“Hello! Cousin, something’s happened!”
Early the next morning, an unexpected call woke Lin Huaiqing.
The man on the other end sounded extremely anxious, leaving him struggling to understand what was going on.
“Lin Yu? What happened? Slow down!”
He hurriedly questioned him while getting dressed.
“I’ve had several calls this morning, all from our suppliers and clients. They’re all saying the same thing: from now on, they refuse to work with the Lin Group!”
“What?! What about the projects already underway?”
“They’d rather pay the contractual penalties than continue working with us. The whole company is in chaos. Please get here quickly!”
“All right! Don’t panic. I’m coming now!”
Lin Huaiqing dressed at lightning speed. Without even washing his face, he drove straight to the company.
Once there, he discovered that the situation was even worse than Lin Yu had described.
Every project had received notice to stop. Suppliers would no longer deliver goods, while clients were willing to risk breaching their contracts to cancel their partnerships.
More than ninety percent of the company’s projects could no longer proceed. Calls concerning the remaining ten percent were still coming in.
The scale of the crisis was beyond anything Lin Huaiqing had imagined.
He had expected retaliation from Qin Feng, but never so quickly!
“What do we do now? We’ll receive a considerable sum in compensation, but without those resources and connections, the company is finished.”
Lin Yu had never expected such a disaster to unfold just as he took over.
How could anyone have landed them in trouble this serious?
After calming himself and thinking it through, Lin Huaiqing said:
“Don’t panic. First, reassure the staff. Tell them that whatever happens, this month’s salaries will be paid in full. Hold off on everything else. Wait while I go ask someone for help.”
“What? Who are you going to ask? Has the Lin Group offended someone?”
“I offended someone…”
Without another word, Lin Huaiqing left the company and headed straight for Qin Feng’s private villa.
He had been far too naïve. He had actually believed Qin Feng would let the matter drop.
Thinking back to what Qin Feng had said that day, how could he have forgotten that classic threat: “The weather’s turned cold. Time for the Lin Group to go bankrupt”?
Furious with himself, Lin Huaiqing kept one hand on the wheel and struck his head twice with the other.
It was all this frustrating brain’s fault. So stupid! So stupid!
Qin Feng could come after him, but the Lin Group was off-limits!
He parked outside the villa.
“Let go! Let me in! I want to see Qin Feng!”
At the entrance, a group of strong, imposing bodyguards blocked his path.
“Sorry, Young Master Lin. Mr. Qin says he’s taking the day off and won’t be receiving visitors.”
Lin Huaiqing knew exactly what Qin Feng was thinking. He simply wanted revenge. He wanted to humiliate him.
Fine! It was not as though Lin Huaiqing was some paragon of unbending pride.
“Did he say what I have to do to see him?”
“Mr. Qin says that if you get on your knees and crawl inside, he might be pleased enough to see you.”
Before the bodyguard had even finished, Lin Huaiqing dropped to both knees without hesitation.
“Will this do?”
The bodyguards had not expected him to submit so quickly. One after another, they stepped aside.
Ignoring everyone’s stares, Lin Huaiqing repeated to himself: It’s only acting! It’s only acting! It’s all for the money!
In the depths of winter, the marble floor was cold enough to chill him to the bone. Yet he seemed not to feel it as he struggled forward.
Like a dog, he finally crawled into Qin Feng’s reception room.
Qin Feng was sitting on the sofa, apparently having anticipated his arrival and been waiting for some time.
“That’s enough, Young Master Lin. Get up. The floor’s so cold.”
Lin Huaiqing kept his head lowered. By the time he stood, a flattering smile had replaced his expression.
“Young Master Qin, I failed to recognize who I was dealing with. I overestimated myself and offended you. Please be generous and let me off this once!”
Standing before Qin Feng, he bowed and scraped, openly making every effort to please him.
Qin Feng took a sip of tea and lifted his eyes, gesturing for him to sit.
“It’s not that you’ve realized your mistake, Mr. Lin. You heard the news this morning, and now you’re afraid.”
“Yes, yes. I’m afraid. The Lin Group may not be large, but it represents three generations of my family’s hard work. My father entrusted it to me when he went to prison. It means a great deal to me.”
This might have been the first time Lin Huaiqing had spoken calmly to Qin Feng. It was also the moment he felt least able to hold on to his dignity.
He could have ignored everything and simply walked away, but he could not bring himself to do it.
Lin Zhen had treated him so well, loving him like his own son. His grandfather had even entrusted him with the family heirloom to sell, just to preserve the company.
To leave behind a disaster of his own making and walk away without a care was something he simply could not do.
Qin Feng narrowed his eyes, seemingly enjoying the feeling of looking down on someone from above.
“If you’d been this sensible from the beginning, Mr. Lin, we wouldn’t have reached this point.”
“You’re right, Young Master Qin. Since your ultimate goal is to win Miss Shen’s heart back, I suggest taking the long view.”
“Oh? Explain.”
Looking interested, Qin Feng sat upright.
“Miss Shen is abroad. Even if you forcibly bring her back, will she forgive you? No. She’ll only hate you more. That’s why I think you should take things gradually.”
“But I don’t even have a way to contact her. How am I supposed to do that?”
“I’ve already thought of that for you.”
Lin Huaiqing took out his phone.
“This account belongs to Shen Jingyi.
“I can help you add her on the messaging app and let you communicate with her under my identity. You can find out how she’s doing and gradually become part of her life. After a while, you can go abroad to see her. It’s certainly better than trying to force her to be with you.”
“Under your identity?”
Qin Feng glanced at him with apparent disdain.
“Only temporarily. Whatever else happens, getting in touch with her first is better than letting her hate you for the rest of her life, isn’t it?”
After saying all that, Lin Huaiqing suddenly realized he might have a talent for being a lackey.
The leads would reconcile eventually anyway. He was only helping the male lead cheat a little. It probably would not affect the plot.
Qin Feng considered it carefully before finally nodding.
“You seem to have a point. In that case, let’s try your method.”
“Then can you ease off on us now, Mr. Qin?”
Qin Feng tapped his fingers lightly against the table. The sound grated on Lin Huaiqing’s nerves.
“That won’t be quite so easy.”
He had already crossed his own moral line to help Qin Feng reunite with the heroine. What more could the man possibly want?
“If there’s anything else you’re dissatisfied with, Mr. Qin, tell me all of it. As long as you spare the Lin Group, I’ll agree to anything!”
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