Chapter 127

Chapter 127

On the weekend, Lin Tingyue drew back the curtains and stretched with a lazy sigh in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, and was surprised to see that the fruit trees in the garden had begun to sprout new buds.

She bounced downstairs excitedly. Bai Yaxin saw her and asked, "Ting Yue, why so cheerful?"

Lin Tingyue replied, "Spring is almost here."

"Yes," Bai Yaxin glanced out the window, "spring is almost here."

Lin Tingyue sat down beside Bai Yaxin, leaning against her shoulder affectionately and giving her an affectionate nudge. "Mom, what are you all looking at?"

Lin Xiawan handed an invitation to Lin Tingyue, who blinked in surprise. "The Zhou family's banquet?"

"Yes," Lin Yuhuan said. "This banquet the Zhous are throwing is quite grand. Not just our family—any prominent family in City A has received an invitation."

Lin Tingyue studied the invitation carefully. "Is he really throwing a banquet? Or is he just using it as a cover to find buyers?"

Lin Yuhuan and Lin Rusong shared a look. They had the same thought. They knew the Zhou family was bold, but never imagined they'd go this far.

Through his investigations over the past few days, Lin Yuhuan had learned that the hospital under Zhou Feng's name routinely tricked impoverished people into believing they had incurable diseases, pressuring them to organ donations.

The room was unnaturally quiet. Lin Tingyue looked up and asked, "So, are we going?"

Lin Chengyan said casually, "They went through the trouble of inviting us. Of course we have to go."

"Second Bro, since when did you care about etiquette?"

Lin Chengyan walked behind Lin Tingyue and patted her shoulder. "I’m just looking out for my favorite sister."

Lin Tingyue: "?"

"Cut the act."

Lin Chengyan: "..."

Was Lin Tingyue just called him weird?

Lin Chengyan raised an eyebrow. "Not excited to see Ying An?"

"Do we really have to meet at the Zhou family’s banquet? Besides, Mr. Ying might not even attend."

Lin Chengyan scoffed lightly. "Wouldn't that be a shame."

Their back-and-forth broke the tension again.

"Alright, alright," Bai Yaxin said with a smile. "Should I make something special today?"

"Yes please!"

***

On the day of the Zhou family's banquet.

"Yue Yue darling, come here."

Song Hezhu beckoned to Lin Tingyue.

Lin Tingyue walked over and exclaimed in surprise, "Hezhu-jie, Hanyun-jie, you're here too?"

Huo Hanyun replied, "The Zhou family’s throwing such a lavish party, of course I had to come."

Song Hezhu added in a low voice, "If we didn't come, we’d probably get on their bad side."

Lin Tingyue nodded. She spotted plenty of familiar faces, including Shen Bingyan and Gong Nianan.

"What's the matter, Miss Lin? Gawking at us like this—don't recognize us anymore?" Gong Nianan asked, arms crossed.

Lin Tingyue blurted out honestly, "Even if I forget anyone else, I'd never forget you, Miss Gong."

This made Gong Nianan crack up.

Shen Bingyan glanced at the camera hanging around Song Hezhu's neck and asked, "What's this?"

"Oh..." Song Hezhu lifted the camera and shook it lightly. "Since I had nothing better to do, I thought I'd give journalism a shot."

She had a feeling the Zhou family would give her plenty to write about for her future in journalism.

Gong Nianan remarked, "It seems like every time I see you, you're in a different profession."

It reminded her and Shen Bingyan, like the cartoons they watched as kids—kinda fun, in a weird way.

Song Hezhu, grinning, said, "Gotta keep life interesting. Who knows? Maybe one day, Hanyun will even hand over her CEO position to me."

She playfully clung to Huo Hanyun's arm.

Huo Hanyun said, "Hell, take my job too."

Lin Tingyue quickly added, "Hezhu-jie, you can have my job too."

Song Hezhu: "..."

Song Hezhu stayed silent, just clenching her jaw.

Most of the guests had arrived, and all the people Lin Tingyue knew were gathered around her. Still, she kept peering around. Song Hezhu teased, "Hey there, Yue Yue, who are you waiting for?"

Lin Tingyue said without hesitation, "Mr. Ying."

"Still calling him 'Mr. Ying'? Might as well call him ‘hubby’."

Song Hezhu was just teasing casually, but Lin Tingyue’s brain short-circuited—she had never even considered marrying Ying An before.

But marrying Ying An wouldn’t be the worst thing, would it?

"Speak of the devil, your Mr. Ying is here."

Ying An appeared at the entrance of the banquet hall and beelined for Lin Tingyue. Stopping in front of her, he asked, "Have you been waiting long?"

Lin Tingyue's eyes crinkling with a smile, "Not at all, I just got here."

"So. Damn. Hot."

Lin Chengyan: "..."

Lin Tingyue, have some self-respect!

Lin Chengyan stood nearby, parroting Lin Tingyue's words with a shit-eating grin.

Ying An glanced at Lin Chengyan, "Lin Chengyan, are you okay?"

Lin Chengyan: "?"

Oh, great. Stealing their prized "cabbage" and then mocking him—some brotherly bond this is.

"Just as I thought—sneaking around behind my son never ends well."

A middle-aged woman suddenly grabbed a young woman’s hair viciously. "Out with it—who’s the other man?"

The young woman winced in pain. "Mom, what’s gotten into you? What adulterer? Let me go first—you’re pulling my hair so hard it hurts."

