Chapter 86: You rented this car, right?

The next day, Lin Meng slept in and didn't get up until late noon.

Lin Jianyang and Wang Fang were angry all night, slept poorly, and in the middle of the night called Lin Haocheng.

Just as noon arrived, Lin Haocheng, dressed flashily, hurried back from Jing Shi.

Seeing him also driving a flashy car, the villagers once again stirred up discussion.

Lin Haocheng had rushed back by flight; thinking that after these years away he hadn't made anything of himself while Lin Meng had bought a big G, he felt uneasy.

So before returning to the village, he specially went to a car rental and rented a stretched Maybach, intending to keep up appearances.

When the villagers saw him, they all started gossiping.

"Yesterday Lin Meng came back in a luxury car, and today the Lin Jianyang family shows up in a new car—clearly they're trying to compare with Lin Meng."

"I sent the picture to my son; you guys guess what? My son says this car has serious background and is worth three or four million!"

"Good heavens, it seems Lin Haocheng really is a big boss out there, making big money!"

"This time Lin Jianyang and his wife can brag for a while."

"..."

Lin Meng had just opened the courtyard gate when she saw the Maybach's taillights disappear around the corner.

After hearing a few remarks from some gossipy old villagers, she roughly understood the situation.

Her expression flickered; she hadn't expected this good-for-nothing brother to rush back overnight—was he trying to save face for his parents?

Lin Meng didn't want to deal with her uncle's family; she remembered her grandfather's instructions, went back inside, and opened an old phone book her father had left.

Fortunately her father had the habit of writing things down; although the parents' old phones were gone, there were still paper records with phone numbers to reach her aunt.

The call was quickly connected; after Lin Meng identified herself, her aunt Lin Cuihua became very excited.

She probably hadn't expected Lin Meng to reach out to her.

After agreeing on a time for her aunt to visit, Lin Meng tidied up and prepared to head to Clear Pond Town.

Although the village was full of petty gossip, even if she didn't mind, she couldn't stand the villagers' constant chatter, which disturbed her peace.

Lin Meng was driving her car out of the courtyard, about to leave, when the road ahead was suddenly blocked by Lin Haocheng.

The stretched Maybach deliberately blocked Lin Meng's big G; the village road was narrow, and the two vehicles completely blocked the way.

As Lin Meng poked her head out, she saw Lin Haocheng looking at her with a smug expression.

In the depths of his unfriendly eyes lay deep malice toward Lin Meng.

Lin Haocheng gripped the steering wheel tightly; he never imagined that the woman who had embarrassed him at the car dealership that day was actually his third uncle's child.

His whole family disliked the third uncle's household, so he naturally wouldn't pay attention to this annoying cousin.

Failing to recognize her was his mistake, but he couldn't figure out how Lin Meng could afford to buy a big G.

Wasn't it said that the dead old man left several million in debt, all pushed onto Lin Meng?

Her parents are dead, she quit her job and returned to the village—she's completely a worthless good-for-nothing.

Lin Haocheng glared fiercely at Lin Meng; his high-and-mighty look made him want to destroy her with his own hands.

"Cousin, you're leaving already? I rarely come back—let us cousins catch up."

In an instant, Lin Haocheng changed his expression.

But Lin Meng clearly saw only the calculation in his eyes.

This Lin Haocheng takes after his uncle's family—greedy, selfish, with a tiny mind.

Although they resemble Lin Qianqian in appearance and each have their own merits, the vacant, sinister, vicious look in their eyes is identical, making people dislike them at first sight.

Seeing that he wouldn't yield easily, Lin Meng simply got out of her car and walked over.

At this point, the onlooking villagers had filled the surrounding alleys; Lin Jianyang sat in the Maybach's back seat, looking pleased.

Meanwhile, Wang Fang led her young son Lin Haoxuan through the crowd.

The little fatty, having the day off from school, saw his older brother driving imposingly, shook off Wang Fang's hand, and lunged forward.

"Brother! I want you to drive this car tomorrow to take me to school so everyone will envy me!"

Lin Haocheng seemed to dote on this little brother; hearing this, he laughed heartily and said:

"Sure! Brother will take you for a drive later; when you come of age and get your license, Brother will buy you the latest model sports car!"

"And Mom and Dad, wait a few more months for me; once the new project's money comes in, I'll bring you to Jing Shi myself to buy a house and a car!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Jianyang and his wife felt their faces light up with pride.

Wang Fang even puffed out her chest, deliberately striking a pose to earn the villagers' admiration.

At this moment, Lin Haocheng's vanity was immensely satisfied.

Whether he was telling the truth or not, feeling good for this second was enough.

Lin Meng twitched the corner of her mouth, speechless; but the villagers were too gullible, believing whatever they were told.

"Lin Haocheng really has made it—he can even buy a house for his parents in Jing Shi; my family's simply can't compare."

"Wang Fang, your eldest son is truly excellent; as long as you find him a wife, you two will enjoy great blessings."

Wang Fang wore a look of pride, her eyes revealing arrogance.

"That's right; my eldest son is beyond praise—he's talented on his own. My husband and I only gave some startup funds; everything else he earned through his own effort."

After Wang Fang finished speaking, she again received a wave of envy from those around her.

Lin Meng pursed her lips; seeing Lin Haocheng still proud and enjoying herself, she couldn't help but say:

"What business does Cousin run in Jing Shi? I've never heard you opened a company."

Lin Haocheng gave a cold snort and glanced sideways at Lin Meng.

"Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand; business was booming before, but I won't go into it—whereas you, with no job and no savings, how did you suddenly come up with over three million to buy a car?"

If he hadn't personally seen Lin Meng pay the full amount in cash that day, with no one else present, he would surely not have believed it.

Lin Meng imitated Lin Haocheng's line and also deliberately kept her answer vague.

How do you know I don't make money? Anyway, I can't get it across to you.

Lin Meng's gaze shifted, she stared at Lin Haocheng's car for a moment.

Weird, this car looks quite familiar, as if I've seen it somewhere before.

Lin Meng furrowed her brows, thought for a moment, then her eyes lit up, she strolled around to the back of the car.

Just above the taillight, in an inconspicuous spot, there was actually a line of small text.

Isn't this the little advertising slogan of a car rental company?

Lin Meng instantly understood, the smile in her eyes deepened.

She strolled back to the front car door again, looking at Lin Haocheng and speaking teasingly.

"Cousin, this car is really strange, it looks a bit like the wedding cars that were popular recently; I've seen them in town, your taste in cars is indeed unique."

Lin Haocheng's face changed dramatically upon hearing that, and he instantly became nervous.

When feeling guilty and flustered, one tends to swear and raise one's voice.

As expected, Lin Haocheng lashed out at Lin Meng with a torrent of curses.

"Damn it! This is a genuine, brand‑new car—how could it be a rented wedding car?"

Lin Meng's eyes flashed, "Huh? I only said it looked like one, I didn't say it actually was, and I also didn't say your car was rented."

Lin Meng blinked; Lin Haocheng's obvious guilt was visible, sweat beading on his forehead.

The sharp‑eyed villagers also noticed the clue, suddenly pointing at the small advertisement on the taillight and laughing.

"Hahaha, look, this car really is rented from a car rental company—see this tiny ad; if you don't look closely you won't notice it."

For a moment, everyone ran over to glance at the small ad, each bursting into laughter.

Just moments ago Lin Haocheng was a promising, filial young man, but now he's become a clown, the laughingstock of the whole village.