“Lin Ting, even if you don’t acknowledge me as your brother, you can’t deny Dad.”
“Dad raised you for over twenty years, treating you like a treasure in his hands, afraid you’d fall, holding you in his mouth, afraid you’d melt.”
“Even though Mom betrayed Dad and gave birth to you with another man, after Dad learned about your origins, he still kept you in the Lin family and continued to dote on you.”
“Why won’t you even call him Dad?”
“No wonder Jiang Yu hates you so much.”
“Aren’t you afraid that with heaven watching, your lies about having cancer might actually bring a sudden illness to take your life?”
Lin Zhenyu, who had brought Lin Ting inside, stood in the living room, looking at her with reproachful eyes.
Lin Zhenyu felt a sense of regret, as if his affection had been misplaced. “Lin Ting, call Dad now!”
Lin Jianguo, still brewing tea at the tea table, sighed with emotion:
“Zhenyu, let it go.”
“Tingting has suffered a lot over the years outside. It’s normal for her to carry resentment in her heart.”
“I won’t hold it against her.”
Lin Zhenyu couldn’t bear to see his sister so devoid of conscience.
He wanted to pull his sister back onto the right path.
His stern, reproachful voice rang out again:
“Lin Ting, think about it yourself—how much Dad used to spoil you.”
“Grandpa and Grandma are typical Chaoshan people. They wanted Dad to remarry, and since Dad is their only son, they hoped the prosperous Lin family would flourish with more descendants.”
“But Dad was afraid a stepmother would treat you poorly. For over twenty years, he didn’t remarry, acting as both mother and father. He even handed over the pharmaceutical group’s affairs to the Jiang family to manage, spending every day by your side, doting on you.”
“How many times did Grandpa and Grandma, with their preference for sons over daughters, argue over this?”
“They called you a dead girl. Dad fought with them for your sake, even bearing the stigma of being unfilial. You know all this.”
“When Mom’s scandal came to light, Grandpa and Grandma made an even bigger fuss, and Dad fought with them even more fiercely, yet his love for you never diminished.”
“But what about you? Did you feed your conscience to the dogs?”
The furious Lin Zhenyu truly wanted to slap Lin Ting several times to vent his anger.
But seeing how frail she was, he suppressed his rage and held back.
As for Lin Ting, hearing Lin Zhenyu’s words brought back memories of the past.
Yes.
Lin Jianguo had indeed once placed her on a pedestal.
The Lin grandparents, with their preference for sons over daughters, had clashed fiercely with Lin Jianguo after it was revealed that she wasn’t of Lin blood.
Lin Jianguo had always protected her.
But that was only before Lin Weiwei was recognized as part of the family.
After the Lin Jiang pharmaceutical secrets were leaked, they showed no trust in her, treating her like an enemy and sending her to prison.
She asked painfully, “When Youzi fell ill in prison, I begged you to pull strings so he could get medical treatment quickly. What did you say? Have you forgotten?”
Lin Zhenyu and Lin Jianguo hadn’t forgotten.
But the fact that Youzi’s encephalitis had damaged his hearing left them feeling guilty, yet unwilling to admit it.
Seeing the two remain silent, Lin Ting said bitterly:
“You said a minor cold wouldn’t kill anyone.”
“I cried and begged you, saying Youzi was burning up badly, and you still said he was Zhou Ziheng’s bastard—wouldn’t it be better if he died?”
Lin Zhenyu said guiltily, “How could Dad and I have known an ordinary cold could be so serious?”
Never mind, it’s all in the past.
Lin Ting didn’t want to say anything more:
“If you think I’m heartless, if you think I’m despicable and shameless, then so be it—heartless and despicable.”
“But please don’t insult my mother. She never wronged anyone.”
She used to not believe that her mother would betray Lin Jianguo for a first love.
Now, Xiao Youzi’s paternity test results had been tampered with.
Several institutions simultaneously issued reports stating non-paternity.
This was exactly the same as when she and Lin Jianguo had taken the paternity test years ago.
