"A-Ru, what exactly happened? How come after just one visit to the Lin Family, you want to sever ties with Ming Ning? He's your own flesh and blood."
Yun Yongchang patiently persuaded Zhao Ru, holding her hand as he spoke gently, "No matter what, you can't just cast Ming Ning out. After all, you carried him for ten months."
Seeing Zhao Ru's expression waver slightly, Yun Yongchang signaled Yun Mingning with his eyes. Yun Mingning quickly added, "Yes, Mom. If I've done anything wrong, I'll definitely change. Please don't abandon me, okay?"
Yun Mingning appeared sincere and spoke so humbly that Zhao Ru was about to soften. But just then, Zhao Ru's younger sister Zhao Qi arrived. The moment she entered, she asked, "Sister, what's going on? I heard you want to sever the mother-son relationship with Ming Ning."
Hearing Zhao Qi's voice, Zhao Ru suddenly snapped back to reality. When she looked at Yun Mingning again, she found that this son who had just been earnestly repenting was now staring unblinkingly at Zhao Qi.
Zhao Ru couldn't bear it any longer and immediately slapped Yun Mingning across the face. She said sharply, "We must sever ties. I don't have a son like Yun Mingning."
Zhao Ru was so angry her chest heaved continuously, which frightened Zhao Qi. Knowing Zhao Ru had heart problems, Zhao Qi immediately stepped forward, took Zhao Ru's arm, and tried to calm her. "Sister, don't get so agitated. Whatever the matter is, let's sit down and discuss it properly."
Zhao Ru's younger sister Zhao Qi was six years her junior, now only thirty-four. Time had been particularly kind to her, leaving almost no traces on her appearance, so that at first glance one might mistake her for a woman in her twenties.
Zhao Ru tightly grasped Zhao Qi's hand. "I want to sever ties with Yun Mingning."
Then she fixed her gaze fiercely on Yun Yongchang. "You choose."
Yun Yongchang smiled bitterly. "A-Ru, how can I choose? On one side is my beloved, on the other is my biological son. A-Ru, you…"
Yun Yongchang knelt before Zhao Ru. "Let's first clarify what happened before we talk about severing ties, alright?"
Yun Yongchang was very anxious inside. Why was Zhao Ru's attitude so resolute? Had she discovered something?
That couldn't be possible. He had kept everything well hidden.
When Bai Yaxin arrived, she saw Yun Yongchang kneeling before Zhao Ru with a gentle expression. Lin Tingyue's words about "killing his wife" still echoed in Bai Yaxin's ears. As if greatly stimulated, she directly went over and pushed Yun Yongchang to the ground.
Zhao Qi stared in stunned silence.
What was happening? Today her sister wanted to sever ties with her son, and now her sister's good friend had laid hands on her brother-in-law.
Bai Yaxin had a very good relationship with Zhao Ru, and naturally got along well with Zhao Qi too. Without any biological sisters of her own, Bai Yaxin had always regarded Zhao Qi as her own younger sister since she started spending time with Zhao Ru.
Zhao Qi knew Bai Yaxin's temperament well. If even Bai Yaxin couldn't restrain herself from attacking her brother-in-law, then…
Zhao Qi was different from Zhao Ru.
After getting married, Zhao Ru had always stayed at home. Even after receiving her share of the inheritance, she entrusted all her assets to reliable managers, while the companies under Zhao Corporation were now all managed by Zhao Qi.
Zhao Qi was a career-oriented woman. She keenly sensed that something major must have happened somewhere.
She immediately sent a message to her assistant, instructing her to investigate.
While Zhao Qi was sending the message, Yun Yongchang on the floor also got up at that moment. Though Yun Yongchang had a gentle temperament, even the mildest person couldn't maintain proper composure after being pushed by Bai Yaxin like that.
Yun Yongchang frowned and asked, "Bai Yaxin, what are you doing?"
"Yun Yongchang, why are you shouting?" The Lin Family members, who were a step slower than Bai Yaxin, had just arrived. Lin Rusong stepped forward with his long legs and positioned himself in front of Bai Yaxin.
When Yun Yongchang saw the crowd of people behind Lin Rusong, his expression darkened further.
In Lin Yuhuan's view, Yun Yongchang was an extremely dangerous individual. Since he was dangerous, corresponding measures had to be taken.
So he called over a dozen bodyguards to accompany them to the Ming Family Villa. Lin Xiawan felt it wasn't enough, so Lin Yuhuan added a few more, making a total of twenty.
The bodyguards were uniformly dressed in suits, each as burly as a wall. At first glance, they were indeed conspicuous.
Yun Yongchang asked coldly, "This is my Ming Family's internal matter. Why are you here?"
Bai Yaxin sat down beside Zhao Ru. "Since it's a family matter, I must stay with A-Ru. I was with A-Ru when she gave birth too."
Bai Yaxin deliberately emphasized the words "gave birth," secretly observing Yun Yongchang's expression. Sure enough, she saw his face change.
Bai Yaxin's heart sank. Could it be that everything Tingyue said was true?
These people couldn't be driven away and would only cause a rift with the Lin Family. Yun Yongchang said, "Since you're here, you should properly persuade A-Ru. What mother would abandon her own child?"
"A mother abandoning her own child?" Bai Yaxin raised an eyebrow. "Not necessarily, right?"
Yun Yongchang agreed, "You find it absurd too, don't you? But A-Ru is determined."
Zhao Ru said wearily, "Anyway, I won't raise this son anymore. Yun Yongchang, you teach him yourself."
Was Mother really planning to give up on me?
Yun Mingning panicked. "Mom."
