Perhaps because Xu Qingqing, though somewhat perfunctory on the phone, hadn't exposed the truth, the Lin family, despite their worries, didn't truly take the matter to heart.
After all, with benefits seemingly within easy reach right before their eyes, they currently had no time to spare worrying about Xu Qingqing's feelings or thoughts. Compared to a granddaughter, there were more important matters demanding their attention—namely, plotting with Bai Youlan regarding the pill.
Just when the Lin family thought this incident had blown over, Xu Qingqing turned around, invested in the entertainment industry, and took action against Lin Donghan's company.
Although Bai Youlan's reputation had now hit rock bottom, she was still filming recently, seemingly not having given up, looking for an opportunity to make a comeback. Xu Qingqing hadn't forgotten how excellent the PR team of Lin Donghan's company was; in the original book, it was they who had twisted right and wrong, stepping on her to pave the way for Bai Youlan.
Xu Qingqing happened to be in a foul mood after receiving a call from her uncle. Recalling the plot from the book, she casually mentioned something to her aunt.
Previously, her reason for holding back from acting against Lin Donghan's company was simply not wanting her grandmother and the others to find out and cause an embarrassing scene. Now that she had already done even more extreme things, and the Lin family clearly hadn't considered her feelings, she might as well do everything she had ever wanted to do—like making Lin Donghan go bankrupt.
As for whether the Lin family was willing to back Lin Donghan, throwing money and resources at their besieged grandson, that was not Xu Qingqing's concern.
However, a few days later, Xu Qingqing suddenly received a call from her aunt: "Qingqing, come back quickly and talk some sense into your grandfather! He's going to beat your cousin to death!"
Xu Qingqing knew perfectly well what was happening but deliberately asked, "Which cousin?"
The voice on the other end of the line faltered. After a moment, it replied, somewhat impatiently, "Which one? Your cousin Donghan!"
Xu Qingqing let out an "Oh," then said leisurely, "I see. I have quite a few cousins, so I didn't think of him right away."
Her aunt was so angry she almost hung up, but could only hold her temper and stammer, "Anyway, you need to come quickly."
Xu Qingqing readily agreed, "Okay, I'll definitely come." Being able to watch Lin Donghan get beaten up firsthand—how could she miss such a good show?
The Lin family was different from the Xu family. Grandpa Lin had three sons and one daughter. Apart from Xu Qingqing's deceased mother, none of them were easy to deal with.
The Lin family had many members. The first, second, and third branches were constantly scheming against each other, their competition fierce. However, judging by the Lin Group's development over the years, while these people were experts at internal strife, their skills at running a company weren't quite up to par.
The head of the Lin family was still Grandpa Lin, but he had already handed control of the company to the first branch—Lin Donghan's father. This was the result of his years of observation. Compared to his other two sons, the eldest, while incapable of expanding the family business, could at least barely maintain it.
Having failed in the internal power struggle, the second and third branches were anxious to get into the company to grab money. The third generation, while still young, rushed to get married and have children, all for the sake of inheriting a larger share of the estate in the future, creating quite a few jokes within their social circle.
Lin Donghan, however, took a different path. Not only did he not rush to marry, have children, or stir up trouble within the company, he started his own business independently and had already achieved some success. By comparison, he was already outstanding among the Lin family's third generation.
Contrast makes things stand out. Grandpa Lin grew increasingly satisfied with the first branch and had even secretly designated Lin Donghan as the next successor.
In the past, Xu Qingqing, being on good terms with Lin Donghan, was of course happy for him. Moreover, her own grandparents and aunt looked down on the Lin family's unscrupulous behavior and didn't want her getting too involved in their affairs, so she hadn't paid much attention before.
Probably because she didn't show up for that meal last time, they were now putting on this act for her to see.
When she received the call, Xu Qingqing was on a dinner date with Xie Lianqing at a restaurant.
Although Xu Qingqing had agreed to go, at that moment her rear end remained firmly planted in her chair, with no intention of moving. She hadn't even eaten yet; of course she needed to fill her stomach before going to watch the show.
What was Lin Donghan compared to her meal? He wasn't important at all.
A while later, just as Xu Qingqing was leisurely savoring her wine, another call came in, this time from a cousin: "Qingqing, if you don't come soon, your cousin is going to be beaten to death!"
Faint sounds of Grandpa Lin's scolding and others trying to dissuade him could be heard from the other end of the line.
Xu Qingqing stood up, delighted: "Really? Such good fortune? I'm on my way!"
