Chapter 8: You’ve Let Me Down Too
The four members of the family sat on the living room sofa, while Old Master Lin sat in the main seat.
Lin Ru Meng whispered, “Mom, why did Grandpa ask us to come here?”
“Maybe he wants to discuss something.”
Father Lin and Mother Lin had no idea that the old man had also called Lin Yuejiu over.
When the butler led Lin Yuejiu into the living room, everyone except Lin Ru Meng froze.
“Jiujiu, why are you here? Isn’t it late? Shouldn’t you be at school?”
Before coming, Lin Yuejiu already felt something was off. Old Master Lin had always disliked her; if he called her to the old house without a reason, there had to be a catch. It wasn’t until she saw the four people on the sofa that she realized why he had called her. She lowered her eyes slightly and greeted each person, but when she reached Lin Ru Meng, she paused—unsure how to address her.
Lin Ru Meng looked at her curiously.
Slim figure, fair skin, lips red without any lipstick.
Father Lin noticed and introduced them: “Jiujiu, this is your younger sister. We just found her a few days ago. You’ve been busy with schoolwork, so we didn’t tell you yet.”
Old Master Lin snorted coldly: “That’s not her younger sister—that’s the only true young lady of the Lin family.”
Lin Yuejiu lowered her eyes without speaking.
Father Lin frowned. “Dad, Jiujiu is also my child.”
“She may be your child, but I’ve never acknowledged her as my granddaughter. My only granddaughter is Meng Meng! Besides, the only reason I agreed to let you adopt her back then was because of Meng Meng.”
Father Lin stood up. “Dad!”
“What? Did I say anything wrong?”
He looked at Lin Yuejiu. “Jiujiu…”
“Grandpa has already said it clearly—I’m adopted, not your biological daughter.” Her voice was soft, her head lowered, hiding her emotions.
“Since you know it yourself, then sign this.”
Old Master Lin tossed a document onto the coffee table.
“Dad, what is this?”
“A severance of parental ties agreement.”
“What?!”
Both Father Lin and Mother Lin stood up.
Lin Yimo clenched his fists, his eyes filled with complicated emotions.
“Dad, even if you don’t like Jiujiu, you don’t have to do this!”
“I told you before—Meng Meng is my real granddaughter! Last time, I asked you to make a choice. What now? You haven’t decided? Or did you choose her over Meng Meng?”
Lin Ru Meng’s eyes widened. “Dad, Mom…”
Mother Lin stroked her head reassuringly. “It’s okay, Meng Meng, we’ll never abandon you.”
Lin Yuejiu stepped forward, picked up the pen, and opened the document.
Father Lin quickly grabbed her wrist. “Jiujiu, do you really want to sever ties with us?”
Her voice was calm. “Haven’t you already made your decision? You can’t have both the fish and the bear’s paw.”
Father Lin froze, then silently released her hand.
Lin Yuejiu flipped to the signature page and wrote her name.
Old Master Lin nodded with satisfaction. “At least you have some self-awareness to sign willingly.”
He waved his hand, and the butler handed her a check.
“There’s one million in this check. You may not be part of the Lin family, but you’ve been their daughter for years and have fulfilled your role. Now that Meng Meng is back, you can leave. We’re not heartless people—this million is for your future. Once you’re an adult, you can earn your own living. Since you’ve signed this severance agreement, you won’t need to show filial piety to them anymore. Let’s end things here.”
Lin Yuejiu glanced at the check in the butler’s hand for a moment, then took it and bowed. “Thank you.”
Seeing her accept it without much hesitation, Lin Yimo instinctively frowned.
Lin Ru Meng spoke first: “Don’t worry, Sister. Since you’re not here anymore, I’ll take good care of Mom and Dad, and when I grow up, I’ll be filial to them.”
Lin Yuejiu didn’t look at her and simply responded, “Mm.” She took a breath and said, “Thank you, Mom and Dad, for raising me all these years. I hope you live happily, stay healthy, and have long lives.”
She then bowed to them.
Mother Lin and Father Lin looked at Lin Yuejiu, who was bowing in front of them, their eyes full of complicated emotions.
After finishing her bow, she glanced at them. “Goodbye.”
She turned and slowly walked out.
Father Lin wanted to go after her, but he couldn’t find a good reason to.
The always-silent Lin Yimo suddenly stood up and chased after her.
From behind, the old master shouted, “Lin Yimo, where are you going?! Get back here!”
Lin Yimo didn’t stop. He caught up to Lin Yuejiu just as she was about to reach the door and grabbed her arm.
Lin Yuejiu turned her head, surprised to see him. She opened her mouth to call him “Brother,” but thinking of what had just happened, the word stuck in her throat.
Lin Yimo noticed and asked the question that had been gnawing at him: “Have you known all along that you were adopted? And were you just waiting for this day to come?”
Lin Yuejiu looked at him, disbelief in her eyes. “I wasn’t waiting for this day.”
“Then you admit you knew you were adopted?”
She didn’t hide it. “Yes, I knew.”
Lin Yimo gave a sudden cold laugh. “So you did it on purpose, didn’t you?”
Lin Yuejiu frowned, not understanding. “Did what on purpose?”
“From the moment you were adopted, you knew. So all these years you’ve been pretending to be obedient, pretending to be sensible, just to win our affection? You’re smart—you must have figured out long ago that Grandpa didn’t like you and always wanted to drive you out of the Lin family. But you were our daughter for over ten years, so you guessed that when you left, he’d give you a check, right?”
Lin Yuejiu had wanted to explain, but when she saw the disappointment in his eyes, her throat tightened and no words came out.
Seeing her silence, he took it as admission. A nameless anger flared in him. He had always known she was adopted, but he had tried his best to treat her like his real sister, to be good to her in every way he could. Yet she seemed to take their bond so lightly—signing the severance agreement without hesitation, accepting the check without a second thought, and leaving without looking back.
Lin Yuejiu looked at him quietly, her gaze calm. Remembering how this brother had doted on her in the past now felt a little ironic.
Lin Yimo’s chest rose and fell with agitation before he said, “I remember seeing a card on your desk once, with a number of days written on it. Thinking about it now, that number matches exactly the time from when you came to the Lin family to now.”
Lin Yuejiu smiled. “And so?”
“Lin Yuejiu, after all the time we’ve spent together, you’ve really let me down.”
Her smile faded, “Right back at you.”
He frowned, “You’ve disappointed me too.”
She turned and left.
When she came, the driver had brought her. When she left, she was alone.
She walked slowly down the street, feeling the cool night breeze.
Looking down at the check in her hand, she folded it neatly and put it in her pocket.
—
Lin Yimo watched her leave the Lin family home, his chest heavy with a mix of disappointment and reluctance.
After standing there for a moment, he went back inside.
The old master snorted when he saw him. “Still can’t bear to part with that ‘sister’ of yours? Meng Meng is your only real sister!”
“I know.”
The old master looked at him.
Lin Yimo gritted his teeth. “From now on, Meng Meng will be my only sister.”
Lin Ru Meng was startled. “Brother?”
Lin Yimo walked up to her and patted her head. “Mm, I’m here.”
“Yimo?”
“Am I wrong? Dad, isn’t Meng Meng your only daughter?”
Father Lin glanced at the severance agreement on the coffee table, now bearing all the necessary signatures, “Yes.”
