Lin Chu took a deep breath and replied in a calm voice, "Aunt Su, I think you haven't forgotten the reason for me to wait a while before going back to the banquet. My face is still obviously swollen and can't be covered by make-up powder. If I went back and someone saw it, they might guess that something happened between us, or even worse, they would think something happened to the Lin Family. Today is the engagement banquet for the Elder Miss Lin, I think you would rather not have rumors flying around. Instead of appearing with a bright and swollen face with a handprint on it at the banquet and create gossip about the Lin family, I thought it was better that I left first. Aunt Su, what do you think?"
"Wow, good job, Lin Chu. I had no idea that you now have such a glib tongue," Su Changxin snapped harshly and hung up.
Her attitude had no effect on Lin Chu. Lin Chu hung up the phone and pretended that nothing happened.
…
The taxi stopped downstairs at her house. She had lived on campus since university, and after graduating and getting a job, she rented a two-bedroom house with her university hostel mate. She had never gone back to the Lin family house to stay ever since.
It was only when the Lin family needed to keep up appearances with outsiders that they would contact her to go back.
Today was Saturday. The moment Lin Chu entered, she saw Xu Moyan, who had a hairband on, walk out from the bathroom while brushing her teeth. She had obviously woke up from a long and lazy nap.
"Why did you come home so early? The banquet should have just started. F*ck, what happened to your face? It's only an engagement banquet, why were you slapped?" Xu Moyan's eyes were still in a daze and shouted after taking a good look at Lin Chu.
She spat out some toothpaste foam at the outburst.
Lin Chu wiped away the toothpaste foam from Xu Moyan's face and replied casually, "Su Changxin thought I was emotionally unstable and looked unhappy. She was worried I might create havoc at the engagement banquet, so she gave me a slap to teach me a lesson. I can't go around looking like this and allowing people to point fingers at me, so I came home early."
Xu Moyan turned back towards the bathroom to spit out the toothpaste and gargled twice. She came out quickly, forgetting to place the toothbrush back and brandished it around in her hands. "I told you that you shouldn't go and see a scum like Cheng Ziming being all glamorous. He must think that you are so very in love him, so much so that you are being there specifically to create trouble."
"You guessed right," Lin Chu said grimly as she looked at her.
"Enough is enough with this Lin family. Just because they took you in for a few years doesn't mean that they can treat you so inhumanely." Xu Moyan was also aware that the reason Lin Chu attended the banquet was that Old Lady Lin had personally requested her to do so.
Lin Chu might not listen to anyone, but she will always relent with Old Lady Lin.
"They did bring me up after all. I will think of a way to repay them in the future. I'll just avoid them for now." Lin Chu gave a smile, but her cheek was hurting instead. It was not this painful before, but it got worse as time passed.
A quiet 'ow' was heard, and Xu Moyan wanted to go and get her medicine.
"It's okay, I have medicine here." Lin Chu stopped her.
"Did you buy it on the way back?"
Lin Chu nodded guiltily and said she wanted to go to her bedroom to nap.
As soon as she closed her bedroom door, Lin Chu lost all her energy and her shoulders drooped.