Chapter 270: Could the Person Bai Ye Wants Her to Meet Be Mo Chen?
Chapter 270: Chapter 270: Could the Person Bai Ye Wants Her to Meet Be Mo Chen?
Su Wan was already feeling suffocated, her chest tight as if stuffed with wet cotton after Su Yuanzhou’s reprimand. Now, under Lin Yueyao’s relentless questioning, an indescribable surge of irritation spread from the depths of her heart into her very bones.
Her brows knitted tightly together as a thought repeatedly circled in her mind. "Am I truly wrong? Am I really as foolishly confused as my brother said? I have been trying to find a way to make it up to Yun Sheng. It’s just that I can’t let go of Yue Yao. I can’t sever nearly twenty years of our mother-daughter bond. Is that so wrong?"
"Mom?" Lin Yueyao called out again, sounding aggrieved when she saw that Su Wan had remained silent for so long.
Su Wan snapped back to reality. Barely suppressing the rolling irritation in her chest, she raised a hand to rub her throbbing temples. "It’s nothing," she softly consoled. "Your uncle might have run into some trouble and is in a bad mood. Don’t take it to heart."
Despite her words, her tone lacked conviction. She couldn’t even convince herself.
Not far away, Yun Sheng swept a cold glance over them. Her eyes held no extraneous emotion as she turned and walked straight toward the living room.
Si Jin was still sitting inside. Since Lin Zhenye was already furious, she worried that he might take his anger out on Si Jin and say something unpleasant. Even though Si Jin was incredibly powerful and wouldn’t take Lin Zhenye seriously at all, she didn’t want him to be scolded or wronged for no reason on her behalf.
Just as she reached the entrance to the living room, Yun Sheng heard Si Jin’s resonant, forceful voice.
He looked straight at Lin Zhenye, his gaze as cold as ice. The mockery and protectiveness in his tone were entirely undisguised.
"Mr. Lin, Yun Sheng is kind. Over the years, she has suffered so much in a slum like the Eighth Star Zone. After returning to this home, she never took her anger out on or made things difficult for the person who stole her identity. Instead, it is you all who have wronged her. You clearly owe her so much, yet not only do you refuse to make amends, but you also casually ignore and mistreat her.
"She is kind and accommodating, but I am not nearly as magnanimous. From now on, if Yun Sheng suffers even the slightest grievance in this house—whether it’s open harassment or secret scheming—I will absolutely not sit idly by!"
The living room instantly fell into a dead silence. Even the air seemed to freeze.
Lin Zhenye’s chest heaved violently under the weight of Si Jin’s rebuke. The anger in his eyes was almost erupting, yet he was completely suppressed by the terrifying aura radiating from the younger man. He opened his mouth but couldn’t utter a single word in rebuttal.
He gripped the armrest of the sofa so tightly that his fingertips nearly dug into the grain of the wood.
He hadn’t expected this Lin Mo to dare contradict him so boldly and even threaten him. It was a blatant disregard for both him and the Lin family!
Si Jin paid no mind to Lin Zhenye’s fury. His gaze remained cold, and the oppressive aura around him didn’t diminish in the slightest.
"Mr. Lin, I have said my piece. Do with it what you will. Yun Sheng has to participate in the Tower’s spiritual power retest tomorrow, and I don’t want her distracted by trivial family matters. I expect you and your family not to disturb her rest for any reason."
Listening to Si Jin’s words, Yun Sheng felt a slight sting in her nose, but her heart was tightly wrapped in a deep warmth. She knew Si Jin would protect her, but she hadn’t expected him to stand up for her right to Lin Zhenye’s face, going so far as to ruthlessly warn the man.
In this moment, all her negative emotions seemed to be completely driven away by Si Jin’s words, leaving her heart filled only with security and warmth.
She took a deep breath, suppressing the prickling in her eyes, and walked into the living room.
Hearing the movement, Si Jin turned to look. The coldness and sharpness in his eyes instantly faded, replaced by boundless tenderness and concern.
