The Lin Family Mansion.
By the time Lin Dong and Jiang Lu returned from outside, it was already past nine in the evening.
They had spent almost the entire day traversing the entire Imperial Capital.
Aside from preparing the birthday gift, they also visited the old comrades and former subordinates of the family patriarch, as well as some allied noble families they had previously been on good terms with.
“The elders we visited today were all quite accommodating. The groundwork for Nian Nian’s matter is basically laid,” Lin Dong said.
A flicker of warmth passed through Jiang Lu’s eyes. “You’ve worked hard. But is it really okay to keep this from the family? After all, Second Sister-in-law and the others have always been suspicious. If they catch wind of anything, they might try to stir up trouble.”
“It’s fine.”
Lin Dong waved his hand dismissively. “For the Lin family to thrive in the long run, we need someone capable of carrying the banner. Nian Nian has great potential—far more than those worthless boys in the family. As for Second Brother and his wife, even if they find out, it won’t change anything. Once Granny Jiang’s birthday banquet is over, I’ll inform them slowly.”
As the two stepped through the main gate, the butler hurried over with an anxious expression.
“Patriarch, Madam, you’re finally back!”
“Something’s happened at home. Second Master and the others are waiting for you in the living room.”
Lin Dong frowned. “What happened?”
The butler quickly summarized the situation. “It’s… Second Miss was beaten up, and Young Master Lin Feng has gone missing. He hasn’t returned, and his phone is unreachable.”
Lin Dong and Jiang Lu’s expressions changed instantly as they rushed toward the living room.
The living room was crowded with people, and the atmosphere was tense.
Lin Liang sat in a rosewood armchair beside the main seat, idly spinning a pair of walnuts in his hand, his face dark and gloomy.
Second Sister-in-law Zhang Yu sat on the couch, holding an ice pack to her daughter Lin Yue’s swollen face, muttering curses under her breath.
Wang Jiangyao, on the other hand, paced around the living room like a cat on a hot tin roof, frantic with worry.
The moment she saw Jiang Lu walk in, Wang Jiangyao immediately pointed at her and began to shout.
“Jiang Lu! Tell me where that bastard daughter of yours has taken my son!”
“Xiao Feng is missing now, and his phone’s dead! Xiao Yue said Xiao Feng was taken by your daughter!”
“And look at Xiao Yue’s face—it’s swollen like a pig’s head! The doctor said it’ll take at least ten days to half a month for the swelling to go down—all because of that Liu Yutong!”
“She even beat up Young Master Zhou from the Zhou family! Broke three of his ribs! She’s simply lawless!”
“Who is this person you’ve brought back? She’s nothing but trouble for the Lin family!”
“You have to give us an explanation today, or this isn’t over!”
Lin Dong’s face changed color instantly.
More than anything, he felt a headache coming on.
He hadn’t expected Liu Yutong to stir up such a huge mess on her very first day at the Lin mansion.
First, the niece gets slapped, the nephew gets taken away, and then Young Master Zhou has his ribs broken. He’d always known Liu Yutong wasn’t one to be trifled with, but this girl was way too reckless, wasn’t she?
Still, as the head of the family, he quickly composed himself and looked at his wife, Jiang Lu.
His gaze clearly said: “I dare not provoke this little mistress. What do you think we should do?”
Jiang Lu was still processing all this information.
Her youngest daughter had hit Lin Yue and Zhou Heng?
Her first thought was that it was probably true.
After all, she knew something about her youngest daughter’s nature—even she herself was a bit intimidated by that girl.
But she also believed that given her youngest daughter’s status and position, she would never act without reason. The other party must have done something that crossed a line to provoke her.
With that in mind, she asked, “Second Sister-in-law, Fourth Sister-in-law, don’t get worked up just yet. Tell me clearly what happened.”
Zhang Yu exploded at that, slamming the ice pack onto the table. “What else is there to say?! Your daughter and that little wretch beat up my daughter and took Xiao Feng away somewhere! Are you trying to cover for them?”
Jiang Lu took a deep breath to calm herself. “Second Sister-in-law, before the facts are clear, is it appropriate for you to keep calling someone a ‘little wretch’?”
