan silently sat up straight.
Lin Tingyue seized the chance to pull out her phone and sneak a picture, planning to sell it to Lin Shengyan's fans later.
[This is an absolutely incredible close-up. Surely it'll fetch a few hundred yuan.]
With a stony face, Lin Shengyan held out his hand to Lin Tingyue. "Hand it over."
Lin Tingyue had no choice but to surrender her phone. Amid her heartbroken shrieks, Lin Shengyan swiftly deleted the photo and said, "If a picture like this gets out, people will call you a stalker fan."
Lin Tingyue nodded. "Second Brother, thank you for being so considerate."
[Why can I only be a stalker fan? Can't it be that the top star is my second brother?]
Lin Shengyan was secretly delighted.
[Second Brother, Second Brother, my hopelessly love-brained Second Brother.]
Lin Shengyan: "."
Lin Tingyue, did you know you had two faces?!
"Eldest Miss, Second Miss, Second Young Master, we're here."
Lin Tingyue was the last to get out. She noticed a car already parked in the villa's courtyard.
[Huh, we have guests?]
[Oh no, are they here to fight over the family fortune?]
These wealthy-family novels generally followed this pattern. It was either a fight over the family fortune or outrageous relatives coming to cause trouble.
Lin Rusong had also left when they went out, and Lin Tingyue did not know whether he had returned yet. Worried that Bai Yaxin could not handle things alone, she quickened her pace.
[Mom, Mom, your darling daughter is here to help you!]
Although Lin Shengyan and Lin Xiawan did not know who would come to fight over the family fortune, under Lin Tingyue's influence, they both quickened their pace.
Getting out of the car, Uncle Zhang felt only a gust of wind sweep past him.
The three charged through the entry hall. Bai Yaxin was entertaining guests in the living room. Seeing them return, she waved them over. "You're back. This is your Aunt Zhao and her younger son."
Lin Tingyue took a closer look, and her eyes immediately lit up. Well, well, if it wasn't Mr. Blessed. An old acquaintance.
Yun Mingning seemed not to have expected to see them here either, especially his rival Lin Shengyan. The atmosphere instantly became one of drawn swords and bent bows.
Lin Tingyue drank her juice and watched the show, beating a drum and cheering them on in her head.
[Fight! Fight!]
Zhao Ru paused. Where had that voice come from?
She glanced at Lin Tingyue and Lin Xiawan and said, "Yaxin, you really are blessed. You have another daughter now."
Zhao Ru was beautiful. Even though time had left its marks at the corners of her eyes, she was still lovely. Her measured voice was very pleasant to listen to.
Zhao Ru handed Bai Yaxin two boxes. "I picked these out for Tingyue and Xiawan. I was abroad during Xiawan's family reunion banquet and couldn't attend. These are just a small token."
Given that, Bai Yaxin could hardly refuse. After accepting them, she handed them to Lin Xiawan and Lin Tingyue, who both obediently said, "Thank you, Aunt Zhao."
Lin Tingyue furtively opened her box. Inside was actually a sapphire necklace, which nearly dazzled her blind.
[Auntie, so you're a good person, Auntie! From now on, you're my real aunt. I'll stand with you through thick and thin. Your enemies are my enemies, your friends are my friends, and your necklaces are my necklaces!]
Eating her food and taking her things too, huh? Lin Shengyan snorted.
Bai Yaxin was displeased. She thought Lin Tingyue had no backbone, being lured away with a single necklace.
But Lin Tingyue was looking down at her phone and missed Bai Yaxin's look.
Although Lin Tingyue knew this book like the back of her hand, it was simply too long. If she was not careful, she would forget some of the finer details, so she had specially made a chart of every character who appeared.
Lin Tingyue was currently scrolling through her chart.
Meanwhile, Zhao Ru continued, "I brought Mingning over this time to deliver a wedding invitation."
"A wedding invitation?"
Not only was Bai Yaxin surprised, but Lin Tingyue, who had been buried in her phone, also raised her head warily.
[Getting married? Aren't you still pursuing Cheng Jinshuang?]
Lin Shengyan rubbed his hands together.
Yun Mingning, meanwhile, said with a warm smile, "Yes, Aunt Bai. Next weekend, I'm marrying the Song family's eldest daughter."
Bai Yaxin nodded repeatedly. Looking at Zhao Ru, she said, "That really is wonderful news."
[Then what does that make Cheng Jinshuang? You were even planning to invite her to dinner.]
