Chapter 27: Confronting the fake young master, successfully slapping him in the face...
Lin Siyi stiffened, then continued to listen quietly to her younger brother's conversation with some unknown creature.
The smile on the man's face froze instantly, as if sealed by invisible frost.
He almost instinctively maintained a calm demeanor, but his hands behind his back clenched tightly, his knuckles turning bluish-white from the excessive force.
Shock surged through his chest like a deep-sea current, threatening to shatter his proud composure.
His gaze involuntarily drifted to the window, where the sprawling mansions and meticulously maintained gardens, symbols of the Lin family's glory and history, still appeared magnificent and serene in the setting sun.
However, at this moment, in his eyes, all of this was shrouded in a gray shadow of impending collapse.
Is it really going to be ruined by my father Lin Yuan's stubborn and unrealistic decisions?
Thinking of his father's aggressive and risky investments in recent years, and the growing discontent at the board meetings, a chilling fear crept up his spine.
Lin Siyi had long understood that the Lin family was in decline, which is why she was desperately trying to expand her territory in North America.
His plan was that even if his father, a self-righteous but incompetent man, squandered all the business in the Asia-Pacific region, at least he could preserve a portion of the legacy left by his grandmother in North America and Europe.
As long as we can retain some of the business, we can gradually develop it in the future, preventing the family's garment workshop from going completely bankrupt.
But Lin Yuan really loved to stir up trouble. One minute he wanted to completely abolish handmade clothing, and the next he wanted the company to be acquired by a large corporation, leaving Lin Siyi overwhelmed.
A high-end luxury brand famous for its handmade clothing is saying it wants to abolish handmade clothing. Even an idiot wouldn't utter such a contradictory statement.
In the past, Lin Siyi respected filial piety and rarely opposed Lin Yuan's decisions, even if he thought Lin Yuan's actions were completely inappropriate.
But since Lin Yuan has already caused such trouble that he could bankrupt the Lin family and have their handicraft workshops bought by others, he can no longer sit idly by.
No matter what, he absolutely cannot let the hard work of his ancestors be wasted in this generation.
Hearing the system's words, Lin Suxing pouted: "What do I care about their bankruptcy? They don't even treat me like their own child, why should I care about them?"
If Lin Siyi hadn't offered to bring him to the Wang family's dinner party, his cheap father would never have brought him, because he felt ashamed.
Therefore, Lin Suxing didn't care about the future of the Lin family. After all, why should he worry about the Lin family when he was treated as an outsider?
The emperor isn't worried, but the eunuch is. Preserving the Lin family's property will only make Lin Ke more comfortable, and he won't gain any benefit. On the contrary, he might get himself into trouble.
The long, slender arm draped over her shoulder conveyed warmth, and the exquisite decorations throughout the room all came from... the people around her.
Lin Suxing looked at Lin Siyi, who had her arm around his shoulder, and then realized that what she had said to the system earlier was a bit inappropriate: "...What will happen to my brother after the bankruptcy?"
"Lin Siyi originally had a chance to make a comeback, but because Lin Ke, Lin Yuan, and Jiang Heyun kept draining his lifeblood, he eventually collapsed due to overwork and was abandoned by Lin Yuan, ultimately ending up in a very tragic state," the system replied.
"Damn it!" Lin Suxing was speechless.
He didn't care at all that Lin Yuan disliked him or thought he was beneath him.
But Lin Siyi has been outstanding since childhood, like "someone else's child". After adulthood, she single-handedly carried the Lin family's overseas business in her early twenties. Such a person... are Lin Yuan and Jiang Heyun still like this? As long as they have no value, they can be discarded at will?
Anything that has no value will be discarded by them, like trash that is used up and then treated as waste.
Lin Suxing pursed her lips and asked, "What are the standards for public disclosure? Does telling only a few people, like Meng Huaiwen introducing me to others, count as public disclosure?"
"No, it doesn't count. You need to introduce it in front of everyone, like saying it on stage at a banquet," the system explained.
“Then… this means my mom and dad have to be willing to host a special banquet for my identity,” Lin Suxing thought. “Otherwise, at someone else’s banquet, we can’t just suddenly go on stage and reveal our identity, or people will probably think we’re going to cause trouble.”
