Chapter 174 - 173: Your Heart Is Too Soft

"Ye Xuan, I hope you can resolve the situation between the three of us as soon as possible. I don’t want to keep dragging this out."

Lin Aoxue spoke softly, her spirits low.

The smile on Ye Xuan’s face stiffened for a moment before he gave a gentle nod.

"I’ll take care of it. You can go."

Lin Aoxue gave him a deep look, then turned and left.

Hidden in the shadows, Yu Ling quickly followed her.

Soon, Lin Aoxue arrived back at the Lins’ villa.

From the outside, the Lin family’s home looked no different than usual. It remained lifeless, devoid of any laughter or cheer. It wasn’t until she stepped through the front gates that she sensed an unprecedented heaviness in the air.

Lin Aoxue immediately furrowed her brows, her heart sinking. It seemed her grandmother was truly on her deathbed.

A crowd had gathered in the living room. All her aunts, uncles, and various relatives—both close and distant—were present. When she walked in, all eyes snapped toward her in unison.

"Oh, if it isn’t our high-and-mighty young lady! Didn’t you say you were going to sever all ties with the Lin family? What are you doing back here?"

"Heh, she probably heard Mrs. Lin is on her deathbed and came running back to fight for the inheritance!"

"Lin Aoxue, get the hell out of here! The Lin family doesn’t welcome you!"

"Yeah, that’s right! Get out!"

The living room, previously heavy with silence, quickly erupted into a barrage of insults directed at her from the Lin family members. Lin Aoxue swept a cold gaze over them but said nothing, instead scanning the room for Lin Guodong.

At that moment, Lin Guodong slowly descended the stairs.

"I was the one who called her back. Mrs. Lin specifically asked to see her, so all of you shut your mouths."

With that single reprimand, the malicious gossip ceased instantly.

"Uncle Guodong, have you forgotten how heartless this woman is? When our company was in trouble, she just stood by and did nothing!" Lin Jiaxing pointed an accusing finger at Lin Aoxue, voicing his indignation loudly.

"Shut up! It is not your place to lecture me on how I do things!"

To Lin Aoxue’s surprise, Lin Guodong did not side with Lin Jiaxing this time; instead, he showed a rare instance of defending her. She couldn’t help but give him a second glance. Sensing her gaze, Lin Guodong’s weathered face flushed with a hint of embarrassment.

After Lin Aoxue had left the Lin family, the entire burden of managing their affairs had fallen squarely on his shoulders. At first, he had been just as hostile toward her as Lin Jiaxing and the others. But as time passed, he increasingly recognized her critical importance to the family. If it hadn’t been for Lin Aoxue managing the Lin Group all these years, the company would never have reached its current heights. The Lin family’s rise to power was inseparable from her hard work.

Therefore, when Mrs. Lin became critically ill and requested Lin Aoxue’s return, Lin Guodong had agreed without a moment’s hesitation.

"Xue’er, come upstairs with me."

Lin Guodong cast her a complicated look. For the first time in many years, he called her by her childhood nickname.

Lin Aoxue fell into a momentary daze, a wave of sorrow washing over her heart. Biting her lip, she followed him upstairs.

Inside Mrs. Lin’s bedroom.

Lin Aoxue stared at the emaciated, lifeless old woman before her, her eyes filled with sheer shock. She wondered what had happened to her grandmother. It hadn’t been that long. How did she end up in such a terrible state?

"How have you been taking care of Grandmother?! How did she end up like this?" Overwhelmed by anger, she whipped her head around and shouted at Lin Guodong.

Lin Guodong looked at Mrs. Lin, who now relied on a ventilator just to breathe, unable to conceal the grief in his eyes.

"Ever since the incident last time, your grandmother’s mental state began to deteriorate rapidly," he said.

"She couldn’t keep any food down. Even if she ate, she’d throw it all up a little while later.

"We tried everything, but nothing worked. We’ve only been able to keep her alive with daily IV nutrients."

By the end of his explanation, Lin Aoxue could clearly hear his voice choking up. Although Lin Guodong had treated her poorly since childhood, he genuinely cared for Mrs. Lin. Therefore, he surely hadn’t intentionally let the old woman waste away to this state.

"Grandmother, I’m back," Lin Aoxue said softly.

She stopped arguing with Lin Guodong and sat by the edge of the bed, tightly grasping hands that felt as withered and frail as decaying wood. At the sound of her voice, a faint glimmer of light returned to Mrs. Lin’s hollow, listless eyes.

"Xue’er? Xue’er, you’re back?" Mrs. Lin asked emotionally, her trembling hand reaching up to caress Lin Aoxue’s cheek.

A dull ache spread through Lin Aoxue’s heart. She pressed her own hand over her grandmother’s and nodded vigorously.

"Yes, it’s me. I came back. Grandmother, how did you end up like this? Why aren’t you eating properly?"

Hearing her granddaughter cry, Mrs. Lin’s eyes brimmed with heartache.

"Silly child, don’t cry. Grandmother has candy for you. Here, have some candy."

As she spoke, Mrs. Lin fumbled under her pillow, pulling out a few rainbow candies and pressing them into Lin Aoxue’s palm. Seeing the colorful candies in her hand, Lin Aoxue’s tears fell even harder.

When she was little, whenever she felt wronged, she would run to Mrs. Lin to complain and seek comfort. Every single time, like a magician, Mrs. Lin would conjure these rainbow candies from nowhere and press them into her hand. This undeniably triggered an endless stream of memories for Lin Aoxue.

"Xue’er, I know... the Lin family failed you," Mrs. Lin said weakly.

"My time is almost up. My only regret is that we ruthlessly forced you out of the family.

"Right here and now, Grandmother wants to kowtow and apologize to you. I hope you can forgive me, and forgive the Lin family."

Having said that, Mrs. Lin tried to get out of bed. Her body was incredibly weak; let alone getting on the floor to kowtow, even sitting up was a tremendous struggle. Watching her grandmother struggle relentlessly, Lin Aoxue felt her heart breaking.

"Grandmother, what are you doing? Lie back down!" She gently but firmly pressed the old woman back against the mattress, her face fraught with grief.

"Child, please, stop crying."

The exertion drained whatever little strength Mrs. Lin had left. Lying weakly on the bed, she feebly comforted her granddaughter.

In truth, among all the younger generation of the Lin family, Lin Aoxue was the most like her—stubborn, capable, and armed with a brilliant mind for business. Yet, unfortunately, she was overly fixated on matters of the heart. She was always too single-minded. If she hadn’t valued her emotions so heavily, things would never have spiraled to this point.

"Xue’er, you are too soft-hearted," Mrs. Lin sighed, looking at her granddaughter.

"You are indeed outstanding and highly capable, but your only flaw is also your most fatal weakness.

"Your heart is too soft, and you value relationships too much.

"If you could just be a bit more ruthless, a bit more realistic, we wouldn’t have ended up in this state."

Listening to her grandmother’s words, Lin Aoxue lowered her head. She didn’t know how to respond.