Zeng Xinyue's words were full of "deep concern" for Lin Chen's future, but also contained a hint of contempt that was not easily detected.
Lin Chen smiled indifferently, as if he didn't take these "heartfelt words" to heart. He put the food into his mouth without a care. His composure, however, was an indescribable glare in Zeng Xinyue's eyes.
She thought to herself, 'What an ill-mannered country bumpkin! I'm trying to give you some advice, and he just doesn't take it seriously. Just like Liu Xinxin!'
Since stepping into this cozy little house, Su Yanan felt a sense of joy. However, after the arrival of her distant second uncle and his wife Zeng Xinyue, the originally harmonious atmosphere seemed to be shrouded in an invisible gloom, becoming dull and oppressive.
What she found even more unbearable was Zeng Xinyue's unintentional arrogance and obvious disdain for the family. Every word she spoke and every glance seemed to silently proclaim her sense of superiority, making everyone feel uncomfortable.
"By the way, Lin Chen, I remember Haizhou University asked you to clarify the facts before and asked you to go back to continue your studies. Why didn't you go?" Su Yanan suddenly spoke up, breaking the silence in the room and successfully drawing everyone's attention to Lin Chen.
These words were like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples. Zeng Xinyue's expression instantly became complicated, while Li Dalong's gaze darted back and forth between Lin Chen and Su Yanan, filled with doubt.
"Lin Chen, you...you really studied at Haizhou University?" Li Dalong's voice carried a hint of uncertainty as he turned to his cousin Liu Xinxin beside him for confirmation.
A proud smile bloomed on Liu Xinxin's face, her eyes sparkling with affection for Lin Chen: "Yes, Lin Chen is so smart! Haizhou University, that's a place so many people dream of!"
Zeng Xinyue couldn't help but feel uneasy. She found it hard to believe, and even more unwilling to believe Liu Xinxin's words. After all, she had just been using Lin Chen's "lack of learning" to highlight her son's excellence. Who would have thought that in the blink of an eye, the person she was comparing him to would be a top student from Haizhou University?
Suddenly, a thought flashed through Zeng Xinyue's mind: the name Lin Chen seemed familiar.
"By the way, I saw a news report a few days ago that a student at Haizhou University was expelled for falsely accusing the dean. Could that be you? How could you, at such a young age, have learned to frame a teacher? That's expulsion, not just dropping out!"
Zeng Xinyue's words carried a hint of schadenfreude, as if she had already decided that Lin Chen was the "problem student".
However, as soon as she finished speaking, the atmosphere around them subtly changed. The expressions on everyone's faces varied, but all revealed a hint of displeasure.
Zeng Xinyue realized that her words were inappropriate, but when she thought of Liu Xinxin's praise of Lin Chen and Lin Chen's unmoved attitude and lack of respect for her, an "official's wife" elder, she felt a surge of displeasure.
Thus, those unthinking words were uttered, like sharp blades, unintentionally severing the already fragile harmony.
When Zeng Xinyue mentioned the dismissed student from Haizhou University, Li Dalong immediately recalled the relevant news reports. He knew that although the media had made a big fuss about it at the time, Haizhou University had not given Lin Chen a formal apology. However, the dean was subsequently arrested for his improper private life. Putting the two events together, anyone with eyes could see that Lin Chen's slander was not unfounded.
"Alright, stop talking and let's eat." Li Dalong winked at Zeng Xinyue, trying to ease the tension, and at the same time put some food into her bowl.
Listening to Zeng Xinyue's accusations against Lin Chen, Liu Xinxin was instantly filled with rage, and the smile on her face vanished without a trace. She simply ignored her second uncle and aunt.
Seeing this, Li Xiaoyan looked at Zeng Xinyue with a firm gaze and said earnestly, "Second Cousin, I heard from Xinxin that what happened to Lin Chen was actually a frame-up by Haizhou University. Later, Haizhou University called back to apologize to Lin Chen. However, they refused to apologize publicly, so Lin Chen didn't go to school. He chose not to attend on his own initiative, not because he was expelled by Haizhou University!"
Upon hearing Li Xiaoyan's words, Zeng Xinyue's first reaction was to retort: "Really? Would a top-tier university like Haizhou University arbitrarily frame a student? And even so, Lin Chen must have talked back to his teachers. Respecting teachers is a traditional Chinese virtue. Just for that reason alone, his expulsion is not unjust."
"Why can't you shut your mouth?" Li Dalong glared at Zeng Xinyue, his tone revealing his dissatisfaction.
However, these words were like adding fuel to the fire, causing Zeng Xinyue's temper to explode instantly. She stood up abruptly, pointing angrily at Li Dalong and saying, "Li Dalong, you've been promoted to deputy director, so you think you're all high and mighty now, huh? Seeing your good wife being bullied by a few juniors, you don't even speak up for me, and you even join forces with those juniors to talk about me! What use are you!"
Then, the criticism turned to Liu Xinxin and Li Xiaoyan: "And you two, that boy and girl are just new outsiders, so you're siding with outsiders, aren't you?"
Seeing Zeng Xinyue's tantrum, Li Dalong frowned, feeling extremely embarrassed. After all, this was a family dinner, and everyone present was a relative. He said in a deep voice, "Shut up. This isn't home, not a place for you to shout. What do you mean 'outsider'? They've provided so much help to Xinxin; they're family now! You're just making things up because you don't know the facts, how can you blame others?"
“What they say is the truth, and what I say is nonsense. Moreover, what I say is based on evidence, while they just talk nonsense. Anyone can say that.” Zeng Xinyue had lost her temper and was completely disregarding her image.
However, as soon as she said that, the smiles of the relatives who had been barely managing to keep up vanished. Lin Chen sat silently to the side, saying nothing.
At this moment, he spoke slowly, a faint smile on his face, but his tone was unusually firm: "My dear second aunt, are you saying that if I produce evidence proving that the school wronged me, you will apologize to me? Also, Zhu Dehua said the same thing to me back then. Do you know how I replied to him? Respecting teachers is indeed a virtue, but if someone is a beast or an animal, why should I respect them?"
Lin Chen's words were resounding and stunned everyone present.
Despite the disdain from his relatives, Lin Chen felt a surge of emotion, but his expression remained impassive. However, everyone present today treated him like family, and he couldn't allow such precious warmth and affection to be destroyed by a few individuals!
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