mesbooks Chapter 162 The Truth Comes Out
Chapter 162 The Truth Comes Out
As Bai Li emerged from the inner hall, the halo of light from the crystal chandelier bathed her shoulders.
Not far away, the entertainment industry executives who had been chatting and laughing by the champagne tower fell silent the moment they caught sight of her.
They would never forget the scene of the Lin clan members personally leading the way to her inner courtyard; they were now completely convinced of Bai Li's noble and special status.
Mr. Wang was the first to react, and the champagne glass in his hand reflected the fine beads of sweat on his forehead.
He rushed forward, his rounded figure squeezing through the crowd like a clumsy penguin: "President Bai! Wait! I truly didn't recognize your greatness just now..."
Mr. Wang was the most anxious person. He had mistaken Bai Li for an ordinary female companion and made rude remarks, which undoubtedly offended a powerful figure. If Bai Li held a grudge, his future days would probably be difficult.
As President Wang's apology grew increasingly sincere, Bai Li raised an eyebrow slightly, glanced at him indifferently, and a faint smile appeared on her lips, but she remained silent.
The vice president of Xinghui calmly put down the champagne in his hand and eagerly took the bird's nest cup from the waiter's tray and handed it to Bai Li: "President Bai, moisten your throat."
His gaze swept over Guan Cha, then paused, as if suddenly remembering something: "I heard your company's new movie needs a special effects team? We just happened to sign one of the top teams in North America..."
The old foxes who were just criticizing her are now scrambling to stuff their business cards into her assistant's hands, as if those gold-embossed cards were tickets to a new world.
Guan Cha collected all the business cards that the bosses handed him.
Bai Li gently pushed away the bird's nest cup offered to her, and said in a nonchalant tone:
“I appreciate everyone’s kind intentions, and we can consider cooperation. I’ve always valued sincerity, so if you have any ideas for cooperation in the future, feel free to come to my office and discuss them frankly.”
Resources offered to us should not be refused.
But Bai Li paused for a moment, then added:
"However, you should think more carefully before you speak and act in the future. There are many outstanding women in the workplace. Don't offend others like you did today."
Her voice wasn't loud, but every word struck the hearts of the executives like a heavy hammer, making them feel uneasy.
The executives naturally understood the deeper meaning behind Bai Li's words: the previous mistake of her identity had made Bai Li unhappy.
They dared not utter a word of rebuttal, and hurriedly nodded and bowed, echoing in unison, "Yes, yes, Mr. Bai is right to teach us a lesson. We will definitely pay attention in the future."
Bai Li turned to look at President Li, who was standing in the corner observing, and greeted him: "President Li, it's getting late, I'll head back now."
Although she knew that Mr. Li from Longtao Entertainment had not trusted her wholeheartedly from the beginning, and was also a cunning old fox with bad intentions, he just hadn't shown it to her yet.
But thanks to Mr. Li's introduction, I was able to meet so many executives in the entertainment industry today.
Mr. Li was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening.
Although he also wanted to try to keep Bai Li and get closer to her.
But seeing that Bai Li's intention to leave was already very clear, they didn't try to stop her anymore, since they could still communicate on the phone later anyway.
He also decided that he would visit them more often in the future.
He's definitely got his hands on the big ship of day and night entertainment; hanging out with Boss Bai is no problem at all.
This opportunity for "Asking the Immortals" has been missed, but Day and Night Entertainment certainly won't only produce this one movie; there will be many more opportunities for collaboration in the future.
After that, he definitely had no other intentions.
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After being asked to leave the venue, Lin Yu was forcibly taken away by members of the Lin family, who, in front of several of his friends, grabbed him by the arm like a chick. Even then, he struggled and tried to argue his way out of it.
"Let go of me! Why are you treating me like this! I only said a few angry words, it's clearly that woman who didn't give me any face!"
His face flushed red, and veins bulged on his forehead. This was the first time he had ever been so humiliated in front of his friends.
Normally, Lin Yu is the apple of his family's eye, and his parents and grandparents spoil him to the point of pampering.
As the only son in the family, he was instilled with a certain concept from a young age.
Everything in the house will be his sooner or later.
His father once said that wealthy people with capital don't need to be exceptionally talented, and it's not a big deal if they are ignorant or incompetent. All they need to do is learn how to use people and protect their assets.
This wasn't the first time he'd acted so recklessly. In the past, when he caused trouble, his family would at most grumble a few words, but they never really punished him severely.
It's perfectly normal for boys to make small mistakes; there's no need to make a big fuss about it.
