Chapter 81

Kiss me properly.

In the spacious restaurant, the news broadcast abruptly stopped, leaving only the clattering of cutlery.

Cheng Sangluo put down her toast, pulled out a few napkins and handed them to Lin Jin, asking cautiously, "Young man... um... are you okay?"

Lin Jin glanced at the tissue in the puppy's hand, wrinkled her nose, and chuckled, "Do you think I'd burst into tears?"

"Um... I meant for you to wipe your mouth..." Cheng Sangluo awkwardly made up an excuse for herself, secretly cursing herself for being so futile. After all, the crazy woman was heartless and ungrateful; why should she pity her?

Lin Jin put her phone aside, picked up the bowl in front of her and kept stirring the white porridge, but in the end she didn't scoop out a single spoonful and put it in her mouth.

Having no appetite, she put down her bowl and silently moved into her wheelchair.

Seeing that she wanted to leave, Cheng Sangluo hurriedly put down her breakfast and went behind the wheelchair. "Where are you going?"

"You eat your breakfast, don't worry about me. I know how to operate this electric wheelchair," Lin Jin replied casually, pushing the wheelchair forward towards the home elevator.

Cheng Sangluo stood there, her face showing a resentful expression of being abandoned. "Hey, where are you going? I'll come find you when I'm all packed up."

She put her hands on her hips, watching the thin figure walk further and further away, and sighed helplessly. Why did she have to force herself to be emotional? It's not shameful to cry about losing a father.

In reality, Cheng Sangluo couldn't empathize with what Lin Jin was truly saddened about.

Lin Zhen's death did not stir her grief; what saddened her was how easily a person could perish.

For over twenty years, she had been plotting revenge, thinking of all sorts of ways to kill that family of three. In the end, she just fell seriously ill and died.

Lin Zhen died too easily; how could that possibly quell the hatred that had taken root in her heart for so many years?

Lin Jin went straight to the study on the second floor.

She sat down behind the impressive mahogany desk and took out the 'gift' Lin Zhen had given her from the drawer.

She scrutinized the contents of the agreement, going through it almost word for word, to prevent Lin Zhen from setting any traps in the contract.

'Within one year... if Senyao Capital's annual net profit exceeds that of the Lin Group by 10%... you will acquire 90% of my shares... if you fail... you will lose 50% of Senyao Capital's controlling stake...'

Lin Jin recalled her conversation with her father the previous night and compared it with the contents of the agreement. Sure enough, among the densely packed clauses, there were ambiguous provisions:

1. If the net profit of Party B Senyao Group in its annual report exceeds that of Party A Linshi Group by 10%, Party B will receive 30% of the equity under Mr. Lin Zhen's name.

2. If Party B owns more than 20% of Party A's shares, Party B shall acquire 60% of the shares held by Mr. Lin Zhen.

3. If Party B owns more than 30% of Party A's shares, Party B will receive 90% of the shares held by Mr. Lin Zhen.

4. If Party A's net profit exceeds 10% of Party B's annual report net profit, Party A will acquire 50% controlling interest in Party B.

In conclusion, even if Mr. Lin Zhen passes away and the equity is transferred to Mr. Lin Sheng, the performance-based agreement will remain valid for one year.

Yesterday, Lin Jin was only focused on getting back at Lin Zhen, so she skimmed through the agreement and didn't study the details of the terms. She never expected that the cunning fox was still thinking of playing a word game with her even on his deathbed.

On the surface, the Lin Group offered more opportunities to choose the best option in this bet, but in reality, it was the Senyao Group that suffered the loss. A simple comparison of the first and fourth rules reveals the extremely unfair and shady dealings involved.

Lin Zhen proposed this bet because he was certain his daughter would agree without hesitation in order to get revenge.

In this way, he both satisfied his desire to cultivate future generations like a treacherous stratagem and his preference for Lin Sheng's side.

If Lin Jin signs this betting agreement, as long as any of the first three clauses are met, it will mean that she is the best leader of the Lin family. This will satisfy Lin Zhen's satisfaction with the results of the Gu breeding and also protect the future development of the Lin family.

In other words, whether Lin Jin signed the agreement but failed in the gamble, or she didn't sign it, the result would be the same: Ruan Jinxian and her son would be able to live a worry-free life.

For Lin Zhen, this is a result he can never lose.

