Zhao Hanya and Lin Shaoyang, seeing how deliciously Lin Yuxin was eating, suddenly felt hungry themselves and ended up eating quite a bit too.

Only Lin Qianqian sat aside, eating without much appetite.

Watching the three of them enjoy their meal so naturally, she clenched her silver teeth in frustration.

No, this can’t go on. When she gets back, she must ask her mother for help.

If things continue like this, she won’t have a place in this family anymore.

After the meal, Lin Shaoyang said, “Come on, little sister, Second Brother will take you out for a stroll and let you see the world.”

Lin Yuxin blinked, then suddenly remembered that they had planned to go out today. She obediently nodded and replied, “Okay!”

“Second Brother, Qianqian wants to go too!”

Lin Qianqian hurriedly spoke up.

“You hurt your head yesterday, didn’t you? Just stay home and rest properly. When you’re better, Second Brother will take you out.”

Lin Shaoyang said perfunctorily.

Right now, he felt uncomfortable just looking at Lin Qianqian.

Yesterday, he had heard Yuxin’s inner thoughts and realized that the sister he used to dote on—Lin Qianqian—was not only mistakenly taken in but might also be his father’s illegitimate daughter.

This was too much for him to accept all at once, so he didn’t want to be around Lin Qianqian for now. Better to slip away first.

So, he grabbed the still-dazed Lin Yuxin and headed out.

“Hey! Second Brother!”

Lin Qianqian tried to chase after them but was stopped by Zhao Hanya’s cold voice from behind.

“Qianqian, you’re still injured. Go back and rest.”

Lin Qianqian gritted her teeth, not realizing the change in Zhao Hanya’s tone.

She unwillingly watched Lin Yuxin and Lin Shaoyang leave, then replied, “Yes.”

If she had known, she wouldn’t have used the pity act yesterday.

Not only did she fail to achieve her goal, but now her movements were restricted.

Furious, Lin Qianqian stormed back to her courtyard and summoned a maid to send a message outside the estate.

Meanwhile, Lin Mother also received the news.

Calmly, she took her scissors and carefully pruned the potted plants in front of her.

Without any expression, she said, “Follow her and see where she’s sending the message.”

“Yes.”

The maid obeyed and withdrew.

“This family needs to be cleaned up,” Zhao Hanya said casually, but her words sent chills down the spines of the nearby servants. It seemed that change was coming to the Lin household!

…

Lin Yuxin was pulled out of the estate by Lin Shaoyang.

“Second Brother, where are we going?” she asked curiously.

“I’ll take you shopping first, buy you something nice, and then take you to see something exciting,” Lin Shaoyang said mysteriously.

“What kind of excitement?” Lin Yuxin asked with interest.

“You’ll see soon enough. Let’s go shopping first.”

Lin Shaoyang led Lin Yuxin to the most famous jewelry store in the capital—Liujin Pavilion.

“Honored guests, what would you like to see?” the shop assistant greeted them respectfully as they entered.

“Sis, pick whatever you like. Second Brother has money and will buy it for you.”

【Second Brother, stop bragging. Half of your earnings have to go to the national treasury, and the rest either goes to supporting Big Brother’s military camp or disappears elsewhere. How much do you really have left? Your pockets are probably emptier than mine. You should keep your money.】

Lin Shaoyang’s face stiffened.

How did his sister know all this?

Though he was touched that she was thinking of him, he still had some private savings!

“Second Brother, I don’t really like these. Can we skip it and buy something later?” Lin Yuxin declined politely.

But Lin Shaoyang ignored her, walking straight to the counter and selecting a simple gold-inlaid jade hairpin.

“Wrap this up for me.”

After paying, he handed the hairpin to Lin Yuxin and said, “Take it, little sister. This is a gift from me to welcome you home. Don’t worry, Big Brother and Third Brother will also give you welcome gifts, so just accept them.”

“Alright! Thank you, Second Brother!”

Since he insisted, Lin Yuxin accepted it.

Seeing this, Lin Shaoyang felt relieved and said, “There’s a poetry gathering at Shiya Pavilion today. I’ll take you there for some fun.”

“A poetry gathering?” Lin Yuxin’s eyes lit up. A lively event!

“Yes, let’s go!”

Excited that his sister was interested, Lin Shaoyang quickly led her there.

By the time they arrived, Shiya Pavilion was already crowded with scholars and young noblewomen.

“Honored guests, this way, please.”

They were escorted to a private booth on the second floor. Lin Yuxin went straight to the window to watch the excitement below.

The poetry gathering had begun.

【Huh? This guy’s poem is terrible. Even a three-year-old knows it’s bad. How dare he show off?】

【Oh, this one’s good. He has some talent.】

【Ew, that guy is so ugly. Why would he come out to scare people?】

【Oh! That guy is really handsome! Those eyes, that nose, that figure… Mm, a feast for the eyes!】

Lin Yuxin watched the event with great enthusiasm, her thoughts running wild.

Meanwhile, Lin Shaoyang rubbed his temples helplessly.

He just realized how much his little sister’s mind wandered.

Luckily, only he could hear her thoughts—otherwise, they’d be in trouble.

What he didn’t know was that someone else could hear Lin Yuxin’s thoughts too.

In the neighboring booth, two men dressed in luxurious robes, clearly of noble status, were also watching the gathering below.

“Hey, Ah Chen, didn’t they say this year’s poetry gathering would be different? It’s been so long, but it’s just the same old stuff.”

A playful man lazily sipped his tea, looking bored.

The other man, Li Xiaocheng, remained expressionless as if nothing around him could affect him.

However, for the past hour, he had been hearing a female voice talking non-stop in his head.

Was she not tired?

At first, he ignored it, but the voice kept going.

He frowned and asked coldly, “Do you hear someone talking?”

“Huh? No, it’s just me talking just now.”

Fu Beiyin, the playful man, was taken aback and listened carefully. Aside from the chatter downstairs, he didn’t hear anything unusual.

“What’s wrong?” Fu Beiyin asked, puzzled.

“Nothing.”

Li Xiaocheng shook his head slightly.

Just then, the voice in his head stopped.

Assuming he was just tired, he didn’t think much of it.

But before long, the voice started again.

【So that’s Consort Li’s lover? He does have some looks, but what a shame—daring to mess with the Emperor’s woman. That’s bold.】

【Oh, that must be the Minister of Revenue’s illegitimate son. Looks like he’s overindulged—he’ll probably be childless in the future. Serves him right. The Minister of Revenue has been fooling around for years without having a legitimate son.】

【Could that be the Sixth Prince? Rumor has it he prefers men. If that green tea b***h marries him, she’s in for a lifetime of loneliness!】

Li Xiaocheng’s eyes turned icy.

This person knew so many secrets about the nobility—what was their goal?

“Go find out who’s in the neighboring booth,” he ordered in a low voice.

“Yes!”

The servant immediately obeyed and left.