Chapter 876: The Li Family....
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Li Jin’s face was filled with skepticism. “He’s just an adopted son. 1 find it unlikely that Guan Yi would forsake a business partner whom he has supported for decades in favor of an adopted son who is not related by blood.”
Lin Mi released Li Jin’s hand, her smile innocent. “That’s because, cousin, you are too naive. Being at the heart of the Li family’s headquarters, you surprisingly don’t even know Meng Yu’s true identity. Meng Yu is not just an adopted son; he is Guan Yi’s biological son.”
Li Jin’s eyes widened instantly as she said incredulously, “What are you talking about? How could Grandpa Guan possibly…”
Lin Mi gave a suggestive smile. “Why do you think Guan Yi would adopt a son out of the blue? Moreover, even after Meng Yu declared himself gay, Guan Yi didn’t sever ties with him. Do you wonder why?”
Caught off guard by this sudden revelation, Li Jin stood there in shock for a moment before murmuring, “You’re not lying to me, are you?”
Lin Mi didn’t answer, but her expression conveyed everything.
As Li Jin reflected on the past, she began to sense that something was amiss.
No wonder Grandpa treated Meng Yu so courteously all along. No wonder
Meng Yu held a prominent position in Li Industries. It all made sense now.
Despite learning this secret, Li Jin still couldn’t trust Lin Mi. “l don’t understand. Why are you helping me? We are on opposing sides. If I become the actual head of Li Industries, your side won’t gain anything.”
Lin Mi nodded at Li Jin; her face now tinted with resentment. “l know, but I precisely want my people to gain nothing. They don’t deserve it!”
“Do you have a grudge against them?” Li Jin stared at Lin Mi intently.
Lin Mi smiled with a hint of bitterness. She replied, “Yes, I do! The Li family members are all vampires, sucking the life out of the women in the clan. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have become an illegitimate child, and my mother wouldn’t have become a despised mistress. She was burned alive by our own kin.”
Li Jin was not well-acquainted with the affairs of the Li family’s collateral branches. Following Grandpa Li Dan’s advice, she avoided unnecessary contact. Thus, she hadn’t anticipated such a revelation.
Observing Li Jin’s expression, Lin Mi smiled and said, “You didn’t know much because you kept your distance. But that’s okay; I can enlighten you.” Lin Mi gestured for Li Jin to sit back down.
Amid the ambient music in the café, Lin Mi, with a melancholic smile,
continued, “The Li family prospered through goldsmithing. You know that, right?”
Li Jin nodded, aware of the family’s history, starting from goldsmithing to the jewelry industry and eventually the mining sector.
Lin Mi went on, “But did you know that the Li family has a horrifying ancestral secret? In times of adversity or when the family business struggled, they burn the bodies of the women in the clan as offerings to the ancestors, seeking protection and blessings?”
Li Jin was dumbfounded. “Are you joking? In today’s civilized society, how could such superstitious practices exist?”
Li Jin recalled Lin Mi’ s earlier words about her mother being burned alive by their own people, and a chill ran down her spine.
With a faint smile, Lin Mi said, “Yes, it’s not as extreme now. They’ve modified the tradition, turning it into a practice of sending their daughters away to secure various benefits for the family. Since your grandfather and great-grandfather left the Li family, the family’s fortunes declined. So, the daughters of the Li family were sent to the beds of high officials and wealthy merchants, ensuring the prosperity of the Li family in a different way.”
Listening to Lin Mi l s narrative, Li Jin thought about why her grandfather always warned her against associating with members of the Li family’s side branches.
“My mother was sent away in the same manner, becoming a mistress that people scorned. I am the daughter of that mistress, equally despised and kept in the shadows. One day, my mother was discovered, brutally beaten, and sent back to the Li family. To maintain appearances, they publicly labeled her as disgraceful and not a true Li family member, ultimately driving her away.”
Finally seeing a trace of genuine sorrow on Lin Mi l s face, rather than the earlier mask of indifference and superficial anger, Li Jin asked curiously, “Then why did she die in the end?”