Lin Tingyue returned home late at night, looking utterly defeated.
Bai Yaxin sat beside her and asked with concern, "Tingyue, how did it go today? Did you find any investment targets?"
Lin Tingyue shook her head, looking even more depressed.
[No investment targets, but plenty of targets I absolutely shouldn't invest in.]
Bai Yaxin: …
She comforted Lin Tingyue, "The entertainment industry is like this. Your eldest brother will be back soon. Do you want to ask him?"
[That's right, if Second Brother is unreliable, there's still Eldest Brother.]
Lin Tingyue nodded vigorously. Bai Yaxin patted her head, but wondered in her heart why Lin Shengyan was considered unreliable.
That night, Lin Shengyan received a warm greeting from his mother.
Lin Shengyan: ?
He hadn't done anything, so why was he still getting scolded?
However, this outing wasn't completely fruitless for Lin Tingyue. At least that pink… hehehe, was quite nice to look at.
Lin Xiawan happened to see Lin Tingyue giggling foolishly to herself. She came over and ruffled Lin Tingyue's hair, asking, "What are you laughing about?"
Lin Tingyue immediately composed herself, waving her hands and saying, "Can't say, can't say."
[Of course it's those defined abs, full pectoral muscles, and pink ***.]
It took Lin Xiawan a moment to react before she realized that when Lin Tingyue's inner thoughts reached their ears, they would be censored?
Just what unspeakable things was Lin Tingyue thinking about that required censorship!
After some thought, Lin Xiawan asked with a stern face, "Do you still remember Cheng Xuan?"
"Of course I remember."
After all, Cheng Xuan's bold male voice had left quite an impact. Lin Tingyue had never seen such… uh, diverse fish ponds.
But why would Lin Xiawan suddenly bring up that scumbag? Could it be…
Lin Tingyue grabbed Lin Xiawan's arm and shook it vigorously.
[Lin Xiawan, wake up! Will shaking your head like this get the water out of your brain?]
Lin Tingyue glanced at Lin Xiawan's head, feeling a bit timid.
[I don't dare to hold Lin Xiawan's head and shake it.]
[Maybe I should try handstands?]
Lin Xiawan: …
She took a deep breath and said, "Cheng Xuan might be going to jail."
[So dating multiple people at once can land you in jail?]
"Cheng Xuan not only dated many people simultaneously, but he's also suspected of fraud involving huge amounts of money. That's why he's being locked up."
Lin Xiawan originally wanted to use Cheng Xuan's fate to show Lin Tingyue how unreliable men could be. Little did she expect that Lin Tingyue would shake her even more vigorously, even managing to flush her face with effort.
[Sis, that's a man who's going to eat prison food! Sis, you can't just eat anything! Sis!!!]
[Sis, did you spend money on him? Sis!!! Spending money on men will bring you a lifetime of bad luck!!!]
Lin Xiawan felt like she was going deaf. She held Lin Tingyue's shoulders and looked into her eyes seriously, saying, "Never have an early romance."
[Early romance? What's that? Is it edible?]
Looking at Lin Xiawan's serious expression, Lin Tingyue suddenly understood.
[Is Lin Xiawan trying to warn me with this incident?]
[No need to worry. I'm so righteous it's almost wicked. My heart is a Chinese heart – ordinary men can't sway me at all, except…]
Lin Tingyue's head was grabbed by Lin Xiawan and shaken.
Lin Tingyue: …
Eh, what was I just thinking about?
"Forget it, I can't remember," Lin Tingyue suggested, "How about we watch TV instead?"
Lin Rusong and Bai Yaxin came over just then. Hearing this, Lin Rusong looked troubled. "Watch TV?"
"What's wrong, Dad? Don't you want to watch TV?"
Lin Rusong shook his head.
He wanted to watch TV quietly, not while listening to Lin Tingyue's commentary. Among the people she might comment on, there could very well be faces familiar to Lin Rusong.
He really couldn't bear to look those people in the eye anymore!
Lin Xiawan picked up the remote control. With an expressionless face, she said, "Let's watch a cartoon. I know there's a new animated movie that's quite good recently."
A cartoon… surely there wouldn't be any gossip there, right?
Lin Rusong and Bai Yaxin cast approving glances at Lin Xiawan.
Lin Tingyue had no objections; she was fine with watching anything. The TV was mainly background noise for her while she played on her phone. But a cartoon?
【Maqabaka…】
【Young hero…】
【Eyes wide like…】
To Bai Yaxin and Lin Rusong, this was like an ear-piercing noise.
But for Lin Xiawan, who had listened to "The Little Girl Picking Mushrooms" dozens of times, it was quite refreshing—at least it wasn't the same song repeated over and over.
Just as Lin Tingyue had lost count of how many songs she'd hummed, Lin Yuhuan returned home.
The moment Lin Yuhuan stepped through the door, his body stiffened for a second. No matter how much time passed, he could never get used to Lin Tingyue's inner thoughts.
Lin Yuhuan walked over and sat down on the sofa. Seeing that everyone was present, Zhang Ma brought out the sweet soup.
Bai Yaxin asked Lin Yuhuan, "Why are you back so late today?"
Lin Yuhuan replied, "There was a sudden issue with one of the company's investment projects."
Hearing the word "investment," Lin Tingyue perked up and asked, "What kind of issue?"
"Last year, the company invested in a TV drama. It started filming recently, but the male lead's reputation collapsed today. He's become a disgraced actor and can't be used anymore."
