Father Fan couldn’t find Gao Chao either. Lin Yong was on the verge of tears. “What should we do? Gao Chao tricked me out of all my money!”

He took a few days off and searched everywhere, but to no avail. It was as if Gao Chao had vanished from the face of the earth.

The Fan family’s attitude toward Lin Yong began to change. At first, they comforted him, but later they started blaming him. They said he was blind and couldn’t recognize a swindler, and that it was all his own fault. No one treated him kindly anymore.

It was only at this point that Lin Yong thought of his own parents. When something goes wrong, only one’s own parents will stand by them. Other people won’t care.

He went home and explained everything to Father Lin and Mother Lin, nearly causing them to faint from anger. The Lin family’s entire fortune—gone, just like that. This wouldn’t do. They had to confront the Fan family!

Before they left, Mother Lin had an idea. “We’re outnumbered. Let’s call for reinforcements. Bring Lin Qiao and Lin Ning along too!”

And so, Mother Lin came to find Lin Ning. When Lin Ning heard about it, she knew she had to go. After all, part of the 1,400 yuan Lin Yong had taken included her contribution. If she hadn’t been doing housework all these years, would the Lin family have been able to work and earn money so freely?

“I can go, but I have one condition. If I help you get the money back, I want half of it.”

Mother Lin was furious. “You wretched girl! We’re family, so why are you talking about money?”

“Then I won’t go.”

Lin Ning moved to close the door, but Mother Lin quickly blocked it. “Fine, fine, fine. Get the money back first, and then we’ll talk.”

When they arrived at the Fan household, the Lin family didn’t even have time to speak before the Fan family preemptively started making accusations. They complained that Lin Yong only ate without working, that he was lazy and useless, and not someone fit for marriage. They told Father Lin and Mother Lin to take him back.

Lin Yong was so angry that he shouted, “I’m not leaving! If you hadn’t introduced me to Gao Chao, how would I have lost all that money?”

Father Fan retorted, “Lin Yong, that’s unfair. You were the one who wanted to get rich, so I introduced you to Gao Chao out of goodwill. Now you’re turning around and blaming us? If I’d known you’d act like this, I wouldn’t have helped you at all!”

Lin Yong was so furious that he felt dizzy. Ever since he came to the Fan household, he’d been getting the short end of the stick. This was no way to live!

Father Lin asked, “Are you really unable to find Gao Chao?”

“We really can’t find him. We’ve been looking for days, and there’s no trace of him. He must have run away.”

They went to the police station to report the case. After questioning, the police said they would interrogate Gao Chao once they caught him, but for now, there wasn’t enough evidence to make a definitive conclusion.

With that, the situation became a deadlock. Apart from accepting their losses, there didn’t seem to be any other solution.

Father Lin and Mother Lin returned home disappointed, taking Lin Yong with them. Father Fan said he couldn’t stand having Lin Yong around anymore and told him to go home and calm down.

And so, Lin Yong was sent back home alone. When he left for the Fan household, he had taken the Lin family’s entire fortune and even their best furniture. Now that he’d been kicked out, he was both angry and anxious, which eventually made him fall ill.

Lin Ning felt no sympathy for him. In her previous life, when the original host married into the Feng family, she had also been kicked out several times. With nowhere to go, she returned to the Lin family, only to be mocked and pressured by Lin Yong and Fan Xiao’e, forcing her to return to the Feng family.

At that time, the original host had been in a far worse situation than Lin Yong. At least now he still had a place to stay and wasn’t being treated like a ball kicked from one person to another.

However, Lin Yong’s days were indeed miserable. Father Lin and Mother Lin, being opportunistic people, had once thought highly of Lin Yong as their son who would have great achievements in the future. Now that Lin Yong had been thrown out and proven himself incapable, their attitude toward him changed drastically.

Lin Ning didn’t go home. She returned to the Fan household and kept a close watch on them.

The Fan family was shrewd. In her past life, even though Lin Yong hadn’t officially joined their household, he still supported Father Fan and Mother Fan in their old age, treating them better than his own parents.

For someone as calculating as Father Fan, how could he have been swindled by Gao Chao? Lin Ning didn’t believe it.

She squatted across from the Fan family’s entrance from the afternoon until late at night. Finally, at one o’clock in the morning, she saw someone.

The person was wearing a dirt-yellow jacket and sneaking into the building. He climbed up to the third floor. Lin Ning watched as the Fan family’s lights turned on. This person must be Gao Chao.

Lin Ning followed upstairs. When she reached the Fan family’s door, she pressed her ear against it and indeed heard voices coming from inside.

“Gao Chao, why are you back now? Didn’t I tell you to wait until things died down before returning?”

“Fan Ping, this deal was a loss for me. I can’t even go home and have been wandering outside. I’m starving. Get your niece to make me a bowl of noodles.”

Fan Xiao’e’s face darkened. This rascal dared to order her around? Who was his niece?

Gao Chao sneered. “What? My dear niece doesn’t want to do it?”

“Of course she’s willing. Xiao’e, go make your Uncle Gao some noodles.”

Fan’s mother and Fan Xiao’e went to the kitchen, while Fan Ping tried to keep smiling and asked, “Gao Chao, why are you back?”

“Life outside isn’t like it is at home. Money runs out fast. The 750 yuan you gave me is already gone. Fan Ping, lend me some more money.”

Fan Ping’s face darkened. “Gao Chao, we agreed beforehand to split the 1,500 yuan evenly. If you’ve spent your share, that’s your problem. I’ve already spent mine too.”

Gao Chao replied shamelessly, “That’s not my concern. If you don’t give me money, I’ll go tell Lin Yong that his father-in-law scammed him. You decide what to do!”

“You—!”

Fan Ping was at a loss. Back then, Fan Ping had been tempted by the sight of Lin Yong’s 1,400 yuan and had devised a scheme to swindle it with Gao Chao. Together, they had created a scam tailored to Lin Yong involving electronic watches.

First, they bought 15 watches from another dealer, allowing Lin Yong to earn his first profit and get a taste of success. Then, they tricked him into handing over his 1,500 yuan, giving him 120 faulty watches in return. Those watches were worthless junk that no one wanted. After that, they disappeared with the money.

Fan Ping and Gao Chao split the 1,500 yuan evenly, each taking 750. But now, Gao Chao had turned against him. What was he supposed to do?

Fan Ping grew anxious. Dealing with someone like Gao Chao was like making a deal with a tiger—risky and unpredictable.

Gao Chao scoffed. “I’m not asking for much. Just give me 300 yuan. Otherwise, I’ll go straight to the Lin family and expose everything!”

Suddenly, a stern voice came from outside the door. “That won’t be necessary!”

With a loud bang, the door was kicked open. A young woman stood at the entrance. “I’ve heard everything!”

Fan Ping was shocked. “Lin Ning, what are you doing here?”

Lin Ning sneered. “If I weren’t here, I wouldn’t have known how the Fan family schemed against their own son-in-law!”

Father Fan stammered, “This is all a misunderstanding… just a misunderstanding…”