Chapter 92 – Exposed
Lin Ganzhi didn’t try to stop the situation. Wu Erdao was disgusting, but Chen Cuichun wasn’t entirely innocent either. They were reaping what they sowed, and besides, what did any of it have to do with the current Lin Ganzhi?
He had thought that after Chen Cuichun and Wu Erdao left, there wouldn’t be any more trouble. To his surprise, not even two days later, the entire Wu family of three showed up again, this time with Wu Guanglian in tow.
At that moment, Lin Ganzhi was bundled up snugly, building a snowman in the small courtyard of the villa. Yan Shengping, who had started taking medicine and was now recuperating, had been given permission by Uncle Yan to come out and watch, but he was not allowed to participate in Lin Ganzhi’s fun. Yan Shengping could only sit on a chair, wearing a matching long padded coat, and meticulously instruct Lin Ganzhi on how to build a high-class snowman. To this end, Yan Shengping even provided many of his own priceless brooches and cufflinks for Lin Ganzhi’s entertainment.
Don’t ask, if you did, the answer would be that they were just a dozen or so yuan each, just for show. Because of this, Lin Ganzhi played with particular glee. For just one head ornament, Lin Ganzhi used over twenty cufflinks and five or six brooches. Uncle Yan, watching from the side, was both happy and pained. My goodness, some of those cufflinks shouldn’t get wet; they were worth millions apiece.
“Yan Shengping, does this look good?” Lin Ganzhi held up the snowman’s head for display. On its round head, a large crown was formed with diamond cufflinks, its eyes were made of black jade, and a sapphire brooch was embedded as its nose. The aesthetic was questionable, but its value was certainly worth estimating.
Even so, Yan Shengping still smiled calmly and commented, “Passable.”
Having received a “passable” grade, Lin Ganzhi went back to building with even more enthusiasm.
“Lin Ganzhi, what right do you have to make my parents take back my three million? You ruined my first love, and now you want to ruin my marriage too?!” Wu Guanglian charged out from around the corner, her face contorted in fury. Behind her, Chen Cuichun and Wu Erdao hurried to catch up.
Lin Ganzhi’s hands paused, his expression one of complete exasperation. Why are they here again?
“Sir, let me help you inside,” Uncle Yan said, stepping forward to support Yan Shengping after receiving a look from Lin Ganzhi. Lin Ganzhi clapped the snow off his hands and stood up.
“What on earth do you people want? I’ve already said, if you want money, sue me. If there’s a single law that says I have to pay, I won’t say another word,” Lin Ganzhi said, on the verge of being driven mad by them.
Wu Guanglian was wearing a red overcoat, her thin, gaunt frame standing like a stubborn bamboo stalk in the cold wind, refusing to fall. Her hands were on her hips, lacking her father’s inherent cowardice but also missing the seasoned shrewishness of Chen Cuichun.
“I want my three million! No one can take it from me!” Wu Guanglian said stubbornly.
Heh, Lin Ganzhi couldn’t be bothered to spare them another glance.
“Ganzhi, it’s cold outside, hurry and come in!” Uncle Yan called from the doorway. Yan Shengping also stood at the entrance, not having gone inside.
Lin Ganzhi responded with a call and turned back to the family of leeches. “Go ahead and make up whatever you want. I’m not afraid even if it gets online. As everyone knows, my anti-fans make up half the entertainment circle. A few more of you won’t make a difference.” Perhaps this was a benefit of having so many anti-fans. He could even support a few more marketing accounts, which would be his contribution to the economy. On this matter, Lin Ganzhi’s optimism was extraordinary.
“Lin Ganzhi!” Wu Guanglian shouted fiercely. Wu Erdao tried to drag his daughter back, but this time Wu Guanglian violently shook him off. Caught off guard, Wu Erdao stumbled and fell to the ground. Seeing this, Wu Guanglian was still not satisfied and cursed, “How did I end up with a useless father like you? I’ve watched you act like a tyrant at home my whole life. When have you ever stood up for me outside? Now I’m fighting for my marriage, and what right do you have to pull me back? At your age, you’re still having a baby with my mom. You go around telling everyone how amazing you are, ha, pfft! If you’re really so capable, raise a son for me to see with your own hands! What are you pretending to be a good person for now!”
“You!” It was the first time Wu Erdao had been so publicly humiliated by his daughter, and he slapped her without hesitation.
The sharp smack made even Lin Ganzhi pause in his steps.
“Aiyo, how can you, an unfilial daughter, talk to your father like that? Apologize to your father right now!” Chen Cuichun stepped forward, but her first reaction was to stand behind her husband and point fingers at her own daughter. “If your father really didn’t care about us, would he have come with us?”
Damn it, this couple was really something else!
Just as Lin Ganzhi was stuck, unsure whether to turn back,
Wu Guanglian let out a primal scream and then burst into desperate sobs.
What a tragedy. Lin Ganzhi continued on his way into the house. He couldn’t help with this kind of situation.
“Lin Ganzhi, you’re… not my cousin anymore, are you!” Wu Guanglian cried out, seeing that Lin Ganzhi was about to close the door, forgetting her tears and pain.
