Seeing that everyone had stopped objecting, Lin Dong finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He thought to himself: As expected, a fist still works best in this day and age.
The moment those men in black showed up, everyone fell into line.
“Alright, let’s drop this matter here. Yutong, you—”
He was about to tell Liu Yutong to call off her people when a woman’s voice suddenly rang out from outside the courtyard.
“What’s going on here? What are you all doing in the middle of the night?”
The interruption broke the suffocating tension, and everyone turned their heads toward the entrance.
Lin Yi walked into the courtyard. Frowning slightly at the sight of the imposing black-clad men gathered there, she didn’t linger on them long. Instead, her gaze immediately locked onto Liu Yutong.
She had noticed the dragon-shaped insignia on the chests of the men in black.
The Ten Thousand Dragons Society.
That meant they were Liu Yutong’s people. And given the situation, something unpleasant had clearly occurred.
“Yiyi, thank goodness you’re back!”
Zhang Yu and Wang Jiangyao rushed over as if they’d seen their salvation, clamoring to pour out their grievances.
“Yiyi, you have to stand up for us! Your younger cousin was bullied, and that Liu Yutong—she brought all these people to the Lin family home like this! What nonsense is this? You need to deal with her!”
“Look at them! Look at these people! Trespassing on private property! Lawless!”
“That’s right! Yiyi, you’re the most accomplished of the younger generation in our Lin family. You have to get us justice!”
“And your Third Uncle—he wants to give all the Lin family’s resources to an outsider! If anyone should get them, it should be you! You’re the one most qualified to inherit the family’s assets.”
“Yiyi, you can’t just watch your Third Uncle hand over everything our family has built!”
They spoke over each other, treating Lin Yi like their last hope.
After all, Lin Yi was a Class C leader within the government system and had the backing of the Shen family. Even a formidable force like Liu Yutong wouldn’t dare to cross her.
Lin Yi listened without making any response at first. Instead, she turned to her Third Uncle, Lin Dong.
“Third Uncle, is what they said true?”
Lin Dong nodded. “More or less.”
Lin Yi then looked at Liu Yutong, a hint of resignation in her eyes.
Was it really necessary to call in so many people over such a minor conflict?
This is the capital city. If the commotion gets too big and the authorities catch wind of it, none of your Ten Thousand Dragons Society members will get away easily.
Liu Yutong met Lin Yi’s gaze and simply shrugged, as if to say, It’s up to you now.
What Lin Yi did next, however, caught the Lin family completely off guard.
She walked straight up to Gao Min and extended her hand.
“Xiao Min, I’m Lin Yi. You can call me Sister Yi.”
Gao Min hesitated briefly, then took her hand. “Hello, Sister Yi.”
Lin Yi smiled, then turned to face the entire Lin family.
“Second Aunt, Fourth Aunt, I heard everything you said just now.”
“You claim that Third Uncle is giving our family’s resources to an outsider. I don’t think that’s true.”
Zhang Yu blinked in confusion. “Why not? Isn’t Gao Min an outsider?”
Lin Yi shook her head. “Xiao Min is Third Aunt’s daughter. That makes her part of the Lin family. I believe she’s fully entitled to our family’s resources.”
Wang Jiangyao grew frantic. “But, Xiao Yi, she has no blood relation to us! Haven’t you heard the saying: ‘Those not of our kin are bound to have different hearts’? Besides, you’re the most accomplished child in the Lin family, our pride and joy! You can’t side with outsiders!”
Lin Yi replied, “Fourth Aunt, have you forgotten? The reason I’m considered the most accomplished in the Lin family is because of the resources and connections the Shen family gave me. So by your logic, shouldn’t my maternal grandfather not have invested in me either? After all, my surname is Lin, not Shen.”
Wang Jiangyao was rendered speechless.
Though Lin Yi was related to the Shen family by blood, she wasn’t as close to them as the Shen children were. Yet Old Master Shen had spared no effort in cultivating her, even spending more resources on her than on his own grandchildren.
Ultimately, it wasn’t just his affection for his granddaughter—it was also because her ability and character had earned his approval.
Lin Yi continued, “I support Third Uncle’s decision regarding Xiao Min!”
“And there’s something else. I’m here to let everyone know: for Old Lady Jiang’s birthday banquet this time, aside from Gao Min, none of the younger generation in the Lin family should attend.”
“What?!”
These words caused an even bigger uproar than before.
Lin Yue was the first to jump up and protest. “Sister Yi, why won’t you let us go? We want to see the world too!”
Lin Shen and the others were equally stunned.
“Yeah, Sister Yi, why can’t we go?”
“This is too much!”
“You’re taking away our rights! We want to offer our birthday wishes to Old Lady Jiang!”
Lin Yi cast a cold gaze over them.
“And what for? To embarrass yourselves?”
“Going there would only make you look like extras for the other families. Why bother humiliating yourselves?”
Lin Yi showed them no mercy, and her words left them red-faced with shame.
Before they could refute her, she laid down several rules for her wayward younger siblings.
“From now on, as the eldest sister, I’m setting a few rules. All of you will remember them well.”
“First, no one is to speak a word about what happened tonight—especially anything concerning Miss Liu. Not a single word!”
“Second, from today onward, you must treat Xiao Min as one of our own!”
“Third, during the birthday banquet period, everyone is to behave. Stick to your own business. No causing trouble, no embarrassing yourself, and no scheming behind anyone’s back. If I find out anyone is stirring up trouble, you will face the consequences!”
The Lin family members present felt their hearts sink.
They had hoped Lin Yi’s arrival would help them get justice, but instead, she had sided with Gao Min, imposed three strict rules on the younger generation, and stripped them all of their right to attend the Jiang family’s birthday banquet.
This turn of events left not only the elders and the younger ones stunned but even the family head, Lin Dong, utterly baffled.
Wait—am I the head of the Lin family, or is she?
Though he knew that Lin Yi had grown up in the Shen household, personally mentored by Old Master Shen, and that her vision and capability far surpassed the Lin family’s mediocre descendants, banning everyone—wasn’t that going too far?
And more importantly, would her Second Uncle, Lin Liang, and the others agree to this?
“Yiyi, what do you mean by this?”
Zhang Yu could no longer hold back. “They’re your younger cousins, after all. Fine, even if you’re giving all the family’s resources to an outsider—but why won’t you even let them attend the birthday banquet?”
"Not to mention anything else, if your sister Yueyue could just show her face and get acquainted with a few young masters from noble families, she could marry into a good household—that would be a great thing for both her and the Lin family."
"Exactly! You can't just dismiss it out of hand, can you?"
"And besides, what about Lin Shen, Lin Feng, and Lin Mian? They haven't done anything wrong, so why should they be barred from going?"
"Yiyi, we admit you're the most accomplished among our generation, but you can't look down on people like this."
The group spoke one after another, their emotions growing more intense.
Even Second Uncle Lin Liang, who rarely meddled in such trivial matters, couldn't help but speak up.
"Yiyi, you're really going too far with this. Regardless of anything else, Lin Shen and the others are still children of the Lin family—they should attend the birthday banquet. Besides, so many prominent families will be there. What will they think if they see not a single young member of the Lin family show up?"
