Lin Haoyu had no intention of fighting for the family inheritance. Setting aside whether she even could, she would never get past Lin Zhenhua. Lin Zhenhua was old-fashioned—family businesses could only be inherited by males—and no one in the Lin family, male or female, could escape the fate of an arranged marriage. Everyone was a chess piece in his hands.
Lin Kangzong was indeed the most valued, but even he was being pushed into an arranged marriage. As far as Lin Haoyu knew, Lin Kangzong had a girlfriend he'd been seeing for a few years, yet he showed no resentment toward the arranged marriage. On the contrary, Lin Kangzong was very proactive—a good marriage match would add momentum to his inheritance of the Lin family. As for the girlfriend? If she was willing, they could continue seeing each other even after marriage; if not, he'd break up with her immediately.
That was just how things were. The Lin family members were extremely pragmatic and clear-headed. What they did behind closed doors never interfered with serious business.
Sun Shuhui certainly had designs on the vast Lin family fortune, but there was nothing she could do about it. All she could do was make sour remarks and then work hard to scrape things toward their fourth branch.
Lin Haoyu didn't want to get caught up in it. With the Lin family behind her, she'd never have to be a corporate slave again in this lifetime. The Lin family wasn't short on one extra bowl of rice for her.
"Mommy, are you saying you want to start looking for a daughter-in-law now?" Lin Haoyu joked.
Sun Shuhui shut her mouth and stopped being sour: "Forget it, forget it. Your seventh brother is only fifteen. What's there to look for? Let your eldest aunt worry about that."
Lin Haoyu burst out laughing. Mommy was so easy to distract!
But the other Lin family members were not so easy to distract. Sure enough, the first and second branches soon kicked up a fuss. When Lin Haoyu learned the reason, she was astonished: "The girl behind the bushes with Second Brother that day was Eldest Brother's arranged marriage match?"
Lin Haoyu's eyes lit up. Yes, yes—she could smell the juicy gossip!
"Not yet, but your grandfather and Lin Kangzong ultimately chose that girl. The two families haven't finalized anything yet—they're still in contact," Sun Shuhui paused, then added, "That girl has fallen for Lin Kangyao, so this marriage match might end up changing candidates. To your grandfather, whether it's Lin Kangzong or Lin Kangyao doesn't make much difference—it's still a marriage between the two families either way. Lin Kangyao is a sly one. Who knows where he got his information, but he managed to make his move first."
Lin Haoyu thought about it and said quietly, "Second Brother is more handsome than Eldest Brother."
No one in the Lin family was ugly. Lin Kangzong had regular features and was somewhat handsome, but one look at Lin Kangyao—wow, what a rakish, roguish handsome devil. He was exactly the kind of bad boy that attracted women the most.
"That Lin Kangyao knows how to fight and grab for things. Lin Kangzong is arrogant—he never had to fight or grab before because everything came to him. But this time is different. Lin Kangyao beat him to it, and he can't smile anymore." Sun Shuhui was purely gloating, wishing the first and second branches would keep tearing each other apart.
Lin Kangzong indeed couldn't smile, because Lin Zhenhua had decided to push Lin Kangyao into the marriage alliance with the Liu family's daughter. Lin's eldest uncle and aunt had no objections—both Lin Kangzong and Lin Kangyao were their sons. The Lin family had no issues with it. The Liu family, though not entirely satisfied that Lin Kangyao was the second son, had to concede that he was the second son of the Lin family's first branch—a second son wasn't necessarily barred from inheriting the family fortune. Moreover, their daughter refused to marry anyone but Lin Kangyao. In the end, the Liu family held their noses and nodded in agreement.
Soon, the Lin and Liu families finalized the marriage arrangements, with an engagement ceremony to be held first. Everyone in the Lin family's first branch was smiling—except for Lin Kangzong, whose marriage match had been snatched away.
Lin Haoyu spent days feasting on the drama of the eldest and second brothers fighting over a woman. Lin Kangzong was losing ground at every turn against Lin Kangyao. Lin Kangyao fought, grabbed, played the good boy, and curried favor—he could lower his head and bend his back. In contrast, Lin Kangzong couldn't bring himself to lower his head. The pride of the eldest son and eldest grandson ran deep.