The system repeatedly agreed: "Indeed, so you could consider showing off in front of them more, making them feel guilty, and then they'll be willing to reveal your identity."
“They can’t do that,” Lin Suxing said with absolute certainty. “Unless I demonstrate a higher value than Lin Ke, making them feel that I am more worthy of being their child than Lin Ke.”
Although Lin Suxing hadn't spent much time with Lin Yuan and Jiang Heyun, she had already basically figured out their profit-driven nature.
Lin Siyi overheard his conversation with the system and began to plan how to hold a public banquet to announce Lin Suxing's identity to everyone.
...Making Lin Suxing appear more valuable than Lin Ke, and changing Lin Yuan and Jiang Heyun's opinions, might be difficult for Lin Suxing, but it was very simple for him.
Lin Siyi put her arm around Lin Suxing's shoulder and they walked through the living room of the Lin residence together, each lost in their own thoughts and not speaking for a while.
"Young Master, Second Young Master." The servants greeted them one after another, and whispered among themselves after they had walked away.
"My God, you can tell they're brothers at a glance!" "Yes, blood is thicker than water. Their eyes and brows are so alike! The eldest son is more masculine and handsome, while the second son is more refined and elegant. They're both handsome, but in different styles!" "And you know what, they actually look quite alike to the madam, but the youngest son..." "Shh, is that something to say?!"...
A gray long-pile carpet is laid in the center of the living room, its soft texture contrasting with the natural marble floor.
The TV background wall is made of a whole piece of white marble with a texture like a landscape painting. The mirrors embedded at the top and bottom stretch the spatial layers and create a sense of floating.
The Lin family, though large, had few descendants, so most of the place was always empty. Lin Suxing glanced at it and felt that the living room was as deserted as a showroom in a real estate company.
He was still debating whether to bring up the matter of borrowing money with Lin Siyi right now, and because he was worried that Lin Siyi would ask him for the reason, he hesitated to say it.
The young man, who had just come of age, was used to taking responsibility for earning money and had never asked someone for money before. For a moment, he didn't know how to start the conversation.
But given how much Lin Siyi doted on him and how generous she was, she would definitely give him the money without hesitation if he asked.
Just then, a somewhat shrill voice broke the harmonious tranquility.
"Big brother, are you... going out?" It was Lin Ke's voice.
Lin Siyi looked up toward the source of the sound and saw Lin Ke standing on the porch outside the living room, wearing Balenciaga wide-leg jeans and a turtleneck short-sleeved shirt, obviously having just returned from outside.
“Well, Su Xing isn’t familiar with this area, so I suggested taking him out for a walk.” Lin Ke was still considered her younger brother at this point, so Lin Siyi gave him some face and explained earnestly.
Lin Ke, with her makeup exquisite, felt a pang of unease as she watched Lin Siyi and Lin Suxing with their arms around each other's shoulders in such an intimate manner: "...Oh, I see."
He had lived at home with Lin Siyi for several years, but he had never seen Lin Siyi be so close to him before.
Is it really true that blood is thicker than water, which is why Lin Siyi is so good to Lin Suxing?
But he himself was switched at birth, so what did he do wrong?
Lin Ke felt increasingly aggrieved and, without thinking twice, went straight to Lin Siyi: "Big brother, can I go with you?"
“I’m just showing him the way. You’ll find it boring if you go. Next time we go out, we can all go together.” Lin Siyi decisively refused, worried that Lin Ke and Lin Suxing would have another argument on the way.
Lin Ke pouted, her eyes seemingly glistening with tears: "Big brother, I just thought it's been a long time since we went out to play together, so I wanted to go. Su Xing won't mind."
“I was cyberbullied like that on the show before, and now I can’t participate in many of my shows…” Lin Ke sniffed. “Now I can only go out for a walk every day, and there’s nothing else I can do.”
He was still trying to awaken Lin Siyi's sense of guilt by using the fact that Lin Siyi had tacitly approved the editing of the program, but he did not expect that Lin Siyi had never felt guilty at all: "He brought it on himself."