Then, without even finishing her meal, she immediately got up, ready to head to the Lin residence for the show. If she hurried now, she might still get a front-row seat. With a bit of luck, she might even be in time for Lin Donghan's last words!
The person on the other end of the call...
After hanging up, Cousin Lin awkwardly covered her phone. Under the anxious, questioning gazes of the others, she finally managed to say, "She said she'll come."
Lin Donghan's mother immediately breathed a sigh of relief, patting her chest. "I told you Qingqing is soft-hearted. She and Donghan have been close since they were kids. She's just angry right now; she definitely won't just stand by and let Donghan suffer."
As she said this, she deliberately glanced at Grandpa Lin, who was holding a rattan cane, and raised her voice a little.
No one knew what was going on with the old man. He had already beaten Donghan once before, and his attitude then seemed to be that he wasn't going to interfere with Donghan's relationship with Bai Youlan, even implicitly approving of it.
Although Aunt Lin looked down on Bai Youlan's background, it was good that her son wouldn't get beaten, and given her father-in-law's supportive attitude, she wasn't in a position to object.
However, after that Bai Youlan girl visited yesterday and had another talk with the old man, today Grandpa Lin was determined to administer family discipline publicly, saying he wanted to teach Donghan a lesson, and specifically insisted on calling Xu Qingqing over.
Not just Aunt Lin, but most of the family had no idea what Grandpa Lin was up to. The only ones in the know were Lin Donghan himself, who was about to be beaten, and his father, Uncle Lin. But given the seriousness of the matter, they didn't dare tell anyone else.
Grandpa Lin hadn't really wanted to beat his grandson either. Today's performance was solely because of Bai Youlan's request yesterday—they wanted to put on a show of "bitter hardship" for Xu Qingqing's benefit.
Now, hearing from his granddaughter and daughter-in-law that Xu Qingqing had agreed to come, and seeing that Lin Donghan already had a few glaring welts on him, he pretended to relent and loosened his grip.
Cousin Lin, who had called Xu Qingqing, initially wanted to explain after hearing Aunt Lin's exclamation. But seeing the scene unfold, she silently closed her mouth and said nothing more.
If she exposed the truth and Grandpa continued the beating, Aunt Lin, with her motherly love, would probably hate her guts. So it was better not to say anything. After all, once Xu Qingqing arrived, everyone would find out anyway.
At the same time, in the restaurant.
Xie Lianqing was still gently discussing the order with the server. He looked up to see Xu Qingqing across from him spring to her feet, grab her bag, and excitedly dash out the door, completely forgetting that she seemed to have left something behind.
The abandoned Xie Lianqing: ...Oh well, used to it.
The server was also stunned. "Sir, the dishes you just ordered..."
"No need to serve them, thank you." Xie Lianqing immediately smiled apologetically at the waiter, smoothly paid the bill, grabbed his jacket, and went after his girlfriend.
After getting into the car, Xu Qingqing received several more phone calls one after another. There were calls from her aunt, her grandmother, and even her uncle, all urging her, either explicitly or implicitly, to hurry to the Lin family.
After listening to Xu Qingqing chat with the person on the phone for a few sentences, Xie Lianqing already had a good idea of what was going on.
If you don't want others to know about something, don't do it in the first place. Not only did the Xu family know about what Lin Donghan had done while Xu Qingqing was sick, but even Xie Lianqing had found out.
Upon hearing it, Xie Lianqing just sneered. No wonder Xu Qingqing had been impatient with Lin Donghan earlier; she had probably anticipated this long ago. At the time, he had thought Xu Qingqing's reason for falling out with Lin Donghan was somewhat childish. It turned out he hadn't seen things as clearly as Xu Qingqing had.
He turned the car around and asked gently, "Still about Lin Donghan?"
The fallout between Lin Donghan and Xu Qingqing was no secret. Xu Qingqing's aunt had even publicly endorsed Xu Qingqing's stance. The Lin family's circumstances had been worsening over the years. This time, without the Xu family's support, their losses were significant. So, in Xie Lianqing's eyes, it was normal for them to harass Xu Qingqing over this matter.
Xu Qingqing said casually, "Yeah." With one hand, she opened the car mirror, pouted to check her lipstick, reapplied it, and then smoothed her hair. Anyone could tell she was gearing up for a confrontation.
Xie Lianqing watched from the side, finding it quite amusing. He gave a faint smile and didn't say anything.
