Chapter 82
Lin Langyi spent a week in G City, using his status as a nominal shareholder to finalize the Haizhu Cultivation Program.
Lin Xiangshuo was caught off guard. Before this, he never thought that his "reform growing pains" would turn into a headache. He originally just wanted to follow the Yingshan Lake model to promote and expand freshwater pearl farming. Unexpectedly, the money finally arrived, but the project went completely astray, and he could no longer control the future business direction of the two companies.
When Lin Xiangshuo told his family about the shareholders' meeting resolution, he was full of regret for not recognizing the right people. He had rushed to accept the offer from the Zhuang family when they were in dire need, but now that they had control, they were starting to interfere.
Now that things had come to this, Lin Liaoyuan did not complain with his son, but instead inquired with the Zhuang family from various angles.
Since Zhuang Lan took over Yingshan Lake Characteristic Town and made a name for herself, Zhuang Guanghe has delegated a lot of power to his daughter. He is also very optimistic about the future of the Lin family. When Lin Liaoyuan asked him this question, he immediately went to check the records of financial transactions.
Upon checking, he suddenly realized that the large investment amount had only been in his account for three to five days and had been immediately transferred out to acquire shares.
Knowing that Zhuang Lan did not have such ample funds, he secretly asked his daughter before replying to Lin Liaoyuan.
Zhuang Lan gave a vague answer: "I heard rumors that Yingyuan Investment was involved, so I invested. I brought in the money. Anyway, we made a profit, so please don't ask any more questions."
Bringing up the name of Chu Yu always seems to be a get-out-of-jail-free card. With Ying Yuan in this situation, Chu Guanqian should indeed be grateful that his son, who was pregnant out of wedlock, was born. Having such an outstanding "other people's child" supporting the family sends a strong and reliable signal both internally and externally.
Zhuang Guanghe knew that his daughter had a close relationship with Yuan Chuyu, and upon hearing Zhuang Lan's words, he immediately pinned all the blame on Yuan Chuyu.
Changing the company's business direction and planning a strategic blueprint—this bold and visionary decision could very well be the work of Yuan Chuyu.
Zhuang Guanghe subtly mentioned to Lin Liaoyuan, "Ying Yuan."
When this news reached home, both father and son fell silent. They recalled that Ying Yuanfang had also voted in favor at the shareholders' meeting. Could this really be Yuan Chuyu's company acquisition strategy?
Lin Xiangshuo couldn't sleep more and more. He thought that under normal circumstances, investors would not make large-scale adjustments to the company's business, but would just earn some operating profit by taking a share of the shares. But now he was completely sidelined and became a puppet to carry out the company's affairs.
What's even more alarming is that at the meeting, the Zhuang family had already made comprehensive preliminary work arrangements for the Haizhu line, even listing all the relevant partners and providing practical solutions for all the technical and equipment difficulties.
With such detailed and thorough preparations, everything seemed ready except for the final push. The more Lin Xiangshuo thought about it, the colder his heart became. This setup, by all accounts, indicated that they had come prepared and had been eyeing the situation for a long time.
After hearing this news, Meng Hui asked, "But if that's the case, why did Yuan Chuyu go through Zhuang Lan? Bringing in another person means giving the other party a piece of the pie; otherwise, why would they help?"
No one can answer this question.
During his time at Yingshan Lake, Meng Hui had encountered Zhuang Lan, who came to urge the hotel's construction progress, quite a few times. Seeing this, he wanted to find her to inquire about the situation again, and planned to ask Lin Langyi whether Zhuang Lan would attend the next routine meeting of the characteristic town.
Upon searching, Meng Huicai suddenly realized that Lin Langyi in the group had remained silent.
The Lin family was used to running a family-run pearl business, and everyone in the family was risk-averse. Of all the family members, Lin Langyi was the most daring. So, she was the one who strongly promoted and took charge of the reforms at Yingshan Lake from the beginning.
At times like this, she doesn't say a word, which makes it seem as if she's lost her backbone.
Meng Hui called Lin Langyi, and as soon as the call connected, she heard the distant, faint sound of the waves.
