Chapter 259: Birds of a Feather

Chapter 259: Birds of a Feather

“Miss Luo, there’s something you need to know.”

Lin Nuo raised his index finger intentionally and said,

“You’re representing your Luo family here, go directly to the Lin family mansion, show your invitation, and someone will entertain you. There’s no point in following me.”

“Why? Aren’t you the Third Young Master of the Lin family?”

“First of all, you weren’t invited by me. Secondly, if you follow me, you might end up like that woman just now—caught in trouble for no reason. I’m saying, you came here to get ridiculed, what’s the point of that?”

What’s the point, huh? Of course, it’s about you.

But Luo Xiaoxue wouldn’t say it outright; one must take it slow, right? There’s a process to everything.

She looked a bit puzzled:

“Why is it like that?”

“Some people lift themselves by putting others down, and there are more of them than you’d think. I’m the kind who gets put down; do you understand now?”

“Got it, they’re jealous of your strength and deliberately belittle you.”

“…What do you even understand? What strength do I have that they’d be jealous of? They just enjoy putting others down, to highlight their own supposed nobility, that’s all there is to it. Let me tell you, they bully the weak; if I had strength, they’d actually fear me instead, wouldn’t they be so arrogant then?”

“Hmm…”

Luo Xiaoxue seemed to understand but didn’t fully grasp the intricacies of human psychology despite being born into royalty.

Following Lin the Hero really taught her something; this trip would yield great rewards.

Luo Xiaoxue insisted:

“Even so, I still want to go with you. I only know you in the Lin family, so just be a good host and show me around a bit.”

“Suit yourself. If you want to tag along, go ahead, but I won’t be giving you a tour.”

A tour? The Lin family mansion is huge, and it’s been renovated several times; how can I remember where anything is?

The key is that the Lin family mansion is luxurious everywhere. What if we wander into the restroom while trying to find the dining hall?

“Alright, you don’t have to lead me. I’ll just follow along as you normally do,” Luo Xiaoxue smiled.

Lin Nuo couldn’t be bothered to convince her anymore. The Lin family mansion was huge anyway, so if she followed, she’d probably lose track of him and get lost, then meet a servant who would take her to Lin Yuan.

So, as a representative of her family, she would ultimately end up being treated with courtesy by the Lin family.

The two reached a tacit agreement and headed back to the Lin family.

…

The official Yue Tian, under the escort of a large group of guards, arrived at the Lin family mansion.

With such a grand display, the Lin family surely came out to warmly welcome him.

“Ah, it’s Lord Yue! What brings you here? Come, come in and sit down.”

“Today’s the Lin family celebration, what a joyous occasion! Thank you, Lord Lin, for inviting me. I love this festive atmosphere!”

Yue Tian chatted and laughed with officials Lin Fei and others as they entered the grand hall of the Lin family mansion.

“Come, come! Lord Yue, given your stature, I, Lin, should certainly treat you specially.”

Lin Fei guided Yue Tian to the VIP reception room, equipped with fine tables and chairs, tea and snacks, and even maidservants ready to serve—the treatment for big shots couldn’t be lacking.

After some friendly exchanges of greetings and enjoying the tea and snacks, Lin Fei and Yue Tian exchanged glances, and Lin Fei waved to the servants:

“You all, step outside for a moment. I need to have an in-depth conversation with Lord Yue.”

“Yes, Young Master!”

The servants respectfully made their farewells and left the reception room.

Only Lin Fei and Yue Tian remained inside; with just the two of them, they could skip the niceties and get straight to the point.

“Lord Lin, you know that today’s the Lin family celebration, and I’m here to cheer you on. It seems your siblings are trying their best to shake your status.”

“Yes, I really appreciate you finding the time to come, Lord Yue.”

“I didn’t come just for the Lin family celebration. I want to leverage this opportunity to expand our mutual stock.”

“About that matter, Lord Yue?” Lin Fei seemed to recall something.

“Yes, that matter. Today, many powerful figures are here; the city is prosperous with rich merchants everywhere.

Seizing this festive day, you could issue Lin family celebration commemorative coins and state they’ll appreciate in value. I’ll get some proxies to buy them up, and with your and my authority, it’ll surely yield a hefty sum.”

Yue Tian said, and Lin Fei nodded, smiling:

“Right, I’ve prepared for this. When the Lin family celebration comes, I’ll have someone distribute the commemorative coins and publicize their future value to reel in their wealth.

Also, considering the numerous disasters recently hitting the Puhan Kingdom, I plan to initiate a donation drive. When the time comes, Lord Yue, you’ll lead by donating first; other nobles will have to chip in a bit as well, and as for the funds raised, we’ll split them.”

“Excellent, excellent.”

Yue Tian grinned; he had indeed found a like-minded ally. Collaborating with Lin Fei was easy.

Lin Fei continued:

“By then, Lord Yue can wash the money through the casino.”

“Speaking of casinos, I’m furious about a recent incident.”

Yue Tian’s anger spiked,

“One of my casinos got smashed!”

“Smashed? Who did it? I’ve been busy, haven’t caught wind of this.”

“I just found out. It’s your third brother, Lin Nuo.”

“Lin Nuo?”

Lin Fei suddenly looked shocked,

“How dare he smash it? Isn’t there Dark Alliance influence at play?”

“He brought Qin Shili along; it was mostly her doing, but reportedly, those who escaped the scene said he used tricks to overturn the gambling tables, which led to a riot.”

“I didn’t expect him to have such guts.”

Lin Fei was equally furious; destroying the casino greatly reduced the efficiency of money laundering and asset acquisition.

Lin Fei said:

“Lord Yue, this Lin Nuo even beat up my guards when he first arrived; it seems like a little brat getting ahead of himself. Qin Shili is his Second Martial Sister, so he’s getting reckless; we need to do something about him.”

“Apparently, he’s a disciple of the Xuanyun Sect. Cultivators care a lot about their reputation; we could take advantage of that. The casino’s damage killed many gamblers. I’ll have my friend, Xu Xun, specially talk to him, stir up trouble, and say he’s a gambling addict who even kills people.”

Yue Tian said, and Xu Xun was also an official attending the banquet, though with a lower rank. He had gone to check the casino situation and, since they couldn’t take direct action, they let Xu Xun tarnish Lin Nuo’s reputation.

With so many people at the Lin family celebration, someone was bound to believe it, and soon it would spread like wildfire.

“I have another idea. I could place the Lin family treasure, the Mist Spirit Bracelet, in his room, then further smear his name. His reputation at the Lin family is already poor; this will only add insult to injury.”

Lin Fei suggested, and Yue Tian agreed.

“In short, we’ll have people act while we just sit back and watch. He won’t have any evidence to suspect us.”

Lin Fei smiled, poured two cups of wine, and raised a cup,

“Cheers, Lord Yue!”