Like the last straw that broke the camel's back, Lin Ke suddenly burst into a loud wail without any hesitation, the sound of her crying echoing throughout the front hall of the Lin residence.
Lin Suxing & Lin Siyi: "..."? What's going on here??
Lin Ke's crying sounded like the witch's scream in the horror game Left 4 Dead, immediately waking her up and attracting Lin Yuan and Jiang Heyun, who were originally in the study.
"Keke, what's wrong?" Lin Yuan was the first to come out of the study and stood on the platform extending to the second floor of the staircase, looking down.
Jiang Heyun then quickly entered the living room from the other side of the corridor: "What's wrong? I just got back and heard the noise here."
Lin Siyi felt that she hadn't had a headache after a whole day of business: "It's nothing, I need to take Su Xing out to familiarize her with the surroundings."
"Oh, then go ahead. Buy some clothes for Su Xing, it's on my tab." Jiang Heyun thought it wasn't a big deal, so she casually did him a favor.
Lin Ke sobbed, and seeing that Jiang Heyun ignored her, she had no choice but to speak up: "I want to go with them, but my older brother won't take me."
Lin Ke was a child that Lin Yuan had raised since he was a child. Lin Yuan always believed Lin Ke's words unconditionally and always sided with Lin Ke: "Siyi, just take him with you. Wherever you go to play or eat, Dad will pay. There's a new Michelin restaurant that just opened at the foot of the mountain along the seaside avenue. Go eat there. I know the restaurant owner. Just tell them and you'll get a table."
Lin Yuan didn't take the conflict between the children seriously at all, and only thought about settling it with money.
As for Lin Suxing's argument with him on the phone, Lin Yuan had not generously forgiven or forgotten it. He was simply surprised by Lin Suxing's outstanding performance at the Wang family banquet and therefore did not pursue Lin Suxing's "unfilial piety."
Lin Siyi frowned almost imperceptibly: "...Su Xing isn't familiar with this area yet. He wouldn't even know where to go if he drove out by himself, so I suggested taking him out for a drive, not for fun."
He really didn't understand why Lin Yuan and Jiang Heyun didn't take Lin Suxing out for a walk after she had been home for a month and had about half a month before she went to participate in Produce.
The area where they live has strict security. There are three layers of security checks inside and outside Yunshanbo. Entering and exiting requires facial recognition and license plate recognition. Security personnel are on duty 24 hours a day to prevent people from trying to sneak in.
Lin Siyi had no idea how Lin Suxing had managed to leave the house during this time.
Jiang Heyun glanced at Lin Yuan and reassured him, "Okay, then you two can go out. Xiao Ke, didn't you just come back from playing? Stay home and keep Mom and Dad company."
Lin Ke was stunned, and could hardly believe that Jiang Heyun was actually speaking up for Lin Suxing!
He couldn't understand why everyone was helping Lin Suxing after she participated in that ridiculous talent show!
Subconsciously, Lin Ke looked up at Lin Yuan standing on the second floor, only to see him and Jiang Heyun exchange a glance before Lin Yuan calmly said, "Yes, Ke Ke, you can stay home with us. You just got back from the variety show, so you can play a few games of chess with your dad."
Yesterday, Su Wentang and his group of wealthy women took the initiative to approach Lin Suxing and chatted with her. Just like when Lin Ke took the initiative to talk to Su Wentang, Jiang Heyun and Lin Yuan saw this.
Jiang Heyun was immediately embarrassed by her own words, but she was not embarrassed at all. Instead, she was pleasantly surprised: as expected of her own child, even if she just stood there with dignity, people would still take the initiative to come up and talk to her!
That's Su Wentang, a direct descendant of the Su family! It's the first time Su Xing has attended a banquet like this, and she's already met such an important person!
Jiang Heyun and Lin Yuan had forgotten that they had never specifically asked the Wang family to add Lin Suxing's name to the invitation; they simply considered it an honor for the Lin family that Lin Suxing had met such an important person.
Although in reality this has nothing to do with them.
Jiang Heyun found Lin Suxing more and more pleasing to the eye. The boy's eyebrows, eyes, nose, and lips were exactly like hers when she was young. No wonder he received so much attention at the banquet.
