Chapter 90: Let This Be a Lesson for You
Suddenly, Lin Rumeng felt uneasy; she had a premonition that the materials Lin Yimo held were related to her.
Lin Yimo had prepared four sets of documents and gave one to Lin Rumeng, letting her see clearly for herself and gain a proper understanding of her own situation.
Rumeng’s hands trembled as she opened the documents. When she saw the investigative details inside, she nearly fainted—it was all about her, her past, and everything she had done.
The other three silently absorbed the information. Lin Yimo then played the recordings for them to hear.
Hearing the familiar voices in the recordings, Lin Rumeng felt her vision darken. “It’s over, it’s over…”
After the recordings finished, the living room fell completely silent, so quiet that even breathing seemed audible.
After a long moment, Lin grandfather’s aged voice broke the silence: “You personally investigated this?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“A while ago.”
“Why didn’t you tell us earlier?”
Lin Yimo answered honestly, “I didn’t find the right opportunity.”
Lin grandfather glanced at the time. “Alright, it’s getting late. I’ll head off first.”
“Grandfather, I’ll see you out.”
After hesitating, Lin grandfather nodded.
Lin Yimo escorted him to the door and watched him get into the car. “Take it easy, grandfather.”
“I didn’t investigate these things before.”
“I know.”
Lin grandfather sighed. “You all handle it as you see fit.”
“Yes, grandfather. Take care.”
Lin Yimo returned to the living room. Lin Rumeng sat on the sofa, her hands trembling violently.
Lin mother had yet to recover from shock—she never imagined that her own daughter could be so vain, competitive, and willing to slander others.
Lin father remained silent for a while before speaking. “Rumeng… is this true?”
The question made Rumeng tremble even more, her voice shaking: “I… I…”
Lin father pressed gently, “I need the truth.”
Rumeng, nearly in tears, had no choice but to admit it: “Yes…”
She knew that if she didn’t confess now, Lin father and mother would be even more disappointed.
Lin father took a deep breath, feeling almost suffocated. Seeing this, Lin Yimo handed him a cup of warm water, then poured another for Rumeng.
Rumeng took it, tilting her head back. Her eyes were red, and tears seemed to linger. She softly called, “Brother?”
Lin Yimo didn’t meet her gaze, simply saying, “What’s yours, no one can take from you. What’s not yours, you can never have.”
He went upstairs, leaving the living room, no longer concerned with their emotional mess—he had already revealed everything.
The next day, at school.
Lin Yuejiu was sitting at her desk, working on problems. Xu Yanshen had been called to the front by the teacher, and Lin Rumeng practically arrived just in time. She came over to Yuejiu’s desk, practically shouting: “Are you satisfied now?!”
The whole class froze at her outburst, turning to look.
Lin Yuejiu slowly lifted her head. Rumeng looked quite disheveled, her eyes still red. Yuejiu raised an eyebrow. “Satisfied with what?”
“Now Dad, Grandpa, and Brother are all disappointed in me. Is this the ending you wanted? You’ve won, Lin Yuejiu! Now they all like you again. You’ve won! I really underestimated you before, thinking you were truly carefree. But you were just waiting here for me. You’re really scheming. If Mom and Dad knew how calculating you are, do you think they would still like you?” Rumeng stared fixedly at her.
Compared to Rumeng’s panic, Lin Yuejiu was completely calm, meeting her gaze with ease. “I don’t want them to like me. Whoever they like, let them like them. That’s none of my business. You say they like me more now, but how do you know? Did they tell you? Don’t spread things without proof. I only ever wanted to earn their approval—I never aimed to gain anything else.”
“Also,” Yuejiu lifted her chin, “you say you underestimated me? Hah. Compared to you, I’m nothing—a small fry seeing a big fry. Don’t you remember what you’ve done to me? Last night, I just couldn’t take it anymore, so I gave it back to you, to teach you a lesson.”
Lin Yuejiu stared into her eyes, speaking deliberately, word by word: “What’s yours, no one can take. The Lin family heiress position is forever yours, no one will compete with you. If you don’t cause trouble for me anymore, nothing bad will happen to you in the future. So you better behave and stop provoking me. Everyone has a bottom line, and if you cross it, don’t blame me for being harsh.”
It wasn’t really any different from a warning—anyone could do that.
“What’s going on?” the teacher’s voice sounded.
Rumeng glared at Yuejiu in frustration and returned to her seat.
The math teacher was followed by Xu Yanshen, holding the homework. “Hand out the assignments; let’s go over the questions.”
Xu Yanshen handed half the homework to Lin Yuejiu to help distribute.
The class still hadn’t recovered from the earlier scene. The classroom had been very quiet; everyone had clearly heard the exchange, and their jaws were still agape.
“Wow… Lin Goddess standing her ground like that is amazing!”
“Such presence! Love it!”
Once the homework was distributed, Xu Yanshen glanced at her, silently asking what had just happened.
Lin Yuejiu blinked—oh, she had just “scolded,” no, more like “warned” someone.
Xu Yanshen’s eyes lit up with a smile, giving her a thumbs-up.
Yuejiu waved her hand, signaling to stay low-key.
After class, Lin Rumeng never came to confront her again.
The final exams approached. Everyone focused on preparing, and Rumeng, having already disappointed her family, had no room to slack off—her grades could not falter again.
The final exams finished quickly, and the students cheered, saying their goodbyes as they left school.
In the dorm, Chen Qianxi was packing up and asked Lin Yuejiu, who was reading at the desk: “Jiujiu, school’s on break, and the dorm won’t be open. What will you do?”
“Don’t worry. Xu Yanshen’s mom said I could stay at their place.”
“Study-God Xu’s mom said you could stay there?”
Lin Yuejiu nodded. “They have plenty of empty rooms.”
“Why not rent a place?” Chen Qianxi asked herself. “Oh, right, we’re minors, so we can’t rent.”
“Don’t worry. Aunt Xu and Uncle Xu will be home.”
Chen Qianxi thought about it. Someone like Aunt Xu wouldn’t do anything to her, so she nodded, finished packing, and waved. “I’m off then. Keep in touch by phone.”
“Okay, take care on the way.”
Actually, the homeroom teacher had asked Lin Yuejiu if she wanted to stay at their house, as they had spare rooms, but Yuejiu politely declined. The teacher’s children were very young—the oldest was eleven, the youngest just three. Yuejiu didn’t want to trouble anyone.