"Old man, he won't let me go even after he's dead. He's got a real scheme going on." Lin Jin leaned back in his chair and chuckled twice, then rubbed his nose and closed his eyes for a short rest, looking distressed.

'Knock knock knock—'

Cheng Sangluo knocked politely on the door, poked half her head in, and shook the fruit plate she was holding. "May I come in?"

Lin Jin was brought back to her senses by the noise at the door. Looking at the puppy's obedient and ingratiating appearance, she gave a tired smile and said, "Come in."

Cheng Sangluo quickened her pace to the desk and handed the fruit plate to Lin Jin. "Eat some fruit. I noticed you barely ate any breakfast. Cultivators know to absorb the essence of the sun and moon, but you, with your mortal body, only know how to breathe air. You're as thin as a monkey. A gust of wind could blow you out to sea. Do you know what you're like? Like a kite, just a thin layer."

Listening to the puppy's endless complaints, Lin Jin smiled and raised her eyebrows, hissing, "Hiss... I've noticed you're quite talkative. You used to never utter more than five words in a sentence. When did you become so garrulous?"

"I..." The puppy was speechless. It put its hand in front of its mouth and made a zipper gesture before turning its gaze to the table.

She stared at the agreement. Although she didn't know the specifics, the words "betting" on the black background and the addition of rent made it clear, not to mention that she saw Lin Zhen's name.

"A bet? What are you betting with Lin Zhen on? Isn't he already dead?" Cheng Sangluo frowned.

She was about to pick up the agreement to take a closer look when Lin Jin slapped the page down, stopping her.

"This is none of your business." Lin Jin shook his head and said indifferently, "It's none of your concern, don't ask about it."

Cheng Sangluo hadn't felt the madwoman's indifference for a long time. The words "It's none of your business" plunged her into an unprecedented sense of defeat.

She slumped against the table, annoyed, and turned to look at the absent-minded, crazy woman, scoffing, "I'm just a silent type on the surface, but you're the one who can never utter a single honest word. No matter what I ask, you always stay silent. Now we're on the same page, all lovey-dovey, hugging, and getting married, doing everything we're supposed to do, but in the end you still won't tell me anything. What's the point of our alliance then, playing house?"

Now that things have come to this point, Cheng Sangluo hoped that Lin Jin could open up to her. She didn't expect Lin Jin to tell her the whole truth, but at least they could talk about their plans for the future.

She was like a headless fly. Although she had finally met Lin Sheng, she had no idea what to do next and still needed Lin Jin's help to make the decision.

After listening to the puppy's complaints, Lin Jin placed one hand on the table and tapped her fingertips rhythmically.

The study was instantly filled with an awkward atmosphere.

She seemed to be deep in thought. This retaliation was complicated and could not be explained in just a few words. So she tilted her head and looked at the disappointed little dog.

When this bastard put on a pitiful act, Lin Jin's heart couldn't help but soften a bit. He really had no choice but to explain the contents of the betting agreement in simple and easy-to-understand language.

Cheng Sangluo listened, stunned for a moment, then gritted her teeth and slammed her fist on the table, letting out a deep, angry roar: "Is he even your real father? Does blood ties mean nothing to him anymore? He didn't leave you anything, and then deliberately threw this hot potato at you. Old bastard, go to the deepest hell!"

"Aaaaah—" The puppy got angrier and angrier as it cursed, pulling its hair into a mess and yelling, "It's like having a slap that can't even reach into a coffin!"

Lin Jin rested her chin on her hands, quietly watching Cheng Sangluo's furious and cursing appearance. She secretly chuckled at how cute the puppy was, and felt a little tempted to pinch its puffed-up cheeks.

After being annoyed by the puppy, her mood improved a bit. She picked up a green grape from the fruit plate, took a small bite, and asked with a smile, "From your perspective, do you think this betting agreement should be signed?"

"Of course we can't sign it!" Cheng Sangluo gave the answer without even thinking.

She picked up a green grape and stuffed it into her mouth, chewing it forcefully in a fit of pique, and said naively, "Signing this betting agreement is not the same as giving warmth to that pair of treacherous mother and son. They get all the good things, do you really want to hand over your entire fortune to them?"

