Chapter 6: Here They Come, the Love Rivals Have Arrived

Lin Xi’s beautiful face turned burning red in an instant; she was so embarrassed she wished she could dig a hole in the ground and bury herself.

Just as she was about to offer an explanation, she caught Ye Huan looking at her with a playful expression out of the corner of her eye. Mistaking this for Ye Huan deliberately exposing her lie to humiliate her, she quickly hatched a plan.

"Mom, Dad, I’m sorry. I lied to you," she said. "Grandpa forced me to marry a stranger, so I thought I’d just find any man to register a marriage with. I made up a story about his background, education, and our relationship so that you would be on my side and help me convince Grandpa to give up on this arranged marriage. I just never expected that the man I picked at random would turn out to be the exact person Grandpa told me to pick up at the airport."

As she spoke, she snorted inwardly, *So you want to expose my lie? Well, I’ll tell the truth directly and team up with Mom and Dad to deal with you!*

Lin Xi inwardly praised her own wit. Not only had she effortlessly neutralized Ye Huan’s scheme, but she had also recruited two powerful enemies against him!

*Hmph, you wretch, just wait to face the wrath of your father-in-law and mother-in-law!*

"Xixi, you..."

Lin Canglan and Li Meiya were so furious after hearing this that they nearly exploded. Of course, they weren't angry because Lin Xi had lied to them; they were mortified and enraged that they had wasted so many sweet words on this "pig-slaughterer" earlier.

"You pig-slaughterer! How dare you play with my daughter!" Li Meiya lunged at Ye Huan, intending to scratch him.

Ye Huan quickly dodged. "How did I play with Lin Xi?"

"You still deny it? You—you’re going to be the death of me!" Li Meiya, her chest heaving with rage, shrieked, "Xixi didn't know you, but you had seen the video her father sent you, so you knew who she was! If you had told her the truth, she never would have registered the marriage with you. If that’s not playing with her, what is?"

Lin Canglan chimed in, "I see it now. You’re just greedy for Xixi’s beauty and the Lin family’s wealth, so you deliberately kept the truth from her."

Ye Huan was about to explain, but seeing Lin Xi watching the spectacle with a smug look on her face, he asked, "Lin Xi, do you need me to tell your parents the real reason why you registered the marriage with me?"

"Shut up!"

Lin Xi had been enjoying the show, but she hadn't expected Ye Huan to be so cunning as to threaten her with that past incident. While cursing his devious heart, she quickly interjected, "Mom, Dad, Ye Huan didn't trick me. Even if he had told me the truth back then, I still would have married him. I’m never going to marry anyone else in this life!"

*Slap!*

Lin Canglan and Li Meiya felt as if they had been struck across the face. They had hoped to use the "Ye Huan tricked Lin Xi" angle to prove to Lin Tai that Ye Huan had poor character, thereby forcing a divorce. They never expected that at such a critical moment, Lin Xi would take his side!

"Dad, this pig-slaughterer not only has a lowly profession, but his character is also rotten. Xixi will never be happy married to a man like this," Lin Canglan said, shifting his focus to Lin Tai to show his firm stance. "As Xixi’s father, I absolutely refuse to let her marry this pig-slaughterer!"

Li Meiya echoed her husband, "I don't agree either! If he dares to set foot in our home, I’ll break his dog legs!"

Lin Tai had been watching with a smile. Seeing it was his turn to speak, he chuckled, "I actually think Ye Huan and Xixi are a match made in heaven. Otherwise, they wouldn't have accidentally ended up with a marriage certificate!"

Lin Canglan and Li Meiya were so angry they nearly lost control of their bladders. Just as they were about to voice their opposition again, Lin Tai’s expression turned cold. "Whoever dares to oppose Xixi marrying Ye Huan can get out of the Lin family."

Once those words were spoken, Lin Canglan and Li Meiya dared not say another word, though they secretly planned to persuade Lin Xi to divorce Ye Huan once they got home.

