Chapter 37: I'm Too Pretty, I'm Afraid She'll Fall in Love with Me

"Youchuan, how can you speak about your sister like that?!" Mrs. Lin’s eyes were red from crying. No matter how grieved she felt, hearing her son address the daughter she raised personally in such a manner still sparked anger within her.

"Even if Qian'an isn't my biological child, she is still a child I raised with my own hands! If I say she is my daughter, then she is my daughter!"

Hearing Mrs. Lin defend her so fiercely, Lin Qian’s nose tingled. Though her mother was usually strict with her, the love hidden beneath those strict rules had never been lacking by even a fraction.

Even now, knowing she wasn't her biological child, that love remained completely intact.

The Sword of Damocles hanging over her head was temporarily withdrawn. She took a deep breath, releasing the air she had held in for far too long with a slight shudder.

Lin Youchuan let out a cold scoff, leaning back against the sofa.

"Mom, it's not that I'm being harsh, but the fact is that Lin Qian isn't my sister! She enjoyed blessings she shouldn't have enjoyed like a cuckoo taking over another's nest. What's wrong with me saying a couple of words about her?"

His words were incisive, stabbing precisely into the guilt in Mrs. Lin's heart. As things had developed, her immediate reaction was guilt toward her biological daughter, who had suffered outside for so many years.

Yet at the same time, her heart ached for Lin Qian. She was still so young. To suddenly be told she wasn't biological, how terrified and panicked must she be? This was the daughter she had meticulously nurtured for sixteen years, after all!

She now felt fortunate that their Lin family held a vast business and estate. Raising one more child was well within their means. As long as they brought Lin Yuan back, their family could live together happily.

Finally, Lin Jiancheng, sitting in the central seat, spoke up. Dressed in a sharp suit, he had rushed back specifically from his company after receiving the news.

"Alright, stop arguing. Since she is our biological child, we will just bring her back and raise her well. A child of the Lin family cannot be left wandering outside."

He paused, his deep, dark eyes sweeping unperturbedly over Lin Qian, who was held tightly in his wife's embrace.

"Qian'an grew up in the Lin family, so she is naturally a child of the Lin family as well."

A final verdict. Two simple sentences made his stance clear.

Lin Jiancheng calmly took a sip of tea. It was merely a matter of having one extra child. Whether biological or not didn't matter to him. He only cared whether an outstanding child belonged to him.

Bloodline was a flimsy concept. If Lin Qian wasn't his biological child, she didn't have to be anyone else's biological child either. In short, since her surname was Lin and she grew up in the Lin household, she was destined to be part of the Lin family's legacy.

"What?! How can that be..."

Lin Youchuan's eyes widened in disbelief. Since she wasn't part of the Lin family, shouldn't she scram out of the Lin residence? His smug expression collapsed in an instant. Just as he wanted to argue further, a light glance from Lin Jiancheng silenced him completely.

"Yes, yes, this is the best way. Both Qian'an and Little Yuan are children of our Lin family."

Hearing her husband's stance, a smile finally surfaced on Mrs. Lin's face.

"In that case, let's hurry and bring Little Yuan back home."

She couldn't wait to see her biological daughter.

Right at that moment, the secretary standing in the shadows by the wall answered a phone call. His respectful posture froze, and he hurriedly stepped over to Lin Jiancheng, lowering his head.

"Mr. Lin, the people you sent to follow Miss Lin reported that a car has been trailing Miss Lin suspiciously. What are your instructions?"

"What?!"

Mrs. Lin's face paled drastically.

"Quick! Let's go find Little Yuan right now!"

Outside the Shang Family Estate.

An ordinary Honda car drove up. Sitting in the front passenger seat was a middle-aged man whose eyes stared straight at the grand entrance gates.

He looked to be around forty years old, with dark skin, facial wrinkles that creased whenever he moved his mouth, a rough stubble beard, and an unkempt appearance overall. The jacket he wore was stained with old grease marks.

Right now, his eyes sparkled with excitement as he sat up straight from his seat.

"This family is definitely loaded! We hit the jackpot coming here!"

A woman in the back seat leaned her head forward between the two seats to look out, her eyes filled with greed in the sunlight, though she shrank back slightly upon spotting the two bodyguards standing at the gate.

"There are bodyguards standing guard over there. It looks pretty intimidating. Will they even let us in?"

The young man in the driver's seat finally snapped out of his trance from the sight of wealth. Turning his head to glare at the woman behind him, he pointed a finger at his own head disapprovingly.

"My sister just went in. Can't we just say we're delivering something to her? Since this family took my sister in, isn't it only right that we ask them for some money?!"

His words carried a bit of logic, making the other two nod repeatedly.

"Son, you're right! We'll say just that! Since those rich people took a liking to Lin Yuan, they naturally have to give us a bride price!"

As it turned out, the three people in the car were the Lin family who had previously adopted Lin Yuan. However, after raising her for a few years, they grew unwilling to raise her for unknown reasons and kicked her out of the house.

Lin Zihao, the young man in the driver's seat, had previously run into Lin Yuan walking a dog while delivering furniture for a household. But how could a student girl like Lin Yuan appear in such a wealthy neighborhood?

The more he thought about it, the more suspicious it felt. He went back to mutter with his parents, and in the end, they all agreed that Lin Yuan must have found herself a rich benefactor!

So they had been trailing Lin Yuan secretly for a week, finally catching her red-handed today.

Their car drove forward a bit. Seeing an unfamiliar vehicle, the bodyguards immediately blocked it with alertness. One of them stepped up and knocked on the car window.

"What are you here for?"

Lin Zihao immediately put on a polite smile, explaining, "Hello, I'm the older brother of the girl who went in earlier. Her name is Lin Yuan. She called us saying she has a stomachache and asked us to pick her up."

The bodyguards naturally knew the name Lin Yuan. She was the Eldest Miss's tutor. Fearing they wouldn't believe him, Lin Zihao even showed a joint photo of himself and Lin Yuan. The two bodyguards exchanged a glance, had them log a visitor record, and let the car in.

In the study.

Shang Heng looked up at his youngest son, who carried a calm, indifferent expression, then shifted his gaze to his youngest daughter, who was sitting unladylike on a chair.

*When on earth did the relationship between these two become so good?* (° ⊿ ′)

He picked up water from the desk to soothe his throat. The mending of the twins' relationship somewhat smoothed over his internal anger, though he still shook his head.

"No."

"Why?" Shang Ying knitted her brows, scoffing in displeasure. "Then switch to a different teacher for me."

Shang Heng cast a disapproving glance at her.

"Teacher Lin teaches very well and is the same age as you. Being together won't feel as oppressive. Why do you want to switch teachers?"

"I'm too perfect, I'm afraid she'll fall in love with me."

Shang Heng: …

Shang Yi: ‘Makes sense.’ ▔-▔

Shang Heng let out a laugh of pure disbelief, slapping her forehead with his palm. Shang Ying let out a cry of pain, frowning in annoyance.

"Why are you hitting me again?!"

"I'm hitting you! Why on earth would someone as outstanding as her take a liking to you? Have some self-awareness!"

‘Take a liking to her beauty, her money, and her direct, captivating personality!’

As Shang Ying listed her strengths one by one, she felt she was still extremely competitive, okay?!

Before she could continue bickering with Shang Heng, a commotion sounded from downstairs.