"The Lin Family is already in chaos, why take it to court? Wouldn't it be better to wait for someone else to reap the benefits? Doesn't Song Tianyao know how to change his tactics? Last time, the Zhang Family brothers caused trouble in court, and now it's court again?"
"No way. Even if Song Tianyao wants to stop now, no one else waiting to divide the spoils will let him. Only if the Lin Family mentions 'inheritance dispute' again will everyone rush in and not stop until they've all got their share. Besides, he doesn't need anyone to force him; Song Tianyao will do it himself." Chu Yaozong patted his shoulder. "I'm getting old. I can't see the younger generation's cunning and methods anymore. It's not good to lower myself to chase after them for a piece of the pie now."
"It's alright, as long as Ah Sin is here, the Chu Family won't be shortchanged," Chu Xiaozhong added softly from the side.
Compared to his own hard work navigating the ups and downs of the business world, his younger brother, Chu Xiaoxin, once again made a fortune without any involvement, spending all his time with his girlfriend Lu Peiying- ying.
It seems that my younger brother has been incredibly lucky since meeting Song Tianyao, which makes people envious.
Still wearing his hospital gown Lin Xiaoze sat in a wheelchair and was pushed by a caregiver to the hastily set-up mourning hall at the Lin Family. Lin Xiaosen, dressed in heavy mourning clothes with bloodshot eyes, knelt in the mourning hall burning paper money. When he saw Lin Xiaoze appear, he clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and remained silent.
Lin Xiaojie knelt behind Lin Xiaosen with his head down, remaining silent.
"Help me put on mourning clothes." Lin Xiaoze stood up with some difficulty and said to the Lin Family servants beside him.
Several people stepped forward to help Lin Xiaoze put on white mourning clothes. Lin Xiaoze slowly made his way to the memorial tablet of the First Madam, knelt down, lit incense and candles for the First Madam, took a stack of paper money, walked to the brazier, and knelt opposite Lin Xiaosen across the brazier. He put the paper money into the brazier one by one, watching the white paper money being licked by the raging fire and turned into black ash.
After all the paper money had burned, Lin Xiaoze raised his head, first glancing at Lin Xiaojie a little further away, before looking at Lin Xiaosen opposite him. "The Lin Family cannot be in chaos, A-Sen."
Lin Xiaosen remained silent, still like a walking corpse, stiffly placing the paper money in his hand into the brazier.
"The Lin Family must not be in chaos." Lin Xiaoze said it again, but this time it seemed as if he were talking to himself.
The silence between the two lasted for an unknown amount of time. A servant who had been waiting outside the Lin Family gate entered and hesitated for a moment outside the mourning hall. Lin Xiaosen or Lin Xiaoze? He had just received the news and didn't know who to whisper the message to first. Fortunately, Lin Xiaosen turned his head to look at him, relieving him of his dilemma.
"What's up?"
The servant, feeling uneasy under Lin Xiaosen's gaze, swallowed hard. "Fourth Young Master," he said, "It's the police. They said that because the Second Madam was in detention, her lawyer applied for a hospitalization due to health reasons. The police came to deliver the message, saying that since the Second Madam is elderly, we can arrange for a servant familiar with her routine to accompany and care for her, so that the hospital nurses can provide adequate care."
"Who arranged her lawyer? Which lawyer?!" Lin Xiaosen's eyes immediately widened.
The servant glanced at Lin Xiaoze, then at Lin Xiaosen, and shook his head. "I don't know who arranged the lawyer; they only said it was arranged by the Lin Family."
"Swish!" Lin Xiaosen threw a handful of paper money at Lin Xiaoze's face. "My mother passed away, yet you arranged for the person who killed her to be admitted to the hospital, preparing to live to a ripe old age! Is this what you mean by 'the Lin Family cannot be in chaos'?!"
"Even if I say it wasn't me now, you won't believe me." Lin Xiaoze still recovering from his injuries and had difficulty moving. Furthermore, he had no intention of dodging. Despite being hit in the face with paper money, he remained unfazed and said, "My wife raised me since I was a child, I don't..."
"The second young master's lawyer called and said that the second young master..." Another servant walked into the mourning hall from outside, bowing as he spoke.
Upon hearing the words "Second Young Master," Lin Xiaosen abruptly stood up, his eyes flashing with a fierce light. "What's wrong with Lin Xiao qia?"
"The second young master has been allowed to see a lawyer, and I heard that his mother has been hospitalized and he has been allowed to visit her at the hospital accompanied by the police." The servant's voice was almost inaudible by the end.
When he heard the servant speak, Lin Xiaoze had already closed his eyes in pain. His hasty discharge from the hospital was already futile. Clearly, after Lin Xiao qia confessed that Lin Xiaohe was the mastermind behind everything, the lawyer who reacted the fastest saw it as a signal that they were preparing to jump ship and leave the Lin Family. The other party had already used every means they could think of.
"A-Sen, we brothers can't panic! The Lin Family can't panic! As long as we can hold on now..." He took a deep breath and made a final effort towards Lin Xiaosen.
Enraged, Lin Xiaosen kicked away the brazier in front of him. Fragments of burning paper money danced in the air like butterflies. Amidst the blazing flames, Lin Xiaosen pointed his spear at Lin Xiaoze opposite him:
"You killed my mother, framed your own brother, and now you're telling me the Lin Family can't be in chaos? Lin Xiaoze, I'll curse your mother!"
"Mr. Lin, the personal assistant of HSBC tycoon Michael Mr. Turner has arrived at the door. He has come on behalf of Mr. Keswick to express his deepest condolences." Lin Xiaosen's personal assistant walked in from outside, seemingly oblivious to the mess in front of him, and spoke to Lin Xiaosen.
Lin Xiaosen turned and kowtowed to the coffin, then rose without removing his mourning clothes and quickly left with his secretary. As he passed the wooden-faced Lin Xiaoze, he coldly said:
"Luckily, after my third brother was arrested, I became more cautious. You two brothers, along with that old woman, want to seize the Lin Family's business? Dream on!"
Lin Xiaojie, standing some distance away, swayed slightly. Was Michael Turner's personal assistant coming to see Lin Xiaosen at this moment?
Did Song Tianyao really foresee everything?
Despite his own low profile and restraint, never taking any initiative throughout the entire affair, this scoundrel still didn't forget to guard against him, backed by the Bank of East Asia, suddenly making a move to reap the benefits?
He slowly got up and quietly left the mourning hall. As he left, he turned his head and looked back once more.
Inside the mourning hall, everyone stood frozen like wooden or clay sculptures, with only bits of burnt paper ash still floating in the air.
The ashes, like the Lin Family, were once splendid and prosperous, but in the blink of an eye, only ruins remained, falling to dust.