Xia Yan overheard quite a bit about herself in the break room. She had been standing in the corner without making a sound, only stepping out after those people had left one by one. Frowning slightly, she casually placed her still-warm water cup on the glass table and sat down on a stool, mulling over what they had just said. Much of it was about Ke Yaru, especially the things she had done behind Lu Zhengting's back.
Xia Yan sat on the stool in a daze. Li Ru, taking a break from her busy work, walked into the break room and saw her spacing out alone. She waved at her, plopped down, and nudged Xia Yan's waist with her elbow. "Xia Yan, what are you thinking about?"
"Huh?" Xia Yan snapped back to reality and glanced indifferently at Li Ru, who had suddenly appeared beside her, a bit surprised. Pausing, she raised a hand to smooth her hair as if it had been tousled by the wind, then asked, "Why are you here?"
"Came to catch my breath. The office has been chaotic lately, and the tense atmosphere makes me feel like I could get fired any minute." Li Ru seemed a bit thirsty. After saying this, she got up, poured herself a glass of water, took a sip to moisten her throat, and, feeling it was no longer dry, turned back to sit on the stool, staring at Xia Yan with a puzzled look.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" Xia Yan felt a bit creeped out by her gaze. She reached up to touch her cheek, her slender fingers finally resting on the tip of her nose. Pausing, seeing that Li Ru kept staring without saying a word, she added, "What do you want to tell me?"
"Xia Yan, if we were in ancient times, the Lin family's status in Jiang City would be like royalty. But with just one word from our CEO Lu, the Lin family was wiped out. So, wouldn't that make our CEO Lu an emperor in ancient times?"
"..."
Xia Yan knew something about the Lin family's situation, but not the full story. Hearing Li Ru's analogy now, she found it both amusing and exasperating. If Lu Zhengting were placed in ancient times, even if he were just a prince, he'd probably be one who wielded power over the entire court.
"So, Xia Yan, you've become the envy of every woman in Jiang City now. Having someone like CEO Lu as your backup, doesn't it feel amazing? You could walk sideways or backwards in Jiang City, and no one would dare say a word against you." Li Ru teased, glancing at Xia Yan's look, covering her mouth with a chuckle, and then imagining Xia Yan actually walking sideways, she laughed heartily at her.
"Walk sideways? Do you think I'm a crab?" Xia Yan rolled her eyes, downed the coffee in her cup in one gulp, got up to rinse the cup, and returned to the stool.
Li Ru kept watching Xia Yan, noticing her serious and somewhat worried expression. She wanted to ask but was interrupted by the buzzing of her phone in her pocket. Reluctantly, she pulled it out and saw it was a call from someone in the office. Not daring to slack off—given the heavy and strange atmosphere in the office—she answered and listened for a few seconds before abruptly standing up. She placed her cup in Xia Yan's hand, paused as if thinking of something, and quickly added, "Watch out for our manager."
With that, before Xia Yan could ask, Li Ru vanished from the break room at lightning speed. Xia Yan looked down at the unfinished water cup in her hand, shook her head, lingered in the break room for a while, then rinsed the cup and left.
As soon as she learned the Lin family had disappeared, Xia Yan had called Lin Xujia, but she wouldn't answer, which made her anxious. Back in the office, whenever she wasn't with Lu Zhengting, she would call Lin Xujia whenever she had a free moment.
With the Lin family in trouble, Lin Xujia naturally wouldn't be having an easy time either.
Lin's father, watching his family's empire crumble, had fainted on the spot and was now lying in a hospital room. As for when he would wake up, the doctor said it depended on the patient's will. Lin Xujia felt nothing upon hearing this news. Lin's mother stood by the bed, sobbing uncontrollably. Lin Xujia glanced at her indifferently, then turned and sat down on the sofa.
Lin Youran, ever since being toyed with by Yang Jinkuan, had been on the edge of madness. Speaking to her required caution, as you never knew when a single word or phrase might trigger her to lose it.
Lin Xujia sat on the sofa, shifting her gaze to the window. Everything in the hospital room felt suffocating, but undeniably, it also gave her a sense of satisfaction. Lin's mother, her eyes swollen from crying and still seeing no sign of Lin's father waking up, turned her anger directly on Lin Xujia.
She suddenly stood up, her face streaked with tears and her eyes wide, making her look somewhat ferocious. Lin Xujia glanced at her without a hint of fear, meeting her gaze in silence.
Lin's mother staggered toward Lin Xujia, suddenly raising her hand and quickening her pace. In the blink of an eye, she was in front of Lin Xujia, her hands gripping her neck tightly, as if she wanted to tear her apart and drink her blood.
