Lin Xuan noticed Lin Li's gaze and raised an eyebrow.
"Great, another blame to shoulder," he thought.
But then again, he had already been saddled with so many accusations by the Lin family—what difference would a few dozen, or even a few hundred more, make?
Grandpa Jiang spoke up, "You two, let him go."
"Yes, sir," the two security guards replied before stepping back.
"Grandfather..." Lin Li looked at Grandpa Jiang anxiously.
Grandpa Jiang raised a hand to silence him, his eyes fixed on the man before them.
"You just mentioned Lin Li and Lin Xuan. Tell me, what is their relationship?" Grandpa Jiang asked.
Lin Li clenched his fists so tightly that his palms grew damp with sweat.
His heart pounded so hard it felt like it might leap out of his throat.
There was nothing he could do now but wait for this man to expose his true identity...
"Lin Li and Lin Xuan are brothers," the man declared.
Jiang Yutong's eyes lit up.
If Lin Li and Lin Xuan were brothers, that meant Lin Xuan was also her cousin—her actual blood relative!
Now she wouldn’t have to worry about Lin Xuan refusing to acknowledge her as his cousin.
After all, they were family, even if it was through their mothers.
Jiang Manting’s face also visibly brightened with excitement and joy.
Smack! Old Master Su slapped his own forehead, his expression full of regret.
He had known that sooner or later, Grandpa Jiang would discover that Lin Xuan was his real grandson—but he hadn’t expected it to happen this quickly.
Now, the old man would surely try to take Lin Xuan away from him.
Grandpa Jiang frowned. "Are you saying both Lin Xuan and Lin Li are my biological grandsons?"
Jiang Yutong snapped out of her excitement, her brow furrowing.
Something wasn’t right.
If what the man said was true, and Lin Xuan and Lin Li were brothers, then why had they seemed so familiar with each other earlier?
And why had Lin Xuan been targeting Starlight Group?
Wasn’t that his father’s company?
Especially the part about Starlight Group plagiarizing another company’s work and then falsely accusing them of theft—how could they stoop so low?
"No, they’re not blood brothers," the man clarified loudly.
Grandpa Jiang’s frown deepened.
Meanwhile, Lin Li’s face turned deathly pale.
So it was happening after all.
"One of them is adopted?" Grandpa Jiang pressed.
"Yes," the man confirmed.
Jiang Yutong’s first thought was that Lin Xuan must be the adopted one.
She had personally seen Lin Li with Jiang Shuqin—the way they interacted, the affection in Jiang Shuqin’s eyes—it was unmistakably a mother and her biological son.
She had initially doubted Lin Li’s identity, but after witnessing their bond, she dismissed any thoughts of investigating him further.
If Lin Li wasn’t Jiang Shuqin’s real son, then what was he?
But if Lin Li really was Jiang Shuqin’s son, then this man wouldn’t have come forward with this revelation.
"Sir, which one is adopted, and which one is the biological son? What’s really going on here?" Jiang Yutong demanded impatiently.
The guests around them perked up with curiosity.
Judging by Jiang Yutong’s urgency, was Jiang Shuqin really the daughter who had cut ties with the Jiang family?
If so, tonight was about to get very interesting.
Before the man could answer, all the lights in the banquet hall suddenly went out.
Darkness swallowed the room.
"What’s going on? This hotel has never had a blackout before—why would all the lights shut off now?"
"Maybe someone did it on purpose."
"I’ve attended Lin Li’s birthday party and wedding. Every time something big is about to be exposed, the lights go out, and then the screen lights up. I bet the same thing’s happening now. We’re in for a show."
Butler Wang was practically giddy.
Here it comes—the classic move!
This had to be Young Master Lin’s doing!
Lin Xuan smirked. "The real show is about to begin."
The Jiang family, unaware of Lin Xuan’s orchestration, assumed it was a hotel malfunction.
Jiang Yutong called the hotel manager. "Why are the lights in the first-floor banquet hall off?"
"I-I don’t know, Miss Jiang! We’re scrambling to figure it out right now. Please bear with us!" The manager wiped sweat from his forehead, panic creeping into his voice.
The Jiang family was one of Yundu City’s most powerful elites.
Everyone at this banquet was a high-profile figure.
If anything went wrong, the hotel’s reputation would be ruined.
What was even stranger was that the backup generators should have kicked in immediately.
Why weren’t they working?
This was beyond bizarre.
"Then hurry up!" Jiang Yutong snapped.
"Y-yes, right away!"
The manager hung up and immediately ordered his staff to investigate.
Meanwhile, Lin Li was drowning in terror.
The lights going out—it was happening again.
The first time, at his birthday party, Lin Xuan had exposed his affair with Qin Ruoyao while he was still with Shen Qianqian.
The second time, at his wedding to Feng Yaya, Lin Xuan had revealed his… incapacity.
He was certain of it.
This blackout was Lin Xuan’s doing too.
Lin Xuan was about to expose something—something big.
Lin Li’s heart hammered violently.
He knew it had to be about his fake identity.
Ever since that man appeared, he had braced himself for the inevitable.
But the sudden darkness triggered his deepest fears.
And now, with the truth moments away from being revealed, sheer terror gripped him so tightly he could barely breathe.
"Mark my words, there’s going to be a bombshell," a man who had attended Lin Li’s previous events declared confidently.
"I agree. Just wait for the screen to light up," his companion chimed in, grinning in anticipation.
The other guests, catching wind of the gossip, turned their attention to the screen, eager for the drama to unfold.
Jiang Yutong overheard them and instinctively faced the screen as well.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
Each passing moment was torture for Lin Li.
Two more minutes crawled by.
By now, the lights had been off for a full three minutes.
Murmurs spread through the crowd.
"It’s been too long. Shouldn’t the screen have turned on by now? Maybe this really is just a power outage, not some elaborate scheme."
"Yeah, if someone was planning to expose something, the screen would’ve lit up already."
Disappointment settled over the guests.
No juicy scandal tonight, it seemed.
Lin Li’s panic gradually subsided as time passed.
Of course. There was no way the same trick would work every time.
This blackout was just a coincidence.
(Thank you for the gifts, dear readers!)
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
