Lin Muyan gave a soft laugh, unwilling to keep tangling with Mrs. Shen.
If she kept some distance from the Shen family from now on, maybe she could preserve a few of the good memories from before.
Tangle on any longer, and not only would these twenty years of kindness be gone, but Mrs. Shen’s image in her heart would be utterly destroyed too.
Seeing Lin Muyan ignore her, Mrs. Shen grew even angrier and was about to launch into another tirade against her, only to be stopped short by Shen Jiaojiao.
“Mommy, let me go talk things over with Sister Muyan.”
So saying, Shen Jiaojiao made her own way over to Lin Muyan’s side. Lin Xiao watched this former little sister of his with a complicated gaze, but he didn’t get so much as half a glance from Shen Jiaojiao, only a very distant remark.
“I’d like to speak with Sister Muyan alone. Could you move farther off?”
Lin Xiao started at this and looked over at Lin Muyan with concern. After Lin Muyan gave him a reassuring look, he finally stepped away a few paces, though not too far. He knew Shen Jiaojiao had a manic disorder and might leap up and hit someone at any moment, his mom and dad had taken no small number of beatings from Shen Jiaojiao before, so he had to keep his guard up.
Seeing Lin Xiao had moved off a bit, Shen Jiaojiao bit her lip and said softly to Lin Muyan:
“Sister Muyan, don’t be angry with Mommy. She’s only afraid you’ll be swindled. Did you know your family is up to their ears in debt? If they find out you’ve got a house in your hands, they’re sure to scheme every way they can to snatch it away.”
Lin Muyan was speechless. She hadn’t wanted to think the worst of Shen Jiaojiao, but the moment she opened her mouth she was smearing the Lin family while dressing up the Shen family’s shamelessness as concern for her, how was that not green tea?
The bullet comments went on calling her a hardcore green tea all day long, but in Lin Muyan’s eyes, she couldn’t hold a candle to Shen Jiaojiao. Shen Jiaojiao might be the deeply-hidden true green tea.
This time, the bullet comments had actually gone quiet, otherwise she’d really have liked to see how they’d defend Shen Jiaojiao this round.
“Sister Muyan, you can’t come up with that much in fees. Why not bow your head to Mommy and admit you were wrong? Mom and Dad definitely won’t leave you out in the cold, the Shen family will cover the money for you. I’ll put in a good word for you in front of Mom and Dad. They might even be willing to take you back into the Shen family.”
Lin Muyan stared fixedly at Shen Jiaojiao. This thin little face, a few days ago it had looked all timid and pitiable, the kind that stirred protectiveness in anyone who saw it. A few days later, it was thoroughly shrewd, every calculation written plain across it.
She sighed and said:
“Shen Jiaojiao, quit the act. I know you have a psychiatric illness. The reason you’re starved down to skin and bones has nothing at all to do with the Lin family. Mom’s cooking is so good, why won’t you eat it?”
“They’ve spent a lot of money on you over the years, coddling you every single day. Even Lin Xiaonuan has to defer to you. Of the three children in that house, you’re the one who dressed the best, used the best things, lived the most comfortably, and yet, on the day you went back to the Shen family, you deliberately dressed up like a beggar. You can fool the Shen family, but you can’t fool me.”
The moment Lin Muyan finished, Shen Jiaojiao’s expression changed dramatically, the terror in the depths of her eyes laid bare for Lin Muyan to see. Lin Muyan’s heart gave a jolt, so it was all true, her birth father and mother hadn’t lied.
Shen Jiaojiao wasn’t merely the author of her own misfortune. She was also an expert at playing the pitiful innocent. To make the Shen family feel even guiltier toward her, she’d stop at nothing, leading them to believe she’d endured untold torment at the Lin household.
Shen Jiaojiao was a rotten seed through and through!
After that single instant of fright, Shen Jiaojiao tucked her panic away and put on an innocent face, saying timidly:
“Sister Muyan, I don’t understand what you’re talking about. If you think we’re after your house, just say so. But you’re twenty years old too, you should have your own judgment. The Shen family is so rich, why would we be after your house? It’s your birth father and mother you should be guarding against, if anyone.”
