Going for the Melon

Lin Qingwan nodded slightly. "If that's the case, then it does sound quite interesting."

"Li'er, have something to eat. I bought your favorite cookies," Lin Qingwan said gently.

"Sis, you must have waited in line for a long time to get these, right?" Lin Li asked.

"Not too long, just about half an hour. Li'er, since these are your favorites, waiting a little while is no trouble at all," Lin Qingwan replied with a soft smile.

"Thank you, big sis," Lin Li said, visibly moved.

"We're siblings—no need for thanks," Lin Qingwan said, ruffling Lin Li's hair affectionately.

She couldn’t help but think to herself, If only Little Xuan could be as well-behaved as Li'er...

"Li'er, I still have work to take care of, so I’ll head back to the company now," Lin Qingwan said.

"Alright," Lin Li nodded. "Big sis, be careful on your way."

"Mmm," Lin Qingwan acknowledged before leaving.

Time ticked by.

Forty minutes passed.

Finally, the hotel manager returned to the conference room with two journalists in tow. One of them was holding a USB drive.

Jiang Shuqin’s eyes lit up.

At last, they’re back after all this waiting.

The hotel manager spoke up, "The surveillance footage has been copied onto this USB drive. You’re free to review it now."

With that, he stepped aside.

Once Jiang Shuqin sees the contents of this footage, I’ll get to enjoy the look on her face.

Lin Li was morally questionable, and his abilities and talents paled in comparison to Lin Xuan’s.

I really don’t get it.

Why does Jiang Shuqin dote so much on Lin Li, an adopted son?

Lin Xuan was incredibly capable—at such a young age, he had already founded a corporate giant like Skyveil Group.

Instead of trying to build a good relationship with Lin Xuan, Jiang Shuqin seemed determined to drive him into a corner.

I’ve seen people self-destruct before, but never someone as reckless as Jiang Shuqin.

If she had treated Lin Xuan well, she could have been living in bliss by now.

One of the journalists cautiously reminded her, "Ms. Jiang, are you sure you want to show this footage to everyone now?"

Jiang Shuqin nodded firmly. "Yes, show it to everyone!"

She couldn’t wait to expose Lin Xuan’s true nature.

"Hurry up and plug it in—we don’t want to keep everyone waiting," Jiang Shuqin urged impatiently.

"Alright then."

The journalist inserted the USB drive into the computer, and the footage was projected onto the large screen.

The other journalists immediately trained their cameras on the display.

The surveillance video first showed Lin Xuan stumbling drunkenly out of a private room, supported by Lin Li, who was dressed in a hotel uniform.

Jiang Shuqin pointed excitedly at the screen. "See? The man in the uniform is my Li'er. He wanted to experience life as a waiter, so he took a part-time job at this hotel."

One of the journalists, who had already seen the footage, couldn’t help but interject, "Ms. Jiang, maybe you should wait until after we’ve finished watching?"

Her outburst now only made her look like a fool.

"No, I’ll say it now!"

Jiang Shuqin brushed off the journalist’s hand.

Seeing this, the journalist stopped trying to dissuade her and instead focused on recording Jiang Shuqin’s reaction.

Hmm. This twist should attract plenty of views.

Jiang Shuqin continued pointing at the screen. "The drunk one is Lin Xuan. He was only pretending to be drunk! The waiter is my son. Lin Xuan must have faked his intoxication to lure Li'er into the room, then called those two men and the journalists to escalate the situation—all to ruin Li'er’s reputation!"

Lin Xuan is just that despicable and scheming.

Li'er is too naive—no wonder he keeps falling into Lin Xuan’s traps.

The journalists exchanged puzzled glances.

From what they were seeing, it looked more like Lin Li had orchestrated the whole thing, only for his plan to backfire when Lin Xuan turned the tables.

Why would Lin Li even be working as a waiter?

Even if Starlight Group had gone bankrupt, the Lin family still owned multiple businesses—they couldn’t possibly be short on money.

Given how Jiang Shuqin was decked out in gold and jewelry, it was hard to believe Lin Li would be so desperate as to take a waiter’s job.

But the truth would reveal itself as the footage played on.

Lin Li’s lips curled as he watched the screen.

Here it comes…

Any moment now.

From the surveillance alone, he appeared completely innocent.

Lin Xuan actually dared to let me check the footage—how arrogant.

A cold smirk crossed Lin Li’s face.

Meanwhile, a servant from Night Garden rushed into the kitchen, clutching her phone.

"Young Master Lin, something’s happened! Jiang Shuqin is claiming you framed Lin Li. They’ve pulled up the surveillance footage, and it’s being livestreamed online!" the servant said anxiously.

She had stumbled upon the news while idly scrolling through her phone and immediately rushed to inform him.

Lin Xuan continued chopping vegetables calmly. "It’s fine. Let them review the footage."

It won’t affect me either way.

Seeing his composure, the servant relaxed.

If Young Master Lin is this unbothered, the footage must not be incriminating.

That’s a relief.

Young Master Lin was their young mistress’s beloved, as well as the savior of the household staff. Ever since he and the young mistress got together, her temper had mellowed significantly.

He absolutely cannot be dragged into any scandal.

"Strange," the servant muttered as she left the kitchen. "If the footage doesn’t prove Young Master Lin’s involvement, why was Jiang Shuqin so insistent on checking it?"

Butler Wang thought to himself,

Isn’t it obvious? The footage must have been tampered with by Young Master Lin.

But that’s not the point—the real highlight is that I’m about to witness a spectacular show.

Generally speaking, the dramas orchestrated by Young Master Lin are always top-tier entertainment. I can’t miss this.

Butler Wang was so eager that he abandoned his cooking lesson.

With a grin, he said, "Young Master Lin, I have some urgent matters to attend to. I’ll take my leave now."

I need to catch up on the gossip.

Lin Xuan glanced at Butler Wang, fully aware of his intentions.

"Mm," he acknowledged with a nod.

Butler Wang pulled out his phone as he walked away.

The moment he opened the app, a livestream popped up with the title:

[With Two Men: Did Lin Li Act on His Own, or Was He Framed by Lin Xuan?]

Butler Wang’s eyes sparkled.

This must be it!

He retreated to his room and settled in to watch the livestream intently.

Back in the hotel conference room, the journalists remained fixated on the screen.

The footage showed Lin Li leading Lin Xuan to the eleventh floor.

Then, two men appeared in the surveillance.

Yan Xi reminds you: Due to Tomato’s request for 3 million+ daily updates straining the servers, we now recommend switching to other sources provided by esteemed authors.