Take his biggest mistake before – owing a huge gambling debt – for example. Even though it caused a huge uproar, his family managed to settle it easily in the end.
That time he was only locked up for six months, which he didn't think was a big deal.
Speaking of his six months of confinement, Lin Yu felt secretly smug.
The person in charge of looking after him was Uncle Chen, an old servant in the family, who had long been bribed by his father with a large sum of money.
During his confinement, he not only did not suffer any hardship, but actually lived a very comfortable life.
Every day, I enjoy a constant supply of delicacies, and the bed is soft and comfortable, making it even more enjoyable than being at home.
Moreover, he could take advantage of Uncle Chen's cover to sneak out and play, living a carefree life.
Therefore, Lin Yu didn't think that making a mistake would have any serious consequences.
Lin Yu felt that Bai Li's rude remarks at the banquet were nothing serious.
When he was being carried away, he felt no fear at all; at most, he felt embarrassed and ashamed because he had lost face in front of his friends.
He was even thinking that once this was over, he would definitely find an opportunity to teach Bai Li, who had embarrassed him, a lesson.
But he soon realized that this punishment was completely different from the past.
His relatives escorted him all the way to the family ancestral hall, where Lin Yu was stunned.
The walls around him were covered with portraits of his ancestors, and the eyes in those portraits seemed to be filled with reproach, coldly watching him, the descendant who had made a mistake.
The ancestral hall was filled with an old, worn atmosphere, mixed with a faint scent of incense, which made Lin Yu's heart beat faster involuntarily.
Why are you at the ancestral hall?
Just then, he saw his third uncle standing in the center of the ancestral hall.
At this moment, he was tightly gripping a thick whip in his hand, which looked frightening and exuded a cold aura in the dim light.
The moment Lin Yu saw his third uncle and the whip, he felt a chill run down his spine, and his legs felt as if the bones had been removed, instantly becoming weak and powerless.
His face turned deathly pale instantly, devoid of any color. His lips began to tremble uncontrollably, and his body swayed unsteadily, almost unable to stand. If it weren't for his relatives supporting his arms, he probably would have collapsed to the ground long ago.
Lin Yu knew all too well that being handed over to the ancestral hall meant that he had committed an extremely serious mistake, and what awaited him next was severe physical punishment.
Fear overwhelmed him completely, causing him to panic and begin to struggle and argue incessantly.
"Uncle, I was wrong. I was drunk and acted impulsively, and I didn't realize what I was saying at all."
Lin Yu twisted his body and shouted loudly, his eyes filled with panic as he tried to make excuses for his behavior.
"Besides, how would I know who she was? If I had known she had connections with our Lin family, how could I have offended her!"
Seeing that his third uncle did not respond, Lin Yu became more and more anxious. His eyes darted around, and he made up his mind to shift the blame onto someone else: "This matter cannot be entirely blamed on me. It is all Zhou Jingtian's fault. If he had not provoked me, I would not have acted impulsively!"
Uncle San listened and slowly shook his head, his eyes full of disappointment: "Stubborn and unrepentant, still unaware of your mistakes. How can you excuse the mistakes you've made?"
"The old lady has already taken back a portion of your father's assets, and the overseas winery inheritance rights that you were originally entitled to have have been transferred to your cousin. Don't you understand how big a mistake you have made?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Yu's eyes widened in disbelief.
The fact that the family took back the business that their father had been in charge of meant that the family had almost abandoned their branch of the family. From now on, they would be lucky if they didn't receive any resources or be completely marginalized.
Lin Yu felt like the sky had fallen.
The news that the overseas winery he was originally slated to inherit had been transferred to his cousin was like a bolt from the blue.
That overseas winery is the guarantee of his future carefree life.
Without this, how will he survive in the future?
How would his peers in the clan ridicule him?
"Uncle, please talk to the old lady and forgive me this time. I promise I will change! I promise I will never dare to do it again!"
Lin Yu pleaded desperately, tears and snot streaming down his face. He struggled with all his might, trying to break free from the restraints of his relatives and kneel down to beg for mercy from his third uncle.
The third uncle remained unmoved, simply instructing the people beside him to support him, and then slowly raised the whip in his hand.
"First, you were wrong for your misconduct, which damaged the family's reputation."
"Secondly, you were wrong to disregard family rules and challenge authority."
"Third, your mistake is that you have made the same mistake many times and have no intention of repenting."
……
"Now, stay in the ancestral hall and reflect on your actions."
