As soon as the call connected, Lin Wan spoke first:
"Dad, Mom's surgery is tomorrow morning, are you coming?" His voice was full of anticipation.
"Wanwan, this isn't important. Come to the company quickly, something's happened to the product." Lin Haoran was so focused on the company that he almost forgot his wife was in the hospital.
"Dad! Mom's surgery tomorrow," Lin Wan repeated stubbornly.
"Your mother won't die! The company is doomed."
Lin Wan was stunned, a wave of sorrow washing over her. How much genuine affection did Lin Haoran and Zhang Wanru have after more than twenty years of marriage?
Lin Haoran, enraged, roared, "The product has been exposed! The company is in trouble! Did you hear me?"
Perhaps due to the many things she'd been through recently, the successive blows, or perhaps her body had activated its automatic protection mechanism, she simply replied woodenly:
"I need to accompany Mom to her surgery. I can't help with things at the company. Dad, you'll have to figure it out yourself."
She's too tired. If the company is finished, so be it. Let it be destroyed.
"What nonsense are you talking about? Don't you understand what's important and what's urgent?" Lin Haoran never expected Lin Wan to have this attitude.
"Beep, beep, beep..."
Lin Wan hung up the phone immediately.
Lin Wan leaned against the glass window, looking at Zhang Wanru lying on the hospital bed, and laughed self-deprecatingly.
She felt that her mother and her life were a joke. Zhang Wanru desperately gave birth to sons and doted on her adopted son, but now, the only person she could rely on was her daughter, whom she said would never amount to anything. Meanwhile, she had been trying to prove that she was no less capable than her son, living up to other people's expectations.
......
The next morning, inside the Lin family's company.
The first thing the vice president did upon arriving at the company was to report the progress of the matter to Lin Haoran.
"Chairman, CCTV's morning news reported on the product issue and criticized the unscrupulous distributors for only caring about making quick money and omitting necessary testing procedures. As the exclusive distributor in Haishi, we were singled out for criticism. Several brand partners have already sent letters of termination, and the first to terminate the contract is Zhou's Group, who is our largest partner."
Lin Haoran leaned back in his office chair, staring intently at the ceiling, his eyes bloodshot, without uttering a word. He was utterly despondent; being called out by CCTV left him with no way out.
The vice president paused and then said:
"The compensation for consumers will be around 60 million. The company has no money left to pay employees' salaries this month. But please rest assured, Chairman, even if we don't get our salaries, we are willing to overcome the difficulties together with the company."
Having such loyal employees moved Lin Haoran deeply. He moved his dry, chapped lips and spoke in a hoarse voice:
"You can go out now, I'll figure something out."
He tried to find a way to suppress the matter by using connections, but that was impossible. The Chinese people's love and care for their children is not to be underestimated. With so many consumers in a state of outrage, who would dare to get involved in this mess?
He could only honestly accept his defeat and try his best to compensate. Last night, he actively contacted several bosses he was on good terms with, hoping to stabilize the cooperation or borrow some money to tide him over. However, they either politely refused or simply did not answer the phone.
Lin Haoran spent a sleepless night, his mind filled with only four words: "No way out."
The vice president turned around and went back to his office, turned on his computer, and solemnly wrote four words: "Personal Resume".
Overcoming difficulties together? What a joke! When the boss was successful, he didn't share the wealth either. The boss had six or seven children, his wife was a socialite, his mistress lived in a mansion, and the vice president was still paying off his mortgage. Not to mention the lower-level employees, only a fool would think of helping the boss make a comeback.
A true workplace elite should learn to speak the most eloquently and slack off the most; that's the essence of interpersonal skills!
Zhang Wanru's surgery went smoothly. As she was wheeled out of the operating room, she saw her children and, holding Lin Zhe's hand, asked:
Where's your dad?
Lin Wan quickly replied, "Mom, there's too much work at the company. Dad said he'll come see you as soon as he's done."
"Where's Lin An? Didn't he come? Didn't anyone tell him I was having surgery?"
Zhang Wanru thought she would see Lin An's guilty expression when she opened her eyes, but he didn't show up.
"I couldn't get in touch with him." Lin Wan felt that Zhang Wanru needed a white lie at this moment.
"Mom, get well soon. Nobody cares about me, and I can't go to school anymore," Lin Zhe cried, leaning on Zhang Wanru.
"Alright! Don't bother Mom, she needs to rest now." Lin Wan pushed Lin Zhe aside.
After settling Zhang Wanru in, Lin Xia offered to replace Lin Wan:
"Big sister, your hair is all oily. Go home and rest. I'm at the hospital with my mother today."
"Okay, thank you for your hard work."
Lin Wan brought her younger siblings home and saw Lin Haoran in a terrible state as soon as she entered the living room.
Upon seeing his father whom he hadn't seen for many days, Lin Zhe quickly spoke:
"Dad, you're back. I've looked at a few prestigious private schools. I've already inquired about them. If I have the money, I can go to school. Please help me choose one. I want to go to school."
"No money!" Lin Haoran said coldly. Hearing the words "elite school" made him furious. "You spendthrift! Doesn't the Lin family know that it's about to go bankrupt?"
"Dad, are you still angry with me? But how can I take the college entrance exam if I don't go to school?" Lin Zhe cried pitifully.
Lin Haoran roared, "I told you, I have no money!"
Lin Wan said wearily, "Xiao Zhe, we really have no money left at home. The company's products have failed, and the cash flow has dried up."
Lin Zhe and Lin Rou were completely bewildered, not knowing what had happened. Lin Zhe had been researching which prestigious school to attend recently, and Lin Rou only read news about beauty and fashion; neither of them were the type to read news about everyday life.
"No money? What are we going to do?" Lin Rou burst into tears. Was her life of luxury about to end?
"Do you have any savings? Take them out, and let's get through this difficult time together."
Lin Wan has been receiving a basic salary from the company, and she only reports her expenses when she spends money, so she really doesn't have any money on hand.
Lin Rou had a little stash of money, but at this moment, she preferred to keep it to herself.
Lin Haoran then asked, "Or, do you have any reliable connections who can help us? No bank is willing to lend us money right now, and the Zhou family also wants to terminate the contract with us."
Hearing about the Zhou family, Lin Rou thought of Lin An.
"Didn't Lin An completely fool the Zhou family?"
Lin Haoran suddenly realized, "That's right, how could I forget about this kid? Since the Zhou family values him so much, it's possible that he could swindle some money to tide him over."
"And he seems to be very rich now. I saw him buy gifts worth tens of millions of yuan for the ramen shop owner," Lin Wan said.
The Lin family was shocked – a gift worth tens of millions!
Lin Rou screamed:
"How dare he buy such an expensive gift for a stranger!"
Lin Rou felt even worse than when she heard that her family was going bankrupt. She couldn't accept that Lin An, whom she considered a lower-class person, was so rich, and she couldn't accept that she hadn't been able to spend that money. Logically and emotionally, she had the right to spend the money that Lin An earned.
"Where did he get so much money?" Lin Haoran was astonished.
"It's not hard for swindlers to get rich. Just like those qigong masters of the past, they all befriended top billionaires and easily became rolling in money," Lin Rou speculated angrily about Lin An.
Lin Haoran's eyes suddenly lit up, and he muttered to himself, "The Lin family is saved."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com