Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Who else could that sharply dressed figure outside the glass window be but Lin Chengyan?

"Tsk tsk, look at Second Brother, preening like a peacock. Did he come back for his goddess again?"

"Hopelessly lovesick—zombies would puke him back up if they ate him."

Just as Lin Tingyue was thinking of an excuse to go out and find Lin Chengyan, she saw Bai Yaxin stand up first. Bai Yaxin declared, "I’m going to see what on earth Second Brother is doing!"

With that, Bai Yaxin grabbed her purse and marched out with purpose, the others following her one by one.

Leading the pack was Bai Yaxin, while Lin Tingyue brought up the rear. Their little spy team looked... pathetically obvious.

"Second Brother is so oblivious—how hasn’t he noticed us yet?"

"No wonder he's so lovesick!"

Lin Chengyan hadn’t noticed at first, but then he heard Lin Tingyue’s inner voice.

He hadn’t told anyone in the family about his plans today, so how did Lin Tingyue end up here?

Or had her thoughts developed into telepathic range?

No, no, he still wanted some peace and quiet. Couldn’t Lin Tingyue just leave him alone? Then Lin Chengyan turned around, and for a moment, dead silence fell.

Lin Chengyan: "...Mom, Dad, what are you doing here?"

Bai Yaxin and Lin Rusong—one in a regal purple cheongsam, the other in a sharp black suit, looking sharp and dignified—were both hunched over, looking super suspicious!

Bai Yaxin straightened up, trying to look dignified. "We’re here for a banquet."

"Where’s the banquet?"

Lin Chengyan had clearly just seen them coming from the Western restaurant. If they were going to lie, at least they could’ve come up with a better excuse. He might be lovesick, but he wasn’t brainless!

Bai Yaxin pointed at the hotel across the street, where it was still a mess outside.

Lin Chengyan: "..."

He seemed to understand what had happened. Meeting Lin Tingyue’s gaze, he couldn’t help but think: From now on, any banquet Lin Tingyue attends will probably be a complete disaster, huh?

"Second Brother, why are you looking at me like that?" Lin Tingyue batted her eyes innocently.

"Second Brother got busted hard—caught by Mom and Dad, he’s doomed now, hahaha!"

Lin Chengyan: "..."

You ask why I’m staring at you? Your thoughts are so damn loud, Lin Tingyue!

Lin Rusong asked hesitantly, "Lin Chengyan, did you come back to see Cheng Jinshuang?"

Lin Chengyan sighed. "Dad, is that really all you think of me?"

Even hopeless romantics can change, okay!

Lin Rusong looked at Lin Chengyan carefully. After all, in the Lin family, Lin Rusong was pretty understanding and hated upsetting his kids. Hesitantly, he asked, "So... you don’t like Cheng Jinshuang anymore?"

Lin Chengyan didn’t hesitate: "No way."

Lin Rusong: "..."

Oh really? Lin Chengyan really had some nerve messing with him now. Lin Rusong fumed, "Lin Chengyan, get your ass home right now!"

Sensing Lin Rusong's anger, Lin Chengyan backed down quickly. He said, "Dad, I can't go home yet. I'm here for work."

Lin Rusong asked, "Yeah right?"

He groaned: "Dad, can't you cut me some slack?"

Lin Rusong snorted. Lin Tingyue asked, "Second Brother, is the event you're attending held in this hotel?"

"If it is, it's probably already ruined."

"Nope."

"Not sure why, but that's a relief."

Bai Yaxin still wasn't buying it. Just to be safe, she said, "Let’s go with you. Once the event is over, you can come home with us."

[Note: “Let the heavy rain fall~” – singing lyric reference?]

"It's not just Dad who doesn't trust you, Mom doesn't either."

"Is Second Brother about to cry?"

"Ah, why are you glaring at me, Second Brother? Was I enjoying this too much?"

Lin Tingyue ducked behind Bai Yaxin.

Fine, they didn’t believe him. Lin Chengyan was genuinely here for work, so he had nothing to hide. He said, "Alright, Mom and Dad, I’ll take you there."

