She Was Completely Wrong

Scenes of everyone's scornful remarks about Lin Xuan flashed through Lin Qingyan's mind, along with the fact that she had never seen him at the dining table since then.

"Elder Sister, if Lin Xuan is so hungry, why doesn’t he eat with us?" Lin Qingyan couldn’t help but ask.

"Second Sister, do you remember the day after Xuan returned home?" Lin Qingwan tightened her grip on the steering wheel. "That day, our family had Western food for dinner. Xuan didn’t know how to use a knife and fork, and everyone looked at him with disdain, treating him like some country bumpkin."

"Because he was too nervous, Xuan accidentally flicked a small piece of cut steak onto Mother. She was furious and forbade him from ever eating at the table again."

Lin Qingyan fell silent.

She remembered this incident—after it happened, she had even joined their group chat with Elder Sister and Third Sister to mock Lin Xuan mercilessly.

Lin Qingwan’s eyes grew moist. "From then on, Xuan would only eat after we finished, picking at the leftovers. I heard all this from the servants."

"But no matter how pitiful he is, doesn’t he still have terrible character?" Lin Qingyan stubbornly insisted.

Lin Qingwan sighed. "Yanyan, you should really take a proper look at that diary."

Lin Qingyan clenched her fists.

Suddenly, she felt afraid to face that diary.

Back at the Lin residence, Lin Qingyan stared at the diary lying on her bed, biting her lip, unable to muster the courage to open it.

Then, she received a message from Lin Li, who was on an exchange program in the U.S.

[Lin Li]: Second Sister, do you like this dress? If you do, I’ll buy it for you.

He even sent photos of the dresses.

A faint smile appeared on Lin Qingyan’s face.

Li’er really was so thoughtful.

But then her mind wandered back to Lin Xuan—how, after leaving the Lin family, he had always responded to her with harsh words.

Her expression darkened.

So what if Lin Xuan was pitiful? Wasn’t it his own fault for being so unlikable, for making everyone ignore him?

And didn’t he have a mouth?

If he had just asked Mom and Dad for money, wouldn’t his life have been better?

Finally, Lin Qingyan picked up the diary and flipped to the section she hadn’t read yet.

[The second day after coming home, I ran into Second Sister. She’s so beautiful, but she seems to think I’m dirty and doesn’t like me.]

[It’s Second Sister’s birthday. I don’t have money to buy her a gift, but my school held a sports meet. I ran my hardest and won a pair of women’s shoes as a prize. But Second Sister didn’t seem to like them. I really envy Younger Brother—no matter what he gives her, she always loves it.]

Lin Qingyan recalled what Lin Xuan’s high school teacher had said—how he had pushed himself to the point of collapsing just to win those shoes for her.

So he had given everything he had… just to prepare a gift for her.

But what had she done when she received those shoes?

She had sneered that they must have come from some roadside stall, then tossed them into the trash right in front of him.

Lin Xuan’s expression had been so heartbroken. And she had secretly taken a photo of him, posting it in their group chat just to mock him…

What kind of monster had she been?

A sharp, stabbing pain spread through Lin Qingyan’s chest.

She turned to the next page.

[Second Sister joined a talent show. She’s so amazing! I bought so much of her merchandise, even an album with her autograph.]

Just from the words, she could feel Lin Xuan’s excitement.

[But Second Sister burned the album I bought. She said I wasn’t worthy of keeping her things… Well, as long as she’s happy, it’s fine. I don’t need to collect them.]

Tears welled up in Lin Qingyan’s eyes.

At the time, she hadn’t thought anything of treating Lin Xuan this way. But now, reading his words, she realized how utterly despicable she had been.

He was her own younger brother!

Lin Qingyan kept reading.

[Second Sister has a high fever. It’s been two days, and it still hasn’t broken. I’m so worried, but there’s nothing I can do. At night, I sneak into her room and keep wiping her forehead and hands with a cold towel.]

[I was so exhausted that I fell asleep on Second Sister’s bed. I don’t know how I ended up lying there. What should I do? She must hate me even more now.]

Lin Qingyan froze.

This was the incident she had never been able to let go of—the one that made her think Lin Xuan was disgusting.

But he had only been trying to help her fever go down.

Her hands trembled.

Just how much had she misunderstood about him?

If she had just asked, everything would have been cleared up. But what had she done instead?

She had slapped him twice, called him disgusting, forced him to kneel and kowtow in apology, and banned him from ever entering her room again.

"Xuan… Xuan…" Lin Qingyan pressed the diary against her chest as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I’m sorry. Second Sister shouldn’t have treated you like that. I misunderstood you."

She had always thought it was Li’er who had wiped her sweat that night.

But she had been wrong. About everything.

How much more didn’t she know?

Desperate, Lin Qingyan quickly flipped through more pages.

[Second Sister is being attacked online. People are demanding she leave the entertainment industry. It must be because they’re jealous of her talent—they’re hiring trolls to ruin her. She looks so hurt… What can I do to help?]

[I made a secret Weibo account. Every day, I send her private messages to encourage her. I wonder if she’ll ever see them…]

Lin Qingyan’s breath caught.

Back then, when she was being torn apart online, she had almost no supporters left. Her inbox had been flooded with hate.

She had been on the verge of breaking down—until an account called "LongingForFamily_Xuan" started sending her daily words of encouragement, giving her the strength to keep going.

Could that have been Lin Xuan?

Frantic for answers, she read on.

[Second Sister never replied to me before, but today, she did! She even wants to meet me. But she dislikes me so much… I don’t dare tell her I’m Lin Xuan. What if she thinks I’m mocking her?]

"It really was Xuan… All that time when I was being torn apart, when I wanted to die… the one who stayed by my side was Xuan."

And how had she repaid him?

With nothing but cruelty.

She didn’t deserve to call herself his sister.

"Xuan, I’m sorry." Her vision blurred as she clutched the diary to her heart, her chest aching with every breath.

"I’m sorry. Second Sister misunderstood you. I never should have treated you like that."

No.

She had to find him and beg for his forgiveness.

Before, no matter how horribly she treated him, he had always tried to make her happy. If she sincerely apologized…

Surely, Xuan would forgive her!

Lin Qingyan set the diary down and rushed downstairs. Just as she was about to get into her car, she noticed a deliveryman peering inside.