Give Her a Chance to Flirt! - Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Yu Yihan let Assistant Yu get off work early and acted as the driver herself, personally sending Lin Jiu home.

It was nearly sunset, and the light was dim. Lin Jiu had fallen asleep at some point, with half an ear showing through her draped hair, looking petite and lovely.

Yu Yihan watched her for a moment before waking her up.

Lin Jiu opened her eyes dizzily, her pupils covered in a thin mist of water. Then, as if remembering where she was, she returned to the persona Yu Yihan was familiar with.

Elegant and poised, pure and sweet—like the most vivid glance from an ancient painting of court ladies, naturally distinct from those who had the form but lacked the soul.

Watching Lin Jiu get out of the car, Yu Yihan also left the driver’s seat and walked over to her.

“Is there anything else?” Lin Jiu asked.

Her posture was graceful, and even her voice was like white cotton dried under the sun, soaked in warmth and sweetness, perfectly soothing Yu Yihan’s tense nerves.

Yu Yihan relaxed a bit and brought it up inconspicuously:

“Do you have time tomorrow?”

“No!”

“I do.”

As a host with a rebellious streak, Lin Jiu lived up to expectations by giving the opposite answer to the system.

“Then I’ll contact you later.”

Lin Jiu nodded and watched Yu Yihan’s car drive away.

The system questioned Lin Jiu nervously.

“Why did you agree?”

Lin Jiu returned to her room, tossed her bag aside, and mused:

“How can a supporting actress play her part if she doesn’t show up? I’m going; I won’t cause any major waves.”

“How can I not go? I’m going with a clear mind; no mistakes will be made. If there’s a problem, you take the blame.”

“…”

The sentences the system had once used to brag confidently were now turning into slaps, hitting its own face one after another.

“Besides, I have business plans to discuss with Yu Yihan. I’m not going there for flirting.”

The system didn’t believe a single word of it, but what could it do? The fundamental problem wasn’t the host; it was the system’s own fault. It could only swallow its pride.

“Go ahead for now. I’ll tell you once I’ve clarified the situation.”

Speaking of which, Lin Jiu said:

“It seems I can influence the female lead’s Halo.”

“That’s exactly what I need to investigate. Logically, you are two independent systems running separately; you shouldn’t repel each other.”

“By the way, I smell very fragrant now, did you notice?” Lin Jiu said demurely.

“?”

On the other side, Yu Yihan returned to her apartment in the city.

She left the underground garage and went up to her apartment, but only ten minutes later, she returned to the Cullinan in the garage.

Yu Yihan reclined the seat until it allowed her to lie semi-flat.

She closed her eyes to rest, and her tightly knitted brows finally smoothed out.

The sweet orchid fragrance at the tip of her nose lingered, carrying a hint of the unique, slightly astringent sweetness of green tea.

Compared to freshly brewed Pre-Qingming Longjing, this scent wasn’t overpowering.

At least, before today, Yu Yihan had never noticed an orchid scent emanating from Lin Jiu.

This was a scent she had only inhaled fully into her body by burying her face in the side of Lin Jiu’s neck.

And after she captured that body fragrance for the first time, it was as if she had gained the qualification to follow it; no matter how tiny the scent wafting from Lin Jiu was, Yu Yihan could seize it firmly.

It helped her break free from her shackles, yet it made her irredeemably addicted—

The apartment Lin Jiu had never stepped into was icy and empty; she didn’t want to stay there for a single moment longer. The car cabin where Lin Jiu had been was far more comforting than the apartment she usually lived in upstairs.

Yu Yihan curled up on the seat covered in a blanket. Her frame was long, so her slender lower legs could only rest under the chair. Even so, her expression was full of peace, and she soon fell into a deep sleep.

A good night’s sleep.

At the same time, Lin Momo proposed that the Lin family hold a recognition banquet for her.

This was no small matter, so the next morning, Lin Jiu followed her parents to the old family mansion to discuss the issue.

