Chapter 4 Severing Ties
How could this be possible?
What had they just heard?
For a moment, everyone present doubted their own ears!
How could Ling Lu, a woman known for being selfish and calculating, possibly be willing to voluntarily give up her status as a young lady of the Ling family and sever ties with them?
The biting retort Ling Yeli had been about to deliver stuck in his throat; he was so shocked he nearly choked, his breath catching painfully. Lin Yueru’s expression shifted from bewilderment to sheer disbelief.
"What do you mean by that?"
Ling Lu swept a cold, indifferent gaze over the group, her eyes devoid of any emotion.
"I said I want to sever my relationship with the Ling family."
"Since you've heard me clearly, sign the papers as soon as possible."
Ling Lu pushed the agreement toward Ling Canghai. When he saw the contents clearly, he felt a wave of blackness wash over his vision from the sheer rage.
"Rip!"
The few thin sheets of paper were instantly reduced to countless fragments. Ling Canghai, face flushed with fury, threw the scraps at the girl sitting in the wheelchair.
Ling Lu seemed to have anticipated this; she maneuvered her wheelchair back two steps, dodging the flying paper. Seeing this, Father Ling’s rage only intensified. He shouted sharply, "You wicked daughter! What kind of stunt are you pulling now?"
"I haven't even settled the score with you for the car accident that sent Ling Lin to the hospital, and you have the audacity to threaten your own father?"
Ling Canghai’s explosive anger wasn't because he cared much for his own daughter, Ling Lu. It was because, as a board member and the head of the massive Ling Group, he was accustomed to being in a position of power. Ling Lu’s current actions were a blatant act of defiance that challenged his authority, which was why his reaction was so extreme.
"That’s enough, Ling Lu, stop the theatrics! You pull this same trick every day—don't you have anything new?" Ling Yanye, the third son of the Ling family, said with a face full of impatience.
In his eyes, how could a vanity-obsessed woman like Ling Lu voluntarily leave the Ling family? This was surely just another one of her ploys to grab their attention. Her methods were becoming increasingly pathetic, he sneered inwardly.
Ling Lu’s demeanor remained calm from start to finish, as detached as a mere spectator.
"Thud!"
A thick stack of papers was tossed onto the table by the girl.
"I have as many of these agreements as you want. Can you tear them all up?"
Fortunately, she had come prepared and printed plenty of copies in advance.
"I said I came back today for this one thing. Sign them and I’ll leave."
"Hurry up! Don't drag this out. If I look at your faces any longer, I’m afraid I’ll be sick."
The girl’s tone carried a clear thread of impatience.
"Ling Lu!"
The eldest son of the Ling family, who had been keeping to himself, slammed the table and stood up, shouting furiously. Ling Jinmo had worked alongside Father Ling for years to handle corporate affairs and was already the company’s executive CEO at a young age. Clad in a suit, his features sharp and cold, he squinted at her with an aura that was chillingly inaccessible.
The Ling Lu of the past had always held a mix of respect and fear for this eldest brother, but now, she felt no fear at all.
"Is that how you speak to your family? Where is your upbringing?"
"Are you satisfied only when you’ve turned this household upside down?"
Ling Jinmo stared coldly at the girl with his narrow eyes.
Ling Lu let out a cold laugh upon hearing this.
"Upbringing?"
"You're asking me about upbringing?"
"I had a mother but no one to raise me—isn't that perfectly clear to all of you? Don't you feel ridiculous asking such a stupid question?" The girl retorted sharply.
"Ling Lu! Since you returned, how has the Ling family ever treated you unfairly? Stop acting as if we owe you something!" Ling Yeli finally recovered from his shock and barked.
A fire ignited in the girl’s eyes. She hadn't wanted to argue with them, but these people were simply being too overbearing!
"You haven't treated me unfairly? You brought me back but never took care of me!"
"I’ve been back for three years, and the Ling family didn't even have a room for me! Every time something happens to Ling Lin, you always blame it on me!"
"No matter how I explain, no one listens! Every single time!"
"In the three years since I returned, all I’ve experienced here is endless cold violence, cursing, and reprimands."
