Old Master Yan laughed out of frustration. She had the nerves to look down on him with that IQ of hers.
"And now you"re afraid that she might be skeptical? Did you forget that our grandson would need to bring her over to the house and introduce her to the family? When the time comes, she"ll know that you lied to her." Old Master Yan said with a grin.
"Oh yeah, I forgot about this. What can I do now?" Old Lady Yan patted on her thigh and panicked. "Previously, the only thing on my mind was testing Lin Chu. I…I had doubts about her at that time, so I didn"t put too much thought into it. However, after getting along with her, I found out that she"s a really good kid. Do you think that she"ll be mad at me for lying to her?"
Right when Old Master Yan was about to say something, the doorbell rang.
Aunt Chen went to open the door. After a while, they heard Aunt Chen greeted, "Young Master Yan."
Old Lady Yan was still suffering from her guilty conscience, so she was frightened when she heard that. She almost wanted to hide behind the curtains.
Old Master Yan snorted at her, "Look at you."
As Yan Beicheng walked towards them, he even brought along the coldness from outside that surrounded him. Old Lady Yan said guiltily while looking at her tall and st.u.r.dy grandson standing in front of her, "Why didn"t you give us a call before coming over?"
Old Lady Yan dared not confess to Yan Beicheng that she went to test Lin Chu. Yan Beicheng saw how guilty Old Lady Yan looked and he was laughing in his heart. Instead of exposing her, he acted as if nothing happened, "Didn"t I go on a business trip? I just came back yesterday in the middle of the night. I have some work to do, so I went to the company today to settle it. I was thinking about coming over to lunch with you after I"ve finished my work. I brought some souvenirs from Rong City for you two."
As Yan Beicheng spoke, he placed three huge paper bags on the coffee table.
"Also, didn"t I say that I"ll bring Lin Chu over to visit? I haven"t discussed with her when yet, but I was thinking to do so during the Chinese New Year"s holiday. Everyone should be free during that time and I don"t think she"ll be against it, so I"m giving you both a heads up. I figured that Grandma must be very curious about Lin Chu, especially her relations.h.i.+p with the Lin Family, hence I wanted to talk to both of you first before going to Lin Chu."
Old Lady Yan could no longer care less about her guilty conscience. At this moment, she was rather curious about Lin Chu"s relations.h.i.+p with the Lin Family.
Yan Beicheng looked at the two elders sitting in front of him with an excited look on their faces and their ears straightened up.
Aunt Chen brewed a pot of tea and served it to the three of them. She had already kept the cup that Lin Chu used before Yan Beicheng came over.
"Before I explain about her relations.h.i.+p with the Lin Family, I want to tell you both something. I remembered that I was 15 years old the year that my father got into trouble. I was very depressed at the time and Lin Chu was the one who helped me. At that time, she was 6 years old. I didn"t want to go home after school, so I wandered around freely. All I wanted was to find a quiet place and hide there where you both will never find. I was flipping through a wall and accidentally ended up in her orphanage. I saw her the moment I jumped down from the wall. During that time, she was the one who made me happy. Sometimes, her jokes were very childish, but I knew that she just wanted to make me laugh." As Yan Beicheng spoke, the look on his face became softer and he smiled unconsciously while reminiscing on memories.
"I remembered that we were all very worried about you at that time. You didn"t talk much, and you didn"t have a hint of energy in you. It seemed as though your soul had left your body. We were all very worried about you, but you recovered from it after a while and Lin Chu was the reason why." Old Lady Yan sighed and said, "Who would have thought. It must be fate that you knew each other since you were both so young. Moreover, you both managed to find each other after so many years."
Yan Beicheng nodded and laughed while thinking about it. "She was adopted by the Lin family when she was seven years old. I went to look for her, but she was gone already. At that time, I didn"t know which family adopted her. Up until recently, I saw her together with the Lin Family in the newspaper. The newspaper reported that the Lin family adopted her from the Compa.s.sion Orphanage when she was seven years old. I instantly thought of the little girl from years ago. When I look at her face, it felt as if I could still see the little rounded face with baby fat from before. Thus, I immediately asked someone to find out about it."
