21 – Chapter 21
Roses Completely Outshine Peach Blossoms
Every morning at 4 AM, while the Lin family servants were still asleep, Lin Jinyi would secretly slip into the garden alone. Staring at the blooming flowers, she would lose herself in thought.
Lin Xiantao drank dew from peach blossoms – she had no intention of following that example.
In her eyes, peach blossoms were simply too common to be considered proper flowers. They were merely blooms meant for bearing fruit, hardly worthy of being called true flowers.
Moreover, their pink color lacked grandeur – how could they compare with the passionate, domineering crimson of roses?
Roses completely outshone peach blossoms!
Having made up her mind, Lin Jinyi walked to the rose garden and, without hesitation, bent down to drink the dew until her stomach was full of water.
This continued for three consecutive days.
Meanwhile, Lin Xiantao was growing at an astonishing rate – not only had her features become more refined, but her previously flat chest was gradually filling out, and her once green-peach-like buttocks were gaining curves.
The Lin family was beginning to pay more attention to her.
As for Lin Jinyi, though several hospital visits had mostly cured her bad breath and foot odor, her yellowish, dull complexion and gradual weight loss remained unresolved.
Worse still, she noticed her eyes were becoming smaller and more dull, her nose flatter. When she consulted a plastic surgeon, she was advised against surgery since not much time had passed since her last facial procedure…
Anxious, Lin Jinyi drank dew more frequently. Though it did nothing to improve her appearance, she treated it as a form of self-comfort.
During dinner that evening,
A Tao sat in her usual place of honor beside Old Master Lin, stirring the sweet soup in her bowl with a spoon, still appearing uninterested in food.
Noticing this, Wang Ling couldn’t resist offering some “concern”: “Tao Tao, if you keep refusing to eat properly, your health will suffer! You’re eighteen already – you can’t afford to be as willful as a child! Don’t bring those bad habits from the countryside into this household—”
She stopped mid-sentence when her husband Lin Weiguang shot her a warning look.
A Tao’s remarkable transformation these days had inevitably drawn attention, even from Lin Weiguang – typically indifferent to family matters – who was now taking notice of his biological daughter who had previously resembled someone terminally ill.
“Not eating dinner because you’ve been snacking?” Father Lin adopted a patriarchal tone. “Proper meals are more nourishing. You should eat less junk food.”
A Tao had no favorable impression of this “father” either – a cold-blooded man who only cared about profits, who knew Wang Ling had pushed his biological daughter into the river.
But since that daughter had seemed useless, he had turned a blind eye. His current “concern” only emerged because A Tao was becoming more presentable – someone who could be used for marriage alliances and profit.
This hypocrisy was even more despicable than Wang Ling’s!
A Tao couldn’t be bothered to respond, not even granting him a glance.
Lin Weiguang’s expression darkened, but he refrained from scolding his younger daughter in his father’s presence.
Watching her father’s attention being stolen by Lin Xiantao, Lin Jinyi felt displeased again, her gaze returning to the girl in the seat of honor.She looked utterly listless and dispirited, as if nothing could spark her interest. With her head bowed, she rested her cheek lazily on one hand propped against the table, exuding an unusual aura that irresistibly drew attention!
If Brother Sicheng were here, he would undoubtedly be captivated by her!
The resentment in her eyes didn’t escape A Tao, who lifted her eyelids and glanced sideways at Lin Jinyi as if observing a feeble ant.
Lin Jinyi’s face flushed crimson, her temper clearly on the verge of exploding. But abruptly, instead of erupting from her mouth, the outburst came from below!
A thunderous pfft echoed for several seconds, followed by a foul odor that quickly permeated the dining table, forcing everyone to cover their noses and mouths.
The butler and servants nearby couldn’t suppress their laughter, their shoulders shaking uncontrollably!
“Open the windows, quickly!” Lin Weiguang was the first to lose patience, urgently directing the servants to disperse the stench. “How… how can this smell be so potent?! Yiyi, did you eat something questionable?!”
The night breeze was quite strong, and with spring blossoms filling the garden, the fragrant air should have easily neutralized the odor. Yet, contrary to expectations, the stench only grew stronger!
All eyes turned to Lin Jinyi, who sat rigidly in her seat, face purplish and silent, refusing to move or speak.
A Tao, highly sensitive to smells, found the odor unbearable and stood up to leave, with Old Master Lin following closely behind.
As they passed Lin Jinyi, A Tao accidentally glimpsed the back of her seat and her white lounge shorts…
The sight was so repulsive that one glance could ruin your appetite for ten days!
Old Master Lin’s expression shifted to shock, and soon, everyone else grasped the situation…
This was no ordinary incident—it was an utter disaster beyond imagination!
No one dared approach Lin Jinyi now. Even Wang Ling, who had been seated closest to her, stood far away, visibly disgusted.
Humiliated beyond measure, Lin Jinyi slumped over the table, weeping in frustration and shame.
“Wang Ling, hurry up and help Yiyi clean up! What are you standing there for?!” Old Master Lin barked at her.
Wang Ling’s face contorted in reluctance, her mind screaming in protest. “Nanny Zhang, come help!”
Lin Jinyi shook her head wildly. “I don’t want anyone else—only Mom!”
“Get moving! Do you want our Lin family villa to turn into a cesspit?!” Lin Weiguang cursed under his breath, urging Wang Ling to act faster.
Eventually, the dining room emptied, and Lin Jinyi, supported by Wang Ling, slowly made her way to the guest bathroom downstairs.
They thought the ordeal was over, but fate had other plans.
Lin Jinyi’s worst fear materialized.
At that very moment, Ji Sicheng arrived at the Lin residence, gifts in hand.
As he approached from a distance, he noticed all the windows and doors on the first floor wide open, with several family members and servants gathered outside.
Concerned, he quickened his pace and caught a faint whiff of something foul in the air. Rubbing his nose, he asked, “What’s going on here?”The Lin family members all fell silent, and Ji Sicheng felt too embarrassed to press further. He handed the gift to Old Master Lin and said, “This is some fine tea I recently acquired. Please accept it as a token of my respect… Shall I help you bring it inside?”
As soon as Ji Sicheng finished speaking, Lin Jinyi’s cries came from the inner room, mixed with pleas of, “Don’t come in! Don’t come in!”
Unsure of what was happening, Ji Sicheng stood frozen in place.