Chapter 16: The Adopted Daughter of a Wealthy Family Leaks Telepathy 16 Eww~ The Sourness of Love…

Chapter 16: The Tycoon's Adopted Daughter Leaks Her Inner Thoughts 16 Ugh, the sourness of love...

Fu Qixuan noticed that Xu Ziyan had no intention of speaking to him, so he first asked Lin Xiaoyun how her sprained ankle was doing.

Lin Xiaoyun still wanted to struggle a bit, testing whether she could make Fu Qixuan misunderstand that she had been wronged in the Fu household. After all, her task was to get closer to Fu Qixuan—as long as he believed her, that was enough.

She lowered her head slightly, looking somewhat embarrassed, and said, "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Fu. I’m fine. Actually, I shouldn’t have come over last night. Today, I even troubled Madam to call a family doctor for me. I feel really embarrassed for causing so much trouble. My foot is fine now. I’ll leave in a bit—thank you all for today."

Sure enough, Fu Qixuan frowned slightly.

Xu Ziyan excitedly thought, *Here it comes! The social climber is bringing her femme fatale tactics! If she were truly sorry, she would’ve left long ago. Is it that hard to hail a cab? Or have the family driver take her? Why insist on waiting for the young master to come back before leaving?*

*There’s only one answer—she doesn’t want to leave!*

Fu Qixuan’s frown deepened, but he calmly replied, "It’s no trouble. Consider it an employee benefit."

*Ugh, why have I never had such a good boss? Did I not live beautifully enough in my past life? 001, you gotta admit, that scoundrel Ding Jie really did his homework—precisely targeting the young master by hiring a social climber who’s exactly his type.*

001: *Host, your boss never treated you like this probably because you were too self-reliant and solved all your problems yourself, never needing him.*

Xu Ziyan sighed, *This teaches us a lesson: those who are self-reliant and work themselves to the bone are the bottom-tier beasts of burden. It’s people like Lin Xiaoyun, who climb the social ladder by a series of calculated maneuvers.*

Then she immediately backtracked, *Pfft, no way I could ever do that. A noble person earns wealth through proper means—I won’t take immoral money.*

The system also sighed dramatically, *So you’d rather let your soul dissipate than follow the villainous plot and harm them. Fine, if the world collapses, I’ll just reset. Whatever!*

Xu Ziyan couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Seeing everyone look at her, she quickly pointed at the sour soup with beef and said, "This dish is so delicious, you all should try it!"

She found the system hilarious—it had truly embraced the essence of *lying flat*: *Whatever!* No wonder they were a perfect match!

Lin Xiaoyun immediately seized the opportunity, interpreting Xu Ziyan’s laugh as mockery. She looked at Fu Qixuan with a mix of grievance and stubbornness, straightening her back and saying, "Mr. Fu, you really don’t need to go out of your way to accommodate me. I also want to visit my grandmother in the hospital. I’ve already caused enough trouble today. Dr. Lin said my foot is fine—I can manage on my own."

*Look at this delicate-yet-tenacious weed! So worried about her grandmother, yet she didn’t visit her all day and night. Let me check the original plot. Well, well! Once, Lin Xiaoyun hurt her foot at Fu Qixuan’s house but insisted on limping to see her grandmother. Fu Qixuan was moved and accompanied her, watching her hold her grandmother’s hand and cry by the bedside—his heart ached too.*

Xu Ziyan burst out laughing again and quickly pretended to check her phone, acting as if something on it had amused her.

She really didn’t mean to—it was just that the plot was so cliché, like an old-school romance. *CEO types really are so easily moved by strong yet fragile Cinderellas, huh?*

Fu Qixuan, who had just felt a slight stir in his heart, stiffened. Noticing the Fu family’s gazes, he felt extremely uncomfortable. He hadn’t been moved in *that* way—he just thought Lin Xiaoyun seemed pitiful, isolated and helpless, so he wanted to help. It was the same as his childhood habit of rescuing strays—nothing romantic about it. Why did Xu Ziyan make him sound like some love-struck idiot?

