Chapter 99: Cold Family Ties

In Lin Guodong’s mind, Ye Xuan was the main culprit, while his own daughter was merely a victim.

Hearing his analysis, Mrs. Lin’s expression didn’t improve much. Still looking lividly at Lin Guodong, she spoke with an imposing demeanor.

"I don’t care what kind of relationship they have; that little strumpet has already damaged the Lin family’s reputation.

"Tell her to get her ass home right now! Stop embarrassing us out there! And find a matchmaker to arrange a marriage for her immediately. This family has no place for her anymore!"

Mrs. Lin was thoroughly disappointed in Lin Aoxue. If she had just obediently married Su Xiaobai back then, she wouldn’t have caused so much trouble. Now with her reputation in tatters, any hope of her marrying into a wealthy family was clearly gone. Just as Lin Jiaxing had said, it would be a blessing if Lin Aoxue could even find someone to marry her at this point.

Left with no choice under Mrs. Lin’s overbearing pressure, Lin Guodong had to dial Lin Aoxue’s number once again. This time, Lin Aoxue finally picked up.

"Hello, Dad? Are you back in the country?" Lin Aoxue asked, her face full of doubt, completely unaware of the uproar outside.

"You ungrateful wretch! You still have the nerve to call me Dad? Do you have any idea how much of a disaster you’ve caused and how much trouble you’ve brought to the Lin family?

"Get your ass home right now! You are forbidden from ever associating with Ye Xuan again!"

Hearing Lin Aoxue’s voice, Lin Guodong rained curses down on her.

Lin Aoxue was already reeling from the lingering fear of being plotted against by Yang Jie the night before. Yet her own father didn’t offer a single word of concern. Instead, he started scolding her right off the bat, directly calling her an ungrateful wretch. A wave of grievance and sorrow instantly washed over her.

"Dad, aren’t you even going to ask what happened last night? In your heart, am I still your daughter?"

Faced with Lin Aoxue’s tearful questioning, Lin Guodong was briefly stunned before a flash of anger crossed his eyes. She had caused so much trouble for him and the Lin family, yet instead of realizing her mistakes, she turned around and blamed him for not caring about her. This daughter of his really became more disobedient the older she got.

"If you were truly Lin Guodong’s daughter, you wouldn’t have done such shameless things!

"You clearly knew Ye Xuan and Yang Bingyu were getting married, so why did you go and mess with him? Do you know how people out there are cursing you and the Lin family right now?

"Save your breath with all that nonsense! I don’t care what the reason is; I want you to get your ass back here this instant!"

After furiously roaring at her, Lin Guodong hung up before Lin Aoxue could even explain.

Lin Aoxue sat on the bed in a daze as two streams of clear tears rolled down her cheeks. How ridiculous. She and Ye Xuan clearly loved each other. So why was she branded a sinner in the eyes of the world?

"Xue’er, don’t be sad. I’ll have someone handle this. Tomorrow, I’ll organize a press conference and make the truth public," Ye Xuan said.

While Lin Aoxue was on the phone with Lin Guodong, Ye Xuan had already checked his phone and learned about the situation outside. He hadn’t expected last night’s events to blow up to such an extent, nor did he expect the mindless internet trolls to place all the blame on Lin Aoxue.

Since he had already laid his cards on the table with Yang Bingyu last night, he might as well clear the air completely. He did indeed feel guilty toward Yang Bingyu and Chen Hao, but guilt did not equate to love. He would find a way to make it up to Yang Bingyu, but he didn’t want to miss out on Lin Aoxue again.

"Ye Xuan, tell me... why can even one’s closest relatives be so heartless?" Lin Aoxue forced a bitter smile and looked up at Ye Xuan as she asked.

What the Lin family had done recently had truly broken Lin Aoxue’s heart. First, they forced her to marry Su Xiaobai, and now they were indiscriminately berating her for losing the Lin family’s face. From start to finish, the Lin family hadn’t shown a single ounce of care for her. When Lin Aoxue was successful, the Lin family treated her like royalty. But the moment she was down, she was treated worse than a dog.

This made Lin Aoxue question whether pouring her heart and soul into running the Lin family’s company all these years was even worth it.

"Silly girl. I think your father was just blinded by anger when he said those things.

"No matter what, you’re still his daughter. Once he calms down and understands the details of what happened, he’ll definitely ache for you."

Knowing how awful Lin Aoxue felt right now, Ye Xuan couldn’t bring himself to criticize Lin Guodong and could only comfort her like this.

"Perhaps. Heh... Regardless, what they’ve done has already chilled my heart enough." Hearing Ye Xuan’s consolation, Lin Aoxue gave a bitter smile and then got up to get dressed.

No matter how heartbroken and disappointed she was at this moment, she eventually had to return to the Lin family. At the very least, she was still unable to break away from the Lin family and make a living on her own right now.

"Xue’er, how about I go back with you? If the old lady blames anyone, just say I acted on my own."

Ye Xuan wasn’t exactly at ease letting Lin Aoxue return to the Lin family by herself. Mrs. Lin and the rest of the Lin family would definitely make things difficult for her. There was no telling what kind of nasty things they would say. His woman absolutely could not suffer even the slightest grievance.

"Forget it. We haven’t remarried yet. If you go back with me, who knows how Grandma and the others will humiliate you.

"Besides, you didn’t do anything wrong in this situation. If you hadn’t arrived in time to save me from Xiao Ran, who knows what would have happened to me.

"Don’t worry, I can handle the Lin family’s affairs. But what about you? How do you plan to explain things to the Yang family?"

Lin Aoxue gently shook her head, rejecting Ye Xuan’s good intentions. It wasn’t that she didn’t know the Lin family’s attitude toward Ye Xuan. If he went back to the Lin family with her right now, he would only be humiliated. Ye Xuan had already suffered enough grievances in the Lin family in the past, and Lin Aoxue didn’t want him to be looked down upon by them anymore.

"My engagement to Yang Bingyu was something Yang Zhennan decided on his own accord. I was completely unaware of it. It’s actually a good thing this happened, as it gives me the perfect opportunity to clear up all the misunderstandings."

Thinking of Yang Bingyu, Ye Xuan’s eyes dimmed slightly. He couldn’t articulate his feelings for Yang Bingyu right now, but after what happened yesterday, he knew he could no longer treat her simply as a younger sister. Yet, precisely because of yesterday’s events, Ye Xuan was even more afraid to stay by her side. He feared that if things continued this way, he really would develop feelings for Yang Bingyu.

The only solution was to leave her. That would be best for everyone.

Looking at Ye Xuan’s resolute expression, Lin Aoxue finally felt a sliver of joy in her heart. Thank goodness. Even after being separated for these past few months, Ye Xuan still loved her.

After tidying up briefly, the two of them were preparing to head downstairs and leave. But just as they reached the entrance of the small motel, their path was blocked by a mob of reporters. As it turned out, ever since their affair was exposed last night, countless reporters had swarmed the downstairs area of this motel, just waiting for the two of them to emerge.