After touching up her makeup, Xu Qingqing was full of formidable aura. She sneered, "A grown man, who'd rather have his whole family put on an act and clean up his mess after doing something wrong, but doesn't have the guts to call me personally to apologize."
Lin Donghan dared to have her grandfather, grandmother, uncles, and others play the family card, but he himself hid in the background pretending to be dead. However, he probably also knew that Xu Qingqing wouldn't let him off easily this time, hence this last resort.
To be fair, he was a bit clever. It's just a pity his character wasn't upright. This kind of person might enjoy temporary glory but was destined not to go far.
Xu Qingqing already knew exactly what kind of person Lin Donghan was. Compared to him, she was even more disappointed with her grandmother and the others in this matter. Probably their impression of her was still stuck on that little girl who lost her mother, thinking her thoughts were simple and that she would always obediently do as they said.
Before, she had a natural fondness for her mother's family. Even if she was impatient with that big Lin family, she still tolerated them. Now, knowing about this world and the subsequent plot, she was truly fed up with catering to these people.
The phone, which had been quiet for a while, rang again. Xu Qingqing didn't answer it. Fuming, she couldn't help but curse.
Xie Lianqing frowned. "Qingqing, don't use that kind of language."
Xu Qingqing glared at him. Xie Lianqing coughed, touched his nose, and pretended he hadn't spoken.
Forget it. His girlfriend was furious. He'd reason with her next time.
Xu Qingqing snorted, but she also felt in her heart that what she had just said was a bit too much.
However, she felt it wasn't her fault. It was all because Lin Donghan had gone too far, driving her to distraction, which was why she had blurted out the curse in the heat of the moment.
Xu Qingqing held her cushion compact, looking at herself in the mirror. Even her eye-rolling looked incredibly pretty. She was very satisfied.
She was so beautiful. Xie Lianqing must have been blind to get together with Bai Youlan after breaking up with her.
When Xu Qingqing and Xie Lianqing arrived at the Lin family home and pushed the door open, sure enough, the atmosphere in the living room was extremely tense.
Grandpa Lin sat in the main seat with a face like thunder. The eldest uncle stood by the window smoking. The eldest aunt was trading barbs with the other two branches of the family in a sarcastic manner. Lin Donghan knelt with his head bowed in front of the sofa.
Grandmother was sitting beside him, softly persuading and comforting Grandpa Lin.
Lin Donghan's mother was comforting her son, "Donghan, you were deceived too. Don't blame yourself too much. Your grandfather is just angry right now. It'll be fine once Qingqing arrives."
Xu Qingqing's second aunt immediately frowned and sneered, "Why are you bothering with this fool? He was there when Jiang Xue passed away. How could he still get involved with the daughter of the person who harmed his own aunt, almost ruining our cooperation with the Xu family?"
Hearing her words, the expressions of Lin Donghan, the eldest uncle, Xu Qingqing's grandmother, and others turned rather unpleasant.
The Lin family was large. To avoid these fools leaking information, Grandpa Lin hadn't told them the inside story and the plan. So, apart from Lin Donghan, his father, and Grandmother Lin, everyone else was kept in the dark.
The second aunt had no idea this was a calculated act of contrition aimed at Xu Qingqing. She genuinely thought her father-in-law was preparing to discipline Lin Donghan and was immediately jumping around, extremely excited.
A few days ago, she thought she had caught the eldest branch's weakness, believing Grandpa wouldn't continue to favor them. Unexpectedly, after Bai Youlan visited, Grandpa had just lightly let the matter drop.
Now that Grandpa was finally preparing to discipline the eldest branch, the other two branches immediately spared no effort in adding fuel to the fire.
The youngest aunt also added her own spin, saying sarcastically, "He can cause such a huge mess, and he's supposed to be a top student? If you ask me, if someone like him can enter the company, then my son can too." She said the last sentence very sourly.
Lin Donghan's mother immediately shouted, "You shameless woman, how dare you say that! If it weren't for you egging Dad on..."
Xu Qingqing walked in right into this scene. All eyes in the room instantly fell on her.
"Qingqing, you're finally back!" The eldest aunt immediately came up to greet her. "Quick, persuade your grandfather. Don't keep quarreling with your cousin over childish matters anymore."
She was playing the same card as Xu Qingqing's grandmother earlier, trying to frame the enmity between Xu Qingqing and Lin Donghan as mere sibling rivalry and childish squabbles.
