Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Over the next two days, not only could Lin Xiawan hear Lin Tingyue's internal monologue, but she also noticed that Lin Rusong and Bai Yaxin seemed to hear it as well.

The three of them exchanged glances, and Bai Yaxin tentatively asked, "Xiawan, you too...?"

Lin Xiawan nodded.

Bai Yaxin said helplessly, "Could this be some new type of condition?"

But looking at Lin Tingyue, who was bouncing around happily, she didn’t seem sick at all. In fact, Lin Tingyue had been getting more well-behaved by the day.

Was it because of this phenomenon that Lin Tingyue had become so well-behaved? she thought.

Bai Yaxin took her time teaching her daughter—she didn’t want Lin Tingyue to become obedient just because of some condition.

She had to get her checked out.

Just as Bai Yaxin was about to step forward, Lin Rusong stopped her. "This seems more like some kind of superpower, doesn’t it?"

Bai Yaxin had thought Lin Rusong had some major revelation, but upon hearing this, she—usually composed and elegant in front of the children—couldn’t help but roll her eyes. "Lin Rusong, what on earth are you thinking? Do you want to send Tingyue to some research facility?"

Lin Rusong quickly apologized, but Bai Yaxin wasn’t accepting it. Meanwhile, Lin Xiawan, who had been silently watching, spoke up. "Mom, Dad, maybe we should observe for a few more days first."

But in truth, she had already tried everything—talking to Lin Tingyue, typing messages, even writing letters—but nothing worked. Lin Tingyue was completely oblivious to it all.

Lin Xiawan realized that whatever this phenomenon was, it couldn’t be interfered with by human means. They could only wait and see.

Bai Yaxin and Lin Rusong agreed. Meanwhile, Lin Tingyue’s internal monologue continued floating into their minds.

"What? This cup costs three million???"

"What? This painting is five million???"

"What? Ten million?! Seriously?!"

"Good lord, rich folks really live dollar by dollar, huh."

It didn’t seem to have much impact—just a little annoying (?).

Bai Yaxin nudged Lin Rusong’s arm. "Maybe you should give Tingyue a bigger allowance. I feel like she might not have enough."

Lin Rusong nodded, and Bai Yaxin added, "If you’re giving Tingyue some, you should give Xiawan some too."

Lin Rusong nodded again. Lin Xiawan wanted to refuse, but Bai Yaxin patted the back of her hand. "Your father and I have already lost twenty years with you. You and Tingyue are both my daughters, and I’ll treat you equally."

Lin Xiawan’s eyes grew misty. "Okay, Mom."

As for Lin Tingyue, as long as she didn’t cause trouble, given her current state, they could probably coexist peacefully.

Soon enough, the day of Lin Xiawan and Cheng Xuan’s engagement party arrived.

Though Lin Xiawan had only recently been recognized by the Lin family, Lin Rusong and Bai Yaxin had been so public about it that everyone now knew the Lin family had two daughters.

The engagement party for a Lin daughter naturally had to be grand, so Lin Xiawan’s celebration was over-the-top extravagant.

Meanwhile, Lin Tingyue—who used to fight over everything with Lin Xiawan—seemed completely uninterested in the high-society crowd.

Dressed in her usual white dress, with a hairband that made her look sweet and adorable, she plunged face-first into the buffet of sweets.

Lin Tingyue's best friend Fan Qing was shocked. She lifted her skirt and walked up to Lin Tingyue, only to be stunned at the sight of the desserts piled on Lin Tingyue's plate. Fan Qing asked, "Yue Yue, what are you doing?"

"Eating yummy cake," Lin Tingyue turned to look at Fan Qing. Crap, she didn’t recognize her. She cautiously asked, "And you are...?"

Fan Qing: "?"

"Even though I don’t know her, she’s so gorgeous! Gorgeous! Let me hug you!"

Fan Qing had been about to scold Lin Tingyue for losing her mind, but upon hearing this voice, she felt weirdly delighted. "I’m Fan Qing, does that ring any bells?"

Fan Qing?

"That’s my awesome, drop-dead gorgeous BFF!"

Fan Qing furrowed her brows. She hadn’t seen Lin Tingyue’s lips move, yet she’d clearly heard her voice.

What the hell?

Had she just heard Lin Tingyue’s actual thoughts???

"Yue Yue..." Fan Qing reached out to grab Lin Tingyue’s hand, intending to tell her about it, when—

A stir broke out behind them. Lin Xiawan and Cheng Xuan had arrived.

Lin Xiawan wore a red velvet cheongsam, a pearl necklace draped around her neck, accentuating her icy elegance. Now, those usually indifferent eyes held a faint trace of joy as she glanced at Cheng Xuan, who stood beside her in a white suit.

"Lin Xiawan is so beautiful, truly worthy of being the real heiress."

"Em... the guy next to her is barely qualifies as a man."

The crowd went still. Where had that voice come from?

People who got it immediately turned to look at Lin Tingyue.

Lin Tingyue: "?"

"Why are you staring at me? Eyes on the stage, people."

Show? Was there some juicy drama going down today?

The crowd eagerly turned their attention to the stage.

