Tongzhou City, Central Hospital.
In the luxurious ward on the top floor, Lin Tianyou lay pale-faced, his head wrapped in bandages and hooked up to a ventilator and pulse monitor.
Lin Jiatao looked grim. He was fifty-two this year, but he had maintained himself well, with his hair slicked back. At first glance, he looked somewhat like Brother Fa from The God of Gamblers.
At that moment, Lin Jiatao sat on the sofa by the window, smoking. Looking at his battered son, he felt inexplicably irritated.
A short, plump woman in heavy makeup sat by the hospital bed, wiping away tears.
"Can you stop crying? Huh? The Doctor said it's only a slight concussion, but you're crying as if he's brain-dead!"
Madam Lin exploded like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "Lin Jiatao! You've been making a name for yourself in Tongzhou for so many years, yet your son got beaten this badly and you don't even dare fart! Are you even a man? All you know is how to throw your weight around at me! If you've got the guts, go find that bastard who beat our son like this and bring him back! If you don't dare, I'll chop him up myself!"
"Will you just shut up already? How many times have I cleaned up his mess? If he weren't my son, he would've been hacked to death hundreds of times already!" Lin Jiatao's head throbbed as his whole body shook with rage. "You spoiled him into this! Do you know who he messed with? The Nanning Su Family!"
"The... the Su Family?" Madam Lin clearly did not know the details of last night's conflict. Hearing Lin Jiatao's words, she was stunned. Though still angry, her tone softened. "The Su Family... they can't bully people like this..."
"How many times have I told you two? In times like these, keep a low profile—lower and lower! But nobody ever listens to a damn word I say. He runs around every day showing off with a bunch of people. It would've been fine if he picked on someone without a background, but he just had to provoke someone from the Su Family. Not only did he get taught a lesson, I have to apologize to them too!" Lin Jiatao's eyes were bloodshot. "What kindness has Director Su shown the Lin family? At my age, I've thrown my face all the way into the Pacific!"
"B-but he's still your biological son. Are you really going to ignore him?"
Lin Jiatao looked at his son lying on the hospital bed. Though his words were full of disappointment, how could he not feel heartbroken inside?
"He's my son? What blessings did I earn in some past life? I think he's my damn father!" Lin Jiatao turned around and cursed through gritted teeth.
"Where are you going?!" Madam Lin shrieked.
"I'm calling Director Su to apologize and grovel!"
Lin Jiatao's tone was stiff as he slammed the door and walked out.
Outside the door, Lin Jiatao's private secretary came up to him, dialed a number, and handed over the phone.
The call was answered quickly.
Upon hearing the voice on the other end, Lin Jiatao's expression changed at once. His face broke into a smile. "Director Su... hello, hello. Last month's dividends were transferred to the finance department, but you still hadn't confirmed receipt, so I just wanted to check... You received them, right? Good, good, good. I thought I might have gotten the account number wrong..."
"Nothing else... it's just about what happened last night. It was rather embarrassing... The kid at home doesn't know any better, so please don't take it to heart..."
The voice on the other end suddenly paused, then turned somewhat puzzled. "Hm? Last night? What happened?"
"Look, your family probably didn't tell you, right? Last night at Fibi Bar, Tianyou had a few words with one of your children..." Lin Jiatao kept smiling, never mentioning that Lin Tianyou had been brutally beaten.
"Heh heh..."
Director Su's voice became strange. "Old Lin, are you short of money again? Are you trying to hint at something? None of my children have been to Tongzhou lately!"
Lin Jiatao froze.
The private secretary beside him lightly nudged his elbow. A video was playing on the laptop—it was private surveillance footage from inside Fibi Bar last night.
A clearly enhanced photo had been extracted from the footage.
Su Rui.
Lin Jiatao's smile stiffened. Looking at the image on the computer, he said softly, "Director Su, I'll send you the photo. Please help me take a look and verify whether he's one of your family members."
"Sure." Director Su agreed crisply.
The photo was quickly sent to Director Su's private email.
Five minutes later, Director Su's reply arrived.
It was very simple.
Only four words.
"No such person found."
It was as if some terrifying presence had begun gathering in the air.
Bang!
"Fuck!" Lin Jiatao kicked over a medical locker in the stairwell. His face was terrifyingly dark as he pointed at the photo on the laptop. "I've spent my whole life in this game, only to get played in my old age!"
"Find him! Find him immediately! Bring him to me before the evening news starts!"
The Pagani sped along the Elevated Bridge.