Lin Shengyan could not tolerate this at all. He said sarcastically, "Young Master Yun, do you still remember Jinshuang?"
Who
would have thought that Yun Mingning's smile would not change in the slightest? He said, "Of course I remember her. Didn't we all go to Jinshuang's exhibition match today?"
Lin Shengyan lost his composure. "You're about to get married, and you're still pestering Jinshuang?"
Bai Yaxin frowned. "Shengyan."
After all, Yun Mingning was her good friend Zhao Ru's son. What if there was a misunderstanding?
"Aunt Bai, it's all right." Yun Mingning waved politely and said, "As for Jinshuang, I'll compete fairly with you."
Lin Shengyan said, "Huh?"
Everyone present looked utterly bewildered.
Zhao Ru also sensed that something was wrong, but since they were at the Lin family home, she could only keep up appearances.
Lin Shengyan said, "You're about to get married. What are you still competing for?"
Yun Mingning said innocently, "Can't I? For someone as superior as me, wouldn't only being able to like one person and marry one person be a huge loss?"
[Oh, my heavenly granny, the Great Qing has fallen, hasn't it?]
[Is anyone going to save my ears?!]
[A huge loss, he says. What an outlaw! Do you know that's bigamy?!]
Zhao Ru's dignified expression cracked. She asked, "Yun Mingning, do you know what you're saying?"
[Aunt Zhao, he doesn't. He's planning to make you so angry you cough up blood at his wedding.]
Chapter 6
Inside the villa, three faces turned toward Bai Yaxin in unison.
Bai Yaxin hung up the phone and rubbed her brow before saying, "Zhao Ru said she might sever her mother-son relationship with Yun Mingning."
Clearly, Lin Tingyue's thoughts just now had dealt Bai Yaxin quite a blow too.
An hour earlier.
[Aunt Zhao, Aunt Zhao, on Yun Mingning's wedding day, he'll invite every girl he likes, under the fine-sounding pretext of having them witness his wedding.]
[Aunt Zhao, Aunt Zhao, a brawl will break out at the wedding.]
[And just when they're locked in a fierce fight, Aunt Zhao, your younger sister will appear. Yun Mingning will say his aunt isn't out of the ques...]
Hearing this, Zhao Ru finally broke down. Forgetting all about elegance, she furiously dragged Yun Mingning away, without even finding time to say goodbye to Bai Yaxin.
She was terrified that if she waited another moment, all of it would really happen.
That was her only younger sister! How could Yun Mingning-how dare he?!
After hearing Bai Yaxin's words, Lin Tingyue tilted her head in confusion.
[Huh, has Aunt Zhao seen Yun Mingning's true colors?]
[Hooray! Better to give birth to a piece of char siu than a son like Yun Mingning. Aunt Zhao really has had it rough.]
Remembering Yun Mingning's words, Lin Tingyue felt another chill of revulsion and rushed into the downstairs bathroom again.
Just then, Lin Shengyan rose and headed outside. Bai Yaxin stopped him and asked, "Lin Shengyan, what are you going to do?"
Lin Shengyan turned back with a dark, clammy smile and said eerily, "I'm going to beat Yun Mingning up."
Lin Xiawan kindly reminded this second brother she had only recently met, "Second Brother, hitting people is against the law too. When that happens, won't you..."
Lin Xiawan put it very tactfully. Wouldn't that make Lin Shengyan an outlaw, just like Yun Mingning?
One for bigamy and one for assault. The two could soon meet in prison.
Lin Shengyan abruptly looked back and met Lin Xiawan's eyes. In them, he saw a trace of sympathy and pity.
Lin Shengyan: "?"
Just who was she sympathizing with and pitying?!
This time, Lin Tingyue stayed in the bathroom a long while before coming out. When she emerged, Bai Yaxin looked at her worriedly. "Tingyue, what's wrong?"
Lin Tingyue shook her head.
Bai Yaxin thought for a moment. "I can see you really like the necklace Aunt Zhao gave you. Why don't you go with your older sister to one of our Lin Enterprises jewelry stores and see if there's anything you like?"
Sure enough, Lin Tingyue's eyes lit up.
[Jewelry, jewelry!]
Bai Yaxin smiled. Just then, Lin Shengyan raised his hand. "Mom, I'm not going."
He had suffered a grievous blow to his vitality and needed to rethink his life.
Bai Yaxin did not care at all. "It's better if you don't go. Your two younger sisters can spend some time bonding."
Lin Shengyan: "..."
Why had his standing plummeted straight down ever since he came home?!