Chapter 15

Lin Yating cheerfully picked dishes for Ms. Qiao Yilan. Qiao Yilan, now aware of half the truth about the whole incident, looked at her daughter. Lin Wanting had grown up—now she could often hold her own and take charge.

“Why are you two so happy?” Lin Haifeng asked when he saw them in such high spirits. His heart skipped a beat—by all logic, Qiao Yilan should be heartbroken right now. Why did she seem like a different person altogether?

It was mostly because the grand promises Lin Wanting had painted for her were working.

“Dad, isn’t this a good thing? Come on, let’s eat!”

Qiao Yilan didn’t even glance at Lin Haifeng, focusing only on her meal. Lin Haifeng’s instincts told him something was off.

Meanwhile, Xia Xue heard her parents planned to move back to the countryside. Panicking, she took out money and urged them to find a place in the city instead.

“Your mom’s being silly, and you’re just as silly? Can’t you persuade her? That house has been our home since you were born. After all these years, there’s sentimental value. Do you really think Lin Haifeng would just watch us end up on the streets? If I’d known it would turn out like this, I wouldn’t have asked someone to call him for help in the first place.”

Zhang Luomeng didn’t think she’d done anything wrong. She had faith in Xia Jifeng and believed he could make a comeback.

“Dad, I even grabbed the property deed, but Mom kicked me out, saying a married daughter is like water poured out—gone for good.”

What she said was true. Today Wang Xing wasn’t around—he had gone back to his hometown because living in the city was too expensive. If they stayed any longer, they’d end up homeless. All the money he had left went into the wedding, which really wasn’t much.

“How come I don’t see Wang Xing?” The old man actually liked Wang Xing, so he was a bit disappointed not to see him.

“Dad, he went back home for some matters.”

The more Xia Jifeng thought about it, the more wrong it seemed. He decided to go find Lin Haifeng—maybe this was all a setup.

Zhang Luomeng stopped him. “Old man, I was planning to thank him in person when you came back. Why are you making it sound like you’re here to interrogate him? He’s the one who pulled strings to get you released!”

But Xia Jifeng didn’t care—he headed straight for Lin Haifeng’s factory. He’d heard the rumors and believed Old Lin was capable of doing such a thing.

As it happened, Lin Haifeng wasn’t at the factory—he’d gone to see his illegitimate son. Third Sister Ren Meili complained that she hadn’t seen him in days.

“Haifeng, how much longer can this go on? Are you planning to drag it out forever? I’m at my limit!”

One woman was pressing him for divorce, the other for marriage.

Lin Haifeng was caught in the middle—he didn’t want to give up either, but didn’t want to fully commit to either side.

“Meili, I told you from the beginning—I can’t give you a title.”

As the two of them argued, Xia Jifeng arrived at the factory but didn’t find Lin Haifeng. He went to the old residence instead, where he found the mother and daughter basking in the sun at the gate—a rare moment of leisure. A shaft of sunlight fell across them, as if it were washing away some of the gloom in their lives.

“Where’s Old Lin?” Xia Jifeng demanded, eager to confront him. He was sure Lin Haifeng knew where that shipment had gone.

“Isn’t he at the factory?” Qiao Yilan’s good mood was already fragile, and having this matter dragged out again made her lose patience.

Lin Wanting stepped in. “Uncle Xia, this has nothing to do with my dad. You should look for another cause.”

Of course she knew her father was innocent—this whole thing was tied to her.

She was even about to go inside when Lin Haifeng came strolling back, having been urged to return by wedding pressure. After what happened to Old Xia, he’d been reminded of how precious life was.

“Lin Haifeng, I was just looking for you, and here you are!” Xia Jifeng, now impatient and irritable, was convinced Lin Haifeng was guilty.

“Old Xia, you come back and immediately start calling me by my full name? I’m your savior, remember?”

Lin Wanting found the scene all too familiar—Xia Xue was exactly the same way. Like father, like daughter.

“That’s right, Uncle Xia—my dad is your savior! How can you treat him like this?”

Her words only spurred Xia Jifeng on. He glared wide-eyed at Lin Haifeng, practically ready to grab him by the collar.

“Lin Haifeng, since when does your little girl get to cut in? This is between you and me. Tell me the truth—did you take that shipment? I put two-thirds of my fortune into it and personally oversaw it. Besides you, who else knows me well enough to pull something like this?”

Even if Lin Haifeng jumped into the Yellow River, he couldn’t wash away the suspicion. He didn’t do it, but he wasn’t going to bother explaining—Old Xia was clearly here to pin the blame on him.

Lin Haifeng waved his hand, telling the mother and daughter to go inside. Then he followed them in and locked the door behind him.

“Can’t get a moment’s peace—first one, now the other, taking turns to wear me out!” Lin Haifeng muttered.

Qiao Yilan could tell from the scene that Lin Haifeng had meant well but ended up causing trouble.

“Mom, now I finally understand why Xia Xue is like this. It’s inherited—never looking at her own faults. He’s already bankrupt, and he still won’t admit it!”

Lin Wanting grumbled to Ms. Qiao, but Qiao Yilan told her to shut it. This was an adult matter, and she shouldn’t get involved.

Lin Wanting thought, Not only am I involved—I’m the one who actually took that shipment.

With that thought came another idea. This was only the beginning—if the Xia family couldn’t handle even this, how would they survive the storms yet to come?

Xia Jifeng continued shouting outside, unable to accept the outcome, until he finally decided to report the matter to the police.

The entire social circle now knew the Xia family had fallen, and not a single household offered help—they all just watched the spectacle. Even Zhang Luomeng stopped going out to play cards—they were about to end up on the streets.

Lin Haifeng stayed holed up in his study, which Lin Wanting noticed. He clearly hadn’t gone to his stash yet—otherwise he wouldn’t be this calm.

The thought excited her—being reborn was turning out to be way too much fun.

Back in her room, she took out some calligraphy and paintings to admire.

[System Prompt: Painting function unlocked.]

“This system is great—it can even paint! Not bad, not bad. Just don’t play tricks on me.”

Gu Qingqing knocked at the door. Hearing the young lady talking to herself, she thought maybe Lin Wanting had gone a little crazy.

“Miss, are you okay?”

Gu Qingqing had interrupted her at a key moment. Lin Wanting had no choice but to let her in—she still wasn’t fully awake.

“What is it?”

“I thought you were sleepwalking. If not, then never mind~”

Gu Qingqing noticed her cheeks were flushed and her energy high.

After scanning through so many works of art, Lin Wanting was now feeling tired.

[System Prompt: Drink more water and get more sleep.]

“Pfft, what’s that got to do with anything? Fine then, I’ll sleep like the dead.”

[System: Sleep mode activated.]

Qiao Yilan had woken early—at her age, she couldn’t sleep much, though she still felt tired. She sat up to meditate, only to be interrupted by a phone call.