Chapter 12: Why Haven't You Left Yet?

Bang—

The sound of shattering glass echoed through the villa.

The housekeeper screamed in fright.

Lin Shan and Lin Jinchuan were both startled.

They froze momentarily, and as they rushed out, Lin Ting smashed the second glass door.

Bang, crash—

Lin Shan and Lin Jinchuan were terrified once more.

“What are you doing!” Lin Jinchuan shouted.

Lin Ting glanced at him, then, under his furious gaze, grabbed a chair and shattered the glass beside her again.

Lin Shan covered her ears and cried out in fear.

“Lin Ting! You’re crazy!” Lin Jinchuan yelled.

Lin Ting looked at Lin Jinchuan and said, “If you keep provoking me, I’ll set this place on fire.”

Their eyes met—his expression calm on the surface, but he felt an overwhelming terror.

Words of anger hovered on his lips, yet he couldn’t utter a single one.

Those eyes.

The same eyes as her mother.

Lin Jinchuan was speechless, frozen in place.

Lin Ting threw down the chair.

Shards of glass scattered everywhere.

As the chair hit the floor, fragments flew and struck Lin Jinchuan’s leg, but he showed no reaction.

Lin Ting stepped on the broken glass and headed toward the staircase.

Lin Shan was too frightened to move; seeing Lin Ting approach, she instinctively stepped aside.

Lin Ting paused beside her and looked at her pale face. “Actually, I never intended to attend your family reunion or engagement party.”

Lin Shan dared not meet her gaze.

Lin Ting said, “Whether or not you belong to the Lin family doesn’t matter to me. There’s nothing here worth my concern.”

“But you insist I’m trying to compete with you,” Lin Ting continued, “You want all the Lin family’s wealth for yourself. But I never wanted any of it.”

“You’re just saying that to sound nice,” Lin Shan retorted, “Anyone could say pretty things.”

“You’re scared. Afraid. So you try to use the people I care about to control and threaten me,” Lin Ting looked at her and snorted, repeating, “I really have no intention of going to your reunion.”

Lin Shan’s eyes flickered, fear spreading through her body.

“But now... seeing how hard you’ve tried, I will be there tomorrow,” Lin Ting said deliberately, “And I’ll bring you a big gift.”

With that, she turned and left.

Lin Shan stood frozen, feeling as if every bone in her body was being gnawed away.

A crushing fear battered her relentlessly.

She knew that Lin Ting’s boldness meant Li Yu’s side had been exposed.

She wanted to call Li Yu immediately, but her limbs betrayed her—completely paralyzed.

Lin Jinchuan snapped out of his daze and saw Lin Ting already downstairs. He hurried to the railing on the second floor and shouted, “Lin Ting, stop right there!”

Lin Ting was just passing by a vase in the living room.

Hearing him, she hooked the shelf holding the vase with her foot.

The shelf tilted; the vase fell and shattered into pieces.

Lin Jinchuan, watching from upstairs, nearly spat out blood.

It was an expensive piece he had bought to decorate the living room.

Lin Ting glanced at the broken vase and walked toward the door.

A fake treasure treated like a gem.

“Lin Ting!” Lin Jinchuan roared, “If you dare leave here today, the Lin family will never acknowledge you as their daughter!”

Lin Ting smiled faintly.

She couldn’t wait for the Lin family to disown her.

She changed her shoes at the entrance and stepped out of the Lin residence.

It was difficult to hail a cab in the villa area.

Lin Ting opened her phone, hoping for luck—maybe a ride-hailing car nearby.

She walked toward the exit of the complex, eyes on the screen.

Luck was not on her side; no cars available.

Just as she was wondering whether to call Qi Youfan for a ride, she suddenly sensed someone behind her.

She had just passed an alley; the person seemed to have turned from there.

After a few steps, confirming that the follower was indeed behind her and closing in...

Lin Ting abruptly stopped. As the person neared, she quickly turned and struck.

The streetlights were bright at night.

But Lin Ting didn’t see the follower’s face at all.

Her movements were too swift.

She only sensed the person was tall.

So she pressed him against the wall, flicked out a butterfly knife, and placed it against his neck, deliberately raising her hand higher.

The man was skilled too.

As her butterfly knife touched his neck, he swiftly grabbed her wrist and pushed the blade aside.

“Shang Moting?” Lin Ting recognized him only after pinning him to the wall.

His cold expression briefly froze.

Shang Moting looked at her and curled his lips in a smile.

From his smile, Lin Ting discerned a hint of admiration.

“So it really hurts when scratched,” Shang Moting drawled lazily.

Lin Ting glanced at him, then at his neck.

The blade had left a shallow cut.

If Shang Moting hadn’t grabbed her wrist in time, the wound would have been much deeper.

Lin Ting immediately withdrew the knife.

Shang Moting released her wrist and touched his neck.

Seeing blood on his fingertips, he raised an eyebrow.

Lin Ting’s skills far exceeded his expectations.

Her movements were rapid.

He hadn’t even fully seen the butterfly knife before it was pressed against his neck.

“Why haven’t you left yet?” Lin Ting asked.

Shang Moting replied, “Enjoying the night view, taking a walk.”

Lin Ting glanced around.

Though it was a villa area, at this late hour, the street was just greenery and concrete roads with streetlights—what was there to admire?

“You really have a good mood,” she said sarcastically.

Shang Moting smiled, then grabbed her wrist and raised her hand for a closer look. “Injured?”

Lin Ting looked at her left ring and middle fingers.

Both fingertips bore cuts, likely from glass shards.

“Had a fight?” Shang Moting asked.

“I single-handedly wrecked the place,” Lin Ting answered.

Shang Moting chuckled. “Heading back to the hotel?”

Lin Ting nodded and followed him out of the villa area.

After a few steps, she asked, “You didn’t happen to wait here for me, did you?”

Shang Moting tilted his head and said, “Your imagination is quite vivid, and fortunately, it’s the imaginative kind.”

Lin Ting was speechless.

“I came to see how some people get kicked out of their homes,” Shang Moting said.

“Really?” Lin Ting quickened her pace until she was face-to-face with him, then took a step back, watching him closely. “I think some people are just worried I might get bullied.”

“You’re seriously underestimating yourself. Who would dare bully you?” Shang Moting replied.

“You,” Lin Ting accused, “More than once.”

Shang Moting said nothing.

“I wasn’t kicked out. I left on my own. They wanted me to stay but couldn’t hold me back,” Lin Ting said.

Just then, her phone rang.

An unknown number.

Lin Ting answered.

Lin Jinchuan’s angry voice blared from the other end: “Lin Ting! Come back immediately!”

Startled, Lin Ting slammed the phone shut.

“See? They keep trying to win me back,” Lin Ting said, brushing a stray lock of hair from her forehead. “I guess it’s only because I’m too outstanding.”

As she spoke, she stepped on a stone, stumbled, and almost fell.

Shang Moting caught her just in time. “No need to be so eager about celebrations when it’s not even a holiday.”

Lin Ting slapped his hand away.

Shang Moting smiled. “Walk properly.”

Lin Ting obediently walked beside him...