"The Lin Family has been using the adoption as a facade to create a charitable image in the past few years to build Lin Mao"s reputation. The Lin Family has never been good to Lin Chu. The Lin Family adopted Lin Chu because Lin Zhenghe was injured and in a coma. Since the Old Lady Lin was superst.i.tious, she adopted Lin Chu. Right when Lin Chu joined the Lin Family, Lin Zhenghe woke up. When Lin Chu was a young little girl, all she wanted was a home, parents who loved her, and a family to live with."
"She was a little child who was only a year older than Ningbai. When she first arrived in a new family, she was very nervous and was afraid that the people in the family would not like her. When she saw Lin Zhenghe, she mustered up her courage and called him "father". She wanted the people of the Lin Family to like her and wanted to be part of the family. Nonetheless, after she said that, she was slapped by Su Changxin. She said that she was not qualified to be their daughter and she had no rights to call them her parents. The Lin Family raised her out of pity, but she was still an orphan without a father and a mother. They reminded her to not forget her ident.i.ty, as she was just a charity of the Lin family."
"That"s too much!" Old Lady Yan was furious, especially when she thought about someone of that age, Yan Ningbai. She felt very uncomfortable.
At that time, Lin Chu was about the same age as Yan Ningbai, but Yan Ningbai did not suffer even slightly at home. However, Lin Chu who was the same age was being treated like that.
"At that time, Lin was only 7 years old and Su Changxin was able to do that. I figured that you can imagine how Lin Chu had to live from then on. The older she got, the crueler the Lin Family was to her. Lin Yuwen think of Lin Chu as someone who had nothing to do with the Lin Family, yet she had the t.i.tle of the Lin Family"s second daughter. She felt that it was very unfair. It was originally something that belonged to her entirely, but she had to share some of it with Lin Chu. Be it just something insignificant, she was just not happy with it. Therefore, she often bullied Lin Chu. Lin Zhenghe and Su Changxin naturally did not care about it. Even Old Lady Lin, who is known to be the kindest to Lin Chu, was also on her own granddaughter"s side. All she did was pretend to comfort Lin Chu after something happened."
"I was only able to find out parts of what happened previously, so this is not everything that happened. Even so, from what I"ve found, Su Changxin had always been bad to Lin Chu. On several occasions, Lin Chu had gotten sick from being beaten. There was one time during winter, it was snowing outside and Su Changxin chased Lin Chu into the yard because of Lin Yuwen"s accusation. There were heaters at home, so Lin Chu only wore socks and slippers on her feet. She stood under the snow for half a day and by the time she was let back into the house, her toes had frostbite and she came down with a fever."
"Old Lady Lin was afraid, so she took her to the hospital. Usually, when Su Changxin hit her, Old Lady Lin would just watch at the side and pretend to say a few words or persuade Lin Chu to apologize. However, it was never Lin Chu"s fault and sometimes, children are very stubborn. As long as they think that they"re right, they will never apologize, even if they would need to suffer for it. Sometimes, Old Lady Lin would rather just leave home and return to comfort Lin Chu and apply ointment on her wounds after Su Changxin is done. If she"s sick, she will bring her to the hospital."
"Later on, when Lin Chu grew up, she finally knew how to avoid being in these situations, so she did not suffer anymore. After going to university, she met Cheng Ziming and they both got together. Cheng Ziming is older than her, so he graduated before her. After graduation, he met Lin Yuwen and pursued her in secret. Later on, even after he got together with Lin Yuwen, he did not break up with Lin Chu. Lin Chu lived in the university"s dorm, so she did not know what was going on outside. Besides, she was busy working to earn her tuition fees and living expenses. When she saved up some money, she would give it to the orphanage. From time to time, she would also go to the Cheng Family and buy something for Cheng Ziming"s parents." Yan Beicheng felt annoyed while saying this.
Lin Chu"s good intentions in the past were all gone to waste. Moreover, how could he be comfortable with her treating another man so nicely?
