Lin Haoyu watched reluctantly as Sun Shuhui locked the safe, her three million in deposit books, and her property deeds—ahh!
"You little money-grubber, stop staring. Mommy can't give it to you right now." Sun Shuhui found her daughter amusing, but she was also delighted. Sure enough, her daughter took after her. Being a money-lover was a good thing—wealth would come rolling in.
Lin Haoyu slowly withdrew her gaze and muttered, "I still have so long until I'm eighteen." Being too young wasn't good either; eighteen was just right.
Sun Shuhui patted her. "Your birthday is in November. Four-plus months will pass in the blink of an eye."
Lin Zhenhua was extremely strict on this matter—no one could cross that line. The cautionary tale was Lin Kangzong, the eldest grandson of the main branch.
"When Lin Kangzong was fifteen, he wanted to start some business with his classmates and invest all his New Year's money. But before he could transfer the funds, your grandfather stopped him. Not only did your grandfather confiscate all of Lin Kangzong's New Year's money, he also suspended your eldest uncle from his position at the company and sent him home to reflect. Your eldest aunt was punished by your grandmother too. The main branch lost on all fronts."
"The main branch thought they were special in the Lin family and could ignore the rules, but your grandfather doesn't indulge anyone. Anyone who opposed him got cut down. At the time, your grandfather even planned to send Lin Kangzong abroad early for high school. Studying abroad sounds like a good thing, but it's far from home—equivalent to being exiled to the frontier. It only fell through because your grandmother disagreed." Sun Shuhui told this to Lin Haoyu as a joke.
Lin Haoyu swallowed nervously. Grandfather Lin Zhenhua was indeed a ruthless man. Okay, okay, she'd behave. Eighteen it was—she could wait.
"You, just put your heart at ease. Mommy will keep an eye on it for you. I won't let you suffer any losses," Sun Shuhui said.
"Mommy, you hold onto it. I'm at ease." Lin Haoyu looked obedient. Handing it over to her money-management-expert mommy, she happily lay back down.
Lin Kangrui went to professional training classes every day, yet the Lin elders showed no reaction at all. Hot-blooded and young, Lin Kangrui was annoyed for a while—angry that the family patriarch didn't take him seriously. But looking at it from another angle, hey, no one was watching him. He could do whatever he wanted, however he pleased. His posture of reaching out to Sun Shuhui and Lin Jiahao for money grew increasingly practiced.
After Lin Kangrui got the money, he actually came to find Lin Haoyu and generously split it with her, saying, "I can't earn money to give you right now, but I'll share what I manage to get. Spend it however you like."
Lin Haoyu's small hands quickly took the money, her face beaming. "Good little brother! Keep it up, train hard. I'll wait for you to blow up in fame—then I'll buy tickets to support you! Oh, and don't slack off on your schoolwork."
"I know. If my grades are bad, I'll lose my freedom and have to go sit in school like I'm in prison." Lin Kangrui wasn't stupid.
Lin Haoyu waved a handkerchief to send Lin Kangrui off, then happily folded the bills and tucked them into her pocket. Even a mosquito's leg is meat—a hundred yuan was nothing to sneeze at.
"Haoyu, what are you doing? Aren't we going to the Guan Family Custom Tailor Shop today? Are you ready to head out?" Lin Haofei came over to find Lin Haoyu.
Lin Haoyu: "Oh, today's the day we pick up the clothes."
Lin Haofei shot her a sidelong glance and lifted her chin. "I forgot this is your first time having clothes made at Guan's. We might not be able to take the clothes home today. We need to try them on again. If they don't fit, they'll need alterations. In short, they have to be altered until I'm satisfied."
"I see, so that's how it is. Thanks for telling me, Fifth Sister." Lin Haoyu smiled, her demeanor perfectly even. "I heard from Mommy that the Guan family tailors are so skilled that they basically finish in one go, unless your body changes in the few days while the clothes are being made—only then would you need further alterations."
Lin Haofei was choked speechless. It was like punching cotton—all her effort wasted.