“Yes, from a normal person’s perspective, this agreement is indeed not worth signing.” Lin Jin leisurely spun around in his executive chair, pondered for a moment, and then taught the little dog how to use a businessman’s mind. “You have to learn to think about the same problem from different angles, and you’ll find that there’s never just one answer. From the perspective of capital investment, we can treat it as a high-risk, high-return project. Lin Zhen probably overlooked a key point: the suffix of Senyao is capital. What is capital? Isn’t it just leverage to make money from money?”

As Cheng Sangluo listened to Lin Jin's eloquent speech, her bright eyes shone with admiration.

She stared at the madwoman's face, and at that moment she saw not only delicate and beautiful features, but also indescribable wisdom and cunning.

Although she didn't quite understand the technical jargon and wasn't sure how to navigate this imminent business competition, for some reason, looking at Lin Jinxiao gave her the illusion that everything was under control.

After thinking about it again, Cheng Sangluo felt that this illusion was reasonable, because in her impression, the crazy woman never seemed to be afraid of anything, and always looked like she was determined to win. No matter what, the smile on her lips never lacked confidence, and even had a deep arrogance and leisure.

"So...you mean...you'll sign this betting agreement?" she stammered. Even though these battles over assets worth tens or hundreds of billions had nothing to do with her, an inexplicable tension was stuck in her chest, making it difficult to exhale even with deep breaths.

"Mm." Lin Jin nodded in response, without elaborating on her specific plans, and was on her phone texting someone.

Cheng Sangluo turned around and lay prostrate on the table, craning her neck to ask, "Then... what about me... what am I responsible for... you have to arrange for me to do something meaningful, you can't expect me to be your nanny and driver all day long."

Lin Jin listened to the puppy asking her for work, glanced up with a smile, and then continued fiddling with her phone. "Do you have some kind of workaholic complex? Isn't it better to be carefree? Why do you have to make trouble for yourself? You're responsible for protecting me, or at worst, carving seals. I have no other plans for you."

“Aren’t you the best at exploiting capital?” Cheng Sangluo leaned closer, almost pressing her face against Lin Jin’s phone. “Come on, exploit me.”

Lin Jin raised her eyebrows, inwardly sighing at what a ridiculous request this was, but seeing how honest the puppy was, she simply made arrangements: "Here, this betting agreement needs to be signed and stamped. Make a few more today, and you'll come in handy for this important matter."

"What?!" Cheng Sangluo wrinkled her nose and stood up straight. "In the end, you didn't expect me to do anything serious."

Lin Jin put down his phone and said seriously, "Speaking of serious matters, there is indeed an important matter that needs to be arranged immediately."

Hearing about something important, the puppy's eyes lit up. "Just tell me what needs to be arranged. I'm best at carrying out missions."

"I'm flying to the next city this afternoon for work, and I'll probably be there for about a week, so hurry up and go to the bedroom to pack my luggage," Lin Jin announced her itinerary.

Cheng Sangluo, head bowed and gathering her strength, then uttered a loud question: "What about me? Wasn't I included in your itinerary? Your schedule is already inconvenient and it's a critical period. What if Lin Sheng finds out about your whereabouts and wants to cause you trouble again? If I'm not by your side, who will protect you?!"

"So afraid something's going to happen to me?" Lin Jin tilted her head and smiled, raising her arm and pointing to the sky, making up an excuse: "This room full of collectibles is worth over a hundred million. You're a little dog, of course you have to stay and guard the house!"

Cheng Sangluo cursed, "Huh? You need a watchdog now? Isn't your smart butler Cheng Sangluo more useful than me, this dog Cheng Sangluo?"

Oops, something's not right. How did I end up cursing myself like that?

"Pah!" she spat impatiently, then continued to complain, "Do you think I don't know what you're up to? You're just trying to get rid of me so you can do something shady!"

"I feel like you're having some separation anxiety. Is it because we just got our marriage certificate yesterday and we have to be apart today? You don't want to leave me~" Lin Jin dragged the chair over to the puppy, opened her arms and wrapped them around the puppy's waist. "What should I do? I don't want to be separated from my new wife either. I wish I had Doraemon's magic pocket so I could shrink you down and put you in my pocket and carry you with me anytime, anywhere."

"Oh! Alright, alright, I won't insist on going with you anymore, stop being so mushy!" Cheng Sangluo couldn't resist the crazy woman's sweet and coquettish words. She complained, but her body betrayed her. She let the arms around her waist tighten, and naturally placed her hand on her slender back.