"Zhuzhu, are you still accompanying Yanjin on his business trip?"
This was Lin Langyi's explanation when she left Yingshan Lake for G City.
Actually, after returning from the club that day, Cheng Yanjin took her back to the hotel and she spent the night there. He then took a plane and left early the next morning.
"Yes, it will be over in a couple of days." Lin Langyi was visiting the fishing village when she looked up and saw the vast blue sea stretching out to the horizon.
Meng Hui gave a concise and clear retelling of the story about the seawater pearl.
“I’ve heard about this,” Lin Langyi replied in a completely unexpected way. “Didn’t you see those lines about cultivation technology at the shareholders’ meeting? Bian Shu’s patent.”
Meng Hui was stunned. Her phone was on speakerphone, and those words were clearly heard by Lin Liaoyuan.
Lin Liaoyuan hurriedly snatched the phone, anxiously saying, "You knew about this? Why didn't you tell the family? How could we, and your brother, be the last to know about something this big?"
Lin Langyi was squatting on the ground, holding a mollusc seedling of a Mascarene bream in her hands. Upon hearing this, she suddenly laughed: "The last one to know?"
She put down the seedlings in her hand, shook the water off her hands, stood up, and said in a calm tone, "Six months ago, I was the last in the family to know about my arranged marriage."
Suddenly there was no sound on the other end of the phone.
Lin Langyi, however, had no intention of letting them off the hook. She said in a businesslike tone, "By the way, I went through a lot of trouble to get that patent technology. Shouldn't my family reimburse me for that part of the cost? It doesn't make sense for it to come out of Ying Shanhu's account, does it?"
"I'm doing this for the company's future development," she said with a smile. "Since aquaculture in Haizhu is a done deal, instead of crying and complaining, we should just accept it and think about how to make the business successful so that everyone can make a living... This cultivation technology is crucial, wouldn't you say I'm a great contributor?"
“Zhuzhu…” Meng Hui wanted to say something, but didn’t know where to begin.
“And as you know, Cheng Yanjin also has shares in his brother’s company now, so some accounts still need to be settled.” Lin Langyi examined her fingers, her tone relaxed. “After all, a married daughter is like water spilled from a cup. If I’m too siding with the family, it will only affect our relationship, Mom, don’t you think?”
Meng Hui was so speechless that he couldn't utter a single word.
Lin Langyi: "I'll send you a scanned copy of the patent transfer document later. Please transfer the money as soon as possible."
Lin Liaoyuan's breathing was heavy; he seemed stunned by the news and quite angry.
He struggled to organize his thoughts for a long time, but in the end he could only manage to stammer out: "You are our daughter, those outsiders..."
"What nonsense are you talking about!" Lin Langyi categorically denied, stating her true feelings, "Who is an outsider to whom? Cheng Yanjin and I are well-matched and have a very deep relationship. If he finds out that I secretly used my private money to buy technology for my brother's company, he will get angry and cause us to lose everything."
She dragged out each word in a sarcastic tone: "I can't make decisions for him, you know? He's the one who calls the shots at home. After all, the shares are in his hands, not mine... I can only be a good wife and mother, the woman behind a successful man, contributing to my husband's business, and enduring humiliation to get the technology from my ex."
"So, was the Haizhu matter the Cheng family's idea or Ying Yuanfang's idea?" Lin Liaoyuan pressed.
"How would I know?" Lin Langyi said expressionlessly, in a pretentious tone. "When you men talk about serious matters, what right do we women have to listen?"
Although she answered that way, Lin Liaoyuan was certain that this was Ying Yuan's doing. After all, Yuan Chuyu and Cheng Yanjin were childhood friends who grew up together. Given their friendship and the fact that their businesses were intertwined, it was highly likely that they would jointly decide to acquire a company.
Moreover, judging from Lin Langyi's words, she couldn't take control; she was just going with the flow.
Lin Liaoyuan had no deep-seated hatred for his daughter, and he never imagined that Lin Langyi had such great ambitions. He just thought that she was caught in the middle and couldn't be trusted by either side, so he didn't reveal the news early on.