While it was called a “discussion,” Lin Momo had clearly already convinced Lin Yuan and the Eldest Aunt. Lin Yuan said to the Old Lady:

“It was my negligence. I should have remembered it immediately; we can’t let Momo suffer any grievances.”

The Eldest Aunt also nodded in agreement:

“The recognition banquet should be a grand affair, so everyone knows Momo is a child of our family. This child even suffered grievances when she went out yesterday; my heart aches for her.”

Lin Wu, who had come along with Lin Jiu, was sitting on pins and needles.

She had only moved to the Third Uncle’s house to stay because of a conflict with Lin Momo. She didn’t expect that after just one night, Lin Momo would stir up trouble again.

Looking at Lin Momo sipping tea calmly on the sofa, Lin Wu couldn’t help but say:

“Mom, are you really going to recognize Lin Momo as your own daughter?”

If her father recognized Lin Momo, Lin Wu could barely tolerate this illegitimate daughter. But she simply couldn’t understand why her own mother had been snatched away by Lin Momo in the blink of an eye.

Lin Momo sipped her tea slowly, looking at Lin Wu as if watching a clown’s performance.

Indeed, she hadn’t used the power of the Halo on Lin Wu—what was the point of conquering a useless person like Lin Wu? It was enough for Lin Yuan to have her as a daughter.

Lin Momo adopted a grieved tone and said:

“Xiao Wu, I really want to be like real sisters with you, but you don’t seem to like me very much. I don’t know what I did wrong.”

“That’s enough, Xiao Wu. It seems I’ve spoiled you too much, making you so intolerant. Momo is your father’s child; from now on, she is my daughter and your sister.”

“Mom!”

Lin Wu was so angry she was almost in tears.

She looked around helplessly, only to find that no one raised any objections. Only the Third Uncle hesitated for a second, but his family never made decisions and was quickly deterred by Lin Yuan’s gaze.

The Old Lady even nodded in approval:

“Then call everyone back and set a date.”

Lin Momo said, “Thank you, Grandmother.”

Lin Wu’s protest was tossed aside; no one paid her any mind.

The summer sun was scorching, spilling over Lin Wu through the floor-to-ceiling windows, yet she only felt cold all over, as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.

Suddenly, a cup of Biluochun tea was gently placed on the low table in front of her.

Lin Wu looked up sharply.

It was Lin Jiu. It seemed that since they sat down in the living room, Lin Jiu had begun brewing tea.

Previously, Lin Wu didn’t have the energy to pay attention, but looking back now, Lin Jiu’s brewing movements were steady and unhurried. Her raised hands held a strange rhythm—an indescribable beauty.

The Biluochun before her had thin, long leaves and a very strong fragrance with a rich aftertaste. Lin Wu unconsciously took the tea into her hands.

The temperature of the tea soup warmed her icy hands through the cup. She looked at Lin Jiu in a daze.

Lin Jiu was having the servants bring cups of Biluochun to everyone. She wiped her fingers with a soft cloth, her smile like a spring breeze:

“Talk while drinking tea, what’s the rush?”

Lin Wu used to look down on Lin Jiu, and now she envied her, but in the face of such a smile, she felt that having Lin Jiu in the family wasn’t so bad.

At least Lin Jiu wouldn’t snatch away her closest family members.

A surge of sourness hit her nose; Lin Wu hurried to take a sip of tea to suppress it.

The tea was good, with a long-lasting sweetness. Besides that, she suddenly felt her spirit become clearer, though she didn’t know if it was just because this cup of tea was particularly refreshing.

Everyone picked up their tea bowls except Lin Momo, whose gaze was fixed dead on the tea in front of her as if looking at a disgusting insect.

She instinctively disliked this thing and hated Lin Jiu, the tea brewer, even more. Lin Momo’s inner self was screaming, but on the surface, she said:

“Yesterday when I went out, I happened to run into my Elder Cousin and we had tea together. Because my tea brewing wasn’t good… sigh, in the end, it’s just that my skills are inferior.”