"I’ve had enough!"
"Whoever wants to stay in this Ling house can stay! I, Ling Lu, am done serving you!"
Although the girl sat thin and frail in her wheelchair, her spine was held straight, radiating an unyielding, resilient temperament.
The members of the Ling family were stunned by Ling Lu’s sudden outburst. After all, in their impression, although Ling Lu was supposedly capable of doing terrible things in secret, she had always been outwardly submissive, not even daring to speak too loudly. This was the first time she had ever pointed a finger at their noses and cursed them.
For a moment, no one in the room made a sound.
Suddenly, Ling Lin, who had been quiet the whole time, stepped forward, her eyes brimming with tears, and grabbed Ling Lu’s hand.
"Xiaolu, don't be like this. It’s all my fault; I’m the one who should go. Please, don't fight with Mom, Dad, and my brothers. They will be so sad..."
"Get lost!"
Ling Lu shook off Ling Lin’s hand.
"Spare me that act. You are the person I find most disgusting in this whole group!"
"You walk around wearing that 'white lotus' mask every day; only the fools in this Ling family would believe your dirty tricks!"
In her previous life, Ling Lin was exactly like this—able to wash her hands of any blame with just a few words. Every time she got hurt, the timing was perfect, always happening right beside Ling Lu, and always happening in front of other members of the Ling family.
Ling Lu, having been reborn, finally saw the truth.
Wasn't this just the standard tactic of a "green tea" bitch? Ling Lin was the one who was truly deeply manipulative.
At the same time, following Ling Lu’s movement, Ling Lin let out a sharp cry and feigned falling backward, only to be caught in the waist by Ling Yeli, who had lunged forward. Mother Ling hurried over to check on Ling Lin, only letting out a breath of relief when she saw she was unharmed. She then turned her gaze toward Ling Lu, her eyes burning with fury.
"You’ve truly gone insane!"
"Go if you want! I’ll consider myself to have never had a daughter like you!"
"Besides, Ling Lin has been by my side all these years—it makes no difference whether you’re here or not!"
Lin Yueru didn't believe Ling Lu truly had the courage to leave the Ling family; it was just a tactic to scare them. Her goal was to force them to compromise and escape punishment for the car accident. She didn't believe for a second that Ling Lu could survive outside the Ling family.
Lin Yueru grabbed the agreement and signed her name. The rest of the Ling family clearly shared the same sentiment and made no move to stop her. None of them believed Ling Lu had the guts to actually leave.
Ling Lu packed up the agreement and placed a notebook and a bank card on the table.
"This notebook records every single expense I’ve incurred in the Ling family over the last three years."
"I’ve calculated the room and board costs based on hotel prices outside. Staying in this house was no different than staying in a hotel anyway."
"There is exactly fifty thousand in this bank card. Not a cent short."
Fifty thousand??
Hearing this number, the Ling family members present frowned in unison.
They were a wealthy, prominent family. Even if they had ignored Ling Lu, it was impossible they had only spent fifty thousand on her in three years. Fifty thousand over three years meant a living allowance of only a thousand a month—how could anyone live on that?
This must be Ling Lu just making things up!
Seeing their reaction, Ling Lu caught their skepticism, but she was too tired to explain further. Fifty thousand was fifty thousand; she had kept meticulous track of the accounts for these three years, and there wouldn't be a single discrepancy.
In her previous life, the years Ling Lu spent back in the Ling house were even worse than the days she spent wandering. Because she always tried to please her family, she often used money earned from part-time jobs to buy them gifts. But even when she lived frugally and spent months of wages on a present, in the eyes of the Ling family, it was nothing but trash; they wouldn't even glance at it.
Ling Lu stopped dwelling on those bitter memories and continued coldly:
"If you don't believe me, you are welcome to verify it yourselves later."
"And feel free to throw away anything in the room I stayed in. There’s nothing important there. That’s it."
"From this moment on, I, Ling Lu, have nothing to do with the Ling family!"
With that, she didn't hesitate, maneuvering her wheelchair around and leaving.
Seeing this, the Ling family members were stunned, not expecting her to actually leave—and so decisively.