CHAPTER 633: 【627】ORPHAN’S COUNTERATTACK 96 (3RD UPDATE)

On her way home, Zhou Yiyi was in a bad mood. She rolled down the car window and gazed out emptily into the bustling traffic, feeling the cold wind on her face.

Zhou Mo stretched out his hand and tightly held hers, "Rest assured, he will pick himself up soon."

"Zhou Mo, why does he make me feel so deeply guilty tonight? The look on his face at that moment truly broke my heart, but there was nothing I could do."

"It’s not that you couldn’t do anything, but he did—he called Aunt Mu right in front of us, asking her to acknowledge you as a daughter before our wedding. Do you understand why he did that?"

Zhou Yiyi couldn’t hold back her tears any longer and sobbed, "I know, how could I not know? It means he has completely let go of me. From now on, he wants to protect me as a family member. He doesn’t want me to be alone even when getting married—he’s standing up for me. Zhou Mo, do you realize? The more he does this, the more it hurts me. If I could, I would rather have never met you all."

Zhou Mo anxiously pulled the car over to the side of the road and pulled the crying Yiyi into his embrace, "Are you overthinking again? The fact that he could cut off all his ties to you in such a short time proves he is a rational man, who clearly knows what he’s doing. The more he does this, the faster he’ll heal from his sadness. Yiyi, trust me, he will find his own happiness. From now on, he is your brother, my brother-in-law, and we will be siblings for life."

After Zhou Mo and the others left, Lin Mu quickly pulled himself together. His manager looked at him worriedly as he touched up his makeup.

"Lin Mu, are you alright?"

Lin Mu laughed it off lightly, "What’s not to be alright about? I suddenly got an extra little sister, which I couldn’t be happier about. What’s more, from now on, Zhou Mo has to call me big brother-in-law. He has to flatter me, respect me. I will have my revenge for today eventually."

Seeing the manager and Sister Ai both looking at him with expressions full of sympathy, Lin Mu couldn’t maintain his smile any longer.

"Enough already, I’ve moved on, so what are you all looking like that for? If the events of tonight continue to ferment tomorrow, don’t bother with it. I could use a trending topic on social media recently. Let them expose it if they want to; no need to explain. Anyway, between those two, there are plenty of people to blow the lid off the matter. When the time comes, we won’t be the ones getting slapped in the face. I’ll just wait to trend online."

Others might not know the real identities of the two, but Xiao Ai and the manager knew everything well. Even the usually low-profile Zhou Yiyi was a well-known rising star in the calligraphy world, and what was Zhou Mo’s status in the industry?

It turned out Lin Mu wasn’t entirely an impulsive person. At the very least, he had thought of the consequences before acting and was using those consequences to make himself feel better. If he couldn’t have the woman, he should at least take back some fame and fortune, right?

It’s tragic to think about it: Zhou Mo gave him so many chances over the years, but he still failed to win her heart. Perhaps they were fated to become siblings in this life, heh.

Such is fate; it can’t be changed or escaped. Zhou Yiyi, I’m truly letting go now...

***

The next day, they were on the road.

Zhou Yiyi had insomnia last night. On the drive back home, she fell asleep.

One of them drove while the other slept, seemingly creating a distance between them, but in reality, neither wanted to touch that sore spot.

Thus, they were oblivious to how last night’s events had caused a seismic shift in the entertainment circle.

Even within the same production crew, some were jealous of his popularity. Not only were clear photos leaked, but also disjointed, blood-boiling plots about two men fighting over one woman emerged. Lin Mu made no comments, letting the media transfer the frenzy among themselves.

"Heavens, who is this woman capable of making two such handsome men fight over her out of jealousy?"

"She doesn’t look that special to me, doesn’t even compare to Cai Yi or Wen Lan in terms of beauty. But who’s this man fighting with our Lin Mu? How can he be so handsome? Unreasonably handsome!"

"I also think this man is so good-looking. What if I end up wanting to marry him?"

"Quick, with such a clear candid shot, does anyone know who this man is?"

...

While the whole internet was searching for Zhou Mo’s whereabouts, the young couple had already returned to their hometown.

They didn’t expect that as soon as they opened the door, they were greeted by the parents of both the Lin and Zhou families.

Especially Aunt Mu, who realized as soon as she saw Yiyi and Zhou Mo holding hands at the entrance what had upset her son the previous night.

Was it that he had been provoked, deliberately arranging for them to meet at home today, and pulling them straight to the notary office?

She wanted to say that becoming god-relatives was just that, there was no need for such exaggeration or for notarization. But Lin Mu insisted.

He meant that if they were going to do it, then let the whole world know that Zhou Yiyi was their family’s daughter, his own little sister.

"Real sister, my foot. Your mother’s surname isn’t Zhou. If you said we should take separate surnames, one from the father and one from the mother, it might still make sense. But now, being biological siblings is out of the question. However, I will take advantage of their engagement banquet to announce it to all our relatives and friends. Is that good?"

Having achieved his goal, Lin Mu didn’t persist and decisively hung up the phone.

The online incident was, of course, also seen by the parents early in the morning. They all knew how the three children had lived over the years.

Especially since they had been young once and knew that love is always selfish. Even the strongest relationships can be torn apart by the selfishness of love. But Lin Mu’s moves had truly impressed them. If he couldn’t become a husband, then being a brother was fine, because in the end, they were all family.

Zhou Yiyi had long been the Zhou Family’s prospective wife, so even though they had nothing prepared, Aunt Mu had already made all the necessary arrangements. Within a week, they secured the hotel, invited relatives from both families to discuss the marriage, and when they found out about their planned wedding trip, everyone was supportive, even saying that young people these days were into these trends.

They didn’t need to buy a house, as it was assigned by the school in Beijing, and they only needed to decorate it before moving in.

Regarding the abilities of Zhou Mo and Zhou Yiyi, all the relatives were aware, and no one could manage to be jealous. As for the supposed love triangle being discussed online, it had been eloquently debunked by Aunt Mu. Because she was Lin Mu’s sister, and it was nothing wrong for Lin Mu to be protective of his little sister.

At this point, the relationship of the three people was seamlessly altered and made public among all relatives, and Zhou Mo naturally became Lin Mu’s brother-in-law.

This was probably the only consolation Lin Mu felt.