Chapter 38: Making a Scene

When Butler Yu opened the door and saw the three members of the Lin family, he couldn't help but freeze. His eyes swiftly swept over them without leaving a trace, feeling increasingly bewildered. The family hadn't called for scrap collectors, had they?

Despite his confusion, his good breeding still allowed him to offer a refined smile.

"May I ask who the three of you are here to see?"

Having sneaked into the estate, the three members of the Lin family didn't bother pretending anymore. Dazzled by the towering grandeur of the luxurious estate, Lin Qiang curled his lips and blustered arrogantly.

"Who are we looking for? I'm here to find the mistress of your house!"

In his heart, he had it all figured out clear as day: these rich people had taken in his daughter, so wouldn't she be the mistress here? That would make him the father-in-law of this household's master! At this thought, Lin Qiang straightened his back even further.

‘Mistress?’

Butler Yu's eyes flickered as a quick assessment and calculation crossed his mind. Maintaining his practiced, polite smile, he made an elegant "please wait" gesture without letting them right in, asking them to wait on the spot while he reported to the Madam before inviting them inside.

Hearing that they still needed to be reported, Lin Qiang instantly grew displeased. What kind of logic was it for a father-in-law to be stopped outside his own family's door by a servant?

So he shoved Butler Yu aside overbearingly, "No waiting, no waiting! Let us in, I'm going to find her right now!"

"Sir, you cannot go in!"

Sitting in the living room, Ning Wanyuan heard the commotion, her brows pressing down slightly. She stopped her reading motion and raised her eyes to look over.

Lin Yuan looked over as well, her eyes happening to meet Lin Qiang and his group walking in from the hallway. Her face froze, unable to comprehend why they would show up here, and she instinctively stood up.

Ning Wanyuan glanced at her, sensing that something was amiss, before shifting her gaze toward the three barging intruders. To her, they were like ink dropping into clear water, spreading a wave of disgust deep within her eyes.

She spoke slowly, asking Butler Yu, who stood to the side looking somewhat flustered, "What is going on?"

Butler Yu reported, "They claim they are here to see you, Madam."

"Me?"

Ripples of disdain washed through Ning Wanyuan's eyes as she methodically pushed her jade bracelet back up her wrist. ‘See her? What could these three unrefined hillbillies possibly want with her?’

"Not her, we're here for Lin Yuan!"

The woman's inappropriate interruption drew the gazes of everyone present, as they looked toward her in unison.

The speaker was Lin Qiang's wife, Zhang Ying, who worked at a fast-food restaurant. Judging by the deep and shallow marks of time etched onto her face, her life had been quite harsh.

Right now, seeing Lin Yuan holding a delicate plate with unfinished pastries in her hand, she immediately barked out an insult, a reaction practically ingrained in her bones.

"You wretched girl, living so well all by yourself, yet you don't even think about your brother!"

Lin Yuan was frightened, the blood draining from her cheeks bit by bit, leaving her completely unable to respond for a moment.

Standing behind his parents, Lin Zihao had been scanning the luxurious villa ever since he stepped inside. He had never seen such a massive house. It looked just like a castle, and the elegant, wealthy lady sitting in the middle of the sofa fit his exact stereotype of a high-society matriarch.

This family was undoubtedly extraordinarily wealthy.

He stepped forward with a greasy smile, grabbing Lin Yuan's hand to act friendly.

"Sister, look at you, you've married into a wealthy household, shouldn't you be thinking about your brother?"

He then pointed a finger at Ning Wanyuan, "Look at how decently your mother-in-law dresses, so it's only normal for our family to ask for a bit more betrothal gift, right?"

The moment the words "mother-in-law" left his mouth, a bizarre silence fell over the living room once again.

Butler Yu, who always maintained an elegant demeanor, widened his eyes, unable to resist stealing a glance at Ning Wanyuan's expression.

“Now this was absolute gold!’ Madam was only thirty-five years old this year, usually taking great care of her appearance so that outsiders praised her for looking twenty-eight or nine, yet today someone actually called her a "mother-in-law" right to her face!

‘Hahahahaha, so which young master was getting a new wife?’

Ning Wanyuan rarely pulled a long face, but now the corners of her lips pulled downward in clear displeasure.

‘What nonsense was he spouting? Was this hillbilly blind?’

‘Truly anyone dared to try and associate themselves with their Shang family!’

Lin Yuan's mind had been buzzing ever since the three of them entered, but now her brain snapped back into gear. She yanked her hand back, taking several steps backward, and anxiously looked at Ning Wanyuan, whose face had turned somewhat cold, hurriedly waving her hands to explain.

"No, no, you've got it all wrong, I'm just here to tutor! How did you even know I was here?"

Seeing Lin Yuan refuse to admit it, Lin Zihao's face darkened.

"Now that you've latched onto a wealthy family, you refuse to acknowledge us poor relatives, is that it?!"

Lin Qiang also rushed forward, pointing at Lin Yuan and shouting curses.

"You truly heartless creature! We raised you for so many years, and now that you're living the good life, you don't care about us anymore?! Wishful thinking!"

Lin Yuan's eyes turned red with anxiety. With so many people watching, she felt both ashamed and flustered, nearly driven to tears as she tried to explain to them.

"I really am just here to tutor this family's child. I don't know anything about what you're saying, you've made a mistake..."

The scene was getting chaotic. Butler Yu was about to step forward to clear up the situation for Lin Yuan. After all, she looked far too overwhelmed, and it was obvious these three had come to cause trouble intentionally.

However, the second he took a step, a brute force yanked him backward. He turned his head in shock, only to see Zhang Ying sitting directly on the ground, her hand tightly clutching his pant leg, crumpling the neatly pressed fabric into an ugly mess.

Immediately after, Zhang Ying began putting on a dramatic display of throwing a tantrum on the floor, her loud, piercing wails high enough to hit operatic notes as she twisted her body, desperate to wipe her tears and snot all over Butler Yu.

"You heartless creature! How can you have the heart to watch your brother do hard labor and live a bitter life?! As his younger sister, shouldn't you help him out?! We don't blame you for ignoring your dad and me, but your brother has doted on you since you were little!"

"Did all your years of schooling go down the drain? You've turned into an ungrateful wolf! I truly raised you for nothing! You ate so much of my rice, how do you not understand filial piety and respect?"

Listening to this completely illogical and nonsensical rant, everyone present knit their brows. Butler Yu in particular was annoyed to death, trying to pull his leg away, yet unable to free himself no matter what.

‘Lord knew what kind of rebar and cement this middle-aged woman ate on a daily basis!’

Aunt Zhao couldn't stand it any longer. She walked over and forcefully pried Zhang Ying's hands off Butler Yu's leg, allowing the freed Butler Yu to shoot her a look of immense gratitude.

"Madam, if you have something to say, speak properly. We can't understand a word of your crying and wailing, can we? Get up, don't sit on the floor."

"Otherwise, if you dirty the floor later, it'll have to be cleaned all over again."

Unexpectedly, Zhang Ying slapped her hand away. Lin Qiang reacted as well, shoving Aunt Zhao hard while snarling viciously.

"You, a mere servant, dare to touch us!"

Aunt Zhao stumbled from the shove, and had Butler Yu not acted quickly to support her, she would have ended up on the floor. The two fellow servants exchanged a look, seeing utter speechlessness in each other's eyes.

Just as they were planning to go up to the second floor to report to Shang Heng, another group of people entered through the entrance door.

The newcomers were none other than the wealthy Lin family from the Capital, who were looking for their biological daughter. Now, both Lin families were gathered under the same roof.