Chapter 11 Chapter 13: Either Acknowledge the Kinship, or Sever It

In the afternoon, someone knocked on the Xu family’s courtyard gate, forcing Xu Lin to end her cultivation. When she opened the gate, she saw a man in his early thirties standing there, his posture straight, his eyes sharp and penetrating—at a glance, one could tell he was no ordinary person.

“Hello, may I ask who you’re looking for?” Xu Lin inquired.

“Hello, I’m looking for Xu Lin,” the man replied, fixing his gaze on her. Seeing the confusion on her face, he continued, “My master and mistress would like to meet you. Please come with me.”

“Your master?” Xu Lin looked him up and down, a suspicion forming in her mind. She nodded in agreement without hesitation.

Xu Lin locked the door and followed the man. They left the alley and got into a small car, heading toward their destination. Throughout the ride, Xu Lin kept her head bowed, staring at her toes, looking timid and unassuming. The man couldn’t help but shake his head at the sight. With such a demeanor, such a lack of courage—how should he put it? His feelings were rather complicated. She seemed timid, yet she dared to follow a stranger without protest; she seemed bold, yet she wouldn’t dare to look anyone in the eye. Sigh, whichever way he looked at her, she seemed rather clueless.

The journey passed in silence. The car finally stopped at the entrance of a grand courtyard residence. Xu Lin took in the imposing sight and guessed that this was likely the Qin family patriarch’s retirement home. She wondered what business the two elders could possibly have with her.

With her doubts swirling, she followed the man into the spacious main hall, furnished with antique rosewood furniture. Old Master Qin and Old Madam Qin sat at the head of the room on two ornate chairs, exuding an air of authority reminiscent of dignitaries from ancient times.

The old master was slender but spirited, his face long and thin, eyes gentle yet captivating—there was something inexplicably endearing about him. The old madam’s expression was cold and proud; with a single glance, Xu Lin could sense her lofty, unapproachable aura.

As Xu Lin sized up the elders, they too were scrutinizing her, their first reaction a frown of disdain. Seeing her patched clothing, hunched back, bowed head, and frail, skin-and-bone appearance, the old couple exchanged a glance and shook their heads in silent disappointment. Clearly, they were far from satisfied with her appearance.

With such looks and bearing, she was hardly a match for that Su family boy.

As they shook their heads, Xu Lin’s lips curled into a mocking smile. What a snobbish family, she thought. In her previous life, crippled as she was, they disdained and denied her. And in this life? Was her poor appearance her own choice? Of course not. It was their failure to protect her as an infant—what right did they have to look so disappointed now?

Suddenly, Xu Lin lifted her head and coldly asked the two seated above, “Who are you, and what business do you have with me?”

“We are—” Old Master Qin began, only to be interrupted as Old Madam Qin tugged at his sleeve.

“Our surname is Qin. You may call me Grandma Qin, and him Grandpa Qin,” she said coolly, her tone devoid of warmth, uttering words that sparked Xu Lin’s fury. “We heard that you’ve not been living well in the Xu family, so we’d like to adopt you and provide you with a better environment.”

She looked at Xu Lin with an air of benevolence, waiting for her to accept with gratitude. Little did she know that Xu Lin’s heart burned with anger. “Grandpa Qin, Grandma Qin—ha, what a farce.” Adopt her? Did she lack people to adopt her? They were her blood relatives, yet after losing her, they now put on the guise of benefactors, expecting her gratitude. What wishful thinking!

“Adopt me? And in what capacity would you do that? As my biological grandparents?”

The mocking smile on Xu Lin’s small face froze Old Madam Qin’s expression. She had assumed Xu Lin didn’t know her own origins, never expecting that the girl was fully aware, even of their existence. What a calculating girl—pretending not to know, then taking offense when they refused to acknowledge her.

With that thought, Old Madam Qin’s disdain only deepened.

Old Master Qin, on the other hand, seemed uncomfortable, his face reddening with shame as he lowered his gaze, unable to meet Xu Lin’s eyes. Indeed, she was their biological granddaughter, yet they were proposing to bring her back as an adopted daughter—how disgraceful.

“Save your thoughts of adoption. With me, there’s no such thing. Either you acknowledge me as kin, or you sever ties altogether. Spare me your nauseating schemes,” Xu Lin said bluntly, her gaze meeting the old madam’s directly.

Her defiant eyes only further infuriated Old Madam Qin, who was already incensed by Xu Lin’s tone.

With a cold laugh, she retorted, “Either acknowledge kinship or sever it—such nerve. If you really wished to sever ties, why write to my son and daughter-in-law, reminding them of the switched children?”

“Wrong—it wasn’t simply a mistake. It was a malicious swap. As for the letter, you deserved to know the truth, and I needed an answer, didn’t I?” Xu Lin met Old Madam Qin’s gaze unflinchingly. “Your family brought me into this world but failed to protect me, failed to raise me. That’s your negligence, your mistake. Yet I paid the price, suffering over a decade of abuse. Don’t you owe me an answer?”

“An answer, huh.” Old Madam Qin sneered again, thinking Xu Lin was utterly ill-mannered to demand such a thing. How dare she!

“And if you get no answer?” she asked.

“What then?” Xu Lin raised an eyebrow, her tone growing harder. In both her past and present lives, this family had abandoned her. The anger within her could no longer be contained. “If you refuse to give me an answer, I’ll go to your son and daughter-in-law’s workplace and demand one. I’ll go to the capital’s municipal committee and demand one. I don’t believe I can’t get justice.”

Her words made Old Madam Qin’s pupils contract. She looked at Xu Lin anew, realizing her first impression had been wrong. She’d thought Xu Lin was timid and weak, yet she was rather fierce—though such hard edges would not suit life in a great family.

“No need for that, no need,” Old Master Qin said, waving his hand, his eyes full of apology. “Child, it’s not that we don’t want to acknowledge you, but now is not the right time. Rest assured, even if you return as an adopted daughter, we’ll treat you as our true Qin family child.”

“I am already the true child of the Qin family. Why should you have to treat me as such?” Xu Lin rolled her eyes, finding their words laughable. “Let me make myself clear once more: either acknowledge kinship or sever it. There is no third way. Don’t talk to me about adoption,” she said, locking eyes with the elders. “Tell your son and daughter-in-law what I’ve said. I’ll give you one day to consider. Give me your answer by tomorrow afternoon, or the chance will be gone. If things blow up across the city, don’t blame me for being heartless.”