Lin Muyan rolled her eyes. “Fine, then I’ll say it straight.”
“Isn’t your whole aim to grab my mansion? Why keep up the act? And besides, you and I are both twenty, I don’t need you teaching me how to handle things. As for the ability to tell right from wrong, I think I’m a good deal better at it than you. I graduated from a top school with a double degree, I’ve read a great many more books than you. I don’t know why you have to paint the Lin family so terribly, they did raise you for twenty years, after all.”
“However you want to put on a show at the Shen house is no concern of mine, but I’m not buying what you’re selling. Tell your mother to leave, or I won’t be polite about it.”
Lin Muyan swept a glance over Shen Jiaojiao’s increasingly sullen face, gave a cold snort, walked to the table, and went on signing and stamping.
In no time the documents were all signed. As long as her big brother helped act on her behalf to complete the rest of the process, this mansion would belong to her, completely.
Seeing this, Rong Muchen walked slowly forward. He glanced at the Shen mother and daughter, then said to Lin Muyan at last:
“Muyan, we’ll be neighbors again from now on. I’ll be moving into the Half-Mountain Villas for a while too. If you need anything, just come find me.”
Rong Muchen felt a pang of pity for Lin Muyan. She’d been a perfectly fine young miss of a wealthy house, fresh out of university and at the very age to go out and make her way in the world, only for one piece of terrible news to throw the whole rhythm of her life into disorder.
Fortunately, she’d gotten a mansion. Even with her relationship with the Shen family completely fallen apart, at least she wouldn’t truly be reduced to some penniless wretch.
With this mansion, whatever else you said, Lin Muyan could now count herself as someone with assets over a hundred million.
Lin Muyan blinked. Muchen was moving back to the Half-Mountain Villas? Wasn’t his whole family preparing to emigrate?
“How long are you going to be living here?”
“About half a year. It was a last-minute decision to come back, too. My mom and dad are both hoping I’ll get married within these six months.”
When Rong Muchen finished, his gaze settled on Lin Muyan’s face. The two of them met each other’s eyes, both looking as though they had something to say, but in the end neither spoke again.
Shen Jiaojiao returned to Mrs. Shen’s side, eyes rimmed red, the picture of someone who’d been wronged. At the sight, Mrs. Shen instantly ground her teeth.
“She made you cry? The nerve of her! What’s the use of raising her for twenty years? She really is a white-eyed wolf.”
Shen Jiaojiao bit her lip and quietly stoked the grievance within. Hearing her mother curse Lin Muyan as a white-eyed wolf made her feel a little better.
“Mommy, I’m afraid Sister Muyan has already been taken in hand by the Lin family. Her heart’s all set on them now. I told her about my adoptive parents’ situation, and she just won’t believe it. She probably won’t be able to hold on to this mansion.”
“Stupid thing!”
Mrs. Shen cursed again. Fortunately, just then, the more intimidating Shen Shiqiu arrived.
The moment Director Shen entered, the several executives tactfully shrank back into a corner, and at the same time, every one of them went wide-eyed and pricked up their ears. They’d caught quite a show out of the Shen family today.
【Director Shen’s come too? Don’t tell me they really are going to grab this mansion?】
【I just saw it, looks like it was Jiaojiao who had Mrs. Shen call Director Shen over. Jiaojiao’s probably just worried Lin Muyan’s house will get its eyes set on by the Lin family. Bear in mind the Lins still have a Lin Xiao, the son in the family has no house, and now the second daughter has her own place first. You all do the math.】
【Holy crap, that’s it exactly. The Lins definitely don’t have the money to buy Lin Xiao a house, and he’ll have to buy one for his wedding someday. With Lin Muyan suddenly getting a mansion for free, Lin Xiao’s marriage home is sorted, isn’t it?】
From the very moment Director Shen set foot inside, the bullet comments launched straight into conspiracy theories.
Even though they knew the world’s apocalypse would arrive three months from now, at which point houses, never mind money and gold, would all become worthless, Lin Muyan’s mansion had no monetary value left to it. It could only serve as a safe house.
But there were still three months to go, weren’t there?
And in those three months, who knew what might happen over a single mansion.