Zhang Yu’s temper flared even more at being confronted. “What do you mean by that? Are you defending that little wretch? Jiang Lu, don’t forget you married into the Lin family! And now you’re siding with an outsider!”
Jiang Lu replied calmly but firmly. “I’m just stating the facts, not taking anyone’s side. Yue Yue was hurt, and Xiao Feng is missing—of course we need to find out the cause and let whoever is responsible take the blame. But until then, please watch your words. ‘Little wretch’ is unnecessary—she has a name!”
“You—”
Second Sister-in-law Zhang Yu was about to retort when Lin Liang raised his hand to stop her.
“Alright, that’s enough, both of you,” he said, standing up and turning to Jiang Lu.
“Sister-in-law, no matter what, the facts are clear. My daughter was indeed beaten, and Xiao Feng was taken by your daughter. Instead of dwelling on what happened, you should be giving us an answer first.”
“After all, Xiao Yue and Xiao Feng are your niece and nephew, aren’t they?”
Jiang Lu replied, “Second Brother, let me ask Tong Tong about the situation when she gets back. If it’s her fault, we’ll pay the medical bills and apologize—whatever’s needed. Fair enough?”
Just then, footsteps were heard from outside.
Everyone turned toward the doorway.
Liu Yutong and Gao Min walked in side by side, chatting and laughing, each holding a cup of milk tea—a stark contrast to the oppressive atmosphere inside.
Behind them shuffled a young man with a limp, none other than Lin Feng.
His eyes were vacant, as if he’d lost his soul, muttering over and over, “I’ll never do it again… I’ll never do it again… I don’t want to go back to that place…”
The moment Wang Jiangyao saw her son like this, she rushed over.
“Xiao Feng! Xiao Feng, what’s wrong? Don’t scare Mom!”
Lin Feng snapped out of his daze at her shaking, saw his mother, and burst into loud sobs like a wronged child.
“Mom! Mom, save me! I won’t do it again! I swear!”
Wang Jiangyao’s heart ached. She turned to glare at Gao Min and Liu Yutong, her eyes burning with fury.
“What did you do to my son?!”
“I swear, if you—”
Just as she was about to lose control and lash out, Liu Yutong raised a finger and wagged it.
“Auntie, don’t say I didn’t warn you. Better not try anything physical with us, or you’ll regret it.”
Wang Jiangyao choked on her words, the rest dying in her throat.
For some reason, despite the girl looking young, the aura she exuded inexplicably made her feel intimidated.
Just then, Lin Dong cleared his throat loudly and stepped in front of Liu Yutong, cutting through the tense standoff.
“Yu Tong, what exactly happened here?”
He discreetly winked at her, his eyes signaling: “This is still Lin family territory, little mistress. At least give me, the patriarch, some face and don’t make things too ugly.”
Liu Yutong then briefly recounted the whole story.
"Lin Yue introduced me to that young master from the Zhou family, but they didn't know I know a little martial arts..."
"Zhou Heng brought two friends, Chen Xinhuai and Sun Mo, who are minor celebrities. Lin Feng went to a party with them, and those two got caught up in drug use and group sex. The police raided the place and rounded everyone up. If Gao Min hadn't casually pulled him out, he'd be spending the New Year in lockup."
"Of course, to teach him a lesson, we gave him a little scolding. Don't worry, he's perfectly fine."
After Liu Yutong finished explaining the situation, the living room fell silent.
Wang Jiangyao was the first to react, shouting angrily at Liu Yutong.
"You're full of crap! How could my son possibly go to a place like that? Don't slander him like that!"
"And even if Xiao Feng did go, it's because you two led him astray!"
Liu Yutong shot back, "Auntie, hearing you say that makes me blush for your son."
"How old is he now? Twenty-two? Twenty-three? He's a grown man with his own legs and his own brain. If someone told him to jump off a bridge, would he do it? If someone told him to eat crap, would he?"
"He lacks self-control. He followed those two scumbags to that kind of place of his own free will. Now that something's happened, you want to blame us?"
"Tsk, tsk. No wonder the Lin family has been going downhill. With elders like you, what good could you ever raise?"