"Cheng Ziming"s parents knew about it early on, but they did not tell Lin Chu. Even though they knew that it wasn"t easy for her, but they still accepted her gifts without any remorse. Lin Yuwen had also brought Cheng Ziming home many times. It was only when they officially got engaged that Lin Chu found out that Cheng Ziming had betrayed her a long time ago. However, Lin Yuwen and Cheng Ziming constantly pushed Lin Chu"s limits by showing off in front of her. He was just a jerk, so Lin Chu did hold a grudge. Although she did feel uncomfortable at first, after seeing it through, all she felt was irritation towards Cheng Ziming. Even so, Lin Yuwen and Cheng Ziming did not believe in it. They did not give up and continued to haunt her."
Yan Beicheng took a sip and continued, "Generally, that"s what happened. You both can also look for evidence if you need proof. In my opinion, based on the Lin Family"s behavior, it would be weird if Lin Chu is getting along with them."
"Oh, I think…" Old Lady Yan wanted to say she felt that Lin Chu had always kept the orphanage in her mind. If the Lin Family were truly kind to her, why would she not want to get along with them?
Nevertheless, she recalled that Yan Beicheng did not know that she went to look for Lin Chu. Therefore, Old Lady Yan quickly shut her mouth, rolled her eyes, and pretended as if she did not say anything.
The corners of Yan Beicheng"s lips jerked slightly and he pretended to not hear anything.
"Since she"s a decent lady, you should bring her home soon." Old Master Yan said very calmly. He had a steady look on his face, but he could not help but move his b.u.t.t forward. Then, he looked Yan Beicheng with his bright piercing eyes, as if he hoped that Yan Beicheng would bring Lin Chu over immediately.
Yan Beicheng"s eyes were filled with smiles as he caressed the red porcelain teacup with his well-structured slender long fingers. The intense fragrance of the tea filled the air and their noses. Yan Beicheng"s low voice seemed to have turned slouchy among the pale, white steam radiating off the tea. "Isn"t Chinese New Year next week? There will be many people visiting on the first day of the Chinese New Year. I"ll discuss with her and try to bring her over as soon as possible from the second day onward."
Old Lady Yan moved forward slightly and pondered. "Oh, I mean... why not bring her over on Chinese New Year"s Eve? Could it be that she"s spending it with the Lin Family? Chinese New Year"s Eve should be a happy day, why would she suffocate herself with the Lin Family and spend the day uncomfortably. Besides, the Lin Family did not treat her as a family member, right?"
"I"ve asked her already, but she wanted to accompany the princ.i.p.al of the orphanage on Chinese New Year"s Eve. After all, the teachers of the orphanage will be returning home to celebrate the festival. The principle"s home is the orphanage as she does not have any relatives. Thus, the principle and the children will be left at the orphanage during Chinese New Year"s Eve. Lin Chu is worried, so she would always return and accompany them every Chinese New Year"s Eve." Yan Beicheng said.
The two elders nodded in understanding and agreed with Yan Beicheng"s arrangement.
Lin Chu brought Yan Ningbai along to the orphanage, thinking that since they were all about the same age, they could get along well.
Lin Chu introduced Yan Ningbai to the children and Mo Jinxi realized that she and Yan Ningbai seemed to have a good relations.h.i.+p and instantly he felt threatened. When he heard Yan Ningbai"s name, he suddenly thought of Yan Beicheng.
"Chu Chu, who is he?" Mo Jinxi took the opportunity to hold Lin Chu"s other hand.
Yan Ningbai heard it and he opened his eyes widely. Then, he looked at the good-looking kid in front of him. Why did he call his daughter-in-law"s name so intimately!
"You...you shouldn"t call her that! It"s very rude!" Yan Ningbai stood up straight with his little belly and stared at Mo Jinxi. He then rolled his eyes around and said, "You should at least… at least call her Sister Chu Chu."
"Jinxi, he is…" Lin Chu was about to introduce him, but their relations.h.i.+p was truly a little odd.
