Chapter 32: The Lin Family, As Always
The next day.
“Xiaoyu, are you feeling any better?”
Last night, after a brief conversation, Hong Yu had let Lin Shuyu rest. Now, Chen Dayong had delivered a thermos of porridge, and Hong Yu entered the hospital ward, intending to feed Lin Shuyu.
Lin Shuyu had recovered quite a bit by now, able to sit up in bed with some effort.
In the past, seeing Hong Yu cook for her had seemed perfectly ordinary to Lin Shuyu, nothing to dwell on. But today, for reasons unknown, the simple act of Hong Yu bringing her porridge filled her with warmth and happiness.
“It seems I really have fallen for him,” she thought.
Lin Shuyu had never been in love, and her marriage to Hong Yu was merely an arrangement. Yet that did not mean she was oblivious.
Hong Yu smiled, “Come, have some porridge. Let me feed you.”
Lin Shuyu smiled back, not refusing. Her face, still pale, suddenly flushed as she watched him feed her.
“I nearly forgot—how did you manage to get out? What’s the situation with the Lin family now? Is the Zhang family still putting pressure on them?” After a few mouthfuls, Lin Shuyu suddenly remembered and asked anxiously.
But Hong Yu did not answer at once, as if searching for the right words or unwilling to broach the subject.
Lin Shuyu gave a bitter smile. “In the end, we share the same blood, the same ancestry.”
“No matter what, however terrible they may be, they are still my family. Once, they cared for me and loved me.”
“And the Lin family—since the moment I came into this world, their surname has been branded upon me. It’s not something I can ever deny.”
“Thinking carefully, all this trouble is really my fault. I’ve implicated the Lin family. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have gone to such extremes.”
What a foolish woman.
How could she still be clinging to the Lin family’s goodness at this point?
Perhaps the old man from the Lin family had given her some persuasive talk earlier—his efforts at brainwashing were truly successful.
As long as Lin Shuyu was unharmed, Hong Yu was not a man to hold grudges. What mattered most now was her recovery. Whatever she wished, he would do.
Hong Yu shook his head. “Alright, this time I’ll let them off. But I’m warning you, this is the last time. If anything happens again, I will not spare the Lin family.”
As soon as Hong Yu finished speaking, Lin Shuyu looked up at him in confusion.
“What do you mean by that, Hong Yu? I was only asking about the Lin family’s situation, hoping you wouldn’t hold it against them.”
“Now you say you’re letting them off? What exactly happened while I was unconscious?”
“I was worried they wouldn’t let you go, but what you say seems so different from what I imagined.”
Hong Yu laughed. “Nothing, just think of it as me blabbering.”
“Oh, by the way, I heard the old man from the Lin family is recuperating in this hospital. Would you like to go see him?”
“Yes, of course.” Lin Shuyu nodded with a smile, and soon, seated in a wheelchair, she was pushed out of the ward by Hong Yu.
“Minghui, is there any news from Yulong?”
“This is really urgent—can you ask your father to hurry? If we wait any longer, the Lin family might truly be finished.”
Inside the old man’s ward, Lin Shufeng seized Zhao Minghui by the arm, asking for the third time that day. She was genuinely anxious.
The Zhao family was notoriously snobbish. When the Lin family was flourishing, Zhao Minghui’s father had never regarded her highly, frequently rebuking her.
If the Lin family fell now, she’d lose all her standing.
No doubt, Zhao Minghui’s father would find an excuse to cast her out of the Zhao family without a second thought, no discussion.
It was reminiscent of those concubines in ancient times—those without powerful families could be bullied by other concubines, ignored even by maids and eunuchs. But when the family was powerful, they were treated with respect, flattered by others, and even the emperor, however indifferent, would visit them from time to time because of their family’s influence.
“Xiaofeng, don’t be so hard on Minghui.”
“Life and death are fate; wealth is in the heavens.”
“We’ve done all we can. The Zhang family is a giant. The more we meddle, the more likely we will err.”
