The three members of the Lin family had just arrived in the living room and hadn’t even settled into their seats when Lin Xingyao happened to come downstairs. Seeing the Lin family, she was somewhat surprised.
“Oh, Yaoyao is here!” Lin Youqiang’s face lit up with joy at the sight of Lin Xingyao, then he squeezed out a few emotional tears. “It’s been several days since you got married, why haven’t you called your uncle? Are you getting used to life in the Jun Family? Is Young Master Jun treating you well?”
Lin Xingyao truly admired Lin Youqiang’s acting skills. She smiled and said, “So Uncle cares so much about his niece? I thought since you hadn’t contacted me for days, you might have forgotten all about me.”
Lin Youqiang rubbed his nose and laughed awkwardly. “How could that be? You’re my only niece. I’ve always loved you the most.”
He subtly signaled Zhang Xuemei with his eyes, and she hurriedly took out the gifts they had prepared in advance.
Lin Youqiang then began enthusiastically distributing the gifts. “These are things your uncle and aunt put a lot of thought into selecting. This is for your mother-in-law and father-in-law, this is for Yaoyao, and this is to help Second Young Master nourish his health. Huh, where is Second Young Master?”
Lin Xingyao walked over to the sofa, glanced at the gifts, and feigned surprise. “Oh, these are all such nice things. It seems Uncle and Aunt really splurged this time. Especially this silk scarf—it’s a big brand item. Probably much more expensive than that big bag of clothes Aunt bought for me before, right?”
As soon as these words were spoken, Zhang Xuemei felt extremely awkward. Back then, she had looked down on Lin Xingyao and bought her cheap, street-market clothes. She never expected Lin Xingyao to be fully aware of it. So who had all that pretended delight been for?
Seeing her unfriendly tone, Lin Youqiang thought she was upset about yesterday’s incident and pushed his daughter forward. “Weiwei told me all about what happened yesterday. You’re magnanimous, so don’t hold it against your own sister.”
Although Lin Xingwei was filled with resentment, she followed her father’s prior instructions and offered a half-hearted apology.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Meijuan immediately grew curious. “Yesterday? What happened yesterday?”
So Lin Youqiang briefly recounted the events of the day before, deliberately downplaying how Lin Xingwei and Song Qianqian had initially humiliated Lin Xingyao. He only mentioned that a minor conflict had arisen over a piece of clothing. However, by doing so, he made it seem as though Lin Xingyao had caused trouble with the Song Family over a mere garment.
Just as he reached this point, Jun Zheyuan returned home and caught part of the conversation. Hearing this, he flew into a rage. “What? Spending over 500,000 on a piece of clothing? And offending the Song Family? Our families have been friends for generations, and we have many business dealings with them. Do you realize how much trouble you’ve caused? Does Xuanye know how much of a troublemaker you are?”
The old man fired off a rapid series of questions as soon as he returned.
Only then did Lin Youqiang realize he had accidentally misspoken. He put on an act again, stepping forward to speak on Lin Xingyao’s behalf in front of Jun Zheyuan.
“Please don’t be angry, in-law. My niece was raised in the countryside and suddenly finds herself in an extremely wealthy family, so she might not know how to behave properly. Please be understanding. If she has done anything wrong, I, as her uncle, apologize on her behalf.”
Lin Xingyao truly found the whole situation rather tedious and turned to head upstairs.
But Lin Xingwei, lacking any sense of propriety, jumped in. “Yaoyao, the Jun Family’s home is so beautiful. Why don’t you take me upstairs to—”
Before she could finish, Lin Xingyao shot her a glance, and she immediately swallowed her words.
Lin Youqiang had yet to experience Lin Xingyao’s sharpness firsthand. With a thick-skinned persistence, he chased after her. “Yaoyao, we haven’t finished talking. Why are you leaving already? How is Young Master Jun? Is he at home? Why don’t you take us upstairs to see him?”
Lin Xingyao bluntly refused, “That won’t be necessary. My husband needs peace and quiet to recuperate and doesn’t wish to see outsiders.”
Lin Youqiang still wouldn’t give up. “How are we outsiders? We’re your family, after all.”
Zhao Meijuan, ever the troublemaker, chimed in, “I saw Xuanye looking quite energetic during breakfast. He should be able to receive guests. Besides, what kind of son-in-law hides from his wife’s family?”
“Who said I was hiding?” A cold, clear voice suddenly cut through the air. Everyone turned to see a man dressed in a gray-blue silk shirt, exuding an air of nobility, slowly descending the stairs. He no longer needed a wheelchair and appeared completely unlike someone who had been ill.
Lin Xingwei’s eyes nearly popped out of her head at the sight of Jun Xuanye. This was Jun Xuanye? How had she never heard he was so handsome? He was a hundred times more attractive than any young idol on television. And he looked perfectly healthy, without a trace of illness. Lin Xingyao had actually married a man as ethereal as an immortal. What was most infuriating was that this man was originally her fiancé!
Jun Xuanye didn’t even spare Lin Xingwei a glance from the corner of his eye. His gaze was fixed solely on Lin Xingyao, and only when he looked at her did the ice in his eyes melt. He asked softly, “I heard your family has come. Why didn’t you tell me?”
Lin Xingyao replied, “I only found out they were here when I came downstairs just now.”
Jun Xuanye immediately grasped the crucial implication from her words: her family had shown up unannounced, without even bothering to inform her first?
At that moment, Jun Zheyuan stepped forward to tattle. “Son, you really need to discipline your wife properly! Do you know what she did yesterday? She actually got into a conflict with Miss Song over a piece of clothing. She must have offended the Song family. You need to think of a way to fix this quickly…”
Jun Xuanye cut him off coldly before he could finish. “Daring to fight with my wife over clothes? I should be the one settling accounts with the Song family.”
Jun Zheyuan was instantly enraged. “You brat! How can you say such a thing for a woman? The Jun Family has had close collaborations with the Song family these past two years. What if this incident affects the business between our families?”
Jun Xuanye sneered. “The ones who have been doing business with the Song family these past two years are Jun Zihao and Jun Chenghao. What does that have to do with me? Father, since you’ve been an absentee manager, you should stop meddling in business matters.”
“You! Ungrateful son!” Jun Zheyuan was so angry he was practically fuming, but in the end, there was nothing he could do about this son of his. He could only stomp his foot and leave in a huff.
Lin Xingyao didn’t like bothering Jun Xuanye with personal matters, so she turned to Lin Youqiang. “Just tell me directly what your purpose is in coming here today.”
Lin Youqiang had intended to be more tactful, but Lin Xingyao didn’t want to waste time. “Think carefully. You only have this one chance. Next time, you might not even get through the gates of the Jun Family.”
Although Lin Youqiang felt she was being disrespectful, the opportunity was right in front of him, and he had to seize it.
“Yaoyao, could we speak in private?”
Lin Xingyao wanted to see what tricks he was up to, so she said to Jun Xuanye, “Don’t worry about them, go back to your room and rest.” Then she took Lin Youqiang to the second-floor reception room.