Lin Tai saw right through them. He pulled a pre-prepared agreement, a pen, and an ink pad from his bag. "Xixi, come here and sign and fingerprint these documents."

"Okay!" Lin Xi didn't think twice. Assuming they were just company contracts—something her grandfather often had her sign—she signed and pressed her thumbprint without even looking.

"Grandpa, which project is this for?" she asked afterward.

"This isn't for a company project," Lin Tai said with a shrewd smile. "I have also signed and fingerprinted this agreement. From now on, if you are the one to initiate a divorce from Ye Huan, not only will you be kicked out with nothing, but all your assets—both pre- and post-marital—will go to Ye Huan. And all of my assets will go to him as well!"

Lin Xi was stunned. She had just trapped Ye Huan with a marriage agreement, and in the blink of an eye, her grandfather had trapped her with this one!

However, she figured the agreement would be void because she had the other marriage contract; she could force Ye Huan to be the one to initiate the divorce, which would also leave him with nothing!

*Hum...*

Lin Canglan and Li Meiya felt as if they had been struck by lightning. They were just planning to convince Lin Xi to initiate the divorce, but Lin Tai had just preempted them!

*We absolutely cannot let Xixi initiate the divorce!* If she did, all her assets and the old man’s fortune would go to that pig-slaughterer! They had to find a way to force Ye Huan to initiate the divorce, which would render Lin Tai’s agreement void!

"Old Master, I've met many gamblers, but you’re the first one I’ve seen like this. Aren't you afraid of losing?" Ye Huan asked, looking at Lin Tai in shock.

He was inwardly baffled. Lin Tai didn't know he was the Pluto; aside from his name, he knew almost nothing about him. Yet, Lin Tai was forcing his precious granddaughter to marry him and even betting their entire family fortune to prevent her from initiating a divorce. It was reckless and rash—was he not afraid of losing it all?

"You are a man who keeps his word," Lin Tai smiled.

Ye Huan laughed. "You’re betting on the fact that I’m a man of my word and won't divorce Lin Xi, so you dare to play such a high-stakes gamble. But are you so sure Lin Xi will be happy with me? Aren't you worried I’ll give her a head full of green hats?"

Lin Canglan and Li Meiya were furious, frantically signaling to Lin Xi, as if to say, *Xixi, you heard him! This pig-slaughterer is no good, full of devious schemes. He’s already thinking about cheating before you’re even married! What will happen once you actually are?*

Lin Xi pretended not to understand her parents' signals. She didn't care if Ye Huan cheated; in fact, she hoped he would cheat—ten times a day, until he died of kidney failure.

"A tired bird will always return to its nest," Lin Tai said with a smile.

*So you're saying I should play until I'm satisfied and then come back to Lin Xi? You really are quite bold...* Ye Huan was impressed by Lin Tai.

Just then, the waiters began bringing in the food. Lin Tai immediately invited them to eat. Ye Huan, Lin Xi, and Lin Tai were in high spirits, enjoying the meal and drinking to their hearts' content. Lin Canglan and Li Meiya, however, were in the worst possible mood, and the meal felt to them as if they were eating filth.

*Knock, knock, knock...*

Halfway through the meal, there was a knock at the door!

"Come in," Lin Tai said.

A young man wearing a thick gold chain and a gold watch, dressed in flashy, flamboyant clothes with a cocky, ruffian-like air, pushed the door open.

The moment he entered the private room, Ye Huan noticed his eyes lock onto Lin Xi. His pupils constricted for a split second before returning to normal. The newcomer smiled and looked at Lin Tai. "Hello, Old Master Lin. I’m here at Shangyang Restaurant for dinner, and hearing you were here, I thought I’d come over to say hello."

The Lin family stood up immediately upon seeing the youth, as if his status were quite extraordinary. Lin Canglan and Li Meiya’s expressions were particularly ecstatic.

*It’s here, it’s here—Xixi’s suitor has arrived.*

If this guy found out that Ye Huan had used low-handed tactics to get the marriage certificate, he would surely be furious enough to beat Ye Huan into initiating a divorce!