This plot sounds so familiar, Lin Tingyue said, "The male lead isn't named Xie Junnian, is he?"
Lin Yuhuan, who was pinching the bridge of his nose, looked at Lin Tingyue. "How did you know?"
Lin Tingyue chuckled twice. "I was right there, big brother. You have no idea…"
Lin Tingyue vividly described the spectacle of Xie Junnian's reputation collapse, mentioning that Wu Shanshan and Zhu Miaoshuang later jointly posted on Weibo, sealing Xie Junnian's fate beyond any hope of recovery.
Bai Yaxin listened with a furrowed brow throughout. After Lin Tingyue finished, she nodded and said, "It's a good thing it was discovered early. Someone like that really shouldn't be used anymore."
Lin Yuhuan replied, "Yes, Mom."
Hearing that Lin Tingyue also wanted to invest, Lin Yuhuan instinctively asked, "Is your allowance not enough?"
Lin Tingyue quickly denied it. "No, no."
【Who would ever complain about having too much money?】
That was true. Lin Tingyue and Lin Xiawan were about to graduate soon, so getting an early start on investments wasn't a bad idea.
Lin Yuhuan asked Lin Tingyue which areas she was interested in, so he could make appropriate recommendations.
【Hmm… first of all, not the entertainment industry.】
Lin Tingyue looked at Lin Yuhuan with eager anticipation and asked in a low voice, "Big brother, are there any projects with low investment but high returns?"
Lin Yuhuan: …
Although he really didn't want to say it…
"The entertainment industry."
【Ahhh, damn it! Just how much money are people in the entertainment industry making?!】
Lin Yuhuan tried to salvage the situation. "If you're really serious about investing, I'll arrange for someone to do a thorough background check."
"Really, big brother? Wouldn't that be too much trouble?"
[Brother, you're my real brother, please don't refuse me, don't refuse me.]
"…It's no trouble."
Lin Yuhuan then looked at Lin Xiawan, "What about you, Xiawan?"
Lin Xiawan was seriously considering whether to compete with her big brother for the position, since in Lin Tingyue's inner thoughts, aside from their mother, she had been the closest person.
Meeting Lin Yuhuan's gaze, Lin Xiawan said, "No need, thank you, big brother."
Lin Yuhuan: …
He really still didn't know how to interact with his sisters very well!
They stayed in the living room until almost nine o'clock. When they were about to return to their respective rooms, Bai Yaxin suddenly remembered something, "Aunt Wen sent me a wedding invitation today. Her eldest son is getting married in three days. You all…"
Bai Yaxin glanced at them and finally asked, "Who will accompany me?"
[Aunt Wen's eldest son?]
[Not sure if there's any gossip, but we'll find out if we go.]
Lin Tingyue enthusiastically raised her hand, "I'll go, I'll go."
Lin Xiawan coughed lightly and said reservedly, "Mom, I'll go too."
Since everyone was going, Lin Rusong said, "I'll go as well."
With almost everyone going, Lin Yuhuan thought he could go too, but after checking his schedule, he shook his head helplessly, "I have an important meeting that day."
[It's okay, big brother. If there's any gossip, I'll call you.]
After thinking for a moment, Lin Yuhuan added, "But my phone will be on, you can contact me anytime."
Lin Tingyue didn't suspect anything, thinking it was just a coincidence. She smiled with curved eyes and agreed, "Okay."
…
On the day of the wedding, the Lin Family attended in formal attire, except for Lin Shengyan and Lin Yuhuan who couldn't make it.
Wen Jie and Bai Yaxin had been classmates when they were young, and their relationship was neither close nor distant. Wen Jie was quite surprised to see so many people from the Lin Family attending.
She greeted Bai Yaxin, and they exchanged some pleasantries—the usual how have you been, congratulations, and such.
Wen Jie's second son came over and reminded her quietly, "Mom, it's about to start. The emcee wants you to take your position."
Wen Jie said, "The wedding is about to begin. Please take your seats, everyone. I must excuse myself for now."
After Wen Jie left, Lin Tingyue rubbed her eyes and whispered to Lin Xiawan beside her, "Am I seeing things? That person just now looked exactly like the groom."
Lin Xiawan, who had only recently been recognized by the family, wasn't familiar with these wealthy circle matters. She speculated, "Maybe they're twins?"
Bai Yaxin, overhearing their conversation, said, "Wen Jie did give birth to twins back then."
Twins, huh…
She had a feeling there might be some gossip involved.
And today was the eldest brother's wedding, not his, so why was he dressed like a groom?
Bai Yaxin and the others found their seats with name cards. In these high-society weddings, besides the ceremony, it was also an opportunity for networking and collaboration.
Hence, the name cards made it convenient for everyone.
Lin Tingyue had just sat down when the wedding march began. The surroundings darkened, leaving only a spotlight on the central stage of the hotel. The background transformed into a sea of flowers, dreamy and romantic.
The emcee announced enthusiastically, "Please welcome our bride."
The bride appeared, arm in arm with her parents. The light shone on her face—a beautiful face filled with hidden excitement and joy.
Across from the stage, the groom stood there, eagerly awaiting his bride.
Everyone was swept up in the atmosphere, except for Lin Tingyue, who watched the groom and bride on stage with a furrowed brow.
[Good heavens, what a mess!]
Where did that voice come from? People pricked up their ears.
[By day it's the elder brother, by night it's the younger brother. It looks like the elder brother is getting married now, but in truth, the bride is a bride to both of them.]
[Have you… ever considered the bride's opinion?]