Chapter 19

Lin Jin was checking the messages on her phone. Someone had contacted her that day to ask about the songs she had uploaded earlier. After researching the market rate, she found that the price they offered was fairly generous, but they wanted her to sign over exclusive rights.

The moment Lin Jin saw the word exclusive, she had no intention of continuing the negotiations.

Still, she did not reject them immediately. First, she investigated the other party, confirming the company’s identity, background, and certain industry rumors. Only after making sure they had no reputation for stealing other people’s work did she decisively turn them down.

She still planned to make money from those songs. How could she sell off her evergreen assets for such a tiny short-term profit?

Even after refusing, Lin Jin remained uneasy. She was afraid a major company might bully her. After all, she currently had neither power nor influence and was practically nonexistent in the entertainment industry. Even if someone smashed her teeth out, she would have no choice but to swallow them along with the blood.

After thinking it over, Lin Jin directly sent Zhao Mo the dance she had successfully registered, asking for advice and guidance.

Zhao Mo replied very quickly.

A sixty-second voice message arrived. Lin Jin pressed play and listened for a moment. The entire recording consisted of Zhao Mo excitedly praising her.

This time, Lin Jin did not act modest or embarrassed. She openly accepted the compliments. After all, this really was something she had spent countless sleepless hours perfecting alone in her previous life.

Next, Lin Jin sent Chu Fengruo the songs she had registered.

Chu Fengruo responded almost immediately.

Chu Fengruo: Is this malware?

Lin Jin: They’re songs I sang!

Lin Jin: You seemed a little unhappy today. I sang them especially for you. Want to listen?

Chu Fengruo: Do I look that easy to fool?

Lin Jin: 【Cute kitten.jpg】

Chu Fengruo: I finished listening. They’re not bad.

Lin Jin: 【Spinning happily.jpg】

Chu Fengruo: Whose songs are these? Who is the original singer?

When Lin Jin saw that question, she nearly leaped off the bed in excitement.

She replied proudly:

Lin Jin: I sang them! 【Smug.jpg】

Lin Jin then sent Chu Fengruo the copyright registration certificates and confirmation notices.

The instant those documents arrived, Chu Fengruo froze. She checked them repeatedly before eventually recalling what her aunt had said—to treat the current Lin Jin and the previous one as two different people.

Would the old Lin Jin have sung like this?

What had Lin Jin been like before?

Chu Fengruo suddenly realized that she could barely remember. Only a few blurred fragments remained because the negative memories had been too deeply engraved in her mind—a vulgar hooligan, a vile drunkard, an Alpha despicable enough to attack an innocent child.

Lin Jin continued sending messages, but they were nothing more than pointless, boring reaction images.

Chu Fengruo accidentally held her finger against one for too long and then accidentally tapped the button to save it. By the time she returned to her senses, she could not be bothered to delete it.

“Well? Isn’t it pretty good?”

Lin Jin’s voice message sounded proud and unbearably smug, enough to make anyone want to hit her.

Yet Chu Fengruo inexplicably said nothing. She merely sent back the 【Nodding kitten.jpg】 Lin Jin had just sent her.

Lin Jin felt much more reassured now.

Zhao Mo was a nationally recognized dancer, and Chu Fengruo was an international superstar. With those two indirectly endorsing her, she could at least protect her ownership of the original choreography and songs.

Chu Fengruo verified the songs Lin Jin had sent. They had indeed been officially copyrighted and were genuinely Lin Jin’s original creations.

Her expression went blank.

She put on her earphones and listened again to the songs Lin Jin had uploaded to the registration platform.

The registered versions were identical to the ones Lin Jin had sent her. They were quite literally the same files uploaded twice.

And Lin Jin had claimed she had sung them especially for her because she seemed unhappy today.

“Tsk. Liar.”

Chu Fengruo saved the song. Since she was too lazy to leave the page, she played it on repeat several times. She only stopped when an incoming call interrupted her listening.

The caller was the friend Chu Fengruo had previously contacted.

At the time, Chu Fengruo had been furious after learning that Lin Jin and Chu Chengye had conspired to drug her. She had instructed this friend to prepare certain materials and publicly expose Chu Chengye’s scandals during the old madam’s birthday celebration.

The caller informed her that everything was ready.

“Does any of it involve Lin Jin?” Chu Fengruo asked.

The person on the other end went quiet for a moment. After checking, they replied, “A little.”