Lin Xiaoyun was genuinely furious with Xu Ziyan now. Every time she spoke, Xu Ziyan laughed—what was so funny?

She lowered her head in feigned distress, letting Fu Qixuan see her reddened eyes. From what she knew, Fu Qixuan had always been aware that his adopted sister had a terrible personality and low moral character, so he usually ignored her coldly. Now, he *should* stand up for her and reprimand Xu Ziyan. If she escalated things, she could smoothly get closer to Fu Qixuan.

But after five minutes of her performance, no one spoke. She peeked up slightly and saw that everyone had started eating. *Dining in silence, sleeping without words*—it seemed Xu Ziyan’s single laugh had ended the topic.

Did that mean the entire Fu family found her ridiculous?

Lin Xiaoyun’s mind was in chaos. She had always succeeded in her schemes, which was why Ding Jie had paid a fortune to entrust her with this mission. But in the Fu household, it was like she met a brick wall—nothing worked. If she spoke now, it’d be awkward. If she stayed silent, it’d be even worse. She froze in place.

Finally, Fu Qixuan came to his senses and nodded at her, saying curtly, "Let’s eat first."

Xu Ziyan, hearing Fu Qixuan’s voice, continued reading the plot. *Turns out, Lin Xiaoyun’s grandmother had a stroke because of her. Tsk tsk, if her grandmother knew she was even using a comatose old lady, she’d probably have a fit.*

Fu Qixuan set down his chopsticks, took a sip of water, and suddenly asked, "Assistant Lin, how is your grandmother’s condition exactly? What caused her coma?"

Lin Xiaoyun’s eyes welled up with tears. "My grandmother and I have only had each other since I was little. She worked herself to the bone raising me and putting me through school, ruining her health. She’s always worried about my job and getting married. A while ago, she heard our house was going to be demolished and thought better days were finally coming. She got overexcited and collapsed."

Fu Qixuan's investigation also showed that the elderly woman had fainted due to excitement over the property demolition. He couldn't help but glance at Xu Ziyan, who was quietly eating, seemingly uninterested in their conversation.

However, Xu Ziyan couldn't help but internally criticize: *"It's true that the old lady raised her, but her poor health was actually caused by discovering that Lin Xiaoyun was a mistress for a wealthy man. Lin was money-obsessed and never learned her lesson, leading the old lady to disown her outright and declare she would never acknowledge her again.*

*Then, when Lin Xiaoyun heard about the demolition, she rushed back to demand the old lady transfer the property to her name and hand over all the compensation money, even saying the old lady was too old and should 'step aside.' The old lady was so furious she collapsed from distress without uttering a word.*

*Cold-blooded. Makes my backstory look tame. At least I was adopted—she was the old lady’s own granddaughter. Unbelievable."*

Fu Qixuan frowned. Money-obsessed? A mistress? His investigation had shown that after graduation, Lin Xiaoyun had been unlucky—her friend stole a good job from her, and she lost another job due to her kindness in helping others. On top of that, her grandmother fell ill, and she sold the house to pay for medical bills, disregarding the upcoming demolition. How could it be as Xu Ziyan described?

He set down his chopsticks again, displeased, and glared at Xu Ziyan. Fu Qiming, noticing this and fearing he might expose himself, quickly jabbed him with his foot under the table. Fu Qixuan withdrew his gaze, suppressing his doubts and choosing not to speak further.

But that kick gave Fu Qiming an idea. He sent a message to the household staff.

Soon after, a servant hurried over with a large bowl, calling out, *"Careful, it's hot!"*

Lin Xiaoyun looked up just as the servant approached the table, only for them to slip, sending the boiling soup splashing toward her. Instinctively, she jumped back, yelping, and dashed three steps away.

