Chapter 99: The Mockery from His Stepmother!

The next day, Lin Fan returned to his hometown.

He informed his parents about his breakup with Chen Yanzi and told them that he had received help from an influential figure, allowing him to start his own company.

However, he had no intention of bringing his parents to live in Hangzhou. The couple were rural folk, with limited education, unaccustomed to city life and unlikely to adapt well. With few relatives left in their hometown, Lin Fan transferred over five million to their account, instructing them to renovate the old house into a small villa.

He stayed for three days, returning to Hangzhou in haste at the start of the National Day holiday. During this time, he only spoke to Su Juanmo by phone; the rest he contacted via WeChat.

On the afternoon of the first, Lin Fan drove his Range Rover Evoque to Zhang Yi’s home. After picking her up, the two headed together to Suzhou.

Suzhou lay south of Hangzhou, less than two hundred kilometers away, a journey of about an hour by car.

Zhang Yi’s cousin’s engagement banquet was held at the bride’s family home, and all relatives of the Zhang family attended in Suzhou that day.

“Why are you so late today? Have you been busy lately? I heard you went back home a few days ago?” Zhang Yi asked with a trace of complaint.

They had planned to set out an hour earlier, but Lin Fan, usually punctual, was an hour late.

“I went to Golden Fortune Jewelry to buy some gifts from someone I know; he’ll be setting out soon, possibly arriving after us.”

“I went back to see my parents. Now that I’ve made some money, I need to show them filial respect… I also installed some cameras in the house, so I can be immediately aware of anything happening.”

Lin Fan spoke honestly, feeling no need to hide anything from Zhang Yi.

He had even told his parents that he was pursuing Zhang Yi.

“No wonder you didn’t call me… By the way, what gifts did you prepare?” Zhang Yi nodded, then changed the subject.

“You’ll see soon enough. Besides your cousin and his wife, I’ve prepared generous gifts for your parents as well,” Lin Fan replied, smiling with deliberate mystery.

At four in the afternoon, they arrived safely in Suzhou. Inside a villa acquired in Suzhou, Lin Fan carried gifts of cigarettes and wine, following Zhang Yi into the living room.

Today, Zhang Yi wore the deep red evening gown Lin Fan had once given her, worth a million, making her appear strikingly radiant.

After greeting the Zhang family, she introduced Lin Fan to relatives and exchanged pleasantries, eventually leading him to her parents.

“Hello, Uncle and Aunt…”

Lin Fan greeted them politely—it was his first time meeting Zhang Yi’s parents.

Both were quite satisfied with Lin Fan.

But no sooner had Lin Fan sat down than a woman holding a child suddenly spoke up, “Zhang Yi, didn’t you say your boyfriend runs a company? Why did he only bring a few gifts?”

Although Lin Fan’s presents were expensive cigarettes and wine, the woman showed no appreciation.

Just these few things—how much could they be worth?

“The generous gifts are still on their way. We entrusted someone to deliver them specially,” Zhang Yi replied coolly, glancing at the woman.

“So, you had someone else deliver the gifts? How little do you care for your cousin? Weren’t you boasting before that he’s the boss of some streaming company? Is this all he has to show for himself? So stingy!”

The woman eyed Lin Fan with undisguised disdain.

Lin Fan frowned. Her words were unpleasant to hear—she struck him as both snobbish and superficial.

“Auntie, why are you in such a hurry? My boyfriend’s gifts are very valuable—what did you bring, anyway?”

With that, Zhang Yi pulled Lin Fan outside.

“Don’t mind her. She’s my uncle’s second wife, a strong personality, obsessed with wealth and status, and looks down on rural people,” Zhang Yi muttered, leading him to a wicker chair in a quiet corner, her face clouded with frustration.

“Your aunt seems quite young—maybe twenty-seven or twenty-eight?” Lin Fan asked, puzzled.

He’d noticed the woman was barely older than him, fair-skinned and attractive, stylishly dressed with gold jewelry—a typical wealthy beauty. Yet her tone left Lin Fan uncomfortable.

“She’s my uncle’s fourth wife, very scheming. No one in the family likes her, but my uncle is utterly infatuated—she even gave him a son.”

Hearing this, Lin Fan finally understood why Zhang Yi, after learning of his wealth, didn’t mind his flirtations, displaying unusual openness. Apparently, her elders were notorious for their own affairs.

He even suspected her other relatives were similar.

Several of Zhang Yi’s elders had young male partners—even the original spouses, when seated together, barely spoke, their relationships cold and distant.

Zhang Yi had previously explained her family background: half the elders were officials, the other half in business. The officials held average positions, nothing prominent. The businesspeople managed small enterprises, the wealthiest barely reaching a billion.

Moreover, those in business generally kept lovers outside their marriages.

Her own parents were normal, but the rest of her relatives were, frankly, complicated.

Not long after, Zhang Yi’s cousin and his wife began handing out wedding sweets. According to custom, southern guests presented red envelopes.

When the couple reached Lin Fan and Zhang Yi, Lin Fan unhesitatingly pulled out a check and handed it to Zhang Kai.

He was following the others in giving checks.

Zhang Yi’s relatives gave substantial gifts, with the minimum starting at tens of thousands; Lin Fan gave five hundred thousand, a sum discussed with Zhang Yi—enough to show sincerity without seeming ostentatious.

The couple thanked them repeatedly, but the woman from earlier suddenly reappeared.

“How generous—you gave a check instead of cash, and five hundred thousand! Is that the highest in the room? Are you showing off your boyfriend’s wealth?”

“Auntie, what do you mean? As a cousin, it’s perfectly reasonable for me to give such an amount—how is that showing off? What did you give, then? Don’t criticize others when you haven’t done anything yourself!”

Zhang Yi could no longer endure, rising to confront the woman directly.

Her parents quickly intervened.

“Why argue with a junior? Five hundred thousand is neither too much nor too little. Didn’t you give three hundred thousand?”

“Exactly, Lin Fan is a guest, not a member of our Zhang family. He’s done what’s proper—don’t stir up trouble for no reason!”

Zhang Qiufeng, long annoyed with the woman for dampening Lin Fan’s mood, steadfastly sided with his daughter, even defending his future son-in-law.

“What do you mean, ‘stir up trouble’? Her uncle gave eighty-eight hundred thousand! The most in the room. She only gave five hundred thousand—how stingy is that?”

“Zhang Yi said her boyfriend’s company was worth tens of millions, yet in the end, this is all he can offer? Looks to me like he’s trying to marry into the Zhang family.”

Her words left the Zhang family visibly uncomfortable.

Meanwhile, the bride’s family members regarded Lin Fan with strange, slightly contemptuous eyes.