Zhao Ru stiffened, covering her face in agony. "I'm not your mother."
Just as the atmosphere froze, a woman's voice came from the doorway—
[Wow, it's so lively here.]
[Hasn't it ended yet? Aunt Zhao actually didn't kick Yun Mingning out?]
[And this Aunt Zhao's husband… if I call the police now, what if they say there's no evidence?]
Everyone looked toward the entrance and saw Lin Tingyue, who had arrived late.
Lin Tingyue was originally supposed to come with them.
But there were too many bodyguards, and there weren't enough cars in the garage. Lin Tingyue had to wait at the villa for Uncle Zhang to return and pick her up.
Call the police?
What did brother-in-law do? Why call the police?
A notification sounded from her phone. Zhao Qi received a message from her assistant. Her pupils contracted, and she stood up from the sofa, declaring firmly, "Call the police. We must call the police."
Then she glared at Yun Yongchang with gritted teeth. "Yun Yongchang, what were you planning to do to my sister?"
…
The Yun Family matter was resolved three days later.
Lin Tingyue had just harvested a new batch of fruits in the orchard—though she only picked the biggest and reddest ones. If she were to pick them all, it would probably require a truck to transport them.
Earlier, Lin Shengyan had told her that the Lin Family owned a private vineyard and asked if she was interested.
Though Lin Tingyue wasn't interested at all, she was still astonished.
If they already had a private vineyard, they must surely have private helicopters and a private airport too.
Lin Shengyan looked at her with disdain, thinking she had damaged her brain from the fall. He handed her a VIP hospital card, then waved his hand and made a quick escape.
Just thinking about it made Lin Tingyue fume with indignation.
Carrying her basket, she entered the house. Only Lin Xiawan was in the living room, who called her over to sit.
Lin Shengyan had returned to City C for filming, while Lin Yuhuan and Lin Rusong had gone to the company early in the morning. Bai Yaxin was upstairs on the phone with Zhao Ru.
As Lin Tingyue approached, Lin Xiawan first glanced at her basket. Ah, so it was fruit.
She had been listening to "The Little Mushroom Picker" for nearly two hours and had assumed Lin Tingyue was out in the forest gathering mushrooms.
Discovering it wasn't mushrooms, she actually felt rather disappointed.
Zhang Ma appeared just in time and took the basket away from Lin Tingyue.
Lin Xiawan looked at Lin Tingyue's slightly sun-reddened cheeks, took a wet wipe, and gently dabbed the sweat from her face.
Who would have thought that just a week ago, her relationship with Lin Tingyue had been so strained.
"Thank you, Sister Xiawan."
"You're welcome."
Zhang Ma brought Lin Tingyue a glass of iced orange juice. As she was drinking it, Lin Tingyue suddenly said, "Isn't that Aunt Zhao?"
Lin Xiawan also turned and saw Zhao Ru and Zhao Qi coming across the lawn. After a moment's thought, she sent a message to Bai Yaxin.
Just as Zhao Ru and Zhao Qi entered, Bai Yaxin came downstairs as well.
She said in surprise, "You arrived so quickly?"
Zhao Ru replied, "We were already on our way when I was on the phone with you."
Zhang Ma brought three more glasses of room-temperature orange juice.
None of the three touched their drinks, instead fixing their intense gazes on Lin Tingyue.
[?]
[Why are they all staring at me? Do they want iced orange juice too?]
Lin Tingyue tentatively asked, "Would you like some iced orange juice?"
Zhao Qi shook her head and said cheerfully, "Room temperature is fine for us."
"Alright."
Bai Yaxin took the initiative to ask, "How did things go?"
Zhao Qi looked at Zhao Ru, who had suffered quite a blow these past few days. Even her meticulous makeup couldn't conceal the weariness on her face. She said, "Xiao Qi, you explain."
Zhao Qi began, "Yun Yongchang is suspected of attempted intentional murder of my sister, along with swapping the two children. He's now been detained."
Lin Tingyue found it strange. She hadn't done anything yet, so how did Aunt Zhao and the others already know everything and even managed to have Yun Yongchang arrested?
Lin Tingyue asked, "How was this discovered?"
Actually, most of it was because of Lin Tingyue. If not for Lin Tingyue's inner thoughts causing Bai Yaxin and Zhao Ru to act unusually, Zhao Qi wouldn't have thought to have her assistant investigate Yun Yongchang.
"My sister had been taking heart medication regularly. The assistant discovered that Yun Yongchang had deliberately switched my sister's medicine. Then the police found that Yun Yongchang's finances were suspicious—he had been transferring several million each year to a certain account, which led to the revelation that he had swapped the children."
[My Lao Tian Nai, is this the work capability an assistant should have? The assistant is practically Holmes!]
Hearing this, Zhao Qi couldn't help but laugh. Lin Tingyue was the real Holmes here. Although so much had happened, Zhao Qi felt it was ultimately good for her sister, as it allowed her to see the true nature of the man she had been sharing her bed with.
She reached out and patted Lin Tingyue's head, then handed her a card.
The card sparkled, immediately catching Lin Tingyue's attention. She asked, "What's this?"
"This is the bonus dividend card for Zhao Corporation shares. From now on, it belongs to you."
This was also the result of Zhao Ru's discussion with her – they felt they still needed to express gratitude to Lin Tingyue.
[Ah, me?]
[I didn't do anything though.]
Zhao Qi thought for a moment, then added: "Auntie really likes you too much."
[Darn it, I knew it. No one can resist my charm.]
"Hahahaha."
[What are they laughing at?]
Lin Tingyue tucked the card into her pocket.