Chapter 26

Chapter 26

"But if he's planning to scam people through nude chats, why is he still borrowing money? Does he intend to use it as startup funds?"

Lin Rusong felt a chill of disgust. There was no way his ten million could become startup funds for something like that.

Clearing his throat, Lin Rusong said, "Mr. Cheng, the thing is, I'm also facing some difficulties right now. Ten million might be..."

Cheng Kuang showed understanding. If Lin Rusong actually lent him ten million, he would have been shocked. After all, the Lin family's business was thriving, and neither father nor son seemed like suckers.

Cheng Kuang said considerately, "A few million would be fine too. As long as I can get through this crisis, Mr. Lin, I’ll be forever in your debt."

If not for Lin Tingyue's mind-reading ability, Lin Rusong might have actually fallen for Cheng Kuang's acting.

They say the eyes reveal whether someone is lying, but Cheng Kuang's gaze was sincere and resolute, as if he truly intended to rebuild his life.

"Wait, what? The reason he's borrowing money is because someone told him that as long as he pays a membership fee, he can join a nude chat organization and easily scam millions. But that's not the important part—what really matters is that people from the organization are already in contact with his mistress and his wife."

Huh?

The Lin family stared blankly—a plot twist?

"Wow, so you're playing the long game and plotting revenge?"

"You people keep scamming each other, and in the end, all the money will just end up in the pockets of the real fraudsters. Sigh, seriously, hurry up and download an anti-fraud app."

Lin Tingyue had genuinely never seen someone so foolish, eagerly lining up to be scammed.

Seeing Lin Rusong still hesitating, Cheng Kuang worried the deal might collapse. Seizing the moment, he pressed, "Mr. Lin, you wouldn’t just stand by and watch me suffer, would you?"

"Oho, so now you're guilt-tripping?"

Anti-fraud app?

Lin Rusong's eyes lit up, and Lin Chengyan immediately jumped in, "Uncle Cheng, I’ve heard that many phones are infected with viruses lately. My dad is worried that after transferring the money to you, it might get wiped out by some virus."

Lin Chengyan was different from Lin Yuhuan.

Lin Yuhuan had sharp features and a commanding presence, exuding the aura of a leader that made people feel pressured when speaking to him.

Lin Chengyan, on the other hand, had softer features, resembling Bai Yaxin more. Though he was always fooling around, his tone and innocent-looking face made people unconsciously follow his train of thought.

Cheng Kuang played along with Lin Chengyan and asked nervously, "Are there really such powerful viruses?"

Cheng Kuang had engaged in nude chats before—didn’t that require using other apps? His phone was probably already infected. Suppressing the urge to roll his eyes, Lin Chengyan said earnestly, "Yes, so Uncle Cheng, you should download a mobile security app and an anti-fraud app, just to be safe."

Cheng Kuang nodded repeatedly. "That makes sense."

He couldn’t afford to lose the money he’d gone through so much to get.

After downloading the security app, everything seemed fine. Lin Chengyan even helped clear out the junk from Cheng Kuang’s phone. But the moment the anti-fraud app was installed, Cheng Kuang’s phone immediately went off with alarms.

The piercing alarm made everyone’s hearts race.

"Holy crap, how many scam organizations has this Uncle Cheng joined?"

"This must be the anti-fraud app's hardest working day."

"But Second Brother is pretty sharp."

Lin Chengyan smirked—he was born clever!

Glowing with pride, he teased Cheng Kuang: "Whoops, Uncle Cheng, your phone seems to be locked."

Only now did Cheng Kuang realize something was wrong. Cold sweat broke out on his back as he tried to flee, but Lin Chengyan held him down with a smile. "Don't worry, Uncle Cheng. You're just an upstanding citizen who's having cash flow problems. The police will definitely help you when they arrive."

"Hahahaha, Second Brother is ruthless! Once the police come, Uncle Cheng will be swiss cheese!"

As it turned out, the police arrived, took Cheng Kuang away, and specifically warned the Lin family members who had interacted with him not to trust certain online links. They even stayed to watch them complete a security questionnaire before leaving.

"Who knew I'd need police supervision to take a test?"

"That was intense, but the police are really responsible."

Lin Rusong and Bai Yaxin thought the same. Bai Yaxin gave Lin Rusong a look, and with his arm around his wife’s shoulders, Lin Rusong announced, "Well look at that - I just saved myself ten million!"

"Dad's laying it on thick, and besides, that was your money to begin with."

Lin Rusong almost lost his composure but persisted with his performance. "Since this month is almost over, let's hand out the monthly allowances. How's two mil each sound?"

"Yes, this was originally my money."

Lin Rusong: "..."

Lin Chengyan snorted. "Greedy guts."

Lin Tingyue's ears perked up, and she turned to look at him, holding out her hand sweetly. "If Second Brother isn't greedy, then give me your allowance?"

Two million wasn't something Lin Chengyan couldn’t part with, but because it was Lin Tingyue asking, he grinned and said, "Not a chance," he teased.

Lin Tingyue turned away with a huff.

"If I'm greedy, then Second Brother is a cheapskate."

