Xie Yan Si stood in front of the Lin family villa until the early hours of the morning before finally pushing his bicycle away.
He returned to the place where he had borrowed the bicycle and noticed that the small convenience store next door still had its lights on. Thinking the owner might know the man who lent him the bicycle, he decided to go in and ask.
To his surprise, the man who had lent him the bicycle turned out to be the owner of the convenience store.
The man grinned and stood up when he saw the young man. “Hey, kid, did you catch up with her?”
Xie Yan Si realized that the man had seen him chasing after Lin Yue earlier.
He didn’t answer the question directly. Instead, he said, “I left the bicycle outside for you.”
The man chuckled at this.
“You’re an honest kid. I thought you’d just dump this old bicycle in some random corner, but you actually brought it back.”
Xie Yan Si knew the man was joking and casually replied, “I wouldn’t do that.”
The man had a good impression of students from Chengbei No. 1 High School. Hearing the young man’s response, he squinted and smiled.
“Not bad, truly a good kid from Chengbei No. 1 High School. Not only handsome but also polite.”
Little did he know that the “polite” Xie Yan Si he was praising had just destroyed a piece of school property earlier that day.
His aura alone was enough to make people’s legs tremble.
Summer days were long and nights short. A faint light appeared outside the window a little after five in the morning.
Driven by her biological clock, Lin Yue woke up groggily and habitually reached out to pat the boxing gloves by her bedside.
But after patting for a while, she couldn’t feel anything.
She sat up, turned on the bedside lamp, and saw that the boxing gloves were no longer there.
Memories flooded back.
Last night, she had returned home in a huff and, as soon as she entered her room, threw the boxing gloves hanging by her bedside into the trash can.
Lin Yue lowered her gaze to the pink trash can beside her bed, where a pair of bright red boxing gloves lay.
Last night, she had thought that since her little shadow was gone, there was no need to keep the gloves.
It was fine to just throw them away.
Lin Yue shifted her gaze away from the trash can, got up, and went to the bathroom to freshen up.
As usual, she reviewed her books and worked on practice papers, but today, she kept spacing out, her eyes involuntarily drifting toward the trash can.
Around six o’clock, Wen Wan called from outside the door, “Yueyue, get ready and come downstairs for breakfast.”
Lin Yue quickly pulled her gaze back and called toward the door, “Okay.”
She put her practice papers back into her backpack and was about to leave the bedroom when she paused and glanced at the trash can once more.
In the end, she picked up the gloves from inside and tossed them into the bottom drawer of her bedside table.
Downstairs, Lin Yue found her adoptive father, Lin Heng, there as well.
Usually, she left home early and rarely had breakfast with Lin Heng. Only on weekends could the family of three sit down and enjoy a warm breakfast together.
“Dad,” Lin Yue called out, pulling out a chair to sit down. As she picked up a wet wipe to clean her hands, she asked, “Why are you up so early today? Does the company have a morning meeting?”
Lin Heng looked at the little girl he had adopted all those years ago, now grown to a height of 1.7 meters. He reached out and gently ruffled Lin Yue’s hair.
“Can’t your dad just wake up early to have breakfast with you?”
Lin Yue replied casually, “You really shouldn’t. You’d be better off getting more sleep.”
Over the past eighteen years, Lin Yue had never thought of herself as the Lin family’s adopted daughter, feeling obligated to repay them. Doing so would only make things awkward for both her and her adoptive parents.
She was simply the Lin family’s daughter, free to say whatever she wanted.
Lin Heng gently patted and stroked Lin Yue’s head, looking deeply moved.
“Yueyue has really grown up, knowing how to care for her dad now.”
Lin Yue watched the esteemed president of the Lin family putting on this act with her, which felt quite out of place with his usual executive image.
“Don’t make your daughter nauseous. Just say what you want to say.”
When Lin Yue had come downstairs earlier, she saw her parents looking troubled as they discussed something. But the moment she stepped down, their expressions quickly shifted, as if they didn’t want her to notice, yet they still seemed hesitant to speak.
She knew they had something to say. Not wanting them to struggle, Lin Yue took the initiative to bring it up.
Lin Heng and Wen Wan were taken aback, exchanging a glance. They wondered whether their acting was too poor or their daughter was too clever, for she had seen through them so quickly.
Most likely, it was the latter—their daughter was just too smart.
Lin Heng didn’t know how to begin. They genuinely adored Lin Yue and had long regarded her as their own biological daughter.
It was precisely because they loved her so much that they didn’t know how to broach the topic with her.
The more they cared, the more they worried about Yueyue’s feelings—afraid she might be sensitive, afraid she might think they no longer loved her.
Lin Yue saw their brows furrowed in distress.
Recalling her past life at this time, Xu Qiao had vented to her like a trash can, complaining about her Lin family foster parents, saying they were bringing back the grandson adopted by the grandparents in the U.S.
They claimed the child was rebellious and needed parental guidance, but in reality, they just wanted him to come and bond more with the family.
Not wanting them to be torn, Lin Yue casually took a bite of bread and said nonchalantly, “It’s about Lin Yi Shi coming back, right?”
Lin Heng and Wen Wan were stunned again, surprised that Lin Yue had guessed it once more.
Indeed, their daughter was too clever!
Nothing could be kept from her.
While they were proud of their daughter’s intelligence, they also felt concerned.
Lin Heng quickly reassured her with his fatherly heart: “Yueyue, don’t worry. No matter who comes, Mom and Dad’s love for you will only grow, never diminish.”
Not wanting to be outdone, Wen Wan walked over and sat beside Lin Yue, pulling out a document she had hidden nearby.
“Your dad is right. Our love for you will only increase, never decrease. This is our property division agreement. Only you can inherit our assets; no one else has any right to them, and no one will ever take them away.”
In her social circle, Wen Wan had seen too many siblings fall out or even become enemies over family wealth.
She didn’t want to repeat the mistakes of those families. Yueyue would always come first in their hearts.
So when Lin Heng’s parents suggested bringing Lin Yi Shi back, she transferred all her and Lin Heng’s assets into Lin Yue’s name.
She had always said that everything in the Lin family belonged to Lin Yue.
Lin Yue looked at Wen Wan in astonishment, feeling both overwhelmed by the affection and a warmth spreading in her heart, along with a hint of amusement.
“Mom, Dad, what are you doing?” Lin Yue pursed her lips, smiling. “Who asked for your property? Your daughter will definitely do well in the future.”
Wen Wan nodded seriously. “Yes, I believe that. But what you earn is yours, and what Mom and Dad give you is ours to give. They shouldn’t be mixed up.”
She was firm, holding Lin Yue’s hand. “Alright, it’s settled. I’ll keep the documents safe for now and store them in the safe that belongs only to you. Whenever you want them, just let me know.”
Afraid Lin Yue might refuse, Wen Wan quickly shifted her attention.
“Come on, sweetheart, hurry up and eat your breakfast, or you’ll be late for school.”
Lin Yue: “?”
In just the time it took to have breakfast, Lin Yue went from being a hardworking seventeen-year-old high school student striving to create a bright future to becoming a billionaire with at least one billion yuan.