In front of a luxury hotel, Aunt Ying got out of the car with her bag in hand and headed straight for the private room on the second floor. With her delicate makeup and a slightly solemn expression, when a passing waiter offered to help, she glanced at him and declined indifferently.
She came to a private room near the corner on the second floor. Taking out her phone, she tidied up her makeup a bit. First, she knocked on the door. A voice saying "Come in" came from inside. Aunt Ying lifted her chin and pushed the door open.
It was Song Langqing who told her at school this morning that Lin Jinran was in trouble. Her arrogant father wanted to forcefully take Lin Jinran away and make her transfer schools.
She was furious. Back then, Xiang Yanhua was ruined by that scumbag Lin Cheng. Lin Jinran was such a wonderful girl. How could she be forced onto the same old path as Xiang Yanhua?
Absolutely not, never.
Back then, Xiang Yanhua had excellent grades and was once a shining star, full of energy.
But unfortunately, she met Lin Cheng, that poor boy. Under his seduction, Xiang Yanhua, regardless of her parents' opposition, insisted on marrying Lin Cheng.
Their mother... originally had some health problems. Due to Xiang Yanhua's rebellion and stubbornness, she was so angry that she spat blood and her health got worse.
The year after Xiang Yanhua gave birth to Lin Jinran, their mother passed away. From then on, their father was all alone, sitting in a daze in front of their mother's portrait all day long.
The Xiang Group, which had been deeply rooted in Wannan City for a long time, was gradually abandoned in the torrent of time. Only their younger brother was left struggling to hold it together.
Moreover, several major shareholders of the Xiang Group were eyeing it covetously, trying to disperse the equity in their younger brother's hands and seize the company.
Both she and her younger brother were resentful towards Xiang Yanhua and didn't deliberately inquire about her situation. After all, they had given a large sum of money back then and considered it all settled.
Xiang Yanhua was wrong, but Lin Jinran was innocent.
She was also an abandoned person and shouldn't be punished.
"Xiang Jianying, long time no see." Lin Cheng looked up at Aunt Ying, exchanged a few polite greetings, and poured a cup of hot tea for her.
Aunt Ying raised her eyebrows and sized Lin Cheng up bit by bit. Suddenly, she laughed: "Lin Cheng, you've declined a lot compared to back then. How did your current wife fall for you?"
Back then, Lin Cheng was also very good-looking. Otherwise, how could Xiang Yanhua have fallen into his trap so easily?
Aunt Ying suddenly remembered something, raised her surprised eyebrows, and smiled faintly: "I just remembered. Your current wife was your first love back then."
Lin Cheng tightened his grip on the teacup and said coldly, "Xiang Jianying, did you just ask me here to talk about this?"
Aunt Ying smiled again and casually looked at a floating tea leaf in the teacup. She thought of Lin Jinran.
Lin Jinran was just like that tea leaf, drifting aimlessly and struggling desperately. She didn't want to sink and was trying her best to break free from the shackles and climb upwards to get rid of all the control.
In the end, Aunt Ying violated her agreement with her relatives and intervened in Lin Jinran's affairs. At first, it was just a little bit, but later it gradually increased, and so did her attention to Lin Jinran.
Watching her grow up, Aunt Ying felt both happy and sad.
If she had a different father, she should have been a carefree and flamboyant daughter of a wealthy family.
"I heard you want Lin Jinran to transfer schools?" Aunt Ying said calmly. Her words seemed to carry a faint aura of authority. She lowered her head slightly, picked up the teacup, and drank it all in one gulp.
She was determined to take care of Lin Jinran's matter.
Lin Cheng was slightly surprised but quickly regained his composure. He sneered, "Lin Jinran is my own daughter. It's none of your business to interfere in my management of her. Besides, didn't you all cut off all relations back then?"
"The one who cut off relations was Xiang Yanhua, not the innocent Lin Jinran. Ask yourself, in all these years since Xiang Yanhua became a vegetable, have you ever cared about Lin Jinran, even a little bit?"
Aunt Ying got a bit emotional and slapped the table hard. A few drops of water splashed out of the teacup in front of Lin Cheng.
"I'm telling you, Lin Cheng. Unless Lin Jinran voluntarily leaves, you'll never be able to take her away by force! The Xiang family has been deeply rooted in Wannan City for a long time. It's not up to you to talk."
Lin Cheng's face looked ugly. It was okay that Lin Jinran's classmates had stopped him this morning. They weren't much of a threat. But now, even Xiang Jianying had stepped in.
The situation was getting a bit tricky.
"Really? Do you still think I'm the good - for - nothing Lin Cheng from back then?" This was also about his own face. Lin Cheng stared at Xiang Jianying and laughed icily, "Do you really think Wannan City is still under the control of your Xiang family? The Xiang family is no longer the prosperous one from over a decade ago."
"Lin Cheng, if you still have a shred of conscience, I advise you to give up this idea. Lin Jinran's mother, your former wife, is still lying in that cold hospital bed."
"Yes, you pay hundreds of thousands of yuan every year to treat Lin Jinran's mother. You're responsible for that. If it weren't for you back then, Xiang Yanhua wouldn't be lying in the hospital ward. But Lin Jinran is so innocent. She's been growing up without her mother's care since she was a child. Is it really too much for her to want to stay in Wannan City to study and even take the college entrance exam?"
Aunt Ying had tried the tough approach but found that Lin Cheng didn't buy it. So she changed her strategy and decided to take the emotional route.
Lin Cheng's expression changed slightly, but his words were still cold: "It doesn't matter where she takes the college entrance exam. As long as her grades are good enough, it's not a problem."
Xiang Jianying's face darkened. It was obvious that Lin Cheng didn't regard Lin Jinran as a person but as his own property.
Was he still fit to be a father? Or was he even a decent human being?
Xiang Jianying slowed her breathing and forced herself not to curse. She endured it, looking at Lin Cheng with cold eyes for a long time.
Neither of them said a word.
After a long time, Xiang Jianying took a deep breath, lifted her chin, and said, "Lin Cheng, if you want to take Lin Jinran away, you have to get past me first."
"Anyway, I'll never let you take Lin Jinran away. You're not fit to be her father at all. I've never seen such a despicable, shameless, and vulgar man in my life."
Xiang Jianying stood up and looked down at Lin Cheng. She increasingly felt that the man in front of her was thoroughly rotten. Looking at him for one more second would only dirty her eyes.
How could Lin Jinran have such a father? How could Xiang Yanhua have been so blind to choose Lin Cheng, that scumbag, among so many people?
So she picked up her bag, pushed the door open forcefully, and left.
The bright lights outside poured in, filling the room with light. Lin Cheng lowered his head and played with the teacup in his hand. A flash of unwillingness quickly passed through his eyes.