A love-struck, penniless mind

Bloodlines are truly remarkable. In the police station, there were around ten or so teenagers being detained, including four or five girls, but Lin He immediately spotted her daughter, the girl with curly hair, sitting with her back to her. 

To the left, a boy with chestnut hair, fair skin, and a black T-shirt was likely Han Xun, the same person her son had mentioned on the phone, the one they'd planned to buy a sports car for.

Lin He had already pieced together the whole situation.

Han Xun's father had incurred gambling debts, and the creditors tracked down Han Xun. When they learned that Chu Yi had feelings for him, they planned to make her pay off the debts.

Han Xun refused, so the group took his phone and called Chu Yi. Upon receiving the call, she rushed over.

When Chu Yi arrived at the private room, she was heartbroken to see Han Xun's bruised face. She agreed to pay off the debt but demanded that the people who hurt him be punished in return.

Chu Yi had a fiery temper, and after saying this, she picked up a bottle of alcohol, intending to get revenge for Han Xun. In the commotion, the restaurant owner saw things getting out of hand and called the police.

These young people were reckless, and if something had gone terribly wrong, the restaurant wouldn't be able to stay open.

Since the incident happened near the school, the local police station responded quickly and arrived to take everyone in for questioning.

The group of troublemakers were seasoned, and when facing the police, they had their rehearsed excuses ready. Chu Yi, afraid that the situation might escalate and affect Han Xun, remained quiet.

With both sides covering for each other, the police gave a simple reprimand, and that was it.

Since Chu Yi was a minor, the police contacted her guardian to pick her up, and she provided the housekeeper's number.

When the police saw Lin He, they mistakenly assumed she was Chu Yi's older sister. Though they didn't directly say so, their tone implied that the family should handle their child's behavior and keep her away from unsavory influences.

After Lin He signed the necessary papers, the police took her to see her daughter.

"Jiang Sui Chao, your family is here."

Chu Yi's nickname was Xiao Yi, but her full name was Jiang Sui Chao.

Upon hearing her daughter's voice from inside asking, "Is it just me?" Lin He felt a jolt of realization. She had asked the housekeeper to bail out both herself and Han Xun! What would happen if Han Xun's mother, who was in poor health, arrived at the police station and had a medical emergency?

"Right, hurry up and come out," the police officer urged.

Chu Yi glanced at Han Xun beside her, then whispered, "Wait here. I'll go bail you out too!"

Lin He, watching through the window, saw her daughter speaking to Han Xun with genuine concern in her eyes, while Han Xun, sitting across from her, kept his gaze lowered, sulking and distant.

Lin He narrowed her eyes.

As soon as Chu Yi had mentioned Han Xun's name on the phone, Lin He had begun to investigate him.

Han Xun was Chu Yi's classmate in high school. He came from an ordinary family but was an excellent student and a popular figure at school. Chu Yi had always taken special care of him, calling him her best friend, but it was clear that she had deeper feelings.

It's impossible to hide feelings of affection at that age; everyone could see Chu Yi's silent crush, though no one dared to address it openly.

Sadly, the sweet romance of high school stories rarely unfolds in real life. To Lin He, Han Xun didn't seem as simple as he appeared on the surface.

However, that was yet to be confirmed.

Having come from the same youthful days, Lin He understood that the worst thing to do at this age is to forcefully intervene in matters of the heart.

Especially with her sudden appearance and lack of emotional connection, it would be inappropriate to be too forceful.

"Housekeeper, don't forget about Han Xun!"

As soon as they left the room, Chu Yi anxiously instructed the housekeeper to bail Han Xun out as well.

"What are you hesitating for? Can't you hear me?" Chu Yi stomped her foot, only to notice the housekeeper looking behind her. She turned around and finally noticed Lin He.

Chu Yi's memories of her mother were hazy, and over time, she had gradually forgotten her appearance. 

She didn't think Lin He looked particularly special, and in fact, she wondered if the young woman was just a relative of one of the local troublemakers.

It was rare to see such an elegant demeanor and beauty in someone from that background.

Chu Yi quickly looked away, dismissing her thoughts, and was about to urge the housekeeper again when she heard him respectfully address Lin He as "Madam."

Chu Yi's expression cracked.

"Madam?" This wasn't what she expected!

Lin He nodded at the housekeeper, signaling that it was time to leave. As for bailing Han Xun out, well, she had no habit of interfering in other people's family matters.

As Lin He walked past her daughter, the housekeeper following closely behind, Chu Yi watched her mother's figure disappear around the corner and broke into a run to catch up.

Damn it, how could this woman be here?!

Feeling humiliated by the situation, Chu Yi was upset and angry—she felt diminished without even having fought back yet!

Seeing Lin He climb into her father's usual business car, she immediately followed and sat in the back seat.

"Did you marry my dad?!" 

The title of "Madam" had shocked Chu Yi beyond measure. She had assumed her father was simply seeing someone, not marrying them so soon.

After receiving the call from Jiang Muhua, she had thought it was just a girlfriend. Although she had asked around about stepmothers, she never expected her father to marry someone so quickly.

She had underestimated the situation—if the housekeeper was already calling her "Madam," what other explanation could there be?

"You came back so suddenly, and we didn't have time to prepare a meal. Should we go to a nearby restaurant?" Lin He suggested.

"Who wants to eat with you?!" 

Before she could voice her refusal, her stomach growled loudly, cutting her off.

"Hey! Han Xun is still at the police station! Stop the car!"

Chu Yi slapped her leg in frustration, realizing that she had forgotten all about Han Xun because of this woman.

The driver didn't stop the car. Instead, he looked at Lin He's face in the rearview mirror. The people in the Jiang household had learned by now—when Lin He spoke, everyone listened.

It had been personally instructed by the master of the house.

The housekeeper had made it clear that anyone who thought they could leverage their seniority in the Jiang family, using their familiarity with the young masters and mistresses as an excuse to boss around the new "Madam," would be shown the door without hesitation.

With that understanding, the staff had become extremely attentive to the new mistress.

Chu Yi noticed the driver's actions, her eyes wide in confusion. What had happened? Why were they all so obedient to this woman?

"We don't need to bail Han Xun out. The police have already contacted his mother," Lin He explained.

Chu Yi suddenly remembered that after entering the police station, Han Xun's phone had rung. That must have been his mother calling.

"Oh." 

Since Aunt Han already knew, there was no need to worry about bailing him out anymore.

Lin He smiled. Her daughter had been so shocked by her presence that she had forgotten all about Han Xun. This proved that Han Xun wasn't as important to Chu Yi as she had imagined—she wasn't in love with him to the point of obsession.

It seemed that Chu Yi had a bit of a love-struck mind, but there was still hope.

For example, now that she knew Han Xun didn't need to be bailed out, Chu Yi stopped dwelling on it and instead returned to the topic from earlier.

"Did you and my dad get a marriage certificate? Are you legally married now?" 

Lin He still didn't answer directly. Instead, she brought up another topic.

"The eight million was my decision, not to let Jiang Qiao give it to you. It was also me who had your aunt sent away from the Jiang family. From now on, your allowance will be limited. Any unnecessary spending will not be funded..."

Chu Yi felt as though she had been struck by lightning.

So this was how it was. The stepmother was indeed cruel, even more so than her friends had warned her.