After Becoming the Mother of the Scumbag Stand-In Female Lead - Chapter 13

Her fingers lightly tapped on the marble countertop as Sheng Yunjin pondered, “Why don’t you just start your own company? Uncle Lin simply doesn’t believe in your capabilities. Once you’ve built your company into something respectable, he won’t be able to say you’re incompetent anymore.”

There was a brief silence on the other end of the line before Lin Xiaoyu’s hesitant voice came through, “Me? Start my own company? But… I don’t have the money.”

Shaking her head in amusement, Sheng Yunjin sighed, “Do you really have no idea about your account balance?”

Lin Xiaoyu chuckled sheepishly. Most of her assets were managed by Sheng Yunjin, and they typically multiplied several times over each year. Over time, she’d genuinely lost track of how much money she actually had.

While still on the phone, Lin Xiaoyu rushed to her study to grab her laptop and began checking the balances across all her accounts.

Hearing the commotion on the other end, Sheng Yunjin didn’t interrupt, quietly washing a cup before returning to lounge on the living room sofa.

“Ahhhhhhh! Xiao Jin, I love you! How are you so amazing?!” Lin Xiaoyu shrieked excitedly as she counted the zeros in her balance, which totaled in the billions.

Part of the money came from her father’s allowance, and some from her own investment attempts—amounts she roughly remembered. But the majority was profit from stocks and financial management handled by Sheng Yunjin.

Ecstatic, Lin Xiaoyu flopped onto her bed, phone in hand, instantly reverting to her role as Sheng Yunjin’s biggest fan, showering her with endless praise.

Sheng Yunjin remained unfazed. She regularly monitored the accounts, and since Lin Xiaoyu’s investments mirrored her own stock trades, she had a good estimate of the returns.

“Now you don’t have to worry about lacking funds to start a company, do you?”

Bored, Sheng Yunjin flipped through TV channels with the remote before turning it off again. She realized she ought to find something to do—staying home every day was getting dull.

Lin Xiaoyu nodded eagerly, “Absolutely! But you have to help me!”

…

An hour later.

Sheng Yunjin stared at the dead-serious Lin Xiaoyu sitting across from her, her lips twitching slightly. “I’m not going to start a company with you.”

Lin Xiaoyu’s enthusiasm deflated instantly. “Why not?” she pouted.

Pouring her a glass of juice, Sheng Yunjin settled onto the carpet by the sofa. “I just don’t want to. If I really started a company, do you think Sheng Mingzhao wouldn’t lose his mind with joy tomorrow?”

Sheng Mingzhao had been waiting for her to take over Mingsheng Group, but Sheng Yunjin had consistently refused, claiming no interest in corporate management.

Though disappointed, Lin Xiaoyu understood and nodded. “Fine. But at least help me decide what kind of company to start.”

With that, she pulled out a stack of documents from her bag. “These are some of the smaller subsidiaries under Lin Corp. On the way here, I figured it’d be better to practice with an existing setup rather than start from scratch.”

Sheng Yunjin looked at her triumphant expression and nodded with amusement. “True, as long as you can make money and prove your abilities, Uncle Lin probably won’t have any objections.”

The Lin Corporation’s main business was technology, but years ago, Lin Hai had invested in several small startups in emerging industries—every little bit of profit counted.

After spending the entire morning carefully selecting, Lin Xiaoyu finally settled on an entertainment company.

There was nothing particularly special about this company; in fact, it was the most unremarkable of the bunch. The most appealing thing about it was that it was on the verge of bankruptcy.

Tapping her finger lightly on the page, Lin Xiaoyu said with a serious expression, “This is the one. The greater the challenge, the better it proves my capabilities!”

Sheng Yunjin flipped through the company’s information. It was essentially just an empty shell—no funds, no artists, everyone who could leave had already fled. If she could actually revive this company, it would truly be a testament to her skills.

Patting Lin Xiaoyu on the shoulder, Sheng Yunjin cheered her on with a smile. “Go for it, Director Lin. I believe in you.”

She wasn’t the least bit worried about Lin Xiaoyu’s abilities. Having spent several years abroad with her, Sheng Yunjin understood her far better than Lin Hai did.

Though Lin Xiaoyu had a gentle personality, she had never faltered in school competitions, events, or speeches. She consistently won scholarships and competition prizes every year. What she lacked wasn’t ability—it was independence.

…

After calling her father to inform him, Lin Hai’s first reaction upon hearing she wanted to start a company was disapproval.

But this time, Lin Xiaoyu was resolute. In the end, Lin Hai, who doted on his daughter, agreed under one condition: if the company showed no progress within three years, Lin Xiaoyu would have to fully comply with his arrangements.

With the bet settled, Lin Xiaoyu was now brimming with determination. She grabbed her bag and went to meet the company’s current manager to discuss the specifics.

…

She had arrived in a hurry and left just as swiftly, leaving Sheng Yunjin alone again, sprawled on the sofa.

With the house to herself, Sheng Yunjin began seriously considering how to pass the time.

