After the introductions, the lively atmosphere that had just started to build died down again.

After all, with a stranger in their midst, everyone felt a little too self-conscious to speak freely.

Lin Shen, however, played to his strengths as a skilled conversationalist, speaking eloquently and with well-reasoned logic.

His witty and humorous tone, combined with the occasional joke, helped ease the awkwardness in the room.

This confident way of speaking and carrying himself caused the others to shift their perception of him ever so slightly.

After all, you can often tell a lot about a person’s family background, upbringing, and life experiences just from the way they speak.

Clearly, Lin Shen excelled in this regard—one might even say he was perfect.

Combined with his meticulous style and handsome face, Shen Yuanyuan had to admit that her sister had indeed found an excellent boyfriend, and not just some boy toy.

’How come?’

The thought made Shen Yuanyuan’s heart ache with jealousy.

Her jealousy grew even more intense, especially when she compared Lin Shen to Xia Qingguo beside her.

She liked Xia Qingguo for his extensive knowledge, his attentiveness, and his considerate nature.

But those qualities paled in comparison to Lin Shen.

In terms of looks alone, he completely blew Xia Qingguo out of the water.

And that wasn’t even mentioning his charming personality, his attention to detail, and the way he would occasionally hand Shen Yun a napkin.

He was like an elegant gentleman.

TSK!

The more Shen Yuanyuan thought about it, the more frustrated she became.

’The one guy I finally take an interest in after coming back to the country turns out to be my sister’s boyfriend!?’

’Why?’

Finally, unable to contain her inner turmoil, Shen Yuanyuan decided to probe Lin Shen indirectly.

"So, how did you and my sister meet?"

"Well..."

Lin Shen turned to look at Shen Yun.

"Why don’t you tell her?"

"We met when he was buying a house."

Shen Yun glanced provocatively at Xia Qingguo.

"Xia Qingguo, remember that apartment we looked at before our divorce? I sold it to Shen."

Huh?

Xia Qingguo thought back for a moment, and his face immediately filled with astonishment.

"The two-hundred-plus-square-meter place in No.1 Courtyard?"

"That’s right."

Shen Yun clung to Lin Shen’s arm, resting her head intimately on his shoulder with a smile.

"And let me tell you something. Shen bought that place for over thirty million, paid in full. And he earned all that money himself, without a single bit of help from his family. Impressive, isn’t it?"

’Over thirty million?’

’Paid in full?’

’He earned the money to buy it himself?’

It was precisely because Xia Qingguo already knew the exact price of the apartment that he was so shocked to hear Lin Shen had bought it himself.

’In his twenties, and he earned over thirty million all by himself?’

’You’ve got to be kidding me!’

’How is that possible?’ 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Shen Yuanyuan had the same doubts. Having lived abroad, she considered herself worldly and experienced, which only made her more skeptical.

’To earn tens of millions in your twenties on your own merits... you could probably count the number of people like that in the entire world on one hand!’

’Without a doubt, he’d have to be at the absolute top of his field—bar none!’

’In other words, Lin Shen is number one in some industry?’

Shen Yuanyuan simply couldn’t believe that such a legendary prodigy would appear right in front of her, let alone be dating her sister!

So, she scoffed dismissively.

"Oh, please, Sister. Keep bragging. I can believe someone in their twenties spending over thirty million on a house, but I’ll never believe he did it without family money! Don’t let him fool you."

"Believe what you want."

Shen Yun couldn’t be bothered to argue with Shen Yuanyuan. Instead, she continued to defend Lin Shen, tightening her grip on his arm with a blissful expression on her face.

"Shen and I are business partners, so how could I not know about his success? Just go ahead and assume I’m making it all up. By all means, don’t believe a word of it."

"..."

Shen Yuanyuan pressed her lips together, her expression complicated.

If Shen Yun had argued with her, it would have been better; she could have looked for holes in the story during the ensuing conversation.

But this was like punching cotton—her accusation met with no resistance, leaving her feeling powerless.

’Could someone as shrewd as my sister really be deceived by a guy in his twenties?’

Shen Yuanyuan found that hard to believe, which meant there was likely only one other possibility.

’Everything she said was true!’

Gazing at Shen Yun’s charming face, flushed with happiness, and then at Lin Shen’s handsome, gently smiling profile beside her, Shen Yuanyuan’s heart seethed with an even greater sense of unfairness.

Xia Qingguo felt the same.

Meanwhile, Xia Nuonuo, who was sitting on the same sofa as Shen Yuanyuan and Xia Qingguo, felt her gaze sharpen.

Because when she happened to glance down, she discovered that Lin Shen’s hand, at some unknown point, had come to rest on her mother’s thigh.

’In other words, that flush on her mother’s face wasn’t from happiness at all!’