Chapter 28: The Lin Family in Distress

“Sigh, there’s no point talking about that now…” Old Master Lin muttered to himself.

Just then, the phone at home rang. Lin Yu hurried to answer it. Upon hearing it was a senior figure from their own faction, he immediately called for Old Master Lin to take the call.

“Old Master, we’re under a lot of pressure right now. There are many people outside expressing dissatisfaction with your sealing of FutureTech. You must hurry—the Chairman and the Premier won’t give you much more time! If you can’t produce the source code soon, you’ll be in serious trouble!” the voice on the other end said.

“I understand. The source code must be on the company’s servers. I will find it. Just hold on for a few more days—there won’t be any problems!” Old Master Lin replied resolutely.

“Fine, but at most you have two days. If you haven’t found it by then, I really can’t help you. The higher-ups will intervene, and everyone involved—including us—will be penalized. Sigh!” the man on the other end replied with a sigh.

“I understand. Don’t worry, there won’t be any other issues!” Old Master Lin assured him, then hung up the phone. He began pacing around the hall, while Lin Yu stood there at a loss.

“You—return to Zhanchai City immediately. Get in touch with Lin Feng for me. We’ll cooperate with him and are willing to work together!” Old Master Lin suddenly ordered.

“What?” Lin Yu looked at him in shock.

“What do you mean ‘what’? Go now!” Old Master Lin, seeing Lin Yu’s confusion, slammed the table in irritation.

“But, Grandfather, at this point, do you think he’ll want to cooperate with us? I doubt there’s even a possibility for cooperation—whether we’re involved or not makes no difference. I don’t think he’ll work with us, nor will he give up the advantage he has over us,” Lin Yu said firmly after regaining his composure.

“What, you think he has a next move planned? That he’ll keep coming after us?” Old Master Lin asked, incredulous.

“Absolutely. If I were him, with the situation only growing more favorable, all he’d have to do is wait. The authorities will step in eventually, and we’ll be the ones to suffer. Why would he cooperate with us?” Lin Yu explained.

“Hmph! Would he dare? Does he really intend to go head-to-head with us?” Old Master Lin said, still in disbelief.

“Grandfather, believe it or not, from the moment he refused to work with us, he already drew the battle lines. He’s making an example of us—using us as a whetstone for other powers!” Lin Yu said quietly, these were thoughts he had pieced together over the last few days.

“This…” Old Master Lin fell silent after hearing this.

“So I’m certain he won’t stop no matter what, and he knows there’s nothing we can do to him. People already mock us for targeting his company, and now that he has a new operating system, he can negotiate with the state. Grandfather, we’ve made a grave mistake this time!” Lin Yu continued, analyzing the situation. He had said as much before, but the other family members had ignored him, intent on taking down Lin Feng.

“And, and…” Lin Yu hesitated, wanting to say something but not daring.

“And what? Speak,” Old Master Lin pressed.

“Yes, Grandfather. And these past few days, Lin Feng hasn’t been idle. My sources tell me that companies controlled by our family and the Wang family have been attacked on the stock market. Stock prices have plummeted, and many powerful investment institutions have joined in,” Lin Yu continued to report.

“What? This is happening? What are the other families up to?” Old Master Lin exclaimed, standing up in surprise.

“Grandfather, please sit down and don’t get worked up—it’s not that serious yet. At first it was just one group testing the waters with a small amount of capital. I’m certain that was Lin Feng. I learned his company transferred two billion yuan, split across ten accounts, likely for use in the market. As for the other investment institutions, once they saw Lin Feng single-handedly driving down our shares, they smelled profit and piled in—not because they wanted to target us specifically,” Lin Yu explained, trying to calm him.

“What! You’re saying this all started with Lin Feng? Our investigation said he was a useless playboy—how did he change so much?” Old Master Lin asked curiously.

“Heh, Grandfather, I’m no match for him. Maybe, as the rumors say, everything before was just an act. He fooled everyone in Zhanchai City, and us as well, for all these years. What I can’t figure out is why he needed to pretend like that for so long,” Lin Yu replied, equally puzzled.

“Hmph, no matter what, he’s still my grandson, and his father is my son. I don’t believe he dares go against our family. Help me contact your third uncle. I’ll speak to him myself,” Old Master Lin demanded, refusing to back down.