After all, if you think about it carefully, even if Lin Langyi had the ability to whisper sweet nothings in Yuan Chuyu's ear, those whispers wouldn't reach Yuan Chuyu's ears.
They have no connection.
"The Cheng family is too..." Lin Liaoyuan gasped for breath, "What do they mean by this?!"
"That's normal, Dad." Lin Langyi remained steadfast in her role as a woman who would follow her husband wherever he went. "Feelings are feelings, and interests are interests. You see how much you love me, but when it comes to company profits, it's all clearly separated, isn't it?!"
Lin Liaoyuan's heart clenched painfully, and he felt utterly ashamed.
He finally fell silent, but the phone call never ended. There, the tides rise and fall, and the vast ocean can hold everything.
“Zhuzhu,” he sighed wearily, pinching and rubbing the bridge of her nose with exhaustion, “Dad knows you’re in a difficult position… As for the company, I’ll talk to Ashu about it later. He’s just an executive president now anyway. Since you got the Haizhu technology from Bian Shu, why don’t we give you a position in the company and let you handle it?”
Lin Langyi feigned concern: "Why don't you tell your brother too? He's the last to know about this personnel change involving the newly appointed crown prince. Isn't that a bit inappropriate?!"
"I will talk to him."
After hanging up the phone, the couple were still feeling down. Meng Hui took a while to calm down before calling Lin Xiangshuo.
On the phone, she readjusted her story, portraying Lin Langyi as an innocent and naive girl, and deliberately concealed Bian Shu's existence, only saying that the technology was a mature experience from a test field in the United States, to prevent Lin Xiangshuo from immediately associating Bian Shu with Lin Langyi.
"Why did you suddenly involve Xiaoyi?" Lin Xiangshuo asked, puzzled.
“Think about the relationship between the Cheng family and Ying Yuan, and then think about why they only help Ying Shanhu but don’t control him, while showing no mercy to the two companies in G City?” Meng Hui said. “Your sister’s help is also a way to lubricate and buffer the situation. In the future, Cheng Yanjin might be more lenient because of her, and maybe she can even persuade Yuan Chuyu a few words in return.”
Lin Xiangshuo still found it hard to accept. He couldn't eat or sleep well these past few days, and his eye bags had gotten bigger.
Meng Hui scolded, "I told you to wait until the funding for the characteristic town was in place before accepting Ying Shan Lake's investment. You didn't trust your sister and were wary of her. Now the whole thing has been snatched away by someone else. It's all for nothing!"
"I didn't expect this either..." Lin Xiangshuo closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, feeling sorry for himself, "Is there still a chance to get the shares back?"
"Who do you want to spit it out?" Meng Hui counted on her fingers one by one. "Just look at the voting results and you'll know that Zhuang, Yuan, and Cheng are all in the same boat."
“I heard that Yuan Chuyu’s birthday is coming up soon.” Lin Xiangshuo had been using his connections to get things done, so he was naturally aware of this news. He straightened up from his chair again. “I’m thinking of going to him again to curry favor and ask for his help. I’d like to rent a yacht and throw a party, and find an opportunity to talk to him again.”
...
Yuan Chuyu preferred quiet. In the past, he would first have a simple meal with his family on his birthday, then leave and return to his own house where he would eat cake with a few close friends. That would be the end of his birthday celebration.
When Yuan Chuyu heard Lin Xiangshuo's enthusiastic invitation, he did not accept it immediately.
Lin Xiangshuo was somewhat anxious. Recently, in order to show his sincerity, he had specially brought gifts to visit Ying Yuan several times, but he was turned away each time. Upon asking, he learned that Yuan Chuyu had not been at the company at all, but was recuperating.
I heard that he accidentally bumped his head at home and suffered a minor injury to his forehead.
Lin Xiangshuo pressed on: "I heard you're not feeling well, so the activities I've arranged won't be too noisy. But birthdays always need a bit of ceremony, so you can invite a few of your own friends. As for me, I'll be lazy and just provide the yacht and drinks."
"You're too kind," Yuan Chuyu said calmly. "We're all family. Your presence is already an honor; there's no need for you to go to any further trouble."
