"Are you unwilling to help your family?" Lin Haoran questioned.
Zhang Wanru felt guilty and dared not look Lin Haoran in the eye, and was speechless when asked.
Seeing that Zhang Wanru was unwilling to use her jewelry to supplement the family income, Lin Haoran calculated in his mind how much property she had left, and estimated that it was not much.
He regretted marrying Zhang Wanru. Back then, he had so many choices, many families with greater wealth and influence than the Zhang family. But his father was stubborn and insisted that the Zhang family had helped the Lin family, so he had to marry Zhang Wanru or he would be stripped of his inheritance rights.
If it weren't for inheriting the family business, Lin Haoran wouldn't have chosen Zhang Wanru. This woman is useless; all she knows is how to enjoy herself at home. She has no family support, no outstanding personal abilities, can't help him manage company affairs, and even after many years, she only gave birth to one son, who is a rebellious child.
Lin Haoran's dissatisfaction was evident on his face. Seeing this, Lin Rou tried to appease him, saying, "Dad, we're about to make a lot of money, so let's not worry about these things as a family."
Suddenly, the door was opened.
Lin Wan pulled the sobbing Lin Zhe inside.
Seeing his most beloved son in this state, Lin Haoran angrily rebuked Lin Wan: "What did you do? How did you scare Xiao Zhe like this?"
Lin Wan took out a pearl bracelet and placed it on the coffee table: "I found out he went to the pawn shop to sell this."
"Isn't this my bracelet? How did it end up here!" Lin Rou was overjoyed to have her bracelet back.
"Of course he stole it, and he even framed Lin An." Lin Wan was furious about this.
The Lin family members were stunned when they heard this explosive news: the bracelet had actually been stolen by the most obedient Xiao Zhe.
The air in the living room seemed to freeze, and the only sound could be Lin Zhe's sobbing.
After a long silence, Zhang Wanru murmured, "How could this be? Xiao Zhe is clearly a good boy."
Holding the bracelet, Lin Rou was at a loss for what to do, and offered a haphazard explanation: "Xiao Zhe is probably afraid that Lin An will take away everyone's love for him, that must be it."
Lin Wan was amazed by Lin Rou's thought process; he could even find an excuse for him. She blurted out, "But he not only stole things, he also wanted to sell them for money. How do you explain that?"
"You keep calling him a thief! How can you talk about your own brother like that?" Lin Haoran rebuked angrily.
Lin Wan was stunned. Why was her father acting this way? Back then, they were the ones who called Lin An a thief, but now Lin Zhe wouldn't even let them say the word "thief."
“Yes, he must have his reasons. Xiao Zhe, tell me for yourself,” Zhang Wanru chimed in.
“Mom and Dad, I paid for the Genting Hotel card last time with my credit card. I know that the family is in a tight financial situation recently, and it is a lot of pressure for you to pay off the card. I don’t know how the bracelet ended up in my room, so I thought I would sell the bracelet to help with household expenses.”
Lin Zhe was sobbing uncontrollably, spouting lame excuses.
"I'm afraid you're spending money to maintain your good image," Lin Wan said, seeing right through Lin Zhe's thoughts.
Lin Rou defended him, saying, "Xiao Zhe is still young, and it's inevitable that he'll make some small mistakes. Besides, maybe Lin An put the bracelet in Xiao Zhe's room to frame him."
Lin's parents remained silent.
Lin Wan couldn't bear to watch any longer and looked directly at Lin Haoran, saying:
“Dad, we have to teach Lin Zhe a lesson. He not only lied and stole, but he also framed Lin An, causing us to kick Lin An out of the house. It would be too unfair to Lin An if we just let this go.”
"Mom and Dad, I know I was wrong." Lin Zhe kept apologizing.
Zhang Wanru's heart tightened. Thinking of the day Lin An was kicked out of the house with a bloody head, her heart ached as if it were being torn apart. But things had come to this, and Lin An had made it clear that he would never return to the Lin family. She couldn't afford to lose another son.
Lin Haoran looked at the furious Lin Wan and rebuked her, "Then what do you want to do? Do you want to announce to the world that your brother is a liar and a thief?"
Lin Wan was speechless for a moment, and Lin Haoran continued, "Let me tell you, if Lin An doesn't change his attitude, I won't let him go home. Once Xiao Zhe inherits the company, he will be your boss. Doesn't he have any pride? This matter is over, and no one is allowed to mention it again."
Lin Wan's eyes reddened, and tears involuntarily fell. It turned out that in her father's heart, she was nothing more than someone who worked for the heir.
Even though she caught Lin Zhe stealing and selling things herself, her whole family tried their best to exonerate him. As for Lin An, even though they knew he was innocent, no one was willing to clear his name, let alone apologize to him. They only thought about saving face for Lin Zhe.
But the one who flows with the blood of the Lin family is Lin An, and the person connected to her by blood is Lin An. Are her family members possessed by demons?
Lin Wan's gaze swept over every member of the Lin family. Lin Zhe was a scheming hypocrite, yet his family was letting him off so easily. She was so disappointed.
"You'll only hurt him if you do this." With those words in hand, Lin Wan, tears streaming down her face, stormed out of the room.
Lin Wan started the car, stepped on the gas, and drove towards the old house. Regardless of her family's attitude, she wanted to clear Lin An's name and apologize to him.
Lin Haoran, looking at the good-for-nothing Lin Zhe, vented his anger on Zhang Wanru:
“What do you do at home all day? You’ve raised your child to be like this. You’re responsible for paying off his credit card debt.”
After saying that, Lin Haoran went into the study.
Zhang Wanru felt a sharp pain in her heart again. Her own child had been falsely accused and driven out of the house, and now she could only rely on her adopted son. But she had no idea what the child's true nature was.
Zhang Wanru hoped with a glimmer of hope that Lin Zhe was a filial son. After all, she had raised him for many years, and it was said that the kindness of raising someone was greater than the kindness of giving birth. She took a deep breath and said, "The mock exam is coming up soon. Xiao Zhe, you must get good grades to make your dad happy."
Lin Zhe confidently assured her, "Mom, don't worry, I will definitely get good grades and make you proud."
"Go study, Mom will pay your credit card bill, don't worry."
As night fell, Lin Wan parked her car near the old house, walked to Lin An's door, and mustered up her courage to knock.
"Lin An, are you home?"
Lin An immediately recognized Lin Wan's voice but did not respond.
Lin Wan looked at the swaying figure under the second-floor light and knew that Lin An was at home, but just didn't want to see her, so she dialed Lin An's number.
The call was finally answered on the fifth attempt.
Lin Wan couldn't wait to explain her purpose: "Lin An, I've come to apologize to you."
"An apology? No need!"
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