The old master let out a few abrupt cold laughs, stomped his cane hard, his face darkening as he scolded:
“Lin family descendants? Hah! What a joke of ‘Lin family descendants’!”
He pressed both hands on his dragon-headed cane, slowly rose to his feet, and turned his gaze toward Fu Cuilian, sneering again:
“Do you swear by your son’s life that these three… are all Lin family descendants?”
Fu Cuilian felt as if struck by five bolts of lightning, her vision blackened, and she staggered backward, nearly falling.
If it weren’t for Lin Juying catching her in time, she would have collapsed on the spot.
Even this reaction alone was enough to reveal the truth.
Everyone knew perfectly well that Lin Yulan, Lin Juying, and Lin Haojie were not Lin Chengyou’s children.
“Hmph! Dare not speak now?” The old master forcibly suppressed his anger and drove them away:
“Since not a single one of these children is a Lin family descendant, on what grounds do you demand that I support them! Huh?”
Fu Cuilian’s heart pounded, and tears streamed down her face—not crocodile tears, but genuine panic at the thought of losing the enormous Lin family fortune that was within her reach.
Those tears were extremely sincere.
Lin Haojie, slightly more skilled, still managed to hold his composure and stood up to retort:
“Grandfather, what you said is mistaken. My mother was only hurt in her pride by false accusations; she did not admit that the children are not Lin’s.”
Lin Weixin, an old fox for decades, had never before seen such pure, shameless audacity!
The matter had reached the point where everyone was playing their cards openly, and everyone knew the truth—but Lin Haojie still dared to cheat?!
The old master was furious:
“You! You…!”
Seeing her grandfather about to mention a parentage test, Lin Xiwei quickly cut in:
“Grandpa means, whoever claims it, must provide proof. Lin Haojie, if you want to prove that the three of you are Lin family, then produce solid evidence. Otherwise, grandpa will not allow you to be entered into the Lin family registry, nor into the Lin family genealogy.”
This move struck at the very foundation—brilliantly executed.
Lin Chengyou was already buried, and even if parentage testing existed in this era, they couldn’t prove their claim.
Moreover, in this era, there were no such domestic tests.
Even if DNA testing were available, as long as Lin Xiwei and Grandpa refused to provide samples, it would be useless.
…
Lin Haojie felt utterly blindsided by Lin Xiwei, slammed by an invisible hammer. He was left stunned for a long while, not knowing how to respond.
“Proving that we are the children of our late father… this move is slicker than a bank!”
The key point: none of the three were actually Lin Chengyou’s children.
Seeing him speechless and out of arguments, the old master, now exhausted, turned and left, leaving behind one instruction:
“Xiwei, see them out!”
Lin Xiwei, with Wang Ma at her side, drove them away:
“Gentlemen, please!”
Lin Haojie was one thousand times unwilling, and after glancing at Fu Cuilian, a plan formed in his mind:
“My mother is the Lin family widow…”
“No, no, no!” Lin Xiwei raised her delicate fingers and shook them at him, denying:
“Ms. Fu Cuilian is the widow of the late Lin Chengyou, but without a marriage certificate. She is not a member of the Lin family.”
She knew he would still try to cause trouble!
Lin Xiwei could even predict that, even after being driven out, these people would still return to cause problems.
She wasn’t afraid they would come back—she was afraid they wouldn’t, because then her revenge opportunities would vanish.
Fu Cuilian and Lin Chengyou had a “common-law marriage,” but no certificate, since Lin Xiwei’s mother had disappeared years ago without being declared dead, and the marriage remained legally in effect.
Lin Xiwei deliberately provoked Lin Haojie’s fragile ego, taunting him:
“Lin Haojie, even if your mother were to inherit anything, it would only be the so-called assets of her deceased husband. No matter how vast or glorious the Lin family’s holdings, what does that have to do with you?”
As of now, Lin Chengyou only owned a gallery.