If Lin Haoyu had to choose, she'd pick Lin Kangyao too. Easier on the eyes.
Lin Haoyu thought Lin Kangzong had definitely lost all face and substance this time. But what Lin Kangzong did next told her—things weren't that simple!
She didn't know what Lin Kangzong had done, but by the time Lin Haoyu found out, Lin Kangzong had been placed by Lin Zhenhua into the Lin family's most important business project at the moment. This project was so significant that even the eldest and second uncles hadn't been allowed to participate—it was led entirely by Lin Zhenhua. The fact that Lin Kangzong had been squeezed in by Lin Zhenhua showed just how much effort he'd put in to curry favor with the old man.
With Lin Zhenhua overseeing this major project, no one would think it could fail. When the project succeeded and raked in massive profits, Lin Kangzong's résumé would absolutely gain a brilliant entry.
When this news came out, most of the Lin family was green with envy.
"Lin Kangzong is just lucky, riding on the coattails of being the eldest grandson of the first branch. Otherwise, with that snobbish, nose-in-the-air look of his, who would even give him the time of day?" Sun Shuhui was sour as a lemon. "Who knows how much he's been fawning and groveling in front of your grandparents!"
Lin Haoyu: "Grandmother got involved too?"
Sun Shuhui snorted coldly: "Lin Kangzong went to your grandmother first, and only then to your grandfather. The first branch is full of schemers—all they know is how to flatter people and sweet-talk!"
So Lin Kangzong wasn't stupid after all. That made sense—for Lin Zhenhua to value and cultivate him, Lin Kangzong's abilities couldn't be so poor as to be useless no matter how much support he got.
Lin Haoyu thought about each member of the Lin family, one by one. It seemed there really were no fools among them?
Lin Zhenhua was such a domineering figure—how could he possibly allow his descendants to be fools?
This time, Lin Kangzong and Lin Kangyao were at odds with each other, but they only fought within the family and didn't let it spill out into the public eye. Both of them had a sense of propriety. Even Lin Kangzong, who had been outmaneuvered first, held his ground and didn't let the Lin family become the subject of outside criticism. Instead, he quietly gained an advantage for himself. Lin Kangyao had secured a good marriage alliance, but Lin Zhenhua hadn't given him any significant position in the company.
The real power that Lin Kangzong held in his hands was what mattered most. As for the marriage alliance? Lin Zhenhua certainly wouldn't shortchange Lin Kangzong—if the Liu family's daughter was off the table, there were still the Zhang family's daughter or the Zhao family's daughter.
Listening to Sun Shuhui analyze all this, Lin Haoyu drew in a sharp breath. Each one of them was more cunning than the last. No wonder they were a wealthy, powerful family—it was just like office politics, with everyone pulling out all the stops for their own interests. And the ultimate prize for the younger generation of the Lin family was the vast family fortune—wouldn't that make them fight to the death?
Well, the Lin family members weren't that deranged. Lin Zhenhua was watching over them—who would dare to cause trouble?
"We'll see—Lin Kangjie will be back from the States soon. The eldest branch has taken all the advantages; how could the second branch be content with that? Your second aunt must be stewing in jealousy right now." The thought that someone else was even more anxious than she was made Sun Shuhui feel considerably better.
Lin Haoyu: "…"
Before Lin Kangjie even showed his face, Lin Haoxin and Lin Haofei had already had a round of fighting. In the end, Lin Haofei won the chance to accompany Lin Lizhen to the charity auction. This was a chance to shine, and every time the two of them would inevitably clash over it. Lin Haofei usually lost more than she won, but this time she was so smug she could have floated up to the sky.
Lin Haoyu, the invisible nobody, was thoroughly enjoying the drama. How was recuperation boring? She had just been ignorant before—she hadn't realized her family was a massive melon patch, with each piece of gossip juicier than the last. It was absolutely astonishing.
The Lin family members schemed against each other endlessly—it was practically a modern-day version of aristocratic household intrigue. Men and women alike took turns on stage, one after another, with fresh drama every single day.