Li Ruobing gently rubbed her brow.
She had been overwhelmed by the group's affairs lately, which was why she had gone to the bar to relieve some pressure.
The new store was about to open. The land contract had been signed, the announcement had been released, and the factory had been contacted, but the money still had not arrived...
Several banks that had previously been willing to lend to Mingzhu Group suddenly changed their minds just as the new store was about to open. They refused to grant Mingzhu Group a loan, claiming its qualifications had not passed review.
"Someone planted a spy in your company..." Su Rui smiled. He knew exactly what kind of family Li Ruobing came from. "And this time, it was your family that caused this... More precisely, your stepmother."
Conflicts were most common in blended families, especially among wealthy elites like them.
The crux of such conflicts was nothing more than family property and power.
"You're too formidable. Your stepmother and Younger Brother feel enormously threatened by you. Even if your brother is the Legitimate Son, you'll still keep him firmly under your thumb in the Li family in the future. So, before you can fully rise to power, your stepmother decided to use a dirty trick to make you fall flat on your face and force you from your position!"
Su Rui said this as though it were easy to understand. The key was that Li Ruobing's younger brother was simply too useless. He had not shown the slightest ability or talent to stand on equal footing with Li Ruobing.
Li Ruobing's expression remained cold, without the slightest visible reaction.
"How much do you know about my family?"
"A lot. More than you can imagine..." Su Rui looked utterly calm. "There are many things even you don't know that are crystal clear to me."
"Then what do you want for helping me?" Li Ruobing finally turned her head, the corner of her lips lifting slightly. "Don't tell me it's because of a night of pleasure, some man's responsibility, or whatever... Save that bullshit for someone else."
Su Rui shook his head. This woman was frighteningly calm. She could remain so rational even toward the man who had taken her first time.
"Don't underestimate your own appeal. You, benefits, status," Su Rui said word by word. "I want them all."
"Not a bad reason."
Li Ruobing closed her eyes, seeming somewhat tired. "Wake me when we get there."
Today was the day Mingzhu Company held its Board of Directors meeting. As chief executive officer, Li Ruobing could not possibly be absent. She had many things to deal with today, such as those shareholders who had always fiercely opposed her. They certainly would not let the chance of the funding chain being cut off slip by. They would launch a fierce attack on Li Ruobing, hoping to pull her down from her position.
When she established Mingzhu Group, she had not used any of her family's resources. As a result, although she was the chief executive officer, there were many shareholders within the group, and they were not united.
In the past, she could rely on profits to suppress those shareholders who sought to rise in power. But today's hurdle would likely be difficult to overcome...
"Have you never considered asking your father for some money? Tens of millions, even hundreds of millions—if you ask, he'll definitely give it to you." Su Rui spoke again, looking at Li Ruobing with an amused smile.
Li Group was a family that truly stood at the very pinnacle of Tongzhou City, one of the top business dynasties.
Even Lin Jiatao, who had risen wildly in recent years and was enjoying unrivaled momentum, had to lower his head first whenever he met a member of the Li family and accompany them as a junior.
That was the foundation of a true wealthy family, something no nouveau riche could compare to.
Li Ruobing said nothing, but Su Rui knew very well that she was fiercely competitive and almost stubborn. When she returned from studying abroad, she had chosen to start her own business instead of taking a position in the family group. That alone proved it.
If she asked her family for help at the first sign of difficulty, it would not fit her personality.
"You want to reach the summit on your own and cast aside the label of a wealthy family's daughter. Your eyes have never lingered on the family group..." The smile on Su Rui's face deepened. Li Ruobing had never intended to inherit the family business. She wanted to build a business empire that belonged solely to herself, and she had never intended to compete with her useless younger brother.
"Your stepmother and younger brother are truly pitiful. They cautiously treat you as their greatest rival and keep making moves against you, never realizing that you never considered them opponents at all."
"Shortsighted fools..." Li Ruobing said coldly, her tone full of contempt.
The Pagani stopped beneath a Commercial Building.
"The money will arrive on time." Su Rui checked his watch. There were still two hours left. "Just wait quietly and watch how I help you turn this around!"
The engine roared, and Su Rui drove away.
Only one sentence drifted through the air.
"Remember, five o'clock!"
Li Ruobing quietly watched Su Rui disappear into the distance. A young woman in professional attire ran out from the building behind her.
"President Li, all the shareholders are here. They're waiting for you."
Li Ruobing nodded and turned to enter the lobby.
Before you continue