Chapter 103 Three Slaps
As the car pulled into the Lin family villa, Huo Nanchen stopped the car, turned to the side to unbuckle her seatbelt, and placed his warm palm on the back of her cold hand.
Are you ready?
Lin Xili grasped his hand in return, her fingers tightening around his. "Yes, I'm here with you."
The two got out of the car, and unlike the first time they came, the servants were already waiting respectfully at the door to lead them inside.
Lin Weihua, Song Yuan, Lin Junsheng and his wife Chen Jinyue were all in the living room.
Lin Junsheng and Chen Jinyue's three-year-old daughter, Lin Siyu, was not there; she should be at the Chen family's house.
Lin Xili had only met this niece a few times and wasn't familiar with her.
Upon seeing them enter, Lin Weihua stood up and said in a rare friendly tone, "Xi Li, Nan Chen, you're here. Please have a seat."
Song Yuan also forced a warm smile, her gaze falling on the two people's tightly clasped hands, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.
Two years ago, Huo Nanyu's warning still resonated in their ears: that while Huo Nanchen was studying abroad, they must not take the opportunity to force Lin Xili to do things he didn't want to do.
Only then did they belatedly realize Huo Nanchen's identity as a member of the Huo family, and fully understand the weight this daughter now carried.
Lin Junsheng and Chen Jinyue nodded to them, maintaining an awkward composure and abandoning their previous undisguised contempt.
Lin Xili's gaze swept over the expensive imported fruits and pastries on the coffee table, while the aroma of carefully prepared food wafted from the kitchen.
This lavish hospitality may be for her new identity as "the daughter-in-law of the Huo family," rather than for her daughter who has been away from home for a long time.
Moving to the restaurant, the long table was laden with delicacies, far beyond the usual everyday dishes. As the meal began, the atmosphere became somewhat tense.
Finally, Huo Nanchen broke the silence. He took two invitations from Lin Xili's bag and handed them to Lin Weihua and Song Yuan with both hands.
“Uncle, Aunt,” he said calmly, “Xi Li and I will be holding our wedding ceremony in Lixiang Town at the end of the month. This is an invitation for you both. If you are available at that time, you are welcome to come.”
Lin Weihua took the invitation, opened it, and his gaze lingered for a moment on the two names, "Lin Xili" and "Huo Nanchen," side by side.
He looked up at his daughter, his tone unusually tinged with emotion:
“Xi Li, Nan Chen’s words two years ago really woke me up, and they also woke your mother up.”
He paused for a moment, then said, “In the past, we cared for and understood you far too little. We only focused on superficial things and ignored your own value and abilities. You got into the Bureau of Justice, earned a doctorate, and solved so many cases. In the end, it was my shortsightedness that made you so successful.”
These words, which sounded almost like an apology, made Lin Xili pause slightly.
She looked up and saw genuine regret on that usually serious face.
Regardless of how much sincerity she had, this was at least a belated gesture acknowledging that she had forged her own path.
Lin Weihua continued, "Xi Li, which property do you like? Pick one as your dowry."
Lin Xili paused in her chopsticks, looked up, and said calmly, "Dad, no need, Nan Chen and I have already bought them."
Song Yuan was taken aback, then retorted, "Xi Li, are you still blaming your parents? How can you get married without a dowry?"
In the past, Lin Xili would have felt happy and warm upon hearing these words.
But now, whether the compensation was genuine or a calculated move, it no longer matters to her.
She shook her head. "It's not about blaming or not. I just want to work with Nan Chen and build our own little home together through our own efforts."
Song Yuan wanted to say something, but Lin Weihua stopped her with a look.
He realized that the rift caused by his neglect of his daughter over the years would probably only be maintained by this thin layer of kinship in the future.
Just then, "Bang!"
A loud crash came from upstairs as glass items were smashed violently.
This was followed by the child's wailing in fright, and Lin Xuenuo's out-of-control cursing:
"Xu Yanchi, you bastard! You went to see that bitch again, didn't you? Don't you dare come back, waaaaah..."
The foul language, the desperate cries, and the increasingly terrified screams of the child instantly brought the atmosphere downstairs to a freezing point.
Lin Weihua's face turned ashen, and Song Yuan put down her chopsticks, her face full of anger and embarrassment.
Lin Junsheng used to dote on his younger sister, but after trying to persuade her a lot over the past two years, Lin Xuenuo wouldn't listen and he couldn't be bothered to pay attention to her anymore.
Chen Jinyue frowned and muttered, "Here we go again. Can't you just stop for once?"
Song Yuan stood up: "I'll go upstairs and take a look."
"No need." Lin Xili stood up abruptly. "I'll go."
