Chapter 158 You two are doing well, having your wedding night here?
When Lin Yiyao pushed open the heavy door of the Lin family home, the lights in the living room were so bright they made her dizzy.
The sounds of arguing came crashing down like shards of glass.
Lin Li's forehead veins bulged as he pointed at Lin Xuqiu's nose.
"Are you out of your mind? You're embarrassing the Yan family in front of the entire Beijing social circle!"
"Now look what's happened! The marriage alliance has fallen through, and we've lost all face. The Lin family has become a laughingstock throughout the world!"
Lin Xuqiu stood with his back straight, his face pale, and a cold smile on his lips.
"I'm crazy? If you weren't so determined to curry favor with the Yan family and sell your daughter for personal gain, would I have gone this far?"
"Now you're blaming me? Brother, you didn't hesitate when you agreed to exchange Yao Yao for benefits!"
Lin's mother stood between the two, her face streaked with tears, her voice trembling.
"Stop arguing... What's the point of arguing now?"
"I wonder where that guy surnamed Lu has taken Yao Yao. What if something happens to her..."
Just then, she caught a glimpse of Lin Yiyao standing in the shadows of the entryway.
The air went still for a moment.
The next second, Lin's mother rushed over first, grabbed her arm and looked her up and down.
"Yaoyao! You're back?"
"Are you alright? Did Lu Zhuo do anything to you?"
Lin Li's face turned ashen, and he snorted angrily.
"You still know how to come back! You've completely disgraced the Lin family tonight!"
"The Lin family raised you for twenty-five years, only to have you join forces with outsiders to slap your own family in the face!"
"You followed that bastard Lu Zhuo..."
"dad."
Lin Yiyao interrupted softly, her voice not loud, but it made Lin Li's subsequent scolding stuck in his throat.
She stood at the intersection of light and shadow in the entryway, her back ramrod straight, her face expressionless.
"I'm here to get my things."
"I won't be coming back."
Lin's mother gasped.
"Yaoyao, what nonsense are you talking about?"
"This is your home!"
Lin Xuqiu pushed Lin Li aside and walked over step by step, his eyes chillingly cold.
"Yaoyao, why?"
She asked, her voice very low.
"You refuse to follow the path I laid out for you, insisting on humiliating yourself in the hands of someone like Lu Zhuo?"
"We could have followed my plan, quietly annulled the engagement, and gotten all the benefits. Neither of us would have looked bad!"
"Why did you have to choose the stupidest one? You've made yourself the biggest joke in Beijing's social circle!"
"Then what?"
Lin Yiyao raised her eyes, her gaze clear and sharp.
"To force my brother to give up his love, just like Uncle Yan did back then? To turn Miss Su into a second Aunt Jiang Ya?"
Lin Xuqiu was taken aback, and his expression changed drastically.
"What?"
Lin Yiyao raised her head, her voice not loud.
"Aunt's plan is nothing more than to force my brother to give in and to force Grandpa Yan to compromise."
"It's about exploiting my brother's weakness and using Miss Su's existence to exchange for the Lin family's greatest benefit."
Her voice was soft, yet clear.
"I don't want to."
Lin Xuqiu sneered.
"What are you pretending to be so high and mighty for?"
Lin Yiyao broke free from her mother's hand.
She looked at Lin Xuqiu and suddenly smiled very softly.
"Auntie, what about my brother in your plan?"
Lin Xuqiu was startled again.
"All you're thinking about is how to maximize your profits and how to make the Lin family leave with dignity."
"Have you ever thought about what your brother would become if things went according to your plan?"
Her voice wasn't loud, but it made Lin Xuqiu's expression change abruptly.
"He will become the second Uncle Yan."
"Forced to give up the person they love, marry a wife they don't want, repeating the tragedy of the previous generation."
Lin Yiyao took a deep breath, as if to exhale all the pent-up frustration that had accumulated over the years.
“Aunt, I know that you hate the Yan family, that Grandpa is biased, and that Uncle Jibai died young.”
“But my brother shouldn’t be a pawn in your revenge. He’s already suffered enough.”
“He lost both his parents when he was young. No one cared about him when he was a child, but everyone pressured him when he grew up.”
"The Lin family already owes them, mother and son, so much..."
She hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.
"In short, the Lin family has ruined his life badly enough."
