World 1 Chapter 14
“We don’t usually live here anyway, so it’s no problem if you want to move in for a while. But, brother, is something wrong?” Lin Yanan wouldn’t be back anytime soon, and having someone live here would keep the house lively; otherwise, it would quickly fall into disrepair.
“Well, actually, here’s the thing…” It wasn’t until Lin Mu explained the situation that Lin Yanan finally understood the full story.
Lin Mu’s eldest son, Lin Qian, had met a girlfriend while in college. Their relationship had always been strong, and after graduation, Lin Qian successfully settled in the provincial capital where she lived. However, due to their busy work schedules and their shared desire to focus on their careers, they had unwittingly entered the ranks of “older singles.” Consequently, although Lin Qian was a year older than Qin Feng, he had yet to tie the knot.
This had both sets of parents in a panic. After repeated urging, the couple finally decided to get married this year, and recently, they received even better news: the bride was pregnant. This delighted the elders immensely. Even though they’ve already obtained their marriage certificate, a wedding ceremony is still a must. Although they’ve simplified the proceedings, both families still need to visit each other’s homes—after all, they can’t get married without even knowing where each other lives.
That’s where the problem lies: the bride is strongly opposed to having the entire extended family living under one roof, as it makes her extremely anxious. Even when Lin Mu and his family visit their son and daughter-in-law, they stay in the house Lin Mu bought, while the young couple lives in the house the bride bought—they simply cannot live together. They have no other demands, and they’re flexible about the dowry and such, but they won’t budge on this point. So, Lin Mu had no choice but to swallow his pride and ask Lin Yanan for help.
Since it was a matter of her own nephew’s marriage, Lin Yanan naturally wouldn’t be stingy. She didn’t comment on anyone’s personal habits, but since it was her own brother—who had always helped and accommodated her—asking, she naturally couldn’t refuse.
“In that case, we’ll pack up and clear out the space. You can stay anywhere except my bedroom,” Lin Yanan suggested readily after hearing this.
“Really Yanan, I don’t even know what to say. Thank you.” Although he had anticipated his sister might agree, there had still been some uncertainty. Now that he’d heard her say it with her own mouth, he finally felt at ease.
“Why are we even talking about this between us?” The old house had been looked after by Lin Mu’s family for the past six months, and even after moving in, Lin Yanan was confident they would treat it with care.
Because they had to tidy up the old house, Lin Yanan’s family stayed an extra half-day. They had originally planned to leave in the morning but ended up staying until evening, which gave Qin Huan time to go on a date—though her wallet was emptying rather quickly.
When it was time for school to start, Qin Huan pestered Lin Yan’an relentlessly and managed to get an extra two thousand yuan from her on top of her original tuition and living expenses. However, Lin Yan’an made it clear that this would be the only additional money she’d receive for the semester—once it was gone, she’d have to figure things out on her own.
At that moment, Qin Huan was still basking in the joy of having received the money and didn’t take Lin Yanan’s words to heart at all; she was just looking forward to heading to school with Zhang Rui. Lin Yanan didn’t press the issue further; after all, she had already warned her, and whether Qin Huan listened or not was entirely up to her.
“How did the check go?”
“No problems.”
That day, Lin Yanan met with a stranger at a restaurant. The man handed her a document folder directly. After flipping through it, she nodded in satisfaction.
“Send the copies to this address. Here’s the rest of the payment.” Although it was a bit pricey, the information she’d uncovered was quite detailed.
“As you wish. If you need something like this again, be sure to contact me.” ” After counting the money in the envelope, the man across from her left without a word.
Lin Yanan’s current investigation involved the owner of the tutoring center. Since Li Xue had resigned, she shouldn’t have had much contact with those people anymore. Yet, for some reason, the image of Li Xue’s despondent and negative demeanor after quitting kept lingering in her mind. Perhaps something else had happened that she wasn’t aware of. Just to be on the safe side, Lin Yanan secretly hired someone online to investigate.
The investigation actually turned up some findings. Not only had the man cheated on his wife and transferred marital assets, but—most disgustingly—recently, due to operational problems at the tutoring center and a lack of follow-up funding, he had been pressuring employees to entertain clients in order to lure investors. Whether or not the employees were taken advantage of during these gatherings was completely beyond his consideration.
Looking at the documents, Lin Yanan suddenly recalled how Li Xue had looked that day, as if being chased by a demon. She suspected Li Xue might have encountered something terrible, but managed to escape in time and immediately resigned. Still, the incident had inevitably left her with psychological trauma.
The boss’s wife came from a wealthy family; in fact, the tutoring center had been established with her financial backing. However, since her father’s surgery last year, his health had been poor, so she’d shifted her focus to caring for him. This gave the boss more leeway to act as he pleased, and as time went on, he grew increasingly brazen.
But even if she didn’t care about his infidelity, could she really not care about him siphoning off assets? Especially since they had children—didn’t she fear that having such a father would make her children feel ashamed? In short, this man had too many red flags; dodging one only to face another proved he was simply a rotten person. Still, she couldn’t keep pinning her hopes on others; even if they didn’t respond, she would take action herself.
“Boss, why didn’t you bring anyone along tonight?” Xing Hui was out alone with her boss tonight, and for some reason, she felt a little anxious.
“There wasn’t anyone suitable this time. You know the situation well enough. What else can we do? We’ll just have to have a few extra drinks with you.” He’d been with Xing Hui for quite some time now; her appetite was growing ever larger, and he’d long since grown tired of it.
“Don’t leave. What am I supposed to do if you go?” During the meal, Xing Hui had indeed drunk quite a bit, but she could handle more than that. Yet she felt her head growing increasingly dizzy.
“Be a good girl. Just keep Mr. Zhou and the others company. I’m not leaving—I’m just going to the restroom. I’ll be right back.” To calm Xing Hui down, he said offhandedly.
“Did you slip something into my drink? Otherwise, I wouldn’t feel like this.” Xing Hui wasn’t unaware of such tactics; she just hadn’t expected them to be used on her today.
“Since you know everything, just do as you’re told. You know there’s no escaping once you’re in here.” Now that the truth was out, he saw no need to keep up the pretense.
“You bastard! I’ve been with you for so long, putting up with everything without complaint…” Although Xing Hui had little strength left, her manicured nails were still intact. Her long nails scraped across his face, immediately leaving several scratches—a sensation that was far from pleasant.
The boss winced in pain and shoved her back. Any lingering guilt he’d felt had now vanished completely.
“We received a tip that illegal activities are taking place here. We’re conducting an inspection!” Before the boss could even step outside, the police burst in.