Old Master Lin approached Lin Zhe, placing a firm hand on his shoulder.
"Don’t be too disappointed, son. You will be supporting your cousin alongside him. Just as I’ve led the family with the First Elder by my side, your guidance will ensure Lin Sanju steers our family toward greatness. With you around, I’ll be more confident in his success. Guide him well, son."
Lin Zhe smiled faintly, his expression unreadable. "I understand, Grandfather."
"It’s good you understand," Old Master Lin said, his voice warm but carrying the weight of expectation.
As the patriarch moved away, Lin Zhe lowered his gaze, his fingers tightening around the glass in his hand. No one could tell what thoughts simred beneath his composed exterior.
anwhile, the hall bustled with energy. Guests surrounded Lin Sanju, offering their congratulations, filling the room with lively chatter and cheer.
Lin Sanju was pulled into endless conversations, leaving Fei Chuan at the table alone with Lin Zhe and Lin Dayun. The atmosphere between the three was heavy with awkward silence.
"Uhm, Mr. Fei," Lin Dayun finally started, breaking the silence, "may I ask how you and my cousin beca friends? Were you classmates, perhaps?"
Her voice carried a mix of curiosity and familiarity, but Fei Chuan’s response was polite and detached.
"Yes, we were classmates."
"Oh, so you attended Tian Shen High? I heard that all my cousins attend the sa school."
"Mhm." Fei Chuan answered briefly, not taking the initiative to continue the conversation.
"That’s a pity. If I stayed here in the country, I would have been in the sa school with you. Perhaps we could have been friends since you know Lin Sanju."
Fei Chuan did not comnt. His attention clearly elsewhere. His hand idly played with the stem of his wine glass, the rhythmic motion matching his asured calm.
But every so often, his gaze shifted—just briefly—toward the back of the hall.
Lin Dayun tried to salvage the conversation a few more tis, but Fei Chuan just briefly answered with ’Yes’ and ’Mhm’.
Lin Dayun bit her lip, frustrated by his distant deanor. She tried again, "So, you’ve known him for years, then? That must be why you’re willing to help him so much..."
Fei Chuan only nodded slightly, then his eyes subtly glanced at the back again.
Lin Dayun noticed his distraction. Her brows furrowed as she glanced in the sa direction, trying to determine what—or who—kept drawing his attention.
When her gaze landed on Bei Sangyun, the smile on her face faltered.
She had indeed seen Fei Chuan stop and talk to Bei Sangyun before coming to greet her grandfather. It seed the three of them were already acquainted.
She wanted to ask if the two were familiar with each other and how they had t, but she hesitated. She didn’t want to give Fei Chuan the wrong impression again.
Her silence only heightened the awkwardness at the table.
The tension broke when Lin Zhe’s phone rang.
The man, who had been unusually quiet until now, suddenly perked up, as though revived by the sound of his phone. He stood abruptly, muttering a quick excuse before stepping to the side to take the call.
At the front of the room, Lin Sanju, who had been tirelessly entertaining the crowd surrounding him, also received a phone call. With a polite smile, he excused himself from the crowd and discreetly stepped out.
Their consecutive departures went largely unnoticed. It wasn’t uncommon for people to step away montarily to answer calls during such events.
At the table, only Fei Chuan and Lin Dayun remained.
Lin Dayun’s eyes flickered with determination. This was an opportunity. "Mr. Fei, I noticed you speaking with my third cousin earlier. Are you two familiar with each other? Friends or classmates, perhaps?"
Fei Chuan didn’t respond imdiately. His gaze drifted back to the spot he had been watching all evening, but the person who had captured his attention was gone.
He scanned the crowd, searching, but she was nowhere to be seen.
Where had she gone?
Lin Dayun waited for his reply but heard nothing. The silence stretched, and she began to feel embarrassed. Biting her lip, she decided to change the subject. "Mr. Fei, to be honest, we’ve t before in the States—"
"Excuse ." Fei Chuan abruptly stood, cutting her off.
Lin Dayun’s cheeks flushed red. "Oh." She watched in stunned silence as he walked away from the table.
But then her expression darkened when she saw him approach Bei Sangyun’s table and question the people seated there. Lin Dayun’s lips tightened, her eyes flickering.
It was undeniable now—Fei Chuan knew Bei Sangyun. And it seed their relationship was far from ordinary.
...
Ten minutes ago...
Most of the guests had gathered at the front to congratulate Lin Sanju. His parents, Li and Lin Ruo, stood proudly in the center, surrounded by their supporters.
It was a lively scene.
Bei Sangyun shifted her gaze away from the crowd at the front and turned to the person beside her.
"Why aren’t you joining them?"
Lin Sunji, who had been sipping her drink after a tiring cat-and-mouse chase with Zhong Cheng earlier, rolled her eyes.
"Should I remind you that you got banned from the competition five years ago? You humiliated so badly that I couldn’t show my face to the entire family. If I were to go there now and join them at the front, I’d only beco the subject of gossip."
She emptied her wine glass in one go. Setting it down, she added bitterly, "Besides, the supporters don’t want there. I wasted half of their investnt before my brother stepped up to take my place in the race."
Bei Sangyun raised an eyebrow, surprised by Lin Sunji’s words.
She hadn’t expected such sentints from her. Or rather, the Lin Sunji she rembered wouldn’t have expressed thoughts like these. The Lin Sunji she knew would have pushed her way to the center of attention, taking credit and leveraging the situation to make everything revolve around her.
Bei Sangyun finished the wine in her own glass. "You and your fourth branch... you’ve changed a lot."
Lin Sunji cast her a sidelong glance. "Of course. It’s been four years. A lot has happened—especially after Mom and Dad started taking parenting classes. Our whole family began to change after that."
Bei Sangyun froze for a mont, her gaze falling on Li and Lin Ruo. She was astonished. She could never have imagined that those two arrogant people would ever attend parenting classes.
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