Had a great chat with Grandpa

"Mm."

Jiang Yutong wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. "Sis, I won’t think about it anymore."

"But, sis, tell me—Lin Xuan has been so deeply hurt by family bonds. Now that he’s resistant to acknowledging us, do you think he might never want to recognize us?"

Jiang Yutong was still fixated on getting Lin Xuan to accept her as his sister.

This was the first time she had ever felt such a strong desire to claim a younger brother.

She didn’t want to fail.

If she succeeded, she would proudly show off Lin Xuan to all her girlfriends.

Look, her brother was capable and handsome!

"I really don’t know," Jiang Manting shook her head.

"Yutong, let’s just take things as they come from now on. We’ll do our best to treat him well, and whether he acknowledges us or not is up to him. We mustn’t pressure him—otherwise, it’ll only backfire," Jiang Manting cautioned, unable to hide her concern.

"Don’t worry, sis. I understand," Jiang Yutong nodded.

She would work hard to make Lin Xuan gradually accept her, until he was willing to call her his sister.

"Yutong, it’s getting late. You should go rest now," Jiang Manting said.

"Mm. You should rest early too, sis."

Jiang Yutong returned to her room and lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Her mind was filled with thoughts of Lin Xuan, leaving her wide awake.

Meanwhile, at the Lin residence.

In the darkness, Lin Li sat at his desk, the floor littered with objects he had swept off in frustration.

"Lin Xuan."

Lin Li gritted his teeth, enunciating each word with venom. "You keep ruining everything for me!"

Just when he was on the verge of securing the Jiang family’s favor, Lin Xuan had to reappear and expose him.

For months, he had trailed after the Jiangs, bending over backward to please them.

All that effort had gone to waste overnight.

Not to mention, he had spent all his money trying to sabotage Lin Xuan—yet Lin Xuan remained unscathed, and the money was gone.

"Lin Xuan."

"Hahahaha."

A chilling laugh suddenly burst from Lin Li’s lips.

"You think I’ve lost? Let me tell you—I haven’t!"

"You’re just enjoying a temporary victory. I, Lin Li, will make a comeback sooner or later."

So what if he no longer had the Jiangs as his backers?

He could still climb his way up through sheer effort!

He was no worse than Lin Xuan!

If Lin Xuan could establish the Tianmu Group, then Lin Li could build an even more formidable company.

And he would bankrupt Tianmu Group, then crush Lin Xuan under his heel!

"Lin Xuan, just you wait!"

"I—Lin Li—will never let this go!"

His eyes darkened with malice.

"Lin! Xuan!"

Unable to contain his rage, Lin Li kicked the desk violently.

Lin Qingwan, who hadn’t yet fallen asleep, heard the commotion from her adjacent bedroom.

Worried, she knocked on Lin Li’s door.

"Li’er, what’s wrong?" she asked anxiously.

Lin Li steadied himself.

He still needed the Lin family’s support—he had to keep up the act.

Taking a deep breath, he forced calm into his voice. "I’m fine, Eldest Sister. Go back to sleep."

"Alright, then rest early."

Lin Qingwan returned to her room.

As she lay in bed, scenes from the day replayed in her mind.

A creeping doubt took hold of her.

Had Li’er really impersonated Lin Xuan and posed as a Jiang family member… for the sake of the Lin family?

If that were true, why hadn’t he discussed it with them?

Come to think of it, many of their misunderstandings about Lin Xuan had stemmed from Li’er’s influence.

Was it possible that their deep-seated resentment toward Lin Xuan was orchestrated by Li’er?

As an adopted son, had Li’er feared that Lin Xuan—the biological son—would steal their affection, so he deliberately schemed to turn them against Lin Xuan and keep their favor for himself?

If that were the case… it was truly horrifying.

Lin Qingwan shook her head violently.

No, impossible. Li’er was filial, and he had been raised in the Lin family since he was four or five. She had watched him grow up—he couldn’t be that kind of person.

She shouldn’t doubt him like this.

A pang of guilt washed over her.

Meanwhile, at Night Garden.

Lin Xuan returned to his room, pushing the door open quietly, assuming Su Hua was already asleep.

The room was pitch-black.

Only faint moonlight seeped through the curtains, barely illuminating Su Hua’s sleeping figure on the bed.

Lin Xuan groped his way to the walk-in closet, grabbed a set of pajamas, and headed to the bathroom.

He turned on the shower.

Standing under the spray, he lathered himself with soap.

Suddenly, he frowned.

Something felt off.

He shook his head.

Why did he keep feeling like something was waiting for him? Even as a man, his instincts were usually sharp…

But what else could possibly happen?

He dismissed it as overthinking and continued washing up.

Sigh.

Before the banquet, Su Hua had teased him in the car.

During the event, she had dragged him into the woods.

And after it ended, when she picked him up, she had pulled him into another round in the car…

Though none of those sessions were long, he was still exhausted.

Thankfully, Su Hua’s grandfather had visited earlier, buying him some time—otherwise, if she had lured him to bed tonight, his kidneys might have staged another protest.

At least Su Hua was tired now.

Tonight, he could finally get some proper sleep.

Completely absorbed in his shower, Lin Xuan didn’t notice the bathroom door creaking open.

Su Hua stood at the entrance.

Lin Xuan’s back was turned to her.

A playful glint flickered in Su Hua’s eyes as she watched him.

Would he be surprised to find her like this?

Her snow-white silk nightgown slid off her shoulders, pooling at her feet.

Barefoot, she stepped forward, closing the distance between them.

Lin Xuan remained oblivious—until a warm, familiar presence pressed against his back.

This… this was Su Hua.

"Ah-Xuan, you’re finally back."

At the sound of her voice, Lin Xuan’s first thought was: My kidneys!

He had a feeling he was about to become "Lin the Workhorse" again tonight.

"Su… Su Hua," he turned around—only to be met with the sight of her completely bare.

Damn it.

With Su Hua like this, "Lin the Workhorse" was inevitable.

But the steam-filled bathroom cast her in a hazy, ethereal glow, making her even more alluring…

Drops of water trailed down her collarbone, slipping between her—

Stop.

Where was he looking?!

Lin Xuan quickly averted his gaze and shut off the shower.

"Su Hua, weren’t you asleep? Why are you up?"

"How could I sleep without you beside me?"

The stunning woman rose onto her tiptoes, looping her arms around his neck.

"You seemed so happy chatting with Grandpa earlier."

Her voice dripped with jealousy.

While Lin Xuan had been engrossed in conversation with her grandfather, he had barely spared her a glance.

She disliked anyone who stole Ah Xuan's attention—whether it was a man or a woman...

She wanted Ah Xuan to see only her, and no one else.

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