After Transmigrating Into a Book, I Was Played by the Black Lotus – Chapter 87

Strange Woman

Before Bai Xiying went to S City, Lin Xingzhu brought her back to the Lin family for another trip.

At the dining table, Father Lin looked at the two of them appearing to have a very good relationship, and the smile at the corner of his mouth could not be hidden at all.

And Lin Xingzhu and Bai Xiying exchanged a glance, and when they looked towards Father Lin again, Lin Xingzhu suddenly spoke: “Dad, after a short while, Xiying and I plan to get engaged.”

“Engaged?” Father Lin was delighted: “Getting engaged is good!”

He looked at the two people who were an especially good match, very happy: “But how much longer will that be?”

Hearing the meaning in Father Lin’s words, Bai Xiying lowered her head, looking a little embarrassed.

Lin Xingzhu said: “Xiying is going to S City to participate in a competition. After she comes back, we will prepare for the engagement.”

So that was how it was.

Father Lin said delightedly: “Okay, okay, okay, when the time comes we will have to calculate an auspicious day, for good luck.”

As soon as he thought that after Lin Xingzhu got engaged, she would not be far from starting her own family, Father Lin felt very gratified.

After the meal, Bai Xiying went to the back garden by herself for a walk to aid digestion, while Lin Xingzhu, using the excuse that she had something to say, pulled Father Lin to the study.

Lin Xingzhu asked Father Lin about the matter of the cooperation with the Wen family.

Father Lin was startled: “What, you at your Jiang-shu¹

As soon as Lin Xingzhu heard, she knew he had misunderstood.

“Of course I have been in contact.” Lin Xingzhu said, “Jiang-shu even always brings me to his side to teach me, but it is precisely because I have been in contact that I find it strange.”

“As far as I know, we have never had any business dealings with the Wen family before. For such a big project this time, how could we be cooperating with them?”

When Father Lin heard this, he suddenly remembered that there were some deeper matters that Lin Xingzhu still did not know.

The former Lin Xingzhu only knew how to fish for three days and dry the nets for two², fooling around and loving to play, and did not care about the family business, so Father Lin naturally would not tell her these things.

Moreover, even if Father Lin had wanted to tell her something in the past, Lin Xingzhu would have found it annoying and walked away with a flick of her hand.

So now that Lin Xingzhu asked, Father Lin finally remembered these omissions.

Father Lin said: “There are some things you don’t know. The Wen family is not just involved in business; their family actually has a layer of political connections.”

The space between Lin Xingzhu’s eyebrows twitched, and she remembered a little something.

Father Lin was still explaining to her: “The Wen family is a large family. In one of its branches, there is someone named Wen Yuanyi³ who is in politics, but the people who know about this connection are still in the minority.”

“Wen Yuanyi is currently striving for a key position, and as far as I know, his chances of winning are very high. Once he successfully transitions into the new term, he will have a place for himself in the upper echelons of our A City.”

Lin Xingzhu had never heard these things before. At this moment, she was quietly listening to this news from her father’s mouth.

“Although the Wen family also started in real estate, they appear a bit weak in A City.” Father Lin said, “And recently, the government here is pulling strings to support the development of new projects. The twists and turns inside are very deep. For us to cooperate with the Wen family is absolutely a hundred benefits and not a single harm.”

Lin Xingzhu asked: “But the Wen family could have originally done it themselves by leveraging Wen Yuanyi’s connections. It’s impossible that they don’t have the confidence to put up a fight.”

Father Lin smiled upon hearing this, “But there are also people higher up who don’t look favorably upon them.”

Lin Xingzhu was silent for a few breaths, then suddenly understood a little.

Where there are people, there is slaughter. In the business world, and naturally in the political world as well.

Since it was a change of term, then some positions would naturally be eyed by more than one person, and capable people would naturally try to scheme.

“Dad, do you think the Wen family might be deceiving us? That they’ll play tricks in the cooperation project, and after Wen Yuanyi rises to power, their whole family will then join hands to short us?”

Father Lin frowned: “I have also thought about what you said, but actually the possibility is not very high.”

Lin Xingzhu said: “The possibility not being high doesn’t mean they don’t harbor such intentions. Cooperation is cooperation, but we still can’t let down our guard in private.”

But overall, from the looks of it, Father Lin still had a plan in his heart.

Since it is this way, then why in the original work did the Lin family end up in such a state of disastrous defeat?

Lin Xingzhu lowered her eyes, and suddenly had another thought, thinking of Wen Yuanyi.

If the Wen Yuanyi her father spoke of successfully rose to power in the original work, then with Lin Xingzhu’s original “crime”, and pressure from above, her father really might not have been able to successfully protect Lin Xingzhu.

Then in order to successfully keep his only daughter, Father Lin would inevitably have to compromise in other areas.

With the two sides at a stalemate, and someone else playing tricks in the dark, the business world changes in an instant. With Father Lin mentally and physically exhausted, a single moment of inattention, the Lin family ending up like that seems to be explainable.

But now she is perfectly fine and nothing will happen to her, and both her father and she are on guard in their hearts. Perhaps the final ending described in the book will not occur.

But the heart to guard against others cannot be lacking.

After chatting with her father for a long time, Lin Xingzhu also knew what he was thinking in his heart, and from the looks of it, he also seemed to have taken her words to heart. Lin Xingzhu relaxed a little.

