Standing Next To You-Chapter 487: In the room

Lin Sunji followed the crowd, clutching her phone tightly. She had already informed Fei Chuan about what was happening here, but he hadn’t replied.

Her eyes never left Lin Zhe. Her mind raced with scenarios that could potentially be used against her brother. She desperately hoped that Fei Chuan would find Bei Sangyun before anything went wrong.

Lin Zhe was leading the way alongside Old Master Lin and the elders, with the guests trailing behind them. Their destination was the museum hall, located in the farthest eastern wing—the oldest building on the Lin family estate. This structure held significant history, being the first European-style building constructed within the Lin family premises.

The Lin family’s first recognized generation had once used this wing as their private quarters. However, as newer buildings were constructed, the main wing shifted over time, and this section of the estate was gradually abandoned.

But the headmasters before Old Master Lin recognized the charm of the neglected wing and took steps to preserve its interior. He converted some of the rooms into a museum hall, where artifacts, paintings, collections, and other valuable heirlooms gathered over generations were carefully displayed.

The master bedrooms and guest rooms in the building were also restored and kept intact, available for occasions when a particular guest or family member wished to experience the nostalgia and grandeur of the past.

Lin Zhe stopped in front of the entrance and glanced at Old Master Lin. "This is where my leading ends. I’ll leave the rest to Sanju."

Old Master Lin checked his watch and nodded. Opening the museum hall was a privilege reserved for the heir. However, he couldn’t let the guests wait idly in front of the hall without anything to do.

He turned to Lin Zhe and said, "You can guide them to the other rooms. The butlers will call them once Sanju arrives. The elders and I will rest in the old study."

Lin Zhe nodded with a smile, his eyes narrowing into a crescent shape. "Not a problem, Grandfather. I’ll guide them around."

Turning to the crowd, he spread his arms open in a welcoming gesture. "Now, I know everyone is eager to enter the museum hall. But before that, how about we visit the master bedrooms once used by the first generation of the Lin family? It will be a novel experience."

The guests, while not particularly excited about the bedrooms—as they had similar historic rooms in their own mansions—were intrigued by the Lin family’s collection of antiques and artifacts. However, as they couldn’t enter the museum hall yet and had nothing else to do, they nodded in agreement.

"Why not? Might as well take a look."

"Please, lead the way, Master Lin Zhe."

Lin Zhe smiled, his eyes gleaming with confidence. "Then, how about we start with the master bedroom of the First Madame of the Lin family?"

The guests murmured their approval. Meanwhile, Lin Sunji discreetly opened her phone and immediately sent an update to Fei Chuan. An uneasy feeling gnawed at her.

Lin Zhe walked at a relaxed pace, leading the group toward a particular direction as he began his tale. "There’s an interesting history about the First Madame. She wasn’t actually the first wife but the second."

The guests trailing behind him perked up with curiosity. This was the first time they’d heard such a detail, and it instantly piqued their interest.

"How did she become the First Madame, then? Did the first wife die?" A guest asked.

"No. The first wife was banished." Lin Zhe answered.

Shocked gasps rippled through the crowd, none of them expecting to hear such a scandalous revelation. Even though it had happened centuries ago, the weight of the story sent their hearts racing.

"Why was she banished? What did she do?"

Lin Zhe looked at them with a mysterious smile. "She committed a grave sin—infidelity."

Another wave of gasps erupted among the guests. Their intrigue grew, and they began to pepper him with questions.

"How was she caught? "

"When did it happen?"

"What was the headmaster’s reaction?"

Even Lin Sunji frowned in confusion. As a member of the Lin family, she had never heard of this story before. Was Lin Zhe fabricating it? What was his true intention?

Lin Zhe stopped in front of one of the rooms and turned to face the crowd. "If it were a simple case of infidelity, there would have been no need to banish her. The headmaster could have simply divorced her, especially since they didn’t have any children. However, her betrayal was far worse—she committed infidelity with her own brother, whom she had brought into the mansion."

The crowd collectively widened their eyes in disbelief, many covering their mouths in shock. To commit infidelity with one’s own brother—unthinkable and revolting!

Among the guests, Lin Sunji was equally stunned. Even if this story were true, it was a stain on the family’s history that should have been buried, not aired in front of outsiders. Why was Lin Zhe revealing this? What was he trying to achieve?

Lin Sunji’s gaze flicked to the closed door of the room. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest.

"How absurd."

"Goodness, no wonder she was banished," the guests murmured among themselves, their voices tinged with disbelief and revulsion.

Lin Zhe continued, his voice calm but authoritative. "The headmaster was so enraged that he erased all records of his first wife from the family archives. That’s why none of you have ever heard of her. This story was uncovered from the writings of a gardener, the brother of the maid who served the first wife. He recorded it in his personal diary, which I discovered while reviewing the records of the previous workers who devoted their lives to this estate." He gestured toward the room behind him.

"And this is the room of the first wife."

All eyes turned to the closed door. The room’s appearance stood out—it was much older than the others they had passed, its wooden paint faded and dim, carrying the weight of time and secrets untold.