Lin Wan was the first to arrive; she and Lin An hadn't sat down and talked calmly for a long time.
She sat in her seat, repeatedly reassuring herself that Lin An was just a younger brother a few years her junior, but she still couldn't help but drink water sip after sip to relieve her tension.
When Lin An pushed the door open and entered, she even choked on some water, and only after coughing violently could she speak:
"Lin An, you're here?" She was afraid that Lin An would be offended, so she didn't call him her brother.
Lin An's expression was indifferent as he replied in a deep voice, "Hmm."
"How are you feeling? Have you been feeling unwell since being discharged from the hospital? How did you do on the college entrance exam? And has the company's business been affected by Dad's trouble last time?" Lin Wan asked a series of questions, all of which were things that worried her.
Lin An found it annoying and didn't want to chat with her about everyday things. He said irritably, "Everything is fine, you don't need to worry about it. I'm here today on someone's behalf, and I think you know better than I do what it is."
"What?" Lin Wan was a little confused: "Someone asked you to see me?"
Lin An chuckled twice, thinking Lin Wan was feigning naivety, and sneered:
“You’re better than that good-for-nothing Lin Haoran. You can easily order Zhou Chen around.”
Lin Wan was even more confused. She hurriedly explained, "Lin An, I didn't. I didn't ask Zhou Chen to do anything. We only met yesterday."
"As expected of the eldest daughter of the Lin family, you are far superior to Lin Rou. You managed to bewitch Zhou Chen after just one meeting. By having Zhou Chen intervene, you not only forced me to meet you but also tested his sincerity towards you. Well done!"
Lin Wan's face flushed red, and she felt a tightness in her chest. She found Lin An's unfounded speculation particularly hurtful, but considering the purpose of her trip, she held back.
"Lin An, I won't explain much about this matter to you, but I have a clear conscience. I did not force you to come see me."
Lin An put away his sneer and said calmly, "Alright, then I won't say anything more. Anyway, I'm right here in front of you now, and you've already seen me. You can go back and tell Zhou Chen that you've thought it through and want to join the Zhou Group."
"I will not join the Zhou Group. This is something I explicitly refused before. I have things I want to do!" Lin Wan said firmly.
Lin An frowned slightly and asked in return, "Don't you really want to join Zhou's Company and work for Zhou Chen?"
"Zhou Chen personally invited you, so it must be for a management position at the group headquarters. With the strength of the Zhou Group, your annual salary plus bonuses and dividends will probably make your quality of life even better than when you were with the Lin family."
"Of course, none of that is the most important thing. You can't not see that Zhou Chen has feelings for you, right? Otherwise, he wouldn't care so much about whether you stay or leave. Once you can win him over and marry into the Zhou family, you'll truly be a phoenix rising from the ashes."
"Aren't you tempted? Isn't this what Zhang Wanru has always wanted?"
Lin Wan clenched her fists tightly, her fingers turning slightly white from the force. She was angry and frustrated because she had been misunderstood, but she was helpless because the person who misunderstood her was her own younger brother.
She could understand why Lin An thought that way. That was the family tradition of the Lin family, and that was what Zhang Wanru had always taught her and her sisters.
Lin Wan remained silent for a while before calming herself down and saying, "I told you, I won't go to the Zhou Group."
"Besides, I have no intention of relying on a man."
"I asked to meet you today not for any reason, but because I'm going to start a business in Ningcheng and we won't be living in the same city anymore. I wanted to see you one last time to say goodbye."
"Also, I know you're too lazy to listen, but I want to apologize to you. Not on behalf of the Lin family, but as myself, I apologize for not taking good care of you."
Lin An was stunned after hearing this.
Lin Wan's choice was hard for him to believe, but what moved him even more was that Lin Wan would say things like "I am myself." Wasn't she the kind of person who loved to take the place of her parents and act like a patriarch? Wasn't her life goal the Lin family?
With the past vivid in his mind, Lin An recalled many things that happened when he was in the Lin family.
A deathly silence fell over the private room. The two sat facing each other, and Lin Wan desperately wished that Lin An would say, "I forgive you."
After a long silence, Lin An slowly asked, "You hate me, don't you? To you, I'm not a younger brother, but an intruder, right? When you first met me, weren't you worried that I would take away the company you worked so hard to build?"
Lin An will never forget the look in Lin Wan's eyes when he was brought back to the Lin family. It was one of disgust and wariness. When he suggested visiting the Lin family company, Lin Wan refused him without even thinking.
Upon hearing Lin An's words, Lin Wan's eyes reddened slightly. She lowered her head and whispered, "So you knew all along."
She paused for half a minute, then continued:
“I have always worked very hard. I thought that as long as I did well enough, my parents would eventually see my abilities.”
“Although I am a daughter, I am still their biological child. Lin Zhe is their adopted son. I thought that one day my parents would consider me. I want to gain their approval and also want to inherit the family business.”
"And my appearance shattered your dream, didn't it?" Lin An asked at the opportune moment.
"Yes, you are also my biological son, and I quickly discovered that you have very insightful views on some things. Whenever Dad talks at the dinner table but fails to grasp the main point, you can guide him to point out the key points in a timely manner, and you are only eighteen years old."
“You learn everything very quickly. Even when you’re punished by being made to do chores you’ve never done before, you always do them quickly and well. I knew then that if you had enjoyed a quality education like Lin Zhe, you would definitely be a hundred times better than him. I didn’t have that chance.”
At this point, tears welled up in Lin Wan's eyes, and she sobbed:
“During that time, I was very frustrated, so I kept avoiding you. I knew you were being wronged at home, but I didn’t want to care about you. I was even very cold to you every time I saw you.”
As if she had made a huge decision, she bluntly said, "I admit it! I'm jealous of you!"
Lin An snorted coldly and said indifferently, "Just jealousy? I thought you hated me."
Lin Wan sniffed, her voice trembling: "No, it's just that I was very resistant to you during that period."
“I know this is wrong. You are the same as Xia and Xi, you are all my siblings, but I just can’t help but reject you.”
"I'm sorry, I was too narrow-minded."
Lin Wan cried so hard she could barely breathe: "But I panicked as soon as you left home. I was so afraid of losing you, my little brother."
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