After straightening himself, Ying An extended his hand toward Lin Tingyue. "Hello, I'm Ying An. I used to be good friends with your second brother."
Lin Tingyue gently shook Ying An's hand. The man's hand was pale and slender, dry and warm, causing Lin Tingyue to feel a slight shyness—likely stemming from Ying An being quite handsome.
Lowering her gaze, Lin Tingyue said, "Hello, I'm Lin Tingyue."
Lin Shengyan looked at Lin Tingyue. Oh? Weren't you just calling him pinkish? Why are you acting shy now?
"But," Lin Tingyue blinked, asking curiously, "why did you say you used to be good friends with Second Brother? Aren't you good friends anymore?"
Hearing this, Lin Shengyan finally caught the key point in Ying An's words. Crossing his arms, he asked discontentedly, "Ying An, what do you mean by that?"
Ignoring Lin Shengyan, Ying An said to Lin Tingyue, "Because your second brother doesn't trust my character."
Lin Shengyan: "Huh?"
When did he ever doubt Ying An's character?
Lin Tingyue said seriously, "People who don't trust your character really shouldn't be close friends."
Lin Shengyan snapped angrily, "Lin Tingyue, am I still your brother or not?"
Lin Tingyue replied obediently, "Of course you are."
[Sigh, Second Brother is really too pitiful. He's already romance-obsessed, and now he has no friends either.]
Lin Shengyan: "?"
Half of that "Of course you are" must be out of sympathy for him!
Romance-obsessed?
Ying An thought about it. He knew a bit about Lin Shengyan and Cheng Jinshuang's situation and nodded in agreement with Lin Tingyue's words.
The graduation ceremony was about to begin, so Ying An went along with the Lin Family. Lin Tingyue glanced back at Lin Shengyan, who was drifting outside the group.
[Second Brother, you're the one being forgotten~]
Lin Shengyan clenched his fists. Damn it!
The graduation ceremony was held on A Da's largest new sports field. By the time Lin Tingyue and the others arrived, many people were already gathered on the lawn.
A Da didn't require bachelor's robes and mortarboards to be strictly conventional. Many people on the lawn wore customized bachelor's robes, far more elaborate and intricate than the ones Bai Yaxin and Zhang Ma had prepared for Lin Xiawan and Lin Tingyue.
Bai Yaxin began to regret, "If only I had added a few more flowers."
Lin Rusong comforted her, "They're already very beautiful. Too much of a good thing can be worse than none at all."
Lin Shengyan, who had just squeezed through a crowd of fans, chimed in, "Mom, please don't add any more. Any more and it'll look like a collapsing building."
The entertainment industry nowadays particularly dislikes makeup and styling that resemble collapsing buildings.
Bai Yaxin shot Lin Shengyan a fierce glare.
No matter how popular Lin Shengyan was, in front of Bai Yaxin, he could only obediently listen and not dare to cause any more trouble.
Lin Yuhuan seized the opportunity to say, "Mom, what you made is very beautiful."
Lin Shengyan looked at Lin Yuhuan in disbelief. He never expected that, in the end, it would be his eldest brother who betrayed him. Lin Yuhuan rubbed the tip of his nose and averted his gaze.
Lin Shengyan: !
Eldest Brother, why don't you dare to look me in the eye? Are you feeling guilty???
Bai Yaxin said with a smile, "Yuhuan really knows how to talk. Could it be that I ate too many dried nuts when I was pregnant with Shengyan, and that's why he's so sharp-tongued now?"
[Eating dried nuts makes you sharp-tongued?]
[How unbelievable.]
The first part of the graduation ceremony was the school leader's address, followed by the speech from the outstanding graduate representative.
Last year, it was Lin Yuhuan. This year, it was Ying An.
Lin Tingyue's gaze followed the tall, straight figure onto the stage, and when Ying An began speaking, her eyes sparkled like stars.
【Not only is he handsome, but his voice is so pleasant too. I'm totally smitten.】
On stage, Ying An's lips curved almost imperceptibly.
Lin Xiawan watched Ying An with extreme vigilance.
After Ying An's speech concluded, it was time for the highly anticipated tassel-turning ceremony performed by the university leadership and department heads for the graduating students.
Students ascended the stage according to their student numbers. Fortunately, both Lin Xiawan and Lin Tingyue had relatively early numbers. Witnessing the university officials perform the tassel-turning ceremony for both of them, Bai Yaxin and Lin Rusong were genuinely moved.
Having their biological daughter returned to them after twenty years of separation, and being able to witness her participation in the graduation ceremony—especially with the sisters getting along harmoniously—how could they not be deeply touched?
By the time the tassel-turning ceremony ended, it was nearly noon. Bai Yaxin and Lin Rusong took the children for a buffet meal before heading home.
Upon returning home, they discovered uninvited guests had arrived.
Zhang Ma put down her phone and said, "Madam, I was just about to call you. They…"
The people sitting boldly in the living room turned at Zhang Ma's voice—a middle-aged couple and a young man. The middle-aged woman beamed like a blooming flower and rushed up to Bai Yaxin, exclaiming warmly, "Yaxin, you're back!"
Bai Yaxin nodded and asked, "Sister Zhen, Brother Song, what brings you here today?"
Ling Zhen looked past Bai Yaxin at Lin Xiawan, who was arm-in-arm with Lin Tingyue. "We just missed Xiawan and thought we'd come see her."
Hearing "Sister Zhen" and "Brother Song," Lin Tingyue finally realized who they were.