She chanted, "Cheapskate, cheapskate, cheapskate!"

Lin Chengyan: "..."

Say that to my face, I dare you.

Bai Yaxin asked, puzzled, "There are four of us, so why two mil each?"

"Dad must have included Mom’s share too."

"Yaxin, this is for you as well."

Bai Yaxin suddenly understood. Meeting Lin Rusong’s gaze, she said, "I don’t want it. Divide my portion between the kids."

But Lin Rusong insisted on giving it to Bai Yaxin. In the end, Lin Tingyue got her two million.

Lin Tingyue: So stoked!

...

On Friday, an upperclassman asked Lin Xiawan to go mountain camping over the weekend, when Lin Tingyue's ears perked up.

"That sounds kinda risky."

Lin Tingyue sat down next to Lin Xiawan and asked, "Xiawan, is it just the two of you?"

Lin Xiawan replied, "There are also his good friends. He said I could bring a good friend too. Tingyue, do you want to come?"

When Tingyue was still at the company, she had a colleague she was especially close with. They ate together, commuted together, complained about their boss together, and dreamed of one day achieving financial freedom—then going mountaintop camping and horseback riding on the grasslands.

After all, in every overworked worker's heart lies a vast wilderness.

Lin Tingyue nodded but cautiously said, "Just us girls doesn't seem safe enough. Let’s invite Second Brother and Qing Qing."

"Second Brother is a guy, but most importantly, Qing Qing—Qing Qing is a total badass."

Lin Chengyan, holding a cup of coffee: "?"

What did she mean by "he’s a guy"? He was also a total badass, okay?

Lin Chengyan showed off his guns.

Lin Tingyue warned, "Second Brother, you should never do this in front of your fans."

"Why?"

Afraid he’d charm too many people and cause chaos, huh?

Lin Tingyue said seriously, "It's so cringe and try-hard. You'll lose followers."

"If I were your fan, I’d have already unfollowed by now."

Lin Chengyan: "."

Through clenched teeth, he said, "Lin Tingyue, come say that to my face."

Lin Tingyue shrank back. "No way."

"You'd have to be stupid to go over there."

Lin Chengyan felt even more frustrated—why did it suddenly feel like *he* was the idiot?

Weekend.

Fan Qing appeared in front of Lin Xiawan and Lin Tingyue, looking seriously cool in a cowboy hat.

Lin Tingyue ran up, cheering, "Qing Qing, you look awesome!"

After nodding to each other, Fan Qing suddenly produced a rose, held it between her teeth, and began flashing exaggerated winks at Lin Tingyue. Hah, Lin Tingyue, how could you resist this?

Lin Tingyue: "... Qing Qing, that's way over the top."

Fan Qing stumbled.

"And where did you even get that rose?"

"My pocket. I've got a whole bunch—want one?"

"Sure, I’ll take one."

So when Ying An arrived, what greeted him was Fan Qing handing a rose to Lin Tingyue. Suddenly, Lin Tingyue struck him as a lychee rose—soft and sweet. Ying An hesitated briefly before approaching.

Lin Tingyue took another rose from Fan Qing and handed it to Lin Xiawan. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Ying An and asked, "Why are you here?"

Ying An replied, "I really like camping too."

"We’ve got this in the bag."

"With two guys on our side, plus Qing Qing, the powerhouse, no matter what shady ideas that senior has, he’s gonna regret it."

Ying An smirked.

Lin Chengyan grinned and slung an arm over Ying An’s shoulder, thinking that even with two men and Fan Qing on their side, none of them could compare to Lin Tingyue.

That guy’s gonna wish he never showed up.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t matter if they were men or women—everyone would end up caught in the crossfire.

Ying An gave Lin Chengyan a puzzled look. "What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing."

Just thinking about what was about to happen made Lin Chengyan unable to suppress his laughter.

Considering there were girls in the group, Yang Hui had picked a decently tall mountain—not too steep, easy to climb, and with beautiful scenery. He’d even made a last-minute group chat, arranging to meet at the foot of the mountain.

Yang Hui was handsome and loaded. When he saw Lin Xiawan and the others arrive, he hurried over to help Lin Xiawan with her luggage, playing the gentleman—but his crush on her was way too obvious.

Moreover, all his friends were guys. If Lin Xiawan had only asked Lin Tingyue to come, and it had just been the two of them, wouldn’t this have been a total ambush?

Lin Tingyue already disliked Yang Hui, and now her opinion of him was hitting rock bottom.

Even Lin Chengyan, who’s always joking around, scowled when he saw the group of guys—weren’t they clearly after his sisters?

He and Ying An stuck to them like glue.

But even that wasn’t enough to prevent what happened next.

Once they got to the top and were pitching tents, Yang Hui suddenly confessed to Lin Xiawan.

"Huh?"

"Wait, this isn’t a confession—it’s a freaking ambush!!!"

"Not once has my sister said she liked you—ever."

Lin Xiawan glared at the flowers in Yang Hui’s hands and asked, "What the hell is this supposed to be?"

"EWWW—his last crush was his STEPMOM?! Total psycho!!!"