Chapter 6: The Overbearing Fifth Brother

Lin Wan gently mediated, “Mo Mo, you really should cherish Brother Mu Bai. You know how many people have wanted to be engaged to him but couldn’t.” She deliberately showed a hint of envy and disappointment. “When you’re older and more mature, you’ll surely understand and take good care of Brother Mu Bai.”

“We actually came back to the villa today because we heard Brother Mu Bai was here.” Lin Wan looked at Mu Bai with a touch of wistful pity in her eyes. Seeing this, Mu Bai felt a pang of heartache.

In truth, he genuinely wanted to be with Lin Wan. However, his family insisted that he marry a genuine noble daughter. Although Lin Wan was the Lin family’s daughter, she had been switched at birth. The true noble daughter of the Lin family was Lin Mo.

Mu Bai’s gaze at Lin Wan betrayed the belief that she had feelings for him too, and that thought caused him great pain.

“Wan Wan, stop it. This has nothing to do with you.”

“But... I don’t want to see Brother Mu Bai suffer.” Lin Wan hesitated, almost wearing her heartache on her face.

Lin Mo saw their tender affection. She felt like a meddlesome third party in their romance. If only Lin Wan had no interest in Mu Bai, would it have come to this?

Knowing Lin Wan too well, Lin Mo sneered, “Brother, Brother’s family doesn’t raise mother hens; where would a big mother hen come from?”

Just then, Aunt Zhao came out of the kitchen, oblivious to the tension.

“There is. I just started simmering it; the chicken soup will be ready in a while.”

Lin Mo smiled, waved her hand dismissively, and walked toward the stairs. Lin Wan’s face flushed with a mix of anger and embarrassment, looking quite unpleasant.

Qin Lian sighed, “Young Master Mu, please don’t be angry. Our Mo Mo is just a bit unrefined, you know...”

“I asked Wan Wan to keep you company. Weren’t you two close before?”

“Oh, is that a necklace you bought for Wan Wan? It’s so beautiful.”

Mu Bai quickly soothed Lin Wan, “Little Wan, don’t be angry. Here’s a gift for you, take a look.”

Lin Wan’s eyes lit up at the necklace worth 180,000 yuan. She recognized the brand—it was something her family would never casually buy for her, given its considerable value. The exquisite jewelry sparkled brilliantly under the lights, a stark contrast to the cheap glass necklace beside it.

Noticing this, Lin Wan deliberately said, “This necklace is so beautiful, but... if you give me such an expensive gift, won’t Mo Mo be upset?”

“She has one too.” Mu Bai had already pushed Lin Mo out of his mind. “Little Wan, this necklace was specially ordered from abroad; it’s not even available domestically.”

“Try it on quickly. It will definitely suit you.”

Lin Wan’s gaze flickered over the inferior piece of jewelry, her smile growing even brighter.

Sure enough, Lin Mo was only worthy of such cheap trinkets.

“I like it very much. Thank you, Brother Mu Bai.”

Lin Mo, standing at the corner of the stairs, watched them talk. Her expression was dark and unreadable. She truly couldn’t understand why, when they were so perfect for each other, they dragged her into this like a puppet for their amusement.

At that moment, the fifth brother, Lin Qinglang, came up holding a bottle of drink. “Tsk tsk, jealousy makes people ugly and twisted.”

“From head to toe, how do you compare to Little Wan? It’s only natural she’s more likable.”

Lin Qinglang gave Lin Mo a harsh once-over and sneered, “If I were you, I’d find a wall and smash my head against it, so you wouldn’t be an eyesore here.”

Lin Mo looked at Lin Qinglang. “You meddle too much.”

“I heard you playing games last night, and you were pretty terrible at it.”

Lin Mo let out a light laugh, her eyes cold. “If I were you, I’d quit playing—it’s really embarrassing.”

“Say that again?”

Lin Qinglang crushed the drink can in his hand, a murderous glare flashing in his eyes. With a loud bang, he smashed it against the wall beside Lin Mo, grabbed her collar fiercely, and slammed her against the wall. His eyes, wild like a wolf’s, glared angrily.

“Don’t think just because you’re a Lin, I’ll be polite to you!”

“I never considered you family, so don’t try to cozy up to me, got it?”

“Don’t think you can joke around like Wan Wan does. Who do you think you are?”

Lin Qinglang’s temper was truly terrible. He was a singer studying at a top art academy but neglected his studies, spending his time playing games with e-sports streamers. He was so bad at games that he’d often run away with his tail between his legs. If it weren’t for a pro gamer secretly helping him with a smurf account, he’d have been a laughingstock long ago. Yet, many still mocked him as a loser.

That was the one thing Lin Qinglang hated hearing most. Saying anything else was fine, but calling him bad at games hit a nerve.

“It’s just the truth.”

Lin Mo’s tone was mocking, her long lashes fluttering. “If you’re so capable of bullying a little girl like me here, why don’t you fight back in the game?”

“Chicken in the game, but throwing punches here—what kind of man are you?”

In reality, Lin Mo was quite beautiful. Previously, her heavy bangs and bulky ugly black-rimmed glasses concealed her looks. Now, with a fresh hairstyle and mocking gaze, she looked rather attractive.

Lin Qinglang snarled, “Don’t think you can lecture me just because you heard rumors!”

But Lin Mo wasn’t just going by rumors. She knew the truth because she was the one who played the smurf account that helped Lin Qinglang! That pro gamer account was hers! If Lin Wan hadn’t stolen her account and taken credit for her achievements...

Lin Mo’s eyes darkened as she looked at Lin Qinglang’s exquisitely handsome boy band face. She felt nothing but disgust. The things she had done behind the scenes to please her brothers had only been met with ruthless disdain. This time, there would be no good outcome.

She slapped away Lin Qinglang’s hand from her collar. “Don’t think I’m the same as before. You can try if you want.”

Lin Qinglang gritted his teeth but didn’t dare hit a woman. He snorted coldly, “Lin Mo, what do you know?”

“You’re a bumpkin who’s never touched a computer. Do you even understand games?”

“Yeah, right, you’re the expert.” Lin Mo gave Lin Qinglang a cold glance and turned to leave.

Watching her slender figure retreat, Lin Qinglang’s disgust for Lin Mo deepened. He wished he could pack her off to the countryside to get her out of his sight.

He was so furious he laughed bitterly. “What a pretender.”

“Playing the weak, pitiful act before, bullying Wan Wan behind her back.”

“Now you’re trying some new trick! No matter what you do, it won’t change the fact that you have a venomous heart.”

Lin Mo paused, lowering her lashes. A shadow fell over her eyes.

A venomous heart?

She gave a self-mocking smile. “If that’s how you want to see it, there’s nothing I can do.”

Lin Qinglang returned to his room, punching his desk in frustration. Thinking of Lin Mo’s gaze made him restless. Perhaps he had grown used to her cautious attempts to please him over the past eight months, and in turn, he had grown used to finding fault with her. Now that she no longer flattered him, it wasn’t as easy as he thought.

“Damn it!”