Jiang Xinrou’s eyes were filled with excitement and anticipation. As long as Lin Yunzhi signed this contract, he would be under her control from now on!
Zhou Chenyang had promised her that once Lin Yunzhi signed the contract, he would immediately break off his engagement with Lin Xiuyan and marry her instead.
With that contract in hand, everyone in the Lin family would obediently follow their commands, and all the Lin family’s wealth and properties would become hers!
As she gazed at the Lin residence, with its intricately carved beams, painted rafters, and blooming flowers, her greed was almost impossible to suppress.
Watching Lin Yunzhi put the final stroke on the contract, her joy overflowed.
She picked up the contract, beaming with delight, and said, “I think this is the wisest decision Uncle has ever made in his life.”
Just as she was about to hand the contract to the Xinzhitang manager, a hand snatched it from her grasp.
Jiang Xinrou was momentarily stunned. When she saw that it was Lin Xiuyan who had taken the contract, she smiled sweetly and said, “Cousin, you’re back!”
“Uncle truly dotes on you—he’s added another hundred thousand taels of silver to your dowry.”
But inwardly, she cursed, “That wretched girl has such a tough life—even that didn’t kill her!”
“But it doesn’t matter. This fool is so stupid. Dying like that would be too easy for her. I’ll take my time and play with her until she’s dead.”
“I’ll make her watch as the people she cares about die one by one before her eyes. I’ll make her lose everything she loves and leave her with nothing!”
Lin Xiuyan glanced at her, held back for a moment, then decided to follow her heart. She raised her hand and slapped Jiang Xinrou hard across the face, then kicked her flying.
This sudden turn of events left everyone stunned.
Lin Yunzhi was about to scold Lin Xiuyan when she looked at him and burst into tears, wailing, “Dad, I almost didn’t get to see you today!”
She had cried several times today, both genuinely and for show, but this time, her tears came from the depths of her heart.
The reason was simple: while others saw her as having only been away for a day, for her, it felt like a lifetime.
She could still vividly recall how Zhou Chenyang had tortured Lin Yunzhi in her previous life, leaving him battered and barely alive.
She also remembered the last words he had said to her in that life: “In this life, I’ve asked for nothing else. I only wish for my Xiuyan to live a life of peace and happiness. I can no longer protect you, Xiuyan, but you must live well!”
All these emotions suddenly erupted at this moment, and Lin Xiuyan’s tears fell like rain.
Seeing her cry like this, Lin Yunzhi’s heart ached unbearably.
She had always been tough and stubborn since childhood. Even if her leg were broken, she wouldn’t shed a single tear.
For her to cry like this now, she must have suffered immense grievances!
He quickly asked, “What happened to you?”
Lin Xiuyan didn’t answer. Instead, she buried herself in Lin Yunzhi’s arms and wept loudly.
Lin Yunzhi was completely bewildered. His little troublemaker usually only acted sweet and affectionate when she wanted money from him. The rest of the time, she barely paid him any attention.
Today, she was actually hugging him. She must have caused some colossal disaster outside and needed him to clean up the mess!
He wanted to push her away and give her a beating, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it, feeling that moments like this when she was close to him were too rare. Instead, he comforted her gently, “Don’t be afraid!”
“No matter what trouble you’ve caused, tell your dad. As long as it’s not something like taking a life—that’s a line you can’t cross—I’ll help you settle it!”
Lin Xiuyan: “…”
What was her dad thinking?!
Lin Yunzhi noticed the injuries on her face and immediately flew into a rage. “Who hurt you? Tell your dad, and I’ll go chop them to pieces!”
Lin Xiuyan felt a warmth in her heart. Her father was indeed the same protective dad she remembered.
She recalled her previous life, when she was young and reckless, unaware of the world's dangers, causing countless troubles that Lin Yunzhi always cleaned up for her.
Just as she was about to explain, Jiang Xinrou's restrained and aggrieved voice came through: "If Cousin is in a bad mood, she can hit Rou'er however she likes."
"But Uncle is discussing important matters now. Please, Cousin, give the contract to the steward first, so as not to let him witness this embarrassment."
If not for fear of damaging the contract, Jiang Xinrou would have snatched it away long ago.
She gave the steward a meaningful glance, and he quickly understood, saying, "Since Master Lin has already signed the contract, please hand it over to me!"
Lin Yunzhi then said, "Xiuyan, give the contract to the steward first. You can tell Father about the trouble you caused later."
Lin Xiuyan pulled herself back from her thoughts, trying hard to calm her emotions.
Sniffling, she responded, then tore off the part of the contract where Lin Yunzhi had signed, throwing the rest in Jiang Xinrou's face. "Here, take it."
Jiang Xinrou's heart bled. Forgetting to act weak, she asked, "What do you mean by this, Cousin?"
Ignoring her, Lin Xiuyan wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and shouted, "Guards, seize this steward!"
The servants outside hesitated, but Lin Yunzhi grew furious. "How dare you disobey the young mistress?"
Several servants immediately rushed in, grabbed the steward, and pinned him to the ground.
The steward was shocked. "Master Lin, what is the meaning of this?"
Lin Yunzhi turned to Lin Xiuyan. "Xiuyan, what do you mean by this?"
The steward: "…"
Jiang Xinrou: "…"
She had almost forgotten—Lin Yunzhi was shrewd and sharp in business, a true merchant to the outside world, but in front of Lin Xiuyan, he was an utterly doting father with no bottom line!
Before Lin Xiuyan could answer, Lin Yunzhi whispered, "He is the steward of Xinzhitang. Seizing him without reason might not be appropriate, right?"
The steward: "…"
Jiang Xinrou: "…"
Seeing her father's questioning look, Lin Xiuyan felt like slapping herself.
How foolish had she been in her past life to drive her ever-indulgent father into such a desperate situation!
Sniffling again, she said, "Father, Xinzhitang has not established its own transportation routes. It's an empty shell!"
In her previous life, after Lin Yunzhi invested a hundred thousand taels in Xinzhitang, the so-called transportation routes all had to be developed by Lin Yunzhi himself.
While expanding these routes, Lin Yunzhi encountered bandits and nearly lost his life.
Lin Yunzhi was surprised. "That can't be. I had Xinrou investigate earlier, and they do have their own transportation routes."
"A month ago, the Lin family shipped a batch of goods through Xinzhitang, and the payment has already been settled. There shouldn't be any issues."
He had learned about Xinzhitang through an introduction, and the information he gathered was reliable. Otherwise, he wouldn't have invested a hundred thousand taels.
Jiang Xinrou's heart trembled. How could this useless Lin Xiuyan know about this?
She hurriedly said, "Cousin has never been involved in business matters. It's understandable if she misunderstood."
Ignoring Jiang Xinrou, Lin Xiuyan looked at Lin Yunzhi and said, "Whether there's a problem or not, Father can send Lin An to investigate again, and we'll know."
Before Jiang Xinrou could say anything more, Lin Yunzhi excitedly replied, "Xiuyan rarely shows interest in business matters. Father will send someone to investigate right away."
Jiang Xinrou: "…"
She couldn't let Lin Yunzhi investigate. If he did, everything would be exposed!
She quickly said, "Uncle, my cousin doesn't understand business matters at all. She probably just heard some nonsense from others."
"The matter of Xinzhitang was personally investigated by me. Don't you trust me, Uncle?"