All the valuable items in the gallery had been stored by Lin Xiwei in her storage space!
Lin Haojie was furious… he wished he could tear Lin Xiwei limb from limb, flay her alive!
Everything he had painstakingly collected over half a year, scouring the streets and alleys for antiques and collectibles, had vanished without a trace!
Losing wealth worth tens of billions out of nowhere—who wouldn’t go mad?
He knew it had to be Lin Xiwei’s doing, yet he had no proof.
Lin Xiwei smiled sweetly at him, still wearing that infuriatingly smug look: “You can’t stand me, but you can’t touch me either—try all you want, you won’t succeed.”
Behind her, Wang Ma—the two-gun old lady—slowly stepped into position, left hand on a Mauser, right hand on an M1911, both barrels aimed at the mother and son.
Lin Xiwei didn’t mince words as she shooed them:
“Hurry back to your rooms and pack your things. Before night falls… get out!”
…
Half an hour later,
Lin Yulan, Lin Haojie, Fu Cuilian, and Lin Juying stood in a row, each carrying or shouldering bags and packages, arms linked in a chaotic display.
Lin Xiwei looked at the scene with some amusement, thinking:
“A family, after all—they should leave in proper order.”
The four on the other side were practically tearing their hair in hatred at Lin Xiwei, itching to rush forward and rip that smug smile off her face.
Yet they dared not.
Because Wang Ma was there.
Lin Xiwei decided to play a little trick, beckoning Lin Yulan over:
“Come here first. You really need to see Qin Nancheng’s authentic handwriting with your own eyes.”
Lin Haojie panicked immediately: “Don’t go! She’s tricking you!”
Lin Xiwei deliberately stayed ambiguous:
“I didn’t get a chance to tell you the truth before. Now I think girls should help each other, so you don’t get manipulated without realizing it.”
She was saying this casually—Lin Xiwei was not actually being that nice.
In her past life, Lin Yulan had also been one of the people who hurt her. Why should rebirth wipe that slate clean?
Just because Lin Yulan was a “poor girl”? Was Lin Xiwei any less pitiful in her previous life? Had Lin Yulan ever spared her?
Giving Lin Yulan a chance now could very well have ended with Lin Xiwei dead.
In the high-stakes battle for massive wealth, gender made no difference.
Sure enough, Lin Yulan stepped forward. Lin Xiwei deliberately brought her aside to speak privately, ensuring Lin Haojie could see them but not hear what was said.
Lin Yulan asked impatiently: “The letters?”
Lin Xiwei pulled out an envelope and pointed to the postmark:
“Look closely. Nanhai Province, Phoenix Island. The rest of the info doesn’t appear on the envelope at all—this is the special nature of Qin Nancheng’s position.”
Lin Yulan’s face went pale in an instant.
The love letters she had received were all in ordinary envelopes, with addresses from Kyoto—not Phoenix Island.
Lin Xiwei pointed out the various red and blue stamps on the envelope:
“This is the approval stamp from the higher department, this one from the review office, this is the special confidential stamp, and this one marks it as urgent sent through a special channel.”
Every single word weighed heavily, crashing down on Lin Yulan’s heart and making it hard for her to breathe.
“Qin Nancheng himself said that aside from official business, he doesn’t write letters unnecessarily because of his special position.”
“Then why do you have his letters?” Lin Yulan’s voice cracked and hoarse, her pain indescribable.
Lin Xiwei smiled mysteriously:
“Confidential!”
Those two words alone drew a clear line—anyone could instantly see who was closer to Qin Nancheng.
Lin Yulan had seen Qin Nancheng in person that day and had already been helplessly infatuated with him.
She couldn’t accept it!
“You lied to me!” Lin Yulan snatched the envelope, trembling as she scrutinized the handwriting over and over. That strong, vigorous penmanship did not match the letters she had received at all!
Looking further down, she saw the sender’s signature—Qin Nancheng.