They were Lin Xiawan's adoptive parents. Originally, Lin Xiawan had been deliberately abandoned outside a hospital by Lin Rusong's enemies. When Lin Rusong went searching, he only found Lin Tingyue and—mistaking her for his daughter—brought her home in a panic. It wasn't until many years later that Bai Yaxin and Lin Rusong learned the truth. In their search for their biological daughter, they posted numerous missing person ads online.
Many scammers showed up with their own daughters, but only Lin Xiawan's DNA test proved to be a match.
Ling Zhen and Song Zhuang immediately launched into a tearful account of how difficult it had been to raise Lin Xiawan all these years. Though Lin Xiawan was adopted, they claimed they had always treated her as their own child.
Bai Yaxin understood this deeply, as she felt the same toward Lin Tingyue, so she initially believed Ling Zhen and Song Zhuang shared this sentiment.
Whenever Ling Zhen and Song Zhuang came to her with difficulties, she and Lin Rusong would help as much as they could. Since then, the couple had started showing up regularly to ask for money.
After repeated visits, the amount spent on this couple had nearly reached several million.
It seemed they had come for money again.
Lin Tingyue recalled that Bai Yaxin had just given them five hundred thousand last month. Had they spent it all already?
"Xiawan," Ling Zhen said, reaching out toward Lin Xiawan, but Lin Xiawan dodged her hand. Ling Zhen looked momentarily awkward. "This child."
She then turned and asked, "Yaxin, where have you all been?"
Bai Yaxin replied, "Today was Xiawan and Tingyue's graduation ceremony."
Hearing this, Ling Zhen grew even more uncomfortable.
Though Bai Yaxin hadn't intended it, Ling Zhen detected a hint of reproach in her words. She had claimed to miss Lin Xiawan, yet she hadn't even remembered Lin Xiawan's graduation ceremony?
Isn't this self-contradictory!
Ling Zhen quickly tried to cover for herself: "This month, Xiawan's sister-in-law gave birth, and Old Song and I have been so busy we lost our heads—we actually forgot about Xiawan's graduation ceremony."
Father and son Song Zhuang, who were unwilling to move an inch from the sofa, looked utterly arrogant. [Tsk, what 'busy we lost our heads'—even if you two had nothing to do, you probably still wouldn't have remembered.]
[After all, both of you are completely obsessed with your own son. A girl has never been worth anything in your eyes—why would you bother wasting energy on her?]
Lin Rusong and Bai Yaxin exchanged a glance. How was this different from what they had known?
Weren't Ling Zhen and Song Zhuang very fond of Xiawan? Didn't they even send her to school in the winter when they were sick?
Had they all been deceived?
Lin Rusong looked toward Lin Yuhuan.
Understanding the cue, Lin Yuhuan sent a message to his assistant.
"Yaxin, what's… what's wrong?" Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Ling Zhen asked cautiously. She even shot a meaningful glance at the Song father and son on the sofa.
The Song father and son remained unmoved, infuriating Ling Zhen. Left with no choice, she forced a smile all by herself—all for the sake of money.
Bai Yaxin smiled and said, "It's nothing. Zhang Ma, please serve tea. Let's have some tea first."
At that moment, Song Zhuang finally spoke up: "We didn't come here just to drink tea."
Song Fan chimed in, "Exactly. Is this how you wealthy people treat your guests?"
[What, if you're not here for tea, are you planning to eat and take stuff with you too?]
[Zhang Ma, if they're not drinking tea, don't serve them any.]
Lin Rusong walked over to the sofa. He glanced at Song Zhuang and Song Fan and said, "Zhang Ma, no need to serve tea."
Under Lin Rusong's imposing presence, the previously slouching Song Zhuang and Song Fan straightened up. They were still somewhat intimidated by him.
Lin Rusong and Bai Yaxin sat down one after the other. Bai Yaxin asked, "Then, Sister Zhen, Brother Song, what brings you here today?"
[Of course, it's to ask for money.]
[With such a big cash cow like my sister, why not take advantage?]
Sure enough, Ling Zhen said sheepishly, "Well, it's like this. Song Fan's family just had a new baby, right? Their old two-bedroom apartment is too small now. We thought about upgrading to a bigger place so when the child grows up, there'll be enough space.
"Old Song and I found a three-bedroom apartment—great lighting, good location, and it's only three million. It's just that we're a bit short on funds at the moment…"
"How much are you short?"
In the past, when Bai Yaxin asked this, it usually meant she was about to offer money. Beaming with joy, Ling Zhen replied, "We're short three million."
Lin Tingyue couldn't help but laugh.
[Wow, so your family doesn't want to spend a single cent—you're just here to freeload?]
[First, it's a three-bedroom. Later, if you have a second child, are you going to expect us to buy a four-bedroom?]
Lin Shengyan crossed his arms and said sarcastically, "I don't think a three-bedroom will be enough either. Are you planning to stop at just one child? Why not buy a Villa and solve the problem once and for all?"
[Second brother is absolutely killing it, hahaha.]
"Good, good, good," Ling Zhen nodded eagerly before catching herself and toning it down, feigning hesitation. "But is that really okay? We've already troubled you so much."
Lin Shengyan didn't indulge them at all. With a cold expression, he said, "So you do realize that."
"How dare you speak like that?" Song Zhuang slapped the marble table, his hand turning red from the impact, yet the table didn't even tremble.
[Such people are insatiably greedy.]
[Besides, Sister Xiawan wasn't kidnapped by Father's enemies back then. Those two knew she was the Lin Family's young lady and deliberately took her, planning to exploit Sister Xiawan for wealth when she grew up.]
What???