Chapter 20: Embezzling the Inheritance

The Tan family, obsessed with saving face even at their own expense, eventually slunk away from the resort and checked into a random hotel nearby. A few days later, as the weather finally cleared, Xia Rusheng returned to City A with the Xia family.

With Lin Yichen’s cooperation in their charade, life in the Xia household became much easier for Xia Rusheng. A week before her birthday, Lin Yichen called her, telling her to prepare for a surprise. She guessed that the "surprise" referred to the inheritance.

That afternoon, Lin Yichen arrived at the Xia residence, accompanied by a middle-aged man carrying a briefcase.

"Good afternoon, Grandmother Xia, Uncle Xia." Lin Yichen entered with bags of gifts, his charm and smooth talk quickly winning over the Matriarch, who beamed with delight.

Xia Rui happened to be home as well. He invited Lin Yichen to sit for tea and asked, "What a coincidence, Xiaxia isn't home right now. Young Master Lin, are you here regarding Xiaxia's coming-of-age ceremony?"

"Yes, but that's only part of it," Lin Yichen said, producing a uniquely designed invitation. "This ceremony is being held in my own name, so I came to deliver invitations to Grandmother and Uncle. Furthermore, per my grandfather's instructions, I intend to conduct an exchange and gifting of assets before officially getting engaged to Xiaxia. I brought Lawyer Qian today to help Xiaxia settle our respective assets."

"Asset exchange and gifting?" Both the Matriarch and Xia Rui were astonished. Usually, such discussions only occurred when marriage was formally on the table. It seemed the elder of the Lin family truly attached great importance to this union.

Lin Yichen cast a cautious glance toward the stairs. Ensuring Xia Rusheng was indeed absent, he spoke in a conspiratorial tone, "Grandmother, I'll let you in on a secret: I plan to propose to Xiaxia again at the ceremony. The assets I’m gifting are essentially a proposal gift as well as a birthday present."

The Matriarch’s smile widened, though she still demurred, "Wouldn't that be too extravagant?" While she didn't know the exact extent of Lin Yichen's wealth, she had some idea of the Lin family's foundation. If this was the elder Lin's idea, the gift would certainly be substantial.

"Once we're married, what's mine is hers—there's no such thing as too extravagant," Lin Yichen replied with a practiced smile. He took the documents from Lawyer Qian and continued, "By the way, my grandfather instructed that these assets must be gifted directly to Xiaxia. She is coming of age soon and will no longer need a guardian to manage them. Once she inherits her mother’s estate, the documents for these gifted assets will be sent for registration and notarization together. May I ask, Grandmother, when will Xiaxia be inheriting her mother’s estate? I’d like to have Lawyer Qian handle the paperwork at the same time."

The smile on the Matriarch’s face froze. From the beginning, she had never intended to hand over the inheritance. Xiaxia’s mother had brought a large sum of capital into the marriage, part of which was injected into the company and converted into shares of Fengcheng Investment. Given the current market value, it was a significant fortune, and it was certainly better off in her own hands.

"Well, there's no rush... Xiaxia is still young. If such a large inheritance is placed in her hands, she won't know how to manage it."

Lin Yichen suppressed the mockery in his eyes, continuing to use the elder Lin's authority as leverage. "My grandfather said that these assets will be transferred to Xiaxia the moment she inherits her mother’s estate."

The expressions of both the Matriarch and Xia Rui darkened. This move by the elder Lin was clearly meant to back Xiaxia in reclaiming her inheritance. Was this truly the elder Lin's idea, or was it Lin Yichen’s, or perhaps...

The Matriarch’s gaze grew sharp. "We will discuss this with Xiaxia first. Once we reach a decision, we will notify you immediately."

Lin Yichen, realizing that the Xia family was more stubborn than anticipated—unmoved by both the large sum of money and his grandfather's prestige—had no choice but to compromise. "I will wait for your news, Uncle Xia."

After seeing Lin Yichen off, Xia Rui immediately went to consult a lawyer, while the Matriarch sat in the living room waiting for Xia Rusheng. When she finally returned, the Matriarch went straight to the point: "Xiaxia, Young Master Lin was here today."

Having already learned of the events through their phone call, Xia Rusheng simply replied with an indifferent, "Oh? I know. He called me earlier."

Watching for any reaction, the Matriarch probed, "Did he tell you why he came?"

"He said he was delivering invitations. Is something wrong? Was there something else?" Xia Rusheng asked, feigning complete ignorance.

The Matriarch did not suspect that Xia Rusheng was pretending. Since the car accident and the subsequent memory loss, she had never heard her granddaughter mention the inheritance. She assumed Xia Rusheng had long forgotten about it, and she certainly wasn't going to bring it up.

"It’s nothing, I was just asking."

After sending Xia Rusheng upstairs, Xia Rui returned shortly after with several documents in hand, heading straight into the Matriarch’s room.

"Mother, I checked. Someone has indeed been investigating the inheritance Xiaxia is entitled to. It seems Xiaxia’s affairs have caught the attention of the elder Lin. What do we do now?"

The Matriarch gripped the documents tightly. "We aren't even engaged yet, and they are already interfering in our family affairs—this is simply going too far. Regardless, we must find a way to keep these assets. Xiaxia will marry into another family eventually; we cannot let this wealth go to the Lin family for nothing. While Xiaxia is still in the dark, we must try to hoodwink her. If Xiaxia herself refuses to take it, the elder Lin will have nothing more to say."

Xia Rui thought for a moment and agreed. "Mother, I suspect Xiaxia might already know about the inheritance. During the Lunar New Year, she mentioned the Tan family villa to me. If someone didn't tell her, she must have looked into it herself. I think we may have been deceived by that child. Let me go probe her before we decide on the next step."

The Matriarch nodded, and Xia Rui headed upstairs to find Xia Rusheng.

"Xiaxia, there is something your father would like to discuss with you."

Xia Rusheng guessed the topic but remained composed. Lin Yichen’s tactics hadn't achieved the desired effect and had instead alerted the enemy. She knew she had to be even more careful now.

"It’s like this: your mother left a will before you were born, leaving you a considerable inheritance. You were too young then, so your grandmother has been acting as your guardian. Since you are coming of age soon, I intended to officially hand it over to you. However, lately... well, the company has run into some trouble. I was wondering if you could lend me those funds to help the company turn around. Once the issues are resolved, I will return everything to you."