Lin Xujia didn't struggle at first because she wanted to feel that suffocating sensation again—it oddly brought her a sense of relief. But as she stared intently at Lin's mother, who looked like she wanted to kill her, she managed a strained smile, tinged with mockery.
"Still smiling! Still smiling! It's all because of you that the Lin family ended up like this! You ruined Youran's life and destroyed our family! You ungrateful bitch! Why didn't you die with your mother back then? Why did you have to stay in the Lin family and plague us!"
Hearing Lin's mother's words, Lin Xujia laughed even harder. Lin's mother hadn't rested all night, but her strength was still formidable. Pausing, Lin Xujia fixed her cold, piercing eyes on her, then suddenly raised her hand and shoved her away, gasping for air.
The hospital room fell silent, but the atmosphere was eerily oppressive. Lin Xujia touched the spot where Lin's mother had choked her, a faint smile curling at her lips. Seeing Lin's mother leaning against the bed, she walked over, bent down slightly, and chuckled. "I'm also curious why I didn't die back then. If I had, maybe the Lin family wouldn't have been destroyed by my hands. Too bad I didn't die then, and now I'm even less likely to. I want to see with my own eyes how you and your daughter—and that man on the bed I call 'father'—end up, miserable and pathetic."
"Lin Xujia, when one prospers, all prosper; when one falls, all fall. Without the Lin family, what are you?"
"You've got it wrong. I'm a person, not a 'thing.' But I'd really like to know—what are you?" Lin Xujia said with a smile, though her tone dripped with mockery.
When Lin Xujia learned that Lin's father intended to hand her over to Yang Jinkuan, she decided she wouldn't just sit back and take it. In this world, no one could help her but herself. So, to avoid falling into Yang Jinkuan's clutches, she made a suggestion to Lin's father.
Pausing, Lin Xujia's eyes glimmered with amusement as she stared at Lin's mother, then suddenly spoke. "Weren't you so eager to send me to Yang Jinkuan? Who would've thought your own daughter would end up taking my place?"
Hearing this, Lin's mother's face instantly turned ashen. Noticing her reaction, Lin Xujia covered her mouth and smiled. "Curious, aren't you? Let me tell you. I originally wanted Xia Yan to take my place, and I had convinced my father. But unfortunately, you didn't expect me to overhear your conversation with the servant. I never thought you'd still be scheming against me, so I turned the tables and gave that juice you specially prepared for me to Lin Youran. Looks like you prefer this outcome, and I do too."
Lin's mother stared at Lin Xujia in shock, unable to believe it. Was this the same person she remembered, who always meekly accepted her fate?
"You set up Xia Yan. Do you think Lu Zhengting won't come after you?"
Lin Xujia smiled, straightened up, and looked down at Lin's mother, staying silent for a long time.
The atmosphere grew tense.
Lin Xujia tilted her head, thinking for a moment, then said softly, "Lu Zhengting? He'd thank me. Why would he come after me?"
Lin's mother stared at her in confusion, then after a moment of thought, gasped, "You were the one who tipped off Lu Zhengting? You timed it so he'd walk in on that scene, letting him take down the Lin family while earning Xia Yan's trust!"
"Haha... Since you've figured it out, should I admit it or deny it?"
"What sin has the Lin family committed to deserve a daughter like you? Did you plan all of this from the start, waiting for all of us to fall into your trap?"
Lin Xujia didn't deny it. She turned and walked back to her seat, her back to Lin's mother, wanting to laugh but finding her face stiff—probably from laughing too much earlier.
Lin's father lay motionless on the bed like a lifeless vegetable. The room was filled with Lin's mother's angry yet helpless sobs. Lin Xujia couldn't be bothered to spare them another glance. She picked up her handbag, ready to leave this place that disgusted her.
At the door, she suddenly stopped. "Stay in line. Don't try to harm me again. Otherwise, you'll only face worse consequences."
"Lin Xujia, you'll die a miserable death!"
"If there really is such a thing as a miserable death, we'll talk when the time comes."
With that, Lin Xujia left the room without looking back. The hospital corridor was quiet and still, almost devoid of any human presence. She wandered aimlessly until she reached the end of the hall. Seeing the numbers flashing on the elevator, she suddenly grinned, unsure whether to laugh or cry. As the elevator chimed, before the doors even opened, she heard applause behind her.
The crisp sound made her stop in her tracks. She turned quickly to see who had appeared.
Xia Siyue sneered at Lin Xujia, clapping her hands together. "What a brilliant performance. They say women can be crueler than men when they want to be. I never thought I'd see it so vividly in you."