These official words sounded so comforting. If Lin Xiangshuo's own company hadn't already fallen into Ying Yuan's pocket, he would have even remarked that Yuan Chuyu was truly a well-mannered and unpretentious scion of a prominent family.
Now, he felt that people can indeed know a person's face but not their heart. This gentle and refined man was actually a ruthless character who would devour people without spitting out the bones.
"We're family," Lin Xiangshuo swallowed his anger... "Yes, the control between the parent and subsidiary companies really makes us feel like family."
Yuan Chuyu said in a gentle tone: "I've invited some friends here, and you can invite some people too. Since we're doing this, let's make it lively."
"It's your birthday, what friends can I invite?" Lin Xiangshuo quickly replied.
Yuan Chuyu said calmly, "I didn't even have a chance to chat with Uncle Lin at the last shareholders' meeting."
Lin Xiangshuo: "The birthday party is for people of the same age, so we'll skip the elders."
Yuan Chuyu didn't insist, and instead said, "Then please invite your sister over. I heard she's also joining your company, and we'll have some interaction in the future."
Lin Xiangshuo had already been instructed by Meng Hui to make sure Lin Langyi appeared in public as much as possible. Upon hearing Yuan Chuyu's invitation, he immediately agreed: "Of course, even if I don't invite her, Yan Jin will definitely bring her along."
Yuan Chuyu was silent for a while, his voice calm and even: "I heard that Yan Jin has been busy lately. He's used to being at ease here. If he really can't get away and leaves Lin Langyi behind, then it'll just be because I didn't invite him properly."
"Don't worry, don't worry!" Lin Xiangshuo patted his chest to assure him, "I will definitely bring my sister along too."
*
Lin Langyi and Cheng Yanjin were eventually picked up together by the incredibly attentive Lin Xiangshuo.
On the way, she heard that Yuan Chuyu seemed to have been injured, and was shocked: "He hit his head?"
Cheng Yanjin sat in the back seat with her, and seemed to glance at her silently by turning his head.
Lin Xiangshuo, who was driving, replied, "Yeah, you didn't know? I've heard about it all over G City."
Lin Langyi thought to himself, "I'm in G City too, bro. We pass each other every day, but you've been so busy lately that you haven't noticed."
Lin Xiangshuo: "Yan Jin must know, right?"
Cheng Yanjin leaned his head back in his seat: "I've been out of town too, so I don't know much about it."
Lin Langyi found an angle for gift-giving: "Should I send some flowers? A fruit basket? Or some supplements?"
Lin Xiangshuo: "I bought it!"
Lin Langyi had blocked the person and hadn't unblocked him. She knew nothing about Yuan Chuyu's current situation and could only guess about his injuries from her brother.
The bewilderment on her face was so genuine, and there was a natural sense of detachment in her questions and answers; it didn't seem like she was faking it at all.
Cheng Yanjin stood to the side, his face slightly turned to the side, his eyes fixed on her face, capturing every change in her expression. Finally, seeing that her guesses were getting more and more outrageous, and that she obviously knew nothing about the matter, he couldn't help but let out a cold, sarcastic smile. His eyes and brows were full of praise for how satisfying it was.
The birthday party didn't turn out to be a yacht party as Lin Xiangshuo had planned, which wasn't Yuan Chuyu's preference. Instead, it was held at one of his estates in the suburbs, which had a standard golf course, perfect for an outdoor birthday celebration on the lawn.
Although it was a birthday party, it was actually a social gathering. Most of the people who came were the same group of people Lin Langyi usually hung out with, but there were also a few men and women that Lin Langyi had never met before. Cheng Yanjin introduced them one by one, and none of them were not business partners or stakeholders.
Chu Guanqian was also there, along with several business partners he had recently become close to. Lin Langyi looked over to identify them, but Cheng Yanjin was about to speak when a "Yanjin" interrupted their identification process.
Lin Langyi turned her head and saw Yuan Chuyu, whom she hadn't seen for a long time.
There were no phone calls, no messages, and of course, no meetings; all contact was completely cut off.
