Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The competition was about to begin, and the volunteers started clearing the field.

Lin Chengyan, who had just escaped the crowd of fans and hadn’t even had the chance to greet Cheng Jinshuang, got promptly booted out of the venue.

With a grim expression, Lin Chengyan sat down next to Lin Tingyue.

Lin Tingyue, grinning, asked with concern, "Second Brother, what’s wrong? You look terrible."

"Second Brother, you'll get used to losing—keep at it and you'll lose for good."

Lin Chengyan: "..."

He clenched his fists. "Darn it... If it weren’t for you—"

Who knows what I might catch if I stay too close to him. Once again, an invisible force cut off his words.

Defeated, Lin Chengyan grumbled, "If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have had the chance to see Jinshuang at all."

"Don't mention it," Lin Tingyue said, plonking her binoculars into Lin Chengyan’s hands. "Here, take these and watch, Second Brother."

"Second Brother, play to your strengths as the second lead. Stare at your crush with those deep, affectionate eyes. Even if the crush isn’t yours, your eyes are still yours."

Lin Chengyan was speechless again. He looked at the binoculars in his hand—he actually did need them. Ignoring Lin Tingyue’s internal monologue, he hesitated and asked, "Then what about you?"

"Me?" Lin Tingyue linked arms with Lin Xiawan. "I’ll watch with Sister Xiawan."

"Come on, Sister Xiawan is sweet and cuddly, and she shook off love-struck nonsense at the engagement banquet, achieving absolute victory. Anyone with a brain would stick with her. As for Second Brother… ugh, who knows what I might catch if I stay too close to him."

Lin Chengyan could only fume in silence, helplessly raising the binoculars. Meanwhile, Lin Xiawan smiled and patted Lin Tingyue’s head, lifting the binoculars to her own eyes.

The competition began. Fluent English echoed through the speakers, and Cheng Jinshuang’s voice was standout, carrying a charming accent that made Lin Tingyue’s heart flutter.

"Ugh, she's amazing."

"I wouldn't mind a pretty girl like her."

"But seriously, why are all the people around Cheng Jinshuang such bad dating material?"

Lin Tingyue glanced at the senior brother, the childhood friend, and the second son of the Yun family, before finally settling her gaze on Lin Chengyan. She wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but she felt like there was a hopeful look in the way he was looking at her.

"Sigh, there’s one sitting right next to me."

Lin Chengyan: "..."

Well that ruined the moment.

Lin Tingyue had praised him just a minute ago!

The exhibition match ended, and no surprise, Cheng Jinshuang took first place. Though it was a small-time competition, there was still an award ceremony. Cheng Jinshuang received a 5,000 yuan prize and a bright red honorary certificate with gold-embossed lettering on the cover.

Lin Tingyue was green with envy.

"I could totally do that."

She struck a dramatic pose.

"Ahem... let's see... how are you..."

Everyone covered their ears—“No, you can’t!”

Even Lin Xiawan beside Lin Tingyue lightly tugged at her sleeve.

Lin Tingyue was lost in her imaginary drama and happily daydreaming when she turned to Lin Xiawan in confusion, “What’s wrong?”

Lin Xiawan couldn’t outright say, “They all heard you,” so she redirected the focus to Lin Chengyan, who was standing up, and said with a smile, “Second Brother’s going downstairs.”

Lin Tingyue tilted her head. The award ceremony was nearly over, and it was obvious Lin Chengyan was heading down to see Cheng Jinshuang.

But since when had Lin Xiawan taken an interest in these things?

Lin Chengyan made it to Cheng Jinshuang’s side as he wished, but others moved faster. Cheng Jinshuang was surrounded in the center—all of them there to invite her to lunch.

Yet Cheng Jinshuang turned them all down flat.

What kind of crowd was this? Cheaters, sleazy men, fallback guys, and one hopeless simp—the bottom-of-the-barrel men were all gathered here. Just the thought of it made her want to puke. How could she possibly eat with them?

If she had to choose, she’d pick the girl who had revealed the whole truth to her.

Cheng Jinshuang quickly walked away from them.

The excitement Lin Chengyan had felt on his way there had turned to utter gloom on his way back.

Lin Tingyue tried to console him, “Second Brother, there’ll be other chances.”

“Second Brother, wow, your love life is *so* hard… said no one ever.”

Was she just spouting nonsense? Lin Chengyan’s expression darkened further. He crossed his arms and leaned against the car window, striking what he *thought* was a cool pose, determined to give everyone the silent treatment.

But Lin Tingyue, witnessing this scene:

Mimicked the jolting rhythm of the car: “Doo-doo-doo-duang! Doo-doo-doo-duang!”

Before long, his teeth were rattling. Who could tell him why there were so many speed bumps here?!

Couldn’t a man even sulk in peace anymore?

“Guess leaning by the window to look cool isn’t very realistic after all.”

Lin Chengyan silently straightened up.

Quick as a flash, Lin Tingyue sneakily took a photo with her phone, planning to sell it to Lin Chengyan’s fangirls later.

“This gold-tier candid? Easy 500 bucks.”

Lin Chengyan deadpan extended his hand. “Give it.”

Lin Tingyue reluctantly surrendered her phone. As she wailed, he deleted it and said, “If this kind of photo got out, people would call you a stalker fan (sasaeng).”