“Remove it. Don’t involve Lin Jin. Focus entirely on Chu Chengye. Also, prepare an extra dose of the old madam’s blood-pressure medication.”

After ending the call, Chu Fengruo looked at her conversation with unauthorized copy Lin Jin and thought again about what Chu Xunlan had said.

Treat them as two different people?

Chu Fengruo released a long sigh.

It was easier when a villain remained wicked all the way to the end. The troublesome part was when the villain suddenly turned over a new leaf and became a decent person. Even taking revenge then made her seem cruel and unwilling to let the matter go.

That evening, Chu Xunlan came to inform everyone that it was time to leave for Jiuzhang Manor.

Chu Ning had only just awakened and was still somewhat dazed, but she had already begun instinctively searching for Lin Jin.

“Mommy, where is Mama?”

Chu Fengruo sighed inwardly. Children truly forgot things quickly. After only a few brief interactions, Chu Ning had completely forgotten that Lin Jin had once beaten her.

“She’s resting next door.”

Chu Fengruo helped Chu Ning change clothes.

“Mommy will put you in a pretty little dress first. Then Ningning can go next door and ask Mama to leave with us, all right?”

“Okay!”

Lin Jin was still scrolling through information on her phone when someone knocked on the door.

When she opened it, an adorable little child stood before her. Lin Jin had never been able to resist cute children like this. Her heart immediately melted.

She picked Chu Ning up and rubbed her forehead against the child’s cheek, making Ningning giggle.

After playing with her for a while, Lin Jin carried her to find Chu Fengruo. The three of them appeared together before the old madam.

The old madam had changed into an elegant, festive old-fashioned formal outfit.

Lin Jin studied it several times before deciding that it somewhat resembled the Victorian-style clothing wealthy older women had worn in news reports in her previous life. It would have looked even more similar if the old madam had carried a small, exquisite handbag.

Behind her, Chu Xunlan wore loose casual clothes.

The mother and daughter certainly had a rather eclectic style when standing together.

The old madam was also examining Lin Jin.

Despite being an Alpha, Lin Jin was even prettier than an Omega. Her face had been meticulously made up, and one glance at her hair was enough to tell that it had been carefully styled. Compared with Lin Jin, even Chu Fengruo appeared somewhat casually dressed.

“Since everyone is here, let’s leave.”

The old madam spoke with a smile and extended her hand. Chu Fengruo immediately went over to support her and linked arms with her.

Several cars carried the Chu family to Jiuzhang Manor, with bodyguards following [bailiantales.com]both ahead and behind them.

Lin Jin sat in the fourth car with Chu Ning. Beside them was the housekeeper who had treated Lin Jin coldly earlier.

“Hello, Mr. Housekeeper. How should I address you?”

“Hello, Miss Lin. My surname is Wang. You may call me Housekeeper Wang.”

“There’s no need to be so polite with me. Just call me Xiao Jin. After all, I don’t pay your salary, and I’m not your superior.”

The housekeeper froze, then smiled at Lin Jin.

“My name is Wang Peng. You can call me Old Wang or Uncle Peng.”

“Then I’ll call you Uncle Peng. Uncle, you must have worked for the Chu family for many years, right?”

“Of course. I watched the young lady grow up from the day she was born,” Housekeeper Wang Peng said with a nostalgic expression.

Lin Jin was eloquent and skilled at charming people. Within only a few exchanges, she had become quite friendly with Wang Peng. He even apologized for having treated her coldly earlier.

“Uncle Peng, you’re being too distant. You were only doing the job you’re paid to do. It wasn’t really up to you, so there’s no need to apologize. It was only a small matter.”

Lin Jin chatted with him a little longer, then claimed she was afraid she might behave improperly at Jiuzhang Manor and embarrass the Chu family. Using that as an excuse, she asked Wang Peng for a floor plan of the estate.

Wang Peng even pointed out several locations for her.

“These areas marked in red are temporary sealed isolation rooms. If an emergency occurs—such as an Alpha entering a rut or an Omega going into heat—they can use the nearest room. Each one is equipped with suppressants, air purification, and ventilation systems.”

“There’s nothing else you need to pay particular attention to. Just don’t go causing trouble in the kitchen, or the chefs might chase you out.”

Wang Peng even made a joke.

Lin Jin laughed heartily along with him, but part of her attention remained focused on memorizing the entire layout.