"Now it hurts?" The middle-aged woman refused to relent. "Did you care about pain when you cheated on my son? You wicked woman!"

"Ma’am, ma’am," a man who had come with the middle-aged woman tried to mediate. "Let her go first. This is someone else’s banquet—don’t cause a scene."

"What’s there to be embarrassed about? You think the Zhous would let some cheating woman waltz in here?"

Sheng Xuan was at a loss for words. If this old bat kept going, she wouldn’t just embarrass herself.

If the Zhou family blacklisted them, they’d be done for.

"Auntie, please—"

Sheng Xuan stepped in to break it up.

"Pfft, the cheater’s standing right here, and you’re clueless."

He Zhiting froze—who said that?

Sheng Xuan sighed in relief. "That’s right, auntie. Violence isn’t the answer, no matter what."

"You hit her but not you, huh? Playing the loyal brother while banging his wife behind his back."

Now He Zhiting understood.

What a joke.

Her son had dodged the question, stammering. Left with no choice, she dragged along her son’s so-called friend to catch them in the act—only to realize this two-faced creep was the one cheating.

He Zhiting slapped Sheng Xuan across the face, shocking him into rage.

"You crazy old witch—what the hell?"

"Just now it was ‘auntie’ this and ‘auntie’ that. Did you think just because I’m old, I’m blind and deaf? I’ll smack the decency back into you!"

He Zhiting swung wildly, leaving the two men unable to fight back.

Lin Tingyue sighed. "Auntie’s still got it."

The Zhous summoned security to drag them out—just as Zhou Yi arrived.

Amused, he asked, "What’s all this?"

The security guards hesitated, but a nearby servant quickly explained the situation.

Zhou Yi said with amusement, "Here to catch a cheater?"

The servant gave a quick nod.

"Then let go of this lady. I despise those who are unfaithful in marriage the most. Go ahead, ma’am, continue."

Hezhi landed several more slaps until her hands ached, but Zhou Yi showed no intention of stopping her.

Hezhi forced herself to ask, "Mr. Zhou, can we leave now?"

Zhou Yi asked, "Getting cold feet?"

"How could I possibly soften toward them?"

"Then why leave? Scum like this deserves worse than death."

Even if she hated them to the bone, she couldn’t actually kill them. Just as Hezhi was caught in a dilemma, Zhou Feng arrived.

He frowned and asked, "What are you doing standing here?"

"Catching some live drama—cheating scandal. Quite entertaining. Wanna watch, bro?"

"Get them out of here," Zhou Feng snapped.

Zhou Yi’s bright expression darkened instantly but quickly recovered. He asked through gritted teeth, "Not your kind of fun, bro?"

Zhou Feng said coldly, "Today’s banquet is crucial for our Zhou family. Don’t embarrass us here."

Zhou Feng brushed past Zhou Yi and stepped onto the central platform.

"Thank you all for attending today’s banquet. We hope you enjoy yourselves. The Zhou family has also prepared lounges for everyone on the second floor."

Lin Yuhuan and Song Hezhu glanced up at the second floor. Was that where the deal would go down as well?

Song Hezhu applauded politely while whispering to Huo Hanyun, "Looks like the Zhou brothers aren’t as tight as people say."

Huo Hanyun nodded. "Anyway, we need to keep an eye on Ting Yue. If she shows any signs, we’ll need to redirect her fast."

"Yeah, yeah."

Zhou Yi approached Lin Yuhuan with a glass in hand. "Lin, have you given any thought to the project in the east?"

Lin Yuhuan countered dryly, "Am I the only one you’ve pitched this to?"

"Of course."

"Then why does it feel like everyone’s talking about the eastern project?"

Zhou Yi’s expression remained unchanged. "Talk is cheap."

He raised his glass. "I only made an agreement with Lin."

Zhou Yi was like a viper waiting to strike.

Lin’s eyes were unreadable behind his glasses. He clinked glasses with Zhou Yi and asked, "Then has Mr. Zhou discussed this with Director Zhou?"

Zhou Yi shrugged. "This is my business. How’s that any of his business?"

"Isn’t Director Zhou still in charge of the Zhou family now?"

"If Lin hasn’t made up his mind, then forget it. When the eastern project goes to someone else, don’t come whining to me."

Zhou Yi slammed his glass down, his face dark, and stalked off to the second floor.

While they were arguing over there, Lin Tingyue and Ying An stood together. Lin Tingyue stared at her phone, dumbfounded—the Zhou family drama just kept getting juicier.

"I heard that when President Zhou's parents passed away, Zhou Yi was only five years old. It was all thanks to President Zhou that he managed to grow up okay."

"President Zhou is such a good man. The Zhou Corporation must be a stand-up company."

"Where did they find these unreliable paid actors?"

"If Zhou Feng and Zhou Yi were truly good people, why would Zhou Yi be hitting on his sister-in-law?"

Zhou Feng asked, "Where is Zhou Yi?"

The servant barely dared to breathe. "Zhou Yi went to the second floor."

Zhou Feng headed upstairs, and Lin Tingyue followed. The rest of the crowd, unwilling to miss this juicy scandal, piled in behind them.

Zhou Feng angrily pushed open the door of the lounge, and sure enough, inside the bedroom, he saw two figures entwined on the bed.

The woman shrieked and hid in the corner, while Zhou Yi didn't even flinch, letting everyone look.

"Big Brother, are you angry? Didn’t you say everything of yours is mine?"