Her return to China had primarily been for Sheng Mingzhao’s sake. After uncovering the mastermind behind his car accident, she had handed all the evidence over to him and hadn’t followed up on how it was resolved.

Realistically, there probably wasn’t much that could be done. The so-called “evidence” she had gathered was circumstantial at best—private investigators had only managed to snap photos of Zhang Xiang and Sun Chengqing meeting in private. Without concrete recordings or chat logs, Sun Chengqing would have to be an idiot to confess.

Still, if this incident made Sheng Mingzhao more cautious about those around him, that was already a positive outcome.

Now that Sheng Mingzhao was healthy and needed no further concern, and Lin Xiaoyu had found her own goal to strive for, it seemed there really wasn’t anything left requiring Sheng Yunjin’s attention.

Maybe she should just pack her bags and go on another round-the-world trip?

After all, that had been her original plan before Sheng Mingzhao’s sudden illegitimate child, and the car accident had temporarily derailed it.

The more she thought about it, the more appealing the idea became. Gazing at the darkening sky outside the window, she pondered which country should be the first stop on her journey.

A sudden, sharp pain pierced her chest unexpectedly. Sheng Yunjin frowned, and a face involuntarily surfaced in her mind.

A cold and distant countenance, thin lips pressed tightly together, with deep-set eyes beneath finely arched brows like distant mountains. Though there was no trace of a smile on that face, whenever those eyes gazed at her, Sheng Yunjin inexplicably sensed a gentleness directed solely at her.

Shaking her head slightly, Sheng Yunjin lowered her gaze and slowly released her left hand, which had been pressed against her chest. On her finger still rested that simple, unadorned ring.

With a light flick of her fingertips, she glanced at the bamboo-leaf pendant hanging around her neck.

At the very least, she needed to figure out what exactly was going on between them.

The thought of leaving vanished in an instant. Sheng Yunjin silently resolved this in her heart.

Buzz… buzz…

Her phone vibrated on the table. Sheng Yunjin picked it up and answered.

It was Sheng Mingzhao calling. “Yunjin, come home for dinner tonight. There’s something I need to discuss with you.”

After a brief pause, Sheng Yunjin nodded in agreement. “Alright, I’ll be there in an hour.”

…

The Sheng family’s private residence was a villa nestled halfway up a mountainside. Since leaving the country, Sheng Yunjin hadn’t returned even once.

As soon as the car engine turned off, Butler Li stepped forward to open the door for her. “Young Miss, Chairman Sheng is already waiting for you in the dining room.”

Nodding, Sheng Yunjin asked about recent developments. “What happened to that woman and the child?”

Though Sun Chengqing couldn’t be dealt with, Sheng Yunjin was certain Zhang Xiang wouldn’t escape unscathed.

Sure enough, Butler Li replied, “Chairman Sheng had her sent back to her hometown. She’ll likely live out the rest of her days quietly there.”

After all, Zhang Xiang had personally bribed Sheng Mingzhao’s driver. The matter was easily uncovered, and with the driver’s testimony, Zhang Xiang had no way to deny it.

“But the child… Chairman Sheng decided to keep him by his side.”

At this point, Butler Li’s tone grew noticeably cautious.

Pausing mid-step, Sheng Yunjin turned to look at him. “He kept him?”

Butler Li nodded. When Zhang Xiang had tearfully begged for mercy in front of Sheng Mingzhao, he had initially planned to send both mother and son away to avoid further trouble. But unexpectedly, despite his young age, Zhang Lanyou had a spine of steel.

After understanding the situation, Zhang Lanyou had knelt before Sheng Mingzhao, his expression icy as he claimed ignorance of his mother’s schemes. Then, right in front of Sheng Mingzhao, he had slapped Zhang Xiang across the face.

That slap had not only stunned Zhang Xiang but also piqued Sheng Mingzhao’s interest.

He wasn’t blind to Zhang Lanyou’s motives—undoubtedly, the boy was currying favor, clinging to Sheng Mingzhao to maintain a life of privilege.

But what surprised him was how ruthlessly the boy had treated his own mother at such a young age.

Truly ruthless.

It was precisely this act that made Sheng Mingzhao view Zhang Lanyou in a new light and decide to keep him close.

…

Upon entering the dining room, Sheng Yunjin spotted the boy seated beside Sheng Mingzhao and couldn’t help but curl her lip in disdain.

She should’ve just stayed away.

Silently grumbling, she took a seat on the opposite side of the table with a cold expression.

Zhang Lanyou was thirteen years old. Whether due to slow development or not, he appeared thin and frail, barely reaching 1.6 meters in height. His face, however, was fair and delicate, his features quite handsome.

It was clear at a glance that she was Sheng Mingzhao’s own flesh and bl00d.

With two unpleasant people sitting beside her, Sheng Yunjin’s appetite had soured. She barely touched her food throughout the meal, only lowering her head to sip slowly from a bowl of soup.

Zhang Lanyou, on the other hand, kept stealing glances at Sheng Yunjin across the table.

When he noticed how casually she joked with the household staff and interacted with Sheng Mingzhao, a deep-seated envy and resentment burned in the depths of his eyes.