She was silent for a moment, then whispered, "Let me know when you get there. Reply to any messages I send you promptly. Tell me immediately if you encounter any trouble so I can get there as soon as possible. Be careful, be careful, be careful. I'm saying it three times because it's important."

"You used to hate it when I clung to you, but now that we finally have a chance to be apart, you're clinging to me?" Lin Jin laughed at the puppy's increasingly changing attitude towards her. She glanced at the time and changed her tone to command: "My flight is at 1 p.m. You have several hours to pack my luggage. Go to the bedroom. I need to watch you pack so you don't pack anything useless."

......

In the walk-in closet.

Cheng Sangluo squeezed half of her body into the wardrobe full of designer clothes, her little mouth chattering nonstop: "You only have one body, how come you buy so many clothes? It's the same at Linxi Terrace, the entire walk-in closet is overflowing with clothes, one outfit a day, you could go 365 days without repeating!"

She rummaged through the pages for a while, then launched into another long-winded explanation: "I wonder what the weather is like in Zehai City. But it's autumn now, and there's a temperature difference between day and night, so it's best to pack a few jackets."

This person was enthusiastic, but he didn't listen to Lin Jin's orders. He took off several sets of business attire and held them up in front of him, asking, "Excuse me, lady of the city, what do you think of these outfits I chose?"

"Not good, pass." Lin Jin leaned lazily in her wheelchair, seemingly dissatisfied with Gou Dongxi's taste. "These are all outdated styles, throw them away, and you can pick up a few more to take a look at."

"Throw it away?" The puppy couldn't stand the extravagance and quickly hugged the pile of clothes to its chest, as if they were some precious treasure. It exclaimed, "These clothes are so new, with no holes or loose threads. I bet you've never worn them more than three times. No, we can't throw them away."

"These clothes are mine, I can do whatever I want with them. Besides, it's my business trip, so they have to be done my way." People like Lin Jin, who have to attend various high-end occasions all the time, usually only wear most of their clothes once or twice, so they are inevitably picky about their outfits.

She couldn't stand Cheng Sangluo's petty attitude and ordered, "Go pack your toiletries. I'll pick out my clothes myself. I've been packing for ages and haven't gotten anything done. It's in the way and a waste of time."

Hearing that soft complaint, Cheng Sangluo stared with her round eyes, then slumped to the ground with a thud, turning halfway to the side as if wiping away tears.

"You think I'm nagging? You think I'm a wretched old woman?" She feigned a wronged wife's expression, putting on a pitiful act at Lin Jin's feet. "Do you know how much a family needs a simple, thrifty, and capable wife like me? As the saying goes, 'Listen to your wife, and you'll prosper! Listen to your wife, and you'll prosper! Listen to your wife, and you'll prosper!'"

Lin Jin stared incredulously at the person at his feet. What kind of death was this?

"What are you yelling about? You haven't shed a single tear in ages." Lin Jin kicked the little dog's bottom, both amused and exasperated. "Don't try to make things difficult for yourself. Get up!"

Cheng Sangluo was kicked in the butt and started crying loudly, her voice growing louder and louder: "Oh God! It's only been two days since we got our marriage certificate, and she's already abusing me! I've wasted my time, I've wasted my time!!!"

That bastard cried so pitifully, as if he had really been a victim of domestic violence.

Lin Jin subconsciously pulled her feet back onto the wheelchair, wondering to herself how this person was getting more and more into the performance.

Seeing that the madwoman remained silent, Cheng Sangluo stopped her hysterical monologue.

She nimbly sprang to her feet, squatted down in front of the wheelchair, and grinned broadly: "How was my performance? Pretty good, right? Are you feeling better now?"

Lin Jin initially thought the puppy's performance was clumsy and boring, but this innocent question stirred up a thousand waves in her heart.

"So you were just trying to cheer me up." She reached out and stroked the puppy's smiling face, a faint smile playing on her lips. She said gently, "Making me happy is actually quite simple. Before we part, give me a proper kiss."

[Author's Note]

1. This chapter was quite interesting, wasn't it? And its length was touching too! Did it make you happy?

Monday, Monday, the seventh day after the death of the Ox and Horse (crying uncontrollably.jpg)

2. My upcoming novel, "The Sinful Lover," is available for pre-order. Please add it to your favorites.