Lin Ziyan put down the brown paper bag, pulled up a chair in front of the dining table, and sat down.

"Uncle, you...disappeared on your own?"

Lin Shaowen, "..."

Lin Jun's lips twitched, wanting to laugh but unable to, so he simply got up to help Lu Yunshen pack his things.

"Let's wash and chop the vegetables we need..." Lu Yunshen put the things on the table and picked out the ingredients needed for hot pot that night.

Lin Jun turned around and glanced at the two people drinking tea, touched the tip of his nose, and nodded.

"Last time you brought people to the villa, you were caught," Lin Shaowen said casually.

Unbeknownst to him, the villa area was being monitored by a certain department.

This time, the butler disappeared, and he simply vanished as well, throwing everyone into disarray.

Lin Shaowen thought to himself that if it weren't for his prestige in the local business community, Rongkai Group would probably have been swallowed up by the local capital long ago.

"Yes, I guess it was because of what happened last time that it was exposed... Uncle, I'm sorry, I didn't think things through at the time," Lin Ziyan said with shame.

She thought that her uncle had been in Germany for so many years and would be safer than in other places, without considering that the more he was safe, the more likely he would be targeted by certain departments.

“Even if you don’t tell me, they will eventually move here,” Lin Shaowen said cryptically.

Lin Ziyan, "..."

She vaguely understood something, but dared not say it aloud.

Does the list that Grandma kept have Uncle's name on it?

Lin Ziyan felt it was pretty much true: her uncle already had a mission in Germany, and by chance, he founded Rongkai Group and became the representative of the Chinese community here.

This explains everything in the basement.

Neither of them said anything further, but quietly drank their tea.

"I didn't go back. Are you very disappointed, Grandma?" Lin Shaowen asked casually.

He knew in his heart that his mother wouldn't, but he still wanted to hear his niece say it herself to put his mind at ease.

"Grandma isn't disappointed, she's just worried about you."

"On the day we held our banquet, my great-grandmother personally did my makeup..." Lin Ziyan briefly recounted the events of that day.

"etc…"

She suddenly got up and ran upstairs.

A short while later, she came down with a cloth bag.

"I've been worried about your safety these past few days and forgot to bring these out. There are photos from the wedding banquet, and a gift that my great-grandmother asked me to bring for my cousin-in-law..."

After Lin Ziyan finished speaking, she opened the wooden box.

One of them contained two small ceramic jars of perfume, and the other contained a bracelet.

Lin Shaowen touched the red "Lin" character stamped on the ceramic, his eyes slightly red.

Upon hearing that there were photos from the day of the banquet, Lin Jun quickly dried his hands and leaned over to look.

"What a beautiful wedding dress! The workmanship looks exquisite."

"Grandma said that if you get married soon, she will personally make a four-piece bedding set for you, and she will also do the embroidery on it herself." Lin Ziyan blinked.

Lin Jun's face instantly turned bright red, ignoring her teasing.

Lin Shaowen glanced at the embroidery on the wedding dress and nodded, "Mother's craftsmanship is still so good."

After looking at the photos, the group smelled a spicy aroma and couldn't help but swallow.

Lu Yunshen ladled the bottom of the pot into a small pot and placed it on the dining table.

“Ayan,”

"Mr. Lin?"

Lu Qiuying strode into the kitchen to make sure she wasn't seeing things.

She's been running into obstacles at every turn while trying to get things done in Germany these past few days.

She then remembered that when she led the team here before, Mr. Lin's secretary would accompany them wherever they went, and no one made things difficult for them.

"Minister Lu, welcome back to our home. From now on, we're practically family." Lin Shaowen stood up and gestured for them to sit down.

Lu Qiuying was stunned for a few seconds before she realized that they were indeed relatives.

"Sit down quickly." Lin Shaowen's smile deepened.

Several small pots were placed on their respective seats, and various ingredients were arranged on the rotating table.

Lin Ziyan opened the red wine and poured some for everyone.

Lin Shaowen and Lu Yunshen chatted about the technology company, and the two had a very pleasant conversation.

Lin Jun glanced at them suspiciously, then ate his hot pot meat while listening to their conversation.

By the end, Lin Jun couldn't understand anymore.

"Don't hesitate to ask for help if you need it." Lin Shaowen picked up his wine glass and clinked it with Lu Yunshen's.

This time, he retreated to the background before starting to investigate the Lu family's situation.

Lu Yun Shen said, "Uncle, I won't hesitate to help if you really need it."

Lin Jun's lips twitched slightly as he lowered his head to eat, unable to understand why his grandfather's attitude towards Lu Yunshen had suddenly changed.

"When are you going back to China?" Lu Qiuying asked Lin Ziyan in a low voice.

With things mostly settled here, Lu Qiuying will be heading back to China in a couple of days.

Xiao Jin also needs to go back as soon as possible. Old Master Xiao is probably dying, and he must go back for the funeral.

Lin Ziyan: "I want to go back now, it's too cold here."

She was also worried about the situation at home.

If Wang Erniu has a problem, then the R&D department of the electronics factory will have to set access restrictions.

S Group was unaware that they had established their own research and development team.

Even if they knew, they wouldn't dare to break the contract now.

After all, they weren't sure whether the Chinese market could meet their expectations.

But things might be different a year from now. When sales figures and other data come out, the market reaction will be immediately apparent.

S-Electric already sells very well in Asia, and China will be their largest market.

Their market research department is no slacker; they certainly won't miss out on this lucrative opportunity.

"I heard that your electronics factory has also set up a research and development team?" Lu Qiuying took a bite of meat and looked at the person next to her.

Lin Ziyan nodded. She had been lost in thought and the beef she put in the pot had become tough. "We can't keep being a distributor forever, can we?"

"Only by mastering core technologies can we avoid being held hostage by others."

Lu Qiuying paused, her hand still holding the food, and looked at Lin Ziyan thoughtfully.

This is a sentence from her mid-year summary: whether it is a machinery factory or a shipbuilding company, if all production machinery depends on imports, sooner or later they will be held hostage.

She advocates that state-owned enterprises, or capable private enterprises, should be able to independently develop core products, otherwise they will be blocked sooner or later.

Xiao Jin nodded upon hearing Lin Ziyan's words.

"Ayan, don't you think it's easier to just buy what's readily available?"

“After all, developing it on your own requires a lot of investment, and you might not even be able to make a breakthrough in the end,” Lin Shaowen said, raising an eyebrow.

He never expected his niece to have such forward-thinking ideas.

For example, Rongkai Group has its own HNA system, which distinguishes it from other companies.

Every year, he invests more in research and development than any shipping company, and even more than some research institutes.

Lin Ziyan put down her chopsticks. "In the short term, it is indeed a loss-making venture."

"But that may not be the case in the future."

"Some commercially available parts may also be used for military purposes. If we are cut off from these supplies, what security can China possibly have?"

"National rejuvenation through science and technology is the inevitable path for China's development."

Lin Shaowen's eyes were full of surprise. He smiled and nodded, hoping that the higher-ups would also have this awareness.

Even if he didn't, he would still send these back to China.

Therefore, the prosperity and strength of China in the future is inevitable...