The servant quickly apologized, *"I'm so sorry, Miss Lin! Are you alright?"*

At this, Fu Qixuan recalled Lin Xiaoyun’s agile movement just now, his frown deepening. Fu Qiming remarked mockingly, *"Dr. Lin works miracles. At noon, Miss Lin couldn’t even put weight on her foot, but after applying his medicine, she’s completely recovered."*

Lin Xiaoyun’s stomach dropped, but she forced a smile and said, *"Yes, that ointment was really effective. I already mentioned I was fine earlier. I’m truly grateful to Mrs. Fu for arranging Dr. Lin’s visit."*

She sat back down with a composed expression.

Xu Ziyan marveled internally, *"With nerves like this, there’s no way she’s some poor little Cinderella. A real Cinderella would’ve felt like a burden or been humiliated by the rich and run off by now."*

Fu Qixuan shot Fu Qiming a warning look. Regardless of the circumstances, Lin Xiaoyun was his guest, and this was going too far. Still, he couldn’t shake the oddness of the situation—just as Xu Ziyan said, someone who could sit back down and keep eating after that didn’t match the Lin Xiaoyun he thought he knew.

But he *had* investigated her thoroughly.

Coincidentally, Xu Ziyan’s inner monologue provided an answer: *"Ding Jie bankrolled Lin Xiaoyun’s entire act. Not only did he cook up a sob story tailored to the boss’s preferences, but he also carefully rigged the whole thing, ensuring Fu Qixuan could only uncover the fabricated background he prepared.*

*001, you’ve got to admit—Ding Jie’s meticulousness would make him succeed at anything."*

The Fu family glanced at Fu Qixuan, clearly noticing his expression darken. He stood abruptly. *"I’m finished. Enjoy your meal."* With that, he strode toward the elevator before Lin Xiaoyun could even rise to speak to him.

Fu Qiming looked at Lin Xiaoyun and deliberately asked, *"Miss Lin, are you finished as well? Would you like to leave now? Should we arrange a driver for you?"*

Lin Xiaoyun had no reason to stay any longer. In fact, she thought being "dismissed" now would sell her victim act, perhaps softening Fu Qiming’s attitude toward her. Today was a train wreck—she needed to regroup and rethink her strategy.

So she thanked them again, politely declined the Fu family’s driver, and wheeled her suitcase outside.

As if on cue, a drizzling rain began, adding to Lin Xiaoyun’s "woeful vibe." She leaned into it, not bothering to ask the guards for an umbrella, choosing instead to walk alone in the rain.

Fu Qixuan stood by the window, hands in his pockets, watching her distant figure with cold detachment. If Lin Xiaoyun’s story was fabricated, then she wasn’t someone he was helping—she was a plant sent by an enemy.

With the company at stake, whatever softness remained in Fu Qixuan’s heart instantly hardened. He pulled out his phone and made a call.

*"Reinvestigate Lin Xiaoyun thoroughly. Dig up everything, and keep it discreet."*

That single command was enough for his assistant to realize the previous investigation had flaws. He immediately agreed, arranging for a high-priced private investigator to dig deeper under the guise of a friend’s request.

Fu Qixuan was a hardcore skeptic—believing he’d actually heard Xu Ziyan’s thoughts was too much for him. Yet Lin Xiaoyun *did* seem suspicious.

After a moment of silent contemplation by the window, he changed into black athletic wear and headed out.

Just as he reached the door, he "heard" Xu Ziyan’s inner voice again: *"[Ew—the stench of romance.] Couldn’t even wait a second before chasing after her, even changed clothes. Did he spray cologne too? Ugh, watching an ice king thaw is unbearable."*

Fu Qixuan quickened his pace, got into his car, and sped off toward the old neighborhood where Lin Xiaoyun and her grandmother had lived.

He would personally uncover the truth. No matter how capable Ding Jie was, could he really buy off every neighbor around the Lin family?