She deliberately omitted details in her speech, making it sound as if Lin Jiu had done something to her, her expression extremely aggrieved.

This acting was quite clumsy, but with the Halo’s buff, Lin Momo wasn’t afraid that the people present wouldn’t side with her.

The others hadn’t put down their tea bowls yet. Lin Momo waited patiently, first receiving Lin Jiu’s response.

Lin Jiu nodded:

“You’re right.”

“?”

It didn’t matter. Lin Momo curled her lips, waiting for Lin Yuan and his wife—the ones most deeply controlled—to stand up for her and scold Lin Jiu into the ground. She waited for three seconds, but it hadn’t happened yet.

Lin Momo clenched her palms and looked back at Lin Yuan. The Halo flashed incessantly toward him—

Lin Yuan… Lin Yuan remained silent and took two more large gulps of Biluochun, looking incredibly thirsty.

Lin Momo gnashed her teeth and looked back at Lin Jiu.

Lin Jiu sat elegantly, looking leisurely and comfortable. She blinked gently and said poisedly:

“Does my cousin want to talk about how I didn’t drink the tea you brewed, and instead brewed tea for you? It was my fault; I thought you wouldn’t mind.”

Lin Jiu’s gaze looked very soft, her tone a gentle questioning from an elder sister to a younger one:

“You are unhappy over such a small thing, why didn’t you tell me?”

“I never would have thought that you would actually mind such a thing. I thought that since I am your elder cousin, I should teach you something. It’s all my fault.”

After this combination of verbal blows, Lin Momo herself was speechless. Her face flushed red, but she couldn’t squeeze out a single word.

Beside them, Lin Wu held her cup, her mouth hanging open in shock.

So… so watching Lin Jiu perform from the spectator’s seat was actually… so satisfying!

Lin Wu’s cheeks flushed with excitement, and she decided to add her own voice:

“Exactly, exactly!”

Lin Momo pinched her palms. She had just tried to use the Halo to control Lin Jiu, but it had no effect at all.

Looking at Lin Jiu’s unhurried, natural, and smiling appearance, she began to feel suspicious and unsettled.

However, since obtaining the Halo, she had enjoyed smooth sailing for too long and had grown arrogant. At this moment, she wouldn’t allow Lin Jiu to slap her in the face.

She said hatefully, “What you call ‘teaching’ is just slapping me in the face?”

Lin Jiu’s eyes moved slightly, brimming with light, her voice soft:

“Can’t you tell? I’m teaching you how to be a person.”

Lin Wu: “Exactly, exactly!”

“…”

Lin Momo caught Lin Jiu’s slip-up and immediately complained to Lin Yuan, grabbing his arm and saying:

“Dad, Elder Cousin doesn’t like me. Is this home not welcoming to me?”

To her surprise, Lin Yuan’s first move was to shake off her arm.

Lin Momo stared blankly at her discarded hand.

Lin Yuan rubbed his temples and said two beats late:

“What were you two saying just now? Oh, did Xiao Jiu upset someone again? Just get used to it. Your cousin is usually like that; she’s not targeting you.”

“…But she clearly is targeting me—”

“What’s this about targeting or not targeting? Xiao Jiu is a child I watched grow up. Although she’s a bit mischievous, she wouldn’t target you for no reason. Did you do something wrong?”

The Eldest Aunt’s sharp voice suddenly rang out, and she continued prattling:

“Sigh, I always said a child not raised in our home wouldn’t know how many bad habits she picked up outside. Don’t lead my own daughter astray.”

Even Lin Jiu couldn’t help but marvel at the Eldest Aunt’s seamless switch in double standards.

In Lin Yuan’s eyes, Lin Jiu was a slightly bothersome but ultimately a niece he had watched grow up. How could he scold or hit a young girl just for having a bit of a temper?