The old man of the Lin family lay aged and frail in bed, needing to pause several times even to finish a sentence.
The Lin family’s expressions were grave, their hearts troubled.
Just then, Hong Yu pushed Lin Shuyu into the room.
“Damn it, who let you in?”
“How shameless can you be? After ruining our Lin family, you still dare to show up?”
“Bastard! You pair of mongrels! The old man is in this condition because of you, my husband is still detained, and even my daughter—you want to harm her too! Did our family owe you in a past life?”
Second aunt was livid, her family of four left in turmoil—her husband and eldest daughter suffering because of Hong Yu and Lin Shuyu. If she hadn’t been frightened by Hong Yu before, mistaking him for a lunatic, she would have lashed out by now.
“A coward and a scourge! You really are a perfect match—may you rot together!”
“What are you waiting for? Get out!” Lin Shufeng was furious. If Hong Yu and Lin Shuyu ruined her life as a young mistress, she truly wanted to devour them.
In an instant, all the Lin family members vented their rage upon Hong Yu and Lin Shuyu, unleashing a torrent of abuse that even drew doctors and nurses to investigate.
Their venomous words wounded Lin Shuyu deeply.
She had just persuaded Hong Yu not to hold a grudge against the Lin family—now her words felt like a slap in the face.
Hong Yu’s hands trembled as he pushed the wheelchair, Lin Shuyu sensing his restraint.
Had she not made him promise, before entering, not to react out of anger, Hong Yu would surely have retaliated.
Taking a breath, Lin Shuyu spoke softly, “Everyone, please don’t be so upset. I only wanted to see Grandpa.”
“It’ll just be a moment. I won’t trouble you again…”
“To see me? If you stopped visiting, I might live a little longer.” The old man spared her no kindness, not even lifting his eyelids, deliberately refusing to look at Hong Yu and Lin Shuyu.
“Did you grow ears yet? Didn’t you hear Grandpa? Get out!” Lin Shufeng shouted.
“You pair of mongrels, I beg you—don’t come back!” Second aunt cursed.
“Get out! Get out!” The Lin family spoke as one, their shouts echoing in unison.
The fury was palpable, even nurses and doctors outside the ward felt it, not daring to intervene.
Lin Shuyu lowered her head, silent, but inside her heart was weeping.
Faced with such unanimous rage, she knew the Lin family no longer had any place for her. Their previous threats to expel her were not mere words, but reality.
Sensing her trembling, Hong Yu quickly held her hand, his heart aching for her.
“Xiaoyu, since they don’t welcome us, let’s not stay and provoke them any further. Come, let’s go,” Hong Yu said gently.
But just as Hong Yu prepared to wheel Lin Shuyu out of the ward, the door suddenly swung open and a middle-aged man strode in.
Lin Shufeng, still furious, snapped without hesitation, “What the hell! Is this a market? How can anyone just barge in?”
“Shut up!” Lin Jiahao quickly intervened, his expression suddenly changing.
Lin Shufeng was stunned. Since her marriage, Lin Jiahao had never scolded her, let alone with such severity.
She protested, “Dad, why are you yelling at me?”
“Do you realize the situation the Lin family is in? Why are you causing trouble? Do you know who he is?”
Lin Jiahao rebuked her, then hurried to bow before the middle-aged man. “Mr. Zhang, what brings you here today?”
“I’m truly ashamed about your son’s situation, but it was all Hong Yu’s doing—our Lin family had nothing to do with it!”
“Damn!”
“That’s Zhang Tian, the head of the Zhang family!”
The Lin family members were stunned, and the recently abusive Lin Shufeng rushed to Zhang Tian’s side, nodding and bowing repeatedly.
But Zhang Tian ignored their groveling, not even sparing them a glance. He pulled Lin Jiahao aside and went straight to Hong Yu.
“Mr. Hong, I apologize once again.”
“All the conditions you requested have been prepared. I hope you’ll keep your word and spare the Zhang family.”