Seeing Xiao Manxuan’s sullen and willful appearance, Lin Tian felt chills running down his spine. He remembered when he had first arrived at the Xiao Family, this little girl would set the dogs on someone if she couldn’t beat them herself—indeed, she was as fierce as ever.
"Sister-in-law, what do you mean by this, does the Second Miss always disregard her elders ? With her speaking this way, where does she place us, her uncles?" the initially eye-signaling "second brother" coldly said, directing his spearhead at Mrs. Xiao for poor parenting.
This "bird person" was in charge of the jewelry business and had been constantly opposing Mrs. Xiao and her daughter since the meeting started, making Lin Tian suspect that he might have been bribed by the Bai Family.
"Second brother, calm down a bit. Xuanxuan is still young, and it’s inevitable for her to be impulsive in her speech. As her uncle and an elder, surely you wouldn’t argue with a child, would you?" Mrs. Xiao said calmly, now somewhat regretting having invited these people for the discussion.
She was also very helpless. Her husband and Mr. Xiao had instructed her to take care of the other branch of the family and secure them positions within the company before they died. Now it seemed that the initial decision was not a good one, as they started coveting the Xiao Family’s wealth once they got positions.
The "second brother" wasn’t appeased and snorted coldly, "Sister-in-law, the Second Miss is almost attending college and isn’t young anymore. Can you still say she’s just a child who doesn’t understand? Who knows if it’s someone’s plan to have her purposely embarrass us uncles?"
This statement was too sinister—how narrow-minded could one be? Xiao Manxuan was naturally stubborn, and with her uncle accusing her mother , she exploded instantly.
"I call you uncle because you are an elder, but when Mom invited you here, it was to discuss matters. Yet all you’ve done is ramble and place blame. Do you deserve to be an elder? Do you think just because there are no men in our house, you can bully my mother and sister? Humph!"
"You... you... very well, very well, sister-in-law, since the Second Miss is so rude and you cannot control her, today I will act on behalf of our elder brother to discipline her. Don’t blame me for being heartless!" Having his ulterior motives exposed, the "second brother" became furiously red with embarrassment and anger.
He raised his hand to strike Xiao Manxuan’s face; damn, Lin Tian, who had been keeping an eye on the situation, was so infuriated by this sudden scene that he could no longer care about his outsider or bodyguard status and forcefully punched the front door.
With a resounding "boom," the carved wooden door shattered, startling everyone in the hall. Lin Tian’s ghost-like figure broke through the flying wood debris and appeared in the hall. In the blink of an eye, he was standing in front of Xiao Manxuan, grabbed the man’s wrist with one hand, and with the other hand, encircled the little girl’s slender waist, lifting her to the side.
Xiao Manxuan tensed in fear, ready to resist, but upon realizing it was Lin Tian who was holding her, she settled down. Miss also halted her charge.
"Lin Tian, you’ve finally arrived, they’ve been bullying my mom and sister!" Seeing Lin Tian, Xiao Manxuan felt like she had found her backbone and said in a grievance.
"What is your status?" the "second brother" cried in pain as Lin Tian squeezed his wrist. "Daring to barge into the Xiao Family council meeting, you better let me go or else..."
"Or else what?" Lin Tian tightened his grip, increasing the pain, and said coldly, "I’m nobody special, just the Second Miss’s bodyguard."
"How dare you, a mere bodyguard behaving so rudely, let go of me, or I’ll call the police to arrest you. Security, security, where are you all dead? Throw this man out!" he yelled furiously.
Lin Tian chuckled and said, "Keep shouting, you’ll scream your throat raw and no one will help you. Haven’t all the security been dispatched? Don’t you look down on us bodyguards? Humph, as the Second Miss’s bodyguard, it’s my duty to protect her from any harm, including your filthy hands. You may call the police, but I will also accuse you of intentional harm to my employer."
"You’re slandering me. Where did I intentionally harm..."
"Oh, I understand now, you not only intend to harm, but also plan to seize the family assets!" Lin Tian gripped harder, causing Xiao Manxuan’s uncle to break out in a cold sweat from the pain.
As soon as the inheritance was mentioned, the dozen or so clan members in the hall all shifted their gazes, revealing their true colors.
"Mrs. Xiao and Miss have been tirelessly running around for the Xiao Family, selflessly dedicating themselves, they even haven’t had time to care for their own loved ones. And what have you all been doing! For what purpose, surely not for themselves?"
Lin Tian’s voice was emotional and angry as he continued loudly, "They did it to ensure that the Xiao Family tree wouldn’t fall, to ensure everyone in the Xiao Family had good food to eat, good cars to drive, and good houses to live in. The burden on their shoulders was heavy, they dedicated all their time to the affairs of the Xiao Family, with no time to enjoy the warmth of family love or to have proper romance; they are the meritorious officers of the Xiao Family!"
The more he spoke, the more agitated he became, while Miss’s eyes were red with unshed tears. She bit her lip, desperately holding back the tears. This scoundrel always contented himself only after making someone cry. Miss stared blankly at Lin Tian, the long-suppressed grievances in her heart seemingly exploding all at once, making her yearn for a comforting embrace to cry in.
The clan members in the hall fell silent, hanging their heads low, not daring to meet Lin Tian’s gaze. He scanned the room and spoke loudly again, "Who else? If anyone else has objections, speak now, and I will not treat him ."
Having spoken, he squeezed the "Second Brother’s" wrist harder, causing him to grimace in pain.
"Who else! Well, since there is no one, please let Mrs. Xiao speak." These people are cowards, only bullying women and the weak; Lin Tian despised them.
Mrs. Xiao helplessly rolled her eyes at Lin Tian. With him , who would dare to speak? Additionally, his earlier remarks about not having time for romance included her too, which made Mrs. Xiao quite embarrassed. But, it was good in a way, intimidating the clan members, as she knew she couldn’t count on them anyway.
"You all may go back now; I will inform you once the plans are finalized," Mrs. Xiao said, wanting to dismiss the guests without wasting further time.
With Mrs. Xiao’s consent, the clan members were eager to leave the living room, keen to distance themselves from Lin Tian, the Evil God. However, a few conscientious ones came over to nod and apologize to Mrs. Xiao, and Lin Tian knew that some were still redeemable and understood the situation.
"Hey, uncle, why haven’t you left yet?" Lin Tian asked, puzzled.
"You, you are holding my hand, how can I leave!" He almost passed out from the frustration with Lin Tian.
"Haha, my apologies." While Lin Tian said this, he squeezed the man’s hand one last time before finally letting go.
With that person gone too, the hall was left with just the four people and Lin Tian, along with a wooden door blasted to pieces, scattered all around.
"Lin Tian, won’t you let go of my sister? How long do you plan to hold her?" Xiao Manxue said angrily as she observed his hand on the Second Miss’s slender waist.
"Ah, my apologies..." Under her intense gaze, Lin Tian finally and reluctantly let go.
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