And in the Eldest Aunt’s eyes, after the even more loathsome Lin Momo appeared, Lin Jiu instantly became the “good baby” in her words.

Lin Momo shook with rage, her teeth chattering uncontrollably, her face almost distorted.

She looked at Lin Yuan and his wife, who had somehow escaped her control, looked at Lin Wu, who was crying and laughing beside her parents, and then glanced at the Old Lady, who also showed dissatisfaction toward her. She finally understood.

Yu Yihan’s successful escape yesterday wasn’t because Yu Yihan was special, but—

Lin Momo stared deathly at Lin Jiu.

It was Lin Jiu who ruined her plans!

It was because of this tea! Lin Momo could no longer hold it in; she suddenly swung her hand and swept away the Biluochun in front of her.

Hot water and porcelain shards flew, and tea leaves were scattered everywhere.

Amidst the gasps of surprise, Lin Momo walked up to Lin Jiu, looking down at her and saying:

“I don’t know what kind of tricks you played, but can you keep watching them forever? This place is mine. You better get out while you can.”

Lin Jiu remained seated but held her ground. Her gaze drifted toward the Halo at Lin Momo’s neck, and she said calmly:

“Is this the level of your trash talk? Do you want me to teach you a few lines?”

Lin Wu volunteered and leaned in:

“I can do this. Sis, I’ll help you teach her.”

Lin Jiu looked at the suddenly enthusiastic Lin Wu:

“That works too.”

Lin Wu stood slightly behind Lin Jiu, her chin held high, her eyes full of disdain as she whispered:

“One street from the south to the north, ask around and find out who’s the daddy.”

“The blade isn’t sharp and the horse is too thin, what do you have to fight me with?”

“…” Lin Jiu waved her hand. “Stop, stop. The vibe is too strong.”

Lin Wu said obediently, “Okay, Sister.”

Lin Momo watched them interact as if no one else were there, realizing these two didn’t take her seriously at all.

She looked around and found that after losing the Halo’s influence, not a single person was backing her.

She, who usually had everything go her way, hadn’t experienced this kind of embarrassment and humiliation in a long time. She grabbed her bag and rushed out of the old mansion.

The porcelain shards on the floor were crushed to powder by Lin Momo’s feet.

Lin Yuan originally wanted to chase after her, but as soon as he stood up, his body felt incredibly weak. While feeling confused, he called for the butler to give some instructions, then turned around to have his arm hugged by Lin Wu:

“Dad, are you really going to register Lin Momo as my mom’s daughter?”

The Eldest Aunt screamed first:

“He wouldn’t dare!”

Lin Yuan hissed: “How could I? You and your mom only have one daughter, and that’s you.”

In Lin Yuan’s heart, even for the sake of his first love, he couldn’t let his first love’s daughter recognize someone else as her mother.

The Old Lady made the final call:

“An illegitimate daughter is an illegitimate daughter. Our family won’t mistreat her, but we can’t lie. It’s one thing to lie to our own family, but we can’t lie to outsiders.”

Lin Wu said excitedly, “Grandmother, since you’ve spoken, my heart is at ease.”

Lin Jiu sat by the side sipping her tea, quietly observing it all.

Today she brewed tea, firstly for her family here, and secondly to observe Lin Momo’s Halo—the latter reason was very useful for dealing with the system.

Now it could be basically confirmed that the Halo would silently adjust the memories of people in this world, making them oblivious to the anomalies associated with it.

For instance, Lin Wu actually accepted the before-and-after transformation of her parents and family so smoothly.

This Halo was very cunning.

“System, what did you find?”

This time, the system did not reply immediately.

Lin Jiu put the matter aside for now, remembering that she was going to meet Yu Yihan in the afternoon—

She stood up abruptly, her gaze directed at the front door.

Where would Lin Momo go after running out?

Or rather, since she was so competitive and vengeful, where would she go to regain her ground?

“Yu Yihan,” Lin Jiu whispered.