Fortunately, the villas in this suburb were spaced far apart, so that volume wouldn’t be heard by others. But the words did make Lin Ganzhi stiffen. Although he quickly regained his composure, Wu Guanglian caught the crack in his facade. As if grasping a life-saving straw, she pushed open the gate and walked in.
“I watched your show. You can’t climb trees at all! We went to the same high school, and you were even pushed off a wall once. Because of that, you developed a slight fear of heights. And you can’t cook at all. Whenever my parents were out and I asked you to make me something, it was always disgusting. Also, you don’t like your current husband at all. You came back and told me yourself how much you liked Luan Yuanzhou. How could you just be devoted to him after getting married? You’re an… imposter!”
Lin Ganzhi was completely stunned. It was as if he knew his identity would be exposed one day, but he never expected it to be by this person. But what she said was true; every single point was aimed squarely at his current situation.
Stay calm. Yan Shengping and Uncle Yan are watching. I can’t fall apart here. If my boss finds out I’m an imposter, that I’ve been lying to him… Lin Ganzhi’s breathing trembled.
At that moment, a powerful emotion surged within him. He didn’t want Yan Shengping to know he had been deceiving him for so long. Even though hiding it was his means of survival here, Lin Ganzhi couldn’t bring himself to look Yan Shengping in the eye.
“Are you aware of how much your family would have to compensate if charges of illegal possession of inheritance and illicit large-sum transactions were brought to court? If you don’t have a concept of that, I can send my lawyer to your home to discuss it,” Yan Shengping said, walking step by step to Lin Ganzhi and somewhat forcefully pulling him into his embrace.
“I’m not interested in your family affairs. You’ve come here twice, and it was all about money. But now, for the sake of money, you can even fabricate the absurd theory that my marriage partner is an imposter. I can’t let this slide so easily.” Yan Shengping’s voice, though not loud, carried an inherent authority that instantly shattered the confidence Wu Guanglian had just built up.
“He… he really isn’t my cousin! I swear on my life!” Wu Guanglian shouted.
Yan Shengping let out a cold laugh, as if he had heard an extremely ridiculous joke. “Your life is worthless to me. If you want to insist on your absurd idea, I don’t mind seeing you in court. By the way, from Ganzhi’s generation onwards, hospitals have preserved relevant gene banks. If evidence is needed, a simple trip to the hospital for a blood test will prove whether he is himself or not. Of course, you can go ahead and spend a few hundred thousand online to hire a marketing account and see if people believe your harsh family or if they believe me.”
The Wu family was so intimidated by Yan Shengping’s words that they didn’t dare to make a sound.
At this moment, Yan Shengping even curled his lips into a smile. His exceptionally beautiful face became extremely dangerous. “I believe the person who paid you three million to do this also told you about me. I’m not a good person. I’m vengeful. Although I’ve fallen on somewhat harder times, my connections are still there. If you cause my husband even the slightest grievance, I can make suing you a habit. I can sue you for a lifetime. I know several lawyers anyway. You can just wait to pay a few hundred thousand every time you go to court.”
Yan Shengping’s words not only denied them money but also threatened to take money from their pockets, and he did so with crystal clarity.
“We didn’t mean that! Guanglian, hurry up and apologize to Mr. Yan!” Chen Cuichun was thoroughly frightened by these words and pulled her daughter, demanding she apologize.
Wu Guanglian was meticulous, but her mental fortitude was weak. She was so scared she went numb, feeling as if a huge debt would fall upon her the moment she closed her eyes. But she was too proud to open her mouth, though her imposing manner had already dissipated.
“An apology isn’t necessary. I don’t need it. The one you should be apologizing to is Ganzhi. If you come looking for him again, I’ll sue you. I’ve already collected the evidence. Now, have them escorted out.” The last sentence was clearly not directed at the Wu family.
Two bodyguards, nearly two meters tall, appeared from some corner and stood in front of Wu Guanglian. She was so scared her face turned deathly pale.
“Please cooperate with our work,” one of the bodyguards said in not-so-fluent Chinese, cracking his neck with a series of audible pops. Wu Guanglian’s breathing trembled along with her body.
“We’re leaving, we’re leaving right now. We’ll never come back, really,” Wu Erdao quickly promised, turning and running off by himself. Chen Cuichun had one last shred of conscience and came in to pull out the terrified Wu Guanglian. A moment later, only three messy sets of footprints remained in the snow.
The two bodyguards nodded at Yan Shengping and vanished from sight.
Lin Ganzhi stood dazed in Yan Shengping’s arms, completely unresponsive.
“Uncle Yan, please make some ginger tea. I’ll take Ganzhi upstairs first,” Yan Shengping instructed.
“Ah, of course. Poor child. You don’t have to deal with these people anymore. This is your home now. What kind of cousin is that, disowning you just like that? Ai!” Uncle Yan, as an outsider, had constructed his own version of the story.
Lin Ganzhi gradually came to his senses. Did Yan Shengping think the same thing?
Lin Ganzhi looked up and met Yan Shengping’s deep eyes. There was no smile in them, only a clear lucidity. The small flame of hope that had ignited within him was extinguished once more. He thought with a hint of self-deprecation, Yan Shengping is so smart, how could he not have figured it out?