CHAPTER 1152: CHAPTER 1152: LIN DENG BREAKS OFF ENGAGEMENT 2

Xing Jialang finally managed to break free from Chen Yun’s grip. Fearing that Chen Yun might hug his sister next, he quickly grabbed his sister and pulled her to the side, shouting, "Smelly uncle! Uncle stinks!"

The childish disdain instantly amused everyone.

Chen Yun pretended to cry, letting out two fake sobs as though deeply hurt. Seeing that this tactic didn’t soften Jialang’s heart, he turned to Lin Chan to start a conversation instead, asking, "Why are Lin Deng’s parents suddenly so firm about breaking off the engagement this time? I thought they were still planning to maintain the marriage alliance with the Gu Family."

"Back when Gu En was first sentenced, my uncle and aunt already considered ending the engagement. At that time, in order to break off the engagement without offending the Gu Family, they even sought help from my parents, but my parents didn’t intervene. I thought they’d long since called it quits, but surprisingly, my aunt turned out to be quite ridiculous. Seeing how the Gu Family kept visiting Gu En in prison, she changed her mind again. I suspect that if not for the fact that Gu En committed murder later, she couldn’t bear the ridicule from others and would still hesitate to break off the engagement, given the way the Gu Family treats Gu En. She might not have wanted to do it at all."

Lin Deng’s parents essentially treated his marriage as a stepping stone to climb the social ladder. When marrying into the Gu Family seemed advantageous, they had Lin Deng get engaged to Gu En. But once Gu En was jailed and the Gu Family announced they were severing their adoptive relationship with her, Lin Deng’s mother wanted to end the engagement. She even approached Lin Chan’s parents for help, but they didn’t get involved. Then, Lin Deng’s mother saw how the Gu Family remained attentive to Gu En despite everything, and her plans fizzled out.

At that time, Lin Deng’s mother probably thought, "So what if she served time in prison? As long as the Gu Family still cares for Gu En, that’s enough." Shamelessly, she didn’t even mind being ridiculed.

Lin Chan thought to himself, thankfully, after getting engaged, Lin Deng immediately went to the border troops and stayed far away from the affairs of the capital. Otherwise, if Lin Deng were walking the streets of the capital, everyone would probably point fingers and mock him.

This time, however, Gu En got blood on her hands, killing four people and becoming wanted nationwide. She’s gone from being a criminal to a top-level fugitive, so naturally, the Lin Family had to break off the engagement immediately. Everyone knows that once Gu En is captured, she’ll undoubtedly face the death penalty.

"That said," Lin Chan paused for a moment before continuing, "after the engagement was dissolved, the Gu Family tried asking Lin Deng to return to the capital. But Lin Deng himself didn’t want to come back. He voluntarily chose to stay with the border troops, which angered his mom to the point of making her ill. This time, my aunt is truly sick from rage. Lin Deng still didn’t give in and return to the capital. You tell me, if Lin Deng had been this resolute back when it came to that matter with Jiang Biyun, would all the things that followed have even happened? Would he still be treated as a joke by others?"

Talking about Lin Deng, Lin Chan wasn’t mocking him. Lin Chan, as his cousin, actually shared a close bond with Lin Deng during childhood. After all, the two branches of the Lin Family each only had one child, and since they lived near each other in the same compound, they naturally grew up like real brothers.

Even later, when the two Lin families ended up on opposing political paths, Lin Deng still respected Lin Chan as his elder cousin and often listened to his advice. Of everyone in the compound, Lin Chan might have been the one least willing to see Lin Deng being ridiculed.

When Lin Chan mentioned Lin Deng, it was mostly with a tone of disappointment, the kind that comes from hoping for someone to do better. He couldn’t help it—he had tried advising Lin Deng in the past.

Thinking about it, Lin Chan said, "Actually, staying at the border is pretty good for him. See, he hasn’t been there long but his personality has already started to change. He’s more mature now, knows how to think independently, and by being far from the capital, he doesn’t have to get involved in our issues or feel torn."