As Saira was running back, she accidentally bumped into someone.
"Sorry," she apologized without looking up.
"Saira, it's me." Christian's voice came from above her head.
Saira looked up and met Christian's concerned eyes. Tears that had been welling up in her eyes suddenly poured out like a breached dam.
Seeing her cry, Christian panicked, his voice urgent. "What's wrong? Who bullied you? Tell me, and I'll make sure they pay."
Saira shook her head, refusing to say anything.
The more she refused to speak, the more anxious Christian became, desperate to know what happened.
"Tell me, who dared to bully you? Was it her?" Christian's voice was especially gritted and fierce when he mentioned "her."
"No, it wasn't her. Brother, please don't ask anymore. I don't want you to get scolded by Mom and Dad again."
Even though Saira didn't name Zuri, anyone could tell that she was implying it was her.
Christian was furious. "I'm going to find her right now. She really won't stop, will she? Is her life so miserable that she has to bully you to get by?"
Saira clung tightly to his arm. "Brother, don't go. Today is not the right time."
The underlying meaning was clear: they could deal with her another day.
Faced with his sister's earnest plea, Christian temporarily suppressed his anger. "Alright, I'll listen to you. I won't confront her today, but once we leave, I'll find a chance to teach her a lesson."
Zuri was really too much.
All this time, he had tolerated her because she was their parents' biological daughter. He never thought that their forbearance and efforts to keep the peace would only make her more audacious.
This time, he was determined to set her straight and make her understand that she couldn't run the Lin family however she pleased.
At the banquet, guests had already discussed everything there was to talk about, but the main person they wanted to see had yet to appear, and their murmurs of discontent grew louder.
"Do you think Adam's not coming?"
"The banquet is halfway over. If he doesn't show up soon, it will be over."
"Could it be that the Lin family spread a false rumor and Adam isn't coming at all?" someone questioned.
Many shared this suspicion.
"That's unlikely," someone else said, skeptical.
"Did you notice? The old secretary and those few elders nearing the end of their days are all here for Adam. If the Lin family used this news to boost their anniversary celebration and offended so many big shots, it wouldn't be worth it," someone analyzed calmly.
Most people, holding onto this reasoning, remained patient and continued to wait.
Adam's medical skills and standing in the medical field were worth the wait.
The guests grew restless and distracted, waiting anxiously, and the Lin family was not having an easy time either. The news of Adam's return was a double-edged sword.
Used well, it would benefit the Lin family and elevate their status.
Used poorly, the Lin family would be resented by everyone.
In the backstage lounge, the atmosphere was tense.
Old Master Lin's wise eyes swept over his three sons and he asked gravely, "Have you contacted Adam?"
Eldest son Lin Tianxiao replied, "His phone has been off the whole time."
"What about his assistant?"
Javier reported cautiously, "His assistant said Adam left the hospital long ago. By right, he should be here by now. But…"
But the result was that he still hadn't shown up.
"Tianyou, send someone to find him. Don't come back until you do," Old Master Lin ordered.
Javier reluctantly took on the task.
As time passed, the guests at the banquet were ready to leave disappointed.
"Tsk tsk, the Lin family really mishandled this. They're destined to disappoint everyone," Azura commented idly.
Zuri chimed in at an inopportune moment, "This 'everyone' shouldn't include me."
"You're heartless," Azura pushed her away in disgust.
Zuri smiled and accepted the judgment. "I'm going to the restroom."
"Go, go."
But instead of heading to the restroom, Zuri went upstairs to the guest lounge. She walked from room to room, pausing for a few seconds at each door.
When she reached the innermost room, she heard a woman's soft moans. Zuri quickly stepped forward. The door was ajar, and through the gap, she could see inside.
A voluptuous woman was facing her direction. Opposite the woman stood a tall, straight figure in a white shirt and black pants, which accentuated his long legs.
Even without seeing the man's face, from his back and the aura he exuded, it was clear he must be good-looking.
Zuri glanced inside and, confirming it wasn't the person she was looking for, was about to leave when she heard the woman inside call out sweetly, "Adam, I feel so uncomfortable. Can you help me?"
Adam?!!!
Zuri froze in her tracks, looking at the tall figure inside with surprise.
So this was Adam!
While everyone outside was waiting endlessly for him, this guy was here having a tryst with a beauty.
His behavior was truly disappointing.
"I can't undo my buttons. Help me," the woman coquettishly pleaded, her eyes full of allure, her red lips slightly parted, exuding an irresistible charm.
After her initial shock, Zuri was about to turn away when she heard the man's deep, slightly hoarse voice.
"Your face has been shaved, your nose is augmented, you had double eyelid surgery, corner of the eyes extended, forehead filled with hyaluronic acid, lips enhanced, your chest is silicone, and your waist and other areas have all undergone various degrees of surgery. Do you think I would be interested in a silicone doll who's had work done all over?"
Wow!
Zuri was shocked again.
How could he expose her so bluntly in front of her face? Wasn't he afraid of retaliation?
The beautiful woman's face turned pale, her fingers trembling as she pointed at the unsympathetic man.
"You…"
She raised her hand, aiming for his handsome face.
Adam caught her hand, "If you move too much, any strenuous activity could compress the silicone, causing it to explode inside your body."
The beauty was so frightened by this that she didn't dare to move. "You're despicable."
Adam let go of her hand, ignoring the furious woman.
He turned around, his deep eyes behind gold-rimmed glasses locking onto Zuri outside the door.
Zuri looked at the man before her. Although she had expected him to be handsome, she hadn't anticipated his features to be so refined. His deep-set eyes, well-defined contours, and a few strands of slightly long hair falling over his gold-rimmed glasses gave him a scholarly yet somewhat cold and aloof look, creating an inexplicable sense of restrained allure.