Chapter 33: Forcing Lin Meng to Give Up Her Marriage

Lin Meng also never expected that her self-defense weapon would be put to use so quickly.

Looking at Lin Qianqian's pig‑slaughter reaction, the nano‑needle really does magnify pain—it's perfect for tormenting those idiots who rush to pick fights.

Ye Heng really helped her out this time.

Lin Qianqian thrashed about for a while before calming down; now she looks utterly disheveled, lacking even the strength to speak.

Mrs. Wang cried uncontrollably, slumped on the ground wailing heaven and earth, putting on a stubborn, unreasonable act.

"Damn it, are you even human, Lin Meng? How could you bully your cousin like this—do you still have any regard for us relatives?"

"Husband, say something!"

Wang Fang truly felt sorry for Lin Qianqian; when her daughter said it hurt, she must have been in agony to roll all over the ground.

But on the other hand, she also wanted to take advantage of the situation, pushing Lin Meng into the spotlight to ruin her reputation.

If her reputation is ruined, the Ye family might not agree to the marriage, giving her daughter Qianqian a chance.

By now a crowd of villagers had gathered outside, cramming the courtyard gate to peek inside.

The younger onlookers simply climbed onto the wall to watch the spectacle.

"Oh dear, this family again—what other trouble is Lin Meng going to stir up?"

"I heard the old Lin family has a childhood betrothal; the other party in Jing Shi is quite influential and very rich, so these two cousins are probably fighting over status."

"What? A childhood betrothal? Or is it a wealthy family from Jing Shi? No wonder they're fighting—looks like Lin Meng won?"

"So what if she won? She brings bad luck to her parents, owes millions in debt, and city folk aren't pushovers—would they accept such a daughter‑in‑law?"

The villagers watching the spectacle kept an eye on the developments inside while exchanging information.

When the childhood betrothal came up, many people snorted in disdain.

Lin Qianqian also relies on her father Lin Jianyang, who runs a sand quarry and a fishery in town, having accumulated some property over the years—by local standards she's well off; otherwise, with her education and background, it would be hard for her to find a good match.

As for Lin Meng, needless to say, she's the most problematic person in Lin Family Village, and without her parents' support, nobody thinks highly of her.

After being singled out by Mrs. Wang, Lin Jianyang thought for a moment, then pointed at Lin Meng and shouted angrily:

"Lin Meng, do you still have any respect for us elders? Qianqian only said a few words to you—why did you resort to hitting her?"

"With such a shrewish temperament, if you really married into the Ye family, you'd disgrace our Lin family; since your parents are gone, it's up to me, your uncle, to decide for you—I won't let you marry into the Ye family."

After all that, the inevitable push to ally with the Ye family remains; Lin Meng had long seen through her uncle's family's true colors.

The families of the second uncle and fourth uncle also have daughters, but their ages don't match; even if they had ideas, they couldn't act on them—apparently they had reached a private agreement with Lin Jianyang, and everyone sided with Lin Qianqian.

"Lin Meng, just follow your uncle's arrangements; don't meddle in this Ye family matter—your second uncle and I, along with your fourth uncle, will decide for you, and let your uncle give you a dowry for later use."

After the second uncle spoke, the fourth uncle continued.

"Lin Meng, we're doing this for your own good; as an orphaned girl, marrying into that kind of family would be like a lamb entering a tiger's den—you'd be better off finding an honest, hardworking village youth to settle down with."

"Don't blame Fourth Uncle for his harsh words; we need to face reality—your cousin may also be from our Lin family, but at least she has a stronger financial background, no debts, and is more suitable to represent the Lin family in a marriage alliance."

At this moment the second uncle's wife and the fourth uncle's wife didn't speak, but their disdainful expressions were barely concealed.

They only regretted not having given birth to a daughter at the right time; otherwise, they might have had a share in becoming the mother‑in‑law of the Ye family's son.

Lin Jianyang gave some benefits to the second and fourth uncle's families, getting them to help deal with Lin Meng.

Afterward, Lin Qianqian married into the Ye family's wealthy household, promising to bring a few of her unmarried cousins into that elite circle.

As long as they can connect with that social circle, arranging for the daughters to attend a Socialite Class will make catching a rich husband no problem.

Lin Meng stared expressionlessly at their faces, full of scheming, and couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.

"For my own good? You keep saying it's for my good, yet as my elders you're just scheming against me."

"In your eyes, I'm not worthy of a good husband's family—only Qianqian is—and you call that doing good for me?"

"And Uncle, you really intend to give me a dowry? How much are you prepared to give?"

"I'm giving such a fine marriage prospect to Lin Qianqian; the compensation for my dowry certainly shouldn't be less than what she gets."

Upon hearing this, Lin Jianyang's face turned livid, the scolding words already on the tip of his tongue.

"That damned daughter of the third family—how can she be so stubborn! Can she even compare to Qianqian? And she still dreams of getting the same dowry—she's dreaming!"

At this point the villagers finally understood.

"So the childhood betrothal belongs to Lin Meng, and Lin Jianyang wanted his daughter to take her place—that's really not fair."

"What's unfair about it? Even if Lin Meng married, she'd end up divorced; it'd be better to give the opportunity to her cousin."

"I think we shouldn't bully an orphan like this; Lin Meng is also quite pitiful—a child without parents is like a weed, and for the Lin family's elders to torment a junior like this is utterly depraved."

"Oh my, now you're speaking nicely? If this were your own family, who knows how you'd be fighting among yourselves..."

At that moment, Lin Meng caught sight of the stooped village elder appearing in the crowd out of the corner of her eye, and her gaze flickered.

"Village Grandpa, please come help me judge—my cousin is trying to seize my engagement and wants to kill me!"

Zhang Fengnian heard that Lin Jianyang had brought people to cause trouble at Lin Meng's house, so he put down his bowl and chopsticks and rushed over.

Seeing that Lin Meng was unharmed, he finally let out a quiet sigh of relief.

When everyone heard that someone was going to be killed, they were all shocked.

"No way? Qianqian wouldn't actually think of doing that, would she?"

For a moment, everyone's enthusiasm for gossiping grew even stronger.

Upon hearing that, Mrs. Wang's inner alarm bells rang loudly; taking advantage of the crowd's distraction, she hastily slipped the fruit knife hidden beneath Lin Qianqian into her sleeve.

Lin Meng saw this unfold before her eyes, gave a cold smile, and did not expose it.

"Little Meng, what's happened? Tell the village elder, and I'll help you seek justice!"

Zhang Fengnian knew the character of Lin Jianyang's family; he had already judged them to be in the wrong, openly favoring Lin Meng.

Lin Meng recounted the whole story in detail, then finally looked at Lin Qianqian.

"Cousin, this is attempted murder—do you know it's illegal?"

Lin Qianqian had finally recovered her composure, but upon hearing that she broke out in a cold sweat.

Until Madam Wang gave her a look, she regained her spirit.

"Nonsense! I only scolded you a few sentences, don't spit blood at people—this is slander, it's also illegal!"

Lin Meng raised an eyebrow, pointing at the sole tree in the courtyard.

"Who gave you the confidence to be so self‑righteous? I have a camera here—do you want me to call the police right away?"