As expected, biological children are different. Jiang Heyun's thoughts about the two children were completely changed by what happened at the Wang family dinner. Now she is extremely satisfied with Lin Suxing.
As for Lin Ke... Jiang Heyun has never been satisfied with Lin Ke's appearance, otherwise she would not have agreed to let Lin Ke undergo so many cosmetic procedures.
Even with full-face contouring, nose bridge and forehead augmentation, eye and lip augmentation, and various facial fillers, Lin Ke's appearance can only be described as barely satisfactory.
Lin Yuan's thoughts were much the same as Jiang Heyun's. When Lin Siyi suggested changing rooms for Lin Suxing after they returned to the Lin family home, they immediately and readily agreed.
With interests at stake, Lin Ke has been temporarily abandoned by Lin Yuan because she performed worse than Lin Suxing at the Wang family banquet.
Therefore, when the two clashed, Lin Yuan chose to side with Lin Siyi and Lin Suxing.
No one in this family is on his side or speaking up for him anymore, so what's the use of him crying?
"Fine, I won't go then! I'm already being bullied on the show, and now I have to be bullied here too!" Lin Ke stomped her foot, the bone in her foot making a crisp "crack" sound on the hard marble floor.
Lin Suxing was startled by the sound: ...Damn, what's that noise!
Lin Siyi really couldn't understand the other person's thought process and couldn't help but speak up: "You didn't need to go to Produce Producer in the first place. You don't like singing and dancing at all. You only went because you had to beat Su Xing in everything."
When Lin Siyi first returned to the Lin family and lived with his parents, he hoped to have a closer brotherly relationship with his younger brother. To this end, he often took time to accompany Lin Ke, tried his best to meet the other's requests, and gave him gifts without hesitation.
However, as they spent more time together, Lin Siyi discovered the deep-seated flaws hidden beneath the other person's hypocritical exterior, as well as his true nature—spoiled and incompetent after being pampered by his parents—and thus became unwilling to have much contact with him anymore.
"I don't want to say any more. I'll be back often, so you'd better not try anything funny again." Lin Siyi's gaze swept coldly over Lin Ke, and she said nothing more.
Lin Siyi will inevitably be the heir of the Lin family in the future. If I offend Lin Siyi because of someone like Lin Suxing, it will definitely be a loss for me.
"Hmph! Waaaaaah!" After Lin Siyi and Lin Suxing left, Lin Ke immediately ran back to her room, her face covered in tears, and dialed the phone in a sobbing voice: "Brother, they all bullied me... Can I come to you?"
The man on the other end of the phone had a deep voice, completely different from Zhao Gan's youthful voice: "Of course you can. Who bullied you? I'll have the driver pick you up. Don't worry."
*
Lin Siyi took Lin Suxing to a kaiseki restaurant called "Arashiyama" that requires reservations three months in advance, but can be visited anytime if you have connections.
Hidden halfway up Victoria Peak, a Japanese-style garden features a winding cobblestone path through a dry landscape garden, where paper lanterns cast a warm glow in the twilight.
The private room is built in the traditional sukiya style, with a light fragrance of cypress wood, and a century-old red pine tree just outside the window with its branches reaching out.
"Have a sip of tea to warm yourself up first." Lin Siyi pushed the Kutani ware teacup over, and the rising steam carried the fresh seaweed fragrance of Gyokuro tea.
He noticed that his younger brother had been absentmindedly stroking the natural wood grain of the cypress wood table edge with his fingertips ever since he sat down.
The young man scooped up a spoonful of tender yellow shrimp paste, the delicate broth's freshness melting on his tongue, yet he couldn't hide the confusion in his voice.
Lin Siyi paused slightly as she was thinly slicing the sea bream into the bowl; the fish meat was translucent like glass in the kelp broth.
Lin Suxing's reaction actually reveals Lin Yuan's favoritism.
This at least shows that after Lin Suxing returned to the Lin family, every time there was a conflict between Lin Suxing and Lin Ke, Lin Yuan chose to speak for Lin Ke instead of mediating their conflict fairly and impartially.
