Chapter 39: I’m Not His Sister, So Where’s the “Stealing My Sister” Feud Coming From?
The others froze for a moment. Lin Yuejiu’s expression remained calm. She no longer wanted to correct Lin Rumeng’s way of addressing her—no matter what she said, the girl wouldn’t change it anyway. Let her call her what she wanted; it wasn’t like she’d lose a piece of flesh over it. She spoke lightly, “You can be here, so why can’t I? Is this banquet hosted by your family?”
Lin Rumeng was stunned by her retort, as were the rest of the Lin family. They remembered that Lin Yuejiu had never spoken to anyone like this before—she had always been gentle and compliant.
Xu Nian, hearing this, was momentarily surprised as well, but quickly reacted, breaking into a smile. Was Jiujiu… learning to fight back now?
Lin Rumeng smiled sweetly. “Of course this banquet isn’t hosted by my family, so you can naturally be here. I’m just curious—who did you come with? It seems the invitations for this event are all for well-known families. How did a mere student like you get an invitation?”
Xu Nian stepped forward, standing beside Lin Yuejiu. “I brought her. What? You got a problem with that?”
Lin Rumeng was startled for a moment when she got a proper look at Xu Nian. He seemed familiar, like she’d seen him somewhere before, but she kept her polite smile. “I didn’t mean that, this gentleman—”
Before she could finish, Lin Yimo stepped out from behind her, his tone accusatory, “Why would you bring her to a place like this?”
“What kind of place? This isn’t some nightclub.”
“In what capacity are you bringing her here? As family? Last I checked, her surname is Lin.”
Xu Nian was unfazed. “So what? She’s not from your Lin family. Jiujiu has always been a Lin.”
Lin Yimo’s brows furrowed deeply.
One of Xu Nian’s friends couldn’t help asking, “Brother Nian, do you have a grudge against the eldest young master of the Lin family?”
“There wasn’t before,” Xu Nian replied lazily. “But now there is.”
“??? What kind of grudge?”
“The ‘stealing-my-sister’ kind of grudge.”
Xu Nian met Lin Yimo’s gaze, and the two locked eyes, sparks practically flying between them.
Lin Yuejiu quietly tugged at Xu Nian’s sleeve. He looked down at her. “What is it, Jiujiu?”
“Brother Xu Nian, it’s not a ‘stealing-my-sister’ grudge.”
“Huh??? Then what is it?”
Lin Yuejiu spoke slowly, “I’m not his sister, so where would a ‘stealing-my-sister’ grudge even come from?”
Xu Nian froze.
Lin Yimo froze.
Then Xu Nian suddenly started laughing—and the more he thought about it, the harder he laughed.
Lin Yimo’s face darkened, growing even darker by the second.
Still laughing, Xu Nian slung an arm around Lin Yuejiu’s shoulders, his tone filled with amusement. “Mm, our Jiujiu is right. You’re not his sister, so there’s no ‘stealing-my-sister’ feud. Not wrong at all.”
Lin Yimo’s gaze locked tightly onto Lin Yuejiu, his voice hoarse. “Jiujiu, say that again. Do you really not remember the time you spent with your brother before?”
Lin Yuejiu gave a gentle, harmless smile. “Have we spent time together before? I don’t remember, Mr. Lin.”
Previously, Lin Yimo had thought the three words Mr. Lin would be the hardest blow to her—but he hadn’t expected that I don’t remember would be the real dagger. A chill spread through his body as he stared in disbelief at the person in front of him, who now seemed almost like a stranger.
“Jiujiu… how can you say that? Your brother spent ten years with you—no, strictly speaking, eleven years. That January, I brought you home, and you called me ‘brother’ for eleven years straight… and you can just say you’ve forgotten, just like that?”
Lin Yuejiu’s smile faded from her face, and her eyes gradually grew cold.
“You say I could forget so easily? Then what about all the public attacks I suffered before—were they for nothing? Was I scolded for so long all for nothing? Were all those tears I shed for nothing?”
Lin Yimo was struck speechless by her words, his heart aching in countless tiny stabs.
She continued, “You say I could so easily say I forgot? And what about you? When your dear little sister came home, did you ever think of me? When you were with her, did you even spare me a second’s thought? That day when you so easily threw away the birthday bracelet you’d given me over ten years ago—did you ever think of how I’d feel? When you told everyone you only had Lin Rumeng as a sister, did you think of me as your sister? Did you think about our past bond?”
Lin Yimo was at a loss for words.
The attention of the guests at the banquet gradually shifted over to them. Seeing both the Lin family’s real and fake daughters here was already intriguing, and now they were even more interested after hearing Lin Yuejiu’s words just now. For a moment, their eyes toward Lin Yimo and the Lin family were complicated.
They had seen the Lin family’s coldness firsthand—when the truth had just come out, they immediately announced that the fake daughter had nothing to do with them anymore. They had never seen anything like it. They thought the family would at least wait a few days, but no—they didn’t even wait at all, just cut her off outright. Heartless. After all, she had been their daughter for eleven years.
Lin Yan and Mother Lin had wanted to say something, but her retort had left them both choked into silence.
Xu Nian, worried about her state, placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Lin Yuejiu turned her head and gave a slight shake to show she was fine, and he loosened his hand.
She returned her gaze to the Lin family, “Since the severance papers were signed long ago, we have nothing to discuss. The past bond is already gone, so there’s no need to bring it up again. You don’t need to use those old emotional lines on me—it won’t work.”
“We should have stopped seeing each other long ago.”
Lin Yimo’s eyes were bloodshot, fixed on her.
Lin Yuejiu didn’t look at him. She turned to Xu Nian, “Brother Xu Nian, the air here isn’t very fresh. Let’s go somewhere else. I feel a bit stifled.”
“Alright, let’s go somewhere else.”
Xu Nian led her away. His friends followed, leaving only the four members of the Lin family behind.
The onlookers quickly dispersed like startled birds.
Lin Rumeng tugged at Lin Yimo’s sleeve, “Brother…”
Lin Yimo came back to himself. “It’s nothing.”
But he had seen it.
When Jiujiu had been speaking just now, he had seen the disappointment in her eyes…
She had already been disappointed in him for a long time.
Xu Nian still felt worried about her emotional state, since the past had had such a big impact on her. He said, “Jiujiu…”
Lin Yuejiu gave him a gentle smile, “Brother Xu Nian.”
Her smile dazzled him. “Ah?”
“Brother Xu Nian, you don’t have to worry about me. I’m fine.”
“But you brought up the thing from before that hurt you the most…”
“You said it yourself—it’s from before. That means it’s already over. I don’t care anymore.”
“You really don’t mind?”
Seeing that he still looked worried, her heart warmed, and she couldn’t help but smile again, “Really. I don’t care anymore. I have no feelings left for them. I was a stand-in for eleven years. They got everything they wanted from me, and I got the family affection I wanted. Let’s just call it mutual exchange—no debts on either side.”