While Lin Haoyu was happily feasting on the gossip, Sun Shuhui was sour again: "Haoxin and Haofei take turns going to the charity auction, but your grandmother has never once taken you. Her favoritism is so blatant it's ridiculous."
Lin Haoyu had to remind her: "Mommy, my health doesn't allow me to go."
"Yes, you're not in good health, but if your grandmother had you in her heart, she'd at least compensate you with something else. Has she ever once remembered you? If it weren't for your father, she might have—" Sun Shuhui stopped herself mid-sentence, unable to bear saying "your grandmother would have forgotten you long ago," afraid of hurting her daughter's feelings.
The original owner had indeed been deeply hurt by being overlooked in the family, but she wasn't the original owner. Lin Haoyu felt no resentment. She smiled and comforted Sun Shuhui, telling her to let it go: "Mommy, I'm fine. Having you and Dad is enough for me."
Sun Shuhui's expression softened. "Your father treats you and Kangrui very well." No matter who Lin Jiahao fooled around with outside, his heart was with his two children.
Lin Jiahao was an impeccable father—he only spoiled his two kids, giving them whatever they wanted within his means.
"Your grandparents treat you well too. Over the years, you've used no small amount of precious medicinal herbs, and the family never once let you go without." Worried that she'd said too much and affected her daughter's view of her grandparents—or worse, influenced her disposition—Sun Shuhui chided herself for not keeping her mouth shut and hurriedly tried to make amends.
Lin Haoyu smiled slightly. "If you put it that way, adding up all the herbs I've used, I've cost the family quite a lot of money."
Sun Shuhui studied Lin Haoyu carefully and quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
As Lin Haoyu's health improved day by day, Dr. Xue became confident that she would make a full recovery. He found an opportunity to present his achievement to the matriarch of the Lin family. Lin Lizhen was surprised at first, but once she confirmed it, she gave Dr. Xue a generous reward and had Sun Shuhui bring Lin Haoyu to see her.
Sun Shuhui was overjoyed, dragging Lin Haoyu to pick out clothes and jewelry. "Sixth Miss, you must dress up beautifully before you make your appearance. From now on, no one will call you a sickly girl anymore. You should get along well with your grandmother—you're her biological granddaughter, and with your father in the picture, she's bound to dote on you. Once your grandmother takes you under her wing, you won't fall too far behind Haoxin and Haofei."
Lin Haoyu let Sun Shuhui dress her up like a Barbie doll. Sun Shuhui was in high spirits, so she didn't have the heart to interrupt her. Besides, the news of her recovery couldn't be hidden from the Lin family anyway—might as well make a grand appearance.
Looking at the mirror at the delicate young girl in a pink-and-white fairy dress with a princess hairstyle, Lin Haoyu touched the tip of her nose, her eyes flickering. She'd noticed that Sun Shuhui had always dressed her up as a little princess. This outfit was indeed very beautiful—ethereal and lovely, quite to her liking. Ahem, in her previous life she'd never gotten to dress up as a little princess, so having the chance in this life felt pretty good? Her body had become seventeen, and it seemed she'd suddenly developed a girlish heart.
"This is how you should dress—it's beautiful, and it makes you look radiant." Sun Shuhui was thoroughly satisfied. Her daughter's frail, sickly body had always been a pain in her heart, and seeing her daughter's complexion improve day by day made her happier than anyone.
"Mom has such nimble fingers and a great eye for style." Lin Haoyu's words were as sweet as honey, flattering compliments flowing effortlessly from her lips.
Sun Shuhui was delighted by the praise—indeed, no one understood her heart better than her daughter.
Lin Haoyu accompanied Sun Shuhui to see Lin Lizhen, where they were joined by Aunt Lin from the eldest branch with Lin Haoxin, and Aunt Lin from the second branch with Lin Haofei.
"Sixth Sister, since you've recovered, why didn't you let Fifth Sister know? I was so worried about you." No sooner had Lin Haoyu sat down than Lin Haofei couldn't wait to jab at her.
Lin Haoyu smiled before speaking: "Earlier, I mentioned that I was bored while recovering and begged Fifth Sister and Fourth Sister to come visit me. I waited and waited, but never saw you two. I was quite heartbroken, Fifth Sister."
Lin Haofei was left speechless.