"I heard someone say Seventh Brother is taking some vocal and dance classes? That can't be true, right?" Lin Haofei's eyes darted around, looking to stir up trouble again.
Lin Haoyu: "Fifth Sister wants to take those classes too? When Seventh Brother comes back, you can ask him."
Lin Haofei rolled her eyes. "Why would I take them? You're his biological sister and you don't stop him, letting Seventh Brother sink into degeneracy. When the time comes, you'll have no one to cry to. I'll be waiting to watch you make fools of yourselves."
"Fifth Sister sure meddles in a lot of things. With all that time on your hands, you might as well think about how to get Third Brother into the company." Lin Haoyu shot back.
"Hmph, none of your business." Lin Haofei was furious.
Lin Haoyu shook her head. Wouldn't it be nice if everyone just got along? Their fourth branch was too easy to bully—the main branch and second branch both came to step on them whenever they saw the chance. That wasn't good. She wanted to eat other people's melons, not watch her own drama unfold.
The fourth branch didn't have any irreconcilable conflict with the second branch, so Lin Haofei didn't press further.
This time, Sun Shuhui accompanied both Lin Haoyu and Lin Haofei to the Guan Family Custom Tailor Shop. As soon as the clothes went on, Lin Haoyu immediately felt a wave of comfort. High-quality fabric was truly something else—snug and comfortable, making her look all pink, almost turning her into a pink person. But the dress was beautiful, and she loved it.
"My daughter looks gorgeous!" Sun Shuhui stood proudly behind Lin Haoyu, fixing her hair, gazing at the beautiful young girl in the mirror and nodding with satisfaction.
Lin Haoyu admired her own beauty narcissistically and said, "Mommy, next time buy some skirts in other colors. I have way too many pink skirts."
"You don't like pink?" Sun Shuhui asked.
"I do like it, but I also want to try other colors, like yellow or blue." Lin Haoyu liked bright-colored clothes. In the past, she often wore dull, dark-colored outfits. Now that she had the chance, she was going to go all out. She wasn't responsible for other people's eyes—only her own.
Lin Haofei wore a white dress with a full skirt, standing next to Lin Haoyu in front of the full-length mirror, turning this way and that, looking quite satisfied with herself. But every now and then, she would glance over at Lin Haoyu and Sun Shuhui, a hint of disappointment in her eyes that no one noticed.
After trying on the clothes, Lin Haofei said she had made plans to go out with friends and turned to leave without hesitation.
While Sun Shuhui waited for the Guan's employee to wrap up the two dresses, Lin Haoyu casually glanced outside the glass door and saw Lin Haofei, who had reached the other side of the street, throw her arms around a young man wearing sunglasses, dressed fashionably with dyed yellow hair. The two hugged and kissed a few times, then walked arm in arm to a car, got in, and drove away.
Lin Haoyu tapped her chin with her finger. That man in sunglasses looked a bit familiar—who was he?
"Sixth sister, what are you doing pressed against the glass door?" Sun Shuhui had searched the whole store before finding her daughter standing awkwardly against the glass door in the corner.
"I'm admiring this vase." Lin Haoyu casually pointed at the beautiful vase nearby, which had a few red roses stuck in it.
"You… Mommy won't call you out on it. We can head home now, or do you want to go somewhere for fun? How about Mommy takes you shopping?" Sun Shuhui hesitated. She wanted her daughter to go out and enjoy herself, but she was also worried about her health.
Lin Haoyu's eyes lit up. "Mommy, let's go have fun!"
Sun Shuhui said, "Alright, alright, whatever you say."
Coincidentally, just as the two were about to leave, they ran into the previous Mrs. Xie at the entrance. This time, Mrs. Xie wasn't alone—beside her was a young woman who was intimately holding her arm.
When Lin Haoyu looked up, she happened to meet the young woman's eyes. She gave her a polite, slight smile. The young woman's eyes immediately went wide and her mouth fell open. She let go of Mrs. Xie's arm, strode over to Lin Haoyu in a few quick steps, and said excitedly, "Little sister, we've met before!"
Lin Haoyu: "?"