Meanwhile, at the Lin family's villa
The meeting room inside the Lin family's villa was unusually tense. The polished table reflected the faint light from the chandelier above, but no one spoke for a moment.
Lin Weiran—the eldest son of Lin Fuyuan and Luo Qingling and one of Hua Xia's secret researchers—finally broke the silence, his voice sharp with frustration. "Alright, now that we're finally all here, can someone explain what exactly happened with Muyao? Why are we suddenly hearing her inner voice?" He rubbed his temple and let out a long sigh. "I was called back for this unexpectedly, given only three days off from my research, and now I'm supposed to make sense of… whatever this is?"
Old Master Lin, sitting at the head of the table, remained calm, his fingers tapping lightly against the edge of his teacup. "Weiran, take a breath," he said evenly. "This is why we called the meeting. We need to assess the situation clearly before jumping to conclusions."
"I'm the first person to actually hear Muyao's inner voice," Xuexing said, her tone calm but firm. "It was just yesterday afternoon, when Muyao came home after hearing Elder Xi's gossip. That's when I first noticed it. So, I suppose it must have happened around that time—something triggered it that allowed us to hear her inner voice."
"…Why does this sound like one of those systems they mention in novels?" Lin Xinyu—Muyao's eldest cousin, the daughter of Lin Zeyu and Feng Yuhan, and a well-known diplomat—asked with a raised eyebrow. She adjusted the papers in front of her, her professional composure barely hiding her disbelief
"Can you tell me about these systems mentioned in the novel, Xinyu?" Lin Zeyu, the youngest of Lin Fuyuan and Luo Qingling's three children and head of Lin Group's overseas business, asked curiously
"Oh! Oh! I know this one!" Lin Yunxia, Muyao's fourth cousin and Xinyu's younger sister, a lively social media influencer, exclaimed, practically bouncing in her seat with her hand raised high. "So, in those system novels, the main characters usually get some kind of system—like a guide or a game interface. For gossip systems, they can know all sorts of secrets about other people, sometimes even what's about to happen! Some versions even let others hear the main character's thoughts—but when they try to tell the person about it, their voice cuts off, or they can't breathe, or they can even see their ancestors or something like that."
She waved her hands for emphasis. "But the difference here is that Muyao doesn't have a system that talks to her—she has a book. A gossip book system. That's the only major difference from the ones in novels."
Lin Boyuan, Muyao's oldest cousin and the son of Lin Weiran and Tang Meilin, nodded in agreement. "I tried to tell Muyao yesterday that I could hear her inner voice," he said seriously. "But the moment I started talking about it, my voice just... stopped. I didn't have trouble breathing or see our ancestors like Yunxia said, but it felt like something was blocking me from saying it. I have a feeling if I keep trying to tell her directly, my voice will just disappear."
Tang Meilin, the wife of Lin Weiran and the only daughter of the Tang family, frowned worriedly. As someone who had always treated Muyao like her own daughter—spoiling her endlessly whenever she visited—her voice trembled slightly with worry. "So just a quick question… Will this gossip book system, or whatever it is, harm Muyao in any way?"
Lin Weiran glanced at her, then at the rest of the family. "For now, there's no sign that it's harming her physically," he said slowly. "Her condition seems stable, and based on what we've observed, she's acting normal—aside from the inner voice we can hear."
"However, we won't know if this system will affect her in the future," Feng Yuhan, wife of Lin Zeyu, mother of Lin Xinyu and Lin Yunxia, and a top fashion designer with her own brand, Fengyun, said. "We need to be prepared for anything that might happen to Muyao."
"That's true. Hopefully we're just overthinking things," Tang Meilin said, pressing her lips together, her worry evident. "I don't care what kind of 'system' it is. As long as it doesn't hurt our Yaoyao, that's all that matters."
Lin Anguo leaned forward, his expression tense. "Agent Li reported that both he and Assistant Chen can hear Muyao's inner voice clearly, as if she were speaking out loud."
Weiran's eyes widened. "Out loud? So you're saying everyone can hear her thoughts?"
"Not exactly," Lin Anguo replied. "I asked Muyao's driver this morning if he heard anything while she was in the car yesterday. He said all he heard was her mumbling about something, but he couldn't understand what she was saying."
"…So what is it that we all have in common, aside from being Muyao's family, that allows us to hear her inner voice?" Lin Boyan, Muyao's second cousin and twin of Boyuan, suddenly asked, clearly confused.
"…Entertainment," Lin Muchuan, Muyao's eldest brother and current CEO of Lin Group, said suddenly
"What do you mean by entertainment? Big brother, what are you talking about?" asked Lin Bohan, Muyao's second brother, who is publicly an A-list director but secretly runs Xing Xia Entertainment behind the scenes
Lin Muchuan leaned back in his chair, his expression thoughtful. "Think about it. Everyone who can hear Muyao's inner voice—Agent Li, Assistant Chen, and us—what do we have in common besides being family?"
Tang Meilin frowned. "I… don't understand. What are you getting at?"
"We're all connected to the entertainment industry in some way," Muchuan said slowly. "Whether it's running companies, managing talent, working in media, or investing in films and dramas, our lives all revolve around it. That seems to be the common link."
"That seems to make sense," Lin Weiran said, nodding his head.
Lin Boyan's brow furrowed. "So you're saying it's not just being her family… it's something about our profession?"
"Exactly," Muchuan nodded. "It's as if this system only allows people connected to the entertainment industry to hear Muyao's inner voice."
Bohan rubbed his chin, a thoughtful glint in his eye. "Interesting… So it's not random. It's selective."
Feng Yuhan, sitting beside Xinyu and Yunxia, frowned slightly. "Selective or not, we still need to keep an eye on her. Whatever this is, it's unlike anything we've ever seen."
Xia Xuexing nodded firmly. "No matter what, Muyao comes first. We protect her, and that's final."
Old Master Lin, observing the exchange quietly, finally spoke in his calm, measured voice. "Then it's settled. We learn what we can, stay vigilant, and ensure she's safe. Everything else can wait."