He stood up and quickly walked over to Yun Sheng. Instinctively taking her hand, his warm palm firmly enveloped her fingertips as he asked in a low voice, "Why did you take so long? Did Su Yuanzhou say something to you again?"
"No," Yun Sheng gently shook her head. Looking up at him, she spoke softly in a voice only the two of them could hear. "I heard everything. Thank you."
Si Jin chuckled softly. He raised his hand and gently ruffled the top of her hair, his movements tender and doting. "Why are you being so polite with me? Protecting you is exactly what I should be doing."
After speaking, he turned and cast a brief glance at Lin Zhenye, who was still sitting silently on the sofa with an ashen face. A faint trace of coldness flashed through Si Jin’s eyes.
"I’ll head back now. Get some good rest and recharge. I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning and take you to the Tower."
"Okay. I’ll walk you out."
However, Si Jin stopped her by lightly pressing her shoulders. "No need. The sun is harsh outside. I can go back by myself."
He reached out to tidy the loose strands of hair on her forehead, his fingertips gently brushing against her cheek. The look in his eyes was so tender it could practically melt.
Seeing his insistence, Yun Sheng could only watch as he left.
Once Si Jin’s figure disappeared from view, she planned to head straight upstairs to her room. Just then, Lin Zhenye’s cold, stiff voice suddenly rang out.
"I absolutely will not agree to the Su family hosting a recognition banquet for you! You are my, Lin Zhenye’s, daughter. If there’s to be a recognition banquet, it should be hosted by our Lin family. It is not the Su family’s place to overstep!
"If we really let the Su family host it first, where would I put my face when word gets out? What would happen to the Lin family’s dignity? Yun Sheng, I expect you to have some sense of propriety when doing things. Stop only caring about yourself!"
The fury in his heart had been building up for a long time. Su Yuanzhou’s overbearing attitude, Si Jin’s warning, and the fact that the recognition banquet concerned the Lin family’s dignity—all of it exploded at this moment. His words were full of concern for his reputation, without a shred of care for Yun Sheng.
The mockery in Yun Sheng’s eyes deepened. She was just about to speak when Lin Yueyao’s delicate, surprised voice came from behind.
"Dad, what are you talking about? What recognition banquet? Are you going to host a recognition banquet for Yun Sheng?"
Lin Yueyao hurried in from the front hall. Her gaze landed on Yun Sheng, concealing an obvious trace of vigilance and unease.
She had already had her engagement broken off by Bai Ye. Panic gripped her heart. "If I can’t even hold on to my status as a young lady of the Su family now... then I will truly be completely ruined!"
As soon as Yun Sheng heard Lin Yueyao’s pretentious voice, she didn’t even wait for Lin Zhenye to reply. She turned on her heel and walked toward the stairs.
"I’m tired. I’m going back to my room to rest."
She walked very fast. Lin Zhenye seemed to say something, and Lin Yueyao also called out her name, but she completely ignored them. She quickened her pace, wishing she could return to her room in the blink of an eye.
Right after returning to her room and sitting down on the single sofa by the window, Yun Sheng took out her terminal, intending to message Si Jin. Instead, she saw a message Bai Ye had sent her an hour ago.
She and Si Jin had been in the hovercar at the time... she hadn’t noticed it at all.
She opened the message.
Bai Ye: [Yun Sheng, after the spiritual power test at the Tower ends tomorrow afternoon, I want to take you to the Central Star Domain High-level Biological Spirit Research Institute to meet a friend of mine. He is the chief researcher there, specializing in spiritual power research.]
She stared at the screen, her thoughts racing. "The Central Star Domain High-level Biological Spirit Research Institute... chief researcher... and specializing in spiritual power research... These titles sound so familiar. Isn’t that exactly the same as Mo Chen, whom I met in my dreams before? Could the person Bai Ye wants me to meet actually be Mo Chen?!"