She exchanged a glance with Huo Nanchen, and after receiving his silent support, she turned and went straight upstairs.
Lin Xuenuo's door was ajar, and the inside was a mess.
Bottles and jars on the dressing table were smashed on the floor, with glass shards mixed with water stains.
Lin Xuenuo, with disheveled hair and red, swollen eyes, was hysterically talking to the already disconnected phone.
Her two-year-old son, An'an, stood barefoot not far from the broken glass, his little face pale with fright, crying with his mouth open, but no one paid any attention to him.
The chaotic scene before him made Lin Xili's blood rush to his head.
She avoided the shards of glass, strode over, picked up the frightened An'an, gently patted his back, and softly comforted him, "An'an, don't be afraid, Auntie is here."
She then handed the child to the bewildered maid who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion, indicating that she should take the child downstairs first.
After doing all this, she turned around and faced Lin Xuenuo, who was still sobbing and cursing Xu Yanchi.
Lin Xili raised his hand and, with all his might, slapped it!
A loud slap landed hard on Lin Xuenuo's face.
Lin Xuenuo was stunned by the slap, covering her cheek and staring wide-eyed. "Lin Xili, are you crazy? I haven't done anything to you in the past two years, why are you hitting me?"
"Why?" Lin Xili's voice trembled slightly with anger. "Because I'm your sister!"
"You took out your anger on a two-year-old child after you suffered at Xu Yanchi's place. Look at the broken pieces all over the floor, look at where An'an was standing just now. He is your own child."
Lin Xuenuo opened her mouth, but when she met Lin Xili's eyes burning with anger, she was choked. This was a Lin Xili she had never seen before, so sharp and powerful.
"Smack!"
Lin Xili slapped him again with the same force.
"This slap is to show you how stubborn you are. How your marriage turns out is your own choice."
“You know better than anyone what kind of person Xu Yanchi is. What else can you do besides smashing things, cursing, and scaring children? What good does complaining and self-pity do?”
Lin Xuenuo's head was turned to the side by the blow, her face burning with pain, blood seeping from the corner of her mouth, but more than anything, she felt shame and indignation at being so blatantly exposed.
Lin Xili took a deep breath, suppressing her turbulent emotions. Looking at her sister, who was once incredibly arrogant but was now in a sorry state, she felt no glee at the spectacle, but rather a profound sorrow.
She slowly raised her hand, and under Lin Xuenuo's horrified gaze, simply brushed away the messy strands of hair on her face.
However, before Lin Xuenuo could react, "Slap!"
The third slap landed heavily on her other cheek.
“This final slap,” Lin Xili said in a low voice, “is to wake you up. If you still want to stay in this quagmire of a marriage and be a bitter woman, then go ahead. That’s your freedom.”
She paused, glancing towards the door, "But, Lin Xuenuo, don't drag the child down."
“You brought this child into this world, and you are responsible for him. I don’t want him to become a second me, a child who is neglected by his parents and grows up in fear in a broken family.”
Lin Xuenuo's crying gradually stopped, leaving only blank sobs, "But, Xu Yanchi doesn't want us anymore."
"If he doesn't want you, then you must take care of yourself and your children!"
Lin Xili looked directly at her and said, "Only when you stand up for yourself and have your own value will others not dare to trample on you easily, and true respect will come knocking on your door."
"This principle was taught to me by Huo Nanchen. Now, I'm telling you, whether you listen or not is up to you."
"I'm leaving." Lin Xili turned around, no longer looking at her. "From now on, I won't say another word about your marriage or your choices. You'd better take care of yourself."
After saying that, she walked straight out of the room without looking back.
Huo Nanchen waited silently outside the door, then reached out and grasped her hand, which was red from the force of her grip.
Downstairs, Lin Weihua and the others stood there with complicated expressions, clearly having heard everything.
Lin Xili's gaze swept calmly over them, finally landing on An'an, who was being held by a maid and was still sobbing.
She stepped forward and gently hugged the child, as if she were also hugging her own little self who had been neglected by her parents and felt lonely and helpless.
She let go of his hand and looked at Lin Weihua and Song Yuan. "Dad, Mom, take good care of the child. Siyu is your granddaughter, but An'an is also your grandson. You've seen the news about the case of the minor being harmed."
After saying that, she turned to Huo Nanchen and said, "Let's go."
As Lin Xili left the villa, she looked at the two people's hands that were still tightly clasped together, and then glanced back at the villa.
Whether this family still ignores her or has finally learned to value her is no longer important.
Because the person beside her had already given her more than a thousand kinds of cherishing, understanding and unreserved support.
She squeezed his hand, "Let's go home."
"good."
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