Jun Xuanye was about to leave when Zhang Xuemei enthusiastically called out to him: “So this is our son-in-law? Oh, what a handsome and distinguished-looking man. Yaoyao is truly blessed. Come, come, sit down and chat with your aunt for a while. Our Yaoyao loved chatting with me when she was little, but now that she’s grown up, her temper and personality have changed.”
She was clever, deliberately bringing up Lin Xingyao’s childhood to pique Jun Xuanye’s interest.
Sure enough, Jun Xuanye sat down.
Zhang Xuemei casually mentioned some old stories about Lin Xingyao, then shifted the topic: “Weiwei was closest to Yaoyao when they were little, sharing all sorts of secrets. Why don’t we let Weiwei tell you about them?”
She then turned to Zhao Meijuan: “Dear in-law, I noticed the garden has such lovely scenery. Could you take me for a stroll?”
As soon as she saw Jun Xuanye, Zhang Xuemei felt a pang of regret. The Jun Family was such a prominent and wealthy household, and Jun Xuanye appeared completely normal. If only she hadn’t been blinded by greed back then and allowed Lin Xingyao to take the place in the marriage. Now that wild girl had turned from a sparrow into a phoenix and didn’t even regard them with any respect.
Looking at her own daughter, who had been staring at Jun Xuanye the entire time, Zhang Xuemei naturally understood her feelings. So, she deliberately created an opportunity for them to be alone.
In her view, if Jun Xuanye could take a liking to such a wild girl, his standards couldn’t be very high. Her own daughter was so outstanding—once Jun Xuanye spent some time with her, he was sure to fall for her.
Zhao Meijuan had also long sensed the intentions of this mother and daughter. Intending to cause trouble for Lin Xingyao, she didn’t mind lowering herself to accompany Zhang Xuemei on a garden stroll.
When only Jun Xuanye and Lin Xingwei remained in the living room, Lin Xingwei moved closer to him. She had deliberately sprayed on a new perfume she had bought before going out. It was said to have a strong scent that could excite men.
Jun Xuanye indeed noticed the smell on her and found it quite unpleasant. He thought to himself, “How strange—is she wearing so much perfume to cover up body odor?”
Lin Xingyao also wore perfume, but hers was light and subtle, like a gentle breeze that felt refreshing.
Lin Xingwei took the initiative to ask, “Is Yaoyao treating you well? She has a bit of a temper, so don’t take things too seriously with her.”
Jun Xuanye replied, “Not at all, she’s very gentle.” Except for her morning grumpiness, when she would kick him out of bed.
Lin Xingwei added, “She grew up in the mountains and hasn’t seen much of the world. Her manners can be quite rough.”
Jun Xuanye frowned slightly: “Is that so?”
Seeing his reaction, Lin Xingwei assumed Lin Xingyao had been putting on an act in front of him. Well, if she wanted to pretend, she would tear off that mask and let Jun Xuanye see what she was really like!
She deliberately leaned in closer: “Yaoyao has a wild personality and a bad temper. When she was little, she even fought with boys. Not like me—I’ve always been gentle and refined.”
“Fought with boys?” Jun Xuanye thought for a moment. “Then that boy must have really deserved it.”
“Not exactly. She’s always been domineering, often bullying others for no reason. Once, she even beat up a younger child just because he glanced at her secretly.” Lin Xingwei deliberately tried to smear Lin Xingyao, fabricating many false stories about her misdeeds. She rambled on about how Xingyao bullied classmates at school, talked back to teachers, made an old woman cry outside, and even snatched money from beggars.
Finally, she brought herself into the comparison: “Unlike me, I was raised with strict discipline since childhood. My parents sent me to the best schools in Rongcheng and had me learn many artistic skills, like piano and tea ceremony. By the way, I’m particularly good at brewing tea. If you have time, you should come and try the tea I make. I—”
“Sorry, I don’t like green tea.” Jun Xuanye suddenly interrupted coldly, catching Lin Xingwei off guard. She foolishly asked, “I didn’t say I only know how to make green tea?”
Jun Xuanye didn’t answer but instead asked, “Didn’t you say Yaoyao grew up in the mountains? Then how do you know so much about her?”
“Ah?” Lin Xingwei hadn’t noticed the slip-up in her story. Her eyes darted as she explained, “I was talking about things before she was ten. Before ten, she was also in the city. Later, she got lost and was taken in by a mountain family, so she grew up in the mountains. My father searched for her all over the country these years and suffered a lot.”
“She was lost?”
Lin Xingyao had always been tight-lipped about her past, never mentioning it much. Jun Xuanye had never asked either, only learning about it now.
Lin Xingwei said, “Yes, she was wild and couldn’t stay at home, always running around. Even at a young age, she loved hanging out with boys. Her parents couldn’t control her when they were alive, and after they passed away, no one could. Later, she got lost, and it’s said she was lured away by a boy.”
Jun Xuanye asked, “When was she found?”
Without thinking much, Lin Xingwei blurted out, “Just recently. She came to the city to work, probably found it too hard, and heard my father had saved up a lot of money from his business over the years, so she came back to claim her family.”
Jun Xuanye understood: “So, she came back on her own. And your father managed to run his business successfully while searching for her all over the country?”
Lin Xingwei was embarrassed for a moment and quickly corrected herself: “My father always sent people to look for her.”
Jun Xuanye was no fool; he could tell truth from lies. He sneered coldly but didn’t expose her, wanting to see what else she would fabricate.
Lin Xingwei continued, “After she came back, my father was overjoyed and treated her like his own daughter. But who knew that when she heard about the marriage arrangement between our Lin family and the Jun Family, she became greedy for the Jun Family’s wealth and insisted on marrying over, even threatening to kill herself. My father felt he owed her over the years, and since I wasn’t home at the time and the Jun Family was pressing urgently, he agreed to let her marry.”
At this point, Lin Xingwei pretended to be shy and lowered her head: “Actually, your wife was supposed to be me…”
Jun Xuanye narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint flashing in his cold gaze: “So that’s how it is.”
Lin Xingwei didn’t notice the change in his expression and feigned coquettishness: “Brother Xuanye? Can I call you that? Marrying someone like Yaoyao must have been hard on you. She’s fierce and uncultured, unlike me. I only know how to care for you…”
Second-floor living room.
Lin Xingyao sat on the sofa with her arms crossed, addressing Lin Youqiang, “Speak. What is your purpose? Don’t waste time.”
Lin Youqiang smiled as he sat down, “Since we’re all family, I won’t beat around the bush. My company owes the bank some money, and it’s about to come due. But there have been some issues with the project’s operations, so I can’t repay it for now. The Jun Family certainly isn’t short on money—lend me a hundred million to tide things over.”
“A hundred million is indeed nothing to the Jun Family,” Lin Xingyao chuckled. “But why should we lend it to you?”
Calling it a loan sounds nice, but everyone knows it would be like throwing meat to a dog—gone for good.