It wasn't long before Du Yan returned, fuming. She slammed onto a stool and cursed, "That Song Yi is completely worthless!"

Wang Lu soothed her. "Calm down, calm down. He's not your husband, so why are you getting so worked up?"

Zhang Yuxi and Du Yan thought about it for a moment. She's right! Du Yan's anger subsided, and she said slowly, "It turns out that for their small villa, the woman put up 90% of the money. Back then, Song Yi's business failed, and he didn't have a penny to his name! Besides, the woman hasn't wanted to be with him for a long time; she just wants to get her share of the money back. But Song Yi refuses to pay up. They've even gone through the legal procedures, but he just keeps stalling, hoping to wear her down."

Wang Lu frowned. "Is this just her side of the story?"

Du Yan sneered. "When she was saying all this, Song Yi didn't make a peep. It's probably true."

Wang Lu's expression darkened. "If that's true, then Song Yi is utterly shameless!" As a fellow woman, she couldn't help but sigh. If I ever met a scumbag like that, I'd want to kill him.

Du Yan was furious. "Anyway, I'm done with Lin Xiaolan's mess. I don't want to get involved anymore. Let them handle it however they want."

Wang Lu agreed. "Then let's stay out of it. Who told her not to listen to our advice back then? She just saw that he had a car, a house, and a small villa, and believed he was sincere."

Du Yan took a sip of her drink to calm her nerves, but Wang Lu's next words nearly made her spit it out. "Since this Song Yi character is so shameless, he doesn't expect you guys to pay for him, does he? How much does the woman want?"

At the question, Du Yan blurted out, "She's asking for three million! Absolutely not. I need to go see what's going on."

Even if she's my sister, she's an adult, isn't she? She should take responsibility for her own mistakes. Why should we get dragged in to clean up her mess? If Lin Xiaolan had used her brain in the first place, things wouldn't have ended up like this.

After they finished eating, they had the waiter clear the table. Song Yi and his group were just outside, so it was inconvenient for them to leave. They had no choice but to wait in the private room.

Half an hour later, the group returned. Lin Rui's face was completely black. Du Yan was better, her face a mask of indifference. Lin Xiaolan was sobbing her heart out, while Third Aunt just looked on, helpless.

Lin Dahu's sudden roar startled everyone. He pointed at Lin Xiaolan and bellowed, "What are you crying for? If you want to cry, go home and do it! From now on, you solve this problem yourself! No one is going to help you!

"You're a grown woman in your twenties! Do you have rocks for brains, making a mess like this? Get out, get out! Stop being an eyesore! You're getting on my nerves."

Lin Daan tried to soothe him. "That's enough. What child doesn't make mistakes? The important thing is to solve the problem. Once it's solved, everything else will be fine."

He turned to Lin Rui and asked, "How did things go?"

With a dark expression, Lin Rui replied, "Song Yi refuses to pay. He said if she wants to go through legal proceedings, then they'll go through legal proceedings. The woman eventually lowered her price to one and a half million, but he still won't pay."

Honestly, as a man, seeing Song Yi makes me want to beat him to death.

He looked at Third Aunt and said, "Mom, you saw it for yourself. It's not that I don't want to help, but if Song Yi won't pay, my hands are tied. Am I supposed to front the money for him? That would be like throwing good money after bad; we'd never see it again!"

Third Aunt sighed heavily. "I'm not that muddle-headed."

Lin Rui's expression finally relaxed a little. If they had tried to make me pay, my relationship with my mother probably wouldn't have been as close in the future. Does that mean a son is no longer a son?

The matter was thus settled, with everyone's stance made clear.

Leaving the unpleasantness behind, Lin Daan and his wife took their grandson, Xiaowen, and headed home first. Lin Jiajun and his wife took their younger son out for some shopping. Du Yan also had her son go home with Xiaowen, planning to pick him up later.

Ready to shake off the bad mood, the rest of them decided to go out for a stroll. Lin Rui couldn't resist complaining again, but Du Yan cut him off. "That's enough. It's pointless to keep bringing it up."

With that, the topic was dropped for the time being.

After a brief discussion, they decided to take a walk around Yuhuali. The excuse was that if they got hungry while shopping, they could give their own restaurant some business. Not that they were hurting for one table's worth of customers. Speaking of which, isn't fate a strange and wonderful thing?

Wang Lu suddenly asked, "Hey, look over there. Isn't that Feng Yong?"

Following her gaze, they saw a man and a woman chatting and laughing together. The man's silhouette looked vaguely familiar. A closer look confirmed it—it was indeed Feng Yong.

The group scrutinized the woman standing next to him. They had to admit, her temperament was worlds better than Lin Xiaolan's. Seeing them laughing and chatting so happily only highlighted how miserable Lin Xiaolan's current situation was.

Sensing their stares, Feng Yong spotted them. The group quickly feigned nonchalance, averted their eyes for a moment, and then walked over to greet him.

Lin Rui said, "What a coincidence, running into you here. And this is...?"

I used to look at Feng Yong with such dissatisfaction, but after today... comparing him to Song Yi, he's a saint. It's a shame that fool Lin Xiaolan didn't know how to appreciate him.

Feng Yong introduced her matter-of-factly. "This is my girlfriend." Since Lin Xiaolan was the one who had wronged him, he had nothing to be ashamed of in front of her family.

The woman was graceful and composed. Her gaze lingered on Lin Feng and Zhang Yuxi for a few extra seconds, which was understandable—one was breathtakingly beautiful and the other strikingly handsome.

Lin Rui smiled. "We should grab a drink together sometime. What do you say?"

Feng Yong shook his head. "I'm afraid not. I'm busy these days preparing for my wedding."

Everyone was surprised, though on second thought, it seemed perfectly normal. After all, none of them were getting any younger.

Lin Rui, Lin Jiajun, and Lin Feng all offered their congratulations.

Lin Feng asked, "When's the wedding? Have you set a date?"

Feng Yong smiled. "A week from today, on the fifteenth."

"Oh," Lin Feng said. "I'll be in Meicheng then. Let me know once you've booked the hotel. I'll be sure to come for the celebratory drink."

Lin Jiajun thought for a moment before saying, "Alright. I'll come if I'm free, but if not, I'll send a red envelope." As Lin Xiaolan's older brother, he felt it was inappropriate to attend, even if he thought Feng Yong was a good man. So he added, "On second thought, I won't be able to go. You know how busy I am with the driving school."

Feng Yong nodded. "Okay. I'll contact you all then. I have to go now. Happy New Year!"

Watching the couple leave, they all felt a pang of pity for Lin Xiaolan. Feng Yong was a good man—much better than most.

After wandering around Yuhuali for a while, they headed to the restaurant to eat.

Lin Jiajun smiled. "How about the three of us have a drink tonight?"