C12 I Need Someone to Take First Place!

The homework situation is all set.

Jing Cheng and Wen Donglin remained seated, clearly showing no intention of leaving anytime soon. The air hung with a tinge of awkwardness.

Wen Donglin sneaked a peek at Jing Cheng, who was engrossed in his phone, and then turned to Yem Xi with a warm smile, "How did you come to know Lin Xiao, Ms Yem Xi?"

She hailed from Riverside Village. Logically, she wouldn't have had the opportunity to meet the Lin family's second young master.

Lin Xiao picked up the thread, "It's quite an old story. I was kidnapped as a child and taken to Riverside Village, where Ms Xi saved me."

"Really? That happened?" Wen Donglin expressed his surprise, while Jing Cheng looked up with interest, "How old were you both back then?"

"Ten years old," Lin Xiao responded, then scratched his head, "I was small for my age, looked more like six or seven, which is probably why I was abducted... Ms Xi is my lifesaver."

He refrained from going into further detail.

Deep down, he was truly thankful to Yem Xi.

Jing Cheng gave a subtle nod.

The conversation dwindled after that. Jing Cheng answered a phone call and then departed with Wen Donglin. Before leaving, Wen Donglin thoughtfully informed Yem Xi, "Ms Yem Xi, Mr. Jing Cheng will be staying in the neighboring villa for a while. Feel free to reach out to him if you need anything."

Yem Xi remained silent.

As the host, Lin Xiao naturally escorted them out. Once they were gone, he dashed into the house, bursting with excitement, "Ms Xi! Why didn't you mention you knew Young Master Jing? I was nearly in tears from the shock!"

Yem Xi responded coolly, barely giving him a glance, "But you didn't cry, did you? Where are my things?"

Still high-strung, Lin Xiao pointed upstairs, "I'll show you. Ms Xi, you're so composed! How do you know Young Master Jing and Mr. Donglin?"

"I met them at the Jiang family's place this morning."

Lin Xiao's voice shot up, "So this is only the second time you've met? And Young Master Jing is already looking out for you like this? That's incredibly unusual!"

Yem Xi couldn't believe it either.

But without a reasonable explanation at hand, she decided to set the issue aside for the moment.

"Ms Xi, I've placed the items you sent in the study and haven't opened them yet," Lin Xiao said as he walked. "Take your time to look around and let me know if there's anything you're not happy with. I can have it renovated. By the way, when will you visit my place? Our new chef cooks delicious meals!"

"We'll see about that later," Yem Xi replied as she entered the study and headed straight for the smallest box.

Lin Xiao retrieved a pair of scissors from the desk and passed them to her.

Yem Xi opened the box and took out several framed paintings, along with some unmounted artwork.

It was Lin Xiao's first time seeing these pieces, and he couldn't help but squat down in admiration. "Ms Xi, are these your work? Amazing! They're incredible!"

Having been trained in art from a young age and having won numerous awards, Lin Xiao could immediately recognize the superior quality of Yem Xi's paintings.

Yem Xi gave the paintings a shake.

"Did you enter the Divine Pen Cup competition?"

"No, I didn't. Why do you ask? Are you interested?" Lin Xiao replied.

"I'm not competing, but I need someone to win first place."

Lin Xiao looked puzzled. "Ms Xi, what do you mean by that?"

Yem Xi's demeanor remained calm, yet her gaze carried a trace of iciness.

"Jiang Shuyao is entering the Divine Pen Cup. The Jiang family has connections with the Art Association. Unless something unexpected happens, she's likely to win first place."

Lin Xiao's expression turned scornful as he grasped the situation. "The Jiang family always resorts to such tactics! Don't worry, I've got this covered!"

Yem Xi's fingers tensed slightly.

In her past life, Lin Xiao had often warned her about Jiang Shuyao, advice she had ignored.

After she ran into trouble, Lin Xiao had driven out to help her but ended up in a fatal car crash on the mountain road.

Yem Xi's voice tightened, "Why haven't you asked me why I'm targeting Jiang Shuyao?"

Lin Xiao shrugged. "You definitely wouldn't target someone without reason. Plus, Jiang Shuyao... she's not a good person. None of the Jiang family are."

Lin Xiao had said the same thing in his past life.

And she had argued with him about it.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Xi, I..." Lin Xiao scratched his head awkwardly, realizing he'd forgotten that Yem Xi was now part of the Jiang family.

Yem Xi smiled. "The Jiang family really aren't good people. You don't have to worry about me."

Relieved that she wasn't upset, Lin Xiao relaxed.

"Then, I'll step out to make a phone call."

"Sure."

Yem Xi continued to sort through the paintings.

In her previous life, she had taken them back to the Jiang family, where Jiang Shuyao had seen them.

Jiang Shuyao entered one of the paintings, a Dawnbreak scene, in a contest and unsurprisingly took first place.

A few minutes later, Lin Xiao returned.

"Ms. Xi, a friend of mine is entering the competition."

Yem Xi had already guessed who Lin Xiao meant.

"His name is Du Yanheng. Turns out, he's a distant relative of yours."

Yem Xi knew exactly who he was.

Du Yanheng was Du Qingtian's distant nephew.

A truly unfortunate kid.

Before she died in her previous life, she had heard that the boy's hand had been broken, ending his ability to paint forever.

Lin Xiao, not wanting to dwell on family matters, quickly clarified, "Du Yanheng is nothing like the Jiangs. After his family's misfortune, their business suffered, and he himself was sabotaged in a competition last year, losing his chance to compete. The Jiang family was likely behind it, but there wasn't enough evidence at the time."

Yem Xi had learned about this incident later on.

She had also witnessed firsthand how Du Qingtian had humiliated his distant nephew.

Yem Xi held Du Yanheng in high regard.

"Alright. You handle it."