"I beg you, spare Li'er," Jiang Shuqin pleaded with difficulty.
Butler Wang instinctively glanced at Lin Xuan.
At this moment, Lin Xuan's face was expressionless, filled only with bitter irony.
"Just as I expected. Jiang Shuqin would beg the Jiang family for Lin Li's sake," Lin Xuan remarked mockingly.
Jiang Shuqin was a proud woman who would never easily lower her head or admit fault.
After her falling-out with the Jiang family, she had left and never looked back.
All these years, she had never once mentioned that she was Jiang Liangjun's daughter. Even Lin Qingwan and her sisters likely didn’t know who their grandfather was.
Yet, even after Lin Li betrayed her, she still knelt before the Jiang family to beg for mercy.
In front of Lin Li, Jiang Shuqin truly played the role of a devoted, self-sacrificing mother.
Butler Wang asked worriedly, "Young Master Lin, are you alright?"
Lin Xuan raised an eyebrow and replied indifferently, "Why wouldn’t I be?"
His heart had died long ago in his past life.
The affection of the Lin family meant nothing to him, and Jiang Shuqin’s favoritism had no bearing on him.
"That’s good," Butler Wang sighed in relief, seeing Lin Xuan’s detached demeanor.
"Now that the show’s over, let’s go," Lin Xuan said coolly.
He needed to return to Night Garden quickly.
Hua was waiting for him.
"Understood."
Butler Wang followed Lin Xuan out of the banquet hall.
The crowd in the hall was entirely focused on Lin Li and Jiang Shuqin, so no one noticed Lin Xuan’s departure.
Grandpa Jiang’s eyes flickered slightly.
But his eyes were closed, and Jiang Shuqin failed to notice the shift in his expression.
She assumed he remained unmoved.
She continued pleading, "Father, I beg you. Li'er is my only son. So many times, when I was on the verge of breaking down, it was him who kept me going."
"Li'er can’t be ruined."
"If you spare him, I’ll do anything you ask."
Jiang Shuqin even kowtowed to Grandpa Jiang.
By now, Grandpa Jiang had steadied his emotions.
He opened his eyes and said coldly, "You kneel and beg for a morally corrupt adopted son. Jiang Shuqin, you’ve really outdone yourself."
"No! Li'er isn’t corrupt! Pretending to be a Jiang grandson was just a momentary lapse in judgment. Besides, didn’t he say he was only standing in for me to fulfill filial duties for you? He never once claimed to be your real grandson, so he didn’t deceive you!" Jiang Shuqin still tried to defend Lin Li.
"Hmph—"
Grandpa Jiang’s face twisted in disdain. "You actually believe that nonsense? Jiang Shuqin, you’ve regressed."
With Lin Li’s masterful acting and Jiang Shuqin’s blind favoritism, who knew how much suffering Xuan had endured in this family?
He blamed himself. Had he known Xuan would be treated this way in the Lin household, he would have taken him in long ago.
Jiang Shuqin bit her lip, seething with humiliation at Grandpa Jiang’s words.
Even now, Jiang Liangjun still thought he could lecture her.
If not for Li'er, she would have stormed out long ago.
Grandpa Jiang gave her one last look.
"Fine. I’ll give Lin Li one more chance. But from this moment on, Jiang Shuqin, our father-daughter bond is severed. If you ever come begging for help again, the Jiang family will turn you away."
"Fine! As long as you spare Li'er, I’ll never seek you out again!" Jiang Shuqin agreed without hesitation.
Once Li'er was safe, she would never have anything to do with the Jiangs again.
She had no intention of ever asking them for anything.
Cutting ties completely? So be it.
She didn’t care.
"Security, escort them out," Grandpa Jiang ordered.
Lin Li, still weak-kneed, remained slumped on the floor.
Jiang Shuqin helped him up. "Li'er, let’s go home."
"Alright."
Limping, Lin Li leaned on Jiang Shuqin as they walked out.
Resentment burned inside him.
He had thought he could secure the Jiang family’s backing, but now all his hopes were dashed, and he had been humiliated in front of everyone.
Lin Li shot Jiang Shuqin a dark look.
If she hadn’t severed ties with the Jiangs, he would have been a legitimate member of the family.
None of this would have happened.
Jiang Shuqin was a fool. The Jiangs were thriving, yet she had insisted on cutting them off instead of clinging to their power.
Jiang Shuqin suddenly felt an eerie gaze on her, sending a chill down her spine.
Frowning, she turned—only to see the cold fury in Lin Li’s eyes.
Noticing her stare, Lin Li quickly masked his expression with guilt.
Jiang Shuqin relaxed.
She must have imagined it.
Li'er would never look at her like that.
Lin Xuan waited outside for his ride.
He checked his watch and frowned. "Why isn’t the car here yet?"
Butler Wang replied respectfully, "Young Master Lin, it should arrive soon."
"Mm."
Lin Xuan nodded and pulled out his phone.
Just then, Lin Li and Jiang Shuqin spotted him.
Lin Li clenched his fists.
This was all Lin Xuan’s fault!
He had known all along that Lin Li was impersonating him as the Jiang grandson. He had orchestrated everything—making Lin Li think he couldn’t attend the recognition banquet, then exposing him publicly!
Jiang Shuqin’s face twisted in rage. She stormed over and raised her hand to slap Lin Xuan.
Lin Xuan caught her wrist and shoved her away.
"Lin Xuan! How dare you treat me like this!" Jiang Shuqin snarled.
Lin Xuan smirked. "Why wouldn’t I? Who are you to me? What right do you have to discipline me?"
Jiang Shuqin’s face darkened.
How could she forget? Lin Xuan was an ungrateful wretch.
Even though she was his birth mother, he had never respected her.
"Lin Xuan," she spat, "when you were in the Lin family, Li'er treated you so well. Yet you schemed against him again and again. Do you have no conscience?"
Lin Xuan: "I don’t. My conscience was eaten by dogs."
"Jiang Shuqin, everything I exposed about Lin Li was true. I didn’t frame him. I just made sure everyone saw him for what he really is."
His tone was taunting.
"Mrs. Jiang, you’re so worked up about me exposing Lin Li’s misdeeds. Could it be… you already knew how disgraceful his actions were?"
"Lin Xuan, you—you—!" Jiang Shuqin’s chest heaved with fury.
"Jiang Shuqin," Lin Xuan said with a smirk, "Starlight Group’s bankruptcy, Lin Li’s ruined reputation, even him becoming a eunuch—this is just the beginning for you two."
[Author’s note: Sorry for the delay. I’ve been coughing badly—probably from eating too many lychees and chicken. I’ve learned my lesson, no more cravings!
Goodnight, everyone!
Thanks to Xinchu Nianfu, Eternal.Cheng, Zhou Yuxi, Grape Peeler, Little Panda 06, and others for the gifts!]
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
] 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.
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
nce】【Lighthearted Comedy】【Ultimate Gentleman's Novel】【Viewer Discretion Advised for Under 16】 The mightiest human hero, Sharen Morian, is resurrected after a thousand years by his wife—the Demon King. This is not your typical hero-vs-demon-king tale.