Before she left, Father Lin patted her on the shoulder and said with gratification: “You have really matured a lot.”

Lin Xingzhu smiled.

Father Lin said again: “It seems a good relationship really can make a person become more motivated and mature. Thinking back to when your mother and I…”

The corner of Lin Xingzhu’s mouth twitched, and she silently listened again as her father began to boast about the old days.

After he finished boasting, still wanting to say more, Lin Xingzhu finally went downstairs to look for Bai Xiying.

She was sitting in a shaded spot in the garden.

Lin Xingzhu walked closer, looked at her and asked: “Are you feeling uncomfortable in any way?”

Recently, because of her special physical condition, Bai Xiying had not gone out at all. Before they came today, just in case, Lin Xingzhu had specially helped Bai Xiying squeeze it out early.

Bai Xiying shook her head: “The amount recently hasn’t been as much as before.”

Mentioning this, Lin Xingzhu, who felt it most empathetically every day, nodded her head in agreement.

And what was even better was that the amount was not as much as before, and Bai Xiying no longer frequently experienced the feeling of swelling pain like she did at the beginning.

“But you are going to S City in two days, do you really not need to go to the hospital to have it checked?”

In response to such words, Bai Xiying still shook her head and refused.

She stated her reason: “It can’t be seen, and moreover, I have already found a method to handle it over in S City.”

Lin Xingzhu was a little curious: “How will you handle it?”

“Squeeze it out.” Bai Xiying said in all seriousness, “And take note of some foods, and eat less of those things that will induce lactating⁴.”

Lin Xingzhu: “……”

This was indeed a good method.

“It won’t affect your competition, will it?”

Lin Xingzhu knew that Bai Xiying placed a lot of importance on this competition, and she was afraid that Bai Xiying’s physical condition would affect her normal performance at the competition venue.

Seeing that every sentence she mentioned was filled with uncontrollable concern for her, Bai Xiying’s heart softened slightly. She reached out and rubbed her face, saying gently: “Don’t worry, I’ve been quite normal recently, and I’ve also been painting all along, so there’s no impact.”

Her face was being rubbed out of shape, and Lin Xingzhu spoke with difficulty: “Then I can rest assured.”

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Bai Xiying left for S City carrying her luggage, and Lin Xingzhu’s long-distance relationship officially began.

But when she opened the refrigerator in the morning and saw the row of glass bottles on top, she still couldn’t help but blush a little.

However, once she got to the company, she became self-possessed and steady again.

It was unknown what Father Lin had said to President Jiang, but recently Lin Xingzhu had become even busier.

And precisely because Bai Xiying had gone to S City, Lin Xingzhu had been working overtime for the past two days, not returning home until very late.

After she got home and washed up, Bai Xiying would also happen to have time to video call with her.

This day, Lin Xingzhu was driving home. Passing a street she usually took, her stomach was growling with hunger, so she got out of the car to buy a portion of chaofen⁵.

Lin Xingzhu hadn’t eaten chaofen in a long time either.

She asked the shop owner to add extra spice, and carrying the prepared abnormally spicy⁶ chaofen, she was about to drive back to eat it as a late-night snack when she suddenly sensed that something was not right.

Because the chaofen shop was right on the roadside, Lin Xingzhu thought it would be very quick, so when she parked on the side of the road, she didn’t pull out the key or lock the car.

She lowered her head and met a pair of pitch-black, panicked eyes, and suddenly, without a change in her expression, she pulled the car door shut.

The car started and drove a long way along the return route. Suddenly, several people ran onto this street, searching all over. Seeing that they couldn’t find the person, they dragged their legs and ran to other places.

Underground parking garage.

Lin Xingzhu looked down at this woman, whom she had previously glimpsed at the mall and in a photograph, and asked calmly: “What do you want to do?”

The woman was curled up under the back seat, and said with clenched fists: “I know you are a good person.”

Lin Xingzhu: “?”

The woman’s hair was a bit messy, but her eyes were very bright: “Before, when you went to save your younger sister (cousin), I knew of you.”

So she knew that Lin Xingzhu had not only saved her younger sister and successfully taken her away, but had also attempted to save everyone else.

But on that day, only a small group of people truly managed to leave successfully.

Lin Xingzhu’s heart sank slightly. She looked at this female companion of Wen Lin’s and said: “Are you hiding from Wen Lin?”

“Yes, tonight Wen Lin wanted to play some new tricks again. I couldn’t stand it anymore, so I knocked her unconscious and ran.”

“But why did you hide in my car?”

“Because I know you are a good person.”

This was the second time Lin Xingzhu had heard her say this.

She glanced at the abnormally spicy chaofen, feeling a little regretful that she might not be able to eat it while it was hot.

“But I think, that shouldn’t be the only reason, right?”

This female companion who had run away from Wen Lin definitely had other reasons.

Lin Xingzhu’s heart faintly had a premonition. She sensed that her own vague guess all along was about to reveal its true face.

The person meeting her gaze spoke: “I know you have still been paying attention to the Pink Building.”

A slight ripple appeared in the depths of Lin Xingzhu’s eyes. The person did not see it, and a trace of certainty flashed across her pretty face as she continued to say: “I know you are a good person, and you still want to save those people, which is why I jumped into your car.”

Because she knew these things, Qian Duoduo⁷ felt that tonight’s Lin Xingzhu would help her escape.

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