Lin Chuanzhi, having just left Lin Feng’s room, returned to his study. He had barely sat down when his phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, he felt a surge of irritation, but eventually he answered.

Lin Yu listened anxiously as the call connected, worried the other party wouldn’t pick up. When it did, he pushed down his nerves and said, “Hello, Third Uncle, this is Lin Yu. Grandfather wants to speak with you. Please hold on.” He quickly handed the phone to Old Master Lin and stepped aside.

“Sigh…” Old Master Lin picked up the phone. Though moments ago he’d been full of anger, now he found himself at a loss for words.

Hearing the sigh on the other end, Lin Chuanzhi was swept by emotion. Who would have thought that after all these years of conflict, father and son would be forced back to the negotiating table because of the grandson? Both men held the phone in silence, neither willing to speak first.

Meanwhile, Lin Yu paced anxiously, thinking, “Will you two just say something? At least give an answer—don’t just drag it out…” Of course, he dared not voice these thoughts.

It was finally Lin Chuanzhi who broke the awkward silence; after all, whatever their differences, the man on the other end was still his father. “Dad, is there something you want to talk about?” he asked.

“Hmph, so you remember who I am! Since you do, why haven’t you talked some sense into your son?” Old Master Lin’s anger flared anew.

“Sigh, there’s no point in saying that now. If you have something else to discuss, just say it,” Lin Chuanzhi replied, ignoring the complaint.

“Fine, I’ll be direct. Tell that boy Lin Feng to hand over the source code!” Old Master Lin demanded bluntly.

“Heh, do you really think that’s possible, Dad? You know better than I do what the situation is. He wouldn’t give it to you before—let alone now,” Lin Chuanzhi replied with a dry laugh.

“What, you’re laughing at your own father? I showed restraint for your sake—he’s my grandson, so I only applied a little pressure. He’d better hand it over before I get serious,” Old Master Lin threatened.

“Sigh, after all these years, nothing has changed. The family is still the same as it always was. There’s no point in continuing this conversation,” Lin Chuanzhi said with disappointment.

“So, you two are really going to fight me to the end? You and your son think you’ve grown wings, is that it?” Old Master Lin stomped angrily.

“To fight you? Lin Feng alone is already more than a match for your two families. Dad, we’re still your blood, your grandson. Have you ever cared about us, cared about him? Everything he has he fought for himself, so why should he just hand it over to you? To him, you’re no more than a stranger,” Lin Chuanzhi said, his tone growing cold.

“What do you know? Do you understand what the family’s been through all these years? We have political power, but economically we’re far behind. A family with only politics and no economy—how far do you think it can go?” Old Master Lin retorted loudly, agitated.

“Hmph, so your solution is to steal from your own grandson. Those people in the family have no conscience—oh, I forgot, they never had one,” Lin Chuanzhi shot back.

“Family members have to look out for the family. He’s just a child—he can’t handle such a big enterprise. Handing it over is for everyone’s good. We don’t want it all. We’ll leave him a share,” Old Master Lin tried to persuade him.

“He can’t handle it? Yet he’s already crushing your two families. He can’t handle it, yet he’s planning to cripple you both in one blow. If he can’t handle it, who can? Who in the family dares claim they can do better? Do they think my son and I are easy targets?” Lin Chuanzhi could no longer contain his anger.

“Well, aren’t you bold—thinking you can bring us down. Don’t get cocky just because you’ve had a bit of success,” Old Master Lin sneered.

“Cocky? Perhaps. I never should have pleaded with you on their behalf! Never mind, let Lin Feng do as he pleases. I’ll just watch from the sidelines. You really think you can’t be brought down? The moment you moved to seize his company, you stepped onto the board. If Lin Feng announces the company is becoming a foreign entity, have you considered what would happen? You know how much the country values this operating system. You probably only have a few days to negotiate because you’re holding the source code. When time runs out and you can’t produce it, and Lin Feng threatens to take the company abroad, the operating system would no longer be considered Chinese. The state will have to keep Lin Feng, and all the families involved—including yours—will bear the consequences. Some will be punished, others might not, but your prospects for advancement are over. Have you thought about that?” Lin Chuanzhi analyzed coolly, then hung up, unwilling to say another word. His heart had finally turned to ice.