Lin Yu's severe punishment was not only due to his desire to uphold the family tradition, but more importantly, it was because of the potentially serious consequences if Bai Li were to become enemies with them.
Moreover, the old lady really liked white pears.
If Lin Yu is not punished more severely, it will not reflect the importance that Jiangyang Lin family attaches to Bai Li.
Secondly, if Lin Yu acts recklessly and offends Bai Li again, that would be terrible.
Third Uncle sighed, washed the bloodstains off his hands. The family rules of the ancestral hall hadn't been used in a long time, and his hands were rusty.
Young man.
Be thankful.
My surname is Lin.
Under the protection of the Lin family, at least they wouldn't end up starving to death on the streets.
But from now on, we will be cut off from those industries and resources of the Lin family.
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Zhou Jingtian staggered back two steps, clutching his burning cheek. The force of his father's slap was astonishing, so much so that his ears were ringing and he saw stars.
His eyes widened in disbelief; he never imagined his father would be so cruel to him.
"You unfilial son! Do you know who you can mess with and who you can't? If we incur the wrath of the Lin family because of what happened today, our family will be finished."
At this moment, Zhou's father's face was full of anger. He lowered his voice and said, word by word:
"It's one thing for you to act recklessly on ordinary days, but what kind of occasion is this? It's the birthday banquet of Madam Lin of Jiangyang. So many important people are here, yet you foolishly went to provoke that Miss Bai. Even Madam Lin treated her with utmost respect, but you went to provoke her like an idiot!"
Zhou Jingtian's mother watched anxiously from the side, tears welling up in her eyes, but she dared not utter a word to dissuade him.
She felt sorry for her son, but she also knew that he had really gotten himself into big trouble this time.
Zhou Jingtian had never been hit like this before. He covered his face and said excitedly, "I didn't want to cause trouble, but who would have thought it would turn out like this!"
"It's all Guan Cha's fault!" he suddenly raised his voice. "Who would have thought that the guy surnamed Bai would stand up for that good-for-nothing?!"
"At the time, I was only thinking of teaching Guan Cha a lesson. Who would have thought she was related to the Lin family! If I had known she was so unapproachable, I wouldn't have dared to do it even if you gave me a hundred lives! Dad, this time it's really not my fault. Blame Guan Cha. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have acted impulsively today!"
"Who?" Upon hearing this name he hadn't heard in a long time, Zhou's father paused, then his pupils suddenly contracted. "Guan Cha? The one who used to live in our house? He... is that Miss Bai's person?"
Upon learning that Guan Cha had a relationship with Miss Bai, Mr. Zhou took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.
Although all the evidence of the cheating had been destroyed, and Guan Cha's parents had already been appeased.
The cheating scandal should be out of the question, but my son offended Ms. Bai today, so things might get complicated.
Thinking about his son's previous misdeeds towards Guan Cha, he realized that this might cause even bigger trouble, and his heart was filled with unease and lingering fear.
He decisively ordered Zhou Jingtianxia: "No matter what, you must apologize to Miss Bai today and beg for her forgiveness."
The hour spent waiting outside the banquet hall felt incredibly long to Zhou Jingtian. Guests came and went, casting strange glances his way, making him feel extremely embarrassed and ashamed. He felt as if everyone was staring at his swollen face.
His parents stood to the side, their faces grim.
The father clenched his fists tightly, while the mother kept sighing, making Zhou Jingtian feel even more distressed.
Finally, when Bai Li appeared with Guan Cha, Zhou's father suddenly grabbed the back of his neck and pressed down hard.
Zhou Jingtian had no time to resist. His body involuntarily leaned forward, and he was forced to bow ninety degrees to Bai Li and Guan Cha in front of everyone.
His sense of humiliation reached its peak at this moment, and his heart was filled with resentment and unwillingness, but under his father's strong suppression, he dared not move an inch.
Bai Li glanced at them and frowned slightly.
She guessed that this family might show up, after all, being asked to leave the venue midway by the host was a very serious matter for them.
But I didn't expect to be waiting for me outside the venue.
With a beaming smile, Mr. Zhou said to Bai Li, “Miss Bai, I am truly sorry. My son is young and ignorant and offended you. He just told me that he acted impulsively because of a past personal grudge, and he already knows he was terribly wrong. I hope you will be magnanimous and forgive his recklessness this time.”
Zhou Jingtian gritted his teeth, his facial muscles contorted with anger and resentment.
He managed to squeeze out a weak, trembling voice: "Miss Bai, I'm sorry, I'll never do it again."