Lin Siyi's animosity toward Lin Yuan grew stronger, even though he was his biological father.
He couldn't understand why, after bringing Lin Suxing back, they didn't give the children who had been living away from home more care, but instead used the utilitarian method of judging everything based on "whether it's useful or not."
"...Don't worry, Father wouldn't do this when I'm here." He brushed it off casually, placing the fattest part of the fish belly into his younger brother's plate.
When the eight-inch dish was served, Lin Suxing's chopsticks hovered above the maple leaf-shaped lacquerware for a moment. He suddenly put down the Koga-yaki sauce dish, his hands unconsciously clenching the hem of his clothes under the table, his voice softer than the kudzu starch in the bowl: "Brother... I, can I borrow some money from you?"
"Money?" Lin Siyi's voice didn't reveal much emotion, only a perfectly measured hint of doubt. "How much do you need? What will you use it for?" He didn't immediately refuse.
Lin Suxing seemed relieved, but still didn't look his brother in the eye, and said vaguely, "It's just... I've got my eye on some things, but I don't have enough money of my own." He paused, then added, "I'll pay you back as soon as possible."
Lin Siyi remained silent for a moment, her gaze shifting from her younger brother's slightly reddened earlobes to the Japanese garden in the twilight outside the window, and finally nodded.
“Okay,” he readily agreed, without even asking for the specific amount. “I’ll have my secretary transfer it to you later.”
Outside the window, a sturdy black pine tree stretches its branches out, its clusters of needles catching the afterglow of the sunset. Beside a moss-covered stool, a bamboo water dispenser slowly fills, its tip striking the bluestone with a clear sound.
Lin Suxing scrutinized his expression, and seeing how readily he agreed, she was still somewhat uneasy: "...That's a bit much, five million."
Lin Siyi seemed unfazed, nodding calmly, "Yes, that's fine. Is there anything you'd like to buy? I can have my secretary transfer it to you."
Lin Suxing breathed a sigh of relief, but felt that Lin Siyi had been a little too quick to agree.
The system comforted him, "It's alright. Five million is nothing to these rich people, especially since he hasn't given you any pocket money yet."
"Now that I've got the money, how am I going to persuade Cheng Qiqi to terminate the contract? I can't exactly spoil it for her by telling her that she'll be harassed by the disgusting executives of the modeling agency, can I?" After getting the money, Lin Suxing had a new worry.
So that's what it was for—to help friends in need.
Lin Siyi's expression gradually relaxed: he knew it, his little angel brother really did ask for money to help others!
*
"President Li, this is the information we found."
The summer sunlight, filtered through the heavy velvet curtains, left only a hazy glow that shone through, giving the expensive mahogany furniture and leather sofa in the study a matte finish.
As his subordinates left, they quietly closed the door. Li Xinian sat alone behind the large desk, a thin file spread out in front of him.
His grey-blue eyes were lowered, his gaze falling on the description of physical characteristics in the paper documents in front of him. His slender fingers unconsciously and very lightly stroked the smooth paper, a movement that carried the focus and coldness of someone reviewing an important contract.
[...On the back of my right hand, near the knuckles, there is an old linear scar about 2.5 centimeters long.]
Particles of sunlight float in the air.
At this moment, the objective description in black and white perfectly overlaps with the vague yet unique tactile sensation of that day.
It can't be a coincidence.
Li Xinian slowly leaned back into the soft chair, sunlight casting dappled shadows under his thick eyelashes, perfectly outlining his deep, mixed-race features.
“...Found you.” A slight smile appeared on the man’s face. He raised his right hand and looked down at the empty back of his hand, as if he could “touch” that unique “scar” that only existed in his perception, as if he could travel through time and space.
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Author's Note: This chapter has been revised compared to the previous one. The scenes from the photo studio in the previous chapter have been supplemented, and some plot points have been carried over to this chapter. The word count of the previous chapter remains the same; only new content has been added. Please be aware, my waifus!
By the way, the plot where Lin Ke steals and falsely accuses Lin Suxing will be shown in a few chapters later! [Exaggerated praise][Rose]
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