The event was held not far from the hotel—today was the opening of a new condo development.

Lin Rusong whispered to Bai Yaxin, "I think this is Lao Du’s project. He invited me, but..."

Although Bai Yaxin wasn’t close to Wen Jie, there might still be tea—and now, there really was some tea.

Lin Rusong had noped out of the invitation.

New property openings were common, but this kind of drama was rare.

Bai Yaxin said, "Smart move."

After all, Lin Rusong and Lao Du weren’t exactly besties anyway.

As soon as Lin Chengyan arrived at the venue, he went backstage. When Lao Du approached, Bai Yaxin and Lin Rusong immediately pasted on smiles. Lao Du said, "Mr. Too-Busy, I didn’t expect you to actually show up."

Lin Rusong replied, "Well, it was a scheduling thing. As soon as the other event ended, I hauled ass over here."

"I heard something happened at the Nian family’s wedding banquet. What exactly happened?"

"You don't wanna know."

While Lin Rusong and Lao Du were talking, the reception staff, seeing how familiar they were with the boss, ushered Bai Yaxin's group to the front row.

The event scheduled for 2:30 PM was nearly time, but there was no sign it would start.

Lao Du kept checking his watch. Being superstitious, he believed that missing the scheduled time would bring bad luck, so he sent someone to check.

Meanwhile, Lin Tingyue also sensed something was wrong.

“Something's wrong, why hasn’t the event started yet?”

“Did something happen?”

Not again?!

Wait, drama in two places?

Bai Yaxin and Lin Xiawan lit up with excitement and moved closer to Lin Tingyue, while even Lin Chengyan, who was waiting backstage, strained to listen.

“Let me see… Other than Second Brother, Xing Sheng Group also invited a female guest. She came in through another entrance and accidentally saw her boyfriend with a blonde, blue-eyed girl…”

“And this female guest’s boyfriend happens to be Xing Sheng Group's heir. So, on the day of the new property launch, the heir got caught cheating?”

Lin Rusong barely suppressed a laugh. His relationship with Lao Du was just for show, and last time, Lao Du had stolen a business deal from their company. Wasn’t he superstitious?

Missing the scheduled time versus his son’s infidelity—the latter seemed way worse luck.

By now, Lao Du’s face turned ghostly pale. He ordered his assistant to find his son right now, while Lin Tingyue slipped after the assistant.

“Gossip, wait up!”

For the new property launch, Xing Sheng Group, flush with cash, had set up a massive stage with a huge display screen showing the company name.

The assistant bypassed the screen and headed toward the model display area of the property. Lin Tingyue saw the female guest, Yun Xixue, marching angrily that way.

“No, no, they’re not in the model houses at all.”

Who said that?

Was someone warning her? That bastard was two-timing her—if he wasn’t in the model houses, where else could he be?

“No way, they actually chose a brand-new RV? How bold. How do I let her know?”

A few RVs were parked beside the model display area. Lin Tingyue had no idea why they were there—maybe it was some clever marketing idea.

She racked her brain trying to figure out how to subtly drop a hint, but then she saw Yun Xixue and her assistant heading straight for the RVs. Lin Tingyue’s eyes lit up.

“A woman’s intuition is always sharp!”

But after searching every RV, they found no trace of anyone.

“Huh? Not inside the RVs? Then where are they?”

Just then, Yun Xixue heard some unmistakably indecent noises coming from behind a silver RV. She pushed open the window but saw nothing. Her heart sank, and she was about to step out and circle around to investigate.

“Nooo! Pretty lady, don’t go over there—it’s too graphic!”

Yun Xixue froze. Meanwhile, the staff controlling the surveillance system near the stage, thoroughly engrossed in the drama, accidentally slipped and projected the footage from behind the RV onto the giant screen.

Xing Sheng Group’s new property boasted top-tier security, with 360-degree surveillance coverage that not only captured crystal-clear images but also played synchronized audio.

And so…

“Is this considered public… you know?”