Standing Next To You-Chapter 230: The Fourth Branch’s downfall

"What do you mean, Mother? Should I just do nothing while the school mocks me? The school has been siding with Bei Sangyun!"

Lin Sunji could not believe what she was hearing. Her mother told her to accept the school’s punishment and stay low in the meantime. She couldn’t accept it. If she let the school do what they wanted, would she ever be able to lift her face there in the future?

She would become the talk of the entire school!

"I have been appearing a lot and putting much effort into building up my fame. If people find out that I have been expelled from the school, they will laugh at me. All the effort I have put in will be in vain!"

Li Mei felt her temples ache. She was not in a good mood lately, and Lin Sunji’s yammering did not help. Li Mei appeared exhausted and drained. There was a lot of pressure from the first and second branches. The capable people on their side had jumped ship, and the others suddenly withdrew their support.

Lin Sunji’s elimination was not publicized, but the first and second branches had already started consolidating their forces. The topic of Lin Sunji’s elimination was surely circulating beyond their closed doors. It was only a matter of time before the whole world knew about it.

Li Mei knew she couldn’t prevent it but it was too soon. Her daughter had just debuted and was at the peak of her fame. If that scandal came out, everything would go down the drain for her daughter. Li Mei was determined to prevent that from happening. She still needed to secure her daughter’s marriage before those scandals blew up.

However, perhaps because they had been under pressure lately, she and her husband had fought about Lin Sunji’s future. Her husband wanted to send Lin Sunji abroad until the situation got better, but Li Mei was against it.

If they sent her daughter abroad at this sensitive moment, everyone would think that something was wrong with her daughter. This would affect Lin Sunji’s marriage prospects.

"Mom, are you listening?"

Lin Sunji’s high-pitched voice brought Li Mei back to reality.

Li Mei was too tired to comfort her daughter today and outrightly questioned her, "Then do you prefer about your heirship being revoked be exposed in public? You did a good job increasing your fame. Everyone is talking about you now. If news about the heirship incident leaks out, you will bear the brunt the most."

Lin Sunji bit her lips, unable to answer.

Li Mei continued, her tone a bit sharp. "I told you not to cause trouble, but you still did. Now, Bei Sangyun is holding another one of your weaknesses. If I had known you would make such trouble, I shouldn’t have suggested you buy the hot search. You should have laid low."

Lin Sunji teared up. Her mother had never used that tone with her. She was a bit afraid, and her frustration poured out, "...I did not expect the school to do this to me. Everyone is praising Bei Sangyun. I am afraid that she will outshine me again. I have already lost the right to compete for the heir, so I want to debut grandly. But she took it away from me again!" Lin Sunji cried aggressively, "And I honestly thought that those earrings are fake...."

Li Mei’s heart softened, and she didn’t berate her daughter anymore. "I also did not expect that the school has the guts to do this. They just let us know that they are backing the third branch. But since they dared to discipline a Lin, your grandfather will soon know about it. I am sure he will take care of it somehow. This is a sensitive time, so stay in the house and disappear from the media for now."

Lin Sunji was not convinced. But even her mother, who always had a way out, said so, then it means there was nothing she could do. For the first time, Lin Sunji felt powerless.

Why was everything not going her way?

She cried harder, and Li Mei hugged her.

Li Mei was distressed seeing her daughter cry. She didn’t tell Lin Sunji that the fourth branch was in a pickle right now and lacked the manpower and methods to put pressure on the school at this moment.

She didn’t have the mind to take care of some illegitimate daughter or Lin Ginxian. There were much bigger things they needed to face.

Currently, the fourth branch was the weakest among the branches due to Lin Sunji’s elimination, and they had to put all their strength into guarding what they had.

Li Mei looked at the ceiling in distress. How would their branch be able to get out of this quagmire?

...

The fourth branch’s situation did not get any better. During the one-week break, a lot of things happened in their branch. Most of their supporters left them, and even a whistleblower appeared, accusing Lin Ruo of creating some slush funds and hiding it from the family.

It was not a big crime; however, the multiple attacks on their branch caused even their loyal supporters to finally abandon them. They couldn’t see any hope for the fourth branch anymore.

The atmosphere in the fourth branch was tense and bleak, so much so that even Lin Sunji, who was not aware of their situation, began to notice.

It was dinner, and the family of four that always ate at the same table was now reduced to three people.

Lin Sunji glanced at the empty seat at the head of the table.

"Father isn’t joining us again?"

Li Mei replied casually, "Yeah. He’ll be staying overnight at the company."

"Father has never worked overnight. Last time he was on a business trip, but overnight this time? Is something going on at the company?"

Lin Sanju also glanced at Li Mei.

Li Mei handed a dish to Lin Sunji’s plate and calmly replied, "Just eat your fill. There’s still a day left before your schoolmates return to school. Have you made an excuse to your friends?"

Lin Sunji pouted, "I haven’t. They will surely ask me why I’m not coming to school. I haven’t thought of a good excuse yet." Lin Sunji then asked with hope, "But Mom, are you sure the school will not reveal the reason behind my absence? What if they’ve already announced it? Then I’ll really have no face left!"

Li Mei’s grip on her fork tightened, "Your grandpa will take care of it."

Li Mei hadn’t heard anything on Old Master Lin’s side. If it were in the past, the headmaster would surely do something about it. But now, she wasn’t so sure. The fourth branch had fallen out of favor. So it was still a question of whether the headmaster would help them keep the school in check.

"I think it’s better for you to write an apology letter." Lin Sanju, who rarely spoke, suddenly suggested.

But his suggestion made Lin Sunji angry.

"Why do I have to apologize to that bitch? She took everything away from me! I won’t accept defeat!" Lin Sunji glared at her twin brother.

"If you don’t want to add more burdens to Mom and Dad, then you should follow what the school instructed. You’ve already caused enough trouble."

"Lin Sanju." Li Mei put down her fork on the table and glared at her son, signaling him to stop speaking.