Lin Tingyue nodded. “Second Brother, thank you for caring so much about me.”

“Can’t it be ’cause you’re my superstar brother?”

Lin Chengyan hid a smug grin.

“My *ever-so-dramatic*, lovestruck Second Brother.”

Lin Chengyan: *silent fuming*.

Lin Tingyue, did you know you're two-faced?!

"First Miss, Second Miss, Second Young Master, we've arrived."

Lin Tingyue was the last to get out of the car. She noticed a vehicle already parked in the villa's courtyard.

"Oh, do we have guests?"

"Uh-oh, are they here to stake a claim on the family fortune?"

This is how rich-family dramas always play out—not fighting over inheritance, else dealing with troublesome relatives.

When they left earlier, Lin Rusong had also gone out. It was unclear if he had returned yet. Worried that Bai Yaxin might struggle alone, Lin Tingyue picked up speed.

"Mom, Mom, your favorite daughter's here to save the day!"

Though Lin Chengyan and Lin Xiawan didn’t know who might be coming to claim the family fortune, under Lin Tingyue’s influence, they also sped up.

Uncle Zhang, barely out of the car, felt a gust of wind blow past him.

The trio came barreling through the foyer like a storm. Bai Yaxin was in the living room entertaining guests. Seeing them return, she waved them over. "You're back. This is Auntie Zhao and her youngest son."

Lin Tingyue took a closer look, and her eyes instantly lit up. Well damn, it's Lucky Guy—my old pal!

Yun Mingning also seemed surprised to see them here, especially Lin Chengyan, his rival. The air instantly crackled with tension.

Lin Tingyue sipped her juice, soaking up the drama, even mentally cheering them on.

"Go on, fight!"

Zhao Ru paused. Where did that voice come from?

She glanced at Lin Tingyue and Lin Xiawan and said, "Yaxin, you're so fortunate to have gained another daughter."

Zhao Ru was beautiful. Though time had left traces at the corners of her eyes, she remained strikingly elegant, speaking in a calm and pleasant tone.

Zhao Ru handed Bai Yaxin two boxes. "These are what I picked for Tingyue and Xiawan. I was overseas when they held Xiawan’s welcome banquet and couldn’t attend. Just a little something."

Under the circumstances, Bai Yaxin couldn’t refuse. After accepting them, she passed the boxes to Lin Xiawan and Lin Tingyue, who obediently thanked Auntie Zhao.

Lin Tingyue furtively peeked into her box—inside was a sapphire necklace so dazzling it nearly burned her retinas.

"Auntie, you're the real MVP! From now on, you’re my real aunt. I’ve got your back no matter what. Your beef is my beef, your friends are my friends, and your necklace is my necklace!"

Smooth move—taking the gift and running? Lin Chengyan snorted.

Bai Yaxin frowned in disapproval, thinking Lin Tingyue had no backbone, getting swayed by a mere necklace.

But Lin Tingyue was too glued to her phone and missed Bai Yaxin’s glare.

While Lin Tingyue had the book memorized, it was simply too long. Without paying attention, some details slipped her mind, so she'd made a cheat sheet of all the characters.

Now she was skimming her cheat sheet.

Meanwhile, Zhao Ru continued speaking, "I brought Mingning here this time to deliver a marriage proposal."

"Wait, marriage?!"

Not only was Bai Yaxin shocked, but even Lin Tingyue, who had been buried in her phone, snapped her head up in alarm.

"Aren't you still chasing after Cheng Jinshuang?"

Lin Chengyan rolled up his sleeves.

Yun Mingning, however, beamed cheerfully and said, "Yes, Aunt Bai. I'm getting married to the Song family's eldest daughter next weekend."

Bai Yaxin nodded repeatedly and turned to Zhao Ru. "Now that's some happy news!"

"What about Cheng Jinshuang then? Weren't you planning to take her to dinner?"

Lin Chengyan couldn't hold back at all, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Young Master Yun, do you even remember Jinshuang?"

To everyone's surprise, Yun Mingning's smile didn't waver in the slightest. "Of course I remember. Weren't we all going to attend Jinshuang's show match today?"

Lin Chengyan snapped. "You're getting married, yet you're still bothering Jinshuang?"

Bai Yaxin frowned. "Chengyan."

After all, Yun Mingning was the son of her good friend Zhao Ru. What if there was some misunderstanding?

"Aunt Bai, it's fine," Yun Mingning said politely, waving his hand. "Regarding Jinshuang, I'll compete with you on equal footing."

Lin Chengyan: "Huh?"

Everyone present was completely lost.

Zhao Ru also picked up on the weirdness, but since they were in the Lin household, she had to maintain her composure.

Lin Chengyan: "You're getting married—what's there to compete for?"

Yun Mingning replied innocently, "Why shouldn't I? Someone as exceptional as me—limiting myself to liking and marrying just one person—wouldn't that be a raw deal?"

"Holy crap, isn’t the Qing Dynasty long gone?"

"Is there no one here to save my ears?"

"A raw deal? What a lawless rogue! Don’t you know this counts as bigamy?"

Zhao Ru's proper facade cracked. She asked, "Yun Mingning, do you realize what you're saying?"

"Oh Aunt Zhao, he's clueless - plans to give you an aneurysm at the wedding."