Lin Xiuyan's words and subtle gestures had firmly pinned the blame for Linfu and Xinzhitang's failed contract on Jiang Xinrou's meddling!
Jiang Xinrou found herself unable to defend against the accusations!
She looked toward Zhou Chenyang, who was also looking at her at that moment, but his eyes were frosty with coldness.
Her scalp instantly tingled with dread—it was over, Zhou Chenyang had misunderstood!
Lin Xiuyan seemed completely unaware of the undercurrents swirling between the two of them.
With an innocent expression, she asked, "Brother Yang, Xinzhitang has nothing to do with you, right?"
Zhou Chenyang's gaze fell on her face, meeting her innocent eyes, and his emotions were incredibly complex.
Earlier that day, as Linfu's people escorted Xinzhitang's manager to the government office, they had told everyone they encountered that a swindler had established Xinzhitang, tricking Linfu into investing a hundred thousand taels of silver for only a twenty percent stake.
He had come to Linfu today originally to see Lin Yunzhi, but had been stopped at the entrance by Lin An.
The entrance to Linfu opened onto a bustling street, and at that moment, people were coming and going outside. Several bystanders pretended to be casual, but were actually eavesdropping.
If he admitted now that Xinzhitang was his, he would likely cement his reputation as someone who lived off his future wife's family and swindled them.
As the lord of the city, Zhou Chenyang truly couldn't afford to lose face like this!
Suppressing the anger churning inside him, he said gently, "Of course it has nothing to do with me. I will severely punish that swindler."
Lin Xiuyan happily said to Jiang Xinrou, "Cousin, I was right, wasn't I? That person is just a swindler. Brother Yang couldn't possibly be that kind of person!"
Jiang Xinrou: "…"
She was suffering in silence, unable to speak her grievances.
Lin Xiuyan tugged on Zhou Chenyang's sleeve and said, "Brother Yang, since you've come all this way, I'll have the kitchen prepare something delicious for you."
Her face was full of a maiden's shyness, innocent and radiant.
Zhou Chenyang's mood was at its worst at that moment, and he still had a pile of matters to deal with afterward. He really didn't want to see her right now.
He said sternly, "We're getting married next month. It wouldn't be proper for us to eat together now."
He glanced at Jiang Xinrou and then left.
Lin Xiuyan watched him walk away with reluctant longing, then turned to Jiang Xinrou and said, "Cousin, you need to be more careful from now on. You can't make mistakes like this again!"
"I know you work very hard helping Father manage the business. Don't worry, neither Father nor I will blame you for what happened this time."
Jiang Xinrou: "…"
Lin Xiuyan had said everything she wanted to say—what else could she add?
She was anxious to go out and explain things to Zhou Chenyang, but Lin Xiuyan kept holding her back, talking about a bunch of meaningless things, and even insisted on giving her a hairpin carved with a chicken.
Sweat beaded on her forehead from anxiety, but she couldn't refuse too obviously.
While the two were talking, Lin Yunzhi arrived. Lin Xiuyan immediately said, "Father, although Cousin was tricked by a swindler this time, there were extenuating circumstances."
"I thought about it—Cousin must have been too tired, which is why she was deceived. That means Father must be even more exhausted!"
"So, I want to learn how to do business to share your burdens."
Before Lin Yunzhi could speak, Jiang Xinrou urgently interjected, "You can't!"
Lin Xiuyan asked with a curious expression, "Why can't I?"
Jiang Xinrou knew her objection was highly inappropriate, but she had been so infuriated by Lin Xiuyan today that the words slipped out without thinking.
Her mind raced, and she managed to come up with a reason: "Business matters are very tedious. Cousin, you usually don't handle such things."
"Now that you're about to get married, you're already very busy. If you take on business matters as well, I'm afraid you'll exhaust yourself."
"If you get too tired, it might affect your complexion, and then you won't be able to marry the City Lord looking your most beautiful."
Lin Xiuyan nodded. "Cousin makes a good point, but as the sole heir of Linfu, I must eventually manage these matters myself."
"Before, I didn't know how hard you were working, so it was fine. But now that I know, if I still let you bear such a heavy burden, wouldn't I be worse than a dog or a pig?"
Jiang Xinrou wanted to say more, but Lin Yunzhi happily interjected, "Since my daughter is so filial, of course I can't disregard her sincere intentions."
"Starting tomorrow, I'll begin teaching Xiuyan. It's settled!"
When he arrived, he had already heard from Lin An about how Lin Xiuyan had handled Zhou Chenyang earlier, and he was overjoyed.
In matters of affection, the one who invests more always ends up at a disadvantage. Now that Lin Xiuyan was no longer blindly following Zhou Chenyang's lead, it was a great relief!
If she was willing to learn business, she wouldn't focus all her attention on Zhou Chenyang in the future and wouldn't be so passive.
This was something he had to support!
Afraid that Lin Xiuyan might be acting on a whim, he hurried away after speaking, worried she might regret it.
Lin Yunzhi was quick-witted. He knew Lin Xiuyan wasn't someone with much perseverance, so this might be a sign that she was beginning to lose interest in Zhou Chenyang.
He felt he needed to find a way to reinforce this.
As for how to reinforce it, Master Lin had his own methods.
Jiang Xinrou was initially flustered, but after thinking it over carefully, she quickly calmed down.
She believed Lin Xiuyan might be skilled at fighting and causing trouble, but she was definitely not cut out for business.
After all, business matters were complex and interconnected, not something a simple-minded person like Lin Xiuyan could handle.
However, she needed to inform Zhou Chenyang about this and explain the situation regarding Xinzhitang to him again.
That evening, Lin Xiuyan saw Jiang Xinrou wrapped in a black cloak slipping out through the side gate. A cold glint flashed in her eyes, but she didn't stop her.
She hadn't expected today's events to make Zhou Chenyang and Jiang Xinrou turn completely against each other. She had merely planted a seed of doubt in Zhou Chenyang's heart.
In the future, she would find opportunities to let that seed sprout and grow into a towering tree.
After finishing her tasks, she returned and didn't see Ye Junfei, letting out a long sigh of relief.
She hoped he would go to Chengzhufu to find Yuxuecao and never come looking for her again. She didn't want to see him anymore!
However, fate loved to play tricks—the more you didn't want to see someone, the harder it was to avoid them.
On her first night after being reborn, her mind was filled with too many thoughts, and she didn't sleep well. By the time she woke up the next day, the sun was already high in the sky.
As soon as she opened her eyes, her maid Qiu Tao said, "Miss, you're finally awake! The master has come to check on you over ten times already."
"He said as soon as you wake up, go to his study. He has a big surprise prepared for you."
Lin Xiuyan thought Lin Yunzhi wanted to teach her about business, so she hurriedly got up, washed, and rushed to his study.
She pushed open the study door and had just called out "Father" when she saw Ye Junfei standing by the window in a white robe, giving her a gentle smile.
Thinking she was mistaken, she rubbed her eyes, but Ye Junfei was still there, smiling even more warmly.
Struck as if by lightning, she trembled and pointed at Ye Junfei. "Father, who is he? Why is he here?"
Lin Yunzhi noticed her voice had changed—clearly, she was excited!
She must have taken a liking to Ye Junfei!
Lin Yunzhi felt he hadn’t hired the wrong person and said happily, "He is the new etiquette tutor I hired for you."
"How about it? A pleasant surprise, isn’t it?"