Her gaze was fixed on Lin Xuqiu, sharper than ever before.
"Especially you, Auntie."
"Are you truly without any remorse for what happened between Aunt Jiang Ya and Uncle Yan back then?"
"I don't like him, I just feel sorry for him."
"I'm afraid every time I see him, not because I'm afraid of him as a person, but because I feel guilty!"
"How can I just stand by and watch you use my marriage as a knife to stab him again?"
Lin Xuqiu's pupils suddenly contracted, and his fingers tightened instinctively.
"If it weren't for you..."
"Enough!"
Lin Xuqiu interrupted sharply, his face deathly pale.
Lin Yiyao stopped and didn't continue.
Some wounds don't need to be completely reopened; both parties understand each other perfectly well.
She just shook her head.
"I don't want to see my brother and the person he likes go through the same path his parents took."
"Two more lives have been lost."
"He finally managed to grasp a glimmer of light; we can't take that away too."
She took a slight breath.
"Therefore, I cannot cooperate with my aunt's plan."
"Doing this is extremely immoral."
Lin Li was so angry that he trembled all over.
"You! You traitorous bastard!"
Lin's mother burst into tears.
"Yaoyao, how could you be so silly!"
"You know Yan Tingnan's character. You're thinking of him, but does he appreciate it?"
"I don't need him to be grateful."
Lin Yiyao smiled, a light smile that carried a hint of relief and a touch of loneliness.
"I do what I think is right, and I have a clear conscience."
She turned away, no longer looking at them, and walked straight to the stairs.
"I'm coming back to pack my things."
"I won't be living here anymore."
Lin's mother was startled.
"Where are you going? To that brat from the Lu family? I won't allow it!"
"It's not Lu Zhuo."
Lin Yiyao stopped in her tracks, stood in the middle of the stairs, and turned halfway to the side.
"It's me. I have hands and feet and I can support myself."
Lin's mother panicked and took two steps forward to catch up.
"Yaoyao! Where are you going? Are you ever coming back?!"
She turned and walked towards the stairs.
"When you've figured it out."
"Wait for me..."
"Let's talk about it when we really want to come back."
She spoke softly, yet her words struck the deathly silent living room like a hammer blow.
Her slender back was ramrod straight as she went upstairs without looking back.
Like a sapling that has finally broken free from the constraints of a greenhouse, facing the unknown wind and rain outside the window.
Downstairs in the hall, in the deathly silence, only Lin's mother's suppressed sobs could be heard.
Lin Xuqiu slumped into the sofa with a dull thud, as if he had suddenly lost all his strength.
...
As night deepened, the main residence of the Tang Palace was filled with warmth.
As soon as the door closed, Su Ruan was pressed against it by Yan Tingnan.
Her high heels were kicked aside, and she stepped barefoot on his shiny leather shoes as he lifted her up by her hips.
He ripped off his tie and kissed her fiercely and urgently.
“Yan Tingnan…”
She gasped for breath and turned her head away, but he pursued her and kissed her even more deeply.
"etc……"
"I'm not waiting anymore."
His voice was terribly hoarse as he sucked on the delicate skin of her neck.
"I want it now."
Her skirt was pushed up, and her palms were burning hot.
She was breathing heavily, her eyes reddening, as she went to unbutton his shirt.
The doorbell rang suddenly, shattering the tranquility of the room.
Yan Tingnan stopped moving, his breathing became heavy, and his eyes showed the frustration of being interrupted.
Su Ruan pushed his shoulder, panting slightly.
"Let's go take a look."
Ding dong ding dong—
The doorbell rang incessantly, accompanied by Lu Zhuo's hoarse roar.
"Yan Tingnan! Open the door! I know you're home!"
He cursed under his breath and pulled down her skirt.
He then wrapped his suit jacket around her, completely covering her up, before walking toward the door with a sullen face.
The door opened.
Lu Zhuo, reeking of alcohol, leaned against the door frame, his shirt wrinkled and his eyes bloodshot.
"Yaoyao is ignoring me."
He looked up and stared at Yan Tingnan.
"And you two, instead of enjoying your wedding night here?"
Yan Tingnan blocked the doorway, preventing him from entering.
"so?"
Lu Zhuo forced a smile, which looked worse than a grimace.
"So, you owe me an explanation for what you've done?"
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