Just as the couple was about to exchange rings, Lin Xiawan suddenly kept stalling. Cheng Xuan asked, "What’s wrong, Xia Wan?"

His gaze remained tender and affectionate, but as Lin Xiawan continued to stall, his patience wearing thin.

Had Lin Xiawan caught on?

Impossible. Cheng Xuan shook his head. He’d covered all his tracks—even buying burner phones just to prevent Lin Xiawan from digging around.

But who would’ve thought? Lin Xiawan was ride-or-die for him, never once checking his phone.

How could someone who was 100% for him have noticed anything?

He was this close to becoming a wealthy family’s son-in-law. Success was within reach. Cheng Xuan was laser-focused on the ring in Lin Xiawan’s hand.

The prolonged standoff made the guests restless, especially Cheng Xuan’s relatives.

The engagement banquet was hosted by the Lin family, and most attendees were there for them. But since this involved both families, the Cheng side showed up in force.

"What’s happening?" Mr. Cheng asked.

Lin Tingyue smirked.

"What’s happening? Your precious son is two-timing. Our Lin family won’t tolerate such trash."

Two-timing?

Everyone gasped, turning to stare at Cheng Xuan in shock, but the man at the center of the scandal merely looked bewildered. He kept a strained smile and said, "Xia Wan, what's wrong? Mom and Dad are watching. Let's continue with the ceremony."

"Oh man, if only his side chick called right now... Yikes, that’d be a show."

All eyes were on Cheng Xuan’s… pocket.

Cheng Xuan: "?"

Right on cue, Cheng Xuan's phone actually rang.

The crowd: "!"

Lin Xiawan said, "A-Xuan, your phone’s ringing. Not gonna pick up?"

Something felt fishy to Cheng Xuan. This time, he had brought the phone Lin Xiawan knew about—only she and a few close contacts had this number, and all of them were present today.

So who could be calling him?

With all eyes on him, Cheng Xuan had no choice but to pull the phone from his breast pocket.

The banquet hall was huge, and to ensure everyone could hear the couple's vows, both Lin Xiawan and Cheng Xuan were wearing microphones.

The second he answered, a sugary, flirty voice purred through the speaker—calling him "hubby."

Lin Tingyue: "Wow."

The crowd: Wow.

What kind of mess did they just walk into?

Flustered, Cheng Xuan quickly hung up and explained, "Wrong number."

Hell no! Don’t let this sleazeball slide!" Lin Tingyue shouted, fuming with anger.

Before anyone could blink, Lin Tingyue dashed onto the stage. Fiercely, she pulled Lin Xiawan behind her, tilted her chin at Cheng Xuan, and commanded, "Call her back."

There was no way Cheng Xuan would call back. He hissed through gritted teeth, "Lin Tingyue, don’t go too far. This is your sister’s engagement banquet. Do you really want to ruin such an important moment for her? Everyone knows how sincere I am toward Xia Wan."

"Oh please, 'so sincere'—bullcrap! First you deceive Lin Xiawan, then you go and trick someone else."

Done arguing, Lin Tingyue seized the opportunity to snatch the phone right out of Cheng Xuan’s hand before he could react. In his panic, he’d left the call screen open.

She tapped the screen—redialed.

Cheng Xuan lunged to grab it back, but Fan Qing stepped in, blocking him firmly. Seizing the moment, Lin Tingyue even yanked the microphone off Cheng Xuan’s lapel.

Cheng Xuan seethed, hopping mad, but Fan Qing didn’t budge an inch.

Fan Qing and Lin Tingyue were united in their anger. Cheng Xuan had initially thought of simply pushing Fan Qing down and playing it off as a misunderstanding.

But just as he was about to act, the call connected.

Lin Tingyue put on a sugary, fake voice and asked, "Sorry, I found this phone. Could you tell me who your husband is so I can return it to him?"

The woman on the other end sounded puzzled but replied, "Cheng Xuan."

"Oh dear, I'd better make sure! What if it's a different Cheng Xuan? I'm just *so* considerate!"

The crowd: *You're trying to *nail* him!*

Lin Tingyue pressed, "Which Cheng Xuan?"

"The one who graduated from University A and now works at Lin Corporation."

"Sorry, miss, but it seems this Cheng Xuan of yours is cheating."

With that, Lin Tingyue hung up.

"HAHAHAHA serves you right for playing the field! This lady won’t leave you *any* boats!"

Watching Lin Tingyue mess with his phone, Cheng Xuan finally snapped. "Lin Tingyue, what are you trying to do? Don't think you can ruin my relationship with Xiawan just by hiring actors to fake this!"

"Mhm, mhm." Lin Tingyue nodded half-heartedly, but inside, her mind was *screeching*.

"AAAAAH I remembered wrong! It's not two boats—it's so many boats! Are you some kind of *sea monster*???"

Her pretty brows knitted, and she couldn’t resist pulling Lin Xiawan and Fan Qing a little farther away.

"I need to wash and disinfect my hands when I get back. Hopefully, this *disgusting* man won’t affect my money luck."

And the very next second after the crowd heard Lin Tingyue’s inner thoughts, Cheng Xuan’s phone rang again.

Lin Tingyue answered without hesitation, and this time, even a gruff male voice came through...

"EW EW EW SO GROSS!"