There were no obvious signs of injury on his forehead. Lin Langyi's gaze swept over it, and he realized that the wound might be hidden under his neatly styled hair.
He looked much thinner, with a thin layer of flesh clinging to his bones, making his already handsome features even more profound and three-dimensional, further highlighting his pure and untainted temperament, as deep and imposing as a mountain.
But he also looked somewhat haggard, as if his clothes were becoming looser.
Yuan Chuyu walked towards the two of them, his face still gentle and refined. He was wearing a dark suit with a dark pattern, and his tie was unusually light-colored satin elephant gray, which complemented the familiar leather belt around his waist.
Lin Langyi glanced at it only once before looking away from the belt.
This person really can't hide anything.
Cheng Yanjin had been holding her all the way after getting out of the car, and when he saw Yuan Chuyu walking towards them, he tightened his arm slightly.
He tilted his head towards her, almost touching her hair, and lazily greeted Yuan Chuyu.
The two exchanged a few casual words as usual, showing no signs of anything unusual.
"Oh, right, here's the gift for you." Cheng Yanjin suddenly remembered something and smiled. "Xiaoyi and I picked it out together, so it's just a gift for you. Don't mind?"
Yuan Chuyu glanced at her briefly and nodded: "Thank you."
Lin Langyi had no idea what gift Cheng Yanjin had prepared, nor had she cared. However, she figured that Cheng Yanjin understood Yuan Chuyu's preferences and was always generous and lavish. He had many friends, all because of his straightforward and generous personality, so the gift would definitely be perfect.
Cheng Yanjin handed over a gift box, and Yuan Chuyu thanked him in a low voice. To be polite, he lifted the lid and took a look, his expression slightly freezing.
Before Lin Langyi could confirm whether her momentary daze was just her imagination, Yuan Chuyu had already calmly closed the lid, a smile playing on his lips: "I like it very much, thank you."
"I'm glad you like it." Cheng Yanjin still had his arm around her, and he smiled too, his chest heaving slightly. "When I saw this gift, I knew it had to be for you."
The two were chatting and laughing, and the birthday boy couldn't stay idle forever. Other guests came to offer their blessings, so Cheng Yanjin put his arm around Lin Langyi and walked towards the tea table.
After walking about ten meters, Lin Langyi asked curiously, "What did you give me?"
Cheng Yanjin held a plate in one hand and used tongs in the other to serve her snacks, saying casually, "I bought a painting that his mother painted in college and gave it to him as a souvenir."
Lin Langyi suddenly realized.
No wonder when one person says, "You'll definitely like it," the other person, after looking stunned, also says they like it.
I remember the night Yuan Chuyu read poetry and prose excerpts at his mother's grave. Giving him a gift that reminded him of his mother was truly a touching gesture.
"Stop thinking about it, have something to eat?" Cheng Yanjin handed her the plate. "You can try everything, and I'll pay for anything you can't finish."
"OK."
Seeing that Lin Langyi's attention had completely shifted to the snacks, Cheng Yanjin crossed his legs and leaned against the tea table, smiling as he watched his fiancée's mukbang while glancing at Yuan Chuyu in the crowd.
The gift was a copy of "The Nymph Callisto" made by Chu Yu's biological mother before her death.
Callisto, Zeus's most tragic lover, became pregnant after being deceived by him for a night of debauchery. Because of her loss of chastity, she was banished by the moon goddess. Alone and helpless, she gave birth to her illegitimate son Arcas. She thought she could rely on her son from then on, but she was discovered by Zeus's wife Hera and transformed into a bear as punishment.
When Arcas grew up, he met his mother, who had turned into a bear. He drew his arrow to kill her, but Zeus, "out of compassion," used magic to turn both mother and son into constellations, where they now hang alone in the universe.
Cheng Yanjin swirled his wine glass, took a sip of champagne, and found the wine to be delicate, slightly acidic, and with a long finish.
Yuan Chuyu, this is such a perfect gift for you.
Over time, you might forget the lesson your birth mother learned.
This gift is most fitting to give you on your birthday, which is also the day your mother suffered.
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