Lin Xingwan glared at Zhou Jinbai and made a "shushing" gesture.
The man indeed stopped, looking very obedient.
"Grandma, what day is it today?" Lin Xingwan asked.
"Today is my eightieth birthday. Shao Ting and Shirou started preparing for my eightieth birthday a week ago and even set up a banquet for me at Yunhai Hotel to celebrate. You, as a granddaughter, truly chill my heart!" Zhong Jingjing's words grew more malicious, while Zhou Jinbai lifted Lin Xingwan's clothes and kissed her.
"I'm going crazy!" Lin Xingwan almost threw the phone in her hand to the ground, letting out a hum she couldn't control. She immediately covered her mouth.
"If Shirou hadn't been thinking of you, I wouldn't even bother calling. I've already informed you, whether you come or not is up to you!" Zhong Jingjing hung up the phone without giving Lin Xingwan a chance to speak.
Lin Xingwan's phone was snatched away by the man.
What followed was unbridled teasing.
The temperature in the living room quickly rose several times.
When Zhou Jinbai held Lin Xingwan tightly and adjusted his breathing, his deep voice was hoarse, "Wife, let's get married quickly, okay?" Before, he thought he was a man who could control his desires; but now, Zhou Jinbai was proven wrong. Appetites grow, and now he couldn't wait to do what he wanted and fulfill all his midnight fantasies about this woman.
Lin Xingwan looked at the man torturing himself, feeling both heartache and amusement. "If you hadn't kissed me, nothing would have happened." There had been many near misses between them, and sometimes he even had to take several cold showers. But every time, he was the one who initiated it.
"With my wife by my side, not kissing or hugging would be a loss." Zhou Jinbai's tone suggested there would be a next time, and a next time after that, and so on.
"You didn't just kiss and hug today..." Lin Xingwan grumbled softly, still remembering the first time she saw this man. Compared to now, sigh!
"Mmm... very tasty." Zhou Jinbai leaned into Lin Xingwan's ear and said something else.
Lin Xingwan immediately pinched his waist. "You're getting more and more improper!" What was he even saying?
Zhou Jinbai chuckled, enjoying the sight of her blushing. "Change your clothes, we need to attend your grandmother's birthday banquet."
"But I don't want to go." Lin Xingwan's expression quickly darkened. "I haven't celebrated her birthday in years, and they never even invite me. For them to call me suddenly tonight, I'm worried there's another motive." In the past, Lin Xingwan would remember Zhong Jingjing and Lin Hanhai's birthdays and prepare birthday gifts for them in advance. They would either complain that her gifts weren't good enough or ask her to give them the money for the gifts in cash. Later, when Lin Xingwan was on a business trip, she had her assistant send red envelopes for Zhong Jingjing's birthday, only to see photos of Lin Shirou celebrating Zhong Jingjing's birthday on social media. They had celebrated her birthday in advance before she even left for her business trip, without telling her. She was isolated and ignored by her family, and she didn't want to keep offering her warmth to cold indifference.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here." Zhou Jinbai patted Lin Xingwan's face and gently comforted her. "Since it's your grandmother's eightieth birthday, even if you're reluctant, you have to be polite. Don't give those gossips any reason." Lin Xingwan thought about it. "Okay, I'll go change."
Zhou Jinbai watched Lin Xingwan enter the bedroom, the tenderness in his eyes slowly fading. Those who plot against his wife will have to bear the bitter consequences.
Half an hour later, at the entrance of Yunhai Hotel.
After Lin Xingwan got out of the car, she saw Zhou Jinbai taking a gift box from the trunk.
"What is this?" Lin Xingwan immediately asked curiously.
"A wild ginseng. My rich second-generation friend gave it to Grandma. But Grandma's body can't handle such a tonic, so it's been sitting in the trunk, unused. We can use this opportunity to give it away." Zhou Jinbai explained.
"This gift is too valuable, isn't it?" Lin Xingwan felt it was a waste to give it to someone as sharp-tongued as Zhong Jingjing.
"Your face is the most important, wife." Zhou Jinbai was indifferent, and Lin Xingwan had no choice but to let it go.
Soon, Zhou Jinbai followed Lin Xingwan into the banquet hall and found that the Lin family had invited many relatives and people from other wealthy families tonight. Nearly a hundred people, spread across ten large round tables, created a very lively atmosphere.
Lin Shirou and Gu Shaoting, holding Zhong Jingjing on either side, greeted guests with smiles.
"Old Madam is truly blessed to have such a filial granddaughter. It truly makes us envious."
"Shirou has grown more and more graceful. Just standing here, I thought a fairy had descended to earth."
"When are Shirou and Shao Ting getting engaged? Don't forget to invite me."
...
They chatted enthusiastically around Lin Shirou, not even glancing at Lin Xingwan and Zhou Jinbai. Of course, Lin Xingwan didn't mind.
However, Gu Shaoting's eyes lit up when he saw Lin Xingwan, and he immediately said something to Lin Shirou. Soon, Lin Shirou and the old lady turned their attention to Lin Xingwan and Zhou Jinbai.
"Sister, you're finally here." Lin Shirou called out 'Sister' timidly, but her eyes were full of disdain. Gu Shaoting, on the other hand, kept his gaze fixed on Lin Xingwan. She was wearing an apricot-colored slip dress with a small shawl, making her look gentle and elegant. How did Lin Xingwan seem to be getting more and more beautiful?