It turned out that Lin Chu did not need to say anything as Yan Ningbai had already straightened his chubby little body and said proudly, "I am her uncle!"
Lin Chu was speechless, "..."
"You, you are being rude!" Mo Jinxi said angrily with his cheeks puffed.
"How am I being rude? This is indeed our relations.h.i.+p. My daughter-in-law is going to marry my big nephew, so I am her uncle!" Yan Ningbai arched his chest even further.
"Chu Chu will never marry your big nephew, she is going to marry me!" Mo Jinxi hurriedly said.
Yan Ningbai rolled his eyes and said, "This is my daughter-in-law. If you want to marry her, you"ll need to call me uncle."
Yan Ningbai raised his eyebrows proudly and said, "Come on, let"s hear you call me uncle."
Mo Jinxi could not react to it at the instance. He felt that would he would be at a disadvantage if he needed to call this chubby little kid "uncle" to be with Chu Chu!
Nonetheless, after a short while, Mo Jinxi came back to his senses. "That"s not right. I"ll need to call you uncle if Chu Chu is marrying your big nephew. However, if she doesn"t marry your big nephew, then she"ll have nothing to do with you and I won"t have to call you uncle!"
The princ.i.p.al walked towards them smilingly while carrying a bag and interrupted the two kids" argument. "That"s it, that"s it. Are you both hungry? Let"s go have a meal, okay!"
The little kids danced happily and sprinted outside. They babbled on their way there and it seemed like they were extremely happy.
"This time, a very kind grandmother purposely spent some money to buy all of you some food because she knew that you are all good kids." Lin Chu said.
When the children heard it, they were particularly grateful. Before Lin Chu even mentioned it, they took the initiative to make an appreciation card for the grandmother.
Lin Chu then gave the address to the princ.i.p.al.
The princ.i.p.al was not that fond of pizza and she did not find it to be any special, in fact, she found the taste to be strange. Even so, as she watched the children eat happily, she ended up eating quite a lot unconsciously.
In the end, everyone"s stomachs were filled to the brim when they walked out of the restaurant. Since the children were still very small, they were afraid that they might get separated. After all, Lin Chu and the princ.i.p.al were the only a.d.u.l.ts there. Moreover, the princ.i.p.al was too old to take care of all of the children. Therefore, they did not stay out for too long before returning to the orphanage. There was a barbershop near the orphanage, so they brought the children over to have a haircut.
Mo Jinxi touched his long bangs that had covered his eyebrows and said to the barber, "Give me a shorter haircut, about this short."
Mo Jinxi pointed at how short he wanted his hair to be.
"Isn"t that a brush cut?" The barber said smilingly. He saw how adorable Mo Jinxi looked and he also liked him very much. "Why would a child keep such a hairstyle nowadays? Besides, it"s winter now. If you cut it too short, you"ll feel cold when the wind blows."
Lin Chu also felt that Mo Jinxi"s original hairstyle was quite adorable, just like a tiny little watermelon. His hair was very soft and slightly brown.
"It would take a long time for my hair to grow if it is shorter." Mo Jinxi secretly glanced at Lin Chu and immediately averted his gaze, "Chu Chu, Chu Chu works very hard."
The princ.i.p.al told him that his tuition fees and other expenses will be paid by Chu Chu.
He knew that Chu Chu rented a house and worked very hard. Although he did not know how much money Chu Chu was making, he rarely saw her buy anything for herself. Therefore, he did not want to spend any more of her money and wanted to help her save some money.
He was a man, so when he grows up and make money, he will then pay for Chu Chu.
Lin Chu was pained by his sensibility and said, "Usually, the princ.i.p.al would be the one cutting your hair, so we don"t come here often. Since Chinese New Year is coming and our Jinxi is so handsome, you should have a good haircut to celebrate the festival. Moreover, children"s haircuts are not expensive, and it wouldn"t cost that much. Don"t worry."
Mo Jinxi believed in her and agreed to it. Then, he reminded the barber, "Hey… uncle, can you make me a little more handsome!"
The barber tried hard to not laugh and agreed.