Hearing Lin Donghan's mother's words, the youngest aunt from the third branch jumped in first, covering her mouth, "Sister-in-law, what are you saying? Qingqing and Lin Donghan are both adults. How can you still call them children?"
Regardless of whether it was embarrassing or not, she had to take advantage of today to pull the eldest branch down. The youngest aunt wasn't trying to betray the family; she was just genuinely afraid that Grandpa would continue to go easy and let Lin Donghan off the hook again.
The eldest aunt was so angry she had a headache. The scene immediately became noisy again. Grandpa Lin frowned, "All of you, shut up! Look at yourselves, what a disgrace!"
When he said the last sentence, he stared directly at the instigating youngest aunt from the third branch. These fools, fighting among themselves without considering the timing! If they ruined his grand plan...
Grandpa Lin's gaze was fierce. Everyone present immediately became as quiet as quails, not daring to speak anymore. For a moment, the room fell silent.
Xu Qingqing wasn't among them. She didn't take her grandfather's imposing manner seriously at all.
She first glanced at Lin Donghan. Seeing that he didn't seem to have any injuries, she couldn't help but say disappointedly, "Cousin looks quite well, doesn't he?"
Her cousin had made it sound so exaggerated on the phone earlier; she really thought Lin Donghan was about to be beaten to death and had rushed over to see him for the last time.
Lin Donghan's mother was choked up and frowned, "Qingqing, what kind of talk is that? You and your cousin have been bickering and playing around for so many years. Can't you discuss anything properly instead of making a spectacle for outsiders?"
Her words seemed normal on the surface, but they were actually reprimanding Xu Qingqing for not understanding the greater good and failing to preserve the Lin family's dignity.
Sure enough, upon hearing the words of the eldest aunt, the expressions of the few people present turned somewhat ugly. Even Grandma, who had always been quite fond of Xu Qingqing, felt some resentment towards her granddaughter.
Back then, the incident of her kicking Lin Donghan out of the party had spread throughout their social circle. Their Lin family had been utterly humiliated, and they had been laughed at whenever they went out to socialize recently.
Xu Qingqing crossed her arms and sneered, "If you don't understand the whole story, then I must set the record straight right now. Let me tell you what my dear cousin Lin Donghan did. He knew full well about my relationship with Bai Yaxiu and her daughter, yet while I was sick, he used the Xu family's name to help Bai Youlan."
"To put it mildly, he is ungrateful and disregarded our over-a-decade-long sibling bond. To put it severely, he is biting the hand that feeds him, prying loose the Xu family's assets to gift to my enemy. For the sake of Bai Youlan, he could go to such lengths. How deeply devoted."
Xu Qingqing paused for a moment, then said slowly with feigned surprise, "Could it be that I'll soon be drinking to my cousin and Bai Youlan's wedding? Then, Auntie, you'll have another chance to become in-laws with Xu Changshan."
These words were too cutting. Except for Grandpa Lin and Lin Donghan, the faces of the Lin family immediately darkened. Even Uncle Lin, who knew the inside story, looked as if he had swallowed a fly.
Who would want Bai Youlan to marry into their family? Bai Yaxiu and her daughter were not easy to deal with; the Lin family had suffered enough from them in the past. Moreover, Xu Changshan currently held no real power in the Xu family. Even if they wanted to build connections, they should firmly hold onto Xu Qingqing, not board a sinking ship.
Grandpa Lin reacted quickly. He pushed aside his son next to him, grabbed the rattan cane on the table, and swung it hard at Lin Donghan. "I'll beat some sense into you, you fool! How dare you still mix with Xu Changshan's family! Have you completely forgotten how your aunt died?!"
Mentioning Xu Qingqing's mother only brought a trace of sadness to Grandma's face.
Xu Qingqing's expression, however, showed no change at all. She watched this family's dramatic performance coldly and silently, as if they were not her closest relatives.
Since Xu Qingqing showed no reaction, Grandpa Lin couldn't stop. He hardened his heart; these lashes were not held back. Lin Donghan was now covered in marks, lying on the ground gasping in pain.
Seeing her son being beaten half to death and the situation turning sour, Lin Donghan's mother immediately cried out to Xu Qingqing, "Donghan was wrong this time, he's sorry. Your aunt apologizes to you on his behalf. Qingqing, for the sake of how I took care of you in the years after your mother passed, please let your cousin off this time, okay?"
She explicitly pointed out that the Lin family had shown kindness to Xu Qingqing. If the latter refused to forgive Lin Donghan, she would inevitably be labeled ungrateful.
