Standing Next To You
Chapter 83: Truth Came Out

Chapter 83: Truth Came Out

A/n: The third branch written in previous chaps is supposed to be the ’Fourth Branch’. I have already fixed it. Please refer to the Lin family tree for reference.

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Bei Sangyun’s eyes grew hazy as memories and buried feelings from that time slowly resurfaced. It felt as if she were witnessing them firsthand.

Her chest ached, and a suffocating grip seemed to tighten around her neck.

She reached up and touched her own neck, her fingernails digging into her skin.

Since Fei Chuan had been the person who had been with her the longest, she had considered him little more than an acquaintance, someone slightly more real in her life than others.

But it turned out that he was more than that. He had left a deep mark on her. It was as if he were a knife that had stabbed her heart and couldn’t be pulled out.

That one memory had already left her with a whirlwind of complicated emotions.

She wondered... how many other memories and feelings had she buried and forgotten? Would they all taste this bitter?

It was ironic that she couldn’t taste anything now, but she could feel the aftertaste of her memories.

Suddenly, Bei Sangyun felt that it wouldn’t be so bad to recall them all, be they bitter, awful, or sour. She would rather taste them than feel nothing.

She couldn’t help but mock herself for these thoughts.

Was she regretting it now?

Back then, the only way she could maintain her sanity was to bury everything—feelings, emotions, memories—and become the kind of person that everyone would fear.

Lin Sunji’s voice appeared once more in the background.

"If you read the comments, she is referred to as a tyrant, and everyone was scared of her. No one dared to intervene in the bullying because they were afraid she would target them next."

"Those videos were indeed disturbing," Old Master Lin commented with narrowed eyes.

Lin Sunji’s eyes lit up, and she became more animated as she explained, "That’s right, Grandfather. I couldn’t bear it either. I could only hope that she would come to her senses and stop her bullying. But what worried me more was that she was doing everything in the name of the Lin family. She made everyone fear her because of our family name. Every wrongdoing she committed was blamed on our family. I couldn’t take it anymore, so I confronted her about it. And this is what she did to me."

Lin Sunji showed her bruises again.

She then brought the ’witnesses,’ her friends, who testified about what had transpired. Because they were still young, Li Mei especially instructed these teenagers on what to say and to keep their statements concise.

The one who interrogated the teenagers was the fourth branch’s butler. They had conducted a rehearsal a while ago, and it was now paying off.

Fortunately for them, Old Master Lin did not question the witnesses and simply dismissed them after they had given their testimony.

The fourth branch acted so self-righteously and portrayed themselves as victims. With Lin Sunji as their spokesperson, they painted Bei Sangyun as a cruel person who needed to be expelled from the family.

Old Master Lin’s face darkened. He turned to Bei Sangyun and, with his overwhelming presence, attempted to intimidate her.

"Many pieces of evidence point toward you. You bullied an innocent person for your own satisfaction. If you are as cruel as they claim, then you don’t deserve to be part of the Lin family. How dare you use the family name for your crimes!"

Bei Sangyun removed her hands from her neck. She was unfazed by the old man’s intimidating aura.

Look at this old man, putting on a performance. He’s pretending to be angry just to test her under pressure. No wonder everyone in the family is skilled at acting. It runs in the genes.

"I am partly to blame for why that person suffered the bullying. And I’ll take responsibility for it. But I don’t want to let go of the mastermind. Someone is playing the field and was taking advantage of the situation to put me as a tyrant and ruin my reputation."

Calmly, Bei Sangyun retrieved a phone from her bag and handed it to Butler Yang as she continued, "This is the cellphone I found on one of the bullies. Check their messages."

Butler Yang displayed the messages on the screen and scrolled through the entire conversation. Everyone could discern Bei Sangyun’s intention in showing the messages.

From the messages, it was clear how the ’anonymous’ person manipulated the bullies to frame Bei Sangyun.

Lin Sunji attempted to conceal her nervousness. While she could deny the accusations of being the anonymous person due to lack of proof, she was still anxious.

After all the messages had been shown, Bei Sangyun turned to Old Master Lin. "I trust you have a definitive way to identify the mastermind with this evidence. I’ll leave the phone in your care."

Old Master Lin raised an eyebrow.

Look at this young one, acting so high and mighty, even ordering him around. What audacity!

However, Old Master Lin wasn’t angered by it. On the contrary, he grew more intrigued and wanted to test her further. If she had the ability to act like this, he wouldn’t mind, as long as she met his standards.

He instructed Butler Yang to take the phone to a professional. Lin Sunji paled at this, squeezing her mother’s hand nervously.

Li Mei patted her daughter’s hand as she thought of some ways to intervene in the investigation. Fortunately, they wouldn’t receive the results today.

Old Master Lin regarded Bei Sangyun with a serious expression. "Is this all the evidence you have presented today? It is not enough to prove your innocence. Based solely on the evidence you’ve provided, she appears more likely to be telling the truth."

"Of course not," Bei Sangyun replied. She produced another phone, the one from the bullies who had been present at the scene earlier.

She played a voice recording, and Lin Sunji’s recorded voice filled the living room.

[....I told him to handle it on his own. You can contact him if you want.]

Lin Sunji’s eyes widened as she heard her own voice.

She had been there, and she had not seen Bei Sangyun recording anything. How had Bei Sangyun managed to obtain a recording?

Was it those lackeys of hers?

Amidst Lin Sunji’s shock and trepidation, her voice continued to play in the background.

[...You’re right. I instigated it. But isn’t it because many people believed that’s what you wanted? If you had intervened and stopped it from the beginning, that person wouldn’t have been bullied. I might be the mastermind, but it’s you who allowed it to happen!]

Everyone’s attention turned to Lin Sunji. Her horrified expression gave away the truth.

Li Mei sensed that things were now out of control. She pleaded with Old Master Lin, "Father, this recording could be fabricated—"

"Enough!" Old Master Lin’s face darkened. "I’ve made it clear that what I hated the most is being lied to my face. Do you take me for a fool?!"

The fourth branch members lowered their heads in shame.