Chapter 248
Jin Ling and Jin Long walked off the plane one after the other, Jin Ling walking ahead with a hint of excitement in her expression, while Jin Long followed behind, carrying the luggage belonging to Jin Ling. If they didn’t look identical, one might mistake them for a lady and her servant.
“Brother, hurry up.” Throughout the journey, Jin Ling was in a state of extreme excitement, thinking only about how to deal with Xu Ke and Lin Mengyao, completely oblivious to her brother’s growing silence and the increasingly quiet look in Jin Long’s eyes.
Upon arriving at the hotel, as Jin Long watched Jin Ling changing clothes and about to leave, he could no longer hold back.
“Sister, you’re the only sister I have. Let’s not fight and live peacefully. Let’s wait until grandpa comes out and serve him well, alright? Could you maybe not go out today?” Jin Long grabbed Jin Ling’s arm, pleadingly looking at her as he spoke.
The excitement on Jin Ling’s face suddenly froze, and as she looked at Jin Long, her gaze carried a hint of strangeness and madness.
“What are you talking about? Me causing trouble? With such hatred weighing on us, instead of thinking about revenge, you feel I’m the one making a fuss? Jin Long, do you have a heart at all? Grandpa’s been so good to you, I’ve been so good to you, and now we’re bullied and framed to this extent, yet you can still say such things.” Jin Ling’s face twisted slightly.
“Fine, even if grandpa and I aren’t of high importance to you, shouldn’t money and power be enough? Look around you. Touch your heart and tell me when we’ve ever stayed in such poor conditions. Don’t you resent those who started all this? Don’t you want to restore the Jin family’s glory? I permit you not to participate and let go of the hatred, but I can’t allow you to stop me. If you insist, then from this moment on, Jin Ling no longer has a brother. From now on, we go our separate ways.”
The determination in Jin Ling’s eyes made Jin Long realize she wouldn’t back down. If he continued to interfere, everything she said would become true. Jin Long met Jin Ling’s eyes, feeling as if all his strength had drained away, his energy and spirit seemingly extracted, making him look five years older than Jin Ling despite having the same face.
“Sister, your words pierce my heart. From childhood to now, I’ve never been able to stop you from deciding anything. I originally could stop you this time, but it ended as before. I won’t stop you from doing what you want, just don’t bring harm upon yourself. Be safe, I’ll wait for you here.” Jin Long said softly, stepping aside to reveal the door to Jin Ling.
Jin Ling took a deep look, seeing Jin Long apparently giving up on stopping her, her expression softened but she still didn’t say a word to Jin Long, simply opening the door and leaving.
Jin Long watched Jin Ling’s departing figure, sitting alone on the sofa waiting for her. But he waited from day to night, and from night to dawn, yet Jin Ling never appeared, and a bitter smile appeared on Jin Long’s lips.
At the same time, Jin Ling, who had disappeared for a night, was wearing a cleaner’s uniform, with a large mask and black-framed glasses, a hat pulled low. She pretended to mop as she wandered around the mall, continuously surveying her surroundings.
“Let’s head south. I heard from the secretary that a new store specializing in small, cute, and well-designed accessories opened in this mall. I’ve never been there.” Lin Mengyao said excitedly, holding Xu Ke’s arm, her lips pouting.
The last time they went shopping was a few months ago, so how could Lin Mengyao not be excited?
“Alright, if you like it, we can even buy the whole store.” Xu Ke playfully pinched Lin Mengyao’s flushed cheek, saying indulgently.
“How is buying the store called shopping, and if you buy the store, how will others shop?” Lin Mengyao said this, but her eyes sparkled with joy, making it clear she was speaking in jest.
“Ah, women, your name is ’saying one thing but meaning another.’” Xu Ke tapped his lips, pinching Lin Mengyao’s nose as he sighed.
The two laughed and chatted as they proceeded towards their target, unaware of a malicious gaze that had settled upon them.
As Lin Mengyao brushed past a cleaner, she suddenly frowned, her smile seeming to fade.
“What’s wrong? Not feeling well?” Xu Ke asked anxiously, seeing Lin Mengyao’s frowning expression.
“No, I just thought I smelled perfume, but this scent shouldn’t be on her.” Lin Mengyao’s voice was puzzled. She turned wanting to see the figure she’d noticed, only to discover the cleaner was no longer in sight.
“Huh? She was just here, and now she’s gone?” Lin Mengyao craned her neck and peered around but still saw no cleaner, as if what she’d just seen was nothing but a dream.
“What did you see? Is there anything off around us?” Xu Ke asked, his entire demeanor turning tense as his sharp eyes scanned the mall, looking like a wolf ready to pounce and bite its prey.
“I saw a cleaner just now, but now I don’t. As I passed by her, I smelled Dream of Paris. But it’s a new high-end perfume from D brand, costing hundreds of thousands for a bottle—it should never appear on a cleaner. I suspect she’s Jin Ling.” Lin Mengyao shared her findings and suspicions with Xu Ke.
“Maybe we should skip shopping today. It feels unsafe.” Lin Mengyao instinctively pulled herself closer to Xu Ke, her expression cautious as she glanced around, as if Jin Ling might suddenly leap from an unknown corner to harm them.
“There’s always a reason to catch a thief; there’s no logic in guarding against one every day. Now that she wants to make a move on us, we should give her this opportunity. From now on, do whatever I say; let’s play a thief-catching game together.” Xu Ke looked at Lin Mengyao with a playful wink, embodying youthful spirit.
“Or we could call it a Princess Protection Battle. You are my princess, I am your prince, and from now on I’ll ensure my princess remains unharmed by the witch, or else I’ll be punished by eating the boiled eggs my princess makes with her own hands.” Under Lin Mengyao’s bright gaze, Xu Ke added with a grin.