Chapter 102: A Dog's Eye Looks Down on People

“It’s because they made me say I was ill. Otherwise, you would have been too busy with work to come visit this old grandma of mine.”

The grandmother spoke with a gentle, affectionate smile. Although Mu Yiren and Ling Xiao felt a trace of displeasure, they chose not to press the matter further.

“Grandma, if you truly want to see me in the future, just tell me directly.”

“Wonderful, wonderful. Come, let me take a proper look at my dear granddaughter. You’ve grown even more beautiful. By the way, who is this…?”

Before she could finish, the aunt-in-law stepped forward first.

“Mom! He’s Ling Xiao.”

“What?”

The old woman’s expression darkened instantly. She fixed Ling Xiao with a cold, piercing glare, her voice sharp. “Yiren, why are you still with him? Do you know what happened back then? If it weren’t for the Ling family, your parents would still be alive!”

“Grandma, don’t say that. It’s not Ling Xiao’s fault—he was also a victim.”

“Hmph! I don’t like him, and I don’t want him here! Make him feel like he should disappear! I refuse to have him under my roof!”

Ling Xiao frowned slightly. Anyone else would have struck out long ago, but this was Yiren’s grandmother, so he restrained himself.

“Grandma, I’m sorry for what happened back then. Still, I hope you can tell right from wrong.”

“What nice things you’re saying. Both my daughter and son-in-law are gone. Can they really come back to life? If you can bring them back, I might consider forgiving your Ling family.”

“I can’t do that right now, but one day in the future, I will avenge them.”

“Hmph! You’re getting more ridiculous by the second. How exactly do you plan to avenge them? They’re from the Hua family—a major aristocratic clan in Yanjing. What are you? You can’t even sweep their floors, so how could you possibly avenge anyone?”

“Grandma, if you keep talking like that, I’ll really get angry!”

Mu Yiren stamped her foot, and only then did the old woman soften.

“Fine, fine, fine. For the sake of my granddaughter, I’ll let it go. Come on, Yiren, let’s go upstairs. Grandma hasn’t seen you in so long and wants to chat.”

“Good. Then you wait downstairs for a while, Ling Xiao, okay?”

Ling Xiao nodded.

“No problem. Go ahead.”

“I’ll go up first then.”

She waved gently at him, offered a soft smile, and followed her grandmother upstairs.

The uncle remained on the sofa, legs crossed, lighting a cigarette before gesturing for Ling Xiao to sit.

Ling Xiao sat.

“Thank you.”

After Ling Xiao was seated, the uncle spoke. “Three years ago you had your legs broken. I didn’t expect you to show up again.”

“Luck was on my side.”

“Yeah, luck was pretty good. But life isn’t that kind. What if the Hua family comes for you next? Did you protect Yiren?”

Ling Xiao’s eyelids twitched. With his intelligence, he heard the veiled threat clearly.

“You don’t need to worry about that.”

“Heh, she’s my niece. Why shouldn’t I worry?”

The uncle flicked ash from his cigarette, his face carrying an arrogant tilt. “I know the Ling family has fallen, so you’re trying to climb back up through Yiren. But don’t you think this is unfair to her? You’ve already hurt her once; do you want to hurt her again?”

He glanced at Ling Xiao before continuing. “I know you’re cornered now. How about this—I’ll give you five million. Leave Yiren and never contact her again. With that money, you can live comfortably.”

Ling Xiao’s expression remained cold and indifferent.

“Are these the things you wanted to tell me?”

“What? You don’t agree? Hmph, quite the appetite. Then ten million!”

Ling Xiao stared at the uncle without expression.

“If you weren’t Yiren’s uncle, these words would have gotten you killed a thousand times over.”

“What did you say?”

The uncle slammed the table, voice icy. “I’m warning you—don’t give me face but don’t eat it either! The Ling family is gone now. Wanting you dead is as easy as lifting a finger!”

Ling Xiao gave him an indifferent glance.

“Go ahead and try.”

“You—! Hmph! Unreasonable fool! I’ve already spoken. Figure it out for yourself. If you don’t come to your senses tomorrow morning, don’t blame me for being rude!”

With that, the uncle stood and headed upstairs.

Ling Xiao shook his head in disbelief. He had only wanted to visit family with Yiren, yet this was the welcome he received.

Just as helplessness settled over him, a girl in a pristine white lily long dress walked over and sat across from Ling Xiao. Her features mirrored the uncle’s exactly, and her aura carried the same haughty intensity.

That expression brimmed with contempt for Ling Xiao.

“The words my father spoke may sound harsh, but they’re the truth. Before, your Ling family still held some standing in Jiang City. Now, everything has become history. Yiren is left to support the Yiren Group alone, and it’s difficult. What can you offer her? Financial help? More business partners? You can’t do any of it!”

“If you still have even a shred of affection for her, then let go. She… is already someone you can no longer match.”

Each sentence was a dagger to the heart, coldly pronouncing Ling Xiao’s death sentence.

Ling Xiao simply shook his head, eyes filled with disappointment.

“How little do you know the Xu family? You dare speak such nonsense?”

“Need to know? The Ling family is destroyed, your legs are broken, and only now have you returned. In three years, how much have you grown? I, Xu Linlin, can guess with my toes. Even if I wanted to help you, I couldn’t.”

“This… is reality.”

“This is merely your Xu family’s wishful-thinking fantasy!”

Xu Linlin’s brows furrowed slightly, her face displeased.

“Hmph!”

She gave a light snort, rose to her feet, and declared coldly, “Ling Xiao, I’ve said everything I needed to. I hope you have self-awareness. There’s one more thing I should tell you—my grandmother has already arranged a blind date for Yiren. It’s a top-ten wealthy family in Jianglin: the Lu family’s young master, Lu Chengcai. Their family is worth over twenty billion. Even with money, they could crush you easily. If you don’t want to make a fool of yourself, get out now.”

She ignored Ling Xiao’s attempt to speak and walked away without another word.

Watching her arrogant figure disappear, Ling Xiao narrowed his eyes. No wonder the Xu family had suddenly brought Mu Yiren here—they planned to sell her for benefits!

Indeed, family ties were the most ridiculous thing of all. If the Xu family had treated Ling Xiao with respect, a single casual word from them would have made them the richest person in Jianglin. Yet they were so shortsighted they abandoned their chance to leap to the top, instead fawning over a minor Jianglin tycoon—truly a ridiculous sight.