"Grandma, happy birthday." Lin Xingwan handed the box in her hand to Zhong Jingjing, but before Zhong Jingjing could take it, Lin Shirou snatched it away and opened it. A scent of earth instantly filled everyone's nostrils. Lin Shirou immediately pinched her nose. "Oh my god, Sister, you actually gave Grandma dirt? Are you cursing Grandma to rest in peace soon?" Lin Shirou's divisive words instantly darkened Zhong Jingjing's expression.
"This is a wild ginseng." Lin Xingwan was very displeased with Lin Shirou's act of opening the gift in front of everyone.
"Wild ginseng? Where? I don't see it?" Lin Shirou said, then flipped the box over, causing everything inside to fall to the ground. A ginseng as large as a palm indeed fell to the ground. Lin Xingwan's face instantly turned grim, while Zhou Jinbai merely curved his lips. Some people, even good things given to them, only end up being wasted.
"Ah... I'm sorry, Sister, I didn't mean to." Lin Shirou's hypocritical apology was nauseating.
The surrounding guests, upon seeing the ginseng, revealed expressions of disdain.
"What a small ginseng, with so many horizontal lines and such a dark color. It looks so old."
"This is the first time I've seen someone put ginseng in soil."
"This thing doesn't look like ginseng either. Could it be the root of something else? After all, wild ginseng is very expensive, but look at its ugly packaging."
The crowd buzzed with discussion, and the old lady's expression grew even more displeased. "For my eightieth birthday, I don't expect you to give me anything expensive, but you're now trying to fob me off with this ugly, inferior product."
Gu Shaoting sneered, "Lin Xingwan, you're so accommodating to the gigolo, but so stingy with Grandma. You're something else." Lin Xingwan's pretty face turned a little cold with anger. Just as she was about to retort, Zhou Jinbai stepped in front of her and said, "This is wild ginseng from Changbai Mountain, recently acquired at an auction." As soon as Zhou Jinbai finished speaking, the others burst into laughter again.
Just then, a voice rang out from not far away. "Kid, if it's not valuable, it's not valuable. Isn't it better to admit it frankly? Must you puff yourself up in front of so many people? Xingwan being with you is truly like a flower stuck in cow dung." Everyone turned their gaze to the man speaking, and Lin Xingwan's face was filled with disgust upon seeing him. She leaned closer to Zhou Jinbai and whispered, "This man is called Huang Hailong. His family is in real estate, but he's greedy and lustful, and disrespectful of elders. He drove his wife to her death and now has a string of mistresses." Zhou Jinbai nodded in understanding. Huang Hailong? The Huang family? The Huang family that acts as lapdogs for the Dongfang Consortium?
"Brother Huang." Gu Shaoting's expression immediately turned respectful upon seeing Huang Hailong. Lin Shirou also spoke in a gentle and charming voice, "What wind has blown Brother Huang here?" Huang Hailong flirtatiously raised an eyebrow at Lin Shirou. "It's Old Madam Lin's birthday, I had to come even if I was busy. After all, we might be family in the future. This is my gift to the Old Madam, 'Cranes Delivering Blessings' by a Tang Dynasty painter. It cost a million." Huang Hailong showed off his superiority in front of everyone, not forgetting to mock Zhou Jinbai. "Useless, see? This is how you give gifts, with such treasures. Don't try to fob us off with these common things, they simply dirty our eyes." The surrounding people exclaimed in amazement. A million-dollar ancient painting given so casually was truly extravagant. Compared to the ginseng given by Zhou Jinbai and Lin Xingwan, the difference was not just a little bit.
"Huang Hailong, please watch your words." Lin Xingwan couldn't stand Zhou Jinbai being insulted and immediately went into protective husband mode. "Xingwan, what's the use of following such a loser?" Huang Hailong's fervent gaze remained fixed on Lin Xingwan, a fire igniting in his heart. How wonderful would it be to have a passionate encounter with such a peerless beauty. Lin Shirou immediately chimed in, "It would be wonderful if Sister ended up with Brother Huang. There aren't many handsome, rich, and eligible bachelors like Brother Huang these days." Gu Shaoting remained silent. He hadn't had a chance to enjoy Lin Xingwan yet, so how could he let that old bald donkey Huang Hailong have her.
"I originally thought that a gift only needed to convey sincerity, but I didn't expect the Lin family to be so biased, watching their own child being bullied by outsiders without doing anything. Is Xingwan truly a member of your Lin family?" Zhou Jinbai spoke with a terrifying aura. Old Madam Lin's cheeks flushed. Although she didn't treat Lin Xingwan as her granddaughter in private, she had to maintain appearances. Now that Zhou Jinbai had exposed her so directly, she was furious.
"Sincerity? Giving an old and ugly ginseng is sincerity? We raised someone with our own hands, and this is how they repay us?" Zhong Jingjing angrily hit her cane. Yang Niyun, who had rushed over, couldn't help but interject, "Xingwan, this is where you're wrong. You can spend millions on the man beside you, so why can't you spend a little more for Grandma's birthday?" Lin Hanhai was so angry that he directly said, "If you don't break up with this man today, I'll pretend I don't have a daughter like you." In an instant, Lin Xingwan and Zhou Jinbai became the target of public criticism. Huang Hailong's greasy face was full of determination. Perhaps tonight, he could taste Lin Xingwan. Lin Xingwan was so angry that she felt cold all over, but Zhou Jinbai calmly said something that made everyone's expressions change drastically.