After hearing this, Xu Qingqing still didn't speak. She scanned the room and found that no one actually spoke up to refute it. Even her grandparents seemed to tacitly agree with her aunt's words, believing that she owed the Lin family a debt of gratitude.
Xu Qingqing couldn't help but let out a cold laugh, suddenly feeling as if she had never truly known these people's real faces.
The Lin family was truly rotten to the core. Back when she was young and naive, she didn't understand. Now that she was older, she realized. When her mother wanted a divorce, the Lin family came over several times, spouting nothing but nonsense like "It's just your husband playing around outside, he'll come to his senses eventually" and "For the child's sake, bear with it. That's how it is in families around us."
Such rubbish, repeated over and over, made Xu Qingqing's mother change her mind about divorcing, ultimately wearing her down until she died in the Xu household.
Anger burned in Xu Qingqing's heart, but her face remained calm. She said, "Auntie, that makes no sense. I can't recall living with the Lin family for more than a few days to owe you such a great favor. How about this: I'll call my grandfather and the others over. Let's calculate and clarify things properly, so our Xu family doesn't owe you for nothing."
She truly didn't know what she owed. Over the years, what the Lin Corporation gave her was nothing but dividends. Xu Qingqing took that money without a shred of guilt; those dividends were from her mother's shares. Her mother's marriage to Xu Changshan was a business alliance between wealthy families. The Lin family had her mother bring shares as a dowry; did the Xu family not give Xu family shares as a bride price?
To put it bluntly, it was a matter of resource exchange between the two families. Over the years, relying on the Xu family's backing, the Lin family had also gained considerable advantages. Now they actually claimed she owed them? How shameless.
As soon as these words were spoken, even the wailing Aunt Lin fell silent. In the Xu family, apart from Xu Changshan, none of the others were easily fooled. They'd be insane to deal with Grandpa Xu and the others.
If they found out about today's events, it would likely be even harder to settle peacefully.
The matter of Bai Youlan's medicinal pill was still uncertain. Grandpa Lin did not want to fall out with the Xu family at this juncture.
He threw down the cane, looked at Xu Qingqing, and said solemnly, "Qingqing, what are your thoughts?"
He was much clearer than his son and daughter-in-law. This whole performance from the beginning was for Xu Qingqing's benefit. Now, with the plot exposed and his son and daughter-in-law having failed, he had to speak up personally.
Xu Qingqing sneered. So they still couldn't bear to give up the benefits Bai Youlan offered, wanting to please both sides and fool her. Grandpa was indeed getting old, or perhaps he simply didn't take the Xu family seriously anymore.
She pretended not to understand and said leisurely, "What thoughts? I have no particular thoughts."
In the book, the cause of her death was half due to Bai Youlan and the system, and her cousin Lin Donghan deserved the other half. If she hadn't dreamed of the plot, she estimated she'd be close to death by now.
Want her to forgive Lin Donghan? Let the Lin family and Bai Youlan scheme together in their next life.
Xu Qingqing's eyes were cold. She said casually, "Grandpa, why did you throw the cane away? Wasn't the point of calling me here to beat my cousin as an apology to me? Hit him harder."
She added, "With this little force, it doesn't look like you're serious, Grandpa."
The room fell silent.
"Qingqing!" Grandma Xu said incredulously, "Donghan is your cousin. You grew up together." Even though she was dissatisfied with Lin Donghan, she only wanted her husband to teach him a lesson, not watch him be beaten to death.
Xu Qingqing laughed, "I have so many cousins. Which one didn't I grow up with?"
What exactly were their intentions in insisting she come? Only they knew. Nothing more than thinking she was young and wanting to pressure her using their status as elders.
She didn't even give face to her own biological father, Xu Changshan. Where did these people get the courage to do this? Simply by counting on her affection for them.
In the past, perhaps Xu Qingqing might have agreed to their plan out of consideration for family ties. But now, that was probably impossible.
Xu Qingqing knew her grandmother liked her, perhaps with some genuine feeling. But in the end, that bit of sincerity couldn't compare to her own grandson.
In the book, after her accidental death, her mother's family didn't utter a single word of protest when her stepsister took over the company.
And Lin Donghan helped Bai Youlan get rid of her. With the vast Xu family and Bai Youlan having no talent for business, could it be that the Lin family didn't take a share of the spoils from this affair?
Xu Qingqing was no fool. She had been unwilling to think too deeply about it before, simply because she cherished the family bond.