Back then, Lin Jianguo refused to believe she wasn’t his biological child and ran to several testing centers, only to receive the same result each time: not biologically related.
Thus, Lin Ting became even more convinced that her deceased mother had been framed.
In this world, she cared about only two people.
Her mother and Youzi.
Lin Weiwei was born to Su Xiuzhen, but Lin Zhenyu was born to her mother Tang Wanhua.
How could he slander his own mother like this?
“Lin Zhenyu, if you dare slander my mother again, I’ll fight you to the death!”
Lin Zhenyu said angrily, “She did such shameless things, I’m ashamed of her, and…”
Slap!
Lin Ting mustered all her strength and slapped Lin Zhenyu across the face.
Though she had exhausted her strength and even breathing was difficult, she still glared fiercely at Lin Zhenyu. “Lin Zhenyu, you don’t deserve to be Mom’s son. You don’t even deserve to be human!”
Slap!
Lin Zhenyu slapped her back.
The blow sent her sprawling to the ground.
“Lin Ting, don’t think I’ll keep tolerating you.”
“If you insist on going down the wrong path, trampling on everyone’s tolerance and care for you, that’s fine.”
“But I absolutely won’t allow you to harm Weiwei.”
“Weiwei and Jiang Yu are getting married on May Day, and you come back now with a terminal illness and a child to entrust—are you trying to turn the world upside down?”
“Can’t you die without getting the R&D secrets of Lin Jiang Pharmaceutical Group?”
“Why must you harm those who once loved and cared for you most?”
After slapping her, Lin Zhenyu clenched his fists tightly, afraid she couldn’t take more, and refrained from further violence.
She was once the only sister he doted on.
How could he ever bear to hit her like this?
But she deserved it.
He and Lin Ting shared the same mother but had different fathers.
He and Lin Weiwei shared the same father but had different mothers.
Both were his sisters.
But now he preferred to protect Lin Weiwei.
So, gritting his teeth, he pressed on, “Lin Ting, Weiwei is about to get married. If you disrupt her relationship with Jiang Yu again, don’t blame me for not caring about our past ties.”
Lin Jianguo, who had been brewing tea alone at the tea table, set down his cup.
After a long silence, he finally spoke in a low voice:
“Lin Ting, what your brother said is also my warning to you.”
“Don’t set your sights on Weiwei and Jiang Yu, and don’t target the R&D secrets of Lin Jiang Pharmaceutical again.”
“Otherwise, the next time you go to prison, it won’t be just a two-year sentence.”
“If something like this happens again, the Lin and Jiang families will make sure you serve every last day of your sentence.”
Lin Ting, lying on the ground, had no strength left.
Seeing them reveal their true colors, she finally felt they were acting normal again.
All the earlier foreshadowing and emotional words were laughable.
As she struggled to get up, Lin Jianguo looked at her with a mix of hatred and heartache, saying in a low voice:
“If you’re willing to turn over a new leaf, the Lin family will always have a room for you.”
“I’m also willing to provide Xiao Youzi with a good environment to grow up in and receive a proper education.”
Lin Ting, now standing, nearly collapsed again.
The spacious, antique-style living room of the Lin family made her appear frail, weak, and pitifully thin.
Both Lin Jianguo and Lin Zhenyu couldn’t bear to see her like this.
Yet they still let her stand there, watching her with a mix of love and hatred.
Finally finding the strength, she spoke, “No need for Mr. Lin to concern himself with me.”
From now on, she was no longer willing to even call him Uncle Lin. “From this day forward, I will not set foot in the Lin family home. And I ask that you do not disturb me and Youzi’s lives in the future.”
She would rather let Youzi go to a foster family than allow her to enter the Lin household.
“Where is Youzi? I’m taking her home.”
Lin Jianguo suppressed his anger and said, “Dinner is already prepared in the kitchen. Have a meal before you leave.”
Lin Ting responded with a pained heart, “Although Youzi and I may not live in abundance, we are not lacking for a meal.”
Lin Zhenyu said, “Lin Ting, don’t be ungrateful.”